Mmaloac

Seriously some people still continue to rationalize and defend this ridiculous makjang ploT saying it's true to life. Realistic, raw, painful, etc.. No, most of us couldnt care less if the characters end up together. We didnt ditch because the couple broke up. We all just wanted a substantial classical storyline with complex characters. But we got caricature characters doing insensible things. How is this even realistic? I mean take the drama My Mister for example. That show was 80% depressing in writing, very heavy on realism, very blunt in its depiction of human relationship and society. You'd think that it'd just be all sadness and pain but no. There was hope, light, from the community of non blood related people supporting each other, the healing effect of forgiveness, to the power of acceptance. This show is bland from start to finish. Dramas tend up have a theme/essential message. What is the point of this drama? The writer doesn't even know what to make of it, is it a healing drama, "realistic" look at world of classical music, or just want to make the audience feel frustrated. No character development whatsoever. What a waste of PEB talent.

lol idk why people are getting SLS? I mean you can like HJP as a character without shipping him with the FL. I hope they don't make him fall in love with her or else I'll be disappointed. His complex character and heartwarming relationship/interaction with grandma is my fav thing right now so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SHOW DO NOT RUIN IT with cliche a love triangle. Just my 2 cents :P I dont want half of us to end up heartbroken for HJP haha. That aside, I really enjoy the awkward character of NDS. I live for this misunderstanding right now!! Cant wait for their interaction

I agree with most of your points. I was okay with her insecurities, and self-doubt. I really applauded her for starting over college to follow her real dreams. I felt for her. My main issue is with the pace with the drama. There is NO progress of development in either her character or professional life and we're already at ep 12. Although I had issue with them getting together quickly, I wanted their relationship to aid their developments, but instead the writer fall back on the usual tropes (coincidences, overhearing convos) to create unnecessary misunderstanding. So, anything that happens within the next four eps that may change that, will be really out of nowhere with no build up. People in the comment keep saying it's realistic, it takes time and patience. The crazy amount of toxic people and toxic things she's seen or heard is what makes this drama FAR from being realistic, at least in the last two weeks. Plus, you cannot say the drama is written realistically just because bad stuffs are happening. There are more realistic dramas out there without all the over the top ridiculousness that takes place here.

At this point they should just abandon music and live happily ever after lol. I can watch that kind of drama

I really saw that this drama had potentials in the beginning. I still watch clips of newer eps but meh it's going nowhere. I guest I really just really wanted it to be about music. Portraying the cutt-throat environment and dark sides of music industry where talents are exploited, geniuses lose their idealism, mental health is comprised, etc.. I wanted SA to be the person that shows it doesn't have to be all dark as long as you love what you do. I wanted her to bring some warmth and idealism to this crazy world. But now she is just mopping around like everyone else. If music is torturing her, then she should just find something else to do and play it as a hobby instead. If she still wants to, then start practicing hard and stop comparing herself and stop getting triggered by other's people opinions. It is already ep 12. It is your responsibility to make yourself better, not your boyfriend's nor his past crush's.

So much hopes for this drama but instead we get tropey misunderstanding, nonsense love triangles, and caricature characters making your blood boil. I can go and watch makjang family dramas for that

LOL so glad i dropped this after ep 8. ABSOLUTELY loved the first four eps!! Seeing them getting together when they haven't resolved their respective baggages rubbed me the wrong way. JY has so much to deal with. He needed therapy, not a girlfriend. And SA, for a person that went back to college so she can play violin, should be practicing 24/7 to improve, asking for feedbacks, seeking out other accompanists, if she's SERIOUS about it, not going on dates and crying over friends. If you have the time to compare yourself to others, and if you love playing violin, then take it seriously and work on yourself. I blame the writer for using classical music (something I LOVE) as a plot device for senseless drama and love triangles. I mean are we still in the 2000s? There are dramas that make you feel angry, stupid, and insulted and this is one of them. I need to go back to Hello my Twenties to burn this role of PEB from my mind

Ive watched kdramas for twenty years before i even watch taiwanese dramas and i think this beats any kdrama ive watched in the last few years in term of quality and i dont see anything beating it any time soon. If you tend to like kdrama with a lot of romance and little substances, i feel like you’re not gonna be able to sit through it since it explores a lot of mature topics that most kdramas afraid to explore and definitively it has less fanservice. This is what happens when writers take freedom in their creativity and quality writing instead of catering to fantasy of fans. I recommend you trying it if u enjoy a little bit of detective thinking, clever twists, some romance, and heart rending messages. This drama has a special place in my heart and I’m blessed I was able to watch this masterpiece

You describe perfectly how I feel. When you watch so many drama, everything becomes the same/ mediocre, and then there comes one that catches you by surprise and reignites your passion for drama

For me who is extremely picky with my dramas, I binged this in 3 days, and experienced so many emotions, got confused, fascinated, confused again, awe, sobbed, and laughed, relieved, and now this becomes one of my top five (or three) asian dramas of all time. How did that happen?

Well-rounded, well-paced, tight writing, strong acting/directing , and most of all makes you feel confident that the drama will not disappoint you even toward the end. I’ve seen many time travels since 'm a big fan of the genre but rarely does any of them actually EXPLAINS the rules of time travel or balance it perfectly with a central story line e.g whether its romance, murder mystery without sacrificing anything. Its easy to write a time travel but its an incredibly difficult feat to make sure there’s no loophole in your writing, and that every major plot twist MAKES SENSE if not leaves the viewers thinking "thats sooo cool and clever!" Beside the sci fi aspect, the drama was not afraid to discuss heavy and dark topics, social issues, and personal dilemmas most people including myself are facing, and even left encouraging messages to its viewers who are struggling through its relatable characters. Seriously Kudos to Taiwan. And the icing on the cake, they have one of my fav romance that has so much substances to it. It is a central storyline that drives everything in the drama but never felt out of place or too much of. It's the most UNIQUE type of romance set-up and ORIGINAL storytelling I've seen so far even though the synopsis makes it seem like a typical boring romance. I don't remember the last time I ship a couple in a drama but I ship them since ep 1.

Now having watched asian dramas for more than two decades, this drama feels like a reward that comes in awhile for being a dedicated dramas watcher and enduring mediocre dramas. After The World Between Us (which I ABSOLUTELY recommend) and this one, I’ve now ventured into taiwanese dramalands. Now that I’m older, I want to watch more mature dramas and i feel like most drama is afraid to be dark, raw and realistic. If your drama taste is anything like mine, I recommend it.

OH my heart. Biao and Xi <3. Idk why people are having SLS.
SECOND SEASON PLEASE PLEASE

I don't think there's anything wrong with being attracted to someone at first impression because of their looks. We're always told to search for deeper meaning to love a person and get judged if the reason is their appearance but thats corny and not how it works. He was honest enough to admit to approaching her cause she was pretty. I respect him for that. I also appreciate his speech to MR at the end. Basically it said you can reject anyone and like who you want and also, you cannot judge people for 'having a feeling' nor deciding which are the right reasons to 'have a feeling'. In the end, it's what you feel that matters. Words to live by.

She told him in ep 2.

Oh dear I had such a good abs workout today. I was literally laughing for 3/4 of the ep 8. By the time MR pulls out the two straws for popcorn, I'd already lost it. Everything about their date reminds me of my first ever date in high school ages ago. I was so shy and nervous and inexperienced and hella BROKE! I felt 2nd hand embarrassment watching these two, but their date ends with such a sweet conversation under the umbrella. Thanks god this ep made up for all the tears I shed yesterday...

I agree with @aya you're basically describe whats happening in the drama aha. The hypocrisy is real. They judge you if you're not pretty for the role, and still judge you for being too pretty for it bc that means you got a free ticket. Constructive criticism is fine but making up false rumors is not acceptable. Maybe some people should pay attention to what the drama is teaching instead of focusing on someone's face.

I gotta agree. In this ep, he conveys his feelings so well that I was there with him. I personally dislike over-expressing and over-acting so his acting works here for me. He gives so much away saying so little. And I like what he is doing with his eyes, that haunted and sad look. I've always connected with characters like that more in dramas. Whereas ISH nailed her scenes in the last ep talking about her past struggles/hardships and insecurities, CEW truly shines in this ep.

I was initially iffy about KS's mom showing up cause I was afraid his trivial family issue would take up precious screen time and make Mi Rae's character dev take a back seat, but I was surprised that the issue was more significant and relevant to narrative of drama than I thought. Her husband thinks taking care of family is a woman's primary duty, as if she has no real dream and goal of her own. I understand why she left him, losing her hopes and dreams was the last straw. And I also understand why she wishes she was born less pretty, so she can live a life where she can work for the things she wants and not be subjected just an object or love interest of a man for her looks. This drama keeps on surprising me, tackling more issues than I'd expected. I honestly cried throughout ep 7. (MR and her dad *cries*!!) It was such an amazing ep with a focus on family! Looks like tomorrow we will be back to the OTP and I can't wait!

Ah I see. I did really like everything about Reply 1988 except for the husband storyline. For me, a show can either be plot-driven or character-driven and I would still love it. If it's both then thats even better! May I ask how many eps you've watched? Cause after 6 eps, I definitely see character development especially in Mi Rae. And not just our leads but everyone around them, especially the other girls who are trying to stand up to sexist remarks and sexual objectification made by their sunbaes who are raised with a belief that it is "tradition" for woman to serve alcohol. When I say the bullying is subtle, it is because these people actually don't have any malicious intent. They are raised that way and with ignorance, think it's okay to make jokes as it is nothing serious without realizing they're actually being sexist and what they did to these girls. So I think this type of bullying is more realistic. The bullying doesn't have to be super strong and physically over the top for it to be considered serious. It can be be subtle verbal bullying/mocking which can be as mentally damaging.

Yup, I was actually looking for a light-hearted drama with a lil bit of romance because I've been on a streak of bleak, raw, painfully realistic shows all year long (Misaeng, Reply 1988, Mother, My Mister, Just Between Lovers, Prison Playbook, Live, and recently Dear My Friends which I LOVE all of them), but since its summer I just want to take a break from those kind of shows haha. WWWSK didnt work for me. But this show does. It's not too ridiculously fluffy and its not too serious either. Its a perfect balance between those shows mentioned above that I love and ordinary/typical rom-com that I hate. The last drama that had that balance was Because This is My First Life.

If you're looking for an exciting plot, my recommendation would be to look elsewhere. This is clearly a character-driven drama, with small moments full of significance and messages that feel realistic in a way that’s both lovely and a little painful. I have watched drama for more than 10 years and this is the least cliche out of other light-hearted dramas I've watched recently (and I hate cliches romance with a passion). The leads' interaction and relationships are refreshing, even their individual characteristics/personality is refreshing . The acting is fine in my opinion. And the bullying is pretty subtle, but very realistic. It sucks you're not enjoying it as much as I do.

This drama needs more attention because its such an eye-opener! It's easy for it to be just a typical rom com, but I applaud the show/webtoon for tackling issues young adults are dealing with today: bullying, sexual harassments, hypocritical beauty standards etc. I'm crossing my fingers that the show will stay true to itself, because so far every episode has been twisting my heart and tugging the emotional threads found in every day life. Every time MR talks about her past struggles, I just want to go into the screen and hug her tight. I have never been bullied for my looks but as someone suffering with depression and anxiety, I feel so much for her that she had to go through such medical procedure as a kid in order to defend herself from society. Like KS's mom said, "being envious of something ordinary (such as living a normal life and be treated fairly) is such a sad thing." She's so emotionally scarred, and I wish nothing but her happiness and self-acceptance.