Joanna

yeah i ended up finishing it (although skimming occasionally) while logging out of my "critical-watcher" brain aha. I see why it's cute. The actors are mostly great though. liked the ambience and lighting a lot of the time too. Really great scenes that suit the drama, i.e. all the sunny and nostalgic colors and beautiful scenes near nature. Feels really pure, in a way. the characters were indeed cute too. just couldn't really get behind the characters and relationship. despite that, pushing the boundaries in whatever way is always interesting.

thanks for the nice/understanding comment though! c:

woah bae doona /and/ iu /and/ song kang ho?? wow, so excited for this

i'm halfway through ep 2 and ??? i love the fiancee and her?? ?? i almost don't give af about kuroiwa? is this normal?? that scene between them after the dinner was real cute. just a bit more communication + connection and it would be v v v good

-- but ahh. by the end i'm starting to see what's up. i guess they never really... bonded, it seems like? i don't know, it feels like they don't really know anything about each other. which i guess is part of the problem? so that's why he feels "far away" from her, like a goal she has to reach, and for him.. she's... just a cute girlfriend? But I would really like a storyline where he begins to see her as a really admirable and lovable person too? whether it be her dedication to her work, her morals, etc. and one where she also begins to have the opportunity to see what's very endearing about him as well. don't feel like i got too much of that here.

when she opens the door to see her fiancee there, if they really had bonded or found each other endearing, I personally figure that there would be a slight pause before "hah? how are you here?" with a giant smile

--ep 3 beginning:... i don't understand. I'd immediately jump to the conclusion that the reason i'm uncomfortable/lowkey a bit disappointed by the boy getting a girlfriend "ah i'm prob just disappointed i'm not being pined after anymore by this young boi, in this twisted way lmao-- past my prime, 'eh?"....
i'd rationalize it, and that'd be that. and then hijiri having that very sketchy conversation with her fiancee's boss.... i just really can't understand. her walls must be really broken down.

... aaand by the end of episode 3, i'm out.
i might watch a bit more mindlessly but with 00000 expectations.
i can't take it. "you can't hide your feelings forever" uhhhhhmm?? but you can?? when it's about your underage student?? and isn't this what so so many people do??? because you realize that "oh. my walls were just down because my current relationship makes me feel useless and worthless, so i'd feel moved at the sight of a high school boy thanking me and crushing on me". you realize that your current state was influenced by other factors, which explains these very very wrong feelings. so break up with your boyfriend and move to another school/city, mate. easier said than done, of course. but... sometimes you just need to disconnect. it's better than getting swept away by these predispositions that cloud your vision. and having this stigma possibly follow you for the rest of your life if you screw up.

go off for a while, realize that you can love yourself. that you're not "just" anything. that no man is "too good for you" or wasted on you. and then at that time, if someone makes you feel right, feel like you wouldn't want to be anywhere else, /then/ you know that you're not just foolishly hurling yourself into a relationship based off your traumas. a relationship where you falsely think you need someone else to prove your worth.

and looking at the preview.. despite her saying "this is the end".... clearly not going to be. she's clearly not being drastic enough. so bye.

okay. after the first episode, i understand why it's cute. but i can't help but think that this boy is way too young for her mentally right now. i don't think i'll be able to accept it if she catches feelings for him right now. he feels really, really young. he's still in this stage where he's figuring his body out, his emotions, these.. formative years. whereas she's supposed to be learning about herself as well, but in a whole different headspace. she's supposed to know how to behave in certain situations, how to prioritize your emotions vs career, tact over impulse/brute honesty, etc. even though she's still learning and growing too, i don't think they're really comparable.

she should see him as a.. troubled teen who is very cute and likes the poems that she shares-- "awww, what a cute student. good thing he's actually listening to my lectures." but.... he should only be just that. for a long, long time.

the only scenario i think i'd be able to accept is if they met again later, to be honest.

another note-- i also really like the fiancee? he tries to keep the relationship going-- he really makes an effort to make it work, and he seems to really like her. i can imagine that if there were some issues in their relationship like "hey i'd really like you to become a housewife", they'd be able to have some adult conversations about it. but y'know, that's a tall order in dramas sometimes.

.. or maybe there's some deep seated settling going on here? or deep-seated "let's make this work no matter how shitty we are for each other" even though the FL has put up with so much suppressed dissatisfaction-- circa One Spring Night

i also hope he doesn't end up cheating (?) or having a fling with the boss. but who knows. as with a lot of things, i can be persuaded otherwise if it's done well.

.... we'll see if i stick with this one

umm lowkey gonna be watching this for lee shi young and her muscles?

Oof, Go Kyungpyo /and/ Kim Youngmin? A must watch *u*

happy birthday dudu! c: can't wait for your solo comeback + more variety and drama appearances, and just you doing stuff that you love!

Ah, I see. You're talking more about the technical aspects of her performance and not her overall portrayal or tone of her character. I agree that in her performance of her character as a "fierce", straightforward "queen" , she does sometimes lose the details and overcompensates with the smiles and smirks a bit too much. Those are some interesting examples you bring up. There's definitely not a big variety in how she expresses the aforementioned concepts through her face and body language, I guess-- and sometimes it results in looking a bit stiff and "weird". It almost feels unnatural, unlike the actresses you mostly mentioned. I'm particularly fond of Son Yejin's portrayals of obsessive, crazier characters. (Although I do believe that some of the overarching tone and directing of this drama lends itself to/is more conducive to these unnatural acting tendencies. But that's for another time.)

Yes, this is exactly what I felt odd about in this drama. I love subtle dramas and characters, and while I love Seo Yeji, the way this character is written and acted... is a little too on-the-nose and in your face.

I think the other thing I struggle with though, is that it feels like her portrayal/interpretation probably fits the tone that the writer/director wanted? That overdramatic, slightly cringey, kinda funny style. From her clothes, to some of the bizarre, humorous direction, the "fairytale" like tone and themes, all the way to her interpretation, it all fits together cohesively. It's hard for me to say I dislike it or it's unsuitable, when I just think at the core, that this drama isn't a drama that's very subtle in style-- so why should I expect that from its main protagonist?

eh, probably a ymmv thing, but as someone in a family with .. well all healthcare professionals (minus me, hah), and as someone who has struggled with health for a long time-- in my /personal/ , vastly limited experience, prior to diagnosis, i agree that healthcare professionals may brush it off as "ah nah it couldn't be that", "it's nothing"-- and ignore the symptoms. I've seen it happen.

But that isn't applicable in this case. in this case, ML /knows/ his brother has PTSD. that isn't a surprise to him. his brother almost certainly has been diagnosed with ptsd-- or at the very, very, least, ML definitely knows his brother was traumatized by whatever happened in childhood. And once you have a diagnosis or some semblance of it.. most of the healthcare professionals I know go all in on trying to heal their family member, even moreso than other people. Because then they have direction and are able to research as much as they can. Because they know the reality of these conditions and the possible outcomes so much more deeply than other people. Because they've seen it happen so many times in their facilities: in their rounds, during training, every day.

But who knows what the writers intended. We'll see if there's any further elaboration on that part in the coming weeks.

(RE: butterflies. The only explanation I've come up with lightly is that maybe his brother is the one who can't stand staying in one place? or that ML /thought/ that his bro would be too scared to stay in one place? bc maybe his brother stopped having those types of episodes regarding butterflies once they moved? not really consistent with everything.. but maybe?)

Y'know, I agree with you to an extent. For sure if I see those same shots in the next few episodes, it'll.. start to grate on my nerves. Because you can build up tension and connectedness without those. Once or twice used sparingly in the right places, it can be beautiful-- used too often, and it becomes gimmicky and distracting. Cheap shots.

This drama, in a multitude of ways, does come off to me as "trying too hard" to be edgy and "over". However, I will give the writers and directors the benefit of the doubt-- maybe they are making the female lead very "on the nose" and in your face on purpose-- maybe it's for comedic purposes. I can overlook it (.... I may also just be biased towards Seo Yeji's face, but that's for another time).

I too felt like there was absolutely no build up in terms of.. actual romance here? One of the dangers of focusing on a drama's concept and visuals so much-- great and fairytale-like as they are-- you risk the viewer lacking understanding and empathy because the characters and their romance feel so far removed from them. The graphics and otherworldly (as you put it, artificial) tone can feel like an artifice very easily. The beautiful, bizarre graphics and cinematography can only do so much in immersing the reader-- the writing is really where it needs to shine there. There needs to be a connection beyond tragedy, surface beauty, and pity for the characters.

I personally will stick it out another week to see how it progresses in the meantime. Because one thing I think this drama did well in the first two episodes is giving a few mysteries for the viewer to hold onto. I personally wonder how they're going to even make the ML and FL into a viable, convincing romantic pair. Also wondering what's going to happen next, what Moonyoung's next move is going to be, how Kangtae is going to respond to it. And a lot of times, that type of curiosity enough for a first premiere of the series. I'll see how well they keep that tension up.

whoa, I wonder if they partially offered this after her performance in Intruder. New looks for her-- nice!

this is a dream come true for my (poorly) trilingual ass, just looking at the trailer lmao-- so pure and hilarious uwu

depending how it's written.. twoset might be having something to look forward to lolol

I could not agree more for the most part-- I had the same thoughts when I watched episode 8 (in quite a fit of frustration at the wasted talent and great start of the drama). There is too much that is not revealed to the viewer-- and it exacerbates so many issues-- like the lack of understanding the viewer has towards Jisoo and Jaehyun's emotions and actions, etc.

Furthermore, a lot of the coincidences and parallels between the past and present are not only dysfunctional but also just.. annoying. I honestly thought they would have made the story branch off by now: have the parallels of the beautiful past love and the present, rediscovered love for... perhaps 4 small climaxes? and then begin to show how their decisions have changed from the past-- and then move on linearly from there. Spend more time in the present. Or else it becomes more difficult for viewers to stay engaged in the events and lives of the leads. (... not to mention how they've broken the golden rule of coincidences too many times.)

It really makes me sad. My mom also really /loved/ Yoo Jitae's acting for the first bit, but it seems like the plot/writing might get in the way of that. ...on to find another drama, I guess. After giving next week's episodes one more chance.

He has a kind of Song Joong-ki vibe to him-- in my eyes, at least.
Loved his character in Cry Me a Sad River-- interested in seeing what he does next.

;u; the trailer looks so good man -- gonna be feel good and feel sad but all worth it in the end c:::

I definitely don't think she's the best actress ever, but not /all/ of her projects are unwatchable. Emergency Couple was one of the more bearable series. I'm willing to give it a try given just how much I'm biased towards her in RM lolol

Can't confirm exactly, but most Chinese dramas with Korean actors/actresses in them dub the voice. Someone can correct me if that's not the case for this drama.

but yeahhhhhh, I can't stand dubs either. I love the beauty of an actor/actress's raw voice and emotion. And seeing the lips not match what I'm hearing is always extra distracting.

I'd be 100% ready if this actually came to be ;u; ready for the tears and heartbreak i mean (also han ji min really loves dramas with a sad twist/unique/sad story characters-- and i'm not mad at all)