Marshmallow-Chocoholic

I am curious to see the direction of this one. There a lot of things that I love about this drama, but at the same time there is a lot of murky uncertainty towards where the plot is going. Oh, well. I guess we will have to wait and see...

Jae Eon is manipulative. His nuanced controlling behaviour over Nabi’s hairstyle, suddenly appearing seemingly in her “ time of need” ( likely stalking her or something more) , constantly suggesting times for them to meet up when it’s okay for him rather than vice versa, cutting her off from his phone call in order to make her lust over him more and easily leading on Nabi by “ cutesy and boyfriend ” actions ( the points you mentioned earlier such as the gifts, teaching her to dance and metalwork) typically indicating signs of devotion to a monogamous relationship, whilst even Nabi and the audience know he’s sleeping around. Well, you’re argument here is probably going to be; “ But It’s Nabi’s fault for interpreting this as romantic which clearly they are in a casual sexual relationship”. To an extent, yes. However, that is the point of the drama and where conflicts arise; Nabi likes the freedom of a “ casual sexual relationship” , but she wants something more. She has been in committed relationships beforehand and knows it is unrealistic to expect a fairy tale ending with Jae Eon but he purposefully makes her heart flutter. What Nabi probably doesn’t realise yet is that Jae Eon gets a thrill out of toying by playing mind games and the role of the “ sweet Romeo” with girls only to push it on them as “ clingy”. He’s already tried this tactic with Nabi by ghosting her . We saw this indication with a past lover in the cafe, who seemed to speak to Jae Eon in a sweet manner as though expecting this behaviour to be reciprocated, and genuinely seemed fazed when he didn’t do the same. Additionally whilst it wasn’t right for the Male classmates outside of the window whilst Nabi was listening in to drag Nabi down, they did seem to be unfazed that Nabi was Jae Eon’s “ target”, suggesting this has happened before with other girls around campus. Jae Eon swoons them, they fall in love with them and then he plays them like a yo-yo and disregards them when the next best thing comes along. In question to your point about the whole ‘ Sometimes both lovers can be married to different people and still enjoy having sex with one another’ that’s a whole tonne of moral ethics coming into question. I’m not going to blank it over black or white as “ wrong” because there are multiple reasons why individuals have affairs or find themselves in positions like Nabi as casual lovers, but at the end of the day this type of relationship rarely lasts or is healthy on the individuals or bonds in long-term relationships causing marriages to break down, spark distrust amongst married partners, psychological trauma upon partners and possibly children caught in the middle and divorces. If you can only equate who Nabi should keep between other potential love interests ( such as the noodle guy) because ‘ they’re good in bed’ then I truly feel sorry for you. As the previous comment @DramaFreak mentioned, this isn’t to implicate an innocent school girl ideology, but a committed relationship is a lot more than sexual contact; it’s emotional, being able to click with someone over their personality, interests and tastes as well as being able to feel comfortable and trust them. Nabi needs this more than ever in her life now, and it is doubtful that Jae Eon is the answer. Well, that crosses some interesting boundaries if they are just ‘ f-buddies’ , doesn’t it ;)!?

I always find that a really bad excuse with character writing. A short story can still establish better character writing than a 12/16 episode drama but why? The biggest factor is focalisation. The storyline in the drama wanted to convey more profound messages and throw in as many subplots with characters as possible, but it was too heavily dominated by the romance factor leading to a lot of characters ( such as Young Ran,So Bin, Chan Ki , Mi Joo and even Soo Hyun with his backstory ) being wasted onscreen. I agree one of the highlights of the drama was So Bin, Young Ran and Mi Joo’s interactions from roommates to friends. It’s just a shame that we didn’t get to see more development with their friendship, or a sense of these female characters feeling as though they could rely upon one another through thick or thin. For me So Bin’s “ crush” was a classic case and point example of the screenwriter wanting to throw in a spanner in the works for tension, and then disregarding it when it was no longer necessary for the storyline. Let’s be honest. If you had a life-long crush on your best friend and you felt conflicted by someone new in your life, you’d probably struggle between both for longer than So Bin, or respectfully step away from them and maybe try to start things slow again or maintain a platonic friendship with them until they ( including So Bin and the male leads) are entirely sure on how they feel . I respect that the series did give So Bin some time away from both Joon and Chan Ki, but it was a sad writing excuse to allow this as a quick fix/excuse for her childhood feelings to be dismissed for” getting together” with Joon.

For me the biggest issue with the direction of the storyline wasn’t so much subverting side characters into mains or even pairing up Joon with So Bin as a plot premise, but rather the lacking dynamic atmosphere this had in comparison to these fairly platonic relationships in the webcomic . Controversies aside from the problems with Soo Hyun, Soo Bin and Joon’s relationships is arguably one of the most lacklustre that I’ve seen in recent years of K-dramas. Don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t the case that actors Park Ji-Hoon and Kang Min Ah had terrible onscreen chemistry. Kang Min Ah is a brilliant actress and she certainly helped to convey sweeter moments between their onscreen personas ( one of the loveliest scenes of the drama being when So Bin gave Yeo Joon a hyacinth). However, the plot often seemed to struggle with conveying a symbiotic and mutually respectful relationship between these two characters with Yeo Joon (in early episodes) manipulating So Bin’s feelings, and then So Bin happily going out with someone who infringed upon her self-respect . Aside from diverging from the original webcomic , the pairing between these main leads was similar to So Bin merely acting as an emotional band aid for Joon’s emotional wounds; quick to slap on top in order to make their relationship seem “ soulful”, yet often resulting in a one-sided investment of only So Bin hearing out Joon . I guess whilst it is understandable that Joon needed some respectful boundaries with So Bin ( and vice versa), it provided a sense of distrust within their relationship by Joon often considering Soo Hyun ( Baek In Hyuk) more as a “trusted” confidant than So Bin throughout the drama. As some drama watchers have pointed out this relationship formula is pretty reminiscent of older dramas from 10 years ago+ , where the female lead was seen as the “ emotional healer” for the “ problematic” male lead and everything would be hunky dory by the male lead learning to be a “ better person” ( rather than owning up to his flaws) through love . In comparison to the more “ symbiotically respectful” relationships we are seeing in modern dramas, this does feel a bit outdated. This problem seemed to also manifest with writing and allowing other female characters in the show to be developed well sans romantic pairings and unrequited feelings . Whilst it was a slight glimpse of hope that Mi Joo did not go down the route of “ female animosity” towards Young Ran because of her feelings to Soo Hyun, it was sad that this is all her character equated to; an obsessive fan girl, who had no backstory or life outside of her necessity for the storyline, and was disregarded the moment she was no longer a necessary part of the plot. ( A sad turn of events, really.)Admittedly I’m glad that they didn’t go down the possible route of Young Ran x Soo Hyun. Controversies with sexuality aside, it would’ve have been equally awkward to have seen two life-long friends (who are practically siblings) end up together also. As a character, Young Ran felt probably one of the few well-written women in this drama but her lacking screen time and the ending didn’t really smooth out her evident blank spaces either.

The drama could really do with a sequel season already to explore more of the storylines, but it is unlikely to happen as South-Korean dramas rarely get sequel seasons. ( Unless the show has really flourished with viewer ratings or mainstream popularity .)

If you want something similar with youth dramas consider works such as Hello My Twenties, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo , Reply series, School series, Cheese in the Trap, My ID is Gangnam Beauty, Heartstrings, Go Back Couple or When My Love Blooms. If you’re looking for slice of life/ darker storylines about youth culture then definitely consider productions such as SKY Castle, Misaeng or When The Weather Is Fine. There’s evidently a lot more out there which I’m sure more users will come up with, but these are the main ones which came to mind. ( Hope it helps :)).

Funnily enough I’ve also been in this comment section and complained about the romance too? Lol. I hated to be “ that” person bu surprisingly your not the only one who is in this “ minority”.

KBS have always been a very conservative channel- even if you’re claim is that it is only focusing on the “ first-half”, a lot of critical comments are right to point that this also feels very much on purpose to ” overlook” his sexuality. It is unlikely there would ever be a second season for this show. The viewer ratings in Korea have been pretty poor, and for a drama to get a sequel season it usually has to be a good investment of production value and worth viewer ratings. If you read my comment properly, I never specified Soo Hyun was straight - just that his sexuality was subverted and repressed( a bit of a difference there). Trust me when I say that I’m pretty up to date with reading it, so I know but before critiquing on my view please bother to actually read what I’m saying and also before providing your own knowledge other people’s comments, do so when you’re actually up to date with everyone else :).

@Annick In the webcomic ( the original storyline) Soo Hyun is revealed to be gay later down the line . Evidently this is not a BL ( as this pairing is not with Yeo Joon so far), but a LGBTQ+ character representation. In the drama, they cut this out completely and subverted Soo Hyun sexuality entirely, as well as putting otherwise irrelevant side characters ( So Bin and Mi Joo who were not romantically involved with either main character) from the comic in order to “ diffuse more provocative suggestions”. You may have not really been in the comment section a lot earlier into the drama, but this is one of the reasons watchers have been really irked by the storyline. As a standalone piece, the drama is fixated on romance and friendship, whereas the comic is more focal upon not just the friendship between Soo Hyun and Joon , but darker themes to Joon’s backstory and Soo Hyun’s journey into a same-sex relationship.KBS has always had a bit of a rep, but sexuality repression in an era where more positive representation in media and popular culture ( as a gradual sign of progress) is being seen for gay rights in South Korea, is a major red flag for some watchers.

There’s a difference between putting aside “ differences” as a sign of maturity, and then dealing with individuals who cause nothing more than trouble for everyone else. Whilst I appreciate that the drama has shown us some “ issues” Yeo Joon and So Bin have with not trying to rock the boat, there could have been multiple opportunities for even Soo Hyun or one of So Bin’s roommates to have put in a word of caution or reported those students to the board. It is just beyond ridiculous that these students ( especially after the video) haven’t faced more severe punishment for their actions just so they can add more “ tension” to the storyline.

Respectfully understand some of the reasons for this controversy ( aside from sexuality changes) with KBS. Honestly if you’re enjoying the ride or the drama so far, good on you. Criticism, however, does not just come from the romance factor but also the “ real content” being churned from previous youth and slice of life dramas. If you want to understand why people get irked at these story points at times , look into some critically-acclaimed predecessor works such as ‘ Misaeng’ , ( which the drama has desperately sold itself as in production and failed to miss the same mark for some viewers), the ‘ Reply’ series , the ‘ School’ series, ‘ Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo’ , ‘ Age of Youth’, ‘ Heartstrings’ , ‘ SKY Castle’ and even ‘ Cheese In The Trap’ and you’ll understand some of the irritation.

There is very rarely an original take with romance storylines which haven’t been done or seen before (including some of the more “ well-received ” classic romance dramas). Where differences diverge and criticism becomes apparent amongst fans is what screenwriters take or can add onto these storylines or tropes. Everyone has admittedly different feelings and thoughts to dramas , and I appreciate if you find these traits appealing. However, I believe one thing which is growing apparent for more critical comments is pointing out that the development between characters and their friendships/ pairings as well as character writing, has really hit a slump for some viewers.

The symbolism in the recent episode is a perfect example of your point when Jae Eon enters the room with the butterflies and opens the door to the outside world. All of the butterflies ( possibly symbolising all the women Jae Eon is /has been leading on) have the perfect opportunity to escape from the room to freedom, but none of them do. In fact one lands perfectly on Jae Eon’s hand ( possibly symbolising Nabi literally falling into his hands) . This seemed to be a subtle yet evident hint towards Jae Ron’s true nature as a manipulator.

The show could still go one of two ways as we are only at the halfway point still. I agree that it would be a disappointing ride if the drama does go down the route of Jae Eon being “ Mr. Nice Guy”. This isn’t so much to do with the webcomic, but rather just how the drama has built itself up on more subtle hints and symbolism of Jae Eon becoming ultimately anticlimactic and presenting arbitrary red herrings from earlier episodes . I’ll guess we’ll just have to wait and see…

It’s easy to say not to hold ‘ prior biases’ but we still don’t entirely know the direction of the show. The drama might do an entire 180 on us and present Jae Eon as a “ better” person ( to which there are still evident issues here also), or still as the individual from the webcomic. If you’re able to pick up on it, there are ambivalent and nuanced actions and symbols throughout the recent episode which seems to support that the show could go either way with Jae Eon.

This is down to preference of character writing. Very few people really
“ hate” Mi Joo, but rather the direction that the screenwriter has taken her character. I appreciate you may feel differently and like Mi Joo, however, I believe a lot of people do feel strongly about Mi Joo’s lacklustre development.

This is dependent on age groups and your own personal judgement also. The series (whilst on the milder side), does cover some hard-hitting issues such as abuse, suicide, violence, neglect and financial troubles. If you’re watching with young children or members of your family who may be sensitive to these issues, then you may want to watch a few episodes yourself in order for you to decide yourself whether you think it’s appropriate to watch it with them. If you’re possibly watching with an older audience or members of your family who are less sensitive towards some of these issues, then it could be possible to watch it with them.

I don’t entirely know what you mean by this comment. However, I’ll presume you’re either talking about fantasy dramas being compared in the recommendations ( to which yes they do have fantasy elements but have often stuck out with more versatile concepts and plot premises ), or K-dramas in general. ( The answer to this one is evidently “no”- they are often evidently fictionalised or dramatised, but there is a lot of diversity with genres out there.)

Definitely more on the romantic factor, but the piano does play a big part with the FL and her storyline.

Respectfully I’m going to guess that you maybe haven’t seen many of the fantasy dramas ( not necessarily in the recommendations) which have been mentioned or been compared by watchers. I am enjoying the show also. There’s a lot of brimming potential and nor am I trying to dismiss your own preferences , but admittedly it has pretty much covered the base so far for all your typical fantasy K-drama tropes.