ariel alba

Why do friends-to-lovers stories continue to surprise us? In the world of television series, there's a cliché that has captured our hearts for generations. I'm referring to when the main characters are friends before they fall in love. There are often many moments that show how well they know each other.
In these cases, how can we not empathize with the obstacles the characters face during the plot? Well, don't doubt it: a common reason for not being together, for one to hide their love for the other, is that they might ruin their friendship.
It may be a matter of days, a few months, or it may take the characters a lifetime to realize that the affinity they feel for that special person in their everyday lives has crossed the line from friendship to become a romantic interest.
As viewers, don't we get a chill when we realize that these two friends who get along so well and even read each other's minds because they've known each other forever, even since they were children in many cases, are actually developing a "friends to lovers" trope right before our eyes? We've never waited so eagerly for the next episode! We've never devoured a series so quickly!
Personally, I feel like this trope is so underrated, and I don't understand why. Not all friendships have to turn into romances, but sometimes it just makes sense. True love is based on trust and truly being there for each other, so I wonder why best friends wouldn't fall in love with each other.
The truth is, friends to lovers stories have been with us for a long time and remain a surefire twist that we love to discover little by little, frame by frame. They are an inexhaustible source of fascination that makes us want to stay immersed in the next episode, from the first to the last, just to see if that exchange of glances full of intentions finally turns into the first kiss that changes everything.
What if we add to this the fact that the characters have incredible chemistry, and are so funny in the awkwardness and confusion typical of someone who's never been on a date? What if the performances are so well-crafted that they actually feel real? What if one of the protagonists has an unrequited love, while the other is oblivious to it all? What if we add a third wheel to this explosive "Molotov cocktail", and the newcomer mistakenly reads the lovelorn boy's diary, in which he confesses his love for his friend, and thinks it's a novel in progress? What if he approaches the booklet's writer with the intention of giving him ideas for the literary work, and this approach is interpreted by the boy our protagonist has fallen in love with as his best friend being stalked?
What if, out of frustration with his crush because he simply can't take hints that he likes him, the protagonist change the name of that person on your phone to "Stalker", confusing everyone else looking at it, especially the guy he loves? What if the main character's best friend thinks the newcomer is the stalker, and to avoid the "stalking", decides to accept his crush's proposal to be his girlfriend for a week? What if, after accepting, the eternal crush gives contradictory signals, further confusing his clueless friend, now his boyfriend for the next seven days? What if the clueless joker tells his friends that his best friend proposed to him and he accepted? What if the group of friends answers his doubts with almost straightforward answers, and he still has no idea? What if the romantic comedy is hilarious and the slow-burning tension is top-notch? What if they end up hooking up? Well, we still don't know the latter, but we hope so.
This is precisely what 'Something is Not Right' is about, the South Korean series that revolves around Do Ba U (Choi Min Ho), who harbors an unrequited love for his childhood best friend, Ji Hoon (Jeong Je Hyeon). Hopeless, in order to overcome his feelings, he proposes to Ji Hoon that they go out for a week, something that, to Ba U's surprise, his friend accepts.
Why this sudden change in Hoon's attitude? Because Jung Ha Min (Ji Min Seo) has entered Ba U's life, and Hoon suspects Ha Min is stalking Ba U. That's why he sees this "temporary relationship" as a way to scare him away. Will Ba U be able to put his unrequited love behind him by the end of the week? Will it really be unrequited love? Or will this fake relationship with an expiration date be the beginning of something real between them? Will the two discover that their friendship has transformed into love?
The following episodes will allow the viewer to discover whether the plot will evolve into a new trope, that of the love triangle, or if Ha Min will become the "fairy godmother" to Ba U and Ji Hun. But the truth is that while Ji Hun hasn't realized that the stalker he's worried about is himself, Jung Ha has no sense of personal space, and both reads the diary Ba U left behind in a coffee shop and eavesdrops on other people's messages and conversations, refusing to take no for an answer.
In a story that perfectly and equally blends confusion, unrequited love, to confess or not to confess, friendship or love, and the arrival of someone new who gives off the vibes of someone interested in opening up the already fragile relationship between two people and turning it into a love triangle, or in other words, trying to win the protagonist's heart, faced with the proposal, Ba U, who was only expecting to be rejected, never thought that Ji Hoon would agree to be her boyfriend for a week.
The 8-episode drama, directed by newcomer Seong Yu Hwan, is a spin-off based on one of the supporting characters from Tak Bon's webtoon "Who Can Define Popularity?", which in turn served as the source material for the Korean BL series 'Blueming'.
While the plot isn't anything special, the way the creators present the story is fascinating, with such precise characterization of their characters, genuine, funny and silly in their own way, including the secondary characters, which makes the series so interesting, fun, and fresh.
Contrary to what some viewers think, this enjoyable and hilarious romantic comedy is not a remake of 'Blueming,' nor does it seek to remake the story, surpass it, or ruin it. The original work (I'm referring to the webtoon "Who Can Define Popularity?" and not the Korean BL series 'Blueming,' as some viewers believe) has been adapted to highlight the supporting characters Do Ba U and Ji Hoon as the main protagonists, even introducing new characters that didn't exist in the manhwa and casting new actors to portray the already familiar characters from the series directed in 2022 by Hwang Da Seul, and based on a script written by Seo Ji Eun, who with 'Why R U? Korean Remake' (2023) demonstrated expertise in adapting the original Thai BL story of the same name written by Kittiphat Jumba.
In this regard, 'Blueming' is a series very far from the original manhwa, so the two have very little in common beyond their concept. Therefore, it's no surprise that other creators are revisiting some of the characters from the original work to launch a completely new series therefore, it's no surprise that other creators are revisiting some of the characters from the original work to launch a completely new series starring those who were the secondary characters of both the Korean series and the webtoon. On the other hand, if they are productions from two different companies, why should 'Something is Not Right' feature the same cast as 'Blueming', another of the complaints of some viewers?
Like any other adaptation, be it a novel, short story, graphic novel, poem, play, comic book, etc., 'Something is Not Right' doesn't have to be faithful to the original work, beyond what the adaptor wishes to preserve.
The first thing viewers should keep in mind is that 'Blueming' is NOT the definitive version of the story captured in "Who Can Define Popularity?"
Another element for audiences to keep in mind is that while the original manhwa may offer new perspectives and unique narrative opportunities, it may also struggle to find an audience without prior exposure to the source material.
Should it be faithful to the original work or have creative freedom to transform elements of the story for the benefit of the series?
This is the question many viewers will be asking. While some creators prefer to replicate the original work as is, preserving the script, characters, setting, and time, the producers, directors, and writers of 'Something is Not Right' chose to take more liberties, altering key aspects of the plot or characters, even though they knew this decision could provoke criticism from the webtoon's fans.
However, we must keep in mind that this creative freedom is a powerful tool for reinterpreting and bringing the original text to life. There will always be debates about whether adaptations are faithful and of high quality, but it's evident from its first two episodes that 'Something is Not Right' has the potential to add a unique visual and emotional dimension to the webtoon on which it is based.
To the creators' benefit, despite the considerable changes, the fluidity of the plot helps tell the story very effectively, gaining the approval of most audiences and fans of the manhwa.
When adapting the original, the creators abandoned the so-called Literal Adaptation and Condensed Adaptation approaches in favor of Expanded Adaptation, an approach that expands the original work by adding scenes, subplots, or characters not present in the original, thus providing greater depth and context to the story, and Interpretive Adaptation, which allows for greater creative freedom when adapting the original work.
Not only did they accept the challenge of adapting the work while remaining faithful to the overall tone and themes of the original work, but at the same time, they made it accessible and engaging for audiences.
In my opinion, Seo Ji Eun and Seong Yu Hwan have understood these two aspects, which have helped them craft a better script, understanding the background of the work, which characters are involved, and how important their role is to the series, as well as what they hope to convey to the viewer. Through their work as screenwriters, they have managed to keep Tak Bon's voice as an author alive.
Their collaborative work demonstrates their ability to discern which characters should be given more exposure and which should be used to help the story flow, reviewing the plots to see which supporting characters will help the main characters achieve their goals and which won't; and finally allowing the protagonists' thinking to evolve, taking it from a passive beginning to a point where the characters have grown so much that they have changed their thoughts and convictions.
In conclusion, the adaptation gives fans of "Who Can Define Popularity?" the opportunity to see the story captured in one of their favorite manhwa come to life in exciting new ways, capturing the spirit and essence of the original work.