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Very Nearly Perfect
The impact of Netflix's involvement in Korean dramas has been the subject of a lot of debate. This drama shows that its involvement has not been all bad. Love to Hate You was an outstanding example of the genre that for a long time seemed to be dead, or dying, in K dramas— the pure romcom.There were no serial killers, no dark, malicious arc at all. Instead, this drama did something quite revolutionary. It was a pure romcom with a powerful, positive message about gender roles and hypocrisy in Korean society.
It shared that message without preaching by the simple medium of creating a female lead who lived the message. Throughout the drama the point was made that Yeo Mi Ran's behaviour was in no way different from that which is not merely tolerated but almost expected of men in Korea, but vilified and socially criminalised for women.
A perfect propaganda puff piece is very difficult to pull off, but this drama managed it and the casting of Kim Ok Bin in that lead role was inspired. I have followed her career since being involved in the fan subbing for her 2014 drama Yoona's Street, and one thing that annoyed me about that drama was that despite being (at the time) a 4th Dan in hapkido, not only did her character never get to show that, she also needed rescuing by the male lead. In the years that followed, I learned that this was quite common - female actors with serious martial arts skills having to play characters who were nothing more than damsels in distress needing to be saved by a man. In this drama, Mi Ran explicitly condemns that trope, and free-diver/boat-driver/martial artist Kim Ok Bin gets plenty of opportunities to demonstrate her own action junkie skills. Kudos to all involved for that decision.
Seeing a female lead who was literally empowered to take care of herself and stand up for others was refreshing, but just as refreshing was the fact that this romcom was genuinely funny. As a general rule K drama comedy and I get along almost as well as Seoul and Pyongyang, but I laughed so much throughout this drama. The romance was well handled too. For once there was a romantic K drama with a thirtysomething female lead who was not a giggling virginal child, and that fact was central to much of the story. It was refreshingly realistic, and kept cringing eye rolling moments to a minimum. I also loved the way the drama showed different sets of exes coming to terms with their past and moving beyond it. Using their words - mature, adult, thoughtful behaviour, almost unheard of in KDrama romcoms.
On a personal note, I loved the casting of this drama. Three of the actors have been favourites of mine for some time. First of all Kim Sung Ryung: when I started watching K drama is back in 2013 she quickly became my Noona crush - so gorgeous, so glamorous. So it was great to see her given a role here that was a celebration of women in her situation and stage of life. Next up Go Won Hee. Another actor I've always found aesthetically appealing, but this drama was perhaps the most satisfying sidekick-dongsaeng role yet. She seems to be making that kind of character her own, and in this drama she got to deliver laughs and love. Brava! Finally Choi Yoon So. She caught my eye in the very first time I ever saw her in and then she disappeared from Dramas of the genres I watch. Her introduction in this Drama as the apparently telepathic interpreter for the mute director was very entertaining, and her character avoided all of the usual stereotypical pitfalls of that particular kind of role.
I was very close to scoring this drama 10/10, until the public proposals. I absolutely HATE public proposals, and consider them as nothing less than crude emotional blackmail. It is my serious wish that every single person proposed to publicly, whether in a crowd of people on a street or on a Jumbotron at a stadium, emphatically rejects the proposal. The final episode of this Drama contains TWO. I was actually prepared to let the first one slide because it made sense in context. The second however was stereotypical, clichéd and just plain awful. Even in drama this good there can be no excuse for that kind of blatant manipulation. For that unforgivable lapse , I scored this drama all the way down from 10/10 to 9.9/10. Putting it inside the top 5% of the 330 3K dramas I have finished as of the time of writing.
It shared that message without preaching by the simple medium of creating a female lead who lived the message. Throughout the drama the point was made that Yeo Mi Ran's behaviour was in no way different from that which is not merely tolerated but almost expected of men in Korea, but vilified and socially criminalised for women.
A perfect propaganda puff piece is very difficult to pull off, but this drama managed it and the casting of Kim Ok Bin in that lead role was inspired. I have followed her career since being involved in the fan subbing for her 2014 drama Yoona's Street, and one thing that annoyed me about that drama was that despite being (at the time) a 4th Dan in hapkido, not only did her character never get to show that, she also needed rescuing by the male lead. In the years that followed, I learned that this was quite common - female actors with serious martial arts skills having to play characters who were nothing more than damsels in distress needing to be saved by a man. In this drama, Mi Ran explicitly condemns that trope, and free-diver/boat-driver/martial artist Kim Ok Bin gets plenty of opportunities to demonstrate her own action junkie skills. Kudos to all involved for that decision.
Seeing a female lead who was literally empowered to take care of herself and stand up for others was refreshing, but just as refreshing was the fact that this romcom was genuinely funny. As a general rule K drama comedy and I get along almost as well as Seoul and Pyongyang, but I laughed so much throughout this drama. The romance was well handled too. For once there was a romantic K drama with a thirtysomething female lead who was not a giggling virginal child, and that fact was central to much of the story. It was refreshingly realistic, and kept cringing eye rolling moments to a minimum. I also loved the way the drama showed different sets of exes coming to terms with their past and moving beyond it. Using their words - mature, adult, thoughtful behaviour, almost unheard of in KDrama romcoms.
On a personal note, I loved the casting of this drama. Three of the actors have been favourites of mine for some time. First of all Kim Sung Ryung: when I started watching K drama is back in 2013 she quickly became my Noona crush - so gorgeous, so glamorous. So it was great to see her given a role here that was a celebration of women in her situation and stage of life. Next up Go Won Hee. Another actor I've always found aesthetically appealing, but this drama was perhaps the most satisfying sidekick-dongsaeng role yet. She seems to be making that kind of character her own, and in this drama she got to deliver laughs and love. Brava! Finally Choi Yoon So. She caught my eye in the very first time I ever saw her in and then she disappeared from Dramas of the genres I watch. Her introduction in this Drama as the apparently telepathic interpreter for the mute director was very entertaining, and her character avoided all of the usual stereotypical pitfalls of that particular kind of role.
I was very close to scoring this drama 10/10, until the public proposals. I absolutely HATE public proposals, and consider them as nothing less than crude emotional blackmail. It is my serious wish that every single person proposed to publicly, whether in a crowd of people on a street or on a Jumbotron at a stadium, emphatically rejects the proposal. The final episode of this Drama contains TWO. I was actually prepared to let the first one slide because it made sense in context. The second however was stereotypical, clichéd and just plain awful. Even in drama this good there can be no excuse for that kind of blatant manipulation. For that unforgivable lapse , I scored this drama all the way down from 10/10 to 9.9/10. Putting it inside the top 5% of the 330 3K dramas I have finished as of the time of writing.
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