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What to watch when viewing this show.

What to watch when viewing this show because this show can be a gem depending on how you view or it can be a regular watch.

Let's start with the negative first because I have a glowing repose later down.

First I had an issue with the casting. I had an issue with Won Jin Ah. She was like a square peg in a round hole and I felt like she struggled the entire drama. At first it felt as though the leads didn't have great chemistry and it was an off pairing but the further the show went the more her interactions with her co-stars felt more strained. I also didn't like the height difference between the main couple except for the part where she stood up on the bench to hug him. That part was pretty cute, I must admit but outside of that, they looked weird which made all the kiss scenes sitting down. This is one of the reasons I believe that I wasn't sold 100% on the romance of this drama. It felt very one-sided. Ro Woon really made me fall in love with him but not so much Won Jin Ah.

Second issue was Lee Hyo Joo character arc. I'm really over the desperate unrequited suicidal love of the rich girl who can't get everything she wants. As much as I loved the writing of this show, I sighed deeply every time she came on the screen.

The Raving part.

What really makes this show shine is writing. I am officially a fan of Chae Yoon and as far as my research shows this is a debut drama for the writer. I think this is great work for a debut because the lines, the soliloquies had me swooning. Imagine if these lines were relayed with an epic couple chemistry. This would have been a romance for the ages.

The storyline and plot was a basic romance with the mandatory break up and make up, time skip, away trip, crazy parents, etc. But I don't mind this in most cases as long as the drama is done well and in this case it was almost a slam dunk.

There were so many scene stealers with Hyun Seung and what I loved about his character the most is that he always allowed Song Ah to make the choice, set the pace and draw the boundaries and he respected all of her rules, even when he doesn't like them. When she said it makes her the bad person to change her mind I went crazy because it acknowledges that although men can be crass, women can take advantage of a situation as well.

Some other favourite moments: Song Ah saying she could never understand her mom because she is so determined not to become like her. Hyun Seung saying that love can burden the refuser (Episode 8 Hyun Seung soliloquy).

There are so many moments when the writing of this show moved me and I felt the talent of the script. I look forward to more from this writer hopefully with a more compatible cast.

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Straight out the gate it has to be highlighted that the best thing about this show was the chemistry between the cast Kim Dong Wook and Moon Ga Young. They were phenomenal and made me want to believe that they were a real couple. They are definitely in my top 5 chemistry couples.

So here we are again with another memory trope scenario so yes the storyline was unoriginal. But it was executed well enough. The male lead had hyper (whatever) and whilst the doctor and everyone was always warning him, there was never any real portrayal of how his condition was problematic to his life. They just inferred and glossed over that condition a lot that I often forgot that he was supposed to be suffering or struggling or something. For the majority of the show the character Lee Jung Hoon seemed like a normal guy.

This show is all about couple chemistry so don't go looking for any real depth. But unfortunately you have there was the unnecessary break up and separation which dragged the show down towards the end. I personally prefer to see couples fight the world than each other in romance melodramas but for whatever reason in kdramas fights must end in a superficial break up.

Overall I enjoyed the show because despite the flaws I was enthralled with the couple's romance.

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I'm not sure if it was because the age difference between the characters and I was small, or that their problems and lives were so realistic but this drama moved me in a way I'll try my best to explain.

What was so loveable about this drama was the genuine friendship among the main cast. You could see that life had developed around them but they never let their friendship die. Jo Junk Suk was incredible as the superman single father with a successful career. Even as he struggled he never broke a sweat in stepping up and being the man others needed him to be.

What I also found endearing is how the main cast all dealt with their internal struggles and it shows that no matter what age you are, you're never too old to want to run away from your problems and take the immature way out. Ahn Jung Won and Chae Song Hwa were the biggest cowards of the group but one couldn't hate them for it. For many years their main focus was on their careers and they tried or more likely probably refused to acknowledge what would make them happy. I myself can say I am of guilty of this I mean how do you stop and smell the roses when work became the most important thing because of your passion. It frightening to look down something different when you've already given so much of yourself to your ambition.

There was also the elements of understanding oneself and coming to terms with the kind of person that you are. Jung Kyung Ho's performance was incredible portraying this. He knew who he was and knew what he wanted and he reached that place. I always love it when boyfriends are always supportive and never pressure their partners and let them decide what they want or how they need to move forward. it never feels like a sacrifice when it comes from that place. Kim Dae Myung's character was great at this element as well and in a way he seem like the wise mature guru of the group ready to offer pearls of wisdom that was often ignored by friends.

The connections among the group was unbelievably charming and it's everything you want in a slice of drama. The feelings of belonging and being accepted permeated throughout making it a wonderful coming of middle-age drama because at 40 we still have a lot of life left to live.

And lastly the playlist was awesome!!

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