kat797

I don't dislike his character here, but the script is just simply unpolished.

You and me both. I always zone out when the leads are not together (and well, hit replay a couple of times when I miss their scenes). The script, editing, and directing are just not coming together. It's sad that the chemistry and performance of both leads are great but there's nothing else going on for this drama. I would've dropped it if I didn't begin to like their characters. The leads deserves a better drama for sure.

I see your point as I live in America, and I can see majority of people here would also give the exact same advice. However, that is just one out of many possible decisions you can make in a situation like that. That decision will probably be in line with your character and ideals but not Yong Pil's. He's staying true to his character by not giving up on his relationship with the dad by making him realize the effects of his actions. What works for a person like him might not work for a person like you and vice versa. I just learned to look at different perspectives after experiencing both Western and Asian cultures myself.

Just to be clear, I'm not saying his solution is better than yours, and I'm also not saying your supposed to agree with his. However, you need to understand how he came to that decision instead of just judging simply from your own perspective. It all comes down to how Asian culture is collectivistic whereas Western's individualistic. No culture is superior than the other. It's just simply different ideals and beliefs.

But he saw his dad when the dad was about to commit suicide, so who's to say that he would never try it again if he leaves him? And he was never shown as a horrible father before the mom died. So making a decision to cut ties is not as easy as you make it seem to be.

I hate the dad's character, but I am also looking at the ml's perspective. It's not really as black and white, so I would avoid comparing Western and Asian cultures in this case. I always remind myself that I should be looking at different perspectives since there will never be just "one way" in life.

I'm pretty sure this has always been promoted as a slice-of-life healing drama, and stayed true to that consistently in all episodes. I wouldn't promote and compare a completely different drama just because it is a different genre that I prefer more.

To be honest, I rarely watch soapy dramas since I couldn't understand what's the fun in getting worked up because of exaggerated situations presented in soap operas when there are enough annoying and miserable situations in real life itself. I'd rather watch slice-of-life shows like this that would make me reflect and appreciate those simple yet precious moments in life we usually take for granted.

Now, I understand why Samdal made the decision to break up with him. It wasn't just about noble idiocy, but the moment she said, Yong Pil had nobody except for his dad, it all made sense.

I believe majority of people with the same ideology as hers (family-oriented and collectivistic) would've done the same thing if they were in the same situation. That burden of being in between a father and son's relationship who lost a wife and a mom, is just too heavy and complicated. It wasn't as easy as I thought.

Wow.

I'm just in the very beginning of episode 13, but I have to pause it and say my thoughts. That scene with the dad and the leads is such a heartbreaking situation and yet, beautiful at the same time because of the palpable performance by the cast. Never thought that it was going to be such a powerful scene to the point that it almost made cry with the leads.

The leads, especially, prove that they are famous for a reason. I have consistently followed Shin Hye Sun's career, so I already expected that she would realistically present her character. But I haven't seen Ji Chang Wook on the screen for two years or more, so I forgot how great he ccould be in emotional scenes. The latest episode definitely shuts down the earlier comments that talked about him just wanting to relax, so he chose this, a non-action drama which was a waste of his talent.

Her high-pitched child-like voice is growing on me now.

Haha I love episode 12's beginning. The older lady's reaction after she was told that they just slept was the best -- "Heehee."

Rewatching this on Netflix after more than a decade when I first watched this, is definitely a great experience. I was a teen the first time I saw it, and now, a working adult who have graduated from college a few years ago. It feels like I'm watching a completely different drama as I can relate more and even look back on my college years.

Not really. It's about youth and friendship.

There's a novel!?!?

This is definitely my favorite drama for 2023! Thank you so much for the wonderful subs.

You and me both. The scenes are just hilarious, and I had only watch serious cult dramas before.

Episodes 4 and 5 are amazing. It just keeps getting better and better, and episode 5 finally incorporates the bus stop ending credits scene into the story. Every detail put into this drama is just so meaningful.

If you haven't watched this and you love slice-of-life dramas, you are missing out a lot, so start diving in!

After my 3rd or 4th watch, I finally understood what was wrong with the relationship. To be specific, the male lead. At first, he was amazing and the casting was on the spot with a handsome and charming actor playing him. A comment mentioned before that he was "a prince." That was the perfect description for him because he was too good to be true with the way he acted around Yumi. He was just very one-dimensional. That was why even though I was definitely entertained by this new relationship, I felt that something was not right. It didn't feel real until the issue between the leads happened of course.

Episodes 3 and 4 are already subbed! This drama is so simple, yet so good. I live for their interactions and meaningful conversations. I feel that when they're all together, no time is wasted, and everybody matches everybody.

I definitely envy their friendship. And by the way, I'm a Fujii Kaze fan now thanks to this drama. The ost, Hana, is just living rent-free in my head.

Are the cliffhangers really nice? They're making the wait more unbearable to the point of making me disengaged with almost any dramas I watch now lol.

On a serious note, I feel the same way as you. It's just after watching hundreds of dramas, you would feel that you could never find another unique one again. But there's always one that would come unexpectedly. And that's just the magic of great story elements seamlessly coming together. I knew the writer, Nojima Shinji, is bound to bring another masterpiece since he created my favorite drama, Love Shuffle (highly recommended if you've never watched it).

Definitely! If you check the reply that I just posted above I added more details why this is not as popular. To make it short though, I think the complains are not objectively looking at the plot. Just like My Liberation Notes, these characters are very flawed which turns off a lot of those who are complaining. I think they are looking for the almost perfect male lead just like in Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha. I don't know about you, but I prefer that my favorite genre, slice-of-life, has flawed but relatable characters.

I definitely agree with that. I can't even remember if I dropped Hometown or not since I was struggling to finish it.

It is preference, but also, as someone who has watched hundreds of slice-of-life dramas, I think it's about how Hometown is the first of its kind to drop on a huge platform like Netflix. So it garnered a lot of international audience who has mostly likely never seen anything like it. Therefore, some people think their "first experience" is the best and will not even give this drama or other slice-of-life dramas a chance, which is pretty sad.