Lovely Little Jewel With Old Stars and New
First, the script and story ROCK! I am so, so, SO glad that they didn't try to turn this into a 12- to 20-episode show by adding more misunderstandings and digging pointlessly deeper into side character's storylines. It was perfect at 10 episodes. It was about meaningful issues regarding love and life, beautifully filmed, written, and acted. The second half was even richer than the first, bringing everything together in a very satisfactory way.
While the plot is built around two love stories, as usual in Korean dramas, don't expect everything to be "happy, happy." Essentially, the main theme is loss, letting go, and moving forward. Every critical character faces this challenge. One storyline revolves around the issue of falling in love at a young age. I think that this storyline would be very compelling for any young, attractive actor or actress who is lucky enough to play a role in this production. (Maybe even some of the actors in this very production.) Yet really, it should be compelling for anyone, because these storylines are true to "real life" and quite relatable, even if you aren't currently experiencing similar issues.
Regarding the acting, it was SUPERB! So many stand outs! I concur with other reviewers that Kim Jae Wook has been under-used in the industry. I don't know why, since he is a standout in every show he performs in. (Watch him in "Antique" if you can.) He always shines, so I have to believe that it is his choice or industry prejudice. He was lovely here. And, while I usually think Ko Chang Seok is disturbingly over-the-top in his roles, this time he hit the nail on the head and was absolutely perfect as a seasoned, although failing director. He was a breadth of fresh air in the dense emotion of the show overall. To be honest, as usual in these Netflix shows, I find the secondary characters generally are more realistic than in Korean or Chinese-produced shows. Here, this lower-key approach helped not only Ko Chang Seok's performance, but also Kim Young Woong's.
ML Choi Woo Shik's role seemed to have been made for him. He almost stepped right out of one of the cooking variety shows in which he has appeared directly into this role. So he was perfect in it and did an amazing job, his best since Parasite, IMHO. (Although he was fabulous, and even a bit more lovable in "Our Beloved Summer," but maybe I just related better to that OBS character?)
In the role of second ML, Lee Jun Young KNOCKED my socks off. He was AMAZING, carrying so much of the visceral depth of the show! Such a nuanced and heart-felt performance. He nailed every scene, wearing his heart on his sleeve in every one. (I look forward to seeing him in his other roles.) And the script thankfully gave the second ML and FL as full a storyline as the main leads'.
Honestly, while the drama was deeply moving all around, as far as acting, most of the heart came from the men's performances. The women all ran a bit cold, and I had trouble seeing the FL's softness. I guess that was in the casting and intentional to balance the men and give them the spotlight. The women's acting was great, don't get me wrong, and each had her moments to let her character shine but for real on-screen emoting, it was the men. Oh, and also the child actors who portrayed the ML and FL. They were great as well, with each hitting their "primary emotion" out of the park.
The only thing that I was not as happy with were the songs that were included in the show. This was disappointing to me, since the second ML was a composer/song writer and much ado was made about a film's "OST" as they call it in Asian dramas these days. While I LOVED the general instrumental background music (all original, I presume), the vocal "songs" for me were very "meh," if not outright irritating for their poor translation into English or quirky modern lyric style (whichever is the reason for their odd wording). Maybe it was the translations or the tunes that made them seem much more immature than the story and characters? But, all in all, the songs really had very minor impact on my experience.
So overall, a great re-watch value and a great little jewel box of a show (just like all the locations, come to think of it: little jewel boxes each.). Congratulations to all involved! This show definitely deserves a 9+ rating.
*********Also, FYI, in a research tour-de-force MDL reviewer "Arthur" let us know where the episode titles came from. Check it out!
While the plot is built around two love stories, as usual in Korean dramas, don't expect everything to be "happy, happy." Essentially, the main theme is loss, letting go, and moving forward. Every critical character faces this challenge. One storyline revolves around the issue of falling in love at a young age. I think that this storyline would be very compelling for any young, attractive actor or actress who is lucky enough to play a role in this production. (Maybe even some of the actors in this very production.) Yet really, it should be compelling for anyone, because these storylines are true to "real life" and quite relatable, even if you aren't currently experiencing similar issues.
Regarding the acting, it was SUPERB! So many stand outs! I concur with other reviewers that Kim Jae Wook has been under-used in the industry. I don't know why, since he is a standout in every show he performs in. (Watch him in "Antique" if you can.) He always shines, so I have to believe that it is his choice or industry prejudice. He was lovely here. And, while I usually think Ko Chang Seok is disturbingly over-the-top in his roles, this time he hit the nail on the head and was absolutely perfect as a seasoned, although failing director. He was a breadth of fresh air in the dense emotion of the show overall. To be honest, as usual in these Netflix shows, I find the secondary characters generally are more realistic than in Korean or Chinese-produced shows. Here, this lower-key approach helped not only Ko Chang Seok's performance, but also Kim Young Woong's.
ML Choi Woo Shik's role seemed to have been made for him. He almost stepped right out of one of the cooking variety shows in which he has appeared directly into this role. So he was perfect in it and did an amazing job, his best since Parasite, IMHO. (Although he was fabulous, and even a bit more lovable in "Our Beloved Summer," but maybe I just related better to that OBS character?)
In the role of second ML, Lee Jun Young KNOCKED my socks off. He was AMAZING, carrying so much of the visceral depth of the show! Such a nuanced and heart-felt performance. He nailed every scene, wearing his heart on his sleeve in every one. (I look forward to seeing him in his other roles.) And the script thankfully gave the second ML and FL as full a storyline as the main leads'.
Honestly, while the drama was deeply moving all around, as far as acting, most of the heart came from the men's performances. The women all ran a bit cold, and I had trouble seeing the FL's softness. I guess that was in the casting and intentional to balance the men and give them the spotlight. The women's acting was great, don't get me wrong, and each had her moments to let her character shine but for real on-screen emoting, it was the men. Oh, and also the child actors who portrayed the ML and FL. They were great as well, with each hitting their "primary emotion" out of the park.
The only thing that I was not as happy with were the songs that were included in the show. This was disappointing to me, since the second ML was a composer/song writer and much ado was made about a film's "OST" as they call it in Asian dramas these days. While I LOVED the general instrumental background music (all original, I presume), the vocal "songs" for me were very "meh," if not outright irritating for their poor translation into English or quirky modern lyric style (whichever is the reason for their odd wording). Maybe it was the translations or the tunes that made them seem much more immature than the story and characters? But, all in all, the songs really had very minor impact on my experience.
So overall, a great re-watch value and a great little jewel box of a show (just like all the locations, come to think of it: little jewel boxes each.). Congratulations to all involved! This show definitely deserves a 9+ rating.
*********Also, FYI, in a research tour-de-force MDL reviewer "Arthur" let us know where the episode titles came from. Check it out!
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