lianavine

In Response To Negative Comments...

I've been seeing a lot of negative comments about this show saying that it's americanized etc. so I wanted to write a review in response to this.

I disagree that this kdrama is trying to be more Americanized. I genuinely like that they tried to make something more suited for adult viewers with the dark themes, intricate plot, and some nudity. It's refreshing to see such an amazing cast take on a much more daring role and it really shows how talented they are.

I will say that the plot was a bit confusing at points. The jumps between present day, the past, and the future were done well for the most part but there were times where I wasn't sure where we were. Another negative is that I hate when shows split the main couple up after they've been through a lot because they need to "heal". I personally think it's a bad choice and unnecessary.

I will also say that the show could have used a bit more depth on the relationships between the characters, there was limited dialogue when the leads were on screen together and instead we just see them trauma dumping all the time. Maybe if the show had been slightly longer to accommodate some more character building, I would have liked this aspect more. Or even if they just got rid of the friend's plot line - this felt so unnecessary... like okay she doesn't want to just be a mom, she wants to work blah blah blah but like where did this story actually go? What was the point? They either needed to develop this WAYYYY more or take it out IMO. I wanted to see his ex-wife's downfall, I wanted to see the leads accepting this new love, I wanted to see more healing in the characters... What I really mean to say by all this is that I think this show could have been a solid 10/10 if they had a more solid focus on the emotional/psychological themes rather than throwing in some of the other side plots.

Onto the positives - I really like the relationship between the leads. Their chemistry was amazing and I felt compelled by their stories. It was heartbreaking at times too when you see how unsure the leads are about what love is meant to feel like and how they should be treated by their loved ones. I like to crochet whilst I watch kdramas and this was a show where I would just constantly stop and just watch because I was so hooked on what was happening. I know my paragraph on the negatives is so much longer but that's just because there were a few key positives that really make this entire show so worth watching.

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Comforting and Cute but Very Lacking Too

So let me first get into the obvious, the whole black-face-cultural-appropriation thing - if it makes you feel uncomfortable or makes you question whether it's okay, it's probably not. The writers could have gone with so many different typically dorky/weird character tropes and chose to represent their 'comedic relief' as someone looking like a man of colour. I'm not sure whether his skin colour was darkened as I can recognise that Asian countries have darker skin tones and CAN get as dark as he was but the dreadlocks and the reggae clothes were obviously cultural appropriation and just put in there for 'comedic' purposes. Plus the fact that they made him this smelly/gross character just shows what the writers think of black men. This was by far the most disappointing aspect of the show.

Second, the main couple - It was a sweet story and I'm okay with slow burns but I really get so peeved when they finish a show without any actual romantic/passionate interactions between the main couple. Like I'm still okay with the PG kisses that are in dramas usually but you can't sell me a love story only to then show it to the extent of a friendship... Besides that, I enjoyed their interactions and their chemistry.

Third, the rest of the cast - I absolutely love the Busan accent and find it really comforting for some reason (maybe because it's more tonal like my native language) so I absolutely loved the mum and dad. Saet-Byul's friends were great too and even though her sister sometimes annoyed me, she was sweet in the end and I'm glad she had a happy ending as well. I can't say the same for Dae-Hyun's sister though. DEAR GOD I HATED HER. She wasn't funny, she wasn't quirky or cheeky, she was just a LEECH. She regularly stole from her family, only went home to eat, and did NOTHING the entire 16 episodes that made me feel like she at least gave as much as she took. She just continued to take, take , take and act as if she deserved it. People like her really irk me to me bones and it really spoiled the show for me.

All in all, I have a lot of complaints but it was still enjoyable to watch for the most part and I like the concept. I just wished they tried a little harder to actually put out a quality show.

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