This review may contain spoilers
Not what I expected
Where do I start with this story. Yes it's about relationships. Yes it's about love, in all it's forms, but fundamentally it's about the individual, and how they handle their own feelings. From the start you could sense the female lead was searching for something. Maybe it was love, maybe it was just her own sense of self worth. Who really knows, because even by the end of this very complex series, I don't think she really understood herself, but I did get the feeling that no matter what, the relationship she had with the male lead was what kept her from going completely under. The male lead himself had issues. Never truly giving himself to someone. A player if you will. Just looking for the next conquest, and not caring about the aftermath of persuing someone in that way. That is until he meets the female lead. A man who admired butterflies, ended up falling for a real life one in human form. The way he still played his usual tricks. His charm offensive in order to get a woman into bed. He became unstuck when he had genuine feelings for the female lead, and everytime he tried to play it like before, he got himself hurt the most.
The drama is both frustrating and realistic in equal measure. The way neither of the male and female lead could admit their true deep feelings for each other. The way they listened to the gossip instead of talking truthfully to each other. Misunderstandings on both sides carried on until the final episode. I never understood why they never cleared up this blackhole between them. I also didn't understand fully the relationship the male lead had with the girl from his past. Between the lines you get the feeling they were exes, but she was just as toxic as him, and most of the time I just felt the urge to go into the screen and slap her one. She didn't want him, but was jealous when he would be with the female lead. Between his mother and herself no wonder he found it hard to express his feelings to the woman he loved. This was a love story. A love story for the 21st century. No true happily ever after in the sense of the word, but a understanding that no matter how much emotional pain they might inflict on each other, they were willing to take a chance on each other. They were willing to be their for one another and find their way to a fulfilling relationship.
What I liked about this series was that it didn't sugarcoat how messed up people's feelings and relationships can be. Even all their friends could not get over the trauma of working out what they wanted in a relationship. In the end they all found their own path. Realising that relationships take work from both sides, and that it isn't easy to just hook up with someone, when feelings are involved people can get hurt. Unless you put your guard down, and trust that your partner feels the same as you, then your relationship can flourish.
Overall in was a well written, well acted drama. Whether I would watch it again, probably not. It was a good series, but one that I personally couldn't sit through again. Too much angst. Too much self reflection, and not enough projection. The relationships and the troubles within them needed to be aired more. A lot of talking, but not to each other, and when they did speak, nothing of depth. Nothing that would help resolve their issues with each other. This series I found frustrating at times, because of this. I even felt even though he grew up by the end, and found his feelings for the female lead, after everything he put her through, I don't think he deserved to be with her in the end. As for her, at times I found her weak, and at times cruel. Her best friend since middle school was the best choice for her. He had do much love to give her. So much respect and was sincere with it, that he was the healthy choice for her to be with. Putting her first all the time. The male lead you felt was always playing catchup here. His own issues, made it hard for him to truly give all of himself to her. It took loosing her for him to wake up and make a decision. Step forward and express how he truly felt. In the end I found it a disappointing ending. A series that did need the kdrama trope of moving away, and their paths not crossing for a few years. This didn't have. If it did I might have been more on board with them getting together in the end.
The drama is both frustrating and realistic in equal measure. The way neither of the male and female lead could admit their true deep feelings for each other. The way they listened to the gossip instead of talking truthfully to each other. Misunderstandings on both sides carried on until the final episode. I never understood why they never cleared up this blackhole between them. I also didn't understand fully the relationship the male lead had with the girl from his past. Between the lines you get the feeling they were exes, but she was just as toxic as him, and most of the time I just felt the urge to go into the screen and slap her one. She didn't want him, but was jealous when he would be with the female lead. Between his mother and herself no wonder he found it hard to express his feelings to the woman he loved. This was a love story. A love story for the 21st century. No true happily ever after in the sense of the word, but a understanding that no matter how much emotional pain they might inflict on each other, they were willing to take a chance on each other. They were willing to be their for one another and find their way to a fulfilling relationship.
What I liked about this series was that it didn't sugarcoat how messed up people's feelings and relationships can be. Even all their friends could not get over the trauma of working out what they wanted in a relationship. In the end they all found their own path. Realising that relationships take work from both sides, and that it isn't easy to just hook up with someone, when feelings are involved people can get hurt. Unless you put your guard down, and trust that your partner feels the same as you, then your relationship can flourish.
Overall in was a well written, well acted drama. Whether I would watch it again, probably not. It was a good series, but one that I personally couldn't sit through again. Too much angst. Too much self reflection, and not enough projection. The relationships and the troubles within them needed to be aired more. A lot of talking, but not to each other, and when they did speak, nothing of depth. Nothing that would help resolve their issues with each other. This series I found frustrating at times, because of this. I even felt even though he grew up by the end, and found his feelings for the female lead, after everything he put her through, I don't think he deserved to be with her in the end. As for her, at times I found her weak, and at times cruel. Her best friend since middle school was the best choice for her. He had do much love to give her. So much respect and was sincere with it, that he was the healthy choice for her to be with. Putting her first all the time. The male lead you felt was always playing catchup here. His own issues, made it hard for him to truly give all of himself to her. It took loosing her for him to wake up and make a decision. Step forward and express how he truly felt. In the end I found it a disappointing ending. A series that did need the kdrama trope of moving away, and their paths not crossing for a few years. This didn't have. If it did I might have been more on board with them getting together in the end.
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