2
7
For the most part, this was a sweet and simple story about different kinds of teenage crushes and first loves (the supporting characters also have their crushes). The characters all suffer from the usual misunderstandings, self-denial and teenage angst, but it always stays light and low-stakes.
Woo Hyeon's journey from a crush to understanding the feelings of first love (which, of course, turns out to be "true love") is at the centre of the story -- and the other characters' love stories serve as a nice background, so we can understand Woo Hyeon's own story better. Kim Ji O was excellent in portraying the character, and I hope we'll see more of him in the future.
Another thing I liked was that they didn't push aside the question of what it might mean to be gay in contemporary Korean society (it was addressed a few times, and one of the supporting characters had internalised homophobia); but they also didn't make it a big part of Woo Hyeon's journey.
The longer part of the drama takes place during their last year of high school -- and I found that the passing of time stayed a bit too vague -- the shorter second part four years after. While I appreciate the slow story telling of the first part, with it's journey of self-discovery, I think the second half would have profited from tightening the script. Here, the desperation of both Woo Hyeon and Doha felt not intense enough and it got a bit lengthy. I also don't think the short jealousy story arc added anything to the story.
However, I know that the drama was based on a Manwha. So, it's likely that the script writers followed the manwha's structure here.
Was it good? -- Yes, it was a sweet and straightforward teenage love story, with all the usual tropes and ood characterisation.
Did I like it? -- I liked it well enough, and I was entertained. However, it wasn't eough for me to say I'd watch it again.
Who would I recommend it to? -- For people who want to see a teenage love story, this will definitely hit the spot.
Woo Hyeon's journey from a crush to understanding the feelings of first love (which, of course, turns out to be "true love") is at the centre of the story -- and the other characters' love stories serve as a nice background, so we can understand Woo Hyeon's own story better. Kim Ji O was excellent in portraying the character, and I hope we'll see more of him in the future.
Another thing I liked was that they didn't push aside the question of what it might mean to be gay in contemporary Korean society (it was addressed a few times, and one of the supporting characters had internalised homophobia); but they also didn't make it a big part of Woo Hyeon's journey.
The longer part of the drama takes place during their last year of high school -- and I found that the passing of time stayed a bit too vague -- the shorter second part four years after. While I appreciate the slow story telling of the first part, with it's journey of self-discovery, I think the second half would have profited from tightening the script. Here, the desperation of both Woo Hyeon and Doha felt not intense enough and it got a bit lengthy. I also don't think the short jealousy story arc added anything to the story.
However, I know that the drama was based on a Manwha. So, it's likely that the script writers followed the manwha's structure here.
Was it good? -- Yes, it was a sweet and straightforward teenage love story, with all the usual tropes and ood characterisation.
Did I like it? -- I liked it well enough, and I was entertained. However, it wasn't eough for me to say I'd watch it again.
Who would I recommend it to? -- For people who want to see a teenage love story, this will definitely hit the spot.
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