K-Drama 
This review may contain spoilers
Witholding the current, and not fighting it
When i first watch the trailer for the drama, i thought that the drama would be a romance about partnership and facing hardship together. I'm a romance enthusiast, i don't really watch non-romance drama, and i wanted the heart-fluttering, devotion, yearning, intimacy, all sort of that things that comes with a romance. And then i watch the first episode, and realize that perhaps it wasn't going to be what i expected and want it to be. I cry so much watching the first episode, thinking that it's hard to find a show that makes me cries so much, i stick to it. At the end to me this show held my tears switch turning it on every episode, it tugs my heart exactly at the topic that makes me cries even if not necesessary sad.
At the earlier part of the story, i somewhat disdain the ML, so my hopes for the heart-fluttering romance, i have wrapped it up and thrown it away. But i stick because the other things is very interesting. The maid surviving the cruel young madam arc was interesting first and foremost should be credited to the antagonist performance, she carries her character with such unhinged but also somewhat vulnerable weight to her. The story was also have this theme of girlhood among the maid, the friendship they share were very touching, it was worth my tears, the hardship they endure, the punishment disporportionate to their fault, everything was also worth my tears. I even cried for the antagonist. So by this point, i have somewhat an idea of what kind of vibes the show is going, but as the story arc moves, the heartbeat of the story also moves, the themes going from girl friendship, to family, to love, moves one to another, back to another, but at the end it was mostly about being a women.
They have a lot of female antagonist, from a women trapped by the shackles of her powerful family lacking knowledge and wit, to a women who is full of wit but coming from a humble background, to someone both smart and born from powerful family. Unlike a lot of drama where the female antagonist was just shallow, jealous women, these women was everything but that. They were all flawed people but all strong, and have something to say. They were walking the wrong path, but they have their own justified reason.
The show was full of women, from young to old, maid to master, reserve to cheerful, petty to wise, childish to mature. One differs from another. What amazing is despite the abundant character, most of it were a full-layered character. They feel alive, they were interesting enough to wonder what kind of life they have off screen.
As the story progress, the romance developed, as the romance developed, my disdain towards the ML slowly subside. His character growth was great. For me, he went from a bitter jerk, to somewhat a chill guy, to a true gentleman. His love went from selfish to understanding. He genuinely grows, learn to understand what's really matter and comes out the best version of himself. I really loves this character, despite my initial dislikes. For me, he never went downhill, my likability towards him actually grows as the story go, it was truly a satisfied character growth.
The drama gaves a lot of life lesson, one that stick to me and i feels like the overarching part was the idea about helping someone walking their path will leads you to a wider and brighter path yourself, i always love the idea of how being kind lead to good karma, this kind of thing might seem simple, but it was really precious to me. The silent strength of kindness, it was really one of my tears triggers.
Initially the title Against the Current sounds like it was about fighting your way, moving towards the currents hitting on you. Being about going the other way, changing the tides. But watching this show it was not, it was about withstanding it, it was about holding your ground despite it. Initially the FL seems like a character just moving following the motion, wanting to live safely and peacefully, she doesn't have great ambition to rise above other nor vengeance to seek revenge, just moves in motion to where lives leads her, but then as the story goes she was thrown into a path she doesn't want to take, despite letting it takes her where it takes her she still holds to her principle, didn't let the currents washed her ashore or drowned it under. The ML have his on unconventional way, he follows the norm but have his own principle, he doesn't blindly follow the currents lest it leads him astray. To go against the current is not to fight upstream against the current, but to strive to live well of a life that one chosen despite the current.
At the earlier part of the story, i somewhat disdain the ML, so my hopes for the heart-fluttering romance, i have wrapped it up and thrown it away. But i stick because the other things is very interesting. The maid surviving the cruel young madam arc was interesting first and foremost should be credited to the antagonist performance, she carries her character with such unhinged but also somewhat vulnerable weight to her. The story was also have this theme of girlhood among the maid, the friendship they share were very touching, it was worth my tears, the hardship they endure, the punishment disporportionate to their fault, everything was also worth my tears. I even cried for the antagonist. So by this point, i have somewhat an idea of what kind of vibes the show is going, but as the story arc moves, the heartbeat of the story also moves, the themes going from girl friendship, to family, to love, moves one to another, back to another, but at the end it was mostly about being a women.
They have a lot of female antagonist, from a women trapped by the shackles of her powerful family lacking knowledge and wit, to a women who is full of wit but coming from a humble background, to someone both smart and born from powerful family. Unlike a lot of drama where the female antagonist was just shallow, jealous women, these women was everything but that. They were all flawed people but all strong, and have something to say. They were walking the wrong path, but they have their own justified reason.
The show was full of women, from young to old, maid to master, reserve to cheerful, petty to wise, childish to mature. One differs from another. What amazing is despite the abundant character, most of it were a full-layered character. They feel alive, they were interesting enough to wonder what kind of life they have off screen.
As the story progress, the romance developed, as the romance developed, my disdain towards the ML slowly subside. His character growth was great. For me, he went from a bitter jerk, to somewhat a chill guy, to a true gentleman. His love went from selfish to understanding. He genuinely grows, learn to understand what's really matter and comes out the best version of himself. I really loves this character, despite my initial dislikes. For me, he never went downhill, my likability towards him actually grows as the story go, it was truly a satisfied character growth.
The drama gaves a lot of life lesson, one that stick to me and i feels like the overarching part was the idea about helping someone walking their path will leads you to a wider and brighter path yourself, i always love the idea of how being kind lead to good karma, this kind of thing might seem simple, but it was really precious to me. The silent strength of kindness, it was really one of my tears triggers.
Initially the title Against the Current sounds like it was about fighting your way, moving towards the currents hitting on you. Being about going the other way, changing the tides. But watching this show it was not, it was about withstanding it, it was about holding your ground despite it. Initially the FL seems like a character just moving following the motion, wanting to live safely and peacefully, she doesn't have great ambition to rise above other nor vengeance to seek revenge, just moves in motion to where lives leads her, but then as the story goes she was thrown into a path she doesn't want to take, despite letting it takes her where it takes her she still holds to her principle, didn't let the currents washed her ashore or drowned it under. The ML have his on unconventional way, he follows the norm but have his own principle, he doesn't blindly follow the currents lest it leads him astray. To go against the current is not to fight upstream against the current, but to strive to live well of a life that one chosen despite the current.
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