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30
When lack of communication skills is your whole personality.
This is not a sweet rom-com. This is a frustrating journey that will test your patient, and I have no idea why I enjoyed it.It’s a story of two people who love jumping to conclusions and never verbalizing their feelings and issues. Female lead was slightly less frustrating than male lead - she was at least aware of her own feelings, which cannot be said about the other half of this infuriating couple.
All these miscommunications were blast to watch though. Why? Thanks to all the supporting characters, who had some of the best and most reasonable reactions to all the childish shenanigans going on. I appreciate how it was established that it’s not the writing that is stupid, it’s the main duo only, and it’s done on purpose. I can go on board with it.
Female lead had little self-esteem, male lead had no self-awareness, I had no business using my brain watching it. Love triangle of poor character traits - best relationship between the drama and the viewer.
The performances were great. Seino Nana somehow made Akiha a character worth rooting for and Sakaguchi Kentaro was able to calm my distress caused by Shu’s character with his cuteness. I also love Kursahina Kana and her portrayal of Miharu - probably one of my favorite characters in the whole show.
Production wise - this is your typical rom-com. Nothing bad, nothing good. Standard quality, nothing to complain about. Bless them for having the cat though, he was amazing.
Overall, this was entertaining for all the wrong reasons.
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The lack of chemistry was evident…
Which made me enjoy it more as a slice of life drama, rather than a romantic comedy. Not gonna lie though, with the amount of “love lines” and feelings the characters had for each other, the fact that there were exactly zero sparks felt was disappointing.I honestly think it would be better without the romance. Focusing on friendship and personal growth would make it a nice, warm and inspiring show. What we’ve got was a borderline Jekyll and Hyde male lead, that flipped between his two personalities in the matter of seconds and a questionable romance - no one will convince me Sato Ai was not too focused on the familiarity and the nostalgia, while ignoring all the flaws.
We also have the whole aspect of changing appearance, which I found ridiculous. For me Koshiba Fuka actually looked better and more attractive before the “glow up”. I think the natural look fits her far more, and the idea she was thought to be extremely ugly was laughable.
There were still quite a few aspects I truly loved. The themes of rediscovering yourself, finding your dreams, working hard to improve, taking accountability for your actions - this is what I enjoyed the most.
Sato Ai was a great character with a great journey. Higuchi Takuya was a walking sunshine with a glowing personality that was impossible to dislike. And then we have Sosuke and Risa who were both underdeveloped which made them kind of boring - I truly did not care about them at all. Their struggles and motivations were shown in such a vague and shallow manner, why should I care?
The performances were good. Akaso Eiji impressed me the most - the natural and quick switches between the happy puppy to angst were amazing. They were clearly visible to the viewers, but subtle enough that it made sense the other characters did not notice. This Japanese version overall improved in the characterization aspects - keeping the core of who these characters were supposed to be, while toning down the cartoonish overreactions to make them more realistic.
Overall, a nice watch for binging. Nothing outstanding. Perfect as a palate cleanser when someone wants to watch something mildly amusing, but not too engaging.
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It's 4 episodes if you skip all the walking.
This show left me in a state of complete confusion. What happened? How did it happen? Who approved it? At some point I was 5 episodes in and I could not comprehend how there are 3 episodes left. How dumb will they make the characters to fill that screen time?I’m not kidding when I say nothing made sense. The investigation was laughable - the worst I have ever seen in any drama. The killer was just mediocre and was able to kill for so long only because everyone else was so imcompetant The male lead… I don’t even want to talk about him. Each and every choice he made was making me question my sanity. Not to mention Bae Tae Jin who was there to add “spice” to the typical story, but failed to do so.
I am honestly impressed by how bad this show was. It can fool you during the first 2 episodes - they are generic, but not tragic. How fast it changes though. The longer you watch, the dumber it gets. Protect your brain, don’t watch it. And if you like to suffer like me, at least don’t binge watch it. Your brain could fry.
The characters don’t even share one brain cell. There are no brain cells being used by anyone in this show. Zero brain cells. Negative brain cells energy. Basically a black hole for brain cells.
Sure, the acting was goodish, the production itself was not bad. But no amount of technical aspects being done well can save this project.
Overall, why does it exist?
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The story behind the Sewol is extremely complex. It’s not just a case of one person negligence - it’s a story that involves individual workers, coastal guards, press, police, politicians - you name it, more or less everyone was involved.
So does this documentary tell us how it happened? Why it happened? Does it provide any concrete explanations? No. But it paints a horrifying picture - when people on the site were too scared to even talk about what was going on. It focused on just a small portion of the events - the use of a diving bell, and how the government was doing its best to not make it successful. Exposing that lie in such detail, with interviews and video/recordings proof is how you break the well crafted picture the government and press created.
The movie shows how much effort was put into creating and upholding a lie and shifting the blame on others, when half of that effort would probably be enough to save the people trapped in the sunken ship.
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This review may contain spoilers
Directing and writing chaos.
I truly have no idea what was the vision and direction for this show. What was the main conflict? What was the plot? What was the genre? It was everything and nothing.Starting from the plot, I think Fighting Mr. 2nd does a huge disservice to season one - the cute, fun and a little bit dramatic story. Here we get full on makjang for the first episodes, that turns into corporation politics, and then into big old nothing.
None of the conflicts make much sense. Shi De agreeing to cut contact with the love of his life, because the dad said so was unbelievably stupid. Shu Yi trying to get his revenge at first made him one of the most toxic (for everyone around him) and unstable characters ever (at least that made sense, it was destructive but fitting). Then we have the "blond lady" misunderstanding and no true chat about it between the main characters. Not to mention the stolen files in the firm, which brought exactly nothing to the story - just stole the precious screen time that could have been used in a better way.
Zhen Xuan and Shou Yi romance could have been an amazing story, but it was simply impossible to do it justice as a side couple in a 3 hour story. Both characters were too complex and had serious underlying issues that should have been addressed in a more detailed manner. I am quite confused why they said Shou Yi has affective disorder though, since the ones that go into that category are stuff like depression, bipolar and manic disorder - mood disorders, so his lack of apparent empathy and incapability to form relationships with others was not quite fitting the label he was given.
Then we have the messy directing. What exactly was the plan? Was the dad supposed to be a scary controlling figure or a laughable, but a slightly obsessive comedic addition? Was the main romance supposed to be realistic struggles of the couple or over the top dramatic melo? I'm not saying you can't have comedy in the serious shows, or deeper topics in a lighter story - the tone needs to fit though. Here, it was a mess.
At the end we get to the problematic aspect of drinking on the set. For some it might not be a problem, for me it is. I see no excuse for drinking on the set. It puts the actor, co-actors and the whole production in danger. You don't just get your actor drunk for the sake of realism.
The only redeeming quality of the show was the acting and the music, and more specifically Unbreakable Love, which isn't even the original song made for the show.
Overall, season one was a good BL with nice characters and good pacing. This was just... a mess.
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180 on personality tropes, but was it enough?
By all means, objectively speaking I do not think it’s as low as 6.5 drama, but with how I personally did not enjoy the majority of it in the second half, that’s the rating it gets from me.The only fresh thing this title presents is the flip on well known personality tropes - professional and cold male lead turns into a female lead, and empathic, well organized female lead is a dude. That’s honestly it, and it’s not enough for me.
Now that I finished the show it’s hard for me to pinpoint what it was exactly.
It’s not really a business show, since a lot of the business aspects were underdeveloped, especially in the larger scene and the relations between different companies and management. Out of all the cases I think only one was truly well executed.
The life and drama aspect of it was more of highlights of events, rather than a well paced story. Drama here, trauma there, some healing happening behind the scenes, some happening last minute, right before we roll the credits.
It leaves us with romance, and romance only. And that’s probably why I could not enjoy the show to its full potential - it did not sell itself as just romance, and it did not set up the story as just romance in the first two episodes. By the end of the day, the only well produced and written aspect of it was in fact… just the romance.
It tried to make many people from many different angles, and at the end everything was just: meh. I don’t want to even talk about the antagonists, because that was a failure of its own. Shallow, with little to no background, with basic schemes that should be obvious to the smart leads, and yet they were often not. The quick wrap up to give a resemblance of a closure. Was any of that even necessary? The story could easily exist and be improved without it all.
I honestly feel like they simply targeted the general audience, which means they did not really have a target audience in mind. They added a little bit of this and that, mixed genres, made it all mild and easy to consume and hoped people would like it. It’s generic.
I definitely liked the performances. Han Ji Min was the center of it all, giving a strong portal of Kang Ji Yun - be it at her highs, or lows, confident or insecure, brave or scared. Complex yet cohesive presentation.
For the directing, filming and editing - I was in love with how they used reflections, glass and forefront objects to frame the scenes. What’s more - great use of light. Love Scout wins in terms of visuals.
Overall, while it is a drama that focuses on healing, creating your own space, finding new priorities, learning and discovering yourself as a person, it almost never truly hits hard on any of these themes. Everything is overshadowed by the romance, a good romance, but not strong enough to carry 12 episodes.
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The plot lost between the simping, stalking and the sea of angst.
This drama makes me confused. Logically, I don’t even think it’s that good. Sure, some characters are interesting, some have great arcs, but the overall plot was barely developed and it’s mostly the female lead bouncing between the three and half male leads (I’m sorry Feng Long, but I forgot you were even a legit option and actually part of the main cast).That said, it’s ridiculously addicting and entertaining. I saw all the flaws, but I could not stop watching. I feel like it’s one of the dramas with well written characters and basic, underdeveloped plot. Xiao Yao had barely anything going on for her in terms of the story, but just her personality and her interactions with other characters were enough for me to adore her. Xiyan Cang Xuan's fight for the throne seemed more like a first draft than a proper strategy, and yet I love him and the internal struggle, suppressed emotions and the conflicts he had to face were amazing. Xiang Liu had some of the best character developments in the whole show, slow, well paced, realistic. He did not become an angel, the core of the character never changed, but with each and every scene we’ve got to see all the layers of personalities he had.
While I disliked Tushan Jing a lot, even his character was written in a proper way, I just don’t vibe with him. That said, the struggle between his own desires and the newly found responsibilities was well presented.
Another aspect deserving some appreciation was the variety of female characters. More straightforward and tomboyish Xiao Yao, who is truly daring and loyal. Nian who went from annoying brat, to sweet sister (whom I also adored by the end of the show - biggest surprise for me), Fangfeng Yi Ying with her cunning nature and desperate actions, calculative, but also honest Chenrong Xin Yue. Truth to be told, I appreciated all the female characters, and at times I wished the drama would focus on them more.
What’s more to love? The visuals. Not me taking over 1000 screenshots. The costumes were beautiful, the scenery breathtaking, set designs amazing. Visually speaking, there was nothing to hate and a lot to love.
The acting was great. The only performance I struggle to judge is Deng Wei as Tushan Jing - I disliked the character so much, I am not going to act like a clown and pretend like I can be objective here. That said, the whole cast MASTERED the suppressed angst - everyone delivered in that area and these scenes were truly the highlight of the whole drama for me.
Overall, extremely enjoyable watch, even if by the end I felt like there was barely any plot. I wanted to see more detail in Xiyan Cang Xuan journey. I also wished to see more of Nian, since she became one of my favorite characters. I disliked how unbalanced all the relationships were, as someone who prefers partnership, the simping and pinning, and sacrificing at times was too much - rolling eyes was inevitable.
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When the victim becomes the perpetrator.
Can trauma and growing up in a toxic environment excuse someone’s awful actions? If yes, then no one is guilty in this show. From my perspective, this show quite well presents how a person can be both the victim and the perpetrator and society should make sure not to ignore their tragic past while also acknowledging their horrific actions in the present and punishing them for them.This is not a story about righteous characters - there are no heroes. With how dramatic and excessive everyone’s actions were, it’s hard to even call them gray. It’s a journey into madness. It presents an interesting dilemma - up till which point a person is a victim that needs help, and when exactly can we see them as perpetrators that need to be stopped and punished? Can you still be called a victim if you yourself create more victims?
Not gonna lie, what started as a “fun revenge story”, ended on a bitter note, and I’m not mad about it. I thought it’s going to be a “put morality on the shelf, turn off your brain and enjoy some bullies getting their punishment” type of a deal, but the further into the story I went, the more it made me think about it and how complex of an issue bullying is. Bullies themselves are often victims of either bullying by upper classmates or abuse at home. So here’s the question - if their actions were not excused in the drama based on their circumstances, why would we excuse what the main character did?
One thing to keep in mind - the ending might leave a bad taste in your mouth, but I think it’s fitting the story, even though it fills me with rage. And the literally last sequence of scenes broke my heart.
It’s a story of the friends trio - Kyungmin, Jong Suk and Cheol. All complex, all raw and interesting. And then there is Jin Ah. Why she exists in the show is beyond me. Clearly the story could have been told without adding her, as she is not a character in the original animation. Her being the good cop, moral one just does not fit the mood of the drama. Not to mention, the whole investigation plot line was simply ridiculous and boring. I found her to be rather obnoxious, flip flopping between following the rules and playing the proper cop, to ignoring the rules when the show needed that, but still acting like a voice of reason.
All the supporting characters were rather one dimensional, but they played their roles well and created the cohesive picture of the world presented. That said, one of the issues I had with the show was how extreme it went. It’s not exactly a realistic portrayal of school bullies as adults - everyone was either awful or went on a guilt trip that dominated their whole life. I guess the closest to a more typical story was the first victim/bully, which for me was the most questionable.
The acting was great. The two performances that stood out for me the most were Kim Sung Gyu and Choi Hyun Jin. Hyun Jin, this child - he has a bright future ahead of him. His performance also led to Cheol being my favorite character. The actor is only 14, but I could feel the pain, desperation, sadness, glimpses of hope and happiness in him. It was all so well delivered, I will for sure check any of his future projects.
Production wise, I appreciate how they did not shy away from creating truly gory scenes (yes, they were blurred, but with all the horrors I have seen, my imagination kicks in fast). Some of the pictures created were just hitting hard emotionally. The pig and wolf masks were truly detailed and creepy. Honestly speaking, I have zero complaints about the production. Maybe sometimes the scenes were a little bit too dark, so it was hard to see what was actually happening.
Overall, it’s a great drama that could have been amazing if they did not decide to add Kang Jin Ah and her whole investigation side of the plot. Still, I was interested till the end and in a strange way, I was satisfied with the ending, even though it felt a little bit half assed.
Trigger warnings: school bullying, abuse, sexual harassment, blood, gore, psychological abuse, animal abuse, and probably many more. I would not call it a safe drama for the majority of people, so be warned.
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Negative correlation between Prince Jing’s looks and the number of his working brain cells.
It took me 3 attempts and “harassment” from a friend for me to finish it. I said it once, I will say it again - this drama could be a podcast. I don’t quite vibe with the tell not show style of directing I’ve got here. I did not really watch the majority of the events unfold, I watched characters talk to each other about said events. While I did get more invested closer to the end, it was not because of the clever shenanigans, but because of the entertaining clownery.While the journey of me watching it did not become enemies to lovers for me and NIF, enemies to partners in crime, calling out everyone for being dumb, for me and Su might have been a more fitting conclusion. I feel like I went through a whole ass character development and existential crises while watching this drama, since complaining about it was part of my mdl personality for the past 5 years.
Do I think it's a masterpiece? Hell fucking no. I still think it's a podcast dressed as a drama. It should have been around 10 episodes shorter. They should have shown more, talked less. I want to see shit happen, not people describe it to each other as they sit in their fancy homes sipping tea spiked with poison. I WANT TO SEE THE TEA HAPPEN!
Is Chang Su a master strategist whose IQ is higher than the combined IQ of all of humanity? Maybe in that universe, but it's not hard to be a genius when everyone around you has a negative number of brain cells in their head. And yet, strangely I think I’ll miss Chang Su, even though I found his well organized plan to be more of a quick reaction to whatever issues other people created and the conclusion to his character being shockingly ridiculous in presentation. This man mastered the art of judging other people’s stupidity and I aspire to get to that level at some point in my life.
The whole court power struggle and the “who’s gonna be the crown prince and future emperor” question was for me dumb for a simple reason - the country would be doomed whoever wins. Prince Yu in his fancy attire was too egocentric and prone to conspiracy thinking while also being way too naive to rule, and Jing Yan and Jing Xuan were, to put it simply, dumb and dumber.
Jing might have been hot, but also had a surprising level of brainlessness at times. He was not connecting any dots whatsoever. Clueless. I was waiting for him to march with clown makeup at some point. You want to give him the country to rule when he cannot even control his own emotions? More often than not he needed to chill, relax, drink some tea and touch some grass.
Personally, I believe Jing's mom should have become the ruler and no one was even close to being as qualified as she was. Patient, smart, observant, good at manipulating people around her for her goals, taking good care of her people, and loyal. None of the men got anything on her.
The biggest issue I had was the fact I just did not care about any of the characters, I didn't care about who would sit on the throne, who would survive, if they would get the revenge. I just do not care. The tiny underlying love line between Chang Su and Ni Huang I should care about because why? They went full on melodrama on their 3rd or 4th meeting, while I still knew nothing about their past - so why should I get emotionally invested? Add to that some unexpected moments like a cameo from Bigfoot or Fein Liu fighting against gravity and winning, and you truly have a whole clownery making the watch entertaining, but lacking emotional stakes.
All that said, I truly did enjoy watching the last 10-15 episodes. Things finally started happening, all the characters were fully established, I understood their motivations and I could enjoy them proceeding with whatever plans they had in mind. The tea was spilling and it was scorching hot. I accepted the flaws of all the characters, tuned my brain to the level of brain energy the drama presents and just went on the final ride with a smile on my face.
Overall, I am completely incapable of objectively judging this drama. Truth to be told, the 5 years journey I had with it makes me incapable of judging it even subjectively - I don’t REALLY know what I think about it and how I feel about it. I don’t think I’ll ever know. My opinion is painfully blurred by the fun interactions I had with users about me struggling so much. Watching these 54 episodes became literally a memorable long term project/event in my life, and for that I know I am grateful.
Some of my favorite quotes:
“I said you are simple. Do you really not use your brain?” - said by the Emperor. Reach of him to say that when he himself had maybe half of a brain cell working.
“You have loyalty and honor, but why do you not have a brain?” facts Su said to Jing and I’m questioning why he wants him as the future emperor.
“The reason you lost to me is because you are stupid”
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“One lie leads to a hundred more.”
And one untreated trauma leads to many more issues… Han Tuo needs a “hot” date with a therapist, not a boyfriend. Not that a few sessions would not help Lu Jun Xi too. But then, it would probably help us all.There is a huge difference between supporting your partner while they work through their issues, and working around your partner's issues. And with how it is right now, Lu Jun Xi is going to live a rather exhausting life. And I’m just here asking - why the tone at times became so serious? Either keep it light and fun, or overdramatic and entertaining. But they actually tried to be serious with inner conflicts, but also did an extremely poor job tackling the subject, since they did not have enough screen time to dive deep into it and explore it enough…
I really enjoyed how chaotic the first few episodes were, the on crack pacing was actually what kept me interested - what random thing will they throw at me next? But then the pacing actually slowed down, but it did not bring much development. Han Tuo was insecure and unsure about Lu Jun Xi's feelings and it kind of stayed like that till the end. They made up a few times, but is the issue actually gone? Then we have poor Lu Jun Xi who in the speed of light had to deal with his newly found discovery of his sexuality AND being in love with his best friend. This alone could (and should) be the internal conflict for the whole show, not a small setback for one or two episodes.
Were they cute? Yes. Was the chemistry nice? Yes. Did I enjoy the friendships as much as the romance? Yes. Were the kids’ scenes great? Yes. Was I getting more and more bored with every new episode? Also Yes. I don’t know… maybe because they started with a bang, I expected explosions later on in terms of plot developments, but was met with the emotional aftermath of the blast instead. Blame my expectations, but also they made me have expectations based on the first few episodes, so who is truly to be blamed here?
Overall, it just felt… fine.
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This had no business being this long.
Taking into consideration the unexpected, but extremely anticlimactic ending that made me regret ever starting this show, I’d say this should have never had more than 20 episodes.Sometimes I’m fine with just the journey being the trip of a lifetime while watching dramas, even if the destination turns out to be a dumpster. Sadly, at some point the cases started to be boring. Visually speaking - beautiful. The innovative (yet extremely ridiculous) concept of psych gave the writer and director a free from jail pass to show the most wacky set designs and over the top representations of reality. But the plot itself? Ain’t special.
They set up this mysterious mastermind behind all the deaths in the city, told me he has some elaborate plan, and when we finally find out who he is and why he did what he did… I truly never saw a dumber plan ever. It made no sense. Did he want to fail? I just don’t understand why a good 80% of the plot happened - it was completely useless.
On the topic of useless - female lead. Why did she exist, except from getting in danger so Jiang Shuo can worry a little bit. The plot would not change even a little bit without her. And it’s not like she was awful - quite fun, loveable, energetic, enthusiastic. Does not change the fact she was there just for the sake of the romance, that was not needed anyway. What made me even more angry? She was shown to have some mad fighting scenes that she stopped using after a few episodes and literally any random person could overpower her.
The actual main duo Jiang Shuo and Qin Yi Heng were fun to watch, though I feel like most of the on screen chemistry happened on Liu Dong Qin's side. One could easily fool me, it's a censored romance type of a deal.
As I already said, visually speaking the show was amazing. I took almost 500 screen shots, I think that says it all. Especially liked a few horror elements in the earlier episodes. If only they improved the wire work and green screen - these, as basically a standard in Chinese dramas, were laughable.
The performances were solid. I don’t think any of the characters had enough depth for the actors to struggle with the delivery. Nothing seemed off.
Overall, I just get angry when I think about the ending. It hits too many things I dislike. Sadly, if one does not like this type of ending, it makes the whole drama seem pointless. that’s me - I feel like 90% of things that happened were pointless.
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Amazing buildup with blurry conclusion.
I did not have such a level of mind-f**k in a long time. Half way through the show I stopped making any theories, because it was just impossible to predict and evaluate anything. The only thing I knew was - anything can happen.The events present in the show happen in 4 different timelines, and like puzzle pieces put together, slowly showcase the whole picture. Sadly, along the way some pieces have been lost, and the answers were not fully delivered, leaving me with my own interpretations and theories.
The story follows quite a number of characters, with their own back stories and plot lines, that are all connected in a convoluted way. The moment you might think you start to see the whole picture, they do 180 on you, and you are back to the beginning - confused and frustrated.
Without the doubt Uhm Tae Goo was the star of the show. Jo Kyung Ho was such a glooming and enigmatic presence throughout the drama, I could do nothing, but get intrigued and drawn to him. The calmness, confidence and the assured tone with which he delivered the lines made it that much more terrifying.
On the other side of the events we had Choi Hyung In - emotional and driven detective, and Jo Jung Hyun, who failed to run away from her fast and was forced to face it. With each episode we see the paths of the three characters getting closer, leading to an inevitable clash.
From my perspective, the show tells the story of the different ways people deal with trauma, grief, anger and fear. Some give up, some fight till the end, some run away and some dive into a revenge fueled path. Hometown presents how turning a blind eye to suffering can lead to more pain and more victims. Facing your past, working through the pain, accepting the responsibility, regretting the mistakes and working to fix them, even if it seems too late to take any actions - it’s worth living even if we suffer.
The acting from the main cast was a top level of awesomeness. I felt sad and defeated thanks to Yoo Jae Myung, confused and trapped thanks to Han Ye Ri’s performance, and uncomfortable with, but enchanted by Kyung Ho’s character, thanks to Uhm Tae Goo’s skills.
Some of the teens' performances were questionable - the characters did not feel quite real and the emotions did not reach me. Luckily, it only happened during a few scenes, and overall, all of them did a fairly good job.
The production quality could not be better. The mix of horror elements perfectly elevated the thrills, blurring the lines between the reality and creations of one's mind. For a show that is not mainly a horror, it delivers the tense atmosphere in a skillful way, giving the viewers goosebumps during a number of scenes.
Are there any complaints? Yes.
Set up that is not explained well. Till the end, even after the credit rolls on the screen, you won’t get all the answers of “how” and “why”. If we limit the story to what’s possible in reality - this makes little sense. Me and many other viewers voiced how the presence of supernatural elements could elevate the show to a new level, explaining some plotlines and character’s choices and skills.
By the end of the last episode, I was still confused about what exactly started the whole plot - what made Jo Kyung Ho what he was, why he did what he did, when he started and what exactly was his desired outcome. I have my theories, but the point is - I don’t think the show did enough in explaining what drives the villain - they fail to explain his motives properly.
Confusion surrounding some plotlines, especially circumstances around Im Se Yoon and the timeline of her death. The last two episodes confused the heck out of me. I tried to sum up all the information I’ve got since episode one, but it just does not work in my brain. I might have missed something, they might have made it far more convoluted than needed, or it might be both.
Overall, it was an extremely intense ride. The journey was so entertaining, even with the disappointing conclusion, I can’t help, but love the show. Hometown ends with a question mark rather than a full stop, but for me, sometimes it’s better to not give the answers than give the ones that are not satisfying.
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It was a simple story, simple romance and a simple watch.
Sang Yi helped In Soo hold onto his dream, In Soo helped Sang Yi step out of his comfort zone, and it was all done in a quite subtle way. We never get to actually meet the big bad guy, and his presence is introduced later on, but didn't really have that much impact on the story. Or rather, it had a huge impact, but it didn't feel like it.It's a sweet story about two boys that fall in love with each other (and each other's music). There is a vague background about going against other people's expectations and chasing your dreams no matter what, but in only 80 minutes, the plot is not explored enough to have an actual emotional impact.
The acting was nice? Overall Lee Sang did a better job than In Soo, but none of the actors convinced me during their "sad" scenes. The emotions just weren't translating onto the screen well.
The production value was quite good. The shots had a nice indie vibe to them and the music was definitely one of the strongest points. That said, for a show that centers around music production, the audio quality in the beginning episodes was questionable...
It was an easy watch that never really got me excited, but I wasn't bored either. Watching it won't be a waste of time, but skipping it would not be much of a loss either. It is what it is: a short cute BL romance with a simple plot and pretty leads.
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There are different paths one can take to reach their destination.
I have such conflicting and mixed feelings about this show. There were 2 or 3 episodes that seemed too perfect to be true, but at the same time, I weirdly felt a lot of emptiness as I watched. The drama kept building up the nostalgia, the longing, fear of missed opportunities, forgotten past and unsure future, but it never reached the climax - at some point it completely emotionally plateaued and stayed this way till the end.The non-linear storytelling of First Love bothered me at first, but I grew to appreciate it even if it just fueled the depressing vibes the drama presented. There was a lot of low-key relatable sadness and the lack of positivity in the characters, the emptiness of their lives just slowly crept in and kept me up at night wondering if I am not on the similar path of loneliness. And I’m not sure if it’s a good or bad aspect of the drama though...
I cannot say it was all sad. One of my favorite things about First Love was Noguchi Yae’s relationship with her son. A great portrayal of love and sacrifice, but also support and trust. Watching their little family dates was just calming and heartwarming. What’s more, I loved the support system Noguchi Yea had around her, even if she was not fully aware of its existence. She was so used to keeping to the sidelines so she did not notice how many people liked and appreciated her.
On the other hand, some plotlines and relationships did not get enough of the closure I wished for. Some past encounters, decisions that were made - lacked the resolution, conversation and… ending.
Luckily you can forget it all and truly get immersed into the story thanks to the great performance of the whole cast, but especially our leading couple both in the past and present: Mitsushima Hikari and Satoh Takeru, and Yagi Rikako and Kido Taisei. Some of the best casting for younger versions of the characters I have ever seen. The actors matched each other's dynamics, presentation, interpretation of the characters perfectly! There were a lot of moments where strong emotions had to be presented in a subtle way, and they delivered it and much more.
As for the production, I’m just glad that even though it’s a Netflix production, it has that unique melancholic styling Japanese dramas perfected throughout the years, while adding the high production value a big company like Netflix can achieve.
Overall, it was for sure enjoyable and surprisingly good for binge watching. Chances are that if I watched it at a different time, when my mood was more in the “looking for nostalgic feelings” state, I'd have enjoyed it a lot more.
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It almost worked.
Why, oh why are Korean writers so obsessed with overcomplicating everything. Not all romantic comedies need a slapstick over the top side characters, not one, but two obsessive exs with various levels of traumatic past, and 978674 random plot lines. Remove 70% of plot lines and elaborate on the remaining 30%, give characters more depth and time to develop and you would have a truly amazing healing rom-com. Sadly, we still had to deal with the unnecessary 70%, because the Korean writers believe in a simple rule of “more means better”.I loved the relationship between Hae Kyung and Woo Do Hee. Even though at first it might have seemed like a one way street, by the end of the show it was clear that they both helped each other a lot. Jung Jae Hyuk truly stole the show in the second half and Lee Ji Hoon easily delivered the best performance. The connection between Jae Hyun and Keanu was one of the best side plots of the drama and I would have loved to watch a show focused on them more. On the other hand Jin Noh Eul was one of the most boring and cliche second female leads ever. Even though she was nowhere near as toxic as the second male lead, I somehow hated her more, simply because she was so poorly written.
Dinner Mate had some great messages and the overall plot, but too much was going on for anything to be truly developed in a meaningful way. One thing I did appreciate though is how it clearly showed that dealing with mental issues is a long process that at times takes many attempts and different approaches - sometimes it takes years to face what you fear and what holds you back, sometimes you will never be ready to fully accept it.
Overall, everything was good, but almost nothing was truly great. The few plots that stood out the most could not save the drama, when there were most scenes and plots that felt completely useless and empty. Maybe it should have been a 8 to 12 episode drama with none of the filler?
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