Amazing Vibes with Messy Writing
I’m honestly torn about this drama, because on one hand I did enjoy watching it and I was invested, but on the other hand… the writing frustrated me SO much that I can’t pretend it didn’t affect my overall experience.Let’s start with the good.
The biggest saving grace of this drama is the actors and their chemistry. If their performances were even slightly weaker, I genuinely don’t think I would’ve finished this. The way they look at each other, their expressions, the comedy, the emotional moments, all of those felt real and natural. When things were good between them, I was smiling and enjoyed it quite a lot. The cinematography and overall vibe also really worked for me and gave the story a charm that I just couldn’t let go of, even when I was annoyed.
Now… the writing. Yeah. This is where my problems start.
I was fine with how they were building up their connection, the tension, the almost-lovers phase, it was nice. You root for them, the chemistry is there, the emotional pull is there. And then… instead of letting that naturally develop into a relationship when it naturally feels they should get into one and showing us growth while they are together, the story keeps blowing everything up with misunderstandings and emotional back-and-forth that felt forced and unnecessary.
They honestly became the biggest villains in their own love story. I’m sorry but their emotional timing was NEVER aligned and it made their journey more frustrating than satisfying.
Honestly, I really think they should’ve gotten together around ep 6 and after that the drama could’ve explored healing, past trauma, and how they grow as a couple. Instead, we got episode after episode of miscommunication, and by the time they finally became a couple, proper couple content we got felt like crumbs. Their chemistry didn’t even get time to fully shine before the story moved on to past trauma arc and side plots.
The conflict dialogue often felt weak to me. In important emotional scenes I sometimes couldn’t even fully understand what the characters were trying to express or why they were reacting the way they did, it just felt messy and tiring instead of feeling emotionally clear.
Honestly, the love triangles weren’t even the main issue (as I initially thought they'd be). The real problem was the leads and how badly they communicated with each other. On top of that, the side ML felt poorly developed and emotionally flat, so he ended up just pushing the plot instead of adding meaningful emotional tension.
That said… despite ALL of this, I still can’t say I disliked the drama because when it was cute, it was REALLY cute.
When it was funny, I laughed. When they were soft with each other, I felt it. So yeah, my heart enjoyed it more than my brain did, all thanks to the actors.
In the end, I gave this an 8/10, not because I think it’s a perfectly written romance, but because the actors, chemistry, atmosphere and emotional vibe were strong enough to keep me watching and emotionally engaged until the end. It’s the kind of drama where I’m glad I watched it, but I also know it could’ve been SO much better with stronger writing and better pacing of the relationship. Would I rewatch it? Probably not. Did I enjoy watching it the first time? Yeah, I really did (even while yelling at my screen).
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Heartfelt Drama That Sticks With You
NOTE: Based on the first 8 episodes. No spoilers, simply impressions.From the very first episode, this drama made it clear that it’s exactly the kind of story I look for when I say I want to feel a kdrama. Not just cry, but truly feel the characters, their loneliness, hesitation, and everything they don’t say out loud. The drama relies heavily on silence, body language, and subtle expressions, and it does this so well that it often feels like I can hear the characters’ thoughts without them having to explain themselves. Emotionally, it pulled me in immediately.
What stood out the most to me is how human everything feels. The characters aren’t exaggerated, they feel like real people carrying emotional baggage. Scenes are allowed to breathe, and uncomfortable moments aren’t rushed, which makes the emotional weight hit even harder. The acting plays a huge role in this, especially in "family scenes", where so much is communicated through restraint, fake smiles, and things left unsaid. Many moments really stayed with me.
However I’m not fully sold on the pacing of the main relationship. Things escalate very quickly early on, and while I understand why the characters acted the way they did, I didn’t completely vibe with how fast they crossed emotional and physical boundaries. Because of that, some of the conflict ( particularly around honesty and trust) felt emotionally unfair to me at first, even though it makes sense once you understand the characters’ fears and vulnerabilities. I can intellectually accept it, but emotionally it still felt a bit frustrating.
I’ve also seen people compare this drama to My Liberation Notes, but despite both having loneliness as a core theme, they feel very different to me. Love Me feels more hopeful and emotionally accessible, and I find it much easier to understand and connect with the characters. Where My Liberation Notes felt heavier and harder to emotionally grasp for me, this drama communicates its feelings more clearly, even in silence.
Also in the later episodes I found myself genuinely laughing at some scenes. The humor feels natural and well-balanced, not forced, and it blends nicely into the drama. That contrast makes the story feel even more alive and real.
Overall "Love Me" is a quiet, emotionally rich drama that is already personal to me. While it’s not a perfect experience for me due to pacing issues early on, the atmosphere, acting, and emotional depth more than make up for it.
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Messy Hearts, Second Chances
From the first few episodes, I was already fully invested. This season is emotionally messy, vulnerable, and very character-driven, which is exactly the kind of dating show that pulls me in. There’s a lot of complicated feelings, unresolved pasts, and people who clearly came here not just to date, but to actually face things they’ve been running from. It’s uncomfortable at times, but in a way that feels honest and human, and that’s what kept me glued to the screen.One thing that stood out to me is that this season feels less about “finding someone new” and more about second chances both with people from the past, but also second chances with yourself - to face old mistakes, unresolved feelings, and try again in a healthier way. It’s risky, it doesn’t always work, and it leaves a lot of people hurt, but watching that emotional process is what makes this season so gripping for me.
The amount of love triangles can be tiring, especially when some friendships feel more emotionally compatible than the romantic pairings that actually happen. Watching people get stuck on one person while ignoring other possible connections was frustrating at times, and some heartbreak felt avoidable, but I also get that this emotional stubbornness is also very realistic for dating.
I also want to talk about William, because I feel like he’s being misunderstood by a lot of viewers. Yes, cheating is wrong, full stop, I’m NOT excusing it. But the way he talks about his past shows real guilt and self-awareness, not arrogance or indifference. He’s clearly affected by years of toxic relationships, and that kind of pattern really messes with how people view love, trust, and themselves (speaking from experience). To me, he doesn’t feel like someone who’s proud of his mistakes, but someone who’s scared of repeating them and struggling to be emotionally vulnerable now that he actually wants something real. Red flag behavior should be criticized, but growth and accountability should also be recognized when they’re there.
That’s why his dynamic with Izaya works emotionally for me, even if it’s kinda risky on paper. They reflect each other’s fears and flaws, and it feels like a relationship where both could either break or grow a lot. The emotional tension between them is what keeps me hooked the most.
Compared to the previous season, this one feels much more emotionally heavy and complicated, which I personally found more engaging, even if it also made things more exhausting at times Overall, this season isn’t clean or comfortable, but it’s raw, vulnerable, and emotionally engaging, and I’m fully seated for where these messy journeys go next.
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Serious Topics Meet Safe Storytelling
Before starting, this looked like a drama I would love: found family, case-to-case structure, emotional stories, and an actor I enjoy watching. And while I do think it’s a decent watch and I don’t regret starting it, it didn’t fully hit the way I expected.One thing I noticed is that the show often starts cases very strong, targeting serious social topics that really should be talked about, and the first half of each case usually gets me emotionally invested. But then, instead of following through with that same seriousness, the second half often pulls back into unrealistic, overly dramatic or convenient resolutions that avoid dealing with the real systemic problems. It feels like the drama wants the emotional impact of heavy topics, but not the responsibility of fully committing to them.
The show tries to sell found family, but I personally never fully felt it. There was always someone hiding something, people being annoyed with the MC, and even major conflicts later on that made the group feel more like coworkers than a real family.
I’m all for comedic relief in heavy shows, but the comedy here is often too over-the-top and cartoonish for my taste. It sometimes broke immersion and reminded me that I’m watching a drama instead of pulling me into the story. The same goes for the constant “villain of the week” antagonists who act unrealistically in court, it simplifies complex social issues into just fighting bad people instead of bad systems.
One thing that personally disappointed me was how carefully the show handled LGBT topics. There were supportive visuals and moments, which I appreciated, but the show never actually centered an LGBT person’s real legal struggle as a case. It felt more like symbolic support than real storytelling, which as an LGBT viewer felt a bit safe and surface-level.
Overall, I think Pro Bono has a strong premise and good intentions, and some moments really work emotionally. But for me, the combination of exaggerated comedy, unrealistic resolutions, and shallow character exploration keeps it from becoming as impactful as it could’ve been. Still a decent watch, just not the emotional hit I was hoping for.
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Slow Start, Strong Turnaround
DISCLAIMER: The review is based on the first 2 episodes only. No spoilers, only early impressions.The drama started off quite weak for me, to the point where I watched half of the first episode on 2x speed and even skipped some scenes that felt unnecessary. A first episode should hook you enough to watch it normally, and unfortunately this one didn’t. I’m generally very weak when it comes to political corruption plots, they usually bore me unless there’s something else to balance them out. From the premise, I thought this drama would have enough going for it to keep me engaged early on, but ep 1 focused on the darkest, most frustrating side of corruption. It was slow, overly long, very heavy, and dragged out so much that it became boring rather than immersive.
The only reason I pushed through ep 1 was because of why I started the drama in the first place:
- the trope of a character going back in time to fix past mistakes, which I find extremely intriguing
- Ji Sung — one of my favorite actors, which alone made me want to give this drama a fair chance
Even episode 2 took its time it still needed at least 30 mins to finally reach the actual turning point where the main character resets his life and goes ten years back into the past. But once that happened, the pacing and engagement improved significantly. I stopped fast forwarding, watched at normal speed and by the end of the ep 2 I was genuinely glued to the screen, wanting to know what happens next. By that point, the drama had finally found its footing and did enough to keep me seated and eagerly waiting for next week’s episode and I’ll definitely be pressing play as soon as it airs.
That said, I still have some personal complaints. The “over-the-top” acting meant to come off as comedic didn’t really work for me (as expected for my taste). There were quite a few cartoonish, overly animated moments where characters screamed too much or acted in an exaggerated, theatrical way which pulled me out of the story a bit. In those moments, the tone felt inconsistent and unserious. Objectively speaking, the acting is solid overall, but those choices didn’t fully land for me.
Another issue I noticed is the inconsistency in the main character’s personality. The shift is so sudden that it makes you question whether this is even the same person. In the present time he’s portrayed as morally gray with an unpleasant personality that annoyed me throughout the 1st ep, and even with the explanations given, I couldn’t really like or root for him. Then, once he goes ten years back, he suddenly turns into this chaotic, unserious, almost anime-like “hero” type, trying to be cute and righteous. While I understand the reasoning behind this change, it still feels strange because mentally, he should still be the same man that only went back in time. The contrast sometimes makes the character feel more cartoonish than believable, though I can accept it for now given the circumstances.
Overall, the drama had a rough start for me but it managed to recover by the end of ep 2. Despite my issues with pacing, tone, and character consistency, the core concept and Ji Sung are strong enough to keep me invested. For now it has the potential to rise if the story continues to tighten its pacing and balance its tone better.
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