You Are My Spring (2021)

Could have been a great romance thriller - missed the mark

7/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 South Korean mystery, thriller, romance drama with 16, 70 minute episodes.

Kang Da-jeong (Seo Hyun-jin) grew up with an abusive alcoholic father and her greatest wish as a child was to have a stable family. Because of that early experience with a damaged father figure, she is attracted to men with alcohol problems, those who fail to keep jobs, and others with issues as she attempts to "fix" them. She has a stable job as a concierge manager at a motel and makes a move to a rooftop apartment to make a clean break with her troubled past. Joo Young-do (Kim Dong-wook) moved his psychiatric office to the same building as Da-jeong and has a nearly psychic ability at "reading" people and understanding their psychological issues and motivations. He uses his skill to not only help his patients but everyone around him. Chae Joon/Dr Ian Chase (Yoon Park) took a liking to Da-jeong when they were children growing up in the same neighborhood and looked for her, finally locating Ahn Ga-yeong (Nam Gyu-ri) is Young-do's ex-wife and the relationship ended after discovering that they were together more for Young-do to stablize Ga-yeong's depression and keep her from self harm than out of any romantic love on Young-do's part - they remain friends and he is helping her have confidence to pursue a healthy relationship. All of the individuals are connected by mysterious and tragic incidents from the past. What might fate have in store for them?

I liked this and it mostly kept my interest throughout but it had such a wandering story line that I would not watch it again and it wouldn't be a top recommendation from me. Spoilers** At first I thought that the murders would be a central premise and, there were times, when the focus was on that. But then it would just drift away and focus on aspects of the main couple, or a side couple's relationship and just drop the whole serial murders line all together. There was a major story line around the fact that he had heart issues but it was never fully explained why. You knew that he had went through a lot of medical procedures when he was young when his mother was trying to save his brother but not what his brother had or how that might have resulted in heart damage. So was the heart issue related to that or was the heart issue what had killed his brother? Their romance did not make complete sense either. He pushed her away because he knew, at some point, he might die but then decided to just be with her and there were a lot of things that indicated why he made that decision but it wasn't really spelled out. I expected some kind of dramatic statement like "none of us ever know how long we have" but there was never that. Her friend and her brother had a romance which could have been cute but we never got to see exactly how they got together. Had he always liked her? That would have made more sense. They alluded to the fact that they had slept together and things went from there but they didn't show us them falling in love. Then there were the friends. The boxer girl liked the vet and had a drunken incident where she bit him. I thought they would evolve into a romance but that just fizzled and died because he had a thing for the female lead's best friend. So, I wondered why they even bothered showing the boxer girl and her feelings for the male lead's friend. Da-jeong's mother had talked about some man that was wooing her in the beginning and I thought we would get to see what was going on there but they literally just dropped that story line. The abusive dad, I thought perhaps he was the killer or some interesting twist like that but no, he just stayed away as he promised then died. I thought so much was going to happen around the mother and nothing really did. There were so many things started and never completed that it felt like plot wandered everywhere. The ending was not satisfying because so many things were not wrapped up. And they sort of shook hands - really? That's what you do with someone you are going to spend years with? Just an awkward, facing each other, hand shake? Overall just a very underwhelming story.

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You Are My Spring was slow-paced, touching, and relatable to everyone. It is particularly understandable to those who have been emotionally wounded or even those who just feel down because of the cruel reality of our society. The overall plot was subtle but I think is perfect for the spring-like theme of the drama. The romance was lovely and sweet and I think this is enough reason to watch the show!!

The characters were all nice and good people that it is impossible to dislike a person in this show! The characters help each other and even the leads, I sincerely wished everyone a happy ending. As for the character development, it was also good as we saw the characters grow from unapproachable, lacking, and wounded individuals into people who try to better themselves, accept their imperfections, and shone. Also, chemistry between the leads was amazing too particularly because A-list actors Seo Hyun Jin and Kim Dong Wook were able to add life into their characters and delivered their roles very well. I think their paring for this drama is another reason to give this show a try despite the low ratings. They really carried the whole show, and they are just absolutely adorable to watch! ^^

The only flaw I found from this show was its ambitious goal of mixing too many genres together, that ended it ruining the whole drama's theme. I wish they should have just stuck to slice-of-life and romcom, it would have been perfect. Also ending it up until episode 12 or 14 would have done its job perfectly. Murder mystery and romantic comedy k-dramas are highly popular and I think this is the reason why the writers included a bit of those genres in this show, but I think rather than categorizing You Are My Spring as something like that, this is really more of a healing slow paced drama.

The show wasn't outstanding as it has its downsides but it wasn't bad either. I don't get why people had given ratings so low, when it the show had its strong points, had finished the ending neatly, and delivered a good message unlike others that are overrated and had meaningless plot. Overall, if you like spring-like dramas with sweet and slow paced romance with a nice and good closure I think this shoe would be perfect for you.

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Let's just say that my initial excitement for this drama, gradually ended up with disappointment.

I admit that the first few episodes of this drama got me hooked up, with all the murder mystery and puzzling psychological issues of the main leads. but gradually the story lost its initial suspense and turns into your everyday boring love story. The reason for this is,
1. the murder mystery at the beginning that made me hooked up, turns out to have nothing to do with the main leads and has everything to do with the second lead.
2. the weak plotlines to connect the main leads to the murder mystery and a nonsensical backstory to back up the current plot. for example, a heart transplant leads the psychiatrist to pursue the murder of his donor. ( let's say this is a valid argument ) but then to not lead this to an obvious tragic ending, the writer adds a sprinkle of some supernatural stuff to make the viewers not feel too devastated about the "going to be a tragic ending". And the female lead who happenstance to cross paths with the murder doesn't seem to be quite solid to put her in the middle of the whole mystery.
3. adding a chaebol family and many other weak characters to patch up the already disastrous plot holes.

The only good thing about it is the first OST, which is a killer song. which I'm currently listening to on repeat.
The acting is good, the supporting actors are also much more fun. The light friendship, I have to say, is quite fun to watch.
Let's just say that my initial excitement for this drama, gradually ended up with disappointment.

P.S - am I the only one who crack open my skull trying to figure out which twin is which??!!

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An Overdose Of Romance In An Otherwise Incomplete Murder/Mystery

I wanted to enjoy 'You Are My Spring' a lot more than just the sporadic, individually solid performances by the leads, and certain ones in the supporting cast were able to muster, barely keeping this Kdrama from flatlining.

And it's not that the characters weren't likable. They were. The chemistry between the leads Kang Da-Jeong (Seo Hyun-jin) and Ju Yeong-do (Kim Dong-Wook) was unmistakable in the early episodes but then their relationship seemed to devolve into a sort of parody of angsty teen, goo-goo eyed cringe and annoyance.

I was also upset that Ian Chase (Yoon Park) seemed to get a free pass after choking Da-Jeong. Her reasoning for not reporting him was also suspect, to say the least. The man was obviously a danger to himself and others and for Da-Jeong not to report him did not seem realistic.

And I felt that 'You Are My Spring' wanted to say something profound about mental health without significantly challenging the ongoing stigma that surrounds those who suffer from mental illness, especially in a country with extremely high suicide rates. Instead, it gets bogged down with product placement and attractive, well-dressed actors portraying underdeveloped characters who occasionally offer life-affirming advice to each other and bits of comic relief meant to counteract the brutal murders and suicide that ultimately get sacrificed for the sake of romance.

Overall, 'You Are My Spring' felt unfinished with the exception of the predictable romantic coupling. Yet, the fate of Ian Chase is left unanswered and I was never convinced that he was a brain surgeon to begin with. There were just too many moving parts in this Kdrama.

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I guess I got fooled by the poster. I knew that this drama would probably have like some action (?) or smth, something dark, or mysterious about it in any way shape or form, but I didn't think that I would be immediately get slapped by it, especially not from a drama with such sweet beautiful poster. Though I do like the mystery, it's pretty interesting AND is what I finished watching it for, it felt rather slow to me? Was the resolution of the main mystery too slow? Or maybe I'm just not used to this kind of pacing? And though I think the main couple (and the side couples too!) are adorable and look like healthy relationships (really nice to see btw), maybe I'm not used to this much screentime of loving couples for such a long time. Idk, it's most likely me who's the problem. But yeah. Tbh in the first few episodes to me the pacing is fine, but in the later episodes it felt much slower and so I kinda sped it up a little and only put it back on normal speed for some scenes. For a first watch, I think it's really good, but I don't think I would rewatch it. At least, not fully, but I will probably just look at the clips and some scenes I like and all. I don't think I have the patience to go through all that again in full

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Unveiling the Beauty of Imperfection in You Are My Spring

Sometimes when I am looking for a drama to watch I occasionally meet some hidden gems like "A Poem a Day", "A Piece of Your Mind", etc. These do not have a really complex plot like you usually see in nowadays hyped drama, and also do not include heart-aching love stories which are just made too complex in the hope of getting more audience. Rather these dramas are like a slow song that you listen to when you want to relax, when you want to look at the world yet not get lost in it when you want to think yet want to feel positive about it, and so is "You Are My Spring". This drama centers around various psychological issues that people face in their lives, it shows the negatives as well as positives of life in a way that in itself gives you a really nice perspective on how to look at the world, how to look at people and how to look at situations.
Mostly all the characters in this drama have one or the other problems that they are struggling with or they have psychological issues due to the different pent-up emotions that they have. It is one of those rare dramas where you will love not just ML and FL but nearly all the characters, despite what they are facing or what they have faced they all are really nice people, especially the friends of ML and FL. These friends care for each other, fight for each other, stay for each other, and even leave for each other. Of course, ML and FL are still the best characters in the drama who to me seemed like 2 nearly perfect beings who have their set of flaws yet are one of the best pairs you will find. Both have the habit of shouldering everyone's difficulties onto themselves, they go out of their way to help other people and are both selfless. Here I was most intrigued by the ML in this drama due to how well his character was written off, you can clearly see that it wasn't a plot armor or magic, he was just really good at being a psychiatrist who had so much knowledge that he was as perfect as if he can see someone's past, present and future when he saw someone which was always backed by evidence and drawn from his experience.
If you like dramas like how I have mentioned above then please watch this one you will not be disappointed, you can take my word for that. It will not only make you interested in watching one episode after the other, it might become one of the stories which stay with you for life.

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Forgettable!

The Good:
⌲ The triangle is weak.
⌲ The fantastic (but underutilized) side characters
⌲ The fantastic (but underutilized) side couples
⌲ FL's mom

The Neutral:
⌲ As much as I like Seo Hyun Jin, her acting felt quite technician like in this one. (still not bad)
⌲ The healing aspect of the drama (I love healing dramas, but this is not working very well here)
⌲ Yoon Park is a great actor, too bad he always gets the worst scripts. (this was a low point even for him)
⌲ There is a lot of fluff, but it's hard to get into it.
⌲ Is there really an ending?

The Bad:
⌲ 30-40% of the drama is a largely disconnected crime/thriller flick and it's NOT WORTH WATCHING. (FW button time)
⌲ As short lived as the noble breakup was, it's just super stupid.
⌲ The OTP relationship is extraordinarily weird in a shallow way.
⌲ Kim Dong Wook's acting (he was far better in Find Me in Your Memory)
⌲ Metaphoric heart pain causing real heart pain being an actual plot point. (I'm nitpicking, but come on!)
⌲ ML's backstory was needlessly explained & it's really stupid. (failed MD has become a psychiatric doctor, did he go back to University & spend 3-5 years on that? drama logic)

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That's a good one!

Dramas can teach more than one can think and one can find solutions to the lacks we seem to be programmed to live with, with the idea that finding a way out is impossible.

What I will say is, first you are not responsible for your childhood traumas and when you are aware of them, work on not feeding them. It takes time but surely, you'll discover your real self.
Second, love is a beautiful thing and if you have an incurable disease or difficult condition, it does not mean that your genuine person cannot love nor be loved but, nobody knows the day and the hour, live the fullest possible being happy and making others around you smile too, there is nothing to loose at that level.
Third, when you love, it's ok. Love does not hurt, only we, do that to ourselves and each other. There is nothing bad in being authentic and real because those are attributes and part of the nature of Love.

Love is not a state of feeling but more a state of Being that we use feelings to decode.

Each time there is a lesson to learn in order to grow and and uplift yourself in a K drama, go for it.

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You Are My Psychiatrist AKA Trauma Bonding

There is a comment to be made about psychiatrists dating, loving, diagnosing, healing their patients but, technically, she wasn't a patient during working hours. The writer brushed that off by having ML to pull up the "If you were my patient, I would have asked you this...." By no metric this should've been longer than 8 episodes. The slow dreamy scenes and extensions didn't serve a purpose, they didn't enhance a scene, build an atmosphere, have a cinematic purpose, or contribute to the story. I think they wanted to associate pretty nicely shot slow-mo scenes with it being a cute show? Such things would only work if they struck at the right moment, not every moment. Some cognitive things didn't need to be portrayed on screen to convey a piece of information, like the ML lead forgetting the fridge door open to tell us he was distracted. It's okay to have a few sprinkled here and there but the drama was infested with such scenes. The first 3 episodes were a bit too boring but I stuck with it to see more of this supposed "mystery", of which, there was barely any mystery after that. This was supposed to be the secondary main plot but ended up being less important than most of the insignificant side plots like Da Jung's mother or Ga Young's trainer (btw what happened to the trainer?). The drama didn't know what it wanted to be so we had an uneven mix of genres and themes. Observing the characters, there was something off about their behavior, like an imitation through a fancy lens. Not only through their portrayal but also through their driven narrative. The drama had a lot of inner monologue and self-narration to fill its time but most of them were a hit or miss and didn't provide a deeper connection as they hoped. The drama was supposed to show the healing process but both leads didn't have more than a couple of scenes where they properly talked.

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Lovely healing romantic drama. Shame about the unravelling plots

Genre meshing is very common in k-drama. Supernatural/romance, romance/crime and many other combos. A lot of the time it works and that is usually because the plot grew around each other organically. In this case, the opposite happened.

Before you assume this is a negative review, it is not. I really liked this drama and the romance/healing plots were so well done and it was so sweet in a natural way. The crime/revenge plot was also very intriguing and complex, it is the lack of cohesion between the two at the later stage of the drama that pains me.

In terms of the positives, the acting from the cast is great. There were the odd overacting but their characters demanded it, otherwise it was well above average. The love story was cliché but seasoned actors pulled it off and pulled you into their lives so that you really want to swoon at their cheesy antics. The cinematography was wonderful. So many scenes were beautifully shot with depth and nuisances. Some were very thought provoking and impactful as well. Ditto the use of colour and lighting to signify moods. The production values were good all round and the OST was thematic. Most rooftop dwelling in k-drama equate cheap and cheerful housing for the lower income protagonists but this one is luxe. I want to live somewhere like that!

Now the not so good bits. The main issue for me is the two main plots were intertwined in the beginning and the crime side was very impactful for a few episodes but then it started to head off into its own space. There were intersecting points along the way but it felt like meeting of acquaintances rather than close friends. This is a shame as the crime thriller side could stand on its own but there was only about an hour of solid footage in 16 episodes. The tonal shift between the main sunny romance plot and the much darker revenge plot was getting uncomfortable as the show progress and the relationship between the OTP and the 2ML become more and more tenuous. It was never jarring but it does beg the question what impact does one plotline have on the other and the answer is not a lot. I'm sure the writer wanted us to see the self destructive nature of the revenge plot but it yin-yang too much. In the end. I pretty much focused on the romantic stories and basked in the warm sunshine and frolicked with the unicorns while paying less and less attention to the revenge subplot. I think that is a shame but I was shipping the OTP too hard to suddenly shift my mood 180 degrees every so often just because the writer-nim wanted me to.

I would still recommend this drama but treat it almost as if it is two separate dramas and how much enjoyment you get out of this will depend on where your focus is.

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