Not your typical Kdrama.
Wow. I don’t even know where to start. This is my first time writing a review, but I will try to be as sensible as possible.WTWIF is a slow burn romance set up in a small city. It follows our fmc who is a victim of the mundane city life and goes back to her hometown to ease her mind.
To be honest, the whole drama feels like a nicely written novel. The characters are written with utmost care. Throughout the drama, you will be able to understand every character's beliefs and actions as their motives are engrained in every element of the story. I feel like every side character can have their own 16-epidode drama as each character has a story to tell.
I love how the OSTs weren't excessively used to emphasize and romanticize any of the scenes like in other Kdramas. The cast was moderately good but in my personal opinion the actress who played fmc's aunt really stole the show.
Don't watch this Kdrama if-
1) You like fast paced stories
2) You want to see more Kdrama troupes
3) You are looking for a rom-com (Don't get me wrong. There were some comedic moments but those were specially used to relieve the tension created in the drama. It is more of a romance and slice-of life drama than a rom-com.)
Happy watching!
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Acting- Park min young, seo kang joon, lee Jae wool are on the top of their game. Amazing chemistry
Storyline- deep and insightful. Both Eun Seob and Harry won have painful past and how they have dealt with this pain comes across very well. Effects of domestic violence and its effect on everyone is deeply moving. To show this without blaming perpetrator is a work of art. Superb portrayal by Moon jung Hee has to be mentioned.
Direction- Well thought out execution with lot of hints. even while watching I am going back to previous episodes to check out .. wow...
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A beautiful winter story
This story combines and contrasts the subdueness and mutedness of winter with the heat of human life and interaction.It feels realistic in its portrayal of the progression of the main romance. Both actors (especially Seo Kang Joon) and the characterisation of their roles really make you believe that they are living their life and view it through the lense of their own experiences.
But the seemingly passive way this story is told is also it's greatest weakness because it makes an unnamed police officer only appearing in one sequence the only one addressing the domestic abuse storyline from a different perspective.
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How many life lessons can be squeezed and taught in a drama
this show is a wonderful wonderful class on how to write and squeeze many life lessons in a kdrama and do it wellfrom perseverance, to learning to forgive, being truly sorry about a mistake, how one small act of kindness can change one persons life, being true to yourself no matter what, reading is good, talking is better, no one knows what your thinking unless you tell them, happiness is what you decide and not what other think... and many many others
the show blends heart ripping and wrenching scenes seamlessly with the uplifting and happy moments we all have in life sometimes.. the flow feels perfect.. ur never down too long before theres something that would make u smile or be happy...
this isnt super melodramatic.. it has its moments and it isnt laugh out loud though.. some scenes.. made me do that..
the romance is there.. but always on point.. and the chemistry of the cast.. just wow... if i had a book club like that i wouldnt miss out either
its worth the watch when ur in the mood to cry laugh and just be caught up in someones ideal village life
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Seo Kang Joon + Books = Perfection
Truthfully, I may not be the best person to rate this drama, cause you could show me 16 hours of nothing but Seo Kang Joon walking around in comfy knitwear, drinking coffee and reading books, and I would rate it 10/10.The role of Eun Sub seems truly perfect for him, as he is shy in real life, as well. It felt like we got to see glimpses of the real him.
"When the Weather is Nice" is definitely a slow drama. It might not be everyone's cup of tea (or coffee in this case). However, the pace is actually very well done and never feels like it is dragging on. Watching this is a very special experience - it is very atmospheric and calming and somewhat intimate. One night, I had trouble falling asleep, so I replayed some previous episodes and I ended up having the best sleep that night.
While it feels like a warm hug most of the time, it also has a very intriguing plot and even some surprising twists in the second half of the drama. At one point I actually sat in front of the screen with bulging eyes and my mouth covered in shock.
As a screenwriter, I felt really inspired by this story and they way it was told. So much so, that I kept writing down a bunch of ideas for a screenplay. I was particularly intrigued by the way all these characters are never able to say what they feel. Not just Eun Sub, but also Hae Won, her mother, her aunt, Bo Young...
The calming, cozy countryside world they created, is brought to life by a cast of precious side-characters, which will steal your heart. While I obviously loved the main couple (I'm a fan of both actors), I was equally intrigued by Hae Won's aunt. The further the drama progressed, the more she became my favorite character.
But it isn't just the screenplay and the nuanced acting, that make this drama such a piece of art, it is also the beautiful cinematography and color grading, as well as the mesmerizing OST - both bringing out the calm and coziness even more. Especially with the cello that is part of most of the OST's instrumentals, which even has additional meaning in connection to the story. "I See You" by Giryeon is my favorite vocal OST - it is THE song of the drama for me and I immediately get transported back into the story when I listen to it.
So, the important question: Should you watch it? Yes! Seo Kang Joon runs a book store! What more do you need to be convinced?
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I will start off by mentioning that this is my first review ever on this site, I've watched dramas which I absolutely loved and adored and never had the thought of writing a review, however, I think it's crucial to write one for this masterpiece. This was one of those dramas which doesn't have a gray area as in you'll either love it or hate it. I loved everything about it, the simple life it showed, the characters which were so pure and raw it felt like I was watching their actual life unfold in front of my eyes.
The characters Hae Won played by the amazing Park Min Young and Eun Sub played by the charming Seo Kang Joon was a delight to watch. They embodied their characters so much in this, and personally I believe Min Young did her career-best in this drama. It is a slow burn but every scene had so much depth, even in scenes where you see Eun Sub simply making a cup of coffee or reading a book showed so much of his character and his simple life in a small town.
Their love story bloomed so naturally where Hae Won realized how warm she felt when she was with him and how much she needed that in her life, I will not go through the difficulties both main characters faced in their lives in detail but to see both of them finding comfort and healing from each other was so beautiful and not something we see so often now.
Eun Sub had a blog where he posted every day called the good night bookstore private blog posting which was such a nice touch, it made us understand his character and learn his views and deeper thoughts as he was very well reserved and didn't show his feelings much.
All other characters were given enough screen time and the drama made us fall in love with them and their simple life. The things they did together like the book club, events showed how life in a small town isn't as boring as people think. I'll definitely watch clips from this drama from time to time as I've fallen in love with these characters.
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Cozy, endearing and a gem.
If you want to watch something gentle, sweet, warming and cozy then this drama is for you. First of all, the "Goodnight Book Store" book club members were all so endearing and it really made this drama feel cozy. The village that takes place in this drama is like a close knitted family and some characters may have a dark past. The settings of this drama was beautiful and wintry and cozy! Im Eun Seob is a very interesting deep character with a gentle yet mysterious aura, seeing him and Mok Hae Won's relationship unfold was endearing. I really very much enjoyed this drama and I think of it as a hidden gem. Very much wanting to rewatch it as well!Was this review helpful to you?
I think I found my peace
I will never forget the fact that I started watching this drama just because was airing and I already finished all of the ones that I planned to watched and then everything changed. I completely fell in love with the story and the cast. It really feels that the development of every character is brought to their maximum. It didn't need the drama side that usually exists in every one of the episodes to catch our attention. The truth is that I felt that the drama has a really soft side and they did a wonderful work not forgetting to show us the real thing about the thoughts and feelings of everyone.Was this review helpful to you?
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This drama totally deserves the perfect score I've gave. I see that there're variety of reviews for this drama. Some like it, some don't. Many would find this drama slow and maybe boring, but for me, this is the kind of drama that can melt you (me personally) and it touched your heart (my heart), the cinematography helps a lot. Not many conflict, no misunderstanding that lead the MC into separation. They did broke up at some point, but you'll understand why she did it. It's not because 'I love you but we need to break up for your sake' type of thing, but it's because the FL needs it to cope with the situation that happened to her family. They have trauma of their own and they need to overcome it. To be honest, for their break up plot, I do think that it's not that necessary, but once I think deeper into the FL situation, it's acceptable. This is a slice of life drama, the two of them together confronts their past. The romance were heartwarming and without me realising, I've fall deep into SKJ charm thru his eyes, his beautiful eyes. I can't help but to feel the pain he is feeling. Without a doubt, he successfully gained my attention. There are some cliché part such as rivalry between high school, used to be, best friend on getting the guy they like at present time. It was told that the friend likes the guy since high school and they've live in the same city ever since. But for some reason, that's only known to the friend, she never made her move until the FL comes back to the city. Suddenly, after the FL's arrival, she felt threaten and try her best to make the guy hers. She tried to snatch the guy from FL's side. But this cliché part does not affect my love for this drama because the main couple handled their problems together so as to prevent misunderstanding.
This is not a perfect drama, but this is a great drama for me. It's hard to find decent drama now, there're tons of drama but not many with good quality like this one. I must say that the after effect from this drama is heavy, you'll find yourself missing Im Eun Seob. So, brace yourself fellow drama lovers!
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"Can you come to me, and hug me? So, I can hug you too. So, we can stay warm like this forever."This show is exactly like the warm cup of coffee that Eun Seop keeps on making throughout the show. It may have heartbreaking and sad moments, but the ray of hope never disappeared. Maybe it's that ray of hope that made this weather fine.
Although yes, a warning, this show is a slow burn melodrama. The themes are very relaxed and laid back. That is not to say that the themes aren't serious or important. In fact, it totally the other way round. But if you need something to just binge, that'll have unrealistic twists and turns, and k-drama cliches, and rom-com fluffy moments. This isn't the one for you. This keeps it very real.
"Trust is like a glass. Once broken, even if you fix it, the cracks will forever remain."
"It can't even have a single crack? Even the table you're sitting on, even if it has a crack, you can still use it to serve food. It's only natural for things to get wear and tear with time. There's no such thing as a perfect relationship. What's wrong with a little crack? And, what's wrong with hurting each other's feelings a little? No one is perfect. That's why we do things we have to apologize for, say sorry, and then, mend things. That's how life goes."
I loved this quote, because I've heard and lived by the first quote. But the answer to it was quite unexpected and made me really think. What's wrong with a little crack?
The show is about imperfect humans and them making mistakes that they'd have to apologize for and then mending things. (Though I still think that Myeong Yeo made no mistake. That was no crime to me.) But that is what life is!
The only critique I have is that the second half of the drama dragged a little and the same revelation was done too many time that had me thinking, "yeah we already know this, can we move on?" Apart from that, I loved everything about it.
I hope you give this drama a chance, and enjoy it as much as I did.
With this, everyone, I wish you Goodnight! :)
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Storyline, actors music...love them all!
Love for family, friends and lovers have been conveyed ever so effectively. Definitely touched my heart. I have to rewatch some scenes because I just want to! Love the simplicity and rawness of emotions. I found the character of Lim Whi fun, real, and endearing. I mean all actors did so very well! The setting was in winter but this drama exudes so much warmth, love, and kindness.
Loved all the characters. Seo kang joon was soooo attractive in his role. So enigmatic and subdued. Sooo consistent in his acting. His character Eun sop is the kind of guy you want for a son, a brother, a friend, a book club member, a neighbor, and of course a lover. He is too good to be true! I just want to keep looking at him though...sigh.
Thank you. This drama made me happy.
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Actors are very good associated with their roles, You can feel like actually fitting in the scenery.
Delicate love story between Hero and the Heroine is like a true life love which many dream about. Eyes which look at Us with love , which doesn't held anything behind , They will welcome You whenever You are ready .
Overall very beautiful story, with a warm heart I recomend this story .
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