"A very sweet, and awefully bitter dream."
The masterpiece of a Webtoon is adapted into a drama. My mind sank :(It sank at the thought of sadness as I grew attached to the cruel story of an unchangeable past filled with regret and how it latched itself onto the people of the present. But, with a hesitant heart, I watched and was reminded again that as much pain as this story brings me, I love it so much.
In the context of the drama, this is a story that focuses on the past and present stories all at once. It was a story that helped me see suicide and life in a different way. The drama, while slightly behind the webtoon, did beautifully in depicting such an intense and challenging story. I really think this is something everyone should watch. The beauty of the story, the bittersweet journey knowing the ending, and the lesson it leaves for the present and to us as watchers. There were some added plot points that I felt were not needed even though I understood why they were added. It just made the story a bit messy.
The fact that I immediately went back to the Webtoon to bask in it because I was so reluctant to leave it is a testament to the power it held.
The acting, Ha Min and So Mang carried. Maybe it was because their story was so impacting, because the actors made them so real and alive, that the rest of the cast (aside from Sunhee) fell short. The emotional scenes really made it hard for me to concentrate on the present cast's emotions. It felt stiff at times.
If I am going, to be honest, I only know one song from the OST and so the rating is a bit low. If I had my way, I would have given the overall rating a 10 just for the story but :/ alas, here I am. I will listen to the rest one day (today probably) and try to piece together my heart but for now, the OST left little impact.
Now, I will definitely be rewatching this and rereading the Webtoon. Why? Because it is relevant. Because it taught me that while the result was due to other people and many circumstances, it was no one's fault. It propelled me to have the courage to unhesitantly offer a hand to someone in need. It helped me want to remember things in a positive light while being able to move past it and live my own. It was a story that resonated with me. One that made me feel for Ha Min because he was just really, really tired and wanted to rest a bit. It made me feel for So Mang that was so stuck in the past and full of guilt. It made me sad to see Ha min in his brother, Jae Min as he had to deal with being the outlet everyone is rectifying their guilt using. They are all very kind people that couldn't bear to hate the world that was testing them. :(
I hope, no one reading this has to bear with it alone and those that do, grab onto the hand that reaches out to them. I also hope, we all find the courage to offer a hand to someone in need. I hope this story touches you in some way. I hope you read the Webtoon after watching it.
For those who have lost someone, I hope the past liberates you as it did for So Mang in the end.
It is a shame, that Ha Min didn't see himself the same way So Mang saw him. That he shined so brilliantly and was her light. I hope everyone can see this in themselves, or at least believe it for someone in your life probably thinks that way :)
okay, I'm done. This review was just thought vomit and not very organized :/ Needless to say, I LOVED IT! YOU SHOULD ALL WATCH!! One thing though. The letter. I know most want her to read it and a part of me does too, but we know what she was to him and we know how he felt about her. There was nothing in that letter that would change that and so I think it is better left unread.
I could write some meta analysis, but we would be here all day. just give it a shot. don't be that person that comes back 4 years later, regretting the skip.
Was this review helpful to you?
A hidden gem
I dont know where to start but i just finished watching this wonderfully written drama. The story of Somang and Hamin is bittersweet but beautiful at the same time. Their acting was great too though not so much the others. I feel like they were there for the visual but its cute as they kinda balance out the heaviness of the story.This is my first review ever but i feel like should write one to encourage people who are hesitant to watch this a try because I was too but I didn't regret eeen a second of it.
Was this review helpful to you?
"Live in the present, but don't shy away from the past"
I don't often feel the need to write a review for dramas nor do I give many dramas a 10/10, but after finishing this one and taking the time to reflect and collect my thoughts, the desire to share them with my fellow drama-goers ignited.What makes this drama incredibly special is the realism in its' exploration of its' main themes. While at a glance, it presents itself to be light-hearted and fun; it begins to tackle some esoteric, sensitive topics. Much of which is emotionally invoking leaving the audience yearning for more. In real life, you have to tread on thin ice when talking about suicide, depression, survivors guilt, grief, and self-forgiveness because it is socially uncomfortable to discuss these topics freely and openly. What I love about this drama is that, what the characters do and say aren't far off from how someone would react in real life. There's a saying that the happiest people are the people who hurt the most (Ha Min and Jae Min). I would agree with this 50/50 as it is also true of the opposite. The quietest people in a room may also have a marathon of thoughts running in their head (So Mang).
The experiences of So Mang, Ha Min, and Jae Min are some of the most realistically presented in media. It's not over the top melodramatic but just enough really make you feel connected to the character. You can feel their pain, suffering, and troubles as the drama progresses. This is especially true for So Mang and Ha Min, who I felt carried the show. This is not to say Bo Mi, Jin Young and Sun Hee weren't well written characters, but little is desired from them as they aren't directly involved with the more sensitive issues tackled. The side stories helped balance out more serious topics so it was a good mix. The actors themselves did great all around and aren't as terrible as some people make them out to be in the comments. While some of the facial expressions may be somewhat rigid, all actors start somewhere and it didn't really take away from my experience watching the show.
The music all around was a nice fit and enhanced the emotions that each scene intended to both present and invoke from its' viewers. "In Time" is probably one of my favorite tracks now.
This is a must watch for anybody. We all have hardships and we all have different ways to cope, but learning to forgive yourself and move forward while acknowledging the past is what helps somebody grow as a person. As bittersweet as the ending was, it's also a perfect ending for such a drama because not all of real life is a happy ending.
Was this review helpful to you?
Half a tearjerker
The Somang/Hamin plotline was absolutely beautiful to watch and it totally made me cry multiple times; I absolutely loved the emotional development that we saw our characters go through, and the portrayal of grief and guilt was very visceral.I enjoyed the other plotline as well, but I don't know if it's just the nature of a more light-hearted school plot, but this plotline really made the drama come across like the webdrama it was, while the Somang/Hamin part just felt like it went into much more depth.
I think the casting has to do with this as well — I had read the webtoon prior to watching the drama and Hamin's casting was really the only one that felt completely right. Sunhee and Somang were okay, but Bomi, Jaemin, and Jinyeong just felt off to me.
Overall, I still think this was a nice watch but part of me wishes it was a full-length TV drama because I felt like it just fell short of the source material.
Was this review helpful to you?
grief gets better overtime
I did not read the webtoon so I have no reference but I liked this one. I was a bit hesitant to start it as I mostly avoid high school dramas. The premise however led me to believe that this one might be different. Of course it still had the typical hs stuff but at the core of the story is a woman whose grief has consumed her and put her life on pause because of it.What I really liked about the show is how it went to the past for flashbacks and back to the future. That way it was easier to see how previous words and actions affected the lives of the characters involved. I knew Hamin was gonna die but I got the cause of his death spoiled for me online. I don't think that impacted the story for me as I still felt strong emotions.
Kim Mingyu and Kang Hyewon were ok. It was clear they were just there for visuals but Hyewon was rather decent and natural for the role she was in. Mingyu widened his eyes too much and often came off stiff. He has room to improve though. I've heard some people criticize the kind of relationship he had with So Mang and how their "closeness" was a little inappropriate. I somewhat agree as there were times when their grief caused that line between teacher and student. The excessive touching and intimate moments between them were understandable but So Mang is still in a position over Jaemin and should act accordingly. I really liked Hamin's character. I think the events leading up to his demise could've been tweaked for more emotional impact, especially the argument scene between him and So Mang. That part kind of made his decision look petty when in reality his situation was much more complex than that conversation. At least from the perspective of the drama, it was unclear as to what exactly pushed Ha Min to that point of no return. Maybe the webtoon is more focused. Ju Yeon brought the emotion and tenderness that was needed for this role and she got me teary-eyed at times because of her performance. My only other complaint with her character is the fact that she didn't read that last letter Ha Min had for her. It would've been painful, but it felt right for her to have unpacked the contents and accepted whatever last words Ha Min left behind. It was interesting for me to see how the characters dealt with loss differently. Ha Min's parents seemed to avoid the topic all together whereas So Mang constantly lived within the days leading up to the tragedy.
I think the ending is relevant to real life when So Mang is forced to really move on and let go of what once was with Ha Min and begin living her life in a way that would make him smile. Even upon going back to her old school she was still living in the past and refused to move forward. Doing right by Jaemin on behalf of Ha Min was a part of the grief process and that in itself was nice to watch.
Overall I liked this one. Def gonna check out the webtoon now :)
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
It's actually a healing story!
Ok so I started watching this drama expecting it to be heavy hearted seeing the synopsis and sad reviews but I'm thankful this drama healed me along the way. The story starts off with characters holding onto past regrets and not able to move on and as it progresses, So Mang and Jae Min uncovered more and more happenings that resulted in Ha Min's death which were unknown to them previously. Yes, Ha Min committed suicide because of the casual negative comments and actions done by people around him when it was at the point that he needed someone to hang onto. No one should be blame for his death but what's important is that we should not spread negativity and hurtful words so casually to people around us just because we are in close relationship. You will never know when a person may be going through depressing times and may need some comforting and understanding.At first when I began watching the drama, I was quite confused why there wasn't a center of focus for the story and there wasn't much connection between the past and present. Though the synopsis claim Ha Min and So Mang as the main couple leads but they are more like people of the past while Bo Mi and Jin Young's story seemed too weak to be the focus of the story plus it did not even have any link between the two generations of students... After I went to check out the Webtoon then I realised the drama version kinda mix the different "seasons' story" into one plot. Then I realised the writer created the link for two stories whereby So Mang saw Bo Mi and Jae Min as a reflection of the things that she had experienced with Ha Min.
Honestly it's a pretty well-told story as they come into acceptance that whatever had happened can't be reversed and slowly walked out of the past as everyone continue moving forward in the present. I like that the drama gave a good closure for all the character's story and I felt surprisingly healing from the last scenes.
PS: people who have saw the webtoon may find the drama version disappointing but to be honest I feel it's important to give appreciation to the casts and production team for their effort to produce a good drama!
Was this review helpful to you?
"a most beautiful but sad memory"
I read the webtoon prior to watching the series and it was 10/10. I'm glad that the webdrama did the original justice because everything from the plotline to the characters were so well conveyed. I don't have any complaints, except for the fact that I wished that the ending didn't have to be so heartbreaking. It's pretty obvious that HaMin wasn't coming back but it felt like a slow burn and a emotional climax at the end.Bomi and Jinyoung's relationship development is so cute, unexpected couples >>>>> The acting was also 10/10 I'm pretty surprised at how accurate the characters were, especially Sunhee and Jinyoung. Looking forward to season 2 if they plan to continue the webdrama series~
Was this review helpful to you?
So Jooyeon and Seo Jihoon carried this drama
I'm giving the 8.0 stars rating entirely to So Jooyeon (Somang) and Seo Jihoon (Hamin). Their acting and the storyline of their characters made me want to finish watching this drama. They both did so well portraying Hamin and Somang, they conveyed the pain and sadness and at the same delivered a good portrayal of young love. The acting of the other main characters wasn't convincing. Almost everything they did felt so awkward, forced, cringey, and out of place but its not really a big deal because they're still rookies and I'm pretty sure they will improve later on. The only time I felt connected with their characters is in the very last episode. It felt like they were a little bit more comfortable with their characters.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
this k-drama had me crying in every single episode
i honestly cried so much in the last 5 hours of binge watching this drama from beginning to end, my face literally hurts. seo jihoon is one of my favourite actors and i wish they would give him more lead roles with good endings because i can't take the crying anymore. it may not make every watcher feel these intense emotions and cry as much as i did but it was already bad for me when i found out that 1)it was my favourite actor 2)he killed himself in the movie and 3)because one of the things that hurt me the most in this world is someone's soulmate dying at a young age. every episode was so detailed and even though the two stories were taking place in parallel timing, i didn't get confused or anything. the reason i rated it 9.5/10 and not 10 is because i wish he didn't have to die. other than that, i definitely recommend this if you like being sad and watching a beautiful love that did not last in the end.Was this review helpful to you?
NOICEEE!!!
I REALLY LOVE THIS DRAMAAAAAA:Why? It's just perfect for me... It touched my heart.. I can't really explain but yeah this is totally worth watching BUT here are some things that I don't really like about, but it's just for me: well one thing is that it doesn't only focus on the relationship and lives of two people, it also depicts the life of three others, it's not that I don't like the three others, it's just because I want to know more about the two but their scenes together are kinda too short for me(their scenes are actually flashbacks of their relationship), and I kinda get bored whenever it's the time for the three actually their four heheh....
But overall I loved it!!!
WAIT!!! Make sure to watch this, BUT BEFORE IT, you should get your tissues ready, okay?
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
06/02/2024 (Feb).It is a very good series!
Have read a few reviews in different places and was under the impression Lee Ha Min committed suicide because he couldn't handle the jibes or little put downs said to him by others. Far from the truth!
It was a combination of factors including the snarky remarks, but it was mainly because of his mother and the continuous pressure she put him under to fulfil her dreams - far too controlling and over the top.
Not sure why some feel some of the actors were unnecessary or stiff, but I was actually fine with each and every one of them although the main female lead looked a bit older than the others and was perhaps a bit too short and on the plain side. Also, that "fake smile" - a bit too much.
I understand why her character felt guilty and carried such a burden for years, but she should never have said what she said in the first place if she was going to regret it! She knew she was what kept him afloat yet called him:
" A coward.".
Wrong decision and a mistake on her part.
Unfortunately, it was the last straw I reckon next to what his little brother blurted out - it wasn't her fault or anyone's really, but it was his undoing.
Early on I wondered if she was meant to be back there for a reason - like for the younger brother and as it turned out it seems I was right. She may not have been able to save Ha Min, but at least she could do that with Jae Min.
This series has two stories going on at the same time - one in the past and one in the present. The one in the present involves Lee Ha Min's younger brother attending the same high school, his demons and his "love interest", also, Han So Mang as a trainee teacher back at the same school unable to move on from the past.
Mostly everyone is still dealing with the aftermath of Ha Min's suicide even though it is years later.
I think sometimes it is a very selfish act because the ones left behind have to live with the loss, regret, guilt, anger, grief and most times - unanswered questions.
Well worth watching! AAA+++
Was this review helpful to you?
A drama so touching and real
This drama was so sad, So mang literally broke my heart not being able to mourn and seeing Ha min everywhere, the flashbacks were really moving. As for Jae Min, the guilt he felt in the last few episodes really pained me, he lost his brother so young and has suffered for years, I really found his character touching and endearing.This drama was really touching and so sad too, but it tackled a lot of important issues like grief and how to deal with it, as well as stalking and suicidal thoughts.
Was this review helpful to you?
