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So Not Worth it korean drama review
Completed
So Not Worth it
2 people found this review helpful
by beanz
Jun 20, 2021
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 8.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

Is it Worth it Or Nah? Well, depends on how high you are and what you're looking for.

Contrary to its name, So Not Worth It, is actually kinda worth it. Well, depending on what you're looking for. Armed with a diverse ensemble cast and numerous gags along with a light smattering of cameos, SNWI promises to be a good time. And it is! For the most part, I suppose, seeing as everyone's having mixed reviews about the whole thing.

As with any show which has too many idol actors, it's understandable to be wary of it. Being a longtime ahgase, I admit I started the show mainly because Youngjae was in it, but I ended up getting sucked in by the other characters, namely Carson. To me, it was an enjoyable watch, especially due to the ensemble cast and the little graphic animations which added to the visual experience.

Seeing that this is a sitcom, one should be judging it on the basis of whether or not it was entertaining. That's my criteria for a sitcom: good enough to get a few laughs out of you, engaging enough to keep you going to the end, with a sprinkle of a poignant or heart-touching moment here and there. Moments such as Hyunmin constantly explaining his flighty mother's lifestyle which has resulted in a myriad of siblings and the resulting subsequent confusions due to it, or Sewan being a business major to the core (I would have had a much better time of being one had I possessed Sewan's unique skillset of keenly extorting people out of their money lmao) or Jamie's shameless cheesiness had me laughing out loud at times.

I will admit there were cringe moments as well. It isn't a sitcom unless it gives you secondhand embarrassment one way or the other. Minnie's obsession with k-dramas and the Descendents of the Sun moment she was having at that prison gave me sheer secondhand embarrassment, as it was too reminiscent of how the locals behave when they newly begin to absorb k-content. Plus, the Perpetual Suffering of Han Hyunmin was funny (mainly because Hyunmin didn't get too serious about it) and the show could have taken an approach to shed light on the hardships of being a day student (or a foreigner like Jamie struggling to fit into his homeland) but it chose not so and that's okay I guess.

I was pleasantly surprised to see how it handled the sexual identity and orientation aspects. I did not expect an LGBTQ couple to come out of it of all things (it may not have been in detail, but the fact it was portrayed still counts) and the couples were all easily shippable. Jamie and Sewan might have been cute but Sam and Minnie's kiss felt more natural. Il-seob and Terris were also adorable in their own way.

There was your fair share of serious moments too. While it annoyed me how the friends dealt with Carson's cheating ass boyfriend Sergeant Kim, but they did still choose to rush over in her defense. It also gave me an appreciation for Carson's character. Despite her unkempt appearance and her grandma-ish demeanor, she is surprisingly the most level-headed and perceptive friend in the group. I wasn't expecting to find such depth in Carson of all people. Maybe that's why it made her my favorite among them all.

Sewan's drunken distraught rant about parental neglect must have struck a chord with some, but the way Hyunmin's mom handled it was admirable. Your love for your child isn't determined solely by biology. Sure, we can say biology plays a part, but we can't just attribute it to just that. Plus, Sewan wishing the world would end because life is too difficult when you're middle-class (or a class other than rich) in today's world was relatable as fuck too.

The show's fourth wall moments here and there also served to elicit an amused snort every now and then. The product placement callouts were especially funny to me, especially when you take into account the penchant of excessive (overt and subtle) product placement which is often found in Asian dramas. And that fourth wall break, where Terris comments on Sam's emotional growth in the span of one season. Ah, I should have known then there'd be a season two.

Of course, sitcoms can be more than that, but not all of them should be expected to be. True, the mistimed laughter tracks are a little jarring, and seeing how they were constantly offbeat (I wonder if that was deliberate on the part of the directors) and the running gags tended to get a little tiresome but overall it was good. But that's just me. To sum it up, this drama was refreshing.

To conclude, if you're looking for something light and entertaining to occupy your mind, then So Not Worth It is it. If not, you're welcome to check out other sitcoms, I'm sure you'll find something that's more your speed.
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