Maaike
This review may contain spoilers
honestly, i enjoyed this drama way more than i expected to! when it comes to period dramas i tend to either hate them or love them and in this case it's definitely the latter, partly because not all of the story takes place in the past. what i like the most about this drama is the way it pulls you in. once you finish watching episode one, you can't wait to watch the rest. the mystery of the three main characters' past is very interesting and very beautifully written, @ the writers: chapeau! i love the little hints of their past lives and how they're connected to the future here and there, it kind of gives you the feeling of being some sherlock ahahah i watched every episode with a sharp eye, trying to pick up new clues to unravel the storyline!!
chicago typewriter was surprisingly funny too. the characters' reactions + actions are hilarious and unexpected at times. i really appreciate the fact that the writers made a show with such a heavy (dark?) storyline a bit more light-hearted. also, the characters are very likeable. shinyul (yoo jinoh) is so adorable, his puppy eyes get me all the time! and i loved his dog plushie doppelgänger, it was so cute. one of my favourite moments is in episode 13 when seju wants to ask him why he wants to return to chicago, he practices on the dog plushie first before asking jinoh fghjdg cute!!!
this drama doesn't really focus on romance (something i normally enjoy very much ahaha). though there is some rivalry between the two guys about who gets the girl and we do get some romantic scenes, it's not at all what the story is about and that's mainly why chicago typewriter is so refreshing. it's a whole new genre of its own. the show mainly focuses on the friendship of the three main characters and the history of seoul in the '30s.
so if you're looking for something new and exciting yet nostalgic and sentimental, search no longer: chicago typewriter is the show you're looking for!
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this story has everything a drama needs: romance, angst, good chemistry between the actors and nice music. when watching this drama, I didn't feel like the story progressed too quickly or too slowly, the timing was perfect. 21 episodes was also just enough episodes, I feel like 1 more episode would've made the pace of the story too slow. the acting was also really good and the main couple definitely had chemistry.
the only thing I kind of disliked was the open ending. I would've preferred it more if they had given us some closure, but I'll just assume it's a happy ending! plus, aesthetically, there was this weird oversaturized filter over the scenes set in the 80s that took a while to get used to. other than that, amazing drama that I would like to rewatch sometime soon!
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if you want to watch a romantic comedy that is kind of cliché but also has some really cute scenes, seducing mr perfect is the one you're looking for!!
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This review may contain spoilers
i see a lot of people didn't enjoy this series that much, and even though i can understand their point of view, i'd say reconsider your opinion! this drama was so cute! i agree with other users: this show is a mess. but that doesn't necessarily mean the show is bad! the main reason why i think this show is so good is because of the cast: this show probably has the best cast i've ever seen!! i'll share my thoughts on why r u by dividing them into negatives and positives. negatives:
1. plot? what plot? the story starts of pretty strong, but after a few episodes all of the difficulties the characters faced have been solved. tutor had money problems, yet he lives in a nice and fancy appartment! what?
2. i wish they showed a bit more of the hate between tutor and fighter plus zon and saifah. in the first 3 or 4 episodes or so they all couldn't stand each other, but then suddenly that's all gone. especially between zon and saifah, they hated each other in the first 2 episodes and after that they were super close friends. it didn't really make sense. i'd say the pacing in this series was a bit off - it moved too fast.
3. i started watching this show after i saw cute gifsets of zon and saifah on tumblr, but i ended up being more invested in the tutor and fighter storyline. heck, sometimes i think i even preferred japan and tanthai's dynamics. maybe it's because the final episodes are mostly focussed on tutor and fighter rather than zon and saifah. i also felt like zon and saifah's storyline lacked something. maybe their scenes were too repetitive? zon freaking out + being shy when saifah teases him, it was cute in the beginning but got a bit boring in later episodes.
4. zee's dad being disapproving of his son's homosexual relationship for like 5 minutes and then facetiming tutor and fighter to say he supports them. i'm not sure if this had to do with the restrictions the production faced due to the covid pandemic but this storyline lacked proper writing! this also had to do with bad pacing.
5. i wish there had been 2 more episodes so we could've seen just a liiitle more of the side characters. i loved japan and tanthai plus blue and dew, yet there were such few scenes with them! also, if there were a few more episodes, point 4 ^ could've been executed more properly and they could've worked out the enemies-to-lovers dynamics a bit more.
(6. i don't want to say this but dfjghgjf jimmy's acting skills... they weren't bad! but they definitely need some polishing. considering this was his first job he did pretty well though.)
positives:
1. all of the relationships! we got 5 of them!! we got 2 main relationships and 3 side ones (don't forget about hwahwa and day ahaha) and i enjoyed all of them! as i explained in point 5 above ^ i wish they showed us a bit more of the side relationships, but the scenes they did show were super nice and cute! love is in the air!!
2. the osts!!! i can't stress this enough but why r u has the best soundtracks i've ever heard and i've been watching asian dramas for almost 9 years now. i even put some of them in my music library, i can't stop listening to them! (please check out the osts by pantherist and saint, they're my favourites!) i usually skip the intro when i watch dramas but i enjoyed the why r u theme song so much, i never skipped it! the music video to this song is also adorable, definitely check it out! it features all of the actors in why r u.
3. the chemistry between saint and see is incredible. this is probably the main reason why i enjoyed this series so much. their acting seemed so real, it felt as if i was third-wheeling the entire time lol. their kiss scenes were some of the best i've ever seen, zee is such a good kisser, my god. zee is really living the life: going from saint's fanboy to making out with him. i also couldn't believe when i read that this was his first major role. his acting is very good!
4. i haven't seen anyone talking about this but the cinematography was super pretty. the colours were beautiful and the beach scenes!! wow!!!
5. the cast! this cast is the best i've ever seen, they're all so good-looking and most of their acting is outstanding!
i know i wrote more negatives than positives but hear me out! this entire show was so romantic and light-hearted, i definitely enjoyed watching this more than shows with a straight-forward plot. the main issue with this show is the pacing. even though it did bother me every now and then, it didn't take away any of my joy watching it. there were so many good kiss scenes and i'm a sucker for kiss scenes lol. i just finished watching why r u but i can't wait to rewatch it again! i definitely recommend this series if you're looking for something easy, romantic and fluffy!!
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