This review may contain spoilers
Started out subversive then descends into a millenial emo cliche.
I was so immensely disappointed in the the way this show got derailed towards the end. When it began, the issues and concepts that My 1st Life touched on were very well tackled. It subverted the whole institution of marriage and examined the cultural and political angles of it. However, because the female protag was a Lit grad somehow this signaled to the screenwriter that it was ok for the show to descend into some emo cliche interspersed with Lit references to somehow make it really meaningful and deep... when it ain't.The whole arrangement that the two protags had were perfectly rational and works. Then the female protag decides to overstep her boundaries and gets upset with the male for standing his ground and drawing the boundary lines clearly. I think from there it was clear to me that this show won't live up to its original premise of being a groundbreaker in the construct of marriage and, sure enough, Ji-Ho continues on this vein of irrational decision-making throughout the rest of the series. Because they need to stretch it to 16 eps, the pace suddenly slows around I-can't-remember-anymore-tbh. I found myself checking on the speed on my TV to make sure it isn't a technical issue on my end but no, it's totally the show. The chars are reduced to stretching out conversations in lifeless tones, all snail speed (maybe aligning with Ji-Ho's love for snails) with interspersed broken pieces of internal monologue and emo music. This is meant to be a TV series. It just ended up being an attempt at a film noire/art festival/avant garde kind of filmmaking that's pretentiously desperate. Viewers aren't dumb.
Honestly, I stayed till the end because of the cat! As other reviews have indicated, Ji-Ho's behaviour is toxic AF. Her reasonings—delivered in broken pieces with emo drama music—are so nonsense that even her mother says, "you're talking crap". It was just really painful to watch if not for Soo Ji's arc AND THE CAT! Whatever "intellectual" proposition the series wanted to make on the topic of marriage was thrown out the window episodes ago and in the end, we're left with characters with conflicting behaviours (first the groom's dad was anti-marriage, then he wasn't), BS profiling (Ji-Ho's mum stayed with the dad coz she remembers how he was so sweet to her when they were dating... yeah, she's full of sh#t too. If she'd won the lottery, she'd have been outta there so fast she'd have left skit marks) and shallow motivations (Ho Rang pressures the hell out of Won Seok to get married and have babies ASAP so desperately to fit in with and be approved by girls whom don't matter at all—WTF). In the end, all the stuff that the show was trying to subvert were reinforced, along with a mystery baby in Won Seok's arms (we are left with the assumption that it belongs to him and Ho Rang) to complete the whole marriage-and-baby-is sacrosanct construct.
All in all, it was a dishonest series that utilised a subversive concept that had so much potential for illuminating the different angles of love for a gimmick purpose.
F#ck this series. "Extremely disappointed" doesn't even begin to describe it. I feel sorry that the cat had to sit through her emo co-stars.
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An underrated gem
I really believe this to be an underrated gem. I think it's probably aimed at a more mature audience so if you like cliche romcoms that don't really have much plot rather than boy meets girl and they fall in love, you probably won't enjoy the mature themes in this drama.I found this to be a great healing drama. The character of Nam Se-hee seems a bit eccentric and unbelievable when you first start it. He wants a clean, non-smoker, non-noisy roommate to feed his cat and do the recycling etc. He even tells his boss at one point that he can't work any overtime because his previously roommate moved out and he needed to go home and feed his cat. Enter Yoon Ji-ho. After a mix-up, she is the perfect solution to being his tenant. She is clean, she feeds his cat, she recycles and goes above and beyond in keeping the apartment clean and even cooking meals for Se-hee. They enter into a marriage contract where she gets to stay at his house as a tenant while helping him pay off his mortgage and it's only meant to be for two years (?) Obliviously, they fall in love and things get really complicated. Se-hee has a painful past and he is has closed himself off to love. But their love story between the two leads is so beautiful and their kisses are some of the best I've ever seen.
There are also two other side couples which interesting storylines. I really like how this drama focused on the different struggles and expectations each couple had while being in their 30s. Like I said early, this drama is definitely pitched for a more mature audience so it might not be for everyone, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and would watch it again. The acting was good, the story moved at a good pace. There were no boring filler episodes or dragged out storylines.
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Was going good until the last 2 episodes
I fell in love with this show. I was about to call it the best drama ever until the last 2 episodes. Jiho and Sehee develop such an amazing relationship. I personally hate the fake dating trope, but this show pulled it off extremely well.The show killed it by bringing back Sehee's ex and suddenly making Jiho anxious when she was the one with Sehee and his ex said they harbored no feelings for him anymore and Jiho knew he liked her so why? She was a strong level headed person up until that moment in which she turned extremely OOC, left Sehee and came back sometime later when they tried to make 'character development' because Sehee sold his apartment and took the small rooftop house Horang and Wonseok owned. I'm sorry but that all made no sense when compared to the plot prior to that issue.
Best couple was Sanggoo and Suji. Their relationship was the main reason I didn't drop the show after episode 13. Forget about Horang and Wonseok. Horang got super annoying real quick and I was actually rooting for Wonseok to get with the coworker after they broke up. Basically, the ending was a pretty big cluster f*ck, but if you just ignore the last few episodes you'd have a really good drama in your hands.
Music was pretty forgettable to me hence the low rating.
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Because this is my first time writing a review !
First of all I would like to say how pretty our FL is.she throughout nailed the show, l became a fan of somin because of this show.The story is ? for me.The FL role is so heartwarming.she just needs a room where she can sleep soundly, the night when she was wrongly treated by her co-worker her words speaks a lot.the long tunnel walk scene was awesome.
the friendship of the 3 characters is great, they were there when they needed.
The introverted ML with kitty(woori) is handsome. our woori got some acting skills tho??.
Regarding acting there's no doubt the entire cast did a great job.
The music is so soothing expecially I liked "This life" song by moon sung nam.my fav kdrama ost so far.
I re-watch this show atleast twice in a year.
At last as i said this is my first time writing a review my words should be short and sweet like JSM ??.
your faithfully ?,
FL's fan?❣️
and I forgot about mentioning about the quotes of this show. they are like heart of the show.
"Words are born from people's mouth....and die in their ears"
"but some words don't die they go into people's heart and survive"..................like BTIMFL kdrama.Always in our hearts❣️
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Melancholy and the infinite sadness
This series was good enough that I watched the whole thing (although I did start skipping scenes after episode 10). It had a happy ending and there were some fun and funny moments. I also think the acting was really good.However, the overall feeling of the whole series was really depressing.
The ML had a subdued, but interesting personality. The FL was just boring, demure and seemed depressed the whole series. Her choices puzzled me and yet she was as intriguing as a cup of sugar and just as bland. On paper they made sense as a couple, but the chemistry was seriously lacking.
All 3 female characters in the story were in depressing situations of their own making, yet it seemed that the implication was that their woes was a result of the year they were born in and the fact that they are female. As a woman who worked in a male dominated field, I personally have higher expectations from my fellow women than to just blame the patriarchy and or economy. When my great-grandparents went through the Great Depression they didn't bemoan their lives and how unfair it was that they didn't have what their parents had - they pulled up their socks and got to work and made the best of the situation.
My biggest pet peeve was however the character that went to work without a bra while wearing see-through shirts. I understand bra's can be really uncomfortable for some women, but she could wear a vest or a crop top. I would be uncomfortable if I worked with a man who wore see-through shirts. She flashed her nipples and yet couldn't understand her male co-workers attitude towards her?
So the story wanted to make a social commentary, but didn't. A society that devalues women can only happen if mothers don't teach their sons to respect women. It's not all on the shoulders of men.
Would I re-watch it? No. Would I recommend it to other people? Only if you like the drama in kdrama. This wasn't fun to watch (baring a few scenes) and dragged on for ever.
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This review may contain spoilers
Funny and quirky
I was so pleasantly surprised by this after watching a string of bad k-dramas. This show deals with some interesting topics and sometimes they do take some storylines a bit too far but as long as you don’t take things too seriously, you’ll have a good time.What worked:
1. Main storyline. It was so bizarre in a good way that everything else kinda fell into places without rocking your sense of logic too much. I think the overall flow of the story stayed within the confines of the world they created. They didn’t rely on (not too much anyways) crazy logic jumps to push the story forward. I hate that so much!
2. Main characters. Definitely one of the main reasons why this show worked. I really liked Ji-ho and Se-hee. I did find Se-hee a bit weird at first but he grew on me. I really liked Ji-ho’s journey and where she ended up at. I also loved her constantly surprised look on her face.
3. Challenging traditional Korean men/women values. Like I said, some storylines were taken too far to keep up with the established characters and their behaviors but they mostly succeeded in getting people to at least think about things.
4. CEO Ma was great. He was a great character. Caring for his best friend and standing up for his girlfriend (would be) even though they both treated him badly at first.
5. Ho-rang. Not everything about her made sense but she was relatable and the actress did a great job portraying her. She’s upbeat (when she’s not crying) and had a goal. I just wish she didn’t get back with the loser. Sigh...
6. The ending. I really like the way they handled the inevitable “temporary” break up. Ji-Ho had a plan, albeit only she knew about it but she stuck to it. Good for her!
What didn’t work:
1. Soo-ji. She was made to fulfill the strong, independent career woman type. Did not work at all for me. Maybe her storyline or maybe it’s the actress. Well, both but I really couldn’t stand the actress.
2. Ho-rang’s boyfriend. How big of a loser can you be? It’s one thing to chase your dream and struggle in the beginning but he has an understanding of a 5 yr old when it comes to life in general. He also looks like he’s about 5, too.
3. A lot of these characters are supposed to be in their early 30’s but they behaviors/ lack of knowledge of life in general made them seem like they’re just starting out in life.
4. Inevitable relational conflicts. Kidnapper story was so dumb and it just came and went. They started the obligatory love triangle which was bad enough but decided to sprinkle in kidnapper elements, too!!! And after all that, Se-hee once had a lover/wife and she was the reason why he’s the way he is!!! What???
5. Se-hee’s ex. It’s really not the character but the way they introduced the storyline and the character really went nowhere. I think it could’ve been anybody off the street.
6. Challenging traditional Korean men/women values. I know I put this as one of the pros but like I mentioned, the writer had a certain narrative she wanted to tackle and either went too far or stuck with it even though it didn’t make sense/ didn’t work within the given storyline.
All in all, I really enjoyed the show. Like I said, it probably helped that I watched it after seeing some horrendous shows. I feel so attached to the main characters. I wish I could stop by to check in on their life here and there. Sigh.
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I've rewatched this show at least 5 times. Please watch it!
I think someone said that this show is for a mature audience, and I completely agree. I think the elements it contains and the events that soon follow are incredibly unconventional. The overall storyline might seem conventional, but nothing about the way everything plays out is easy or predictable. To see people changing and evolving, and to actually believe that they are is so so beautiful. Also, I so entirely believed LMK's acting that when I saw him in The Lies Within, I literally had to put it on hold until I got over this character. Jung So Min was AMAZING. I think she played her part to perfection, hot and cold, stern but loving, whatever it was, she got through it. LMK and JSM are so so lovable here.I watched it because I needed gooeyness in my life but I actually came out having learnt a lot! Honestly, just watch the show. Whilst it might not be for anyone, I always recommend this drama to people going through a tough time in their lives. Not because of the "lovers" but because it actually teaches you certain life facts without being preachy. <3
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A must watch
WOW! Just wow, this drama truly caught me off guard. Honestly I started watching it without knowing a single thing and all I can say is that I'm so glad I watched it.From start to end, this drama does something that not many kdramas do, and that is to talk about topics that are realistic and that happen in every-day life. In other words, topics that must ! be ! talked ! about ! They took the leap and touched themes such as sexual harrasment, workplace harassment, patriarchy, feminism, conservative families and their traditions, and so on. I love, LOVE, that this drama openly talks and critics the role of women in society and how we are downgraded to be just "housemaids that need to serve their husbands". I was truly surprised when these topics started to show up because it's so rare to se a kdrama talk about such topics.
The character, ufffff, cheff kisses. I really liked how we got this huge range of characters and personalities, how they would distinguish from one another, how they complemented each other. Soo Ji was my favourite by far, this strong woman that wants to go against the world. I loved how she criticized the "normal" things of life, the "things that a woman must do". She didn't want to be the woman that society expected her to be. And I loved how she teached Sang Goo certain things that aren't meant to be normal in a relationship. Truly amazing her character.
Chemistry between the couples in general is very cute. I really liked how Se Hee and Ji Ho's relationship develops throughout the episodes, and I'm really happy with how things turned out in the end. Above all, I really liked how Se Hee's characters evolves until the end, and starts to be more easy-going and enjoys life more than before.
This is the kind of drama that teaches you important stuff about life, how to take into consideration other people's heart and feelings, and above all, how to love yourself first and respect yourself in order to care about others. I'm so happy I finally watched it with out expecting too much, because it surprised me even more. A must watch in my opinion.
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I didn't have any expectations for this drama but it really got me. I think the casting was great, and I could feel the sparks between the main characters in a strong but subtle way.
I recommend this drama. It's a bit slow at first but I would say give it a try and you won't regret it. The story has a point on some of important issues which I love since it's often not done in Korean dramas. Now I want to look up other dramas from the same writer, director and main cast hehe.
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the romantic equivalent of having your teeth pulled
it's one of these dramas that I genuinely cannot understand how they are so popular here. the premise is nice enough: two young people entering a white marriage to afford life, and falling in love in the process. good, right? wrong. what follows is a cringe worthy attempt at a relationship but the problem is that you can't root for either character! the female lead is bland and the male lead is the stereotypical cold boss that because the standards for men are so low, he passes as decent. plus, the actor doesn't exhibit the charisma and to pull it off. and I've seen more chemistry between kindergarten kidsas for the two side stories, nothing interesting except Esom's character. she's so damn captivating and real, I was rooting for her all the way. unfortunately, she's been paired with a middle aged bore, when all my girl wanted was some no strings attached fun! god, they did her dirty.
overall, I don't see what other people see in this draft of a story, but if you enjoyed it, good for you
what you can watch instead: Something In The Rain, Forecasting Love and Weather, School 2017
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Usually I don't like watching airing dramas because I prefer to binge watch them once they are finished, but as soon as I watched the first episode I got really hooked and was looking forward to every monday.
Story:
What I love about this drama is the fact that they focus on all 3 relationships and it never gets boring. Some things are quite predictable, but some aren't. I liked that there was a romance drama which isn't complete cliche and the story itself was really refreshing in my opinion and I was sad when it ended. Some people might didn't enjoy the last 2 episodes, but for me they were almost perfect for this drama to be honest.
Acting:
I was really looking forward to this drama because of the cast, and what can I say, they couldn't have find better actors for the roles and I really loved all of them.
Music:
I usually don't care too much about the OST's of a drama, I like to listen to them once in a while, and that's it. But somehow, for this drama i found the Soundtracks just perfect. They added the music so good and it always fit the situation well, especially when there were sad scenes. A good fittinh OST in an emotional scene makes me cry everytime, and this happend a
to me a few times while watching.
Rewatchable Value:
I think its one of those dramas, which you can rewatch without getting bored because of its funny scenes and the lovely characters.
Overall:
WATCH IT!! It's seriously so well written and i think most people will enjoy this one, since there are so many relatable topics. And the main couples are just adorable :)
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Dealing with what it really is to marry and what envolves, for those who marry and for the people around them. It also deals with the relationships between people and what they really want out of life, sometimes leading us to stop and think about what is really important for us to live in, and not what society want or what familly wants, because this is our first life . * ihihi *
We see for example the wishes of the three friends, so they will obviously follow different ways to get there but what matters is how they will adapt to it.
The drama is great as it will treat and develop the story, it is not slow nor too fast, is perfect. The characters themselves were well-developed and realistic.
Ji Ho was obviously my favorite for her way of thinking and at some point focusing on what he really wants and fighting for. Se hee brought his past and it was good to see his development
Ho Rang was another character that I did not understand well in the begining , or better understood what she wanted but I thought that she was selfish to a certain point, but important to understand the couple.
OST! Marvelous * lol * but it really is!
Rewatch? I usually do not see dramas again because I already have so many to see, but if anyone wants company to see it, I'm IN!!
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