Extraordinary You (2019)

i love it here

ngl this is the best drama i've ever watched. like holy shit. i loved the story, characters, the settings and the acting.
while i dont really like overly bubbly-cute mc, dan oh took my heart and breath away. loved her energy in every scene.
haru is the loml, dont have to say anything other than that i think its pretty clear. hes mine.
baek gyung owns the character development as a whole. and even tho i shipped haru and dan oh (bc their just amazing) i also enjoyed the angst between dan oh and him. so if youre looking for a pretty good love traingle (even tho dan oh never actually loves baek gyung) this is the shit
the story is amazing and heartbreaking at the same time.
also the ACTING. bruh. everyone did so well. and the chemistry between everyone was amazing.
i think its pretty clear no bitch can compete!

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Surprisingly good

Honestly, this drama had been on my watchlist for so long, but I always left it aside because of the reviews I read here about it. It sounded like the story was lame or the characters weren't deep enough.

Turns out I definitely should have watched it earlier.

I read what the other reviewers said, and I understand their point of view but I just disagree. This series really got me hooked from ep 1 to ep 16. I watched it in 5 days and I never got bored. Mind you, I'm usually the kind of person to skip or fast forward in scenes that bore me.

1. The story
Honestly, I was kind of lost in the first episode but everything got explained pretty fast and by the third episode you understand exactly what's going on. Many people criticised the story because of its clichés, cheesy lines and superficial setup, but I found, on the contrary, that the drama was good at showing a classical comic book romance scene to then laugh about it or de-dramatise it. All the characters were appealing to me : Dan Oh was fun and not heavy as I thought she'd be, Haru was just the sweetest and very dreamy, Do Hwa was always there at the right time for some lighthearted scenes, and the rest of the characters weren't overbearing. I personally found the idea of a comic book world very interesting and I started watching for that reason but found so much more than I was looking for (I started it thinking it would be similar to W: Two Worlds and it was SO different).
All in all, the story was easy to watch and lots of good fun if you're looking for a highschool romance with an original aspect to it! I totally recommend.

2. Actors
I can't wait to see more of them. Dan Oh was super enjoyable and so were Haru and the rest of the cast. I'm really looking forward to watching some more of their acting in future dramas!

3. Music
As a musician I'm very picky with music. The soundtrack of this series isn't one I'd replay in my headphones because it's more of an "ambiance" type of OST, but it was always perfect during the series. There was the right tension at the right time, the lighthearted music made scenes hilarious while some tragic OSTs brought tears too my eyes. So overall I give it an 8 for the emotional factor

4. Rewatch value
I rarely rewatch dramas so I give it an 8. I really liked the scenes, the way it was filmed and the characters so I might rewatch it in some time when I'll have forgotten some of the plot. Other than that, it's totally rewatchable just for Haru's sweetness <3

5. Overall rating
I will give it a 9.5 because it was so enjoyable to me, it brought me joy and fun. It was the perfect drama for me to watch right now and I want people to know that there are different perspectives to take on this drama.

I hope you watch it one day and enjoy it as much as I did!

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I actually love this kdrama but im really dissapointed because it was almost. Sad ending. I love the casting but. The. Main character has a heart diseased and incurable she was weak and helpless but she has a sense of humor she was energetic. ,always have a crush on haru ,she was only child. ,and. I really like dan oh



Actually. I admired rowoon for being handsome and cute. I like the main lead he is charismatic and he helps dan oh too. In the first impression of haru he was quite ,he never spoken any words and i thought he was deaf. Because of this storyline he was revealed as extra in the story just like dan oh

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I had a very hard time to immerse myself in this drama. Ultimately I think it's because the acting was just not that great in the first half and perhaps the pacing was a bit draggy early on and also the OST felt generic. I just did not feel very engaged. On top of all that we had the obsessive asshole type second ML that kept annoying me throughout most of the drama and I hate love triangles as a plot device in general.
Luckily sometime in the second half everything started clicking. It's like the young actors finally figured out how to act their characters well & I don't know what happened with the OST, whether the perceived improvement is just placebo, but I started to really enjoy that too by the time the show ended.
In my experience kdrama writers can almost never produce decent scripts in the "high concept" category. The webtoon it's based on must be quite extraordinary, since the story & the world building just works. Typically high concept shows fall into the trap of over-explaining every little thing, thus ending up having a crazy amount of inconsistencies & conflicting world laws later on. W & Alhambra demonstrate this very well.. Here though everything nicely falls into place, things get better not worse as we move along & miraculously even the ending is nicely wrapped in a way that I can get totally onboard with. In fact the last 4 episodes were perhaps the highest quality kdrama entertainment I've had in 2020 thus far. (well I'm yet to watch "It's Okay to Not Be Okay", but..)

So overall 8/10 seems like a fitting score. The annoyances are not that minor, but everything else is just extraordinary ^^

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I already mentioned how the second ML irked me, but let's talk a bit about the actor. I've seen Lee Jae Wook in quite a few dramas before and I thought he did a great job in them, but I have never in a million years thought that he can pull of being an asshole so well. What a talented actor. I may have hated his character & I think ExYou would have been much better without him, I gotta give credit where credit is due, huge surprise! :-)

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Overall, enjoyable show with some major flaws.

I avoided watching this drama for a long time, especially because of the reviews saying how undeveloped the story is. I finally gave a chance, and it was actually enjoyable for the most part. There are more cons than pros, but it is not a bad drama and can help you pass the time.

For the plot summary, I expected some great and non-ordinary story. But, what we have is, as everyone said, nothing. The first episodes are intriguing and make you have great expectations for the future. The characters are well developed, at least in the beginning, and the world building is awesome. What could have possible gone wrong? The story goes nowhere! It's always the same thing over and over again. At the end, we have the same questions we had when starting he show. The only progress we have is the romance between Dan Oh and Haru, in which at least they have a good chemistry and are very comfortable with each other. The story forgets about the world building and mystery, and focus on the crazy love triangle and saving people from danger... all the time. We are watching Haru saving Dan Oh, or Dan Oh saving Haru. And that goes until the end. We also have a horrible second male lead that is controlling and crazy, although there is a character development for him. Great!
At the end, they still found a way to have a rushed ending.

What is good about the Extraordinary You?
- Even with the major plot flaws, the story is quite different from what we've seen so far.
- Chemistry between the leads. I liked their romance and scenes together. They were cute.
- Good supporting characters and great acting from everyone. Well, Rowoon did okay.
- Beautiful soundtrack.

The bad?
- The story goes from an interesting plot to a normal romance story of selfless acts.
- Unanswered questions, and a LOT!
- Amnesia trope. And now one, but TWO times.
- Hateful characters: the second lead (Baek Kyung) and Oh Nam Joo. I can't see how people loved Baek Kyung and actually wanted him to be with Dan Oh over Haru. I was wondering If i watched the same show. Baek Kyung was rude, controlling, toxic, aggressive, and treated Dan Oh like trash. Also, he acted that way both in and out the shadow (where we can control his action and words), so don't come with the excuse of "not being him". Oh Nam Joo was bad like Baek Kyung, but at least he was being controlled all the time, so I can give him a break.
- I felt like I've watched a show of 20 episodes, because the same situation kept repeating itself.
- Rushed ending.

To sumarize, I did enjoy watching Extraordinary You and I can totally see myself watching it again with someone in the future.
The second male lead has a good amount of screen time, ans his relationship with the FL might upset you, but he is a hopeless second lead who can't accept a no and tries to interfere with the main couple, but all in vain. Haru and Dan Oh are strong. There a lot of people who like him, so you might me one of them.
Even with the bad things mentioned, if you like romance with some angst, you might enjoy it.

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A Rare Gem and Refreshing Take on Rom Com Dramas

I am personally quite picky with dramas, but Extraordinary You was a really rare gem. It also subverted a lot of kdrama cliches. Extraordinary You tried to be a lot of things and managed to pull off a perfect balance of comedy, romance and suspense.

Plot
So the plot was similar to W, except not really. This is purely from the perspective of characters trapped in the book...making fun of typical cheesy romance manhwas. I understand a lot of people may not appreciate how the drama ends up leaving you with more questions than answers but the romance is really foregrounded. That being said, I do wish the last episode was more of a post-story romance episode (like the final episode of SKY Castle) where we just have some relaxing Eun Danoh x Haru moments to take a break from all the intense moments. It felt like they tried to drag on the wrath of the author for too long. Speaking of the author, I was glad we didn't get to see him as I felt like the manhwa universe should just stay as it is and not become something similar to W. And of course, I do wish Yeo Juda ended up with Lee Dohwa instead of Oh Namjoo.

The plot also defies a lot of typical romantic kdrama stereotypes. There are no unnecessary break ups and more importantly, it's one of the few dramas where both the ML and FL love each other equally. In most kdramas, I see the ML always overcompensating and the FL just...taking it all for granted? Extraordinary You provides a refreshing take on how we take love and our time for granted. The other point I would like to bring up is that for once, in our love triangle, the ML is kind to the FL, whereas the second male lead is that typical "bad boy" but taken to a darker, more realistic level. The drama handles these issues which are typically romanticized in most kdramas.

Characters/Acting
First of all, the FL was really well written; boisterous and humorous but also serious and a character you could really empathize with. Kim Hyeyoon did a really good job of breathing life into Eun Danoh as a character. While her exterior is all cheerful and happy, you see them slowly unshackle and reveal a more vulnerable self.

The ML was pretty superficial but I think that was not an issue as he is supposed to be a blank slate extra. It also contrasted well with FL's personality. His personality was dependent on the plot points and I really enjoyed that. Idol actors are usually not the greatest but Rowoon's performance was lovely.

Lee Jaewook's performance however, was stellar. Baek Kyung was easily the most nuanced character, portrayed as abusive and reckless but is at his core vulnerable, weak and misguided. You can understand where his hostile behaviors stem from. I can't emphasize enough how Lee Jaewook's delivery was absolutely impeccable, one minute making you want to punch him in the face but in the other, understanding him. I have never seen a light-hearted high school drama with a character like this.

The side characters (with the exclusion of Lee Dohwa and Dried Squid Elf) were nothing special. I really did enjoy Lee Dohwa's character, it's nice to have a charming best friend like that, which I don't see often in kdramas. Usually, those characters end up being the second male lead since most kdramas fail to depict platonic male-female relationships. I would also like to acknowledge Saemi. I thought it was quite unusual for the bully to be the FL's best friend but that take was also refreshing.

Music/OST
Absolute banger. I particularly enjoyed Lee Nyeom's "Door to Time" (breathing that air of mystery behind the plot) and Park Sejun's "High School Runaway".

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To start off with the good things, I think that the acting was good, the drama is generally quite cute and also, Rowoon is very cute. I think that the premise of the drama is very good, and the drama started off as very promising and interesting, but I did not really like the ending. Though others may say that the main girl did not change a single thing and her entire world revolved around Ha Ru, I personally think that she tried her best to the very end, but the thing is that the writer of the comic would not allow her to actually change things. I also didn't find the drama too repetitive, which is what some others have found the drama to be. However, this drama's ending wasn't very satisfactory for me, and I feel that the ending was a sad one, as they would just have to wait until they are drawn in a comic to be together, then be separated after the comic ends, trapped in an endless cycle. TLDR, this drama is good if you are able to accept the ending.

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Honestly one of the best k-drama's I've watched. The cast are all great at acting, even though they are rookies. I love the production and the atmosphere of the drama and the story line was just fantastic. The ending threw me off because it was a bit rushed, but overall it was great. I love the chemistry between the two main leads and they make me wish they dated in real life, but of course, it's not possible right now. I saw clips on Instagram and just had to find out what drama this was and I was instantly hooked. I love how it's not your typical high school romance , but at the same time is. Lol I don't know if that made sense. I'm always listening to their OST's and watching their BTS videos because I miss them so much! Anyways, I can't wait for the future work of the cast and will support them! ^^

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Worth the watch-possible spoilers

I agree with every other review here and came on thinking maybe there were a few more answers to the plot by the ending.

The plot had really great potential-creative and really unique. All the actors were really perfect in their roles and in general with their acting skills. They really did have amazing chemistry through friendships and relationships. I was hooked with the mystery surrounding the first episodes. However, there are just a lot of holes. When I watch KDrama, I usually can see it unfolding much as a I would a book or a comic book as I love to read. I saw this the same, it's what I love about KDrama. For me, having that many holes in any book or series takes me out of the experience and I have to keep putting myself back in. It was disappointing to me in that aspect.

I truly love when past lives and particularly the Joseon period in history is brought into any KDrama. I loved that aspect and they were really on to a good start with that but one of my favorite characters, "The Squid Fairy" could have had more in his role after seeing his part in the history of the first book. His character really had a lot of potential but they just dropped him and that was it. The ending left me also feeling like there was a mystery to solve here, confused as to what happened, what was going on and where were these people in all these time lapses or after they disappeared. OR DID they disappear. Just too many holes, even with the writer. I got the religious parallels even in that for a minute in 'the creator' but thought it could just have been more creative then that. I love that there was this amount of depth here for much of the series but then it just lost all of it's depth, like they just didn't know where to go with that. Up until the end, Ha Ru was a mystery and had no real character. I agree with that from other reviews as well. He has no story in either book and is left to be not mysterious but more just not well thought out. So many questions left and not in a good way for the reader to take what they want from it but more like they just couldn't figure a plot out from where they started.

All in all, I was happy to watch it. It was just a really good mix of actors and they really brought it. I would say to give it a try and if you can come up with some missing pieces, hop on and let us in on it :-).

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Children's version of W

The premise was good and at first it was great, but it got boring. The last 4 episodes (29-30-31-32) was só difficult to watch because I couldn't take it anymore.

Beak Gyeon had the best character development that I've seen in a while and haru was the worst, I mean, like, he barely had a character development.

I saw someone saying that would been better if haru didn't came back on episode 13/14 and now that its over I think it would be a more interesting story using this and baek gyeon development.

Anyways, just a children's and less developed version W - Two Worlds

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I Feel So Many Things

I know I'm technically about 5 years too late to watching this, but that doesn't matter. All that matters is that I finished, yeah? Now, this review will not be like some of the other reviews in this section. I LOVED this show, so I won't be agreeing with the rest of the peanut gallery in regards to this show. Like always, I did NOT feel the same way the majority of the K-Drama fandom felt about this show. Not at all, and I'm perfectly fine with that.

I do want to start off by acknowledging the elephant in the room here - usually I only find myself salivating and obsessing over the female leads in this story. However, Ha Ru (Rowoon) is absolutely positively divine. The show did such a great job at creating the buildup to revealing and introducing his character to the audience. The first time I saw him, my mouth dropped. I was absolutely shooketh. I was stunned by how absolutely beautiful this man is. I've never been blown away by any of the male leads in most K-Dramas and that's something I've had to deal with for quite some time and I was fine with it. The entire time I watched this - that was the only thing going through my mind. I was awestruck by his beauty. Don't get me wrong. The actress that plays Dan Oh is adorable too. They were both a very good-looking couple. However, I'm now in love with Rowoon so there's that. Now, onto the review.

While I will agree with some fans about the story not making sense, I don't care enough to stress about it. I'm one of those annoying fans who doesn't give a fuck about a shoddy plot, just as long as the characters are likable and I get my romance. Yes, I'm THAT fan. The plot could fall apart in 5 episodes and be held together by a single piece of thread for the remainder of the show and it won't matter if those characters are hitting all of the right beats and tugging on my heartstrings in the way that I enjoy. I do believe this story lasted far longer than it should, but that's always been a pet peeve of mine regarding most of these dramas. Most dramas don't need more than a certain number of episodes to tell the story. In that way, I do feel as if the writers dragged certain things out that they definitely shouldn't have, but what can you do? The pacing is the issue in that regard. Also, having two love triangles in the same show means that I am entitled to some sort of financial compensation for emotional damages. Down with love triangles! It's not 2008 anymore.

Now, The Writer. The hand wavy God-like figure writing the comic within the show. I did have an issue with this part because I honestly thought that Ha Ru was The Writer before they revealed that he wasn't. I feel that may have been far more interesting. Ha Ru is The Writer who somehow ended up in his own book. Ha Ru, The Writer, jumps through that weird black hole to get in and get out of that make-believe, fictional world. That's what I initially theorized but that's not what happened. I don't like the fact that we never found out who The Writer was either. I did like the subtle meta digs the characters would take at The Writer though. I found that kind of funny. I never saw Boys Over Flowers (?), so I don't understand that reference. Sorry!

Let's tackle my favorite aspect of this show now, shall we? The lead couple sunk their claws into me and they never let go. These two have my heart and will always have my heart honestly, because they were just that perfect. They had the right balance of angst and happiness. I did not care for the long, drawn-out love triangle though. I'm past the age where love triangles interest me so I would have preferred that Dan Oh and Ha Ru's relationship woes were purely about fighting their predestined fate instead of fighting with Baek Kyung (just wait for it because I have a LOT to say about him). I know some people had an issue with Ha Ru seemingly only existing for Dan Oh, and I don't see the issue. Most men need to learn how to stand there, shut up, and look pretty sometimes. It's a necessity, if you ask me. Plus, that's a favorite trope of mine - man only existing to serve, worship, and protect his female love interest. Again, what is the issue here? People kept saying that Dan Oh's journey was minimized to simply loving Ha Ru, but it makes sense. For all intents and purposes, Dan Oh is a teenage girl. What did people really think her priorities would lie? Have you ever actually talked to a teenager in high school? Their priorities are mostly about what they're feeling right now in that very moment. The attention span is short.

With all of that being said, let me drag Baek Kyung for a minute. I did NOT like him at all. By the end of the show, I still didn't care for him. I didn't pity him either. The only feeling I had by the end of the show was wondering whether he fixed what he screwed up because he thought it was the right thing or if he did it because his guilty conscience started to eat him up inside? That's where my mind went, because I didn't buy his so-called redemption arc. The writers (all the Baek Kyung lovers should blame them for sure) spent too much time on him being the antagonist and not enough time actually developing a believable redemption for me to buy it. I didn't buy it. Yes, he fixed it but it was AFTER he fucked it up. What he did was the bare minimum. He killed the girl he claimed to have true feelings for and suddenly realized that forcing someone to be with you when they don't want to be and removing their agency and free will is wrong. Finally! He realized this in the fourth fucking quarter! You realized this in the penultimate episode? Wow. We can blame The Writer for making him a jackass on the stage. But what's his excuse for him being an asshole in the shadow? What was the reason? He treated Dan Oh like crap the entire time, both on stage and in the shadow. But you expect me to believe he truly had feelings for her? He only started to feel something for her once he realized that she started to have a mind of her own. For the longest time, he kept trying to convince her (and Ha Ru) that her on-stage self was the real her when it wasn't. Baek Kyung never liked the real Dan Oh. He liked the girl who constantly chased him after he spit in her face (metaphorically speaking) and humiliated her in front of their peers every single day.

I didn't like the Dried Squid Fairy; I couldn't stand him. The boot licker in him agitated me. Why are you so adamant about following the rules and allowing things to happen to you without attempting to change them? It was clear The Writer lacked creativity, so who cares if you change things here and there? The Writer didn't have enough creativity and imagination to walk outside of their own front yard. Who cares? Burn it all down! Buck the system and stand up for something for once in your miserable life.

Now, I LOVED Lee Do Hwa! After the main two characters, he was my favorite. I enjoyed his character so much. I hate that he didn't get his happy ending but I knew it wouldn't be possible. Yoo Ja and Nam Joo were ... something. Yoo Ja became an interesting person to watch and I liked her. Nam Joo was there, I guess?

Okay, are you still here? Good! You get a cookie. Would I recommend it? Yes! Don't listen to the naysayers. If you want to watch it, watch it. Decide how you feel for yourself. I would definitely rewatch certain episodes again; I wouldn't rewatch the whole thing because there's just too many episodes but definitely some of my favorite episodes now and then.

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