It is about two people who have been friends all their lives. They turn to each other for comfort, for friendship and fun. They have seen each other at their best and worst. They yell, they fight, they comfort and criticize. They are REAL with each other. And slowly they begin to realize that this is not just a friendship. And once they realize that...What do they do with that knowledge? Go for it? Risk their friendship? Admit how they feel to the other person and most importantly, to themselves?
There is no grouchy, in denial chaebol hero. There is no plucky misunderstood girl who is downtrodden but so cheerful in the midst of her unfortunate circumstances. There is no backstabbing b*tch or scheming inlaws. They are just two people slowly but surely waking up and realizing that just maybe, the person they truly are meant to be with might have been there under foot all their lives. The writers make it so fun for the audience to watch it happening. The actors have great chemistry!
Give it a try. The music is a bit lacking. (I have a tendancy to be hard on music scores in my reviews. After the excellent OST of Coffee Prince and Soulmate I tend to be picky!) But I adore this drama...ADORE IT. Warm and sweet and surprisingly passionate. When you watch and realize it is not as quiet as you thought it is such a treat.
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So why should you watch 9 End 2 Outs?
Firstly, because it shows a story about two lifelong friends falling in love in a very realistic way – they don’t fall for each other instantly, it’s a long process that makes you believe that this CAN happen in a real life. You won’t find here a vicious ex or a third party who does everything in his/her might to separate the main couple; the biggest obstacle that Nan Hee and Hyung Tae have to overcome is their fear that when they’ll change their relationship they’ll lose a precious friend.
Secondly, the acting. I have to say that both Soo Ae and Kee Jung Jin have done a marvelous job portraying characters who are ”maybe something more than friends”. When I watched them bickering I felt like they really knew each other very well, when they supported each other it looked real and when they started to question their relationship it made me understand their dilemmas. Even if their love story is not passionate or full of bold kisses it’s not boring, it draws you completely into their world.
Thirdly, the atmosphere of the drama as a whole. This one is really heartwarming, maybe because of the relationship between Nan Hee and Hyung Tae: their comfortable friendship, their maturity and their obvious caring for each other and as for the plot mostly the lack of bigger twists – the story is flowing steadily in its own pace.
I gave this drama an 8 because, let’s face it, it’s not something that makes you stunned by its greatness or creativity, but still is worth watching (and rewatching!). If you’re looking for a realistic story about mature people, this one is for you.
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There are plenty of dramas about bffs falling in love, or how living together can turn into romance. The premise itself is pretty standard, but unlike other dramas that I've seen, this one doesn't just jump from strictly platonic to romantic love with a sudden revelation & a kiss. This one explores all the complicated in betweens, and conflicting/confusing emotions, that can come up when a relationship changes from friendship to possible romance. There are also no scheming exes, malevolent parents, debilitating diseases, social class barriers, or major "scandals" thrown in to add more excitement to the drama. It doesn't need any of that. Lee Jung Jin & Soo Ae's performances alone are enough to keep the story exciting. There is also a great supporting cast with interesting love (or lack of love) stories of their own, and a great overall theme about maturing into adulthood.
Maybe the fact that I've had a similar opposite sex friendship plays a role, but Hyung Tae and Nan Hee relationship really resonated with me, plus they had great chemistry. This drama took it's time realistically portraying their close friendship, and they are also had their own separate romantic storylines, which made the pace a little slower than a typical Kdrama romcom. I thought the slower pacing was perfect for telling this kind of story, and lots of humor kept it from feeling like it was ever dragging. It also helped to build anticipation. I honestly enjoyed every episode.
There were a few parts of the story that I think could have been handled a little better, but I think the writers did a really good job juggling different stories without losing focus on the main couple. I think the only weak character was Sung Ah, who after being mentioned so often in the drama, should have had a bigger presence when she finally appeared. I know she was meant to be portrayed as an outsider, but compared to the rest of the cast, her character bored me.
I also have to mention how weird it was to see a young Lee Tae Sung in this after seeing him recently in Rooftop Prince. It makes me appreciate his acting range, considering how different each role I've seen him play has been. He's a real sweetheart as Jung Joo, Nan Hee's much younger boyfriend. His character is the only one that really has anything to do with baseball, so this should not be thought of as a sports drama. Baseball is just used as a metaphor for relationships in a way that kinda reminded me of the movie "Love & Basketball". You don't have to like baseball to appreciate this drama.
Overall, "9 End 2 Outs" was a pleasant surprise, and I will definitely rewatch it. With all the cliché drama romcoms out there, this one certainly stands out. It's funny, and touching (though not a tearjerker), and I highly recommend it to anyone in the mood to watch a good romance unfold.
*I swear I didn't give this mostly "9"s on purpose : )
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The acting is very natural by everyone. You believe the large group of friends have been friends for a while. They make you want to be a part of their group. The leads had a good romantic chemistry that made you frustrated that they didn't get together sooner.
I'll probably rewatch this a while from now just because the story wasn't too out of the ordinary.
Overall this offers a piece of real life that you will also take a way something from.
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The story is not that new. But yet it's great. The relationship between the two main characters would leave you envious. They're just so sweet to each other and so caring and they don't even realize it. Another plus point is that this story has a touch of realism. You can see how while living together these two people start behaving like a old married couple and how they learn new things about each other (one of them even making a list about it!) and both of them end up wondering "Why the hell am I not with this man/woman already? What have I been doing all my life??" lol.
The cast and acting is great. This drama has various characters and all of them are awesome. Jung Joo is so funny and cute! The bickering between him and Hyung Tae were so entertaining XD And Yoona's debut as an actor (only learned that an hour ago). She was pretty good even though her role was semi-bitchy. I loved all the friends of Hyung Tae and Nan Hee.
The chemistry between the two main leads is really really good. I'm really going to watch again sometime because I loved how they were with each other. They had this perfect balance of love and friendship. The music was great! I'm going to download the OST now :)
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Story: It is a simple story. Boy and girl grew up together. They are as close as close can be - BUT, they never fell for each other. Girl turn 30 and starts to mourn the lost of her youth. Suddenly, she realised what a waste her life had been - living with her mum and sister and writing stories that never get to see the light of the day. So, she made a life changing decision. She decided to move out of her home, but hold on..! She is too broke to afford a place of her own. At times like these, can't we all rely on our BFF for help? Likewise, she turned to her best bud - who happens to be a man with commitment issues. Due to a bad first relationship, the bloke lost faith in love. So, he spend his days flirting with women. When she approached him for help, he refused but later, due to some 'monetary issues', he allowed her to move in and live with him. Surely, there will be no harm - despite societal perception of a single man and a single woman living together.. right??? After all, in his eyes, she is a 'man' and she never regarded him as a man. How wrong!!! They fast learn that being BFF and knowing everything about each other does not equate to harmony in a live-in situation. Suddenly, there are things about each other they never knew - like what a pedantic clean freak he is and what a irresponsible sloth she is! Oh, sure... they knew about that long ago... but to live together and to endure such traits...God help us all! Soon, BFFs are turning against each other!
You may ask - how is it that this is a romance drama? This is for me to know and you to find out. *wink*
This drama reminds me a lot of the TDrama "In Time With You" and since this drama came out first, I am not surprised if In Time With You got its aspirations from this drama. The difference? In Time With You has a much serious tone to it while this one, despite its mature storyline, does contain some funny moments.
This is a very realistic drama and even the funny moments are realistic/natural. If you are tired of "highly processed and manufactured" idol-infested dramas with unrealistic storylines, this one will provide the relief needed and bring you back to what a solid romance drama should be like. Watch it and find out!
Acting/Cast: No complains. It is not an idol drama, hence no great lookers. Acting is top-notch!
Music: Not a highlight here. Appropriate music for appropriate moments.
Rewatch value: I do not usually rewatch dramas, so a 8/10 from me means this is a keeper for the times when the offerrings are meagre and you just want to indulge in dramas. Rewatch and re-live real love.
Even my husband likes it - him, a non-drama person. We will re-watch this together for a quiet evening with wine together. :)
Overall: Go watch it! A good one to teach youngsters what real relationships are like least they forget; what with all those highly 'manufactured' romance dramas out there nowadays!
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This review may contain spoilers
When I started watching this, I kept in mind that the whole drama was going to be a little different than most k-dramas (no company politics, thank God--a nice change, if anything). From the reviews, I got the idea that this was a slow-paced love story between two friends that was years in the making. I loved how this was realistically handled, although there were some inevitable clichés that come hand in hand with the best-friends-turned-lovers storyline.
From the beginning, you realize that, while the two main leads are extremely close (they've been friends for 30 years, as they like to say), they didn't feel for each other romantically. Or, at least, they were able to suppress those feelings because they were so comfortable with each other that you barely noticed the sexual tension lying there under the surface. Moving in together (not really spoiler-ish since it happens early in the drama) only heightened the levels of sexual tension and made them aware of each other in *that* other way. But -the way I see it- it was there all along.
I really enjoyed the close friendship between all the other characters (mostly the main leads' college friends) and the way each of them became a significant character that got its own camera time. It wasn't annoying that they explored other characters' own storylines; I even found myself sometimes waiting for them to appear because they were just as important as the main leads to me.
The acting was great: Lee Jung Jin & Soo Ae had loads of chemistry and were able to convey the air of two people that were incredibly comfortable with each other. The rest of the cast was great as well.
The music, I'm sad to say, was pretty generic k-drama music that sounds eerily familiar (like, you've heard variations of it only a billion times in different dramas).
I have to mention one last thing though. I thought the last episode was a little abrupt, and the major reason this drama earned itself a 'very good' rating instead of anything better. The conflict that kept the two main leads apart was suddenly (and randomly, the way I see it) resolved; I felt cheated. If it was that simple, then why was it a conflict from the beginning? That's the thing that annoyed me the most.
Overall, it's a good drama that I enjoyed watching.
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A well-done drama about two lifelong friends, who once they move in together, realize how much they mean to each other. Where does the line between friendship and love start to blur?
This is a heartwarming drama that may seem a bit cliched and predictable off the bat. Can a guy and a girl just be best friends, especially when they start to share a home together? But the journey to the end, with these endearing characters, are worth it.
The main leads have wonderful chemistry with one another and the plot moves along in a natural and realistic manner. The side characters are not just for filler, they are interesting and well-fleshed as well.
I really identified with Soo Ae's character's struggles on a personal level : a lot of the tensions in the drama come from the struggles of a ticking clock (age) and trying to find a place in the world, in terms of love and career.
A highly recommended romantic comedy.
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When two childhood friends decided to move in together because of some circumstances they find themselves in journey of discovering new emotions while dealing with their own problems along the way. It shows how regrets, disappointments, accomplishments about love and life are faced on a daily basis. The story has it's own pacing, not too fast neither too slow, it develops in a very realistic manner and time frame.
The characters were well selected, representing different people in the age of 30 or so, chemistry towards the characters were very commendable, the way they represent frustrations and happiness was good. Props and costumes were also realistic and fit to the characters in terms of age and the fashion styles during that year. Even the set design was good enough, the houses and locations selected for shooting had the atmosphere fit for the setting. Background music reminds you of the 90's in some way, the beat and melody of the songs focused on easy listening genre. Tempo was not too upbeat nor too slow.
All in all I think this is an underrated drama, I was moved to think about what will the 30 year old me be like? It was very heart warming in a natural sense. A drama that you will feel cozy with even if the you're not at that age group yet (more so if you are). I rarely like dramas with adult characters but this is a highly recommended one.
I hope you get to appreciate this it was a really nice experience watching it :)
It makes you want to have at least one lifelong friend :)
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Adorable and addictive
This is one of the best friends to lovers kdrama I have watched (FFMW comes close but this one is even deeper and more mature). ML and FL are absolutely gorgeous and cute. Their 30 years of friendship felt so tangibly real with every conversation, look, silent gesture, simple acts of caring, open discussions, bickering and outright arguments. I love slow burn romances where the heart is already lost to the person but the head is yet to catch up on it. This one has so many adorable scenes where the viewers catch the relationship much before the leads get aware and therefore can't wait for the pair to finally realize already. Much hilarity and heart flutters sigh! The conversations feel genuine, honest and deep. Side stories do take a lot of screen time but it somehow feels organic to the show and worth the time. Something with infinite rewatch value for every scene where ML and FL appear together. The OST is apt and catchy. If you are a sucker for the ambiguous zone in M/F friendships where the emotions are confusing, heart fluttering, hilarious, hot and teetering on the line then you will love it. This drama stole my heart so unexpectedly.Was this review helpful to you?
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