Was It Love? (2020)

Disappointed

I loved this show. The first 10 episodes drew me in and I loved every minute. I was always looking forward to the next episode and couldn’t wait until Netflix would air the next episode. Then it went downhill. I saw a comment that said there would be no plot if the characters would just talk to each other properly. Now this is totally true but I didn’t mind because I enjoyed the show.

Episode 11. The most annoying worst episode I have ever watched. This is where the previous comment especially comes into play. The lack of communication was so god awful I almost quit watching. (I apologize for summarizing but I need to make my point). Noh Ae Jung refuses to tell Oh Dae Oh why she left him even though he begs her and when it is finally revealed to the audience, it's all just a misunderstanding. Noh Ae Jung claims that her and her daughter didn’t need Oh Dae Oh yet her daughter is trying so hard to find out who her father is and won’t ask her mother for help because she knows she won’t tell her. A couple episodes later when the daughter finds out, she says that her and her mother are better off alone because he left them WHICH HE DIDN’T and Noh Ae Jung doesn’t do anything to correct her! I just cannot believe it. Then Joo Ah Rin wants to destroy Noh Ae Jung because Oh Dae Oh won’t love her back? It’s not her fault??!? But she blames her?!? Just take the L and move on! And it isn’t just them, ALL the characters had just the worst communication I have ever seen. Even at the end with the controversy of the movie being made. Just no proper communication at all.

And to me, I just felt really bad for Oh Dae Oh. This poor dude got dumped for (in his view) no reason, actually got dumped because this girl he didn't like wouldn't leave him alone, his friend ruined the chance for him to resolve the issues with his girl, finds out that he was considered the bad guy in the relationship, finds out he has a kid, kid doesn’t want him in her life because he apparently abandoned her and her mother, gets blamed that he wrote a book for "hating" on Noh Ae Jung when she actually broke his heart, I could go on.

Also, just a side note. One thing that really pissed me off was that Noh Ae Jung’s hair was always messy. Now I don’t mind having “realistic” hair that gets messy after running or after waking up. But her hair was just always messy, like that was just part of her personality. No one else had hair like her and it irritated me so much. Maybe there was a good reason for that and I apologize if there is one, right now I just hate it.

I will not lie, the first 10 episodes I liked a lot, loved it actually. I would even say that they might've been some of my favorite episodes of all the dramas I've watched. Even when other people didn’t like them, I did. But just way to mess it up so badly. I mean, I guess there was no other way to write the rest of the show. Doesn’t mean it didn’t suck. The ending wasn’t that good either, not satisfying at all. Don’t waste your time. The only reason I’ve rated this as high as I have was because I enjoyed the first few episodes a lot.

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Relatable

I was anticipating this drama because of Song Jihyo followed by Son Ho Jun.

Made me excited to watch Jihyo again in a drama since I have only been watching her at Running Man and Ho Jun was just so adorable.

Let me jump to the story immediately.

We all know that this a quest of finding the biological father and by just giving out the characters relation to the FL, we already know who's the dad. However, the screenwriters made an effort you still make you doubt your thoughts for a couple of episodes so I find it a waste to drop it since it's becoming interesting.

Another thing that made me hold into the story is because the FL and ML plus Hanee's reactions were pure reality. Yes. That really happens and I have seen it real life. Even I would have the same reactions. I really laud how they make Hanee's character so mature. And make the immaturity cute enough to match up her age. I think only few people would know a family story like theirs.

For the people surrounding the main leads, I liked how they supported them on the last 4 episodes. I think they grew up well specially Ryu Jin & Arin. Well, you will always learn from a broken heart.

It's fiction because of the harem and the gang. But the family story is reality.

The artists did a great job being on character. It really suited them. But my favorite is Son Ho Jun. Son Ho Jun never failed to make me cry. I don't know but my heart is breaking whenever he cries. It's not because he's handsome. He's not, when he cries or shouts. LOL.

I find Song Jihyo really fit for the FL since the character is a weak female in disguise as a strong independent woman. If you watch her on running man, you would see why.

Those are my thoughts. If you find it messy, well, I am too. LOL. If you don't agree with me, don't comment to argue. If you have same thoughts, I love you. *heartuuu*

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Some funny moments but definitely not a must watch

At first I want to say I started to watch this drama for Song Ji Hyo and Son Ho Jun.
I didn't expect much because i was only looking for a light hearted romcom to watch on a weekend.
I liked the few first episodes but i'm not sure when it started to go downhill.

I've never seen such a immature and selfish fl, especially considering her age and that she's a mom already.
She was never sorry towards her daughters father for not telling him about having a kid for 14 years.
Instead of supporting the father in building up a relationship with his kid she tried to prevent it at frist and later it was like she doesn't care at all.

It's difficult to tell what was the worst thing about the ending.
Non ot the characters got a closure for their poor developed storylines and the last episode was absolutely useless.
I've never seen a drama with a "worst" ending than the 15th episode had.
If you're going to watch this show it is better to only watch up to episode 15.
Don't waste one hour of your life with watching this till the end. It's really not worth it.

I'm not saying this drama didn't have a few really funny moments but overall it's just really poorly written.

sorry for my bad english, I'm not a native speaker :)

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It was not love.

This show was like an overly prolonged episode of the Maury show. It needed to be sixteen episodes shorter, which yes, would mean that it would not exist. I know this is harsh, but this is the first time I've ever watched a Kdrama and utterly loathed it. It was so agonizingly disappointing. I don't know if the female lead was miscast or just really badly written or both, but she was awful. Everything was about her and her feelings without any consideration for anyone else, including her daughter. She was ridiculously selfish, deliberately let her child believe her father had abandoned them both and never once sought to correct this although at the end of the day everything came down to a lack of communication. The rest of the cast was okay. The daughter and her friend were great and so was the bar lady. The mafia guy was also completely fine. Ryu-jin, the actor, well, he was severely lacking in the intelligence department. The teacher was a nice guy. I can't understand why on earth he was chasing after Ae-jong. I don't know why any of these guys were hung up on her at all. This show should be marketed as a mystery with that as the premise, what is it about Ae-jong being awful that these men found so alluring? Then the final guy was also okay and the actor was great but not enough to save this show. I made it to the second to last episode and I just couldn't go any further, no matter how hard I tried. I kept finding reasons to pause every minute and I hate not finishing a story. 'Sigh'. In conclusion, I just did not enjoy 'Was it love?' . It was not love. It was bad.

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Starts lightly, become a mess

It's actually the first time I'm writing a rec on a drama that is currently on air, but I feel I can't bite my tongue anymore.
I'm going to write a lot so prepare your pillow xD
As almost every drama, it starts with a lot of comedy and the premise is interesting enough to make you eat the first 5 episodes. Hurray!
Then, after the half (usually, because it's a common pattern, just like the writer ran out of ideas along the way) there's an abrupt "dramatic" u turn that makes you wonder if it's the same title... when you start to hear "we need to talk" at least 200 times per ep (aren't they supposed to work at some point of the day?? Lol), screaming, crying, throwing trash at the poor guy and so on, you know it's time to let the violinist quartet have their last concert while you throw yourself into the first lifeboat available. Let's say not at a makjang level but winks at it sometimes.

I am disappointed at the lack of screen time between Ha Nee and her mom. They're more like roommates than relatives...this girl spends more time with the barista than her mom because she's busy having those boys slash satellites around all day...tbh I admit I don't really know in what consists the job of a film producer, but this drama surely made me more confused about it lol

I'm actually very sad, because I think there were a lot of possible paths for this story, (I had some hopes and expectations ಥ‿ಥ) a lot of interesting stuff and interactions left with the time they could find...the drama focuses on the old well known bullshit: a misunderstanding tore the couple apart 14 years ago and a long list of miscommunication issues that could have been literally resolved at episode one if only that female lead would have given us the honor of saying why the heck she disappeared from everyone's life. (I'll rant about the injustice towards the kid and the dad later I promise).
And assuming things on their own (especially on who the father may be) only to act accordingly to that wrong assumption. Jeeez check your facts!

But I liked the back and forth in time kind of introduction for the characters, they revealed bits of them (would have been much more interesting if they kept doing so)

The character I liked most is the gangster daddy, I clearly remember (because I saw it yesterday) a scene where Ae Jung and Dae Oh were sitting in Koo Pa Do's garden and he was very distinguished in comparison to the male lead. And he can cut the finest sashimi. Not to talk about the fruits. LET'S JUST SAY SHE ISN'T WORTHY OF HIM BECAUSE HE'S TOO REFINED FOR HER. At some point I invented an alternative plot with the male lead being the gangster in my mind because a)it was hella more interesting and b) I knew that wasn't even a ship to begin with. Because c'mon, we know from the start that the father of Ha Nee and the ultimate winner of Ae Jung's heart would be Dae Oh, the others are there only to slowly been cooked and trashed. I kinda hoped for Ryu Jin to be the dad, to add a bit of realism (and maybe a real motive to disappear...I mean you did the vertical tango with another guy and got the presento, is a valid reason and it makes also the fl more human and less oh, so innocent) just to make him have a purpose on this drama beside being mad in love with the fl for 14 + years like a fool. (You know like in "when the camellia blooms)
In the beginning I didn't expect him to be such a loser and even the relationship between Ae Jung and him looked different. Can we talk about the fact two grown ass adults had a one night stand and they didn't even talked about it like adults but they was behaving like nothing happened?? I know it's an old story buuut she left him with a freaking post it. The level of selfishness of this woman.
Speaking of Ae Jung...she didn't seem to like any of the suitors tbh, even Dae Oh...I felt like she started to date him just because he insisted and even tho there's a whole flashback explaining at some point she loved him more I don't know, it doesn't resonate with me. Maybe it's just my vision idk.
She irked me so much because of the damage she did to Dae Oh and their daughter: the fact she avoided the topic really made me feel bad for the little girl, it wasn't her place to decide she couldn't met with her dad. It wasn't her place to decide he shouldn't be involved, even if they were apart IT TAKES TWO (2) HUMANS TO MAKE ANOTHER YA KNOW. I felt sad for this girl desperately trying to figure out things on her own and being sad all the time because her mom wasn't willing to open her heart to her, 14 is old enough to know the truth. Ae Jung legit robbed 14 years of their lives to me. (if the guy was toxic or else I could have understand, but it's all based on a misunderstanding for the big fat holy lasagna).
Dae Oh on the other side was too dense...this actor played a really similar character on go back couple (but that was a gem, is not even comparable to this one) funny, seemingly chill even when he's boiling, talkative but mostly childish (he can be serious tho). The fact he didn't get the hint that he could possibly be Ha Nee's dad for 10 episodes left me dumbfounded. I like tho how he slowly and casually built a relationship with Ha Nee, without the "I'm your father but I discovered it yesterday" kind of stiffness. Another aspect I'll gladly follow.
Yeon Woo was so uninfluential for the girl and for the whole story...the usual nice guy who keeps being nice even when the selfish love interest literally poops on his head (it isn't a kdrama without a poop joke (: ) and won't really understand when it's time to move on. I can't be angry with him, he is a pure soul, but too dense to read the atmosphere: get out of the mess, she only saw you as a little bro, it's been 14 years are you going to die alone? She isn't worth your sacrifice. (I kinda ship him with Ae Jung's assistant).

The movie\book was one of the columns of the drama, because is the common point that brings the investor, the writer and the actor together. Sadly it becomes something in the background (the movie studio or wathever has only 2 people working in it, where is the staff to actually make the movie?? Aren't more people supposed to work on the numerous aspect of it? Then what are those lists of names at the end of every movie or tv show? Obituaries? Excusez-moi if I made a mistake out if ignorance but it looks odd to me. Feel free to correct me otherwise).

OH right I almost forgot THEM, a bunch of chicks obsessed with this or that male character who, of course, need to vent their frustration of being in a one sided love (that includes mom\son rejection) on the female lead. Let's note how the second female leads are usually depicted as obsessive crazy stalkers while the second male leads are just suitors.. worst case they are too sweet and "boring". There's a pretty big use of double standards in our society, just saying uh. Jessica and Ae Rin are creepy and made to be not only flat but totally unlikable... they even trespass the private spaces. YW's mom is annoying...only the ripped dress part made me like her a bit...like oh, maybe she isn't an harpy, but heh.

In conclusion I really really really wanted to like this drama but they threw to much poop on me to pretend my nose isn't about to fall for the smell.
I'll watch only for Koo Pa Do's storyline (that is really poor written omg it has no depth. They wronged you so much. ) while fantasizing for the rest of the time about an ex mobster with an honor code who slowly falls for an energetic, stubborn girl with anger issues who works as a private investigator (plus ghosts to make it more visual). The main point would be redemption (because he really did bad in the past and it's indirectly related to the fl. Cliched but it goes well for conflict), prejudices and rebuild. I'm totally ready for this. And there won't be noble idiocy nor sudden breakups. Only slow cooking with some sugar here and there to keep the sauce tasty ಡ ͜ ʖ ಡ

Ps. I loved the barista: she is mysterious and charismatic, classy, if they added that she reads the future in the liquor glass bottoms I would have been sold...but she's more like a guest star.
Ps2. I need a spinoff with Dong Chan and Ha Nee. They're cuteness overload (♡ω♡ )
Ps3. That samsung shell smartphone is all over the place nowadays uh? She was supposed to be poor....uh did I say all 4 men are filthy rich? Because they are (θ‿θ)

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Conflicted

It started lightly with enough twist and turns to make you totally hooked up with the story. First couple of episodes made me want to know who is Noh Ha nee’s father really badly and the character of Oh Dae o is really entertaining along with all the characters but to be honest I only got interested with this drama because of Song Ji hyo and she become my least favorite character. It isn’t about her acting but some of her character’s action or decisions is somehow questionable for me. I think Noh Ae jong’s character makes things more complicated in her life that the story becomes draggy in later episodes. At the same time I appreaciate Noh Ae Jong strong personality not to give up on her problems that is why I am conflicted with this drama. The story is so messy at the end and I feel like it was rushed at the end because of too many fillers in the last 6 episodes that suddenly they wrapped it up just like that.

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Waste of Time because no, it is not love

The FL character, Ha Ae-Jung, is so unlikable that this show is hard to finish. Her personality is unpleasant and her constant sulky facial expressions are so unappealing that it is not believable that any of these men would be trying to date her let alone compete for her.

Everything else aside, the show revolves around revealing the identity of the father of Ae-Jung's daughter, Ha-Nee. Then when the truth comes out after what felt like a painful 500 years, Ae-Jung just allows Ha-nee to believe that her father was not in her life due to his own actions. She never corrects this with the daughter, which just added to how unlikable the FL was as written.

The best character on the show was Kang-Sook-Hee, the auntie bar owner. I would have loved a show based just on her.

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A Beautiful Mess

Was It Love is one of my most anticipated dramas in 2020 since it has Son Ho-jun as one of the leads. When the synopsis for the drama's story came out, it struck me as unique but somewhat familiar (Mamma Mia). A love pentagon (or even hexagon) is not something you often find in TV shows or even movies. It piques interest, but having too many characters in a 16-episode drama could lead to a mess if not written well. That is precisely what happened here. But then, the actors who played those characters were actually the ones who saved it and made this mess beautiful.

STORY:
Was It Love basically revolves around Noh Ae-jeong (AJ): her life, her dream, her love life. But branching off from her story is also the story of her daughter, Ha-nee (HN): a daughter looking for her dad. Around these themes the story moved.
Despite not receiving enough salary from her work in Thumb Film, AJ remained loyal to the company because she doesn't want to give up on her dream of becoming a well-known film producer. A certain misfortune led to four men appearing (again) in her life. Three of them have known her for a long time, one is reminded of a woman from his past because of her.
Despite her annual wish to not be curious about her father, HN coincidentally stumbles upon an item that led her to search for that person in her life that her mother wants her to consider as good as dead. Four men become daddy candidates.
NAJ's encounter with the four men led to an unraveling of a part of her past she didn't know she needed to see: particularly her past with Oh Dae-o (DO) - her ex-boyfriend and the writer and director of the movie she will be producing.

As much as I want to organize the drama's plot in a good, spoiler-free summary, I have to say that would be close to impossible, since it is a mess. So let me turn your attention to the saving element of the drama:

ACTING:
All the actors in this drama have done a splendid job with their roles. Only those who are inherently antagonistic will be the one you will hate (still that's a good thing - their acting was very much effective. LOL)
PROPS to Son Ho-jun who successfully made us ride the rollercoaster of his emotions as DO throughout the drama. You'd want to hit him when he's annoying, laugh at him when he's being pathetic, cry with him when he's hurting, and feel relieved when he is finally able to smile. His acting skills is a big reason for you to watch this drama.
APPLAUSE to Song Ji-hyo for portraying a new kind of female lead: a main character you'd like to hate but cannot help but cheer for. Her emotional scenes in the last episodes of the drama were the ones that moved my heart.
KUDOS to the rest of the cast, especially Um Chae-young who played the role of the mature and loving daughter HN, Kim Young-ah who made the role of ever reliable Sook-hee come alive, Kim Min-jun whose minimal scenes as Koo Pa-do never failed to capture the viewers, Song Jong-ho whose versatility as an actor was evident in his role as Ryu-jin (colorful!), Kim Dasom who once again dissolved into a role she nailed well, Joo A-rin (crazy af, but can't help but like her!), Koo Ja-sung who played the role of someone unrealistic but still swoon-worthy Oh Yeon-woo (he has potentials, may he receive more dynamic roles in the future) and the most loveable mother actress in K-drama land, Kim Mi Kyung.
The hard work of Was It Love team from the director, to the actors and staff members is also a good reason for you to watch the drama.

MUSIC:
Was It Love OST helped a lot in taking the viewers back to the college days of the main characters. In particular, the original and Korean version of The Cranberries' song, "Dreams", the remake of "Was It A Real Love" and "Me These Days" have that early 2000s sound which would not fail to take you back to 2006.

RECOMMENDATION:
As I've mentioned, overall, Was It Love is a beautiful mess. Messy overall, but there are particular moments in this drama that are worth everyone's attention. To be fair to the writer, a number of dialogue in the drama were able to strike a "I can so relate" cord in the hearts of the viewers. That's why, if you don't mind getting emotional, frustrated, annoyed and angry while watching a drama, (binge) watch this.

However, if you're the type who, by just one look, see the predictability of a plot; are particular with the sensibility, stability and consistency of the story and its characters; or not a huge fan of any of the actors--spare yourself the time and just watch it when you don't have anything else to see. But I must warn you, if you watch it, it'll end up getting stuck somewhere inside you.

Come to think of it, Was It Love is a story like our own lives: a beautiful mess. The only way to appreciate it is to love it. Enjoy!

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Good Enough

" Was it love " had a strong start, an ambitious love square, but a messy progress.

The beginning was nice, melodramatic and the dynamics of the two main leads were entertaining, as well as the mystery of what happened in the past between them and who was the father of the child. The other possible lovers were smoothly introduced too and there were some comedy elements that spiced up the plot. The two kids were also fun to watch.

However, halfway through, and especially towards the ending, things went downhill. Nothing really happened, as all actions were going in circles, being repeated, in a boring, tiring result. The final twists were just a huge no. The big mafia-action sceme did not feat well with the rest of the mood. The ending was even worse, not quite open, but it felt old, like something that dramas from two decades ago will use, especially that "after-years-not-disappearing-I'm-back" kind of ending.

Now, for the characters, the male lead was annoying, the teacher boring, the actor irritating, the mafia boss okay and the female lead, even though she was played by one of the actresses that I don't really like, she was okay, but frustrating at times, especially when it came to her motives of acting the way she did towards the male lead.

So, overall, five out of ten.

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She is not a father!

For me, the biggest problem in this drama was the wrong idea in the first episode: "I am her mother and her father". No, screenwriters, that was exactly what the patriarchy wants: all responsibility to raise a child is a woman issue. "Behind the speech of a 'warrior mother', there is an absent father". This drama should have talked about how it's important to divide the responsibilities, such as emotional, financial and long-term support. The drama romanticizes how the mother and grandmother suffer without the father’s support.
In my opinion, it's a irresponsible plot.

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Was It Love is a 2020 romcom drama, this drama is about a single mom who never gave up in pursuing her dreams and took care of her daughter alone. It also talks about their first love and the story will bring you back to year 1996 where all the story begins on how Dae Oh and Ae Jeong started their love story and how it ended. What really happen 14 years ago?

I super love the plot twist you will also speculate curiously who really is Ha Nee's father among this four oppas althought this is just some kinda ordinary romcom drama where the plot is ordinary but still I enjoyed watching it. The cast is amazing never a dull moment in every episode.It has an unexpected ending but still its a happy ending.

This drama is for mature viewers mga pangTita levels ala nay pacute2 ug mga pabebe pero naa japun xa kilig part hehehe...

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