2024

I liked this. It started out a bit rough with the acting, but by the end I found Yamato and Kakeru to have the cutest relationship. I came into this already having read the source material, but I found it interesting how much more their friend group stood out in the drama. All in all, I had a good time watching this.

[rewatch] I rewatched this again when I was sick in bed with the flu for a week and had no energy to do anything else. It still holds up; I adore this drama.

What impressed me most about this drama is how consistently driven it stayed from beginning to end in conveying its message. In my opinion, this drama is trying to convey the message that there has to be a limit to human indecency. From the name of totally-not-Samsung's estate, Jongshimmal, to the motto Jin Yang Cheol swore he abided by to the end, despite clear evidence to the contrary -- Righteous Heart -- this drama really examined what it means to live a life you can be proud of versus drowning in one as you fall victim to your desires and ambitions. There has to be a limit, a hard line, drawn somewhere before someone descends into a place beyond human decency, as we saw through most of the Jins, but especially the culprit revealed at the end. It's ok to be ambitious, but don't lose your humanity along the way.

Another aspect of this drama I appreciated was its realness in depicting the absolute depravity of poverty, and how mind-numbingly impossible it can be to pull yourself up out of the depths of endless debt, especially while living in a society that so highly values capitalism like S. Korea. While I do think this point could've been made a bit earlier and more frequently throughout the drama's episodes, the one in which Jin Do Jun's and Yoon Hyeon Woo's worlds finally collided is one of the most poignantly portrayed scenes I've ever seen. The commentary on how those born into privilege can never really fathom the realities of those born without, and how that abyss may just be too large of a crevasse to ever bridge is something that was expressed very poignantly.

And of course, I've got to give props to all the actors, but Song Joong Ki's performance in particular. He absolutely slayed in his role. Kim Shin Rok as Jin Hwa Young also gave a particularly memorable performance. She really got down the phrase "losing your marbles" to a tee and owned her part of the story.