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The Reason Why This Drama Is Worth The Hype

The Korean drama that has filled my social media timeline for the past few weeks just ended a few days ago.
Many people feel that this plot gets messy towards the end of the episode and feels like a soap opera. I also read that this drama would not have been helped if it weren't for the great casting.

I half agree and half don't. I feel that the choice of cast is one of the keys to why this drama can be as popular and successful as it is today. Good casting choices are not only in the casting of the main actors, in fact almost all of the cast in this drama managed to convey their characters very well. I give a lot of applause to the casting director of this drama.

Apart from providing very satisfying acting, this drama also provides quite interesting visuals. Throughout the drama, my eyes seemed to be satisfied by the visuals of the actors. The filter used in this drama is also quite good, so my eyes don't get too tired even though the duration of each episode is more than one hour.

Returning to the title of this article, I will explain several reasons why this drama is worth the hype.

1. Have a strong story foundation
From the start, we have been given the main foundation of a very strong story, namely the breakdown of relationships due to poor communication. The conflicts in this drama are many and multi-layered, but in my opinion, what makes the drama still awaited by the audience every week is because of their strong story foundation.

2. Characters with fictional visuals, but given quite realistic personalities
One thing that stands out about this drama from the start is that none of the characters are perfect - only their visuals are perfect. There are no truly 'green' characters in this drama. Each of them has its annoying side. This is an interesting element in my opinion. As someone who likes to write, it's difficult to give weaknesses to my characters. Letting him be hated because of his annoying nature is one of the interesting things.

Both Hae In and Hyun Woo have flaws, and we have been annoyed with these two characters. But that doesn't make us hate or lose sympathy for them. Even the writing of the villain character in this drama is very good and is enough to make him the villain in the Korean drama that I hate the most. But strangely, in the final episode, I sympathized with his character. It's enough to understand even though you can't forgive.

Apart from the great actors and actresses who succeeded in playing these characters, I think the character writing is quite realistic and complete, making me able to sympathize and get to know each character in this drama well.

3. Set in an unusual story
Amid the rise of dramas that are hard to watch, or too light to watch. This drama offers both heavy and light elements. We know that the conflicts in this drama are many and heavy, but somehow the character feels light. Especially when episode eight comes. The tempo of the drama seems to have changed completely, it is still heavy and intense but feels more manageable. I don't know, the author seems to want to give a message,

"Alone will feel very heavy and suffocating, but together it will feel lighter and more liberating."

Amid the rise of "Strong Woman" characters in Korean dramas, I initially thought Hae In would be the same as the other characters. But it didn't, or maybe it ultimately didn't. This is all because Hae In's character development is quite good. We know, that as strong as humans are, we still need other people. And that's what Hae In succeeded in doing. He managed to allow others to help him. We know Hae In is strong, but we know Hae In can be stronger if she is with people she loves and loves her.

4. Many messages are conveyed through this drama
While I was watching this drama, I seemed to see a lot of implied messages that the author wanted to give to the audience. This is rarely shown explicitly but is implied through the development of each character.

This drama ends with a happy ending, but somehow it feels a little sad. Especially when the last scene is covered by an OST sung by Kim Soo Hyun. And it was enough to make me want to cry, whether I was moved or something. But I seemed to have managed to witness human life from beginning to end. It felt like everyone would go through that life.

Indeed, there are still a lot of plot holes in this drama, such as in several scenes in Hyun Woo's hometown which in my opinion don't quite fill the plot and seem boring. Therefore I can only give a rating of 8/10 for this drama.

I think this drama is worth watching and not overrated. Drama writing is not perfect, there are still many other Korean dramas with better plots than this drama. But this drama is worth watching together with your loved ones.

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This is not remake, it's re-create

I have watched several remade dramas. Many of them disappointed me, but there are remakes that are done very well. A remake involves creating a new version of a work, with adjusted plots and characters. I always hope for the excitement that comes from these adaptations whenever I try to watch a remake. There are two great remakes that I refer to when watching remake dramas: "Playful Kiss" and "Solomon's Perjury." Both are Korean dramas that adapt Japanese dramas and films. I watched both versions and was satisfied with them.

These two dramas adapt the plot and Japanese culture well, adjusting it nicely to Korean culture without rushing to build a new identity for the drama.

However, it’s not the same with this drama. In episode 1, this drama portrays the childhood of the characters quite well. The casting for the parents is very well done, and I am quite satisfied with that. The child actors are also fairly good in portraying their characters.

When the characters begin to enter adulthood, I noticed many important scenes that should have been included but were omitted. I know it’s not easy to condense 40 episodes, but removing major scenes and creating a new plot that lacks a similar message is not the right choice. This is a remake, and while being different and having its own color is fine, it shouldn’t come at the expense of altering the plot.

I was quite skeptical about JCY when the cast was first announced, but it turns out that among the three main cast members, I think she acted the most naturally. She manages to create a new character for Jian Jian effectively. A slight difference in character is okay as long as the overall character doesn’t change. What disappoints me more is the acting of HIY. This is the third time I’ve watched his dramas (18 Again, Why Her?), and I feel there hasn’t been significant development in his acting style.

My disappointment continued when I realized that the character Tang Can was not adapted in this drama. She is a main character who significantly influences Jian Jian’s character development, but this drama seems to prefer emphasizing romance over family and self-development, focusing instead on a love quadrangle that I think isn’t as important.

I am uncomfortable with the change in Ming Yue's character in this drama, as that’s where her development lies. The actress playing Park Dal has acted well, and there’s no doubt about that, but it feels like a new character. Ming Yue is a cowardly female character who gradually starts lying because she cannot express what she wants; she doesn’t dare to openly confront her mother at all during her youth. The first time she does so is at age 25, but here, Park Dal’s character boldly expresses her opinions to her mother while they’re eating together. That doesn’t feel like Ming Yue at all. It’s an unnecessary adaptation of the character.

In fact, this drama has a lot of potential if it wanted to place more emphasis on family rather than romance, just like the original story. Or like its title, because that is indeed its most interesting point. Almost 80% of the casting is well-chosen, with good acting and compatible faces. But everything feels wasted due to the plot that tries too hard to create something new, a new identity. If that's the case, it would be better to just create a new drama.

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Between Realism and Clichés

Since this drama clearly tries to take a realistic approach from the start, I’ll also give my review in a realistic way.

The good:
The show is quite detailed in setting up props that match the characters and their economic background.
The acting is solid and emotional.
The cinematography is also good.

The bad:
I feel like the drama doesn’t want to focus too much on romance and tries to highlight personal growth instead, but somehow every character’s main issue still ends up revolving around romance—as if people can only grow after finding or losing romantic love.

I also feel the messages are delivered way too directly. I’ve only watched 6 episodes, but there are already lots of cliché scenes that, based on my own college experience, don’t feel realistic at all.

For example, those intense personal talks with a thesis advisor. From my perspective, that feels unrealistic. An advisor isn’t the same as a homeroom teacher or school counselor. At least in my country (or maybe just at my university), professors only really care about GPA and their students’ courses.

This is actually the first drama I’ve seen where characters have non-academic interactions with their advisor, and honestly it feels awkward. Also, why is the professor always on campus? Apart from the head of department, I rarely see professors hanging around that much.

Lang Lang’s character growth also seems to come mainly from her advisor’s advice, which (to me) undermines her independence. At the end of the day, that’s still just personal opinion, but because it’s coming from a professor, it clouds her logic. That’s not the kind of development I’d expect in this genre.

The “tomboy girl” trope—no makeup, no dresses—feels pretty stale. At first I liked her strong personality, but little by little she’s made more dependent on her advisor, which I didn’t enjoy.

Then there’s the whole T-shirt distribution scene to stop campus gossip, and everyone just agrees to wear them. It looks like a “cool” plot idea, but it’s not realistic. In college, people usually don’t bother clarifying gossip—they just watch from the sidelines. Just because someone initiates something doesn’t mean the majority would instantly agree, especially since the drama never explains why they’d agree to wear the shirts.

Another example is Fan Xiao Yu. She was supposedly “cut off” financially by her dad and forced to live independently, but she still lives like she’s getting allowance every month. There’s no real struggle. Yes, she sells her belongings, but her lifestyle doesn’t match what she’s selling. And eventually, selling personal stuff will hit a wall—you can’t just keep selling forever.

And one scene that really bothered me was during the military training. Ma Yiran pulled Lang Lang’s zipper down to “show her how not to overheat,” then zipped it back up. To me, that’s problematic—it’s harassment, not romance, and it shouldn’t be romanticized.

I’ve only seen 6 episodes, but honestly it feels like watching a webinar where the speaker keeps making sure I catch the “lesson.” It’s too on-the-nose for my taste. But maybe other viewers can still enjoy it more than I did.

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