1
Elif Kim
Malaysia
A Modern Kdrama with a Touch of Older Kdramas that Can Be Confusing and Unpredictable at Times
“Destined with You” is a drama with a mix of light and dark genres, which starts with a light tone, then the tone shifts, darkens as it gets more serious to reveal the backstory, and make viewers realise that they’ve been given clues along the way, and they just need to connect the dots as the story is unfolding, which means…
…it is also the type of drama that needs you to pay full attention or you will miss out on the details left by the writer/director. Trust me, I’d been rewatching while waiting for next episodes and found details that I didn’t notice on my first watch.
The drama does not spell out every detail for you due its non-linear narrative, but gives enough hints and details along the way if you pay attention. It does not hold smooth consistent tones from start to finish, nor are the characters all perfect and more akin to flawed human beings you find irl. The characters have layers and depth that you need to understand as a whole and if you only chose to see them from the surface, then you will definitely misunderstand them and their motives, actions etc You have to be patient with both, story and characters, in order to see it all unfolding and to enjoy it.
I missed the kind of feelings I get from Kdramas that remind me of how I fell in love with Kdramaland 13 years ago. Most modern Kdramas have become more westernised, most storylines and characters have become rather… ‘forgettable’. Kdrama has been losing its essence since few years ago that I switched to Thai/C/Jdramas that feel more like home.
But this one, is some kind of refreshments for me. It’s modern, but it also contains some tropes we saw in older Kdramas.
We have leads with FLAWS, which allows space for character development. We have dramatic, confusing and exciting plots - best when we watch it ongoing, sharing theories with other viewers.
My final say:
I suggest if you’re ready to start watching this drama, go with an OPEN MIND. Just go with the flow (it has non-linear narrative, so that’s where it gets confusing sometimes), so that you won’t be questioning why this happens, why this character did what they did, etc..
Don’t be too stuck up and too strict. This way you might end up loving this drama as a whole!
…it is also the type of drama that needs you to pay full attention or you will miss out on the details left by the writer/director. Trust me, I’d been rewatching while waiting for next episodes and found details that I didn’t notice on my first watch.
The drama does not spell out every detail for you due its non-linear narrative, but gives enough hints and details along the way if you pay attention. It does not hold smooth consistent tones from start to finish, nor are the characters all perfect and more akin to flawed human beings you find irl. The characters have layers and depth that you need to understand as a whole and if you only chose to see them from the surface, then you will definitely misunderstand them and their motives, actions etc You have to be patient with both, story and characters, in order to see it all unfolding and to enjoy it.
I missed the kind of feelings I get from Kdramas that remind me of how I fell in love with Kdramaland 13 years ago. Most modern Kdramas have become more westernised, most storylines and characters have become rather… ‘forgettable’. Kdrama has been losing its essence since few years ago that I switched to Thai/C/Jdramas that feel more like home.
But this one, is some kind of refreshments for me. It’s modern, but it also contains some tropes we saw in older Kdramas.
We have leads with FLAWS, which allows space for character development. We have dramatic, confusing and exciting plots - best when we watch it ongoing, sharing theories with other viewers.
My final say:
I suggest if you’re ready to start watching this drama, go with an OPEN MIND. Just go with the flow (it has non-linear narrative, so that’s where it gets confusing sometimes), so that you won’t be questioning why this happens, why this character did what they did, etc..
Don’t be too stuck up and too strict. This way you might end up loving this drama as a whole!
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