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The Happy Loner korean special review
Completed
The Happy Loner
1 people found this review helpful
by Eric
Apr 4, 2021
2 of 2 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 6.5
Story 5.5
Acting/Cast 6.5
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 6.0

A Disappointing Romance Drama on the Verge of Being Good

This is a romance with an interesting premise and potential for some great character interactions. Instead what we got was a short, awkwardly paced, and often frustrating experience which couldn't keep it's own momentum. At the beginning we are curious about and rooting for the protagonist, but by the end we are as fed up with her as everyone around her is. Character development jumps lightyears in a few minutes and then drags along for another half hour, and things feel stretched out and rushed all at the same time. Let me explain a little better.

My greatest criticism of this drama (although I have many) is the main character. Listen, I love me an introverted character. I'm not even opposed to those that are outwardly rude (as long as they have a reason, like a backstory or mistaken view about life), but I draw the line when said character cannot develop out of their rudeness, at least in a somewhat believable manner. Not to spoil anything, but the main character makes progress in some scenes only to completely regress in the other. Then, later on, certain developments are maintained, leaving you to always wonder whether the current moment of the story will even matter in the long run. If you can call it a long run.

The pacing of this drama is very poorly done. There are only two hours of total content, so basically a movie, and yet they make it seem like a rushed series. We trade in steady and meaningful character development for tropes and backwards plot lines. Why develop characters further into a believable romance when you can totally backtrack things already established with misunderstandings and tropes? Keep in mind, these tropes that are crammed in there are usually meant for 16 hour full length dramas, and aren't things that can be recovered from in this amount of time.

The worst part is that the potential is frequently visible. Every moment of hesitation we see in the main character before she acts out, every honest dialogue that starts between our romantic leads, and every meaningful change in our character's behavior brings a spark of hope that maybe- just maybe- the series is about to pick up, change is about to happen, and the story will get interesting. It doesn't. The hesitation doesn't turn into later not doing it, but instead into the same amount of hesitation. The honest dialogues are, while not forgotten, lacking in emotional impact in later scenes. The meaningful changes in our characters are, more often than not, just reversed later on in the story. And so it hovers in the awful zone of "almost good" where you can't stop watching in case it gets better but it never does.

I am not going to recommend this drama. I find it disappointing. It's not that it's bad, it's just so almost good that it's painful to watch.
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