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Ever since I got into kdramas, I've been stumbling across Marry My Husband, one of the most talked about series in the recent years. Although I don't tend to watch many romcoms, the premise seemed interesting enough so one year ago, I decided to give it a try in the near future - which was now.

I knew that Marry My Husband was the adaptation of a popular webtoon (which too was an adaptation of a novel) and since it was convenient for me, I read the webtoon first, in order to get familiar with the story. To tell you the truth, I don't know if my opinion would have been any different had I not read the webtoon first but the more I think about it, the more I conclude that not a lot would have changed.

Marry My Husband centers around a very common trope, which is reincarnation. The main character, Kang Ji Won, who is dying from cancer, gets murdered by her husband, Park Min Hwan after catching him cheating on her with her best friend, Su Min. Not only that, but she overheard them plotting her death, by not paying for her treatment and thus, benefitting from the insurance money.

Ji Won dies but surprisingly, she finds herself back to the past, more specifically in 2013, 10 years before her marriage and before her death. Determined to get revenge on those who wronged her and prevent her death, Ji Won starts plotting her revenge; make Su Min marry Min Hwan and giving her fate to her. And during this, she's not alone, for she finds an unexpected ally, Yoo Ji Hyuk, the head of the company she works for.

The first half of the drama was beyond engaging. From the start, I sympathized with Ji Won and I rooted for her to bounce back stronger. The pacing was not slow, nor too fast and each step inher revenge was planned carefully. Compared to the webtoon, there were more drawbacks and misfortunes but Ji Won always knew what to do to fix any potential mistakes. The plot kept me thoroughly engaged not only by letting Ji Won's scheme unfold but by showcasing her personal development too.

One aspect I preferred compared to the webtoon was the characterization of the main leads. Don't get me wrong, Ji Won and Ji Hyuk were more than entertaining in the webtoon and I had fun reading about them. That being said, their portrayal in the kdrama fleshed out their characters even more, giving them some type of complexity.

Ji Won wanted to seize the second chance she got and do better in living her life. Her main goal was revenge but she wanted to improve her life, too. Instead of focusing solely on her revenge, Ji Won starting making better choices instead of neglecting herself. Watching her gaining reliable friends, excelling in her job and finding pure and unconditional love felt very rewarding after all the mistreatment she had received and I rooted for her happiness throughout the whole drama.

What I appreciated in her writing is that she was shown to have conflicted feelings while preparing to punish Su Min and Min Hwan. It was logical for her to still cling into the past at times and feel bitterness about their strained relationship. Ji Won always cherished her relationship with Min Hwan and her friendship with Su Min, before the betrayal, and even after learning their schemings, she still felt remorse - especially towards Su Min, who she knew since they were children. Watching Ji Won overcoming these lingering feelings and move on while forming genuine bonds was very cathartic and I appreciate that the writer included this inner turmoil.

Ji Hyuk was improved compared to the webtoon, in my opinion. His character wasn't necessarily deep but at least he had his own demons to fight. Aside from the fact he worried about helping and protecting Ji Won, he also had to standup against his grandfather. As U&K's manager, he was required to meet some standards and yet all he wanted to do was be close to Ji Won and enjoy his life, instead of fulfilling others' expectations.

The supporting characters were compelling, especially Su Min and Min Hwan. I especially adored Ji Won's friendship with Hyi Yeon and Mrs. Yang, both of them helped Ji Won when she needed support and Ji Won in return did everything to help them, particularly Mrs. Yang. Their friendship was very refreshing and it showed how toxic Ji Won and Su Min's relationship had always been.

Park Min Young was fitting for Ji Won's role, she carried herself with calmness and confidence and she also managed to express Ji Won's vulnerability after her death. Na In Woo made me warm up to his portrayal of Ji Hyuk, I liked the way he used his expressions and body language to convey Ji Hyuk's devotion and love.

That being said, both leads could have been more expressive when it came to some heavy emotional scenes. Na In Woo in particular couldn't match Park Min Young's acting in some cases. He came across as too stiff at times, which I understand that it serves a purpose but he should have expressed his character's emotions in a more dynamic way when it was required. It threw me off but it didn't ruin the experience for me. The chemistry between the main leads was plausible and there were many nice moments (their kisses were soooo intense) but overall, I wasn't very sold. I obviously wanted them to end up together but I was more interested in them as individuals instead of a couple for a big part of the series.

Song Ha Yong as Su Min was undoubtedly one of the biggest highlights in the series. She owned the character and she elevated Su Min so much. I appreciate how the writers showed more about Su Min's backstory, they explained where her insecurities stemed from but they didn't attempt to excuse her actions. Ha Yong brought some sense of complexity to Su Min and every time she appeared on screen, she got my attention.

Lee Yi Kyung was impressive as Min Hwan. He switched emotions effortlessly and he made me feel so uneasy when he showcased Min Hwan's darker side. He was definitely one of the best actors throughout the drama, especially towards the end when his comedic persona shattered, revealing his true colors at last.

The rest of the cast was okay, I liked Gong Min Jung as Mrs. Yang and Choi Gyu Ri as Hui Yeon a lot. Min Jung and Ha Do Hwon had some nice chemistry together, their scenes were mature and grounded and yet full of unspoken feelings, suitable for their characters. Some other performances were less remarkable and came across as wooden or forced but overall, the acting was more than serviceable.

Although the drama was pretty rich in terms of themes and tropes, the chance to live your life again and make up for past mistakes was the most prominent one. As Ji Won developed more as a character, she stopped narrowing down everything to her revenge. She started moving on from past memories and people and she embraced the chance to finally live a happy life, surrounded by genuine people.

The tone of the series was very optimistic and realistic, despite the supernatural element. We can't always predict what will the future uphold, nor make the best decisions all the time. But we can grow as people and learn to prioritize ourselves instead of pleasing others. Ji Won, in her past life, used to be insecure and dependent on others. But she realized that she cannot keep living like that and she became stronger. It's not an easy path of course. However, it's always worth it.

I really wish I could say that I enjoyed the drama more than I did. Up until episode 11, the story was very engaging and I enjoyed the interactions between the characters a lot. But then came the later episodes and my interest started faltering.

I acknowledge that the last quarter of the series followed the plot of the novel, which the webtoon scrapped. That being said, just because an adaptation stays true to the original source, that doesn't necessarily make it good. A good writer knows which parts are worth keeping and which parts need to change. It's the reason why adaptations like the Lord of the Rings trilogy became so beloved, because they kept what was important while making necessary changes.

I understand the need to include Yu Ra, Ji Hyuk's ex-fiance. Kdrama writers are notorious for adding more tension right when things seem to calm down. I also understand that because of Yu Ra, more context was provided regarding how Ji Hyuk and Ji Won's fate would be altered in their second life and how the events would unfold. But her introduction to the story stalled the overall progress, which is ironic considering she simultaneously made the plot progress to the required ending.

Because of Yu Ra and her schemings, screen time that could have been utilized to develop the other characters was lost. Hui Yeon and Eun Ho suffered the most since the writer remembered to develop their romance 4 episodes before the end. I wasn't invested in their relationship because the writers didn't invest in the first place. Mrs. Yang's storyline was very interesting and it got dealt in a kinda rushed way. I wanted to see more of her overcoming her struggles with Ji Won and Seok Jin's help (and I definitely wouldn't have said no to the development of a romantic relationship between her and the later, if it had been developed earlier). Yu Ra wasn't even that interesting to make up for the story's trajectory, Su Min and Min Hwan could have remained the main antagonists and the story would have been the same.

I will give props to the writer for making the second half more thriller-esque, at least that was a unique approach for a romcom. While some viewers complained about that, I personally savored the darker parts, especially when Ji Won and Ji Hyuk started making morally ambiguous decisions, in order to change their fate.

As we reached the latest episode, my interest had declined. The conclusion was satisfying but the build up became tiresome. At one point, it felt like a chore to watch the series, even though I still found some enjoyable aspects. The pacing was more disjointed and there were some scenes which tempted me to skip them.

All in all, Marry My Husband was an overall entertaining watch. I totally understand why it created such a big buzz when it had been released but personally, I didn't love it as other people did. I wish they had handled the story differently but it is what it is. I recommend reading the webtoon as well, it handles the plot better in my opinion and it might satisfy some viewers who were let down.