Jairen
somewhere in nowhere
This review may contain spoilers
2AM is a moment of choice
I came into this series expecting a lot of cuteness and fluff and the series definitely delivered. What I didn't expect was the little life lessons sprinkled throughout. I also wasn't expecting so much honest and sincere conversations. Any misunderstandings that happen gets resolved pretty quickly and I loved that. The main reason I was interested in watching this was because of Moon Sang Min, who I saw in "Under the Queen's Umbrella", which was a series I loved. However, while he was very cute and adorable, it was the female lead that I truly loved. She was a strong and capable woman, who never really needed anyone to save her. Truly a different kind of Cinderella.
-------------------------------------------
● SHORT REVIEW
-------------------------------------------
LIKES:
--Her goal was revealed by Ju Won's brother in the first episode, so we didn't have to see her confuse Ju Won for two month in order to get him to break up with her. Everyone is on the same page as far the situation was, nobody was in the dark.
--Many great life lessons were presented in this series with some memorable dialogues/conversations.
--The series does a great job of showing how emotions are very complex and how trauma/adversity can affect us differently.
--Female lead was very capable and wasn't someone who needed saving. Ultimately, she's a hard worker and very sincere. For the major obstacles in her life, including the male lead's mother, she was able to resolve them with her own efforts.
--I enjoyed all the different relationships in the series. A key component of all of them was honesty, which I loved.
--And obviously, very cute/sweet, funny, and very sincere with some thoughtful, emotional ,and heartwarming moments.
DISLIKES:
--While Yun Seo's colleagues were well-meaning and very good coworkers in the sense that they cared about Yun Seo, they were often misguided. Other than being comedic relief characters, I'm not really sure what value they added to the story. I say this because I know they were suppose to add humor but their scenes just felt unnecessary
--While I have nothing against people getting drunk, I dislike its use as a plot device for certain honest conversations or actions to happen. It makes it convenient for the characters to later deny something or use it as an excuse. So when I see scenes of characters getting drunk, I just feel like such a cliché direction to take. If it's used for humor, I don't mind so much depending on the scenario and what kind of a drunk they are.
-------------------------------------------
● IN-DEPT REVIEW
-------------------------------------------
[ --THE TITLE: Cinderella at 2AM-- ]
You can skip this section if you want, this is mostly me giving my thoughts on the title of the series. In the classic fairytale, it's at 12am that the spell starts wearing off and the magic is lifted. It's a return to reality. So why 2am? What happens at 2am? The first thought was that 2am is a time after the magic ends, when Cinderella is back to living in reality...which describes the world Yun Seo has lived in. The second thought that came to mind was the kpop group named 2AM. Their name was given to them on the idea that 2:00am is a time to reflect on the previous day. What I loved about this series that there were a lot of self-reflection and moments of inner dialogue. The leads look back on their situation and reflect on their actions or feelings, giving us some both understanding on their choices or insight on their growth/development. From an internet search, 2:00 AM could also have spiritual significance relating to duality and balance. We can't be so caught up in romance that we can ignore the realities of life like social class differences. Life isn't a fairytale. At the same time, we shouldn't be so much of a realist that we stop believing that happiness and romance we want are not worth fighting for. There needs to be balance.
The actual answer to why 2AM is significant to the series is actually answered starting from episode 8. It is explained that from 2am until Prince Charming arrives, it is the most difficult hours of Cinderella's story. It's when the harsh reality sets in as she waits to be saved by the prince. But as the artist Seong Min points out, she's not the typical Cinderella. She's never been. Our female lead, like Cinderella also comes from a poor background where her parents abused her and her brother. The sad thing was that these were her actual parents and not even step-parents. It's a sad backstory, but unlike Cinderella who waited for Prince Charming to save her, Yun Seo was able to save Ji Seok and herself from their abusive situation. Already, she is shown to be very strong and capable. She worked hard to raise and take care of brother alone. She got herself through college and got a great job. There was no prince to save her. She is the heroine of her own story. 2:00AM represents a moment of choice for Cinderella. She can suffer until happiness finds her, or she can go fight for that happiness.
[ --STORY/PLOT-- ]
There was so many things that stood out to me about this series that I liked, but at the heart of it are the sincere characters. I loved the female lead, if that is not already evident. There are so many series where when the female lead is in trouble, the male lead comes in to save the day. In this series, Ju Won is our Prince Charming, but there isn't anything major that happened where he needed to "save" Yun Seo. She did a great job at taking care of herself. If anything, Ju Won was only there for emotional support and to give her the fairytale happiness she deserved after overcoming her sad background. Her character is also pretty honest. The only major dishonesty was her initial plan to try to get the male lead to break up with her, but that didn't last long thanks to Ju Won's brother Si Won. I also love the way she take cares of her brother. It is very clear that she loves Ji Seok deeply. When you're young, it's easy to be selfish and focus on ourselves. However, Yun Seo made sure she saved her brother too from the abuse. Not only that, she imparts on him lessons about helping others, the consequence of inaction when someone needs help, following through with his education, and doing his best. At the same time, even when she is harsh, she makes sure he knows she love him. It is also clear that her brother loves her very much and how appreciative he is of her.
Our male lead, Ju Won, was also a very likable character. Cuteness aside, he was very sincere in his pursuit of Yun Seo after she broke up with him. Although he was aggressive in his pursuit of her initially, he learns to reign it back and respect her boundaries. Later, when she expresses her frustrations, he finally accepts her wishes of breaking up. Ju Won also expresses his feeling fairly well, whether it is jealousy or hurt. I think episode 5 was a memorable moment where he expressed his hurt over how "easy" she thinks the breakup is. It gave some depth to his character as well. A lot of the things he has were not the result of his own hard work. However, his relationship with Yun Seo was achieved with his own effort and so he clings to it dearly. It was also during this conversation that made realize selflessness and selfishness is matter of perspective. There is a duality to it.
I also liked Si Won and his wife Mi Jin's story very much. Although their marriage was arranged, they learned to love each other. The development of their story was cute. Any misunderstandings they had were always quickly resolved through communication. It was often very endearing. Individually, they also both great people. Si Won is a supportive brother who always has Ju Won's back. Mi Jin is also a strong, capable and perceptive female lead with great empathy. She was emotionally aware enough to recognized when her husband was feeling disappointed after a tennis photo session. She is the first to point out that even strong people can feel lonely, giving us some insight into the mother. In fact, I think it was both Yun Seo and Mi Jin who ultimately are the heroine of the story. It was their empathy that helped the two brothers gain some perspective on their mother and ultimately help mend the family's relationship.
The artist Seong Min was also an interesting character. His father was also an abusive one. Through an accidental interaction with Yun Seo, his life was saved. In return, regardless of whether it was intentional or not, he kind of becomes the fairy godmother of this Cinderella story. It was his actions and suggestion that motivated the female lead to finally fight for her love and go find her Prince Charming at the airport. I personally don't think we needed to introduce the artist to fill this role. I think maybe Si Won and Mi Jin could've fulfilled a similar role, or even the female lead's best friend. But I guess he's also here to add some kind of urgency/rival for our male lead. I initially didn't like him because Seong Min came on way too strong for someone Yun Seo has never met, but I liked that he ended up being a friend to both Yun Seo and Ju Won.
[ --ACTING/CAST-- ]
I saw a lot of comments about either the female lead being too old or the male lead being too young. While I was watching, it never really saw the age difference because I thought their chemistry was quite good. It would be a lie of me to say that physical attractiveness between individuals doesn't play a part in chemistry, but it only makes up a fraction. Compatibility/personality, familiarity, and actions/expressions all also play a part. Personally, I didn't think any of the actors in this show was lacking physically. All very pretty and/or handsome actors/actresses. And talented. I won't say there weren't some scenes where the humor didn't hit or the acting wasn't over the top, but I feel like usually, this is more of a director/characterization choice than an acting one.
[ --MUSIC/OST-- ]
The music definitely enhances this series. There wasn't any songs that I did not like. Shoutout to Vincent Blue, Sam Kim, Ha Hyun Sang, Yeonjun, Kim Haewon, Ejel, and Riwoo for their contributions to the soundtracks. Let me know if I missed anyone. I loved them all. Fitted well in the scenes they were played. They all left good impressions on me, not much else to say there. If I had to pick a favorite, I really like "Sailing" from Ha Hyun Sang. Of course, being a TXT fan, "Boyfriend" from Yeonjun was also quite memorable.
[ --REWATCH VALUE-- ]
Chances are good at I may revisit this series again someday. There was a lot of cuteness, but the most memorable moments for me were the conversations between characters that imparted some kind of perspective or lesson. I am also a sucker for series with good female leads and this was one of them for me.
[ --FINAL THOUGHTS-- ]
I would recommend giving this one a chance. For me, this series wasn't just another romcom. It was very thoughtful aside from being cute/funny. Some of the many lessons this series delivered:
---When someone is getting bullied/abused, doing nothing means you are actively letting the victim get hurt. You don't have to be confrontational but do something. Tell a teacher, tell a family, tell someone.
---Don't be so quick to judge how easy someone has got it. We all have different things/values we fight for.
---Humans are weird. Our emotions are complex. Even if someone has hurt us before, we can still have lingering/buried feelings that makes us mourn their loss.
---Know when to be angry and when to show understanding and compassion. It's about picking your moment. When you handle situation with sincerity, compassion, and maturity, it can be more effective than getting angry.
---The respect you get from others isn't as important as knowing your own worth.
---Be in control of your own happiness, don't wait for it to come to you.
-------------------------------------------
● NOTE
-------------------------------------------
I'll always conclude my review by saying that ratings and reviews is not really a indicator of whether you may enjoy something. We all have different criteria and standards. Don't let a bad rating, review, or comment discourage you from watching something. My advice will always be to give something a chance if the premise interests you, and only use the ratings/reviews to determine priority if you have a list, or if you're deciding if you want to continue it due to time limitations.
♥ Thanks for reading my review! Feel free to comment or hit me up if you want to discuss anything ♥
-------------------------------------------
● SHORT REVIEW
-------------------------------------------
LIKES:
--Her goal was revealed by Ju Won's brother in the first episode, so we didn't have to see her confuse Ju Won for two month in order to get him to break up with her. Everyone is on the same page as far the situation was, nobody was in the dark.
--Many great life lessons were presented in this series with some memorable dialogues/conversations.
--The series does a great job of showing how emotions are very complex and how trauma/adversity can affect us differently.
--Female lead was very capable and wasn't someone who needed saving. Ultimately, she's a hard worker and very sincere. For the major obstacles in her life, including the male lead's mother, she was able to resolve them with her own efforts.
--I enjoyed all the different relationships in the series. A key component of all of them was honesty, which I loved.
--And obviously, very cute/sweet, funny, and very sincere with some thoughtful, emotional ,and heartwarming moments.
DISLIKES:
--While Yun Seo's colleagues were well-meaning and very good coworkers in the sense that they cared about Yun Seo, they were often misguided. Other than being comedic relief characters, I'm not really sure what value they added to the story. I say this because I know they were suppose to add humor but their scenes just felt unnecessary
--While I have nothing against people getting drunk, I dislike its use as a plot device for certain honest conversations or actions to happen. It makes it convenient for the characters to later deny something or use it as an excuse. So when I see scenes of characters getting drunk, I just feel like such a cliché direction to take. If it's used for humor, I don't mind so much depending on the scenario and what kind of a drunk they are.
-------------------------------------------
● IN-DEPT REVIEW
-------------------------------------------
[ --THE TITLE: Cinderella at 2AM-- ]
You can skip this section if you want, this is mostly me giving my thoughts on the title of the series. In the classic fairytale, it's at 12am that the spell starts wearing off and the magic is lifted. It's a return to reality. So why 2am? What happens at 2am? The first thought was that 2am is a time after the magic ends, when Cinderella is back to living in reality...which describes the world Yun Seo has lived in. The second thought that came to mind was the kpop group named 2AM. Their name was given to them on the idea that 2:00am is a time to reflect on the previous day. What I loved about this series that there were a lot of self-reflection and moments of inner dialogue. The leads look back on their situation and reflect on their actions or feelings, giving us some both understanding on their choices or insight on their growth/development. From an internet search, 2:00 AM could also have spiritual significance relating to duality and balance. We can't be so caught up in romance that we can ignore the realities of life like social class differences. Life isn't a fairytale. At the same time, we shouldn't be so much of a realist that we stop believing that happiness and romance we want are not worth fighting for. There needs to be balance.
The actual answer to why 2AM is significant to the series is actually answered starting from episode 8. It is explained that from 2am until Prince Charming arrives, it is the most difficult hours of Cinderella's story. It's when the harsh reality sets in as she waits to be saved by the prince. But as the artist Seong Min points out, she's not the typical Cinderella. She's never been. Our female lead, like Cinderella also comes from a poor background where her parents abused her and her brother. The sad thing was that these were her actual parents and not even step-parents. It's a sad backstory, but unlike Cinderella who waited for Prince Charming to save her, Yun Seo was able to save Ji Seok and herself from their abusive situation. Already, she is shown to be very strong and capable. She worked hard to raise and take care of brother alone. She got herself through college and got a great job. There was no prince to save her. She is the heroine of her own story. 2:00AM represents a moment of choice for Cinderella. She can suffer until happiness finds her, or she can go fight for that happiness.
[ --STORY/PLOT-- ]
There was so many things that stood out to me about this series that I liked, but at the heart of it are the sincere characters. I loved the female lead, if that is not already evident. There are so many series where when the female lead is in trouble, the male lead comes in to save the day. In this series, Ju Won is our Prince Charming, but there isn't anything major that happened where he needed to "save" Yun Seo. She did a great job at taking care of herself. If anything, Ju Won was only there for emotional support and to give her the fairytale happiness she deserved after overcoming her sad background. Her character is also pretty honest. The only major dishonesty was her initial plan to try to get the male lead to break up with her, but that didn't last long thanks to Ju Won's brother Si Won. I also love the way she take cares of her brother. It is very clear that she loves Ji Seok deeply. When you're young, it's easy to be selfish and focus on ourselves. However, Yun Seo made sure she saved her brother too from the abuse. Not only that, she imparts on him lessons about helping others, the consequence of inaction when someone needs help, following through with his education, and doing his best. At the same time, even when she is harsh, she makes sure he knows she love him. It is also clear that her brother loves her very much and how appreciative he is of her.
Our male lead, Ju Won, was also a very likable character. Cuteness aside, he was very sincere in his pursuit of Yun Seo after she broke up with him. Although he was aggressive in his pursuit of her initially, he learns to reign it back and respect her boundaries. Later, when she expresses her frustrations, he finally accepts her wishes of breaking up. Ju Won also expresses his feeling fairly well, whether it is jealousy or hurt. I think episode 5 was a memorable moment where he expressed his hurt over how "easy" she thinks the breakup is. It gave some depth to his character as well. A lot of the things he has were not the result of his own hard work. However, his relationship with Yun Seo was achieved with his own effort and so he clings to it dearly. It was also during this conversation that made realize selflessness and selfishness is matter of perspective. There is a duality to it.
I also liked Si Won and his wife Mi Jin's story very much. Although their marriage was arranged, they learned to love each other. The development of their story was cute. Any misunderstandings they had were always quickly resolved through communication. It was often very endearing. Individually, they also both great people. Si Won is a supportive brother who always has Ju Won's back. Mi Jin is also a strong, capable and perceptive female lead with great empathy. She was emotionally aware enough to recognized when her husband was feeling disappointed after a tennis photo session. She is the first to point out that even strong people can feel lonely, giving us some insight into the mother. In fact, I think it was both Yun Seo and Mi Jin who ultimately are the heroine of the story. It was their empathy that helped the two brothers gain some perspective on their mother and ultimately help mend the family's relationship.
The artist Seong Min was also an interesting character. His father was also an abusive one. Through an accidental interaction with Yun Seo, his life was saved. In return, regardless of whether it was intentional or not, he kind of becomes the fairy godmother of this Cinderella story. It was his actions and suggestion that motivated the female lead to finally fight for her love and go find her Prince Charming at the airport. I personally don't think we needed to introduce the artist to fill this role. I think maybe Si Won and Mi Jin could've fulfilled a similar role, or even the female lead's best friend. But I guess he's also here to add some kind of urgency/rival for our male lead. I initially didn't like him because Seong Min came on way too strong for someone Yun Seo has never met, but I liked that he ended up being a friend to both Yun Seo and Ju Won.
[ --ACTING/CAST-- ]
I saw a lot of comments about either the female lead being too old or the male lead being too young. While I was watching, it never really saw the age difference because I thought their chemistry was quite good. It would be a lie of me to say that physical attractiveness between individuals doesn't play a part in chemistry, but it only makes up a fraction. Compatibility/personality, familiarity, and actions/expressions all also play a part. Personally, I didn't think any of the actors in this show was lacking physically. All very pretty and/or handsome actors/actresses. And talented. I won't say there weren't some scenes where the humor didn't hit or the acting wasn't over the top, but I feel like usually, this is more of a director/characterization choice than an acting one.
[ --MUSIC/OST-- ]
The music definitely enhances this series. There wasn't any songs that I did not like. Shoutout to Vincent Blue, Sam Kim, Ha Hyun Sang, Yeonjun, Kim Haewon, Ejel, and Riwoo for their contributions to the soundtracks. Let me know if I missed anyone. I loved them all. Fitted well in the scenes they were played. They all left good impressions on me, not much else to say there. If I had to pick a favorite, I really like "Sailing" from Ha Hyun Sang. Of course, being a TXT fan, "Boyfriend" from Yeonjun was also quite memorable.
[ --REWATCH VALUE-- ]
Chances are good at I may revisit this series again someday. There was a lot of cuteness, but the most memorable moments for me were the conversations between characters that imparted some kind of perspective or lesson. I am also a sucker for series with good female leads and this was one of them for me.
[ --FINAL THOUGHTS-- ]
I would recommend giving this one a chance. For me, this series wasn't just another romcom. It was very thoughtful aside from being cute/funny. Some of the many lessons this series delivered:
---When someone is getting bullied/abused, doing nothing means you are actively letting the victim get hurt. You don't have to be confrontational but do something. Tell a teacher, tell a family, tell someone.
---Don't be so quick to judge how easy someone has got it. We all have different things/values we fight for.
---Humans are weird. Our emotions are complex. Even if someone has hurt us before, we can still have lingering/buried feelings that makes us mourn their loss.
---Know when to be angry and when to show understanding and compassion. It's about picking your moment. When you handle situation with sincerity, compassion, and maturity, it can be more effective than getting angry.
---The respect you get from others isn't as important as knowing your own worth.
---Be in control of your own happiness, don't wait for it to come to you.
-------------------------------------------
● NOTE
-------------------------------------------
I'll always conclude my review by saying that ratings and reviews is not really a indicator of whether you may enjoy something. We all have different criteria and standards. Don't let a bad rating, review, or comment discourage you from watching something. My advice will always be to give something a chance if the premise interests you, and only use the ratings/reviews to determine priority if you have a list, or if you're deciding if you want to continue it due to time limitations.
♥ Thanks for reading my review! Feel free to comment or hit me up if you want to discuss anything ♥
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