DramaHeroine

Oh, I'm in full agreement that the drama mishandled his character. They did very little to make us feel sympathy for him, and now they're having to scramble to create it in the final hour. That's poor writing. I'm just saying that him possibly deciding that he needs to get help would actually be a form of redemption (at least in my eyes), because it means he recognizes there is a problem that needs to be addressed, and he's taking the steps to do so. It's not an all-encompassing, now he is fully redeemed, redemption, but more of a gradual kind of redemption. I actually just finished ep 14, and my feelings on it are mixed. I don't think his moment with Hoo Joon was at all earned, and I don't think it served the story. With In Hyung, I'm leaning both ways. The accident might not have been necessary, but it still hit me in the gut when it happened. I also liked the moment leading up to it. It felt like In Hyung was finally saying the things that Jae Joon needed to hear to finally get it. And I don't agree with the general sentiment that her walking out into traffic like she did was just undoing everything that came before with her character. Sometimes you work hard to pull yourself out of something only for everything to fall apart again, and it feels like it doesn't matter what you do or how much progress you make, because something's always going to be there waiting to pull you back down. That's kind of the impression I got from that choice, and I think it made sense for her character. I think the problem is that, again, Jae Joon hadn't earned the moment of clarity the accident has most likely given him, so it makes the entire moment feel off. Jae Joon's convo's with Guenyoung though are something I think he actually earned. For me, Jaejoon was an actual character when he was with Geunyoung and a caricature the rest of the time. He had an obvious dislike for Hoo Joon, but it wasn't all there was to his character, and you saw that when he and Geunyoung were together. He had an actual personality and could actually be (gasp!) likable, lol. (Or maybe that was just for me.) Both of their conversations in ep 14 felt authentic to me, because their interactions leading up to them had felt authentic. I do agree with you that his character hasn't earned the traditional drama redemption arc. But I don't know if it would really bother me if he were to get it. I started this drama with the attitude of I know this isn't going to be some stunning piece of cinema, and I'm just going to let it take me wherever it chooses to go. And if that's where it wants to go, then I guess I'll go there, lol.

I haven't yet, but I have some I'm thinking about trying to watch again. And I never thought I would say that, lol.

I want this written on a T-shirt, lol.

I don't know if anyone else feels this way, but the soundtrack for this drama is kind of...not so great. There are a couple songs I like, but some I Really don't like.

I don't know that I think they have really strong acting chemistry together, but I don't think it's terrible either. It's kind of middling for me, but there's been enough there for me to get enjoyment out of the series and them as a couple. This won't go down as one of my favorite dramas or couples ever, but I've definitely had fun.

That is a form of redemption though, is it not? Getting help means eventually being redeemed, because you are working towards a better version of yourself and dealing with your insecurities and trauma's and pain so that it no longer controls you and hurts others.

I understand where you are coming from, and I agree that his behavior is stemming from his fear of rejection and feeling like his friends have abandoned him. Unfortunately, I don't think the drama writers have done a good job, or really made much effort at all, to make these motivations clear to the audience, so it's really easy to just hate him. They've put very little effort into making him more sympathetic. His behavior is also extremely malicious and harmful, so no matter what his reasons are, it's very difficult to feel sorry for him. Personally, I think what he needs right now is for everything to completely collapse around him so that he's forced to face up to the person he is and the way he's acted. HJ and IH have been very clear with him that they've never sought to hurt him, and he just doesn't get it. Sadly, he's left himself no pathway toward redemption but the most painful path available, and it might even be too late for that.

Still crossing my fingers that this will get released.

I fully admit that this is not an amazingly well-written story. There's plenty of cringe and cliche on display, lol. But I've pretty consistently enjoyed this drama since starting it. It's been a very easy watch (JJ aside; he seriously needs to be seeing a therapist and working through his INTENSE jealousy and abandonment issues because they are literally destroying him).

I'm only on episode 6, so maybe things change in the next couple of episodes, but right now I have to disagree with all of the critiques in the recent comments. I haven't noticed any real plot holes, and I'm not bothered by the will they-won't they of the main couple or the vagueness/uncertainness of the drama's mythology (and we have to remember that translations can often add to this last one). I think this is a pretty good drama with a lot to chew on. It might not be for everyone, but so far, it is for me.

I'm actually really enjoying the fantasy elements, but different strokes for different folks, I guess.

Thanks for all the recs! Great post!

I still don't understand why this drama has such a low rating. I assume it's because of the slow pacing of the over-arching storyline and the romance, but this drama was Intended to be slower, so it's kind of unfair to rate it down over that? Regardless, this drama definitely deserves more love.

This whole situation is sad, but I hope we're coming to the end of it soon. Literally no one wins here. Park Hye Su's career has been (seemingly) unfairly affected and will probably take awhile to recover. That's not to mention how she must be suffering having to relive her experience of being bullied and now being betrayed by someone she thought she had made amends with. And the accuser(s)? It's easy to talk them down and call them names and wish ill upon them here in the comments, but they're not happy people, and that's truly sad. They went through all this work to tear someone else down in an effort to feel better about themselves, and now their house of cards appears to be falling apart. That's honestly the best (and saddest) justice they could ever receive. It's just a sad situation all around, and I'm praying for everyone involved, including the perpetrators.

This is one of my favorite dramas that I've watched this year. Ridiculously cute and heart-warming to learn that the leads actually liked each other in real life and now are getting married, lol.

You're welcome! I'm glad I could be helpful. These are some of my J-favorites: Neechan no Koibito, Marry Me!, Boku no Ita Jikan, Bitter Blood, Last Cinderella, Kahogo no Kahoko, Jimi ni Sugoi! Koetsu Garu Kono Etsuko, Boku Unmei no Hito desu, Wakako Zake, Deka Wanko, and then this one Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu.

If it's the bits where the camera work changes and Mikuri is talking like she's being interviewed by someone, those parts are just Mikuri's imagination so that we can get some insight into her thoughts and feelings. They do this throughout the series in reference to lots of different Japanese programs that actually exist. Documentary programs, news channels, reality shows, game shows, etc. It threw me off at first too, but once I figured out that that was what they were doing, I found the drama to be a breeze to get through. Of course, you don't have to watch the drama if it's not for you. Just thought I would explain what those bits were about if they were keeping you from engaging with the story.

I was actually about to make a post in the suggestions about it, so thanks for the link. I've voted for the suggestion and left a comment, so maybe that will bring us a step closer to getting something like this implemented.

I really appreciate the MDLers who've been taking time to write up articles like this explaining certain franchises and genres, etc. for all of us who are newbs about those particular dramas. For example, I've been intrigued by all the Wuxia, Xinxia, etc. dramas out there but overwhelmed by how many there are and how super detailed the universe for each genre is. And then someone decides to write some articles explaining those particular drama genres, and suddenly I'm even More intrigued to watch them, lol! It's the same here. I would have never even known Novoland was a thing if this article did not exist, and now I really want to watch some Novoland dramas. I said it on one of the Wuxia/Xinxia articles, and I'll say it again here, but I really wish there were a way to 'add' articles you really like to a list or something somewhere on MDL so that you can easily go back to them if you want/need. They're a really good resource when you're delving into something new.

This is an older article, but I just found it today, lol. This is a great list, and I'm definitely putting some of these dramas/shows on my PTW.