This review may contain spoilers
I have watched this series first in real (release) time and then again within a few days. My opinion on it has probably improved on the second watch.
There are few things I did not like in this series:
- Probably it could have been reduced to just 10 episodes without losing any relevant part of the plot. With such a long "introduction", after episode 6 the storytelling seemed to stumble a bit.
- Two and Un's storyline didn't fully convince me. Sure, they had nice moments together, but Two's sudden feelings still felt somewhat off.
- I would have loved to see more of "Likebrary". When they first introduced the idea of the play, it seemed to have a lot of potential for influencing the development of the story (mainly Third's), but it felt a bit neglected later on.
Listing everything I liked about this series, on the other hand, would probably get way too long. So I will limit myself to just a couple of highlights:
- The cinematography was just great. Colours, camera angles, scene setting ... it was all extremely well-done and supporting the story the best it could.
- The use of music was great as well. I was skeptical when they first presented Gun and Off's cover version of the brilliant Getsunova song (too much auto tune and a weird arrangement imo) which I had learned to love before already, but the music used in the series itself was perfect. Love the English version of "Fake Protagonist" too.
- The acting was flawless, be it the main characters (never had a doubt about Gun, obviously) or the supporting cast (the relatively late introduction of Shane was a nice idea). No awkward scenes, no doubtful casting decisions, good interaction between all of the characters.
- Finally a series which took all of its main themes seriously. The relationship problems shown were deep enough to allow further thoughts and interesting discussions about them (see eg the comment section here on MDL), the writers did a good job in presenting the "theory" of love. Additionally, the movie theme was omnipresent and not just a minor matter; the characters' deep connection to movies and the relevance of movies for their everyday lives was a central central element of the story. I didn't know all of the movies they used throughout the series, but I feel inspired to watch some of them now (especially "Flipped").
- Many heartwarming scenes and dialogues were alternated with extremely heartbreaking moments. The balance was good, also the many comedic moments fit very well.
- Since I read many critical comments about Bone and Pan's storyline, I have to say that I really liked it. Bone's character growth was convincing and Pan was a lovely character. The resolution of the suspected cheating was well-done and we even got to see a wedding in the end.
Overall, I have a really good feeling about this series. The production value and the acting is above average and that really pays off. It does a fantastic job in conveying emotions, which in this case can be quite hurtful at times. Maybe some story arcs could have elaborated better while others could have speed up a little, but that isn't a major problem. Re-watching it was a good decision and I might do that again at a later point in time.
There are few things I did not like in this series:
- Probably it could have been reduced to just 10 episodes without losing any relevant part of the plot. With such a long "introduction", after episode 6 the storytelling seemed to stumble a bit.
- Two and Un's storyline didn't fully convince me. Sure, they had nice moments together, but Two's sudden feelings still felt somewhat off.
- I would have loved to see more of "Likebrary". When they first introduced the idea of the play, it seemed to have a lot of potential for influencing the development of the story (mainly Third's), but it felt a bit neglected later on.
Listing everything I liked about this series, on the other hand, would probably get way too long. So I will limit myself to just a couple of highlights:
- The cinematography was just great. Colours, camera angles, scene setting ... it was all extremely well-done and supporting the story the best it could.
- The use of music was great as well. I was skeptical when they first presented Gun and Off's cover version of the brilliant Getsunova song (too much auto tune and a weird arrangement imo) which I had learned to love before already, but the music used in the series itself was perfect. Love the English version of "Fake Protagonist" too.
- The acting was flawless, be it the main characters (never had a doubt about Gun, obviously) or the supporting cast (the relatively late introduction of Shane was a nice idea). No awkward scenes, no doubtful casting decisions, good interaction between all of the characters.
- Finally a series which took all of its main themes seriously. The relationship problems shown were deep enough to allow further thoughts and interesting discussions about them (see eg the comment section here on MDL), the writers did a good job in presenting the "theory" of love. Additionally, the movie theme was omnipresent and not just a minor matter; the characters' deep connection to movies and the relevance of movies for their everyday lives was a central central element of the story. I didn't know all of the movies they used throughout the series, but I feel inspired to watch some of them now (especially "Flipped").
- Many heartwarming scenes and dialogues were alternated with extremely heartbreaking moments. The balance was good, also the many comedic moments fit very well.
- Since I read many critical comments about Bone and Pan's storyline, I have to say that I really liked it. Bone's character growth was convincing and Pan was a lovely character. The resolution of the suspected cheating was well-done and we even got to see a wedding in the end.
Overall, I have a really good feeling about this series. The production value and the acting is above average and that really pays off. It does a fantastic job in conveying emotions, which in this case can be quite hurtful at times. Maybe some story arcs could have elaborated better while others could have speed up a little, but that isn't a major problem. Re-watching it was a good decision and I might do that again at a later point in time.
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