Having watched countless romantic dramas that aimed for a more serious tone over a comedic one but ended up falling prey to the same tropes in the end, Nevertheless didn't disappoint and felt fresh, this only heightened by the cast, their acting, and the beautiful visuals.

By now we know how a romantic drama goes: there's a girl who discovers she's been deceived by her boyfriend or has trust issues from a previous relationship, she then meets a jerk of a man usually in a position of power/comes from wealth/or both, they clash over 10 episodes, there's a heartbreaking scene, usually a stupid misunderstanding, and somewhere along the way a romantic interest from the girl's past makes an appearance. These three then enter not a Love Triangle but a Love V (since it's two people pursuing the same person and not them pursuing each other - now that would be a fresh take), and by episode 16 we finally get a hand holding scene and, if we're lucky, a peck on the lips as a treat.

While the drama does lean a bit too heavily on some of these tropes, especially towards the second half of the show - which I assume starts when we're introduced to Yang Do Hyuk, Na Bi's childhood friend - we still get to see young people have casual relationships, women that own their sexuality, and even a little LGBTQ+ representation which I believe was toned down on the final cut, which is a shame.

That being said, the ending of the show didn't really upset me or made me feel like the 9 episodes I had watched were a waste. As a drama-only watcher, I was fine with the ending, especially since from the moment Yang Do Hyuk appeared it was clear as Jae Eon's glass butterflies he was only introduced to cause some tension between Na Bi and Jae Eon.

While I do agree with some reviews that state the charm of Nevertheless is the side couples - the show's worth it just for them and it was nice to see support characters be explored in this way - I also enjoyed Na Bi's story.

One thing I picked up early on, which I think some people didn't and maybe that's why many feel the way they do about the drama, is that we only ever get Na Bi's point of view throughout more than half of it. Only towards the end do we get some insight into Jae Eon's inner monologue, but it's not nearly enough.

This can either be a weak point of the drama, or the entire point of the drama, as we never really get to understand Jae Eon and his motivations. Not only that but we, as the audience, are left in the dark regarding many if not all of Jae Eon's encounters with other women and we only ever know the rumors that circulate about him, the same way Na Bi does, after the fact. Even Yoon Seol Ah's relationship with Jae Eon and why he's on her beck-and-call is left unanswered, maybe it was hinted at? I believe they used to date at some point and then remained friends?

Finally, the elephant in the room - the Toxic Relationship. Let's not kid ourselves by saying Jae Eon was the only toxic person. A relationship, even friends with benefits, requires two willing parties. Na Bi's attraction and pull towards Jae Eon in spite of her better judgment, even at the end of the drama and even after she herself admitted to it, plus her refusal to communicate with Jae Eon after hearing rumors and everyone else's opinions were as toxic as Jae Eon's indecisiveness and unwillingness to be sincere towards her. But that's only my opinion.

Choices were made that for sure made the latter half of the drama decline, but I believe this was as accurate a portrayal of reality as we can get and it for sure was a fresh one for this genre. People make bad choices, in this case willingly, because people aren't perfect and the heart wants what it wants. It was a messy relationship to start with and I'm sure it will not end well. But that's life.

As for some takes that the drama sends the wrong message - that toxic men can change for you if you just pull through, I don't think that's the case. The end credits scene when Jae Eon's being asked for his number by two girls but then tells them he has plans as soon as he spots Na Bi, and Na Bi almost pulling her hand away from Jae Eon's when she sees Yang Do Hyuk proves these two still have a lot of unresolved issues to go through and their relationship is anything but healthy or secure. But that's the choice they made and many others do. This drama, or any other, shouldn't have a responsibility to send a message - it's a portrayal of reality and reality is anything but spotless and perfect.