3
Zogitt
Australia
This review may contain spoilers
Very well acted youth romance with a loving heart
I really enjoyed this show. It was one of the better youth romance I've seen. While I believe the OTP and most of the support cast made the show, some of the story telling was a bit patchy.
The show broke from the typical male god/ice king vs the bumbling, feisty FL trope. While the story started at the final year of high school and the FL was the top student there, she was not low on EQ as you'd expect. The ML was a transfer student with a murky past and bad rep after being placed at the bottom of the same class as the FL. It was definitely a love-hate relationship from the get-go. However, once the FL found out that he was actually misunderstood and a diamond in the rough, the spark of romance was well and truly ignited. That flame burnt brightly during their college years.
The OTP had great chemistry. We are not talking about hot and sexy type but more of the sweet and innocent first love variety. There was some skinship but nothing over the top. The kisses weren't exactly awkward but they weren't passionate either. I'd give them a pass mark.
The ML was superb in his role. Instead of the aloof stereotype, he was handsome but totally grounded and relatable. He smiled (and what a smile!), he laughed and he cried. He suffered and he cheered and he made you care for his character and the OTP. The FL did a good job as well. A good match with the ML and she had to pull her own weight especially in the more dramatic scenes. Most of the support cast were 3 dimensional characters that grew (and grew up) with the OTP. Their story arcs were integral to the central story and it was a refreshing change from the central casting roommates ensemble.
It was interesting to see the ice king trope actually played out in the 2OTP pairing and when you consider some shows would have gone 30-40 episodes based on that trope alone you had to wonder why we still accept that trope being the norm. Not that the 2OTP was boring, it just felt predictable and cliché. Luckily, they only had a fraction of the screen time. They also provided some counterpoint to the main pair's romantic development and added some spice to the show once the OTP's relationship became unshakable.
Speaking of relationships, I'm afraid the writing became a bit weak on that front and became a bit tropey. The whole wilful mother, unrequited love, crushes and love triangle tropes were given too much oxygen. So many setbacks and meddling came from the many actors circling the OTP like sharks. It was never life or death situation but the show could do more to balance it. Honestly, many scenes of the OTP were so sweet and loveable that they could have bottled and sell the essence but you can't shake the feeling that something bad was about to befall them (and it usually did). It was a bit tiresome by the end.
That brought us to the main antagonist and I'm afraid he was just not up to the task. He was not really evil and came across more like sleazy and annoying.
My final minor gripe was the use of the forced separation trope towards the end of the show. It was unnecessary, full stop. I understood the writer wanted to show progress and bring the show to a conclusion sometime in the future. All we got was a bit of angst, sad parting and then BAM, time skip 2 years. Fortunately, the OTP parted with an understanding that the relationship will just become a long distance one and they can chat and video call whenever. I appreciate that as most show would just make it as if the departing lead went to the moon and out of communication for the duration.
The last episode was a complete and utter fan service and I'm eternally grateful for that. It tied everything up with a pink bow and a herd of unicorns were frolicking in the meadow. Every key character had closure (except one, it was odd as his name was mentioned and a subplot started but it went nowhere) and lots of cute moments. One thing did gave me pause, the antagonist was completely rehabilitated and given a happy ending. I know it sat well with the light tone of the show but it was not really sending a good message and the one sentence explanation was barely plausible.
OST was catchy and breezy for the most parts. Rewatch value is high as long as you skip some of the tedious shenanigans. I would have given it a higher score if it was less "drama for drama sake". Can't complain about the OTP and their sweet, sweet ending. I would highly recommend this drama.
The show broke from the typical male god/ice king vs the bumbling, feisty FL trope. While the story started at the final year of high school and the FL was the top student there, she was not low on EQ as you'd expect. The ML was a transfer student with a murky past and bad rep after being placed at the bottom of the same class as the FL. It was definitely a love-hate relationship from the get-go. However, once the FL found out that he was actually misunderstood and a diamond in the rough, the spark of romance was well and truly ignited. That flame burnt brightly during their college years.
The OTP had great chemistry. We are not talking about hot and sexy type but more of the sweet and innocent first love variety. There was some skinship but nothing over the top. The kisses weren't exactly awkward but they weren't passionate either. I'd give them a pass mark.
The ML was superb in his role. Instead of the aloof stereotype, he was handsome but totally grounded and relatable. He smiled (and what a smile!), he laughed and he cried. He suffered and he cheered and he made you care for his character and the OTP. The FL did a good job as well. A good match with the ML and she had to pull her own weight especially in the more dramatic scenes. Most of the support cast were 3 dimensional characters that grew (and grew up) with the OTP. Their story arcs were integral to the central story and it was a refreshing change from the central casting roommates ensemble.
It was interesting to see the ice king trope actually played out in the 2OTP pairing and when you consider some shows would have gone 30-40 episodes based on that trope alone you had to wonder why we still accept that trope being the norm. Not that the 2OTP was boring, it just felt predictable and cliché. Luckily, they only had a fraction of the screen time. They also provided some counterpoint to the main pair's romantic development and added some spice to the show once the OTP's relationship became unshakable.
Speaking of relationships, I'm afraid the writing became a bit weak on that front and became a bit tropey. The whole wilful mother, unrequited love, crushes and love triangle tropes were given too much oxygen. So many setbacks and meddling came from the many actors circling the OTP like sharks. It was never life or death situation but the show could do more to balance it. Honestly, many scenes of the OTP were so sweet and loveable that they could have bottled and sell the essence but you can't shake the feeling that something bad was about to befall them (and it usually did). It was a bit tiresome by the end.
That brought us to the main antagonist and I'm afraid he was just not up to the task. He was not really evil and came across more like sleazy and annoying.
My final minor gripe was the use of the forced separation trope towards the end of the show. It was unnecessary, full stop. I understood the writer wanted to show progress and bring the show to a conclusion sometime in the future. All we got was a bit of angst, sad parting and then BAM, time skip 2 years. Fortunately, the OTP parted with an understanding that the relationship will just become a long distance one and they can chat and video call whenever. I appreciate that as most show would just make it as if the departing lead went to the moon and out of communication for the duration.
The last episode was a complete and utter fan service and I'm eternally grateful for that. It tied everything up with a pink bow and a herd of unicorns were frolicking in the meadow. Every key character had closure (except one, it was odd as his name was mentioned and a subplot started but it went nowhere) and lots of cute moments. One thing did gave me pause, the antagonist was completely rehabilitated and given a happy ending. I know it sat well with the light tone of the show but it was not really sending a good message and the one sentence explanation was barely plausible.
OST was catchy and breezy for the most parts. Rewatch value is high as long as you skip some of the tedious shenanigans. I would have given it a higher score if it was less "drama for drama sake". Can't complain about the OTP and their sweet, sweet ending. I would highly recommend this drama.
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