A waste of good casting

Oh god, where do I begin? Maybe I’ll just start with that I have never written any MDL review but it’s 4am and this drama made me so angry, I just cannot resist.

I’ve watched the whole drama just for a perfect cast. Both Ong Seong Wu and Shin Ye Eun are my absolute favourites so I was really excited. Sadly, the actors (the whole cast, not just the main characters) are the only good thing that has came out of this trainwreck.

It’s not that the main lead is just a typical jerk. I mean, he is, but on top of that, he’s an ignorant narcissist who definitely needs a therapy. The number of times he did not take no for an answer was just threatening and I’m surprised that nobody has ever called cops on him. He wasn’t cute, he was just terribly creepy and manipulative. An almost unnoticeable character development he goes through is just not enough in this case – not after seeing all the crap that he has done before.

The female lead was… not as bad as him and I guess that’s the only compliment she can get. From the very beginning, she did not care for other people’s feelings and made everything about herself. Sadly, her developing relationship with the second male lead made her only more unlikeable in this particular matter. Looking back at her behaviour, the only sympathy I’ve had for her was because I really wanted to see her finally developing and escaping the relationship with the male lead, which sadly didn’t happen.

The main couple could have some chemistry at moments if only not the fact that their whole relationship was built on the red flags. I’ve watched several kdramas but I swear, I have never seen such a toxic relationship before. The fact that the two could not communicate for the majority of the time and called it a “bad timing” basically says it all. Even after putting all this effort to finally form a relationship, they actually broke up because apparently, they have nothing to talk about anymore. And then, after not being able to deal with a literally first obstacle they had to face, somehow they still feel the need to go back together but make it hard for themselves for, again, literally no reason. It’s just ridiculous.

I actually kept watching the drama for two side relationships, thinking they were really cute at first. Sadly even those two were tragically crushed by poor screenwriting and non-existent problems. Especially the long-term couple seemed to develop problems out of absolutely nowhere. As the couple was definitely on the same page from the very beginning, it seems like the screenwriters had a hard time coming up with a reason to make the two break up. As a result, we had to watch them part their ways for no reason whatsoever only to make us realize how absolutely bland Hyun Jae is. The break did also no good to Young Hee, who completely lost my sympathy, as her actions were just absurd at the time.

The message this drama gives is just… alarming to say the least. The last episode (especially the last conversation between the second male lead and main female lead) basically states that it’s good to stay in a mismatched, absolutely toxic relationship and keep having arguments all the time as long as you like the other person. What the hell? It feels really itchy, concerning the fact that the plot itself did nothing to justify irrational arguments and showed almost no growth of the characters. I feel generally concerned seeing so many teenage girls drooling over this drama and idealising such toxic behaviours just because of a good cast.

Again, it’s just a shame that those very good, young actors had to waste their time, talent and potential on this piece of crap.

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Yet another terrible Netflix kdrama (HEAVY SPOILERS)

I disliked the first season but decided to watch the second one hoping it will be slightly better (just like, in my opinion, My First First Love). I honestly don't know what was I thinking.

I will start with an arguably best thing about the drama, namely its setting. I am not exaggerating when I say that the concept behind the drama is fantastic. Social media addiction has entered a new level due to a Love Alarm – an app, which rings every time someone who has a crush on you gets close to your phone. However, soon after its creation, the app becomes troublesome to many. The idea of finding true love is now turning into yet another social media competition for likes. Couples no longer trust each other, and people are overwhelmed with loneliness, which leads to new class divisions, protests and mass suicides. The antiutopian world the drama shows is incredibly thought-provoking. Sadly, as it usually happens, what could have been a great story was ruined by poor screenwriting.

The plot seems a bit complicated, but if you think about it, it's just yet another modern version of Cinderella but with a typical second male lead love story and a slight twist in the end. The ML, Sunoh, is a spoiled child of a politician and an actress who are literal sociopaths. The FL, Jojo, is an orphan who lives with her aunt and cousin, working numerous shifts to pay her dead parents' debt. The main characters attend the same high school, fall in love, and everyone is mad at them for numerous reasons. So, pressured by Sunoh's family, Jojo decides to break up. To do so, she installs a shield for her Love Alarm app, so she can lie that her feelings have changed, yada yada yada.

Now, in season 2, we are in college years. Jojo is now dating a second male lead, Hyeyoung, who was best friends with the ML and had a crush on the FL throughout the first season. By accident, the big trio reconnects, and it turns out that – surprise surprise – Sunoh is still in love with Jojo. But because Jojo's Love Alarm still has a shield on, we don't really know who Jojo loves. So now Jojo not only has to make a choice, but she also has to come clean about this whole lying-about-her-feelings thing. And then she does and chooses Hyeyoung. That's it. That's the story.

I don't even know where to start. First of all, the characters - literally everyone has a personality of a rock. I'm aware that the drama was probably meant to show how the love confessing app would change the way people express their feelings, but for the love of God, not a single one of the characters is able to resolve anything humanely. It's incredible how the FL had not one, not two, but three boyfriends throughout the drama and yet showed no signs of charisma or empathy. Even the tragic backstory doesn't help her case – she is one of the blandest characters I have ever seen in a kdrama. Moreover, she hides the truth from everyone and has literally no good reason to do so? For most of the series, she refuses to explain the ML why she was forced to end their relationship, even though this big secret has no relevance anymore and only causes further problems. Similarly, she has no reason to not tell the SL why her Love Alarm does not ring for him. Jojo is the one full of lies and yet somehow manages to make it all about herself, as she wasn't the most problematic one.

To tell you the truth, the ML and the SL are as unlikeable as the FL. Their only personality trait is being obsessed with Jojo. And let me remind you once again. For Sunoh, Jojo is a high school girlfriend who was with him for a month or two four years ago. And for Hyeyoung, Jojo is a girlfriend who doesn't love him back, cheats on him and basically treats him like a doormat. Besides that, I would maybe have some sympathy for ML and SL if not the fact that they are literal stalkers who do not take "no" for an answer. Out of everyone, the only character I felt bad for was the ML's girlfriend, Yuju (because yes, the ML is so loveable that in season 2 he had a girlfriend he didn't even like). It's ridiculous how the screenwriters attempted to portray her as vain and silly when she was, in fact, the most caring and, in a way, expressive character out of all. I'm sad she had to end up with that jerk.

Secondly, the plot. This story could have been an email. The whole drama it's the good old circle of miscommunication. Almost all of the problems would not have happened or could have been resolved by talking. I hate it how the characters could not talk it out even when given the perfect opportunity. Moreover, the screenwriters ran out of ideas at some point, and it shows. The drama had some really interesting subplots. One of them revolved around Love Alarm's original creator, Dukgoo, who programmed the app in order to confess to his crush, Jojo's cousin Gulmi. Dukgoo's story was quite complicated and linked to many crucial events in the drama. He created the app, sent Jojo mods and even had a link to protests and suicides caused by Love Alarm. As I mentioned before, this futuristic theme was way more interesting than the love story, and thus the subplot had a great potential to develop in the second season. However, it seems like the screenwriters just gave up on it, giving Dukgoo an illogical ending that doesn't explain a thing.

Overall, I would not recommend watching Love Alarm. It's one of the top positions of my "how the hell did I even get through all of the episodes" list. The plot is boring, and the characters are even worse. And if you like the idea of technology messing up with people's feelings, then go watch Black Mirror instead.

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Thoughts after rewatching

A little while ago I’ve decided to rewatch this drama just to see whether it was as good as I’ve remembered it from almost four years ago. Turns out it wasn’t, but I still very much love it.

The female lead, Bok Joo, just has it all. She is fierce yet caring and cute in her own specific way. She always tries her best, but her clumsiness (which might feel a little bit too much sometimes) gets in her way. Her story is well-developed and although one can argue with some of her actions, the reasoning is always there. Joon Hyung, the male lead, is as fun, caring and loyal as she is. He deals with a lot of stuff, but never laces into anyone. What I’ve refused to notice before is how officious he is at times, especially at the beginning. It is also a shame that his character wasn’t explored as well as Bok Joo. But at the end of a day, he’s still a loveable, supportive guy who can easily gain viewers’ sympathy despite a very few flaws.

Perhaps the most heart-warming feature of this drama is seeing those two grow not only as a couple but also as individuals. I must say, I’m still at awe of how smoothly a relationship between the main pair flowers. Throughout the show, both characters keep supporting each other in every possible field from sports career to mental health issues, which is a really nice alternative to all toxic kdrama relationships. Although a few of the occurring conflicts might feel childish to some, they all feel natural and get resolved in a fitting time and manner. As for personal development, I really loved the lack of stigmatisation of Jong Hyung’s therapy. Even while going through breakdowns, the couple still supported each other without being “too much” for one another, which felt absolutely refreshing.

As I could go for the whole day about how much I love the drama, here I’d like to concentrate on a few issues I find a bit annoying. First of all, what really bugs me is the lack of research on sports the characters were performing. I’m no professional, but it took only a few google searches to prove that some of the sports-related issues presented in this kdrama would never occur in real life. Secondly, I really dislike the irrational ex-girlfriend trope. As much as I like and feel for Shi Ho, her introduction as an obsessive ex well, unnecessary? Moreover, the relationship between Jae Yi and Ah Yeong felt a bit off – out of all fun characters Jae Yi felt like he had nothing but a doormat personality and thus no one can tell whether he really cares about Ah Yeong or just does what he is supposed to do. Additionally, I absolutely hated how Joon Hyung was encouraged to make up with his mother – again, I had literally no reason to have any sympathy for her and found it disturbing how everyone justified her behaviour as she had not traumatised her son before. Lastly, I was sad to see that Tae Kwon’s and Nan Hee’s personalities were based on a single trait, which made those characters a bit cartoonish.

As for casting, I think we should all address an elephant in the room. It is kind of ridiculous how the story spins around “ugly girls have it worse” scenario and yet the ugly girl in question is the top model Lee Sung Kyung herself. Baggy clothes and short haircut don’t really portray her any worse. On other hand, what might sound quite controversial, the one good thing that in my opinion comes from this tragically reused trope are Bok Joo’s facial expressions. Although they might look a bit awkward, I find them really matched to the character. Yet, even though I truly despise this “ugly girl transformation” trope, I truly cannot imagine any other actress playing Bok Joo as good as Sung Kyung did. Nam Joo Hyuk did the hell out of a good job as well. The chemistry between both the main characters as well as the rest of the cast members is quite unmatched.

Rewatching this piece made me realize how many small or a bit bigger problems are here in the drama. Some of them were a bit annoying, some of them almost unnoticeable. Nevertheless, it might be my personal bias, but I would still name Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo the best comfort drama for both teenagers and young adults.

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