objectively, this isn't a masterpiece... but the chemistry, editing and direction would make you fall in love with it!

Story :
the movie is cut down in various time leaps where you get to see these two characters meet and depart numerous times, because of unavoidable circumstances. even though this could have gotten repetitive and tiring, it doesn't. it's quite believable and it really rises your anticipation for them to finally get together for good. except for the last time they "broke up" but i'll get to it later in the spoilers section.
however, it isn't a unique story. this isn't something that has never been done before, especially in korean cinema. we have seen multiple such stories where a couple makes up and breaks up in span of years. so that's why i wouldn't rate it very high on story.

Acting/Cast :
This. This is what made the movie special. at least, for me. The cast is wonderful. The chemistry between the leads is so amazing you'll giggle along with their cute moments, their shy glances and their subtle and slow advances. It's so beautiful to watch and it's so well done. They feel so natural that you wouldn't for a second think you're watching two actors act.
shout out to their first kiss (if you can even call it that lmao) — it was SOOO PRECIOUS!
jung hae in is such a comfort for eyes. and, no i'm not talking about his visuals. any drama, any scene, any character he is in, you just get enchanted by his performance. and i believe he has literally mastered the art of the sub-genre that is 'slow burns'. his performance was beautiful, but then i expect nothing less from him.
kim go eun was a SURPRISE! i have only watched her in Goblin and then now in The King : Eternal Monarch. both shows that i don't really like, in fact i dropped the latter. so to see her here was refreshing. she was very natural and believable in her performance.

Also, special mention to the direction and editing of this movie. the way it was done, this felt so much more personal instead of watching a movie. it felt like i'm taking a small dive into the personal lives of these two characters and i'm there with them, seeing them experience these emotions and conflicts. so kudos to that!

Issues (spoilers) :
Now to the negatives. I'll just point them out in a list, cuz i'm tired of typing and this already feels TOOOOOOO long!
— the last break up felt so unnecessary. there was no reason why the FL would leave him out of the blue when literally a scene ago she wanted him to stay with her and not visit that family anymore. it felt like this was done just to create drama for the final climax.
— the villainization in the last twenty minutes felt really out of the blue. served literally zero purpose to the story and also ruined the beautiful friendship the FL had with him.
— i wished they had explained more about what the friend meant when he said "only the ML was forgiven" for the mistake.

so, all in all, i am giving it a nine, even after all these issues, because this really was my cup of tea. i loved it bc i'm a very character-driven stories lover. it had the characters, it had the chemistry. i was sold!

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I won't post a long review, because truly going into this knowing nothing is the best approach.

You want to see a drama with complex characters? Gray storylines? Uncomfortable themes? This is the drama for you.
Apart from Naomi (and Mayuko's mother i guess), not a single character in this show is white or black. EVERY ONE IS GRAY. I didn't want to root for anyone. It was a mess. A chaotic mess. I loved it!

The downfall was that with this amount of grayness, complexity and the amaaing pilot episode, I was expecting something to shock me. Some twist that I didn't see coming, or some character back story that catches me off-guard. That, however, didn't happen.

But, I'd still recommend it for the characters (and it's only four episodes, so you're not wasting too many hours).

Oh, also. The music. A-MAH-ZING! The background score was absolutely beautiful, worked so well with the scenes. Since I'm not the technical person for it, I can't put it into words, but the music enhanced the experience so much!!

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I loved it thoroughly! They perfectly balanced interesting challenges, their variety sense, and their talent. and, with that they made the members empathic towards farmers and other professions to. AND brought them together, made them work together, truly building a family...

From picking out fruits, to spreading manure, to herding goats... to hosting a party, cooking & singing & dancing, for the village... to facing their fears, and helping each other during them, to having roaches and what not as dinner... to performing their first concert... they really came together as one!

i'm so glad that all these members got so close and call wayv their home :')

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you know what? just watch it! it's like the movie 'the room'. it's so bad, it's good. i was cringe-ing or laughing or wtf-ing throughout the show. and i binged it, cuz it's so bad you keep wanting to watch more.
but here's a tip. watch it with your friends. this would make a great movie night. it's only like 80 mins long!
have fun, lmao!
ah what more do i say to complete 500 characters?
stan pentagon, a.c.e, n,flying, the rose, onewe and iz. is it 500 characters yet?
okay it's not. so i recently found about dreamcatcher. man, their music is soooo good. why was i sleeping on them?? so i'm currently working on stanning them. you should stan them too. is it 500 now?

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"For He Fan Xing, it's not merely a matter of choosing the man that she loves but considering the contradictions of adopting the traditional mindset on marriage."

This line in the synopsis of the drama's page was what got me interested. It suggested that the drama was going to be about the struggles of being in an older woman/younger man relationship with a huge age gap, the differences in the maturities of the couple, the prejudices from the society, and the different takes on the concept of marriage, dating, kids and what exactly is the happy ending?

The drama fails, not because it was yet another love triangle or because the second male lead was as annoying and cunning as a human could be (though, yes those were the issues too), but because it tried to sell a very different product than the one it promised and advertised.

Hence, the show became quickly disappointing for me.

The story of the main couple is a complete no-no for me. At 32, been in a relationship or not, you'd expect the character to act as a mature person. However, her decisions are justified if they had been from a teenage girl, not someone this old. She acted immature, was too naive and wanted to take no responsibility for her actions. She chose to run away from her problems and before society could, she judged herself for her relationship. Personally, yes, I wanted to see that struggle of accepting yourself; of realising you're not in the wrong and it's the world who's a hypocrite. But I didn't want to see that struggle 39 episodes long.
The second main lead : I don't think I've hated a SML as passionately as I hated him. I don't even want to write about him.

Bottom line, I only felt for Yuan Song. I loved him, and Fanxing's brother. The stories of the side characters are far too interesting, and if you want to watch this show, I'd recommend you to watch it for them.

P.S.! Also brownie points for the character of Cai Minmin. Her growth from a spoiled brat to a loving and responsible human was so nice to watch. She and her boyfriend (not telling who, cuz spoilers) were a wayyyy better example on how to handle a age-gap relationship.

Overall, not the worst of the lot, especially considering the side stories, but it's too many episodes, just to watch it for them.

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Meh (?)

our beloved summer, to me, was one of those dramas - that check off all the boxes of what you wish in a drama, and somehow you still don't TRULY connect with. another such drama for me was Be Melodramatic - it had all the right stances of female friendship and relationships but somehow, to me, it still wasn't memorable. tdlr; would rate it high, but personally wouldnt feel the need to rewatch or recommend.

also, idk but their chemistry wasnt convincing to me i truly dont know why. and, since i know wooshik is a chamelion of an actor, i think the director didnt direct him well - because there were many instances where i couldnt tell his emotions/thoughts from his acting - idk how else to word it but it wasn't his best imho.

tdlr; wasnt boring/bad to make me put it off - but i also wasnt excited/curious about it.

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A somewhat original take to the usual zom-dramas.

1. Originality: I would say this quite original in its concept, the stakes are raised by having them getting quarantined in their apartment complex with no real help in sight. This is similar to how Train to Busan raised the stakes, by getting the characters stuck in, well, a train. Like the movie, it also deals with human nature, prejudices and divides coming into play it apocalyptic situations, however unlike Train to Busan though it also branches out to the politics of creating a cure and the greyness at play within relief efforts. I also loved the concept of the "disease" happening in episodes, so the patient comes back to their "self" and have to accept and go through their guilt. I felt it was a great way to comment on the COVID epidemic too.

2. Setting: The setting while done well, felt too easy. Like, none of the characters tried making a run for it, even with zombies all around them?

3. Characterization: I do not always feel the need to agree with the main characters to like a fiction. That being said, there were quite a few moments where I felt the main characters could have solved miscommunications within the people with just more and clear communication. They were very rigid with having things go their ways, even when a patient was visibly a threat. I agree with humanising a patient but that shouldn't be done with clear threat to others. Also, I guess since it was a series instead of a movie, too many decisions felt naive, a little too many times.

4. Conflict and Plot: Again this critique comes from this being a show but almost all apart from a few handful characters were just frustrating to watch. I understand the politics, and I understand that every human is grey. But these people were way too dark of a shade for me to tolerate them.

5. 5. Emotional/intellectual payoff: I only have three things to say: a. guy falls first and harder, look! a loser in love b. best friends to spouses to lovers c. couples who are violent together, stay together! 100/10 i will be binging edits for the next several days they are my parents.

6. Theme: As covered in Originality, the overall theme of critiquing our humanity, or lack thereof, in wake of any crisis is very intriguing subject - I always love stories exploring it.

7. Treatment: Given my critiques, it does feel stretchy in the middle. It could have been a 8 or 10 eps drama and would have told us the exact same story.

You would think I hated this series, but honestly despite all my above complaints I still binged the series and was obsessed w the main couple -- so make of that what you would.

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It's addictive, I'll give it that.

When you are going to watch a drama that deals with living the same day again and again, I feel like you should go in without knowing anything. So, I will be very vague with my review.

I watched it at around 2 a.m., telling myself I'll watch one episode and then go to bed. But, nope, it kept my attention even though I was tired like anything, and I watched it all in one go. But that could also be because I just love the stories based on the idea of living the same day again and again.

Having said that, four episodes are just too less. The pacing for the last episode was so abrupt and rushed, that it single-handedly brought down the rating for me.

Open threads were knotted messily. A sub-plot they hinted on wasnt explored and people were not shocked or confused by the big reveal. It was a mess and left me feeling unsatisfied. Not in a good way AT ALL.

Would I still recommend it? Sure, it's only like an hour long, and it is attention-grabbing.

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This review/opinion may have no structure, as I'm writing this on the emotional high of having completed it. Furthermore, this may contain minor spoilers.
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The story isn't something epic. we've all seen it. the revenge plot, the greed plot, the "bad guy" who doesn't believe in love turning good after falling for the innocent, pure, slightly awkward girl. all these concepts and themes are cliches. what wins here is the storytelling. the JAPANESE STORYTELLING.

Even though I knew Eight will fall for Saiko, even though I knew that they, together, have god-like power to 'turn back time', still each episode had so many twists and turns, they kept me on edge of my seat.

I couldn't drop the drama until I completed from the very first episode. It's VERY gripping. and that too goes to the power of storytelling.

I believe that cliches can never be avoided. they are part of stories, and they'll forever remain so. what makes an okay story, great is HOW you tell those cliches to your audience. I think this show did a pretty decent job at it.

Though, I do have criticism. I didn't like how Namaki was just the love (or precisely 10B) interest. She had no depth to her character and was at times very dumb, just casually revealing every important information to her adopted brother. it really became irritating after a certain point.

Also, the ending episode was underwhelming. They wasted too much time and then tied all the loose threads very conveniently and quickly.

I wanted Kento's character to go through more emotional scenes and actually become a nice guy totally, but i think writers wanted to show that humans cant change that quickly, so i wont complain.

In all, I think it was a great watch for just 10 episodes. Would recommend!

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It'll make you uncomfortable. Rightly so.

in actual shock because of d.p. it made me so uncomfortable, for all the right reasons. i want more of it, because of how honest and real it was... but i dont think i can see more of it, because of how honest and real it was. it made me feel so helpless. what a show.
also, very out of character for me, but i really appreciated how all the background stories of our main characters were just hinted and never truly, fully explored. in most cases, i'd think of it as wasted potential. but here, i liked it. the little they gave us showed us why the characters were the way they were, and why they behaved in certain situations the way they did. but they never took the focus away from what the show was truly about - the reality of a broken, and violence-driven system.

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Things I appreciated in the drama :
- interesting plot/concept
- cute couple
- consent, consent, consent (quite rare in BLs sometimes)
- mature handling of sexuality ; supportive friends and mother
- no "i dont like men, i like you" thank GOD for that
- good suspense plot (even though i guessed it)
- the main couple, mother, prince, plai, her grandpa and aunt are all nice actors and did a great job for their parts

Things that irked me :
- constant loud and slapstick sounds to guide you on where to laugh. like it became ANNOYING i'm sorry
- the overacting and non-funny jokes/scenes of the ghost friends and golf (?) [istg all i did was roll eyes]
- kind of pedophilia ... cuz he didnt physically age, but he existed so he was aging... and then Than teasing him that he'd be an old man, his uncle etc... didnt sit well with me
- also the mother accepting that her son is in love with a ghost was far too unrealistic for me. sorry.

still a wholesome drama, would recommend!~

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Let alone the K-drama category, Just Between Lovers is one of the best dramas I've watched in such a long time! This does not fit the type in which K-Dramas are made.

Kang Doo and Moon Soo come as strong leads, always being by each other's side, supporting each other and bringing out the best of each other. They are the ultimate relationship goal for me. Simply because, they are mature and wise. They talk about things that worry them, instead of creating misunderstandings and heartbreaks. They don't try to get the other person jealous for stupid reasons. They understand each other. They give each other space.

What I loved the most was even with the hint of a love triangle, they didn't go too much into it. I HATE triangles. Here, what I liked was that no false hopes were given and the triangle was broken as soon as it got made.

Now onto characters :

What I love in Moon Soo is that she isn't like the normal female leads. She doesn't get jealous, doesn't create unnecessary drama and isn't a damsel in distress. Rather, she's strong, opinionated and support for so many characters in the drama!

Special shoutout out to the Grandma! Her, Sang Man, and Kang Doo! Always look out for their dialogues if you watch this drama. They'd teach you so much about life with their simple sentences, it's crazy!

Another good point is that no character is angel and none is the devil. Everyone has their set of negative and positive points. And, I really loved that cuz that made them more human.

Also, this drama isn't for you if you like fluffs. However, if you like to see a relationship where feelings feel real, monologues that pierce through your heart, and characters you can see yourself in, give Just Between Lovers a try.

But, warning, it's angst. You'd keep on crying till the last episode. So keep the tissues near!

I wanna write more but it's almost 2K words lmao! (Also, not grammar checking it,so forgive the mistakes) 

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it the word 'okay' could be a movie, it would be this one.

there wasn't anything bad or wrong about it. nothing problematic either. but similarly there was nothing really great about it too. it was painfully mediocre.

the actors did a great job with the one dimensional roles they were offered. but the plot was so average, i was bored throughout it. and it wasn't even two hours long. that's a very short movie for someone like me who has grown up watching bollywood.

i think the main issue with this movie was that everything was so surface level, that they all ended up doing nothing for the plot. the things just happen to move the story forward and nothing was given enough emphasis so the watchers could actually connect and empathize with the characters. every side storyline too - like the murder case from the past and his relationship with his mom, felt so small and flat that i didn't care about them.

overall, average.

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This show gives you exactly what it promises. I don't know about you but reading its synopsis, I didn't expect a critically acclaimed show with layered characters. So I went in for a just a light, same old cliches watch. And I got exactly that. Hence, I have no complaints.
If you like Bollywood Rom-Coms, you'll like this show too.

Things that you are going to find here :
- non-layered characters. literally none of the character is layered except kanata ( who is a cardboard cutout of a tsundere character) and kaede who doesn't play much purpose in the story line
- cliches : you name it. this has all of them
- communcation gap & fights. but surprisingly i didnt find them THAT annoying cuz they were resolved pretty fast and easily.
plus, if you're gonna watch a show with tsundere character, communication gap is a given.

All in all, it's a pretty light and engaging watch. I binged it all within one night. I'd recommend if you don't mind cliches and communication gaps, and are looking for a light, fluffy watch between your heavy, character driven dramas!

(spoiler)
one thing i REALLY liked and want to mention separately is how she didn't choose man over her career. she still went to new york and they still worked it out. THANK YOU for that!

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alright, this review might be too emotional instead of objective because i just finished the special, and my tears won't stop.
i didn't know two episodes (with SO much plot) would be enough to make me cry.
i watched this special just to tick off a prompt in 2020 drama challenge. i didn't read the synopsis and just gave it a shot because i liked the male lead of the special in Be Melodramatic.
watching the first episode, i was so freaking sure that this is that this a show with the typical "hate to lovers" trope. that they'll fight, they'll separate, they'll miss each other and then realise voila! i love him/her.
but I WAS SO WRONG!
also, i don't think I have ever seen poop being used as a plot point. lmao. this was new and realistic. it made sense and wasn't a cheesy way to make the characters share space together. loved that.
and, thank you for portraying mental health in a realistic way. it doesnt become instantly better just because you have a good love life and a loving partner. you still have boundaries, you still push people away, you're still scared. i think this show did a fantastic job in showing that.
the only reason i'm not rating higher is because i wished it was longer and i could have watched more of their fluffy relationship.
i'm glad 2020 challenge made me watch this.

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