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True to Love korean drama review
Completed
True to Love
0 people found this review helpful
by rymm
Jun 2, 2023
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 10
Story 10.0
Acting/Cast 10.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 10.0
This review may contain spoilers

Very honest k-drama about love and relationship

To be honest, I didn't expect to see what I saw. I thought it would be a cute rom-com about the dating coach Yeon Bo Ra, who helps couples to solve their love problems, acting as a kind of ultimate truth.

And, as usual, I was mistaken. It's Yeon Bo Ra who is facing problems - she is betrayed by her fiance, and she finds herself in a very awkward, even scandalous, situation and is forced to face the consequences.

Almost from the very beginning, the main characters are divided into pairs, each with its own line, and three very different stories are unfolded before us.

--Lee Soo Hyuk and Yeon Bo Ra--
A middle-aged woman crushed by circumstances is shown very truthfully. No beautiful suffering under the moon, everything is very prosaic and vital: having experienced the collapse of her hopes for an early marriage with his beloved, Bo Ra falls apart into small pieces - he says to himself: "I crumbled." After all, how many of the women, having caught a man cheating, just shake their heads, step over a few years of romance and move on? No, they begin to engage in self-destruction, trying to find the reason for the breakup: was I good enough? Where did I make a mistake? And so on.

Bo Ra, unable to pull herself out of this swamp, begins to get drunk regularly and behaves like millions of abandoned women: one day she comes to the door of her ex-boyfriend to humiliate herself completely and try, putting pressure on pity, to return everything as it was, realizing at the same time that, firstly, as it was, it will no longer be, and, secondly, nothing can be returned.

But after reaching this bottom, Bo Ra finally starts moving up. She gets help from another crumbling soul: Lee Soo Hyuk, vice president of the publishing house that is handling Yeon Bo Ra's new book.

Lee Soo Hyuk is another true story about how people behave in relationships. It seems to you that you love this person, but something keeps preventing you from going further, but over time, under pressure from the "public", you still decide to go and officially notify the state and society that you are sleeping together. And in fact, Soo Hyuk acted very honestly, and didn't get the ring out of the pocket. He listened to himself. Yes, of course, Yoo Ri helped there by announcing the breakup, and so they both avoided the mistake.

And, OMG, I finally saw the 'normal' first kiss! Thank God, they didn’t show us how adult people touch the tips of their lips, and then think about it for a week.

When it becomes useless to deny mutual feelings, difficulties arrive. Bo Ra expects the man she loves to express his feelings through his mouth, but Soo Hyuk is not like that at all. He says "I love you" without pronouncing those three words: "If you need free hugs, call me," "If you're sad late at night, call me," "Don't worry, you'll be fine." And the challenge is to learn how to change things and make your love happen. For Bo Ra, it is to tell Soo Hyuk about what she lacks in their relationship and not wait for it to happen on its own, and for Soo Hyuk, to put her feelings into words if it's important for Bo Ra to hear them.

I really liked Yoo In Na - they didn’t make a silly girl out of her, like, for example, they did in 'Touch Your Heart'. I saw Yoon Hyun Min for the first time; I think he played his part perfectly, convincingly portraying such a 'rusk' when it comes to matters of the heart. By the way (apart from the love theme), the episode where his character points out (politely and respectfully) to the office staff that gossip and bullying is no good, is just brilliant and could serve as an example to many people managers.

---Yang Jin Woo and Lee Yu Jung---
Probably, this story is about that you shouldn't force romance in an old marriage, because marriage is not about that. More precisely, some people after 10 years manage to maintain passion, but, honestly, I haven't met such couples. Gentle romance - yes, 100% understanding each other - of course, but not an all-consuming passion, nope.

It's not always pleasant to look at this couple, because we are here to enjoy a rom-com, but this is probably how we are reminded that sooner or later everyone will end up like this. Or maybe they show what happens when a woman proposes? IDK.

And in general, this marriage did not seem happy to me. 'Table reservation' is disgusting. If you are no longer attracted to each other, either put up with it, or look for new partners. The worst thing that can happen in a marriage is scheduled sex, 'cause 'we have to do it'.

Anyways, I completely agree with the statement that you need to accept your partner as they are. On the other hand, it is very correctly shown that in the family there's not just one responsible (unless, of course, we are talking about treason or assault) - getting along with someone is extremely difficult, you need to be patient and ready for compromise. This is a kind of warning to all those who are going to marry.

---Han Sang Jin - Bang U Ri---
I won’t lie if I was more worrying about Han Sang Jin and Bang U Ri than I was about the main couple. More precisely, I was worried about them not as a couple, but for the fact that Sang Jin didn't do something bad to U Ri.

Sang Jin is shown from a different angle after he meets Bang U Ri. Before that, we see him as an irresponsible womanizer, but U Ri's open heart doesn't allow him to behave like that. Around this moment, Sang Jin probably remembers that in fact he is not a complete asshole, if such a creature as U Ri could fall in love with him.

I am very glad that their story ended this way. Many commentators resent their age difference, but I don't see why that would be an issue. I have a similar example in real life: a couple has a difference of 14 years, happily married (for almost 20 years) and have 2 children.

It seems to me that, thanks to U Ri, Sang Jin was able to look at himself from a different angle and understand that he can - and wants! - to be better.

Surprisingly, some viewers predicted a reunion after episode 12 of Sang Jin and his ex-wife Soo Jin, saying that now they have cleared the air and will try to restore their relationship. I think it could never happen, because they have everything ended a long time ago. Maybe they can say 'Hello' to each other when they meet, or even become good friends, but not more. Seo Soo Jin is an adult, self-sufficient, self-respecting woman. It was her who decided to divorce and unlikely wants to get Sang Jin back.

---Yang Jin Ho and Yeon Bo Mi---
Perhaps this is the most controversial couple. Jin Ho and Bo Mi are swift and spontaneous, and their story is the least believable. I still don’t understand why Bo Mi accepted Jin Ho’s advances - was it because the guy who harassed her in the beginning was too cynical? Although, maybe I have this attitude because I just didn't like June.

Of course, this is some perfect case - both Jin Ho and Bo Mi are scared by the unexpected pregnancy, but they are ready to handle it because they love each other. On the other hand, my deep conviction is that dramas are not only entertaining, but also educational, and if for someone the story of Bo Mi and Jin Ho becomes an example of how to behave in such a situation, it will only be good.

---A fly in the ointment---
The drama creators bring the idea that all women want to get married one way or another, and therefore, sooner or later, every man should prepare 'something small and shiny'. Controversial statement. Yes, most people would like to have someone close, but it doesn't have to be a marriage.

And again, I see a rather strange attitude towards female intelligence: Soo Hyuk throws in a quote from Chekhov, and Bo Ra cannot even pronounce the name of the writer. When they discuss the development of the plot of the new book, Bo Ra sort of quotes Viktor Frankl's book 'Man's Search for Meaning', and then it turns out that she just read it in some women's magazine and has no idea who the author was. At the same time, Soo Hyuk says: 'Oh, I see you read a lot?, which in the context sounds like a mockery and an indication of Bo Ra's stupidity. I don't know, maybe it's just my imagination and the screenwriter introduced it as a bit of satire and non-gender humor, but it still doesn't smell very good. Plus, after the release of the series with a quote from Frankl, the creators had to apologize for the inappropriate context for a book about suffering in fascist concentration camps. What is this? An ignorance or a deliberate demonstration of 'stupid Bo Ra'?

---To watch or not to watch?---
I'd say I definitely recommend to watch the drama, and do not be confused by the poster and description that do not reflect the content at all. All actors and actresses made it at 100%, and in many episodes you will recognize scenes from your own life.
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