~A missed opportunity turns into a regret. If there are no more opportunities to miss, I'll make sure to create some myself.~
~In a world of misunderstandings, it's dangerous to make assumptions about others. So you should ask the question yourself. You should hear the answer directly.~
~Love has to touch someone's inner confidence. Then love won't be dragged down by the other, but will draw the other to you.~

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From this review: https://kdramadiary.com/kdrama-review/more-than-friends-kdrama-review/ "More than Friends Affirms How Despite The Tears, Experiencing Love Is Life's Greatest Bliss", "One of the best written Korean Dramas this year, More Than Friends has taken its viewers to stage of love that are equal parts blissful and painful - but ultimately the sweetest in between.", "It's interesting to note that More Than Friends is that one drama with such harrowing problems, yet there is not even one single villain present in the story. Remarkably conceived with an amazing cast who owned their roles to the hilt, this series evidently is one of my top drama picks this season."

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I thoroughly enjoyed this JTBC romance, as is often the case, and it left a lasting impression on me. I would recommend it to you if you are looking for a romance that's not necessarily simple and cute, for some it will be more a source of annoyance and boredom than anything else (it's a slow burn and it's far from being a frustration-free drama), or even depressing because yes, it's sad, but in my case I found it more interesting and I was totally hooked. While the drama might seem rather light, it is actually quite heavy.

I really liked the atmosphere, the meaningful and thought-provoking dialogues, the quotes, the narration, the literature, the calligraphy and photography, the cinematography and music, the tense moments and camera movements, the way they end the episodes, the many well-placed metaphors related to fairy tales (I even read an entire analysis to understand one in episode 8, Lee Soo compared to the Little Mermaid at that very moment surprisingly makes so much sense), the parallels, the play on words, even the episode titles, there are so many details I can't list them all.

I would like to add that never before has a drama made me want to visit South Korea, and Seoul in particular, so much. I felt like I was discovering the city as I watched. They did a great job of blending photography with calligraphy. It's rare that I'm so captivated or even amazed by the work aspect of a drama, but this was more than successful. Just like in "Now, We Are Breaking Up", where the male lead is also a photographer while the female lead is a stylist. So in the end, the match-up was really different. Knowing that here we have a very different male lead, he's cold, withdrawn and solitary whereas the one in NWBU is warm and sociable.

I started watching during my stay in Brittany (region in France), so I might as well tell you that I've stayed in the travel mood with this drama.

Lee Soo is quite a sad and annoying character at first, he has a lot of flaws but that's what makes him interesting and he has a beautiful evolution.

Overall this is the kind of drama that's best watched from the perspective of trying to understand the characters, or even empathize with them. We can't control our feelings, and not everything goes our way, and this drama shows that very well. Like it or not, the way the characters behave was very human. More than just a love story, it's a drama about relationships, be they family, friends, lovers, the misunderstandings we can have about ourselves and others, the difficulties we go through, the mistakes we make and the regrets that go with them... Simply put: life. You have to be patient and not judge the characters too quickly to fully appreciate this drama, because we're all different and nobody is perfect. Of course, it's also a beautiful love story and a drama that warmed my heart, with beautiful morals. It's just not what I'd recommend if that's all you're looking for, the drama shows how complicated love can be etc. If you like slow burn and bittersweet romances with complex characters, then it could be for you. It's pretty quiet and not really "dynamic", though.

Some of the topics are very relevant, but I'll let you watch the drama to find out.

Note that the title of the drama in Korean is "Number of cases (to go from friends to lovers)". When you think about it, the concepts at the heart of the drama are some of the things that drama fans hate the most. The importance of timing is a huge part of the story. However, when it's the very concept of the drama, it changes everything. It's not just the story that creates conflict between the characters, and it's not because of external problems either, but internal ones. I'll take an event at the end of episode 6 as an example. At first it made me perplex, I thought it was too clichéd, even ridiculous. By the end of the episode, I completely changed my mind. I find it incredible that what I thought was stupid ended up impressing me. It was so meaningful and sad. Yet another cliché made its appearance towards the end of the drama, but I knew they would prove me wrong, and that they did. Sure, these are all familiar plot devices, but they're there for a reason—and honestly, it's not like such things don't happen in real life.

OST: The lyrics have a real emotional impact and make so much sense in relation to the story and the characters' feelings, especially as they were really well placed in the scenes. One OST is actually sung by Ong Seong Wu himself, dedicated to his character. The OST is called Late Regret, for those who want to know the name. There's also Spider Lily and Serendipity as interesting titles, since they mean something.

Side note: Yes, the story is frustrating and one could say it goes in circles, but no, it doesn't drag unnecessarily. Yes, Joon Soo deserves better. No, I do not put all the blame on Woo Yeon, and no, he wasn't innocent. What matters is that in the end, the journey was meaningful for everyone. Also, it's funny but not surprising to me how people just go for the simpler, kinder, more extrovert character who's a rich CEO, while I'm here finding Lee Soo much more interesting as an introvert, tsundere type of character. Of course I also loved Joon Soo and especially by the end I felt bad for him, so don't get me wrong.

In conclusion, this is a romance that is clichéd but still stands out from the rest because everything seems so realistic and different from other dramas, right up to the very end. Moreover, the division of the drama into two distinct halves is nothing short of brilliant.

The opening to discover as it does not appear on Viki (it does on Netflix) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKQazSzhFr8

Thank you for reading !