varksvader
This review may contain spoilers
A different take on Will they/Won't they
Before I dive into the story, I just want to say even if you don't watch this, please listen to the OST. This is probably the only time I heard songs in a drama and was interested enough to look them up to listen to them after. 10/10
As for the story: the tagline states realistic. Now, what is a realistic portrayal of love? For me, it can really be anything because everybody has a different view of love and every relationship is different. The love story here is definitely different from normal romance kdramas. Does it mean it's good? Depends on your taste.
Nabi has recently come out of a relationship where she was belittled. She encounters Park Jae-eon while she is still recovering from it and trying to find herself. Park Jae-eon himself is probably not the best candidate for a rebound with the state she is in. She knows this and we as the viewers know this. Yet throughout the series, she is indecisive about what to do about it. And that probably best describes Nabi: indecisive.
As we get to know more about her, she tells us that she feels mediocre at best, both in her life and in her art. She struggles with continuing/giving up a lot of things. Her desire for going abroad, her motivation in her artwork, her relationship with Park Jae-eon. We as the viewers are banging our heads thinking let go of Park Jae-eon and focus on your work! But I think this makes her more realistic to us. Not everyone is headstrong and has a direction in life. Nabi shows us that there are other people in life who might feel aimless and lost as we do sometimes.
If you approach this drama thinking that there is a plot, I would advise you from expecting progress in anything, especially between our main leads. This drama is really about thinking introspectively. It is similar to a slice of life, but here the focus is on a single relationship that can't really be defined. We see a lot of push and pull between Nabi and Park Jae-eon. We see a lot of bad decisions and repetitive behavior. Our leads are far from perfect. They keep making the same mistakes over and over. There are times where Nabi makes decisions that I would have made (such as distancing herself from Park Jae-eon), which I applaud, only for her to go 180 again in the next episode.
For some, this might look like bad writing or terrible pacing. For me, it just shows an unhealthy relationship which this drama captures perfectly. This drama is not about making good decisions. This drama is not about a healthy relationship. This drama tries to show the other side of "love" that we don't often see in other media. Sometimes, a story doesn't need a plot. Sometimes, a story can just be about a character and their view of the world (watch the french movie Girlhood and you'll feel the same vibe). And I think, Nevertheless does this beautifully by portraying Nabi as a flawed character who makes bad decisions even though she knows they are bad.
As for the character Park Jae-eon, while I do agree he has red flags and is not the best character, he is similar to a lot of guys in real life. I didn't really know what to expect for the ending. I would have been fine either way: showing that Park Jae-eon doesn't change and just moves on with Nabi being heartbroken or him trying to change for Nabi and attempting to start a decent relationship with her. For the first, it would show that hey not everyone is changeable, which is realistic and part of the webtoon. For the second, I definitely think a 180 change would have definitely not suited him, but I think the trying he does counts. I am happy with how it ended.
Apart from our main leads, who eat up most of our time, I really loved our second couple. Yes, they are lesbians! They also had a similar push and pull but with a much healthier ending. I was really rooting for them throughout. Probably the most enjoyable parts of the drama. I also liked the similar push and pull found in other couples like Bitna and Gyuhyun as well as portraying a much friendlier relationship with the sunbaes and their friends to contrast.
What about our second male lead? I really do feel bad for him, but considering he entered the drama mid-way through with Nabi and Park Jae-eon already establishing a lot of their situationship, it really didn't feel like he had a chance. Obviously, I did root for him being the most realistic choice, but I did agree with Nabi when she said it herself that she doesn't Dohyeok. She would just be stringing him along when she actually likes Park Jae-eon which wouldn't be that cool. In a perfect world, maybe if Nabi recovered from her first heartbreak and was in a better mind space, I would see him as a viable contender.
Overall, I will keep listening to the OST and think about this drama a lot. Han Sohee and Song Kang did a great job along with the rest of the cast. I really did look forward to every Saturday morning. I know according to other people I shouldn't like it, nevertheless, I enjoyed it a lot.
As for the story: the tagline states realistic. Now, what is a realistic portrayal of love? For me, it can really be anything because everybody has a different view of love and every relationship is different. The love story here is definitely different from normal romance kdramas. Does it mean it's good? Depends on your taste.
Nabi has recently come out of a relationship where she was belittled. She encounters Park Jae-eon while she is still recovering from it and trying to find herself. Park Jae-eon himself is probably not the best candidate for a rebound with the state she is in. She knows this and we as the viewers know this. Yet throughout the series, she is indecisive about what to do about it. And that probably best describes Nabi: indecisive.
As we get to know more about her, she tells us that she feels mediocre at best, both in her life and in her art. She struggles with continuing/giving up a lot of things. Her desire for going abroad, her motivation in her artwork, her relationship with Park Jae-eon. We as the viewers are banging our heads thinking let go of Park Jae-eon and focus on your work! But I think this makes her more realistic to us. Not everyone is headstrong and has a direction in life. Nabi shows us that there are other people in life who might feel aimless and lost as we do sometimes.
If you approach this drama thinking that there is a plot, I would advise you from expecting progress in anything, especially between our main leads. This drama is really about thinking introspectively. It is similar to a slice of life, but here the focus is on a single relationship that can't really be defined. We see a lot of push and pull between Nabi and Park Jae-eon. We see a lot of bad decisions and repetitive behavior. Our leads are far from perfect. They keep making the same mistakes over and over. There are times where Nabi makes decisions that I would have made (such as distancing herself from Park Jae-eon), which I applaud, only for her to go 180 again in the next episode.
For some, this might look like bad writing or terrible pacing. For me, it just shows an unhealthy relationship which this drama captures perfectly. This drama is not about making good decisions. This drama is not about a healthy relationship. This drama tries to show the other side of "love" that we don't often see in other media. Sometimes, a story doesn't need a plot. Sometimes, a story can just be about a character and their view of the world (watch the french movie Girlhood and you'll feel the same vibe). And I think, Nevertheless does this beautifully by portraying Nabi as a flawed character who makes bad decisions even though she knows they are bad.
As for the character Park Jae-eon, while I do agree he has red flags and is not the best character, he is similar to a lot of guys in real life. I didn't really know what to expect for the ending. I would have been fine either way: showing that Park Jae-eon doesn't change and just moves on with Nabi being heartbroken or him trying to change for Nabi and attempting to start a decent relationship with her. For the first, it would show that hey not everyone is changeable, which is realistic and part of the webtoon. For the second, I definitely think a 180 change would have definitely not suited him, but I think the trying he does counts. I am happy with how it ended.
Apart from our main leads, who eat up most of our time, I really loved our second couple. Yes, they are lesbians! They also had a similar push and pull but with a much healthier ending. I was really rooting for them throughout. Probably the most enjoyable parts of the drama. I also liked the similar push and pull found in other couples like Bitna and Gyuhyun as well as portraying a much friendlier relationship with the sunbaes and their friends to contrast.
What about our second male lead? I really do feel bad for him, but considering he entered the drama mid-way through with Nabi and Park Jae-eon already establishing a lot of their situationship, it really didn't feel like he had a chance. Obviously, I did root for him being the most realistic choice, but I did agree with Nabi when she said it herself that she doesn't Dohyeok. She would just be stringing him along when she actually likes Park Jae-eon which wouldn't be that cool. In a perfect world, maybe if Nabi recovered from her first heartbreak and was in a better mind space, I would see him as a viable contender.
Overall, I will keep listening to the OST and think about this drama a lot. Han Sohee and Song Kang did a great job along with the rest of the cast. I really did look forward to every Saturday morning. I know according to other people I shouldn't like it, nevertheless, I enjoyed it a lot.
Was this review helpful to you?
