Fight for My Way (2017)

a slice of life drama, underdogs as main characters, and no comical villains.. I thought this would be one of my favorites.
not this time, as it turns out.

Early phases were really downer for me; all kinds of cliches kept stacking against our quartet and all during that time and as the series progresses they were always happy; kind of like oblivious of things happening outside of their group. And it always turned out fine. Bad thing happens, they keep being happy after a brief moment of sadness and voila, it was like it wasn't bad at all; a good result comes along.

it was pretty unrealistic in how we expect them to struggle in a given cliche situation vs the actual struggle on screen.

I liked the characters and costumes, but the story and progression seemed shaky at best.

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Cute with small doses of reality

This drama was super cute! The actors were on fire, the chemistry between the cast was really awsome and you get lots of eye candy.

The story was really interesting, and it made me ask a few questions like:
- How do you live without a dream?
- Are you just passing by in your own life?
- Would you fight for what you want?
- How far would you go to make your dreams come true?

I fell in love with the characters. Their struggles and their desire to do better were realistic and they make you root for them.

There are a few unanswered questions regarding the support cast, but it's nothing that could ruin your viewing of the drama.

I definitely recommend this rom-com full of both ROMance and COMedy, I marathoned it and was worth!

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Anyone who enjoys slice of life dramas will probably like this drama. It is full of humour and is a story about underdogs and their rise to fame. I personally detested the second lead couple. Their story felt too cliche to me and neither Seol- hee nor Joo Man seemed to have a distinct character or dreams. Their scenes were the most putting off to me as I wasn't invested in their struggles. Even the main couple seemed a little childish to me. But it was more bearable than the second couple. Dong Man's jealousy was also a little annoying to me after a point. I adored Choi Ae Ra's character. she and Dong Man were very ambitious and strong characters. That's all there was in this show to me.

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interesting and engaging throughout, straightforward and heartfelt with no draggy storylines

i enjoyed this show beyond words. it's not every day that you watch a show without ever getting bored or disappointed until the end. most of the time, dramas start out strong but go down in quality and writing towards the end. not this show. there are a lot of things i loved about Fight For My Way. it's so honest, straightforward, simple, and heartfelt. it's not gimmicky, tropey, or draggy at all. there are no dumb misunderstanding storylines. it provided me with a certain kind of comfort that i didn't know i even needed. the portrayal of a group of people in their late 20s who have not achieved practically anything that they had dreamed of as kids, who were in jobs they did not necessarily like or enjoy, who weren't anything or anyone was oddly comforting. and this wasn't necessarily a story of them finally achieving their dreams and i think that's what made it so special. this was more of a story of their dreams taking different forms to fit the person they were now. also, you are still young and are allowed to figure things out at 30 years old and i love this show for reminding me of that. it truly dissuaded my aging anxiety for a while.

even though there is a friend group in the show, i was surprised to see how little they actually focused on the friendship aspect since i thought this was going to be one of those youth dramas with the found family trope. this trope describes the relationship of the friend group in this show as well but it is more realistically portrayed and not at all the focus. i would say that this show is more about friendship in romantic relationships as well as just romantic relationships and how they fit into life.

i think i can confidently say that Dong Man is my favorite Park Seo Joon character ever and his pairing with Kim Ji Won is my favorite pairing of his. they had great chemistry, accompanied by great acting, which just made this show even more excellent. i just loved Dong Man and Ae Ra's relationship. i loved their honesty and bluntness. i loved the way they constantly verbalized their feelings for each other. i loved how they easily confessed and expressed their feelings.

i particularly enjoyed the development of the main couple's relationship. it was slow but full of moments, dialogue, and skinship. it was honest and straightforward. it wasn't cringy or timid. i loved how the little things between them were magnified because they've been platonic for 20 years. for example, when they were randomly noticing the attractive features of each other and were confused by their newly-found perspective, it was too cute. also, their skinship moments in the earlier episodes, when they were nowhere near being a couple, were so organic and well done. it was so funny when Ae Ra told Dong Man to not respect her too much because he was being slow to make a move lol. and i liked how even when other people interfered with the main couple's scenes, it really wasn't common. like, the exes had sparse scenes and they really couldn't hurt the main couple. they just provided a healthy amount of jealousy and angst.

overall, they were really everything. even their break-up towards the end is like a non-break-up. they were still them. i'd argue that they were even closer (lol) since they were staying together. they still cared the most about each other. it also matters that they only 'broke up' because Ae Ra was afraid of Dong Man getting hurt and her not being able to handle it. also, since we are on topic, i would like to make a note of how impressed i was by how deeply and tender Ae Ra loved Dong Man. she loved him and took care of him for 23 years. she loved him when he was with other people. she loved him when she was with other people. i felt so bad when they showed us a montage of Ae Ra watching Dong Man kiss Hye Ran again and again over the years while she instinctively turns away. so, through the pain, heartbreak, and fake laughs, she really loved him so deeply.

when it comes to the second couple, i liked the characters individually and i liked that they were showing us a 6-year relationship and the different issues that could come with that as opposed to the main couple. i felt so bad for Seol Hee re: the cheating storyline. even though sometimes it may happen unintentionally, getting emotionally involved with someone else IS cheating your partner. it’s the advances you don’t stop. it’s the remarks you ignore instead of rejecting. and all that leading to something preventable that hurts your partner irrevocably changes the nature of your relationship. Joo Man might not have kissed or had any skinship with his coworker, but as Ae Ra mentioned, cheating doesn't only constitute skinship. he cheated because he lied. he never set boundaries with Ye Jin. they couldn't tell people they were dating but there are a million other ways to set boundaries with someone and he just never did. he just awkwardly accepted her advances and even grew fond of and worried about her. i was so upset when Seol Hee first found out about his lies and involvement with Ye Jin but the first thing she thought to do was not to confront him but go to Ye Jin and ask her not to 'waver' him, which was just so lame and embarrassing. if his heart wavers when he is already in a relationship with you, he was never yours and he is not good to you. the truth is, he never acted like he was afraid to lose her. he was likely too used to her presence that she felt dependable. at that point, i thought they needed to break up but it actually took Seol Hee witnessing him leaving Ye Jin's apartment after a night of not answering calls.

i was happy when they actually broke up even though i knew they'd make them get together again. i also didn't think that Joo Man was actually a good person. even disregarding his lies and sneaky behavior, he was manipulative and believed he was deserving of forgiveness after what he did with no real effort to address what happened and repair what was broken. when Seol Hee stood up for herself for the first time ever, Joo Man said, "why are you being so mean?" and "this isn't like you," which all show that he didn't expect to face consequences for his actions and had the nerve to say ANYTHING about how Seol Hee was reacting to his mistreatment of her.

nevertheless, i liked that they kept them separate for a good while during which Seol Hee was independent and more successful than ever while Joo Man was miserable. i also liked Seol Hee's overall story of not wanting to do anything for the world, succeeding in anything, or adhering to feminist ideals regarding how a woman should live. she just wanted to be happy and at home with her family, which was fine but she was submissive and accepted mistreatment for a good while before she actually stood up for herself.

finally, there were a few things that i didn't necessarily like in the show (but they weren't important and/or didn't bother me too much in the grand scheme of things):

1) Ae Ra getting cheated on is played for jokes. this happens in a lot of kdramas (for example, So I Married an Anti-Fan) where they make a joke out of the main female lead getting cheated on as if cheating isn’t such a huge moral failing, as well as one of the worst and most hurtful things you can do to your partner. i didn't mind it too much because it was clearly setting up the story in the beginning but it did give me a scare as to what the rest of the show was going to look like (as in, if they would make a joke out of other serious topics).

2) some characters don't deserve redemption. i found Hye Ran so repulsive and disgraceful that i was personally offended when they tried to give her 'sort of' a redemption arc at the end. she was awful throughout the whole thing and i could not care about her money problems and her pride getting hurt not even a little bit. her kind of evil was so sinister. she took advantage of Dong Man's naivete and love for her so many times. imagine manipulating a person like that FOR YEARS. she would be with other people and do whatever and go back to Dong Man whenever she wanted, manipulate him using her tears and his soft spot for someone he loves, and get back with him just to dump him whenever she wants again. that is an awful, awful person that did not deserve even the idea of a redemption arc. they could put her in any situation at the end and i still would not feel sympathy for her and i don't think Ae Ra realistically would as well, she just wasn't petty.

3) Dong Man's issues went unexplored. i think the relationship they showcased between Dong Man and Hye Ran was incredibly manipulative and indicative of some sort of attachment issues in Dong Man that i wish were explored further. they did have a 'closure' sort of scene with this couple but they never really explored why Dong Man would be so weak-willed and insecure with Hye Ran and accept her whenever she decided to be with him again. was he desperate for connection? did he just love her too much? did he have abandonment issues? why would he take that kind of abuse?

overall, i loved this show and it's easily one of my favorite shows ever. more little things to comment on:

1) this is a small point (but big for me) but i love it when shows show continuity with the way they handle the scars on a character. like, every time Dong Man got injured, we saw the scar fade naturally over time and over a few episodes. the scars didn't just vanish.

2) like a lot of kdramas, this show had an anti-capitalism plotline. i loved how they explored Ae Ra's career issues and the unfair nature of the standards in the industry she was trying to get into. i remember that one recruiter told her that she had to "prove" her passion through her achievements, which all just require money to put on your CV. if your job criteria involves things that can only be acquired by money and/or being wealthy, then you are purposefully leaving poor people out.

3) i loved the landlord lady because at first, she was that quirky character many kdramas have that secretly helps out and roots for the main characters. when it was revealed that she was Ae Ra's mom, that was expected but i thought it was unnecessary to try to confuse the viewers by showing flashbacks of her with Dong Man and everything since this isn't a mystery drama and those scenes didn't really add anything to the story, you know? other than that, her actual story was really sad. imagine spending your whole life without a mother and being heartbroken about it just because of societal norms. i loved how Ae Ra actually watched the movie that caused all this and she was like, "you were great in it!" lol. i was just happy that they didn't make things too dramatic or angsty.

they deserved their 10s!!

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Why aren't all dramas this good?

A rom-com almost entirely without tropes and with lots of both comedy and realistic, painful, passionate romance this wipes the floor with all the cold chaebol/screechy candy drivel.

This was a story about mostly ordinary, working-class people and their struggles to make their dreams come true, sometimes in roundabout ways. But it was all the better for that. Even the 'birth secret' (OK, one trope) seemed natural and believable.

The acting, from the whole cast, is top-notch, creating real, believable characters that you root for. I have lots of favourite scenes - Dong-man's conversation with his Dad on the park bench (I ugly cried), Seol-hee calmly throwing a glass of water over Ye-jin and then pointing out, equally calmly, that it was OK for her to do that, the 'bed' scene the night before the big fight, but really the whole thing flowed, the whole thing was engaging, the pacing was near faultless.

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first of all, the main casts are really something. it's kim ji won and park soe jun who has both excellent visual and acting talent. their chemistry in this drama will give you butterflies in your stomach, it's so sweet but not lame at all.
it's a light story but this drama will courage you to achieve your dream even though the situation may not support. the story is also realistic and simple, but i bet it will keep you wanting to watch the next episodes.
lots of sweet kissu!
one thing i disappoint about this drama is the ending, it needs more sweetness at the end after all:(

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Could've been better

This drama was good, it was enjoyable and cute, however, it could have been better and I have seen better. At the start, the episodes were fast-paced and enjoyable - I was beginning to like the characters and where it was going. Towards the middle of the show (ep 7), it became more boring and I found myself having to force myself to watch it. Then, at around ep 12, it finally began to pick up the pace a bit and I ended up enjoying watching it more and finished it in 3 days.

I personally am not a big fan of the friendship Ae-Ra and Dongman had. Considering they had been friends for 20 years, it didn't seem like it and the writing of it could've been better. I found myself enjoying their romantic relationship more than their friendship which is something very uncommon for me.

I also really enjoyed Seol-hee and Joo-man's relationship especially the ending as it was realistic and not like the typical kdramas where the man gets instantly forgiven.

My favourite character has to be the coach, he was so wholesome and fully believed in Dongman, even more than Ae-ra did. The best parts of this drama were definitely the fighting aspect of it. I loved the relationship between Dongman and the coach, I loved the determination Dongman had to win and make his parents and his sister proud. I don't agree with the ultimatum Dongman was given but I also cannot blame her, no one could ever see the love of their life get beat.

In conclusion, this drama was good. I feel that if the writing had been a bit better and the middle of the drama hadn't gone downhill, this drama could have been more than a 5/10

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This drama focuses on four friends who grew up together and are now in their mid-20s, struggling to recapture the dreams of their youth. Ko Dong Man (played by Park Seo Joon, of the very pinchable cheeks) is a former Taekwondo athlete who suffered a defeat at the top of his game and is now a 20-something guy getting by on his somewhat soul-crushing, mediocre part time job. His best friend is Choi Ae Ra (played by Kim Ji Won), the undeniable boss of this quartet, who dreams of being a new anchor but has to live with her job as a greeter in a department store/mall. Her roommate and other best friend is Baek Seol Hee (played by the adorable Song Ha Yoon), whose dream in life is to be a wife and mother, and who has been dating and half living with her boyfriend of six years, Kim Joo Man (played by Ahn Jae Hong - what a teddy bear), while she works as a customer support rep for a home shopping network. Joo Man works for the same company, but as a producer/buyer for the food segments on the home shopping network. While the story line follows Dong Man and Ae Ra's movement from friends to romantic partners, Seol Hee and Joo Man face the break down of their six year relationship.Throw in a surprise birth secret in the last third of the series for a bit of added flavor. This show was a lot of fun to watch - though I often find Park Seo Joon utterly delightful, so I'm not surprised. When hilarity ensues, it is very well done. The pacing is a bit off, as the ending felt a little rushed in comparison to the slow set up at the beginning of the series. There's also an early on plot line that felt almost entirely pointless, though thankfully it's wrapped up pretty quickly and never mentioned again once it's done.

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FFMW revolves around one of my favourite tropes of close friends that have great chemistry and might become more. And this is done very well, almost to perfection. It also contains strong female characters, amazing friendships and a message that will make you wan to go out, find your dream, chase it and fight for it.

The cast is simply excellent. The Fantastic Four could not have been better cast, I enjoyed every single performance and not only in the couple set up but also in their individual friendships. They also feel like real people which is sometimes rare for a kdrama. The secondary characters are also great. I especially liked Kim Sung Oh who just keeps surprising me in every drama I watch with him. His comedic range and ability to play various types of characters so believably is amazing. The parents were also great, just good actors and performances overall.

Music was excellent as well, playful and filled with songs that just dominate your head for days to come.

The story is very well done, the main plot is approached with proper attention do detail. First half of the drama has such a tempo that you will not be able to pull yourself from the screen. The plot later on becomes a bit hectic - there is a lot of small plot lines that culminate at once and the episodes before that suffer a bit in the anticipation of it. In my opinion, this is not harmful to the drama but you will notice it a bit.

Honestly, I loved this way more than I expected. I managed to chug it down during one of my busiest weeks of this year and I don't regret the lack of sleep at all. I will probably come back to it at some point but mostly focus on the first half of the drama where it really hit my spot.

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