This review may contain spoilers
Great watch at any point in your life
This is, still to date, my favorite drama I've seen. I've watched it completely now three times at different points after life-changing events. I had first watched it about a year after my grandfather whom I was very close to passed away, another when everyone I seemed to know — including myself — were having health and medical issues, and another while I was expecting a child. Each time I watched, I connected deeply to some part of a character's story, be it a main or a supporting character. The past histories and present plots of just about everyone in the show is fleshed out in a such a realistic way that anyone watching can find some part of it relatable.Besides the amazing storytelling, the chemistry between the leads and even second leads is second-to-none that I've seen and the acting overall from the entire cast is top notch. Usually, there's one character in a drama that feels like they are just reciting the script without any sort of depth. Not the case with this one, at least in my opinion.
But I don't think I would have liked this show as much as I did if it weren't for the OST. It was the first (and only) drama I've seen where I even remembered the music afterwards. The songs match the scenes they are played in perfectly and add so much more emotion to them.
I truly cannot recommend Just Between Lovers enough if you're looking for something different from your average romcom kdrama. Please give it a try.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
a timeless masterpiece
So, I'm writing this in 2021 even though I originally watched this in early 2018. But I am writing this because I love it now just as much as then. Which I can't say for every other drama I watched in 2018.This is a drama you should watch when you need something both comforting and tear-jerking at the same time. Which, I think we could all use that sometimes. This drama also features characters that feel real! Due to the writing and acting and overall vibe of this drama, I could sympathize and feel for each of the characters in their own way.
Kang Doo and Moon Soo also have one of the most healing and beautiful romances. Not a lot of dramas that deal with trauma carry the romance arc properly, but this one did. The leads have dynamic chemistry and I'd love to see them on screen again. (Also when I first watched I had no clue Junho was an idol till like halfway through. He's amazing.)
The music.... ohh the music. I found myself humming along to many of the beautiful osts because I recalled them from my first watching. The OST is one of the best ever. I still listen to the songs from it today.
Rewatchablity was an A+ for me. A lot of the time when I try to rewatch dramas I'll drop them, but rewatching this one I found myself finding new details and falling in love with the beautiful little world in this drama all over again.
SO, 10/10 Overall, it shows a beautiful journey filled with many life lessons and it's such a well-paced and incredible drama. Don't miss out on it if you're on the fence of watching it or not.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Good but difficult to rate
Whilst I was a fan of this drama, I found it very difficult to know how much I liked it. This has probably been the drama that I have found most difficult to rate, perhaps ever! Just Between Lovers has an amazing story, with perhaps one of the greatest couples in dramaland, with a sublime OST, 70 minute episodes that usually feel more like only 30 minutes, and also showing that a story that I thought had quite a basic concept, not be dragged out but instead kept interesting over the whole amount of episodes.However, one thing I had realised by perhaps the mid-point was that I felt like the story gave the vibe that the viewers should only really pay attention to the couple, and none of the supporting cast. Perhaps I only felt that way, but yeah, the vibe I had just gotten was that the supporting cast was only really there to add numbers and I guess just to make the story more whole. Either that or I was just uninterested with everyone except the main couple. I guess that's why I loved the drama, but couldn't give it a higher rating - I guess it would have been a lower rating if the supporting cast had been given more time! This isn't to say the supporting cast acted poorly - all of their acting was great!
I still highly recommend this drama and I believe it is a great choice, especially for those in need of healing, or those who just need a change of scenery in their lives. I felt like I really needed to watch this drama at this specific point in my life, so perhaps some other people will also feel like this.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
One of my new favorite dramas!
I just finished this show, and I'm a bit speechless, to be honest. This show blew me away in such an amazing way with the storyline, the characters, and the acting. I fell in love with almost everything about this show, and it has instantly grabbed a top place on my list. 'Just Between Lovers' has a lot going on like trauma, healing, relationships, drama, romance, comedy, and so many other things. I loved how all the characters have true development, and you can see it span out throughout the show. As sad as I am that I won't see these characters anymore, the ending was perfect, and I'm so happy with everything! Please check out this show it's beyond beautiful.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I liked this drama a lot. The story of all the characters, and how they dealt with tragedy: whether it be self-destruction, self-hatred, or healing. Some people are able to move on with their lives, while others are trapped in their grief.I only had a couple problems with the drama, primarily Moon Soo's mom and then Moon Soo herself. Moon Soo's mom was, to be frank, verbally abusive towards her daughter off and on throughout the episodes, and definitely contributed to Moon Soo's guilt complex. Worse, she never properly apologized for the harmful words she said to her daughter. I so badly wanted to smack sense into that woman, because even if she's grieving she had no right to speak to her daughter so cruelly.
As for Moon Soo, I really liked her character. She was understanding, empathetic, and was great at communicating when something upset her or when something was wrong. Then episode 15 happened, and she did an abrupt turn-around of her pre-established character, refused to communicate, and then stupidly and hurtfully broke up with Gang Doo for a hot minute, just so the drama could be...dramatic, I guess? I mean, they broke up for about half an hour of actual drama time, before getting back together once she found out about Gang Doo's sickness. So I felt that the whole episode 15 was practically pointless.
Was this review helpful to you?
It’s a small world after all
Call it coincidence or fate but it’s a small world after all..I like the drama because it is both heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time.. Our past has its own way of haunting us even after a long time especially if it’s unpleasant, that is why it’s important to have someone to share those unpleasant memories to unload the burden, That is exactly how I understand what the drama is trying to relay..
Another plus factor of this drama is the soundtrack it raises the mode one more notch.
Was this review helpful to you?
The story and plot revolve around the initial trauma of a building collapse. Throughout the story, I found myself wondering both what happened under the building and what was going to happen next. Though some plot lines you could tell where going to happen in the next couple of episodes, instead of feeling bored with guessing, I found myself wanting to watch it be delivered. Growing from Trauma, dealing with the the aftermath and the effects of it, never truly go away, yet you are just trying to move one day at a time until you find yourself moving on thinking about the future days. This drama perfectly captures that and so much more. I highly recommend to people who need a healing drama. The user Fanitha wrote an article about healing dramas, and I couldn’t picture another drama being in the number one spot. A must for Korean drama lovers anywhere. (Link to article below)
Acting / Cast - 10
This is the type of acting and casting I love to see. Everyone, and I mean everyone, to me was perfect to a capital T. The relationship between the characters is all that I wanted it to be and more. There was more depth to the chemistry of the whole cast, which is something I haven’t seen many times. The whole cast, shined brightly also due to the chemistry of the two leads. It would be hard for me to pick out a relationship or line I didn’t think was well acted or well thought through.
I have only seen Lee Jun Ho’s one other time in the movie Twenty, but even then I knew he’s acting was great. This honestly put him on my favorite list. I’m excited to see how his career goes from here.
Music - 10
The music….guys, the music! There is this one song that plays and I know, my heart is going to go! This was it for me, regarding music. I always let everyone know, I’m not a music person, but this is fantastic. It didn’t distract me from what was on screen, in fact it helped pull me in. A++ for whoever was in charge of this, it was fantastic. (I already downloaded the OST to my spotify playlist. One of my favorites)
Rewatch Value - 8.5
The subject matter is heavy, definitely not something I would recommended to watch every month, but there is something in it, that seems to heal you as you go. This drama is something I would definitely watch again, and would recommended to my friends who do watch dramas. Even those who don’t. Trauma is Trauma, and the way the depict each person’s journey and growth to overcoming is relatable to many. This drama left me with a good feeling and one I hope to keep onto the next one. It felt complete.
Overall Score: 9.6
Links:
Healing Drama article by Fanitha - https://mydramalist.com/article/5-healing-dramas-recommendations-063182533
User Fanitha (Check out her many other articles! She definitely knows what is talking about!)
https://mydramalist.com/profile/fanitha
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Emotionally perfect!
Honestly, I really enjoyed watching this K-drama, especially because this is not your typical everyday K-drama.First of all, a WARNING: If you're soft-hearted, I'd advise you to prepare the ice cream and most importantly the tissues because, believe me, you're gonna need them! This one of the very few dramas that can make me cry my eyes out.
Why do I say this isn't your typical K-drama? Because this drama is surrounding a huge incident that changed the life of all the characters involved, marking them physically or emotionally.
I enjoyed GangDoo and MoonSoo as a couple, they were connected in a deeper way than they originally thought, but even after they found the truth they still pulled through.
Was this review helpful to you?
1) The story is heavy. Its about trauma, losing people, youth and yourself in the journey called life. Its about facing your fears, forgiving yourself, others and eventually picking your life's pieces and moving on. The story deals with human emotions....almost philosophically. One can write volumes of literature analysis on how beautifully it depicts loss, pain, wounds and healing. The story is poignantly complex on a human level but very simple from the perspective of story plot. No words can do justice to how fascinating this show is, you have to watch it and experience it.
2) Both the lead actors are phenomenal. Junho is just mind blowing. No words can do justice to his mastery in this show. I had no idea he was part of a group called 2pm (yes I know I am late to the party), had not seen any of his previous shows. But after watching this, I can assure you he's one of my favorite. He deserves all kinds of awards and publicity for the acting chops he showed in this one. His profound attention to detail, his ability to empathize with his character and ingenious ability to be raw on screen is magical to witness. I can't wait to see whats more in store from him. I read somewhere that Won Jin Ah got this role after beating many prospects in a countrywide audition. After seeing her in this show, I would like to say kudos to the casting directors. Great job. This woman has a bright career ahead, she was spectacular as the female lead.
3) No matter how hard I try I can't fault anything in this show. The editing, cinematography, background score, supporting cast.......everything was at its best. Visually this show is breathtaking. The direction is consistent, mellow, thoughtful and very wholesome. Its fairly evident that the makers have put a lot of thought in every detail of the show which makes it a gem that no one should miss.
If you're not someone who gets bored with slow shows with heavy topics or enjoys slow burn romances over hollow fast paced cliche rom coms.....I highly recommend it to you.
Was this review helpful to you?
