This review may contain spoilers
At first it's fun but over time not so much
This review has spoilers!This drama doesn't quite follow the most common structure of romance k-dramas, where you usually have some kind of overall plot and even though it's an important part of the show, the romance happens a little bit in the background. I found it interesting how the creators of this show decided to focus almost solely on the relationship of Yoon Jin Ah and Seo Joon Hee. The drama that surrounds them feels like it's there just to add a little bit of suspense, but the show focuses mainly on how their relationship developed, grows, and, well, crashes down. I really enjoyed this aspect, it was cute, made me laugh, made me cry a bit, all good.
Unfortunately, over time:
1. it gets repetitive
2. the soundtrack gets annoying pretty fast
3. the ending felt rushed and borderline lazy.
What I could forgive the easiest is the repetitiveness. I think it could have been edited down a little, the show's editors could have made the pacing a bit better and I don't think it's necessary to have so many flashbacks, where previous scenes are replayed. It would make the episodes shorter which I wouldn't mind at all since they are usually around 1hr and 20 minutes long.
The soundtrack... Listen, I really can't tell if it's because they are songs I already knew and in a language that I understand that it gets annoying or if it's because they are reused So Often throughout even just one episode, that I'm not sure if I can ever listen to these songs again. The songs themselves are good, but the show relies on them a bit too much for my taste.
The worst part about this is the rushed ending. A sudden time jump, which I am already not a fan of, but here it felt like the show was canceled and the writers had to come up with an ending on the spot. It made me really sad and kind of annoyed because even though it technically has a good ending, it's very anticlimactic.
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<3
This drama is so beautiful. Production, cast and music wise is amazing. It offers comfort and warmth during the first half, then, sadly, by the end it loses strength and becomes a bit boring and tiring.Also, it portrays well Korean society where people usually worries about what people would say or think about others, criticizing what others do and judging. This really got into my nerves, and made me angry, luckily the chemistry between the main actors is so good that made easy to tolerate it.
It’s a good watch
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GREAT ACTING,A REALITY PRESENT, OVERALL GOOD
ACTING OF THEM IS REALLY NICE AND REALATABLE STORY AND THE ROMANCE IS REALLY EYE PLEASING and Nothing much to speak about in terms of plot. some where a predictable story, lack of plot twist or predictable somewhere. You can not say it is a slow burning romance as the romance started too much early. And after the episode 10 there are only problems and problems . somewhere I felt that the leap not required and she had a boyfriend in absence of him is totally absurd,unrequired and specially not good to watch when you only focus on two character ending is a bit of not satisfying they could show more reunited moment or they can show the marriage of them(unless they make a season 2 which is i guess not likely to happened).GOSH! THAT Mom character is annoying till the end. I would love to see the interaction and reaction with the family but I thing this is a lot to brag about.
Another thing which is good that they enlighten is that the issue in the office which is the dark reality nowdays with woman.Here also they did not show the trial and the verdict also which would be really good to see so there is a somewhere a gaps is there in the story.
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This review may contain spoilers
Slow-burn drama that shirks trope-y plotting for beautiful mood-building
This series traverses the emotional overtones of falling in love in a way that I think is completely distinct from any other k- or c-drama I've seen. Even without such a comparison, I think it's remarkably personal and true to itself.(Spoilers only in paragraphs marked as such).
SitR is beautiful, quiet, deliberate, and grounded in character realism- the storytelling doesn't overextend with cheesy, forced sound effects, throwaway comic relief characters, or distracting child actor flashbacks. Son Ye Jin and Jung Hae-in are absolutely incredible; their performances dovetail artfully with the musical and visual atmospherics. The conflict is organic, for the most part, with no pointless love triangles, sensationalist turns, or completely irrational character choices. The characters have flaws and well expanded personalities, and the aesthetics complement the story very well. The artistic direction is incredibly focused while being subtle and understated. In short, then, I absolutely fell in love with this show because of its emotional poignancy, smart writing, and mature direction.
Perhaps the most divisive thing about SitR is the music. In my first viewing, I absolutely hated the English language songs that make up much of the soundtrack, especially the songs "Stand by Your Man" and "Save the Last Dance for Me." The latter is a very antiquated, kitschy, and ridiculous 80s ballad, while the former sounds like the theme song for traditional gender roles. Even so, when I let the reasoning behind choosing these songs sink in, I felt like they were strong tonal moves overall, especially given that their English language meaning should be considered tangential to the Korean of the series, not as direct thematic cheat sheets. In any case, these eye-rolling songs won me over on rewatch and the rest of the soundtrack is actually excellent- the use of the Flea Waltz is so smart and memorable for punctuating the romantic drama with a lightness that makes it all feel genuine. The repetitions in the soundtrack have become comfortable to me on each watch; despite them being awkward in isolation, looking back now, they leave a powerful memory trace of the show's tones. I would still definitely remove "Save the Last Dance for Me" from the soundtrack, though, if I could.
(Minor spoilers) An underrated choice this show makes is to not reduce the characters to their jobs. I've seen dramas where being a lawyer, doctor, etc. becomes a core aspect of how we understand their personality, but that's not the case here. The FL manages franchise coffee shops, while the ML works in video game design. Rather than the drama focusing on the specifics of these positions, they're used in a mundane way to organically deepen the romance through spontaneity. For instance, the ML uses his art skills to draw a caricature of the FL, while the FL tries to impress him with her coffee brewing ability (here, she leaves a mess for someone else to clean but pretends like it was quick, easy, and routine); such choices ground the characters extremely well, since their romantic moves and choices are in reach of anyone and don't rely on cheesy, over-the-top gestures that work as escapism, as we see in so many dramas. Their jobs complement and enrich their personalities, serve the romance, and don't overwhelm the love story with specialized mumbo jumbo or external conflict that has nothing to do with them. Instead, the conflict comes from within their relationship, from the FL's parents, and from sexual harassment at work. For the last of these, the fact it's at a coffee company isn't as important as the social issue itself. SitR deftly interweaves external conflicts that make sense given the characters' contexts. Such external obstacles sharpen the internal conflicts that are there from the start. I really like how this show threads the romance through this kind of conflict architecture.
I think the weakest part of this show is the conclusion, though I think this is due to the nature of the central conflict. To me, the ending is more symbolic than thorough and complete in resolving things. Still, I think it could've been more cathartic if they had even 5 more minutes to work with for the conclusion and epilogue.
(Major spoilers of ending) Even with the conclusion we get, though, I like how it pushes against an easy, predictable resolution. The FL's last conversation with her mother moves in the direction of working things out, but it stops short. Not every conflict gets resolved in real life, and since this show is largely naturalistic in approach, it makes sense that not everything resolves perfectly and cleanly for the leads. Jeju Island works as borderline if not outright escapism at the end, though, which I've had some reservations about when reflecting on this show since I first watched it. I think it's interest to contrast the symbolic victory (of how they reunite) and this potential interpretation of escapism, since I think the show's ending is a success with the former and a failure with the latter. This is the difference between problem overcome through symbolic reminders and caving into the pressures of the world by leaving it, thereby making the successful romance a fantasy/impossibility of the conflict itself. In the latter case, the resolution is a pretty cynical message about social pressure and its power to corrode love and chase it to the fringes of Korea-- basically, their love can thrive only on Jeju Island, but not on mainland Korea. By contrast, I like to interpret the end through the lens of the symbolic resolution. This involves viewing the ending as an echo back to the early theme of throwing out the past with the umbrella motif. Jeju Island would then symbolize the future reunited with the past now made even more free by the fact that the FL has achieved full independence from her parents' opinions and their impact on her choices. She goes through stages of separating herself from them towards the end of the story, so this decision to return to her real love afterwards perhaps becomes more compelling when viewed as the outcome of such necessary, personal reorientation. What's essential, though, and left unresolved is if their romance can work in the public eye where it faltered earlier; I wish there had been a reference to them taking a leap of faith with their relationship, affirming it beyond the private world they existed and succeeded in early in the show. In short, I wanted a projection of their relationship into the uncertain future, rather than merely a success in the nebulous present.
Something in the Rain is my favorite drama series because of its genuine and understated glimpse at the full modal context of falling in love. I've watched it three times so far and each time I've been deeply moved and impressed by what it's able to do. I absolutely love the two leads as well, and would watch anything either of them is in. They're both the best actors possible for the roles they play here, as well as phenomenal in their own right. I would recommend this to those who want to lose themselves in an experience of falling in love rather than someone looking for dramatic plot twists and turns. This show has had tremendous value and depth to me, beyond a shallow entertainment factor, so I hope others enjoy it as much as I do.
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yoon jin ah a girl who is somewhere around her 40's falls in love with a young guy to be more precise a young handsome guy seo joon-hee.the story revolves around the lead that shows how their love progress and how the society and family reacts to this noona-little brother kinda relationship.
LEADING ACTORS:Both Son ye-jin and Jung hae In did a great job their chemistry is magical which makes each and every episode magical.I still can't get over jung hae In he is so charming, handsome and innocent ,his smiles makes you to love him even more and more.Both the actors proved themselves as great actors.
SUPPORTING ACTORS:All the supporting actors performed their task brilliantly and each one of them suits so well in their role.I loved oh man seok in the role of a supportive father.Everybody did it so well.
KUDOS! To the whole team.
MUSIC:Soundtrack serves as the USP of the show.'STAND BY YOUR MAN' and 'SAVE THE LAST DANCE' is already my favorites.
I have seen many reviews where people are complaining abut the show being slow but i guess this is the what the story needs for the show to be perfect because it actually helped the viewers to felt more connected and to feel emotions in a more detailed and deep manner.
The whole show was like a treat to me.
The question of sexual harassment at workplace has been raised and what is the take of people about it normally has been shown very effectively.
Getting married at a certain marriage is still a pressure in the society you can see it through the show.
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This review may contain spoilers
Surprising the Age Gap becomes a Side Issue
8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2018 South Korean drama with 16, 60 minute,episodes. It is also known as Pretty Sister Who Buys Me Food. Jung Hae-in (Seo Joon-he)Yoon Jin-ah (Son Ye-Jin) is an unmarried woman in her mid 30s. Her mother wants her to get married but has very high standards in who she thinks is acceptable for her children. Jin-ah is in her mid 30s and is a store manager for a coffee chain. Her boyfriend breaks it off with her and she winds up bumping into her best friend’s younger brother who just returned from an oversees assignment. Jung Hae-in (Seo Joon-he), Jin-ah’s best friend’s younger brother, is a character designer at a computer video game company. He is a handsome lady’s man who can have his pick in terms of girls to date however he finds his other half in Jin-ah. At first their age gap, the fact that they grew up together, and that he is Jin-ash’s best friend’s younger brother are the issue but it quickly becomes a matter of Jin-ah’s mother thinking Hae-in, who lost his mother at a young age and whose father re-married and left the children, is not good enough for Jin-ah. Can their love survive with so many challenges?
spoiler ? I liked this one to a degree. Jin-ash’s mother was particularly evil and mean but that’s not unusual in these types of dramas. I wanted her to change her mind but it never felt like she fully did. I got a little frustrated by the female lead‘s deceptions when it seemed like it would not of been hard for her to tell him the truth. He sometimes hid things from her as well and I think that made their relationship a little less believable. It was surprising to me that the age gap did not become the main thing they had to overcome it was more getting her family’s approval. I also do not like when they separate it was very sad and since the ending was a bit soft in terms of not knowing, for sure, they would remain together - the separation made it harder to believe seeing them get back together would result in happily ever after. For me a wedding scene would have been a better ending. Really good just a bit sad in parts.
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This review may contain spoilers
The first six episodes are among the sweetest and tenderest I've ever seen: I was completely and happily swept into the story from the start. I adore this beautiful, gentle, protective man who loves completely and unconditionally. Though he is younger, he is wiser and more mature than the conflicted "Noona" he falls in love with, and gives her the protection and courage to discover the power of love--his love for her. There are so many warm, sexy, and funny scenes: my favorite is the hilarious first handhold under the table--funny and triumphant for both characters. I also love the apartment elevator metaphor the director uses throughout the series to mirror the development and then difficulties of the love story. And of course the umbrella imagery is perfect for the gentle beginnings of love, sheltering them and appearing when needed to remind them who they are. But the writer and director decide to muck up the whole thing with the intrusion of outsiders and "family" including the worst mother figure from hell you can imagine. The shrieking, diabolical bitch belongs in an institution rather than young peoples' lives. The makers respond to criticism by saying, "well, reality ya know." I call BS, because the lovers genuinely love one another, and the reality is that this kind of love can never be destroyed. At any rate, after more destructive nonsense, they realize they've screwed up and awkwardly bring in a new umbrella all happy yellow this time. Still, all that said, I do recommend the series for the sweet joy of this couple, and the charm of the leads, especially Jung Hae-in even in the hell storm the makers concoct for him. He is simply fabulous--and it is his warm-hearted character who in the end saves everything, including the series.
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This series is a feel-good one it made me fall in love all over again. Jin Ah and Joon Hee are indeed adorable. But I found Joon Hee easier to love and so dreamy you'd hope someone exactly like him exists in the real world.
In this series I've come to appreciate the drama and turn around of relationships between siblings and best friends and aloof-at-first colleagues (just like in any other kdrama I've watched). Though there are moments that I find too dragging to put up with, somewhere between the lines you just know there's this seemingly elusive kind of love, care and understanding.
Then, the story of this series. The first few episodes were, I would like to say it again, dreamy. You know, the thrill of seeing your first love once again and that warm fuzzy feeling of feeling in love just by watching. So dreamy. But then somewhere in the middle of the series, I grew tired of all the drama little by little (though I still managed to finish it).
All in all, I still loved it though I find its middle too long it's dragging and its ending too short a conclusion for Jin Ah and Joon Hee.
I had a hard time feeling impatient to see the ending and sad that it has to end. Now, I don't know what to feel that's why I had to write about it.
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Gem that more people should know about!
AAAAAhhh! I can't tell you enough how much emotions this drama evoked in me! This was truly a rollercoaster ride full of harsh and realistic life elements and cute simple moments.I should mention first, that I watched this drama two years ago, I think. And I dropped it in about episode 4, because at that time I just hated that the guy is younger than the girl. Now that I think about it - I actually don't know why this bothered me so much, that I had to drop it. Probably I was too young and immature then to understand that it's okay. Whatever your age is it's okay to be in love. And gradually this drama as the episodes go only get better. So if you stopped at around episode 4 - just give it one more chance, you'll not regret it. I'm so grateful I randomly decided to look through my ''dropped k-dramas'' list and give one more chance to this one.
I'm not going to spoil anything, just want to tell you how incredible this whole drama was.
I haven't seen such drama in a long time - main lead guy so adorable and mature, he had such a great chemistry with the main girl that the so called ''age difference'' for me didn't bother me at all. And I was more annoyed about her family and everyone else around them that didn't want to accept them as a couple and made their age gap such a big deal when it wasn't.
The main idea of the drama was that despite all the differences it's important to stand up for what you believe in and what you love - whether that be your sexist and creepy co-workers or a guy that you love, but can't because everyone says you can't. I loved that about this drama.
You can definitely see the whole progress and character development throughout the whole drama. I felt that the main lead guy was always acting mature - more mature than the main girl, so he just stayed that way throughout the drama. The biggest development was the main lead girl. She was so scared to stand up for herself in her workplace and just agreed with everything everyone said, you could even say that she didn't have a backbone and while her age said she was mature - in fact, she was acting like a little girl, who doesn't know how the world works. I guess I can say that her meeting the guy was her maturing moment. He taught her to be strong and not tolerate people who use her for their own benefit - to speak up. SO I LOVED THAT.
One thing also I want to mention - soundtrack. At first I really liked it - actually I still do, I love all the songs in this k-drama. However, I must point out that the music lyrics are very ...how should I say it - bad. They don't fit this drama at all...because, f.e. the main song - ''Stand by your man'' - is a song about a woman who says that she has to be there for the man and forgive him for everything, because he's ''just a man''. It's kind of a sexist song who really does not go with this drama's concept of a woman who is self-sufficient and self-dependent and who stands up for herself and does not rely only on her man. So this song, although the melody is nice, I hated the meaning of the lyrics. So I just had to point this out.
Maybe the ending was a bit too rushed for my liking, especially since the episodes are more than one hour long, so I wished that at least half of the last episode was meant for the great ending of this drama, not just the last 10 minutes. However, I guess for this kind of realistic and raw drama - it fits. Like in life - some things that are hard and stressful last a lifetime and short fleeting moments of happiness end in a second.
All in all - really good drama, especially for people who enjoy watching realistic dramas about real struggles of life. It's about how life is all about the little things and moments with the people we love and that age should not matter as much as your happiness. Because if you can be happy with the person you love - that's all that matters.
Is it worth watching? - YES. Is it worth rewatching - YES AND YES.
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I love how the leads are able to make my heart flutter all the time and makes me want to fall in love. There are quite a bit of scenes that are dragged for too long but I guess its just its way of making you feel a little more.
It can be a little draggy at some point of time and it was nice but I hate it so much when they don’t properly conclude a drama well. I feel that they could have spend a little more time into the ending.
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Knowing when to end
I watched this drama because I saw the two leads in CLOY and WYWS. They even mentioned While you were sleeping in the 1st ep.The leads have enjoyable chemistry and I found their desperate quest to remain together to be endearing. That is until it began to fizzle out due to the mother's incessant badgering. After a while it made Son Ye-Jin's character seem miserable abd as much as I wanted the leads to be together, I found the ending to be unbelievable. I think the writers regretted the sad ending and just threw a happy one at us that didn't feel quire real. Some would say to watch rhe show until ep. 9; that's when it begins failing, but I'm glad I stayed the course. If you love the cast enough to begin, then ffinish it for yourself.
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It was a DRAMA NOT KDRAMA
It just felt an incomplete drama in the end.starting was pretty good and acting from all the actors was excellent too. But jina's mom and her thoughts are the problem. And for me in the ending when Jun Hui left to U.S jina just started dating in the time of just three months and it felt like disgusting thing to do just in a short span of time. It's my opinion. And at last everything was left incomplete. I would say that it was a ridiculous drama and especially it was actually a DRAMA and not a KDRAMA in my opinion. I would not suggest to watch this drama,if you have anger issue and not like betrayals at all for any reason. For me it's just one of the bad drama I have watched till now but also not worst. It's all MY OPINION.Was this review helpful to you?
