Their bond was strong!
This was a great watch from beginning to end, with 2 or 3 missteps but overall one of the cutest shows. I couldn't stop smiling and cheering for their love to be accepted, they were made for each other and I felt that. Most portraits of romance only show the good sides and when something happens, it usually feels like a forced break-up or the characters don't even feel wronged because "love". This drama managed to moment of despair and anger, that are normal in relationship, because I feel like if you care a lot about someone and feel wronged, it will mess you up to even greater extents. The plot was really what stick out to me, most of the ost wasn't that surprising and the song I remember the most was in english and very "okish". Same thing with the actors, they are pretty to look at and managed to create a believable plot and romance, but non of the performances were something that will stick with meWas this review helpful to you?
Love the ordinariness of this un-Kdrama-like show
The ordinariness of the female lead and plotline is beautiful: woman in her mid-30s, who is stuck in life with her career going nowhere; and her relationship collapsing, finds companionship and support from the male lead. Of course, the male lead also happens to be her best friend's younger brother, complicating it. And possibly, western audiences do not understand this complication too much.Writer Kim Eun and director Ahn Pan-seok strive to bring a realistic, unmushy feel to the relationship and its growth. But what brings it together is the natural chemistry between the leads, Jung Hae-in and Son Ye-jin. The writer-director's second project, One Spring Night (8.3, 7.9, 2019), tries for a similar feel but fails without Son Ye-jin.
The show also has a nuanced take on sexual harassment at the workplace. It is not as loved as other shows because it's not your regular kdrama, making it the lowest rated show that I recommend, but that's what I love about it. Having said that, it does drag a bit in the middle and could have been shorter.
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Soundtrack is WTF
Adore this show, truly.Wonderful acting. Funny, dear, sweet, tough, teary-eyed storytelling.
1 & only 1 issue.....WTF with the 'Stand by Your Man' song???!!!
Every other scene this exhausted country/western tune drones on..and on.
With the budget to use the original & cover versions of this song, they could've hired
a composer to create music to compliment this series..for less money!!!
Over & over again this song plays. OMG!!!! Stop. I don't ever want to hear this song again!
Watch the series its great. Hit the mute when 'that song' starts.
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This review may contain spoilers
Stopped with episode 15
I picked this up because for a while I was consuming anything and everything labelled 'Noona Romance' (older woman pursued by younger man). I really liked it. I was even a little fixated on one of the supporting actresses, Joo Min-kyung, because I really liked her voice. I remember this one scene where the main couple hold hands under the table. The show was full of great angst from the siblings, but what pushed me over the edge was the treatment from the parents.I suspect I might feel differently now, but at the time I was too disappointed that they actually break up in the second-to-last episode and there's a longer time skip before they reunite and come together again. This is a common trope, I realize now, but in my early drama watching days I wasn't ready for it.
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This review may contain spoilers
Starts out promising but drags and gets repetitive
I watched this show right after Crash Landing on You and I was really looking forward to watching another Son Ye-jin-starring vehicle. It starts off pretty promising. The two leads have great chemistry and their romance is super adorable. But their romance is also the show's only main plotline. (While there's also this office sexual harassment storyline, which is a super important topic to discuss, the show makes it very confusing and hard to follow, IMO). Anyway, because the romance is the only plotline, the show has to keep throwing obstacles in its way, first in the form of a super clingy, unredeemable ex-boyfriend, and then in the form of Yoon Jin-a's insufferable mom. I really could not stand the mom-she just screams and cries all the time and gets in the way. There's just no compelling reason why Jin-a and Jun-hui shouldn't be together, so the latter episodes got really annoying. I finally stopped in the middle of episode 11 and just skipped to the end. It just got so repetitive.The music is funny; the whole soundtrack is just these two American songs from the 1960s: "Stand by Your Man" and "Save the Last Dance for Me." Kinda random, but they grew on me.
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BEST CHEMISTRY EVER
This truly is one of the best dramas I've ever seen .The romance between the two leads is so beautifully portrayed.the performance of the two wonderful lead actors truly captivate the audience.their depiction of awkwardness in the beginning of a relationship and how they slowly fall in love with each other is just breathtaking to watch .
The music and the visuals accompanying their story truly takes us on a romantic journey .
On top of the amazing story and performance by the leads. it's such a realistic portrayal of the culture of the Korean society.this is real life .unlike many kdramas which chooses to focus only on the fluffy side ,this drama chose to show the rough real side of society.the workplace harassments that women face and the pressures placed by asian parents .as an asian I can truly relate to the FL's situation .this truly is the story of the FL's growth with the help and support of the ML .
It was a wonderful experience to watch .truly takes u on a journey
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This review may contain spoilers
Someone needs to grow up and it isn't the younger ML
I created an account to write this review because this show was so triggering. As someone who is close to the FL's age and has experienced a "forbidden" romance that was sabotaged by her batshit Asian mother, I feel qualified to comment on the failings of this drama.If you are looking for drama with similar themes, I recommend the cdrama The Rational Life. It's a noona romance that deals with a female executive who regularly encounters misogyny and politics in the workplace and societal/familial pressure to get married. Her mom also has anger issues, lmao. It doesn't have the indie aesthetic, but the FL actually has a spine, ambition, and social/communication skills.
I find Something in the Rain to be extremely defeatist and socially irresponsible. The show dances up to calling the mother abusive and calling her ex out for sexual assault, stalking, and harassment. And yet... The mother is forgiven, her ex gets off scot-free even after attempting a FREAKING MURDER-SUICIDE, and nothing really changes at work. In fact, she ultimately decides to leave the workplace from the emotional trauma of the situation. These are very common sentiments from women of older generations, but to normalize them is to enable abuse from elders, rape culture, and toxic work culture. And ATTEMPTED MURDER-SUICIDE!!!! I cannot stress enough that this is not a healthy mindset regardless of culture or age.
As someone her age, the FL has a societal responsibility to improve things for her juniors (this is how you know I'm Asian lol), not let herself get lost in the shuffle and have no sense of up or down. There's so much victim blaming that is easily debunked, but the writer clearly doesn't have the feminist theory to do so. To the writer and the other women whom think this is good societal commentary, I beg you to read Audre Lorde, bell hooks, or other feminist literature. You're only scratching the surface of societal observations even if you have lived experience. I also recommend the Taiwanese drama Wave Makers which showcases how the interplay between different generations of women can actually be empowering, to the point of kicking off the Taiwan #metoo movement in real life!
Age gap relationships are complex ethically, and this relationship falls short. I'm so glad they don't end up together. It's very clear she is dating a man so much younger because she herself is emotionally immature. One comment mentions that the apple doesn't fall from the tree, and I'd have to agree. She regularly meddles and disrespects boundaries just as much as her mother, she just takes a covert self-victimizing approach instead of throwing temper tantrums and assaulting her juniors.
The FL is used to dealing with abusers and she hasn't come into her own yet, despite being a grown woman in her mid-30s. It's embarrassing to watch herself repeatedly cram herself into a wardrobe to hide from her best friend she's known her entire life. No wonder men her age don't want to deal with her. Her boyfriend is too young to understand that this is a woman with deeply unhealthy boundaries and communication skills. Son Ye-jin's trademark expression of smiling with a pained look in her eyes is put to good use in this drama.
I know it is common for kdramas to only have one or two songs on repeat, but this one was particularly frustrating because this lady does not stand by her man!!! She straight up lets her mother slap her boyfriend in the face and then acts like she's somehow helpless. She forces him to reconcile with his deadbeat father, even after he's made it clear he doesn't want him in his life. There's a huge difference between filial piety and being an enabler. There isn't a single thing she does that actually improves this boy's life. As someone who's been on the other side of an age gap relationship, he's in for an awakening as he gets older and realizes just how stunted she is and how much this relationship affected his formative years.
I don't mind slow-paced indie features, but I agree with another reviewer that this could have easily been a movie. The actors are very well cast and have good chemistry, but the plot simply is incapable of progressing past a certain point, reflecting the writer's emotional and social ceiling. No matter how good their chemistry is and the build up is, there's only so much ~heartfelt hugging~ a person can take. I also felt like they didn't really know how to flesh out a young male character like the ML. A lot of his emotional motivations felt underdeveloped and aimless.
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Jung Hae-in's best work
The first 6 episodes were bliss. The drama did an excellent job of introducing all important characters while setting out the context and the problems that lie ahead. If they had continued on that trajectory, this might have been my favourite show ever. But then from like episode 7 onwards it just drags on so much and only really gets somewhat interesting again in like episode 15 or so.Like I mentioned in the headline, Jung-hae outdid himself with this role. It's hard to believe that this was his first lead role, he did not act like an amateur one bit. As for the pretty noona who buys him food, she also did a good job portraying Yoon Jinah although her character was very annoying at times.
Despite the boring middle, this drama was good but I have to say that I was not fully satisfied with the ending. It left so much to be desired as they still had not talked about how they were going to resolve the underlying obstacles surrounding their love.
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Muitas questões
"O ideal aparentemente seria ambos no casal terem a mesma idade mas, se ele for mais velho tudo bem, desde que não muito mais velho. Agora, se ela for mais velha, não importa quantos anos, está errado..." Fico triste com esse pensamento!Outra dificuldade que até faz sentido mas me irrita muito é a importância dada a classe social, como se eles não fossem capazes de crescer juntos.
Agora, o pior de tudo? As questões familiares! Qual o problema em ser órfão, ter pais divorciados, ser adotado, etc?
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This review may contain spoilers
I listened to all the reviews that said to skip from ep 10 straight to the ending and I won't miss anything. I did exactly that and I agree, I don't feel I missed any important details. But having said that, this drama portrayed the slow and confusing process of falling in love. The fear of confessing your feelings and being rejected and the first time holding hands. The portrayal of all these experiences and feelings was so well done, that often I forgot to breathe. The honest and naive love that the ML had for the FL is something we all can dream about. But I did skip all the miscommunication and break-up drama that went on for 6 episodes because the last episode summarized everything and then ended on a good note.
Overall it's a must-watch for every K-drama lover and anyone interested in love because it should become the golden standard of how love and relationships should feel like.
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This review may contain spoilers
Watch One Spring Night instead
I enjoy watching Jung Hae-in's works and I think he excels in melodramas. Similarly, I think Son Ye-jin is a fantastic actress who has the ability to create very strong chemistry with the people she acts with. The concept of the drama seemed very interesting and refreshing, as with the director's other work, "One Spring Night", which I enjoyed a lot more.The front half of the drama, as many would say, was extremely enjoyable, but I also thought that the drama went downhill after maybe ep 10? What kind of 40 year old does not have the capability to stand up for herself, yet is rather emotionally manipulative towards her significant other? And they communicated well at the start, yet threw everything out of the window when times got tough (reminds me of Record of Youth). And the mother is the most overbearing parent I've ever seen, including in real life. I think I spent more time wondering why no one has slapped her and yelled at her instead of actually watching the drama. The office sexual harassment plot seemed to take up too much of the plot as well, though I think it is an important issue that the writers and directors tried to incorporate.
As for the OST, I don't understand why people are complaining that it's an all-English OST or that it's repetitive. However, I think the OSTs were just okay. They weren't bad, but it was nothing spectacular either. I preferred the waltz/jazz/mellow sounding OSTs in One Spring Night.
Overall, I think this would have been better as a 2hr movie than a 16 episode drama, or maybe a 10-12 ep drama. I have no idea why I finished watching this drama.
In summary:
What I liked - cast, chemistry between JHI and SYJ
What I disliked - SYJ's mother in the drama
Star of the show: JHI and SYJ's chemistry
Rating: 6/10
Watch if you like to be angry (or watch the front part for some JHI fan service)
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