intimacy in the face of the storm
i can't stress enough how important this story is in today's world. besides the beautiful romance, it deals with the taboos of korean society, but in a way that imbeds them to the story, not merely checking things off a list1. romance:
No one suspects they're a couple because of the many differences between them: income, age, social class. still, they fit like two pieces of a puzzle. there are no over the top declarations, but a genuine, all encompassing love that can be seen in the smallest actions, like drying each other's hair and bringing coffee after an exhausting day at the office. their intimacy shines like no other kdrama, you truly believe they are a couple. no other people are more tethered to each other
2. Acting:
exceptional and subdued. the characters show their full range of emotions, from crying to laughing to being adorably cranky. it features both seasoned actors and relatively new ones like the main male lead that can play off each other naturally.
3. story
besides the love arc, there is a story about sexual discrimination in the work place. it's not presented lightly or get wrapped up with a bow. it's a serious issue that the main lead faces and the enemy isn't a single person, but society's attitudes that benefit men. she's not a crusader, but she's a fighter. things don't come easy to her, but that's what women face in the workplace. it's important to see that. for me, that's what makes the ending the perfect conclusion
4. music
you will both hate and love Carla Bruni
5. ending
fitting. that's all I can say. many people don't like it, but it's very consistent with the show and hopeful.
TL;DR a must-watch for every woman
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1Also, I liked that the FL didn’t recoil from the ML’s kisses as if he was going to give her a root canal. They had a healthy tactile relationship. One of the few Kdramas I’ve seen where the couple was in a believable intimate relationship.
I found the acting solid all the way around.
Regarding the OST: I dinged it for the overuse of Stand By Your Man. They could have cut the use of that song by 80%. Bonus points though for Rachael Yamagata’s Something in the Rain. Already downloaded it.
I will rewatch all or at least parts of it when I’m having a bad day and need a smile and a warm feeling in my heart. I definitely recommend giving this drama a try.
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But 6 episodes in, I was left pleasantly surprised with its content.
It touches upon a lot of controversial topics like mistreatment/sexual abuse of women at their workplace and in general, romance between an older woman and a younger man, unhealthy/obsessive relationships, mother pressuring their children to only care about the background of people they hang out with and how they can benefit them, negative view on those without parents, on those who pursue an artistic career...
Main leads are absolutely adorable together, have amazing chemistry and make you die from happiness while watching them interact.
This is why for now, I recommend you to watch it. Just be ready to get extremely frustrated whenever her mother shows up. The actress portraying her did a great job.
*Update after ep 12
Unnecessary drama, conflicts around their love life are starting to get boring.
I did like how they brought up a topic on suicide.
Also, currently I'm curious the most about how will their movement against sexual harassment at work turn out.
*Update after finishing the drama
I would say this drama didn't fulfill my expectations. In the end they didn't resolve the problems they kept on dragging for over minimum of 8 episodes and just gave us a rushed, not so well thought-out ending.
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This review may contain spoilers
The Good:-The 1st and the most important thing about this, is the chemistry between the leads. It's so real you can't help for but root for them. They fall for each other slowly but strongly. They laugh ,cry and stand strong with each other. There are scenes that made my heart warm and smile so hard. And there are scenes that put a lump in my throat. But it was so worth it. This feeling stayed for me for about 10 or 11 episodes.
The bad:-
After the 1st half, i was only enjoying the moments where they were together. That was the only good thing in the second half. Everything else, such a drag. They tried to put so many things in to the plot it just took the life out of the drama. I will be honest, i skipped more than a little towards the end even though i don't like to skip. It was ruining the good memory really. Things get to the point where i started wondering too what IS exactly there obstacle. Is it there age gap?or they are like "family"? Or family status problems ? Or something else? It just made me frustrated.
The ending:-
Disappointing for me. I wanted so much for the ending to change my mind. But it didn't. I will not give away much spoiler, but let's just say neither one of them was completely right. Jin ha learned to be independent, then in the end she came back to square one.( when she said her stuck up bf is a good catch. Like what?! Didn't you learn anything by dating that psychopath earlier!)
My last hope was a happy ending and they rushed it too. (I mean seriously?! It was like 5 mins before the end they get together and then what? After all the dragging i made myself go through just to see them happy, we atleast deserved a future look into their lives.) The plot just ruined the most romantic couple for me. They deserved better than this story. It could have been way better.
I gave 7.5 stars to this only because of the 1st half. The 1st 8 episodes is so worth it i am ignoring the rest of the mess. You will know it when you see it. It may make you feel frustrated towards the end, but then you will find yourself recommending it to others and not even give a low rating. I am just happy that i have seen it.
I will probably rewatch the 1st half when i want to feel happy, but not the whole drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
Misery vs Happiness
This drama is a love story of two people with an age difference. At times that can be problematic, but not to the extent the writers went in this drawn-out drama. At first, it captured me with the sweetness of two people falling in love. Then I realized that all they were going to do is throw 18 hours of misery at a couple struggling in a relationship. 18 hours of suffering matched with 3 minutes of happiness at the end doesn’t work. It leaves the person watching with the misery of the 18 hours, not the 3 minutes of joy.However, I thought the acting was fantastic. Son Ye Jin was superb as always. So, I binge-watched the 18 hours and enjoyed the drama, but the story itself left me wanting more. The fact that I feel this way tells me that the foundation of the story was good. If only the writers understood the need of the viewer for a better ending. I loved the music.
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Painful.
I don't even know where to start with this review *sigh* I started this show for the noona ( 누나) romance. I do believe that the FL & ML had amazing chemistry and were so adorable together, but once the mum started nagging and actively trying to seperate them the show was instantly ruined for me. The mum really made finishing this drama feel like a chore. All her scenes were just painfully unbearable.I don't understand why this was made into a drama when it could've all been covered in a 2 hour movie?? A lot of episodes felt like filler eps.
The soundtrack was TERRIBLE. I never want to hear 'stand by your man' again in my life and despite previously loving 'save the last dance for me' -- I think I will now skip it whenever it comes on my shuffle playlist. I have nightmares about this soundtrack.
I thought the sexual harassment storyline was pointless since the resolution sucked and was super unsatisfying. The scenes with Ms Kang were annoying asf. How she was constantly throwing herself at Joon-hee and then the way she treated Jin-a when she heard they were together. I wanted to see some kinda growth with her character but there was nothing.
The saddest part of this drama for me (apart from the way the mum treated Joon-hee) was the fall out between Jin-a and Joon-hee's sister. I loved their friendship was much and to see that deteriorating throughout the mid to later half of the show made me so sad.
I'll never rewatch this drama again so I rated it quite low. I didn't HATE-hate it but I didn't love it either. I think the show was just meh overall to me. I'm kinda torn between whether I'm happy I watched/finished this or whether I'm upset I wasted my time?? Like I said it was painful to finish and probably would've been more enjoyable had it been a movie.
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It feels like a really adult romance since there aren’t scheming backstabbers and ridiculous pranks. The drama takes its time setting up the budding feelings and the dizzying joy of that initial honeymoon phase.
Of course there are obstacles in their way. Yes, a few characters are petty and one-dimsnional, but it’s more realistic than many dramas.
The two leads are terrific with lots of range and interest. She’s strong and flawed and weak. He’s an adorable puppy when he’s in love.
I didn’t expect a whole #MeToo subplot which was fascinating and tough to watch. Kudos for shinning a light on sexism and harassment in the workplace.
Overall, it’s a lovely serious and romantic drama.
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i do find it amazing of the cultural aspects, such as the devout loyalty to the parents to the point of giving up your life (figuratively speaking). you dont find that kind of commitment and devotion in the USA. its interesting to think about what will happen after the show ended...will she totally leave her mother for him?
Hope i keep finding gems like this one. Although i cant rave about the subplots, the love story was enough for me..i loved it.
also, even though i have read some say the repetitive music was too much, i loved when the songs would start at the most tender moments. i thought it was unique use of the songs.
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The one and only saving grace is the character growth of Yoon Jin Ah as Son Ye Jin and the chemistry she had with Jung Hae In as Seo Joon Hee. That relationship was so messed up though. I couldn't be in a relationship that I cant be honest about everything. They are so frustrating. There are some redeeming characters besides the main characters but they are few.
The music is exceptional.
I will never rewatch this.
I don't recommend this drama to anyone.
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Agonizing to watch but brilliant and worth the pain
This drama is excruciating and agonizing to watch, there is no doubt that you will hate every single person in this drama at some point or another and find it extremely hard to understand the choices they make (at least I did since this dramas reality is pretty far from my own but still interesting). So if you are looking for a feel good love story move on this is NOT the drama for you no matter how cute you may think Jung Hae in is, if you are not ready to deal with the pain there won't be any gain so you just might as well move on.Yet still I gave this ten stars, why you may wonder am I a masochist? I don’t think so… Am I completely biased by Jung Hae In Probably, but I only gave a piece of your mind a 9 and it an allot easier drama to watch. To be honest the second time I watched this drama I skipped some scenes and stopped watching after the eleventh episode. So why on earth would I give this drama a 10 If I did not even want to re-watch all of it the second time around? I think I have several reasons:
1. Jung Hae Ins acting is brilliant in this, his flirting, his emotions, almost every single scene with him caused an emotional reaction, mostly happy, heart fluttering cuteness.
2. Jung Hae Ins smile the guy smiles allot in this drama and that smile is definitely contagious.
3. Jung Hae Ins styling, gorgeous sneakers and long coats matched beautifully with casual clothing (he is also shirtless once or twice) .
4. Jung Hae Ins character is just very lovable.
5. Did I mention Jung Hae In is the lead in this drama?
Junf Hae in aside…
6. The chemistry between the two leads, the humor between them and the way their love just reaches out beyond the screen is amazing and will make you feel all gooey inside.
7. The realism, unlike many other fight the patriarch dramas this drama actually shows the painful and harsh reality and consequences one may face while fighting back, no we can do it feel to it here no.
8. The issues this drama addresses are both interesting, important and complement each other well and show haw different issues relate to each other such as sexual harassment, domestic violence, prejudice, social class and controlling parenting...
9. Son Ye Jin doues an amazing jobb portraying this very conflicted character and has great caracter growth.
All in all the pluses out did the minuses by a landslide so even if I didn’t enjoy every single part of it, it is definitely worth a ten in my book.
As you see I loved this drama and I recommend it to anyone who is willing to watch it but I warn you it’s a slow paces, difficult to watch, easy to fall in love drama that will make you feel every single emotion out there (probably mostly anger) but if you are willing to ride out the hardships and focus on the cuteness it is definitely worth the watch, oh and did I mention Jung Hae In is really cute in this?
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Most dramas give you a fantasy idea of love that we don’t often see in real life. The rich guy falling for the poor girl or the asshole becoming nice because he’s in love. We get the handholding, piggyback rides, and back hugs. And we almost always only see the leads falling in love, rarely do we see the real problems that come after the relationship has started. They don’t show the ugly parts of love like miscommunication, or no communication at all, selfishness, bad timing, the clash of different personalities, and the input of family and friends. Once the honeymoon period is over, and you’re no longer enamored with a person, that’s when you start to see your partner for who they truly are. You see all of their flaws and have to make the decision of whether or not to accept them.
This is what Something in the Rain does, but it’s safe to say that most people like realism when people are falling in love, not when they are falling out of love. We loved watching the leads Joon Hee and Jin-ah fall in love in slow motion, but when the writer and director asked us to watch their relationship fall apart in slow motion, most people did not like it.
With the story, it presents you a realistic portrayal of love, a realistic portrayal of people by allowing them to be flawed, and a realistic portrayal of a matriarch family. It sounds perfect, but to a certain extent it becomes a detriment. We’ve seen the mom who opposes the relationship many times before in other dramas, that even though it’s realistic, it comes off as a cliché in this. It also doesn’t help that Jin-ah’s mom is unbearable. I recommend that if you decide to watch this that you watch it understanding collectivist culture which means family comes before personal desires. So, though it may seem ridiculous that a 30-year-old woman is listening to her mom, many women just like her have to live through this. It’s just a difference of culture. That being said, it doesn’t make Jin-ah’s mom any less annoying.
The cast and characters are great. Son Ye Jin and Jung Hae In are incredible in their roles and display a perfect chemistry that their relationship feels real. Both of their characters are very realistic and flawed, but this once again can be a detriment, because they are so painfully flawed that you can end up hating them, especially Jin-ah who is the most flawed character in this drama. I appreciated her realism, but I did not like that she seemed to regress as a character instead of growing. I felt that she did not change at all in the second half nor learned from many of her mistakes and that was disappointing.
The pacing of this drama is very slow, but in a good way. It takes its time showing our leads fall in love and because the actors are so good and have so much chemistry the pacing doesn’t feel slow at all. Many people have complained that the pacing gets slower in the second half, but in actuality it’s the same pacing, it just feels slower because the leads are no longer falling in love but facing difficulties that can be annoying to watch.
My problem with this drama more so is with its ending because it was unearned. Despite how annoying Jin-ah and her mom were, it wouldn’t have bothered me as much if we had gotten the pay off with the ending, not with a happy ending or a sad one, but a realistic one. Instead we were given an unearned one that did not go with the realistic storytelling in the beginning.
Overall, I think the writing, directing, and acting was amazing. Though there were problems in the narrative, I thought the level of writing had stayed consistent and whether or not you like it is based on whether or not you enjoy realistic portrayals of love including the ugly parts. I just wasn’t a fan of the ending. I loved the music and the way it matches the warm mood of the drama that the director created.
I only recommend watching this if you like realistic portrayals of love, if not, you’ll only find this infuriating in the end. If you don’t like slow pacing, I definitely don’t recommend this.
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First of all, I would like to congratulate the casts and staffs for challenging to make such drama, cause woman-older-than-man couple is a difficult aspect to portray in any kind of stories. The couple has to be well balanced, since if not, the viewers will start to feel uncomfortable. For this drama, the relationship part was absolutely perfect, and the mood created was well matched. I could have given 10/10 just for the couple.
The reason I gave 7.5/10 is not because the story was bad or the ending was unsatisfied, but the maximum I can give was 7.5/10 even the drama had a different ending. As I wrote in the opening, the way this ended could not meet the expectation. Honestly, I cannot exactly explain what the "expectation" was, and unsure what kind of ending could have been good. What I can say is, "Yes, it ended that way, but now it's back at ground zero... They will have to face the same thing again...". Lastly, about the ending, I want to ask others, "So everything was his fault then?"
Other than the ending, the drama had few unsolved issues like the sexual harassment incident and the family problem. It was unclear how those were resolved after all.
Story: As stated above, the directors did really well challenging such a heavy plot.
Acting/Cast: WONDERFUL!!!! Are they dating? One thing to say was... can you please not have such irritating mothers anymore?
Music: Nice, but would have been better if it had more variety and tempo.
Rewatch Value: You can come back to witness their chemistry, but other than that, there's nothing.
Overall: You should watch this drama. I recommend it. HOWEVER, try to suppress your expectation, cause you may end up having a discomfort...
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