Was It Love? (2020)

Very good until the end

I agree with a lot of other people's comments about the frustration felt throughout this series. I definitely found it addictive because I kept waiting for things to get better and for reconciliation. that did not happen. I would have given this series a 10 review, but the last 2 episodes really disappointed me. had the series ended differently, this could have been a great series.

the acting by the main male lead was phenomenal, within the confines of the writing of the show. I have to say that overall the acting was great, and it was the writing of the show that was disappointing.

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A beautiful series but dwindled towards the end

When I started watching the series, all six episodes were already available on Netflix. The moment I finished watching an episode, I already knew I wanted to watch the entire show. So every Wednesday and Thursday night I would wait for the latest episode. It was unbearable at first because the drama gave me several emotions – heartache, hope, wonder and nostalgia.

The first six episodes got me. I felt everything the story wanted me to feel; not to mention, I related well to the characters especially with Noh Ae-jung (Song ji-hyo). Well, only the part about the sacrifices and her dreams. But pretty sure some numerous viewers relate to her and the other characters well.

But I was able to endure the long wait every two episodes because I was happy with every single episode especially the flashbacks. Also, I’m glad all the actors in the show participated in this drama. I couldn’t imagine someone else in their places.

Sadly, towards the end, I was not having the same satisfaction. Episodes 15 and 16 were the lowest episodes for me. If you watched the series, you might have remembered that there was a cancellation of episode 15 release. JTBC did not air the said episode due to typhoon Bavi so fans of the series waited a bit longer.

Since we were down with the last two episodes, I decided to watch them when they’re both out. The day came and I finally did. As per my thoughts on the early episodes, I lost all those feelings towards the last two episodes.

I thought there would be a sense of clarity and satisfaction. I did get the former but the latter was a slight disappointment. I felt that a person who underwent such tragic misunderstanding, yes I use tragic, should get the best conclusion. Noh Ae-jung and Oh Dae-oh/Cheon Eok-man deserved so much better like the rest of the main and supporting characters did.

Don’t get me wrong. I did appreciate the ending specifically how our beloved Noh Ae-jung finally fulfilled her dream and continuous to do so. Also, I know they did end up together but the added two years apart was an agony.

In the previous episode where they fixed Ryu Jin’s problem, the way they did that to protect Noh Ha-nee and also Ryu Jin was so well-planned and executed. But when the problem with Oh Dae-oh or should I say, his other persona Cheon Eok-man the author resurfaced, it was different.

I guess it’s because he knows well and is already a part of Noh Ae-jung and Noh Ha-nee life that he wanted to protect the love of his life and daughter. It makes sense, to be honest. But the hyped feelings the series gave us since episode 12 dwindled in the last two episodes.

I guess that just made me a bit sad about how the beautiful series ended. I can re-watch the early episodes but not the whole series.


P.S The music here is really good especially Dreams by Lee Ba Da. It’s the perfect music to describe Noh Ae-jung’s journey.

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Don’t get carried away by the bad reviews.

Unlike most reviews I’ve read in this site, I actually enjoyed watching the drama. It had its flaws, for sure, but I don’t think it deserves the hate it received.

What I love about this show is how realistic it can get when it comes to a love that ends due to simple misunderstandings. It shows you how pride and anger can get in the way of a lasting relationship.

I also feel like it was a brilliant way to show ex lovers meeting years later. It shows us the effect of maturity on how people start to view their relationships.

The love “quadrangle” wasn’t even toxic. They don’t leave you guessing for too long on who’s the father, because even in the early episodes, one candidate’s true identity is already revealed. It doesn’t take on the annoying damsel in distress with many guys fighting for her plot, if that’s what’s stopping you from watching it.

I also loved how the fatherless child played a central role in finding her true father. She was such a joy to watch.

Again, it’s not a perfect show. But I truly believe it doesn’t deserve the hate it’s getting.

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Not even trying

It seems impossible for writers to do a decent reverse harem drama without relying on awful tropes and this drama was no exception. Well, at least I didn't have any expectations going into it so that definitely helped. The entire story was built around a single misunderstanding which is nothing but lazy writing, instead of building a proper story. Out of the four men, Yun Woo was the worst addition, he always felt out of place and doesn't contribute much. None of the pairings were appealing, not even the non-romantic ones. The drama was so dry and empty that they didn't know what to do for the last episode so made up something just for the last episode. The cast members may be decent individually elsewhere but not here. This drama was as bad as "Three Dads One Mom (2008)" and "To All The Guys Who Loved Me (2020)", they even share the same flaws!

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I kept waiting for it to redeem itself and it just continued to get worse

I watched this drama while it was airing and it was like watching a train wreck in slow motion

Story: Just no. Just say no. The writing is honestly trash. I don't know how to explain it any better. First of all, a love pentagon (or freaking net who even knows) is kind of lame in the first place, but it was not well executed either. Way too many story lines. How the female lead attracted all these men is beyond me because she honestly seemed like such a b***h. Even the romance aspect was all hecked up. A total downhill. They should have left the last few episodes for the daughter and the father to get to know each other but instead they added a mafia aspect and also celebrity news intrigue? A messss. Not a satisfying ending either.

Acting/Cast: Son Ho Jun is honestly the highlight of this drama. If you're his fan, it's worth the watch. The child actors were also greatttt. Otherwise, just, they felt very stiff, idk.

Music: A big positives for me were the OSTs. My favorite is Dreams by Lee Ba Do.

Rewatch: lol no way in heck

TLDR; the writing is trash, watch clips of Son Ho Jo and the kids instead on youtube

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So Underwhelming

I knew this wasn't going to be great but this was even worse than I thought it would be in so many ways it's hard to keep track. Had a slight Mama Mia vibe to it with the story and ending. Thank goodness for the kids who were the saving grace of this show. Them, the gangster and the bar owner were the only characters I really liked. The story dragged and at times felt messy and a bit all over the place. I don't think I could have gotten through the whole thing without the FF button. The FL was so frustrating and annoying. She thinks he cheated but she didn't look longer than a couple seconds since it shows he pushed the girl away pretty quick. Never speaks to or confronts him but after one phone attempt, and a text, (both of which he never sees) disappears and never let's him know he has a kid. Even putting that aside, after the misunderstanding is cleared, and she knows he's a good guy, she is awful to him. Cruel even. Telling him he can't have a relationship with his own daughter and to stay away. Even saying something to the effect of it's almost funny how great they've been without him was horrible and cruel. This while he is reeling from suddenly finding out he has a 14 year old daughter he never knew about. She causes problems after problems with her continuous bad decision making. She is selfish, self righteous, and smug. She spent most of the time blowing up and getting pissed off at people. Yelling and giving dirty looks constantly. Even her pushing away and assuring everyone she was okay and strong even though she obviously wasn't came across more as her feeling self righteous and superior rather than feeling she was doing it to protect others or keeping them from worrying. More like it was a self affirmation for her own ego. Like assuring herself that her stupid decisions were best instead of self reflecting and realizing that she was not only hurting herself, but everyone around her. Especially her daughter.
The ML had a nice transition at first with him realizing his hate was much closer to love than he had ever imagined but the FL was written so poorly that after awhile I started feeling like he needed an intervention. It felt like he was just blindly obsessed and in love with his memory her so much that he couldn't see the real her. That all these guys were falling over themselves for her was just bizarre and weird. She had such an awful temper and a scowl over her face so much of the time it was like, why??? It didn't help that there was basically no romance between the leads the whole time. One small kiss and one peck on the cheek. Made the chemistry even more underwhelming.
One part I did think was funny was when I first heard that Korean song version, I thought, "That sounds a lot like that Cranberries song." only for them to play the actual song later.
The actor and actress characters were both the whiny "I liked them first!" characters which is a trope that is so annoying and lame and I wish would just die. For the actress, though, it seemed they were trying to rewrite history with her being that way. It comes across in the story that ML's family troubles come after they've gotten together, thus starting a strain in their relationship because he doesn't share what he's going through. Part of that, is his taking on tutoring students to bring in extra money which is where the actress comes in and causes the misunderstanding. So her whining to Ryu Jin about liking him first is wrong and put in there just to have her have the same rant as him. Poor writing.
The ending was just as bad as the rest of the story. There is a separation for no good reason. Who is going to wait around for years with no contact for someone? For all you know they could be dead, and there is no good reason to wait around for someone who can't even stay in contact with you. Another trope I wish would die. Weird Mama Mia-esque ending for no real reason and is just weird.

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I don't really understand why some people don't like this drama. In my opinion it wasn't that bad. The only issues that I had was that I didn't really have any love for Oh Dae Oh. At the end when he left he should have just stayed gone. He hurt Noh Ae Jung and Noh Ha Ni twice already be showing up and causing emotional turmoil for both of them and leaving again once they were both hopeful of having a complete family.

In my honest opinion I would have hoped that Noh Ae Jung would've ended up with one of the other 3 guys but the ending was smooth with each of them finding someone in their life other then Noh Ae Jung.

When I first saw the very end with the wedding I though it was going to be Noh Ae Jung's wedding with Oh Dae Oh because he showed up again, but I loved that it was Noh Ha Ni and Goo Dung Chan.

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Not bad, but not good either, if you're looking for a light drama

In order to enjoy the drama, you must watch it with the expectation that the it was a very light drama and the plot will keep circling with very less development. The storyline was good but it wasn't develop enough and builds up to the point it gets frustrating, as I thought it could get better. It starts of fun and light, in the middle it becomes repetitive and in the end it gets better with the tension, but not good enough. As much as I enjoy a light drama, I found the plot quite disappointing. But since I was looking and in the mood of a light drama, I could say I do enjoy it. Oh and, the good part of the drama would be about the daughter looking for who is the real father. Anyways, if you're looking for a light drama and you don't really have lots of options, then do watch it :)

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Sweet but frustrating at times

I love Kdramas and I am trying my best to love this one. My biggest problem is with the Fl. Next to the ML she looks old and dowdy most of the time. I decided to rewatch this drama and the second time around I found myself having a change of heart. I even changed my initial scoring.. The males actors are all a treat to watch . The two kids actually steal the movie. I wanted to learn more about the boy and his relationship with his father. I wanted to know who was the girls father. I don’t know why Asian women are usually depicted as being so pitiful. They are either overly aggressive or indecisive. The storyline is not unique. However the excuse given for hiding the father’s identity just is not convincing. It was really painful to watch. But as I started to make more attention I was drawn into how people and events affect our lives. Families do keep secrets. Some people never get over their first love. Life happens. As I said I liked the parts best with the male leads and the kids. The grandmother was great too. I do not find loud screaming females entertaining. The parts where the Ml was not yelling were really good. I say give this a chance.. You may be pleasantly surprised like I was.

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Typical who's the father drama

The main reason I watched this is because of Song JiHyo. I love seeing her on screen although it seems like she ends up with flop series most of the time because of terrible writing. This one is slightly bearable than most. I kind of enjoyed watching the series despite some flaws on the writing which was pointed out by other reviews.

For me, the casts did their best to do their roles. I also like how things were wrapped up because it almost felt like everyone had their happy endings.

I don't have much say whether to recommend it or not but as JiHyo Eonnie fan of course, I love this drama seeing her in it.

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Disappointed in the ending

I loved this drama until the last episode. Spoiler: They do the cliche ending where one of the leads leaves for one to two years with no good reason. It really didn't fit the characters or the story and it ruined the ending for me. The very last scene was adorable, but the rest of the last episode was trash.

The things I loved about it: The writing (until the last episode) was really good. The characters were well written and very likeable. The acting was really good too. I liked that Song Ji Hyo's character challenged a lot of tropes that apply to female leads. She was an older single mom, and was portrayed as an attractive woman. She was at the center of a reverse harem.

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