Unexpected Gems: A Drama Where Characters Shine Brighter Than Tropes
First off, can we just take a moment to appreciate how this drama doesn't play by the typical K-drama rules? It starts off with Kang Parang's weekly confessions, which seemed like your usual romantic setup, but boy, does it take unexpected turns! The pilot episode hooked me right in with its blend of confession drama and friendship vibes—it's like they knew how to keep us guessing from the get-go.What really got me invested were the characters. Kang Parang, our lovable but somewhat clueless protagonist, isn't your usual lead. He's got layers, y'all! His journey through separation anxiety and navigating friendships felt refreshingly real. And speaking of friends, Lee Shiwon and Lee Shion brought their A-game. Shiwon's dilemma between friendship and something more with Parang was so relatable, and Shion? Let's just say his character arc took me on a wild ride—definitely not your cookie-cutter antagonist.
But you know what really struck me upon reflection? Parang's role as the glue that held everyone together. Despite his own struggles, he was always there for his friends, offering support and understanding in ways that weren't immediately obvious. It's those subtle acts of kindness and loyalty that make me eager to rewatch "Failing in Love." I know my perspective will shift—I'll notice those moments where Parang's impact on others becomes clearer, where his quiet strength shines through.
The storytelling here is on point. They seamlessly weave in themes of loneliness, human connection, and the blurry lines between romance and friendship without making it feel forced. And that final episode? It wasn't your typical happily-ever-after, but man, did it make me reflect on relationships and how they evolve.
And can we talk about the cinematography and OSTs? Every scene felt like a work of art, and the music set the perfect mood. Plus, those filters! It was like watching a beautifully shot movie, not just another drama.
Overall, "Failing in Love" isn't your fast-food drama—it's a slow-cooked, flavorful stew of emotions and character growth. It challenges clichés, explores complex relationships, and leaves you thinking long after the final credits roll. Trust me, if you're up for something that's both heartwarming and thought-provoking, give this gem a shot. You might just find yourself falling in love with it like I did!
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This review may contain spoilers
My Review (Essentially A Break Down of the Series)
First of all, it was a great web drama and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a more or so slice of life drama.Obviously, our two main leads are Kang Pa Rang and Lee Shi Won, the whole love concept I believe is the misunderstanding each character has about their feelings. Shi Won, believes since she was in elementary school, that she has been in love with Kang Pa Rang. While Kang Pa Rang never truly showed any interest in girls but is obsessed with the concept of falling in love. Our second main lead Lee Shi Eon is convinced of his feelings for Shi Won but can't bring himself to express his feelings for her for she is convinced of her own feelings for Pa Rang, thus forming a love triangle. These 3 contradicting characters with completely opposite personalities have somehow remained friends for over 10 years all because of Kang Pa Rang. Eventually, it becomes clear towards the ending that Kang Pa Rang seemed more so as a buffer between the relationship of Shi Won and Shi Eon, it seemed that their friendship with him was a way to slow down their inevitability of eventually coming together as this is emphasised through their many shared commonalities of "fate". At the beginning of the series, both Shi Won and Shi Eon stated their friendship with Kang Pa Rang was an act to hide their feelings toward their love interest, while for Kang Pa Rang his friendship with both of them was genuine. As the story develops Shi Won starts to come to terms with the fact that she is either confused about her feelings for Kang Pa Rang and starts to show that she may truly have feelings for Shi Eon after their friendship takes a blow when all of their true feelings for each other are exposed. This is aided by Shi Won's realisation that she had made the assumption that Kang Pa Rang needed both her and Shi Eon as friends since he suffered from separation anxiety, but eventually comes to learn that her immature and innocent love interest Kang Pa Rang, never really needed them but rather both her and Shi Eon were the ones who needed him the most. Shi Eon on the other hand begins to develop a true friendship bond with Kang Pa Rang when he starts to realise how much he needed Kang Pa Rang as a friend when he goes through a difficult stage in his life. The bonding process wasn't exactly smooth sailing but the friendship eventually become genuine.
The reason all these were explained was to draw upon the meaning of the final scene:
In the final scene, Shi Eon and Shi Won are seen attending the same university. Shi Won asked if Shi Eon also had a 10am morning class but Shi Eon states that his class is at 2pm but he felt the need to come early. Shi Eon then proceeded to reach out his hand smiling and says "Let's go" as Shi Won reaches out to hold his hand smiling, Shi Eon quickly retracts his hands then turned and starts walking and Shi Won follows along and starts beating him in a bubbly and friendly way. The scene changes to Kang Pa Rang walking along a crowded street alone in a tracksuit eating a cup of rice, he then makes a call to whom we presume to be Shi Eon and after a brief conversation ends the call and states "why do I feel like an outcast". I believe this was an indication of two possible endings.
1 - Shi Won and Shi Eon no longer needed the company of Kang Pa Rang to act as a buffer in their relationship as their feelings have finally become clear. Now that both are attending the same university it's most likely that their romance would blossom. As Shi Eon stated that the next time he holds Shi Won's hands would not be as a friend. Retracting his hands could be interpreted as him teasing her finally realising their feelings are mutual. As for Kang Pa Rang despite stating feeling like an outcast and finally realising his feelings for Shi Won he has finally been able to overcome the feeling of loneliness as he is seen walking alone in this final scene showing that he is maybe able to now pursue his own choice of career in art as he no longer feels that need to tag along with the plans of others and can now make his own plans.
Or
2- Shi Eon now acknowledging Kang Pa Rang as a true friend and wanting to respect his feelings for Shi Won decided to end his continuous advances toward Shi Won and stay as friends with her after one final playful act, which was the reason behind his decision to retract his hands despite Shi Won reaching for it as a sign of acknowledging his feelings and willing to accept it. Shi Won has now come to terms with the fact that she has feelings for Shi Eon which was why she happily reached out to hold his hands despite his statement of not holding her hands again as friends. As for Kang Pa Rang, he has finally realised his feelings for Shi Won but by this point it is already too late and so what started as a group of 3 different people acting as friends ended as a close group of true friends with an additional 3 side characters added into the mix. Further emphasising the title of the series "FAILing In love".
Both endings are of course very plausible and in their own way deliver a satisfying lesson about life. But it's clear that the writer of this beautiful web drama wanted to leave an open ending free to interpretations but I just wanted to give the two interpretations I came up with when watching this drama.
P.S I fully recommend this web drama to those who aren't romancing fanatics and like the idea and concept of realism portrayed within this story.
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