Never Give Up (2022)

A caress to the heart!

I absolutely loved this drama! I loved how heartwarming it’s, how overall family oriented is. And how family values, integrity, compassion, and redemption are intertwined.

I loved how the loan shark is an old lady, that’s is a refreshing twist. Also loved how her character evolved e improved.

This drama is about HOPE, hope in our dreams that beyond everything they can come true. Hope in the community, it reinforces values of the love for your neighbor.

This drama dreams high of a better world and starts at a small place, a neighborhood.

It has a good amount of heartless vicious characters. Some will evolve some won’t.

Never Give up, although is not a romantic comedy, it’s about Love. Also it’s about people and the reunion of different generations, each one listening to the other, respecting other people point of view, taking advantage -in a good way- of older people life experience, and young people vision and knowledge.

Yes, it may sounds very far fetched some parts of the plot but not impossible, it can happen. You never know.

The casting was so well choose. A likable young entrepreneur Junk Seok, and a man in his forties Goo Pil So, a breadwinner ready to do anything legal to support his family.

That generational difference between a boisterous, loud, trying to seem charming and coming out sometimes a bit forced and awkward and; a cool, restrained, well educated, with tons of things to learn yet about himself and his entourage, is quite interesting and very well portrayed.

Goo Pil So: is a former athlete, a Taekwondo championship belt winner, with no college background. He is all heart, brawl, sweat, and force. He don’t mind do embarrassing jobs, if that ephemeral moment of embarrassment will fed and give a roof to his family.

Junk Seok, is a software genius in his late 20s, so ultra focused in his job that sometimes he used to lose contact with his partners needs, he will pay a high price for this.
The storyline will put him in an unexpected cohabitation situation with GPS and his family. He will have lots of improvement in his journey.

The other family members of GPS also have their own light time, making the story more rounded. The ML wife is a sweet character, her frenemies are quite hilarious, and make the story much more lighter when it gets a little too sad.

The old lady loan shark, a lonely sick elder will be the key to hold everything,

I particularly enjoyed everything about this drama. It has comedy, slice of life, business, family, friendship, “bromance”, Teenagers POV, and a few lowlife criminales to spice it up.

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it's so heartwarming

this drama shows that family doesn't have to be blood related, that even bad people can have remorse and has warm heart.

the drama is focusing on two men, one with too much energy, and the other one is the one that always looks sulking. love that pilsu can make suk see that there are so many things you can see if you see from another perspective and be positive.

also this drama gives example that being kind is not only bring good things to other people, but also ourselves.
love this drama so much, glad i found this gem when i was scrolling my netflix.

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A very enjoyable sitcom.

Oh, finished this drama and I gotta say, it was a really nice slice of life/sit com. I get that many people might not highly enjoy it since the slice of life genre can truly get boring and draggy to some, I know cause I watched tons, but still found myself bored to death while watching a good amount of them indeed, but this drama was very easy to watch. Didn't really feel bored, it wasn't flawless, but still very enjoyable.

Now about my personal opinions:

Positives:

1- I love Seul Ki character and most of the characters. Seul Ki is strong mentally, able to fight physically and protect herself and others, fair, active, loyal, and hard working/ambitious. Suk can be annoying as hell at times by being too moody, pessimistic, a professional overthinker, idealistic, and grumpy, but other times he was very pleasantly relatable, loveable (For being logical, loyal, friendly, and very straightforward), and funny. We have very similar personalities honestly so I couldn't help but like him.

Loved the bromance between him and the Pil Su, with the whole older gen + younger gen being friends/basically mix of past and present concept. Hyeon Su was also cute even though he barley had screen time, I would totally want to be his friend. The wife's brother, the "author", and shark Loan lady were also very likeable and the old lady's house is beautiful, wish I lived in such a place lol
Even Suk's father and Alex were a fun characters.

Overall cast were great, even though I didn't see most of them acting before in other dramas.

2- Pil Su is so loveable, very social, and cheerful, I loved him and wished I had a father like him. He was my favorite character which is new to me cause I rarely have an old/middle aged character as my favorite. The actor nailed his role and carried the drama. Also I guess he handled the whole thing between his wife and the author in a very open minded way, instead of instantly throwing hands and assuming shit just like he said. In a way it showed how much he trusted his wife. Although he started getting all childish during the dinner by bragging too much.

3- The drama was both realistic and relatable, but also funny and absurd. It was a good balance.

4- The romance between Seul Ki and Suk was the only romance I truly liked, that scene when he almost fell and Seul Ki held him then they stared at each other for an hour was funny, it was a good change from the typical ML holding the FL to keep her from falling one. I mean yes! It's 100% normal to have the woman be the physically strong and badass one while the guy is the smart yet fragile one or whatever, not all women need to be the weak damsel in distress.

Though did they need to make both Seul Ki and Suk motherless? Like seriously, that was over dramatic. Might as well make Seong Mi die so Jun Pyo can join the club lmao reminds me of action shounen animes where almost all protagonist characters are orphans/have at least one parent dead to add too much drama and angst.

Negatives:

1- Why in these types of plots they always make the wife the "villain" character and the husband the fun parent?! The wives are the controlling, scary, gloomy, nagging bitch who love spreading misery and making everyone stressed and suffocated. The wife didn't only suffocate her son and husband but also me. Like damn woman, if you don't like being poor and working like a donkey why didn't you marry a rich doctor or something?

Especially since she was the "May Queen" so she could easily make a rich dude fall for her. No one forced her to marry her martial artist husband, yet she act as if everything they went through is his fault and she is the only victim.
At least the dude respects her, is very faithful (Especially when many men think they have the right to cheat while their wives should be loyal all the time. Having a faithful husband who care that much about his wife and kids is like a rare treasure), caring, funny, optimistic, and hard working.

Also the fact that she forces her son to like study all day long everyday is just horrifying. He wakes up early to go to school, then go to an English academy, then a study cafe supposedly, then come back home at 8-11 PM? To study a bit then sleep and repeat. What kind of life and childhood is that?! The fact that he didn't commit suicide is great in itself, and like he said the parents be like "Oh, you can have fun after you become an adult so fuck your childhood and youth".

Like all that drama when they could just allow him to have like 2-3 hours in that Hip Hop place every now and then after studying or after school to have fun and recharge his batteries and mood...studying is important and useful, but having fun is as equally important to keep your sanity, and giving kids support may lead them to become more excited to study and make their parents proud as a repay just like Anna said. At least the wife started to calm down a bit after episode 11 and did what I said before.

2- The whole romance between the kids, couch No and Bok Soon, were all cheesy to death! I can barely stand high school romance dramas, let alone romance stuff between actual kids, and to make it worse they made it a love triangle by adding that other annoying, nosy, stuck up, chubby girl to the formula. Like girl, you already knew Jun Pyo liked Anna so why decide to fall for him out of the blue, then try your best to make him pissed off and ruin their relationship along with getting him in trouble with his parents?!

Then Jun Pyo's guy friend ends up hating him because chubby girl liked him to add more stupid drama. Not gonna lie I was glad Jun Pyo finally started having a personality instead of being utterly meek, but at times he was indeed too bratty, still having an overly controlling parent could lead to that, and it was obvious that Anna was into Jun Pyo...glad they didn't make the kids kiss or something after confessing, I for sure wouldn't wanna see that, especially when the actors are clearly kids, not adults pretending to be kids.

Also just because Anna got dyed hair and some visible make up she is considered a delinquent/thug?! Really?

The romance between that coach No and the woman he likes was also very cringe and stupid...wish they spend the time they wasted in these lame romance scenes on developing the romance between Seul Ki and Suk more, I was kinda sad that they weren't officially dating in the lat episode. Like seriously how come the kids had more romance related scenes than the adults?!

3- The rap/hip hop subplot/moments were also painful to watch, like damn everyone from Montana to Jun Pyo and Anna doing/acting lik that made me cringe. I do love rap music, but in this drama it was just not great or necessary. They all were sweet personality-wise and the actors good at acting, but I just wish they got rid of the hip hop bullshit. Their outfits were great though.

Couldn't care less about Anna's audition and both of her and that Chae Yeon barley knew how to dance for people wanting to become idols...
To add insult to the injury Jun Pyo had to interfere and pretend to be able to rap so that Anna could continue her audition, that was awful, and then all top companies want him yet he wants to study...lol

4- Sharon, I hate her, all her comedy scenes were over the top and lame, I also hate her two best friends, and how she basically almost lead to a serious issue between Pil Su, Eun Ho, and Seong Mi when she said that crap (That Seong Mi went to the author's house, instead of her house) during the dinner, but I guess Seong Mi had to pay the price for lying to her husband anyway. Even Sharon's son looked retarded with his ugly hairstyle outdated and outfits (not hating on the kid himself but the style, I was dying to fix his hair and give him some decent clothes).

Watching these hag characters act like retards is just...too much! The scenes of them and Seong Mi complaining about being mothers/wives was just...did someone force you all to get marry and become mothers?! (I know I may sound like a bitch by saying this, but seriously, if you want to have your life be filled with career success, fun, and freedom don't marry nor have kids, everyone knows doing such things ain't easy and it's filled with responsibilities and hardships so why complain later when you already know it? Especially when someone isn't rich marriage and parenthood is a literal nightmare! And the kids pay the price for everything when they have zero fault and didn't have a choice).

5- Eun Ho and Seong Mi's one sided love thing was pointless, like why? It almost made her seem as if she was having a love affair, Eun Ho was just tragic, felt sorry for him getting stuck for years with his first love thing, but also pissed off that he is kinda chasing after a married woman with a kid. Glad they didn't turn it nto a cheating plot, I really can't stand cheating and cheaters (Like La La J's rude and fake fiancé) even if it's just a drama. Eun Ho's actor has a very soothing aura and a gorgeous smile though, would love to see more of his works in other dramas.

To be fair it was his fault for not confessing before she met her now husband, just like it was her fault for not marrying a hot rich dude to make her live the luxury life style she keeps complaining about and wishing for. Also it will be better if Seong Mi was honest about the whole friendship thing between them to her husband since the start, this is why so many relationships get ruined easily, cause people lie, hide stuff, overthink, overreact, and lose their shit over the stupidest things.

If people be 100% honest so many dumb misunderstandings would be solved in like two seconds, and just like Pil Su said both Eun Ho and Seong Mi didn't need to hide it cause they didn't do anything bad anyway, you only hide things so hard when something bad happens.

6- I really hated Suk's two friends who betrayed him. Especially the perverted, talkative, airhead, hypocrite, and annoying one. At least Mr. Lee knew and admitted he was an evil and selfish bastard.

7- The whole issue between Suk and his two past friends was a bit illogical to me. Like they could do the Golden Cupid app then after they get famous and rich enough to have their own fucking company or something, they could start developing the Neighbor 24 app together afterwards. Was it really that much of a big deal to Suk that they must do the Neighbor 24 app first?

Like the Golden Cupid one could be focused on romance and profit related stuff while the neighbor 24 other stuff like friendship, finding people/places/stuff, memories, and values...etc why not make two apps that make everyone happy and benefit instead of one?
Besides Mr. Lee didn't need to rush and sign a contract with the frozen witch without talking to Suk first to see his point of view for the last time.

8- The lame thugs plot, Frozen Witch trying so hard to be a villain, Eun Ho having to resign, and that foolish landlord wanting to buy the restaurant were also not necessary. It added too much pointless drama and made the plot a bit too repetitive.

Like landlord was the reason Pil Su and his family had to suffer and almost got thrown on streets and then he decides to ruin their business again, and the witch who is basically the only truly successful woman in that field or something according to the plot and they had to make her a total low bitch..really? Of course every woman in a high position and able to accomplish grand things that are good as men or even better is supposed to be cruel, cold, bossy, and stuck up! I have seen that trope a bit too much and they refuse to let it die Lmao

Episode 15 got a bit overly heavy and dramatic. Especially for the episode before the last, but the ending was happy and satisfying. Glad that Eun Ho started working with Pil Su to help others, and Suk finally got his investment.

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Meh-diocre and predictable

I started this for only one reason, Wang Ji Won, and I finished it for her. Sadly, her role was utterly pointless - made to be kinda sorta a villain but in reality an irrelevance. Her role was so small it could have been excised, especially as it went nowhere. Which is a nice summary of the show as a whole Han Go Eun has been a favourite since Capital Scandal, but even she was stuck with a clichéd character here.

The only good thing about watching this right through is that I can once again say that I have seen literally everything Wang Ji Won has done, and that her acting fee for this show would have helped finance her real passion, the ballet academy she owns and runs

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Funny but formulaic.

Update after Ep. 10.

I’m lowering it to 6.5. Story line is getting messier and messier. It’s all over the place. They’re even trying to make a social commentary about Korean education system.

They made Kwok Do Won’s character way too much. He’s gotten a bit too naive, too goofy and too witless. Like trying to sneak into the forbidden basement room. Like yelling at his wife for wanting their son to study instead of hip hop.

Also, the son’s story line about hip hop and teenage romance got way too absurd. Hip hop makes me happy, he says. What the hell?

Please stop making characters run into each other exactly when they need to. It’s getting dumb.

Review after Ep. 5.

Story about two idiots. One’s likable and the other’s definitely not. I’m watching the third episode and Kwak Do Won basically carries the show all by himself. He’s such a great actor and watching him cough can be entertaining.

There are a lot going on. Venture capitalists , betrayal, back stabbing between friends, different mysteries involving the loan shark lady, school mom competition, money problems, housing price issues… on and on. But at the end of the day, these are just set ups so two idiots can do their things. It’s not necessary a bad thing since Kwak Do Won is so great. The other guy, though, not only his character is hard to like, I’m not sure if acting is his main thing. He’s stiff for the most part and sounds like he’s just reading the script.

There are other side characters including the wife, loan shark lady, the son, some girl from New Zealand (who, by the way, is strangely sexualized for a middle schooler) and other school moms. Also, there’s a potential extra marital issue after the wife’s old college friend shows up. But nothing really special, yet. Just predictably formulaic storyline that you’ve seen many many times in other shows.

Also, weirdly enough, all characters also happen to have their lives intertwined and run into each other as if they’re the only people in this city. Seoul’s huge. How do they all live in the same neighborhood and run into each other after 20+ yrs? They all know each other and went to school together and live in the same area. Lazy writing?

Side characters are stiff. Not much acting going on.

They spend way too much time on Middle school kids’ lives and romance. Like, who’s actually interested in that? Speaking of, Koreans and hip hop shouldn’t mix.

Another thing that bothers me about this show is how easily characters lie to cover things up as if it’s nothing.

Despite all that, I’m curious to see what’s coming next. I would love to see how Kwak Do Won’s character got to where he got to. We’ll see how it goes.

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An enjoyable and heartwarming story

Never Give Up is a simple, heartwarming story about doing the right thing, being true to yourself, the importance of friendship, and the strength of a found family.

It started off a little random to be honest, and I wasn't sure this drama was my cup of tea. There were many different characters thrown in, and keeping with the comedic tone, over-the-top reactions that gave it a comic book-like vibe with simplistic baddies.

But the more I watched, the more the characters grew on me. I think the show finds its footing at around ep 4 or 5, once the plot is all set up and the characters fall into place.

Where the show really shines is in the characters, especially Kwak Do Won, who did such a great job as Gu Pil Soo. I felt something authentic and genuine from his acting, especially the way he would laugh when introducing the Neighbour24 team members by their nicknames. It brought to life how fond he was of them, and how he also saw them as one of his "kids" too. He's the ahjussi I never knew I wish I had.

The last episode was lovely and feel-good, and I felt a little sad to part with these dongnae chingus :) This show seems massively underrated, but I hope it will pick up now that it's available on Netflix.

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unexpectedly funny, heartwarming & engaging

this is very funny and comforting lol. the story was predictable but the casts were amazing. their acting was spot on. it did felt long...the story could have wrapped up in 10 episodes but nvm...as much as I can see go pil so I am fine with anything. go pil so is a amazing father, understanding husband & a heartwarming human. no doubt success found him in no time. it was really great to se yoon doo joon after so long. last time I watched him in let's eat season 1 back in 201 and ofcourse my pretty hun da eun <3 kids stories were also very interesting...as well as the coach and building realtors love story lmao. mija was the show stealer...oh sorry my bad ' Sharon unnie ' lol

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In the end It felt like a warm sunny day

I'm a very simple girl. it takes so little to make me happy,i made a stern choice a while back that since I had the power to pick what I watch, I would go for anything that would make me laugh and giddy inside like a child and I haven't regretted said choice so far.

That being said, the rating for never give up does not do it justice at all, it may not be mind blowing but it's beauty is in its deliverance and entertainment, its worth at least 8.5 stars give or take,Every time we pick a show and skim through the comments or reviews in search of a push toward the uncertain, you're said to take on someone else's opinion and have faith in it,pls take my word for it this show isn't one you want to miss. Its like a summer breeze on a cool Saturday afternoon......it not demanding nor offering a lot all you need to do is sit back and enjoy.Bingeing a show in one day for me is unheard of but this I did with pride

As for The cast well, our male lead carried the show as he was meant to, portraying a kinder,loving,hyperactive and positive spirited being and he deserved the gifted poem book not his wife because he truly did shine in every way making u wish every man had his kind of personality and honesty.the second Male lead had a more relatable arrogant,know it all, we chase our dreams in our youth vibe to him from falling to getting back up to learning from his past and growing from it too. the friends added their own as a needed spice to perfect the dish, the wife had more drama than expected making u anxious for her but in the end it shows how human every one can be and how we faulter in decisions we make.the son I found a tad bit off putting, I'm 24 and cringing and covering my face was half my expression in his scenes but still I enjoyed every bit of this show and the money grandma a perfect portrayal of regret and how money can blind and how an act of kindness can overcome a lot.

the music was forgettable honestly if there was any

the story was driven,touching,heartfelt and warm

the rewatch value is yh on days when I need a pick me up ill definitely rewatch

if ever you do come a cross, my review. pls check it out,you'll regret nothing but keep in mind. slice of life that's all it is

thank you.
Also fighting (cringe) lol

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I Gave Up

It had a pretty normal start with introducing the story and the characters, nothing about it peaked my interest. The story itself was too safe and tame, they didn't attempt any challenging situation even in a comedic setting. The comedy was a hit or miss, some parties were genuinely unfunny and cringe while others like Pil Soo and his one-liners were keeping it alive with a decent dynamic and comedy. Speaking of cringe, there were a handful of kids and everything related to them was painfully cringe, even with their poorly attempted satire and parody. These parts were just too bad. It kept this momentum throughout its entire runtime.

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