Check Out the Event (2021)

Ummm, it's okay if you don't watch this :3

Writing this review, I really have no idea what exactly I should talk about because the drama has almost negligible context. The low budget and the limited duration are not the problem and I get that, whatever they showed was the main plot only, but Idk what was that. But sure, this drama throws light upon few lessons in long-term relationship.

The story is about Ha Song Yi, a botanical garden curator who is a happy-go-lucky, simple girl leading an average life and his boyfriend Park Do Kyum, the lead singer of an indie band and both equally love each other. With the beginning of the story they break up and the 4 episode drama is about the aftermath of the fall out of their 5 year long relationship. They had to go on a trip together even after breakup. Additionally Seo Ji Kang is another main character who is the tour guide of the team in Jeju-do who also gets involved with the two. The destination of the story is whom does the FL ends up with.

As I've already mentioned, there not much to the story, a small plot is decorated with an average screenplay with many lackings + drawbacks and though the storytelling method is kinda nice. It's visible that the writer debuted through this drama but they needed to study women a bit more because the FL is quite annoying and immature. However she being clingy is kinda realistic because in real it's not very easy to go back to your single life from a long-term relationship.

I think the drama even with such short duration and small plotline could have been better. One or two things felt illogical. The character arcs are not well-drawn. Sometimes it was frustrating also because few things are repetitive as well. Editing is fine though. Anyways, it didn't have much scope to begin with.

Regardless, the story successfully makes you think, rationalize and resonate about few things which are vital in a dating atmosphere. One of them is transparency, the most important thing of all in dating and especially when you've been in a long-term relationship. The story portrays how lies, even told for the better of your partner can ruin your relationship. Always be open & clear with your other-half and even if it's something difficult, ask them to endure that alongside you. It's better to go through the path together than letting them know once it's over because people often feel little of themselves when they get to know of how they were not even aware of the hardship their close and dear ones were going through. What the ML did here was very wrong and given that he shouldn't have been given further chances but anyways, there's no control over one's heart. Also the 2nd ML's storyline is like a filler that didn't quite fit into the story much for me.

Overally, it's good but can't say this is even worth the one time watch. So if you wanna kill time or got nothing to watch or wanna trash-watch, this is a sweet bitter snack for you.

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Is “Check Out the Event” worth checking out ??

Well I’ll leave you to decide if you wish to watch the drama or not ...also as you see I am writing this review so of course I’ll assist you in the decision making process (that goes only if you read further ...lol)
Okiee so it’s a simple after breakup story where the FL after getting dumped asks ML to visit jeju island with her since they had won a couple competition and she requires some time so she can get a closure for their 5yr long relationship. At the trip they meet 2 other couples and a tour guide (SML) each of them having their own short story ...one of which was really touching.

First of all lemme just break it to you the reason why ML wants to break up with her is quite a stupid one ….like seriously stupid !! (but his actions somewhere always made me feel that he loved her ….he did)

As for FL her actions were sometimes a bit unreasonable and cringy (while you ask for reason ..you don’t even allow them to speak )...but it’s not that I find her unreasonable overall ...of course I can see why she’s clinging on to ML ...it’s not like a 5 year long relationship can end with just a few words ...and I’d find myself more surprised if she did not cling on ...it’s love ..you can’t just let go like this …(keep up the fight ...our ML is quite handsome to just give up like this ...lol)

The drama is just 4 ep ...so I have tried to analyze it that way only ...cuz after watching so many long dramas you obviously expect everything related to every character even side characters ..but practically it’s not possible for a 4 ep drama to have it all ...as for what they give is in these 4 eps is really good ….the story is centered around leads and they have most of the screen time but it’s not like the side stories weren’t well written or gave a feeling that they weren’t important …they contributed to the drama in a quite beautiful way.( I wish older couple had more screen time …)

I do not have much to mention for there's just this small plotline and everything revolves around it ...but I think the point that writer is trying to make is ….trust ,communication and transparency are important in a relationship …not having these can ruin it ...bring you to the point there’s no going back from. Keeping things from your loved ones ...assuming you are protecting them from hardship ...I don’t think that’s how love should be ...you endure it together ...you share happy and sad times together ...you go through everything together ...that’s what relationships are for … It’s more about being together.... than just staying together…!

(sometimes the drama feels like it’s going round and round in circles ...but it’s actually what I like about it ...they have this same conversation time and again ....cuz neither of them wants it to end …so it could be either you find it beautiful or frustrating ...depends)

As for the ending ….I like the way they end and give a small closure to all the stories ...and I liked the closure for the second couples stories more than the main couple ...

It had amazing cinematography and ost ...acting was decent …some good dialogues ...overall worth a try if you ask me. And pls don’t expect out of the world stuff in just 4 eps ...be realistic ...I am sure you’d enjoy it !!

And here maybe I am bribing you to watch it ...some amazing dialogues from the drama …

“You have always, invariably, without fail, meant hope to me.”
“This is how we live , being loved and loving ….hoping that the person in front of us doesn’t change their feelings.”
“Sometimes sad, sometimes longing and sometimes looking forward to the time to come ....as if you were given homework of life from the moment you were born ….you solve it by being whole hearted in your way.”
"I never thought there would be nothing left of me just because you left."
“I think it was only after we broke up I realized I was loved ….I think it was only after we broke up that I learned how to love.”

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Waste of Time

So I personally did not enjoy this one but before I go into that, I have some positives.
1.) Cast- I think everyone did a good job at their roles and were cast well. There were some very good acting moments, which is rare in a drama like this.

2.) Length - It’s only 4 episodes. Even though I didn’t like it, I would have been much more upset if I spent 16 episodes watching this.

3.) Scenery - The place where they filmed this was absolutely beautiful. It’s hard to be angry at a show when the ocean is right there.

4.) Friendship - The characters interacting with each other and caring for each other was sweet.

5.) Lee Jinhyuk - I’m biased, sue me.
Okay, now for some negatives.

1.) There was not a good/healthy relationship in this drama. I guess that could be the point but it got to be too much for me. A good relationship would have been appreciated.

2.) The main couple is the worst part and most of my complaints are about them. So now I will complain about them.

a.) Communication is key to a good relationship. If you feel the need to break up with your partner, instead of telling them what’s going on in your life, you shouldn’t be together.

b.) Respect is important. If your partner breaks up with you, holding onto them and trying to make them be with you is wrong.

c.) Self-respect might be even MORE important. If your significant other breaks up with you and tells you repeatedly that they don’t like you, you owe it to yourself to move on. You deserve better.

d.) Possessiveness is not cute. Do I need to explain this?

3.) The secondary couples were much more interesting and yet, we barely saw them.

4.) Minah’s comedic timing often felt off which normally I wouldn’t care about but I’m so upset I wasted my time on this, I’m feeling nitpicky.

5.) Why was there a second guy in this? He literally didn’t do or add anything to the show. What was the reason?

6.) Repetitive. I felt like the first 3 episodes were very similar in what happened in them. I swear the main couple had the same conversation at least once in each of the first 3 episodes.

Okay, this was more of a rant than a review but honestly this drama left me feeling very frustrated. If you loved this drama, that’s great! Please don’t take what I said to heart.

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While many might find this average or okay, I find this perfection.

Well, I thought I would never see the day where I would be giving a romance/melodrama an overall of 10/10, but, watching 'Check Out the Event', it's definitely worth the rating. I understand why people may not like it, but for me, I found each character perfectly created and acted by, alongside their dynamic as an individual and within their relationships with one another. Also, I found the character of the ML quite relatable to myself so there were definitely scenes where I could relate to in his line of thought. I'm not even joking, I was producing tears even on the first episode! I was also a massive fan of how the FL was built, I love characters like hers too. (I could explain that more but honestly I think you should just watch this for yourself as I highly recommend this to everyone, and it's only four episodes long, so why not!).

The OST was small but sublime, I also found the production amazing, which of course was helped by the beautiful scenery that is Jeju Island. I may be reading into it a little too much but I also love the production giving us signals of moods when it came down to some of the clothing choices and the evolution of this, alongside with some lighting choices, in regards to portraying emotions too. Also, the fact that it's only four episodes long and that I love it, gives a high re-watch value. I very rarely am interested in re-watching dramas, but for 'Check Out the Event', I feel like I will be checking it out more than once, and that I encourage you to at least check it out at least once! Very strongly recommend this to everyone!

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It will be better as a movie

If you watch the 4 episodes in x2 speed, you would not even find any differences! There are practically nothing much to talk about...

Firstly, it is really slow paced and flat. I felt let down by the expectations from the trailer lol. It was supposed to be a heartfelt, healing drama at least, but it turned out to be tiring to watch how the both leads struggles with their emotions- one overly obsesses girlfriend, and one noble idiocy boyfriend... And they did not talk about their feelings out for the whole 4 episodes??! Not even until the last 5min...

Secondly, bad comical moments? Not sure what the main lead's role was supposed to be, but it seemed she was a girl who placed love above everything. All her actions makes her feel like a compulsive stalker. Perhaps for comical effect, but it is already creepy how she chased the guy and tried to ask him to join the trip after they break up. Also the male lead clearly loves her but it really gets me cringing that he do not speak up / the female lead is too dense to know something must had happened etc.

Third, no character growth! Until the last episode, I am not sure who ever changes but everyone just seemed the same and misunderstandings are still everywhere. Ok, this will be normal in the real life but not in dramaland please. I want to see character development in a drama. Andddd I do not get the role of the guide lol. What is he trying to do exactly. It is like he is still trying to run away even at the last episode. I feel there are more stories to the characters that can be explored!!!

It is such a waste for the actresses and actors. It could have more potential if it was longer, or it can be just a movie, which will be decent. One good thing is probably the cinematography and sceneries. I feel like exploring jeju again.

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Good Enough

Korean Mini Series 'Check Out The Event' has a strong start but a weak ending.

The beginning of the drama is pretty intense, starting right off with the breakup and then having the main girl being disappointed over and over as her dreams of getting back with her boyfriend, who, by the way, offered no reasonable explanation of why he was so suddenly breaking up with her. The drama played nicely the love triangle card as well, giving the girl a new love interest to support her through those hard times. However, and even though the intensity of emotions was building up smoothly to a boiling point, that explosion didn't happen. The drama opted to drag things up and stretch the big conclusion as to give a more interesting perspective, however, that resulted in destroying the whole story. A nice alternative would have been for the girl to realize that she doesn't need anyone and stay that way. Unfortunately, the drama chooses to take the clicked turn and pretty much vanish any hope the love triangle had to be interesting.

On the other hand, the performances were pretty enjoyable from everyone in the cast.

So, overall, 6.5 out of 10.

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"USE YOUR WORDS" - or else

This short drama was a stunner. I have completed 412 dramas, this was the 16th that I scored at least 10/10. That means fewer than 1 drama out of every 25 I finish scores as highly as this one did. There was effectively nothing wrong with it.

I started it for Bang Minah, and expected a lightweight romcom-ish kind of short. Ms Bang did not disappoint, she's come a long way since the goofy cute of Beautiful Gong Shim. But this was not a romcom. It was a really thoughtful, really intelligently written short drama about relationships and the importance of communication. Part way through episode three reference was made to "Before Sunrise", the Delpy/Hawke classic which is part of a talking trilogy. All three of those movies focus on the leads talking, with very little else happening. Where this drama excelled was in showing what happens when the characters don't "use their words".

At one point, I was angry with this drama because it looked like a central character who was NOT "using their words" would get away with it. They did not. No one did, and that's why this drama gets a 10. The emotional weight and impact in the final part of episode three and much of episode four particularly comes from the middle-aged couple, who turned out to have very significant communication issues of their own. Their story arc left my eyes damp and left me convinced that the Drama I had been about score 9 deserved 10.

Whenever I am blown away by the intelligence and thoughtfulness of the dialogue that I read as subtitles, I am left wondering just how good the actual dialogue is. From my experience of watching films in languages that I know enough of not to need subtitles, I know how very much is lost in translation. That's one of the reasons why I scored this drama a 10, because the dialogue I did see was THAT good, which leads me to think the dialogue I couldn't follow must've been so much better.

This drama also shows how really really good K dramas can be when they are short. The core elements of this four-episode drama have been used as the core elements of dramas 4 to 5 times as long. Those dramas are bloated and suffer from huge excesses of padding which serve no purpose except to fill up the specified time. Check out the event is like the distilled essence of those K dramas served without any excess baggage. It really is very worthwhile to check out the event.

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Simple and sweet

Having 4 episodes, it seemed like a fun and sweet but turned out to be quite boring. I think first two episodes are good but after that it drags completely. The relationship between couples is kind of confusing. All the actors acting was kind of poor.

Bad points: Main question is why lead actress always needs to be shown clumsy, getting into troubles easily and falling here and there. Then her knight in shining armour comes to help her. It's so pathetic and annoying. The main actress was also kind of annoying at times for me.

Moreover , the possessiveness shown is just off. Common just to show that it required love triangle. The guide character falls in love just seeing her playing in the beach.

Good points: Like the fact that the story tried to trick that old couple are breaking up because of husband cheating on her wife but reasons were kind of unexpected.

The best thing is it's cinematography. It's beautiful. Apart from Jeju island shots even the main female character terrace was pretty.

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Most people said, "I wouldn't recommand it"....But My opinion, it shows reality~ ;)

It's the first ever drama I'm writing a review for.... usually, I'm so lazy to write a review but you know why I'm writing this time because this drama made me feel what a relationship is like based on different generations or ages while most people said they wouldn't recommend it to watch :'( ....But it's their personal opinion so I won't interfere into it....!

First of all, in my point of view, this drama shows us the reality or behind the scenes of our fantasies about a relationship....It starts and ends with a story of three couple of different generations... One, a couple of young generation in their early youth... Second, a couple of two people who are in their phase of struggling with jobs and personal issues of life.... Third, an old or middle age married couple.
First of all, let's talk about the young generation couple.... At first they showed as if they can't even think of living without each other... Kind of like a couple who likes to show off their love for each other. But they also have their own problems because of which they fight and cry... And the problem is their age of living carelessly, without any worry enjoying own freedom... In this phase of life , man and woman are completely different... Young man seems to more independent while young woman wants to be noticed by her man which leads to some problems to adjust in the end.
Secondly, our main main couple with whom the story starts, a couple of two people who suffers from their own problems with jobs and life ... This couple is not in their early youth also not in their middle or old age... A centre phase of these two parts of life. In this couple, the woman is like the person who wants to protect their relationship at any cost... Like a person who can carry all weight by herself..On the other hand, the man is troubled by job and other issues and lacks confidence in himself to be able to carry their relationship which is why he wanted a break up ......this couple is completely opposite of the young generation couple.
Thirdly, the last couple is the most complicated one .... A middle age or old married couple which is completely fine from the outside but struggling with many problems and hidden thought from the inside! At first it seemed like the man is not honest with his wife or don't love her much... They were more like friends then a couple... But actually, the man loved his wife more than anything else and his wife was actually in a trauma caused by losing their own child years ago .... In the end of the story it seemed like I was completely wrong and they were still in their dating phase even if they were married for years!

Not to mention, this story taught me that fighting and breaking up is completely normal in relationships no matter which generation it is! Every break up leaves some regrets behind... But the last two couples' love were stronger than the youngest couple because they have already seen many hardships together because of their age!

The only bad side of this drama is it shows us the most realistic relationships while we usually expect to see our fantasies about an ideal relationship through a romance drama or movie !!!! But trust me, I'm only a 17 years old girl who haven't dated before once! But I have seen these three types of couple closely among the around me! And there's no such thing as an ideal relationship because it always vary among the people of different ages or different personalities!! But we, also including me would still love to watch our fantasies through a drama better than this reality based drama! (Honestly!)
But this doesn't mean that this drama can't be praised anymore!
Sometimes reality touches our heart better than wild fantasies just like for me this time! ;)

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There is no here here.

Remember Gertrude Stein's line "There is no there there?" Well in this drama, there is no discernible here - or there - anywhere. Not much happens. There is a fair bit of heavy emoting from time to time, but even the emotional content seems vague and insipid. I have rarely been so bored by a K-drama. It re-defines vapid. I'm having a terrible time even finding the500 words needed before a review can be published. Basically - skip this, there is not content, the direction is turgid, and nothing the actors did could have saved it. There is nothing to see here, folks - move along.

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