Cross-cultural love
I'm a sucker for cross-culture love dramas. Usually they flopped because the leads couldn't understand each other. Particularly bad have been some Japan-China or Japan-Taiwan tie-ups. It was pretty clear the leads didn't understand each other.Most recently there was another Japanese-Korean drama called Eye Love You which was great too because the leads understood each other. However, it soon became draggy and tried to achieve too many things, probably because it had more episodes than were needed.
In this drama, I read that FL learned Japanese for the role and it shows as both clearly understand each other and can react accordingly. This is a simple sweet and short love drama! Fast moving too. Loving it!
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Heart-wrenching Anticipation
Severely underrated and beautiful drama. What comes after love is the story of a cross cultural romance between Choi Hong (Beni), and Aoki Jungo (Yun-oh). It starts years in the past where they are both college students, when Hong first ran away from home to travel to Japan and escape her family, only to find more than enough of a reason to stay. She meets Yun-oh and it's love at first sight, believing it to be fate as they continue to collide paths in their every day lives. They fall in love and start a relationship, one filled with firsts, happiness, and laughter. It's beautiful how they portray the start of their romance with the lingering glances, the brushing the hands, and the gentle opening of each other's hearts. Fast forward to 5 years later, Hong is back in Seoul and helping run her father's business, where we discover they've broken up. This is a short drama of only 6 episodes, with each episode revealing more of why their relationship fell apart. With their reunion in Seoul as Yun-oh is now an accomplished writer, it leaves the viewers in anticipation of their story - will their history together be enough to restore their love, or will life, other admirers, and unresolved feelings get in the way of a happy ending for them?This is a beautiful drama with the scenery, the build up of their feelings, and the happy flashbacks - the actors do an amazing job with their respected parts portraying how people fall in love and fall apart. This is definitely an underrated drama right now and not enough people are talking about it! More story and feelings are conveyed through one episode than it does through half of a typical romance kdrama. Definitely give it a chance if you're looking for angst and tension - something more raw and real, and perhaps something that might break our hearts.
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Rollercoaster of Emotions!
No drama before has ever made me feel such conflicting emotions before, I feel upset with the ML for the most part probably as FL is in a foreign land and being a female it's easier to relate to her. I feel she should not end up with him. But, at the end of each episode, I again end up back at square one conflicted that maybe they belong together. Because they are not bad people, just humans at the end of the day making decisions that are probably best in their perspectives. Both seyoung and Sakaguchi are portraying their characters brilliantly, you feel their angst and depression and that they moving with the flow rather than living according to their own wishes. Sadly, very close depiction of how people really are.Was this review helpful to you?
Almost perfect
This show strikes a very delicate balance that most shows fail to do - it is just the right amount of love, heartbreak, hope, sadness, wonder and longing. All jumbled up into one addictive cocktail. The storyline is not particularly complicated or evolved. What grips and sucks you in are the characters - their personalities, the realism of their feelings and the crude reality of their circumstance everyone can feel. And the chemistry? In bucketloads. By far the best show this year.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
This is pure melodrama
What comes after love offers nothing new. It is about a Japanese man fated to meet South Korean woman and they fell in love. The unresolved tensions and questions only surface when they coincidentally (maybe not?) meeting after 5 years only to leave us, the viewers with why the couple broke up in the first place.However, the execution of the story telling makes this drama well-grounded from the start. Natural and top-notch acting, believable scripts with the subtly in expressions and line deliveries, stunning and great cinematography, amazing supporting roles, great bgm and ost and good pacing of the drama (sadly, we only have 6 episodes).
I had watched Lee Se Young acted in many dramas before and she is always gave her all. (The Red Sleeves left me wounded). I am also a big fan of Kentaro Sakaguchi and liked most of his recent works. (Soshite, Ikiru gravely left me a scar). This drama marks his most intimate relationship in a drama. Bringing them in one scene is truly a bless with neither one of them outshines the other. They are both balances their roles outstandingly.
Will it be happy/sad/open ending, we truly don't know. Hopefully, whatever ending at the end of road will make everyone resolved their misunderstandings and be happy (I look at you Yun oh and Beni).
Thanks for the production and staffs for bringing this amazing drama for us.
p/s: Pardon my english, it's not my native tongue.
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If you love romance then this is it!
The story is carried by two people setting in japan. \They eventually fall in love and we see them after 5 years of break up.The best part of Wcal is that the female is is string and independent who carries herself as her first priority and the ml is like a puppy who just cannot get over her. As they meet again the ml refuses this opportunity to lose. The rest you can continue.
The story is pretty fast paced and yet it still gives you butterflies. It would be a perfect melodrama for me.
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TWO WORDS " PAINFULLY BEAUTIFUL"
"What Happens After Love" is a melancholic drama that tells the poignant story of two people reuniting years after their breakup. The narrative skillfully transports us back to a time when their love was vibrant and full of hope, only to bring us back to the present, where a sense of gloom hangs over their lives.I truly love the vibe of the series; it strikes a delicate balance between uplifting flashbacks and heart-wrenching present-day moments. The emotional and melancholic atmosphere is what connects me to this drama the most. As I watch, I find myself deeply affected by the storyline, feeling both the characters' pain and the joy from their past together. It's an emotional rollercoaster that keeps you engaged.
The characters are portrayed exceptionally well. I appreciate how the story centers on just the two of them, allowing us to witness their struggles and emotions as they navigate their reunion after so long. Each episode presenting one character's point of view adds an intimate layer to the narrative, helping us understand their feelings on a deeper level.
The acting is undoubtedly impressive. Both leads excel at conveying their emotions, with silent yet powerful expressions that capture the heartbreak and longing they experience post-breakup. It's painful to watch yet beautifully executed. The chemistry between the leads is remarkable; even after their separation, the tension stemming from their shared past is palpable.
The dialogue is so good, and most of it is relatable, tugging at the heartstrings. It really adds to the emotional depth of the story and makes the characters feel real. I love how the conversations reflect their struggles and feelings, making it easy to connect with them. It’s definitely one of the highlights of the series!
Overall, I'm not sure what the ending is going to be for these two, but I’m really enjoying their journey of exploring the heartbreaks that come after love. The series skillfully captures the essence of their past and present, and it’s intriguing to see how they navigate their feelings and the complexities of their relationship. The emotional depth keeps me hooked, and I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds!
Overall, "What Happens After Love" is a compelling exploration of love, loss, and the complexities of human emotions. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a heartfelt drama that resonates on so many levels.
I'll make a final review after I finish watching it all
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With a bittersweet past, will they reunite?
It starts off when they meet in Japan around the time they have aspirations for graduate school. She's a South Korean who decided on a whim to go to Japan to find herself and to escape the boxed confines of what path she is expected to take versus what she wants to take. She goes there without a job lined up and it appears she doesn't have much in savings but YOLO. She runs into a sweet Japanese gentlemen who is exceedingly nice and by default culturally polite. Sparks fly and of course they become two young lovers, doe eyed and enraptured with each other. Reality sets in, he works a lot and she spends plenty of time alone, lonely and isolated. Some events happen which leads her to question whether its what she really wants. Fast forward five years later, they meet each other again.I don't know if this will end up being an underrated drama but I do feel its well acted and both of the leads portray longing, misunderstandings, and solemness of losing a love that was deeply felt if not one that they may not experience ever again in their lifetimes. It does seem to go slow but not in a bad way, it isn't a long series but the story unfolds in a way that makes you root for them to be reunited and feel the pain of their inability to forget and move on from each other.
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Not your typical Star-crossed lovers
This is a Melodrama, so the story is not your typical fluffy Japanese/Korean drama.The first two episodes started off with a fast pace. The story is very straightforward and no slow-burn trope here, yet the story is mixed with angst.
A very romantic couple end up getting separated after harsh circumstances only to find each other again years later because guess what? FATE shows up. What will happen is still early to predict, but so far, the leads have an awesome chemistry.
In just two episodes there are so many romantic scenes and the leads show a very realistic couple, yet there is a side to it.
Embrace yourselves for the story to unravel.
The OST is amazing! the background music pieces are just marvelous. The cinematography and colors they used truly match the mood and also show the emotions of the leads.
Overall, if you're in for a romantic mature angsty melodrama, this is for you! don't miss it!
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10 OUT OF 10!!!!!!
This drama is EVERYTHING. I usually watch kdramas so I'm familiar with the Fl and i love her acting, however I'm new to the ml and didn't know what to expect but he blew me away with his acting.Less than 2 minutes into the drama where the main leads meet i knew i was going to be hooked. The Chemistry between them just staring at each other is off the charts. I love the gentle nature of the ml and how the fl balances him out. They sort of give calm bf and hyper but reserved gf energy.
Gosh their love is so apparent even in the way the look at each other and even the way their dialogues are written. Very much giving soft love
The Angst too is another level. Like i can cut through the tension between them that's how good it is. The actors just go together and it's obvious that they do not have to do too much to establish the emotions between them.
Also the directing of this drama is chef's kiss. The progression of scenes, the colour grading is well thought of and does a good job potraying the central idea & emotion of each scene.
I don't want to go into too much details but if you're reading this, you have to go watch What Comes After Love. Rooting for Juno and Beni and i hope the story unravels in their favour?
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This review may contain spoilers
the burn and angst is what you find
Being in a far from home country i feel related to this story mainly the FL. The angst and the loneliness she feels is what am connected to. This drama is a great dd to your watchlist as it has some lingering feelings at the end. I am waiting for the happy ending but somewhere am okay with whatever ending they decide on...because reality always sucks and this drama is close to reality.Was this review helpful to you?
So far it is good to see Japan and real Japanese actors plus the language not being sabotaged.
In saying that, this drama is all about a Japanese man and Korean woman and their relationship followed by a break up then meeting again in Korea 5 years later which is in the synopsis.
So...
What hasn't been good to see in just the first 10 minutes is all the luggage the main female character is carrying every step of the way from Narita airport when it could have easily been delivered directly from airport to door. Hassle free!!!!.
Unless of course that has changed...
Wonderful memories have been brought back with the bridge scene and what could have been a drone shot of Shibuya, Shinjuku or Akihabara.
Looked more like Shinjuku or Shibuya.
Winner so far just for giving me a walk down memory lane.
The story line isn't original when it comes to man meeting woman or woman meeting man, but what is refreshing is seeing more of a backbone when it comes to speaking ones mind or standing ones ground rather than apologising for everything whether the person is right or wrong.
Don't think there is any excessive bowing either...not yet anyhow.
Just so you know it does go back and forth between the past and present which for some will probably teeter on annoying whereas others won't mind. It has only been two episodes so this could change, of course.
I reckon the chemistry is a bit better between "Beni" and the Korean guy rather than her and the Japanese guy, "Yun Oh", although both act their parts well.
It is slow and not upbeat like some yet has it's light moments and own story to tell.
One thing I wish would change is all the drinking and getting drunk because in the first 30 minutes there is a number of scenes with drinking going on - maybe 2 or 3 so I hope this isn't going to be in every episode.
I think AA is needed in Korea and Japan like yesterday.
The piano music at the very start reminds me of that famous composer who composed Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence, Ryuichi Sakamoto.
The piano has been pleasant to listen to throughout and I would buy it if it is ever made available to buy.
Am crossing my fingers that there will be one or two hit songs that will be good as Butterflies or Stay With Me. Even just one!
Early days yet so will be back to write more as only two episodes have been released so far.
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