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?
Not your typical Star-crossed lovers yet one of the best shows of 2024!
This is a Melodrama, so the story is not your typical fluffy Japanese/Korean drama.The drama started off with a fast pace. The story is very straightforward and no slow-burn trope here, yet the story is mixed with angst. There are misunderstandings too and language barrier and cultural differences are the themes of this drama.
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., but they haven't moved on from each other. The yearning is palpable in every episode.
The leads have an awesome chemistry. The kiss scenes, hugs, them holding hands, everything is done so beautifully. I dare say this is one of the best Asian dramas i have seen where couples' interactions and romance is so natural. Despite the language barrier, they play so amazingly.
This drama's main point is that love can conquer all if couples COMMUNICATE.
The cinematography is artistic. The director of this drama is known for indie movies so cinephile fans will greatly appreciate the aesthetics and details shown.
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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This review may contain spoilers
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.
Edit: Just finished watching all episodes! I still believe this is a beautiful drama, however, I do have to say I am a little disappointed in the ending. To me, it was just a bit more underwhelming and less emotional than I thought it would be. However, given how this this isn't really a typical kdrama, I supposed I shouldn't have had my hopes up for anything grand or extravagant either. I think what I had in mind was just a little more fulfilling than what it ended with. I really needed something that could convince me of their love, and that in reality they would have really ended up together, because it really did seem like they were about to have ended with an open/sad ending. I'm happy they're together, but I really needed both of them to fight more for their love! I feel like they had so much more they needed to talk about!! I guess it wouldn't have fit within the hour episode. I needed to see just a bit more of the after - didn't Beni tell him she got proposed to? Does Beni's mother approve of them? I suppose all of this doesn't technically matter at the end, and what mattered was that they had regrets and longings that they were able to let go of and start anew with the love they still have. I WANTED EMOTION!! I WANTED TO FEEL LIKE THEY TRULY WOULD HAVE MADE IT TOGETHER IN THE END!! Anyways, one of my favourite things they mentioned in this drama is that a moment can last forever, but forever could end in a moment. Their moments together were never forgotten by one another, which is what filled them with such deep regrets they could never truly let go of one another. It was the fact that there were so many moments where they could have understood each other and take the time to heal their relationship rather than slowly let it blacken, they didn't make it to forever the first time. Aside from this, I also wanted to just mention that the ost is so good!!! Love listening to it - super calming and somehow makes my heart hurt.
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For all the melo lovers!
Few ep into the drama: 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 strong 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 to lose this opportunity. The rest you can continue.
The story is pretty fast paced and yet it still gives you butterflies. It has both pov thus making it even better. It would be a perfect melodrama for me.
Completion of the drama: it was good but not as good as it was initially. The later parts are a bit elongated and it kinda gets boring in the middle. It was fun to get into their relationship but this could have been better if it was more merrier. the overall mood of the drama was gloomy and sad. Its safe to say it worth watching it once.
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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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Raw, painful, slow-burn love story where love is not enough
I absolutely love separated lovers/ second chance romances because I feel like you get so much angst, longing, yearning, regret, hate, love, and resentment that you just don’t get with a straight laced love story.There is just something special about two people completely in tune with each other who life turns into strangers and then, time brings back together.
They don’t know who they are anymore but they know a part of each other nobody else does and when they are together, immediately everything that they were, everything that they lost and everything they could be bubbles up between them.
It’s that bubbling angst pot of love and loss that I NEED to see.
✔️ What comes after love nails all of the above. Hong and Jungo meet in the most natural of ways, they fall in love the most natural of ways and they fall apart in the most natural way.
✔️ The chemistry between the two leads is outstanding and you believe every emotion. From the initial puppy love, to the gradual soul deep connection to the budding frustration to the heartbreaking separation and then, the deep, fathomless longing - these two make every scene believable.
✔️The acting is excellent and I think this might as well be Lee Se Young’s best role. She is such a relatable and lovable character. A girl who left home to reach her dreams in another country only to meet the love of her life. A woman who realises she has to give up her love for her sanity. A human who is flawed and hurt and so she withdraws into herself.
Her portrayal of young innocence, chronic isolation, loneliness, hurt and disappointment are all brilliant.
✔️Holding his own against her is the absolutely gorgeous Sakaguchi Kentaro. This was my first time watching him and I was pleasantly surprised by his expressive eyes and very nuanced acting.
Jungo is closed off and doesn’t know how to show his love. The way Kentaro wears his regret and yearning is genuinely moving.
✔️The skinship in this show is very real and mature. The way they interact makes their love believable and the kisses feel electric.
Ultimately, this show doesn’t really have a plot. It’s a character driven story that captures the entire beginning, middle, end and rebirth of a cross barrier love between two people.
✔️It’s very slow paced and realistic and just the kind of show that you want to watch when the mood hits just right and it’s raining outside.
❌ That said, I do think that the plot tended to run a little bit in circles at times, the pacing was too slow in moments and for me, their young puppy love era was the most lacklustre to watch. Especially, the ending episodes with the random misunderstanding, missed timings and them repeating how lonely the FL was in their relationship a trillion times got a bit draggy. Also, I just feel like this kind of story had excellent potential to be a tragedy or have a bittersweet ending, somewhere where the couple got closure but moved on instead of a reunion because there is so much that has happened, so much that has changed about them that cannot be fixed so easily - but oh well, love wins!
✅ Overall, I had a great time just relaxing and vibing with this drama every Friday. Once a week seemed like the perfect pace for it and it felt artistic, emotive and like a little story book with six tiny chapters that acted as a window to the past, present and future for these two.
Overall, a solid watch.
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Painfully beautiful, realistic and poetic
"What comes 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!
I really enjoyed 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 kept me hooked throughout the entire series.
The ending was okay..for some reason it felt short..it din't really feel like they both solved anything between them but rather just decided that time must have healed all wounds and solved all problems..I wish they focussed more on building their relationship in the future rather than the flashbacks in the past but other than the ending this was a great drama.
Overall, "What comes 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.
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This review may contain spoilers
Moments that Last Forever
From the first note of the music until the last, we are drawn into this captivating and mesmerizing drama…"What Comes After Love." When I first heard the title, it caught my attention but also the synopsis as well, which was quite simplistic – a Korean student is studying in Japan and falls in love with someone who is Japanese. Simple right. Nothing more. But it was that they fell in love. We all love a good love story and this by far lived up to my expectation and then some.You always have to have the right couple and this pairing was exceptional. You have FL (Lee Se Young aka Cho Hong /Beni) and ML (Sakaguchi Kentaro aka Aoki Jungo/Sasae Hikari/Yun Oh) who made you feel in each scene, each frame their passion and longing desire of love for each other as all love stories begin. But life can intervene and what you thought was your “forever” lends itself to breaking up – a breakup that lasted for five years.
Life is funny. Fate can always play a part can’t it. That is what happened to Beni and Jungo. For those five years, while apart Jungo wrote “their” story in the novel, “What Comes After Love.” Coming to Korea to promote his novel, the interpreter he has is no other than the woman who has never left his heart, mind or soul…Beni. She too was shocked to see him. The play of emotion on her face, yet subtle, you could see when she first meets him. She is visibly shaken by the man she left without a word to come back to Korea, but she hid it well.
We feel the words, so many words not spoken between them, but each wanting to say but yet not say, for what, fear, more misunderstandings…neither would know until they were ready to take the step, leap of faith to find out but that was not to come…yet.
The tug of war throughout this drama was of their hearts and facing what had broken them up. The flashbacks of how they fell in love. The youthfulness of both of them. To see the beautiful smile of Beni, the illumination of light that radiated from her which drew Jungo to her. Her carefree nature and openness of love for him, you will see is a stark comparison of how we see her after those five years.
Jungo too was captivated by Beni. Love at first sight. She was just a shining beacon that he could see from afar that drew him to her no matter how far apart they were. Then life, misunderstanding, loneliness, and goodbye.
They both have others in their lives that wanted to get close to them but their always seem to be a barrier particularly for Jungo. Sung Ryung aka Manager Kong wanted Jungo in her life, but she knew once he saw Beni again. It was over, for her. The thoughts of what could be, we feel she had portrayed in her mind vanished. Her overall conclusion was to be his manager/friend. That is all his heart could give her. But being his friend, she gave him advice to take the steps towards Beni and look in her eyes without any more reservation and tell her his feelings that he could not do so before.
Beni had Hong Jong Hyn aka Kim Min Jun as the man that loved her, but which was not reciprocated in kind. I feel Beni never felt anything more for him but friendship as well. We all like to live in an illusion that a person has feeling for you and the misunderstanding of love is what was between her and Kim Min Jun. I feel he knew she was never “all in” but he was willing to overlook it because he loved her. He was the anchor that she did need in some respects when she came back from Japan. I felt like no one really ask her about what she thought but she just went along with the program. But once Jungo came back emotions that were hidden deep within her came rushing back so much so until she told Kim Min Jun, she couldn’t accept his proposal.
You probably are wondering what broke them up. It boiled down to me -- communication, misunderstanding, complaining and learning to say, “I’m sorry.” Loneliness for Beni was a big factor and Jungo after years of self-examination understood that he was the catalyst that pushed Beni even further to want to leave because he always left her alone. For Beni’s part it was her arguing and constant complaining wanting him to be with her.
Taking the first step towards rekindling the love was Beni. Going to him on his birthday and bringing flowers only to see he was with Manager Kong. Departs without a word. I thought Manager Hong wouldn’t tell Jungo that Beni was there. But to my surprise she did, leaving him to chase after her.
You see the utter defeat as Jungo sees Beni is gone.
Beni has never read Jungo’s novel, which she does after we find that Jungo has come to the office because he was leaving to go back home, leaves the keychain which symbolizes never begin apart but together. Jungo makes one last attempt to get Beni's information which he does from the interpreter. Getting ready to call, Beni calls and they meet. Sadness, no communication, words still left unspoken. goodbyes once again.
This is our first glimpse of seeing Beni’s rawness when she realizes how deep her love is for Jungo. You see the resilience of holding strong, the armor that she worn just fall fast and hard, exposing her to the harsh reality that he might finally be lost to her. Her crying uncontrollably makes your heart go out to her. And just wish if only….
At last, love does prevail...
Jungo is getting ready to depart for the airport when one of the concierges approaches him. Apologizes for not giving him the flowers that were to be his. He takes them and sees the card in the flowers as he is riding to the airport which simply states: "I'm sorry about earlier. Happy Birthday - Hong." Beni took her step towards him to let him know she was wrong; all of their misunderstandings were not only on his part but hers as well. The tears and sadness in Jungo's eyes make you scream at him to go back and get your girl.
Now it is Jungo's turn. Take his step to Beni but it wasn't steps it was running. He found her and ran alongside her every step of the way. Until they stopped and looked at each other, really looked at each other and talked.
Jungo: "Ever since we broke up, I wanted to be closer to your heart. So, I just kept running. I ran around Inokashira Park...and I thought about you. At first, it was because I missed you. But as I kept running...I started to understand.... how you must've felt back then. You were running to get over your loneliness. I thought...that I knew everything about you. But now I know...that I didn't understand the most important part."
Beni: "You know what? After we broke up...I couldn't even run for a while. It's just like you said in your novel. I was the same. I regret everything I did, too. When we were together...all I did was complain and didn't even try to understand how you felt. I was just the same. I didn't see what was actually important. I didn't see it until it was too late. I made you feel...lonely and miserable too."
Jungo: "No. It was my fault. I made you lonely. I'm sorry."
Beni: "No. It wasn't just your fault. I'm sorry too."
The simplest words to say, "I'm sorry" yet at times we cannot say them, can we. But through the tears and laughter, we see our couple clasping hands as they walk together hand and hand as the first snowfall of the year comes bringing a new beginning of the changing of season as well as new moments for them to share in their next chapter of.... forever,
The beautiful thing to me about this drama is we all have moments in our lives, particularly that all-encompassing love. The love that sets itself above all other loves. The one that made you smile to yourself when you thought of them, your youthfulness, your carefree spirit, a glance from someone who resembles them, all these things will bring you back to that "moment' that moment in time that has stayed etched in your heart and mind forever. Oh, we will love someone again, but we all have that "one" that you will never forget. So, we remember them and embrace them, hold onto them because even though they are moments they are ones we always will love and remember.... forever.
As a side note: The OST to this drama is so beautifully composed. You will definitely keep it on your playlist. Each track is better than the last.
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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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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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Love is a blessing. How ironic.
There are not a lot of collabs between Japan and Korea on the drama front. This is a rare exception and it is a good one.The A-plot is simple. The OTP meets in Japan. Falls in love. Falls out of love. They meet 5 years later in Korea.
I'm glad that the Korean production team embraced the J-drama style because it kept the story simple and focused. This is why it is only 6 eps long instead of 16 and is not weighted down with filler subplots and multiple couples. BTW, because the plot is so simple, I'm not going to spoil it. You really need to experience this yourself to fully appreciate it.
Let's get straight to the point. This drama is wonderful. The acting, dialogue, cinematography and OST are all topnotch. The sum is definitely greater than its parts. As such, this is not an easy watch. While there are cute and swoony moments during their meet-cute and honeymoon period, the wheel starts to squeak as their relationship is put under pressure later on.
To be honest, it pains me to watch their sad moments. It helps that the plot is not convoluted nor bloated. It is just real people doing their best with the hand they are dealt. That's RL, chingu.
BTW, there is a 2ML and he is a good man who deserves every happiness in the world but he is the second lead so you get the drift…
OK, this is where I stop rambling and let you go and watch the show. No spoilers. Watch to the end and you shall be rewarded. Hwaiting!
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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?
