This drama is very complicated in every aspect. It caught me off guard because it's too heavy for a high school drama compared to the high school korean dramas I have watched. Nevertheless, I like it because it brings focus to sensitive issues that adults consider trivial--such as dealing with the first love. Adults usually trivialize the feeling of loneliness of an unrequited first love but this j-drama reminds the viewers the uncertainty and awkwardness of first love. More than the love line, this drama shows the youth a great lesson about finding yourself first before anything and that it's okay not to have your life figured out yet.

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This is your usual best friend drama but I love how the characters complement each other so well. The woman is independent and successful--more successful than her male counterpart yet it wasn't really a huge issue. The drama also shows flashbacks of their high school life and how they got close exactly. I'm in love with the female character because she's open-minded and a feminist icon. She doesn't claim to be strong in every aspect and relies on her best friend emotionally. On the other hand, the man is responsible and patient. His masculinity isn't fragile so he doesn't mind that the woman is more successful than he is and instead cheers on her. I love how the drama emphasized the main characters' growth emotionally individually and as a couple.

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This is your usual Chinese youth drama that gos from high school to college. I like how it started with the female lead being impulsive with a strong sense of justice and on the contrary, the male lead is quiet and aloof. What I don't like is how they didn't develop the girl's character. All throughout the drama, she was an airheaded female lead whose whole life revolved around trying to please and make things easy for the male lead. She made life decisions just to accommodate the male lead. It's like she doesn't have her own identity and thinks of herself as inferior to the male lead which is unhealthy. On the other hand, the male lead is book-smart but also naive. He also lacks courage. I want to finish this drama but the female lead character is really annoying me.

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I like this drama because of its youthfulness. It embodies a period in a person's teenage life when s/he feels like everything and everyone is just against her/him. The characters are young and the main character is relatable. She knows that because she's young, people tend to trivialize her pain. I love how the characters found solace in each other but also paved their individual ways. I like how realistic it is and how in the end, it just leaves the feeling of acceptance and nostalgia. It left the thought that happiness can mean different things and be found in different ways.

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This dorama deals with the doctors' professional and personal lives which I like because it humanizes them. It also digs deeper into the patients' story, reminding the viewers that there's more to a patient than his sickness. Although our female lead could get things wrong, I love how she uses her heart in looking after the patients. She knows a lot of things other doctors/nurses don't because she doesn't only use her head but also her heart in caring for them. On the other hand, our hero has an emotional baggage but being with the heroine makes him more open and willing to try. I haven't finished watching this yet but I have no bad comment so far.

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This is one of the best romantic-comedy dramas I've seen. Every episode is hilarious but at the same time, it touches the issues people in their 20s face with a positive outlook. I love how the characters are individually weird and yet, they're all passionate with their dreams. The characters get themselves in messy situations a lot but I love how they got each other's back. This show also portrays the struggles of the people in their 20s and how they're all still trying to find their place in the world. They all know it's gonna be tough but they never stop doing little things to get closer to their dream and it's admirable. This is a feel-good series I recommend.

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Gripping plot with a biting kind of romance

I wasn't supposed to watch this one because I already guessed it would be tragic based on the trailer. But, I got curious and binge-watched this last night and it was worth it! So here are some things I want to point out:

- No, the drama didn't distort their history (I read up on Korean history for context). There was no glorification at all. In fact, it gives you the impression that authorities--whether they're from South or North--are just driven by their own ambitions and have no care for its people. In the end, ordinary people only got each other because those in power only see us as a tool for their gain.

- It would be a bit hard to understand at first. The drama requires the viewers to at least know what was happening in South Korea in 1987 to know how the tension and political unrest came about. The drama opened with protests so it helps to read up on the history leading up to that year to get the context.

- Think of CLOY but more gripping, intense, complex, and heartbreaking. It will keep you on the edge of your seat in every episode and frustrate you to no end.

- Jisoo and Hae In's chemistry is on another level despite this drama having little romantic moments between the two main characters. It helps that their characters have more complexities that make their love story more gripping and heartbreaking that all you could do is root for these two's happiness. There's just so much tension whenever these two are on the same frame.

- Speaking of Jisoo, I got to commend her acting. I'm a bit reluctant to watch idol-actors because most of them get to be the main leads without knowing how to act. It's not like jisoo's acting is stellar but even in her first lead role, she's definitely better than other idol actors who have been acting for years. She really makes use of her face to act out every emotion and is not afraid of looking ugly (although she's still pretty) in the process. Some idols are too determined to look pretty onscreen that their facial expressions don't change no matter what the situation is in the scene.

- I also got to commend the OST. It adds to the emotional pull of every scene.

To wrap it all up, there's a lot to unpack in this drama so I recommend watching this during your free time so you could think over what just happened in every twist and turn.

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Light and Youthful

Youth-themed dramas are pretty common in the land of cdramas so the only thing I'm looking for is the effectiveness of the storytelling. I have only watched 10 episodes so far but I like where this drama is going. It brings out the fun and pain of being a youth. I was also surprised that the main lead here is a person with disability. I had hesitation at first because I didn't want the drama to use it as a mere plot device but I like how they portray the main lead as someone very capable. I've also gotten tired of the naive, lovestruck female characters in your usual youth cdrama but there's something so endearing about the female character here--I just saw her as a relatable teenage girl who falls in love for the first time. I hope this drama ends well because I had a bad experience with tragic youth cdramas.

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I personally like this drama because it's heartwarming and light yet it shows the struggles of the youth in their 20s. It was able to depict the uncertainties and troubles that young people go through. It lightly touched heavy issues and addressed them properly. Maybe because it's a college drama that it shows the brighter side of things even through difficulties. I also like how the characters resolve the issues immediately instead of the usual kdrama complications which just drag the drama. Sung Kyung and Joo Hyuk have always had a strong chemistry since they were models and their closeness can be seen. The supporting characters were played out by the cast well. I like how all the characters rely on one another. I didn't expect Joo Hyuk to do good in terms of acting but he surprised me especially in the scene wherein he cried. Even his gestures and eyes were acting. I'll definitely recommend it to anyone who wants a lighthearted drama.

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Heartwarming with Flaws

I love how this drama started out. It was heartwarming to watch how Nian Qin slowly opened up to Wu Yan. The romance was a slow burn as Nian Qin struggled to allow himself to love and be loved. Wu Yan was such a likeable character. Her patience and understanding made me love her more. However, this drama has some flawed parts [SPOILER AHEAD, SKIP IF YOU WANT TO]:

- Nian Qin had Wu Yan followed after they broke up. I get that he loves her and he even tried to make life easy for her by using his influence to help her out without her knowing. But having her followed is just creepy.

- The drama used a mental health issue merely as a plot device to bring Nian Qin and Wu Yan closer. Later in the drama, it was revealed that Wu Yan suffered from trauma after her friend died. She then started to imagine that her friend was still alive to cope up with the loss. Nian Qin used this as a chance to ask her to go with him to Xiamen (although he was also concerned about her well-being). The drama just went on, glossing over this conflict that came out of nowhere and it was "resolved" with Nian Qin always sticking to Wu Yan.

- I enjoyed the slower-than-usual-cdramas pace of this drama so I was a bit disappointed how the last 2 episodes suddenly felt a bit cramped. There was too much happening when the last 2 episodes should have been more of a conclusion. The previous flaw I mentioned (Wu Yan having trauma) is a conflict that was only revealed on the second to the last ep.

Nevertheless, this is an enjoyable drama if you're willing to overlook some of the flaws.

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Recommended for Rom-Com Enthusiasts

I have only watched 6 episodes of this drama and was surprised by the fast pacing. It's just a feel-good cohabitation drama wherein the female lead accidentally hit the male lead resulting in his temporary amnesia. Thus, the female lead took responsibility of him and let him live with her. There's more to the characters' backstory but I don't want to spoil anything so I'll let you discover it yourself. There's nothing special or unique with the plot. Zhao Lusi is hard-carrying in the acting department since Liu Te is not doing much (to be fair, I believe he's a new actor so there's that). If you want a feel-good rom-com drama, then I would recomment this.

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Sweet, Light, and Heartwarming

Whether you're fan of the K-POP boy group TREASURE or not, this show is enjoyable to all. You don't need to know who TREASURE is or their discography to enjoy it. The show introduces them as young men interacting with women around their age. While this is seen as a dating show, it's more of a show that highlights the journey of the boys' growth. Since K-POP idols usually grow up focused on training, this show puts a group of idols in another environment to push them out of their comfort zone. The interactions with the girls are sweet and light. But more than anything, you see TREASURE trying to grow and get out of their comfort zone (as most of them are introverts) by shedding their idol image and just engaging with the girls as normal boys.

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