WhyNotTV kept the same premise as the first series (the question of should we have an office romance or not). This time around, however, we got bubbly Ji Woo, a manager with strong, reluctant opinions when it comes to dating your colleagues. However, things change once she meets handsome and straightforward Min Woong, who shakes her up and makes her question her own beliefs and vows.
The chemistry between the leads was on an all-time high, it was always fun to watch; if in the first series it felt a bit static, this one took the care to not waste any time lighting up the sparks. The little we saw of their personalities matched well.
However, I'm noticing that WhyNotTV seems to have a bit of a problem when it comes to pacing. Given that it is a webdrama, with 10 episodes, each having around 10 minutes, I can't blame them for wanting, or rather needing to fasten up the plot and the events in order to conclude the series with a "cookie" ending (the type of ending where the last episode feels like a filler one, meant to give lovey-dovey scenes). Timing is essential to me and, as much as I admitted the chemistry to be good, it could've been paced better, it'd be more...realistic and even enjoyable that way. There's not much to say about ost - same goes as for other aspects, such as the script (which was nice, nothing to blow anyone away) and filming (same as the writing).
I watched the whole thing with the feeling I recognized the main female lead (which in fact I did, she was also the main in 2017's My Secret Romance). She's just as beautiful as I remembered! The main lead was also a surprise, as I haven't seen his face anywhere else before. His looks (and height) reminded me of CIX's Hyunsuk. I hope I get to see him around more in the future, he was adorable here. The side characters were also good, just like the absence of the first series' office "drama" when it came to office crushes and romances. This second series took a more adult approach, hence why I liked it best.
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As a big fan of the Love Playlist series, to watch my favorite character have a 6 long episode left me a bit empty hearted, it seemed that everything had been done in a rush. Pureum's quirky and bubbly personality, her charisma, deserved and could've been given so much more. They spent 2 series building such character that to end everything this "quickly" hurt. If the chance comes around for Playlist to pick up Pureum or anyone equally as fun, I hope they play their cards right.
Nonetheless, this short drama was cute, simple and still managed to make me smile past my frustrations. I hope I get to see more of this main cast soon, especially the actor that played Sejin.
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Nice, no-sense and light-hearted series for the heart
Melo not solo felt much like a nice breeze. It might be short, but it's enjoyable and a fresh breath from the tedious pressure of everyday life.A bit nonsensically and exaggerated at the times, due to the series being comedy driven, but I believe any viewer should be okay with that if they mean to like this. It's the far too weird scenarios that define this webdrama and make it worthy of watching. These types of dramas are not meant to be seen very seriously.
The timing was nice although the ending felt abrupt and rushed, as if the writers ran out of plot and had to quickly tie everything. There was a window to explore Doyeon's character more, which was not open and rather buried, and it made me sad - especially because, once again, her performance surprised me positively. I truly think she should have more acting gigs...
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Without saying too much, it was slow paced, entertaining and fun. Almost everything about this drama felt nice, right, healing? of sorts. It's almost as if you're inside your bed, comfortable and warm. Sometimes the multiple shots and the montages of scenes did irk me, and I did skip through most of the second plot (the friend's plot) because... I simply didn't care all that much about his character - but it was nice for the writers to include a sub plot, even if it was just not one I liked. I really recommend it for anyone that wants something quite free of overdramatic plots.
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Only one last thing: I absolutely despised Sunmi's soundtrack - it's nothing against her, it's just that, even if it was the producers' intention, anytime it would play it'd be jarring and, personally, it didn't felt like it fit the drama's theme. The other two were nice though.
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The acting at times felt strange (given the fact that the three main actors are...well...acting as cat-humanoids), and to me the story felt incomplete at times (I later found out this is a second season, not a first), although the drama kept the same formula while also giving us solo stories for each protagonist. The ost was nice, the scenes were nicely shot and paced, and I liked all the characters. As weird as the drama might get, it was well executed. We surely need more of these to 'spice' up youtube - sometimes it gets a bit too boring to find always the same romance plotted webdramas.
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Overall, the most charming and perhaps the one thing that gave more life to the drama, was the main couple's sweet puppy love. It's innocent and cute, and it warms the heart of the viewer for the brief time period it runs.
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It might be a bit too early to say this was one of my favourite shows I've watched this 2020 but I guess I was just incredibly charmed with this series' last segment.
Love Playlist season 4 is everything a good last (for now) series needs, and should be. As bittersweet as it might feel, the series picks up the loose knots from last series while creating new ones and exploring them further, developing the characters we've grown to love in ways we might have not expected (Hanneul, I'm looking at you...).
The writing for this series felt better, as did the plot which relied on those good-old drama cliché scenarios. The characters, as always, were the ones to colour and give life to everything (this series includes a new character, playful and clever Jimin, and has the apparent return of someone from LP's first season btw). The filming for this drama, in my opinion, felt a bit more sharp: if you pay enough attention, it feels that the directors and screens were more detailed and perfectionist with how they filmed and shot. The two osts, voiced by EXO-CBX and Suran, were one of the most enjoyable details from this 4th season; listening to Baekhyun's honey vocals and Suran's soulful, particular tone in the most significant scenes was a pleasure!
The ending though.... it's hard to let go, so I'm still holding on to the hope that Playlist will somehow revive either the drama's format (that cd that plays at the beginning of and those quotes that conclude each episode) or their characters (which they already have done, in 4 Reasons Why I Hate X-Mas, centered partly on Pureum!).
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The two main leads are quite possibly the saddest people I've seen in dramas in a while. Sure, they aren't sad all the time. No one is if I'm being honest - but the tone in which the drama sets its plot is in one of tragedy and sadness: they are stuck in a dreadful web of romances: there's, if I got the memo right, 2 love triangles, one for each main lead, and possibly a 3rd one will blossom (I dropped the drama but a little bird tells me it will happen eventually). Apart from this, which is already 70% of the plot, a lot of the personalities are only built on their weaknesses and fears, there's little space for other stuff. The female lead is relatable because she tries her best yet fails, the male lead is relatable because people set expectations on him which he feels obligated to meet, sacrificing his own happiness in the process. And everything else is just a sad blabber of their career struggles or how they're in love with the wrong people - until they fall for each other, then it will most likely be a sad blabber about their relationship issues.
Then there's the other 30 minutes of the episode, where we'd get to see the inner lives of the second leads, whom i could not care less, and some other trouble related to the music scene the drama was set in, which I skipped out of simple boredom - why should i care about these characters, whom i feel no affection towards?
Maybe I'm being too neat picky, maybe I just had high expectations. The drama isn't bad, I did enjoy some parts I watched: I really do like the music, the filming and scenery. There were fun, adorable and intense moments between the main leads here and there. I absolutely adore Park Eun Bin, she's a genius, and Kim Min Jae's voice is something out of this world, with his performance being the exact opposite of what i saw in Tempted.... But, for now, I'll wait for their other works. This drama just feels like a lot of unnecessary stress, and I don't want to give in on the temptation of the pretty leads.
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A plot with flawed characters that I considered controversial - as it is based on a bad, perhaps immoral action that leaves anyone puzzled. Its romance neither felt rushed nor ever overlapped the main crime intrigues. The performances were amazing - kudos to Moon Geun Young for playing not one, but two characters! and to Kim Seon Ho for bracing so many emotions wonderfully from start to finish. Another great thing was the timing: tvn really knew when to cut the episodes and when to switch on and off themes. I grew fond of everyone.
However, it was weak on many aspects: most osts were quite bland, there are some odd camera angles here and there; when they ended an episode on a climax, it easily dialled down in less than 5 minutes of the following one - it isn't a big problem when you're able to binge, sure! The second female lead could've had much more spotlight- most second leads in kdramas get reduced to a sample role (obsessed ex girlfriend, best friend, etc) but Ma Ri was intriguing because of her almost holy commitment to justice and rule-like personality. And there was also one particular plot decision they choose that irked me, because it felt far too fantasy-ish for a crime drama (spoiler: the mom getting her memory back just when it was needed to, then forgetting it).
If anything, the only big disappointment was the fact that there are not any real ghosts in it. :p
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