A decent drama

I have mixed feelings on this drama to be honest. While I enjoyed some aspects of the show, there was also a lot that I didn’t.

I will start with what I enjoyed. I absolutely loved Mijoo and Kangho’s relationship, they were truly the best part of this show for me. I really liked the fact that they actually acted like a couple and did miscellaneous and mundane things that an established couple would do. As much as I love kdramas for the build up to relationships, they often lack any substance afterwards or throw about 15 problems the couple’s way to keep them apart. Which, after 12 episodes (at least), of waiting for a couple to be together can be quite tiresome. This made Kangho & Mijoo such a breath of fresh air, because even when they weren’t together, the longing they both had for each other and the life they could have was very apparent.

The acting in this show was also fantastic! Not that I expected any less from the three leads. I don’t think this show would’ve been as successful if the actors who portrayed the main characters were not who they were. Also shout out to little kids who played the twins! They were adorable and hilarious and I am impressed that they could act so well at such a young age.

I also thought the finale for this show wrapped everything up nicely which definitely does not always happen with kdramas. Now, there are still some things that I did not enjoy or felt frustrated by in this show that kept me from giving it a higher rating.

First, Youngsoon. While I appreciate a complex character and like the fact that she wasn’t one-dimensional, I am left wondering what the writer wanted to portray from her character. It took up until the final few episodes for Youngsoon to admit any wrongdoing that she did to Kangho and when she did admit to it, the drama made us feel like she was doing it only because she loved Kangho. While I believe that Youngsoon loved Kangho very much, that doesn’t excuse her actions and rectify anything she had already done. Youngsoon also never seemed to grow as an individual in the show. I mean she was still blaming Mijoo for things out of her control in episode 12! Any time she would show any progress in her behavior, she would go back to doing the same thing not even 30 minutes later! I just don’t know what the writer’s ultimate goal was with Youngsoon’s character. This is also no hate against Ra Miran, she did an excellent job with what she was given, it’s just the character she portrayed that I struggle with.

Also, the side characters. I really did not care about any of them for the majority of the show. None of them really stood out to me or had interesting depth to them whatsoever. They were kind of just…there, in my opinion. I did warm up to Sam-sik by the end of the show but I don’t know if that was due to me liking the character or liking the actor who plays him. Also, the two henchmen turned farmers were fun, but that was about it.

Overall, I did enjoy this show despite my grievances and looked forward to it every week. It’s not one of my favorites but I don’t think I wasted my time on it either. Mainly due to Kangho, Mijoo, and the twins lol.

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Untapped potential

I would like to preface this review by saying I was a webtoon reader of this story before it became a drama. Therefore, some of my thoughts may be a bit biased towards my feelings on the webtoon instead of viewing this show as a singular entity outside of the source material.

With that being said, I was a little disappointed with how this drama went.

First, some of the characters and relationships were underdeveloped compared to the webtoon. Yes, I am talking about Doyun as a character and his relationship with Chowon. Doyun was much more layered and given a proper backstory in the webtoon than then brief comments we got about it here. His relationship with Chowon had more depth as well and got a lot more page time than they did screen time.

The friendship between the four of them was also not as strong. They did a great job with some individual bonds but as a whole the writers missed the mark a bit on the found family the four of them had with one another.

With less time spent on the relationships between the characters, there was time spent on pretty meaningless ones. I still don’t know what the point of Ms. Jang and her son was. It literally held no one’s attention or interest. Much of the same can be said for Jiseok who was a much better character in the webtoon. I would’ve preferred they done away with his character entirely than transform him into whatever he was here.

Also, I definitely disliked the change up of Jieum’s first life. The whole point of Seoha & Jieum’s relationship is that they AREN’T fated to be together. That they chose one another in the present, in the now, not whatever the past held. Making them know one another in her first life kind of defeated the purpose of the whole webtoon in my opinion. I was also sad at the writers for doing away with Jieum’s original storyline for her first life. (Spoiler for the Webtoon) Her and Doyun always bickered like siblings so it was almost perfect that they were siblings in her first life. Again, point to the found family potential that didn’t hold as much weight here.

Now, that I have made my grievances clear, I do want to specify that despite all my ranting above there were still some great aspects to this drama.

The cast is the obvious standout. Genuinely do not think they could’ve found better people to play these characters. Maybe that’s part of the reason I’m more upset than I should be at the lacking areas of this show, bc the cast was so perfect. Shin Hye Sun was fantastic as she always is. No one else could’ve truly played Jieum and I stand by that. Ha Yoon Kyung was also a perfect Chowon. She captured her sensitivity but determination wonderfully. She truly became the epitome of a spring sunshine character (iykyk). I, like a lot of the webtoon fan base, was pretty apprehensive to Ahn Bo Hyun being casted as Seoha. Not for his lack of acting ability, but because his image drastically compared to that of Seoha’s. And yet, he was outstanding. I admire him so much for taking such a big shift from what he usually plays and taking on a softer role that he absolutely aced. Now I can picture no one else but him as Seoha. The same can be said of Ahn Dong Goo. I had only seen him in Our Beloved Summer previously and if you know his character there you know how different they are compared to Doyun. Again, he did a great job. This cast was such a great ensemble and I hope we get a few of them in other projects together one day.

The cinematography of this show was also stunning. The director really outdid themselves here. The OST was magical and really fit the vibe of the whole show. I will have ‘Juicy’ stuck in my head for the foreseeable future.

As much as I complained about the changes from the webtoon I didn’t like, there was one that was a very welcome addition. I loved Ae-gyeong and the relationship she had with Jieum. We get a bit of that in the webtoon but it’s not focused on as much so I really loved that they did here. I also did like the little role reversal at the end of this show. Really highlights how much Seoha & Jieum love each other.

Overall, despite my ranting I did enjoy this show. I don’t think there is a version of these characters that I wouldn’t fall in love with at the end of the day. Seoha, Jieum, Chowon, and Doyun have always meant a lot to me and that is something that will never change.

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When a lovely little show captures your heart

I always hate the fact that when I really love something I can never find the adequate words to express how I feel about it. So, I’m sure this review will not express everything that I want it to but I will try.

I really went into this show blind. I knew nothing about it other than the vague synopsis and the impression that this show wouldn’t be intense or dramatic like most of what I watch lol. This show is like little vignettes of the protagonist, Hakyung’s, trips that she takes on the weekend. She visits new places and meets new people, but it never seems to jump to grandeur like falling in love at first sight or having a life-changing experience somewhere. It’s just…simple. But in a very good way. The people she meets she may never see again and the places she goes she may never visit a second time. And that’s that.

I enjoyed how peaceful this show was to watch and how I truly felt like I was just following Hakyung along on her trips. I also liked how, despite it not being the main focus of the show, Hakyung’s job as a teacher was very much prevalent and how important the relationship to her students was to her.

I loved the entirety of this show but the final episode is what solidified, for me, just how much I loved it. The conversations Hakyung and her friend have in this episode couldn’t have resonated more with who I am right now and where my life is. The discussion of aging but not feeling like you are growing up and the question of if time really speeds up as we get older or is that all just in our heads. As someone who is crossing the bridge of childhood to adulthood, those topics couldn’t have felt more relatable to me and similar to what i ask myself often.

This show is probably not for everyone as most shows aren’t, but this show was undoubtedly right for me, especially at this moment.

I’m sure I haven’t articulated all of my thoughts the way I wanted to, but I’m so happy I decided to watch this show on a random whim, much like Hakyung and the trips she took.

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Definition of a true romcom

Some people may say that this rating is too high and maybe it is, when looking objectively. I am not looking objectively. No, I am completely looking at and reviewing this show fully aware of the rose-tinted glasses I’m wearing and could care less.

Yes, there are problems with the show. Sarang could’ve been given better depth as a character and the Arab Prince storyline needed to be completely trashed. This show could be corny, cheesy, and even cringey at some points, but the happiness and joy this drama gave me outweighs anything else.

Like i said, i know I’m viewing some aspects of it with rose-tinted glasses, but this show couldn’t have come at a better time for me. My anxiety was at an all-time high when the majority of this show was airing and it was so nice to be able to escape into the lives of these characters and their relationships.

Won and Sarang’s romance is probably one of the most mature and healthiest I have seen in a kdrama. They never fought over stupid things, always communicated, tried to understand the other’s perspective, and fought for their relationship when circumstances tried to force them apart. Listen, I love drama and messiness too but sometimes when couples break up for little to no reason I’m left wondering why I rooted for them to get together in the first place. I never questioned that with these two, they always proved time and time again why I loved them and why they should be together.

I also loved the majority of the side characters. Both of Sarang’s besties were great and I liked how they both had their own individual storylines outside of being Sarang’s friends and supporting her romance with Won. Pyeonghwa and her noona romance with Rowoon ftw! I also liked Sang-sik, he was very chaotic as Won’s secretary and I liked their begrudging bromance. Sarang’s halmeoni was also a standout and her relationship with both Won and Sarang was lovely. Also, even though I’m supposed to hate her, and I did, I liked Hwaran as a villain. Mainly because she didn’t bore me in her scenes like so many do nowadays.

In terms of Won and Sarang individually, I mentioned earlier how Sarang didn’t have as much depth to her character as Won did. While this is definitely true, I still really liked Sarang. I liked how hard-working and kind she was, but wasn’t a pushover by any means. She remained true to herself and her beliefs throughout the whole drama and never tried to change herself for other people. I loved her ending and how she started a hotel herself and it worked out because of her as a person, not because of any outside factors. Won was also like the best kdrama boyfriend ever. He actually tried to see things from Sarang’s perspective and actually changed the way he acted and did things accordingly (Shocking, I know). He never tried to pressure her into anything and always wanted what she wanted, never want he wanted for her. His character growth was great and I loved his arc because although Sarang helped him appreciate the people around him, you knew that it was always in his nature he just needed the guidance he never got.

Junho & Yoona had great chemistry too and were genuinely wonderful in their respective roles. I can definitely see why so many are obsessed with their pairing now, lol. They had so many moments that were clearly them improvising that really made Sarang and Won’s relationship believable. Some couples come across as very rehearsed when your job as an actor is to seem the opposite.

This show was just really enjoyable for me and is highly rewatchable. I would say this show is my guilty pleasure, but I really don’t feel guilty about it at all.

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You can’t beat the system, but you can try

I say this every time but it’s so much harder to put into words how you feel about something you love than the opposite. I don’t know why that is true for me, but I’m going to try my best.

This show is so spectacular. I’m so glad it shines a light on something I rarely see talked about. It is obviously a follow-up to the previous season and it doesn’t hesitate to get right into the cliffhanger it left the viewers off on.

This show is not an easy watch, hence why the rewatch value is not as high. Its deals with extremely dark topics and while it has its lighthearted moments, this season doesn’t have as much as the first. I think that was for the better though considering we really get into the systemic oppression and how prevalent it is this time around. Despite not being easy to watch, it is all the more worthwhile.

The abuse of power in the South Korean military and how the government plays a role in that is highlighted in this season and really makes the viewer think. An incident may be singular to a specific base, but the system that built the environment that caused said incident has a lot of the blame to take. This is what I think is one of the overall messages of the show. The system is what is flawed not the people put into it.

The other message I believe this show has is that even if you can’t beat the system, you can damn well try. And try as hard as they can these characters do. None of them are perfect, each making their own mistakes along the way, but that is what is driving them to do better. I understand some people didn’t like the lack of justice by the end of it, but this show hasn’t sugar-coated anything before, and they definitely aren’t going to now. The true reality is that a few people can’t take down a decades long way of doing things especially when backed by the government. It’s their willingness to try that matters.

This show is undoubtedly more so about the people that make up the system than anything. The deserters, the ones pursuing them, the ones left back at the base. All of them have a part to play.

The cast in this is once again fantastic. The main four were just as good if not better than last season. Seeing Junho’s progression as a character was amazing and Jung Haein acted his ass off. Koo Kyuhwan was also great, especially when we meet Hoyeol again and it’s clear he has been greatly impacted by what happened last season. I really liked that the characters of Park Beom-gu and Lim Ji-seop were given more screen time and depth this season. Both of the actors who played them respectively were great. The actor who played Kim Ru-ri was also superb.

The guest cast was also amazing. My love for Choi Hyunwook is strong, but he was genuinely really good here. Definitely the darkest role he’s had thus far in his career. But the real standout for me was Bae Nara as Nina. He absolutely broke my heart and was the story that for me was most emotionally impactful.

The ending of this season was also a tear-jerker but in a bit more of a positive way. I don’t see them doing another season, despite Junho still having a year left of his service, I think they said what they needed to say and will leave it at that. The purpose of this show is poignant and I hope everyone whether they liked this show or not at least comes away from viewing it with that in mind.

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Pretty typical action drama with a few highlights

What I was expecting when I started watching this drama was ultimately what I got, and that’s not a bad thing!

I don’t expect every single drama to have a long-lasting message for the audience. I understand that some dramas are made for the fun of it and this is definitely one of those. The story was similar to most action dramas where the main lead wants to get some sort of vengeance against those that wronged him, however, there were some aspects of this show that were a bit different that I liked.

First of all, as I’m sure most people will not argue, the strongest part of this show is the friendship between Gunwoo & Woojin. They were both extremely loyal to one another and never betrayed the other’s trust or y’know…died. Their bond was very sweet to watch and I appreciated the simplicity in it. Like they just understood each other and supported each other and that was that. Also, Woo Dohwan and Lee Sangyi had great chemistry together and I am not surprised that they are super close irl now. It helps that they aren’t bad to look at…just a little.

I also liked the fact that neither Woojin or Gunwoo were the standard brooding hero who showed no emotion. Gunwoo was extremely kind, loving, and honestly adorable at times lol. Woojin was also so funny, caring, and definitely gave off Golden Retriever energy. I have no problem with the typical male hero archetype, but it was nice to see a change up in this instance.

Setting this show during the peak of Covid was also a good idea to show how desperate people were for money and how others would take advantage of that. Not that that isn’t apparent at any time, but it was especially prevalent during Covid.

The flaws of this show for me is the lack of depth the majority of the characters had. Especially the antagonists. Like, I get that some villains are just evil to be evil but at least make them interesting??? I found the scenes centered around the bad guys to be pretty bland despite the great acting. I would just see them on screen and guess what they were going to do next which doesn’t bode well for your villain being engaging for the audience. Also some of the characters motivations just didn’t make sense to me? Like why was Inbeom so loyal to MyungGil? Why did Mr. Choi suddenly grow a conscious? Just a lot of nuance I felt could’ve been easily added but wasn’t.

The finale was also fine. Like it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t good. I was just kind of like oh? that’s it? alright.

Overall, this is a drama that doesn’t require a lot of brain power. Like you could probably look away for ten minutes and still know what was going on when you looked back. It was a fun time and I think it’s easy to enjoy. Definitely recommend if you are into action dramas, and even if you aren’t i do think Gunwoo & Woojin’s cute bromance is worth a watch.

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