One of the best series on Netflix, but not a typical k-drama

I want to be very clear: this is a superb series for whomever is looking for a westerner, social + romantic, full of very very interesting ideas type one. However, the problem is that k-drama watchers are mostly the ones watching it, so the rating is low because of this: they expect a nice bubbly story, with all kind of hidden relations that are going to be revealed in the end, full of romantic, unexpected turns, so of course, for them this is going to be boring. Again, the series is superb, depicting perfectly the social segregation, power abuse, difficult to reach relations, but the final idea that a relation should be stopped after an amazing climax has been reached is stunning (and it's so very difficult to stop...) despite there are counterexamples when two people live happily ever after (yes, you can count them on the fingers of a single hand, but... there are!!). An excellent director, who used picturesque effects to show a large variety of feelings on the screen. It's absolutely everything else but boring!

Long time ago, when I was a teenager, I was discussing a lot with my best friend about a climax in love and the meaning of marriage after that. The truth is that a relationship can go only down from reaching a top. Everyone knows that all marriages have problems, misunderstandings, etc. Why continue something that was extraordinary, just to drag it to trivial? My ideas changed while aging, but the questions are still there. I guess this is the only show which bluntly treats the same problem in the same way. That's why I loved it. Of course, I am subjective, but this show impressed me a lot.

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Why would this period piece be inferior to any other?

I have watched a lot of Korean period pieces. First, any comparison with the masterpiece movie from 2001 with Jun Ji-Hyun is a nonsense. These are completely different everything: theme, idea, period, genre. The cast is very lovely, the subject is nice, the acting is good, so all in all this is a very enjoyable series. Yes, it's nothing new, but except for satellites falling from the sky with green goblins during Joseon era, I am not sure something really new can be added to the hundreds of period pieces created. Do you want a lovely period comedy/drama? Of well, this is a very fair one.

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A very genuine introspection into the life of a K-pop idol

This is an artistic series, not a crowd pleaser. The characters are very well defined, however, the most impressive part is the psychology of the K-pop idol. This is not a "famous girl and ordinary boy" story. The series tries to make everyone understand what the difficulties of being a k-pop (or k-drama actor/actress, whatsoever) star in plenty of cases really are. I loved the miniseries to bits. It fits perfectly to my idea of romanticism as well as the idea of realism. To be a star, in all languages and on all meridians doesn't mean necessarily happiness. It may; but it may not. I am from Canada, but I really appreciate k-dramas. However, watching the weddings of some k-stars (Jang Na-Ra, Kang So-Ra, for example) and the fact that the non-celebrity spouse's face is hidden, as well as the most of them cannot really have girlfriends/boyfriends while young and working in this business, made me think a lot about the traumatizing life of idols. The movie is nice, but also realistic, doesn't matter what the others say. Plenty of people will complain about the ending :)) There is no other real possible ending! I strongly recommend it! It's beautiful, romantic and realistic.

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