seasofflames
USA
This review may contain spoilers
Watched it for Habaek and So Ah's Love Story and was satisfied with what I got
Even though it was released back in 2017, I somehow had managed to avoid it so didn't know how it was going to end. I'm not familiar with its source material either so I just enjoyed the drama on its own merit. And it was enjoyable! Saw a number of reviews that wasn't favorable to the plot or to the leads' relationship/chemistry, and I'm glad that I don't really agree with them and that the reviews didn't manage to decrease the enjoyment of the drama for me.
With the drama titled the way it is, for me going in, So Ah and Habaek's love story was the main point for me, and since I like both leads, that wasn't going to be a problem, and anything else would be secondary. And with the way it was set up, I was so scared that it was just going to end in heartbreak and pain and was bracing myself for it. I just saw the beginning of one review that said it was going to have a happy ending and trusted that even when there were moments in the end that created some doubts if that was true. So pleasantly surprise and content that it was a happy ending!
LollyPip's recap & review on dramabeans raised a good point that I really agree with, that Habaek and So Ah made each other better versions of themselves, but didn't fundamentally change who they were at the core. That's why I like their relationship and root for their love.
Habaek was still the haughty, arrogant Water God, destined King of all the Gods at the end of the drama, but whereas he was so apathetic when we first meet him in the Gods Realm at the beginning, he had softened during his time with So Ah. He was able to be vulnerable with her, showed how much he loved her, showed how much he appreciate everything that Nam Soo Ri, his servant, did for him, showed an understanding and care for humans that maybe he'd buried after the betrayal of his first human love interest.
Similarly, So Ah, with Habaek's influence in her life, also became more vulnerable or more willing to show her vulnerability. She had been so prickly and tried to be mean-spirited so she wouldn't get hurt at the start, so unwilling to show that she cared for people because of how tied her association of compassion was with her resentment for father, who to everyone else had seemed so compassionate but to her had seemed so uncaring. So Ah had been very much "I can do everything myself and I don't need anyone," but then Habaek showed up and forced himself into her life. Suddenly, there was someone there who saw when she was scared and tired, even when she was so very good at hiding herself behind a mask of indifference. Someone who promised to protect her and make sure she's not harmed, and then fulfilled that promise over and over. Someone who offered out a hand for her to take and lean on, who cooked for her, who spent a Saturday deep cleaning her house with her, who waited for her and walked with her home after work, who worked his first lowly human job for money to buy her a gift (and be so adorably proud of it after), who made sure he came back with a driver license not because he felt like he needed one to drive but because it would make her feel more comfortable to know that he was driving with a license, who reminded her that she can be vulnerable and show her emotions.
Habaek and So Ah both learned to be more human because they were in each other lives, and I'm all for it. Sure, there were elements that I wished were explored more, but overall, it was a satisfying drama that I'm glad I found.
With the drama titled the way it is, for me going in, So Ah and Habaek's love story was the main point for me, and since I like both leads, that wasn't going to be a problem, and anything else would be secondary. And with the way it was set up, I was so scared that it was just going to end in heartbreak and pain and was bracing myself for it. I just saw the beginning of one review that said it was going to have a happy ending and trusted that even when there were moments in the end that created some doubts if that was true. So pleasantly surprise and content that it was a happy ending!
LollyPip's recap & review on dramabeans raised a good point that I really agree with, that Habaek and So Ah made each other better versions of themselves, but didn't fundamentally change who they were at the core. That's why I like their relationship and root for their love.
Habaek was still the haughty, arrogant Water God, destined King of all the Gods at the end of the drama, but whereas he was so apathetic when we first meet him in the Gods Realm at the beginning, he had softened during his time with So Ah. He was able to be vulnerable with her, showed how much he loved her, showed how much he appreciate everything that Nam Soo Ri, his servant, did for him, showed an understanding and care for humans that maybe he'd buried after the betrayal of his first human love interest.
Similarly, So Ah, with Habaek's influence in her life, also became more vulnerable or more willing to show her vulnerability. She had been so prickly and tried to be mean-spirited so she wouldn't get hurt at the start, so unwilling to show that she cared for people because of how tied her association of compassion was with her resentment for father, who to everyone else had seemed so compassionate but to her had seemed so uncaring. So Ah had been very much "I can do everything myself and I don't need anyone," but then Habaek showed up and forced himself into her life. Suddenly, there was someone there who saw when she was scared and tired, even when she was so very good at hiding herself behind a mask of indifference. Someone who promised to protect her and make sure she's not harmed, and then fulfilled that promise over and over. Someone who offered out a hand for her to take and lean on, who cooked for her, who spent a Saturday deep cleaning her house with her, who waited for her and walked with her home after work, who worked his first lowly human job for money to buy her a gift (and be so adorably proud of it after), who made sure he came back with a driver license not because he felt like he needed one to drive but because it would make her feel more comfortable to know that he was driving with a license, who reminded her that she can be vulnerable and show her emotions.
Habaek and So Ah both learned to be more human because they were in each other lives, and I'm all for it. Sure, there were elements that I wished were explored more, but overall, it was a satisfying drama that I'm glad I found.
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