Polyar
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A Perfect Drama that Nails it's Concept
I was thoroughly excited for this drama when it was announced, I've been looking forward to a modern Kim So-hyun drama for awhile and the concept really intrigued me. The drama most definitely didn't disappoint, it set itself off strong in the start really building the entire world of the drama and introducing the cast of characters. It expertly paced itself in terms of building the romance between the two leads properly timing everything. The drama also does a fantastic job in avoiding the usual trope of extending conflicts between the lead characters, every single conflict is resolved within the episode it is in or in the next episode. This allows for the dynamic and the relationship of the two leads not getting soured which can get quite tiring in other dramas.At first the introduction of the whole murder story was tiny bit confusing but the drama fit it in alongside the romance and comedy perfectly fine allowing for some seriousness which did not drag the rest down at all. I wasn't at all disappointed once during any episode, in a rarity I actually binged some episodes because I couldn't wait to watch the next episode. The whole concept of hearing lies was a really great idea and the drama did a great job in using it properly. They never really abused the concept which they definitely could have but the writers did a good job in steering clear of over using it.
Kim So-hyun and Hwang Min-hyun did a wonderful job in their portrayals of the main characters. I enjoyed how they made the characters feel real and actually personable. The writers did a wonderful job in putting some level of depth into the characters with their personalities. The rest of the cast was great from the Tarot Cafe to J Entertainment, they filled in perfectly for side scenes but didn't totally take away vital screen time.
The OST for the drama was fantastic, almost every song was instantly added to my K-Drama playlist. The production for the drama was fantastic as well with the cinematography being just right. A special thumbs up to the set designers, they matched the character's personalities so well with the apartment rooms. It's rare seeing set designers put that much effort into putting personality into a set.
I may also be biased with this but I love how they involved football in the drama, I'm a massive Liverpool supporter so when I saw that Do Ha was a Liverpool supporter I instantly connected with the character. I never thought I would ever see a James Milner kit in a K-Drama let alone his name being dropped numerous times and seeing Kim So-hyun wearing a James Milner kit too. Sure Kim So-hyun's character was a Man Utd supporter which was a big minus in my book, how could you do that to So-hyun!?
Overall the drama left me completely happy and fulfilled, I'm 100% content giving this a perfect rating of a 10/10. It did everything right and never disappointed or lingered on nonsensical stuff.
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A Drama that Warms Up Quite Nice
Our Beloved Summer is a wonderful drama that does a fantastic job in telling the story of a cast of characters that have such a deep history that they share with actors that do a perfect job in selling that dynamic. I have to say I was initially put off with the first few episodes with how the main leads, Ung and Yeon Su were when interacting especially the main female lead, Yeon Su regarding how cold and distant she was as a female lead. But the drama didn't linger around that personality for far too long and explained her disposition and why she acts the way she does. The main male lead Ung was an extremely relatable and down to earth lead that was instantly connectable for me within the very first episode.The secondary love interests were good however I found Ji-Ung to be a sort of detestable character that had no real redeemable qualities. Most if not all of his actions towards his best friend were completely reprehensible. He has to be one of the worst secondary love interests I have ever seen. But the secondary female love interest, NJ, was such a breath of fresh air when it came to the secondary love interest category. Her bright and charming personality made me look forward to her scenes every episode and while Ji-Ung's detestable loathsome actions, NJ made up for it with her admirable pleasant actions. The rest of the supporting cast was enjoyable and did a great job in carrying along the story both inside and outside the main plotline.
The one thing this drama did absolutely perfect was allowing for the relationship of Ung and Yeon Su to have screen time. Dramas tend to only have the final episode or two be the time period where the main characters relationships to have screen time which unfortunately causes a lot of crunch time, however this drama started, well, re-started the relationship many episodes before the end which allowed the two main characters to interact in such a refreshing and lovely way.
The OST was perfect with great songs from 10cm, Ha Sung Woon, Kim Yung Hee, and especially The Giving Tree by Lee Seung Yoon. I'll definitely be listening to this drama's OST for months to come. The cinematography and quality of the drama was perfect as well, I like the way the drama presented the past, present, and recent memories with the different filming styles from the full screen to widescreen formats.
One final thing, also the drama definitely delivered on one thing, Ung's final drawing and who his first ever person he would draw. That made this drama an instant classic for me. I would 100% recommend this to everyone and definitely would be revisiting this to rewatch in the near future.
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A convoluted drama that fails to establish itself
It is honestly quite a shame, I had high hopes for this drama from both the trailers and some of the casting. But did it disappoint so much early on that it made me drop the drama completely. Normally I would hold on for hope that it would get better but the drama failed to even give the slightest bit of hope. The concept itself is very convoluted and disorients quickly, having had the entire show spoiled on the decision to drop it all but confirmed my decision to drop the drama. The lackadaisical and nonsensical concept which could work if it was outlined better.The only saving grace with the casting was Jeon Yeo-been, her ability to play both roles of Jun Hee and Min Ju with both of their different personality types was fantastic. But it's a shame the world built around them and the story they are in completely is the opposite. Ahn Hyo-seop unfortunately bores me as a main male lead, his presentation of both roles of Yeon Jun and Si Heon are completely unremarkable and stale. The drama itself doesn't even bother to build up initially the emotional attachment to Yeon Jun, only living small flashbacks here and there which are only a minute or two long.
The only thing truly outstanding about the drama was the production quality, the cinematography and the accompanying music was great. I wished this drama did a better job in drawing the viewer in within the first few episodes and had a better flushed out timeline and concept. Will I return to it? Probably not especially knowing the entire story already from reading the entire story.
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