A hidden gem that takes a fresh approach to the "enemies to lovers" trope.
I found out about this drama by chance, and it was the most fortunate incident of my life. After reading a few reviews, I decided to watch it, and overall, I was very pleased. Also, it's short format helped not only make it easy to watch, but also harder for the story to go off the rails.
My first impression upon watching this drama's first episode, was that it would be "It's Okay, That's Love" 2.0, which isn't a bad thing, as that is one of my favorite dramas of all time, but I was wrong.
Our main character is Noh Hwi-Oh, a suspended detective, who has obvious anger issues, and he's trying to overcome that problem. On the other hand we have Lee Min-Kyung, who has pretty deep trust issues and is traumatized by her past. Both of them are considered "mad", and the drama follows their healing process, as they learn how to deal with things through therapy, and slowly but surely fall in love with each other. In other words, this is your typical "enemies to lovers" slow burn with a mental illness twist. This isn't meant as a criticism, but rather to prove that you can make a trope interesting.
The main thing about this drama, to me, is its approach to the mental illness part. Each episode we have snippets of their therapy sessions, and this gives as a window to what is going on in their minds. I also need to praise this drama for not making love the cure for their problems, as many dramas do. As much as I would like to believe that love can cure anything, I say from experience that sadly, just like any other illness, mental illness doesn't go away just because you're in love.
At first, I found the main characters a bit annoying, but I feel like that was done on purpose, maybe to show how outside people perceive them. But slowly, as we learn more about them and their trauma, they start warming up to us. And when you realize, you are rooting for these two to be together.
Dramas like this can be frustrating at times. You want to see these two get along, but in reality, each of them has issues and traumas that make it difficult for them to be together.
Though this drama is primarily about the two main characters and their backstories, I also enjoyed the B-plot involving the part-timer and Samantha. Although a bit out of nowhere and with a rushed ending, I thoroughly enjoyed their storyline. And the ladies from the "Women's Association" were quite fun to watch too.
I think that the only issue I have with this drama is the last two episodes. I don't think they were inheritably bad, but instead extremely rushed. In my opinion, if they added one or two more episodes, to actually develop and wrap up the story, this drama could have been perfection. Since the format of the episodes was so small, and there was so much going on in the last two episodes, many things went either unexplained or the conclusions did not make much sense.
In spite of the rushed ending, I still think it is worth watching since it discusses very important topics.
Side Note: the two main characters in this drama always look so comfy in their clothes, and I really want Min-Kyung's wardrobe.
Acting and Cast: I think everyone involved was very competent in their roles. I thought Jung Woo did a superb job in the role of the righteous but a bit too aggressive cop who wants the best for everyone, but can't control his anger. Oh Yeon-Seo, is one of my favorite actresses, and as always, she did not disappoint. I really felt the pain and trauma her character lived through. The rest of the supporting cast also did a good job in their roles, even with little screen time. And I have to mention Lee Soo Hyun, cause I didn't know she acted, and I was really surprised, she didn't feel awkward or out of place, so good job.
Cinematography and Sound/Music: I like the cinematography of this drama. They did some visual references to movies, and although in the first episodes I found the abrupt endings a bit jarring, and an odd stylist choice, I got used to it after a few episodes, after all this drama is supposed to be a bit "mad". And this "mad" theme also leaked into the camera work, with some odd camara angles that either were used for comedic reasons or for tension. As for the OST, there was nothing special or memorable about it, in my opinion, and the sound mixing was alright.
Will I watch this drama again? Maybe, I really liked the main couple and since the episodes are really short, it's easy to do a marathon. Do I recommend it? Yes, I think this drama is a hidden gem, that does the typical "enemies to lovers" trope very well, and talks about very pertinent issues, with a touch of comedy and a tiny bit of tension.
My first impression upon watching this drama's first episode, was that it would be "It's Okay, That's Love" 2.0, which isn't a bad thing, as that is one of my favorite dramas of all time, but I was wrong.
Our main character is Noh Hwi-Oh, a suspended detective, who has obvious anger issues, and he's trying to overcome that problem. On the other hand we have Lee Min-Kyung, who has pretty deep trust issues and is traumatized by her past. Both of them are considered "mad", and the drama follows their healing process, as they learn how to deal with things through therapy, and slowly but surely fall in love with each other. In other words, this is your typical "enemies to lovers" slow burn with a mental illness twist. This isn't meant as a criticism, but rather to prove that you can make a trope interesting.
The main thing about this drama, to me, is its approach to the mental illness part. Each episode we have snippets of their therapy sessions, and this gives as a window to what is going on in their minds. I also need to praise this drama for not making love the cure for their problems, as many dramas do. As much as I would like to believe that love can cure anything, I say from experience that sadly, just like any other illness, mental illness doesn't go away just because you're in love.
At first, I found the main characters a bit annoying, but I feel like that was done on purpose, maybe to show how outside people perceive them. But slowly, as we learn more about them and their trauma, they start warming up to us. And when you realize, you are rooting for these two to be together.
Dramas like this can be frustrating at times. You want to see these two get along, but in reality, each of them has issues and traumas that make it difficult for them to be together.
Though this drama is primarily about the two main characters and their backstories, I also enjoyed the B-plot involving the part-timer and Samantha. Although a bit out of nowhere and with a rushed ending, I thoroughly enjoyed their storyline. And the ladies from the "Women's Association" were quite fun to watch too.
I think that the only issue I have with this drama is the last two episodes. I don't think they were inheritably bad, but instead extremely rushed. In my opinion, if they added one or two more episodes, to actually develop and wrap up the story, this drama could have been perfection. Since the format of the episodes was so small, and there was so much going on in the last two episodes, many things went either unexplained or the conclusions did not make much sense.
In spite of the rushed ending, I still think it is worth watching since it discusses very important topics.
Side Note: the two main characters in this drama always look so comfy in their clothes, and I really want Min-Kyung's wardrobe.
Acting and Cast: I think everyone involved was very competent in their roles. I thought Jung Woo did a superb job in the role of the righteous but a bit too aggressive cop who wants the best for everyone, but can't control his anger. Oh Yeon-Seo, is one of my favorite actresses, and as always, she did not disappoint. I really felt the pain and trauma her character lived through. The rest of the supporting cast also did a good job in their roles, even with little screen time. And I have to mention Lee Soo Hyun, cause I didn't know she acted, and I was really surprised, she didn't feel awkward or out of place, so good job.
Cinematography and Sound/Music: I like the cinematography of this drama. They did some visual references to movies, and although in the first episodes I found the abrupt endings a bit jarring, and an odd stylist choice, I got used to it after a few episodes, after all this drama is supposed to be a bit "mad". And this "mad" theme also leaked into the camera work, with some odd camara angles that either were used for comedic reasons or for tension. As for the OST, there was nothing special or memorable about it, in my opinion, and the sound mixing was alright.
Will I watch this drama again? Maybe, I really liked the main couple and since the episodes are really short, it's easy to do a marathon. Do I recommend it? Yes, I think this drama is a hidden gem, that does the typical "enemies to lovers" trope very well, and talks about very pertinent issues, with a touch of comedy and a tiny bit of tension.
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