minj99
This drama rings hollow through its messy and uncomfortable premise.
Starting from promotional materials, the creators are clear about the direction of Love Affairs in the Afternoon; Affairs are going to disrupt the lives and relationships of each character, and we’ll be there to witness it all. To keep this spoiler-free, I can’t tell you if the drama ends with a sweet happy ending or sweet justice p*rn. I can say that it is uncomfortable, infuriating at points, and barely enticing enough for me to watch all 16 episodes. My recommendation is to judge this drama by its cover (and premise), and if you don’t think you’ll enjoy it, don’t bother watching.
Story:
I generally avoid remakes, but a dearth of romance dramas that started in July left me watching LAITA. I did try to drop it at some point after the August drama debuts, but I held on like some completionist maniac. Back to the point - I did not watch the original Japanese drama.
My biggest question throughout was whether the original show was so clear cut about what will happen and how characters will react. The characters in LAITA are surprisingly shallow, and their predictable behaviors took away from the entwined premise. There are twists and turns, but lean back in your chair and think about what happened for three minutes. Then, the story looks plain as vanilla (no offence to vanilla - a true classic flavor).
Acting:
The acting is almost the perfect example of hit and miss acting. I’ll start with the hits. The actors behind the most frustrating characters leave the most memorable memories, making me want to toss my laptop at certain scenes. Shout out to Kim Mi-kyung who went from goofy mother in Her Private Life to the most insufferable mother-in-law in LAITA. The female leads also performed admirably. Park Ha-sun nails that uncomfortable, awkward look throughout the drama, and Ye Ji-won portrays strength through her weakness, though she does suffer from typecasting.
I’ll mention two misses, the first big and the second small. First, the chemistry between the main leads, especially Lee Sang-yeob and Park Ha-sun, is lacking. It may have been enough for a fluffy romcom, but the chemistry is evidently lacking in a drama with supposed gravity, making it hard to relate to their situation. Second, two of the “kids” in the drama are played by a 27 year old and a 14 year old. Shin Won-ho (27) has a fair amount of lines for a support role, and I understand why it may have been difficult to cast an actual teenager. Still, I laughed seeing a grown man acting like a child and interacting with Shin Soo-yun’s (14) character, just another small example of how LAITA interrupts viewer immersion.
Music:
The music, thankfully, was not so forthcoming like the plot and acting. Although, it would be funny to hear a song about kissing a married man, ala I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus except Santa is actually not the dad… LAITA only tiptoes the makjang line and the OST does a passing job of setting the scene and conveying emotion (minus the one “dramatic” soundtrack that becomes borderline bothersome by the end).
Rewatch Value:
The one thing that bumps up this rewatch value is that this is a Japanese remake. Does a vague interest in watching the original count towards the rewatch value of LAITA? I think it counts, so don’t let the score lead you to believe I’ll be watching the Korean version twice.
Story:
I generally avoid remakes, but a dearth of romance dramas that started in July left me watching LAITA. I did try to drop it at some point after the August drama debuts, but I held on like some completionist maniac. Back to the point - I did not watch the original Japanese drama.
My biggest question throughout was whether the original show was so clear cut about what will happen and how characters will react. The characters in LAITA are surprisingly shallow, and their predictable behaviors took away from the entwined premise. There are twists and turns, but lean back in your chair and think about what happened for three minutes. Then, the story looks plain as vanilla (no offence to vanilla - a true classic flavor).
Acting:
The acting is almost the perfect example of hit and miss acting. I’ll start with the hits. The actors behind the most frustrating characters leave the most memorable memories, making me want to toss my laptop at certain scenes. Shout out to Kim Mi-kyung who went from goofy mother in Her Private Life to the most insufferable mother-in-law in LAITA. The female leads also performed admirably. Park Ha-sun nails that uncomfortable, awkward look throughout the drama, and Ye Ji-won portrays strength through her weakness, though she does suffer from typecasting.
I’ll mention two misses, the first big and the second small. First, the chemistry between the main leads, especially Lee Sang-yeob and Park Ha-sun, is lacking. It may have been enough for a fluffy romcom, but the chemistry is evidently lacking in a drama with supposed gravity, making it hard to relate to their situation. Second, two of the “kids” in the drama are played by a 27 year old and a 14 year old. Shin Won-ho (27) has a fair amount of lines for a support role, and I understand why it may have been difficult to cast an actual teenager. Still, I laughed seeing a grown man acting like a child and interacting with Shin Soo-yun’s (14) character, just another small example of how LAITA interrupts viewer immersion.
Music:
The music, thankfully, was not so forthcoming like the plot and acting. Although, it would be funny to hear a song about kissing a married man, ala I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus except Santa is actually not the dad… LAITA only tiptoes the makjang line and the OST does a passing job of setting the scene and conveying emotion (minus the one “dramatic” soundtrack that becomes borderline bothersome by the end).
Rewatch Value:
The one thing that bumps up this rewatch value is that this is a Japanese remake. Does a vague interest in watching the original count towards the rewatch value of LAITA? I think it counts, so don’t let the score lead you to believe I’ll be watching the Korean version twice.
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