Just Between Lovers (2017)

First half is worth it

I really thought this drama is going to be something different and special, and it was... until it wasn't. Others have gone into that, so I won't, but suffice to say, it went from a solid 9 in the first half to completely unwatchable for me in the last few episodes.

The soundtrack became annoyingly repetitive as well.

As for the acting, I think it was great, nothing mind-blowing but nothing bad either. I don't get why some people disliked the female lead, I thought she did great with what she was given to work with.

Both characters had their annoying moments but ultimately it was the need for more and more drama that killed this series for me.
I also found the other characters plot lines quite boring, despite the characters themselves being interesting.

Overall I'd still recommend and praise the first part for its impact and execution, but I advise against wasting your time with the rest unless you don't mind the shortcomings.

Citeste mai mult

Just Between Lovers is about two people who were in a major tragic accident together when they were children. In the accident, a shopping mall collapse, Lee Gang Doo sustained a serious injury that dashed his dreams of becoming a soccer player and Ha Moon Soo lost her younger sister who was also in the building with her. Years later, Gang Doo fights through both emotional and physical pain, and lives roughly; struggling to support his younger sister and to pay back debt. Moon Soo is still plagued by nightmares. Just Between Lovers is about the story of them meeting during a construction project at the accident site, them confronting their trauma, and moving forward in their lives. The cast bought their characters to life and made us feel their sadness with them. The soundtrack is great and fits the atmosphere of the drama very well. This is a depressing but fantastic drama that I would definitely recommend.

Citeste mai mult

Let me review this title after 4 years

This was my first ever drama back in 2019, I rewatched it recently for the second time. Of all dramas I’ve watched, this is the most realistic. Actors play their roles perfectly, the plot is creative, the storyline is simple, yet with a lot of conflicts that are realistic and really tugs at your heart. Everything is flowing at a perfect pace. This drama deserves an endless amount of awards. This drama really holds a unique charm like no other. In terms of cinematography I can confidently say I have never, in my years of watching k- dramas, seen anything quite like it. Every shot has an amazing authenticity to it and the palette for each frame is stunning, it feels just like a movie. It’s good at focusing on the details that create a view of life seen through the eyes of those living it. It strays from the widespread use of commercial lighting and taking one shot from 20+ angles and instead focuses on the brilliant visual storytelling and the raw emotion between characters.

Citeste mai mult

Unis par un traumatisme terrible, comme d'ailleurs le fir tout le pays.

J’ai été très emballée par 14 épisodes sur 16 ! Certains reprochent au drama d’être lent, je dirais plutôt qu’il prend son temps pour nous faire comprendre et apprécier les divers personnages, leurs problèmes et leur cheminement, donc pas de souci pour ça.
Non, le souci, c’est d’abord de grosses invraisemblances (désolée, moi, ça me dérange ! ) en particulier il est impossible de survivre 5 jours enfoui dans les décombres sans une goutte d’eau et une jambe traversée par une énorme tige de fer, c’est la mort assurée par déshydratation et septicémie ! Il n’aurait pas été difficile de le faire rester 3 jours (c’est déjà pas mal !) et ça restait crédible ! De plus l’autre garçon avec une jambe coupée n’aurait pas survécu 1/2 heure !
Alors oui, on peut faire comme si, et ignorer, mais moi ça m’empêche de m’impliquer dans les flash-back de l’effondrement qui du coup ont perdu pas mal d’impact !  je passe sur le chantier de construction où on ne construit rien, et du mémorial qu’on ne verra jamais, ça, à la rigueur…  
Mais le souci primordial, ce sont les deux derniers épisodes !! Ils n’ont pas pu s’empêcher de nous rejouer 2 fois le coup « je t’aime mais je te quitte parce que je ne suis pas digne de toi » une fois avec Gang Doo et la suivante avec Moon Soo !!
Alors ça, je ne peux vraiment plus !! (Et vous laisseriez, vous, l’homme que vous aimez vous supplier d’ouvrir la porte en disant qu’il est train de s’évanouir ??? namého ? Qui croira ça ??)
Et alors le comble c’est la façon dont les scénaristes se sont ingéniés à nous persuaderde la mort de Gang Doo (le coup de la tête sur l’épaule et je m’endors dans la mort, ça aussi, quelle originalité ! ) jusqu’aux toutes dernières 5 minutes où : Flash-back !! pour apprendre qu’en fait il est sauvé et bien vivant ! Je ne nierai pas que j’ai beaucoup préféré qu’il soit vivant, bien sûr ! Quand je le croyais mort je me disais : « encore 13 mn c’est pas possible qu’est-ce qu’ils vont nous raconter ? » et on était parti pour le trip « la vie continue avec courage et dans le souvenir » quand pouf !! eh bien non !! il est vivant ! Bon, ça, ça me met en rage, c’est prendre les spectateurs pour des crétins et ça fiche par terre toute l’ambiance du drama !  
Alors je veux bien avaler la maladie en plus du reste, mais pas la fin !!
Bon maintenant pourquoi j’ai quand même beaucoup aimé : les interprètes !!!
Ha Moon Soo, débutante, est extraordinaire de naturel et de simplicité, et Junho, eh bien, il entre direct dans mon top 10 acteurs car en plus d’une voix sublime, d’un sourire à damner une sainte (moi en l’occurrence) il a un talent incroyable ! je l’avais aimé dans Memory, adoré dans Chief Kim et maintenant je l’idolâtre !!  Les autres sont bien aussi, avec une mention pour le « méchant » qui en fait n’arrive pas à trouver sa place, à assumer son rôle de Président, et parfois m’a un peu fait de la peine.  
L’histoire et la façon dont on se sort peu à peu d’un pareil traumatisme est très bien menée et les dialogues du couple principal très justes, simples, touchants et sonnent tout à fait vrai ce qui caractérise toute leur relation d'ailleurs !
La musique, bon, ça va, les chansons sont assez jolies et discrètes.
Mais rappelez-vous de Junho et de Woo Jin Ah !! On les reverra !!  

Citeste mai mult

An Emotional Rollercoaster

What the Heck! I’m sitting here in the dark sobbing my axx off! I went into this drama completely unaware of anything about it. I heard it was a good show about how all the characters are connected with their past and their present. And I recognized the lead female and was like okay, let’s do it….When I get ahold of the girl that recommended this show to me….. MANNNN This show put me through it! I was not prepared to be this invested into it, I was looking for a filler, something different and calm,, No. THE TEARS IVE CRIED!!!!!! But it was so dang good! This Story is heartbreaking and it will absolutely have you in a chokehold. This male lead makes you feel, he did such a wonderful job with his character. This was my first time watching a drama with him, He’s not your typical male lead. This guy works his azz off and tries so hard to keep everything together and to look out for everyone dear to him. He is grouchy, with a heart of gold, I was hook line and sinker for him. My heart absolutely broke for him and everything he has had to endure, but through it all he never broke or gave up. Our Female lead was another beautifully written character, you got to see inside the brokenness of the aftermath from the tragedy. You feel her pain and her family’s, all the families. Gosh the emotional is so raw and real. The Love ties are all so well played out and you can’t help but root for each relationship. The only reason I didn’t give this a 10 was because I just kinda felt like we needed more the ending with the tragedy was quickly over shadowed with Kang-Do and kinda just wrapped up too nicely. I was so busy feeling the grief and then the relief of the ending that once it ended I realized it was done too quickly and easily. I highly recommend it! But definitely be ready with the tissue!

Citeste mai mult

Wow, I'm just after the last episode and I'm missing words. Emotions that are now arousing in me are indescribable. I did not expect such feelings. I approached this drama with an approach: "Okay I'll see. . . Maybe I like it, I don't have anything to do." I was surprised at the max. Of course positively. The acting is good, the songs are fine, the plot develops at a pace that suits me very well. However, it is not all that is most important in this drama, but feelings. The emotions associated with the experience of this candy love of the main characters are enormous.
The drama is not too long. All events are accumulated in one dose, which makes it difficult to break away from the screen. I myself admit that I watched this series in one go. No interruptions, no dissipation. My attention was focused only on the events played on the screen.
I highly recommend that you familiarize yourself with this drama. She will surely become a friend of every girl.

Citeste mai mult

What a wholesome series

It's very different then any drama i recently watched, the psychological stuff is really well handled and feels real not like its tacked on in certain other dramas.

The romance takes a bit to take off but when it does it does a good job at lifting the heavyness of the trauma that some of the characters while not making it all peachy.

The cast and subcast do a good job of portraying the different sides of the coin of the tragedy when the drama starts and when it ends you may feel differently about some of its characters

Citeste mai mult

Touchant et poignant !

S'il ne semble pas offrir grand chose dans ses grandes lignes (deux personnages traumatisés qui sont liés, mais sans le savoir et finissent par se retrouver), il renferme pourtant une puissance émotionnelle stupéfiante.

Il ne faut pas attendre longtemps avant de plonger au cœur de l'intrigue. Sans grande précipitation, les scènes se dévoilent, nous donnant alors un aperçu des traumatismes et conséquences de chaque personnage. Malgré les années qui passent, la douleur (physique et mentale) est toujours aussi vive. Soit on apprend à vivre avec, soit on tente de l'amoindrir.

Ha Moon Soo (Won Jin A) porte le poids de la mort de sa petite sœur. Rongée par cela, elle s'empêche de profiter de sa vie. Acculée et en charge d'une mère se noyant dans l'alcool, elle tente d'encaisser, ignorant ses propres blessures. Avec force, elle ne recule pas devant la difficulté. Won Ji A délivre une performance prenante avec des émotions vives. Lee Gang Doo (Lee Jun Ho) est également victime et connaît bien des démons. Dans cet accident, il perd son père, passe des jours entiers avec une personne décédée sous des décombres et ne pourra plus jouer au foot. C'est un personnage torturé et en colère qui ignore comment le gérer. Lee Jun Ho transmet une palette d'émotions captivantes. Quant à leur histoire, elle est réconfortante et chaleureuse, exactement ce que ce dont ils avaient besoin.

L'histoire progresse sous la forme de flash-back. Au fil des épisodes, les pièces du puzzle se mettent en place, tandis qu'elles renforcent les caractères et pensées des personnages. De la grande sœur pleine de regrets et de l'anticipation de cet homme qui lutte chaque jour contre un mal qui le ronge. Sans jamais abuser du côté dramatique, on se laisse submerger par les peines et les combats respectifs de chacun avec un seul but : vivre. Bien que certains éléments sur les derniers épisodes n’étaient pas utiles, on retiendra particulièrement la relation solide qui s’est formée et la performance de chaque acteur.

La bande originale est très jolie. À la fois lente, nostalgique et mélancolique. Au travers de certaines chansons, on ne peut échapper aux notes d'espoir qu'elles dégagent aussi pour finir par une photographie sublime.

En bref, Just Between Lovers est un mélodrame glacial et aux combats brûlants qui pousse deux âmes perdues et blessées à faire face aux démons du passé.

Citeste mai mult

A well-constructed delight

This show's synopsis drew me in and it didn't disappoint. The story juggled some heavy themes whilst balancing with a degree of humour that didn't turn the show into a queasy mesh of comedy and grief-laden moments. I liked how the tragedy wasn't the actual focus, and that rather the story centred around how those who either survived or lost loved ones were forced to move on. Often with stories focusing on fatal incidents, it's the aftermath that is the most interesting. So it proved with this show.

The two characters, Gang-Dun and Mun-Su were exceptionally well-written. Both characters are hurting but repressing it through very different ways of living. One is in a state of gradual self-destruction seeing life through nihilism while the other lives but without much hope and a lot of guilt. The show expertly navigates the issue of guilt of surviving a loved one, of feeling like you are cheating their memory whether you cope well or don't. I give this show a lot of credit for how it handled grief and guilt, showing how things like self-imposed isolation, alcohol abuse, seeking violence and self-harm were reactions to trauma.

I also really liked that while the mall's collapse wasn't the focal point of the show, it was the focal point of the lead characters. This is good storytelling. The music complemented the show's tunes throughout. I liked that as we delved more into the show, characters gave very nuanced and complex responses to situations, new relationships formed organically and felt authentic and meaningful. We were given time to care about characters and their attachments and bonds, given time to understand that these people were suffering.

There were only two things I didn't really like: Gang-Dun's sister, the doctor, struck me as oddly cold and indifferent. Whether that was by design or bad acting, she often came across as unsympathetic to what her brother was experiencing, bereft of even any gratitude or guilt that she lives well because he suffers greatly.

I also didn't like Mun-su's boss. He was unprofessional in his conduct towards her, his behaviour often creepy and inappropriate and she even called it out. I thought that was a really unnecessary angle the show didn't need, especially as it was clear from the first episode who the love story had to be about. This show was about Mun-Su and Gang-Dun healing together by finding each other, falling in love and letting go of their shared trauma.

Overall, I massively enjoyed this show.

Citeste mai mult

Wow! Sweet and tender love story that caught me off-guard.

A moving K-drama about a young architect and a street urchin dealing with their grief and guilt after having been dug out of the rubble of a collapsed department store 10 years earlier. It is at times tinder and sweet; melancholy without being too maudlin. Except for the very end when things get wrapped up a little too neatly, this wonderful story explores love and loss from a variety perspectives, all of which feel very real. The cast is fantastic, starting with the two first-time leads. Won Jin Ah plays the young architect Ha Moon Soo, who has become adept at assuaging others pain and tamping down conflict while burying her own pain and anguish. Lee Jun Ho plays the street urchin Lee Kang Doo, haunted by his experience and forced to live by his wits while attempting to take care of a motley group of downtrodden friends. The supporting cast is terrific. I especially liked Yoon Se Ah as the madam Ma Ri and one of Korea's national treasures, Na Moon Hee, as Grandmother. Finally, this maybe the best OST ever. The music and lyrics supported the moods and dialog flawlessly. Great story, well told.

Citeste mai mult

Tissues…you will need a lot of them

This drama is near perfect. It is a roller coaster of emotions. The first half has many sad moments and emotions, and keeps you guessing what direction it’s going. The second half, when the story really starts to develop, has moments when I actually had to stop it because I was getting too emotional. The last two episodes really got me good, and kept me guessing how it would end, right up to the last minute. Only watch this if you want your heart ripped out of your chest while you use mountains of tissues. The acting was excellent, but at times the female lead seemed a little awkward during romantic scenes. If you want a drama that is on the serious side, keeps you guessing, and leaves you feeling sad and happy all at once, I highly recommend this one.

Citeste mai mult