Prietena Surorii Mele (2018)

Beautiful love story.

Where do I start with this kdrama, or should I say k-trauma, because it felt like that at times. Yet again the writers have messed up what would have been a beautiful, modern love story. The cast were exceptional. They were perfect in their roles. Full of fun, depth of emotion and understanding of what they had to portray in their roles. What let this drama down was the poor script in the latter episodes. From episode one to about ten, we had a great story. A beautiful couple finding their feelings were changing from old family friends to lovers. The intimacy between the male and female leads was so well done that at times I thought are they really a couple in real life.
Where the writers let the story down was the way they brought in the break-up storyline. Yet again going down the predictable storyline of happy, happy, happy relationship, let's bring in more drama by splitting them up, for then to bring them back together later on. As if they didn't have enough problems to overcome with the female lead's mother. A break-up was not needed. For this to be an adult relationship with longevity they needed to stick together and support each other and show the world no matter whatbyou throw at us we can get through it, but no they had to go down the boring predictable break-up route.
Also, why is it they always have to have these toxic, psychotic mothers who hide their awful behaviour behind the pretext of their motherly love, and wanting what's best for their child. Shouldn't their happiness be the number one thing, not whether they are in a high powered job, or dating (with a possibility of marriage) to another high powered, successful man. Both times, when we saw the female in those types of relationships, she was miserable. The first one cheated on her with someone much younger. He also stalked, sexually assaulted, kidnapped, and tried to kill her! W.L.A.F!!! Who in their right mind thinks that is a good relationship. The second one, we see at her brother's wedding. Yet again a self absorbed prick who is constantly on his phone with work. Yeah, I get in his line of work he probably does not get a moments peace, but even at a family event he could not keep off his phone, and then left without saying goodbye because he had to catch a flight. He was never present in their relationship. Throughout the date and the drive home, he was on his phone, and ignored her. I bet he didn't even notice that shebleft his car when they were at a set of traffic lights. Someone like him should not be in a relationship. Even though this was bad enough, her mother when she told her that they had split up, she was still angry with her. He daughter at this time is nearly 40. Leave her alone. You created this situation. Her toxic parenting was responsible for her daughter making those decisions. What she should of done is get a life of her own. Done things with her husband instead of focusing so much on her children and what they got up to. I know the Korean culture is different to ours, and a lot of emphasis is placed on parents and your piotity towards them, but still this was yey again on another level. When are writers/directors going to learn that this level of abuse, especially with adult, independent (she might have lived at home, but she had a professional job) is not OK.
Also the other disappointing thing was the ending. They did the predictable time jump thing that they always do. This time it was 3 years. She was with douch-bag number two, the male lead turned up after 3 years to his best friend's (her brother's) wedding. Loads of awkward interactions with everyone else, but no contact between them. Lots of side looks, and unhappy stares. It took most of episode 16 for them to talk face to face. Still for all to see a deep lingering love between them, but because of their past hurt and their stubbornnes, never resolved their past break-up and trauma.
Eventually in the last 10 minutes or so of the episode they get back together, but it was so lame. They definitely needed another episode or two just to tidy everything up. She was living on Jeju Island. He still had a job in America. Was he going to stay in Korea or was he still going back to America? Never addressed that. Also was his sister, her mother and the rest of her family going to accept her being in a relationship with him again? Never was addressed. How could they live happily ever after? Could they forget their past traumas? Could they move on and be at peace with the relationship as it is. A sort of secret love affair like before? Or were they willing to be open with everyone and be damed with the consequences? So many unanswered questions, that really spoilt what was a lovely modern day love story.
Even the secondary storyline of the female lead's sexual harassment case, was a breath of fresh air. Tackling a very difficult subject matter, that can be understood globally, but yet again they messed up with this storyline. They dragged out, and then did a poor job in resolving it. She didn't get justice, but you find that in a lot of these cases, but the lack of support from her female colleagues I just found gobsmackingly awful. I know women can be bitchy, especially in the workplace, but this was on another level. They deliberately through her under the bus just to save their own skins. It was disgusting to watch. She was literally alone. Her family were no use. Her mother, the toxic mess. Whose idea of love is to make her daughter miserable. Her boyfriend who's idea of support, was to run away. And then her best friend, who what I can gather, had never been in love or ever had a boyfriend/relationship, completely cut her off because of how her brother was treated. She never once put herself in her friend's shoes. The blind date she was forced to go on, because if she didn't she would have been seen as an ungrateful and disrespectful daughter. Even though all she ever did was bend over backwards for her family and friends. Literally a doormat for them to walk all over her. Then her mother having a go at her best friend and boyfriend, in front of everyone. I get why the sister/best friend would be angry, but not once did she think all that vitriol would not hurt her friend too. The two closest people in the world to her. The two people she loved the most, was being abused my her own mother and she didn't know what to do.
Overall the writers missed a whole chunk of the story out. They rushed parts in order to get a 'happy' conclusion, but dragged out some storylines (the sexual harassment part being one). Maybe more episodes might have tidied up the story better, but I believe some of the middle episodes could have been reedited so as to not have such a rushed last episode.
In the end it has great actors playing their roles well. The leads had great chemistry, but the ending was an anticlimax after such a great story build up. The age gap between them was never an issue throughout. In some instances you could be mistaken for her being younger than him. The way he conducted himself, at times, was as if they were the same age, and this made their love story more sweet and their compatibility more true.

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Story: (8.0/10)
In terms of romance, this drama is awesome. The main couple had a lot of chemistry, the love scenes was wonderful. I got jealous of them because I wanted a romance like that. But well, for some people the story can be boring and the last episodes was pretty bad. In general, it's a medium story, nothing impressive.

Acting/Cast: (9.0/10)
The cast is good. They chose very well the male and female lead because they had a wonderful chemistry. The others characters was also well played but Jung Hae In and his sister (i don't remember the actress name), stood out the most. I really loved Jung Hae In's character, he was so loving, caring and a great boyfriend. Actually he was a boyfriend material.

Music: (9.0/10)
OMG I LOVED THE OST!!!!!!!!! The soundtrack was incredible and made the moments of the couple more beautiful and enjoyable!

Rewatch Value: (7.5/10)
The romance is really good so it can be valid to watch again but not the entire drama because the story isn't that much great.

Overall: (8.0/10)
I feel that the drama started very good but got lost in the final episodes. The female lead is so boring and immature... I got tired of her. Of course the main lead isn't perfect but I felt that he was much more mature than her. Anyway, it was a drama that I enjoyed watching. The plot isn't that great and the last episodes was a mess, seemed like the directors got lost about the story but I really liked the romance of the main couple so I don't think it was a lost of time after all. The final episode could be better tho. I think you must watch to make you own opinions.
Now I have to wait for the next drama that Jung Hae In will do because I'm completely in love with this guy HAHA.

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It's not a typical romance kdrama and it's not for everyone

After I started the 1st episode I decided to look at the comments and reviews here and I got scared because I saw so many bad comments and reviews, most saying 'it's boring, I wasted my time, it was good until the 7th episode'. I am the kind of person who continues a drama without getting affected by other people's opinions. I also concluded that I don't trust all 'asian drama watchers', I guess we don't have the same taste. Something in the rain is an excellent kdrama.

About the story, it touchs on matters like family stereotypes, dating and marriage stereotypes, friendship in adulthood, sexism in workplace and incidents of SA. As I said on the headline, it's not a typical romance kdrama and it's not for everyone. It needs a 'strong stomach' and the emotional cappacity to understand the charachers situations and emotions. I didn't get bored after the 7th or 8th episode as some say, it was the opposite tbh because the last episodes ended with cliffhangers and I was more invested to the story than I was in the first.

The acting is EXCELLENT, it feels very real while you watch it and Jung Haein really does justice to noona dramas. I even got really annoyed by certain characters but that's what good acting is.

The music is also very good, it gives a warm vibe to the serries. For me it's a drama that you will enjoy more watching during autumn/winter or early spring.

Lastly I think I will watch it again after few years when I will be in my 30s.

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Amooo ?

Achei a química do casal muito boa. O romance entre Joon Hee e Jin- A é bem turbulento porque ela é mais velha que ele retém também todo aquele preconceito por parte da família dela com relação ao emprego do Joon Hee.

Passei o dorama todo com ranço da mãe da Jin- A, porque ela é muito sem noção, quer que a filha faça tudo do jeito dela, namore com quem ela quer( que no caso é o ex que por sinal é embuste puro). Tirando ela é show😂.

Se você ainda não assistiu, super recomendo, mas lembrando que os primeiros episódios vão te deixar eufórico mas não se engane pq a história não vai manter esse ritmo até o final, porém achei que isso deu um ênfase ao contexto realista da história.

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Prometía mucho

Comenzó encantándome. Empecé amándolo por la cantidad de romance que había y el cliché de amor prohibido que tiene, pero a la mitad del drama comenzó a repetirse todo.

Era el mismo problema tras el mismo problema y eso me desesperó mucho. Se volvió un drama muy lento, con escenas largas que sobraban y claramente no necesitábamos ver.

No puedo decir que no me gustó, porque está lleno de romance y momentos muy muy lindos entre los protagonistas que me calentaban muchísimo el corazón y me hacía reír mucho. Pero tampoco es de mis favoritos porque siento que es innecesariamente largo. Es lindo.

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This drama really hurt my romantic soul in some parts but i absolutely loved it.

I loved both actors playing the lead couple, off the charts chemistry, they really played well their part as 2 people who fall in love and behave like a real couple, such natural scenes they had together, they were so cute and loving with one another (and i’m including all the scenes, all the small gestures, the looks, the hugs, the small smiles, flirting and also the well done kisses and skinship, even tho they did those with excellency i might add, the rest was also very important to me and the hot scenes were a plus!) and the way they shot the scenes were very good too, i felt like i was invading they privacy and peeking through the keyhole the whole time XD was that good!
Kudos for both actors and the crew and directors for making such good scenes.

The story isn’t exactly something new, the typical guy falls the girl kind of thing, even tho this time the guy is a few years younger than the female lead and he is the younger brother of her best friend so if nothing it's a complicated thing from the start because people still have prejudice for those relationships between younger/older people falling in love and being seen together.
I honestly don’t see any kind of problem or issues with it but maybe i’m too open minded about it?
I mean love is love, they are both adults so what's the problem if they want to love each other and be together for life? It's their business and people need to learn how to look to their own noses and not other peoples lives but anyway...

All the problems they encounter with their relationship are caused by others, it makes them waver if what they are doing is right or wrong because people are judging them and pointing fingers.
They tend to be afraid of showing the other person how much they love them and that they matter the most, they feel themselves like a mouse in a trap with no one to help or support them, with no way out or room for happiness unless it's on everybody elses terms.
And that really pissed me off, because people just want to control other peoples lives and it ticks me off in such a way i really tend to be agressive towards people that act so high and mighty all the time, like they know better than everyone else and that only what they say is law.
It really gave me an itch to just slap some sense into them so badly it made me cry so hard.
I could relate so much with this couple that i felt bad for days after watching it, i felt so sad and angry at the same time and i even cried my heart out for them T_T

Don’t get me wrong, i loved this drama and i had already prepared my heart for the bad ending but i was surprised in the end :) Thank the gods!

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Comentário de indignação com spoiler, leia por sua conta e risco

Fazia algum tempo que eu não sentia a urgência de escrever um comentário sobre um drama. Não poderia ficar sufocada com toda a indignação que senti assistindo a esse drama. Não sei se é possível amar e odiar algo na mesma intensidade, mas foi como me senti assistindo o desenvolvimento dessa história. Amei como os protagonistas foram se apaixonando, lenta e perdidamente. A química entre os atores foi tão incrível que eu acreditava que eles realmente estavam apaixonados para além das telas, sem contar que nunca me senti tão solteira assistindo um drama. Porém me enervava como a Jin ah deixava que todos mandassem e desmandassem na vida dela. Ela era uma mulher de 35 anos, pelo amor de Deus! Como ela foi incapaz de dizer “não” para a mãe dela?! E infelizmente não é algo que a personagem supere na trajetória do drama porque no final de tudo ela ainda continua deixando a mãe dela manipular as relações amorosas dela. É realmente muito frustrante.

Falando na mãe da protagonista, pelo amor de Deus!!! Que mulher mais insuportável!!! Todas as vezes que ela abria a boca para falar qualquer coisa eu queria esfregar a cara dela no chapisco! E, pior, a única pessoa que poderia acabar com esse comportamento doentio era a Jin ah, mas ela acabava reforçando esse comportamento visto que ela atendia as exigências absurdas da mãe sem protestar como, por exemplo: sair em um encontro às cegas sendo que ela estava namorando outra pessoa! Qualquer ser humano com bom senso e que respeitasse seu parceiro jamais se prestaria a esse papel.

Além disso, a Jin ah reclamava do comportamento da mãe pelas costas, mas na primeira oportunidade mostrou que é exatamente igual a mãe! Porque, meu amigo, o que ela fez com o Joo Hee com relação ao pai dele foi EXATAMENTE o que a mãe fazia com ela. Isso mesmo! Ela simplesmente forçou o namorado a fazer algo que ele não queria! Aliás, algo que causou imenso sofrimento a ele: falar com o pai. Um pai que traiu a mãe doente do rapaz e abandonou os filhos sem nunca ligar para saber como eles estavam! Ela simplesmente deslegitima os sentimentos dele e ainda fez ele achar que era imaturo da parte dele sentir repulsa pelo pai horrível dele! Tem noção desse absurdo?! Gente, eu fiquei simplesmente estarrecida nessa hora. Pobre rapaz. A irmã dele tinha razão faltava amor próprio à ele.

E, claro, tem aquela pitada máxima de todo melodrama: falta de comunicação! Não tem nada mais frustrante do que a falta de comunicação. Um resolve por conta própria que a solução da vida deles é mudar de país. Até aí tudo bem, perfeito. Só que a criatura esquece que a outra parte precisa estar de acordo com essa decisão! E pra completar a outra se muda de casa e não avisa pro cara. Isso pode dar certo? Claro que não! A está altura eu já estava desejando que o melhor para os dois era cada um no seu canto porque já estava mais que provado que não ia dar certo, apesar dos dois se gostarem genuinamente.

O mais frustrante de tudo é que a Jin ah não amadureceu em nada! Só de olhar o cara que ela arrumou de namorado percebe-se que foi arranjado pela mãe dela e um perfeito babaca tal qual o anterior ao Joo Hee. E ela continua trabalhando na mesma empresa onde era assediada! Ela não conseguiu uma retratação decente dos assediadores e muito menos que eles fossem punidos devidamente e ainda assim continuou trabalhando para eles como se nada tivesse acontecido (só no final do último episódio ela finalmente pede demissão) Absurdo em cima de absurdo!

Eu realmente esperava gostar mais desse drama visto que amei One Spring Night do mesmo diretor e roteirista. One Spring Night é um dos meus dramas favoritos da vida! É posterior a Something in the Rain e por isso acho que a roteirista quis corrigir os problemas de Something in the Rain porque tudo que é um problema aqui, em One Spring Night é resolvido. A Jung In (interpretada pela Han Jimin) é tudo que falta a Jin ah ser. Ela não deixa que os pais decidam a a vida dela e muito menos tolera o namorado babaca por muito tempo.

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Nuna love and the road to freedom

This is the first work for the duo Kim Eun, as a screenwriter, and Ahn Pan-seok, as director (they collaborate again in the production of One Spring Night). It is my final (and perfectly negligible) opinion that they work really well together and should continue to do so (in fact, they should involve Jung Hea-in next time as well).
The deeply feminine and insightful writing is capably rendered through soft tones and careful pacing and an overall aura of independent art film. Therefore, I wouldn't recommend this drama to watchers that don't like artsy vibes or slice-of-life plots.

The female protagonist, Jin-ah, is portrayed with such brutal honesty and is so very lifelike that it's almost depressing (Son Ye Jin is the best at playing these kind of characters and she is truly formidable in this role).
Here is a woman held hostage by her family and society's expectations: she is told to compromise and keep the peace. Basically, she is forced to partake in her own abuse only to end up being judged for trying to meet expectations.
Her unconventional love (older woman loves younger, orphan!, man...so shocking!) is the cue to realize the true nature of the cage she is trapped in and to finally have the courage to imagine herself outside of it.
Therefore, a bluntly realistic premise mellows out in an optimistic ending that, to me, feels like advice: Jin-ah frees herself, at last, when she stops trying to make people around her happy and tries to be happy herself (by physically escaping both her job and her family).
The superwoman concept of constant self-sacrifice is, in this drama (and in my personal view), less like a virtue and more like a heavy chain keeping women down. We encounter a number of female characters, each one distinguishable and multifaceted (all the actresses are fabulous), who are trying to find their own solutions to living with this metaphorical chain made of expectations. Sometimes they help each other and sometimes they become the jailor (internalization of mysogyny is strong in all genders).
Male characters, instead, are on the sidelines: fragile and cartoonish. When they are not actively harmful, they are, however, incapable of truly being of support in a struggle they don't fully understand.

I was once again weak and fell in love with Jung Hae-in (his sweet smile and abs keep confusing my feminism and I forget the bitter reality). His character's genuine sentiment and devotion are so innocent, fresh, so naive that it makes you want to simultaneously join him in his artsy illusion and smack him for being so cruel to make you think one can be forgetfully in love. Joon-hee and Jin-ah's romance works well, at first, when it is in its own bubble but can it survive outside, in the harsh world of social costraints?

OST by Yamagata and Carla Bruni. You either love it or come to hate it. I liked it.


Female Empowerement Score 5/5: Jin-ah suffers a lot, but in the end she wins her battle and is able to regain her self despite her molesters, her family's wishes and society's judgment.

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I can imagine that the story line is not everyone's piece of cake.
To me it was recognizable in the sense that I am married to a man with whom I have quite an age difference. Although, to my surprise, the age difference was not such a big problem to the parents as expected, I could fully understand the love couple's feelings and struggles. I have been in a similar situation. Being in love, having a joyful time together, but always having to face trouble returning home to my parents. It was really a difficult time and to be honest also something I do not forget. It was a time where you decide to break up, ... not...
So to me this was a special kdrama and I just the right actors to play the couple. I am anyway a fan of Son Ye Jin and the chemistry with Jung Hae In was super, although her chemistry with Kim Hee Ju in Personal Taste was also great.

I love almost all the music. It fits perfectly, although sometimes I had enough of listening to "Stand by your man" over and over again...

Before having registered at MDL, I had my own grading system. These are the grades which I applied and which have contributed to the overall score I gave to this drama.
acting M: 10
acting F: 9.5
couple match: 10
romance: 9
emotions: 10
story line: 9
watch back: yes

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I have bot found a real depiction of everlasting love in a drama to date. Usually dramaland is full of unreal depictions and expectations. Which is why I thibk I vsn speak for a lot of us and say, it is that way.

Alot of people are real worried about focusing on the wrong things in this drama. I also think you have to be at a certain point in your life to enjoy this drama. I thi k that particular audience is who the drama is for.

That being said, it has been a hot minute since you've seen a review from me so here goes :

Story: as we age, we don't all fit into a particular cookie cutter life. That is the one depicted here. Pretty Noona is now attracted to what she loves in a man and it happens to be in a younger man. Younger man is mature enough to go back yond cultural, familial and societal pressures to be with her. Will she be able to handle it? Watch and see.

Acting/cast: they did the right thing and found two beautiful people who honestly were attracted to one another and it showed theough their acting. This made the drama unbelievably real and very easy to watch.

Music: as an American, I had enough of "stand by your man" to fill my life. Bad choice. However, the sweet melody song made me cry ecerytime it was played. So, excellent choice.

Rewatch: the drama is light and sweet enough to play at night while sleeping but I doubt I'd sit through the whole thing again.

Overall: 10. This is one of my new favorites. These characters walked right into my heart and I know I will be thinking of them for a very long time. A++

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