When I Was the Most Beautiful (2020)

Beauty and pain acquainted with love

This drama is not for the faint of heart
This drama is not all flowers
This drama is not all romanticized
This drama is not based on visuals
This drama is not a fairy tail
This drama is real life events
This drama has controversies
**This drama is not for conservatives
**This drama is not for early teens/teenagers
This drama is mature
THIS DRAMA IS NOT A WASTE OF CAST

This drama has a very interesting story so pay attention to details.
If you know you are one to get frustrated quickly and refuse to get the logic why abcd did what they did... this drama is not for you.

If you decide to watch,do so with an open mind
This drama is not for everyone.

All in all, the story, the cast, the execution, cinematography was well done.

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When I Watched the Most Beautiful Mess

When I Was the Most Beautiful is probably the worst drama I've seen that I actually REALLY liked.
There is a lot to dislike in this drama, big things that definitely should not be overlooked, but more importantly, there is a lot to like here too.

What I like most, the acting/cast. Hands down. Ji Soo, Im Soo Hyang, and Ha Seok Jin really dug into this absurdity of a script and made it somehow seem relatable and understandable with their expressions and emotions and body language etc. There are so many of these dialogue moments between our leads that rendered me unable to look away due to the intensity of the lines and the magic of them living the scene together.
An example.
"I love you. You don't have to say it back. I know. Your touches, your gaze, the air you bring... always told me that you loved me."

If you can strap in and ride out the ridiculous things to dislike about this drama: the pacing which is insanely fast yet also insanely slow, the plot lines which are makjang-adjacent, and the comical villains and conflicts… You might find a show you enjoy in here too.

P.S. Ji Soo* saranghae.
*leaving this here because I did like him but my feelings about him are very different now with the news that has come to light

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Powerful Cast and Emotional Depth

When I Was the Most Beautiful is a quintessential romantic melodrama that is powered by an excellent cast, a tightly-written intricate story and an emotional depth rarely seen on television dramas. It has unexpectedly become one of my favorite dramas of the year. And Lim Soo Hyang, Ji Soo and Ha Seok Jin deliver exceptional, must-watch/must-experience performances.

The developing love triangle may be the initial hook in the series' first few episodes. But When I Was the Most Beautiful quickly delves into the lives and relationships of our three leads and the broad cast of characters that fill their world. Dealing with themes such as (but not limited to) family, tragedy, forgiveness, healing and loneliness, the series does an almost masterful job juggling them all while never taking the focus away from the characters.

The series is able to build what is actually a very intricate web of characters that fill the world the story is able to draw upon. Every character that is introduced in the series has a role to play in the grander narrative. And in pretty substantial ways too.

It's important to point out that our characters are all flawed. Just like real life, no one is perfect. No one makes the right decisions 100% of the time. That realistic depiction of everyday life helps the series be as relatable and affecting as it can be. There are consequences, there are joys. It is not always a fairy tale ending. Nor is it all doom and gloom either.

The series' stunning cinematography and careful, purposeful directing also help to truly make the entire experience one to enjoy.

But the biggest part (and strongest aspect) of the series' overall success is its excellent cast. I think this may be a career performance for Ji Soo especially.

When I Was the Most Beautiful takes on heavy, realistic human emotions. The well-written, fast-paced plot engages a large cast of fully developed characters. Things move at a brisk pace, but you are never left lost or behind. The emotional roller coaster is one you don't mind finding yourself on. You will laugh, you will cry (a lot). You will get frustrated and you will cheer. But you will definitely feel the emotional connection.

With an excellent cast to top it all off, When I Was the Most Beautiful is indeed a beautiful, bittersweet, but meaningful journey well worth your time.

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Started it for Jisoo, Stayed for Amber

Amber was the only rational person in this drama, she was understanding, pure, nonjudgmental and she went after what she wanted but she didn't take hwan's bs and called him out for it, honestly I wonder how she was written by that same writer xD

everyone else just loves to inflict pain and suffering onto themselves and call it "love".
yeji loved to play the victim card "why are you back to ruin my peace", "I'm the most miserable woman on earth"
hwan was crazy enough to say "I want to ruin my life" for someone who keeps refusing him, "I want to suffer", the dude had alot of problems ;/
jin was all sad and wallowing in self pity and he diverted all his angst onto controlling others
the mom is honestly so distant she doesn't deserve to be a mom
and the dad looks nice but again yet he only used hwan as his caregiver then yeji as the substitute
yeji's mom is living through the pain that was "unshcokingly" done becasue of yeji
yeji's aunt is crazy and overdramatic
and they had the audacity of wasting time on the side side characters and their messed up romance

so basically Amber is the only normal person, she's sweet, fun loving and she's adorable and naturally cute and happy, the only time hwan genuinely smiled was when he was around her.

in the end they just added more ridiculous plot line after the other and they literally ended it with "I shouldn't have done that" ;/
yeji was wrong for accepting the marriage but she was even more wrong for fueling hwan's feelings and then she had the audacity to act as if hwan only "noticed" her good deeds while she was the one leading him on ;/
and with everything, in the last ep they were crying over how they can't be together, just to let them reunite and then go back to "we can't be together" and cry some more. it should've ended by ep31 but it should've just stayed as a noona romance with small doses of brotherly rivalry like a normal kdrama xD

this is what happens when they hire a horrible writer with zero planning skills...

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Definitely not for the ones who want to watch romance.

This drama i feel keeps going back and forth and there is too much sorrow in it. Espically with Ye Ji. She's going through so much and towards the end it feels like she didnt actually even love Jin. Hwan's feels were understandable but Ye Ji, to some extent kept leading him on. This drama started off good and smooth but then it started taking too many leaps and I felt like it was running somewhere. The actors have done a brillant job. Espically Jin's was a difficult one to potray because of his leg conditiin but Seok Jin did a wonderful job in convincing the audience.

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A Well Written Drama

Wow, I could not help but enjoyed this drama. Absolutely riveting and a well written script. Complicated, yet fascinating, keeping us guessing how it will end. Great acting. Maybe more for a mature audience as it does involve going through the dynamics of relationship between brothers, family, friends and self love. Everything is believable and the emotions can get so real.

Seo Jin (Ha Seok Jin), sophisticated, good looking, appear confident, but is dealing with a trauma left from a past incident of his father. His younger brother Seo Hwan (Ji Soo), simple, young and determined, instead have to cope with adult responsibilities after their father's accident. Then walks-in Oh Ye Ji (Im Soo Hyang). whom both brothers fall in love with. All hell breaks loose as we watch the roller coaster of emotions, frustrations as the two brothers compete for her heart, putting their brotherhood relationship also, to the test.

The director did a really good job in making us feel anything could happen towards the end of each episode. I was anxious every week waiting for the drama to load. I liked that the drama managed to portray all the flawed characters so well. Even at it's worst kind of love, everyone chose to do the right thing. All tastefully done and pretty classy. However, I had one little issue with Im So Hyang's character in this story, but I will not mention here, to avoid giving a spoiler.

I will not be surprise if Ji Soo wins an award, or at least get a nomination for this drama. His part in this drama has given him the ability to flex his acting talent all round. Convincingly frustrating at times and understandably soothing at other times. However, Ha Seok Jin is truly the remarkable actor to the core, but his role required less of him in this drama. Nevertheless, so glad he is in it and he held his own part really really well.

Cheers! K-drama forever!

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Loving the Mess

This drama will make you feel like everything is happening so fast yet the story progresses slow. The actions of some characters may also be difficult to understand for some level of unreasonable causes. Other characters just pop out from nowhere. Im So Hyang took this drama into a new level compared to Gangnam Beauty, seemingly perfectly fit to the depth of the story. Ji Soo always hits the right emotion needed. And Kim Mi Kyung once again proved why she could be the best mother, aunt or confidant. My biggest respect to this actress for giving her all in all her projects. I did not get the ending I want, as usual just like in many K Dramas I've watched. It kept me on the edge and teased me until the last episode wanting for more and then this Thank You message popped in. I'm half broken. Over all, it was a great series - I don't care about the mess, I loved it!

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What a beautiful mess!

I started watching this show out of zero expectation for anything light-hearted, knowing that it's a melodramatic, most likely dark and controversial like "Secret love affair". It didn't disappoint! The acting was superb and the characters were complex and three-dimensional. It's not a story for the faint of heart. It requires maturity and appreciation for the inherently flawed beauty of the human condition. If you're looking for a light-hearted, superficial idealistic love story in this drama, move on and watch another one. This drama isn't so much for entertaining purposes as it is to stir up the depth of emotions in the inherently flawed nature of human experience. All the characters have strengths and weaknesses, internal conflicts which they struggle to resolve throughout the drama. The whole story is full of internal angst and strife, which makes one wonder how much self-torture they can persist to continue doing to themselves and others. Yet in some way they are all relatable as human beings.

The story moves very slowly yet very quickly at the same time. It is as if their emotions are capsulized yet have endured changes of time as well. The forbidden romance of a teenage boy turns into the self-torture and self-sacrifice of a man who continues his path of redemption when he doesn't need one.

Maybe because I'm a Westerner and too open-minded for kdrama but I didn't see anything wrong with Hwan's love for his school teacher and subsequently sister-in-law. The fact that he had so much self-restraint to sacrifice everything for her and his family is as pure and idealized as you can get from any character (in some ways, this is probably the most unrealistic part of the story). The flawed and selfish love of the other characters in the story stands in contrast to Hwan's sacrifice and purity, yet his love for her and his family seems most unpure because of society's superficial moral judgments. If anything is sacrificed in this love story, it is the purity of love in the name of moral values, when all those acting as if moral were all out for themselves. Ye Ji's mother is branded the same way when everything she did was in the name of love and self-sacrifice.

This drama is a mess. It's a beautiful mess that challenges the dominant narrative of society's superficial surface relationships and dwells into the complexity of being human: inherently selfish, flawed and capable of immense beauty and selflessness as the same time.

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If you are a fan of the cast give it a try

I really like the cast that they put together, but it just couldn't really save the drama for me to be honest. This was written by a writer that previously wrote a story abut a woman who was loved by two brothers. This is what the drama is about, but it is more than that because we learned about each character and the backstory. We may or may not agreed with their actions it is our choice as a viewer. However, the the scenery was beautifully film. I really like that the actor brought their A game and did the best they can to salvage the drama. Throughout this drama, I am trying to find a reason to why I should just forgive or let things that happen in this drama slide even though I do not agreed with it, but the Jin Crazy ex gf is just unbelievable and Hwan feelings toward Ye Ji was just pathetic, but I have to give the actors kudos for doing it so well. You can't help, but hate and love them at the same time.

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Beautiful Drama

I really loved this one. The cinematography, mood set-ups, music and much of the dialogue were really fantastic. I thought Ji Soo and really all the actors did a great job. But Ji Soo, in particular, can bring the tears to my eyes every time. He's just a master at emoting the heartbreak in everything I've seen him in. Sure, the ending is a bit of a let-down, but it was actually better than I expected considering all the circumstances, and I will watch the finale episode again as it was really good. Plus, I have a good imagination and in my mind the very end was even better than depicted.

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Worst drama of the year

Honestly the drama started well, watching for first 5 ep was quite fun, but what a mess it became after wards, looks like the writers are high on weed. Those people justifying the drama because of ji soo, i have one word to say i also love jisoo but the way he is portrayed seems like he is always trying to bang her sis in law. And the female lead ye ji i cant understand in the first half she says that she loves jin but later she says that she was never loved jin, Honestly i have no problem in such type story but it should not portray as jin is the negative one. And another thing it gives a very wrong msg to the society that if you are handicapped your spouse will leave you.

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