Vremea Melancoliei (2022)

No joy in life

You know, nothing is perfect, and there is a lot to love about this series. The acting was out of this world, many dialogues were brilliant, the characters were all very well crafted.
I'm sure, enough people praised this series to the moon and back. It made me very, very emotional and I cried a lot.
But I can't give 10 stars, because the series made me also angry. Some stories and characters were beautiful, others were rather annoying. At the end, I wasn't annoyed anymore, because everything came together, but throughout watching the drama, I had a lot of rather negative emotions towards this series. Not gonna lie, the teenage pregnancy plot made me almost drop it. I enjoyed the girl with the disabled sister, and I seriously think her story was one of the best, only matched by the dying mother story at the end of the series.
Well, I don't want to spoil, and I know this review is a mess.
I was raised by a very poor family myself. My mother could be one of those old women, working her whole life. She also came from a very poor family. Her mother, my grandmother, had five children, one died. Life was hard back then, but not as hard as portrayed in this series, where we have a woman at a similar age as my mother, who lost her parents when she was only six, her older brother died some years later. Then she married a good guy, had two children. The husband died in the sea, her daughter drowned. Come on! This is against all odds! I would start believing in a revengeful god if this is reality. Maybe I'm ignorant about South Korea's history, but this is too cruel and unbelievable. This is the most extreme example, but almost none of those characters was raised in a healthy and happy family with father and mother. Dead parents, gambling, suicide etc. seems to be normal on the Jeju island. Really? I enjoy realistic series, but when they overdo it with the drama just to have a story to tell - I don't know.
Back to the title I gave this review: No joy in life. There were moments, where I felt exactly that: those characters were all miserable. They said it themselves twice: no joy in life.
The after credits said something like: We are on this world not to suffer, but to be happy.
This series didn't make me happy at all.

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"We were born to be happy"

Lots of ups and downs, I switched back and forth from really hating some characters to starting to love them again especially with Eunhui. Eunhui had a lot of redemptions, which is shocking because when I hate a character it's usually for the rest of the drama. This drama has a lot of actresses and actors I'm familiar with so it's always nice to see how they'll portray this character. I still have a dislike for Hansu even from the last episode, and it's probably because he doesn't show up again after episode 3 until episode 20 so you can't see any character development and that's frustrating. Inkwon and Hosik were so annoying at first but once they stopped fighting I loved their characters. I love how we get to see how vulnerable Eunhui is on the inside. I didn't like how the first three episodes were only about Eunhui and Hansu, it made it hard to follow and it seemed strange to just start with only those two without knowledge of any other character. I definitely like Hyeon and Yeongjus story the most. I was very frustrated by Seona and Dongseok at first, but in the end I really liked them. If I could wish for anything for this entire drama I wish I seen Kijoon more often. I think if a spin off was created just for Hyeon and Yeongju I would enjoy it, but that wouldn't be necessary at all and probably wouldn't end up being very good. I absolutely love Hyeon and Yeongjus characters and their story. I liked Miran a lot I just wish we knew about her more from the beginning and not towards middle/end. For the most part I don't think it was AS good as the reviews acted like, but it was still quite good, just a bit overhyped so I had high expectations, it definitely wasn't as good as other dramas I've watched but the way the episodes are formatted could be the reason I feel that way. I think throughout this drama I was able to empathize really well with the characters and could almost feel what they felt, and hate the person who wronged them, however that wasn't really the case with Okdong, I just couldn't feel bad for her at all, but I was a bit sad by her ending. I wish we got an update with Hansu, not like the last episode but a proper one where it cut to him like a proper support role not just a guest role. Another thing I wish is it could've been just normal episodes and not divided by only 2/3 characters that were related to each other at once, I kinda wish they talked about all the plots at once, the dividing made some things predictable and just less nice to watch, I think my rating would be much higher if it was formatted like dramas usually are. I think in this case the time jump in the last episode was done very well. Quite a cute ending. I wish Eungi got a proper ending or just appeared more, she was so cute. I liked the message at the end about I think the way the ending was made the entire drama much better to me. I liked the message at the end, "There is one thing we must remember in our lifetime. We weren't born in this world to suffer or feel miserable. We were born to be happy. We wish everyone happiness!" Ups and downs, but I'm happy I watched this.

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Smoldering hearts; soothing splashes

The stories of loosely related characters take place on the volcanic island of Jeju, far from the thrills and electric pace of the mainland. Jeju's a place where you can only run so far before reaching the shore to contemplate upon yourself; a place where flashing wealth is not in style; a place where the wealthy still haggle for the best fish prices (or so the setting has us believe). Through music, cinematography, and short stories, the show's ambience encourages us to examine the human heart with a magnifying glass. And that is what Our Blues does so well - invite us to look at the human condition intimately, intensely, and to the point we want to run away and cleanse ourselves of these heavy feelings. It's so intense, that I took several days' breaks from watching the show to seek out lighter fare. It's not all melancholic plot; there are many moments of humor and joy.

The show isn't particularly plot driven, or even character driven; they're important but development is limited due to the omnibus-style narration. What the story does well is invite us to slow down and contemplate the universality of being human. Every human struggles with hardship, relational stress, and craves acceptance. The stories also remind us how much effort goes into living with self, with others. If we work on communication, work through difficult experiences, the potential to find permanent solutions, or at least respite from problems, is achievable. It's when we realize others are hurting and working to get through life that we may back away from hardened feelings, and find opportunities to heal, forgive, and re-connect.

I wouldn't listen to any of the soundtrack in my personal listening, but it was an effective accompaniment to the show. Many tracks evoked the wistful, playful vibe of an island. Perhaps a bit folky. Not a lot of virtuosic guitar solos at the end of the fretboard if you know what I mean. The natural scenery was impactful, soothing, and we see the sea in its many forms, both day and night. The lodgings, market places, and community spaces all looked authentic and humble.

It's difficult to comment succinctly on characters. Overall, a terrific ensemble. Several stories are not believable, but succeed in evoking emotional reflection. One of the scenes that captures the show's overall ambience is when Lee Dong Seok gets angry when his regular customers purchase products from another vendor. In mainland commerce, everyone knows that competition drives life. But here on the island, working together means survival. The haenyeos reinforce this for us as well - "We move together".

Don't feel you have to watch this show in one go. Take a deep dive (watch what you can handle), catch some pearls of wisdom, and return to the surface for air when you need. When you're ready for the next dive, go for it.

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ma che immensa noia e tristezza ...

(il blue, ovvero la depressione, la stava facendo venire a me) !!

La storia si dipana tra gli abitanti di un'isola in cui tutti sanno tutto degli altri. Il collante che tiene insieme le persone è guadagnare denaro, sopravvivere lavorando come muli per denaro, il denaro è la fissa di tutti, pura sopravvivenza fisica.
I rapporti tra le persone sono di una povertà allucinante, stanno insieme bevendo, spettegolando, maledicendo le sfortune della propria vita, coltivando rancori e frustrazioni senza un orizzonte di perdono. Non hanno certezze morali di nessun genere. Ad esempio, davanti alla gravidanza di una coppia di liceali, l'unica soluzione che i genitori dei ragazzi propongono a figlia e moroso è l'aborto ... fanno il diavolo a quattro per far abortire il figlio di due ragazzini che si stanno impegnando a riscrivere la propria vita tenendo conto del proprio bambino. Loro, i nonni, continuano a definire il loro nipotino un "inutile fardello", sono talmente patetici e inconsistenti che solo la misericordia e determinazione dei loro figli li farà rinsavire.
Il primo personaggio che ho incontrato, il bancario con la figlia e la moglie negli USA, è di uno sfigato allucinante, inguardabile, passa buona parte della sua vicenda piangendo e tentando di turlupinare una sua vecchia fiamma, tanto che avrei voluto droppare subito, ma i meravigliosi ed entusiasti giudizi mi hanno trattenuta dal farlo. Lo ha salvato l'intervento dell'unico personaggio interessante e recitato benissimo da Lee Jung Eun, è la pescivendola Jung Eun Hee, che salva dalla banalità e inconsistenza buona parte della narrazione.
Alla fine ho fatto caso che tutte le coppie fino all'11esimo episodio sono raccontate con una lentezza, ma una lentezza e prolissità di particolari inutili che mi han fatto premere continuamente il tasto avanti ... lenti, piagnucolosi, inconsistenti ... la storia di una coppia che scoppia per la depressione di lei, ma la lei in questione è una sorta di "gatta morta" che vive la sua vita con sé stessa e le sue fisime al centro del cosmo, con un patetico spasimante che continua a inseguirla .... noooo tristezza e basta, attori bravissimi, ma sprecati ... paesaggi meravigliosi ma a corredo del "nulla" ... non la consiglio e il punteggio alto non me lo spiego per nulla.

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Echando de menos Jeju

Hago esta crítica en español porque es el idioma en el que he visto este drama,

Para empezar, una breve referencia a las sutilezas del título en inglés (our blues), con todas las posibles traaducciones de ese azul (mar, tristeza, profundidad...) y la reducción a que Netflix ha sometido su título en español, llamándolo "nuestro horizonte azul", que, por supuesto, no refleja ningún estado de ánimo y parece como si solo se refirier a un paisaje.

En segundo lugar, me parece que existen algunas limitaciones del guión, que podría haberse decantado por soluciones menos conservadoras en temas tan trascendentales como el aborto, el bulling o la discriminación social frente a la depresión o la discapacidad. Pese a ello, no criticaré las opciones que finalmente ha escogido el autor del guión, porque en definitiva es su elección, y con todo, el argumento funciona bien en líneas generales.

Es de destacar que, pese a que el guión introduce personajes que podrían arrancar la lágrima fácil del espectador (el síndrome de down, la credulidad de la infancia, la vulnerabilidad de la vejez frente a la muerte inminente...), los personajes dibujados en cada uno de los tres casos y los actores que los interpretan se elevan por encima de cualquier cliché y ofrecen un resultado memorable.

La interpretación es excelente, y nos da la posibilidad de apreciar en todo su esplendor a los siempre geniales Lee Byung Hun,
Cha Seung Won, Lee Jung Eun, Han Ji Min, más las dos veteranas Kim Hye Ja y Go Doo Shim, y los "rescatados" de lujo
Kim Woo Bin (quien hace un regreso espectacular tras su paréntesis por enfermedad y nos muestra su gran talento) y
Uhm Jung Hwa (que ilumina como siempre la pantalla), así como los otras-veces-secundarios-pero-afortunadamente-personajes-principales-de-este-drama Choi Young Joon y Park Ji Hwan, perfectos en su relación simbiótica de afecto/odio. Todo ello incluyendo algunos otros personajes principales, secundarios e invitados que lo dan todo en esta historia coral.
Porque en definitiva, eso es este drama, una historia coral, compuesta por diversas historias particulares entrelazadas a través del vínculo de cada personaje con Jeju, cada una de las cuales podría dar para un drama en sí mismo, pero que, todas juntas, dan como resultado una insuperable historia de retazos de via (o slices of life, como se denomina en inglés este tipo de historias). Porque Jeju es otro personaje más de esta historia, y el que interconecta a todos los demás personajes.

La música contiene excelentes nuevas composiciones interpretadas por cantantes punteros del panorama koreano actual (Heize, Jimin, Ha Sung-woon, Davichi, Melomance, Punch...), entrelazadas con algunas canciones internacionales (entre ellas, dos versiones del Quando quando quando, la original de Toni Renis en italiano y la versión jazz de Moon en inglés), que confieren a las historias que se cuentan un cierto aire atemporal y atractivo para el público internacional.

Y la fotografía merece mención a parte, la que nos muestra los paisajes de la isla de Jeju, por el día y por la noche, y la que tiene lugar en el agua, siguiendo a las buceadoras haenyeo.

En conclusión, una obra maestra a no perderse.

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This is a story about the people spanning for three generations in a little fishing village in Jeju. This is not about some smart uni graduate living in jeju or some cheobal coming to jeju to get away from the busy life of soul, this is a story about low income families and villagers barely graduating from high school, living in a little fishing village all their lives. Their entire world revolves around this little village and all their pain and happiness is etched within the confines of this village. Their biggest happiness is to earn a good daily wage and then go for a drink at the end of the day.

This is not one story but several story arcs telling the story of several people living in the little fishing village of Jeju.

The first arc is about Jung Eun Hee and her first love coming back to jeju. She thinks it is the right time to rekindle their love only to find that he was here to borrow money from her due to a failed business venture.

The second arc is between Bang Young Joo and Jung Hyun, two high school students. The girl gets pregnant with the guy's child. This is the most intriguing arch out of all for me because this talks about teenage pregnancy. The issue is debate worthy because this couple decides to keep the baby. I personally feel this is is a bad idea because the two are in high school and both of them don't have mothers and only two incompetent fathers as family members. And both their fathers barely make ends meet with their meager daily wages from working in the fish market. The couple have fantasies about doing their further studies after having the baby, but how far will it be possible? A baby needs attention and as they grow up they require more money and the couple are determined to raise the baby while doing further studies and doing a job while still relying on their father's daily wages. But I feel like their future plan is not very realistic considering their economical background. But I also understand why the kids decide to keep the baby. They are both brought up by their incompetent fathers without a mother's love, so both of them want to give the love that they didn't recieve to their baby, which is undestandable. But in the end will it be possible to give a good future to the baby while securing their own future??

The third arc is between Lee Dong Seok , a street stall owner and Min Seon Ah, a woman going through depression and divorce. Lee Dong Seok was her neighborhood oppa when she was little. Lee Dong Seok meets a depressed Min Seon Ah after years and helps her go through the worst period in her life as she struggles with dovorce and child custody lawsuit with her husband while fighting with her severe depression. Later her condition improved with the support of Lee Dong Seok.

The fourth arc is the love story between Lee Young Ok, a harvester and a captain of a ship, Park Jung Joon. Park Jung Joon pursues the beautiful Lee Young Ok, who is famous for being a player in the village. But Lee Young Ok has a lot of misgiving in her life and repeatedly rejects Park Jung Joon. Later they get together and the reason for her misgiving is revealed to be due to her disable twin sister who she has to look after for the rest of her life.

The fifth arc is about friendship. The story revolves around the friendship between Jung Eun Hee and her childhood friend who comes to jeju. This arch reveals the loyalty and talks about the pure friendship that was built over years in this little fishing village. The friendship described is so pure and simple. These people don't have complex minds and their hate and love is expressed in a pure and straightforward way that it's absolutely heartfelting.

The sixth arc is between Hyun Choon Hee and her grandchild who comes to Jeju for a few weeks after her father gets into an accident. The love between grandparent and grandchild is expressed in a raw but sweet way. The arch shows how the entire village get together to fulfill a childish fantasy of a little child which will make you want to cry.

The final arc is between Lee Dong Seok and his mother who is in her late stage of cancer. This story shows how Lee Dong Seok fulfilled his mother's last wishes before she died and how Lee Dong Seok reconciled with his decades long hate towards his mother after she remarried to another man when he was young.

Every arc speaks to the very depth of my heart. The story is absolutely the most heartfelt story I ever watched. Each and every episode makes me want to cry. There is no tragedy, just talks about the most basic human feeling to its very rawest level.
Apart from those arch it is also laced with other stories and pretty much talks about human nature and their feeling and thought to the most primary levels.

Each and every second is worth watching and I'm so glad that I didn’t drop this drama. The first 4 episodes are more or less an introduction to the lives of the people living in the village but things get interesting from the beginning of the second arc.

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Wonderful Story line

This had such an incredible story lines. The connection of each of the characters and their love for each other as depicted in the movie was very heartwarming. It is true that relationships aren't always as they seem to others. As humans sometimes we hold our grudges and don't express and resolve as we should. This movie just hit my heart to the core. The actors were absolutely great. I laughed and I cried watching the lives of the different characters. Thank you for the great writing. I am now a new fan of the actors in this movie. I will certainly watch it again more than once.

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I enjoyed watching this drama because of how they showed the different lives that lived in this little town. A lot of you will think this is boring but it is not. This is a must-watch.

1.Lee Byung Hun played Lee Dong Seok 2. Shin Min Ah played Min Seon Ah 3. Cha Seung Won played Choi Han Soo 4. Lee Jung Eun played Jung Eun Hee 5. Uhm Jung Hwa played Go Mi Ran 6. Han Ji Min played Lee Young Ok 7. Kim Woo Bin played
Park Jung Joon 8. Kim Hye Ja played Kang Ok Dong 9. Go Doo Shim played Hyun Choon Hee 10. Gi So Yoo played Son Eun Ki 11. Choi Young Joon played Bang Ho Shik 12. Park Ji Hwan played Jung In Kwon 13. Bae Hyun Sung played Jung Hyun
14. Roh Yoon Seo played Bang Young Joo and 15. Jung Eun Hye played Lee Young Hee. The most main leads I have ever seen in a Korean Drama. They all made this story their own and was so believable. I cried and laughed with all of my emotions coming to the front in watching this. I applaud all the above, especially Jung Eun Hye, she did awesomely.

Let's talk about the music: With you my BTS member Jimin and Ha Sungwoon what a beautiful song. My favorite music score of the movie... not to say the other music that was played was bad... they were all good. Thanking the team of Our Blues much respect.

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Too all over the place

It would seem i was one of the few who got lost on this one. I love Kim Woo Bin to the moon and back but this drama epitomises agony for me. Apart from being chopped up storyline’s of far too many couples, the fact its including an affair is reprehensible to me. Sorry all i dropped it in episode 5 for that reason.
The disrespect shown to elders and the lack of caring is beyond reason even if they are at fault.
Acting is terrific for the roles they play and the cast are amazing. I’m just unhappy about the storyline.
I don’t know what else to say.
I need 500 words to leave this review and can’t seem to find more to say.
The soundtrack is fine, and sweet. But still at times leaves a lot to be desired..
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo dearly me………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Father daughter relationship is still on edge and disrespectful.
Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelp meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Pleeeeeeeeeassssssseeeeeeeeeee

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Disappointed

I had such high hopes from this drama given the cast and the writer as. I had liked her series It’s Okay That’s Love and The Most Beautiful Goodbye. I saw the first two episodes and they were super grim, nothing made me smile. I continued to follow the show updates and episode reviews on podcasts and not one update reflected happiness for any characters.

I have heard great reviews about Cha Seung Won and I love watching Lee Jung Eun but neither impressed me in the first 2 episodes I saw. Shin Min Ah looked miserable in the scenes I saw and Lee Byung Hun isn’t an actor I look forward to watching on my screen. Too much misery was shouting at me from these characters. I don’t know if I will ever watch it - I cannot deal with so much drudgery and sadness on my screen.

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