I Know But (2021)

One of my favorite coming of age shows

This is a show quite unlike other college or romance dramas out there. It's written to show the complicated nature of growing into adulthood, without being judgemental on its characters.

I could easily identify with the protagonist, and could see how her previous relationship, and her estranged relationship with her mother, made her as hesitant as she was. For me, I found that the show emphasised how she regained agency such that she was free to make a choice for herself in the end. It was a well-written character arc.

Male lead Jaeeon was equally complex, it's actually quite interesting how everyone has their perception of him, and you see him through the lens of the female lead Nabi and the people at school, but as the show goes on, you start to see that he may not actually be as perceived.

One I really liked is that the show made a clear distinction between changing for love and changing for yourself. For Jaeeon, he comes to realise how unhealthy his worldview is, how he has to be a better communicator, and thus grows little by little.

The cinematography is thoughtful, the soundtrack carefully curated to match the feelings of the characters. The nuances make all the difference in this drama (they are carefully laid out in story and performance) and while the pacing may lag for some as Ep 7/8 did for me a little, I found it mirrored how personal growth is never linear or a quick process in reality. Of course, Han Sohee and Song Kang did a great job in bringing these characters to life, and the supporting cast members also did a commendable job.

Citeste mai mult

The plot may be flat, nevertheless…

Have you ever met someone in your life that makes you feel anxious but excited at the same time? You feel a pull towards them and know instinctively that trouble is not far where they are…nevertheless you cannot resist your curiosity. You know the risk is high that this connection will either break your heart or heal it. Nevertheless...

The plot may seem obvious to some, but for me it was the first time ever (having seen a hundred dramas already) that I kept wondering if it will end the way I expected it to be. Even if it left me wondering where it would end the plot itself is not overwhelmingly creative. The drama lives for the soundtrack, camera angles and chemistry between the two main actress and actor.
I had to watch it three times to start liking Park Jeo Eon. He reminded me too much of someone I knew so I could completely relate and felt Nabi’s internal struggle too well. It was hard to watch them fighting their pride, misunderstandings, and past, however, if they just had a conversation like adults the drama would be over after episode 3. But it drags. If you don’t like this kind of torture you will be frustrated very quickly. It’s still worth watching since this drama is very openly addressing LGBTQ+, sex, and gaslighting, which is unique in Korean dramas.

The filming production is very high and extremely delicately shot. I live for the soundtrack, it’s been in my playlist ever since.

Citeste mai mult

Huge potential, Nevertheless

I never write reviews and I watched tons of Kdramas, but I love reading reviews here before watching a show so I thought I would add my own, because I wasn't gonna watch it initially. I only saw the preview trailer on Netflix with that scene in the bar and I found it very intriguing and well paced. I ended up binging this show....

This show begins differently and has its own mood.

I could understand Nabi and from the beginning we meet a very interesting female lead we get attached to and want to see her evolve. it was very promising until the show just ended up being a cycle of back and forth on repeat and I couldn't see a true evolution of Nabi, just like her professor keeps saying. Only by the end of the show do we see her making interesting changes.

I won't talk much about Jeon ML because there is not much to say, except for a weird evolution he goes through. however, he did play his role very well in the beginning to create that atmosphere of doubt, confusion and red flags,

the 2nd ML was a nice addition at first and a huge contrast to the other ML, he played his part brilliantly, but I feel that plotline lingered too much.

I LIKED: the flow of the show and the mind voice/vocal was spot on. I applaud the show for portraying the uncertainty, the anxiety, the confusion very well shown through the FL, but I was hoping for more evolution from her and a clearer evolution of her relationship with the ML. the butterfly, the sculpture project, and the drawings were all beautiful analogies as well.

DIDN'T LIKE: the main lesson /meaning behind the show was a bit shallow for me where it could have had a deeper approach on vague relationships, toxic relationships and love etc....

I give it an 7 because it did convey a lot of emotions through the plot and characters, it made me question my own approach to my previous relationships and my own reaction to red flags. While there were lots of cringy cliché parts of the show, I did enjoy the more explorative parts of it.

I would not rewatch it though.

Citeste mai mult

oh my god.

firstly. i am so glad to see all the reviews, you guys GET IT.
the most waste-of-time, painful, frustrating show ever.
the only thing that got me through was the acting, i loved the actors + music pretty solid.
this is not a review but a "rant" there was a lot more, but its too vile to post, sorry lol.
i wrote this review a while back just for my Instagram story... keep in my mind i was raging lol:

0/10
bullshit, crap, pointless, useless, dumbass show.
why did the even make this show? to romanticize abusive relationships? that's right.
THE WHOLE POINT OF THE WEBTOON WAS TO SEE NABI MOVE ON AND HEAL FROM THE TOXIC RELATIONSHIP BUT WHAT THE FU/K?
they kiss and happy ending?????????? no this aint a happy ending, this is the 'from hell' ending. na bi doesnt deserve that sh*t faced assh*le??? what is wrong with all of you????
what is the point of the writers completely twisting the entire meaning of the webtoon? If you’re going to go out of your way to change it, why even base it off of a webtoon in the first place? great acting but SH*T SHOW. whoever wrote this script is sick in the head. script-writer, remember to read the source first next time. god.
kdramas will never stop completely destroying amazing webtoons. first true beauty now this.

Citeste mai mult

Song Kang por favor elegí mejores proyectos...

No es un mal drama (hasta q ves el final).
Es un drama evidentemente segmentado en una población de entre 18 y 25 años como máximo, no viene dar un golpe en la mesa y pretender ser el mejor drama de su género para nada, nos muestra un acercamiento y las decisiones en base a emociones de estas personas. Yo creo y espero que la idea del drama sea mostrar la toxicidad en algunas relaciones y que no todas las decisiones pueden tomarse impulsivamente en base a los sentimientos porque de 3 posibles finales eligieron el más dañino, menos sano y con menos futuro.
En fin no es un mal drama ni tampoco bueno, tampoco lo recomendaría pero ahí está y ojalá que la gente en una situación parecida pueda ver objetivamente y darse cuenta de cómo estás relaciones afectan sus vidas.

Citeste mai mult

Frustrating to watch

This is my first time reviewing a k-drama, and I felt like it was a necessity with this one. Bear with me as this will be lengthy - I have MANY thoughts regarding this drama..

'Nevertheless,' has an interesting start, however it really falls apart dramatically and suddenly. I must start by saying that I started watching this one on a whim, when only about 3 episodes were out. I thought the story was intriguing for a k-drama, and I liked the softness of Na-bi, the other characters, and the filming.

Because I started watching this when it aired, I had heard nothing of it beforehand, therefore I was unaware of the 'second male lead' (if you can even call him that). Do-Hyuk is very likeable as a second male lead/love interest, whilst I wanted Na-bi to remain single at the end (because f*ck Jae-Eon honestly - more on him later), I would have been content if she had chosen our second male lead. I have to say, the introduction of Do-Hyuk was strange and felt weirdly placed. Again, I had not heard anything about this drama prior to watching, so I had no clue there even was a second male lead/love interest. I felt like the drama should've been advertised better to include Do-Hyuk as an 'option', or he at least should've been introduced earlier in the series.

Na-bi herself is frustrating as well as the drama itself, there are times where she appears incredibly head-strong and confident in her decisions. It was refreshing to see her set boundaries for Jae-Eon and stick to them (for the most part), this is what made the ending of the drama feel so lacklustre and irritating. Na-bi had spent the earlier 2/3 of the series being confident in her choice of wanting a serious relationship with Jae-Eon or none at all, and, even in the final episode, she confirms that she knows he is going to hurt her and yet she will be with him regardless (I mean?? Wtf girl honestly??).

This series was ultimately saved by the wonderful background couples and friendships, relaxing soundtrack, and beautiful filming style. Again, Na-bi herself is likeable in the earlier episodes, it just grows more frustrating to watch her ignore Jae-Eon's red flags and borderline emotionally abusive behaviour. Even in the beginning, I felt like Na-bi and Jae-Eon's relationship was fairly representative of young people (and the chemistry between the two leads is undeniable). This series is a refreshing view on the types of relationships that young people will encounter, and for that I feel like I can't fault it. Even though the relationship between Na-bi and Jae-Eon is infuriating at times, there are so many young women who go back to men that treat them awfully and don't respect their boundaries.

The worst part of this series is easily Jae-Eon himself. Whilst, again, this type of relationship is unfortunately commonplace, he really is a prick. It is discomforting to see Na-bi state and imply many times that she wants a serious relationship, just for him to brush it off and continue to ignore her, treat her coldly randomly, and completely ignore the obviousness of what she wants. He does this all in favour of getting what he wants, someone to share his bed. Whilst Na-bi very clearly wants a serious relationship with him, Jae-Eon prefers to casually sleep with her and go off and meet other women (even talking to them in the presence of Na-bi). I think the show tries to bring this back when, in the final episode (spoiler alert - obviously), it is formally revealed that Jae-Eon had been interested in Na-bi since the first episode, where she goes to an exhibition with her ex-boyfriend. I understand what the writers were trying to do here - excuse his shitty behaviour by revealing "Oh, well! He had actual feelings for her all along!!" However Jae-Eon simply cannot be redeemed this way, and he needed more of a 'punishment' than the female lead simply not talking to him for a few days.

Overall, this drama was decent. It has vague re-watch value (it's quite nice because nothing crazy dramatic happens) and there are only 10 episodes, so it doesn't feel like a chore to watch at times. I would say that if you are watching for the first time and you are a young person - DO NOT ROMANTICISE JAE-EON. Everyone deserves a partner who will not invalidate their feelings, ignore their boundaries and sleep around without being 100% clear that it is what both parties are content with. However, the soundtrack was lovely and the background characters were truly delightful. (and again - THE CHEMISTRY!! truly wonderful to see).

7.5/10 rating, would've been higher had the female lead learnt from her relationships, or if the male lead had some time of comeuppance.

Citeste mai mult

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I HATED THE MAIN LEAD COUPLE

First I would like to give love to han soo hee & song kang for their acting their are perfect for the main lead cast their are sooo good.
The First half of the drama is good but the 2nd half of the drama is sooo disappointing.
The only good thing about this drama is the supporting cast couples and the ost.

The ending is really bad i dont understand why the writer really want them to be together, yeah right there some real people have that toxic relationship but this is a dramaaa their should have been a life lesson for us, the only have a life lesson is from the soljiwon couple and other supporting cast couple i like them a lot more than the main lead couple.
This drama is just a waste of time.
For those who want to watch these dont watch it because there is no life lesson learn from the main lead couple but for those who want to watch these because of this is the reality of tozic relationship watch it.
Sorry my english bad hehe:)

Citeste mai mult

Realistic drama

I decided to write a review after reading contradictory comments and reviews about this show.

First of all, I don't think young people - let's say younger than 25 - would really appreciate this drama at its full value.
Of course, we are all entitled to an opinion, but one shouldn't judge life situations one couldn't have lived.
(And yes, I'm over 30, been there, done that, I know what I'm talking about. ;) Or?...)

I think this drama is about couples and growth and it has a very original take on it.
We have the cute couple, the bickering on/off couple, the shy one, the gay couple and the complicated one. We also have couples where one is more into it than the other, "friends with benefits" etc.

If you had several relationships in your life, you'll probably recognize some of the situations: being intimate with someone you like but not love, having someone nice liking/loving you but you can't reciprocate, not knowing how to go from friends to lovers or the opposite.
Relationships may evolve, if you started with a carefree spending time together you may want more - or not.

And this is all this drama is about. Young people living their experiences, more or less mature, growing in a little better person after this.
I don't think any of them is good or bad or stupid like I saw in some comments. Just normal, perhaps with flaws but also good parts.

BTW, a special mention for the same sex couple (for once they are girls) - it was integrated so seamlessly in the story, so natural that I'd give a special point only for this.

I also appreciated the normal, natural behaviour of young people in this drama - PDA like holding hands, hugging etc. weren't made to seem inappropriate like they are in most kdramas. It has a "western" and modern vibe.

I found the actors were good in expressing the different emotions they went through.
OST is nice, I even added the main song to one of my playlists.

Rewatch value - I gave it a 9, I definitely watch it again after some time.

In conclusion, definitely go for it but, if you're young, instead of judging it harshly, tell yourself that perhaps you haven't experienced some of the situations they go through.

Citeste mai mult

no personality

main characters have no personality so i found it extremely boring to watch. the only reason i would recommend it is for the side characters; i basically skipped through the main couple’s parts every episode. It made me laugh sometimes because the girl doesnt really speak so all her parts are just her standing or staring in silence, i did not enjoy her character. Ive never really watched a drama where BOTH of the main leads genuinely do not have a single personality trait.

Also the main guy is so toxic and i think it sends a horrible message to girls or whoever’s new in relationships. overall not worth it and definitely not re watchable.

Citeste mai mult

There's toxicity. Nevertheless,

I started this without meaning to. I was just going to watch a couple minutes out of curiosity, probably forget about it, and move on to watch episode 8 of Romance is a Bonus Book. But, I watched the whole episode. Nine minutes somehow turned into over an hour.

It intrigued me. From the artistry, great lighting and camera work, really cool creations, just enough subtly, to the right amount of flirty.

They had me. I was short on time. Nevertheless, I started this drama.

And you know what? I don't regret it. While I ended up disliking one of the main characters, Na Bi, I was still able to enjoy this by rooting for who I did like and just observing the character as a person I didn't necessarily NEED to like or understand. I could just find her interesting at the very least.

I was rooting for both Na Bi and Jae Eon in the beginning. Unlike most people though, by the end of the drama I was there for Jae Eon, not Na Bi.

While Jae Eon is declared to be manipulative and toxic, the really toxic person was Na Bi. And the ending only solidified that for me.

So what did I love about this drama? I loved that it was very out-of-the-box and didn't tell a typical K-Drama romance story. I also loved the soundtrack, the side couples, the representation I wasn't expecting to get that was incorporated into this very popular drama alongside the main couple and treated as normal all the while, the physical art, the acting, Na Bi's backstory, and the metaphors surrounding Jae Eon.

You know what upset me with the reaction to this drama? The level of absolute hatred for Jae Eon while Na Bi got little to no criticism. She was either seen as the victim, someone who was just being too easy and going with the flow, or someone who was just a bit toxic.

I have to wonder: Did we watch the same ending? Did we hear the same internal monologues?

Because I have no idea how anyone can walk away from this still viewing Jae Eon as the "evil mastermind," or "monster" who simply got his hooks in the naïve Na Bi.

Citeste mai mult