Have you ever had a filling that a heroine and a second lead are meant to be together? They have great chemistry, understanding of one another and generally bring the best in each other? Yet for a reason as old as kdramas, they won't ever end up together?
So what if these characters were given the mind of their own? How would story unfold then? Well, thats basically what this whole kdrama is about and you know what? It is genious.
The writer/director very successfuly captures the basic criterias for usual cliched love triangles.
Now, we have two love triangles:
1.
Kyung - the typical jerk male lead who is cold towards heroine yet is excussed because he has a tragic past
Dan oh - clingy heroine who loves ml no matter what and has health cindition
Haru - second lead who is mature and caring and has kind of bromance with ml.
2.
Namjoo - popular and rich ml
Jooda - poor and submissive fl
Dohwa - cheerful and charming sl
This drama perfectly portrays everything wrong with such triangles. It shows how fls are often owershadowed and consumed by ego of mls. You could say that whenever they have scenes together, its always about mls and their wishes. Drama does a great job exposing how in these typical relationships, a female leads wrong being benefits male lead since heroine becomes dependant on him and stuck with him.
Things are completly different when fls are with second leads. They are equal with them. Yet it is never meant to be. I especially liked how well the story is packed in a way that it was able to convice me as a viewer that Haru is not what is meant to be a ml.
Extraordinary you is first and foremost a romance story. I do enjoy this genre but im very critical of it since i rarely encounter a story which is both engaging and believeable without being sexist. I ended up being very satisfied with romance in this drama. It is hands down, one of the most beautiful and tragic romances in unconventional way.


The theme is not the old and tried amnesia. Its more about author/character relation which takes inspiration from absurdist literature. It is quite tricky subject and i was surprised how well it was explored.
Along with criticizing traditional kdrama pairings, this drama also criticizes repetitiveness and unwillingness to chance even if story itself requires it. So, constant memory loss serves the purpose of showing us how author takes the freedom away from their creations by putting them in cliched positions.
In the end tho, (spoiler) Dan Oh and Haru won. Since they are nameless in new manhwa and can be free.


Acting is great. Really natural and without exggeration. I was surprised that Haru is played by an idol. Actress who plays Dan oh managed portraying bigger than life, cheerful, stubborn and determined heroine without comic exaggeration and it didnt feel forced at all.

As for characters, they are definitely the higlight of the series. Especially Dan oh which is rare because usually in kdramas fls dont get much character with complexity ( its changing now tho ). Dan oh is funny and extra yet she is not annoying or naive. She deals with existential crisis throughout this drama.
As for Haru, he is everything we love about second leads. He is caring and kind towards Dan oh and their relationship is based on trust and understanding. Their scenes together were so heartwarming and chemistry was just electrifying.
Kyung, he is the ml out of the triangle in the comics world and supposedly second lead of this drama but it doesnt feel this way at all. In this Dan oh centered story, Haru and Baek seem to have role of similar importance. It is good decision on the writers part for two reasons: first, this way sl isnt there just to create mild obstecle for ml. He and Dan oh have a special bond. Second, this way we still have feeling that he is the one who is supposed to be a ml.

Soundtrack is very balanced. I usually dont like how overly dramatic and always present the soundtrack is in kdramas but this one had a very good choice of songs that captured the mood of the drama.

This drama had great potential and it exceeded expectations like no other drama i have seen. It started with good quality and remained such throughout the drama. And believe me, as a experienced series viewer, from star trek tos to westworld, i know thing or two about good quality series.

In short, it is one of the best kdramas out there even in non-kdrama standards with a very original and kind of philosophical themes such as free will/determinism and the dilemma of whether or not being awarne of your fate is worth it if you cant do anything about it.