Sigh. This drama was a total disappointment.

Context: I LOVE Park Bo Gum. I enjoy Park So Dam. Slice of life? Sign me up! And yet something didn't quite click from the start. I hoped things would pick up, but the plot line became more convoluted and frustrating. We spent too much time on annoying side characters and side plots instead of developing our protagonists, so I didn't end up caring what happened to them.

My issue from the beginning was that the dialogue was weirdly snappy and unnatural. People didn't speak like they do in real life, and that took some of the immersion away. Another key issue was that a lot of the characters felt one-dimensional —  we only saw the bad side of our bad characters for so long, with POTENTIALLY some last-minute redemption towards the end. I suppose I can understand the parents and miserable people like Lee Tae-Su, but at what cost?

We never got strong enough development for Jeong Ha or Won Hae Hyo, and that's what bugged me the most. I would've preferred if the show took us down the love triangle line!

I did enjoy how the show was somewhat autobiographical for Park Bo Gum (lol @ his Love in the Moonlight remake), and I liked seeing his range. I liked the messages on enlistment, and the depiction of this cultural nuance that feels so foreign to outsiders. It's like homework hanging over your head, and it's an experience that unites people of all ages, socioeconomic classes, and walks of life. As far as the ending went, I was as satisfied as I could possibly be, considering the circumstances. Everything tied up with a neat little bow, although that meant some people acted ridiculously out of character. The unfortunate part is that the show was consistently so lacklustre that the ending was unfulfilling anyway.