SheJudge
A Mature Love Story, feat. Park Bo Gum's smile
The reason why I decided to continue watching this drama was purely because of Park Bo Gum's smile. I FELL FOR IT. HARD. That is also the only reason I decided to stick to it till the end.
In terms of the story, there truly isn't much. And the drama also isn't the kind of drama that boasts a grand and impressive narrative. The whole drama can be summarized as what being in love looks like. While that is understandable and I really liked how everything was very mature, it was just soooooooo slooooooowwww.
The cinematography was one thing that really stood out for me. It had these beautiful postcard framed shots, truly lovely to look at. And to add the photography hobby into the mix to show more picturesque shots... Quite clever.
Now we come to the actors... GUESS WHO'S GOING TO BINGE ALL OF PBG'S DRAMAS NEXT. I was a little uncomfortable seeing how malnourished he looked in the first episode, but that short bob was quite interesting and "exotic". But damn that smile made my day. Even his character was so earnestly written, it actually shone through the series. Song Hye Kyo's character also was interesting. I am a fan of these kinds of understated, less talkative, mature female characters who talk less but are strong-willed. And Song Hye Kyo was able to pull it off quite well, seeing that this is her forte. The chemistry between the two of them though... *chef's kiss*. Often in mature kdramas, they make up for the lack of chemistry with some kissing... but here, you could actually feel how much the ML and the FL cherished each other. Full points for such an earnest performance.
Her ex-husband's character was a bit meh, but that's okay... the series justified why. I didn't really like the chaebol eomoni angle, it was a bit too much. But seen in the korean cultural context, it makes sense, i suppose? I don't know... But the best part for me was the friendships depicted in the series... it was quite nuanced and layered, and not the straight-up "oh, I'm your best friend, and I will be there just to cheer you with pompoms" kinda depiction. The actors who played PBG's parents were the MOST REAL characters in the entire series, even more so than the protagonists, might I suggest. Lovely, lovely acting by the two veteran actors there.
As for the OST, it's one of those very well-crafted albums. It is expected to hear a song explode right after any major event in the series, like BAM! And in a few series, this can be quite the hindrance (case in point, Something in the Rain). But here, because the songs were very mellow, the effect was much mitigated. Eric Nam's song and SaltnPepper's Take Me On are the best in the album IMO.
Also, as a side note, the opening credits' animated videos of fairytale tropes are quite beautiful. Nothing extraordinary, but just very aesthetically pleasing.
Cons of this series: It's a meditative watch, not fit for binging (although I did binge it at an alarming rate).
There's nothing much going on in terms of the story. Its just two people in love and... that's pretty much it.
I do wish there was some editing involved. Towards the end, it felt unnecessarily long; for example, if you skip 10 seconds, you will still not miss any dialogue. It basically takes 10 seconds or more for the actors to move past looking at each other and do things (be it talking or moving or whatever).
The pacing... it was soooooo sloooooowwwww.... like so slow, so slow... they paid so much attention to showing the couple that they didn't bother with the story at all. As a result, towards the end the conflict resolved rather quickly (in just 2 episodes) and shoddily. I understand that in a mature drama like this, there is no space for the outlandish ML FL heroics, but some nuanced storytelling to the conflicts would be better.
The treatment of foreigners is still a pain to watch. SO MUCH TYPECASTING. >_<
Over all, the drama was a really nice, soothing watch. Best to watch it on rainy days, with a coffee mug and your partner by your side (if they're into kdramas that is). The first episode is probably one of the dreamiest episodes I've seen in a long time in a kdrama. I personally feel, the drama was able to sail its way through because of PBG's smile. If the makers of this drama focused on one thing intently, then it's the visuals. Be it the actors' visuals, or the interior design's colour palettes, or the locations, or just the camera frames, they made sure it was so aesthetically pleasing. The series proved how aesthetics can aid in falling in love.
In terms of the story, there truly isn't much. And the drama also isn't the kind of drama that boasts a grand and impressive narrative. The whole drama can be summarized as what being in love looks like. While that is understandable and I really liked how everything was very mature, it was just soooooooo slooooooowwww.
The cinematography was one thing that really stood out for me. It had these beautiful postcard framed shots, truly lovely to look at. And to add the photography hobby into the mix to show more picturesque shots... Quite clever.
Now we come to the actors... GUESS WHO'S GOING TO BINGE ALL OF PBG'S DRAMAS NEXT. I was a little uncomfortable seeing how malnourished he looked in the first episode, but that short bob was quite interesting and "exotic". But damn that smile made my day. Even his character was so earnestly written, it actually shone through the series. Song Hye Kyo's character also was interesting. I am a fan of these kinds of understated, less talkative, mature female characters who talk less but are strong-willed. And Song Hye Kyo was able to pull it off quite well, seeing that this is her forte. The chemistry between the two of them though... *chef's kiss*. Often in mature kdramas, they make up for the lack of chemistry with some kissing... but here, you could actually feel how much the ML and the FL cherished each other. Full points for such an earnest performance.
Her ex-husband's character was a bit meh, but that's okay... the series justified why. I didn't really like the chaebol eomoni angle, it was a bit too much. But seen in the korean cultural context, it makes sense, i suppose? I don't know... But the best part for me was the friendships depicted in the series... it was quite nuanced and layered, and not the straight-up "oh, I'm your best friend, and I will be there just to cheer you with pompoms" kinda depiction. The actors who played PBG's parents were the MOST REAL characters in the entire series, even more so than the protagonists, might I suggest. Lovely, lovely acting by the two veteran actors there.
As for the OST, it's one of those very well-crafted albums. It is expected to hear a song explode right after any major event in the series, like BAM! And in a few series, this can be quite the hindrance (case in point, Something in the Rain). But here, because the songs were very mellow, the effect was much mitigated. Eric Nam's song and SaltnPepper's Take Me On are the best in the album IMO.
Also, as a side note, the opening credits' animated videos of fairytale tropes are quite beautiful. Nothing extraordinary, but just very aesthetically pleasing.
Cons of this series: It's a meditative watch, not fit for binging (although I did binge it at an alarming rate).
There's nothing much going on in terms of the story. Its just two people in love and... that's pretty much it.
I do wish there was some editing involved. Towards the end, it felt unnecessarily long; for example, if you skip 10 seconds, you will still not miss any dialogue. It basically takes 10 seconds or more for the actors to move past looking at each other and do things (be it talking or moving or whatever).
The pacing... it was soooooo sloooooowwwww.... like so slow, so slow... they paid so much attention to showing the couple that they didn't bother with the story at all. As a result, towards the end the conflict resolved rather quickly (in just 2 episodes) and shoddily. I understand that in a mature drama like this, there is no space for the outlandish ML FL heroics, but some nuanced storytelling to the conflicts would be better.
The treatment of foreigners is still a pain to watch. SO MUCH TYPECASTING. >_<
Over all, the drama was a really nice, soothing watch. Best to watch it on rainy days, with a coffee mug and your partner by your side (if they're into kdramas that is). The first episode is probably one of the dreamiest episodes I've seen in a long time in a kdrama. I personally feel, the drama was able to sail its way through because of PBG's smile. If the makers of this drama focused on one thing intently, then it's the visuals. Be it the actors' visuals, or the interior design's colour palettes, or the locations, or just the camera frames, they made sure it was so aesthetically pleasing. The series proved how aesthetics can aid in falling in love.
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