When a friend first suggested this drama to me I was hesitant. I had no desire to watch a teen sitcom, and thought it would be a little too young, and cheesy, for me after reading the synopsis. Boy was I completely wrong. Not only did it make me feel nostalgic, I also fell in love with the cast, and got hooked on the concept of the show. The show definitely has a young vibe, but there is enough maturity to appeal to a much broader audience. This is more than a youthful rom com with cute romantic moments. It's really about the deep bonds between friends, and family, and about love in a much broader sense. I laughed out loud, and teared up, many times while watching. This may have opened my mind up to give more teen dramas a shot.
The cast does an amazing job, especially believably playing their characters in the past and the present. The bond between the 6 main friends felt very realistic. I was really impressed when I learned how young some of the lead cast members were, and how new they were to dramas. There were no weak links in the cast, although I definitely had my favorites (Jung Eun Ji, Seo In Guk, and Ho Ya in particular).
Most of the story revolves around the relationship between Shi Won, and Yoon Jae, which sucked me in from the start. A little too much focus was put on the "will they end up together or not" part of the story, but I was completely drawn in by their chemistry, and loved watching how unbelievably close they were.
The effect Joon Hee had on me was the biggest surprise. His character was so subtle in a lot of ways, but he definitely got to me emotionally. I also thought his story line was tastefully done, and not over sensationalized.
I also really loved Shi Won's parents, and thought they had some of the strongest moments in the show. I never expected that they would make me laugh & cry so much.
The only character I didn't care for was Tae Woong. I don't blame the actor, I blame his storyline. By the end I hated him less, but his character's actions just didn't sit well with me. I honestly thought he was a little creepy.
I think the writers did an excellent job of juggling the past vs the present, writing strong characters, and balancing humorous and emotional scenes. The main love triangle was a little heavy handed, but it was kinda fun having them constantly add a little doubt, making it at least feel a little less predictable.
I know many of the pop culture references were lost on me since I am not Korean (like completely missing the fact that Eun Ji Won was a member of Sechs kies - now THATS funny), but I could still relate, especially to technology (or lackthereof) in the 90's.
I know the music was also meant to give a nostalgic feel to viewers, but I thought too much time was spent on the whole k-pop obsession/rivalry. Maybe if I knew the bands I would have been more into it. The show does a good job of recreating the hype, so It was still entertaining.
I really felt like I got to know all of the characters so well, and I know I will miss them. I could see myself rewatching my favorite episodes more than rewatching it again from start to finish because of it's sitcom style. I really do hope talks about a sequel are true. I'm not sure where else the story could go, but with characters this strong, anything is possible.
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