Park Seo Joon and Kim Ji Won play average late-20s friends who have given up on pursuing their dreams because of the cost of living and the need for money. After a number of false starts and embarrassing failure, they finally find the strength to choose passion and happiness over drudgery. These two are fun and loveable leads whose strong friendship and love helps support each other through life. They're a delight to watch.
Kim Ji Won, in particular, gives Ae Ra a perfect mix of vulnerability and badass; combining hilarious aegyo and no-nonsense protectiveness to create one of the most compelling kdrama leads to date. Park Seo Joon is always a nuanced actor to watch and his brainless, hot-tempered but warm-hearted Dong Man will make you fall in love with him.
The second couple in this story are less interesting and, while their plotlines are no-less thematically important, I often lost interest when the attention switched to them. The plotting isn't perfect: there are number of disappearing characters, dropped plot lines and narrative digressions. And the show briefly falls flat when the couple first get together because of the dictates of the kdrama OTP tropes.
But none of this detracts from the enjoyment of the show. More importantly, this show ends well and doesn't suffer from the episode 14 kdrama slump. It maintains its pace to the end.
I could give this a lower rating for a number of reasons but it's such a satisfying watch that it deserves the 9/10.
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the problem starts when they introduced new characters that you haven't been introduced yet and and left you confused on whether or not you've known that character during the short brief intro in their highschool lives.
But it was still fine when they decided to sprinkle the backstory of some of the new characters as the episodes progress...the only issue with this sort of approach is to have us the audience to keep up with the story with no connection to start with so either you get confused and disinterested on these characters or you decide to filter them out because they aren't relevant..
Some of these characters were used once and never again and for me, it's kinda a waste of time to introduce them as a prominent character (old friends/long lost mother/etc) but having no impact on the story whatsoever...If you change these said characters having no correlations with the main couples, you wouldn't even notice the difference. .
Honestly, the side couples had better story to tell than the main couple...their conflict could've stupidly be avoided if they told the truth from the start instead of hiding it for no reasons, but at least their objectives in their love life is relatable (one wants small happiness, the other aim for bigger long term happiness)
Regarding the main couple, I thought their confession to like each other could've done better than how it ended up...for me, there's quite a few times before that they could've confessed to each other which could've been better and more appropriate in terms of emotional impact but it didn't, so kinda rather disappointing
The villain here is a bit petty and kinda thuggish and not worth mentioning..they could've make him a bit better but they decided to make him weak and simple minded...so it doesn't make me wanna root for the main guy, but it made me wanna things to get done as soon as possible so i don't need to see how it ended up because it's already been decided by how weak the villain is
OST isn't anything unique, it was something you heard hundredth of times already
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The storyline was average but quite realistic and relatable. My main focus became the character of this series. They're all so unique and I really enjoyed the strong female lead in this one. Kim Ji Won is definitely a talented actress and made this drama very spunky and full of life. Furthermore, the soundtrack was very fitting with the overall vibe of this drama. Would re-watch it for the comedy aspect.
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The real MVPs of this drama however the side couple of Ahn Jae Hong and Song Ha Yoon. You really have to look out for their relationship. For me, they have achieved a new level of portrayal that i did not foresee. The sports section of the story could have been written a little more but then the other side stories would have to be compromised with. the reason this drama would be a must watch is partly because they show how following your passion is more important than anything else and ofcourse the side couple.
Genre : Rom-com, sports, motivational
Story line : Story of 4 friends, former taekwondo genius, a spunky yet crazy anchor wannabe, an average guy with a lot of big dreams and a sweet and homey girl who will happily sacrifice everything, trying to achieve their dreams and ambitions in order to make their lives better. The ups and down they go through before realising how they need to be happy first to succeed in their lives is what makes this drama much more than what it is. I would have specially mention the side couple because not only they give you serious couple goals but they show you how beautiful yet easy relationships can be. Five stars to them.
Acting : Park Seo Joon plays this country bumpkin/ naive/ assertive guy who has more brawns than brains. Kim Ji Won gave the character her own twist by being a crazy and head strong girl who decides to stand for herself and i think it could have been better but it serves its purpose anyway. But i was really impressed by the characters played by Ahn Jae Hong and Song Ha Yoon. They portrayed their characters so well, i don't think i would ever be impressed by anyone being more realistic than them. They took their characters and the story-line to a whole new level.
p.s. after you watch, I have really no idea why they added the twist in the end, it was completely unnecessary and useless. They should have continued with the main story and given us a complete closure.
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Park Seo Joon and Kim Ji Won! They both carried their parts well and I looked forward to their scenes the most; with their hilarious banter and playful romance, their relationship felt believable and I thought that they meshed well as actors. Park Seo Joon plays the line between adorable and dorky while being super manly and hot so well, I'm not sure how he does it, but I think this might be my favorite role for him. Kim Ji Won's character is a lot of fun in this one, a female lead that will not be trifled with but has a good sense of humor is always a win for me. Their relationship starts off where they are both close friends of many years but start to realize that the feelings they have for each other might be more than just friendship. Their relationship development made perfect sense, I felt the slow progression from friends to more than friends was done really well. Ae Ra & Dong Man are definitely the highlight of this drama and in my opinion, the reason to watch. Plus some shirtless scenes with Park Seo Joon, I mean come on.
The second leads relationship was very unique in theory in that it showed an aspect of relationships that I haven't really seen portrayed in any of the kdramas I've watched; however, in reality their relationship is super boring and their characters super frustrating! Joo Man is the most melancholic, uninteresting character which made the actions that his character took, even more obnoxious and pathetic. They didn't make him likeable enough from the beginning, so *spoiler alert* him riding the line of cheating on his girlfriend for 10 episodes was just frustrating and made him out to be just a lame guy with no will-power. If I was more invested in him/if his character was more interesting, then perhaps I would've rooted for him to do the right thing or even have been heartbroken when he continually fails to do the right thing and be honest. Seol Hee wasn't as bad, but I still found her completely uninteresting, and even though she was the victim and the one I should've been feeling sorry for, I couldn't have cared less.
As for the story, the main plot revolves around Dong Man and Ae Ra work towards achieving their dreams alongside recognizing that they have feelings for each other. Nothing too original, but the momentum was maintained fairly well throughout. One character that bothered me from the very beginning was the landlord lady (Jin Hee Kyung), she would just appear out of nowhere and be super nosy and controlling. But to my dismay, towards the end of the drama they even tried to give her this whole storyline which felt so unnecessary and was totally thrown in last minute. It didn't make sense the way we were all supposed to care about her character just because she had relations to the main leads.
Overall, I do think this was an easy watch and worth it if you like romance or are a fan of Park Seo Joon or Kim Ji Won. I would recommend skipping over Seol Hee & Joo Man's scenes however...
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Park Seo Joon was not on my radar before this show. I thought I disliked him after watching She Was Pretty, but after starting this I want to see everything he's in. Kim Ji Won is super adorable as Ae Ra as well. The actors did a great job holding the romantic tension -- I was wound tighter than a drum waiting for them to get together. And when they finally did, it was magical! The show treated us to lots of skinship and I gobbled it up like a Thanksgiving feast. I had nothing but heart eyes for our main couple.
Our second leads did a good job as well, although they had a different trajectory than the main couple. There are completely different feelings for their romance. The other side characters were well played, and as always, Kim Sung Oh makes a great supporting cast member.
I have relatively few criticisms for this show. It is what it is - a romantic comedy with a little drama to keep things interesting and move the storyline along. The show did its thing well and I was along for the ride every step of the way, anxiously awaiting new episodes every week, and am feeling quite sad to let Dong Man and Ae Ra go so soon. If you love a good romance, this is your crack. :)
Re-watch? Already started.... :)
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You learn a lot about MMA fighting which was interesting and made the story unique (and it didn’t hurt seeing Park Seo Joon’s abs all the time). The fight scenes and competitions kept it fast paced and intriguing. I liked the underlying message about fighting for what you believe in and never giving up hope that things will get better. Both the main leads and the second leads never gave up on their dreams despite constant setbacks. And the friendship between these four is so touching and endearing.
As for the romance in the drama, the main leads have great chemistry with lots of skinship. And the kisses aren’t the boring fake ones, they’re the long, hot, steamy kisses. These actors are so good that they make you think they could be lovers in real life.
This drama also had great comedy that made me laugh out loud which I don’t do very often. And I liked that it has some interesting twists to the story that I didn’t see coming which was a pleasant surprise. And even though there is some angst and sad parts, nothing is over the top or taken too far. The angst level isn’t too high but there’s enough there to give the story some depth to draw you in.
I can’t really think of any negative things about this drama. It has a nice balance of romance, comedy, action, and friendship. It teaches a lesson about fighting for your dreams and never gets slow or boring. If you don’t watch this drama you’re missing out on something really special.
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It's a coming-of-age, very slice-of-life story of friends to lovers.
Fight for my way centers around two childhood besties Ae Ra and Dong Man, who are chasing after their dreams in their 30's despite their lack of the best resumes. Dong Man is a retired Taekwondo fighter and Ae Ra works the information desk at a shopping mall but her dream is to become an announcer.The first thing I want to mention is the heartful performances of all the cast. The characters are so well suited for one another that I forget that they're acting. I think this is another best performances I've ever seen from Park Seo Joon since Itaewon Class. It's not over the top but it's just so believable and realistic and subtle, really brilliant! Each character is written to be very loveable, everyone is very flawed and they make mistakes, which makes me eager to watch their journeys.
However, the storyline around the first quarter of the series seems to have no reason to be there, I didn't feel its urgency and they have no arc at the end of the series. Because of the pacing and progression of the plot and all of the subplots is very loose to me. Had it been tightened up a little bit I think I would have enjoyed this much more. I wish they would spend more time maybe focusing more on the impact that Dong Man's sister had, knowing that he's losing the competition for her health because I was so interested to see this storyline being developed a bit more. I feel the ending is rushed and thrown out there, so it doesn't give a satisfying conclusion.
I ended up watching all of it because I really like the characters and their chemistry, both between the leads and also between the side characters. They're undeniably very interesting and fun to watch. I like how they emphasize the start of their relationship, their cute childhood scenes, and then the ending or potential ending of one. I love when shows do that, it reminded me a lot of "Because This Is My First Life". This is not a high-stakes romance drama, but more about the adorable romance of characters with big personalities and big goals of theirs. The true progression of friends to lovers is one of the best I've seen. So overall, this was a really entertaining watch, just expect some plot detours. :)
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Completely resonated with me as someone in the late 20s/30s striving for her dreams. Don't let the summary mislead you, as it did for me. This is a drama about friendship and love. This is about living in reality, while still looking toward your dreams.
I fell in love with the characters in this drama because they are so relatable. The two main leads share a great chemistry, as they progressed from friendship to romantic love. I really liked how the drama depicted the relationship's initial awkwardness as they transitioned - very totally cute scenes. The acting was great as I was sucked in every single time. I also enjoyed the depiction of lifelong friendships between the four main leads, and the friendship between the parents as well!
Use of music was great, as the background music made me crack up many times. Also, I liked how the product placement wasn't completely obvious and was very artfully placed in the drama.
All the subplots and main plot was wrapped up very nicely in the end, which made for a satisfying ending.
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The jealous scenes before they started dating was so hard to watch, it annoyed the hell out of me i wanted ro just skip the whole episode.
The second lead couple actually saved the show, thier relationship is shown more realistically and in a more touching way. They made me more interested to watch the episode.
I am iffy about both the leads characters, the female lead is a pretty strong human doesn't let others walk over her, just like the male lead which was a good thing, but they are a little too controlling.
The leads had good chemistry and were cute together though. Thier story about them achieving thier dreams were touching. Especially the second female lead standing up on her own and doing things for herself was one of the best parts of the show, a very well done character development.
One of the reason i may have enjoyed the show less maybe that i had seen too many spoilers of this show long back,so there was no element of surprise,that's on me though i ruined for myself.
The music and acting was impressive as usual we except nothing less from them :)
Definitely feel this show is a little bit overrated still a good watch!
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STORY -
It isn't overly complicated, but that in itself is quite refreshing in comparison to other kdramas because there aren't any unnecessary plot twists or overly complicated situations that break up the main pair. It's just a story about four friends in their late twenties struggling with their career and relationships and trying their best just to survive and reclaim their dreams. I think that's what I love most about it because it just resonates so much with anyone in their twenties. There are so many great lines as well in the drama that serve as great motivations for us all to keep fighting for our dreams no matter how hard it gets or what anyone else tells us.
And then you get to the romance and it's so pure and lovely because first and foremost, above all else, they're best friends. They have each other's corners through thick and thin and they would literally fight other people to protect each other. The fact that they have this long history of supporting each other is so sweet and it gives the way they fall in love with each other later so much more depth. I also think this drama really portrays realistic relationships in all its fluff and pain. The second leads' relationship as well is so beautifully heartwrenching in how real it is for many people.
Not to mention, it's just a freaking ball of fun. There are so many hilarious moments in the drama between the characters, especially with PSJ's character and his coach (my gosh, they're the real OTP tbh). But seriously, it's just so funny and so uplifting. And although it's not an action drama, you still have really cool fight scenes as PSJ's character is an MMA fighter.
ACTING -
Park Seo Joon and Kim Ji Won have unbelievable chemistry together! Their scenes were so natural that it makes it hard to believe that they're not together in real life, to be honest. They're just both amazing actors and together, they really made this drama come alive. There's one specific scene though towards the end of the drama that really emphasised how crazy good of an actor PSJ is. When you're watching, your heart just breaks into a million pieces and you just think 'wow, this guy... this guy is gonna go far in his career.' But it wasn't just them that brought this drama to such a high rating for me. The entire cast were amazing. The secondary lead actors... the coach... everyone was great! The characters were all believable and fleshed out.
MUSIC -
I love the music. It was cute and always made me really happy. Although, there was only really one song I remember from the drama. The rest was kind of forgettable, but while you were watching, the OST really added to the drama even if it wasn't the best OST in the world.
REWATCH?? Oh hell yea!!
OVERALL -
So maybe it's not the most complex story you'll ever watch and maybe the romantic angst isn't as extreme as some other dramas, but wow, you'll really regret it if you don't at least give it a try. I mean don't go into this expecting something like Goblin or The Heirs or something. Go into this expecting to laugh and just feel uplifted by the message of the story (oh, and did I mention GRATUITOUS SHOTS OF SHIRTLESS PARK SEO JOON?!?!).
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On the other hand, Joo Man and Seol Hee's storyline is literally the most boring thing I think I've ever watched on television. They repeat the same "he can't take a hint" storyline for ~14/16 of the episodes, with no progression or development for Joo Man, Seol Hee, or the storyline. I for the life of me cannot understand who thought their storyline would be interesting to see; it's the most cliche storyline, only they don't advance it at all and the pace is non-existent for nothing changes between them as each episode progresses. It doesn't help that Joo Man is unrealistically idiotic with his inability to take a hint and Seol Hee is frustratingly passive in doing anything about it, opting to simply complain and pout each episode rather than take action and become an active character in the storyline. It's because of their storyline that this show is unfortunately so bogged down for me and why I ultimately fast-forward to half of each episode.
Aside from Joo Man and Seol Hee's storyline, however, the Dong Man and Ae Ra storyline is as good as other reviewers have said it is. It's just unfortunate that half of each episode is taken up by my personally least favorite storyline in TV drama history, which is why I give the drama exactly a 5/10.
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