Meu Ahjussi (2018)

Short: An absolute masterpiece. The pacing, the story, the cast, the music, the direction, the writing. Without any need for cliffhanger tricks, the story and the cast compel you to move to the next episode each time. Absolutely brilliant.

Detail:
This is the second drama i've seen with IU, the first being Hotel Del Luna - and the second of her dramas that's gone right to the top of my "so glad I watched that" list. It also introduced me to Lee Sun Kyun who was an excellent actor in this, he has such a unique bass to his voice.

Whereas in Hotel Del Luna, IU is loud, proud and a bit of a brat, in this she's quiet. She probably doesn't say as many words throughout the whole drama as she does in the first episode of HDL but she doesn't need to, she proves beyond any doubt her acting skill through her actions and expressions, combined with the amazing story.

Ji Ahn (IU) is downtrodden, she's in the gutter, when you're the lowest you can possibly go you learn to distrust and dislike everyone around you. Everyone has let you down, discarded you and hurt you in the past so you learn to expect it from everyone else. She's in trouble with a Loan Shark who beats her up, and she has a no-good brother that she supports. Worst case scenario.

And yet... she soldiers on. If there was ever a story about a strong woman then this is it. She's lost the will to trust others, but no matter what life throws at her she just keeps pushing on. She hasn't lost the will to live.

Dong-Hoon seems to have it all, high flying in the corporate world all he wants to do is a good job, to put safety first in his role as a structural engineer. Corporate politics come knocking and the knives come out in his direction, suddenly he's being attacked from all fronts and then finds out even more devastating news that rocks him to his core.

This story is about these two completely different, but equally broken people who find and heal each other.

There are other characters such as the two brothers, I loved the relationship the three of them had together, they were good moments in the story.

There were a couple of side plots that just seemed extraneous for the most part, the actor and the monk - the actor I guess I kinda get as a motivation for one of the brothers but the monk was just out of left field and I don't think the story would have really differed if it wasn't there, so it was a bit odd.

The music in this drama is excellent, several really top quality tracks that were good to hear each and every time they came on and were on my mind even when not watching.

The general tone of this one is quite slow, it has a mix of high and low points, but overall I found that I wasn't wondering how it was going to end. For me that's always a high mark for a drama, if the journey is so good I just don't care how it ends that's a great thing and I put this one in that list.

Highly recommended.

Leia Mais

Understated and thoughtful

I enjoyed the way in which this drama brought me on an exploration of internal human struggles in a mature way. From office politics to abusive relationships to just hanging on through daily struggles, it handled these issues with a quiet, understated, and thoughtful approach.

Lee Sun Kyun plays his upright but anxious white collar character with depth, and IU plays the struggling young secretary in a way that resists manipulating our heartstrings just for the sake of easy sympathy. I appreciate the writing and directing to this end, making it more realistic and a true exploration of the characters for their own sakes, not for the audience's sake. Some would call the execution of this show boring because of the lack of overt emotional manipulation, but if you watch closely, you get absorbed into the quiet struggles of each character. So you need to be in the mood for the pace and details in order to enjoy it.

One thing I loved about the show was the element of the supporting characters who meet at the community bar to drink together. Their collective nostalgia and comradery is used as a blanket to support each other, and they warmly adopt IU's Lee Ji Ahn into their circle. Despite their hardships, they care for each other with unspoken kindness.

This was a slower paced, detailed, and satisfying show. There is rewatch value here in which you could do detailed character studies and notice the way in which the dialogue shows character growth and personal insights.

Leia Mais

Worth every single second of your time

I watched this drama last year, early 2019. At first I’ve only watched it only because IU was in it and I stumbled upon the OSTs of the drama but I was by the end of it, I didn’t know I would get this attached. This drama got me extremely hooked on the main character’s plot the whole series, though I have to admit I wasn’t that interested to the other character’s scenarios. I even had a point in the drama where I skipped some of the side character’s part because I found it a bit boring. However, I laughed, cried and smiled all throughout this drama. It made me feel different variants of emotions all throughout the series.

Now its 2020 and we’re in the middle of a pandemic which made me rewatch this drama again and it honestly feels like Im watching a whole different drama.

“You’re all decent people. May you hang in there until you find comfort for yourselves.”

This was the production team’s message at the very end of the drama but for some reason, even the statement made me cry. For months, ever since I first watched the drama, I’ve held on to this statement without knowing why. For some reason it brought tears to my eyes.

And after finishing the drama again today, it was the same. I cried when I read it. However, the thing that changed the most is that I finally understand, the reason why the statement made me cry. It was because it brought me comfort. For some reason, I cried throughout the most scenes that lead towards the ending but when the ending scene actually came up, it only made me genuinely smile. Without even knowing it.
The bright smiles of the two main characters was truly very fulfilling to see in the end especially when I saw the struggles and the frowns they almost seemed to wear all throughout the series. Their smiles was comforting.

This drama brought me such a huge comfort in coping with my own struggles. It helped me understand the people around me, I honestly never thought I’ll get this attached to a drama like this but it’s definitely worth every single second of watching it!

Leia Mais

After Just Between Lovers ended, I didn't think I would find another story that could hit me right in the feels like this drama did, at least not that fast. I wasn't even sure I wanted to because it takes some time to recover from such an emotional ride.
But then I started My Ajusshi, which portrayed - once again - messed up characters and unbearing pasts, though in a very different way.
What is truly wonderful about this drama is the realistic way everyone is described. The point isn't to simplify or beautify, but rather to show us raw emotions. People in their weakest moments to understand how they're inclined to react differently or where their strengths and weaknesses are coming from. There is a darkness lying deep in each character, being intensified by equally gloomy environments, and that's what I love about it. The conflictual thoughts and desperate actions. The will to help and protect facing the sense of self-preservation. This is partly what human nature is made of, and it's good to be reminded of that once in a while.
The most faithful representation of this idea in this drama would be Kwang Il. The duality in this character made him one of my favorite protagonists in this show - maybe even of all dramas combined. He truly was a captivating character, conflicted between his old memories and his current situation. The way he found to cope with this duality was wrong in so many levels, and made me wonder even more what he could have been.
As the story goes on, we learn more and more about the characters, pieces of information being given to us progressively until, getting deeper into the story, we finally grasp the whole picture.
This is why IU has done such a great job portraying Lee Ji An. We knew very little about her in the beginning and her repulsive actions could have made her really dislikable. But somehow she managed to pique our interest. And there was so much more to this character than her cold demeanor. Constantly trying to push people away, she conveyed such strong emotions while maintaining her blank face, I could never understand it. Whether it be an attempt to appear strong or to hide the feelings or thoughts tormenting her, we could almost always see past the surface and perceive the purpose of her actions.

All the characters influence each other at one point or another, and the relationships forming are so complex that it wouldn't be right to try and put a label on it. Lee Ji An and Park Dong Hoon have had a rough start, but their strength is that they understand the other and recognize the purpose in each of their actions.
In the end we're left to feel like we've grown along with the protagonists, and it is one of the main reasons why I would recommend this drama. Well, along with the beautiful OST and the unique characters depicted.
This drama is definitely worth it.

Leia Mais

My Ahjussi got me hooked since the first episode. It might not favor everyone’s taste, but it was one of the best drama I have ever seen. Perhaps you might be wondering what is appealing about to see the roughness and truth of life, but in this drama, it will lift and encourage you to choose a life according to your own definitions of living and happiness.

One of the strengths of this drama is the characters portrays each of the protagonists. The way the emotions and frustrations executed are all flawless. It was so deep that you will cry and sympathize with them. All the supporting characters steal some moment too, the sense of community and loyalty has been build up to make the story warm amidst the struggles.

The plot is so well-written, the story is consistent and unpredictable. The relationship between the two leads is extraordinary, nothing is overdone and offensive. The concepts of love, family, and marriage depict the sense of reality in a very delicate matter, and that’s what I really like about.

While watching this drama, I realized that my life is somehow far better to compare, and I am thankful for that. Yes, it’s okay to be lonely and pitiful, everyone has this dark hour of battle. And when we fall into the hard time sides of our life, let’s think, “it’s okay, it’s no big deal, hang in there until I’ll find comfort for myself.”

Leia Mais

Best. Drama. Ever.

It would be an understatement to say that I loved this drama. It's just...WOW.

Story:
I enjoy stories that explore the hardships of life, but it usually comes with the price of something being portrayed inaccurately or unrealistically. This is usually fine, but let's face it - sometimes you want a story that truly embraces the themes of reality: love, loyalty/disloyalty, honesty/dishonesty, true friendship, depression, loss, betrayal, poverty, overall humanity (or lack thereof) in someone, and so on, without the coat of sugar. This drama explored all of these so perfectly that I can't describe it. I was expecting at least one cliche or a predictable ending - but I didn't get any of those. And just as an aside here: the Psych. major part of me LOVED this, too.

Also, this is probably the first drama I've watched where I was heavily invested in the side stories. I was eager to know how they all ended - and I wasn't disappointed in the end.

I don't think I've ever cried so much over a drama.

Characters:
I'm not one to get super attached to characters, but my gosh I got attached to these so quickly! I even felt bad for characters I wouldn't usually care for, which is a difficult thing to achieve in a story for me. The backstories are unique and I felt like there was a twist to some of them that made them feel a bit original. Also the relationships/connections between characters are some of the best I've watched in a while and they really tug at the heart strings.

I always like to find that one extra favorite thing in dramas, and in this one it would have to be the relationship between the two leads. It's hard to find people who truly care about you in the way that is portrayed here. I like the beauty of it.

Acting:
No complaints!

Music:
Outstanding and emotional - one of the best drama OSTs

Wrap-up:
This turned out to be more of a thought piece than a thorough review, but hey some things are too extraordinary to explain. If you're putting off watching this, WATCH IT NOW.

Leia Mais

It would have been an amazing movie didn't need 16 episodes for such small story

I've watched this drama after a lot of recommendations from my friends and others ,, they said it's the best
and I had high expectations then it let me down
The story itself isn't bad , it's kind of realistic not romantic or fantasy but it's not actual reality story
Yes ,, there are girls similar to the female lead in real life and there are few good men such as the male lead also but even a righteous man has his breaking point not that passive about every thing happening to him ... the writer didn't bother to give more effort on the story and add more details about every character ,, she just focused in few characters then put them in a bar and repeated the scenes of drinking , eating , sulking and crying hours and hours through the episodes
we didn't get to see the Ajussi's son at all or how he feel about his parents ,, we didn't ge to see the older brother's family and how they treat him ,, we didn't get to see more details to the cooperate corruption of the company ,, we didn't get to see what happened to the gangster who bullied the female lead all the time ,, we didn't get to see more of the happy ending if we can call it that
she just stuck with the most boring annoying scenes of drinking and eating at the bar most of the time wasting hours not minutes ,, they were too much ,, I skipped a lot
I've pinged watched this so I've noticed that a lot
all I've said after finishing it ,, that would have been great movie ,, why did I waste hours of my life watching grown men repeatedly crying ,, drinking and eating at a bar sulking about their Misérable lives
Over all for me this was a boring drama with nice sad story stretched out

Leia Mais

It truly moved me to tears at the end, because it was such a beautiful story and journey to go through. I 100% recommend this, without a doubt.

There is no need for more words so explain the greatness of this drama because it will do it injustice. Just watch it yourself and enjoy every minute of it while it lasts.

I would like to add that the acting was great, and the music especially brought out the exact emotion from me as it was expected to, which is something that one should always appreciate. There wasn't any unnecessary drama and it does not feel elongated at all; it was quite the contrary, you would want to stay going on for longer. The last words at the very end also console the watcher, pulling you into the depths of its story-line, making you an intrinsic part of its very core. It is very real and rooted in reality, making it a great watch because you can ultimately relate to it as a human-being and the moments where there would, in reality, be no music to mask the awkwardness or the tension, there isn't. It shows you real life in the surrealistic nature of a TV show. And at the very end, you truly feel happy for everyone, as though they are real people.

I know this might be too much but it truly touched my heart and I thank everyone who worked on this drama because it has made me happier than I have been in a long while.

Leia Mais