Agora Terminamos (2021)

Pior drama de 2021

Fui muito guerreira e assisti a 8 episódios desse dorama lamentável. Chega! Tudo nele é ruim, menos a aparência dos protagonistas, que são lindos. O roteiro é lastimável e parece que foi escrito por uma pré adolescente. Como se não fosse o bastante a história ser realmente muito ruim, a atriz principal entrega uma das piores atuações que já vi em toda a minha vida, chega a dar vergonha assistindo. Ela ou um poste fariam o mesmo papel. A direção é tão fraca que não consegue salvar nada. Enfim, 8 horas de vida desperdiçados vendo rostos bonitos. Valia muito mais a pena ter folheado uma revista.

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Não assista focando apenas no romance

Confesso que até o episódio nove eu estava super empolgada e achando o ritmo muito bom, estava sendo nota nove pra mim, só que do episódio dez em diante começou a ficar muito mais lento, o casal ficava sempre falando em terminar...entre outras coisinhas.

Youn Eun é uma design de moda e Jae Guk é um fotógrafo renomado, os dois se encontram em um evento e acabam se envolvendo (achavam eles que seria um caso de uma noite) mas tempos depois se reencontram e acaba por rolar um relacionamento, só que nem tudo são flores né, aí aparece mil empecilhos na vida deles: Família contra, relacionamentos antigos e até mesmo o trabalho.

Como o título sugere temos rompimento/ separação, mas não apenas do casal principal e sim de todos os personagens ali e em diversas situações.

O drama não é decepcionante como muitos falaram (talvez foi pra quem focou apenas no romance dos protagonistas) ele foi lento como a maioria dos dramas desse gênero, mas retratou vários pontos que foram bem interessantes como a coragem de largar a comodidade no trabalho para buscar o que realmente sonhava, a amizade verdadeira, os últimos momentos de uma mãe com doença terminal com sua filhinha pequena, e por aí vai.

A atuação da Song Hye Kyo que tanto criticam eu achei muito boa como sempre, ela e o Jang Ki Yong tiveram uma ótima química, assim como o casal secundário ( que eram dois maluquinhos )

Uma coisa que não gostei no final (o que não é nada de mais só drama de dorameira mesmo) mas no reencontro podia ter pelo menos um abraço e não uma olhada à dois metros de distância .

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A hipotensão mata uma dorameira

Sal? Não existe nesse kdrama.

Não vamos mentir, começamos a assistir por causa de uma cena mais sensual presente no primeiro episódio. Mal sabíamos que seria a única cena de tal tipo no drama inteiro e que seríamos presenteados com apenas 300 abraços até o final. Pensávamos que iríamos encontrar um romance maduro e realista, mas fomos tombados. Mas não tem problema! Com uma narrativa bem conduzida, cenas românticas e/ou fanservices são apenas toques para deixar tudo mais interessante.

O problema é: tivemos uma narrativa interessante? Não. Aí que as coisas complicam.
Ela já começa ruim por enfatizar de maneira avassaladora um problema comum de kdramas: as três ruas da Coreia. Todo mundo conhece todo mundo, todo mundo está conectado um ao outro de alguma forma. Aqui eles conseguiram levar isso até Paris. Conseguiram fazer Paris ter só três ruas também.
Veja bem: a protagonista se apaixona pelo irmão do ex. Esse irmão é o mesmo cara o qual ela teve um affair, que é o mesmo cara do blind date que ela vai no lugar da amiga, que é o melhor amigo do CEO da empresa que faz negócios com ela. A noiva do ex é dona do shopping onde ela também conduz negócios. A mãe do irmão e do ex faz aulas junto com a mãe dela.
Eu entendo na necessidade de criar uma "bolha" para conduzir a história, mas pera lá né!?

Tudo bem, superado isso encontramos outro problema: ritmo. Lento. Demais.
A história não é interessante o suficiente para nos arrastar por 16 episódios. Os conflitos não fazem sentido. Tudo gira em torno do fato do cara que ela gosta ser irmão do ex. A trama só se tornava interessante quando saía do núcleo amoroso e abordava a questão empregatícia da protagonista. Os detalhes mais importantes, como a noiva do ex estar envolvida (indiretamente) no acidente dele é tratado com o maior descaso. Ela só apareceu para espumar e depois teve seu desenvolvimento anulado no drama.

Aliás, essa é outra questão: falta de desenvolvimento de personagens coadjuvantes. Os jovens da Sono (aquela moça e o cara do EXO) foram esquecidos no churrasco e brotaram como casal no último episódio. O ex da diretora apareceu do nada nos últimos episódios só para inserir um conflito entre ela e o namorado CEO. Perderam a oportunidade de dar mais força para essa personagem se ela descobrisse a interação do namorado com o pai sozinha, mas insistiram em deixa-la com essa imagem infantilizada e irresponsável. Muitos personagens também sofrem de mudança de personalidade sem processo de desenvolvimento, principalmente os homens do drama. O fotógrafo confiante e egocêntrico se torna gado. O CEO tímido e inseguro se torna confiante com a mudança de um penteado. O plot da mulher com câncer e o marido traidor arrependido foi ok. Só tinha choro.

Outro problema: Atuação. Da. Protagonista. Escrevo desse jeito, porque é assim que ela fala o tempo inteiro. Pausadamente. Um diálogo normal de 30 segundos dura 3 minutos. E isso afeta o male lead também, pobre Jang Ki Yong. Isso me faz pensar que até seja um problema de direção, mas a realidade é que a atuação é rasa e robótica, sem emoção nenhuma.

Pontos positivos (porque eles existem):
- Jang Ki Yong falando francês;
- a redescoberta da mãe da protagonista. Depois de anos casada servindo apenas ao marido, ela percebe que nunca foi apreciada e que não fez pra si mesma a vida inteira. Resolve se separar;
- Jang Ki Yong falando francês;
- a amizade da protagonista com a diretora e com a mulher com câncer;
- já disse Jang Ki Yong falando francês?

Enfim... quando terminei de assistir só consegui pensar: SOBREVIVI.

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Jang Kiyong unconvincing as creative, Paris-based, free-spirited, rebellious, footloose photographer

"Now, We are Breaking Up" tries to tell a love story in reverse (e.g. it has been there already). This would be an interesting project in itself, yet...

The plot is emotionally quite complex, the characters are in principle jucily interesting and ambivalent. If a KDrama can't take care of a multi-layered, complex mixture of feelings, then who can? Unfortunately, I have to say that (in my opinion) this project doesn't really work out so well with the casting.

Regarding her emotional intensity, Song Hye-kyeo is (as so often) a major factor for watching. As the heroine, here and there her reservedness, sobered by life, is perhaps a bit much. But in places this cracks open. It is this well dosed mixture and subtleness, that makes her role convincing - the experienced fashion designer in her late 30s has turned away from flirtation and rather concentrates on her work, into which she throws herself completely. Being the talented and experienced professional she is, hardly does she ever get upset by anything. ... until her encounter with the young photographer Yoon Jae-gook, that throws her (emotional) life (supposedly) upside down. Her reservedness so far operated as shelter and imprisonment at the same time. Circumstances don't really offer a chance to free herself from the corset of reason, which is protecting her deeply injured heart - never mind let herself fall and trust emotionally. This inner dynamic is not so nice to look at - or rather endure - for the viewers. But I don't think you can blame Song Hye-kyeo, as she handles this inner tension and the ambivalent moments of her complex role very well.

On the other hand (unfortunately) I don´t buy Jang Ki-yong in his role as a creative, Paris-based, free-spirited, a bit rebellious, footloose, and at the same time successful photographer. For me he behaves way too reserved, well adjusted, well-behaved - a sympathetic, dear, rich, successful boy. So unfortunately, HIS ambivalence doesn't convince me. Perhaps actor Jang Ki-yong lacks the life experience (on the rebellious side)? And since he can´t really fill this side with life, I am not convinced by the chemistry between the two leads. It doesn't get to me how the young man in his supposedly fiery manner, would be able to reignite on an EMOTIONAL level the fire of lust for life and joie de vivre (beyond work) that is still blazing somewhere deep down in Ha Yeong-eun... So the key to all further makjang doesn't really fit into the lock. Too bad. Thus the experiment of telling love in reverse didn't really work out that well.

The KDrama is not bad because of that (...though admittedly disappointing ...). On the pro side: There are freshening subplots, each with actors in good humour, who have actually won awards for their spirited performances. The setting in the creative industries is kind of charming, too. Finally, the Korean family values are (once again, but successfully as always) playing with fire on the drama front...

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What a disappointment....

Can a good actor save a bad script? NO.

But can a good actor make the drama bearable to watch? YES.

But does this drama have good actors? HELL NO.

Before starting the review I just wanna say it’s more like a rant than a review.

Let’s start with the name of title firstly, it’s “Now we are breaking up” but more like “Fate” ? I have been watching K-dramas for a long time now, literally every drama has the fate/destiny aspect in it which is not exactly my problem but for this drama the plot is built on fate/destiny/coincidences. Everything is so connected which feels nothing but forced.

This is supposedly a “Melodrama”(Melodrama: A genre that focuses on a dramatic plot, which is typically sensational and designed to appeal strongly to emotions). The plot is dramatic? YES, but can I feel the emotions of the main characters (HYE & JK), freaking NOO, they have no expressions throughout whole drama, they just had cold wooden face and robotic dialogue deliveries, it felt so boring to even look at them like I genuinely felt asleep.

They are the main characters so they have the largest screen time but imagine their story being the most boring of all? Can you possibly sit through it? at least I couldn’t. I’m gonna be really honest I watched this at 2x speed because the pace of the show is slow as snail. As I said the plot was dramatic but somewhat problematic as well, the writer screwed up the main leads story and their bland expressions made it even awful.

Since this was Song Hye Kyo comeback and Jang Ki Yong last drama before his military enlistment I gave it a shot, but I’m utterly disappointment with both of them. There was literally no heart fluttering chemistry between them, they just endlessly kept staring at each other.

I watched this mainly for SL couple and yeah those could act so they had more chemistry than lead couple. Some supporting characters are unreasonably crazy and wicked , my only fav supporting character was Jeon Mi Seok.

As a fashion based drama, the clothes of neither FL nor the one she designed impressed me, Hotel Del Luna or Its Okay to be not be Okay have way better styled clothes and those dramas aren't even about fashion:/

The OST doesn't suit the vibe of the drama, it's something sophisticated which the drama is hell not.

Re-watch: Never in my whole life I'm gonna re-watch this show, I had to give rating 1 because there's no option.

The drama is basically a dud like no chemistry, bad acting and problematic af main leads. I personally recommend to skip this one, the premise of the story was interesting but the execution & main characters failed to portray emotions badly, which made this show really shallow.

END
Thank you for reading my review^^

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Run!

I USUALLY DON'T REVIEW DRAMAS I DIDN'T LIKE BUT I THINK THE RATING 7.6 IS MISLEADING.
[Edit: as of 05/12/2022 the rating is 6.9 still very high for such an abysmal drama]

This drama has no redeeming qualities.

I was excited when I learned that the two leads were cast in Misty's screenwriter's next. Misty was such a good drama with a geat story and acting.
Then the stills and title were good too and I won't lie ; the rated R got me all the more excited because I thought it would be a mature and more realistic than drama like Misty, Something In The Rain, The World of the Married...

But my expectations were smashed by the reality that was this messy drama.

In Misty, the female lead was a career woman who chose her career over everything. She was a complicated woman who hurt herself and her loved ones to achieve her goal.

In Now We Are Breaking Up, we were served with a goody two shoes who somehow won everyone over with her upright attitude and Song Hye Ko's acting or lack thereof didn't help understand or empathize with the character she embodies.

THE STORY

The story was poorly written. It's supposed to be about a great love story and the hardships the main leads will encounter and try to fight against.

Instead, it's about a 38-year old woman who has yet to move on from a 2-month relationship that happened 10 years ago. Said woman is traimatized from having been ghosted by a guy she met in a foreign country and dated for 2 months... I personnaly tought it was ridiculous.

The story actually begins with the heroine having a one night stand with the hero. They don't exchange names or number and spend the night together. It's supposed to be mysterious and hot but it's actually a dangerous behaviour imo


I had a hard time understanding Song Hye Ko's character. She was supposed to be a successful career woman in the fashion industry but she was too soft and forgave betrayal such as the leakage of some of her designs.
How can someone keep an untrustworthy person in their team ? That untrustworthy person was also someone who wasn't loyal and was ready to jump ship when things went south.
So how can a successful career minded person keep such a liability on their side ? How are we supposed to believe that ?

Then the drama opening with a ONS is supposed to show us how modern and independant FL is but then her friends implied it wasn't customary for her to see men.
So what is actually the state of her love life ? Did she have ONS during these 10 years? Was she so emotionally stunted that she forgot about men for those 10 years ? If so, what was so special about the ML fot her to have a ONS with him ? There was no build up to help her understand this.

And now this 38 year old independant woman lets her parents and the ML parent's interfere in their relationship? Had she been younger I could have enpathise but she being successful, independant (lived abroad alone and has her own flat), it's ridiculous and annoying that she'd let parents run such interferences because she's at an age were she's supposed to understand that even if her parents disapprove of her relationship, they most likely won't cut contact with her (especially since she always gives them money) and with soften after some years or/and if they have children.

When her mother yelled at the ML like a banshee, she didn't even try to intervene and we are supposed to think they are so in love and can't live without each other... but how can you let someone you love be disrespected in their own shop ?
The worse thing is that she left with her mother instead of staying to confort the hero.


The Male lead played by Jang Ki Yong is an empty vessel. One cannot understand what attracts him so much about the FL.
She's pretty but she's cold, unresponsive and too much hassle.
His only purpose is to give the FL props to resolve some of the issues she encounters while managing her brand. Otherwise he's uninteresting.

When he realized he took a fancy in his brother's ex, he keeps going even though the relationship is at an early stage and everything could have been stopped.
It seens unresonnable and illogical especially since we don't see what is the great connect between the two leads. Why are they throwing I Love You's around when they barely spent and spend time together.

The FL parents are something else alltogether. They are agaisnt the relationship when they both liked the ML ar first because FL dated his brother for only 2 month in a foreign country. Why is it a bad thing ? They are supposed to want their daughter's hapiness but are against the relationship for something that can be deemed as trivial because she was neither engaged nor married to his brother and no one would know they dated.
The mother was the worst imo because she threw tantrums about wanting a divorce when she was the one saying she didn't want to do anything to jeopardize her daughter's future marriage. But in SK, divorced parents are bad news and won't help... she doesn't even make sense and is seeking a divorce instead of trying to talk with her husband about the reason she wants out.
I also found her cringey for always wanting to hook up her daughter with the rich woman's son. She was really desperate for it.
But she was crass for saying what she said to the ML's face for things he can't help (his lineage and family condition) and acting as if her daughter was such a great price.
It seemd more like she was releasing her frustration on someone who would take it without doing anything.

The ML's mother is more easy to understand because she's someone who has yet to do her mourning but I didn't understand why she kept acting as if ML was like her real son when her interior showed that their relationship was anything but. They were no pics of the two/three of them together ; ML was sent away since his youth when his brother got to grow up in the family household.
I could understand her opposition to some degree but not her acting as if ML was her son and not some replacement.

The subplots with the best friends weren't any better.
The director was childish and incompetent. At 38yo it's not cute anymore but downright ridiculous.
I thought she could have been a good negative character instead of adding to the mix the ML's brother's crazy ex.

The ex-model who is dying from cancer is one of the most mature character of the drama.
My hung up is that her subplot included cheated and a terminal illness. Would'nt it have been better if her husband would have come clean sooner or if she'd died without knowing ? Because it's really bizarre how she's trying to set up her husband with her affair partner and saying that woman is a good person. A good person won't knowingly sleep with a married man with a child!
I feel there was so much to say in this section for the best friend to have closure but it all became messy and non sensical.

Finally, the brother's ML who everyone is regretting was a dishonet coward.
Why did he tell the heroine he was an only child ? Why did he date her when he was already engaged ? It was pure nonsense especially since these fact weren't exploited more in the drama.

THE ACTING
The main leads were really bad and the only thing they brought to the table was their looks. The ensemble cast did their job but they couldn't do much woth thr roles they were given.

THE MUSIC
It was the only decent thing in the drama though it wasn't groundbreaking.

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A romantic story about life beautifully told in a slow-breathed and melodic narrative.

~Everlasting love is about becoming a part of your loved one’s life.
A part of you lives inside them and stays there forever.~

"The meeting and farewell of love and breakup is similar to life, since meeting and farewell is what life is about." - PD Lee Gil Bok

~ Planning intention ~ (Source: Namu Wiki)

It is written as ‘breakup’ and read as ‘love’.
The sweet, salty, spicy, sour and bitter story of our breakup.

Fashion designers design four times a year.
Everyone wants a classic that will be remembered forever, but
Trends are consumed quickly and out-of-season clothes become a thing of the past.

Maybe the same goes for living.
Dreaming of unchanging, eternal love and repeating countless encounters and separations
But no encounter, no love, is permanent.
Eventually, the relationship runs out, the time allowed is up
Separation is a natural and inevitable part of life.
Perhaps living is a journey towards death
And the parting of the ways with those who have been with us.

But parting comes suddenly, without warning or forewarning
Leaving a lot of self-reproach and regret.
So, if you can't avoid it or postpone it
As Versace says, wear the clothes that are most like you
Live the life you want to live, not the life others want you to live.
Even if it's a failed life, even if it's a love that falls short
At least you won't have any regrets at the moment of parting.

Breaking up is not the end,
But the completion of my love, my life.

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"Now, We Are Breaking Up" is a realistic melodrama. A mix of makjang and realism in this case, to be more precise.

I loved the work scenes around the world of fashion and photography (if you want to know how the industry works, it will be very interesting for you), the elaborate outfits and elegant staging, the sublime soundtrack & cinematography, the opening, the sophisticated vibe, the character development, the dialogue, the poetic aspect throughout the drama, the different visions on the breakup (it's not just literally about two people breaking up but, much, much more), the depth of their love and how meaningful it was.

Many found it to be nothing more than bland and depressing, but I beg to differ, as I found a lot of hope in it. When I finished the drama, I also felt like I was breaking up with it, which would be rather sad but instead it left a warm feeling inside me.

Their love is very special and maybe not so easy to understand for the audience. If you only view love at surface value, full of butterflies and cheesy lines, this is not the kind of love for you. "Now, We Are Breaking Up" is a melodramatic romance while being a deep, thought-provoking and mature drama that deals with the realities of life.

Jang Ki Yong and Song Hye Kyo did an excellent job interpreting their characters and they were able to portray the nuances well. I could genuinely feel their vulnerability, though it was subtle. The depth in their portrayal was impressive. All the cast felt very convincing and natural, while at the same time having their own charm. It isn't so surprising because they played characters of their age and close to their selves, which also created a great dynamic between them.

Even the way they speaked french was so charming, and that is very rare because most of the time it is incomprehensible in other dramas (I'm french for your information). Besides, they never looked so good on screen.

The pacing is certainly slow but over time I found myself really into the story and attached to the characters. Actually, I loved the fact that everything was happening slowly. There are important life lessons about family, friendship, love, happiness, work... There are also topics such as society's expectations of women, adultery, divorce and illness, all dealt with brilliantly.

There is no doubt this drama will not please a lot of K-Drama fans, but for me it was a beautiful one. And at least, it did well enough in Korea. I shared my thoughts on the ending and other parts in the comments, so, do not read if you haven't finished it.

Thank you for reading !

Highly recommended press conference : https://youtu.be/7MPkeRirpu0 - the quote at the beginning of my review from PD Lee Gil Bok was taken from this video

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After writing a response to someone in the comments section (at first it was short lol), I had too much to say so I decided to make it a sort of second review. Read it or not, it's your choice.

They have many similarities on the outside, but Encounter is much more of a fairy tale. It's a romcom, not a melodrama. However... You could say Young Eun and Jae Guk's story is a fairy tale. Like it is said in the synopsis, "As if in a dream, Young Eun and Jae Guk find themselves falling for each other. But not all fairy tales have a happy ending. Is theirs a story that will end in heartbreak or will they manage to find their own version of happily ever after, after all?"

Other mature dramas would be hated because the leads are very flawed and thus unlikeable for most, but it wasn't the issue here. They are very mature, certainly more than most of us viewers who don't have as much life experience as them.

Many hate on the drama, the actors and their characters because they don't get it. There is a reason why they don't show a lot of emotions on the outside - especially Song Hye Kyo's character, and it doesn't mean that she's not a good actress. Unfortunately a lot of people like to hate on her for no valid reason, and NWABU was the perfect drama for them to do so - saying she's an overrated actress who doesn't know how to act, who picks romance over and over and that she took this one solely because of her divorce. Of course there wouldn't have this problem if it was a drama that's meant to please everyone. Look at The Glory. Suddenly everyone loved her again...

I follow her since I watched NWBU, and I can tell she's a wonderful person, other than being a great actress. Thanks to this drama, she found a new family after taking a break for 2 years (she divorced Song Joong Ki in June 2019 after almost 2 years of being married), and by that I mean that the bond between her and the rest of the cast is precious. Not to mention that as Jang Ki Yong was turning 30 and Kyo 40, it was another reason for them to pick this project.

Each role and drama of hers is different, yet it is true that she took the romance drama again. However, there's a reason why she took on this role, she's a mature person as well as an experienced actress and she took it because she thought it was a script worth doing. I believe that this drama was perfect for her to start anew. Why? Because this is exactly what NWABU is about. Both in her career and in her emotional life. This way, you will understand the ending. The storyline is pretty much the surface of the drama.

"Someone will accuse me of taking the romance drama again, but I don’t feel any regret after shooting it. No matter what others say, I’m glad that I chose the drama "Now, We Are Breaking Up" at this point in my life." (Hye Kyo's words)

On the other hand, Ki Yong's character is more expressive. His acting was kept realistic and nuanced for his mature role. He's younger, without as much experience, and there's obviously always room for improvement (even for Hye Kyo, a real actor never stops growing), but his performance was objectively good, as he really worked hard on it, tried his best to BE Yoon Jae Guk, and made me feel that he was Yoon Jae Guk, just like Hye Kyo made me feel she was Ha Young Eun. I cannot imagine anyone else than them for the characters. Hye Kyo said herself that she felt how much he felt like Jae Guk himself in the press conference and how surprised she was (and vice-versa actually, Ki Yong said that he was surprised at how Hye Kyo was able to become Young Eun in the fraction of a second), and coming from an experienced actress like her, it says a lot.

Believe me or not, I loved watching Young Eun and Jae Guk. People are so accustomed to watching characters with strong expressive/emotional reactions in dramas, that as soon as it's too subtle and withdrawn, they call it bad acting. What I saw was nothing but believable adults. No matter what people say, such complicated emotions are not easy to act out.

Then again it's subjective, we have our own preferences, but that comes down more to the characters themselves, or the actors (yes, there are some actors I don't like to watch *personally* and not because they're bad, just like there are characters I didn't like watching). For me both of their portrayal was solid and I enjoyed it thoroughly. The targeted audience would be adults in their thirties and above. I am far from it, so that's not only about age but also about the kind of stories we like to watch, though this won't be the cup of tea of most in their twenties or less. Nonetheless, I also think that it's one of these dramas where young people can learn from. It can even be quite healing, depending on people.

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You can’t dress up a shopping bag and call it a Vuitton original.

A good drama has to start with memorable characters and an insightful script. Unfortunately, the lead characters lacked depth, which is the hook that gets you intrigued. And early in the drama, when so many of the supporting cast verge on caricature, you are in deep trouble. I finally engaged at Episode 14 and hoped that the last two episodes might offer something good. But unfortunately not.

All the good cinematography, costumes, direction and acting in the world won’t make up for mediocre writing, whereas good writing can sometimes carry a show lacking in other departments. Unfortunately, in the main, the script was bland and occasionally descended into cringe-worthy cliché. It was sprinkled with unrealistic dialogue and spoken thoughts that often sounded remarkably like quotes from the Little Book of Banal.

It took until three-quarters of the way through for me to feel that the writer had any serious grasp of the issues that she was trying to reveal. It’s all very well to explore the concept that letting someone go can be a way of loving them, but you need to convincingly show the whole arc. In so many episodes, only the obvious was presented and if it doesn’t take you by surprise, you don’t feel you have been drawn in. You merely skate along the surface with everyone else and learn nothing. It does not strike your heart as a truth.

We were not given a proper start to the relationship, it seemed to arise fully formed, like Venus, out of the waves of a one-night stand. And somehow, with barely a hint of conversation, a great deal of obstinate rejection and a liberal dose of patronising condescension, love emerged. From Here to Eternity was suddenly swirling on the beach. The explanation? Destiny and a photograph… The actors were given only a tiny fragment of a foundation to stand on and build their parts convincingly. It’s not surprising therefore, that I failed to connect and give the relationship the degree of credibility it was asking for.

There were not many places for JKY to explore in the character of the male lead. For most of the drama, Jae Guk’s inner conflicts and decision making-processes were not really investigated and surely, in the circumstances of the story, there must have been some discordant motivations and doubts. It was Episode 11 before the character Jae Guk got something to ruffle his feathers. As a result I can somewhat forgive JKY for the lack-lustre performance.

The writing was a little better for the female lead and I did feel that SHK was given enough to be able to explore the emotional landscape in a bit more depth. But again, there could have been more in the performance. Perhaps a rather mundane direction by Lee Gil Bok, didn’t help. New to being a director (this is his second drama in that role), I don’t think he had the insight and feel for how to show-not-tell that Ahn Pan Seok so excels at. Actors need help to bring out their best, subtle performances in these more mature, sotto voce dramas.

I felt that the writer, Je In, was more in her groove and had a deeper appreciation to contribute to the sub-plot involving Mi Suk (Park Hyo Ju). Here the reactions and sentiments expressed were more insightful and this is where, for me, the most moving and interesting parts of the drama lay.

Every writer has a genre that they are good at. Misty was a far superior product. Romance has it’s own skill-set and from this offering, I’m not sure Je In has really understood or mastered it.

As for the sound track, even the singer sounded bored. The theme tune homage to Chopin didn’t fit with the other music in the show and seemed uncomfortably out of place.

It was a cast of actors whom I have seen many times before and whom I know can offer up a good performance when strong writing demands it. The performances I enjoyed were some of the supporting cast, notably Yoon Na Moo as Mi Suk’s husband. Only Kim Joo Heon of the leads convinced me and as with everything in this drama, I had to wait for it.

What my rating means: 4+ I forced myself to go through to the end of it, but only because I was committed to writing the review. It annoyed the hell out of me. Actively avoid.

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D.O.A.

The flaws of “Now We Are Breaking Up” are so numerous and comprehensive that evaluating it feels more like issuing an autopsy report than a typical review. In the event any reader requires a synopsis, a successful fashion photographer (Jang Ki Yong’s Jae Guk) and a clothing designer (Song Hye Kyo’s Young Eun) romance each other while attempting to overcome the many obstacles that seek to disrupt their relationship. There’s more but it’s not necessary to delve into beyond that one sentence.

If the production early on seemed to have one viable strength, it was the pairing of Kim Joo Heon’s PR firm CEO Do Hoon and Choi Hee Seo’s mercurial Chi Sook. That they were the most colorful personalities on this drama should be considered a scientifically proven fact. That they would wind up as the secondary romantic couple was obvious from early on. That the entertainment value would noticeably increase each time they were together on screen (for a while) was plain. And then once they were together, Do Hoon insisted that Chi Sook drink tea instead of wine. He declined any physical contact. He basically seemed bent on discontinuing anything she did for fun. The actors shouldn’t carry the blame here as both from the drop portrayed the characters as vibrant and warm. The writing, sadly, for this subplot was determined to take this drama’s most engaging characters and bleach them with a concentrated boredom solution.

Although it was never a prominent arc, one of the welcome diversions through the first half of its run was the antagonistic but flirty banter between Oh He Sun’s layabout rich boy Chi Hyung and Yura’s no-nonsense Hye Rin. The opposites attract relationship trope is popular because it’s like the equivalent of a layup in basketball - anyone with any basic skill can accomplish it. But after regular, albeit intermittent, screen time after Chi Hyung’s introduction for the next few episodes, this narrative essentially vanishes.

That’s not all the subplots though. Several episodes in, Young Eun’s father retires from his school principal position which then launches her mother’s seemingly long-planned scheme to pursue divorce and independence. It would seem that she long held a grudge for being left managing the household and felt unappreciated. How this manifested were scenes where the father would discover that daily tasks around the house were more difficult that he imagined, became angry, demanded help from the mother who would then mock his inability and refuse to help him. The entire storyline was unnecessary and meant less time for what might have been (hypothetically) more compelling viewing. It was made worse by repeating in near verbatim form the scene with one household activity after another - breakfast, cleaning, laundry, etc.

And there’s still another secondary storyline. Park Hyo Joo’s Mi Suk had been a runway model but her glory days are long behind her. Her husband is hitting on a younger woman at work. Her two best friends are living the glamorous single life. Her mother-in-law is a monster. And then she gets a terminal cancer diagnosis. What follows is one of the few times that “Now We Are Breaking Up” manages to connect a measurable sequence with consistent emotional resonance. She faces the grim diagnosis head on. She strengthens her friendships with Young Eun and Chi Sook. She shines as Jae Guk photographs her. And she makes an out-of-retirement victory lap appearance as a model. Had the storyline ended here, this would have been a solitary bright spot but instead, her character elects to befriend the husband’s admirer and recruit her as her replacement and it’s given an almost matter-of-fact treatment as if a terminally ill woman would ordinarily dismiss the anger and feelings of betrayal to reach out to her husband’s mistress with friendly gestures. It’s such an exotically bizarre turn to take that even the would-be-mistress is flummoxed by the sequence. But does any party take notice of the obvious madly waving red flag? Nope.

As for the primary arc of the romance between Young Eun and Jae Guk, it earns a place on the podium of most bland and passionless couples to see the screen in recent memory. Jae Guk is primarily a one dimensional character except for the rare scene where he is actively working as a photographer. His conversations with friends, family and, in particular, with Young Eun are a cycle of lifeless expressions, monotone delivery and rehashed subject matter. The central conflict propped up against our romance is that Jae Guk’s older brother, now deceased, had a relationship with Young Eun while engaged to another woman. It is somewhat of a provincial, old-fashioned conflict which doesn’t translate particularly well to an audience that isn’t always steeped in longstanding Korean cultural norms. Still, even if it was a compelling dilemma for Jae Guk, the exposition of it by interactions with his adoptive mother (Cha Hwa Yeon’s wealthy socialite Hye Ok) and his brother’s ex-fiancee (Yoon Jung Hee’s department store exec Yoo Jung) should be filled with unrestrained emotional outbursts of anger, resentment, jealousy, blame and grief. Instead, it’s three characters, each of them in an endlessly mechanical and mundane manner, sleepwalking through generic dialogue.

Relatively more positive thanks to a steady diet of work crises, Young Eun has some depth as a character, both individually and in her relationships with her friends, family and colleagues. The portrayal of Young Eun, disappointingly, is irrefutably bad. Song Hye Kyoo did not earn her A List Status by accident. She has a long and accomplished resume’. And she may not be a naturally dynamic actor, but her performance here is unrecognizable against her previous work. Whether Song Hye Kyo was following an editorial decision for Young Eun to be an expressionless automaton or she was left to her own devices to interpret the character in such a manner, it is a colossal bomb. The character has many admirable qualities - perseverance with her work and loyalty for her friends among others - but none of them connect to a viewer through Song Hye Kyo’s wooden performance. What would be a compelling drama (or documentary) is one that follows how Song Hye Kyo terminates her current representation and finds a new agency that can keep her away from an insufferable dud like this going forward.

“Now We Are Breaking Up” is a bad show; a really, really bad show with a long list of unnecessary subplots and superfluous characters, a bleak desert in place of a primary narrative and scant redeeming qualities of any kind to speak of. Anyone that was central to its creation should be considered potentially contagious with lousy judgment and possible cosmic-level curses and avoided at the longest distances possible.

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I have less expectations but I actually enjoyed it!

What I love:
-Young Eun, Chi Sook and Mi Sook’s friendship.

-The FL and ML serendipitous love story. I love how the writer made it look like the leads are meant to be but not meant to be. WTH. The coincidences from the past that made their red string strong but love isn’t always easy.

-Fashion, Business- it’s one of those kdramas that didn’t bore me when they were just all talking about business. Some kdramas are boring when it comes to business part but this one entertained me.

-President Hwang- I super love his character. I love him as Chi Sook’s dad, as The One president and just his Character.

-I also love the OST!!!

What hurts me the most:
Is that how ML and FL are both trying to hold on and also trying to break up. The most painful thing is that they both love each other but the world seem to disagree.

What I hate:
-The mothers.
Jae Guk’s mom, I don’t hate her because she doesn’t want to support the FL and ML. I just hate her reasoning.
Young Eun’s mom, I hate the fact that it’s like she’s blaming Young Eun and her husband for living the life she chose. She did nothing but blame other people for what she is right now.
-Soo Wan- a jerk, two timer, drunk driver. But no one speak ill about him because he’s dead. I also hate the fact that people can’t get over him.

Additional things I love:
There were a lot of heart warming scenes that made me cry. Mi Sook’s condition made this drama and the friendship special. I also liked it when Chi Sook told her Dad that she doesn’t want to lose her friend because of him. And the scene when President Hwang said that Young Eun is like a daughter to him was just so touching.

The ending?
It wasn’t as satisfying as they really resolved none about the FL and ML love story. However, FL and ML proved that maybe, just maybe, two people can love each other even if they’re not together. And saying goodbye is not really the end. And that we can be happy by doing the things we love and by thinking of the people we love.

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It is hard to accept but you have to?

It hard to put everything together and walk on a long way. fail, win ,lose, desperate ,depression ,throwback self and put them together. pretend to be everything absolutely fine! And give a brightest smile. but it's not okay!
it is hard to accept but you have to.
that's how you feel when your finished to watch this Drama. This drama shows that sometimes we just try hard to hold on but there is something we need to give it up.I find this drama meaningful and profound. To be honest, I stop watching after 5ep release coz of a lot of negative reviews.
I realized it wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea but it was perfect for me.every single heart broke scenes giving me heartaches .I loved every second of it, I loved the fact that everything was happening so smoothly and so many quotes made me think about my life, what it was like to survive that way or how I should change my way of life.
for me, i really really love the script and cast. Song Hye Kyo Unni gives a wonderful effort Since I know her from " descendants of the sun" .
And I'm a fan of Jang Ki Yong oppa's bright smile but this time it's make me cry and hurt a lot.
It's a heart broken Drama and don't complain on it coz you know the name!

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