Apaixonados na Cidade (2020)

Out of step with the times . . Instagram aesthetics are not enough

I too was drawn by the caliber of the cast. But while filmed in a documentary style, there is not a bit of realism between the main couple. They spend two whole months off the grid.... just vibing..... talking about nothing, not getting to know each other at all just relationship via Instagram moments. Unbelievable plot points are waved off as 'quirks.'

I did really like the ease and sweetness of the long term couple, but they get very little screen time.

Six episodes in I didn't see the point in continuing, there was no insight or creativity. For a similar 3 couple concept done much better, see 'Because This Is My First Life'

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A poorly written, wannabe fan fiction

I’ve read fan fictions with better character development and writing than this series.

I wish I had listened to the negative comments about this series, but even then I couldn’t comprehend how truly awful this series would be. I watched up to episode 11 and read recaps of the remaining episodes to prepare myself for this review. I simply couldn’t bring myself to finish physically watching the series based on how awful the content in the recaps was.
Let’s get the few positives out of the way before I go off the deep end.
-Ji Chang Wook is an amazing actor and has an amazing range. He can be passionate, funny, and charming while being angry and devastated. I’ve heard many of his previous shows have been similarly bad, which is an absolute shame and a waste of potential. I hope his future is brighter.
-Rin Yi and Kyung Joon are the only redeemable characters (at least up to episode 11 and in the recaps I saw). They feature the most realistic relationship and are the most likable characters both individually and as a unit.
-The visuals are great and SOME aspects of the mockumentary work well and feel refreshing.

The bad:
-The mockumentary style gets old very fast. You have to turn of your brain to accept the logic of this show. Having participants in a documentary talk back and forth THROUGH THE CAMERA IN REAL TIME makes NO SENSE. They should NOT be having conversations. The point of individual interviews is that you get ONE person’s perspective, whether they are a reliable narrator or not. No one should actively contradict and get them to change their perspective. A big part of these types of shows is to have the ability to guess if someone is being honest or not. Having characters refute things in their own segments is fine, but having characters address each other and get responses makes no sense!! Why would they be allowed to see footage before it has even aired? Truly ruined a novel concept.
-Sun Yung is abusive. That’s all.
-The main character is absolutely excruciating to watch, and not even in a fun way. Lee Eun O has never heard of healthy communication and it shows. I detest her with a passion. She has no redeemable qualities. I won’t spoil anything, but they try to make us care about her struggles more than halfway through, after most of the damage is done. I can sympathize with her struggles but it truly doesn’t change the fact that her reasons for doing what she does are ridiculous and she actively contradicts herself at every step. She starts the show nonchalant and standoffish and ends it a complete emotional wreck. These are two different people!! To add on, the heinous things she did AFTER her suffering are not suddenly okay because she suffered. We can understand her pain and wish for healing but still hold her accountable for causing harm to others through her actions.
-This leads me to the worst offender, the poorly written relationship between Jae Won and Eun Oh. I’ve seen bad Kdramas, but none quite like this. The part that offends me the most is that this tries to come off as modern and fresh, but ends up glamorizing more unhealthy relationship behaviors. At no point did I feel their relationship was compelling or worth fighting for. I was dragged along to this point with the promise of a relationship worth enduring so much pain for and never got it. Not only is the significance never demonstrated, but, based on recaps, they never grow or learn from their mistakes! Neither of them has any will or agency. They are forced to be in the same room by circumstances created by the writers for whatever reason. I do not care about these characters and frankly, I hope they forget about each other and move on with their lives. Neither one learns and grows throughout the show. Instead, they’re both worse versions of themselves at the end.
I have to say, the writers have a talent for creating irredeemable characters. I’ll give them props for making me so irritated and annoyed. You’ll know by episode 5 or 6 if this is right for you. I stuck around because I’m a masochist (and the main leads are very attractive, but that’s neither here nor there).

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Great actors, but terrible plot and boring storyline with annoying main characters

At first I was excited because I independently love jcw and kjw. The concept was unique with interview format and seemed like an interesting premise.

However, 4 episodes in and the main characters are built to be pretty annoying and pathetic, with no chemistry or progression of the plot. Almost every scene feels like a filler scene. With boring dialogue.

The interview format gets to be pretty useless. They don’t ask meaningful questions. And the characters are essential just talking to each other through the interview. But they go back and forth way too quick with the cuts. Literally jumping every 2 sec which makes the viewer dizzy.

It seems to be too focused on pretty scenery and eye candy. If you’re into that, go for it, but even that couldn’t save the show for me.

It had great potential, but the focus is off. And there’s just not much great acting either. It’s not even a realistic portrayal of city love since the main characters love story is way too fantasy like. Like a runaway teenage summer fling.

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Worth the watch

It's and after break up type patch....yes the lead is clinging and no it's no boring it's soo worth the watch....bcuz their feelings are true..it's jist that one is holding back due their own personal fear which effected her mentally ....the other is calling her with every way possible ...it's a really amazing plot with something new and exciting in each episode....just the interview parts gets u..but after the 1st 2 episode u want mind it. And we all know ji Chang wook is a very good actor and he is paired with Ji won who we don't really need to explain...they both are soo good in acting..this series is sooo amazint and exciting don't ask.. don't think just watch it???????

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its like watching chatroom full of trolls

Lovestruck in the City -8,5/10 kdrama

this drama changes its colours gradually. Firsty all main characters 3ML and 3FL are in anonymous :chatgroup project:
and they all know each other in RL, but dont know each other in that chatgroup.

At beginning we get lovestory narration of our main characters trashtalk remarks to story from others
characters in chatgroup which gives this drama quite comedy elements which will slowly fade in later eps.

In middle of drama RL and Chatgroups happenings starts to merge and characters starts to solve their relationship problems in RL.
Well ending was probably weakest since from these 3 pairs we obtained just one :complete ending: and others though not unsolved they wasnt closed propertly,

plot -romance drama that follows the interconnected lives and love stories of young urbanites living in Seoul. The story is presented in a non-linear format, blending documentary-style interviews with the characters' personal experiences. Throughout the series, the audience is taken on a journey of love, heartbreak, and self-discovery as these characters navigate the complexities of modern relationships. The show delves into the challenges and joys of love in a bustling city like Seoul, while exploring the different facets of each character's personality and the secrets they keep. It also portrays the impact of past experiences on their present relationships and how they learn to open up and trust again.

genre - comedy, romance

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Loved It. Want more episodes.

The story is different from other K-Dramas; there is talk about sex, dates, friendship & all. Liked it's filming to interview everyone & also main casts interaction thorough interviews.

So, our main leads have a past. Park Jae Won is a gentle, sweet, cranky, innocent, sometimes alcoholic & also handsome. It was love at first sight for him. I loved Ji Chang Wook acting as a drunk & mostly his anger, frustration, annoyed acting, he always gave the best expression in these situations. Lee Eun Oh is extroverted, feisty, bubbly, frank, straightforward. She also has another identity, wants to know about it watch the Drama.

Love the sea view so soothing ??
After seeing Park Jae Won & Lee Eun Oh surfing, I also want to learn it.

Park Jae Won & Lee Eun Oh relationship was pretty fast, but it was cute.

Park Jae-Won's expression, he was so embarrassed when Lee Eun O told everyone about their relationship. I laughed so hard when they started telling everyone about their relationship.

I laughed hard when Park Jae-Won's father grabbed his collar & dragged him to his office while Choi Kyung Joon gave a happy dance.

Poor Kang Gun, it was funny when Oh Sun Young asked him to take his clothes off which she brought for him.

The way the rest of the guys cringe whenever they hear Park Jae Won's romantic sides or excuses.

It is funny how Park Jae Won gets drunk & cries in the police station & complains about his camera being stolen.\

Oh Sun Young asks each of her boyfriends to return the stuff she brought for them after breakup but when they ask her to return theirs, she beats them up. Wished she had been shown more in the drama.

Love that Choi Kyung Joon is not jealous or insecure that his girlfriend has a male best friend, Kang Gun. As for Kang Gun each of his exes used to have a problem with him having two female best friends.

Loved Park Jae Won & Choi Kyung Joon fight in the car, I laughed so hard.

Love Oh Sun Young & Kang Gun chaotic relationship. I also loved Park Jae Won & Kang Gun fight in an online interview. It would've been great if they had also shown their fight when they met in real life as well.

Lee Eun Oh being bold & telling Park Jae-Won to have sex in the open, which doesn’t usually happen in K-dramas but in Hollywood.

It's cute when both Park Jae Won & Lee Eun Oh look for the ring in the pond or whatever you call it.

Poor Park Jae Won heart break & frustration.

The way Park Jae Won carried Lee Eun Oh aside to see the ring was cute.

I'm also lonely, like Oh Sun Young. I feel bad when Lee Eun Oh was embarrassed to share her problems with her friends, whereas I don't have that kind of understanding or supportive friends whom I can trust to share my problems with.

Wished they didn't shown those scene in last episode & shown the main casts more.

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A ROM-COM AT ITS BEST!!!

Is Lovestruck In The City romantic? Hell YES!

Is it funny? No, it is hilarious and witty!

Have you ever found yourself watching kdramas labeled as a rom-com and wondering why? Where´s the comedy or the romance? You just can't find it. But in LITC is never the case. It stays true to the genre throughout. Thus I would put it up there with my most favorite kdramas of all time. Everything about it is pure perfection; smart and poignant writing, fun direction, high production value and a marvelous cast through and through.

I agree with some of the reviewers that pointed out that at first they found annoying the interview format, and I also agree that once you buy into the story you get hooked and the interview format becomes another character in itself and you can´t help but be mesmerized by the whole experience.

I think that this is a truly ensemble production, the six main characters are well developed and it is a joy to watch the actors do a fantastic job on their roles as their group chemistry is insane.

Even though the show is driven by the six characters and their stories equally interesting to watch, there is a main couple just like any other rom-com. Is no secret that Ji Chang Wook is sexy and a damn good actor whose charisma is off the wall. I would even go as far as to say that perhaps this is my favorite role of his. His range as an actor is quite incredible; he can play the cold bad ass action hero and the vulnerable heartbroken dude with the same credibility and gorgeous smile. Playing alongside Kim Ji Won must have been fun since she is also, in my opinion, one of the best actresses of her generation. And I admire that she always chooses great projects, whether she plays the main character of a drama or a supporting character she always pulls you in and makes you root for her. Her characters are always so grounded that you never question why the MLs love her or in this case why the ML is so obsessed with her. She is simply fantastic, never disapoints!

The writer did such a terrific job tackling subjects such as falling in and out of love, sex in a non cliché way that was super fun to watch. There´s never a dull moment in the series and the closure that all 6 characters and the police man got are all consequential, nothing feels ¨out of the blue¨ therefore I am satisfied with the ending.

Would I recommend it? Hell YES. However if you´re a sucker for unjustified love and slow motion tight lip kisses in your kdramas do yourself a favor and SKIP this one.

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Very Dry Ending

So my overall impression of this wasn't bad.. but the ending was not what I expected... though on another note it was MORE realistic than I thought it was gonna be. Also my attention was caught for this show mostly only cause Chang Wook was in it and he's very nice to look at. The story was good for what it was though and it held my attention enough to get through it but I can't honestly say I will find myself watching this one again. I honestly don't really know what kind of intense critisms I can give on this show all but like my honest opinions on how I felt about the show, Im not to good on going to much into depth on things cause I watch shows purely for the pleasure of watching my favorite actors and the stories that interest me. However if you are someone that loves shows with emotional acting, comedy given in a realistic form and romance that's not to much I would recommend it. The acting cast was really good for the roles provided, the music wasn't particularly my taste and the story was there but not fully there again to my taste.

(This is a review posted purely on my own opinions, reactions and comments on the show. if you are looking for more in depth writing.. I'm sorry but I'm not all that good at that. Just a simple personal opinion on the show that is all, I hope if you watch it though that you do enjoy it according to your own views as well ☺)

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A show that follows the lives and stories of modern couples, in a unique format.

‘Lovestruck in The City’ is another 2021 drama that realistically portrayed adults in the modern busy world. In a relatively unique format for Korean dramas where the characters are supposedly featured in a documentary, six adults who are connected to each other in various ways share the regular issues and struggles that they face in their relationships and daily lives.

In the first episodes, many viewers will find it hard to adjust themselves with this drama. The transitions from the documentary interview parts and the story parts will get some confused for sure, but viewers wouldn’t find it too hard to get used to it eventually. While the drama wanted to execute the stories of all three couples and their stories, the drama ended up focusing a little too much on a single couple to the point that they seemed to have little to no charm despite of good chemistry, and the lack of focus on the other characters and their stories make it hard for viewers to emotionally connect to them or ‘care’ for their stories. Due to the very reason, I personally couldn’t find myself to be in love with the characters. Many will relate to the struggles of each character like I did at times, but relating to them doesn’t mean you will absolutely love them.

Now, about the acting, it’s the one thing that I really loved. The cast did an amazing job with each of their performances, and for a bit of a special mention, Ji Chang Wook was brilliant when it came to the emotional scenes. While his character personally lacked for me, his acting makes up for it. Kim Ji Won was good as always, but I’ve seen better performances from her.

The cinematography definitely needs to be appreciated. There are many beautiful sunset beach sceneries that I absolutely loved, and am sure others did too. Besides, the music was great too. It suited the mood of each scene perfectly, and I think the production quality of this drama takes the prize at most.

In the end, a 7.5/10. I’m often prickly with my ratings, so I suggest you check at least 3 episodes due to its new format to see if it suits your taste. I hope you found this ‘huge’ review to be useful :)

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