Apaixonados na Cidade (2020)

Lovestruck in the City is simply not for everybody who only loves watching KDRAMA.

You have to be open-minded on how the writers wrote those (flawed) characters and scenarios because if you’re not, it’ll much harder for you to understand how the story built. And if you know Park Shin Woo as a director, he is not someone to please viewers.

It’s actually weird to see that half of the internet world(twitter), people hyping this up but on the other side(mydramalist & tumblr), dropping this. Ha!

If you review this drama based on the storyline and characters, please state your age and who resonates with you most. If you review this based on mockumentary type and how it delivers the story, please watch until episode 8.

Let me say this again, THIS DRAMA IS NOT FOR EVERYBODY, it’s for the people out there who know what love can do on and for them.

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Just okay for me....!

I was really loved very first episode and was hooked the concept was different and very unique. It was a great start but I didn't enjoyed the journey that much. Though the concept was new from my opinion they failed in the execution and it gradually became draggy and meaningless for me.

It really had much potential with a really great cast but poor writing was one the reasons why it wasn't impressive for me. They literally ruined both ML and FL's character to the point where I wasn't interested them in ending together. Why did they make ML such a immature and pathetic and FL cruel and unreasonable. I mean there might be ways to portray it in different way but at the end we didn't even get satisfied reason FL's actions. I really felt bad for him but don't you have any self-respect man? and those two other couples didn't got that screen time which I was expecting to be all would be focus of the drama.

So yeah it was okay for me. Not must watch, but do watch it if you are big fan of leads.

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It's been a while since a drama annoyed me this much. I'm not even sure why I watched every episode of "Lovestruck in the City", but I definitely could have skipped this one. This drama tries to be different by being more self-aware and mimicking a reality TV format. The main characters confess to the camera throughout the show, which got old for me fast, and then we see slices of their lives in reality, how they all connect, and how reality contradicts what they tell the audience. If I'm honest there is only one reason I kept watching... Ji Chang Wook. Sadly, the last drama I saw him in was equally awful "Melting Me Softly", but he is always so charming that I'm willing to watch a terrible drama just to watch him smile and be in love. If this drama had a less appealing actor in his role I would have dropped this after episode one.

So how was the rest of the cast? They were good, but it was hard to separate characters who were badly written from the actor. Kim Ji Won is a perfect example. There was nothing wrong with her performance but her character irritated me for the majority of the drama. She had pretty good chemistry with Chang Wook, but I honestly didn't understand what made him so obsessed with her. The chemistry wasn't enough to carry the weak storyline.

The other main characters did a good enough job of being distinctive but bad writing made their stories pretty dull. I won't spoil how the stories connect but I guess the point was to explore different kinds of relationships (the good and bad) between men and women... friendships, crushes, long-time commitments, encounters with exes, casual relationships, and summer flings are represented. For the entire drama the only character who didn't annoy me at all was Kang Gun, but I was honestly bored by all the other interactions. The women characters is particular are often irrational and make frustrating decisions. I think I was waiting to relate to the characters as I got to know them but that never happened. I was just constantly waiting for the "story" to start. Sadly once it started it turned into one repetitive episode after another.

If I could describe the plot in one word I'd say it felt pointless. If you like the idea of non-sequitur relationship snippets then maybe you will like this more than I did. To me, it felt like filler interrupting the main plot which didn't have enough substance to fill all 16+ episodes. Then there's a weird resolution at the end that feels thrown together, that's interrupted by another random story with random minor characters. I think I would have liked it better, maybe, if there was a different story each week because this just felt like I was watching an unscripted mess. That didn't make it feel more authentic to me either, in fact, it felt more fake, especially with the awkward product placement moments.

Would I watch this again? Hard Pass! Not even for Ji Chang Wook's smile.

Also, the random old school rock "theme" song with the unnecessary music video was equally irritating.

Overall, this drama felt like a concept without a plan. I guess I can piece together moments that I liked enough that it kept me watching, but there were far more frustrating moments that made me wonder why I didn't drop it after every single episode. More than anything I didn't care at all about who stayed together and who didn't, which is bad for a romance-themed drama. There are intimate confessions that seem out of place, especially since the characters seem to have no idea who is listening and responding. Do you enjoy watching people act irrationally in relationships, and drag out misunderstandings, or drive people they care about crazy with their unresolved issues... then enjoy. I can't imagine sitting through this for another season myself, although I can see there being a possible setup for one. Since there were many times I was literally rooting for the main couple to never deal with each other again, I can't recommend this drama. Yes, eventually there are reasons and amends but the frustration to get there made it very anticlimactic. I definitely wasn't lovestruck with this drama. It almost makes "forever alone" seem like the better option.

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Something refreshing and unique – a must watch!

“Lovestruck in the City” brings some fresh energy into the world of K-Dramas. The story follows the love life of six people, who participate in a show where they get asked several questions regarding their view of love and their love life. Their stories are visualised with throwbacks till the drama reaches the point where the actions actually take part in the presence.

The format of the drama may seem a bit odd at the beginning or may even scare off from continuing watching. It is in an interview format, which I personally normally don't like. But they managed to really make something good out of it, which is super fun to watch and not even a bit weird or annoying. I really did enjoy it and since it is something different from all the other dramas out there, it felt like something fresh. The characters actions are understandable most of the time. I feel like they all struggle with things a lot of people can relate to in one way or another. The drama did a really nice job in showing those feelings. I also really liked the friendship between Kang Gun, Rin Yi and Eun Oh. Who doesn't want a friendship like that?

I won't go into too much detail when it comes to the actors, because I think they all did a great job. Ji Chang Wook did a excellent job in portraying Park Jae Won and I personally really loved the role of Ryu Kyung Soo as Kang Gun. I haven't seen many characters like Kang Gun or Oh Sun Young in other dramas. In general, seeing the different characters of each was very interesting because they are all so different.

The soundtrack of the drama is excellent. I have been watching the drama while it was ongoing, and was desperately waiting for the soundtrack titles to be released. The choice of the songs in each scenes is really good and there was not one time I thought it was not matching the scene and feelings.

The last episode showed a bit more of the support role portrayed by Choi Min Ho. It was interesting, but I wished they had shown a bit more of the main characters in the last episode. There are some things that I feel are not yet figured out in their stories, so I was a bit confused. It may be they wanted to introduce the side character in order to make a second season – which I hope they will do.

“Lovestruck in the City” offers you something fresh, interesting characters, some laughter and a lot of joy if you are willed to give it a try and not let yourself be scared off of the format or the bad comments about it you might have read! Must watch for me and I will definitely re-watch!

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Really different production and direction make this one stand out a bit

Short: A small (17 x 30 min episodes) collection of interlinked stories about a group of people living in the city. The main standout difference with this is the production and direction, leaning more towards "fly on the wall" type approach but done in a clever way so it won't put off those that don't like that style I think. Good stories, interesting twist in the last episode, it's fun and light for the most part.

Detail:
The style is that this group of people who may or may not know each other at the start are followed around by a cameraman and asked for answers to various questions relating to life and love. It's essentially following people from different walks of life with different outlooks and comparing their answers to various questions, but done on the backdrop of an underlying story that really nicely ties it all together.

I thought the relationship between the two leads was really nice, both in the start and then as it goes through various complexities through the story. There was a clear chemistry between them. As with life, it's not all roses though for everyone. Good to have on the whole strong characters throughout, showing that you don't need a relationship to be strong and you don't need lofty goals or money to be strong.

Wish it was a bit longer perhaps but also worried that if it was longer then it would have felt slow - which this didnt, the 30 minute episodes combined with multiple stories developing made it feel like it was constantly moving.

It's complete, and has an ending, which seeing the shorter overall runtime and the fact it was on netflix made me a bit concerned about starting it in the first place (was tempted to wait until the end and see how many people started posting "cliffhanger cant awit for season 2" etc etc) but happy to report this is complete and while they could do a season 2 perfectly nicely it is absolutely not necessary based on the conclusion of this one.

The cast are all really good, lots of actors and actresses i've seen in many other dramas - some less than others so it was good to see them here with perhaps more important roles than previously such as Han Ji Eun who i've only seen in one or two dramas previously and find her to be really unusual and interesting to watch!

Definitely worth a watch, it won't take up much of your time but it will make it fun :)

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I LOVE this show so much and I NEED a second season.

This is my first review here so I'm not sure how to go about this... But I LOVED this show! A lot!


I finally got to see post-military service Ji Chang Wook shine in a show! As someone who fell into the kdrama rabbit hole and loved his shows when he was in the military, I was kind of disappointed with his last two outings but OhMyGod he brought his A-Game. I didn't watch Arthdal Chronicles so I loved seeing Kim Ji Won return on my screens with such a great role. I absolutely adore the whole cast and have enjoyed all of their previous performances so that added to my enjoyment.

For the uninitiated, the show follows a mockumentary style filming format, kind of reminiscent of The Office, but instead of a workplace, it is about the love lives of individuals in the city. To no one's surprise, our main cast is participating in this and their lives are all somehow connected. The 30-minute episode length with the new editing and filming format is a refreshing detour from conventional romantic dramas but still brings on all the feels!

I loved all the couples, even the extra fourth one in the bonus 17th episode. Ji Chang Wook and Kim Ji Won look great together and their chemistry is off the charts! On another level! Kim Min Seok and So Ju Yeon are so cute individually and even more so together! Han Ji Eun and Ryu Kyung Soo's characters have an unconventional relation but they make it work so well!
Janet Suh's opening theme song and all the other OSTs were perfect for this show.

I just finished the show, I loved it, and I know that I'll miss the whole dynamic and I'll definitely come back to it.
I need a second season, if you finish it, trust me, you will too!

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It’s a frustrating journey of two heart broken people in love

This show takes time to develop, so you’ll either like it or you won’t I don’t think there’s any in between, but if you do intend to watch give it time.

The concept is definitely fresh and all the characters have distinct personalities and the actors do a very good job in bringing those out (even if I put my love for JCW aside and see, he’s mind blowing in all the emotional scenes and always delivers).

The side characters are more interesting to me in this show and they don’t get enough screen time in my eyes.

My issue is that the 2 main characters are not as likeable. I did not root for them to be together- I wanted them to develop but separately. It takes time for them to come around one another and their journey made me believe they were better off. The way they were written came across as whiny (ML) and Selfish (FL) and made me loose empathy for them. If frustrating character decisions get to you then you should keep this into account while watching. Also lack of communication is the source of all problems in this drama- between literally most of the characters.

There are episodes in the middle of the show which could easily be counted as ‘filler’. Nothing develops for a while in between and the later episodes are comparatively faster (in a good way). The ending was also not really satisfying and I feel some stories had much more to offer even though they wrapped most of them up as they could.

The epsiode length really works in the show’s favour as I never realise when the time passes. However as mentioned earlier, nothing happens in some and thus a 12 episode format could have worked better.

These were enough reasons for me to keep going- however I don’t think everyone would like it.
I do think this show would be enjoyed more if binged watch at once. Give it a try for it’s performances, cinematography and OST!

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THE MOST FRUSTRATING LEADS EVER...

I was super excited when this project was announced and literally checked on its update every month after it was announced and the excitement was there till ep 5-6 and after that, the main leads became extremely frustrating and i watched it the same way we watch soap opera or makjang... you know, frustrating characters but still want to know what will happen next... for a drama that's advertised as a realistic drama that's not a good thing...



lets start with the good aspects of the show which surprisingly are many
1. the acting is very good esp by jcw... kjw was good in the present but very over the top and artificial in the flashback... the rest of the cast also did well... the only thing realistic with this drama is the acting...
2. the cinematography is amazing and the scenes on yangyang were well shot...
3. the ost is amazing...
4. i personally liked the iv format which made it look like the characters are talking to the viwers and every character gets to express their inner thoughts...
5. the comedy scenes were really good and weren't overdone or too animated...
6. minho's extended cameo...

there is only one single aspect that just destroys the entire drama for me and that was the so-called deep love of the main leads and unfortunately, it takes up 60-70% of the screentime...
it started off well but the writer just overdid the flaws of the character to the level their relationship looked right out unhealthy.... jaewon has so little to no self-respect, is whining and wont take anyone else's pov other than his own... his love looked like an obsession... eunoh is extremely selfish and is emerged in self-pity to the level she is unfit for a relationship and the only person who can have a relationship with her is jaewon... sometimes i felt the writers degraded jaewon just so he will fit with someone like eunoh... she claims to love the guy but lied to him from the get-go, dumbed him out of the blue then didnt care about him even when he became a borderline alcoholic for more than a year, stalked him occasionally for more than a year and when he finally found her instead of sitting down and talk with him she lied more, insulted him in every chance she got (which apparently is supposed to be seen as bickering b/w lovers), treated him like shit, played with his emotions a little bit more by kissing him and then when he cornered her and she had no other option but to talk to him, she said he isnt her priority anymore even though she likes him but within a week or so goes back on her words and goes after him only because she didnt know the meaning on the pentant he gave her and he wasnt showering her with the attention she wanted and was getting for so long... since jaewon is such a pushover and have little to no self respect he dont care for the fact that she treated him like shit for more than an year as long as she says she likes him which is very hard to belive as a viewer... there isnt a single moment where eunoh even considered jaewon's feelings and that too for more than a year... she admits she is completely messed up but still wants to get back with him because she knows if she stays silent he will move on and find a better person...
also to justify all of her messed up unhealthy behavior we get a look into her past which only gives a reason for her behaviors and not justify her actions... the drama literally romanticizes an extremely unhealthy relationship b/w two people who need counseling asap esp the FL...
the happy ending looked very artificial and forced... these two ended up together only for the sake of a happy ending and nothing else...

also, all the female characters behave and blame the guys as if these guys are some psychics who will understand every actions of them even if they hide things from him or behave the exact opposite of what they want... not a single female character even try to communicate with the male characters and then point fingers at them for not understanding them...

Their love story literally looks like the gender-reversed version of playful kiss... the ML of playful kiss don't even stand a candle in front of eunoh when it comes to being self-centered....

the bad aspect that i said might only be a bad aspect just for me and if people watch it only to see jcw and kjw together then its a perfectly fine drama for them... personally as a fan of jcw, i seriously hope he dont even do a cameo as jaewon in s2 of this drama... i would never want to see him as park jaewon ever again...

for people who want to watch it should watch it and judge it on their own as its a complete hit or a miss and the liking for the drama depends entirely on the individual... i personally didn't like it but there are people who loved it...

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Fun, Relatable, Full of Lessons

From the title and synopsis, the impression was this is a part comedy, part cheesy, part romantic, series. It was so easy to dismiss but I am glad I did not. Each episode are around 30 minutes long and they did well in telling the stories of the characters and their relationships while staying to a particular topic or subject in each episode.

I like the OST, at least what was used so far in the first 8 episodes. Good acting, the chemistry between the actors were great. Relatable story, romantic and yet light--not cheesy, not teenage drama, no serious political and family drama.

If you're looking for a TV show to break your existing serious line-ups, definitely pickup "Lovestruck in the City".

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Definitely a new & fresh concept ^^

This drama was definitely a stepping stone to more similar Kdramas in the future with this 'interview' type of concept. The starting was quite slow but started to get better and addicting from Episode 8 onwards. I like the concept of them having an interview while talking about their love stories, this drama also implemented some comedic elements so it wouldn't be as plain or boring. I don't really like how they wrapped up Rin-i and Kyeong Jun's story though, they were doing good until the end where they just broke up abruptly and no news from them onwards, it was quite disappointing. Was also hoping for Seon Young and Geon to get back together too along with Rin-i and Kyeong Jun. This drama tells us many love lessons and many life stories so it was interesting to see that. At the end they showed us another character story, so maybe hoping for a Season 2? Overall, a good drama. THE CINEMATOGRAPHY . Its so good, beach scenes were also aesthetically pleasing, the snow scenes, the raining scenes. It was healing. Chemistry between the actors and actresses too !!!!! The cast was amazing, Changwook and Jiwon.. wow , they did it again, they pulled off another good one.

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