Apaixonados na Cidade (2020)

A refreshing and well-produced show that is set apart from standard drama

I really liked the mockumentary format, since it felt really unique and new in the drama space. I am someone that really enjoys character driven shows (compared to plot-heavy dramas with 1-dimensional characters), so this was my cup of tea. I especially liked how intertwined the relationship was. Especially in the beginning of the drama, every short episode felt like unraveling an intricate tale.

I think the casting is fantastic, and acting is really good. There was not a single character I did not like. Cinematography is also top tier.

However, wtf is up with that ending. Episode 17 is a mess, consider it a "special episode" setting up the show for a second season.

ALSO!!! Thank God this drama has none of that stone-statue non-responsive kissing that is seen in many drama (ruins the chemistry so much and I hate it). This drama has a much more modern, realistic portrayal of sex, relationship, love.

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ONE OF THE GREATEST DRAMAS OF ALL TIME ...

It took me a while to start this drama because of how underrated and not talked about enough it was...

But watching it was the best choice like i finished all 17 ep 32-36 min each in one day. i love how the events took places and the how they focused on Eun-oh 's self finding journey which was so relatable in addition to her relationship with jae-won, whenever they're together on screen i feel the love in the air, thier chemistry was SUPERBBB.

But i gotta give the cutest couple for Rin-yi and kyeong-jun. And i looved that they talked about her minimilist life style that seemed unstable for kj and people around her, which felt soo realistic.

And my favourite thing about this show is the trio friendship of rin-yi, eun-oh and geon. mainly the way they listen to each others problems and truly care and love each other.

Overall one of the greatest underrated dramas ive watched recently if not ever that focused on real life problems in relationships, love, friendship and self discovery journey and much more.

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One of THE MOST UNDERRATED series

The format, the colours, the direction , the story- They're all so refreshing.

This drama hits you in an emotional space that is rare unexplored by most dramas. I'm assuming it's the different format that has kept people from giving this a chance. Honestly I found it rather endearing. The interview-style narration to the camera makes you feel like the characters are personally talking to you.

The actors have done an amazing job showcasing the depth of the flawed but beautiful characters in the stories.

I highly recommend that everyone give this show the chance it deserves.

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The characters in this show are all flawed, but it's done in a way I find endearing.

The FL is selfish, but in a more complex way than that simply being it. She keeps everything she truly feels close to her chest, she doesn't want to burden others with her mistakes and her issues. This decision leads to her making more selfish decisions out of fear and avoidance of emotional vulnerability.

The ML is possessive, but in a way, the audience can find it endearing. This endearing feeling people have about his clingy and possessive acts leads them to demonize the FL in a way that I find unfair. He's flawed too and in a way I find uncomfortable. He can't simply live without her like for him life doesn't mean anything without her. To him, she is everything no matter how harsh or mean she is.

The side leads are equally interesting and definitely deserved more screen time. They try to explore ideas but just scratch the surface on a lot of them. Misunderstanding and Miscommunication are common themes as well as the desire to know if you are loved.

The plot itself is quite boring, all of its mundane or cliche but what makes the show interesting is the editing and the talking heads. To see how these characters lie to each other but then lie to themselves/camera, then to see how they communicate honestly about relationships to each other through the 'documentarian' is quite interesting and funny. The talking heads highlight the individual character's personalities with some answers being long intricate, others blunt, and some avoid answering entirely.

Some unignorable flaws are being unbelievable of some parts of the plot and the weird sidetracked ending. However, these flaws should make this title have THIS low of a rating. Lots of people's complaints are about the toxicity of the FL, which I don't find valid as we aren't rating how much we morally agree with a character (which I don't btw) it's about the show and story overall.

Finally, I should mention how this show could not have been pulled off by subpar actors. These actors carried this mishmash of a plot and eccentric directing style. The main leads had such range in what they needed to pull off and they did it superbly.

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Refreshing and realistic love stories

TL;DR
If you like a realistic love story between adults who have relatable baggage, you'll love this. Not to mention the eye candy and chemistry between the ML and FL.

I'll explain why:
It's been a few days since I've completed and I can't get the story out of my head! That's how emotionally invested I was. I wasn't sure what to expect from this drama at first, but I'm so glad I watched it. It's very relatable for people in their late twenties to mid-thirties, where you've had some experiences with love, but also understand that EVERYONE comes with baggage in a relationship. Lots of people seem to be hating on the FL—even though the ghosting is wrong, her fears are completely relatable (also given what she went through in her past). Some may say she is selfish, but her actions are based on her deep-seated fears and insecurities. I found myself crying a lot along with the FL as she worked through her insecurities and fears. Ji Chang Wook was perfect as usual in his role as the handsome and hopeless romantic (who also has his fair share of issues, even if they're less obvious). You can't help but root for him and feel his heartbreak as he pined away for the FL. I really felt his pain and confusion as he tried to figure out what the heck happened with their relationship when their connection was so magical and one-of-a-kind. Also, I thought his and Kim Ji Won's chemistry was amazing and only got better as the flashbacks progressed.

This drama is very realistic with no unnecessary love triangles, an evil person trying to break them up/harm one of the leads, overly controlling parents, an outlandishly rich CEO, etc. The interview format was interesting, although at some parts felt a little rocky as the interviewer started playing a role in the characters' stories and helping their relationships along (this wasn't a big deal for me and worked well in the end).

The side characters did a great job at adding some comic relief and I absolutely adore the friendship between the FL and her two besties. The only side plots that gave me question marks were the actress in the last episode and Minho's story. I wanted more of the FL and ML in the last episode even though their story wrapped up nicely by Ep 16.

I'll definitely be coming back to this drama at some point, especially when I need some encouragement and faith in relationships and self-love.

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LOVE! A Must Watch!

What can I say? This drama was AMAZING! I loved the different perspectives the writer brings for each character.

The writer brought a fresh perspective to romance and got into the messiness that happens within real action ships.

I could relate to with the first ML because I have experienced being ghosted with no explanation. It does makes you a bit crazy especially when you loved that person. I had to accept it and find my own closure.

I definitely can understand how the First FL feels.

The acting was PHENOMENAL. The chemistry between the cast mates was so good! I enjoyed the highs and lows of the emotions with the characters. They are all flawed and that’s okay! Love is not perfection! It’s messy, bitter and sweet!

I would definitely rewatch this drama. The music was great! I really enjoyed it. I would recommend for the ppl reading the reviews to watch this drama for yourself!

It’s a different take and very refreshing than your typical drama!

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Luckily, only 30min/episode

I've watched a couple a k-dramas over the last weeks and apparently I've forgot to say something about them.
So, about this one. I've watched this drama 2 days ago. Thank (insert deity here) you get 30 min per episode. It went by in no time.
I'll start by saying it's something like a reality show, so that sucks. Even if the acting and the chemistry and the jokes were mostly fine, or even good, by making the actors look into the camera and say things, you get a low level drama.
Yes, the acting was good. The Main Lead Actor is very skillful, his range is quite good. I've seen him before (as did most of you, I'm sure) and he delivers, as usual. Maybe even more. The other actors were also good.
The cinematography and mixing are good to excellent. They did a good job. The director had some interesting ideas. Good ones. The soundtrack had a couple on decent, catchy songs. Most of them you'll enjoy.
The only downside of this drama is the story. The writer did a meh job. You need a whole season to get to some conclusion, because the Main Female Lead is made dumb just to get the story going. But as there are only 30min/episode, you get to the end in about 9 hours or so.
And that's it. You can watch it for the visuals and some nice acting. Have a lovely evening.

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Uniquely entertaining and a MUST watch!

I have NEVER done a review. I usually rate a drama. So I am really sorry if my review is not helpful, lol! I took the chance to leave a review for this one because HONESTLY, do not let the rating keep you from watching this drama (currently a 7.9). It is such an interesting story, and I agree with other reviews that you have to be open-minded to enjoy the format fully. The reason I watched it was because the first review I read, stated " First and FOREMOST, the plot summary does no justice to what a beautiful, refreshing drama this is.
Lemme explain why 1. Don’t judge the rating...2. This is one of the most REFRESHING Korean dramas I’ve seen in a while."

That comment made me want to watch it, and I AM SO GLAD I DID. Refreshing is the word to describe this gem! It really is. The plot, the format, the characters, and just everything are refreshing. I honestly have not gotten butterflies from any drama recently, but the first steamy interaction between the FL and ML absolutely gave me butterflies! I loved it all!! Everyone's stories were, in a sense, realistic as in, not that it can actually happen in real life but that they, themselves, were very realistic. I think the way they acted (i.e.being frustrated with the situation regarding their partner or getting mad for their best friend) really felt like "down to earth," and I loved it. I also personally loved all the actors in the main cast (so I might be biased), Lol! BUT PLEASE PLEASE give this a chance. At least try the first three episodes to get used to the format and then enjoy it for its beauty!

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To be honest

To be honest, These stories individually are not much. We have heard these kind of stories countless times or even better stories altogether.
But what makes this Drama worth your time is it's storytelling. The way the characters are presented and their tales are told is very unique to say the least, nobody has done it like this ever.
Cinematography should be praised as well. All the shots edited together feels more like a book that a drama. It's like I am imagining the story while reading the book and surprisingly the shots exactly matches our imagination.
Screenplay is commendabe. Every shot is Shot to perfection. I would recommend watching the drama in higher pixel value to experience the full adventure.
To say the least, this drama is worth your time and It has the ability to stay in your mind for a long time.

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It started well but ended up as a mess!

Things I liked-
1. JCW was enough for me to watch the drama.

2. The sparkled fling between the leads. Though I love slow-burn romance this quick one also seemed interesting and enjoyable. I guess the quick romance is quite unlike in Kdrama and some reviewers I found complained about this. However, I enjoyed the quick start here. They set the plot from the very beginning where both the leads met, so I didn’t find it hasty. Some complained that they slept together too soon. So let me tell you, yes, that's called one one-night stand and if things are mutual then why not enjoy this as a viewer? To me, it was not weird, but rather quite realistic. Being single young adults things like that might happen when you are with a person you have a fling and the whole atmosphere is in the perfect mood. So yeah I didn’t mind it. Also love after sex is not uncommon.

3. Beautiful cinematography! Loved it. How they managed the past with vintage color grading was also cool. Though at the beginning it made me think whether it was in the 90s or something, I gradually liked that. OST! Perfect

4. Couples cute moments!! Absolutely loved their surfing moments in episode 3 and enjoying the rain and yes of course the pretended short marriage time in episode 4. Their chemistry seems real, although things were a little bit complicated then.

5. I liked the character Kyung Joon. Though he didn't get much space but among all the insane personalities he seemed rational and practical. I think I was able to connect to this character most. he deserved more.


Things I did not like much-

1. FL is the red flag! Like they said multiple times in this drama, She Is A Terrible Woman! Yes she is. If I ever ranked the worst FL in dramas, definitely she will make it in the top 3. Her character is super annoying and disturbing! I understand that She was devastated, heartbroken, cheated by BF, and suddenly unemployed. She was escaping from reality but after she met the ML she had her opportunity to start fresh. But NO, she acted like a clueless teenager, became melodramatic, and again decided to run away. Her behavior irritated me. Her reasons are absurd and definitely, she is not my favorite type. She was an OVER Thinking type which I don’t prefer personally. They show us her reasons- but her insecurity is unbearable. She decided to break up just on the first day they got together, still kept things going, and never discussed it with the ML even when they got to know each other and grew feelings for him, she stuck to her insecurity and came up with the absurd way to break up which is disappearing without any single clue! She knew she was wrong but never ever admitted her fault! That's disgusting man.

2. Though it was a fun watch, it lacked the depth and intensity of the characters and their backstory. Even though the episode runtime is relatively short It was a pretty long drama of 17 episodes. So why not put some effort into story building? But there was nothing at all! Like why the ML was so deeply in love with her? We watched many sweet moments but it would be good if we got to see more interaction, like real interactions not just kisses and skinship

3. Things were good up to episode 5 after that they kept dragging. Episodes 6 and 7 were Super boring, you can skip them if you wish, nothing significant actually happens. After that some events take place but it could be shorter. I had to watch at 1.5x speed.

4. After ML finds out the real identity of the FL he tries to make things up but FL continuously refuses him and at this time the show turns into a comedy show! They tried to make things funny, and added humour too. But why? This was a serious issue man! What the FL did made the ML emotionally devastated. He suffered a lot, became alcoholic while finding the right answer. Just put yourself in his shoes. It’s a torture. Then how come they make all these things light after they met each other! That is when the drama lost its charm to me.

5. Till episode 4 there were no significant updates on the other couple's relationship (oh right except that they also shared beds, lol). But they had their own story which we didn’t get to enjoy.

6. Rin Yi and Kyung Joon had their own story where despite having 7 long years of relationship they had untold stories. Their apparently perfect relationship had other sides I would like to see more but it remained just as a side one till the very end. That's disappointing.

7. In the last episode which I believe is the most critical one, rather than warping up the mess they created they just started a new story of Dong Sik and Hae na! What was that!!!

over all, the format was unique though can't say I liked it much. Did I enjoy it? yes, not a bad drama as a one time watch. Will I rewatch it? No, cause there was nothing to enjoy again and again. Not even JCW's kisses!

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