Apaixonados na Cidade (2020)

Sometimes stop for a sec and look at what is positive

The leitmotif is the unraveling of what happened to the FL. Why did she try to adopt a different personality and name to outsiders,? Why did she try to retain her earlier self in front of her friends?
The crux of the matter was the fact that after she reached rock bottom, she met a man by pure chance, and they mutually fell for each other. Thereafter, her friends didn't give up on her, he didn't give up on her, and she realized that she had not given up on herself either.
Around this display of human all too human activities, we find the people with whom she interacts, and their own issues: money issues, love issues, personality issues, drinking issues, image issues, ...
Notice that all this is done without killing, gore, explosions, hostage takeover, politically correct preaching, and other nonsense that plagues so many other productions (HINT: if Hollywood-style stuff is what you are looking for, this show is NOT for you).
Personally I didn't like the product placement (can't stand the stuff they label as pizza in the show), but otherwise it is extremely sweet, with real sweetness and not fake carbohydrates.
Of particular charm were the scenes throughout the series where one could see that people cared for each other.
The police cared for the drunk ML and other hosts at the station. The actress wanted her first kiss from someone she liked and not some famous "pig". Both FL and ML cared about his wedding ring, which he threw in a fit in a canal (him trying to retrieve it after she had gone there and found it, was particularly ironic/good). The restaurant owners at the beach give food and a chance to the FL. When looking for the usually drunk girlfriend, one guy mistakes another drunk for his gf in the street.
Sometimes it is important to stop for one second in life and look at what is positive. This series does that.
Please enjoy it.

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Watch only if you are mature enough to accept flaws in others

I'm going to write this in two parts mainly focusing on why 'I understand character of female lead' and why 'major drawback mentioned by most viewers didn't change my opnion'

WHY I UNDERSTAND CHARACTER OF FEMALE LEAD
Let's start with the way she went to a place where nobody know her, changed her appearance and spent days the way she wants.( I mean don't we all want to escape somewhere no one recognizes us. Spend our days carefree, do things you didn't do your whole life and probably won't, if you are near your parents and friends .) She found park jae won and they fell in love with each other. He said it while she did not. ( I don't understand why people say she is selfish at this point. She fell in love with jae won but did jae won fell in love with her. Nah, he was in love with someone she is pretending to be, how do you think she can be confident enough to tell him his feelings when he don't even know the real her) She didn't tell anyone about what happened in yangyang especially to her friends ( Do people nowadays have no secrets. There is at least one thing we try to hide away from others becoz you fear if they will accept you as much as they did before knowing your secrets. You get the fear of being judged. ) She didn't tell right away why she wants to break up or why she doesn't want to see him. ( She went through a bad break up becoz the man fell out of love. She was not qualified for her job because she was boring. Anyone who went through that will probably fell what if this man feel the real me is boring too. So she decided to remain in his memories as who she wants to be)

POPULAR OPINIONS AND WHY I CONTRADICT
1. Drama is too westernized
My reply: This is 2021 and you can't expect every drama to have people wearing hanbok or drinking soju. The beach, surfing, interview concepts are definitely fresh and needs time to be accepted but I hope people stop staying this doesn't feel like kdrama anymore.

2. Female lead is annoying
My reply: No one is perfect and she is also not. Are you gonna dump someone who says they need some time for themselves just because you find that 'love myself ' conept annoying. She didn't explain herself because she needed time. I don't think someone who need time to figure out themself are annoying.

3. Male lead is clingy
My reply: That's his way of loving her. Not letting her go unless he knows why she did that. When you feel someone is perfect for you, you're gonna wait for them long time before moving on and would also try to get together if you see any hope. This is human nature and meeting her again is enough hope for him to get her back.

Beach scenes, Country rock music, Wonderful chemistry between leads, Female lead's fashion sense at beach scenes, Friendship between main, 2nd female lead and 3rd male lead, Park jae won's whole character are something you can look forward fo .

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Better Than I Thought!

This drama was much better than I expected. I watched the first episode, weeks ago, and wrote it off because it was such a different format from other dramas. But, I started watching it again this past holiday weekend and was pleasantly surprised at how funny, emotional, and realistic it actually is. I would recommend this drama to anyone who is in a "rut" when it comes to finding something new to watch or to anyone who has ever been in love before. Also, this is a great gateway drama. It's only 30 minutes long and binge-able in really a workday (8 hours), as opposed to 16 hours!

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BREATH OF FRESH AIR | ONE OF THE MOST REFRESHING DRAMAS in 2021

I have been an avid k-drama watcher for years and I have never watched anything like Lovestruck in the City. It definitely takes a while to get used to the format of the show; interview-style (similar to The Office). But as the episodes go on, you definitely get to see more moments / interactions of the charcters.

The writers portrayed modern dating & relationships in a very realistic way. I think it was smart to have three different couples to be able to highlight the different types of romances that exist.

Lee Eun-o's character was very realistic as well, I love how the writers weren't afraid to highlight her flaws. She's a very self-aware character who is actually very brave. I really like how they showed her development as a character from losing herself after a failed relationship to trying to rebuild herself through Yoon Seona and then working on herself after returning as Lee Eun-o. She definitely did mess with Jae-won's heart a bit but it's because she had her own insecurities so as a viewer who could see her recognizing those flaws - made it ok to watch.

Park Jae-won's character is very cute, he's a really loving character who gives his all in a relationship. I like how they show many moments of him breaking down and getting angry at Eun-o and even lashing out at her - because it's so realistic. He had many reasons to be mad at Eun-o when she didn't tell him the truth about Yoon Seona and everything else. I personally think Ji Chang Wook's acting in this drama was so fun to watch - he made Jae-won's character very real and human-like.

Kyungjoon and Rini's relationship is so sweet! They've known each other for so long and even dated for a long period of time. The fights that they had as a long-term couple were necessary. A bit bummed that they separated at the end of the show, but once again it's because their characters have very different values.

Kang Geon and Sunyoung's "on and off" relationship as lover/friends/exes was refreshing to watch too. I love how blunt Sunyoung is. Them trying to stay in contact / see each other even after breaking up is realistic too. It's obvious to viewers that they still love each other but know that staying together won't be the best idea.

One of my favorite parts of this drama was the friendships that the characters had. You wouldn't think that they all know each other when you watch the first episode but it later shows how they are all intertwined in the same social circle. Rini, Euno, and Kang Geon's friendship is so cute - you can tell they are true best friends.

Overall, this drama is a breath of fresh air - it's not a typical Korean drama. If anyone has had dating experience, watching this will incite many emotions! I cried and laughed while watching this drama so many times. The conversations that the characters have with each other just felt so raw and real. It reminded me a lot of my own relationships when watching it. The cinematography is also top-notch especially when they filmed the beach scenes at Yangyang. And can we talk about the environment of the characters too. Jaewon's houses is architecture goals - fitting for his character's career. Euno and Kang Geon's house is the cozy hangout spot for all of them. Everything was filmed beautifully, even all the individual interview moments. The OST is so good too, I just wish it was on Spotify lol.

Ultimately, keep an open mind while watching this drama. Do not expect typical k-drama tropes / character types because they don't exist. The characters portrayed in this show are actually REALISTIC and if you can look past any expectations you have for korean dramas, you will enjoy this show!

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Disappointed

This could have easily been one of my favorite dramas, but the ending really ruined it for me.

Now don't get me wrong, I love SHINee like I'm a shawol, but Minho's role felt forced and his part really took up too much of the ending that could have been used to wrap up all the other character's stories. So instead we got a throwaway episode for Minho's frankly boring character and no closure for the rest of the main cast. I was really disappointed. I was really hoping to see Eun-oh and Jae-won at least talk about their relationship, and for Kyeong-jun and Rin-i to resolve their problems.

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FL aggravated me beyond words, but I adored Ji Chang Wook

It started out *really* strong and I loved the concept. It was especially fun whenever the actors broke the 4th wall to speak to the camera crew/production "filming" them. I became really frustrated with the FL after a while. She did too little too late in her attempt to avoid her past and circumvent taking any responsibility for the pain she needlessly inflicted on Jae-won. It was really upsetting, especially after the (beautifully acted, btw. ..Oh my heart, Ji Chang Wook!!!) bar scene when she did literally nothing to ease his pain during his confession or after fully knowing he was "dying a little inside" every day from the pain she caused. It got to a point that I was frustrated he kept forgiving her and chasing her. She needed to put the effort in and earn HIM. Not the other way around. Still, I enjoyed the series.

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Trop bien

Dés le premier épisode on comprend que la narration est originale , j'ai bien vu que certaines personnes n'ont pas aimé mais franchement il faut persister au moins un épisode ou deux de plus pour comprendre que ça ne perturbe pas l'histoire, bien au contraire j'ai trouvé certains passages vraiment drôles. L'aspect interview est en réalité peu présent , le format court des épisodes (environ 30 minutes) m'a plu , ça change et évite que ça trainent en longueurs.
C'est frais, drôle et surtout plus réaliste que d'autres dramas, ce n'est pas surjoué, certains sujets sont abordés avec franchise mais sans dépasser les limites.
Cette histoire vaut vraiment le coup d'être vue au moins une fois...allez juste une fois!!Lancez vous !!

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Potential

My 5.5 is not to say that I didn't enjoy this — it was a light-hearted watch and the aesthetics of it are so beautiful. I was even okay with the weird documentary format that worked in some places but didn't work in others because somehow they got "footage" from before and in weird, personal places, and somehow they were indirectly talking to each other as interviews bounced back and forth.

The part that turned me off the most was the plot and character development, which needs a lot of work. It was like they had 4 pairs of characters but only thought about 1 of them, and even the story for that main pairing was dragged out and very thin. I was more invested in all of the other ships and they either didn't get a storyline across multiple episodes or just didn't play a role in the story at all.

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SO SO different.

Lovestruck in the city breaks SO many stereotypes I think it well and truly creates a record of some kind. Right from the kind of non-linear storytelling, to breaking the fourth wall, to the candid nature of discussions held and topics spoken about, to the honest truth about relationships (not the same fluff we're used to seeing on screen), to the camping and surfing and unique interests and personalities of characters. This show is a breath of fresh air.

Not saying that the show is perfect. But the pitfalls are made up for by the relationship that Park Jaewon and Yoon Seonha have in two months and it's the most relatable, wholesome, adorable, natural, quirky, real thing I have seen in any KDrama. Wook and Won are seriously #kdramacouplegoals.

PS: Choi Minho in a guest role was the icing on the cake for this Shawol!

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Had potential but it failed.

Good things first :
Ji Chan Wook. This man can act. I think that's what kept me going with this drama.
The "documentary" format they tried to follow was interesting, it didn't affect the story thou. Could've been better.
The three couples storyline was fun because they were different and "realistic" .

Ok. Now the review. I never write reviews but honestly I just finished the drama and I have a lot to say.
I understand what they tried to do. Yes, it's not the typical series, the time jumps keep you with your eyes open, there's a good chemistry between the leads and JCW's extremely awesome histrionic abilities. But there's no more.
It had all the potential to become an amazing romcom but it failed. The leads' story started to go in circles and then suddenly they were just together. They built all this tension and angst for a two minute conversation at the end.
The Rin-in and Kyeong-jun couple was cute and it seemed like it would develop with an interesting plot but WHY they did them dirty at the end. Srsly???!!
And the other two characters were SO interesting but SO wasted.
Plus WTF was that final episode? I mean, I love Cho Minho but what about the other characters?
I don't know. There's a lot of things in this drama that were just meh.
If you wanna watch it, do it. It's not for everyone but it's entertaining.


Note:
- I hated the female lead so much, I'm sorry.
-I appreciate the 30 min. Episodes

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It’ll leave you a hot mess...

First of all, I’d say that JCW and KJW gave an amazing performance.
Yes, JCW chem with PMY and JKW chem with PSJ are unchallengeable but this, THIS, 😭
I’ve finished this like 2 months ago, but only recently decided to write a review because I really can’t forget the feels this drama gave me.
I’d really say MDL rate doesn’t give it justice, but ofc, it wouldn’t be an underrated drama otherwise.

The storyline gives you so many relatable plots and makes you wish you can actually do what the characters does in the drama. But this is coming from a city girl, so I don’t think it’s going to apply for everyone. BUT. JCW’s performance specially as a clingy I-can’t-forget-her guy really makes you have someone like him too. Personally JCW always gives you that hot-passionate boyfriend feels no matter if he’s a bodyguard, a producer or a *cough* healer *cough* but this time, THIS TIME, he reached a new level. 😭😭😭
And yes, at this point, I don’t have much to say about KJW only that her character is a total wreck and may or may not reflect the norm city girl problems (I’m saying her character is a wreck, not her)

Let’s just say this drama has been on my number 1 recom list for a while now, specially if anyone is looking for a passionate romance, yes this is the one,

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