Melancolia (2021)

"A beautiful solution to the student-teacher Love equation!"

At first I actually thought of giving it a title "A Beautiful Poem" but, since this drama circles around the mathematics.... simply A 'solution' would be much better that's how I've come to name it...( There is no reason to do it so....gave just bcoz I liked it)

Sometimes I have expectations from the character that I want it to be someone who'd stand out...At times character becomes so good and cool that I have no other ways to escape but to like it...that is exactly what has happened here!
I ofc like Lee do hyun and been loving his acting for a while so I wasn't disappointed in any of such things from him and rest of the casts as well.
They did an excellent job expressing the characters through their acting skills.
If you look at the bright side, this is an excellent drama. It is like a new dish for me.


This drama is going to get many personal opinions and all but I'll keep it simple and treat it not more than just a drama...since it touches very sensitive subject of the society, they had to do well in that case and I can't seem to get a hold of that situation ( probably i didn't care at all...O.o)


Let's get to the point😂
What I like about it???

Principal, Noh Jung ah? Hmmm......
She was actually one of the key character and she did uhmmm okay job I won't say good....and I still don't understand why they had to make her act like that....I mean she looked like mentally ill...Though she became one later...


This is a beautifully written adventurous poem/solution to me. In terms of support I would definitely want such teachers...I could understand his father ( most of the Indian fathers having childrens who are good at maths are like him) he ofc wouldn't want his son to go through the same things as he had to. That is why he was like OOO. But his actions are not justified towards his own blood.

Story: it was okay, they didn't have to make it so lengthy. Romance part is a bit slow considering the circumstances around both outside and inside the drama...I liked that they didn't show very affectionate scenes and so... Balanced to me considering the subject and facts....( Btw I shipped seung yoo and ye rin in 2nd half )

cinematography?? At times I felt like "Extraordinary you" so it was great to soothe your eyes...I can't tell about ost since most people tend to have different taste.... though I liked it, I thought this would have mathematical vibe( doesn't make sense, right?😂) Anyway I loved it...

I would recommend you this when you crave for the actors' acting and visuals.. Please don't watch it when you don't feel to cause you would ruin both your mood and the rating.....This drama has a beautiful approch...learn to appreciate things. you will like it....of course you also have the right to dislike it if you get the reason to do so

And so proud that he is referred as "Srinivas Ramanujan" in this drama.
Thanks for giving your time reading this....and please forgive me if I've offended you in any other ways...
. happy watching!!! .

Leia Mais

Un drama tout en justesse

Voilà une de mes jolies dernières découvertes ! Ayant fait parler de lui du fait d'une soi-disant romance entre un professeur et un élève, qui lui a amené pas mal de critiques négatives, j'étais curieuse, et je n'ai pas regretté.
J'ai trouvé ce drama très agréable, et joué tout en justesse, en plus dans le monde scolaire mais des maths en particulier : Je les ai presque aimé à nouveau ^^
On y découvre le monde terrible des "élites" qui sous prétexte d'avoir des postes haut placés, veulent que leurs enfants suivent le même chemin. S'en suis des pots de vins, des manigances de toutes sortes, et nos deux personnages principaux qui tentent de rétablir la vérité. C'est vraiment l'histoire centrale de ce drama et porté tout le long par tout les personnages, principaux et secondaires.
Surtout ce drama durant les 16 épisodes passe sur 8 ans de vie des personnages, et ont voit les blessures et les impacts terribles laissés en chacun. Mais aussi que malgré tout, toute vérité finit toujours par se savoir même si c'est à coup de trahisons.
Le couple principal joue tout en retenu avec de jolis moments d'émotions, et malgré toutes les critiques, la romance n'est en fait qu'un fil rouge, porteur mais jamais exprimée qui fait que ce drama ne mérite pas certaines critiques négatives qu'on a pu lui attribuer en lien avec ça. Je respecte tout à fait la pudeur et la retenue des dramas coréens, et celui-là est totalement en accord avec ça.
Lee Do Hyun est très fort dans le travail d'acteur qui passe du lycéen de 18 ans à l'adulte de 22 puis 26 ans. Très bien joué.
Jin Kyung dans le rôle de la Principale est magnifique, c'est pour moi le personnage le mieux porté de ce drama : Elle est dérangeante, machiavélique et vrille complètement sur la fin de manière magistrale. J'ai adoré.
Une jolie OST tout en douceur.
Enfin voilà, un drama tout en subtilités, mais qui n'hésite pas à montrer aussi ce que les "grands" de ce monde n'hésites pas à faire.
Pour moi, un drama à découvrir.

Leia Mais

A history of overcoming and corruption in private schools

The series tells the story of Ji Yoon-soo, a math teacher at the prestigious private Ahseong High School, known for being a hotbed of corruption. Yoon-soo is passionate about math and encourages her students to find their own answers. It is at school that she meets Baek Seung-yoo, a student who is at the bottom of the class. Seung-yoo has no friends and carries a mysterious past. As a child, he won several math Olympiads, and at age 10, he entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States. However, he suddenly disappeared at the age of 12.
Even without many words, Seung-yoo likes to take pictures with his camera and Yoon-soo realizes its potential. With your attention, Seung-yoo's grades improve and he becomes the best student in his class. However, Yoon-soo's attention towards Seung-yoo creates rumors of a teacher-student sex scandal, resulting in her being fired.
Four years later, Yoon-soo and Seung-yoo are reunited as adults and team up to expose the corruptions present at Ahseong High School and restore Yoon-soo's reputation as a teacher.
From here there are spoilers...

So if you don't want to know more do not read!

Your last chance huh!

Ji Yoon-soo and Baek Seung-yoo meet for the first time on a train and mistakenly end up switching their belongings. To correct the mistake, they must meet and exchange their objects back. They agree to meet close to their homes to make the return. Ji Yoon-soo becomes fascinated by Baek Seung-yoo after seeing the unique photos he took. Although they may seem strange to the eyes of many, to a mathematician, they are incredible. After posing a difficult math problem that no student has been able to solve, Ji Yoon-soo discovers that someone has solved it and decides to look for the person responsible. However, due to a trauma he suffered during his time at MIT, Baek Seung-yoo doesn't want to pursue a career in mathematics and simply wants to be an ordinary student. However, when he is faced with a mathematical problem, he cannot resist the temptation to solve it.
After meeting Yoon-soo's father, a famous mathematician who went crazy trying to solve a problem, he became obsessed. Fortunately, this ended up saving his life. When he found an MIT professor, he got desperate and almost dropped out of the Olympics. However, when he finally found the solution to the problem, he killed it. Their passion for Mathematics brought them even closer, and he ended up falling in love with her.
When she discovers that the school is one of those where those who have money have power and think they can buy everything and everyone, she decides to confront Noh Jung-a (Jin Kyung), headmistress and owner of Ahsung. And then she got hurt.
The protagonist confronts the director of a school where power and money seem to buy everything, but ends up getting hurt.
The woman is a bitch, she has them all in the palm of her hand and plays with them as if they were puppets. He has cards up his sleeve and uses them according to his interests. Including Sung Ye-rin (Woo Da-vi), who is not a very good student but always gets test results to maintain her status at school.

After a study trip, they are spotted at the airport by Ye-rin. She throws the mother off so she doesn't see them (and I was thinking she was nice). But no, the little seed of evil (because the family is the root of all her problems) had an ace up her sleeve and used it against them, after being rejected by him.
On the day of Yoon-soo's wedding to her fiance, Ryo Sung-jae (Choi Dae-hoon), the image was exposed to everyone, without mercy. It was planned by Jung-a to destroy their marriage and harm Yoon-soo, causing her to lose her job and face charges of child harassment. However, on the other hand, Yoon-soo didn't love Sung-jae enough to marry him and got rid of the difficult mother-in-law.
After four years, the school has remained almost unchanged, except for the fact that Seung-yoo has turned down all job offers to prove Yoon-su's innocence regarding the charges against her.
No Jung-a will pay for all her sins with her daughter, Kim Ji-na. She steals a watch and gym project from the daughter of a woman named No Jung-a, Kim Ji-na, but Seung-yoo manages to prove that Ji-na copied Choi Si-an's work. Yoon-su and Seung-yoo are reunited and he wants to get close to her, even if she doesn't want to.
Oh, and poor Ryu Dae-hoon still has feelings for Yoon-su. Despite this, she had to move on and now she is dating Noh Yeon-woo, Jung-a's sister. He was also a victim of the snake, which only thinks of itself, and together they can make heads roll, as there is a dispute between the sisters, one owner of Ahsung Middle School and the other of Ahsung High School. And to make matters worse for Jung-a, she is an out-of-wedlock child.
Seung-yoo, determined to prove Ji Yoon-su's innocence in the episode four years ago, approaches Ye-rin and she confesses that she only sent the photo to Jung-a.
The school undergoes an audit after it is revealed that wealthy students from prominent parents were privileged in the admissions process. And the stones of the school begin to crumble. The first to fall was the corrupt teacher Han Myung-jin, who left in a rage. But he is not quiet.

Then it was her secretary who was treated like a dog. He had all the evidence against her tucked away.
Meanwhile, Yoon-su works as a tutor at a math academy, but keeps her identity a secret. But when Jung-a, the wicked snake, gets her daughter to be instructed by her, her identity is in danger of being revealed. And almost she is not discovered, but the cute Seung-yoo grabs her from behind and manages to avoid the worst.
But she can't handle the pressure, has an anxiety attack and ends up in the hospital.
Seung-yoo doesn't give up on wanting to reawaken Ji Yoon-su's love for mathematics and life, he confronts her and she collapses... on him!!! I thought there was going to be a crack there, but it wasn't this time.
Jung-a found out that Seung Yoo and Yoon-su got back together and is now sure they are behind their downfall. The woman totally freaked out and I thought it was very well done, but it won't be cheap.
But, after being humiliated by Yoon-su, Ye-rin (who I hoped had regretted it) records Seung-yoo saying he loves Yoon-su, hands it to Jung-a, who hands it to a reporter. And when Seung-yoo was entering the police station to report Jung-ah, the reporter plays the audio for everyone to hear.
It took a lot of cocoa for her, anyway, did you realize that you like Seung-yoo? She was going to do anything to protect him, but now the circus is going to catch fire, because with nothing left to lose, the two team up, with blood in their eyes, to finish her off.
But the woman has a pact with the capiroto, because no one can overthrow her. She gets the position she wanted so much, even with Professor Han testifying and the vice principal handing over the exams to Yoon-soo.
And her daughter acting up once again... It made Si-an end up in the hospital in a serious condition. But I'm sure that teacher couldn't take it anymore and told Seung-yoo that she saw Ji-na in the art room.
And I, who was rooting for Ye-rin to transform from the beginning, finally see her coming to reality and helping to prove that Yoon-soo was innocent and that the school favored upper class students.

Everyone who was humiliated by Principal Yeon-woo turned against her and helped expose the school's shenanigans, which ended up losing the title of math school.
I thought Choi Si-an was so cute with Seung-yoo and Yoon-soo at the orphanage party.
It was sad to see Yoon-soo's father go, but before that it was beautiful to see them taking the picture as a family
I just didn't understand why the director was in a wheelchair… She wasn't arrested? Did you go to an asylum?
The ending was satisfying and very rewarding. Although there may be a lot of prejudice due to the age factor, but I believe that if we look carefully, their passion was for the subject and it knew how to position itself as
Melancholia was a drama that I liked.

Leia Mais

It took me five whole months to finish this drama but it wasn't that bad as it might seem from the time I spent watching it. It's a slowburn drama, definitely not fit for binge-watching although I realize now that I was taking too much time with it. 😅

The green aesthetics of this drama were on point, the green colour suited the mood truly well. I want to praise the costume designers for a great job with choosing the clothes, especially for Ji Yun Su and the director Noh Jeong Ah.

The OST was sooo good. I really liked it, most of the songs had English lyrics and the soundtrack was slow and soothing too.

Out of the characters my favourite was the teacher Ji Yun Su, she was an amazing teacher and definitely didn't deserve all the stuff that happened to her, especially when she was just trying to help a student find his hidden mathematical talents again.

I was a bit disappointed that the second part of the drama was focusing so much on the politics, the Math museum, and the scandal with the exams. I would love to see more of the relationships of the characters instead. But the scene at the end was really heartwarming and wholesome. 💕

My final rating for Melancholia is 8.5/10.

Leia Mais

A beautiful start that fails to deliver.

It’s always interesting for someone who comes from a notionally egalitarian society (no society actually IS egalitarian!) to watch how hierarchy (an overt aspect of Korean society) is undermined in stories such as this one, whilst also being lauded by the very existence of so many chaebol dramas.

The opening of the drama asks the question, can a gifted student from a lower class background trump a hardworking, corruptly privileged student from a high class background, who was born to lead and must therefore learn how to do so and shine as a leading light in the process. The mention of Eton School is not accidental. Meritocracy versus aristocracy. Both systems have their pluses and minuses, but this drama’s sympathies are firmly in the meritocracy camp.

The drama addresses the underlying attitudes that govern education and thereby society. It is reflected in the perception of mathematics as either a humanity at the service of people’s dreams and creative aspirations (aligned with the meritocracy) or as a science, a descriptor of the world that can carry technology forward and be at the service of those that need to preserve power, sustain order and create wealth (aligned with the aristocracy).

These two approaches mirror the attitudes found in the characters. The two leads consider the experience of living a fulfilling and unscripted emotional life—which may be challenging—is more important than achieving goals and upholding societal structures, as it can open doors onto new worlds and ways forward. Whereas, for the characters at the school, education is there to maintain the status quo and prepare children for the life already set out for them by moulding their attitudes and controlling their emotions. Does the world serve a human being, or does a human being serve the world?

Rigid structures provide boundaries for behaviour and many of the characters have clear plans and justifications for their actions. We may or may not agree with their reasons, but they are clear and logical. Whereas the boundaries for behaviour when governed by the murky world of freedom of emotion, are blurred. And the relationship between the two leads lives in a place of ambiguity, where professional boundaries and personal boundaries are often confused and misinterpreted, providing the viewer with plenty to reflect on.

I loved the first 6 Episodes of this show which were set in 2017. They explored ways of viewing the world, both conceptually and politically, and were filled with subtle interactions between the characters. But after the time jump to the present day these things were, in the main, sacrificed for a somewhat predictable and plodding plot. Revenge, justice and retribution took centre stage and the elements that made the drama distinctive and individual were swallowed up in a story with far too many characters complicating the direction of the narrative.

Needless to say, I found it most convincing when the drama emphasised the cost to the characters rather than the machinations of the plot. If it had focused on fewer characters and tried to say less it would have been far more effective.

There was still plenty to praise in some of the performances.

ISJ brought a sweetness and vulnerability to the character of Yoon Soo which was really appealing. And later managed to convey a strength of character with very little fuss, which I found convincing. I was struck by how she inhabited this character, rather than wore it like a coat, which was my impression of her in Search WWW. I did have my doubts about whether she could express emotion well and this drama has dispelled that. However, by the end I was wondering if she might fly in with angel's wings and a halo.

LDH was convincing as a young Seung Yoo. He managed to show the change between the adolescent and adult very clearly, but as an adult failed to impress me as much. I was not quite sure how he had arrived at his new persona.

Wu Da Vi as Sung Ye Rin, the victim of the system, had a beautifully written part that she played well, and I found her story one of the most interesting. Another performance to note was Choi Day Hoon, who gave a sensitive rendering of the financé.

In stark contrast, Jin kyung’s performance as Noh Jung Ah sprang from a world of mega-melodrama, an unnecessary hurricane leaving only devastation in its wake. Some of the responsibility for it must lie with the writer and director who can only have egged her on.

It was difficult for me to rate this drama, as I really loved the beginning but felt lukewarm about the rest of it, so I have compromised with a 7.5.

What my rating means: 7+ A watchable drama, but nothing exceptional. Good enough to qualify for the race, but finished with the pack. The sort of thing that promises more than it delivers.

Leia Mais

The entire story in a nutshell -->

A genius mathematician high school student is suffering from psychological trauma after the passing of his roommate. Not knowing that he is suffering his parents keep pressuring him to study harder. At this point, he meets a teacher, who recognizes both his talent and his pain and gently guides him to overcome his trauma and helps him find a newfound love for maths. Unbeknown to the teacher, the kid starts to slowly fall in love with his teacher. But good times don't last long when both teacher and student get dragged into a power struggle with the Schools's top student, her father, and the High school principal. The young maths teacher, on discovering all the underhand schemes behind the glorious Math Olympic Programme organized by the school, fervently fought for justice on behalf of the genius kid. She won but she also lost. Because in retaliation the evil high school principal destroyed her marriage and her life.


3 years later they meet again, the genius kid is now a famous mathematician. Both of them looked like they moved on from the past injustice done to them. But only they themselves knew, how long they've been waiting to get their revenge and to prove their innocence. Once again the teacher-student duo forms a team to reveal all the corruption behind the High School administration. In the process, the teacher also falls in love with the now grown and mature ex-student. Finally, they succeeded and got the justice they deserved, and proved their innocence.

The first 5- 6 episodes were rather slow, but the story picked up after the 3-year gap. The maths parts were hard to understand and you can only stare with your mouth open when they start talking about theorems.

Leia Mais

Seriously....

It's a good thing I ignored the Overall MDL rating of 7.7 for this drama as I typically rollover dramas rated less than 8.0. If it features an actor I particularly like, I'll swing down to 7.9, maybe 7.8.

Just finished binge watching this drama (as in zero sleep last night) and I'm so emotional now. I have a new addition to my Top 15 List.

Anyone who downgraded this drama soley based on reading the synopsis and/or didn't watch past the first or second episode did a disservice to the drama and denied yourself of an excellent production with a very fitting OST.

Love, revenge, redemption, personal growth, the sexiness of mathematics (and this is coming from a person who was incredibly awful at the various math disciplines), the main leads, the fabulous secondary characters.... this drama had it in spades!

Personally, I would have loved to see a really good lip-lock at least once but that would not have been in keeping with the tone of the drama.

I could go on waxing poetic over this drama but suffice it to say, Lee Do Hyun is now on my drama-watching radar screen. He has a darn impress filmography for his age and experience.

If I could up-star this drama more than once, I would do it until it was in the 9s.

So, quit reading comments and go watch it.

•○•

I've given an inordinate amount of thought to this drama, the overall MDL rating, and comments from people about the student/teacher relationship.

So I'm coming back to add.... the synopsis/description of this drama does it no favors either. Those triggered by the word "sexual, student/teacher", would automatically blast past and not give it a chance.

Maybe if the wording would have been... "Student infatuated with brilliant math teacher...." the drama would be given a more fighting chance at being viewed.

Think back to when you were in school. Were you lucky enough to have a good-looking teacher? Did your thoughts stray from purely academic thoughts? If you did, no throwing stones by you!

If "sexual attraction" can be a purely mental construct, then yeah, this drama has it. But in the beginning, it's more like infatuation... on a brainiac level. There is ZERO skinship in this drama. Even the only "kiss" (a henpeck) ... at the very, very end of the drama, is filmed from a distance ... it almost doesn't count.

By my calculations, the ML character was in his early 30s when this first "contact" happened. He sequestered himself for at least six years writing his various theses and proofs, after attending university. So yeah, not an underage teenager being taken advantage of by a person of authority and older.

On the teacher's part .... who wouldn't be thrilled beyond belief and "be in love" with the possibility of mentoring the next Ramanujan.

[If you don't know who Ramanujan is, use the computer you're holding to read up on him. He contributed to the creation of this marvel of technology you are holding or that is sitting on your desk.]

Leia Mais

A slow melodrama... not romance

It may seem like a teacher-student scandal relationship based romance drama, but it’s really not. In fact there is hardly any romance until the last 2mins of the final episode ;) So that was a let down for me.

The main storyline focused on the corruption and ugliness of the high society parents and ministers/ CEOs etc... and what lengths they would go to to get ahead and receive preferential treatment. Even pay to get answer sheets for their kids.

I would say the first 6 episodes is SLOW... really slow. A lot of Math talk and build up of character. I did skip and FF quite a bit. The good thing was that I watched this simultaneously with Happiness (so that was a good contrast haha). I put this one on hold and finished up Happiness first. Episodes 7-14 got really really interesting. The last two were ... just getting annoying. Like time to end this drama.

[SPOILER: I don’t think the villains would have been caught if they had not been betrayed by the ppl closest to them. If they kept their mouths shut, they would have been able to get away with it... again and again. END]

I’m a fan of LDH... and his acting didn’t disappoint. Im Soo Jung was dull... similar to her acting in Search WWW. Lacking contrast and any sort of highlight. Her acting in The whole drama was just one monotonous rhythm. Music also was dull... I would classify this drama as a melodrama. The principal was overly dramatic lol.

I would suggest you watch this together with something else, so you won’t get bored easily ;)

Leia Mais

The Tragedy of the Gifted Child ft. Corruption Makjang

Seung Yoo's tale was relatable for me in some ways. The drama portrayed the tragedy of the gifted child beautifully. I may not be quite the genius Sung Yoo is, but I was labeled a "gifted child" and even went to a private school for gifted children. Being a gifted child is not always a positive. For some it's adults pushing you too far, when you just want to have a normal childhood. For others it's the world telling you, you need to do something extraordinary and not waste your talent, when in fact you might just want a simple job and live a normal life. For some it's a thin line between genius and madness and it not being worth to immerse yourself in your genius until you figure out how to do so safely. All of these points were beautifully shown in Melancholia.

I was completely submerged in this drama's world for two days. I could not stop watching and was glued to my screen. The OST, cinematography, set design and color grading are gorgeous and the mathematical formulas and geometric shapes added to show how Seung Yoo sees the world were a really nice touch. I just wish they had continued with that because it's not like he looks at the world differently after four years. Quite the opposite: he is fully into math again, so it would've made sense to keep showing that in a creative way.

As someone who was bothered by the age difference in Goblin, it didn't bother me here. And that is not because the genders were swapped but because of the reason for the characters' attraction to each other. Seung Yoo and Yoon Soo are drawn to each other because they see the world the same way. For Yoon Soo that is a completely platonic fascination at first. They are simply both happy to have found another human who shares their unique worldview. Seung Yoo, being an immature teenager developed a crush from that feeling, probably not knowing how else to interpret it. Yoon Soo always draws a line and rejects him. Only years into the future, do her feelings change. And yes, the latter can also be said about Goblin, but just the general vibe of their relationship and the reason they were drawn to each other was different. (The way the fl in Goblin acted like a 5-year old was just super icky, okay.) The math metaphors were really nice, especially when they used them to clumsily express their feelings to other characters.

The cast did a great job. Lee Do Hyun's acting is always a pleasure to watch and Im Soo Jung was the perfect fit for her role. The whole ensemble of side characters was amazing but I especially enjoyed Woo Da Bi's performance.

I think everyone who watched this is a bit baffled by how different episodes 7-16 are from the first six episodes. The first six episodes were slower, mostly focusing on Seung Yoo and Yoon Soo and felt very tender - with lots of long shots, beautiful pictures, math metaphors etc. After the time-jump it turned into a tense tale of corruption with a hint of Makjang. While I was completely obsessed with it nonetheless, the change bothered me a bit at first. Just because it didn't feel very cohesive. But on second thought, it actually makes sense. In the first few episodes the world was mostly ok. Sure, there was already corruption and cheating, but the characters' lives were still fine.
Seung Yoo was a teenager, still not knowing much about the workings of the corrupt upper class and we see the world mostly through his eyes. We see him falling in love - with math and with Yoon Soo - and we see him heal from his trauma. The allegations changed everybody's lives, though. And for the rest of the drama we watch them deal with the aftermath. And boy, is it a ride.
The way the unraveling of their lives and secrets is told through masterful editing is incredibly thrilling. The tension is constantly rising, the editors keeping the viewers on their toes and the cliffhangers always made me immediately click on "next episode".

There's really just two small things that bothered me:
- He was already a genius before he met Yoon Soo. He was literally at MIT at 10 years old. It kind of bothered me, that he always said he wasn't that smart, it was only because of Yoon Soo. Yes, she made him fall in love with math again after his traumatic past, but she didn't really teach him much about math, let's be honest. His genius was already there.
- Dear writers everywhere in the world: No German man under the age of like 77 would ever be called Adolf. Please take note. Now, this character called Adolf Müller might be 85, they never said how old he is. But if you have to name ONE German character, you should not call him Adolf.

But anyway, Melancholia is both beautiful and thrilling. I loved it!

Leia Mais

A beautiful mathematical perspective of life and love

The main reason I'm writing this review is bcoz of tge too much negative criticism and objections I'm seeing towards it. So I just hope my review will be helpful make the ppl who haven't given the drama a chance, give one.

Storyline/concept :
I'm someone who loves science but hate maths bcoz of childhood phobia. But still I loved how much meaningfully they created the storyline, incorporating it with beautiful mathematical concepts. It nade me even google about them to know more. The storyline mainly focused on how a comprised education system and taking shortcuts could ultimately ruin the future of the student. The storyline was smooth yet engaging where the lead characters tried to expose the corrupt school education system. Never did I feel bored while watching a single episode of the drama and infact felt how did they make such a beautiful story with a blend of love, maths, and life.

Acting :

Lee Do-Hyun, this guy deserves a separate award for picking scripts and characters which has lot of scope. This is his 4th drama I have been watching, just like the the other three, his acting was so good that I felt this character Baek Seung Yoo made for him.

Im Soo Jung, her acting is as beautiful and emotional as how much her looks convey to me everyime I see her. I loved her in Chicago typewriter, and this one Ji Yoon-soo gave it her best.

Jin Kyung as Noh Jung-Ah, is just wow with her exceptional acting especially in the ending eps. I bave been a fan of her since I saw her in as head nurse in Dr. Romantic, now this one is totally different and she just nailed it.

The supporting actors especially the kids did a great job.

Characters :
Baek Seung-yoo, love like Baek Seung-yoo no matter what you love. I think words will never be enough with how much impressed I was towards his character. He was calm and composed, and wasnt reckless, he did start loving his teacher Ji Yoon-soo, even when he was unsure, I dont feel thats wrong bcoz he never behaved as someone who has been infatuated, I just felt it was pure love and admiration towards her who help in rekindling his love and interest towards Maths. I just felt he loved both her and maths in same way.

Ji Yoon-soo , my heart broke her, when she was framed in an illicit relationship with Baek Seung-yoo, whereas all I have seen was an enthusiastic teacher who only cared about bringing the best of her student who loved Maths and is talented. I also admired how despite being cornered, and accused she stood for herself. I also loved how with growing years, she too started loving him back.

Relationship between leads ;
Now here is a big question? Student-teacher - Relationship, a big no no for me. For real basically there was no mutual relationship between two when he was a student and underaged. He started loving her unknowingly, but thats human heart, and it isnt crime and never was he reckeless or it seemed like how ppl are actually defaming it. All I see was love between two humans , which has grown up with years , turned into more matured, withstanding the ordeals, the judging society , standing high and chasing their own set of individual dreams. I just feel ppl are just pushing away the beauty and emotional quotient shown in the relationship just bcoz it involved a student and teacher.

OST :
I wouldn't say the OSTs are great but they are soothing and the OST 'Darling' is something I'm in love with.

Overall review :
A good engaging watch, which I thoroughly loved from first to last. It is much more than relationship between the leads relationship which wasnt shown in any absurd romantic way but instead shown beautifully underlying with a story and message that delivers meaningful drama overall.

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Stayed True to its Title

I came to watch the show with high expectations. And with high expectations come the disappointment. You see, I love the main actors. Lee Do Hyun is one of the fastest rising young actors and Im Soo Jung's two previous dramas were two of my highest rated shows here on MDL. The synopsis intrigued me.

First things first, I am not a fan of math. All the math talk passed by me like empty words. It didn't really matter since they ain't asking us to understand those math problems ourselves. One of the first scenes that even made my heart race was when the main leads were solving the problems overnight in the classroom. I felt that excitement even if I don't understand whatever they were solving. That scene was so tastefully done to show both of their love for that subject.

However, I may be one of the very few who wanted the romance. I am not appalled by the age gap because I am a fan of noona romances. Plus I liked both the main leads so I was hoping to see more of their chemistry. It's there but the show wasn't able to utilize it well. The show focused on uncovering the corruption of the school system but it kind of dragged. It wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be. The main villain played her character to perfection though. Props to the actress! However, I was not happy with the pity party they did to her during the finale. Like no, I will not feel sorry for you. Never.

If you are like me who went in to watch for an exciting revenge story with a dash of romance here and there, then this is not for you. The show stayed true to its title, melancholia, a state of deep sadness before the light on the end of the tunnel.

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