Fiel ao Amor (2023)

A Witty RomCom Roller Coaster

Welcome to the world of Bo Ra! Deborah, a drama that dives headfirst into the tumultuous stages of relationships. While it's not flawless, it captivates viewers with its refreshing dose of common sense.

The storyline is a stroke of genius, my friends. It skillfully unravels the personal growth journeys of not just one, but almost all the characters in this wild ride.

Let's start with the enigmatic Bo Ra. Initially, she tried desperately to fit the mold of her ex's preferences, turning herself into a lifeless Barbie doll. It was infuriating to watch, but also strangely relatable. The breakup wrecked her, no doubt, but it also paved the way for her transformation into the best version of herself. Sure, her post-breakup actions were cringe-worthy, but who hasn't gone a little bonkers in matters of the heart?

Then we have the dynamic duo of Bo Ra and Soo Hyuk. They became each other's pillars of support, witnessing each other's lowest moments and forging an unbreakable bond. Bo Ra didn't force Soo Hyuk to be someone he's not; instead, she helped him conquer his communication challenges by meeting him halfway. And when Soo Hyuk uttered those magical words, "Nothing can make me stop liking you," it was like the missing puzzle piece for both of them.

However, there's a slight hitch. While we see Bo Ra and Soo Hyuk grow and triumph over their pasts, we yearn for a glimpse of their lives beyond the bubble. What do they enjoy doing together? How do they navigate the complexities of a real relationship? Those little details would've added a powerful punch to their storyline. Nevertheless, they still gift us an impactful tale.

Now, let's delve into the other couples. Sang Jin's story starts strong with a heartfelt portrayal of divorce and failed communication. However, his new love interest is a hot mess. Their lack of chemistry and puzzling storyline progression leave us scratching our heads. Did he succumb to her charms simply because she fulfilled his desires? We're left perplexed.

On to Yu Jung and Jin Woo, the married couple who resemble more like roommates. Their resolution to dive into foreplay feels like a band-aid solution rather than a genuine fix. Jin Woo could use some lessons in showing appreciation, and meeting halfway on each other's interests wouldn't hurt either. Let's just say their ending didn't quite hit the mark.

Lastly, the young love of Bo Mi and Jin Ho disappoints. Their storyline had tremendous potential, but it crumbled under the weight of an accidental pregnancy. Bo Mi's independence takes a nosedive, and we barely know anything about Jin Ho beyond his love-struck persona. How will he support Bo Mi and their twins? We're left wondering.

Overall, Bo Ra! Deborah is a healing and growth-infused drama worth sinking your teeth into. The main leads' romance, while lacking screen time, still manages to captivate. It's not the best RomCom in existence, but hey, it gets the job done. Prepare for a roller coaster of clichés, cringe, and embarrassment, served with ample doses of comedy, sarcasm, and realism. The actors deserve applause for their stellar portrayals, making us love, hate, laugh, and cry right alongside them.

However, there are a few bumps along the way. The accidental pregnancy arc for the side couple? Totally unnecessary and ruins a perfect match. The main leads deserved more romance, as their annoying exes and side characters hogged too much screen time. And that uncomfortable relationship between Sang Jin and Uri? It made us squirm in our seats.

Leia Mais

Finding Love in unexpected places

I recently binged the hell out of this show, after craving something fun and light-hearted as I was recovering from a cold. I thought it would be a light fluffy romcom, but this show exceeded all my expectations. I’m writing this review because it hurts me personally to see so many negative reviews lol.

WARNING: Full Spoilers ahead.

Let us start with the Positives that exceed the negatives and have resulted in me giving the show such a high score (if it was only the couple I would give 10 stars):

1) The main leads: Both Bo Ra and Su Hyuk are realistically flawed and think that their ways of loving/ being in a relationship are the best. Hers is valuing how the relationship looks, ticking all the important milestone boxes (irrespective of her caring for them), and putting forth only her "best side". She, however, is someone who would do everything, no matter how much it hurts her pride if she loves the person. And would probably stay in a dying relationship where she isn't treated the best simply because she loves the other person so much.

Su Hyuk is more of a muted lover who believes actions take precedence over other love languages. He takes his gf and her love for granted, and will never inconvenience himself to say things he finds embarrassing or cringy even if his gf wants it. He almost thinks his gf is a mind reader and will know of his love even if he never says 'I love you'. His self-confidence in his opinions can sometimes make his gf doubt her own simply because he doesn't think them worthy. However, he believes in being honest and showing all sides of yourself in a relationship.

2) Realistic breakup: The time and the energy that takes to break up and move on, the indecisiveness, the awkwardness, the pathetic behaviour we engage in to get over it, the unhealthy and irresponsible life choices we make, the ugly emotional outbreaks, is very realistically shown. Bo Ra goes back and forth changing her mind, even trying to compromise on her fundamentals if she can be with the person she loves. Some might find that off-putting but I thought it was realistic because, in that heightened emotional state where you think you cannot function without that person, rationality is mostly out the window. The show manages to capture that vulnerability and sadness and add humour to it in a very tasteful way.

3) The romance that creeps up without warning: Our leads start as a working relationship; however, their connection and friendship evolve beyond that to the point where they essentially become each other's safe space. They are constantly interacting and talking and seeing every side of each other. Bo Ra finds she can be her true self (something which she avoided because of her lack of self-esteem) and Su Hyuk starts realising that as much as it is important to be in love, it is equally important to appropriately express such love. They appreciate each other, adore all their sides, and make reasonable compromises if needed. They are not afraid of speaking their minds and being honest. They become friends first and lovers later. They see all the ugly bits first and help each other grow.

4) Conflict and its resolution: Throughout the show, the leads constantly find their norm and views about things challenged. Bo Ra learns to love all of herself and be unashamed about wanting what she wants. Su Hyuk learns how his lack of action made him the 'bad guy'. He becomes more proactive in going for what he wants even if it is embarrassing or cringy to express it.
When Bo Ra realises Su Hyuk loves her, she does not compromise and settle for a vague undefined relationship. She declares her love for him even when she had initially promised herself to henceforth be the one who loves less (to hurt less in case of a breakup). She accepts that loving with her whole heart is who she is. In exchange, she wants a verbal confession and chooses on what terms she enters a romantic relationship.

Su Hyuk loves Bo Ra and wants the best for her and hence tries to take himself out of the picture (as much as he can lol) because, on paper, her ex-bf is what Bo Ra had wanted. His lack of confidence in this situation and his refusal to put himself forth to be cheesy and confess in words of his love becomes the couple's final conflict before they officially get together.
I liked that and thought it was fresh to see. Because in real life, people hesitate, people get embarrassed easily, they think their feelings are obvious (because to them they are). In real life, confessions of love aren't drama-like with passionate declarations of undying love. They are usually quieter and filled with small everyday actions of love. That is why we have so many memes going 'It's always hyd, and never *insert choice of romantic declaration*'.
Both small actions and grand declarations are important and this couple shows that.

5) The Humour: This show is super funny. If you easily experience second-hand embarrassment (as I do) I would suggest you go with a cautious mind, but Bo Ra was so realistically written and acted by the wonderful and talented Yoo In Na it was impossible to not root for, laugh at and with her. Yoon Hyun Min holds his own by being ever charismatic and charming as Su Hyuk and perfectly complementing Bo Ra's ridiculous side with his patient and understanding one. Some of the scenes were so hilarious I was rolling in laughter. E.g., peeing on the street, slow-motion walking, crying while sticking her head out of the bus window, headband as a neck brace, all her next morning recollections, the garbage breakup scene where Bo Ra and her ex were finally being honest, even the aegyo scenes at the very end were all laugh out loud and FUN to watch.



Things I did not like and made me deduct 1 point (wanted to deduct more, but that would be an injustice to the main couple):

1) The doomed marriage: The best friend (YJ) was in a "marriage" where her "husband" (Yang Jin Woo) was more of a roommate. His only positive was that he said he loved his wife (but even then, he did NOTHING to show that). I was expecting growth for this couple. The husband to grow the f up and pull his weight or YJ to open her eyes, realise her worth and divorce him. The show made a point of having YJ explain how the cringe "jokes" of husbands being trapped in marriages are disgusting, but it's never followed up. YJ is in a sexless, unromantic marriage that remains the same throughout the show. However, the worst part is that this relationship is somehow touted to be "love" and "marriage". This lack of growth frustrated me because it took screen time which could've been used to show more of our main couple.

2) The younger sister: Bo Mi is an entitled brat in the first 3 eps. I am a younger sister too and could NEVER dream of contacting my elder sister's ex bf who cheated on her to come console her. That was honestly a disgusting thing and a deep breach of trust. However, we see some growth in her in the next 2 eps and with her meeting her love interest (Yang Jin Ho), I was mildly interested. Alas, it's soon evident that these two are immature children pretending to be adults, Bo Mi especially. She has no sense of responsibility, lives (mooches) off Bo Ra, is rude, and blames Bo Ra for everything that goes wrong. Then the couple gets pregnant (while the guy is hiding/ camping in his employer Yang Jin Woo's basement because he doesn't have enough money to rent out a place) and it's okay because the couple love each other and apparently that is going to feed, clothe and shelter them and their baby. Again, frustrating to watch because it's silly and against EVERYTHING the show so far is trying to say.

3) The creepy age gap office romance: Uri (the f employee) is so immature it's ridiculous. She is probably 21-22, comes off as 17-20 and is in love with her boss (Sang Jin) who is in his 40s and is a divorcee. This is realistic as young women do have crushes on older men, and I was okay with the show having SJ rejecting her advances and Uri maturing from that. The vast experience and knowledge difference between them is palpable in their every interaction. It feels patronising at best, grooming at worst. However, they still end up together! The actors too have a 20-year age gap and they look like they could be father-daughter. Super unwatchable.

4) The ex-bf being brought back: Now I get why they did that, and I was totally on board with Bo Ra meeting him in ep 14 and him proposing to her. But the show lost me when we find that he is still cheating (not that I expected him to change), because the mistress shows up. Having the mistress arrive right after Bo Ra had rejected him, reduced the importance of it being Bo Ra's conviction that led to her finally saying a firm no and kicking him to the curb and instead made it seem that the situation was out of her hands because she HAD to reject him as he was still cheating.

Conclusion: Don't waste time reading my essay, instead use it to watch the show.

Leia Mais

Series that focuses on the evolution of couples and romantic relationships

Very nice short series (14 episodes) with Yoo In Na (FL) and Yoon Hyun Min (ML), both of whom I really like.

Plot: meeting between an editor and a radio host /dating consultant, around the purchase of a wedding ring (for their respective couples, which are going to ... break up). They will work together on a book, help each other, support each other in their breakups, and fall in love.

More than the main leads' romance (which only really works at the end), the story mainly deals with break-ups, evolution of couples, marital life, divorce (through the various annexed couples). It is told with intelligence, nuance and a bit of humor.
All the actors are excellent. We laugh with them, we cry, we want to slap the selfish ex, ...

Two characters, however, do not seem coherent to me: the ex of the ML who plays the victims while she was dating 2 men at the same time, and the very young employee in love at first sight with her boss who's 20 years older. This Puppy-love was really not essential here.

The production is dynamic, the neat framing and the OSTs are at the top <3 <3).
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Très jolie série courte (14 épisodes) avec Yoo In Na (FL) et Yoon Hyun Min (ML), que j'aime beaucoup tous les deux.

Plot : rencontre entre un éditeur et une animatrice de radio-conseillère en dating, autour de l'achat d'une bague de mariage (pour leurs couples respectifs, qui vont ... rompre). Ils vont travailler ensemble sur un livre, s'aider, se soutenir dans leurs ruptures, et tomber amoureux.

Plus que la romance du CL (qui ne se concrétise vraiment qu'à la fin, l'histoire aborde surtout la rupture, l'évolution des couples, la vie maritale, le divorce (au travers des différents couples annexes). Elle est racontée avec intelligence, finesse et un peu d'humour.

Tous les acteurs sont excellents. On rit avec eux, on pleure, on a envie de gifler l'ex égoïste,...
Deux personnages cependant ne me semblent pas cohérents : l'ex du ML qui joue les victimes alors qu'elle sortait avec 2 hommes en même temps, et la toute jeune employée amoureuse au 1e regard de son patron qui a 20 ans de plus qu'elle. La puppy-love n'était vraiment pas indispensable ici.

La réalisation est dynamique, le cadrage soigné et les OST sont au top <3 <3).

Leia Mais

Pretty good.

Once you get past the first episode things get going. What I liked about it: it's short on tropes. These aren't perfect characters that are the same from beginning to end, always show up at the right time, and always know the dashing and cool thing to say. They are flawed, hesitant, take one step forward then two steps back. They don't have it all figured out, even by the end. They're just trying to get through life, love and heartache like the rest of us.

Don't worry though, it's a still very much a kdrama, with the stuff we all love to see when we watch them.

Leia Mais

AAAAAAAAAAAAA

if bora and su hyeok wont end up together i'll never ever watch kdramas againnnnnn. (i hate ju-wan he doesnt deserve bora at all also hes ugly -_____- cheater BASTARD!!!!!!!!)

OMGGGG happiest ending everrrr!!!!! i literally cried my eyes out bc i thought bora would choose her ex but the first time in my life im actually happy that i was wrongggggggggggggg T . T best k drama eveeeerr 100000000% recommend.
i was waiting so long and finally last 2 episodes were out. i was convinced that it would have a bad ending because this k drama was such a mess. a man can look at you straight in the eyes, tell you how much he loves you and how he wants to marry you and then cheat on you the whole time??? and he begged bora to start over everything together just to find out that he still was with da-mi? he still dared to have an affair with her? i hate himmmmm i prefer su hyeok who cant express his feelings by words but actions than that pathetic loser whos only just talk and nothing more.

overall this kdrama is great and i suggest everyone to watch it.

Leia Mais

the exact reason why I started watching kdramas in the first place.

such a beautiful healing drama. very therapeutic. if you're going through a rough patch in life, doesn't have to be a break up, can be anything like failure or some other personal grief, watch this. love the male lead and and the female lead. well written characters. absolutely love the fl's sister and the assistant in the ml's office such wholesome characters. also this drama has what i look for in kdramas. my first kdrama was age of youth, a very lovely slice of life, healing drama, very raw and relatable. bora deborah has that exact thing, that raw, healing element. the characters are natural and kind too. 10/10 recommend

Leia Mais

True BS

OK, now I'm angry!
Utilising the memory of the Holocaust to justify vanity, pettiness and revenge is simply inconceivable. This is especially gross now that we're witnessing another holocaust, and constantly see men, women and children starved to death with no access to anything, not even rainwater. I know this was written before what we're witnessing in Palestine, but it still wouldn't sit well with me before, anyway.
I can't even finish this drama now. I already had my doubts this was going somewhere once Trump was cited as a "successful businessman" (the man is a fascist war criminal, as are most US presidents), but this usage of a Holocaust reality is beyond tone-deaf. She's comparing basic hygiene and dignity in an oppressive situation to dolling up to get a man so she gets revenge or doesn't stay single, as if being single is worse than being a victim of genocide.
Equating being single to something you need to survive as if a holocaust is ignorant, ridiculous and infuriating. I thought that at some point the story would turn around and show some sort of redemption but that's just how the writer and everyone involved in this drama see people. After this, there's no possible redemption. I'm trying very hard not to insult anyone right now. I know the team has apologised for the insensitive use of the holocaust but I don't accept the apology. The rest of the drama I've watched so far tells me it's not an incident, it's a default. I don't think I have rated a drama so low but this is just how angry I am.

I don't see love anywhere in this drama. I see grift, ridiculousness, over-the-top unnecessary drama and a whole lot of cringe. They even go as far as simulating a suicide as if it's some kind of joke! ffs
She never loved her boyfriend, she wanted a marriage, a status and she was manipulating her way into it and teaching everyone around her how to manipulate their relationships. She did see through people who had no connection to her but was incapable of minor self-reflection. That being said, it's not her fault that her boyfriend cheated on her and remained in a relationship he no longer wanted. Her whole grift isn't about love, it's about fulfilling an image inside a box society carves for women at the expense of their own self.
Everyone here seems to be an a-hole and they don't learn from their mistakes.

Bora's actions after the break-up are completely out of character and make no sense as a 30 yo with a solid career. Making her go through this drama and destroy her whole career, image and finances to justify working for people who have badmouthed her is basic. All because of an a-hole she didn't even love and who cheated on her?! The worst part is that she doesn't even learn anything from her mistakes and doubles down on the bad takes, manipulation and petty drama. The ML has seen her at her worst and helped her, he picked her up when she made a fool of herself in front of her ex. Why should she be ashamed of peeing on the street, when he didn't even see her do it, to the point of refusing to meet him, talk to him and even faking an illness? It makes absolutely no sense.

Instead of learning from that, she then doubles down when it comes to the kiss. It's so pathetic that it gets too uncomfortable to watch. The kiss had no chemistry. It looked like it was made to make the FL look like a beautiful statue more than anything.

The other relationships portrayed are no better. Her friend finds out her husband doesn't see her as a woman and doesn't even want to have sex with her and she accepts it as if it's normal. There's not even a level of companionship, they're roommates and that's it. That's not a marriage. They're not honest with each other, don't spend time alone, don't like each other's presence. It's as if she proposed because it's the next thing to do and he accepted because that's the way it is. If feel like someone made them get married and they didn't want to. It also plays the stereotype that married couples hate each other. Just get a fcking divorce and go be happy on your own!
She works, she should have her own money, even if she is married. Why does she have to make such a fuss about buying a bag? Why should she want to buy such an expensive bag? Bags aren't a form of investment, they're accessories and should be treated as such. I don't understand this type of consumerism. It makes no sense. Her husband has a "man cave" that is completely hidden from his wife. He's not even doing anything "illegal" there. He just wants to escape and be alone (meaning without her). Why are they even married? Because society says so? Because that's the path everyone has to take? Is it really? Is that really a life?

Her sister's relationship is no better. She's involved with a guy who only saw her once and is infatuated with her, saying he loves her when he doesn't even know her. Instead of trying to get to know her, he drills her with catchphrases and accepts all the bullying he gets from her. It's normal to be infatuated with someone, it's not normal to treat that as love. I know they're young but that's no excuse.

Insinuating a relationship between a man in his 40s or 50s and basically a baby! that girl is a baby! is so extremely problematic. She's not going to fix his commitment and communication issues. She's not the solution to a man baby. She should be living her life and meeting people who are in the same stage in life as she is and not putting herself in a relationship with such obvious power dynamics that won't work in her favour. Besides being as old as her father, he's her boss. No good thing can come from that relationship. Deciding to make her the pursuer in this relationship is also a choice since most women in their late teens and 20s are the ones who are typically approached by men in their 40s, 50s and beyond because they want someone whom they can control and won't demand accountability for their actions or lack thereof.

Anyway, I'm not watching any more of this. I'm not wasting my time on people who have nothing of importance to say. And it's not even fun. It's annoying and over-the-top cringe.
Of course, not every drama needs to cater to the same audience, but they need to abide by basic human decency and that means not demeaning important events and treating people as equal human beings. That's just basic.

Leia Mais

nevrotic love stories

some people might say this is a realistic love story, and every side story couple stages a love story at different stages, whatever... sorry but bloody breaks up are not on my schedule and have never been. being shabby, petty and harsh in your relationship is also not on my plan. of course this does exist, I know, I saw this around me, but this is bad. this is bad behavior, not realistic one. and I don't watch dramas for (shabby) realistic stories. I can watch them around me. I really didn't appreciate this drama and I wouldn't recommend.
if you want to be bored, annoyed and pissed, be my guest and go on. every character is petty and boring. I'd choose non of them as a friend or as a partner. so it's very difficult for me to just stand them for as long as 4 episodes. I am dropping.

Leia Mais

A clever series imbedded with interesting references

This series is utterly captivating, relatable and true to its theme! It’s all about love, including ups and downs, as well as the awkward and sometimes humiliating breakup arguments. You can see all that through four distinct couples at different relationship stages. It’s not just another rom-com, its written in a very smart way where it's full with references to books, people, shows and characters and that what make the show really enjoyable.
When you watch it, you find yourself giggling and cringing on behalf of the characters, where you smile and feel touched by the situations and scenes. The characters and their storylines are very relatable, as we all recognize that clingy friend who couldn’t get over her ex because they didn’t have a proper closure.
Everyone is the protagonist of their own love story. A lot of these protagonists think that they’re true to their love and they’re the ones who’s making all the sacrifices just because there is a lack of communication in their relationship. This series is a breath of fresh air, everything about it is lovable, and every scene holds a meaning and one can resonate with it.

Leia Mais

An unexpected gem

I found out about this series after watching a video on least popular K dramas this year. For some reason, this drama did not have very high ratings in Korea, even though there are popular actors in it. Whatever the reason, maybe something more popular opposite it, it still sounded interesting. So I took the chance and glad I did. It is a romcom with a twist, not following the typical storyline.

What I liked: the storyline was unique. Instead of the usual, meet cute, breaking up over trivia and reuniting, this followed the aftermath of a soul crushing breakup. The writing was a cut above a typical drama, realistic, at times heartbreaking, and other times amusing. I enjoyed the leads, both did a good job. The ending was positive, but not all tied up with a bow. We saw the growth of the various characters and the possibility for more growth. The pacing was also quite good; it didn’t drag out with unnecessary fillers.

What I didn’t like: I think there was at least one too many side stories. A workplace romance was just wrong, the chemistry wasn’t there, and it felt inappropriate. There was an extraordinary amount of drunkenness in this drama, more than usual, and was often used as a catalyst for people to overcome communication problems. Drinking appears often in K dramas, but this one seemed to go overboard. It’s one of the reasons I couldn’t give it a full 10.

My favorite type of entertainment is something that can distract you, and in the case of a romcom, make you feel good, but at the same time give you something to think about. This drama filled the bill for me.

Leia Mais