Unforgettable Moments from Nothing But You
Premiere Diary: Melancholia (2021)
Hello, dear MDL readers!
This time, I want to take you all on a journey filled with passion, memories,
dreams, hopes and youth! Curious to know more? Then, come along and follow me.
Fair Warning: This article contains spoilers about the story,
cast, or any other information known to the large public.
Notice: Can be easily read in both light and dark mode!
Also known as: Mellangkollia, Melangoria
Airs On: Wednesday & Thursday | Country: South Korea | Duration: 1 hr. 10 min.
Premieres this 10th November at 22:30!
Created by renowned director Kim Sang Hyub of:
A beloved blockbuster: True Beauty (2020)
(First set of GIF images source: liveasbutterflies on Tumblr)
Respectively, worldwide acclaimed series: Extraordinary You (2019).
All these scenes have inside different emotions and expressions, with each passing second!
(Second set of GIF images source: Feeding My Procrastination on Tumblr)
Melancholia will also be airing with English subtitles in high quality on Viki.
Life can be beautiful, but sometimes, also very dark. In a few seconds, everything one knew could crumble down to scratches. That was the case for Ji Yoon Soo, a caring and passionate math teacher, who always passed down her knowledge, best traits and life tips for the students she encountered, being an open soul for everyone, just like a book, letting each one of them choose their path for the future with plenty room for personal opinions and mutual respect.
Everything started to change when a gifted student in mathematics, Baek Seung Yoo, arrived at the school. He always manages to remain in the last place in class despite the fact he’s quite witty and skilled, he is also introverted by nature. Never talking to anyone, Seung Yoo spends most of the time alone, choosing to take pictures with his camera rather than interacting with someone. Being a devoted teacher, Yoon Soo saw his true potential from the beginning. Thus, she decided to solve the knots in his heart that kept him from moving forward to a better place in life.
But Yoon Soo never imagined that her good intentions would bring harm to the students and herself as unfounded rumours started to spread all around the campus, questioning if the relationship between Baek Seung Yoo and her could be more than just simply a teacher-student bond! Because of this, all the effort and success achieved went down the drain, sadly for both of them. After four years, their paths intersect again as Yoon Soo and Seung Yoo are determined to expose the root of all this mess: a deep corruption that takes place at Ahseong High School. Will their efforts be enough to overcome this adversity, or will their shared past destroy their lives even more?
(Source: Viki)
Im Soo Jung as Ji Yoon Soo
"Caught up in the intense atmosphere of university entrance exams, Ji Yoon Soo’s students usually only see math as a means to an end - but the passionate side of her is determined to show them the joy of math and the beauty of symmetry and equations, while having a unique approach that is validated by the fact that her students dominate Math Olympiads and are admitted to top universities on a large scale.
The producers of “Melancholia” remarked, “Im Soo Jung matches the character of Ji Yoon Soo perfectly, to the extent where we can’t imagine anyone aside from Im Soo Jung playing her. She will move the audience once more with her acting.” (Photo and information source: Soompi)
Lee Do Hyun as Baek Seung Yoo
"Baek Seung Yoo is not your normal teenage boy, who should be living his life to the fullest, because his eyes lack warmth and emotions as he's completely passionless, leaving us curious about his background. Holding a camera with the same blank expression he always wears, leaves viewers to wonder as to what photos will he decide to take.
The drama’s production team wanted to share this aspect, “Lee Do Hyun is perfectly immersed in the character Baek Seung Yoo, who doesn’t show much facial expressions. Lee Do Hyun’s sincere acting that will be rediscovered again in this drama.” (Photo and information source: Soompi)
He received a Best New Actor Award for (“18 Again”) - 2021 (57th) BaekSang Arts Awards - 13th May 2021
(Source: AsianWiki)
Other amazing actors and crew members
from this memorable production can be found here: Cast
The following posters are so eye-catching, straight out marvellous:
“Even when there was no answer, the moments that we spent absorbed.”
(Main posters and quote source: Soompi)
Details about the latest trailer can be found here!
The main characters posters are even more intriguing:
“Math and my teacher: I shouldn’t like either of them anymore.” 
(Characters posters and quotes source: Soompi)
Lee Do Hyun wanted to mention these facts: “I think Seung Yoo is rather honest and blunt. He seems immature in some ways, but I think that he’s also quite mature in other ways. I didn’t want to look awkward in the role of a math prodigy, so I studied math formulas with an expert math teacher. Since he’s an outsider at school, I tried to talk less and capture both his sharpness and the feeling of emptiness in his heart.”
"The process of learning formulas and filming wasn’t easy, but there are times when I can see the connection as I do it and think, ‘If I do this, it becomes like this.’ It feels good when that happens. The director, the many staff members, the math expert teachers, and all the actors are working hard at filming." (Source: here)
“The world seen through the eyes of math, and you.”
(Characters posters and quotes source: Soompi)
Meanwhile, Im Soo Jung wanted to mention a few details: “The whole time I was reading the script, I thought that this drama was really beautiful. My heart beat faster, it fluttered, and it hurt. I thought that I really wanted to participate in a project like this and play the role of Ji Yoon Soo. She’s a difficult and rare character to see in a society that values the competitiveness of the entrance exams. Sh’s the first to realize how special Baek Seung Yoo is, who has lost his inner light because of his personal trauma. Everyone turns their backs on him, but she wants to revive his unique talent and does so while sticking to her own principles and convictions. I think that that’s a little like me. I could understand her special perspective.” (Source: here)
Bonus: The cinematography style will be exquisitely gorgeous!
"Here is a warm exchange between Ji Yoon Soo and Baek Seung Yoo, who are connected to each other through mathematics. Ji Yoon Soo’s eyes open wide in surprise at Baek Seung Yoo’s unexpected appearance while he nonchalantly passes her ice cream, making viewers curious as to what happened actually."
(Photo and information source: Soompi)
Bonus: The greatest thriller recommendation of this year is Jirisan!
(Photo source: iQiyi on Twitter)
Airing on iQiyi and TvN since 23rd October 2021!
Who knows, perhaps this story will make me love mathematics again...
Will you be watching the most awaited melodrama romance
of this Autumn, called Melancholia? Tell me your thoughts
about this in the comments! Goodbye, see you next time!
Sources: YouTube, Twitter, AsianWiki, MyDramaList, Viki, Soompi, here, here, here, here, here, here while the cover photo is from themoviedb.org. Wallpapers used for banners are from here, here, and here. While GIF images are from Tumblr and here. All the pictures were edited by Cryssy Anne with an online tool called Pixlr X.
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