Snowdrop - Should you watch it?

First of all. There are some things I should explain/mention about this drama. There are no spoilers, so feel free to read.
I decided to post my review after reading up a lot said shortly and then watching the drama with my Korean co-workers. As some might know currently, there are petitions for the drama to stop airing due to claims of historical distortion. The first claims started in the early making of the drama when the plot was announced with a short description of each character. The short descriptions and circulating clips created a big misunderstanding that the drama might glorify ANSP(Agency for National Security Planning) and the military regime and to add fuel to the starting fire the lead female character had a name very similar to a real-life prominent figure from the 1987 protests named Chun Young Cho. In response to the concerns, JTBC changed the name of the female lead from Young Cho to Eun Young Ro. Additionally, the drama also received even more criticism with petitions and lawsuits were filed against it after episodes 1 and 2 aired. In response to the petition and lawsuits, JTBC has released multiple statements that the drama has nothing to do with the pro-democratic movement and the June uprising of 1987. The plot of the drama is set a few months after starting October 1987 and revolved around the presidential elections of 1987, using it as a plot point for the main leads to be able to meet. It is said that due to the close proximity of the events, it is possible for the democratic movement to be mentioned but there will be no disrespectful scenes. Now to the explanation. Is there historical distortion? No, at least not so far. Why did people misunderstand the drama? It's purely JTBC and the makers of the drama at fault, and they are not taking responsibility. Many have tried digging up pasts of the people connected to the drama, and it does not look good. Were they planning to do some distortion or decided to do this for the shock factor? Who knows, but it backfired and cost the drama its ratings. Does the drama glorify ANSP or the regime? No, not at all. You will see throughout the drama it's totally the opposite. Is the male lead posing as a protester or infiltrating the democratic movement? No. The male lead is introduced as a graduate from the University of Berlin and is in South Korea for his thesis. The misunderstanding comes from the fact that in a clip he is seen running past students who are protesting in the background, while a famous protest song is playing, giving a wrong impression. Is the drama good? If the production crew and JTBS did not make the mistakes they did Snowdrop could have easily had a high rating and be in the top 10 dramas of 2021. Despite everything to an unbiased viewer, and someone who has watched EVERY single K-drama from 2021 I can tell you the drama is amazing. I never skipped a scene and wait for every episode impatiently. It's a rare gem with a perfect cast and acting. I had low expectations bc an idol was announced but I can't imagine anyone else in this drama now. The actor couple is perfect. The only reason, why I am giving a 9.5 for the story and not 10 is because ALL of this could have been avoided if JTBC thought a little bit more and never allowed such similarities. The drama has NO historical distortion so far 7 episodes in but it's walking on a thin thread. Honestly, Snowdrop just might be my favorite drama of 2021 but that could be because it was the last drama of 2021. It's definitely up there with Vincenzo and The Red Sleeve for me in my top 3. My suggestion is to leave your reservations and expectations aside and watch it. The drama is 10/10 totally worth it. Will my review stay the same? Well, there is time till the end of the drama and the ending is important. There is plenty of time for the drama to go from 10 to 0. I am definitely concerned that the quality might drop due to the loss of sponsors during filming. In any case, watch it, it's totally worth it. Just remember as it is said at the beginning of the drama all events and characters are fictional.

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