"Extraordinary You" was one of those dramas that I started watching not really expecting anything. I had just finished watching another drama and wanted to start a new one, but didn't really have any in mind. I kept seeing this title online so I thought I might as well try it out.
I was completely blown away, at first. The plot was very original and featured characters that seemed different from the normal. Dan-o, who lived her whole life not knowing that she is, in fact, a mere extra in a comic book, realised that what she really wants is to decide her own fate. In order to do that she needs the help of a boy with no name that, however, seems to have a connection with her that not even the writer of the comic book can control. The story was set-up really well in the first episodes and established all the characters and their backgrounds excellently. I caught myself wanting to watch more and more each time and I was so interested in the direction the story seemed to be going. I was especially surprised with the way Ju-da's plot progressed. Ju-da, the female protagonist of the comic book who, at first, follows all the cliche decisions of the writer and is completely dependent upon Nam-ju who is the male protagonist, slowly finds her own self. I would never expect for her to gain the freedom to stand up for herself in such a way, nor that she would end up choosing Nam-ju for the reasons that she did.
However, by half-way the drama fell into the classic trap that seems for some reason difficult to avoid, especially for fantasy/romance dramas like this one. The point of the story was slowly being lost, as a lot of the same things were happening without an actual impact on the general story (e.g. someone losing their memories but conveniently getting them back within the same episode, Dan-o being rushed to the hospital but nothing really happening besides that). The dialogues seemed to be dragging forever with no real value and there were so many filler scenes and scenes that were being repeated over and over. I felt especially bad for poor Baek Gyeong that was always saying the same lines. Even the main mystery of the story in the previous comic book was unfolded in such an anticlimactic way.
By the end of the story, so many important questions regarding the writer, the comic book world and the truth to the characters' individuality and bonds were left unanswered and the only thing that seemed to kept going was the relationship between Dan-o and Ha-ru. It felt like there was no real resolution,
Overall, this drama had a lot of potential and even though the last few episodes were really disappointing, it had a very strong start, so I wouldn't say I regretted watching it. If you like light-hearted romance dramas with no serious plot twists this might be a drama that you enjoy. But don't have too many expectations from the story because you are bound to be disappointed. Instead, focus more on the romance between the main characters and be grateful that you, yourself, are not a comic book character!