Extraordinary You (2019)

One of the few dramas where the side characters are the best part

Oh boy do I have conflicting thoughts and feelings about this drama. Some aspects of it just make me want to rate it 9,5 but at the same time other parts really disappointed me and lowered the score of this drama for me.

Well, first of all, the first half of this drama is excellent. The plot is gripping and the characters are relatable and easy to like (here I mean specially the actual main/self-aware characters). There are many mysteries initially that keep you invested, Haru is very endearing and him and Dan-Oh have cute interactions.

The problem began in the second half. Honestly, although adorable in the beginning, Haru was just such a flat character. His scenes with Dan-Oh presented us with some cute moments, but were just boring to watch and I didn't care about them as couple. The writers literally repeated the same plots with these two over and over again, so their scenes together were more of a drawback which stagnated the plot when the drama should be advancing since it was nearing the end.

Also, if you want answers for the questions you might have when you start watching Extraordinary You, keep your expectations low cause by the end they provide very few explanations. I let some of it slide initially because it was a comic book world, so some crazy stuff was bound to happen, but at a certain point it just felt a bit like lazy world-building. A lot of things simply happened out of convenience and reflected the very loosely stablished rules for the world, such as the resolution given to Dan-Oh's heart condition, which made no sense at all, just to give an example.

Besides that, I think some of the characters were kind of cheated. I don't want to get too much into spoilers here, but like, come on, Do Hwa and Kyung didn't even appear in the endind scenes! To be honest the supporting characters and the resolution of the plot were the only things that kept me from dropping this drama. I loved the interactions between the self-aware characters and I wish the writers had showed much more of their friendship.

Other great aspects of the drama are the OST, which has some pretty good songs in it and the acting is very solid, too. Now onto one of the greatest surprises and my favorite thing about this show: Kyung. I cannot believe I'm saying this, since I hated him in the beginning for being the most annoying little bitch, but as the drama progressed he developed so much, he honestly had the best character arc with a proper redemption in the end. It was hard to keep liking and rooting for Haru when he was basically a piece of cardboard compared to Kyung, the most complex character in this entire story. I'm not the type to have second lead syndrome, but damn Kyung got me good this time.

Although a bit rushed, most of the final episode (or the final two episodes, in this case) was great. I liked the bittersweet tone that prevailed and there were some quite emotional scenes. It's just the very end that bothered me. Anyway, all things considered, this drama has some amazing aspects but it lost a lot a bit of its shine in order to focus on the boring and repetitive stories between the main couple and too many things go completely unexplained, still, I'd recommend you watch it for the great side characters, their arcs and relationships.

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It was a really fun watch. Very cool concept and the plot is really what got me to watch in the first place, I was actually a bit bored like in the middle of the show because honestly the plot did start repeating itself at some point and i was just like.. can we move on please?
But overall it was pretty interesting and i did enjoy most of it, danoh is such a funny character so she made it very enjoyable, haru as well, hes such a silly character like how could you not grow to like him!

This is such a funny kdrama as well, has its depressing moments but its all lighthearted in the end.

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Where do I start?
First of all, Ha Ru and Dan O were very compatible and luckily there was no second lead syndrome involved. Gyeong, however rude he may have been, was a character with baggage that had trouble expressing himself but did eventually come to terms with himself and his relationship with Dan O. I never thought they looked good together so it was good when they established that.
Do Hwa was a really nice and likeable character and therefore I think he would have no problem getting over his crush.
And then there's the ending. My god the ending.
Ha Ru and Dan O being reunited in the real world or a different world, whichever it may be, is the best ending I could have asked for.
The story is completely unique and perfection.
I am a huge fan of the actors and the characters as a whole.
Overall, this kdrama is amazing and it has just the right amount of everything.
I love it.
Definitely a huge shame it's over....but it's ok because i can always rewatch it. And theres never a shortage of dramas so.....onto the next one.

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great plot!

OKAY!, this show was so unique like I really loved it, especially the couples also the plot and how people were figuring out more and more about themselves, anyways I won't give out too many spoilers, because that will literally ruin the show for people who are thinking about watching it, but if you have any questions be free to ask! , also I have where you can watch it, and where it can and cannot be found. This will also have you loving all the actors and praying for more dramas for the amazing actors as I do, their acting and expressions were everything and if this is not helping, the trailer is also good to watch which will help you figure out if it is something you would spend time watching.

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So I just became a member of MDL. I usually use the guest version, however that's not the point. I knew the first review I wanted to write would be for this drama. I have watched a lot of k-dramas. I had a point where I only watch school k-dramas, if I was still in that stage I'd probably have given this drama a 10. The reason I didn't was well probably because I have grown out of the stage of watch school romance K-drama. When I started this drama it was really interesting. The whole plot seemed so interesting. I loved Dan-oh's character. She was honest to herself, fought for what she believed in, but she was also very cheerful without being naive. However, I think the reason many people are not giving the show a 10 is probably for the same reason, which is how focused she is on Haru. Which is the male MC. I feel like their romance was really cute and enjoyable to watch to a certain extent. To be honest I wanted to see more of just Dan-oh figuring things out. She had so many different relationships at the beginning but the farther I got into the drama I noticed the only relationship she spent time on was her romance with Haru. It was to the point that Dan-oh and Haru were obsessed with each other. I just think it wasn't necessary. Instead, I wished that they showed an equal amount of screen time of Dan-oh interacting with her friends, dad, her enemies, etc... I think episodes in the middle were really unnecessary. I think the point I got really annoyed was when Haru disappeared and she became really depressed. This part happened before any of the "romance" began. I think the reason I am unhappy with this drama is that there were so many elements to it. There was the whole Nam Ju love story, Do Hwa love story triangle, Dried Squid Fairy, the historical aspect of it all. It was just in general too much. However, despite all of it, it was still good. Overall good story, it just needed to cut out some unnecessary aspects.

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To be quite honest, I went in not expecting much of the drama. I've found the premise interesting, but I was badly burned by how much "W" dissapointed me, so I wasn't that hopefull about this one. And while at the end drags on a little and it can turn repetitive sometimes, specially towards Baek Kyung, it's still a really good drama. I loved how the characters becoming self aware felt so real, I specially LOVED Ju Da's self awareness and I even wish a little that it happened sooner because THAT GIRL CAN GET IT. I really enjoyed watching this drama, Dan Oh, Haru and Do Hwa were a pleasure to watch and root for. I also loved the parody aspects calling out manwha, shoujo manga and novels and tv series in general about the tropes and how shallow some of the motives the writers give to the characters.
While the acting wasn't out of this world, the actors were doing their best and the dialogue was interesting and the drama made sense. I don't really have much to say, except that I had a wonderfull time while watching it.

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A story about 'extras' trapped in the comic world with 'ordinary' personalities. The story doesn't focus too much on why they are in the comic world like the kdrama W. It focuses on the romance/love triangle between the leads, which I find really cute and bubbly. The plot started off super interesting, I would watch each episode as soon as it airs, but then there were getting more and more plot holes, and the whole idea around the comics and characters in the comic started getting confusing-e.g. how do you suddenly become conscious of yourself? I then became less enthusiastic about this drama as the story went forward. (This can be seen by the sudden lowered ratings as the drama started to air, I think it went from 9+ star at the start to 8.1 star rating right now). I put off watching the end episodes for a few weeks because I wasn't interested in the drama, but out of complete boredom, I watch it....And the ending felt 10x worse than the episodes before it. The ending is sooo confusing, and I'm still confused....

Acting is superb, as always Kim Hye Yoon slayed her role. I love her so much in SKY castle. Her character in Extraordinary You is completely different from Kang Ye Seo, she's so talented and deserves more rewards.

Music is good. Personally non of the OST is memorable.

Wouldn't rewatch. They definitely need a season 2, and I would definitely watch it.

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Finally got to come around to watch it (and finish it this time as on my first watch i ended up dropping it). Picked it up again because I started liking Gunjoo. And I should really say he's amazing in this, and tbh the best character in the whole drama!! I absolutely love his scenes with Danoh (and Haru too) because they're really the cutest best friends. The typical soft and sweet, heartbroken second lead in his love story, but I really like the way he's written. Maybe especially because the drama is written about the "extras". He's really soft, sweet, and dramatic at times, but also shown as a really good supportive third wheeling best friend. And an unexpected fave character of mine is dried squid.. Tbh back then I dropped this drama early on bc i was bored i think? And other than the whole "team haru vs team kyung" thing going on in stan twt, I don't know much about the drama. And I thought he's gonna be the "villain" but turns out he was just caring and worried that history will repeat itself and I can actually see that he's really grown to like and cherish the self aware kids and that's really precious and adorable.

A few things to complain about... Honestly, the whole concept is of course really interesting and all, but like, there are some (if not, a lot) of things left unanswered. Like, of course them remembering their life in the past comics was nice and all, but how? Sure, Haru had his hand into the mysterious black hole-y thing I guess and he had that scar. But how did dried squid and suhyang remember? I guess they could've read the comic. But Haru and Danoh in the last episode? Did they just look at things that look familiar and bam they remember everything? Idk if it's just me not understanding about that concept... I think I have a lot more questions but for now, I forgot what I was gonna write so anyway....

If I have to add one thing to compliment though, the OSTs are really good and just nice to hear. Probably the next best thing after dohwa and dried squid? I might check out the songs after this to add to my faves.

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Let's be honest, the story is so cringe at my preference. However, I would like to set my opinion that this drama has been actually shown as the critic of the genre and trope itself.

Look at how the character rebels at their set-up, mocking the writer. I think it's quite funny and interesting that the 'work' would even like to protest the lack of decency in their life, let alone the writer. In that sense though, I like it. However, I don't think this drama itself own something extra to make the story a little different from their set-up. I argue about this matter due to feel that this drama lack something when it about to end. The problem seem to cycle around Danoh's sickness only to make something major -like critical illness- suddenly gone. Hm, that sounds rush-y don't you think so?

And so many tears...I wonder why it brings me to be less sympathetic with them or it is just the type of it? I like some cheesy lines though, and unexpected character development, like what happened in Juda's case. GOD OH NAMJU. I WANT TO SCREAM AT HIM. Geez, he is the ultimate star in this cheesiness, haha.

All and all, kudos for the acting especially for Kim Hyeyoon. Such a heavy task to own so many faces and expression. Good job!

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If you are into fantasy drama, this is definitely one to catch up. I love how many variables the drama includes and the increasing intensity. How this drama really allows beyond just the main characters to shine, the supporting roles like Do Hwa, Ju Da, Sae Mi really stands out as the drama progress. This drama makes you think about life, about the things we missed out and judge too quickly. Hits me pretty hard when the self aware characters are fighting their way out the fate that the writer wrote for them. How the villain is drawn in not by choice, she is also a very good person with her friends.
Will definitely rewatch it!

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