I'd probaly never forget this beautifully written and narrated love story ever in my life.
I've a feeling I'd even remember it in my next life too."Ratings are just a number" I feel this line so much with this drama. It really doesn't deserve such backlash and those ground ratings.
Some may find it boring, depressing, slow-paced but if you've ever been at the lowest point of your life, have seen ups and downs of life, love and human conflicts, you'll realize this drama made you even more aware that it's time to heal yourself of those wounds, scars and the pieces of sadness, melancholy, its time to move on, not because you need to, but because you'll find some reason, some really good people, when you'll not like being stuck.
And when you move on, you'll accept everything you didn't accept before, you'll think you are not a crying person but after shedding some tears in the process, you'll find actually how geuine and honest it is to move on.
I really don't know where to start from, I've so much to say but I want to keep it short too.
I don't want to give spoilers too because I want people to watch each and every second of this drama themselves to understand what these intellectual people writing reviews here want to tell them.
First of all, I'd never forgive those Korean Netizens for stealing precious moments of such a uniquely written and produced drama about realistic approach towards life, love and relationships. From devoted International viewers like us.
If it was taken up by Netflix, I'd have sky rocketed in ratings.
I'll be honest, I dropped the episode 1 in between when it was airing, after some two month, I came here again.
Without any expectations, of course, because remember, I dropped the episode for a reason.
Yes, in starting, it's all about confusion running the plot, everything that happens in the screen confuses us, but there is something interesting, intriguing thing runs in our mind to continue watching it even though we're ready to drop the drama again lol.
This drama has one of the most beautiful cinematographies, some of the really touching and symbolic dialogues and faulty human beings. First setting decided, and we enter the real world of their lives.
It was like watching story unfold from each character's eyes, those raw emotions we were feeling ourselves, those feelings we never thought we'd ever feel, that humanity that this drama teaches you is on another level.
In the end, it all comes down to us, whether we want to take initiative and grab that shining opportunity, grab on to those people who became our support unconsciously, accept the happiness and sadness of life altogether as a part of cycle, and live on to hold happiness without being scared of the risk of losing it someday.
Because it's life, it happens, it survives and lets us survive by this way only.
And it'll keep happening even when you die.
Accept it and get over it. Enjoy the process and not the outcome.
I feel healed after watching this drama, so I really hope people learn something from the genuine love of Ha Won and Seo Woo who both overcame their fears, their losses, and their sadness by just talking, communicating and understanding.
They both gave each other time to heal themselves, without forcing their affections on each other, their story gives some hope for love, some hope for recovery and some hope for future. Though it's quite blur in the start.
All in all, I think I don't have enough words in my vocaublary to describe my feelings for this drama.
I would have hard time to move on from this drama, people who didn't watch it will never understand it and they'll only badmouth this drama. So don't listen to their fake stories.
Watch it yourself and then you'll understand.
I think this drama set bars for every upcoming drama really high for me, now I can never control myself comparing other dramas with this one.
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This review may contain spoilers
Some things you need to know about Ugly Alert before you think its too long to watch it!
So, I've already written so so much comments on the site where I watched it. Don't know where to start, its my first time writing review here.Long review ahead. Maybe the longest one.
Also, following are also the things that I loved in the Ugly Alert.
Someone suggested I write a review here and then they'll watch it to see how it is.
This drama broke all the charts of any sort of kdrama I ever liked for me! Its such a beautiful drama, my soul feels purified after watching it. There's just so much to see, to learn and to love here. You won't get bored of any subplots and conflicts, except some repetitive flashbacks.
Story-
Story sounded to me like a typically melodramatic Indian drama for me. But clicking on first episode, I realized never put your judgments forward over a single assumption. Plot folds out slowly but beautifully, you get to see each characters development as their whole.
Acting/Cast-
None of the actors I ever heard of before, except Kang So Ra, in this drama. But after finishing it, now I've a long lost of newcomers who are just as good in acting as other veteran actors are.
Choi Tae Joo, won over my heart with his so realistic and adorable display of Hyeon Seok. I've seen him in a suspicious partner before, along with Ji Chang Wook, but never cared to learn about him more.
Seeing him here though, as main lead's brother, made me so much curious about him, that there were some episodes which I watched just for him!
And that last delivery scene by the sister really looked so original. Can't praise more for their acting, they all did a really good job!
Romance-
Main part of the whole drama that everyone appreciated so much was main couple's stubborn and unmoving romance.
There are three couples story moving simultaneously in the drama.
First one:-
Gong Jun Su and Na Do Hee.
As expected, their romance should really be an inspiration for the epitome of true love. Their story developed slowly and we get to see each and every day of their lives where they slowly get closer and closer to each other.
After serving prison, Jun Sun may be nothing in the eyes of others, but his hard work, kindness and positivity won the heart of chaebol's daughter Na Do Hee.
Their love was mutual, though there were many obstacle to their love. Usually, I don't watch such melodramatic dramas but this one made exception because here main couple didn't break up till the end. They always stuck together as a one to fight any obstacle. That was one out of many things that made them stand out as a inspiring couple out of several other drama couples.
Despite having all that qualities, they weren't my favorite couple for some reasons.
Jun Su was was too selfless, kind and giving in nature that at some point, he seemed very annoying to watch. He even hurt his own love for his brother, all because he didn't want to reveal he isn't a murderer.
Because of him, so many around him suffered so much, mostly Do Hee who was heartbroken everytime her family wouldn't agree to their relationship cause he was a murderer.
Even many started to hate his brother who didn't even know he killed someone that day.
At one point, he did so so much to protect his brother it seemed like Do hee was not his first love, his little brother was lol.
Anyway, he literally seemed so unrelatable to me sometimes, but still, his character was supposed to be sacrificing in nature.
Na Do Hee was okay to watch, sometimes she seemed too clingy for someone who didn't believe in love and never wanted to get married. Also, at starting, she was too annoying to watch also because how she used to behave with her stepmother.
But she was really a good person by heart, and that's why she made Jun Su the person every body is expecting him to be, so that in future, no one can point him for being lacking in abilities to be her husband.
Second one:-
Gong Hyeon Seok and Su Ju Yeong
They were so unexpected couple lol, their surprisingly and undeniably good chemistry won me over.
Guessed right, they are my most favorite one in the whole drama. Though their scenes are very little, but I watched whole episodes just to watch theirs as a treat!
Hyeon Seok was such a refreshing character to watch, when he was little, I wanted to punch him on face, but when he grew up, he was the most mature one in his whole house.
Smart, upright, righteous prosecutor he became, never gave fuck about anything. Just within himself all the times, such an introvert he was. But he was also a gentleman.
In the beginning, he developed liking towards Na Do Hee, he even wanted to make her his life partner, I was afraid imaginning two brothers who are slowly getting closer getting their relationship messed up because of one stranger girl.
But I was glad he came back to his sense.
Enter Su Ju Yeong. Cousin sister of Na Do Hee. She's such a nice breath of air in the middle of a frustrating plot for you. She's such a cute girl, so simple minded, and not holding anything back, just saying anything that comes to the mind.
She's the perfect fit for Hyeon Seok. She came as a surprising angel in his life, as his working assistant reminds him everyday. Only that, he isn't interested a bit in her, still have feelings for her sister and doesn't forget to break her heart everyday by being insensitive to her feelings.
She waits for him everyday outside the prosecutor's office, always appears in front of him when he least expected it, always announces her love for him out of blue, and maybe the only woman besides his sister to make him smile and laugh like that.
But he's too stubborn, rigid and tough to fall in love. Says he'd never fall in love with a rich girl even though he always gives in to many of her requests, even walking with her everyday till she gets a taxi back home.
He's too much of a gentleman to leave her alone but is insensitive to the point to make her cry everyday for him.
Always has a rule with him for everything, that he'll hold the hand of a woman he'll love after a year, a year after they'll kiss and a year after he'll propose to her. Because he doesn't believe in crazy kind of love.
Of course, the time comes when he too begins falling for her. That time, it becomes obvious he likes her too but still keeps on breaking her heart.
He even kisses her suddenly, in front of his office, when he thought she was leaving for somewhere too far for him to reach her, when before he said he'll kiss after two years lol. And when he already made it clear he didn't have feelings for her lol.
The worry and embarrassment in his face after he realized what he did, that he broke his own rule, was such a candy to watch.
At the point, I just wished he too suffer for her as much as she did for him. Which he does, tbh, he misses her when she's not around, he even stops drinking coffee that he liked so much to drink because that reminds him of her.
Seeing him suffer was not a good sight to see tbh, but that made the audience see just how much she grew on his heart over time and he didn't even know it himself.
For me, their story was the best. They get happy ending, and that ending has to be the sweetest ones that I'll ever get to see maybe.
Their relationship development was so realistic while for some, Ju Yeong may seem annoying and a stalker, but she really isn't any of it. So I hope none of you judges her like that.
I was the most happiest woman on earth along with Ju Yeong when-
*He said to his father that if in future if he ever gets married, his bride will be Ju Yeong.
*He did so much to satisfy her money obsessed mom who wanted a rich son-in-law, so that she could agree to their relationship.
*When he suddenly turned her around to say I love you to her.
*When he didn't want to get married to her by running away from home saying she's the most important person to him and he'll never want her to be away from her family.
*When he tried so hard to stop her from getting married to someone else.
*When he kissed her first in front of his office for the first time, with everyone watching, also when he backs her against the wall to kiss her in the stairs in front of his lawyer's office.
*Finally, the way he proposed marriage to her, made me so nostalgic seeing he remembers each and every moment spent with her though he used to show that he isn't a bit interested.
Already gave so much spoilers but those sudden hugs, smiles and kisses after so much of pining after him, and that honeymoon baby when he said he'll marry her after two years, because he need to save enough to give his wife a comfortable apartment, it was so romantic and cute in its own way.
Third Couple:
Gong Jin Ju and Cheol Su
I'll be honest, Cheol Su seemed such a wimp, a child always running away from his problems and such a nobody.
Jin Ju, at the beginning, was too annoying to watch but when she learned about hardships of life herself, she became better and changed for good.
Not much to say, just that during their wedding, Cheol Seo's Mom was literally being a bitch. After marriage also, she even dared to suggest dropping the child cause they won't be able to handle it in financial crisis.
Glad that she changed for better later otherwise I'd have always blamed the writer for making her like that.
I also liked the character development of Ju Yeong's mother because at some point, I was beginning to feel depressed seeing her treating her only daughter like some object of gaining power by marrying her away to the rich bastard.
Gong Na Ri was such a cute girl, she played her part really well. I was even jealous of her for having two unique oppas in her life lol.
Miss Lee and Investigator Cha relationship was just double lol. Like he used to remind prosecutor everyday how the love of his life is in front of him, but he still doesn't care. And when he himself learns about the feelings of Miss Lee, he looked like he's going to faint from joy and melancholy lol.
Also Lawyer Lee, he was such a frustratingly bad character, but somehow I pitied him since my own father is that competitive in nature and wants me to be the same. Towards the end, I was hoping he'd change for better too, because he looked like he wanted to run away from everything, but his father kept pushing him towards the bad road.
I just keep wondering if ever he decided to change, how would everything have been chanhed by now?
Music/Ost
Ost was catchy, fitted well with the scenes. I grew fond of all of them over time and have even downloaded their albums.
Re watch:- I've already been re watching most of the scenes from the second couple and some really funny ones from the first couple, they're all too entertaining to re watch.
Also some fan made videos are really beautiful, I watch and re watch them too.
Overall, it was a nice refreshing surprise addition to my lockdown schedule. Feel too good to complete such a long drama. Also each episode is just half and hour long so don't be afraid of the no of episodes. They really are worth of your time. Watch it if you think you have enough time to watch a long drama.
Also, because its a long drama, characters stay with you for a longer time as compared to weekly short dramas of 16-20 episodes one because you get to see their daily lives and you get to learn and appreciate so much also. All depends on how good the drama is which you're investing your precious time into!
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