As close to 'perfect' as you can get

You can go on an entire journey in the course of watching this drama. I went through a transformation because of this show. Each week I watched I felt more and more connected to every character. From the main three leads down to the guest stars. Everyone had a story that was worth telling and learning from and relating to. From just seeing the trailer earlier this year, I was interested, but by the end of episode one I knew it was different and knew I would love it, though as each week went on I fell more and more in love with the show and everything about it.
It's not been too long since I've gotten into the kdrama world but thus far only a few dramas have made me feel even close to what this show made me feel and frankly, this is now my number one drama as of today. There have been comparisons to other shows but I can assure you there is no other show that breaks the mold of what you think may happen quite like this one. From the acting, to directing, the cinematography, the wardrobe, the score and soundtrack...the execution was nearly perfect. And I don't use the word 'perfect' lightly. I will say if you focus on the characters and their journey, you will not be disappointed.
It's all about their journey from pain into happiness, each one broken and shattered and needing the others and their connection to each other find the solace of knowing what it is to truly be a family in every sense of the word. There are moments of joy, moments of terror, moments of bliss, moments of grief...so many emotions and we are all going through them together. Each moment was worth it because the road it led them on reached a destination that made all the pain worth it.
A good metaphorical phrase to describe it is 'you can't appreciate the sun if you never know what rain is.' To appreciate any kind of happiness you really do have to go through the darkness to reach the light, and when that light comes you will know that the struggle through the dark really did make it worth it, you earned the right to be happy. It was said this was a 'healing drama', and to me it is absolutely that. Not just for the characters, but as a viewer, as well.

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"I think...You may hate your flaws, but that's what is really different and special. The fact that we're still imperfect is what brought us together."


I enjoyed this but I will admit it didn't get to heart-fluttering levels. I think some aspects of the attraction was actually rushed and didn't feel organic but I liked it more later in the season because by then the sacrifices felt earned and not out of nowhere. I really liked Nan Do and So Yeon and their chemistry. What made this good was Yoon Hyun-min being able to portay Holo as one character and then Nan-do as another, not to mention Nan-do's attempts to portray Holo. A good quick binge, great SFX really heightened the story, too.

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"Words are born from a person's mouth, and die in a person's ear. But some words don't die...they go into a person's heart...and continue to live."


I was honestly shocked and pleased by how progressive and feminist this show was, considering the mostly patriarchal and conservative nature of Korean culture. But as I'm still fairly new to watching Korean dramas, I am by no means well versed in the realities of life there. After all, these are drama shows with heightened and exaggerated storylines for the purposes of telling the story. But this drama resonated because it was so wholly focused on not just the aspect of love/marriage/sex all being a component of one thing but instead separate entities that may or may not go together depending on what each person finds suits them in life.

Not only do we have a great pair in the main leads with Ji Ho and Se Hee but we get a whole trio of gals with Ji Ho, Soo Ji and Ho Rang. I loved all them all and their different viewpoints and expectations on life and the topic of how sex/love/marriage aren't always hand in hand. Soo Ji's flippancy towards love and marriage and her badassery in taking on the world and her opening up for Sang Goo; Ho Rang being adamant about what she wanted and fighting tooth and nail for Won Seok to be her happy ending.

And of course, Se Hee and Ji Ho's journey from housemates to married to just "psycho" unmarried couple who are happy to be together but not married as that construct is what threatened to ruin the love they grew to share. Se Hee starting off with the distant coldness and suppressing any chance of happiness before Ji-ho is so sad but it's so tender to see his poor little frozen heart melt by her. And from the no smiles to the smirks to full on smiling was lovely.

Ji-ho's spitfire personality really resonated with me. When she got assaulted by that director and refused to just gloss over it and demanded to be called a victim. I was impressed to see that and so glad she continued to play defense like in soccer.

So many great quotes, that gives in a rewatchability factor. I didn't want to stop and write down everything because it was so much but the introspective and deep, meaningful words about life and love really brought this drama up to another level.

PS. Kitty/Our! Such a wonderful purrball. Very vital to the plot. Truthfully. :)

Some great quotes I did write down.

“I noticed you washed the instant noodle bowl.”
“Yes, it’s a habit.”
“You have a really good habit.”


"No man who loves animals is a bad guy."

"It's better to be a crazy bitch than a pathetic wench."

"A heart isn't something that is taken or grabbed. It just comes to you."

"Just because you've lived yesterday, it doesn't mean you know everything about today."

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