cinnamonandpancakes

I actually watched most of this in one week in January, but I put it down 4 episodes before the end and then picked it up again this week and finished it. Having finally reached the end, it's a bittersweet tale. Sweet, because the two main characters have really confronted the issues that caused them to hurt each other so much in the past, but bitter because I really don't think they could have got there without the hurts that came along the way. All the characters go through a lot, but it never feels trite or like it's just happening to push the plot forwards. In many ways that makes it all hurt more.

Our Beautiful Summer
16 Episodes
Modern Romance Kdrama with flashbacks to 10 years ago.

The short summary is two people who made a documentary together while they were in school are asked to do a 'where are they now?' documentary 10 years later which leads to them revisiting their history together.

This show starts out really funny and then turns round and is like 'these two people fucked up each other when they dated but they both regret it' and then immediately follows it up with 'they want to get back together but they can't get past how much it sucked breaking up the first time' and THEN it's like 'now we're going to tell you all about the trauma that made them Like That' and I! It made me cry! I really felt like this was a drama that earned all the tears and all the cute moments with just really solid writing and character work. The way it was at it's core about the two main characters learning they are allowed to want things, to make choices for themselves and that they're allowed to love and let other people love them in return. It was really beautiful! (Kinda wish it could have been sapphic tho >.>)

I really loved the way they integrated the flashbacks into this show through the medium of the documentary. I think it was really well written and produced and it gave a real sense of their relationship. It was interesting watching them lie to the camera in the present and then watch their younger selves and what they actually did and how they actually acted. I think it helps that the main characters have a lot of chemistry together, even while they have justifiable negative feelings associated with each other.

This show really benefited from having main characters who aren't totally good or bad, who fucked up in their relationships with each other and the people around them and, as we learn, for understandable reasons. They're both stuffed full of trauma and a big part of their story is learning to let each other in, learning that keeping each other at arms length is what caused their first relationship to be so rocky.

I also think this is one of the first times I've really enjoyed a 'the second male lead is in unrequited love with his best friend's girlfriend/ex-girlfriend' without wishing they'd got together. Kim Ji-Ung has gone through a lot in his life, and being in love with someone out of reach is arguably a realistic reaction to the trauma he's gone through. I loved that his colleagues noticed it and did their best to help him out in their own way without ever pushing him to confess to her because that wasn't actually what he needed! I also really loved that he didn't end up getting with NJ, the girl in unrequited love with the MC, Choi Ung. They comfort each other as friends and learn from it, but never end up as anything more. That NJ never ended up with anyone but remained good friends really pleased me, it felt like it balanced out all the couples because at least there were some m-f friendships left.

I must admit I didn't really get what NJ saw in Choi Ung's art. I think the point was supposed to be that they're both lonely and anxious people who are comforted by the unchanging nature of buildings without people but to me it just felt like she was struggling with feeling unfulfilled as an idol. That was a plotline I wish they'd written in explicitly, because I think that would be an interesting story. I'm mostly over jealousy plotlines, but they didn't drag this one out and there was never any will-they won't-they so I didn't mind it. I do think a lot of her stuff was shoehorned in and not really developed very well, but she didn't have a huge amount of screentime considering her narrative role, so I assume the actress got busy and couldn't film as much as they wanted.

Kook Yeon-su is such an interesting female lead for a romantic drama to have. She's full of contradictions and trauma responses and bad decisions. I really loved that she got to have the boy and the job she wanted and that the long distance relationship worked out. I love that once Choi Ung realised she wanted to hear him compliment her and tell her that he loves her he's just fully 'loving Yeon-su' hours all the time. He likes her nagging! The thing she's most embarrassed of! He goes and talks to her grandma even though her grandma scares him! He gives her so many gifts just because he can! I loved that she wasn't the 'perfect girlfriend' you see in a lot of shows but that he loved her because of all her messiness, that was just so sweet.

Anyway, I definitely recommend it if you like a romance drama with a happy ending but lots of angst in the middle.