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If you’re on the market for a short, light bit of fluffy drama soufflé, this could very well be your ticket.
Even better if you already have a soft spot for Korean rom-coms, but also really enjoy Japanese doramas that feel anime-inspired, because this little show takes both of those things, and blends it all into one cute little hybrid story world.
Worth a whirl, if only to see how that works, yes?
WHAT THIS ONE’S ABOUT
Yuri (Nikaido Fumi), a woman who’s burdened by her ability to hear other people’s thoughts, one day becomes intrigued by the cheerful young man (Chae Jong Hyeop) who delivers her takeout, whose thoughts are surprisingly not a burden – because they’re in Korean. 😁
MANAGING EXPECTATIONS / THE VIEWING LENS
Here are a few things that I think would be helpful to keep in mind, to maximize your enjoyment of your watch:
1. A manhwa / manga / anime lens is key
I personally find that the live-action anime lens works best, particularly for the very exaggeration actions or reactions of our characters.
This show isn’t all that wacky in the overall scheme of the J-doramasphere, yes, but there are definite OTT touches, like how Yuri reacts every time Tae Oh so much as breathes in her direction (I exaggerate, but you know what I’m talking about, yes?), which feel like they stem from J-doramas and their niche in making their doramas feel like live-action anime. 😁
I find that this is an important lens to keep, while watching, particularly if you’re new to J-doramas, because otherwise, wondering about Yuri’s jumpiness would likely take a good chunk of enjoyment out of your watch.
Because, while a regular human being certainly wouldn’t react this way, a character in an anime absolutely could, and no one – neither viewer nor fellow in-show character – would bat an eye. 😁
2. This is a small story with small problems
..so be prepared for mountains to be regularly made of relative molehills. It’s just par for the course, with a fluffy little show like this.
The joy is in the journey, and the journey is filled with quirky cute, so keep your eyes on that instead. 🥰
3. Don’t worry if / when angst rears its head
..because this is a light, fluffy drama world, and any and all angst doesn’t ever last very long.
STUFF I LIKED
Show’s tone
Show is light and cute, and definitely has a lot of that quirky j-dorama sensibility which I haven’t had on my screen in a while.
It does require a bit of lens adjustment, but it’s really not that hard to make, because this brand of quirk feels so quintessential to j-dorama as a general rule.
Overall, I really enjoy the tone of this show. It manages to be both light and silly, yet poignant and bittersweet, at the same time.
[FOUNDATIONAL SPOILERS]
On one level, we have all the anime-like hijinks that have to do with Yuri and her power to hear other people’s thoughts, her scarily emphatic passion for food (that “feed me or else” energy 😂), and her regular run-ins with Tae Oh – which are equal parts silly-ridiculous and funny-cute.
On another level, we have a pretty good layer of poignance, to ground everything, a little bit.
Mainly, I’m thinking of the fact that Yuri had gained her powers at the same time that her father had suffered a stroke, while saving her.
There’s a level of guilt there, that I’m sure is driving Yuri’s desire to use her power for good.
And there’s a great deal of poignance and some irony there as well, from the fact that this power that she’d gained, helps her to continue communicating her dad.
Layered on top of that, is the fact that Yuri can be quite affected by the not-so-positive thoughts that she hears, like when people pity her, or when potential boyfriends balk that she’s scary because she can hear their thoughts.
So of course it’s quite perfect, when she encounters Tae Oh, because his thoughts are all in Korean, and she can’t tell what he’s thinking.
[END FOUNDATIONAL SPOILERS]
It feels like a nice cultural exchange
This show feels like a nice blend of j-dorama quirk and kdrama rom-com feels, which I find pretty fresh and enjoyable.
Additionally, this unassuming little show does feel a lot like a cultural exchange between Japan and Korea, with the little nuggets of Korean culture being sprinkled into our story.
That’s really quite a nice sort of feeling, especially since there is some difficult history between the two countries.
Chae Jong Hyeop as Tae Oh
Chae Jong Hyeop and his cheerfully smitten smiles were a big highlight of my watch, no exaggeration.
Every time he grinned, but especially in the direction of our female lead, Yuri, in his warm, appreciative, how-can-she-be-this-cute way, I got all squee-toasty on the inside. 🥰
Show is a light creature and Tae Oh is generally upbeat, but there are also moments of wistful poignance, that I feel Chae Jong Hyeop plays very well, as well.
Additionally, on a shallow note, I have to confess that one of my favorite things about this show – not an exaggeration at all – is how Chae Jong Hyeop looks so tall and beefy, in comparison to the rest of the cast. 😁
I’ll talk more about this in the OTP section, but for now, I just wanted to say that, whether intentionally or not, Chae Jong Hyeop looks significantly taller and beefier than anyone else in this drama world, and I absolutely lapped it up with glee.
Glee, I tell ya! 🤩🤭
Nikaido Fumi as Yuri
I feel like Yuri as a character might be a harder sell for some viewers, because of how she’s written to be so jumpy and nervous, particularly since she’s literally the CEO of her company.
On this point, I really want to emphasize the importance of the live-action anime lens, and how Yuri is written this way on purpose.
Given the parameters of her character, I do think that Nikaido Fumi does a really nice job.
In particular, I find her self-consciously dorky face very endearing.
[MINOR SPOILER]
It’s in the little moments, like in episodes 5-6, when she starts that video that explains the meaning of “Noona” while at the office, then hastily pauses the (loud) video, and takes out her earbuds as stealthily as possible. 😁
[END MINOR SPOILER]
Additionally, I do feel like there are some layers of poignance to her as a character.
[SPOILER ALERT]
As we get to know Yuri, we learn that there are various things that trouble her:
1. The fact that Dad suffered a stroke and became paralyzed after saving her, all those years ago. I believe that’s a good amount of guilt there, even though Dad says that it’s not her fault.
2. The fact that she’s older than Tae Oh.
We see that after watching that video about the meaning of “Noona,” she’s quick to re-frame every romantic thing that Tae Oh’s ever said to her, as just him being nice to an older woman, just like how kpop idols are nice to their older female fans, when they address them as “Noona.”
3. The fact that no guy has wanted to date her, after finding out about her secret power
4. The fact that she’s heard so many ugly and unpleasant thoughts from people, even though they are polite on the surface.
5. The fact that she’d been completely unaware of Hanaoka’s feelings for her
This causes so much guilt and self-reproach in her, for not being more sensitive to the people who are dear to her, that she allows Tae Oh to think that she doesn’t like him back, when he comes to see her, to clarify the situation.
[END SPOILER]
I feel sorry for Yuri, because in many of these situations, she’s punishing herself when she really doesn’t need to, but that does show us the kind of deeply responsible person she is, and how she sincerely wants to do right by others.
For what it’s worth, given the context around her character, I felt more sympathetic than frustrated with Yuri, overall.
Our OTP together
I really enjoyed the pairing of Chae Jong Hyeop with Nikaido Fumi, and here are a couple of reasons why.
The chemistry
For one thing, while watching the show, I came across some footage of our leads interacting during a couple photoshoot, and my gosh, they have great chemistry together! 🤩
I feel that, because Yuri is shown to be so uncertain of herself and Tae Oh’s feelings for her, over the course of our story, this particular brand of chemistry doesn’t show up as much, but the couple chemistry is strong with these two, in the photoshoot clips.
In those clips, Chae Jong Hyeop looks so grounded, affectionate and confident, while Nikaido Fumi looks – to my eyes, anyway – kinda shyly hyper-aware of him and the skinship involved in the photoshoot, and I squee! 😍😍
I was so intrigued by this, that I went and looked up their respective ages, and was so tickled to find that Chae Jong Hyeop is actually older than Nikaido Fumi by a year (he’s 30, and she’s 29), when in our story, his character, Tae Oh, is younger than her character, Yuri.
Tee hee hee! For some reason, I am very amused by this. 😁
I mean, in our story, Yuri becomes hyper-aware of Tae Oh relatively quickly, but it just feels extra squee-worthy, that Jikaido Fumi might perhaps be hyper-aware of Chae Jong Hyeop, even during a photoshoot.
And, to my eyes, it looks like Chae Jong Hyeop isn’t unaware of his effect on her, and he absolutely doesn’t seem to mind. 🤭
You can check out said clip of the photoshoot here, and let me know what you think!
Maybe I’m just being delusional, and reading too much into the micro expressions (that I think) I’m seeing. 😅
BUT, this definitely does fuel my enjoyment of this show, so I’d call that a sort of win?
The height difference
Through my entire watch, I was extremely tickled at how Chae Jong Hyeop looks like a literal beefy giant next to Nikaido Fumi.
I get a huge thrill and kick outta this, because of how Chae Jong Hyeop often looks a bit dwarfed, next to his often-taller k-counterparts.
The internet reports that he’s 1.86m tall, which is wayyy taller than he looks, in the various kdramas I’ve seen him in.
And so, in my defense, to demonstrate that I’m not imagining things, or making things up, here’s a side-by-side comparison of Chae Jong Hyeop in Love All Play, with his co-star Park Ju Hyun, and him in this show, with Nikaido Fumi.
Tee hee hee. Doesn’t he look like a literal giant in this show? I love it, honestly. 🤩😁
I thought Chae Jong Hyeop and Nikaido Fumi were basically as adorable as a pair of puppies together, and here’s a sampling of my personal OTP highlights, during my watch.
[SPOILER ALERT]
E1-2. A big part of the Cute, Tae Oh pretty much falls for Yuri almost right away.
An unabashedly smitten Chae Jong Hyeop? Why, yes please. That entire concept (not even exaggerating) was why I signed up for Love All Play, after all.
The entire progression of their connection, from customer and food delivery guy, to a tentative friendship, to Tae Oh becoming the intern in Yuri’s company, is all very cute and cheerfully brisk, with lots of cuteness sprinkled through it all.
The little notes that they exchange, because she’s so grateful to him for recommending a delicious bibimbap place, is really adorable, with the little otter drawings and all. Plus, Yuri being so jumpy at being seen by the up-till-that-point faceless delivery guy, is kind of relatable. 😅
Tae Oh finding her odd behavior interesting and cute, and wanting to get to know her better, instead of retreating in haste, makes him super endearing to me, even if I find this quirk of his extremely plot-convenient.
And, every time Yuri gets worked up in any way, it’s cute how Tae Oh is quick to conclude that she must be hangry, and moves to feed her. 😁 The way to a woman’s heart is through her stomach? 🤭
The very fact that Tae Oh realizes that he likes her, as early as the end of episode 1, shows just how brisk our story is likely to be, and I’m not mad about that at all, really.
I’d honestly imagined that Tae Oh would be Yuri’s food delivery guy for longer, but no, by episode 2, he’s surprising her as the new intern in her company – where she’s the CEO! 😂 – and I find myself pleasantly anticipating some office hijinks, which I hadn’t even realized we were going to get.
The fact that Show takes this, and quickly creates a forced-proximity situation, with Tae Oh staying over at Yuri’s apartment, when his own home is flooded from the sprinklers going off, is just icing on the cake.
I mean, a nervous Yuri, extremely hyper-aware of Tae Oh being in her home, who then goes to sleep and has a dream of sexytimes with Tae Oh, and then wakes up with a start, and starts apologizing as soon as she literally falls out of bed to the floor, is just hilarious to me. 😂
Also, I couldn’t help giggling at the fact that Show wastes no time in serving up a shirtless, glistening Chae Jong Hyeop, to show us just how, er, strong and healthy he looks. 🤭
E3-4. This pair of episodes, I was nicely amused by all the hijinks stemming from Yuri and Tae Oh starting to become more romantically aware of each other, while working in the same office.
It’s predictable, but still cute, how Yuri gets all these complicated feelings from the way Tae Oh suddenly becomes more formal and distant at work – even though this is exactly what he’d promised he’d do.
It feels very relatable, actually, coz I can imagine myself having similar perplexed, confused thoughts, in Yuri’s shoes – or other similar shoes, where someone who’s been cheerfully, ardently affectionate, suddenly becomes all distant and aloof.
Like, yes, maybe he’s already indicated that that’s the game plan, but somehow, you still find the execution of it unsettling and strange, and after a while, you start to wonder if he still likes you.
Also, part of that thought process might be like, “Could he really like me, if he’s able to hide it so well..?”
At least, this is what I imagine is going through Yuri’s mind, as she can’t help but keep peeking at Tae Oh, to see how he’s like, at the office.
I can also see why Yuri would feel thrown off by Tae Oh’s friendly exchanges with Nishina, the co-worker who’s able to speak Korean, and also, feel some measure of jealousy, because she can’t understand Korean, while Nishina can.
I can also kinda understand why Yuri might not reply to Tae Oh’s many texts in the morning.
She’s just woken up and is just gearing up for the day, and he sends so, so many texts that it probably feels overwhelming, and hard to figure out where to even begin to reply.
Also, I’m taking a guess here, but I’m also thinking that when there are so many incoming texts, it almost feels less necessary to reply? Like they’re just all flowing in, and haven’t stopped flowing in, and you’re just in the read-and-absorb mode?
Like, before she’s actually figured out how to respond to a message, another one comes in, completely distracting her from the message that had come before – that sort of thing.
At least, that’s my guess as to why Yuri doesn’t respond to Tae Oh’s messages, which gives Tae Oh his own little internal crisis.
It’s quite cute, honestly, how these two are putting each other through the wringer, without actually trying to. 😁
It might feel like eternity when Yuri’s wondering about Tae Oh’s feelings for her, but in reality, it’s only one workday, and later in the evening, Tae Oh even shows up at Yuri’s office with a serving of soondubu (which she’d been craving, even!), because he knows that she wouldn’t have eaten and would be hungry.
Aw. Very sweet. 🥰
It’s the perfect trigger, to nudge Yuri to text Tae Oh, which in turn, makes Tae Oh all happy again, because he’s finally received a text from Yuri.
So simple and cute, yes?
I do love the language of flowers thing that Tae Oh introduces, via that little spray of Linaria that he gives her.
“Notice my love for you” is a perfect, spot-on expression of Tae Oh’s heart.
Even though Yuri seems a little slow to actually respond to that meaningful message, I do love that Yuri gets inspired by this, to do the language of flowers special edition chocolates, for Valentine’s Day.
That’s a pretty cool Valentine’s Day special item, and I like the idea that Tae Oh was the one who’d inspired Yuri, with his earnest, sweet little gift.
Importantly, I like that Yuri returns the gesture by going to Tae Oh’s home to return the food container, and they talk, as he walks her home.
They talk about his behavior at the office, as well as her not replying his texts, and he asks her out on a date, and they pinky swear on it, with the whole Korean stamp and copy move thrown in, and it all feels shy and cute and healthy, at the same time. 🥰
E3-4. I giggled a naughty giggle, when Tae Oh puts that “spell” on Yuri and tells her to dream about him, and she outright apologizes out loud, when her thoughts go, unbidden, to the details of her sexy dream about shirtless, glistening Tae Oh.
Tee hee hee. I’m so tickled at how Tae Oh might react, if only he knew. 🤭
E3-4. I’m glad that we get to see Yuri and Tae Oh go on that date, even though Yuri still seems preoccupied with the thought that she hasn’t been herself, and that she should go back to being her businesslike self, instead of dabbling with frivolous things like love and feelings.
I do like how the conversations that Yuri and Tae Oh have, tend to help clear things up, and keep things on a pretty healthy track, over and above the cute hijinks.
Like during this date, Tae Oh clears up Yuri’s misunderstanding about him and Nishina, which is helpful and important.
Also, I like that Yuri resists the urge to Google a translation for Tae Oh’s thoughts; this feels healthy and upstanding of her.
We also get cute OTP developments, like Tae Oh grabbing Yuri’s hand, and also, giving her that makeshift ring made out of ribbon (sweet 🥰).
I’m glad that Yuri finally becomes sure of her feelings for Tae Oh, and gives him that box of Linaria chocolates that she’d prepared for him. Aw, it’s all very sweet, really. And I can’t wait for Tae Oh to actually see that she’s actually confessing her feelings for him, the exact way he’d indicated his feelings to her, via the Linaria flowers.
E5-6. I liked that Show takes pains to make sure that Yuri’s heart wavers, such that she regrets letting Tae Oh go, like with that stargazing scene, and then again, when Tae Oh leaves the convention on his own, to allegedly look at otters.
And then, it’s kinda sad-cute, that Tae Oh demonstrates that he has a similar level of understanding of Yuri; when she can’t get out the words to tell him why she’s there looking for him, he uses the same multi-question trick that he’d used before, to help her.
Wheee~! We finally get our OTP minted, with mutual love confessions, hugs and even kisses. Yesss. 🥰
E7-8. I really liked seeing Tae Oh and Yuri as a new couple, trying out new couple things together.
Mainly, I do love how naturally Tae Oh takes to boyfriend things like showing up at Yuri’s house with breakfast in hand, and also, how cheerfully eager Tae Oh is, for them to make couple memories together.
It’s also cute how Yuri’s self-conscious about not having any makeup on, and allowing Tae Oh to see her disheveled just-outta-bed state, and endearing how it doesn’t faze Tae Oh in the least; he thinks she’s cute, just as she is.
Aw. These two are just an adorable pair of puppies, aren’t they? 🥰
The onsen date that Tae Oh takes Yuri on is cute, and I have to say, they both look lovely in the yukata. 😍
Yuri hastily covering Tae Oh up by adjusting the yukata, so that other girls wouldn’t see the strong, healthy pecs underneath, is very cute, as is Tae Oh continually teasing Yuri about wanting to kiss her.
I also really like that as we see the two of them go on dates together, we also get to see them sharing little bits of their own culture with the other person; this feels organic and important, and I like the idea of them learning about each other’s culture and background, on top of getting to know each other as people.
It feels.. wholistic and wholesome, I feel. 🥰
E7-8. What a twist, at the end of episode 8, when we find out that Tae Oh already knows that Yuri is able to hear other people’s thoughts.
That puts everything in a new light, doesn’t it, because all through these two episodes, he’s been earnestly telling Yuri how happy he is, and how much he loves her.
He said that while knowing that she could hear his thoughts, which means it doesn’t matter to him if she can hear his thoughts; he loves her anyway. That is so lovely. 🥲🥰
[END SPOILER]
Nakagawa Taishi as Hanaoka
Honestly, for about half our show, I was pretty convinced that Hanaoka was just another obligatory meddling second lead.
BUT, Show proved me very wrong on that count, because I’m very pleasantly surprised by how fond I became of Hanaoka, by the time I finished my watch.
Here are some of my favorite Hanaoka highlights.
[SPOILER ALERT]
E5-6. Through all of the OTP angst, I found myself growing sympathetic of Hanaoka, who ends up being the one to help Tae Oh and Yuri finally get together – in spite of the fact that he still likes Yuri. Aw. What an upstanding, selfless kinda guy he’s turned out to be. 🥲
I found it kinda sad-funny, when, through much of these episodes, poor Hanaoka just looks so confused and bamboozled all the time, by the weird behavior that he observes in Yuri and Tae Oh.
And then there’s the way he tries to set Yuri free from the burden that he’d inadvertently placed on her shoulders, when he’d said that thing about her not being herself.
The way he tries to tell her that there’s no rule against dating a co-worker, at the end of episode 5, is clearly an attempt to let her know, indirectly, that he’s ok with her dating Tae Oh.
Aw. That’s pretty decent of him, isn’t it?
E5-6. I honestly felt pretty bad for Hanaoka during the Hokkaido trip, because he’s so confused at the weird vibe between Yuri and Tae Oh, and tries so hard, to give them the opportunity to be closer to each other.
He really does look completely bewildered, when Tae Oh tells him that Yuri had rejected him, and that it’s because there’s a special relationship between Hanaoka and Yuri.
Hahaha. Poor Hanaoka.
Not only does he have to deal with his own bruised heart, he feels obliged to make things better between Yuri and Tae Oh.
It’s sad-sweet, isn’t it, that when he gets accidentally drunk, that’s the main thing that he talks about, saying that he just wants things to work out well for them, while apologizing to Tae Oh, before he passes out.
Honestly, talk about breaking a guy’s heart and then imposing on his generosity and good nature, Show! 😅
But I guess I get the idea, that Show wanted to demonstrate that Hanaoka is really, really, REALLY ok with Yuri and Tae Oh getting together. Or at least, I think that’s Show’s intention, in doing things this way.
E5-6. The scene that steals it all, for me, is the one where we see Hanaoka use his rock-paper-scissors superpower (which is basically knowing that Yuri always closes her eyes while playing), to send Yuri to Tae Oh.
What makes it even more poignant, is that we get to see, in flashback, that Hanaoka had always lost to Yuri on purpose, just so that she’d get to eat or drink the thing that she really wanted, but had chosen to play for instead, in order to be fair.
Augh. That’s multiple layers of Hanaoka being self-sacrificial, out of his heart for Yuri, and I can’t help but look upon him with a new appreciation and fondness.
You’re a good man, Hanaoka. I hope Show is good to you, and gives you your own happy ending. 🥲
E7-8. I’m glad to see that Hanaoka also seems to think our OTP is a good match, from that little beat that we get, where he looks at Tae Oh and Yuri together, with what looks like a little smile of satisfaction, like he’s congratulating himself on doing something good.
I also like that Yuri approaches Hanaoka, as if to mend bridges with him. Even though Hanaoka cuts off that interaction by giving Yuri lots of work to do, I can feel like he’s received the sentiment, and doesn’t want Yuri to feel burdened, and that’s why he doesn’t want her to talk about it, since she’d likely just apologize again, and we’ve seen that Hanaoka doesn’t want her to feel bad.
It’s a smallish beat, but I like that Show doesn’t neglect Hanaoka’s feelings, and wraps up his feelings for Yuri in a manner that’s pretty sensitive and respectful.
[END SPOILER]
Yuri’s relationship with Dad
I found myself having a pretty big soft spot for Yuri’s relationship with her dad (Tatekawa Shiraku).
Even though he’s bedridden, he’s got such a peaceful, loving soul, and I just really loved how Dad was always there to offer Yuri kindness, as well as some much-needed perspective, whenever she felt down or discouraged.
[SPOILER ALERT]
E7-8. The entire scene with Yuri and her dad was so poignant, with her confiding in him so openly, about her concerns and fears, and Dad being so gallantly assuring, that he’ll be more than ok, and then gamely holding her gaze for those 33 seconds, because according to the book, this is how Yuri could lose her power to hear other people’s thoughts.
I was SO glad, honestly, that it didn’t end up working, because it would have been too sad, for Yuri to not be able to hear her father’s voice anymore.
Dad is still awesome either way, but I just want he and Yuri to continue to be able to have their conversations, because those are so very precious. 🥲
[END SPOILER]
Yuri’s friendship with Mahiro
Through most of my watch, Yuri’s friendship with Mahiro (Yamashita Mizuki) just felt like another comedic secondary relationship, but I do really love this relationship demonstrates itself to be something stronger and more meaningful than I’d first imagined.
[SPOILER ALERT]
E7-8. One of the highlights for me, this pair of episodes, is when Mahiro finally learns of Yuri’s secret, when Yuri ‘fesses up, after Mahiro grows upset that Yuri doesn’t seem to want to tell her the truth about what she’s gone through.
I felt bad for Yuri while Mahiro was all scared and freaked out, but I’m glad that Mahiro comes around soon enough, and then I was amused at how Mahiro really leans into it and uses Yuri’s ability almost like it’s a regular everyday thing.
Their very elaborate silent communication across the office tickled me a great deal, and I kinda love that Hanaoka is able to just shrug it off with nothing more than a weird look; like, this level of weirdness isn’t all that different from their norm, ha.
Mahiro being all conspiratorial and wanting to help Yuri figure out the thing with the children’s book is also quite endearing to my eyes, because she’s so earnest about wanting to help a friend. 🥲
[END SPOILER]
STUFF THAT WORKED OUT TO OK
The secondary loveline
I have to confess that through most of my watch, I wasn’t all that interested in the loveline between Mahiro and Onoda (Shimizu Hiroya), particularly with how Onoda is so studiously oblivious to Mahiro’s interest in him.
I honestly found it rather off-the-wall, especially with Onoda behaving almost like some kind of robot, with his lack of understanding of the cues that Mahiro keeps sending him.
But, with a manga lens on, it works a lot better, and I did end up feeling more positive about this loveline than I’d originally guessed I would, so overall, I’d say this worked out pretty ok.
The whole thing with the children’s book [VAGUE SPOILERS]
From pretty early on in our story, Show introduces a mystery element of sorts, with Tae Oh’s professor (Sugimoto Tetta) keeps getting worked up about Tae Oh not dating Yuri, for reasons that remain unknown for most of our story.
To be honest, I didn’t care for this element of our story that much, but it all works out fine in the end, without too much angst in the mix, so I’d call it even.
THOUGHTS ON THE ENDING [SPOILERS]
Show serves up a neat little happy ending, and I would not have expected anything less.
Honestly, if it had taken a turn into a haunting, open ending, I would’ve been very surprised, coz this little story always screamed that a happy ending was part of its DNA. 😁
Granted, Show does throw in a bit of last-minute angst, which feels heavily borrowed from k-romcoms, especially with the OTP separation that even smells like noble idiocy, and even comes complete with a Vehicle Of Doom – which turns out to be a relatively harmless motorcycle, heh.
Happily, because Show is a short little 10-episode affair instead of the 16-episode standard favored by many k-romcoms, all of the angst gets compressed into something like 1.5 episodes instead of the usual 3-4 episodes, and it all blows over quickly enough.
Honestly, it all does land as everyone making a mountain out of a molehill, but I understand that this all basically comes with the territory, because that is exactly the type of story this is.
I honestly kind of laughed, when Hanaoka (good man!) seeks out Min Ha Na, and explains to her, that her boyfriend had had coronary heart disease even before he’d met her, and that he therefore hadn’t died because of her.
I mean, it’s very obvious to us as an audience, since the book never actually says how the boy had died, or why his death had been perceived as being a result of the girl’s power, so that logic is very, very weak there.
The characters taking it all seriously, and our actors delivering emotional beats that feel authentic, helps to smooth it all over, so that it’s easier to accept that everyone’s making such a big deal over a single children’s book, and how it claims that the boy in the story had died because of the girl’s power to hear other people’s thoughts.
I’m glad that Min Ha Na gets set free from her guilt as a result of Hanaoka’s investigation, and I rather like the hint that we get, that maybe there’s a little something brewing between them, with Hanaoka inviting Ha Na to see the cherry blossoms with him and the team, on her next visit.
I’m also happy for Mahiro and Onoda, who get their own geeky happy ending, with Onoda finding the nerdiest ways to express his love for Mahiro, heh.
As for our OTP, I’m glad the separation doesn’t last for too long, and that Yuri comes to the conclusion that she really doesn’t want to be apart from Tae Oh.
I understand Yuri’s conviction that she would give up her power, so that she can be with Tae Oh, but I’m glad that Tae Oh decides that he doesn’t want her to give up part of herself because of him.
I think I would have been sad, if Yuri had given up her power, because it’s her power that allows her to continue having conversations with her bedridden, paralyzed father.
It wouldn’t have seemed right, for her to give up the ability to communicate with her father, because of her love for Tae Oh.
So I’m glad that in the end, Yuri doesn’t have to give up those conversations with Dad, in order to be with Tae Oh.
Honestly, one of my favorite things about the finale, is that, one year time skip later, we see Yuri happily peppering her conversations with Tae Oh, with charmingly Japanese-accented Korean.
It’s not apparent in the subs (well, at least the subs on Netflix don’t make it apparent), but it feels like a great little way to indicate that our OTP relationship has grown and evolved nicely, in the one year that has passed.
From not knowing much Korean at all, aside from a few phrases, Yuri’s now able to speak to Tae Oh in full Korean sentences, and that indicates how far they’ve come, in their relationship, doesn’t it? 🥲
He went into her world and he spoke her language, at the beginning of our story, and that enabled the sparking of a connection, and now, how nice is it, that we end the story with us seeing her wandering around his world, as they explore Korea together, while she speaks his birth language?
It feels like a sweet, neat little way to indicate how this couple has come full circle, and arrived at a better, more balanced place, together, and I do love that.
This ending tells me “..and they lived happily ever after,” without having to tell me that they lived happily ever after, and that feels pitch perfect, for this modern fantasy of a fairytale. 🥰
THE FINAL VERDICT:
A fluffy little bonbon of a modern fairytale.
FINAL GRADE: B+
TRAILER:
MV:
PATREON UPDATE!
The next drama I’m covering on Patreon, in place of Eye Love You, is Hold My Hand At Twilight [Japan].
You can check out my episode 1-2 notes on Hold My Hand At Twilight on Patreon here.
Here’s an overview of what I’m covering on Patreon right now (Tier benefits are cumulative)!
Foundation Tier (US$1): Entertainment Drop (Sundays) + the first set notes of all shows covered on Patreon (that’s 2 episodes for kdramas and 4 episodes for cdramas)
Early Access (US$5): +Hold My Hand At Twilight [Japan]
Early Access Plus (US$10): +Will Love in Spring [China]
VIP (US$15): +The Atypical Family [Korea]
VVIP (US$20): +Lovely Runner [Korea]
Ultimate (US$25): +The Midnight Romance in Hagwon [Korea]
If you’d like to join me on the journey, you can find my Patreon page here. You can also read more about all the whats, whys, and hows of helping this blog here. Thanks for all of your support, it really means a lot to me. ❤️
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