Fight For My Way (2017)

Dare To Take Risks!

This is a series that finally looks through the looking glass from the other side. Instead of having one or more characters coming from wealthy, prominent families, we have four people in their late 20s struggling to make ends meet, just like most of us. What makes this series work so well is that you can relate to the characters.

If you want to get anywhere in life, risks are necessary. Vulnerability is necessary. Those who play it safe never truly get anywhere, and this series is about fulfilling your dreams and taking that big first step outside your comfort zone that just might lead to something great. Complacency and settling are the only true enemies to success. If you have a dream, you have to go for it and let nobody stand in your way. Teddy Roosevelt once said, “far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checked by failure than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in a grey twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.” This series emulates this truth.

Ko Dong Man is a disgraced MMA fighter, who finds himself doing odd-jobs just to make ends meet. Of course, he hates his jobs, but perhaps not as much as he hates his abusive boss. Still, he knows that he’s not doing what he loves: being an MMA fighter. And he finally decides to go back to it. His best friend is childhood friend, Choi Ae Ra whose loves for Ko Dong Man is only matched by her overbearing, temperamental demeanor. She often acts more like a mother than a friend. Choi Ae Ra is a woman who is also stuck in a rut, working a thankless job at a department store. Her dream is to become an announcer.

Kim Joo Man and Baek Seol Hee are in a six-year relationship and are basically living together as well as working at the same company. However, they aren’t married yet as Joo Man believes that he needs to be able to provide a better life for Seol Hee, even though it’s apparent that Seol Hee doesn’t care about that. Joo Man and Seol Hee share a sweet relationship that has, perhaps, gone a little stale. This leads Joo Man to make some unwise decisions when a female co-worker shows interest in him. Unable to see the situation for what it actually is, he falls into the traps laid out for him by the co-worker.

All four characters find themselves navigating the pitfalls of jobs and romance as they struggle to eke something out of the dreams that each of them has for themselves. Is it possible? Isn’t it safer to just continue to work in a meaningless occupation where neither passion nor fulfillment exist? You might be surprised how many people actually believe that it’s better to play it safe. I’ve even heard parents tell their children this.

There is only one Adrian Balboa. I’m talking about Rocky Balboa’s wife who hated the fact that Rocky was a boxer and routinely got hurt. However, after going through her own fears, she understands that she hasn’t the right to stand in the way of her husband’s passion and dreams. Nobody has that right.

Choi Ae Ra is a woman who loves Ko Dong Man, but she hates the fact that he is an MMA fighter. It’s understandable. How can someone stand by and watch someone they care about continuously get hurt? She can barely watch the fights that he’s in, and most of the time, she is paralyzed with fear that she’s left in tears. It’s not for everyone. However, Choi Ae Ra makes the mistake of giving Ko Dong Man an ultimatum: give up fighting or lose her. This is an unfair and completely selfish demand. If a person can’t handle being around someone else due to their job (military, policeman, etc.) then that person has every right to step out of that world, but don’t ask that person to give up being who they are. I was thrilled when Ko Dong Man refused to give in to her ultimatum and stuck with his dream. After all, he’d already quit on his dream once. Understandably, he can’t do it again.

The cast is first-rate, with Park Seo Joon (Ko Dong Man) and Song Ha Yoon (Seol Hee) being the standouts for me. This is the fourth time I’ve seen Park Seo Joon, and he brings his boyish charm and great sense of humor to his roles. This one is no exception as he virtually steals every scene he’s in. We laugh and cry with him. Song Ha Yoon is the same for me. As much as I like Kim Ji Won, Song Ha Yoon has a veritable sweetness and childlike vulnerability that is captivating. When she is crushed due to Joo Man’s betrayal, she makes us feel it. She is also the more mature of the two female leads.

The series is quite light without any serious drama or any ridiculous love-triangles. We do have Park Hye Ran who keeps trying to get her ex-boyfriend, Ko Dong Man back, but after already been burned once by her, he shows absolutely no interest in her at all. I was relieved. I nearly cringed and said, “Oh, no! Not another love-triangle!” As much as I like K-dramas, they do tend to milk the “love triangle” a bit too much.

I was also pleased with the more mature approach to the relationships. After six years together, it makes perfect sense the Joo Man and Seol Hee are living together. And while we have just a few awkward moments between Ko Dong Man and Choi Ae Ra, it also made sense that they would have a desire to spend the night together. “We’ve known each other for 20 years! How much slower do we have to go?” they ask. It added charm and realism to their situation, which always felt natural rather than awkward. I also tend to cringe in dramas where any act of intimacy (even just hugging or kissing) is treated like a crime is about to be committed. I will say that the scene where Ko Dong Man and Choi Ae Ra accidentally fall asleep in the hotel room together was absolutely hilarious!

I absolutely love how expressive Korean actors and actresses are, especially when you get really good ones like these four performers. You feel everything they feel, and there is no shame in the expression. We see just how crushed Joo Man is when he breaks down in tears after realizing that his naivety has disastrous consequences, or Choi Ae Ra’s reaction to Ko Dong Man getting seriously hurt in his fights. I love how these actors are able to tap into those emotional wells as it makes it all so real and poignant.

If you’re looking for something light and fun as well as something that you’ll likely relate to, you really can’t go wrong with this fun and delightful series!

Lire davantage

So good!! I had some minor complaints, but I really loved Dongman's character and Seo Joon's acting. Everyone else was good, too, but he really stood out to me. The characters were very realistic. There were some good funny moments, too, although it's not one that I'd recommend for its humor alone.

My main issues were:
1. Aera was so selfish about Dongman. I wish she would have communicated more and tried to compromise. That's how relationships work. I felt like she didn't even learn that in the end.
2. The two main stories never felt like they overlapped. I wish the best friend group had more substance to it. I felt like I was watching two separate dramas until the very last episode.

However, overall it was a lovely drama and I recommend it!

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I got to know about this drama while browsing instagram. Pictures and scenes suddenly started popping up everywhere, and I decided to give this drama a try even though I actually had wanted to watch something else.

Honestly I’m so glad I did. I love this drama to pieces. It embraces topics such as mental and financial independence, chasing your dreams, different aspects of relationships, having genuine friends and many more. Overall it’s very realistic and mature. Of course, this still is a drama and thus several silly scenes and strange twists are awaiting you, but everything fits in nicely.

I fell in love with this show from the very first episode. I could instantly connect to the characters. One reason why is that they are incredibly vivid, dynamic, credible and have a background story. Another reason is because you’re introduced to real life scenarios you might had experienced yourself. As I said it before, the realism is strong with this one.

One might complain that there are a lot of “fillers” here, or that a lot of scenarios are quite repetitive. However, most of these “fillers” cover character development and explain/deepen the relationship between two or more characters. Therefore, I don’t want to consider these moments as actual fillers. They didn’t bug me at all. The repetitive scenarios do have a purpose.

There's a lot of character development going on… Maybe too much? I can't answer this question properly, I guess. On one hand, I think that it would have been better if more characters remained static until the end because that's how it is sometimes; on the other hand, the developers did such a good job that I can’t even tell which character I would choose to remain static.

Unfortunately, the ending felt a bit rushed. I wished certain characters would have interacted more, but the ending scene itself is totally fine for me. It's a shame the characters didn't get time to reflect on particular events and twists properly.

Regarding the cast, I feel like the actors were very comfortable with each other; PSJ and KJW have great chemistry together. I haven’t seen KJW before, but she’s pretty and her acting skills are very good! Regarding PSJ, I think he did much better than in Hwarang; the developers did a good job writing Dong Man and Ae Ra. The second couple represents a great equivalence to the first one, and personally I think they did a good job on them, too. Genereally speaking: The cast ist AMAZING.

I have no complaints about the music; it suited all of the situations well as far as I can tell. I wished there would have been a bit of variation to it, though.

All in all I can say that this is a well-written drama embracing realism and everyday life, presenting great character development, and I think that this one is my second favourite drama so far.

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As a newbie myself, I must say that Fight for My Way is one of the best shows to watch if you just started getting into kdramas. The story is light and the characters are very lovable! I was so devastated when the show ended because I'm going to miss the Fantastic Four so much!

I have the give the overall story a 9 because they kept on adding more and more plots as the show progressed, but they managed to end the show explaining everything.

The cast deserves a perfect 10 because of the chemistry of Sul Hee and Joo Man, and of course, the power couple Ae Ra and Dong Man. The characters of Ye Jin, Hye Ran, and Tak Su were also commendable because you will really feel displeasure whenever they're around which means their actings were top notch. I would like to give a hands down to FFMY's Casting team.

I have nothing much to say about the music because it deserves all the recognition! Being a non-Korean watcher, I would watch the episodes in RAW first. Despite not having subtitles, I would rely to the music being played to know what is currently happening in each scene. Plus, Good Morning by Kassy is still stuck on repeat in my music library.

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Nothing special.

I'm bored.

Characters & Actors:
Park Seo Joon is such a wonderful actor. They all are, but I teared up when he didn't get up from the may during his last fight. My heart broke.

But either than that, I don't enjoy watching the show. All of the highlights and funny and cute moments in every "KDrama funny /cute moments" are just that one scene and that draggy in betweens. I think I should have watched this earlier before the 100 other dramas I've seen. Everything they do feels so trope-y. I can't watch this with fresh eyes. I just want to skip over to the fight scenes and him kicking Tak-su's a**. KICK HIS A**!

Right! Tak-su! That mess of a character. He is the definition of a one-dimentional Villian. He is just there to be an antagonist. Nothing more. And all of his arguments and provocations, 'Your sister.... You're a beggar.... Need more money? .... Would be nothing without my (family's) money..... Blah, blah, blah...." Arg, shut up!

The other couple (Seol-hee/Sul-hee and that guy) are a breakup waiting to happen. Until he comes out and says he has a gf at work that he loves/gets a clue and shuts the interns feelings down/freaking SOMETHING! Their relationship won't end well. And she needs a bit more confidence. She's great, but a little confidence goes a long way.

That dude wanting to date Ae-ra..... I really don't like him. At. All. His character makes me uncomfortable. I think his actions should be coming off as cute, but they aren't. Every time he touches Ae-ra, I skirm.

The heifer. Ae-ra's rival. That b*TCH. *Sigh* I hope your story comes to an end very soon.

Dong-man's coach and the Mystery Landlady, love them!

Music:
I only like the 'My Way' theme. If an OST has been playing, I haven't heard it. Nothing has caught my attention. Nothing.

* The first part was written in November 2020. It's currently April 2021. I've finished the drama. It was okay.

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This is such a good drama.

Okay, this drama is so good. If you're looking for a sign to watch it, this is it. Watch it.

On to the review, then. This show is one of my absolute all-time favorites. It's a slice of life show that really showcases the struggles people have to go through to achieve their dreams. It's definitely not super grounded or realistic but the characters really get you invested in the story. I love PSJ and KJW's acting in this, their chemistry is *chef's kiss*. The way they did the friends-to-lovers trope is amazing, and I'd watch it over and over again for that alone.

I love what they did with Ae-ra and Dong-man, but the ending was kinda weird for me. Ae-ra broke up with him because she didn't want him to fight, but apparently he's still going to? It's much better to just make him a coach and leave it at that. It's a nice compromise. But other than that, scenes with those two never fail to make me smile. I love them so much.

Seol-hee is my favorite character in this series, and it was touching to have her say that her dream is to become a mom. I cried :(
But I don't like the ending they had for her! I would've been much happier for the show to end with Joo-man still begging for her to come back haha. Either way, Seol-hee deserves the world and Joo-man is an idiot. (He's kind of the only character I didn't love out of the fantastic four).

I didn't care much for the secret parent reveal, but they didn't spend much time on it so it didn't bother me too much.

This show is entertaining and definitely rewatchable. It's paced very well, and I find myself wanting to watch scenes but ending up watching an entire episode lol. Comedy is on point. OST slaps.

Definitely recommend it.

(This is just my opinion, no one's obligated to care about it. I just needed to talk about dramas somewhere :')

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I started of watching this drama, not having read anything about it, thinking it would be the typical romcom KBS-style. I was SO wrong! I bingewatched the whole thing, enjoying every moment of it. The chemistry between the actors were so good and the relashionships developed and evolved naturally, without the typical over dramatic elements such as overprotecting moms and great family disputes.
It's nice to follow the ordinary life of ordinary people for once. Sure, it was naive at times, but I really enjoyed it eitherwa.

I will definitely rewatch this in the future.

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It portrays realistic relationships and real struggles of people in their 20s

I loved the chemistry so much! It was really fun to watch and most importantly for once, it was not about the rich guy and the poor girl.

Maybe I loved this drama for bigger reasons: it's raw, so close to the reality of the youth nowadays, not of the girl who in the end marries the chaebol of of the boy who falls for the pure and saintly girl. The story of the second couple was very well written too. They were giving the depth and the glimpse of real long term relationships while the main lead were really comfortable with each other and you could tell even in the bts (he actually seems to have a crush on the female lead, but really, who wouldn't). I really love the actress who plays the anchor as well, despite her being the evil one here lol.

Some people were complaining about certain reactions of Ae Ra to some of Dong Man's decisions. I really think those people have never put themselves in her shoes or thought from the perspective of a woman who's man is a MMA fighter. And the complains about how dramatic some revelations should have been...I mean...it's a rom com? Is it supposed to have melodrama elements in it? We see some backstories with enough depth, literally just enough. There is no dragging in any of the episodes.

Finally, the young cast was fantastic and those kids act so well that it's incredibly heart warming !

Lire davantage

Fun, Realistic and Empowering

Fight For My Way was such a refreshing rom-com drama to watch! I initially watched this for PSJ, but honestly I fell in love with each character.

The premise that sometimes life doesn't turn out the way you expected is such a realistic portrayal of real life, and they depict it really well here in this drama. I truly felt connected to each of the characters and found myself personally cheering them on. I love that throughout the entire series you get to see them struggle and fail, and trying to figure it out. Even though nobody came out drastically changing their life, they still changed it enough to be happy, and that was such a great message to send.

I know some people would disagree, but I personally found the second leads story to be a huge joy to watch. I was incredibly satisfied and felt the empowerment watching Seol Hee dumping Joo Man. At the same time, I found myself empathizing with Joo Man after. I felt like it depicted the frustrations of a long term relationship well.

I have no complaints with the OTP. I really enjoyed her sticking to her guns about breaking up should he continue to fight in the MMA. I also enjoyed their relationship and the time the drama spent on the little moments with them. Their relationship was well depicted and I truly enjoyed watching it unfold.

I will say that I felt the ending to be a bit rushed. From the acceptance of her mother, to their marriage (and him leaving MMA), as well as Hye Ran. I don't feel like we got a ton of closure. But, I think it was a nice way to leave off as they continue to depict that their life is still ongoing.

Loved this drama, would highly recommend it to anyone.

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Certain story choices didn't please me. Still a great Drama to watch.

It was a very good story in the beginning, the characters development is really good, unlike other dramas that put difficulties that don't need to be there, this one is a good example of how k-dramas can be.
But the choices about Aera character and the other relationship made me fell uncomfortable in the end. Joo Man was a really bad boyfriend letting things going the way they was with the other girl he just made his girlfriend sad and not helped her to be secure about their relationship, and i was really happy about the break up, but they just ignored the things that happened before ans made them together again without any further development of their story.
And then about Aera, the character in the beginning was really cute avout how she was concerned about Dong Man, she was very worried about him e this made me feel really good to watch them, but in the end she was abusive just breaking up with him because he chooses to pursue his dream of being an athlete, because besides the risks it was his dream of life, he said that prefered to live like this unlike come back to his previous life, unlike this he always supported her when she was pursuing her dream, but she not did this with him just breaking up. I can't feel bonded with her character because of this, it can't be a ten for me because of this kind of story choices.

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