Just Between Lovers (2017)

A Drama Not to Put Off

So I saw this drama recommend to me on Hulu and I always put it off. I finally decided to settle down and watch it and I wish I had just listened to Hulu's recommendation from the beginning. Comparing it to the perfect recipe, this drama had everything. It's a wholesome drama that had me so caught up in my emotions I had to remind myself it was just a story. The acting just drew you in. The storyline realistic and in some people's cases, relatable. Lee Jun Ho did such an amazing job with this role, I almost caught feelings (again had to remind myself, it's just acting.) It's shows like this one that makes me want to shout from the rooftops to wake people up from the sleeping they've been doing on KDramas. Don't put if off, just watch it.

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Endurance

The acting was superb and the content emotional but.... it was unrelentingly bleak for the most part! I understand it was about the survivers and bereaved families trauma and grief - making them prisoners of their guilt and loss, but oh it began to drag! They all seemed to be wallowing in their pointless self blame and the FL parents,esp the mother just heaped more damage on her daughter - totally selfish.As one reviewer put it, the "noble actions" of first the ML and then the FL in the penultimate episode just became too much. After they both suffered so much they then put each other through more heartache. Plus the architect began to act out of character. I got so frustrated that I skipped thru the last 3 episodes , kept up with salient developments just to finish the gruelling experience. Apart from the ML noone seemed mature, many got worse and alot of many characters past actions were hinted at but not exposed till the final episode. The sister acted selfishly till she realised he was ill - maybe because he left the family, but he borrowed money and worked like a dog for her to become a dr. Is self sacrifice and blame a cultural thing in korea?
There were some lovely scenes with the two leads and with granny but not enough to outweigh the long slog of emotional assault on the viewer! Would have been better if less episodes.at least the last episode was good!

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This is one of those dramas where you can really feel its pain, and be transported by its story so much to make you want to watch the next episode as soon as you finish the one you were watching!
It has a calm and really depressing vibe and the actors played their character really well.
For me Junho had the same impact as an actor as Woo Do Hwan in "Save Me", I was totally into his character, I felt his pain and when he smiled, I smiled too, he had a big charisma.
(Remember this: He's going to be really big, we're going to see him really often now so be ready!)
And Won Jin Ah, lord, she acts so well, I liked her performance a lot, I wish to see her in another drama really soon, because she has talent!
I enjoyed as well the other actors and actresses, everyone had its own story and frustration so it shows that nobody can be perfect.
I would definitely watch it again to see one of my favorite couple in the drama history, they had a chemistry that surpassed my other favorite couples (Except 3)
Their couple was one of the big reasons that I liked this drama a lot.
If you haven't watched it yet, you absolutely have to do it now, because you may miss a very good one!

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If You don't want to watch typical romance drama, yet You seek for a wonderful love story - this is totally the drama for You !!

For me, this was one of my first dramas to watch and You know what ? I am so into korean culture right now ! If You just started watching dramas, I think this is the right choice and You are in right place :)

Just Between Lovers is that kind of TV series that plays with You a lot - this is like real emotional rollecoaster. Prepare for crying a lot, out of anger, happiness and sadness. The plot seems like genuine story of real people with their tragic background, real problems. Thank to that You can actually start to appreciate every little thing that surrounds You, make You think how life is precious and valuable.

Also, the cast was really outstanding - Lee Jun Ho proved that he is not only an idol from boysband, but also really promising actor! Won Jin Ah was just perfect for her role - how she showed her character's feelings and trauma - just spectacular!!

Overall, I think that this is one of few dramas I would actually consider to rewatch.
So just sit in front of Your computers or TV and start watching, because it is worth Your time!

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Well that was a whirlwind of emotions.

Story was well paced, really thoroughly thought out. Straight up hits one in the feels.
It makes you think, I mean really think about life in general.

Music was amazing. Perfectly chosen for each scene to evoke certain emotions. It's just all so good.

The acting was on point! Great chemistry. Not going to lie, I did get emotionally invested. Tears occurred, twinges of heart strings pulled, chest crushed with emotion. Supporting cast wasn't there just to be there and ruin the story. No one was there for no reason. Everything was interconnected. In my own way I didn't feel that there was any real big bad. The biggest bad was the situation, and the battle to maintain and keep their selves in control. There was relationship bumps, but it still made sense. I didn't hate anyone outrageously. Which was refreshing.

The ONLY reason the rewatch is at 9.5 is because it hit me very emotionally in many ways. I could see myself re watching it a lot though. I hope this helped you decide to give this fantastic piece of work a good shot. [Just saying its EXTREMELY Marathon worthy] Took me 4 days only because of sleep+work.

Sara Rojas JUNE 4 2018

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This is the best drama I've ever seen. I think it's the most feeling, intense drama out there, definitely for 2018. Dealing with hard topics such as death, forgiveness, grief, and families this drama doesn't shy away from how ugly life can be. In fact, it takes the ugly parts of life and continually shines a light on how different people react to it in honest ways. There was a part near the end of the drama (the audience has already shed enough tears for our main characters) and yet more bad news happens, which at that point the character cries "haven't I been through enough? What more do you want from me?" I loved that scene so much, it really shows that life doesn't balance out good and bad moments for everyone- it's what you make of those moments. While most dramas can only through so many punches to the viewer before the viewer calls it unrealistic in this drama I felt like it made it the most real form of a slice of life there could be. We as the audience get to see that life isn't always great even after you find your love, but maybe it is worth living for.

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Imbalanced Romance Between the Heroic Kang Doo and the Immature, Cowardly Moon Soo

Kang Doo and Granny end up being the only two truly noble and likeable characters in this entire series with Ma Ri and Jung Yoo Jin being right behind them. The show would have been so much stronger and better if even Moon Soo had even half the character of Kang doo. In the end, we realize that she doesn’t even remotely deserve him.

Kang Doo and Moon Soo are survivors of a horrific accident; a newly built shopping mall that collapses on them when they were teenagers. As the story unfolds, we find that Kang Doo is about as noble and heroic as a person can be. Yes, he’s got a temper, and for a while, he feels pathetic and unworthy. But not only does he rebound, he is always looking after people; looking after those he cares about; and even beyond that, he’s always THERE for them. That’s the mark of a truly noble person. Jun Ho Lee should’ve won every single acting award out there for giving us a harrowing and complex depiction of a Kang Doo who is always in pain, always struggling, always fighting, and always doing right by people. He mirrors the famous quote of Rocky Balboa of, “Life ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” Does Kang Doo stumble and make poor decisions? Yes, but he always quickly sees that there is a better way. He’s a man who’s continuously tormented.

Moon Soo, unfortunately, is someone who finds it safer and easier to just stay within her little bubble world. One could argue that Kang Doo has had a much harder road in life, and yet Moon Soo lacks the courage and even the conviction to fight and be there for those who need it. Actress Jin Ah Won is almost a complete opposite from Jun Ho Lee. In fact, she’s easily the weakest actor of the ensemble. Her expressions are often stoic and bland. She looks like a 15-year-old and she gives us a Moon Soo who acts like it too. It’s nearly laughable the times that Kang Doo tries to hug her, and she recoils like an 8-year-old child who’s had a spider dropped down her shirt! It shows her level of immaturity.

What really angered me was when Moon Soo finds out about Kang Doo’s health condition. At this point, she’s not even talking to him at all. She’s ignoring him. He goes to her house to tell her about his problem. Without even opening the door, he faints. She then gets angry with him for not telling him! How exactly does THAT work?!? I was like, “Are you kidding me?! You were ignoring him and you blame HIM for that?!” That was my last straw with Moon Soo. From then on, I had no heart or sympathy for such a cold, cowardly character who is unable to see past her own pain. Throughout the series, Kang Doo is always there for her. And throughout the series, Moon Soo constantly comes up short because she can’t be there for him when he needs help, and she invariably and conveniently ignores and forgets all that Kang Doo has been through. She completely dismisses it and even his condition when she hasn’t the guts to deal with it.

I’ve been watching K-dramas for nearly 5 years now. I’ve seen so many good ones and a few bad ones. However, I can’t remember one where I’ve found the leading lady so unappealing.

I can’t even sympathize with Moon Soo when she tearfully asks her friend, “Why does Kang Doo have to go through this? Hasn’t he been through enough? Why is this happening to us?” Funny questions from a person who can’t even be with him when needed, and by someone who’s blatantly ignored him. How can there even be an “us” when you refuse to be a participant or even show up!

The characters of Granny and Kang Doo keep this series afloat. By the last episode, I nearly decided to forget the whole thing as I was so fed up with Moon Soo. I wouldn’t wish a “Moon Soo” on anyone. She’s about as supportive as a piece of used tissue.

Kang Doo and Granny make this series a “10” for me. Moon Soo makes it about a “3” or “4”. Not to mention that actress Jin Ah Won is about the worst kisser I’ve ever seen! Kissing her must be like kissing a dead fish. No heart. No feeling. It says a lot about Won’s comfort level and her ability to even act out a simple scene like that.

While the story is an intriguing one, this definitely isn’t a series I’d watch again. It deserved a much better actress than Jin Ah Won; someone seasoned and professional enough to really give us a likeable and intriguing character with a complexity to match Jun Ho Lee’s performance. The imbalance really hurt this series. I certainly won’t look to watch anything else by Jin Ah Won. She sticks out like a sore thumb in this series against far better performances by nearly everyone else who all overshadowed her.

Kang Doo’s sister is almost as bad. Not even a hug or word of support for a brother who’s dying. Was it the writer’s intention to give us such cold, unfeeling women in this show? If so, he succeeded! He gave us two mothers who aren’t even worthy of the title.

Kang Doo is a hero in every sense of the word for always doing right by others; for always looking out and caring for others. The true shame is how no one was able to do the same for him.

The series also ends way too conveniently with a "magical" and unlikely ending. The writer didn't have the guts to go down the road less traveled and realize that Moon Soo might have actually learned the most about herself and appreciated Kang Doo had he not survived. The ending was a real cop-out which undermined much of the premise of the series.

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Boring endless loop of the same inane plot device

Dude, you know that annoying thing some dramas do where they make up some obscure random reason why two people can’t be together, but they overcome it in the end and hook up anyhow? This drama does that like 8 times. It’s so obnoxious. “You love me but I’m not good enough for you so I’ll run away”, “Omg you love me even though I’m trash, it’s fate!”, “except now I love you but you don’t love me cause it’s your turn to be not good enough”. For flying F sake.

Apart from that constant rehash of the same inane plot hook, the drama was ok. The acting was good, the side characters were engaging, the architectural theme was interesting.

What mostly drove me crazy is that this drama suffered from bad writing. I get it, you need to fill 16 episodes but your story only has 8 episodes of content, but dang bro at least toss in some flipping variety here and there rather than repeat the same one theme over and over and over and over. Also how flipping lazy was the ending. I really want to rage about the ending but ima hold back cause it’s too dick for me to spoiler it. Let’s just say, it’s cliche beyond words and really poorly executed.

Overall, this drama was a huge disappointment to me. I got so pissed off halfway through the last episode that I turned on a phone game out of spite and only halfway paid attention. If it had been a book I would have thrown it across the room in disgust. The actors deserved better.

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This drama is giving me serious withdrawal syndrome. I just finished it and am already thinking about watching it again!

I absolutely loved the story: it's not very eventful, it doesn't have many surprises or crazy plot twists, but it's exactly what made me love it so much. The build-up is slow and realistic: I didn't get bored at all and couldn't wait for each episode. Despite the not-so-realistic accident which is the core of the drama, it was very easy to get into the story and believe it's real. Actors did a wonderful job and the chemistry of the main leads really gave a "realness" to their relationship (and its evolution). I was really surprised by Junho's acting and I enjoyed discovering Won Jin Ah.

I really appreciated the writing of the characters above all. None of them is an archetype or a cliche. I was very pleasantly surprised by how non-stereotypical they all were, especially the main leads. The female lead isn't a poor girl saved by a man, she is strong and lives well from the start, despite her difficult past. The male lead isn't your typical drama man, he isn't the usual "rich jerk". He is shown with his flaws and struggles, which were very well portrayed.
Even the secondary characters were pleasant to wach, as they were all surprising in their own way. The depth of each of them, their growth and evolution is really the strong point of this drama. It was very easy (too easy?) to get attached to them all (and now I miss them T_T).

I didn't expect this drama to touch me so much. It made me cry but left me with a warm feeling of hope: it's a touching story of love, healing and recovery, that I definitely recommend (if you're ready to feel all the feels!).

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To me, this show is one of the greatest attempts in dramaland at poetic realism: life sucks, it's hard and we all struggle, some people more than others though. Nevertheless, in the end there's beauty, also in suffering! Wouldn't the perfect tagline for this drama be: when life throws you lemons... you'd better make lemonade! :D

And I am still raving about how non-dramatically this show portrays immensely dramatic events... and I mean this in a good way. I'd even say it tried to and succeeded in portraying life as it is: with all the no-nonsense struggles, small happy moments, and growingpains of finding your way in this tough world. The two main characters were so endearing with hopes and fears so raw, in such a manner that it's impossible to leave any viewer with a heart untouched. In short, hands in the air and enjoy this emotional rollercoaster ride!

WATCH if you like to cry your eyeballs out and learn some wise lessons about life, DON'T WATCH if you're looking for comedic stress relief!

A splendid overall score of 9.5, just don't think I can ride this rollercoaster again.

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I don’t know why 8+ rating for this

I really don’t know why this drama got 8+ rating, there is nothing extraordinary or even attractive in this. Simply keep on circling same tragic incidents, break ups and reconciles are repeating. Even after telling not to see each other because it is like tormenting to her to see his face (it’s true) ML keeps on pestering FL (which is directly hurting her), if he really loved her he should’ve released her from that torment by moving away from her instead when he came to know that he is going to die he run to her to report that he is dying because he is severely sick, no true lover will do this. He should have abscond from her life letting her to live her life without recollecting those tragic incidents, instead he run to her to confess he is dying and let her see his suffering.
First of all the main story line itself is hard to accept, whole drama is only focused on constructing a memorial for the victims who died in an tragic incident. I am not saying it is a bad to construct a memorial but it took whole drama it is hard to accept for me.

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wow, perfect drama and i really love it
the chemistry between the main leads are really nice
all the characters were perfect and awesome
INTRODUCTION:
Lee Gang Doo dreamed of becoming a soccer player, but an accident ended those dreams. His father died in the accident and he broke his leg. Gang Doo spent 3 years in rehab. Now, he doesn't have anything and just wastes his days. Gang Doo then meets Ha Moon Soo.
Moon Soo makes architecture models, she also endured an accident that killed her younger sibling. Moreover, she has suffered from the guiltthat she survived. She has lived her life earnestly while suppressing her feelings. After meeting Gang Doo, Moon Soo begins to express her hidden feelings.
Native title: ?? ???? ??Also Known as: Just In Love;Just Lovers;Rain or ShineScreenwriters: Yoo Bo RaDirectors: Kim Jin WonGenres: Psychological, Romance, Drama

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