Something in the Rain (2018)

Something in the Rain is a perfect example of realism that depending on the viewer can either be perfect or too realistic.

Most dramas give you a fantasy idea of love that we don’t often see in real life. The rich guy falling for the poor girl or the asshole becoming nice because he’s in love. We get the handholding, piggyback rides, and back hugs. And we almost always only see the leads falling in love, rarely do we see the real problems that come after the relationship has started. They don’t show the ugly parts of love like miscommunication, or no communication at all, selfishness, bad timing, the clash of different personalities, and the input of family and friends. Once the honeymoon period is over, and you’re no longer enamored with a person, that’s when you start to see your partner for who they truly are. You see all of their flaws and have to make the decision of whether or not to accept them.

This is what Something in the Rain does, but it’s safe to say that most people like realism when people are falling in love, not when they are falling out of love. We loved watching the leads Joon Hee and Jin-ah fall in love in slow motion, but when the writer and director asked us to watch their relationship fall apart in slow motion, most people did not like it.

With the story, it presents you a realistic portrayal of love, a realistic portrayal of people by allowing them to be flawed, and a realistic portrayal of a matriarch family. It sounds perfect, but to a certain extent it becomes a detriment. We’ve seen the mom who opposes the relationship many times before in other dramas, that even though it’s realistic, it comes off as a cliché in this. It also doesn’t help that Jin-ah’s mom is unbearable. I recommend that if you decide to watch this that you watch it understanding collectivist culture which means family comes before personal desires. So, though it may seem ridiculous that a 30-year-old woman is listening to her mom, many women just like her have to live through this. It’s just a difference of culture. That being said, it doesn’t make Jin-ah’s mom any less annoying.

The cast and characters are great. Son Ye Jin and Jung Hae In are incredible in their roles and display a perfect chemistry that their relationship feels real. Both of their characters are very realistic and flawed, but this once again can be a detriment, because they are so painfully flawed that you can end up hating them, especially Jin-ah who is the most flawed character in this drama. I appreciated her realism, but I did not like that she seemed to regress as a character instead of growing. I felt that she did not change at all in the second half nor learned from many of her mistakes and that was disappointing.

The pacing of this drama is very slow, but in a good way. It takes its time showing our leads fall in love and because the actors are so good and have so much chemistry the pacing doesn’t feel slow at all. Many people have complained that the pacing gets slower in the second half, but in actuality it’s the same pacing, it just feels slower because the leads are no longer falling in love but facing difficulties that can be annoying to watch.

My problem with this drama more so is with its ending because it was unearned. Despite how annoying Jin-ah and her mom were, it wouldn’t have bothered me as much if we had gotten the pay off with the ending, not with a happy ending or a sad one, but a realistic one. Instead we were given an unearned one that did not go with the realistic storytelling in the beginning.

Overall, I think the writing, directing, and acting was amazing. Though there were problems in the narrative, I thought the level of writing had stayed consistent and whether or not you like it is based on whether or not you enjoy realistic portrayals of love including the ugly parts. I just wasn’t a fan of the ending. I loved the music and the way it matches the warm mood of the drama that the director created.

I only recommend watching this if you like realistic portrayals of love, if not, you’ll only find this infuriating in the end. If you don’t like slow pacing, I definitely don’t recommend this.

Lire davantage

Like everyone is saying, since the couple's chemistry was TOO good, the expectation for the story, especially the ending episodes, went TOO high. Consequently, this drama has failed to meet this overwhelming expectation.
First of all, I would like to congratulate the casts and staffs for challenging to make such drama, cause woman-older-than-man couple is a difficult aspect to portray in any kind of stories. The couple has to be well balanced, since if not, the viewers will start to feel uncomfortable. For this drama, the relationship part was absolutely perfect, and the mood created was well matched. I could have given 10/10 just for the couple.
The reason I gave 7.5/10 is not because the story was bad or the ending was unsatisfied, but the maximum I can give was 7.5/10 even the drama had a different ending. As I wrote in the opening, the way this ended could not meet the expectation. Honestly, I cannot exactly explain what the "expectation" was, and unsure what kind of ending could have been good. What I can say is, "Yes, it ended that way, but now it's back at ground zero... They will have to face the same thing again...". Lastly, about the ending, I want to ask others, "So everything was his fault then?"
Other than the ending, the drama had few unsolved issues like the sexual harassment incident and the family problem. It was unclear how those were resolved after all.

Story: As stated above, the directors did really well challenging such a heavy plot.
Acting/Cast: WONDERFUL!!!! Are they dating? One thing to say was... can you please not have such irritating mothers anymore?
Music: Nice, but would have been better if it had more variety and tempo.
Rewatch Value: You can come back to witness their chemistry, but other than that, there's nothing.

Overall: You should watch this drama. I recommend it. HOWEVER, try to suppress your expectation, cause you may end up having a discomfort...

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UNDERSTANDING LOVE AT A DEEPER LEVEL

What is love ?
Is unorthodox love accepted ?

We are represented by the people around us and judged for the same .
Whether it's family , work or personal everything holds a view and opinion .

This drama is really wonderful .
You would see lots of people being dissatisfied with the ending .
But the director had the guts to convey what really happens .

Are you the kind of a viewer who watches an idealist romance ?
Everything has it's ups and downs .
This drama portrays the good and the bad with such convenience that it's baffling .

All the moaners in the review are immature to accept the beauty of this drama .
( These are all weak people and not smart . Like you average viewer with the disability to assess and tell diamond from carbon )

This has an indefinite ending .
Coz people really don't have answers for everything .
Life and relationships are stories .
And not all stories have a definite ending .

It does get slow but the director is giving you time to think what you could've done in that situation .
This drama comes with an art of reflection for what to do and what not to do .


PS : Cinematography is one of the key element of this drama . Purely phenomenal !

Lire davantage

It pains me to rate this so low because if the entire drama had been more like episodes 1-8, it might’ve gone into my all time favorites. But it has what you call car crash writing, when you’re in the car and the wind in your hair feels great and then you realize the breaks are broken and then things just SPIRAL.

I’m going to start with things I loved:

The entire mood of the show is really nice, and that includes the OST. I know a lot of people hated on repetitive music, but the songs fit the scenes perfectly and I loved the mellow atmosphere of the entire drama.

The chemistry is so good. There were so many scenes where I had to pause and just SQUEAL because they were so cute together.

But this show proves that chemistry isn’t everything. In fact, story probably is.

Nothing feels wrapped up at the end. So much of the drama hinged on Jin-ah needing someone to provide for her future, and that question was never really answered, especially with how annoying and haphazard the ending was.

With that being said, the plot entirely got very repetitive and it essentially ruined Jin Ah’s character. Every conflict was about someone hiding something from the other, and for Jin Ah they felt like nonsensical, selfish decisions.

That’s not to let Joon Hee off the hook — his decision to run away to America without discussing it with Jin Ah first was annoying, and it just felt like another avoidable miscommunication.

The sexual harassment plot was super real and I really enjoyed the heaviness of it. I kept waiting for the cathartic ending and the sismance where they all worked together to defeat the executives…but no, we never got it. It felt very open-ended and almost discouraging with the way everything played out — and though there might be an aspect of realism to that, it added to the feeling that we had watched 16 episodes and gotten hope, just to be told “why bother?”.

The sismance thus had so much potential, but because of the office plot, I never got what I wanted from it. The same could kind of go for Jin Ah and her bestie, who started off adorable and then became victims of the melodrama and had over ten years of friendship dissipate into thin air.

And lastly, the worst part: Mom. I’m already a hater of Disapproving!Parent trope, and I had braced myself for overbearing parents, but nothing like this. It honestly pissed me off that the drama treated it as parental love from beginning to end. At some point a middle-age woman should be able to make her own decisions and recognize the toxic people in her life. Every line out of the mom’s mouth was about marrying into a high-status family or about how worthless Joon Hee was…and honestly she just never got better. Her ending was out of the blue and by then she had gone too far for any redemption. She could’ve dropped dead and I would’ve thrown a party.

So. Long review, I know, but I had a lot of thoughts watching this.

Lire davantage

It was a mistake to watch this show after watching all of One Spring Night and Romance is a Bonus Book because they are all the same darned story about the same darned problems, and the lead actor is the same in two of the three. The women are dressed to be as unfashionable as possible, and the men are adorable, yet long-suffering, the parents are overbearing and mean, the relationship has to be kept a secret. The music was downright horrible because it was so repetitious.

If you like truly dreadful and inexplicably homely clothing, watch RBB, it you want to see attractive adult women dressed dowdily and frequently emoting with all the depth of a dipsy doodle 13 year old, watch all three. Apparently it rains three times a day in Korea, and women lose their shoes after getting drunk on a regular basis. If I had to pick an order of quality, RBB would be on the top (the setting was interesting and had a purpose in the story), followed by OSN and then SitR.

Lire davantage

The actors are cute and they have good chemistry. If I was the sister i would have approved just by looking at how good they look together.

But that's it. The storyline is so flimsy and the physical attraction so overdrawn that it gets rancid too quickly. It got tasteless after some point. There wasnt even a convincing build up of deeper emotional connection between the characters. And the female lead, am sorry to say is just too stupid, I almost couldnt get past the episode when there was much ado about buying a stupid cellphone. It was so irritating, that if the female character could actually have a say about the script she would probably refuse to do it.

For me, the plot and lead character (esp the female lead) got so unreasonably weak, boring and hackneyed I just had to drop it. I just couldnt even pass time watching it. I'd rather sleep.

Lire davantage

Don't bother.

The story started off sweet and ended up terrible. The lead actors are great together. It would have been great if the FL was written to be enough of an adult to live her own life.

The FL's mother is such an off the charts control freak who wants her daughter unhappily married to anybody wealthy that it is not believable that any adult child would still have anything to do with her. Most of the show is spent in misery because of her, so it becomes a chore to even keep watching. I want to see just one show where the daughter doesn't break up with her love interest at some point just to please her family. Just one.

I only stuck it out because of Jung Hae-In, although it was very hard to watch the abuse his character endured.

Lire davantage

I read a review that suggested we should watch episodes 1-9 and then the finale. I wish I followed that advice. I am not Korean and I simply can't understand if those parents really represent how typical parents are in Korea.

I was so frustrated during the second half of the series that I wanted to throw my tablet against a wall. I mean, COME ON! If only I could kick that mother I would. And if I could kick Jin-a too I would, happily. But I guess I just can't understand how children in Korea should obey their parents no matter what. Drives me totally nuts (if it's true and not exaggerated in all the series I've watched)

I absolutely adored Jun-hui but I still would like him to yell some more.

Follow the advice and watch 1-9 (adorable) and then the finale. And don't EVER be like Jin-a.

Lire davantage

"Love" is a word that is tossed around so frequently in romance shows, that it loses its weight. "What is true love" is something that this show tries to explore and succeed in expressing that, Love is so deep and limitless that it cannot be explored to its boundaries.
This show is a "Masterpiece" and will take you on a bitter sweet journey of two people truly in love with each other. While enjoying the ride, there may come a rough patch and it may get unbearable to watch but stick to the show that you loved until now, don't let go and see it to the end. Pay keen attention to the last episode and try to look at scenario from other the side of the wall. What may seem "Evil" and "Trashy Evil" might turn out to be right and just. Yes "Sometimes its difficult to be a woman" will be justified in last 15 min of the show.

Feelings apart, for the people who want a regular review, here it is:
First of all this show has a lot of romance and kiss scenes, it will fully satisfy your craving for romance. It is filled to brim with romance.
Story: Well crafted and nothing seemed out of place and unfair, it performs exceptionally well in conveying its message of True Love.
Cast and characters: The acting and the characters are so real that you will forget that you are watching the show.
Music: Music is top notch and well crafted according to scenario. You will surely be listening to this music even days after finishing the show.

Overall: It is a great show with a valuable lesson.
All I will say is that sticking together bearing all the pain together without running away is best way to show where you belong and to realize where love is.

Lire davantage

First of all, the first few reviews I saw in the thread made me think whether to watch this drama or not.. Then I accidently downloaded the same drama with other name Pretty Noona . That when I realised that you should never look for reviews before watching a drama, even this review lol.. if you've friends who have watched it and ask them as you may know each others taste .
Coming to the review, I can proudly say that this is one of the drama that I would recommend to a more wider and international audience..as it showed the raw and realistic romance that I couldn't find in at least 50 romantic dramas I've watched . The lead actors were so good and relatable which made me love this drama even more.
If you are looking for a realistic drama and can compromise with the slow pattern.. this drama will give you vibes.. trust me... But if you're looking for fluffy lovey dovey dramas, just stay away from it..
This drama is for that people who dropped or disliked while you were sleeping, pinocchio, BOF , you are beautiful , my love from another star.. because I believe we may have the same taste in dramas

Lire davantage

Move out from abusive parents as soon as possible.

It's an excellent love story, sincere, without falsehood, I enjoyed every frame, but... the first 10 episodes. This is a very Korean story about separation at 40 years old, it's very difficult to understand for us who separated from parents after school. I didn't get how she hadn't saved up money for a deposit over so many years in a good office job and she tried to rent an apartment for students. I like such meditative and unhurried narratives, the male protagonist is wonderful and I want to fall in love with him. But the female character infuriates me, I don't like slowpokes like her.
She was bullied at home and at work, she endured it for almost 40 years and was ready to endure more. It’s okay to live like that until you are 25. It’s normal to dissolve in relationships the first couple of times. But you are 37, you are an adult ajhumma, what is going on here?

Lire davantage

Gosh where do I begin? What started off as a promising love story that was sweet, realistic and heartwarming left me with a bitter taste in the end. Throughout the series people were critical of FL’s mother for being too controlling but for me the most infuriating character was the female lead herself. I have nothing against the actress, she did a fine job as did the rest of the cast. What bugs me is the poor quality of writing that began from the middle of the series right until the end. Yoon Jin Ah is everything I hope to never become. It is infuriating to see how casually she treats others’ emotions. She is neither strong nor independent and doesn’t have the integrity to see things through till the end. The writers did not offer any redeeming qualities to the character. Moreover they didn’t treat the very relevant issue of work harassment in a proper manner.

The best stories are those where the characters rise and fall and rise again after learning from their mistakes. In this story, not a single character shows any character growth and the series ends in a way that feels too contrived and far from its realistic beginnings.

As I said, the cast as a whole did a good job. Jung Hae In particularly shines in his role. I also liked many of the side characters.

As for music, the shows featured an English language soundtrack, which is a first for me in k-dramas. Unfortunately, I can’t say enjoyed it much. But the songs fitted well with the mood of the show.

Rewatch value is none for me. It was an engaging watch but I can’t say I would ever want to watch again.

I had high hopes for this drama but unfortunately it turned out to be a great disappointment.

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