Be Melodramatic (2019)

2019 Drama of the Year?

Be Melodramatic has the chops to compete for best drama of 2019. Airing on cable network JTBC, this drama went unnoticed, and it did not help itself with a rough start. The show quickly finds its footing and delivers a drama that perfectly encapsulates a 2010s romcom. It hits on multiple progressive themes with its female leads. On top of the premise, there is a thick layer of meta comedy which will have any experienced kdrama watcher rolling in laughter. Watch Be Melodramatic, which I prematurely crown the Best of 2019.

Story:
The story comes off a bit lukewarm and light on plot. One might think it is deserving of a “slice of life” tag, but the plot of Be Melodramatic is surprisingly engaging, intertwining the drama with the drama within the drama. The sad surprise is the first three shaky episodes, to put it nicely. It really takes 4 episodes to bring the different pieces of the story together. That is why the MDL rating for Be Melodramatic has only been climbing with each week.

More important than the plot are the characters, specifically the trio of female leads. Again, the trio comes off a bit lukewarm on paper (especially in comparison to the fiery leads of another 2019 drama, Search: WWW), three women with a mashup of common quarter-life problems. Like real people, viewers need time to get to know the leads and grow to like them and their supporting cast.

As the leads strive to produce a drama with double digit ratings, Be Melodramatic struggled to surpass the 2% mark. Perhaps there is a general fatigue with the RomCom genre, but the show deserves more love. Even if the plot synopsis does not interest you, I can assure you that the meta comedy will have you goofy smiling through all 16 episodes.

Acting:
The acting in Be Melodramatic is one of the first signals that put it on my radar, the deadpan humor in the trailers and actor Ahn Jae Hong’s brand of comedy. On the other hand, the three female leads have a very short drama resume, the highlight being Argon from 2016. And what seems like a lighthearted comedy quickly turns into an acting challenge for the entire cast.

Once characters and stories are introduced, the show quickly digs deeper into each character and the different catalysts for their growth. Major props to Jeon Yeon Bin who brought her character, Lee Eun-Jung, to life.

The supporting cast also gets major screentime, even with a large “main” cast. Though they are treated with more of the lightheartedness and comedy, all of them bring an interesting, entertaining character to screen. This highlights the writer’s ability to create loveable characters and the cast’s (and casting director’s) ability to portray them.

Music:
The sound of Be Melodramatic is equally entertaining as the plot. There is a scene where the leads sing one of the OSTs, and I was dying with laughter. Be Melodramatic captures every aspect of the drama making process, including the music. Thoughtful is the word that comes top of mind when thinking back on Be Melodramatic.

However, the soundtrack of 2019 has been stellar with multiple drama OSTs topping the Korean charts, and Be Melodramatic cannot stand up to those powerhouses (looking at you, Hotel Del Luna OST). There is also a slight over-reliance on one song in particular, a song I loved, but a crutch nonetheless.

Rewatch Value:
2019 has been a solid year for Korean dramas, although I believe it rates worse than the past 3-4 years. Based on the shows currently airing and set to air in the final quarter of 2019, I can confidently say that Be Melodramatic will be top of the 2019 RomCom list. If some of the newer shows do not interest me, I might even rewatch Be Melodramatic before 2019 is over. Anyone with extra time during the 2019 holiday season, I recommend giving this drama a try.

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Dramas are made to create an embellished version of reality so we can enjoy it and relax and fantasize.
Which is why dramas trying to portray real life are often slower and not as entertaining.
The writing for this drama is pure GENIUS, a lot more real and mature, definitely a lot less cringy-cliche than most dramas out there but still manages to keep it sweet, funny and entertaining.
There was no epic confession or slow-mo dramatic moments but I felt so much emotions watching this drama. The comedy is ON POINT, I laughed so hard.
The actors are phenomenal and were able to keep this bittersweet melancholy that adulthood can bring while remaining funny.
The emotional parts have a very mature/real impression which I loved because for once, it wasn't overdone.
This drama doesn't have to be relatable, you dont have to be in your 30's to understand its message, it's just a very beautifuly done and slightly different slice of life drama with an OST that will stay stuck in your head for the next month.
I totally recommend it.

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By far this has been my drama of the year. It is such a huge shame that it fell under the radar of the Korean audience. Be Melodramatic is equally funny as it is mature; the show continued to be a breath of fresh air right until it's last episode. As someone who's seen countless shows, it encapsulated exactly what I want out of a kdrama in 2019. Experienced kdrama viewers will love it's fourth wall breaking humour and unique scenarios. Although not without some flaws, it's meta humour and moments of true sincerity make this drama so charming that you can't help but love it's characters by the time you hit credits at episode 16.


Story:

Be Melodramatic deals with some big intrapersonal topics in the course of it's run and handles them so well that you truly feel the confusion and frustrations of each of the three main leads. It portrays the life of people on their late 20's in 2019 so perfectly. Admittedly the first couple of episodes are shaky and feel a bit too slice of life. Yet the show pays off its careful setup in spades as it progresses. Following it week by week felt like a old friend that you checked up on, listening to their ups and downs. The meta jokes invite you to laugh at the tropes of kdrama romcoms; it felt like someone on the inside giving you a nod of acknowledgement. Veterans of viewing kdramas will truly belly laugh at the references the show throws at you.

Within the show's sadder topics, it never felt contrived or manufactured. A problem I have with a lot of dramas is that it creates unbelievable scenarios just to create a sense of conflict within the show. Be Melodramatic never tries to fool you or insult the viewers intelligence. It laughs with you at the ridiculous moments and supports you when things get real. The progression of the show is a testament to the careful patience of the writers and directors.


Acting/Cast:

This show is cast pretty perfectly in my eyes. The three main leads are not giant names that instantly catch your attention but each of them portrayed their own stories so well. All three of the leads made you feel for their situations and gave each of the characters a true sense of reality.
Jeon Yeo Bin as Eun Jung especially shone in her role. Her's was the most tragic and seeped in emotion; but it never felt artificial or forced.

The supporting cast of the show is quite large all things considering. But each of them is given ample screen-time and development. I never found myself skipping their parts and was always happy to watch their own personal developments. All of the supporting cast played with the humour of the show well and gave the tongue in cheek comedy of the show life.


Music:

The OST fits into the puzzle of the show pretty damn well. Some contemporary and classic OST songs wiggle their way in at points in the show that give experienced kdrama watchers a nod and smile. The drama does lean on one song pretty heavily but it never felt unwelcome or repetitive for me. Although I didn't mind the repetition of that song, I do understand that it might feel a bit much for more OST-minded viewers. Though it does attempt to alleviate that by having different versions of the song.


Rewatch Value:

I know I'll be coming back to this show before 2019 ends and right now is my favourite release of the year. The writing and story-line are done with so much consideration, I felt like I lived with the characters throughout its run. I cannot recommend Be Melodramatic enough.

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This is not a formula drama. What I mean by that is that unlike traditional dramas where the story and characters rely on a set formula or trajectory to show them where to go, this drama does it a little differently. There are premises, possibilities, seeming drama conventions set up in the beginning, some of which end the way you expect and some of which do not end up where you think they will. The drama itself has been described as slice of life, and while I don’t know if I totally agree with that label as the drama contains a concise journey for each of the characters all of whom change in some way over the course of the story, the style of storytelling has a very slice-of-life feel to it, so I understand why people would think of it that way. The story has an easy, relaxed way about it, which is definitely one of it’s selling points.

Personally, I came to like this drama a lot more than I initially expected, especially after seeing the first couple weeks of episodes. The female leads, with the exception of the single mother, start out…rather unlikable. They’re selfish and difficult and frustrating, and while I definitely empathized with them both and their struggles, I didn’t relate to them at all. But over the course of the drama, I started to appreciate both of these women better. Neither of them changed drastically by the end, although they did both go through a level of growth as people, but I came to understand them better. They’re both still unlikable in their own ways. They both still have personality flaws, but I came to like them because of that, not despite it. On the other hand, the single mother has somewhat of an opposite trajectory. She starts out seemingly sweet and thoughtful and somewhat meek before revealing a more layered view of herself that I can appreciate from a storytelling point of view, but that left me unsatisfied from a viewership standpoint. I don’t know that this ever made me dislike her as it was intriguing and enjoyable watching her reveal a strong, subtle confidence that lay underneath that surface level demureness, but at the same time, there was this feeling of selfishness in her character that I didn’t like very much.

I was particularly disappointed by how the writers chose to end the potential budding romance between the single mother and her co-worker. In a drama like this, I guess I should have expected as much to happen, but the sting certainly could have been lessened if they hadn’t left me feeling like he had been left with the short end of the stick. Her words to him at the end felt…harsh and unfair and left a bad taste in my mouth.

Overall though, I really enjoyed this drama. I’m nothing like these women, and I don’t know that I would ever be friends with women like them in real life, but I came to love all of them, despite and even Because of their flaws. They felt like real people with real personalities and real struggles and real hopes and goals and dreams. They felt human, and I appreciated being the chance to glimpse into their world for just a moment.

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Don't understand the massive hype for this

I wished i had a lot of good things to say about this kdrama but honestly i am so tired. Took me forever to finish.
The main couple (writer/director) had absolutely no chemistry whatsoever, and i couldnt care less for them. I liked the character with a kid a lot, and her back story was amazing and touching. Ofc not as touching as Lee Eun Jung, i legit could watch a kdrama with only these characters. Also loved the celeb and her manager, they had a great chemistry! And that makes total difference. A story where the focus is on mental health and Lee Eun Jung, would be my cup of tea. The whole thing about making a kdrama and that couple, was just unnecessary and super boring.

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As usual, 2019 is packed with Romantic-Comedy dramas, and this drama is one of it. It's a challenge to produce and write Rom-Com dramas with a fresh approach due to the saturatedness of the genre. However, Be Melodramatic, with its wittiness and brilliant use of Meta Comedy, stands out in the pool.

However, it has failed to catch the attention of the viewers which resulted in low ratings despite having such edge. One of the challenges that this drama faced was enriching the characters while matching the pace. World and character building takes a lot of time which compromised viewership ratings for this drama.

The story started shakey but it was able to pick up once the story progressed. The stories of the characters were compelling and the build-up was done well.

Of course, the charm of this drama is the meta-comedy that it possesses. The awareness of the drama about itself was so genius. However, for non-fans, it might take a while to be able to understand the humor.

Everyone's acting was superb, but I loved Jeon Yeo Bin's interpretation of Eunjoo the most. She was able to interpret Eunjoo's multi-faceted character well. Ahn Jaehong never fails in delivering when it comes to comedic roles.

The OST is good but it lacks variety.

Over-all I must say that this drama is well-crafted and it's unfortunate that it fell under the radar. It's a refreshing drama that deserves the attention of everyone.

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Most people are gonna say that this drama had a "slow start". While watching this, the only thing that kept popping in my mind was the thought "damn, this is legitimately the best first 3 episodes of ANY drama ever". I recommend watching this show just for those episodes alone. The show would be perfect except for a few downfalls it had at the second half of the series.

1. Some of the incredible comedic interactions were slightly replaced with some generic rom-com lovey dovey stuff
2. The ending for certain two characters did NOT make sense at all. It felt like the writer just tried to make a slightly bitter sweet ending with those two.

In all other aspects, this show was amazing.

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Fun and Unique but Not Perfect

I feel really conflicted after finishing this drama. On the one hand, it is unique and underrated -- you won't find your stereotypical Oppas, your comically evil villains, your Makjang conspirators, or other typical Kdrama stables. Instead, you'll see three women and their friends and family try to overcome adversity that life throws at them and feel good about it when they do. The show will give you that slice of life feeling while delivering warm, fuzzy, feelings as everything wraps up nicely in a bow. On the other hand, I found the ending to be rushed and slightly flawed, and that negated some of the warmness that I felt while watching the series.

In particular, I found the worse to be the way that Jae Hoon's plot ended: he was in a relationship with Ha Yoon that started off as a lovey-dovey honeymoon phase and escalated into a cold, incompatible relationship where Ha Yoon would literally go out and have sex with other guys, yet come back home to Jae Hoon for...reasons. The big climax of this storyline is that Jae Hoon has a heart to heart with his BFF/crush/boss, Han Joo, and realizes that the problem with the way he acted was that he idealized Ha Yoon and therefore didn't see his girlfriend for who she was and got angry when she didn't fit his ideal mold of a woman. And after that, he happens to run into Ha Yoon at a musical (which was originally one of Ha Yoon's interests that Jae Hoon learned to love over time) and there are hints that they begin with relationship anew. Excuse me, what? How can the main takeaway be "don't idealize women. You need to love them for who they are" yet one of the main issues with their relationship is that Ha Yoon would go out and have sex with other guys? I just...don't understand how these characters ended up in the ending position that they did. This alone reduces my rating of this show.

On the other hand, all the positives are stellar. There is a lot of meta-drama commentary with self-referential gags about PPL and drama cliches that are really funny -- I think the best example of how meta this is, is the hit "Shampoo Song" which is part of the OST, which stayed on the Melon charts for a really long time, and is ironically a song that Ahn Jae Hong's character hates because his ex wrote it and because it's so cliche. The acting is top notch: Jeon Yeo Bin in particular really killed it in my opinion, because she plays such an emotionally divided character: on the outside, Eun Jung is stoic and outspoken, freely sharing her thoughts to the point that it is offensive. Yet, when you get down to it, she is deeply caring, especially about her close friends and family, and the way that she heals is that she needs to learn to embrace the thoughts and feelings she's been holding in.

The way that the stories are interwoven are masterful. Eun Jung and So Min start off with an antagonistic relationship that is based off their outwardly ludicrous personalities and misunderstandings from the past. Yet, once Eun Jung starts doing a documentary on So Min, they are able to learn from each others' experiences - So Min is able to realize a love with her manager that she's been taking for granted while Eun Jung is able to do an introspective and come to terms with her dead fiance. Han Joo and Jae Hoon start as a sunbae-hoobae relationship that seems to have hints of a romance (it never comes to fruition). At the end, Han Joo is able to pass on her work and life experience for Jae Hoon to move up in the company ranks, while also dealing with his own relationship. In turn, Jae Hoon is able to show Han Joo the value of romance, which she had sort of cast to the side after her ex had left her pregnant and cynical about love. Jin Joo and Beom Soo are able to help each other get over their exes while learning how to still love each other, even if they have a strongly, yet productive antagonist work relationship.

At the end, I feel as deeply conflicted about this drama as some of the characters did about their problems. The atypical format, plot, and characters apparently drew low viewership to this show, which I think is a shame. The quality of it definitely makes it an underrated gem. Yet, at the same time, I think some of the conclusions do a disservice to the overall story -- in particular, the Jae Hoon-Ha Yoon relationship.

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What was the storyline here?

No, seriously, someone tell me what the storyline was supposed to be here, cause I still don't know. There were so many back stories and flashbacks going on. So many relationships developing left, right and center with no real sense of direction. And still, despite all that, the characters managed to do absolutely nothing for 60 minutes straight, in way too many episodes to count.

Not only was it not a comedy, it wasn't melodramatic either (looking at you, title). Heck, it wasn't even entertaining. I don't even mind the average looking male lead. Sure, let's have a realistic looking man fall in love for once, why not. But where's the chemistry? Where's the romance or the courtship or any semblance of relationship? People don't just become drones when they turn 30. Love can be passionate at any age.

And speaking of love, was the female lead Jin Joo supposed to be that rude and insufferable? Is that something we're supposed to admire and relate to, or do we just write it off as her "quirky" personality?

Honestly, at moments it was so awkward and try-hard, that it was too difficult to watch, let alone care about Eun Jung's storyline and road towards healing, which was the only interesting thing about this show.

Look, my point is if I can skip 10 minutes at a time and still not miss anything, it ain't the show for me.
If 5 episodes in the only semblance of romance is that they had a drunken one-night-stand and now refuse to talk to one another, it ain't the show for me.
And if after an entire day of watching I still can't relate to the female lead or even understand the reasoning behind her behaviour - it ain't the show for me.

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