My First First Love 2 (2019)

Just like the first season, the second season continued with a very light-hearted and realistic slice-of-life vibe, but I still have to say that I loved the first season better.

There were a lot of heart-fluttering moments between Song-Yi and both male leads in the first season, which is why I had such a hard time struggling to decide which ship I was rooting for. I felt like the amount of those moments in the second season was really lacking and instead, the story focused more on family struggles and other stuff. While that's fine, I still felt like the balance could've been better, because I still feel like the progression of some relationships was a little choppy and left me a little unsatisfied.

Ga-Rin and Choi-Hun still felt a little like comic relief to me throughout the season, but I will admit that they grew a lot more on me.

There's still some things that I feel like were left unaddressed, like how in high school Tae-O was eavesdropping on Song-Yi but ran away before he heard her say she almost had a crush on him, or how Se-Hyun was using other people to do her work, things like that.

Overall, though, I really appreciate how realistic the show is. The fact that it's more like a coming-of-age story instead of having one conniving antagonist is honestly extremely refreshing, but if I were to rewatch scenes in the future, I'd probably head to Season 1 first.

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This season, I feel, had a different vibe from the first season. The first season (first 8 episodes) made this one of my favorite dramas because of how refreshing and light it was. It was extremely rom-com like, while this season involved a lot more angst, drama, and serious scenes, mainly due to Tae-o and Song-i’s family issues.

But there were a lot of good moments in the show, despite its flaws. I really enjoyed watching Ga-rin and Choi-hun's romance develop, which was surprising considering that I didn't care much for their storyline in the first season.

Also I don’t know how many people care about things like cinematography, but wow this show never fails to impress me with their cinematography. Every single scene is well-thought-out and looks beautiful. As for the acting, I was genuinely impressed with all of the characters’ acting this season. While the first season was decent, I think this season had many more dramatic and crying scenes that the cast was able to showcase their abilities so well. Especially Jin Young and Ji Soo (who plays Do-hyun and Tae-o respectively) because you can see how raw and realistic both of their “angsty” scenes were.

The most underwhelming and disappointing part of this season was the pacing and particularly the ending of the show. I don’t want to spoil anything, but the ending felt somewhat rushed and I felt a lot of the previous 7 episodes was focused on the new storylines they added, when it could’ve been spent exploring Tae-o, Song-i, and Do-hyun’s feelings and thoughts a lot more (especially Song-i’s feelings).
As for the pacing, (this is kind of nit-picky) at the end of some of the episodes I sat there thinking, “Wait they’re bringing up this [insert important storyline event] now when theres only 2 episodes left?!” So it felt rushed, even though I knew those storyline events were important to the plot and added to the romance aspect.

For people concerned about 2nd lead syndrome, yes most likely you will have it, no matter if you are rooting for Tae-o to get the girl or Do-hyun. Even though there were obvious concerns with this season, when you look at the drama as a whole, it’s light-hearted, realistic, and extremely enjoyable. It’s a great show to sit and binge-watch and is one of those dramas that lifts your mood up. Personally, it scores very high compared to other dramas I watch because it’s engaging and every scene is vital and not “filler” scenes.

Anyway, if you’re contemplating watching this after finishing the first season, please give it a try. Also because it’s 8 hours of your life, and you already spent 8 hours watching the first season.

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This drama was so good in many aspects. I had a difficult time thinking of who to go for, Tae O or Dohyeon. However, as the drama progresses, I find that Dohyeon was more the perfect boyfriend material. Everything he does for Songi was so cute and sincere, from his confession, to every small gestures he did for her. Personally, I was disappointed to find out they broke up because of Tae O because of their long history as childhood friends. Dohyeon felt like that guy that represents all they nice, sincere, timid, yet gentle guys all over the world, but in the end nice guys finish last sadly. I love Dohyeon's storyline and how he has not much of money and everything, yet still finds every way to provide for Songi :(. Dohyeon doesn't have much resources and money like Tae O, but everything he does for Songi is so sincere and kind. I get that Songi and Tae O have known each other for 20 years and whatnot, but in the end for me, I felt like it should have been Dohyeon and Songi instead. Overall, it was a good drama and I hope others who have watched the drama will agree with me as well for Dohyeon and Songi ship :D

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An uninspired change

The first season of the show was praised not because it had a good story or because of phenomenal acting - because it did not have either- but because the show was simply enjoyable. It was a pure, innocent, light-hearted romantic comedy. The second season, however, tries to make a 180° change and turn this into something resembling a drama. While I often laughed during the first season, during this second season I never even smiled, let alone laugh. The show wants to now rely on the story rather than an "enjoyable feeling", and it fails miserably.
Firstly, the show introduces new "turns" every episode but they end never being fully developed . Some of them are simply forgotten and never mentioned again, while others are solved in a matter of minutes.
Secondly, the pacing is terrible : small issues who could be easily solved take up 80% of the show, while big issues that could make up a drama of their own and should strongly affect our characters are simply brushed off after 2-3 minutes. A lot of things are simply left unresolved.
Thirdly, the show becomes way too melodramatic. Every single character in this show has some amazingly overdramatic backstory regarding his/her parents. Not only that but once a character's "parents storyline" has finished, it's like they completely forget what they went through and when their friend/girlfriend/boyfriend has more or less the same problem, they act like idiots, like they have never gone through something similar before. They criticize other characters for doing the exact thing they did a week ago.
Fourthly, the plot is so predictable it hurts. Everything you predict is gonna happen, will 100% happen. And lastly, the ending is terrible - all problems in the show, some of which lasted for the entirety of the 16 episodes are immediately solved with no resistance, without any explination. We are just left to assume it is magic.
To sum the story up : it was so stupid, I simply couldn't care less about what happened to the characters.
And if all of this was not bad enough, by transforming this show in a drama, you also realize how meh (to put it mildy) is the acting. You clearly feel that with the exception of Ji Soo all the actors are either idols or novices - they completely lack emotion during emotional scenes and it is very clear they are reciting a script - it isn't a tiny bit natural. The only good acting in this show comes from Ji Soo.
The soundtrack is decent.
To conclude : the show should have continued with the feeling of the first season. But it did not.

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A drama ruined (again) by its ending (no spoilers)

I'll just be honest here. I hated this drama. The more I watched, the more I hated it. Then I started to despise it with some serious fire.
And here's why:
1) I hated the rich, spoiled, entitled, and bitchy main character(s) - (one, mostly) - who were often bratty dicks to people they supposedly loved, but got all the props because they didn't have jobs or any responsibilities of any sort and could just show up everywhere at a moment's notice (unlike other characters who actually had to work and couldn't just ghost whenever they wanted to.)
2) The FL was stupid at times, and I wasn't expecting that. Like she would do really dumb stuff (like stupidly get into a stalker's car) and I found myself starting to dislike her. But it was her choice at the very freaking end that really made her dead to me. Like done.
3) THAT was one of the worst endings of any dramas I've seen in years. All that build-up, all that relationship work, all that fooling us that this wouldn't end up being a stupid drama with a shitty, cliched ending, but one that could actually make sense. But no. The writernims ruined it with the ultimate reward going to a wholly undeserving character in the end.

What I did like:
1) The music! The music was first-rate, all the way around.
2) The acting was generally good - a little overacted, but not the worst I've seen.

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Absurd, disrespectful and disregards important issues.

Hated how they made Do Hyun the "bad guy" for not being there whenever Song Yi snaps her fingers. Tae Oh is rich, spoiled, has no job, is not studying, zero responsibilities, 100% free all the time... Of course he can always be there for the FL.

But then they try to make the poor, hard working guy seem bad for....... being at work and not picking up the phone immediately? Fuck right off.

Also I hated that in episode 1 the FL was literally gonna COMMIT SUICIDE!!!! And then that's barely even discussed again. Depression and suicide are VERY serious things, and they're not treated as such in this show.

On another note, the 2 side characters who were supposed to be comedic reliefs were just..... too ridiculous for me. I was just rolling my eyes and cringing the whole time.

Also, why the fuck would these people all go live with Tae Oh in the first place? There wasn't a good reason for that, it was literally just to move the plot along. It's so stupid. Everyone is so entitled and bratty.

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Cute story, bad parenting examples D:

I'm writing this rec for both season one and two because I watched them together like a regular drama (why netflix has to cut things like that /: )

Overall I liked the show, it was mostly light and fluffy, ideal if you don't feel like thinking too much, also it was very pleasing aesthetically, really cinematic!
I was mesmerized with that Seul scenery on the rooftop *_*
The theme of this drama is basically the transition from friends to lovers with teens so it implies a character growth as well (more or less)
Tae Oh was my favorite character even tho in the beginning I felt he was too childish, but I think that flaw blends well with the role and his journey. He was cute and really caring for his friends and very very supportive, I really liked the characterization and the actor really played him well imo.
Also Song Yi was pretty cute, she looked a bit drained (?) but overall she wasn't annoying or dense.
As well the friendship relationship between all the characters was pure and cute.
Ga Rin and Choi Hoon were more comic relief than else, their story lacked in screen time and complexity. Cute, but meh.
Do Hyun was the "problematic" one but I liked the fact that there was not just black or white. Yes, he wasn't there for her when she needed him the most, but he had his own issues and they were as serious as hers. Sometimes in life happens that it's just the wrong moment, the wrong place. It made me sad not being able to blame a villain (?), it's just how life goes sometimes.
That said I didn't like Do Hyun from the start because I knew he was going to be messy: and not the money issues itself, Song Yi too was penniless, but the fact he seen himself inferior to Tae-O especially, the fact he thought a man had to solve his issues by himself instead of relying on his girlfriend. He was ashamed of his status and he thought he wasn't worthy because "he couldn't protect her", while a genuine relationship is made of reciprocation and support from both sides. He was stuck with this ideal of the brave knight so he couldn't see that Song Yi didn't need a perfect guy, just someone whom she can rely on. In the end he clearly understood his mistakes and that are some brownie points to him.
I gave only 5.5 on the story because it was pretty much it, mostly is about Tae Oh trying to replace Song Yi in his heart with that stupid gal and Do Hyun being insecure about himself.
Though I loved the spontaneity of Tae Oh's confession at the pub, without annoying slo-mo or dramatic stares, candles and all that heart shaped and pink stuff they usually decor for their grand confession, it felt sudden? like there was almost no progress for almost the whole second part, because they focused more on the guys finding back the moms (gonna talk about it later. - note that the period here indicates angst) so it's like a time skip but in fact it happen in the same moment. There was a more noticeable transition from friend to love interest in his part, while she jumped from a boyfriend to another. Yes, they both had some feeling from each other but Idk it felt weird and unexpected...maybe it's exactly because I was expecting candles and hearts xD

But let's talk about the parents: we have two moms abandoning their children, a dad telling his son to quit school because of debts, a stepmom saying "I don't like him" referred to her stepson, one that beaten up his son with a golf club because he wanted to be a musical actor and subsequently trying to parachute him into a play with bribes...wtf! Ga Rin's mom and Tae Oh's dad were supposed to be the scary and bitchy ones but they were pretty good compared to these...at least they cared for their kids even in a weird and distorted way.
Both Tae Oh and Song Yi mothers neglected and abandoned their kids in a way that doesn't even make sense, especially Song Yi's mom. I thought she had a serious reason to stay away...idk anything - usually is illness - or maybe she was a criminal (?) idk ...but she just met a guy and neglected totally her daughter while strolling in the night marked with her sweetheart??? I mean she didn't even thought about giving her some money or else to help??? she was on the freaking streets!!! What if Tae Oh wasn't there? What if he was living with his family??
I went through a similar path and the way they painted the mom as sorrowful is making me puke. there's no freaking excuse for abandoning your child! Even if she's not a minor.
Same thing about Tae Oh's mom...even tho she was forced by her gangster brothers (?) to leave...couldn't they just transfer somewhere else together?! And after all that time why keep going on with the lie??? Absurd.
Another character I despised was Se Hyun, and not because she was confident...she was pretty much flat. Who's she? what did she do when she wasn't with Tae Oh? why was she so bitchy and demanding? What were her struggles? She just treated Tae Oh like a carpet most of the time, playing with his feelings because she knew she was pretty, I call that lazy writing, sorry.

I suggest to give it a try if you search something unpretentious, just to fill in or when you're in a slump (lately I'm always in a slump. I don't know if it's me being more selective or dramaland becoming more boring and uninteresting ç___ç)

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I have watched hundreds of dramas, no joke. And although this one isn't new, there was a sweetness to it that I really enjoyed.
There were things I didn't like of course...the female lead's acting was meh...nothing to write home about. She had some scenes that I could imagine a more seasoned or nuanced actress handling with much more conviction. But the story was so well-written that it didn't even bother me that much.
Ji Soo was wonderful. He was able to take a character as simple and at first sort of annoying and by the second season, bring depth and maturity while not compromising his sweetness and authenticity. I have watched him other things and he really was able to embody this character well.
Jin-Young was also very very good. His character was really well-written. Usually second leads are so clearly non-contenders for the affection of the main female lead. The whole time, I started rooting for him, but when the pivot in the story happened, i could feel how he felt. I could understand the tensions he faced. I could understand so clearly why he and the female lead didn't choose him. I could feel his care, but I also appreciated his maturity.
I apprecitated the way the characters talked about their feelings and were clear and direct -- well, except the female lead....

The only thing I wasn't too crazy about was the pacing of the end...i wish they would have spent a little more time on some of the main couple and in flushing out the main female lead's character and feelings for the main lead.

But I still found my self very engaged and I definitely think i'll watch this again.

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Part 1 was so good that it made me excited to watch Part 2.

But I was disappointed. It became the cliche love story that circled around the feelings of others then finally ended up together.

Towards the end, Han Song Yi narrated, " Some have found their place, while others are still searching for it." I disagree that in the second part of this sentence they showed Seo Do Hyun. He has been consistent with what he wanted to achieve since the beginning. It's just that his family circumstances have not been favorable that brought him a lot of set backs in life (and even so in his love life). It's not that he is still searching. It's more on, he has yet arrived.

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Worse than the first season

Well, I was very disappointed in this drama and I knew I would be. I feel so sorry for Do-Hyeon. I can't believe that I actually ended up linking Hun and Ga-rin more than the main couple. Don't get me wrong, Tae-oh and Song-i were cute, but I shipped her with Do-Hyeon more than her childhood friend.

The drama and angst with Tae-oh's mum was just unnecessary and very unrealistic. I still don't even know what the mother was trying to hide. Seemed like Tae-oh took it well though, so go figure.

I really don't have anymore to say. Why did this show even have two seasons?

-E

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