Lovestruck in the City (2020)

Disappointing and finally ended boring

This drama tried to look like a documentary slice of life drama with a special concept where the characters are followed by interviewers and cameras. Six "adult people" share their ideas and opinions regarding couples and love relationships while filmed during their daily life. The concept is quite refreshing but it is mishandled as they soon mix interviews and narrated souvenirs and then moments looking like living with them or recording of a reality show where every line is scripted even final closure.

Finally this Unidentified Brodcasted Object of Kdrama fails as the stories developped are in addition either mushy with annoying leads (JW/LEO aka YSA) who can't take a proper decision or too short and unsatisfactory (the 2 other couples) to the point I did not find them really endearing and I did not feel anything about their fate in the end. The characters looked immature, silly people unable to behave like adults.

Strangely there is a 4th story which came out of nowhere in the last ep looking like no part of all this documentary produced thing and it was 20 minutes but the most satisfactory story.

The big question is: Would I advise someone to watch this because it is something entertaining and worth the time? No.

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An intriguing and refreshing drama

Ever since getting hooked in Korean Drama, I enjoy bingeing rather than having to wait for each episode to be released. But this drama made it so intriguing with the documentary style and 30-minute per episode, I don't mind anticipating two episodes each week.

In the beginning, I thought the interview/documentary part of the plot was a bit of a drag but it was paced well in the succeeding episodes. How the characters' feedback on the topic or theme presented in the episode is like me discussing with my friends on their personal take or opinion about it.

I am big fan of Jichang Wook and have never been disappointed in any of his drama nor movie. This surely is different and once again brings out the best in him as a lead character. He makes my heart flutter in every romantic scene he does.

The vibe of city life -- commuting, part-time / full time job pressure or demands, and hang out or friends past-time is refreshing from the typical rich and famous lifestyle or joseon living.

Lastly, this drama gives audience an opportunity to look at their personal perspective on the foundation of love or any relationship.

I like the build-up from episode 8 till the 13th so far. After watching all episodes, it leaves something to be desired. I wish the running-time was more than 30 minutes or more episodes.

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A HIDDEN GEM

I watched it without any expectations, and just loved every second of this one!!! It's original, fresh and at the same time realistic in every aspect... Here I give you the reasons why I loved it so much:

GENUINE PLOT:
This a mocumentary about relationships in wich the characters are involved between eachother but at he same time without knowing some vital info leading to many fun moments, misunderstandings and making the angst grow as the events unfolded... The storyline is something I've never seen before, and I've had my share of doramas, anime and series, it is quite diffiult to surprise me lately, but I have to say that I didn't see some of the events coming.

AMAZING ACTING:
Ji Chang Wook totally rocked the show with his incredible acting skills. I was already a fan but some of his last works weren't very brilliant (the script didn't give him much room for it either) but this one had just the kind of lines that can make his light shine. The rest of the cast is also really good and the chemistry between the couples is no joke.

COMPELLING CHARACTERS:
I felt really close to the ML, in many ways I've acted as pathetic as he did, and the situations were so stupid and intricated that made me think it culd have happened to someone for real. You can see how the characters grow and develop episode by episode, even if the series is very short it doesn't feel rushed or forced. Even the dialogues flow naturally and intelligently...

ADDICTIVE, HEART WARMING, AND HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS PORTRAYAL.

And some sexy scenes add the spicy touch to the story that makes it all more interesting... If you know what I mean...

If you are wondering what to watch, give this one a shot, it's so short and dynamic you wont regret it!!

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Not your typical kdrama

I understand KJW' character here. She fell inlove with JCW but she was afraid that he might not accept her because she has a lot of insecurities and disappointments in life. However, JCW proved that there is someone who will accept you and love you, just the way you are.

Excellent storyline, OST, cinematography and superb acting of the casts. I must say it is one of the best performance of Kim Ji Won and Ji Chang Wook. Their chemistry is also unbelievable.

To those people, who got bored and doesn't like this drama, don't assume that since you didn't liked it, doesn't mean it's not good. Actually, it's way better than I expected especially the outstanding acting skills of the main lead.

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A BREATHE OF FRESH AIR

When I first watched this drama, the first thought that came to my mind was this isn’t your typical kdrama. It used an interview format and the time duration is short (approx, 30 mins each episode) than the usual! While most people would say that the interview format was completely unnecessary, I think it helped the story telling to be more personal and entertaining. The interview format made me, as a viewer, feel like they’re communicating their story to me and because of that, it’s easy to be invested and attached to the characters and their individual stories.
Their acting especially the main leads, Kim Ji Won and Ji Chang Wook is GOD TIER. I cannot emphasize on how they carried their characters so damn well and so effectively. Not to mention, their chemistry is INSANE. You could just feel the warmth, the love, the frustration, and the tension between them as a viewer and that’s one of the reasons why I got really hooked from the very start.
Each episode has a story of its own and just leaves you wanting for more in such a way that it really makes you wonder what will happen next because in this drama, you’d never really know what’s in it for you in the next episode, and that’s what I love about this drama cause it strayed away from all the cliches and embraced a refreshing way of telling a story. All characters are flawed that you’d find yourself hating them at one point but ultimately, you’d find yourself loving them despite their flaws because of how real they are. You’d really find yourself relating to one of the characters one way or another because of how realistic the story and characters are. One thing I don’t like about the story though is that it was a cliffhanger.
The drama’s OST and cinematography are brilliant beyond words. I have no words for it other than how sublime it is.
Overall, it’s obvious how much I love this drama. This is the first drama I watched while it’s still on going and I have no regrets about it. This drama holds a special place in my heart and I’m so honored to have watched this drama and I got to witness how it gradually unfolded. Having to watched Kim Ji Won and Ji Chang Wook is a blessing and I hope they can have more projects together soon because they’re just sooo perfect. Hope you’ll give this drama a chance and I hope you’ll love it as much as I love it ❤️

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I loved this drama...

I liked the style, the way the backstories unfolded, the different characters (especially Rini) and also the format with the 30 min episodes. I think that KD Dramas can be a bit long and sometimes include unessesary things (ususally in the last 1-2 episodes ) but here the pacing was perfect all the way through. I would even think another season would be great (and I dont usually like when series go on to more seasons like they often do in the American series) because I want to know more about Minhos character and how that develops, I wanna know more about Rini and also the writer (cannot remember his name now). So I would love another series (30 min episodes again) focusing on those characters.
I was totally hooked and fully entertained and thats all I am asking for.

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The worst FL and ML ever in a Korean series!

I don't know how is this rated at 7.9. It should not rate more than 5 or 5.5. Both the characters of ML and FL were horribly written. The writing and story was bad, pretty bad. The actors tried to justify the poorly written characters but could not do much.

The story of ML and FL was terrible and could have been much better. The one story that was good of second leads was destroyed at the end by unnecessarily breaking up. And the third leads were there just for show I feel.

This had so much potential. But the story, writing ruined it all.

Please do not watch it all. I just fast forwarded it on Netflix just for the sake of finishing it.

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"How do you love?"

This drama is set up as a web series that answers dating life questions and answers. I'd say it's quite mature, I would not recommend it for a teenager/young adult because this is a set up with real life and realistically flawed people. If you are expecting some fairy tale of a story, this is not for you.

To me this drama is a cross between Because it's My First Life and Reply 1997. It's very slice-of-life with some sarcasm and comedy. Each episode is based around a specific dating question, like Reply 1997, and the story jumps around based on that question.

The chemistry between the two main leads was off the charts and my heart was palpitating hard at their every romantic moment. I knew a drama with Ji Chang-wook and Kim Ji-won would be amazing and I couldn't be happier. I was also loving the other characters, their backstories and their chemistry but I agree with some other reviewers that their stories could have been tied up more nicely. Although I was in it for the two main leads who were the definite focus of the drama. I love how their story came about, how it flowed, their focus on the positive and negative. How they dealt with each other and each others flaws. It was amazing and I can't critique anything related to them.

I will say it ended abruptly. I was expecting more but I suppose it kept to their "web series interview" style, sort of. As I said this is not a clean, well laid-out fairy tale story with a start, middle and end. It's about the modern view on dating and different dating styles.

I loved it and was not expecting it to end any time soon, I think I watched the whole thing in 2 days. So now here I am reminiscing and wondering what other good dramas are out there that I could possibly watch after this one.

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I love this drama. Ep 1 was lukewarm for me but by ep 2, I was drawn in. I caught myself grinning non-stop while watching the drama.

I love the topics they raise in each episode cos they're very relatable to me. And they're not frivolous topics. They're real questions you would ask when in the relationship. I think this interview format and snippets of their relationships works very well for the 30 mins timeslot. It's clever. You capture of the essence of their relationship and you see the question answered from different POVs.

The cinematography is excellent and is able to enhance the story-telling. I was surprised how much details are shown in just 30 mins. A lot of feels for sure!

The ML and FL are a tad troublesome but then again, it is interesting for me cos I wanna know how their story will end up. My favorite couple is Kyung Joon and Rin Yi. They are so cute!

Very impressed by this production and will definitely recommend. To those who don't understand the story and keep questioning the development, I suspect they haven't fallen in love. There are usually no right or wrong in a relationship, it's always different perspectives. Just cos you don't like how someone behaved in the drama doesn't mean it cannot happen. Love can happen very quickly cos it's a feeling. It can also end very abruptly. True story.

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A Fun Mockumentary

This one this a gem, besides episode 17, which was a bit confusing to me :D
So what you need to know beforehand. This drama has 17 episodes, but only 16 are related to the key story, while the last episode seems to tease a second season with new main characters or something like that. It is possible they only did that for could because the main character was Shinees Min-ho, but whatever. I genuinely liked that the episodes were quite short.
The story focuses more or less on three couples and switches between past and present time of their relationships. We get to witness how they get together, maybe break up and experience their lives, some trying to get back to one another. All the characters are related to each other somehow. We have three best friends, lovers, cousins, etc.
The series has a Modern Family type of vibe since it is a Mockumentary. The characters are participating in a project, where people talk about their past and ongoing relationships. The other participants can read about the stories of the others, but don't know who they are. This leads to them commenting on somebodies experiences and falling into a discussion.

The acting was AMAZING. I am usually not a massive fan of Ji Chang Wook but here he was very good. His character slightly going insane, the screaming, the mad eyes. It was hilarious to watch. Kim Ji-won really made me hate, like, love and understand her all at the same time. She was truly mesmerizing. For the other 4 roles, they choose a really great cast. At some points I wished we would even get more insides into their lives, but the amount increased as the story developed.

I really enjoyed watching the different developments of relationships and in what direction they were going. I understood why characters hesitated or made their decisions in that way. Furthermore, I also liked the cinematography and the way they included oldies music. I wanted to be a part of this cool group.

In the end there were quite some strings open or rather just opened, and I hope they will produce another season. For one couple, I did not completely understand why they chose to not be together, since they communicated about liking each other.
But overall the drama was fun, serious and full of tension at the same time. As I am writing this now, I genuinely want to rewatch it. (I completed it around February.)
You will see some new sides of Korea and many beauty shots. (a bit cringe but also cute :D)

The last episode was a bit throwing off since I did not know the content was a different one. I thought I would get answers to my questions, but no...
I don't remember them at this point, but anyway :D.

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There is a fine line between a love story and a toxic relationship

The drama has bright tones, cute songs, hopeful stories, and needless to say AMAZING CHEMISTRY. Amaaazing chemistry omg. Ji chang wook's acting is on point too, he really uses all his parts to convey feelings. The female lead was one of the best choices.

BUT THE RELATIONSHIP WAS INREDIBLY TOXIC TO A POINT THAT IT WAS ANNOYING. Oh my god it should have been a feel good drama but the only way I would be satisfied would be ML not taking the female leads bullshit anymore. If people think that just because she had some hardships it would give her right to treat like shit to people who loved her, well, there is always an a*hole out there for you to love. Main Lead was weak af too, just like us when we were the victims of an abusive relationship.

I'm going crazy by just thinking it, ugh. Pain and anguish layered with fluffy bunnies.

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The concept of this drama is so refreshing. I loved the 'reality interviews' with the main cast individuals, and their supporting stories, all different yet laced together.
Great characters and I was surprised by how several that I found really irritating and/or unlikable, I ended up rooting for, as their real personalities and reasons for behaving as they do, emerged.
The cast were excellent (all favourites) and I totally fell in love with all 3 main guys and a certain shining Police Officer ;)
It was also an absolute joy to have couples behave naturally ~ no gawping eyes-wide-open females in the numerous kiss scenes. No reactions on hand holding that would be more fitting to being groped! Realistic bed scenes (doesn't need nudity to portray sex) and almost all experiences and issues being pretty representative of the highs and lows of falling in and out of love.
I only found 1 character's reaction to breaking up somewhat overdone. A particular scene where a dumped boyfriend was humiliated in public, was a step too far. I absolutely hated her at that point.
The OST is great, the locations varied (surfing never looked so appealing) and even the ending was good... true to life, which is rarely neatly tied up.
I don't feel a second series is needed, but they could easily make one, featuringing the characters whose love lives weren't concluded and maybe a couple of new ones to fill in those that were; I'd definitely watch it.
Very enjoyable and hard to turn off (binge addicts like me, beware).

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