A Outra Oh Hae Young (2016)

Good drama to get out of a kdrama slump

Solid 8.5/10 for me, I watched this and honestly the storyline and actors had me hooked. It takes a while to build up but if you stick with it I promise it gets better. For me this was a very intricately written slice of life drama with romance and some supernatural elements.

I like the fact that this drama sheds a light on more niche professions such as audio / sound engineering and we get to delve into what that really entails in Do Kyung's daily life. I enjoyed learning about the main character's backstories and how they became the way they were. I know a lot of people say the FL, Oh Hae Young is very annoying and behaves like a child but I really loved her character. She was so hilarious and endearing in my opinion. I feel like anyone living her life would lash out and react the way she did. I really resonated with Oh Hae Young's character as she's very strong willed and emotional but unlike others she isn't afraid to hide her emotions. She feels deeply and wears her heart on her sleeve. That for me made her character seem more real / genuine and relatable. You could also tell that the actress Hyun-Jin put her everything into that role – her performance was phenomenal and she truly deserved all the awards she won.

I also loved that this drama highlighted real struggles in peoples day to day lives. I felt connected to each character and came to a better understanding of them as the story unfolded. The chemistry between the leads was amazing I love how they were lowkey the strangers to enemies to lovers trope. They served so hard tbh! I adored how their relationship progressed and when it reached its climax it was like all the emotions and tension between them were palpable through the screen. I love how through all their trials and tribulations you could see the situation from their point of view, understand why they each wanted to let the other go and eventually how their undeniable connection brought them back together.

At first I was weary of pretty Oh Hae Young but then we got to see who she really was underneath her happy exterior. On the surface she looks happy and seemingly has a perfect life but the truth is that she was broken and wasn't raised in a family that loved her / showed her how to love. The sheer irony of the fact that both Hae Young's wanted to trade lives or were envious of the other at some point in time was some excellent writing. I feel like the writers thoroughly thought out the plots, story arcs and found a way to mesh all the character's lives together.

This drama taught me not to judge a book by it's cover and to treat others as you would want to be treated because you really don't know whats going on in a persons life or what they have been through. Additionally the drama emphasized the meaning of friendship, forgiveness as well as love and family relationships (the good, the bad and the ugly)

Other highlights for me included Do Kyung's precarious relationship with his mother and his crazy relationship with his siblings. I particularly enjoyed watching the love story of Jin Sang and Soo Kyung unfold. It took a while but they got there and I was so happy for them at the end.

This drama had me grinning from ear to ear half of the time and I definitely appreciated it for everything it was. I would recommend this to people who are in slumps and don’t know what to watch next. This got me out of my own :)

Thanks for reading and happy watching!

❤️

Leia Mais

I have come really close, really REALLY close, but I've never given a drama all 10s so easily before. It's not because it's perfect, but it's because I loved every single episode from beginning to the end. The cast is Amazing, and includes some of my now favorite KDrama characters EVER! The story was totally different than any other romcom I've seen, and kept me fully engaged from the beginning until the end. My rewatch score is an easy 10, since I was often tempted to rewatch episodes immediately while waiting impatiently for new episodes to come out. The music has been on steady rotation in my playlist too.

Most people will be skeptical that this drama deserves all the praise it will likely get, I know I would be. A common question has been, "Is it really that good?". Umm... YES. The answer is YES, in ALLCAPS.

Let's start at the beginning, which most people call slow, but I was completely fascinated from the very first scene. I had a friend who was a sound editor, and I always thought the job was so fascinating, but I love the way they weave that element in throughout the show. I think it's the attention to details like that that makes this drama stand out more than others. Add the psychic premonition/flash forward element to that, and I was hooked for sure. I just had to know what was going to happen next.

I think the writing was really extraordinary in how they married all the different genres together without ever totally losing it's charm. Watching it felt like being on a roller coaster. I liked the ebb and flow of the story... Some moments are cute, some intense, some are passionate, some are heartbreaking, then frustrating, then suddenly hilarious... In telling the story of a mature and truly complicated relationship, they never settle on sticking to one approach for too long. Some people who joined in for the romance may get annoyed during the depressing & frustrating parts, and those looking for suspense probably got bored during the extra romantic moments, but I was too invested in the story to ever be bored, and I knew the story would never stay on one type of moment for too long. I know that personally that "surfing" shirt kept haunting my dreams... One can criticize certain parts of the story for not being realistic, but being real is not my criteria for a great drama. In fact, the only other drama I could see myself giving perfect 10s to is Secret Garden, for most of the same reasons, and that is definitely not a drama that relies on being "real". All the authenticity this drama needs comes from the portrayal of the characters.

Seo Hyun Jin as Regular Oh Hae Yeong, and Eric Moon as Do Kyeong, are not the ideal dream couple on paper. They are emotionally damaged, dysfunctional, and certainly imperfect, but I fell in love with both characters as they fell in love with each other. Regular Oh Hae Yeong's vulnerability broke my heart, and yet inspired me. Do Kyeong's guarded personality was frustrating, and yet I was completely empathetic towards him. The banter in the beginning was fun, their chemistry is perfect, the intensity of their intimacy got me in the feels, and they have the best KDrama kisses EVER. Seriously... ever. No need to fear them touching lips together while standing awkwardly. Eric plays repressed so well, that you would never think that he had it in him. I definitely swooned several times. I am a romcom fan, and have a lot of favorite couples, but they definitely leaped their way to the top couples on my list.

Then there is the rest of the cast. If I could give higher than 10 to some of the supporting cast I would.

Regular Hae Young's parents are the best parents in dramaland... FACT. The family moments were equally touching and laugh out loud funny. Kim Mi Kyung is just so good, and Lee Han Wi balanced her out perfectly. Any scene with them in it was automatically a good one.

The rest of the supporting cast were all 10s, or close enough, and there are way too many too mention, but shout out to the bromancemobile!

Jeon Hye Bin, and Lee Jae Yoon didn't have to rest on being attractive. They each had complicated characters who had me rooting against them while totally feeling sorry for them. I admit that I HATED Pretty Oh Hae Young, but that's because she played her part so well. Tae Jin was much more sympathetic, but both of them made the complicated love dilemma work well.

Kim Ji Suk, Heo Jeong Min, and Heo Young Ji all had very fun and memorable characters, but the true MVP of this whole drama to me is Ye Ji Won. She is my power animal! I had no idea, in her first scenes, how much I would end up adoring her character. Even If the story sucked, and the rest of the cast sucked, I would still be glued to the screen waiting to see what kind of shenanigans she would do next. I don't want to even slightly spoil any of her moments, because the surprise randomness of it is what makes it comic genius. I need to stalk her in something else. If you know of any dramas where she is particularly awesome, please let me know!

I already mentioned rewatch value, but just to be clear, I am tempted to rewatch the whole thing right now. I'll try to wait longer before I watch it again, but I will, without a doubt, be watching it all again... and again.

The music is now one of my favorite OSTs. I listen to certain songs over and over and never get tired. What Is Love is too cute, and I love that Seo Hyun Jin is singing! Ben's Like a Dream started playing in a store and had me singing along like I know the words... no, I do not speak Korean, much less sing in Korean. Maybe I by Roy Kim is like musical crack. Needless to say, the OST is really good.

Overall, I don't know what I am going to do with my Mondays & Tuesdays now that it's over. I rarely watch on air dramas, but I am so glad I watched this one. I think it was worth it from beginning to end, and yes I did like the ending, but I won't say too much about it other than that I thought it was... in it's own way... perfect ; )

So yes I recommend it very highly. I think a romcom hater, or a melodrama hater, or a suspense hater could all agree that there is surprisingly a little something for everyone. I also loved the message at the end.

Now excuse me while I make some room for this drama, and it's cast on my favorites lists.

Leia Mais