Things that Come After Love (2024)

A rollercoaster ride of emotions brought to you by excellent acting

“What Comes after Love” tells a simple story of young and innocent love, going through the challenges of everyday life, and coming to the realization that only love is just not enough. These young lovers reunited 5 years after their breakup. The drama tells their love story through flashbacks to the past and present, and is narrated from both leads’ perspectives. There’s an added colorful touch with regards to cultural differences between Japan and South Korea.

After the series ended, I couldn’t decide if I liked it or not. There are so many frustrating moments where I want to strangle the leads because of the lack of communication and the lack of action. Towards the end, I did feel the interactions between the leads become somewhat repetitive but not to the extent that I dislike the drama. I just want them to speak up or do something!

However, I cannot deny the fact that I love this romance from innocent puppy love, to regrets and pain. Their smiles, laughter and passionate love for each other is so contagious. On the flip side, the longing, pain, depression, loneliness and regret break my heart. But none of the emotional rollercoaster could have happened if not for the excellent acting from Lee Se Young and Sakaguchi Kentaro.

Both actors are perfectly casted. I am not sure how Lee Se Young’s Japanese sounds to a native speaker, but it sounded perfect to me. This might be one of her best roles yet. Kentaro has this dorky and shy charm. He conveyed the unspoken words through microexpressions on his face and his eyes. His character is a man of few words and Lee Se Young has very few lines in the last couple episodes too. Yet, I feel every emotion that they’re trying to convey.

If you like a melodrama of lovers reconnected after a difficult breakup, I would recommend “What Comes After Love” for you. The cinematography, music and the use of literature complemented the plot and the acting so well.


Completed: 11/5/2024 - Review #509

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Apenas uma palavra: BREGA.

Não me entenda mal. AMO breguices. AMO clichês. Esse drama tinha tudo pra me agradar: romance seguido de separação seguido de muito angst seguido de reconciliação, além de ter os maravilhosos Sakaguchi Kentaro e Lee Se Young; mas desde o primeiro episódio senti que algo não estava me agradando, que parecia tudo muito batido.

Pode ser uma saturação que tenha vindo de mim mesma. Câmera lenta, trilha musical incessante, flashbacks da cena anterior, câmera lenta, diálogos e narrações melosas, filtro na direção de fotografia... já disse câmera lenta? A junção e repetição desses elementos foram feitas de tal modo que deixou a linguagem do drama à beira do cômico. Nenhuma produção precisa, necessariamente, ser inovadora, mas é preciso saber trabalhar bem os diversos aspectos da história. Eu sinto que o principal elemento que faltou foi PAIXÃO, principalmente no inicio do relacionamento do casal protagonista. Retratou-se um relacionamento tão xoxo capenga, seja por incompetência da direção ou falta de química dos atores, que não parece uma relação avassaladora a ponto de se tornar marcante e inesquecível na vida dos personagens e que, por consequência, levasse a suceder todos os acontecimentos da história.

Sobre a história, a Beni teve TODA a razão para ficar chateada, mas convenhamos... ela praticamente cancelou todo os outros aspectos da vida dela só pra se dedicar ao relacionamento e ficou chocada quando ele não fez o mesmo. Se ela tivesse continuado seus estudos, expandido suas conexões, arranjado outros empregos, em vez de ficar na zona de conforto do namorado, talvez a situação tivesse sido outra. Ela era uma estrangeira num país de costumes diferentes, mas tinha a vantagem de dominar a língua, ter uma amiga no local e uma aprovação na pós-graduação e não aproveitou nada disso. Seu erro foi não ter colocado a si mesma como prioridade. Desde o começo, eu só torcia para que eles seguissem em frente com as suas vidas, mas resolveram continuar estagnados, ou melhor, em CÂMERA LENTA.

Enfim... parece que, por ser uma coprodução internacional, se utilizaram apenas do arroz e feijão para entregar o básico do básico dos dramas românticos coreanos.

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All the Feels

What Comes After Love is not your typical romantic K-drama, and it may not be for everyone. Clocking in at just six episodes, the story unfolds at a slow, deliberate pace. It's very different from other more fast paced J-Dramas with few episodes, and is much more mellow in its vibe compared with other K-Dramas. The leads spend very little time together in the present, with most of the narrative told through flashbacks. The result is a nuanced story focused less on plot and more on the feelings of loneliness and love—themes that gradually build throughout the series until it resonates deeply with you as a viewer.

What sets this drama apart is its emphasis on the subtlety of emotions rather than grand gestures. In a way reminiscent of Japanese storytelling, What Comes After Love is more about exploring the feeling of love than showing it through big, dramatic scenes. This approach may resonate especially well with viewers who have experienced similar feelings, like living in a foreign country and facing cultural differences with a partner. For others, however, the slow pace and understated approach might feel a bit tedious.

While the show excels at building a quiet, melancholic atmosphere, it’s not without its flaws. Certain characters, like the female lead's sister, felt underdeveloped and unnecessary, and the leads' current relationship could have used more depth. Given the short episode count, though, it’s understandable why some relationships weren’t fully fleshed out. Despite the overall mellow vibe, I found myself yearning for a few more significant, emotional moments between the leads.

Still, What Comes After Love is a uniquely moving experience with a classical romance feel—perfect for those willing to sit back, slow down, and immerse themselves in the emotions at its core.

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A realistic romantic story about modern relationships, loneliness and regret . . .

The real highlight for me was the depiction of an adult relationship on screen. Here, there were the little physical touches, the petty squabbles, the deep regret of a fully lived in relationship. Here, was the constant frustrations and loneliness of modern life with work all consuming, often living in new, strange places with no community, filled with a longing for home.

The pacing in the last few episodes slows dramatically. While it starts off with extremely understandable reasons a relationship may not work out, our main characters then dance around having a true conversation stretched over 6 episodes - - a concept that starts to wear thin.

The acting was excellent and these two characters were made real. The music was atmospheric. I wouldn't say there was much rewatch value, there's not much of a cathartic release to the whole thing.

If you love rekindled past romances, like Past Lives, Before Sunset, or even the Jane Austen novel Persuasion, this is for you.

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What Happens After Love? No caso deles, arrependimento.

Sim, é uma narrativa lenta, vai e volta entre o passado e o presente, o que para alguns provavelmente seria irritante, para mim não foi um problema, dessa forma conseguimos entender o passado e o presente.

A todo instante é uma montanha russa de emoções, você fica em conflito em vários momentos, quem está certo? Quem está errado?

Choi Hong está em uma terra estrangeira, longe da família e de todos, ela acabou desenvolvendo uma codependência, com Jungo trabalhando cada vez mais, fez com que ela se sentisse ainda mais sozinha, então é fácil se identificar com ela. E no fim, Jungo não percebe toda essa solidão ao qual ela estava sentindo, e acabam se distanciando cada vez mais um do outro.

Você percebe que eles não são pessoas más. Na minha opinião, eles tinham tantas coisas acontecendo em suas vidas individuais que, ao longo do caminho, não conseguiram encontrar equilíbrio. Eram apenas indivíduos que no final das contas tomaram decisões que provavelmente são as melhores em suas perspectivas.

Tanto Seyoung quanto Sakaguchi estão retratando seus personagens de maneira brilhante, você sente suas angústias, depressões e que eles seguem o fluxo, ao invés de viver de acordo com seus próprios desejos.

No geral, “What Happens After Love” é uma exploração convincente do amor, da perda e das complexidades das emoções humanas. Eu recomendo fortemente para quem gosta de um drama sincero que ressoa em muitos níveis.

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Muted, poetic, thoughtful

Although it is a Korean drama it has all the hallmarks of a Japanese production. The sombre moodiness and the underplayed emotion. The observation of thoughtful faces in a muted colour palette. The poetic rather than the pragmatic approach softens the tone so that it sits comfortably in melancholy. Any raw emotion is smoothed out by gentle music and there is no wailing going on. The OST was good, setting the tone for the drama.

There is a thoughtful progression to the feelings that work their way through right to the end which has a gentle landing. It delivers what it promises in the title, “What Comes After Love” so don’t come into this thinking it’s a standard romance. The messages in the show resonated with me, and reflect the changing perspective of what love and relationship are/should be as we grow older. It is the journey the protagonists take as they learn to appreciate who they are and what is needed to sustain themselves and a relationship.

Overall the show is solid with good performances, believable chemistry and consistent quality in the production values. Although I enjoyed it very much, there was not that spark to lift it to something special. There were no new insights for me and the story played out in a safe and somewhat predictable way, taking no risks. Where it did do very well was to show the progression of emotions. The rating reflects the quality of the production overall, rather than the originality, which would have scored lower.

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Rare Gem

First off I love melodrama! This made it onto my top 10 from story to production & cinematography to acting to ost. The actors did amazing portraying their characters, so much that I fell in love with both lead characters.

Reasons you should watch this drama:
1. Story - Mature and refreshing
2. OST - Beautiful music that fits well
3. Characters - Great acting, great chemistry between leads. No overuse of side characters as story focuses mostly on the lead couple.
4. Cinematography- Beautiful scenes with snow, cherry blossoms etc
5. Short series - Short and easy, not too drawn out, don’t feel like you miss anything or it was rushed. It’s just right.

Go ahead and give it a try! You won’t regret it!

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Amazing photography and score music

This collab is just magic. Despite being just 6 episodes, it delivers a lot in the photography and perfect management of lights and shades. Every scene, specially those that have a lot of emotion, match the incredible score that was done for this one. Even the main song is beatiful. The acting of the main couple of course is on another level, they had good chemestry and were able to portray and carry us from joy to tears and then back to hope. Beautifully executed, this remains a big small gem of just 6 episodes. What's more, they gave us a happy ending full of forgiveness and hope.

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One episode more and it would’ve been perfect

Some dramas get way too many episode resulting in a watered down story.
This one, on the contrary, should’ve had at least one episode to close the story as it would’ve deserved. I would’ve wanted to see Beni talking to her long time friend and almost husband one last time to definitely close their relationship and see his reaction. It’s clear he knew how distant she was but it would’ve been nice to see his reaction: composed, would’ve tried to win her back one last time, pissed as hell?
Also, it would’ve been nice to see what they decide to do: does he move to Seoul, are they back in Japan? He most likely moved to SK, still... Even a slideshow of moments after that last scene of them holding each other’s hands and walk together to see all the ends meet. It would’ve felt a bit more complete. Still, great drama, one of my favorite of the year!

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The bilingual story is a sadistic tale of masochistic romance

A slow love story starts when Korean student Choi Hong bumps into Aoki Jungho. They start living together at a very early stage, and every moment they spend together is full of oh-so-love. But one day, Hong asks for a breakup, and she leaves.
One of the biggest perks of a slow-burning love is that it takes time to build. In the case of this love, the continuous travel between past and present sometimes made the audience wonder. Sometimes the past seemed too happy, thus confusing the audience about the demeanor of Hong in the present life.

The performance of Lee Se Young after donning the marvelous The Marriage Story of Park is quite gloomy and nonchalant. Maybe it's the character graph that drags her more down. Every time she came on the screen, I felt more sad than hers. Kentaro Sakaguchi in the role of sad Jungo is less expressive than he was needed. His calmness made everyone around him uncomfortable.

For the first time in my life, I really wanted a sad ending to make the love less bulletproof and more logical...

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