I can't believe I managed to complete a 56-episode drama. Unlike many C-dramas these years, the plot is logical and intelligent, characters' behaviour fit their personalities, story flows smoothly and does not have any glaring loopholes. I can see that effort and thought have been put into the sets, props, and background. Filming at actual locations really adds to the entertainment value.
I appreciate that the main characters are flawed and were able to learn and grow as the series went on. I also like that instead of focusing on purely romance and using everyone to push the romance agenda of the first male and female leads, the story talks about what it being a couple means, pushing societal norms, the challenges of familial relationships, and personal development. Comedy was interjected every now and again to avoid this series being too sombre and help to make supposed stern characters more down to earth. I especially like that time was given to delineate the thoughts and motive behind the characters, helping audiences understand and connect better, instead of editing chunks out just to speed up the plot and squeeze to fit into a typical 24-episode idol drama.
The acting of most of the main characters are on par but the same can't be said of the side characters, especially those that only appear for less than a few episodes, which makes it hard for the audience to connect with the storyline. I feel that as a whole, most of the cast (especially younger ones whose characters are supposed to be more flamboyant) were able to enact exaggerated emotions but fail to grasp the subtler ones and that detracts the full immersion of this show, so, I didn't award this show full marks. Regardless, I enjoyed the story a lot and I hope there would be more quality dramas like this.
