Just Between Lovers (2017)

I still think about this drama after 5 years

In other sad dramas, characters die and bad things happen to them, but this drama was one of the saddest dramas I've ever seen, even though it had a very slow process and nothing particularly sad happened during it. Because the characters, although they are calm on the outside, but they carry the deep pain of their past. They have terrible memories that were related to their past but directly affected their today lives.
One of the strong points of this series was its strong characterization, even side characters such as Moon Soo's mom and dad, and grandma, and even Kang Do's friend.

It was very rich and deep, and the author was surely a very understanding person. It was one of the best drama of my life and I highly recommend it.

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Let alone the K-drama category, Just Between Lovers is one of the best dramas I've watched in such a long time! This does not fit the type in which K-Dramas are made.

Kang Doo and Moon Soo come as strong leads, always being by each other's side, supporting each other and bringing out the best of each other. They are the ultimate relationship goal for me. Simply because, they are mature and wise. They talk about things that worry them, instead of creating misunderstandings and heartbreaks. They don't try to get the other person jealous for stupid reasons. They understand each other. They give each other space.

What I loved the most was even with the hint of a love triangle, they didn't go too much into it. I HATE triangles. Here, what I liked was that no false hopes were given and the triangle was broken as soon as it got made.

Now onto characters :

What I love in Moon Soo is that she isn't like the normal female leads. She doesn't get jealous, doesn't create unnecessary drama and isn't a damsel in distress. Rather, she's strong, opinionated and support for so many characters in the drama!

Special shoutout out to the Grandma! Her, Sang Man, and Kang Doo! Always look out for their dialogues if you watch this drama. They'd teach you so much about life with their simple sentences, it's crazy!

Another good point is that no character is angel and none is the devil. Everyone has their set of negative and positive points. And, I really loved that cuz that made them more human.

Also, this drama isn't for you if you like fluffs. However, if you like to see a relationship where feelings feel real, monologues that pierce through your heart, and characters you can see yourself in, give Just Between Lovers a try.

But, warning, it's angst. You'd keep on crying till the last episode. So keep the tissues near!

I wanna write more but it's almost 2K words lmao! (Also, not grammar checking it,so forgive the mistakes) 

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Great watch at any point in your life

This is, still to date, my favorite drama I've seen. I've watched it completely now three times at different points after life-changing events. I had first watched it about a year after my grandfather whom I was very close to passed away, another when everyone I seemed to know — including myself — were having health and medical issues, and another while I was expecting a child. Each time I watched, I connected deeply to some part of a character's story, be it a main or a supporting character. The past histories and present plots of just about everyone in the show is fleshed out in a such a realistic way that anyone watching can find some part of it relatable.

Besides the amazing storytelling, the chemistry between the leads and even second leads is second-to-none that I've seen and the acting overall from the entire cast is top notch. Usually, there's one character in a drama that feels like they are just reciting the script without any sort of depth. Not the case with this one, at least in my opinion.

But I don't think I would have liked this show as much as I did if it weren't for the OST. It was the first (and only) drama I've seen where I even remembered the music afterwards. The songs match the scenes they are played in perfectly and add so much more emotion to them.

I truly cannot recommend Just Between Lovers enough if you're looking for something different from your average romcom kdrama. Please give it a try.

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a timeless masterpiece

So, I'm writing this in 2021 even though I originally watched this in early 2018. But I am writing this because I love it now just as much as then. Which I can't say for every other drama I watched in 2018.

This is a drama you should watch when you need something both comforting and tear-jerking at the same time. Which, I think we could all use that sometimes. This drama also features characters that feel real! Due to the writing and acting and overall vibe of this drama, I could sympathize and feel for each of the characters in their own way.

Kang Doo and Moon Soo also have one of the most healing and beautiful romances. Not a lot of dramas that deal with trauma carry the romance arc properly, but this one did. The leads have dynamic chemistry and I'd love to see them on screen again. (Also when I first watched I had no clue Junho was an idol till like halfway through. He's amazing.)

The music.... ohh the music. I found myself humming along to many of the beautiful osts because I recalled them from my first watching. The OST is one of the best ever. I still listen to the songs from it today.

Rewatchablity was an A+ for me. A lot of the time when I try to rewatch dramas I'll drop them, but rewatching this one I found myself finding new details and falling in love with the beautiful little world in this drama all over again.

SO, 10/10 Overall, it shows a beautiful journey filled with many life lessons and it's such a well-paced and incredible drama. Don't miss out on it if you're on the fence of watching it or not.

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Good but difficult to rate

Whilst I was a fan of this drama, I found it very difficult to know how much I liked it. This has probably been the drama that I have found most difficult to rate, perhaps ever! Just Between Lovers has an amazing story, with perhaps one of the greatest couples in dramaland, with a sublime OST, 70 minute episodes that usually feel more like only 30 minutes, and also showing that a story that I thought had quite a basic concept, not be dragged out but instead kept interesting over the whole amount of episodes.

However, one thing I had realised by perhaps the mid-point was that I felt like the story gave the vibe that the viewers should only really pay attention to the couple, and none of the supporting cast. Perhaps I only felt that way, but yeah, the vibe I had just gotten was that the supporting cast was only really there to add numbers and I guess just to make the story more whole. Either that or I was just uninterested with everyone except the main couple. I guess that's why I loved the drama, but couldn't give it a higher rating - I guess it would have been a lower rating if the supporting cast had been given more time! This isn't to say the supporting cast acted poorly - all of their acting was great!

I still highly recommend this drama and I believe it is a great choice, especially for those in need of healing, or those who just need a change of scenery in their lives. I felt like I really needed to watch this drama at this specific point in my life, so perhaps some other people will also feel like this.

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One of my new favorite dramas!

I just finished this show, and I'm a bit speechless, to be honest. This show blew me away in such an amazing way with the storyline, the characters, and the acting. I fell in love with almost everything about this show, and it has instantly grabbed a top place on my list. 'Just Between Lovers' has a lot going on like trauma, healing, relationships, drama, romance, comedy, and so many other things. I loved how all the characters have true development, and you can see it span out throughout the show. As sad as I am that I won't see these characters anymore, the ending was perfect, and I'm so happy with everything! Please check out this show it's beyond beautiful.

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I liked this drama a lot. The story of all the characters, and how they dealt with tragedy: whether it be self-destruction, self-hatred, or healing. Some people are able to move on with their lives, while others are trapped in their grief.

I only had a couple problems with the drama, primarily Moon Soo's mom and then Moon Soo herself. Moon Soo's mom was, to be frank, verbally abusive towards her daughter off and on throughout the episodes, and definitely contributed to Moon Soo's guilt complex. Worse, she never properly apologized for the harmful words she said to her daughter. I so badly wanted to smack sense into that woman, because even if she's grieving she had no right to speak to her daughter so cruelly.

As for Moon Soo, I really liked her character. She was understanding, empathetic, and was great at communicating when something upset her or when something was wrong. Then episode 15 happened, and she did an abrupt turn-around of her pre-established character, refused to communicate, and then stupidly and hurtfully broke up with Gang Doo for a hot minute, just so the drama could be...dramatic, I guess? I mean, they broke up for about half an hour of actual drama time, before getting back together once she found out about Gang Doo's sickness. So I felt that the whole episode 15 was practically pointless.

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