Bajo la lluvia (2018)

Unlike a lot of the reviewers, I find the last episode to be the most unsatisfying. Everything else was good overall, including the middle or late part that many seem to dislike. To explain why I am really unsatisfied with the ending and why I disagree with others and enjoy basically all the other episodes, I will focus on the character develop and plot lines.

The main casts, just like everyone says, are simply lovely. They played a loving couple so well in the show that I almost took them to be real. However, it needs to be said that Jin-ah, or female protagonist has a much more complex character plot than Joon-hee. Her character growth in the show was remarkable and relatively well depicted, whereas Joon-hee's growth is comparatively small, and much less complex.

This difference has to do with two of the major plot lines in the show besides the main theme of romance: workplace sexual harassment and parental authority. Jin-ah was involved in both plot lines directly and heavily, while Joon-hee only got involved in the family struggle that Jin-ah had with her family. This difference played out importantly in the latter part of the story. Jin-ah started out as a capable yet obedient woman in both her family and her job. She had the lowest status in her family such that even her younger brother could scold her, and considered her an immature trouble-maker. In her office, she was targeted as the main female worker who was compliant and can be easily harassed without repercussion, which earned her the nickname of "Mrs. Tambourine." By the latter half of the show, she not only gained support and respect from her brother, but even stood up against her strong-headed mom openly and persistently. In her workplace, she became the sole fighter against sexual harassment and showed courage, perseverance, and tact in her fight. This remarkable growth was initiated by the romantic relationship that Jin-ah and Joon-hee had, and thus, the romantic relationship is always tangled with these two themes. However, growth in character took time to develop, and came at the “cost” of romance because the plot line gradually took up more of her work and family struggles and became less less romantic as a result.

For everyone who thinks that latter half of the show became boring, I dare say that it has to do with this gradual change of focus from a clear romance to a more complex show in which the romantic part became less dominate and fuzzy. This, however, is one reason why I appreciate this show: it showed that people live a complex life in addition to the romantic relationship that they have, and how a loving romance can do: it does much more than making one feel butterflies in stomach, and can truly improve and mature a person. It is in these two aspects that I find the male protagonist lack: his whole life focused on the love relationship that they had such that he was willing to threaten his boss multiple times for sake of his relationship, and he had not showed much of a growth even till the end. Initially, his tendency of being protective lent great strength and courage to Jin-ah such that she dared to call out and reject harassment that she encountered. But this protective tendency gradually became excessive and even impeding when Jin-ah became more mature and independent. Joon-hee had always been loving. But he loved the same way throughout and due to a lack of development, his love gradually became impeding to Jin-ha and their relationship. How can you tell a woman to give up her job, her genuine concern about sexual harassment, and her whole way of life just for "love?" The fact that Jin-ah had matured while Joon-hee remained unchanged, to me, is the underlying and true reason for their break-up. Jin-ha had turned into a woman who courageously faced the challenges of love, family, work, and sexual harassment head-on. Joon-hee, however, remained someone who was troubled by perceptions of others, and decided to use work opportunity to escape.

By the time of the second to last episode, Jin-ha's clear determination to fight against sexual harassment and the conspicuous difference between Jin-ha and Joon-hee in terms of maturity become two major issues in the way of them getting back together. However, the final episode does not address either of them directly. It was hinted that Jin-ha succeeded in her fight in sexual harassment, and managed to put the harassers to legal penalty they deserved, but nothing is clear. This is really disappointing, because this lack cuts off the theme that has been building up to this point. Besides, this is one of the clear reasons why they broke up, and not finishing the story on this part is quite a misfortune. My biggest gripe, however, is that the reunion went too short to capture the emotional expectation of the audience and to explain the character development needed for completing the story. This moment of reunion was what the audience had been waiting for. But the couple did not talk nearly as much as they should have, nor had had in previous episodes. In the very last conversation between Jin-ha and Joon-hee, they exchanged less than 30 lines, and all of them short. WHY? Why??? How does this address all the tensions built-up and all expectations that we have??? It came so woefully short that neither was it satisfactory emotionally, nor did it offer a clear, convincing logic for why they got back together. To the credits of the screenwriters and directors, I can understand that this first reunion must be charged with emotion, and logic should be left for a later occasion. But then there is no later occasion that allows for a meaningful conversation or interaction. This really cuts the show short for me.

Overall, however, I enjoyed this show quite a bit. There are many other problems that I didn't mention here, such as the music, some of the plot designs, and so on. But they don't prevent this show to shine. The maturity of plot, the realness of problems, the struggles and love, and the beautiful smiles and laughter of the in-loved Jin-ah all make it worthy of re-watch. How I wish the ending could be different!

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Sisyphus wrote the last episode

I just finish watching this drama.
After the last episode, I am frustrated to loose so many hours watching this. I know the process is important, but in dramas and movies it's all about the ending for me.

STORY
The story is about 35 year Jin Ah and her best friend's younger brother Joon Hee. And that's it. They fell in love. The relationship is slow and beautiful, painted at the sound of one or two jazz songs that soothes perfectly. We can see the love, Jin Ah learning what being loved is and the sweetness and caring of Joon Hee. But it's way too long! Every scene is long as if we couldn't understand already their feelings.
And they struggle to be happy and stay together.


CHARACTERS

Yoon Jin Ah (Son Ye Jin) - (my first kdrama was Crash Landing on You. So i have a special feeling for her and i think she is a great actress. And here she is also good).
She always had bad relationships and bad boyfriends. She was abused in work buy her male superiors and her female colleagues who took advantage of her to not be disturbed in their work place. She was cheated by her boyfriend and then the story begins. She still lives in her parents house and have a best friend, Seo Kyung Sun.
She grows as a person due to the love and care of Joon Hee. And then, in the last episodes she chooses to be selfish and stays in Korea in her job, saying that she is stronger now ("the old Jin Ah would immediately go"). But then, she ends up obeying her parents wishes, having a rich boyfriend who doesn't care for her; he only cares for his work and she doesn't love him.
She refused to leave Korea with Joon Hee, but then she quits her job and goes to live in Jeju Island, go figure...

Seo Joon Hee (Jung Hae In) - a strong and loving man, that returns from the US. He is gorgeous and very well loved and desired by most of the women. But he only loves Jin Ah. Their love is beautiful, but also filled with lies, between them. Supposedly, they lie and hide to protect the other, but they ruined their relation. And then, without seriously talking to her, he decide that he will go to US again... I don't think the character would do that, because he is very pragmatic and think things through.

JIN AH PARENTS - I am European, so i don't understand some of Korea society. For me, Jin Ah's parents are so but so bad that i don't want to waste my time. The notion of family reputation and status is like a disgusting feeling for me, but since it is brought up in so many dramas it must be true.
They are very bad.

The other characters are not very important for me. Even Kyung Sun doesn't behave well. The only interesting character for me is Geum Bo Ra, Jin Ah's colleague and friend.
Don't understand why Seo's father appears.

OST - some great songs, well played with the scenes. But the moments are very long and repetitive.

REWATCH - never, because i know the end, the way they ruined a beautiful and very rare romance. Could be awesome if shorter and a different last episode.

ENDING - It was a 9, even with some repetitiveness music and long scenes. I am not a fan of slow movies, but in this case it is well done in the first episodes. But then, we arrive at the last episode. It was very bad for me. And, if they are going to present us a happy ending, then... did i watch the same show? So, for most of the episodes we have the struggle of the couple, the opposition of her parents and the couple's siblings and they don't disclosure that? What the f...? Even her mother, who only cared for reputation and gives a shit about her daughter happiness is hughed by her?

OVERALL - could be amazing! If they made a movie it will be enough. Don't like the ending, don't like time gaps when they part ways for years...

So frustated, but i am to blame because i thought the end would not be that one.

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Drama romantico anche se un po' lento.

Un drama romantico e dolce.
Racconta la vita vera, dove a parte alla storia d'amore,m complicata fra Jin-ah donna in carriera di 35 anni e Jun-hi ragazzo di 25 anni fratello della sua migliore amica e miglior amico del fratello di lei ,la serie affronta anche tematiche importanti come le molestie sessuali subite al lavoro e la mentalità retrograda delle famiglie coreane tradizionaliste con le loro regole convenzionali.
E' una serie lenta ma che ti prende e racconta il loro amore che sboccia pian piano fatto di gesti affettuosi e protettivi,un amore difficile ma bello,semplice.Per un tocco in più alla storia troviamo la pioggia e dell'ombrello che prendono un significato molto bello.
Lo consiglio ai inguaribili romantici a chi ama le storie d'amore e con happy ending dopo tutta quella sofferenza.

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The chemistry between the two mains was absolutely flawless. And for most of the show, that is what sustained my love for the story. It’s when the main conflicts finally start to take over that the story gets painfully bad. Mostly because it’s hard to follow why anyone is doing anything.

Most of the characters start acting really strange for no apparent reason. The father is a prime example. You can never really tell what he is thinking or what his motivations are. And this ends up being an issue for most of the characters. They do strange things, but we never really understand the motivation behind most of it.

The main female character also lives like this for the rest of the show. And what makes it worse is her dialogue. Someone really desperately wanted to make her sound mature by the end of the show, but she just ends up spouting complete nonsense. She says things that are so vague and nonsensical, she lies for stupid reasons, and though it may seem like she was changing for the better, she was really just retreating deeper and deeper into the shell of a woman she was in the first episode.

There are several scenes where she, instead of having a serious conversation with the main male lead, she just asks random questions along with inquiring if he’s mad 101 times. Maybe it was supposed to make it seem more realistic, but it still could have been done a lot better. Actually, she was way more mature in the beginning because it seemed like she was learning from the mistakes she made before the story starts. By the end it just felt like she was making mistakes just to spice up repetitive drama.

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Love the ordinariness of this un-Kdrama-like show

The ordinariness of the female lead and plotline is beautiful: woman in her mid-30s, who is stuck in life with her career going nowhere; and her relationship collapsing, finds companionship and support from the male lead. Of course, the male lead also happens to be her best friend's younger brother, complicating it. And possibly, western audiences do not understand this complication too much.

Writer Kim Eun and director Ahn Pan-seok strive to bring a realistic, unmushy feel to the relationship and its growth. But what brings it together is the natural chemistry between the leads, Jung Hae-in and Son Ye-jin. The writer-director's second project, One Spring Night (8.3, 7.9, 2019), tries for a similar feel but fails without Son Ye-jin.

The show also has a nuanced take on sexual harassment at the workplace. It is not as loved as other shows because it's not your regular kdrama, making it the lowest rated show that I recommend, but that's what I love about it. Having said that, it does drag a bit in the middle and could have been shorter.

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Soundtrack is WTF

Adore this show, truly.
Wonderful acting. Funny, dear, sweet, tough, teary-eyed storytelling.
1 & only 1 issue.....WTF with the 'Stand by Your Man' song???!!!
Every other scene this exhausted country/western tune drones on..and on.

With the budget to use the original & cover versions of this song, they could've hired
a composer to create music to compliment this series..for less money!!!

Over & over again this song plays. OMG!!!! Stop. I don't ever want to hear this song again!

Watch the series its great. Hit the mute when 'that song' starts.

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I am SO enjoying this drama and truly root for the two main leads. This brings back so many funny and touching memories for me being that I am a part of a "noona" relationship (13 yrs difference still going strong 15 yrs later!) I can remember those moments of knowing but not knowing, sure but unsure, excited, nervous, wondering if I was crazy to even think there was a possibility yet at the same time knowing this man was someone very special to me. The dialogue may appear simple yet combined with the natural flow of the scenes, the amazing acting of Jung Hae In and Son Ye-jin and OMG the hawt chemistry it speaks volumes to the emotional pull I as a viewer am experiencing. Both the main leads are doing such a wonderful job with their body language that you can virtually interpret their thoughts and emotions. It may seem effortless but I am sure this takes an immense amount of skill as well as the ability to trust in one's acting partner to lead as well as be lead into a wonderful mix of the push and pull of relationships. I find myself smiling like a silly fool with some of these scenes thinking "I remember feeling like that or doing something similar to that." The writing is truly a gem! The visual also have a softness that balances well with the budding romance and growing love so apparent between these two characters. I am hooked and now wonder what the future holds for Seo and Yoon. I'm waiting with anticipated breath. I enthusiastically recommend this fantastic drama!!

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Starts out promising but drags and gets repetitive

I watched this show right after Crash Landing on You and I was really looking forward to watching another Son Ye-jin-starring vehicle. It starts off pretty promising. The two leads have great chemistry and their romance is super adorable. But their romance is also the show's only main plotline. (While there's also this office sexual harassment storyline, which is a super important topic to discuss, the show makes it very confusing and hard to follow, IMO). Anyway, because the romance is the only plotline, the show has to keep throwing obstacles in its way, first in the form of a super clingy, unredeemable ex-boyfriend, and then in the form of Yoon Jin-a's insufferable mom. I really could not stand the mom-she just screams and cries all the time and gets in the way. There's just no compelling reason why Jin-a and Jun-hui shouldn't be together, so the latter episodes got really annoying. I finally stopped in the middle of episode 11 and just skipped to the end. It just got so repetitive.

The music is funny; the whole soundtrack is just these two American songs from the 1960s: "Stand by Your Man" and "Save the Last Dance for Me." Kinda random, but they grew on me.

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Someone needs to grow up and it isn't the younger ML

I created an account to write this review because this show was so triggering. As someone who is close to the FL's age and has experienced a "forbidden" romance that was sabotaged by her batshit Asian mother, I feel qualified to comment on the failings of this drama.

If you are looking for drama with similar themes, I recommend the cdrama The Rational Life. It's a noona romance that deals with a female executive who regularly encounters misogyny and politics in the workplace and societal/familial pressure to get married. Her mom also has anger issues, lmao. It doesn't have the indie aesthetic, but the FL actually has a spine, ambition, and social/communication skills.

I find Something in the Rain to be extremely defeatist and socially irresponsible. The show dances up to calling the mother abusive and calling her ex out for sexual assault, stalking, and harassment. And yet... The mother is forgiven, her ex gets off scot-free even after attempting a FREAKING MURDER-SUICIDE, and nothing really changes at work. In fact, she ultimately decides to leave the workplace from the emotional trauma of the situation. These are very common sentiments from women of older generations, but to normalize them is to enable abuse from elders, rape culture, and toxic work culture. And ATTEMPTED MURDER-SUICIDE!!!! I cannot stress enough that this is not a healthy mindset regardless of culture or age.

As someone her age, the FL has a societal responsibility to improve things for her juniors (this is how you know I'm Asian lol), not let herself get lost in the shuffle and have no sense of up or down. There's so much victim blaming that is easily debunked, but the writer clearly doesn't have the feminist theory to do so. To the writer and the other women whom think this is good societal commentary, I beg you to read Audre Lorde, bell hooks, or other feminist literature. You're only scratching the surface of societal observations even if you have lived experience. I also recommend the Taiwanese drama Wave Makers which showcases how the interplay between different generations of women can actually be empowering, to the point of kicking off the Taiwan #metoo movement in real life!

Age gap relationships are complex ethically, and this relationship falls short. I'm so glad they don't end up together. It's very clear she is dating a man so much younger because she herself is emotionally immature. One comment mentions that the apple doesn't fall from the tree, and I'd have to agree. She regularly meddles and disrespects boundaries just as much as her mother, she just takes a covert self-victimizing approach instead of throwing temper tantrums and assaulting her juniors.

The FL is used to dealing with abusers and she hasn't come into her own yet, despite being a grown woman in her mid-30s. It's embarrassing to watch herself repeatedly cram herself into a wardrobe to hide from her best friend she's known her entire life. No wonder men her age don't want to deal with her. Her boyfriend is too young to understand that this is a woman with deeply unhealthy boundaries and communication skills. Son Ye-jin's trademark expression of smiling with a pained look in her eyes is put to good use in this drama.

I know it is common for kdramas to only have one or two songs on repeat, but this one was particularly frustrating because this lady does not stand by her man!!! She straight up lets her mother slap her boyfriend in the face and then acts like she's somehow helpless. She forces him to reconcile with his deadbeat father, even after he's made it clear he doesn't want him in his life. There's a huge difference between filial piety and being an enabler. There isn't a single thing she does that actually improves this boy's life. As someone who's been on the other side of an age gap relationship, he's in for an awakening as he gets older and realizes just how stunted she is and how much this relationship affected his formative years.

I don't mind slow-paced indie features, but I agree with another reviewer that this could have easily been a movie. The actors are very well cast and have good chemistry, but the plot simply is incapable of progressing past a certain point, reflecting the writer's emotional and social ceiling. No matter how good their chemistry is and the build up is, there's only so much ~heartfelt hugging~ a person can take. I also felt like they didn't really know how to flesh out a young male character like the ML. A lot of his emotional motivations felt underdeveloped and aimless.

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Jung Hae-in's best work

The first 6 episodes were bliss. The drama did an excellent job of introducing all important characters while setting out the context and the problems that lie ahead. If they had continued on that trajectory, this might have been my favourite show ever. But then from like episode 7 onwards it just drags on so much and only really gets somewhat interesting again in like episode 15 or so.

Like I mentioned in the headline, Jung-hae outdid himself with this role. It's hard to believe that this was his first lead role, he did not act like an amateur one bit. As for the pretty noona who buys him food, she also did a good job portraying Yoon Jinah although her character was very annoying at times.

Despite the boring middle, this drama was good but I have to say that I was not fully satisfied with the ending. It left so much to be desired as they still had not talked about how they were going to resolve the underlying obstacles surrounding their love.

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Watch One Spring Night instead

I enjoy watching Jung Hae-in's works and I think he excels in melodramas. Similarly, I think Son Ye-jin is a fantastic actress who has the ability to create very strong chemistry with the people she acts with. The concept of the drama seemed very interesting and refreshing, as with the director's other work, "One Spring Night", which I enjoyed a lot more.

The front half of the drama, as many would say, was extremely enjoyable, but I also thought that the drama went downhill after maybe ep 10? What kind of 40 year old does not have the capability to stand up for herself, yet is rather emotionally manipulative towards her significant other? And they communicated well at the start, yet threw everything out of the window when times got tough (reminds me of Record of Youth). And the mother is the most overbearing parent I've ever seen, including in real life. I think I spent more time wondering why no one has slapped her and yelled at her instead of actually watching the drama. The office sexual harassment plot seemed to take up too much of the plot as well, though I think it is an important issue that the writers and directors tried to incorporate.

As for the OST, I don't understand why people are complaining that it's an all-English OST or that it's repetitive. However, I think the OSTs were just okay. They weren't bad, but it was nothing spectacular either. I preferred the waltz/jazz/mellow sounding OSTs in One Spring Night.

Overall, I think this would have been better as a 2hr movie than a 16 episode drama, or maybe a 10-12 ep drama. I have no idea why I finished watching this drama.

In summary:
What I liked - cast, chemistry between JHI and SYJ
What I disliked - SYJ's mother in the drama

Star of the show: JHI and SYJ's chemistry

Rating: 6/10
Watch if you like to be angry (or watch the front part for some JHI fan service)

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I seem to misunderstand korean culture

First, the tl;dr:

+ acting was good, characters were mostly believable, the main couple had chemistry, and I love Hae-in's smile and short hair in this.

+ story: I loved seeing a woman my age as MC who dates a younger guy. It's exciting and relatable.

++ the side plot about workplace sexual harassment. <3

+/- depending: the music. You get Bruce Willis crooning save the last dance and C Bruni moaning Stand by your man in every episode. Either it sticks with you in a good way bc you like it or it keeps popping up in your nightmares.

- annoying side characters (mother, brother, stalkerexboyfriend), the only plus was him getting slapped repeatedly and that one coworker with the deeper voice that also didn't understand why them dating openly was an issue. I feel you, girl!

- some scenes felt very very long. Many walks, many hugs, many dinner scenes. Repetitive

Now the longer stuff.

The thing that kept bothering me throughout watching this was how a 35 (?)yo keeps living at home and how the parents and the brother seem to have a say in how and who she dates and how she lives her life. Wtaf? Co-worker-girl there spoke right from my heart when she asked Jin-ah wtf the problem was about dating the guy openly.

In fact, how everyone seems to think it's their concern that the two are dating is kinda mindboggling. It's none of your business, sister, brother, parents, coworkers, it's the couple's business. Period. And watching them all be pissy about being left out and lied to like they're entitled to any knowledge at all is making me angry af.

Which brings me to the thorn in this drama's side: the meddling annoying mother of doom. O. M . G. I started skipping scenes with her bc she made me so incredibly angry as well. You've had your youth, mother, now let your kids have theirs and stop complaining!

The dad was a welcome positive antagonist to thr mom, supporting the MC in his own way. Liked him.

I read a lot reviews that said watching beyond ep 9 isn't rec'ed bc of unnecessary heartbreak and they'll get together eventually anyway so I don't know if I'll ever finish this.

I kept watching for the subplot about workplace sekuhara bc it's a real problem and I really wanted to see it resolved, i.e. have the creeps be fired from the firm.

I came at this straight from Crashlanding bc I liked the main actress and sometimes I wished Jin-ah was more like a tough business woman that let's nobody step over her....ah well...

I have to second other reviews here, watch this until you get bored then just drop it and watch sth else.

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