El amor es un capítulo aparte (2019)

The story of Kang Dan-i and Cha Eun-Ho fulfilled me. I used to be a avid reader (not as much anymore), and this just warmed my heart. In the first half of the series, we get to see how much Eun-Ho loves Dan-i. The little remarks and the jealousy (which she is oblivious to) at the beginning just made it feel real. (Eun-Ho was jealous of Mr. Umbrella AKA Ji Seo Joon).
The second half broke my heart and put it back together, from when Dan-i quit to when she was hired again. Her journey is a bonus book in my heart. Plus the line, "The moon is beautiful." Everything has more meaning. Especially at the end of the episodes when they had little recaps or moments written down. This was such a gift. I would definitely rewatch it.

Leer más

Realistic, beautiful and admirable

FIrst of all let me tell you the amount of times I’ve tried to watch it and couldn’t get through the first episode then after all this time finally gave it a show mostly because of Lee Jong Suk but was pretty surprised by how good it is.

PROS
*focus on book publishing and creating was brilliantly executed and viewers were drawn to how personal and how much hard work is poured while creating a book the whole process was unique and interesting to see

* Lee Jong Suk has character is really enjoyable and the way the story develops it and the emotions portrayed by the actor are phenomenal

*storyline even though it is pretty basic but it keeps you attached and not get boring I’m the kind of person who skips a-lot while watching but this show was good enough to watch without skipping a second

*initial platonic relation between ML and FL is admirable and their development is cute

*second lead couple development is just awwhh they’re too cute
SPOILER

ever though they didn’t get together till the last episode they were still cute af

SPOILER END
*side characters are intriguing and enjoyable

*the whole stereotype of woman returning to work and facing challenges Initially is catered really well

*cinematography is just beautiful makes my heart fluster at times

*end credit of writing is admirable and beautiful

CONS
*ML and FL romantically lacks chemistry that I had prepared all ready the lead actresses can’t act at times and idk felt pretty annoying I mean Lee Jong Suk has really great chemistry with pretty much all his costars ( well couldn’t stand the FL in Doctor Stranger but let’s talk about that on another occasion) you could feel the love and admirations he had for the FL character but even after they started dating the FL was just blank Idk it’s not because of age gap because many actors with age gap has best chemistry take eg. Something in the rain or it could be because the FL is married she might have felt uncomfortable and couldn’t really get on the character well I could not really feel any chemistry between them should have just kept their platonic relation till the end tbh ( lmao will get attacked because of this but whatever)

*FL having a child was totally useless and ignored and as a mother it felt she didn’t really focused more on her child like if she quit working because of taking care of her child after 10 years suddenly why did she just leave her child completely off the hook and cared more about her job suddenly didn’t really made sense to me honestly one movement she left her successful career for her kid and then boom child is just gone doing whatever the F viewers couldn’t catch up with

*the story felt draggy at times would have been better if it was a 12 episode show then a 16

Leer más

It was kind of slow in the beginning, but it picked up quickly. The story about the publishing industry, the process of how a book gets made was really interesting, especially if you like writing and books, which I do. The May-December romance of a divorcee and her best friend did not blossom until towards the end, but I can't help but swoon over Lee Jong Suk's pining over his BFF. The struggles of the female lead Dan Yi of trying to get back into the workforce is heartbreaking but it is the realism of the drama that makes you want to root for her, even though she has to resort to a small white lie to get her foot in the door. Overall, this is one drama where I was invested in the fate of the main characters.

Leer más

An Underrated Rom-Com

I am sorry to say that I have frequently disregarded Romance in a bonus book. Despite it being on my watch list for nearly a year, I have often chosen not to start watching it because it doesn't appear particularly unique from the outside; it seems like an ordinary Rom-Com, infact I did not think it would even be enjoyable. As a result, I have consistently overlooked it.

I must admit that this drama follows the typical Rom-Com formula, incorporating the expected tropes seen in many other Rom-Coms. What sets this show apart is that it executes those tropes perfectly!

If you have an affinity for romance, this show is perfect for you. The cast is exceptional, and I can assure you that by the end of the series, you will develop an emotional connection with these characters. I know I did. It was almost bittersweet when the end came around.

Leer más

Mostly everything is achieved by lies

The story was sweet at the beginning I believe it had potential but when you add up almost every achievement the female lead has done is mostly by lying. She lied to her best friend about living in his house because somehow is more embarrassing to ask for a friend for help than fool him into believing he hired a cleaning lady and live in his house without him knowing at all... Then she gets her job by lying but I guess that's the only way she was ever going to get a job. Also the fact that somehow they tried to put this " a single mom can achieve this" but her daughter appears like 1.5% of the drama and all through video calls? Never visits hers or actually gets to struggle the work life and mom life together so its very unrealistic and does not show the actual struggle cause her daughter is just gone in a high porcentaje of the drama. The romance at least for me felt kind of forced I couldn't match both leads together and ship them as a couple. I enjoyed more the side stories than the actual main story.

Leer más

People loving Books & Each Other

This was a cute, satisfying watch that had a few elements letting it down.

I appreciated that the chemistry between our leads genuinely felt like they were childhood friends and I could sense the warmth between them. On the downside, despite how cute they were, they definitely lacked some romantic chemistry. I never really believed that the FL fell in love with the ML who had more chemistry with his hoobae. Still they are cute together so it’s not a dealbreaker.

The pacing was also definitely off in this drama, with a lot of pointless wheel spinning in the middle leading to like a 100 different plot threads converging & needing to be resolved in only 2 episodes. Everything was wrapped up nicely but felt rushed. Also the big emotional moments of the end weren’t built up well enough imo, we didn’t spend enough on-screen time with it so I just didn’t care.

Still I enjoyed it mostly! Lee Jong Suk plays cute really well. The second FL, Song Hae Rin was by far my favourite character - I had SLS in a big way for her. I wish she & the second ML were the main characters their chemistry was off the charts! (Also she’s a rare example of a nice second fl so good for her). The general team and office antics were always fun and the best parts of the show and though I never particularly cared for Kang Dan I, I felt happy for her successes.

I wish shows would stop labelling every successful solo female in a workplace a “witch”. This was at the beginning and tbh left a sour taste for the entire show’s run. It’s sexist. Don’t do it.

They slightly made up for it by giving me so many different female friendships though which I will ALWAYS love to see! Dan I forms genuine bonds with so many of the women in her workplace and all of them are different depending on the person. We love to see it.

In the end though it was a light watch, super easy to binge and I was left mostly satisfied with the ending. Main lead roles together for the second leads when!!

Leer más

A story about two childhood friends who have a common passion for books and who take a long time to realize that they're each others's home ? YES. So far so good.
I really liked the concept, I also really liked the cast.
The second leads were incredible. Honestly, the background story of each reminded me of the Reply serie which always make sure that each character is well developed and appealing.
BUT... the main couple was a fail for me. Although I liked the mature romance, the way it was brought up and all, I didn't like the energy at all. In my opinion, they didn't manage to convey a romantic feeling and just kept the friendly atmosphere just with a ton of cringe on top of it.
The main guy was way too cheesy, the main girl was a bit bland, the chemistry was not great.
But I still liked it because of the side stories going on, the comedy aspect that was really well made and the cast.

Leer más

Romance is a bonus in life

The story is about the relationship between Kang Dan I and Cha Eun Ho. They met by chance when they were younger and had been close friends for years. Unbeknown to Dan I, Eun Ho harbored feelings for her since he was young. However, he knew that Dan I did not like him back, so he stayed as her little brother figure in her life. He watched over her from afar, as she got married and assumed she had a good life with her husband.

However, it turned out that Dan I had a messy divorce with her husband, who left her for his mistress. She then struggled to find jobs after being unemployed for many years, despite her past work experience and stellar academic scores. Then the story continued on how Dan I learned to stand on her feet back into society, making a career, re-discovering herself, and finding love as a bonus.

Leer más

I finished this drama out of a sense of obligation to the beautiful story the production team had made together more than anything else. While I wrote down many, many quotes in my journal that I found particularly moving and profound, I ultimately didn't connect with the story or the characters as deeply as I had hoped. I was particularly disappointed by the romance, namely how little there was of it in the second half. The way the male lead expresses his feelings for the female lead, initially only to himself out of respect for her marriage, then slowly more openly where she can see, until eventually, declaring his love and making it clear where he stand, I appreciated his delicate and respectful yet earnest and open approach. Their natural transition from friendship to romance was very true to life. But once they're together, the drama really pulls back from giving us more than the lightest hints of romantic interactions between them, and I just don't get why. Why not give us the romance we've been waiting for? Why not give us the romance you've been teasing us with?

Then there's the issue of her being a single mother. There was so much focus on this in the first half, how her husband left her high and dry and she's had a genuinely hard time of it, and you feel genuinely upset on her behalf. But part of me wonders what was the point of the writers focusing so much on this if they were only going to drop this plot point from the story almost completely in the second half. We go so long at one point without any mention of her daughter or her ex-husband that I forgot either existed. Once she starts working at the publishing company and the story begins to focus on her difficulties with being respected and taken seriously at work, she stops behaving like a mother altogether, and it begins to feel somewhat like child abandonment.

There are a number of positive things to say about this drama, of course. I am giving it a 9 overall, after all. First, I found the story and the treatment of it's topics thoughtful and retrospective. When it did address the difficulties of single parenthood, it did so with honesty and kindness. Similarly, it handles the struggles of being a woman re-entering the work-force after a long absence due to motherhood, etc. with a compassionate touch. I don't know that I agree with all of the messaging the drama presents around this topic, but I understood where the drama was coming from and can agree with it's ultimate message that just because you chose to take a step back from the working world to start a family, that doesn't mean you have nothing to offer when you come back.

Ultimately, I think my problem with this drama is simply that I expected something very different. This isn't quite the story I thought it was going to be going in, and that had an impact on my viewing experience. That's not the drama's fault. The writers told the story they wanted to tell, and it's not their responsibility to make that story appeal to absolutely every person who watches it. I was just hoping for something a little different, and it didn't quite meet my expectations. But I can say that I appreciate this drama for what it was hoping to achieve, and that it ultimately did achieve it. And that's really all that matters.

Leer más