Sin Embargo (2021)

Hugely irritating characters

I quite enjoyed the first couple of episodes, which piqued my interest. Sadly I quickly found myself greatly disliking many of the characters.
Indecisive, selfish, wet, self absorbed, delusional and contradictory.
I was only bothered about 2; Do-hyeok and Gyu-hyun.
Jae-eon was like his butterflies and Na-bi.... well, what can I say.
I also found their art class unreal. The piece Na-bi worked on, for the entire series, hardly changed and yet could be reproduced virtually overnight.
Made a change to have a lesbian couple feature though, rather than a gay one, although Oh-bitna drove me nuts.
Not one I'd watch again.

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Do yourself a favor....

Just from reading the synopsis it turned out to be as rancid as it sounds exactly! This feels it was made for a college group project while trying to be edgy and trendy. The standards keep getting lower nowadays.

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Disappointed

I have never written a review before so sorry for the mistakes that I'm going to make..

fundamentally they are just s*x buddies. well for me it was disgusting.. I wanted to see true lovers but they were together just for benefits.. it's disgusting... well some of you may find this interesting. I honestly wanted to see the fl ends with 2nd ml.. he was a nice guy and I think he truly liked her...but no!! she wanted a partner with that kind of advantages.. I just finished watching this because it had only a few episodes.. anyways the ost was amazing !! very beautiful and fascinating!

Thank you

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I regret watching this.

This will go down as the most hyped-up and biggest letdown of 2021 for me. I can honestly say I hate this show with a passion and this is the only drama I've ever felt this way about. It had so much potential when it started to air but in the end they actually chose to make it a trainwreck. The leads did not evolve, change or grow whatsoever and continued to make dumb unhealthy choices. ML and FL were both stiff with what felt like forced chemistry. Even watching them together offscreen they didn't look like they even really liked each other, in fact I caught a snippet of SK almost acting irritated with HSH for a second. Not a good look and you can just sense that carried over into the drama because there's nothing really there. As if that wasn't enough, ML's character is creepy and disturbing. He's literally someone obsessed with butterflies who marks his girls with butterfly tattoos and is constantly trying to bed them. He hints at perverted things to her like talking about getting erections in class, I'm not kidding. He's not just a f*ckboy, he's probably a psychopath. FL likes this attention and we're supposed to believe it only makes her swoon more because he's such a mysterious bad boy. Yeah ok. The whole thing is toxic, actually so toxic I would never let my daughter watch this.

I'm not a fan of HSH almost entirely because of this drama. She was emotionless and stone faced the entire time. Her one facial expression is staring with her mouth hanging open like a dead fish. In her new show My Name her performance was a little bit better, but it still seemed she had to try really hard to make a facial expression and some of her expressions still felt forced like it just doesn't come natural to her.

The cinematography was beautiful and it was one of the biggest things that kept me watching. The other was my disbelief that they couldn't possibly, ACTUALLY make the show end how it appears to be ending, could they? But they did.

Don't waste your time. There are so many better (and healthier) dramas to spend 16 hours of your life on.

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A must watch with a different touch to the usual romantic k-dramas

Well this is the first time I am writing a review in this page and the only reason for this is all these negative comments loitering about this drama which I totally disagree with !!
I am in total awe of this drama bcz of its unique storyline.. I have completed this drama in a day and a half and I am glad that I chose to watch it despite the negative comments..
I don't understand why ppl are saying shit about Jae-eon.. since the start he clearly liked and cared about Na-bi.. in the 2nd epi when they all were in a bar and that fat pathetic nature guy was speaking ill about Na-bi and jae-eon protected and defended her.. bcz he understands how these things can hurt and ruin the reputation of others .. I don't think he was ever messing with Nabi .. since the beginning he was drawn to her and he likes and cares about her.. it's just that he wasn't knowing that feeling and the way to express it .. and he was drawing a thin line with the other girls.. if you notice in the 5th episode Yun-ji said she dumped jae-eon bcz of his character but that was a BIG FAT LIE !! Clearly she was lingering around him but then he finally chose to stay away from her and hence she thought of running his image(which was anyhow not good).. and as he is said to be very handsome in this series this scene makes me think a lot of other girls might have also given false narrative about him .. it's a person's choice if he/she doesn't want to date.. he never said Nabi he wants to date her.. and she too never clearly expressed her feelings.. so why all these hate towards Jae-eon ?

And I feel Jae-eon was more in love with Na-bi as he was atleast trying to be with her.. but she was being a bit self-centered .. I felt bad when she didn't wish him on his bday..

I agree Do-hyeok was a nice guy .. but he was clearly not the one for Na-bi.. lov is all about the feeling and connection between too ppl which was in Jae-eon and Na-bi.. Park Jae-eon definitely has flaws and so does Yu Na-bi.. so I am glad the ending was Jae-eon and Na-bi and he deserves all the happiness.. but it would have been better if they could have showed a bit more of them being together ☺️

From acting perspective I think Song Kang was truly phenomenal !! Romantic genre does suit him ❤️ I loved him the most in the last episode when he bid farewell to Na-bi .. I cried a ton in that scene .. All the other actors were good too..

I truly loved this drama ❤️

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Please ignore the reviews and watch the drama for yourself !

I am not sure why this drama is rated low , however I enjoyed this . It was a real story between two people . I do agree with another reviewer that the drama showed emphasis on toxic relationships, but in 2022, most people in the world are in toxic relationships . Because , Broken people come together and fall in love ! The male lead definitely had some problems, I wished the drama was 16 episodes so we could had delve into his child hood more. I still don’t understand what was the point of bringing his friend /lover/and or gf from America , I didn’t quite get her role in the story and I still don’t know who she was to the lead guy lol. However, both leads were marvelous. I felt the passion between them and the hurt . I really lucked out and found a good drama and I will definitely rewatch it. Great steamy kiss scenes ! I enjoyed the side characters as well . Great Job Song Kang and Han So-hee!!!

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“big old waste of time”

As my little sister put it “that was a big old waste of time”

At the beginning this show was good fun to watch and commentate on how stupid everything was, from the plot to Nabi’s very dumb decisions, but then even that got boring. The story became uninteresting, Nabi and Jaeon’s relationship is just one long dumb cycle… they kiss, he’s a red flag so they go on a break and then miraculously they end up together again.

Nabi was just so dumb… I cannot understand how she still goes back to Jaeon time after time again, it makes no sense, especially with the second male lead who was so perfect.

Jaeon is a creep, his obsession over butterflies seems to be the only reason that he likes Nabi. He speaks in fragmented sentence and is always in Nabi’s personal space; this man really has no sense of awareness or boundaries whatsoever.

Nabi and Jaeon have no chemistry, they have no reason to like eachother; dialogue between them is just so so strange. Most of the time their “talks” would consist of Jaeon speaking in a fragmented sentence and then proceeding to kiss a very uncomfortable Nabi.

All of the side couple romance is boring. None of them could retain my attention except Sol and Ji-wan; their story is very cute, however, they have very short screen time. I would have loved to see their relationship more in depth.

As Do-Hyeok once described Nabi as, this show was very “disappointing”.

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Underrated and undervalued

I wanted to write a review for this drama because I think it is vastly underrated. Reading the comments it was clear that the toxic elements in the main relationship were a serious problem for a lot of people. As far as I’m concerned, showing toxic relationships is not a problem as long as the consequences are also honestly shown. And for me, this drama does that. There is a beautiful moment of show-not-tell in the very last scene which I will write at at the bottom as a spoiler. And that moment spoke volumes to me.

I thought it a beautifully insightful show about the types of relationships that happen in your inexperienced early twenties, when you are trying to live the fantasy of your adolescence and start to realise that a great deal more is required of you than you had expected. That however much you assumed it was going to be possible, you can’t have your cake and eat it too. Love it seems, is not some magical thing that waves its wand over you and suddenly Cinderella is dressed for the ball. Excitement is not the only necessary ingredient or even the main ingredient. Trust, not manipulation, must be there and that is something that you need to work out how to build and then maintain.

Song Kang did a masterful job as the fb Park Jae Eon. So good in fact that there were many times I just wanted to slap him (metaphorically speaking). His character’s arc is about reliance on sex as the answer to all problems and what it takes for him to realise it is not the only answer and sometimes absolutely the wrong answer. A criticism would be that not enough time was spent on Park Jae Eon. His character transitions were there, but I could have done with a little more help, especially towards the end, in recognising them and understanding them. Time could have been stolen for it by omitting the somewhat bland relationship taking place in the office. As a viewer you need to work a bit, don’t just notice Jae Eon’s jealousy or his domesticity, but realise what those things mean.

Similarly, Han So Hee was also very good as the conflicted and self-doubting Yoo Na Bi. Again her reasoning was not always explicitly stated but hinted at all the time. Of the leads, only Chae Jong Heop as Yang Do Hyuk had a straightforward role which was because there was no significant character development. He played the nice guy nicely, what more can be said. It was not a demanding role. There was lots to like in the relationships of the supporting characters, which looked at different hurdles to be crossed in the relationship game. In particular Lee Ho Jung as Yoon Sol stood out.

This drama is not a romance about getting love right and living happily ever after. It’s about getting love wrong. It invites the viewer to observe the mess that we make of things with each other and what might be required to muddle along in a better way.

It is a good script, with credible dialogue, brought convincingly to life by an able female director and good actors. It showcased some great artworks (Na Bi’s sculpture at the end was stunning) and some beautiful cinematography. And for once, because it was a Netflix original, the sex scenes were realistic and believable.

This drama does not lay it all out for you, but requires your attention to detail and some thought. To really get the most from it I would recommend that you watch it twice (it’s only 10 episodes long, so not too onerous to do that) and track the development the second time round. You will see and understand much more once you know where it’s headed. If you are prepared to put in a little effort, it will not disappoint.

Spoiler ahead…



Spoiler ahead…



In the last scene, Na Bi almost drops Jae Eon’s hand when she sees Do Hyuk in a cafe with another girl. The look of naked panic and vulnerability on Song Kang’s face is what spoke volumes to me. Na Bi will leave Jae Eon behind quite quickly and he knows it. It is not Na Bi who will be hurt by this relationship. On the contrary she will gain confidence. He is the one who will be licking his wounds. I just hope to any sort of god that he doesn’t go to Paris with her, that would be just too painful!

What my rating means: 8+ A great drama with interesting content and good writing, direction, acting, OST, cinematography. But didn’t quite have the requisite sparkle to bump it into my all-time fave list. Worth watching.

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Nevertheless... NEVERMIND

Please Song Kang choose better proyects in the future. I thought that Love Alarm season 2 fiasco was a one time thing. Everybody makes mistakes, but Nevertheless came along...
Where do i start with this one? Perhaps... the things i liked?

The production value was consistent with Netflix' productions. Very beautiful and visually stunning scenes, nothing surprising there.

The two first episodes were solid, they provided a great set up for a potentially an "out of the box" romantic drama, but oh boy was i wrong.

The supporting characters were interesting, unfortunately more so than the leads. The same sex romance totally overshadowed the main characters' love arc. Midway the series i had lost all interest in the FL and that was fine, but to lose interest in Song Kang, that was just ludicrous. (Love alarm Season 2 was disastrous, but at least Song Kang remained gorgeous). Something was completely off with Nevertheless Song Kang's spark, his charm was missing in action. How can a production team managed to do that?
SACRILEGE!!

Would i rewatch this show? Probably yes, if i get paid to do so ;)

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Criminally underrated

Ok, I usually don't write reviews for anything but it just made my heart ache that this drama has such a low rating. I know it's not the typical romcom people are used to but it's much more realistic than most kdramas out there.

I think they managed to depict the raw type of human relationships in a very beautiful way. The main focus was on this on and off relationship between Na-bi and Jae-eon that could very easily be seen as toxic in real life. But let's talk about how amazing their interaction was. They didn't talk much but you could feel the sexual tension through the screen. I've watched over 50 dramas and none of them gave me that feeling. A very important factor here was the bgm. I absolutely loved each and every OST. I think they chose the perfect melody for every scene. It made me feel somehow cozy.

I know a lot of people said there was no character development or that the pace was too slow but the drama itself is short so just because the last 4 episodes were not as exciting doesn't make the drama bad. And again, Na-bi is a very normal average girl who is torned and confused and might need more time to make a decision but that doesn't make her dumb. I am actually happy she decided to give Jae-eon another chance because life can be like that sometimes. It illustrates the idea of living life without overthinking it.

Overall, I think it's a really beautiful drama but I also understand why some might find it difficult to watch without skipping through it. I would say, just give it a chance! It might surprise you~

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