Fight For My Way (2017)

This will always be my comfort K-series! I went crazy on this drama and I even reached that point wherein I used Ko Dongman as my ideal guy reference

Since its airing, I felt like I never lost in touch with this drama. From time to time, I would always watch short clips from the drama on my social media accounts and the feels are still the same!

It was hard for me to pair Park Seojoon to other female leads after watching this series lmao

The story wasn't extravagant in the first place, but it is something we can all relate in many aspects, which is why falling in love with this series isn't that hard at all.

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Relatable and dorky.

Fight For My Way is a drama with very little plot, but keeps your attention because of the characters Dong Man and Ae-Ra who are childhood friends who have always rooted for each other in their own special way, with their dreams come to an abrupt stop because of reality. Despite the core of the drama not being too heavy, the experiences of the characters individually makes you feel for them. Being unable to chase their dreams, being held back because of a financial situation, not having the right connections to help you out, etc. Along with the focus on their professions (though this is a minor subplot), we also see their friendship blossom into romance. If you love the childhood to lovers trope, this is a perfect drama to binge.

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Great heroine, amazing friends-to-lovers story but a bit rushed ending

A great rom-com and sport drama with one of the best heroine ever! I loved the relationship between the 2 main leads: it was an exceptional friends-to-lovers romance captivating all along the show.

The personality of the heroine was amazing: she made the show for me! The hero was also really swoony with some moments that make your toes curl! The second couple story was interesting as it gave an interesting counterpoint in terms of adult romance within a group of friend. Their evolution is nice to follow as well. The actors' acting was great, above all Park Seo Joon who is radiating pure charisma and brilliant in his more emotional scenes.

The main negative for me that decreased my interest on the show were a couple of secondary storylines which I feel did not bring added value to the main plot. Especially in the last third of the drama, I would have preferred we spend more times with the four main characters to develop deeper and conclude better their story arc (in terms of relationship, professional achievements and dreams) rather than on the storyline of the owner of the building. The last episode would have been much more satisfying in that case, rather than feeling a bit too rushed because of that specific narrative arc taking so much place.

Overall, despite this, I was quite satisfied with the ending and still think that it is a series worth too watch thanks to its spunky heroine and its jaw-dropping hero.

I would recommend this to people who like a strong heroine, friends-to-lovers trope and are looking for an addictive fun romance with some (quite unexpected for the genre) deeper moral around dreams and adulthood.

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There are two things that I want to applaud this drama for. One is for being realistic and the other for making me laugh so hard my butt almost fell off.

The storyline was well thought out. It's a beautiful story about four best friends trying to find their place in this world and I think that's why this drama did so well in this first place. It spoke well with its audience. With each episode, I could feel my curiosity grow, as I was constantly trying to anticipate what would happen next. Plus, there was so much going on that there wasn't even a second for me to feel bored.

What makes this great cast even more commendable is their chemistry on set. The connection between these four friends felt so real that I truly believed their friendship went beyond just their acting.

If you've read my other reviews, you would know I'm not really a fan of upbeat music. But strangely enough, I found this drama's soundtrack super uplifting. If you're ever in a bad mood, I would highly advise you to jam out to some of their OST's because they'll cheer you up for sure.  

Overall, I give this drama a big thumbs up. To all you romantic-comedy fans out there, this one's for you. Though, I probably won't rewatch anytime soon. Only because I still vividly remember a lot of it. Maybe when I don't anymore (and need to refresh my memory) will I do so.

With that said,
Llama out.

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Didn't liked it much

The concept is chasing ones dreams. But characters were acting all immature & naive.

Scenes I liked:

I laughed when Choi Ae Ra beats her ex boyfriend for cheating

It's cute when Ko Dong Man switches seat with Choi Ae Ra because some boys were looking at her with bad intentions.

Laughed so much at the scene were Choi Ae Ra told Ko Dong Man about her cheating bf.

Ko Dong Man reaction to Choi Ae Ra hair flip with her best friend

Laughed so much when Ko Dong Man & Choi Ae Ra mimic each other & the coach saying I’m holding a knife.

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This is one of those dramas you keep seeing on instagram and you know you have to watch it. Although the plot isn't the most captivating or interesting you will ever hear, the simplicity of it is what made it so special to me. Between all of the crime or fantasy dramas there are a few ones that are down-to-earth and realistic, and they remind me of home in the best way possible.
The cast was just superb, I can't picture anyone else for those roles, because they were perfectly casted.
They made me love and appreciate all of their characters in a way that is beyond me.
I really liked the OST (especially BTOB's track) and I like listening to the songs from time to time,
Overall I really recommend this particolar drama if you're looking for something very realistic but still heart-warming and adorable. And also for the amazing kiss scenes (all hail Park Seo Joon that has now made my standards for a boyfriend even higher).

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Fight for My Way (2017)

Despite it's oddly prudish nature, the show does an good enough job in showcasing the adult relationships of four best friends. I can't say I'm fully supportive of how the characters were written e.g., weirdly childish but it's sorta acceptable due to the well-rounded chemistry between the cast. Honestly, just slightly toning down the childlike antics and have the characters act like somewhat serious actual working adults in their mid to late 20s would've done wonders for this show.

The story while very endearing, affectionate, and at times emotional, was a bit awkward and overly melodramatic when it came to moving the plot along. Though I will say, the juxtaposition of one pair of friends chasing their dreams versus the other pair facing relationship issues was an enjoyable contrast to prevent the show from being too one-dimensional.

All in all, it's a fine show to watch for the cute, casual, slice of life-y, romance-y bits. It's decent enough on the both the romance and comedy to qualify for a romantic comedy. And it for sure has enough drama to qualify for being a drama of all time.

The lesson learned here: always fight, whether physically or mentally, for your dreams, goals, and aspirations. Don't do it for others, do it for yourself--- your way.

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An Emotional, yet Lighthearted Look at Love and Dreams

This Korean romantic-comedy is a masterful blend of gut-wrenching, sentimental scenes mixed together with funny, playful moments. The stellar acting by all of the cast makes you feel the pain, desperation, sadness, hope, joy, love, laughter that the characters go through. The one weakness of this show is that the ending is rushed, but in my opinion, this is easily forgivable by the strong, character-driven experience that this drama provides.

Story: The main focus of the story surrounds the four main characters, the "Fantastic Four" as they claw their way from being poor, unfulfilled young adults towards their life and career goals, while navigating the ups and downs of romance. However, the main charm of this show is in its presentation of the story and the characters. The story commits to semi-realism: the characters wake up with less-than-perfect hair and their pajamas, they go through the feelings of painful breakups and the excitement of discovering a new beau, and they work to make a living even though their ideal line of work is something else. This grounds the story so that you can relate to the characters' trials and triumphs, and I found myself emotionally invested in each character's progress in their careers and love lives. Still, this is a Kdrama, so the leads are still gorgeous idols, so the realism is not one-hundred percent. Overall, I was mostly satisfied with the story, but definitely feel that setup too many plot points and waited until Episode 16 to resolve them, resulting in an extremely rushed finale. Without spoilers, I will mention that there is one particular conflict regarding the main characters, Dong Man and Ae Ra, that I felt was not really resolved, but I forgave this minor point due to how strong the rest of the series was.

Acting: The entire cast did an excellent job that I felt a variety of emotions. For starters, forget the adult actors for a moment: the child actors were absolute gems that really captured the spirit of the young versions of the main characters and really elevated the relationships of their characters by showing you how they interacted with each other when they were young and the extent to which these interactions did and didn't change. But of course the adult actors were also excellent: Park Seo Joon plays the role of a well-intentioned, blunt guy well and I cried for his moments of desperation while cheering for his moments of triumph. Kim Ji Won showed a strong acting range, including iconic Aegyo moments that are immortalized in video clips, times of despair, strength in face of adversity, shy weakness when she is swooning, and romance when she is in love -- this was the drama that elevated her to my favorite actress. Moreover, the rest of the supporting cast is amazing and it would take too long to talk about each one: Kim Sung Oh accentuates his character to add a funny yet meaningful bromance with Dong Man. Song Ha Yoon plays the meek Baek Seol Hee who eventually finds her own voice/meaning in life and demands it. Even the "villains", if they can be called that, are excellent -- the ones that wrong the main characters are truly hateful and the ones are misunderstood are acted in such a way that you deplore them, but then understand their true intentions in the end.

Music: The soundtrack is typical for a K-drama, but I don't think that's a bad thing. You will find catchy tunes such as Kassy's Good Morning, a ballad whose melody fits the gentle moments that the main characters experience. The BTOB song Ambiguous is a direct call out to the relationship of the main characters.

Rewatch value: The series' focus on characters makes this drama easily rewatchable -- you will want to revisit your favorite moments with the Fantastic Four, including some of their funny interactions. I don't want to give anything away, but I will say there is physical humor in addition to the more-typical, verbal humor, and I think it adds a special lightheartedness to the show.

Overall: I cannot recommend this show enough. It is not perfect, but the strong points of this drama are so vibrant that I think it overrides some of the limitations of the series. If you were on the fence about giving this show a watch, I highly recommend that you dive straight into Episode 1 and see what you think.

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OMG! My favorite Korean actor and actress in the same movie! They have SUPERB, GREAT, AWESOME chemistry! I watched this movie a lot of times already that I memorized some of their lines. Hahaha.

The drama is soooo fun but at the same time it gives us lessons in life. specially in fighting for our way towards our dreams. The OSTs are also very good and also the sound effects.

I'm rooting for the main leads. Kim Ji Won and Park Seo Joon, Fighting! I really hope and pray that they would have another drama together as main leads. Can't wait for it! My gassssh! They act naturally that I thought I'm watching a reality show. Hahaha

MY FAVORITE KOREAN DRAMA indeed!

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I had a love-hate relationship with this drama. I’d be loving it and then next scene it would be a chore to keep watching. So I’ll separate the things I loved, and the things I didn’t.

things I loved:

- this show was realistic, I liked that. In terms of jobs, sometimes you can’t necessarily get your ‘dream’ job and just need to earn money. (of course this show was about the characters turning their life around and doing what they wanted, and yes it was nice to see them live out their dreams)
- dong man x ae ra’s relationship was a great example of friends to lovers. they had a lot of chemistry (bonus points for the most bedsharing scenes I've seen in a drama yet)
- Park Seo Joon’s character definitely suited him. I loved him in ‘What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim (2018)’ but this character felt much more natural to him - personality and such.

things I didn’t:

- the second lead’s relationship plot line. Joo-man is trash and Sul-hee deserves so so much better. We spend 90% of the show watching the slow development of an affair? I’m still confused as to why they were dating for 6 years and never told any of their work colleagues. How could they not know? And I get they didn’t need to go ‘public’ per say, but when the situation called for it (aka, a girl is flirting with a man in a relationship) what’s the big deal? Just simply say “sorry, I have a girlfriend” SIMPLE. It’s not like dating is forbidden at their work? Hell Joo-man’s clueless colleague/boss/whatever kept pushing him towards Ye-Jin like there was no tomorrow.
- While I’m at it, is there something I’m missing??? Why tf were those 2 girls so enthralled with Joo-man to begin with?? He is literally the most bland person, and he isn’t even attractive??
- Anyways, I’m still bitter that she ended up taking him back in the end

- We had to go down the ‘long lost parent’ road, yet again ~sigh~ “why did you abandon me?!” here we go
- Why is nearly every man on this show trash?? Like Dong-Man and his coach are the only ones that are bloody decent guys? Wtf?
- Poor Choi Ae-Ra. She had a crazed stalker, a cheating asshole, and then a guy who was a jackass who was secretly getting married?? Jesus christ, this poor girl.
- Why did they have to stuff so many storylines at the end of the show? It felt like the writers had bitten off too much than they could chew. If I re-watched it all I feel like I would still have questions. For e.g. what was that filmed ’preview’ with the 3 kids?? Choi Ae-Ra’s mum was like ‘don’t ruin the kids!!’. How?? And how did all their parents have history?? I swear that never got answered
- Shows with sports always bore me, because: it’s sports. So I was never all that into Dong Man’s MMA fights. But I will admit the show made them not that bad to watch.

Anyways, long story short, all things considered - this show was average. I’m glad I was able to cross it off my watch list.

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