So I Married an Anti-Fan (2021)

POTEVA ESSERE...MA NO

Mi duole dirlo perché gli attori principali mi sarebbero pure simpatici...ma no, proprio non ci siamo. Innanzitutto ML nel ruolo di popstar è credibile quanto un gatto in bicicletta. Purtroppo per lui.
La storia del reality, poi, avrebbe potuto essere più divertente e invece sembrava mancare di coraggio: una antifan avrebbe fatto peggio.
L'amora scocca senza alcun preavviso, non c'è una crescita; sai che accadrà perché così deve essere ma non te lo aspetti perché nelle scene precedenti non c'è alcuna "magia", sopratutto da parte di ML.
Infine gli antagonisti sono - nell'ordine - una piagnucolona e un patetico.
Stranamente questo kdrama si riprende un po' nelle ultime tre puntate, ma che fatica seguirlo fino a quel punto...
In sostanza senza infamia e senza lode.

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Comedia romantica davvero molto carina.

Ha tutti i classici ingredienti delle comedie romantiche con una bella storia d'amore che nascerà pian piano e diventerà tenera e romantica. Lui un bellissimo ragazzo,un idol famoso e molto amato dal publico lei invece una ragazza modesta che lavora come giornalista.Per una serie di eventi s'incontrano e scontrano inizialmente così lei diventerà l'anti fan di lui e durante un reality show scocca la scintilla e lui così orgoglioso e complicato riesce a demolire il pregiudizio di lei innamorandosi l'uno del altra.In mezzo un bel po di problemi ma che alla fine avrai il lieto fine che si deve,forse uno dei più carini mai visti.
Consiglio la visione se avete voglia di un dramma bello e divertente.

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Ma... esattamente, qual'è il fulcro?

Quando si scrive una storia, bisognerebbe avere le idee chiare su quello che si vuole raccontare altrimenti è un casino ed è questo il caso. Il drama viene pubblicizzato e classificato come rom-com, ma non è per nulla divertente. Se dai primi episodi si potrebbe intuire che il fulcro della storia sia trattare l'argomento idol/hater, da un certo punto in poi questo proposto scompare letteralmente. Il perchè non ci è dato saperlo. Ma il tutto accade nel tempo zero in cui i protagonisti si mettono insieme e sembra che non riescano a fare a meno l'uno dell'altra, anche se fino al giorno primi i due non si potevano nemmeno vedere. Il tutto è contornato da una disputa che vede l'idol e altri due personaggi minacciarsi, litigare, affrontarsi (ma nemmeno troppo direttamente) per un torto subito molti anni prima. Disputa su cui si basa JJ, altrimenti senza senso e senza spessore: un personaggio che non è in grado di crescere e si comporta come un bambino che non sa spiegarsi per avere quello che in realtà vuole. La protagonista poi... stendiamo un velo pietoso e facciamo prima. Choi Taen Jeon non è in grado di recitare la parte dell'idol: non sembra una pop star, anzi mi ha ricordato fin troppo l'avvocato che interpreta in Suspicius Partner.
La musica è l'unica cosa che mi è piaciuta molto, tanto che un paio di canzoni sono finite sul mio spotify. Peccato che quando è cantata dall'attore si vede che non è lui a dare la voce siccome è completamente fuori sincrono.

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Should You Become An “ Anti-Fan” Of This Drama?

Have you ever watched a drama which starts off with cataclysmic screenwriting and then surprisingly grows on you in the second-half ? Well, most watchers can probably agree that this ideology epitomises ‘So, I Married An Anti-Fan’ with its surprising turn from certain cliches to an endearing relationship between our leads.

However those expecting ‘So I Married An Anti-Fan’ to be a “masterpiece” should probably be told outright that this drama isn’t without its flaws either.

Taking nearly three years to air ( after finishing production in 2018) and sparking an eruption of mixed criticism by viewers afterwards , “ So, I Married An Anti-Fan” is a drama which has greatly divided the audience demographic . Some viewers take the stance that it is " too reminiscent of the tacky 2000s abusive relationships" and " poorly-written", whilst others on this platform defend this as " sweet" and a " comfort drama". However, this raises the bigger question for those wanting to watch the show for the first time; is it actually worth watching?

Well, there are some undeniable strengths which may have an alluring charm for certain watchers. The main cast (consisting of Choi Soo Young, Choi Tae Joon, Hwang Chan Sung and Han Ji An) were an absolute delight, the plot was " romantic and fluffy with a twist of melodrama", and it was straightforward enough to follow ( in an " unplug your brain" sort of way ). Refreshingly, the second-half took a slightly more serious stance to our main leads’ relationship by delving into the main leads’ interactions, whilst also addressing more profound insights into the idol industry’s sociocultural issues in South-Korea. However, this is also where we must address the opposite side of the coin; the problems.

One of the biggest dilemmas of ‘ So, I Married An Anti-Fan’ came through character development. Let’s start off this example with our female lead Lee Geun Young. Geun Young was a female lead who you desperately tried to like as a viewer as Choi Soo Young is a good actress. Undeniably as a character, she isn’t "naive" or the " sweet girl next door" and will happily stand her ground at times when the male lead kicks off. However, ultimately this is where our biggest problem occurs with Geun Young; she exists( for a major proportion of the series) as a component of an enforced pairing for the “ sake of plot” .

There is nothing wrong per say with a female lead being in a relationship in a drama. ( In fact it can allow god-tier character development . ) However whilst we did get to see Geun Young come round to accepting her feelings in the second-half, this first part felt more like a carte blanche for Geun Young’s character development by screenwriters Kim Eun Jung and Nam Ji Yeon in order to forcefully pair-off Geun Young with our male lead Hoo Joon. Consequently Geun Young was rarely given time to understand exactly why she was attracted to the " jerk who ruined her life" ( the motiveless goal aside from her obsessive desire to " ruin his life"). Sadly further interactions with her mother and friends provided little insight into her actual personality (beside the romantic pairing).

Then there’s the male lead Hoo Joon. Similar to Soo Young, Tae Joon is a dynamic actor and there were certainly intriguing issues tackled with his character; a popular star who is getting fed up of being used by his company and his tiresome lifestyle. However typical of cliches, he was often glorified by his role throughout the drama as the " stoic, jerk male lead” ; getting away with assault, bribery and blackmail (including towards the female lead). The show attempted to play an uno reverse card by introducing the " tragic backstory" which may evidently cause mixed-feelings for viewers.

Of course the issue of our main leads also remains a source of mixed-criticism for the drama. On one side, there is the undeniable problem that the male lead Hoo Joon constantly found ways to emotionally gaslight the female lead ; grabbing Geun Young’s wrist , then giving her the cold shoulder over the most trivial of matters and refusing at times to hear her side of the story (or just talk to her like a decent human being). However, there is an alternate stance that ‘ So I Married An Anti-Fan’ isn’t supposed to be perfect. It’s a romantic-comedy which attempts to reflect the real-life reality that actual relationships are messy and problematic. The focalised writing decision to focus more on our main leads’ relationship in the second-half did seem to prove that this was the intention of the drama.

Although this review would not be complete without talking about one of the biggest elephants in the room; our supporting characters JJ ( Hwang Chan Sung) and Oh In Hyung ( Han Ji An)’s overly problematic relationship.

Hwang Chan Sung is a really good actor, however, you could imagine if there was an “ Encyclopaedia Of The Most Obsessive Second Male Leads Of All Time”, his character JJ would have been on the first page. It was evident that the drama desperately tried for us (as viewers) to root for JJ as the “ pining lover”. However , this appeared difficult when his behaviour reflected an otherwise dysfunctional and oppressive figure in In Hyung’s life by rifling around In Hyung’s room ( without her permission), screaming at her manager down the phone in public ( and thus purposefully embarrassing In Hyung in front of people) and then even attempting to manipulate Geun Young ( without considering In Hyung or Geun Young’s feelings) early on in the series in order to get back at Hoo Joon.

Yet whilst it would be easy to pin all the blame on JJ, Oh In Hyung had her own fair share of problems also . Similar to her costars Han Ji An is a good actress. In terms of her character In Hyung, the drama works incredibly hard to make us feel pity for her being a a victim of the malicious industry of idols and JJ’s obsessive infatuations. ( For the most part as viewers we certainly do.) However as we delve more into the show ( without spoilers), it soon becomes apparent that In Hyung is manipulated by the screenwriting into becoming a tiresome plot mechanism in order to trigger catalytic events in the later storyline.

Oh boy, then there’s the additional problem of the producers. Admittedly they do not have such a prominent role in the second-half, however, most viewers will probably agree that they were incredibly irksome characters. Yes they were supposed to add a touch of comedy during more angst-ridden moments of the show, however, secretly filming the leads without their permission, screaming at the camera crew, forcing, guilt-tripping and then humiliating Geun Young on multiple occasions just grew fairly irksome for viewers .

Nevertheless the ending was a left on a sweet note for viewers. Although admittedly there could have been some plot points wrapped up, it was entertaining to have some closure with our finale.

So, is“ So I Married An Anti-Fan" actually worth watching? Whilst the show has a fairly good cast and is easygoing for viewers looking for an escape from darker romance storylines, this depends entirely on personal taste. For fans of "cutesy" romance with a " slice of 2000s K-drama relationship abuse angst" or just looking for a show to unplug your brain with,then this drama is right up your street. However, drama watchers looking for a more profound storyline then look elsewhere as " So, I Married An Anti-Fan" isn’t it.

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A typical feel good romance but BETTER...!!

so I have waited for few weeks to write a review of this drama in case it disappoints me... But boy was I wrong.... Believe me, it has its elements where it feels like it will take a turn into typical cliched drama but it surprises you in the best way possible.

The characters at a first glance are not new, a hot-headed filled with mood swings having broken past ML, can't help herself a damsel in distress FL and jealous out for revenge second male lead. BUT the characters have depth, they change except (second female lead, but let's pretend she doesn't exist), they are shown to be more than just their initial characteristics.

Both the leads have really good chaotic, continuous bickering chemistry and I have a bias for such trope.

So watch this drama if you want to enjoy the good old butterflies along with their actions having certain logic and reason.

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Firstly, this drama was made around 2018-2019 something and was delayed till 2021 lmao. I dunno the reason clearly maybe some production issue. So if you're planning to watch this you should know what to expect.

It is just another Rom Com with poorly written characters filled with cliches and old tropes. The story is pretty simple. The FL has a bad impression of ML and now they meet at "So I married An Anti Fan" a Variety Tv show and discover much more about each other.

Not gonna lie ML had some toxic behavior in Ep 1 coz he lacks listening skills. He wasn't as toxic as other ML's I have seen but definitely he has that mean behaviour in first few episodes. ML has trust issues for various reasons and even entertainment industry is scary. He doesn't have friends and lacks social skills too but isn't a cold lead I mean he expresses his care for the people he love. Choi Tae Joon playing as Hoo Joon was just OKAY nothing great at all.

FL's character really disappointed me. She never stood for herself. She gets herself in every possible embarrassing situation. She lets people make a fool out of her and doesn't take any action against it. She swallowed her pride completely. She was just an "Anti Fan" but was treated nothing less than a trash. Choi Soo Young as Lee Guen Young acted really well but I really didn't liked her character.

SL is really toxic and annoying. I couldn't stand him ever. He has reasons to be so but none can justify that for his own toxic behavior. SFL is pretty annoying too. She always cries. The SL and SFL really have a toxic relationship. All the abusive and violent behaviour is a HUGE RED FLAG.
I really didn't like a lot of side characters EXCEPT FL's friends and ML's manager

None of the characters actually had a character development neither were likable.

Music wasn't that impressive but suits the scene well.

This drama really had GOOD "Enemies To Lovers" Trope. Romance was the only reason I didn't drop this. But the leads once they fell for each other RARELY had any bickering which made this even boring.

Overall the drama is nothing WOW as a rom com. In the name of comedy it was much like "Embarrassing scenes" I'm pretty disappointed. It was a OKAY watch for me. Definitely NOT a must watch but you can give a shot.

THAT'S ALL PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF MY REVIEW WAS HELPFUL ^^
END :D

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My hate-to-like relationship with drama.

Disclaimer: It's a fictional story and totally unrealistic. 'A reporter becomes anti-fan of superstar and somehow they end up living under the same roof.' It is a summary. Can you imagine this happening in real life? NO. So turn off your brain, be aware of tropes and cliches.

Firstly this drama was made back in 2018, so it's been 3 years It's a really long time since taking consideration of the entertainment industry. It might be not up to date or have some technical issue, so take it into consideration.

I guess you might get an idea from the headline of the review that it wasn't a pleasant start for me... to the point I hated it and was on the verge of dropping it, then it suddenly picked up out of nowhere and I actually started to enjoy it.

I'll start with explaining my initial hate towards it. First of all none of the characters were even likable, even leads. ML I didn't like him at all he was a kinda jerk in the start pretentious and mean. Talking about FL there wasn't anything I should dislike but her character was just so pitiful. In the initial episodes, there didn't seem much relationship growth or any unique thing happening with the story...

Then it becomes more interesting and fun. It took time for me to actually like ML, but I ended up adoring him. The chemistry between ML and FL is really great, it happens with me that I lose interest when leads get together but this being an exception here, coz they become totally different, cuties and story dynamics had a change.

Now talking about the second lead of the drama... it's the most annoying part of the drama. Their characters are poorly written and one-dimensional, as SML has no work other than ruining life or plotting against ML, SFL she actually didn't have her own character or personality where she can fit, her decisions were vague and abrupt. Both second leads are just so toxic.

There are some unnecessary parts, characters aren't dimensional, a bit cringe and embarrassing moments (Where I was having second-hand embarrassment)... 1-2 bad/sad episodes, rushed ending, but the story didn't drag, and it's a good thing. I would have liked it more if they had more OSTs.

If you like fluff then give it try, don't think or expect too much... I guarantee it'll sure make you smile.

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They should all be single

If you won't bother updating a story to present day standards, why bother making it?

This was like watching a kdrama from 15 yrs ago. The levels of stoicism, toxicity and overal domestic violence are so disturbing. I thought we had evolved from that. Apparently, there are many people who still want this type of revivalism. I say just watch older kdramas. We don't need younger generations learning to love from these type of stories. We break generational trauma.

The story was clear, simple and predictable but that was expected and there's nothing wrong with that.

What's wrong with this story is passing the idea that people have to assume a stoic posture whenever they're facing hardships and can't lean on their loved ones to not be a burden. That's very bad because it goes hand in hand with the huge mental health problem they have in South Korean. It's time we show people better coping mechanisms.
This also disregards the age of technology. They have video chat, texts all at the reach of a finger. This "he'll disappear for countless days" doesn't seem plausible anymore, unless he's a player.

It also doesn't seem plausible to simply disregard all the harm people have done to you just because some time has passed by or because they used to have a relationship. It doesn't make sense?! That's just foolish and disregards all instincts of self-preservation.

Both the main and the second lead couples have so many red flags. The possessiveness, the control, the violence! There's another review on here that goes into that in depth, so please read it. It's very accurate.

Don't let anyone tell you this is what love is supposed to be. Love also isn't letting go of your dreams and opportunities because of your partner. He has money to pay for a carer.

The acting was ok. There was some cuteness but that seemed lacking. The male lead was too cute and soft for this role, he didn't have the presence that I feel the role demanded.

I hope that if they pick up older stories they take the time to update them.

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The epitome of "it's fine"

This was mediocre. Not stale, but fun. Mild fun. As much as it was nice to tag along each week because of it's easy goingness, I think it'd became tiresome to marathone for the same reason.

The script could've been tighter, loads left unexplored: Hoojoon's relationship with his mom, Jaejoon's and Inhyung's relationship, Suhwans overall character (seriously, why was he in the main credits) Jaejoon's interest in the YAMA ring, the ring itself, Geungyoung and the media's response. They did the bare minimum so it's.. it's fine.

I loved the main couple, how they're comfortable with each other and how they had a very communicative and mature relationship, don't see much of that with lazy romcoms. The secondary couple THOUGH. I MEAN. COME. ON. Inhyung has the personality of a rock and JJ is the spawn of satan apparently. Could not be written worst. WHYYY

I don't even know what to say about the end. The nothingness, god. And the most cliche final episode I've ever seen. It only missed a pregnancy.

Anyway, it had some subtle ups and downs and I had fun smiling silly at the main couple, raging over JJ, talking smack. I recommend this if you have somewhere to vent about it, otherwise you're not really missing anything if you give it a pass.

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Brilliant but not without issues

Short: This is your average bubbly fun romance. The main leads are just perfect and seeing their relationship develop is the definition of happiness for me, brilliantly written and performed. it *doesnt* have some of the flaws of other romance stories, it *does* have some, and there's a bit of lazy writing near the end. This became a "must-watch" the minute each episode was available with subs for me, definitely recommended.

Detail:
After the disappointing lack of happy ending for Choi Soo Young's character in Run On I was hoping for her to get a great role in this one and she really delivers, finally given the chance to actually be a "normal" character and take the romance to the conclusion was a joy to watch and she's definitely become one of my favourite actors.

This story does follow the usual path to many extents, including the flaws, it even has the "go away and come back months later" thing that drives me mad. BUT, it does improve on the formula in a few ways. Firstly - in the go-away thing he didn't ghost her and said he'd text regularly, ok so that's not terrible. In another instance there's a strong case for them to have a massive misunderstanding when something she's written privately is stolen and published but without any question he trusts in her. Trust, wow, in a romance drama? That's new, I like it, let's see more of that please writers.

There are a number of pillars that make up a strong relationship - trust and support being two. They nailed the trust thing I think better than most, but support? not really - giving support is easy, receiving can be hard and when I felt they should have had the big star being supported by her he kinda cocoons and excludes her from it, I guess some notion of "protecting" her, but I'd have liked to have seen his vulnerable side more and given her the chance for the Anti-Fan to become the Number One Fan - in fact I was largely hoping that was the direction this would take, but it really doesn't. She does some things in the background but there's no visible payoff to it so it may as well have not been included.

She's a strong character, but I don't think the story gave her enough room to actually see that strength be of value, so it's almost that it didn't *matter* her character was strong as much as it should have. I think is the crux of the problem that I have.

I don't like that they didn't explain the path of Hoo Joon back to popularity. The writer used an (imho) lazy trick of doing a reset by sending him away and when he returns boom all is good again. For me, it was the anti-fan becoming the number 1 fan and standing up for him in the publics face, setting the story straight, that I was expecting to be the way ship righted but they went for the magic button reset instead - a real waste and the crux of why I didn't rate this a 10 because otherwise, it's a solid 10.

Other characters:
The second leads.. well... Jae Joons character is probably one of the most frustrating i've seen in a drama to date, massive massive chip on his shoulder, huge inferiority complex, rage issues, self confidence issues and more besides. In Hyung, his girlfriend really does love him but he can't see it because he's blinded by everything he perceives is going on around him that isn't. I kinda wish they'd been able to find a *better* solution to it but sense is kinda knocked in to him in the end albeit rather drastically.

I will repeat the flag noted in at least one other review though, this is NOT a normal relationship and if YOU find yourself recognising any of this with your own circumstances please talk to friends or professionals and get help before something bad happens.

The third couple - who I won't name - were brilliant as well, fun and bubbly and I adored how they did the proposal for that one, completely in character for them. They had a fun dynamic throughout and was good seeing their relationship develop - I mean it was a very minor part of the story but just made scenes all the more fun with their story in the background.

Music was good, but the repeated use of "Bittersweet" (the one that starts "I wonder what is love...") got a little annoying and even out of place given it was already part of his performances and then here they are in the production studio apparently working on that same song.

Definitely recommended, and one I'd certainly watch again to enjoy their relationship and Choi Soo Young's brilliant acting.

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My best favorite film

This film becomes one part of my life. I am so excited when each Fri and Sat comes.
As you might know, the movie completed in 2018-2019 but was not released. It has been a long time and no one has the news for it. I was disappointed with that since I like Sooyoung unnie and support all her films. The movie isn't going to be published.
Then one day, I almost screamed when the information for the on air will be on Apr 30, 2021.
To be honest, the content is not new but the way of main lead's acting is excellent. Their chemistry is so soft and real. I know that both Sooyoung and Taejoon have their own relationship in real life for a long time but I can't stop thinking they are truly a couple ^_^ I am happy when they happy and sad when they have trouble in film.
This movie is also popular in the world. I saw different language versions of each video for it such as English, Thai, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Russian or some kind of Arabic. The live fan meeting on Jun 9 reached the highest viewers following Godin's report. Sooyoung, Taejoon and Chansung are so funny and their interaction is good as well.
Last Sat is the final one, it is happy ending but I still feel sad. It seems that I have lost something. Thank you for all members in crew, thank you PD, writer, backstage dept and specially say thanks to all characters.
Good bye Geun Young, Who Joon, JJ, Oh In Huyng, Mr. Manager, Han PD, No Writer and so on. Hope to see you in the next project.

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Okay drama if not for the 2nd lead couple

The reason I'm writing the review already, even though 2 more episodes will be aired this week, is because I want to bring light to the 2nd lead couple.

The 2nd leads - Choi Jae-Joon and Oh In-Hyung - are a very good visual example of a psychologically abusive relationship. If any of you has a partner that treats you the same way Jae-Joon treated In-Hyung, please talk to someone.
Some of the signs, that also show up in this drama, are:
- Partner is overly controlling / jealous. (Shows up in foreign country just because another guy is around, you can't excuse that no matter how much he hates the guy, this is not normal)
- Not listening or believing you, twisting your words to fit their storyline
- Insulting you or your career, belittling your accomplishments
- Public embarrassment (like purposely showing you off to your friend)
- Threats, Financial control, Lecturing
- Sudden outbursts of anger or emotion
- Sudden emotional guilt-tripping when person has had enough "I need you / I can't live without you"
- PHYSICAL ABUSE (No one should hit anyone out of emotions, never!)
- So many more signs were in this drama. If any of these speak to you, please, please take care of yourself.

Honestly, in the beginning some of the things the main lead did to the female lead were also NOT okay.

This was very important for me to mention, as I have been in similar situations before. The rest of the drama is okay, the other couples and characters are great, the acting in this drama is very good, even the actors who play second lead did a great job on making me want to call for help. The storyline is pretty cliché at times, but that's expected from this the "anti" storyline.

The music was very nice, the main singers songs weren't great so I lowered the score a bit.

I don't know how the writer will end the 2nd couple, I really had been hoping for In Hyung to break free and take control of her own life. The main thing I don't want, is for this relationship to be romanticized, especially not to give them a happy ending. This would be a great visual example of an abusive relationship, a warning for viewers, if accented.

Please take care!
<3 your fellow drama lover

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