Lovestruck in the City (2020)

Disappointed

This could have easily been one of my favorite dramas, but the ending really ruined it for me.

Now don't get me wrong, I love SHINee like I'm a shawol, but Minho's role felt forced and his part really took up too much of the ending that could have been used to wrap up all the other character's stories. So instead we got a throwaway episode for Minho's frankly boring character and no closure for the rest of the main cast. I was really disappointed. I was really hoping to see Eun-oh and Jae-won at least talk about their relationship, and for Kyeong-jun and Rin-i to resolve their problems.

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FL aggravated me beyond words, but I adored Ji Chang Wook

It started out *really* strong and I loved the concept. It was especially fun whenever the actors broke the 4th wall to speak to the camera crew/production "filming" them. I became really frustrated with the FL after a while. She did too little too late in her attempt to avoid her past and circumvent taking any responsibility for the pain she needlessly inflicted on Jae-won. It was really upsetting, especially after the (beautifully acted, btw. ..Oh my heart, Ji Chang Wook!!!) bar scene when she did literally nothing to ease his pain during his confession or after fully knowing he was "dying a little inside" every day from the pain she caused. It got to a point that I was frustrated he kept forgiving her and chasing her. She needed to put the effort in and earn HIM. Not the other way around. Still, I enjoyed the series.

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Potential

My 5.5 is not to say that I didn't enjoy this — it was a light-hearted watch and the aesthetics of it are so beautiful. I was even okay with the weird documentary format that worked in some places but didn't work in others because somehow they got "footage" from before and in weird, personal places, and somehow they were indirectly talking to each other as interviews bounced back and forth.

The part that turned me off the most was the plot and character development, which needs a lot of work. It was like they had 4 pairs of characters but only thought about 1 of them, and even the story for that main pairing was dragged out and very thin. I was more invested in all of the other ships and they either didn't get a storyline across multiple episodes or just didn't play a role in the story at all.

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SO SO different.

Lovestruck in the city breaks SO many stereotypes I think it well and truly creates a record of some kind. Right from the kind of non-linear storytelling, to breaking the fourth wall, to the candid nature of discussions held and topics spoken about, to the honest truth about relationships (not the same fluff we're used to seeing on screen), to the camping and surfing and unique interests and personalities of characters. This show is a breath of fresh air.

Not saying that the show is perfect. But the pitfalls are made up for by the relationship that Park Jaewon and Yoon Seonha have in two months and it's the most relatable, wholesome, adorable, natural, quirky, real thing I have seen in any KDrama. Wook and Won are seriously #kdramacouplegoals.

PS: Choi Minho in a guest role was the icing on the cake for this Shawol!

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Had potential but it failed.

Good things first :
Ji Chan Wook. This man can act. I think that's what kept me going with this drama.
The "documentary" format they tried to follow was interesting, it didn't affect the story thou. Could've been better.
The three couples storyline was fun because they were different and "realistic" .

Ok. Now the review. I never write reviews but honestly I just finished the drama and I have a lot to say.
I understand what they tried to do. Yes, it's not the typical series, the time jumps keep you with your eyes open, there's a good chemistry between the leads and JCW's extremely awesome histrionic abilities. But there's no more.
It had all the potential to become an amazing romcom but it failed. The leads' story started to go in circles and then suddenly they were just together. They built all this tension and angst for a two minute conversation at the end.
The Rin-in and Kyeong-jun couple was cute and it seemed like it would develop with an interesting plot but WHY they did them dirty at the end. Srsly???!!
And the other two characters were SO interesting but SO wasted.
Plus WTF was that final episode? I mean, I love Cho Minho but what about the other characters?
I don't know. There's a lot of things in this drama that were just meh.
If you wanna watch it, do it. It's not for everyone but it's entertaining.


Note:
- I hated the female lead so much, I'm sorry.
-I appreciate the 30 min. Episodes

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It’ll leave you a hot mess...

First of all, I’d say that JCW and KJW gave an amazing performance.
Yes, JCW chem with PMY and JKW chem with PSJ are unchallengeable but this, THIS, ?
I’ve finished this like 2 months ago, but only recently decided to write a review because I really can’t forget the feels this drama gave me.
I’d really say MDL rate doesn’t give it justice, but ofc, it wouldn’t be an underrated drama otherwise.

The storyline gives you so many relatable plots and makes you wish you can actually do what the characters does in the drama. But this is coming from a city girl, so I don’t think it’s going to apply for everyone. BUT. JCW’s performance specially as a clingy I-can’t-forget-her guy really makes you have someone like him too. Personally JCW always gives you that hot-passionate boyfriend feels no matter if he’s a bodyguard, a producer or a *cough* healer *cough* but this time, THIS TIME, he reached a new level. ???
And yes, at this point, I don’t have much to say about KJW only that her character is a total wreck and may or may not reflect the norm city girl problems (I’m saying her character is a wreck, not her)

Let’s just say this drama has been on my number 1 recom list for a while now, specially if anyone is looking for a passionate romance, yes this is the one,

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CHEMISTRY AND REALISM

Ji changwook delivers a performance that is both charming and emotionally nuanced his passionate architect struggling with the aftermath of a short-lived but intense romance is compelling and heartfelt.

Kim JiWon brings depth to her character. She effectively conveys the complexity of a woman who grapples with her identity and past while navigating a complicated relationship.

Their believable chemistry and the relatable storyline have resonated with many viewers, making it a notable entry in the romance genre of Kdrama.
Their acting in Lovestruck in the City is widely praised for its authencity and emotional depth.

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If you're an adult you might have met these people (or be one of them yourself)

I loved Lovestruck in the city! I love that the people in it, feel like people: they're flawed, stupid, insecure, lonely... It's so refreshing to see a kdrama where the couples look like couples who are in love and comfortable with each other: they hug, kiss, laugh, play, have sex... No dead-fish kisses here, if a couple wants to kiss, just like that and I find that more romantic than the typical slow-mo where I end up wondering if the FL is consenting.

The show explores love from different perspectives and how people react to different things, even though it uses the main couple as a way to lead the story. The characters are fleshed out and, even if you don't agree with their reactions, you end up understanding where they are coming from. All the couples have great chemistry and the friendships look great too.

In a way, it's everything I expected Run On to be based on the reviews I read before watching it (my fault for expecting something it wasn't). I know the fake documentary doesn't work for some people, but I love that it gives an excuse for the characters to talk out loud about themselves and to interact with each other unknowingly.

The acting, direction, photography, OST... is absolutely fantastic. I have no words about how beautifully this is filmed and how well everything works.

Also, the PPL is one of the funniest I've seen.

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Apaixonada na vida

Li um comentário lindo e acho massa como a gente tem opinião diferente sobre algo que assistimos! Vamos lá.
No fim quando eles agradecem percebi que era mais um reality sobre a vida deles mesmo e como se cruza né? O mundo é grande mas é bem pequeno também. Achei lindo a história, ela trás uma lição bem bacana. Jae won e Eun o amaram muito forte a primeira vez que se viram e esse amor permaneceu, o amor foi doloroso, os dois se machucaram mas aprenderam muito com isso, eles se aceitaram mutuamente. A Seon Yeong e o Kang geon, a gente pode dizer que eles se encontraram na hora errada? Não sei, mais o sentimento deles um pelo outro era lindo, eu senti o companheirismo. E por fim o Kyeong Jun e a Rin I. Acredito que eles dois ainda possam se resolver, mas o amor é isso, quando é pra começar é fácil e lindo pra terminar é difícil. Pode ter sido vários anos mais pra acabar basta uma palavra e pronto, tudo que viveu vai embora. Temos e vemos amor em várias formas e principalmente na amizade, que é uma coisa bem bonita entre eles ali. E nem sempre o certo é que permaneçam juntos mesmo que seja o certo para você. Foi muito bonito e especial. Obrigada!

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Lovestruck in the City is a romance about the dating lives of young people including a passionate architect (Ji Chang Wook) who meets a freelance marketer (Kim Ji Won) posing as a free spirit in a new city.
Ji Chang Wook plays Park Jae Won. He is an architect who takes a long vacation to the beach to stay in a camper. There he meets a free-spirited woman who captures his heart…and then destroys it.
Kim Ji Won is Lee Eun Oh. She is a freelance marketer who experiences some difficulties in life and decides to reinvent herself in a new city as a free-spirited woman. She falls for Park Jae Won, but he falls in love with her fake identity which creates a big problem for her.
We then have our other couples which consist of Kyung Joon (Kim Min Suk) and Rin Yi (So Ju Yeon) as well as Gun (Ryu Kyung Soo) and Sun Young (Han Ji Eun).

Lovestruck in the City was a bit of mixed bag for me. It had some elements that I really loved and some that I didn’t care for it. Let’s jump into the positives first. I really loved the main love story between Jae Won and Eun Oh.
Ji Chang Wook is made for roles like this where he gets to be adorably awkward, and Kim Ji Won was great at showing two sides of her character as well as the pain she was experiencing.

Their story was told in flashbacks as well as in the present. I was completely drawn in to their whirlwind romance on the beach in the past. They had great chemistry and were very engaging. We don’t get to see much of them together in the present until a good way through the drama, but their individual journeys were nice to see. Things then get very interesting when they reunite. So all in all, I really enjoyed their romance and was completely engaged in that part of the drama.

I had one big problem with the main romance too. Eun Oh’s story was a fascinating one for sure, and I did like seeing her character growth from start to finish as she finally came out of her shell and found herself, but she really was terrible to Jae Won. It was understandable how she acted when they first got together at the beach and unexpectedly fell in love.
Her actions in the present were awful though. The hoops she jumps through to keep her secret are next level. And then when she is discovered, she won’t even explain anything to Jae Won. Not just once either, but for quite a while. The drama did do good at diving in to why she acted the way she did, but there just really isn’t an excuse for the complete shut out of information from her.

Overall, Lovestruck in the City was a quick and easy watch with 17 half hour episodes, though it could have definitely told its story in less time. I didn’t love the format, but I thoroughly enjoyed the main romance that provided swoony moments as well as some nice character exploration. It was a decent watch.

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