Slow and atmospheric... in good and bad ways

I feel like I can say that I loved and disliked this show.

As other reviewers have all said, this is a very slow drama, but I didn't find it boring. I loved the atmosphere, the snowy countryside, the tight-knit community and heartwarming relationships. I liked how understated it was. I got invested in the characters' lives and wanted everything to work out.

However, I didn't find the story to be as coherent and consistent as I hoped. Too many plot points ended up dissolving in the evocative mood of the show. There's a lot of people smiling or gazing at each other over music, or a combination of music and vague voice-over commentary... but not enough story and not nearly enough dialogue. Yes, looks can convey a whole lot, but I also need to see some actual communication between the characters, otherwise it all gets very abstract and wishy-washy.
I also have to say that the very heavy themes that are touched on in this drama are just this: touched on. And they don't really mesh well with the otherwise cute and charming atmosphere of this country village.

In summary, I felt like this drama tried to be too many things at once and ended up losing its way. But I did think it was pretty, charming and touching at times. In the end, although I enjoyed watching it, I can't rate it any higher than a 6.

Leggi di Più

Sweet slice of life with an unusual setting! My favorite drama!

I fell in love with this drama. I love that this is set in the publishing world and a noona romance. I love the leads and all the side characters. This drama is sweet without being tacky or grotesque. Its story, despite some harsher elements, depicts the twists and turns of adult life in a comforting way. Even the colors on screen tend to be on the warmer side, which is part of why watching it feels like sipping hot tea on a snowy day.
I feel like this drama cradled me in its hands and told me everything was going to be OK. We've all had our failures and tragedies. We all feel, at one point or another, like life has passed us by. But just like Dan-i, we can try again. We deserve to find our purpose and our victories.
RIABB is beautiful, funny, evocative, warm and sweet. I watched it twice, then watched it again with my husband who loved it and declared it to be his favorite drama as well. Watch it if you love books, noona romances or comforting slice-of-life dramas with endearing characters.

Leggi di Più

What a wonderful, wonderful show.

This drama is close to perfect in my eyes. It is in turn touching, profound, funny, heartbreaking, swoony, sweet and real. Park Eun-Bin gives the performance of a lifetime as the luminous and peculiar Woo Young-Woo. The show is a success in all aspects: writing, directing, acting, set design, soundtrack... Oh my God, the soundtrack! It's among the best I've ever heard! I only have to put on "Beyond My Dreams" or "Inevitable" to feel transported and filled with sweet emotions, thinking back to the warmest, most delightful parts of this drama... Parts that both make me love Young-Woo, and remind me that deep down and in many ways, I feel like I *am* Young-Woo.
Isn't it only the very best characters that can invoke all of these feelings at the same time?

Finally, I must add that I thoroughly enjoyed the English subtitles, which seemed to provide a highly creative and thoughtful translation.

I feel thankful for this drama. Thank you to everyone involved in its creation, for the joy and thoughts and emotions that you have brought me.
It was even better than a blue night in Jeju~

Leggi di Più