DISCLAIMER: I'll be extremely biased here and foresee any flaws because I didn't even felt them, that's how much I loved this drama.

I don't think I have enough words to describe how close to my heart this drama got. I'm a mathematician myself, so of course I was immediately drawn into it, and it needs to be said that the way they portrayed math gives it justice: the beauty we can find in it, the joy and relief of reaching an answer, the frustration and sometimes even the pain of pursuing a proof when it seems too far away. And I definitely think the journey of our leads in proving Ji Yoonsu's innocence is a parallel of that of finding a mathematical proof (no wonder the last episode ends with a blank square, one of the usual symbols indicating the end of a proof).

Well, the parallel with math in itself is already beautiful, but the beauty doesn't end quite there. I found it delightful how multidimensional all characters are, even the antagonists. Their actions, thoughts and transformations are all results of their experiences and life examples, and for some of the characters, we catch a glimpse in detail of how their present self came to be - Baek Seungyoo and Song Yerin are my personal favorite example of that, and gosh, BSY’s growth throughout the years is fantastic.

About the relationship between BSY and JYS: for me it is soooo well constructed. Their bond is purely intellectual at first, and a mentor-student one; BSY ends up falling for her but that's it. JYS helps BSY to
reconnect with math and with himself, which is essential for him to escape the darkness he was in. Four years later, after losing everything, JYS is the one living in darkness, and the emotional roles invert: now is BSY who tries to help her to find herself (although I do think he crosses some lines by following her around, but I guess it is a reflection of how worried he was). That’s when they start to connect and care for each other on a more (two-sided) personal level, and it is all so subtle: stares, small actions, worries, words of respect and belief. It is not even clear to me where the romance starts. But wherever it is, it does so in a natural and extremely subtle way, and I enjoyed this development.

The utmost focus is in the corruption going around the school and how the leads try to reveal it, which was thrilling to me and easy to understand (I often get lost in plots like this). But for me the highlight is how the characters move and receive everything around them, which seems to reflect how well written the characters are - they move the story and make us believe in them without the need of a flashy plot. Side note: mathematicians are usually stubborn and prideful when it comes to mathematical truths (we see that when JYS challenges the student who solved the problem to come forward and BSY immediately does so), and I think BSY is so incredibly desperate to prove JYS's innocence not only because he cares, but also because his mathematical stubbornness merges with his sense of justice and makes him unable to NOT do his everything to reveal the truth. And that makes the entire story move.

Well, there sure is a lot more to talk about (like the lovely Choi Sian and Prof. Ji), but I'll stop here. My huge thanks to all the actors and production staff, thank you so much for making such a beautiful drama and for representing math and mathematicians in such a positive and realistic light. Melancholia made me feel all the feels and I’ll definitely go back to it many times.