Mathematical and human

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.

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"Watch the fireworks. Life is long and fireworks are short."

This particular line got me the first time I watched 2521 and, after a rewatch, it made me believe that it's intentionally put there as a summary of the drama's message.

The drama is a glimpse into Na Hee-do's and Baek Yi-jin's lives in a time they were forced to grow up in order to survive . When the IMF crisis hit up, they were victims in their own ways. Fencing was the one thing Hee-do loved the most, but she was going through a slump and her mom didn't support her dream of becoming an athlete. After Hee-do's fencing team got called off for lack of funds, she had to put all of her determination in action to find a way to keep pursuing her dreams. Yi-jin's family's business went bankrupt and his family had to scatter away. All of a sudden, he had to leave college, was all by himself without any money and having to be an adult for his younger brother - it didn't help that creditors were going after him after his dad had to disappear for a while. He rented a room around Hee-do's neighborhood and got himself some part-time jobs, and that's when they met.

Hee-do's courage and impulsiveness amazes the filled with despair Yi-jin, while Yi-jin is a source of comfort for Hee-do when she doesn't find anyone to support her in her endeavors. Because they were together helping and encouraging each other, dark times became lighter and full of friendship and joy. Taking part on that joy are the friends they make along the way and who brought even more light into Hee-do's and Yi-jin's lives, and it was a delight to see them growing up together and overcoming their fears and obstacles. The world isn't nice to them, but they learn how to take beauty even from the hardships.

2521 is a beautiful drama that highlights how magnificent being young can be, how we feel infinite and invincible and see everything with the brightest hope; how some moments can be filled with the most absolute bliss and others with heart wrenching pain, but have equally important roles in our process of growing up. And most importantly, that because nothing is eternal, we should enjoy each moment to its fullest, specially the happiest ones - they are like fireworks: pretty and loud, but nonetheless short.

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Pure wine

This is most likely the only drama review I'll make in a lifetime. And that's because Hospital Playlist is certainly a drama that'll stay me for life. Friendly summary of everything I loved about it:

- It's hard to beat the greatness of the main five friendship. Their chemistry, understandment and care are just something else.
- It portrays the beauty of life in its root. No flashy heroes, hateful villains or over the top happenings; only life and its greatness, and life doesn't have a planned outline.
- Characters are so well built and compelling, supported by brilliant acting. And I mean all characters, including hospital staff, families and patients. All of them feel important to me, it doesn't matter how big their roles are.
- Again: the acting in this drama is no joke, but rightfully expected from such a great cast. All the care on the process of casting showed.
- The musical breaks are so heart warming and comforting! The OSTs have been in my playlists for months already, and the Aloha karaoke scene remains as my favorite moment in the drama. Plus, props to the actors for making such an effort on actually playing the instruments. No more bad instrument playing cringe on dramas, please!
- It only gets better with time. By the time of this review, I've watched season one 8 times, and it's amazing how the show hooked me more the more I watched and understood its elements.
- The CRAZY amount of details and consistency. The amount of information (specially in the first couple of episodes) can be overwhelming at first, but it's full of meaningful scenario, characters and background details. It's impressive, really. Rewatch value is so high on this one!
- It's so full of emotions and realness. The work put here by all the actors and production must be commended. I sincerely want to thank all of them for making such a masterpiece.

I could go on and on about it, but this is already too lengthy. It's unbeliavable to me how Hospital Playlist could climb my favorites list right away, but I'm so happy it did. This is my comfort show and I can't get over it. Season 2, please come fast!

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