I stayed up with the radio, a few notebooks, and extracurricular study materials. I was on the computer for five hours straight and hours later do I realize how urgent I had to prepare for a competitive meet that's happening in a few weeks. I only got one shot to make the team, due to requirements, so I'll announce if I achieved my aspiration or not.
Synopsis:
2014 JTBC | 20x1hr | Drama, Romance
Three best friend, Jung Wan, Ji Hyum, and Sun Mi kept their friendship since high school and now, they're living out their days. Jung Wan is a divorced single mother, Ji Hyun is a housewife of a CEO, and Sun Mi is successful and unwed at 39. It can't get better than this with a two-faced family, a vicious mother-in-law, family secrets, a chance to work with 'a world-renowned director,' and a longer list of events.
Can We Love? is not a full-on melodrama, but the writers twist the typical idea of Korean melodramas by altering the 'ideal' finale, contrasting and manipulating characterial interactions, and taking their audience everywhere: from sobbing in the bathroom to a cafe to a nighttime drive, cams are rolling. Does Can We Love? satirize other works of its genre? Calling out other characters does justice to the fictional characters and audience; all the more reason why the majority of the characters have underlying volatilities, of which the following eventually happens: suffer in silence (inaction) or take out all the angst on others (active).
In the Korean society, the series was notorious for covering taboo subjects of abortion, age-gaps in relationships, as well as presenting economic struggles. Money and materialism play their own roles pertaining to the series. These are no excuses for sullen, considerate charactierziations, but change takes time and Can We Love? uses a broad timespan from flashbacks to panning scenes. It is fantastic that 'cinematics' are effectively useful to better understand a character- his or her ways, mannerism, and struggles. Of course, realize that there is an apparent line between judgment and truly being empathetic toward another.
The OST is reminiscent of the light-hearted joy of an exuberant youthful relationship. At times, the sense of direction is... ludicrous, ignorant. A scene with unfitting music, bath-robe coats, a few filler episodes, which reminds me:
Preferred Watching Sequence- 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13-17, 19, 20
Preferred Watching Sequence- 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13-17, 19, 20
The show gives a hopeful approach that anybody can find love. A 'societal' outcast has the opportunities of the ordinary man, but finding your own happiness may need a longer journey. How a fond relationship builds, Can We Love? presents tumultuous, blossoming, clingy, lusty, among several other characteristics for intimate, romantic relationships. Life ain't easy and the series does not bat an eye on the matter: the roots of our problems- they sprout from somewhere.
| SWEATPANTS | |
|---|---|
| Sequence | 7 |
| Well-Casted | 8 |
| Enjoyment | 6 |
| Ability to be Binged | 7 |
| Theme Song/ Animation is Present | 8 |
| Personalities Differ Among Characters | 6 |
| Alternating Viewpoints/ Camera Work | 8 |
| Nice! There's Character Development | 5 |
| Title | 6 |
| Suspense/ Surprise | 3 |
| Total | 6.4 |
Take care and be aware
