Original Air Date December 2017 – January 2018 Plot Ten years after a shopping mall collapse, we see the long-lasting impact on those that survived and learn to keep living. My Review Just Between Lovers also known as Rain or Shine is a poignant and beautifully told story about the aftermath of a shopping mall collapse that killed 48 people. The shopping mall in the drama was made up, but it was patterned off of real-life event. In 1995, the Sampoong Department Store in Seoul collapsed killing 502 people and injuring 937. The cause was greed and corruption that lead to substandard materials being used, bad engineering design, pay offs to look the other way and disregard for public safety to make money. Just Between Lovers is set 10 years after the shopping mall collapse. We are introduced to Lee Kang Doo played by2PMs Lee Jun Ho and Ha Moon Soo played by Won Jin Ah who both were victims of the collapse and they both lost family members. Weighted down by their past trauma, they hold guilt for surviving and they still suffer PTSD and flashbacks. Almost every episode has a flashback which reveals more of what happened. At times it can be heavy and a little much, but I think the writers are also trying to get us to feel the pain and constant struggle Moon Soo and Kang Doo face. They can’t ever turn off the images that continue to play in their head, so we experience it with them too. Like in real life, the drama depicts how all the characters that experienced trauma react in different ways. Moon Soo became an architect model maker where she helps to make sure buildings are secure and safe. Her parents separated and her mom has become an alcoholic over the loss of her other daughter, her dad has closed off his emotions and stays quiet. The head architect also linked to the collapse goes beyond the call for safety measures. Kang Doo fell into poverty and had to hustle on the streets to survive. He found a family in “granny” and “noona” and his adorable neighbor Sang Man, who had some type of disability. The pace of the drama may feel a little slow because of the melancholy tone, but the story is actually always progressing. It was only maybe the last 3 episodes I felt it dragging a little when they threw in some extra angst. The writers did a fantastic job of showing the journey of Moon Soo and Kang Doo as they help to heal each other’s pain, learn to lean on one another and accept that they are survivors and they owe it to themselves to live life. Everything they dealt with just seemed so raw and real life. Both their acting was great. I previously saw Won Jin Ah in Melting Me Softly, which was pretty darn horrible and she didn’t impress me, but she was really good in this. I’m not too familiar with Kpop so I didn’t realize that Jun Ho was an idol from 2PM until I finished watching. I thought he was absolutely superb. He had the range of emotions from angry with walls up, vulnerable and crying, angsty, steadfast and a shoulder to lean on, cute and flirty. He did such a great job with the complex emotions that Kang Doo was always experiencing. I’m excited to find out he just got released from the military and we hopefully will see him again soon! My other favorite character was granny. She was a no nonsense grumpy on the surface ahjumma with a huge heart and softness underneath. She took in Kang Doo as her own and nurtured and loved him in her own way. I loved all their scenes together and all her words of wisdom made me smile in how brutally honest she was. Some of her lines were very thought provoking too, for example when she talked about poverty being the biggest killer of people. The lack of access to healthy care or taking dangerous jobs in order to make money all contribute to the poor dying. Just Between Lovers is a contemplative, slice of life drama that shows the pain and healing that occurs after a tragedy. The writing is beautiful and thought provoking, the characters are all so well developed and complex. The acting is heartfelt and raw. It is also a story about the importance of family and friendships. You can’t go it alone and it’s okay to lean on others when you need help. It’s okay to live and survive and to have hope. Final Opinion Must See

Completed Meineke5 people found this review helpful Story Acting/Cast Music Rewatch Value It’s been almost a week since I finished the show and I still can’t get it out of my mind. That’s rare for me. The whole story feels so real. Like you could go out on the street and end up meeting characters like Moon Soo and Kang Doo. You feel their sadness, their desperation with circumstances and you find yourself rooting for them despite it all because they truly deserve a happy ending. Both the leads as well as supporting actors did a wonderful job. The chemistry between the leads was palpable and their romantic scenes will stay with you for a long long time. It’s been ages since I’ve wanted to binge watch on a show, and I’m happy to report that all the sleepless nights paid off. The story, character development and finally the ending make for a great watch. I feel like it was the end of something beautiful. I laughed, I cried, and felt everything the characters felt and learned to appreciate my own life a little bit have nothing but praises for the show. Good story, good acting, and great ost, especially Jun Ho’s one is a must watch as far as I’m More Was this review helpful to you? Completed char5 people found this review helpful Story Acting/Cast Music Rewatch Value This review may contain spoilers why didn’t i drop this lol i’m genuinely shocked at how many 10s in a row i’m seeing. now, i’m not gonna say this is a terrible drama or one of the worst that i’ve seen, but how are people rating it so high?? at times i would just skip scenes that i don’t care for because they’re so irrelevant. now, i don’t easily get attached to characters and this is because of my low empathy, so it’s not completely fair to bring my emotions in this, but oh well. i hates most of the characters and towards the end i was begging for him main lead to die. if he did i probably would’ve rated this higher. a is being pretty nice actually. anyway, i skipped so many scenes and i didn’t care for any of the characters and i HATED gang doo, he was annoying as hell. i’m very surprised at myself that i didn’t drop this, but then again, lately, i’ve been dropping too many titles so i didn’t want to add another to my list. to sum it up, nothing was sad to me, it goes very slow at times, was predictable at other times, has stereotypical kdrama things, and was very melodramatic. but, it wasn’t TERRIBLE, so i’m not gonna say i completely hated the show. it was just annoying to watch. Read More Was this review helpful to you? Completed nadin3e5 people found this review helpful Story 10 Acting/Cast 10 Music 10 Rewatch Value 10 What a roller coaster of emotions! Great drama about life and a very difficult love that needed time to heal deep emotional wounds it had everything from shyness to friendship, from deep scars to mesmerizing smiles, from healing to loving each other. I never came across such a pure romantic kdrama loved how they act with so deep emotions and how they beautifully delivered their emotions One of my faves!Just loved how the drama portrayed life and its thousand folds of irony. The acting was superb and topping it up with heart wrenching OST and AMAZING CINEMATOGRAPHY , this might just be the best drama of 2017. This drama has drawn a beautiful sketch of human life. And with the culmination of every episode each character became alive. As humans we all go through hard times in life. It's a part of being alive and it's the reality we all have to deal with. There are times we forget our value as a person because we are so blinded with these thoughts of loneliness, emptiness and ego. Somewhere along the road we become numbed with all the frustrations and dissatisfaction. But life itself isn't always about darkness and sadness, life is also filled with colors that makes it More Was this review helpful to you? Completed Elle5 people found this review helpful Story Acting/Cast Music Rewatch Value There is something very special and moving about Just Between Lovers. The way this drama covers trauma and grief in its lead characters is pretty ground breaking. Lee Jun Ho is such a dreamboat here in his role of Lee Kang Doo. He is a complex character who feels like he doesn’t amount to much. Won Jin Ah in her role of Ha Moon Soo is on equal footing as the compassionate heroine. She is well-spoken and honorable. This drama is breathtakingly gorgeous as it explores how to best honor the lives lost in tragedy. There are no true antagonists in this drama. I appreciated how this drama painted everyone with their own weaknesses and fears. It’s quite a person who doesn’t usually gravitate toward melodramas, this is on a different level. If you are looking for something beautiful andmoving, give this one a try. Read More Was this review helpful to you? Completed PHope4 people found this review helpful Story Acting/Cast Music Rewatch Value Not much can be said about this drama, that started simple and quite among the other big ones, and actually managed to pull of a great story, keep the interest high till the very ending and actually increased the emotional level pretty neatly. The performances were good as well, and the chemistry between the two main ones really good, though the focus was more on the tragedy rather the romance for most of it. At some point, however, it did got a bit tiring, though it picked up quickly after, almost turning Uncontrolably fond on me. Was this review helpful to you? Story Acting/Cast 10 Music Rewatch Value Just Between Lovers was a touching drama with a pretty pallet and a sweet couple. The characters were well written, the soundtrack was nice, and the directing was good…however, the over-used in general overbearing melodrama components made me slowly loose interest. I went in marathoning with fervor and ended up having to force myself to finish. I wouldn’t necessarily say it isn’t worth watching, you just have to be in the right mood for it. Ultimately—for me, anyway—it was forgettable. Was this review helpful to you? Story Acting/Cast 10 Music 10 Rewatch Value JUST BETWEEN LOVERS .......this is not just a drama but a roller coaster ride of emotions,feels and healing our is by far one of the most beautifully shot dramas after Goblin with a melancholic scene looked like a beautiful picture crafted in a synopsis given here is quite simple but the drama is just the portrays human emotions so story is about Lee kang do and Ha moon soo who have a tragic past and are now suffering from that traumatic phase where their lives are story itself was so soothing that you gonna love it even though you are not a melodrama lover because its so real and heartwarming that you cannot wait for the next episode gave you some awesome explanations o f our convoluted story had an essence of KIM JI WON has excelled this time with his superlative can expect this from the director of Nice Guy and I remember has outdone himself in this writer Yoo bo ra has also done a nice job in transition of stories from one track to wil cry your heart out comes the biggest factor that made me write my second review is the acting of the of the jun ho was the heart of the a kpop star I never thought he would do good but he was outstanding and if he doesn't get an award for this then i would be really upset because he was freaking awesome in every every expression was priceless and when he was crying i couldn't stop my heart that was rustic guy lee kang doo having a heart is my charcter moon soo is a character with ehich everyone can relate though her sufferings were same as Kang doo but she had a strong capabilty of handling problems better than kang jin Ha is amazing in her first drama ,Being a newcomer she is so alive on screen and her chemistry with lee jun ho is with the leads if someone who captured my heart was sang man and offcourse my do scenes with both of them were others were good i loved the relationship between ma ri and yoo the second leads were good especially kang ha other actor have done justice to their was one of the most important factor of their song was good beautifully fitted to the a drama you will never fav drama deserve awards and even if they don't get it i know they have already won our BETWEEN THE LOVERS AND THE AUDIENCE................FIGHTING . Read More Was this review helpful to you? Completed escaping3 people found this review helpful Story 10 Acting/Cast Music 10 Rewatch Value YOU ARE MISSING ON A LOT IF YOU SKIP THIS !! I had been skipping this drama for long and I don't even know why, maybe I thought it will be dark which btw lives up to its expectations. The cast is amazing, the osts are perfect, the emotions you'll feel are unprecedented, the supporting characters are pure gold and know what they're doing. First drama where I clearly did not have to skip through scenes. Absolute gem. The story is beautifully unique, paces you through very calmly but you'll keep feeling a certain ache inside. What I loved the most was that there is no person in this drama who is wrong or right black and white. There are flaws and for a change THE CAST DOES TALK ABOUT IT AND RESOLVE THINGS IN THE MOST MATURE WAYS. The places where it's been shot will give you a fresh breath of air no doubt. You'll cry a lot though. HEAVILY RECOMMENDED!However, you would not want to rewatch it because some dramas are simply not meant to, not because they are not good but because those emotions and flow sometimes have to keep treasured. Read More Was this review helpful to you? Story 10 Acting/Cast 10 Music 10 Rewatch Value 10 Why don’t you cut your heart out instead? This drama, I don’t know if I’ll ever do justice describing what I feel for it. When I began the drama, I knew it would be angst, but I wasn’t prepared for how much of it would play a part throughout the series. Even until the end your heart is in constant pain because of what the leads go through. What sets it apart is how brilliantly it’s depicted. The characters are going through traumas of their own, born of a shared traumatic event, and their way of dealing with it similar and yet different. After nearly a decade, they are brought back together to face their fears head on. The kind of events they go through, the pain, at times it feels so overwhelming that you need a break. In form of Moon So and Gong Doo, we see cute romance under whose layer lies a backstory that can both make or break you. It was their beautiful interactions that kept me going because at many points the angst felt too cinematography of this show is beautiful. So much is said in scenes which have no dialogues I love it when dramas do this! the OST is something you can listen to on repeat long after you’re done with the show. The story is so well written, the characters are perfectly flawed, the supporting characters grow on you and everything about this draws you in. I hope I’ll be able to go back to this one day and rewatch it. Read More Was this review helpful to you? Completed timotey3 people found this review helpful Story 10 Acting/Cast 10 Music 10 Rewatch Value 10 Hands down, one of the best Kdramas I’ve ever seen. I mean it. Sweet, touching and heartbreaking, a slice-of-life series about people dealing with the fall-out of a terrible accident. It has everything, including physical and mental whump, PTSD, you name it. It’s like one of those amazing, 50+K slow-burn fics that break you and then piece you back together only to repeat that process over and over again… Incredible!Lee Junho’s Lee Kang Doo is one of the most amazing heroes I’ve seen to date. To watch how his integrity and brash honesty changes those around him and all that without him even realizing how important he’s become and to how many people is a thing to acting is simply phenomenal and I really hope that Lee Junho sticks with it. Not that he isn’t a great singer but I think he really found himself as an actor and I can’t wait what else he has in store because so far, all his series have been big hits for me, personally. Read More Was this review helpful to you? Completed Jewel163 people found this review helpful Story 10 Acting/Cast 10 Music 10 Rewatch Value 10 This review may contain spoilers This show is an absolute masterpiece! The song "Where to, When to" resembles "Mad World." And it's such a beautiful song. The storyline is filled with lots of ups and downs and I definitely had an emotional rollercoaster. Sang Man is too pure for this world, and the scene where he is so passionate to give up his liver for Lee Gang Doo is so heartwarming, I cried. Overall, I have nothing negative to say about this series, and I totally ship the two main leads. Their fated love was such a pleasure to witness, and every kiss made me leap with joy because it took so long for them to get to that point. To become comfortable and confident with one another was one of their greatest challenges. This is my number one favorite Korean drama, and I would rewatch again. Read More Was this review helpful to you? Story 10 Acting/Cast 10 Music 10 Rewatch Value Reading the summary of the drama and watching the previews, I was skeptical especially since the genre is a melodrama. I thought it was going to be overly dramatic but to my pleasant surprise, it wasn't. I think the writers did a fantastic job with addressing tragedies and the human emotions that come with it without being overdramatic. It was very different from dramas that I have watched but it was also real, which I liked. The main couple was great and adorable. I like how the female lead and the male lead took their time to realize their feelings and get together because both were dealing with the tragedy in their own way. Bottomline is it's a fantastic drama. Read More Was this review helpful to you?

Rain or Shine—also known as Just Between Lovers—was a random watch for me. I was browsing titles on Netflix and was intrigued by its poster as it looked grim next to all the cute posters. Right after reading the two-line synopsis, I started watching it. I ended up watching the entire Korean drama in one day. Whenever I had a free minute, I watched this. Table of Contentswhat is Rain or Shine about?my thoughts on the Rain or Shinethe plotthe charactersthe relationshipsthe romancethe love trianglethe main charactersHa Moon-sooLee Gang-dooSeo Joo-wonJung Yoo-jindiscussions INCLUDES SPOILERSoverall what is Rain or Shine about? The drama mainly follows two characters who are survivors of the same building collapse. The Space S mall collapsed 10 years back, killing 48 people who were inside, and injuring several others. Lee Gang-doo lost his father and suffered a serious leg injury that crushed his dreams of becoming a football player. 10 years after the collapse, he is still not coping well. When he hears of a new construction project in the area of the collapse, he nabs a night guard job there out of curiosity. Ha Moon-soo lost her younger sister in the collapse and lost her memories of the tragedy. She has terrible survivor's guilt and tries to take care of her mother, who is still deep in grief, as much as possible. She ends up getting a full-time position in the new construction project as a model maker for the architects. Gang-doo and Moon-soo cross paths often and slowly begin to fall in love. They work together to ensure that the project is done well and also help each other move on. The drama has two other main characters as well. Seo Joo-won, the lead architect of the new project and son of the architect of Space S mall, wants to do better than his father and hires Moon-soo after seeing her accurate insights on blueprint design mistakes. He starts liking her which forms a love triangle in the drama. In order to have someone on his side to help him do this project properly, Joo-won asks Jung Yoo-jin to jump onto the project. Yoo-jin is a tenacious and clever leader in the construction firm. She is also his ex and is still in love with him. Rain or Shine is a raw and haunting portrayal of grief and survivor's guilt. It shows how the tragedy affected so many people despite seeming "small" in numbers to unaffected parties. Several lives were interconnected and completely changed due to that one incident. my thoughts on the Rain or Shine Considering that I watched the drama in one stretch with no breaks, you can say that drama is gripping. It is not one with twists at the end of every episode, but the story burrows into your heart. the plot It is an emotional and poignant drama that solely focuses on one tragedy. It explores everything around it—the corruption and tiny misses that resulted in the collapse, the innocent lives affected, the way it was dealt with afterwards, and the lasting effects on people. Instead of keeping things simple and focusing on only the main characters, the drama makes the effort to show various kinds of grief and coping mechanisms through supporting characters as well. Through Ha Moon-soo, the story goes into survivor's guilt, the guilt of forgetting those crucial memories which allows her to move on a little better, and watching a family be angry and rip apart in grief instead of holding each other up. Lee Gang-doo remembers every single thing from the collapse. He was the last survivor to be rescued. He went through some very hard things during those days. Memories and voices haunt him to this day. His coping mechanisms are not pretty. He is a grump and rash on the outside but he is actually a very sweet person who takes care of everybody and helps wherever he can. Moon-soo's mother gets drunk every single day in order to cope with grief. She barely takes care of herself and often forgets that she has a daughter whom she can take care of. Moon-soo has to keep herself together because if she doesn't keep things running, no one will. Seo Joo-won's father was the main architect for the Space S mall. After the collapse, his father killed himself, leaving behind another grief-stricken family. On taking up the new project, Joo-won copes with grief by going through everything twice and digging into his father's designs. His grief was less visible on the outside but it shows when we see the drama as a whole, especially through some things towards the end. Watching the characters cope, learn, and try to do better every single day was hard-hitting. Gang-doo, Moon-soo, and Joo-won had to grow up too fast and live almost normal lives. But they are dragged back to the tragedy through the smallest triggers which are normal for others. Rain or Shine does not shy away from showing the gruesome and painful things. As Gang-doo and Moon-soo remember the past, we see what happened clearly. There is no suggestion or plain references. The drama shows destruction, blood, pain, death, and severed limbs. It is firmly NOT a light-hearted show. It is really emotional at times too. I teared up multiple times. It showed emotion—especially sad emotions—very well. A couple of times, I teared up because the characters were trying so hard to savour joy amidst struggle. While individual character struggles were hard to watch, the relationships and interactions are what pinched my heart. Sometimes, the drama also hits with beautiful dialogues. They talk profoundly about grief, survivor's guilt, and moving on in plain sentences. It is as if they're telling the viewer "you're not alone, here's how you can cope". I couldn't relate because I haven't been through anything similar, but I imagine it would mean a lot to viewers who can relate. The drama shows how corruption is evident in almost every level of a business which can lead to disaster. We see how people cut costs and make deals that seem like nothing to them in the beginning. But when done enough, it leads to a building collapse years later, impacting several lives. The characters talk about materials, costs, and even how the architect should consider extreme weather for design. We also see the characters fighting against authority and doing what they can to do things right. Being meticulous, going over things four times, and verifying can take more time and effort. But it pays off in the long run. It can literally save lives. The drama puts that responsibility on every member of the team, especially if they have any power. the characters The characters had depth. The drama showed them brilliantly. When we first get to know them, they seem pretty straightforward. But as the drama goes on, we uncover layers in people. There is a focus on even the supporting characters, not just the main ones. Rain or Shine had a really good supporting cast. Each of them had backstories, flaws, strengths, and contributed to the story. They weren't simply accessories around the main characters. Every character had a character arc. Even some characters like Ma-ri and Jung Yoo-taek whom I didn't think much of in the beginning had arcs. We see each character growing and changing, slowly but surely. By the end, we can see how much each of them have changed. The character development for each member was done well. The drama tried to add a few elements which aren't directly connected to the building collapse like Moon-soo's best friend's story. Wan-jin was an avid motorcycle rider who got into an accident that left her wheelchair-bound for the rest of her life. We saw just a little bit from her perspective about her personal tragedy which others can't relate to. But since the bulk of the attention was given to collapse related things, Wan-jin's arc wasn't given much importance. It could have been explored further but it could have also been cut out since it clearly wasn't fitting in with the rest of the story. Besides Gang-doo, my favourite character development has to be that of his sister Lee Jae-young. I thought nothing of her for a long time but she subtly became a big part of the show and had her own important role. In the epilogue, I cherished her position because of how she reached that point. It also showed how similar she and her brother are despite being very different on the outside. the relationships Rain or Shine has a wonderful found family trope. Characters from very different walks of life are connected to each other in different ways and form a weird chaotic loving "family". I didn't even notice the building of the group until a part towards the end which brought everyone at one place. That scene warmed my heart. Each relationship between individual people was great too. We see several types of relationships, each of them special in its own way. Some of them don't naturally click like the one between Gang-doo and Jeong Sook-hee but turn out to be the sweetest. Their relationship seems weird because they're debtor and debtee, and also illegal medicine seller and buyer. They throw barbs at each other and aren't outwardly affectionate. But they have so much love for each other and the general population too. Then there's the relationship between Gang-doo and Sang-man. These two bros were the cutest! Their relationship stayed constant throughout the drama and was strong like steel. They're the best of friends. I wish we got to know more about how they grew close. Another great relationship was that between Gang-doo and Yoo-jin. If I had to pick the unlikeliest couple to end up as friends, I would have picked these two. They're from different worlds, have different lives, different priorities and world-views, and simply don't fit. But they worked! Randomly and subtly, they developed a nice friendship. They became drinking buddies who share life and love advice. There was one relationship I couldn't like, though. Moon-soo's best friend Kim Wan-jin's relationship with her beau. The drama tried to do something there. They tried making another unlikely relationship work but this one didn't work for me. I couldn't see the chemistry. Compared to the other great relationships, this one was dull. source HanCinema the romance Gang-doo and Moon-soo's relationship was on the front stage of the drama and it was done well. Their relationship development is one of the best that I've seen. Both of them are flawed characters coping with pain in their own way. But they share trauma and pain in a way no one else will understand. They meet after Gang-goo gets beaten up in another random fight that he got himself into and Moon-soo, finding him lying bleeding in an alley during rain, takes him to her father's place out of kindness. After that, their paths continue to cross and they grudgingly become friends. When they notice each other's coping mechanisms and triggers, they say nothing and just support each other. They recognize the pain in each others' eyes which makes their relationship special from the start. In the second half of the show, I liked the persistence with which they held on to each other. Especially Moon-soo. MINOR SPOILER ALERT When her father and mother disapprove of Gang-doo early on because he clearly has baggage, Moon-soo responding with "do I not have as well?" touched me. Instead of shoving it under a carpet and doing what she wants, she argues with them and defends him. I really liked that. SPOILER END A lot of the tension in the romance was due to internal factors and not external. The drama dealt with it head-on and deep-dived into the reasons and vulnerabilities. This also felt like a consoling message to the viewers. "You may also feel the same, but here is how you're holding yourself back. It is not wrong to want and hope for something." The romance in this drama is not one with obvious sparks, good banter, or cuteness. It was about finding the one person to hold hands with during bad times and supporting each other. Gang-doo and Moon-soo have a solid relationship. It was wonderful to see a romance like this compared to the romances we see otherwise. the love triangle I generally don't like love triangles. It is generally because we know that the second lead will not get the girl and we feel bad for them. The second lead syndrome is a big thing for Kdrama viewers. But in Rain or Shine, the love triangle didn't make sense. The drama's plot is so heavy on Gang-doo and Moon-soo's relationship that any other possibility doesn't even close to it. We can't even consider it. Seo Joo-won liking Moon-soo was weird. It actually took personality away from his character. There was clearly no chemistry or even possibility of a romance between Joo-won and Moon-soo. But it was a slightly big part of the plot. In my opinion, the story would have been just fine without this link. It was not required for the plot or any character's development. Even if it was just a crush that went away in episode 3, it would have been fine. Instead, it was dragged on for longer than necessary. the main characters Ha Moon-soo I'm not surprised that Won Jin-ah won an award for this role. Ha Moon-soo is smart, independent, dependable, and responsible. She takes care of things and her mother. She is determined to do her job right and point out mistakes. She is also kind and friendly. When she is rattled, she can be mean but she smoothes things over with people. Moon-soo's flaws are less visible. She keeps things bottled up. When she gets rattled, doesn't tell anyone or ask for help. When something triggers her PTSD, she gets through it alone. She makes it her mission to not burden her mother anymore. She has survivor's guilt because she survived whereas her younger and "more talented" sister didn't. Her growth in the drama is slower and less apparent because she seems "well adjusted" on the outside. But there is a quiet strength that builds in her as she loves and receives love. It was wonderful to see that. Lee Gang-doo source HanCinema Played by Lee Jun-ho, Gang-doo is a rough and scruffy guy who doesn't have a great life. He is rebellious, outspoken, and quick to fight. But underneath it all, he's is a grump is a very soft heart. He just uses the more outwardly painful ways to deal with his PTSD. While Moon-soo's personality shines individually, Gang-doo's personality shines through his interactions with people. He pretends to not care about anything but he helps everybody. He is dependable in a very different way. No matter what, he will be there for his loved ones. Each of his relationships with Moon-soo, Sang-man, Yoo-jin, grandma Seok-hee, his sister, and even Joo-won show something about Gang-doo. There is a point later in the drama where we get background on his relationship with Ma-ri that cements his personality. Until then, their relationship was the only one I didn't understand but it clicked right then. It was the last piece required to declare that Gang-doo is a great character. I would say that Gang-doo could have been played better. There were areas where the acting wasn't great. There may be other actors better suited for the role. But Jun-hoo did try his best and it comes through in several small ways. The actor has become popular recently due to his apparently great performance in The Red Sleeve. I'm looking forward to see him act in that Korean drama. Seo Joo-won source HanCinema Played by Lee Ki-woo, Joo-won was the only character whom I didn't like. His character was so perfect in the beginning that he didn't feel real. He is so righteous and showed no flaws. At the time, I was neutral to him. After a while, when I fully could not get behind him liking Moon-soo, my opinion became worse. Gang-doo and Moon-soo were going through tons of growth and doing so many things. Meanwhile, Joo-won was not doing much. Towards the end, the drama finally shows his flaws and vulnerabilities. But it still wasn't enough. The acting wasn't great as well, especially with expressions, so that affected my views on the character as well. Jung Yoo-jin source HanCinema I really liked the actress Kang Han-na in Start-Up and was happy to see her again. It was a little disappointing that she had a similar role in this drama as in Start-Up because I couldn't get to see her range. But she did bring her all into this character. Yoo-jin is a competent, smart, and confident team leader in the company sponsoring the project. At Joo-won's request, she comes onto the project and supports him in all the right decisions. She also butts heads with her brother, the CEO, often. What made me really like her was how she defied her status and class for a simple friendship. Her relationship with Gang-doo, where she even accepts romantic advice from him, threw her in an entirely new light. Through Joo-won and Gang-doo she showed herself as a dependable friend. Sure, she has her flaws like still pining over Joo-won but she trumps past them to be the best version of herself. She also had great growth and I was really satisfied with where she was at the end of the drama. In the beginning, she was shown only as Joo-won's ex, but her character was cemented properly by the end. I started off not liking her but liked her way more by the end. discussions INCLUDES SPOILERS If you don’t want to get spoiled, click here to skip to the “overall” concluding section. Some quick spoilery opinions The way Wan-jin's romance started was not impressive. Meeting the guy because she filed a report against him is fine. But the way he barged into her house and suddenly started taking care of her? Yeah, didn't like that. I loved how Moon-soo and Gang-doo didn't suddenly become "cured" of PTSD because they fell in love. Even at the end of the show, when they get back together for good, we see a scene where both of them are triggered by going to a mall. They experience it separately and don't even talk about it. They hold hands and move on. That symobolized a lot. Their pain is still their pain, but they get through it with a loved one now. The drama is definitely one of hope. Gang-doo goes through so much pain and trauma. Right when he was grabbing the good things in life, he was dying. And right at the end, a miracle saved him. That may have been a tad unrealistic and in favour of a happy ending, but I'd like to interpret it as hope. Even when you've lost hope of everything, a miracle can happen. Don't hesitate to grab it. What Gang-doo went through was horrible. The drama doesn't shy away from taking us with him through his trauma. It was painful but the part that I still think about is him holding Moon-soo and crying. He cried and said that he's happy that she forgot. She's able to move on better than him. Watching that scene was like sticking pins into my heart. The timeline of what happened right after the collapse is not clear. This is really bugging me. We saw flashbacks where Gang-doo met Moon-soo, got her out, and then I assume met Sung-jae. And then things get murky for me. We clearly saw flashbacks where Sung-jae holds onto Gang-doo's leg, begging him to save him. It looked like Gang-doo was getting himself out, leaving Sung-jae. For a long time, I thought his guilt was because of leaving Sung-jae behind. But later, we saw a flashback where Gang-doo goes to Sung-jae and gets a rock off him only to find that his leg was severed. That was scary. We also saw flashbacks where Gang-doo and Sung-jae were sitting together and talking right before Sung-jae passed away, sitting next to Gang-doo. Gang-doo, scared, kept talking to Sung-jae as if he was still there. Years later, Gang-doo can still hear Sung-jae's voice in his head. Now, the part that I'm confused about the flashback of Sung-jae holding onto Gang-doo's leg and begging him to save him does not match what I mentioned in the last paragraph. Gang-doo clearly helped Sung-jae when he found him. Gang-doo did not leave him alone to die. So when did that scene of Gang-goo trying to get away from Sung-jae occur? Was it real? Was it not? Were those flashbacks due to PTSD which warped his memories? If you have a clearer perspective of this, please explain in the comments. overall I binged the show so I didn't notice the faults of the drama as much. I didn't give myself time to pick it apart. Still, I can say that the drama is not perfect. The casting wasn't perfect, the plot isn't amazing and the directing could have been better. But the drama had a message to convey and it was done well. It is a sad and comforting show. The feelings coexist because, through the sadness, the characters find comfort and happiness. And that gives hope. I highly recommend this drama if you're looking for one with a lot of emotion and depth. check out more Kdramas While You Were SleepingMy First First LoveThe Heirs let's chat! Have you seen Rain or Shine? What are your thoughts on the drama? Are there any other dramas similar to Rain or Shine that you would recommend? This drama was so emotional in a completely different way. I'd love to watch more dramas like it.

I just recently finished binge watching Just Between Lovers aka Rain or Shine and loved it! For those trying to complete the 2022 kdrama challenge, I made a list of categories it can fit in-some will depend on your personal circumstances. 3. A drama that won an award in the r/KDRAMA awards. It tied for best romance in the 2018 genre awards. 6. A drama featured in a meme/screencap post on r/KDRAMA see xnphile's post below. 8. Drama set in the season you were born-if born in fall or winter 9. Drama featured on the r/kdrama banner list 11. A drama that came out the year you joined the subreddit-2017 14. A drama featuring a found family Lee Gang Du has several people around him, "granny," the hostess club owner, his good friend Sang Man, and his landlady. Ha Mun Su has her good friend, as well as the auntie who helps run her mom's bathhouse. 16. A drama starring a Kpop girl/boy group member that debuted before 2010 Jun Ho is a member of 2pm, which debuted in 2008 18. A drama inspired by a review written in r/KDRAMA There are several such reviews. well, at least on r/kdramarecommends. I'm not sure if posts on that forum count. Maybe if you read this review before watching, it will count! 19. A drama that shows your profession or lifestyle doctor, architect, construction, hair dresser, webtoon writer-not sure how to classify Ha Mun Su's profession-she builds architectural models. 20. A drama set in multiple timelines There are several flashbacks and we learn more of the story of the tragedy. 23. A drama featuring sandwich product placement-it's subtle, but in one of the episodes, the main character brings Subway sandwiches back to the office. 24. A drama where one of the lead actors contributed an OST to the drama. Jun Ho contributed an OST. 27. A drama featuring a randomly selected trope. Some of the featured tropes the last two depend on how the trope must be interpreted a. loan sharks b. wrist graps c. piggy back ride d. childhood connection e. drinking herbal tea for interpretation-missing the last boat. They don't, but the female lead references it. g. staying for ramen. Again, not sure how this is meant to be interpreted. Do the leads actually have to use staying for ramen as code for sex, or if the leads just have to sleep together. 31. A drama featuring an umbrella on one of the promotional posters This drama is about two people who suffered through a tragic accident together in the not-so-distant past. Their paths cross and they find love and healing as they deal with their past trauma. What I liked about the drama The OTP. I found the chemistry between the OTP to be amazing. It's a very different feeling than most romcoms; it's not so much about "sparks" and heart fluttering moments, but rather about a deepening trust and an emotional connection that is built on something more than attraction. Their physical relationship is more believable than others; they communicate well generally, and they stay by each other's sides. The connection is established much earlier on in this drama than in most romances. There are relatively few tropes in this drama, compared to others. Yes, I've mentioned a few above, but the drama doesn't feel tropey. Most of the tropes fit organically in the story. Some but not all of the side stories. I loved the ML Gang Du's relationship with his "found family," especially with his "granny." Their relationship was deep and caring. His relationship with the landlady's son, Sang Man, is also beautiful. There's a moment when Sang Man talks about God blessing Gang Du by sending someone good into his life, and Gang Du quietly remarks that Sang Du is one of those blessings sent to him. The cinematography. This drama was so beautifully filmed. Some of the scenes, especially on the docks either at sunset or sunrise, are breathtaking. What I liked less. I didn't love all of the side stories. The shouty CEO of the construction company who seemed too much a caricature. I wasn't that taken by the story of Mun Su's friend, the webtoon writer. And I didn't care too much for the second leads. This got a bit angsty at times. It's not a light, fluffy watch by any stretch of the imagination! Watch this if you like slow, contemplative dramas that are beautifully filmed you like complex characters you like realistic romance with no love triangles you like dramas that are relatively free of tropes Don't watch this if you don't like angst you can't stand any noble idiocy

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just between lovers kdrama review