Someday is a Korean TV drama that aired back in 2006. At the time, it was a bit refreshing for a K drama, both for its unusual premise and excellent incorporation of manga drawings and anime scenes throughout the series.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Here's your story: Hana is a talented but reclusive Japanese manga artist who takes an interest in the lives of an elderly neighbor lady and the elderly gentleman who hand sweeps the street outside her home every morning at 3 am. One day, the gentleman passes away, and Hana's family is tasked by the community to take care of his estate and remains since he has no family. The lady soon shows up however to abscond with the ashes of the gentleman who forever swept her street. Fascinated by these 2 people, Hana sets off to find out more about their relationship. During her journey, she uncovers a 60 year love story between the lady and gentleman. She then tries to tell their love story in the form of her new manga series with the help of some other characters that show up along the way.
This series started off exceptionally well, and, I was quickly taken in by its subtle and unique method of storytelling. Unfortunately, it hits a wall HARD during the middle to latter half of its run time, as it falls back on so many tired cliché driven subplots and typical overly forced melodrama. I really wanted to skull punch the people in charge for practically ruining it all. I sometimes wish I had some all encompassing authority or magical ability to edit these shows as I see fit before they air; this is absurd of course, and, I do realize the nature of, and time constraints involved with, airing KTV shows which must fulfill a certain number of predetermined episodes. I'm rambling on here, but the basic problem with this show is that it is an excellent story that is stretched out way longer than it should be.
There is a lot to like about this series though: The epic love story mystery at the core is interesting, and the efforts of Hana and her cohorts to bring this story to life while dealing with their own love interests and problems along the way is often entertaining. Also, the drawings and animation utilized throughout the series are superbly implemented, and, the 4 main leads/stars are all quite good actors/actresses. I really liked the soundtrack too; the title song and the dramatically cued love song are both still stuck in my head after all these years, and that's saying something! I also did very much like the final episode and how the series ended overall.
The main problem with this series is that it's simply too long. As a result, the forced melodramatic nonsense gets out of hand as the series progresses, before it finally gets back on track. All of the characters are quite likable to begin with, but their melodramatic "de-evolution" makes you end up not wanting to like any of them. Here's a breakdown of the 4 main characters:
1. Hana. She's shy, introverted, and doesn't like people or believe in love. She avoids interacting with the world and finds solace only in her drawings. She supposed to slowly start to emerge from her shell as the series progresses, and she does, but she also spends a lot of time just being cold and sullen, before the show finds its footing again.
2. Hana's love interest. This guy is a handsome young resourceful dude who has a knack for storytelling and interacting with people. He helps Hana come out of her shell as they both work towards completing the new manga, and, they begin to fall in love with each other along the way. Unfortunately, he also spends a good number of episodes throwing violent temper tantrums and whining a lot. At one point, he literally spends 2-3 full episodes as a drunkard who does nothing but cry nonstop.
3. The doctor/psychiatrist. He's a very successful and good looking MD, and a highly reasonable man. He happens to be a huge closet manga fan, and, he possesses a gigantic stash of same that's hidden in an awesome secret room which he escapes to in order to relax with his hobby. He's a big fan of Hana's work as well, and, he soon becomes smitten with her when they meet face to face due to a series of events. His love for Hana is clearly misplaced, which would be OK if he didn't end up coming across as more of an obsessed and creepy stalker more than anything else.
4. The woman who produces the manga series (probably my favorite character). She's an attractive single woman that is focused on her career as an independent producer. She's hard working, and very good at what she does, and she's a perfect match for the doc referenced above that she has a crush on. It's perfectly clear that she and the doc should be together, but he's obsessed with Hana at this point, and there's no reasoning with him. So, she reacts accordingly and spends a lot of time just being a manipulative woman who pulls whatever strings she needs to in order to get what she wants (both professionally and personally).
This synthetic melodrama really drives me crazy! Why are the writers and director intentionally trying to make us hate these characters?...NEWS FLASH: This does not make the show any better or more watchable, and it actually does the exact opposite. I'm perfectly fine if the melodrama flows naturally, but if not, DON'T FORCE IT! You've practically ruined what could have been an excellent show because of your mistaken belief that more melodrama ALWAYS equals better series. IT DOES NOT!
If you're going to watch this show, I recommend skipping over episodes 9-14 or thereabouts; you'll be glad if you do.
So, 6.5-7.5 out of 10 stars. Watchable, but should have easily been way better! 7 stars it is!
