Melo Movie

Disclaimer: I'm bad at English so I use AI to translate my review.

Summary: Just watch it and let it sink in because, in reality, it's complex and not overly melodramatic.

This series is intricate and tries to tell more than it can fully explain. You can enjoy watching it more than once because there are many symbols for you to decode. If you're a hardcore fan of series that delve into the philosophy of life, you'll love it and want to rewatch it, at least once more.

The romance part is just a way to lighten the heavy nature of the story and serves as a tool for the writer to tell the narrative. In the end, the series tries to take us on a journey to learn about the differences and the subtleties of life's transitions. I think the Male Lead (ML) performed excellently, living up to his reputation, while the Female Lead (FL) was standard. I didn't feel any disconnect in their performances.

I rate this series very highly because I don't see it as a romance series. If you're looking for a good romance series that will make you cry over a romantic relationship, there are definitely better ones out there. But if you're searching for a series that explores philosophical themes of life, this one will definitely be top of mind. It even gives off more of a J-Series vibe than a K-Series one.

Some movies are exciting and keep us late into the night, eager to see how the plot will unfold next. Others are a slow burn but can be watched over and over because of all the subtle details and commentaries you discover rewatch after rewatch.

Melo Movie leans closer to the latter. If you are looking for a plot driven story, I urge you to consider watching this through a different lens. Because this movie has authentic, deeply layered characters and takes us on a beautiful exploration of love and relationships.

Choi Woo-shik's talent is well utilized as the male lead as he expertly balances his bubbly charm while masking deep-seated struggles of loneliness and sadness. Park Bo-Young is also well-cast as the tough-exteriored female lead who secretly harbors an unmet need for love. Even this description of both lead characters feels shallow and unjust as they each display all of the emotions and facets of a real person, oftentimes with a simple look or gesture. You feel like you know these people or, better yet, ARE these people. The rest of the cast similarly have their distinct personalities, motivations, flaws, and strengths. Kim Jae-Wook, in particular, is a scene stealer, showcasing a bittersweet brotherly love. Each episode unveils a new layer to each of them as well.

The second deceiving quality about this series is the implication of what a "melo" or "love" story consists of. As someone who consumes both Western pop-culture and plenty of K-Dramas, we often come to expect a love story to focus on the lead couple's trials and tribulations on their way to (hopefully) a happy ending. This series does plenty of that, but through the relationship of the lead couple, we are also introduced to an interwoven ecosystem of the relationships around them, and you start to realize this story is about love in ALL of its iterations. Many will ask, "Does this have a happy ending?" Without spoiling it, one can say yes and no. Much like life, some relationships flourish while others end. But each love story: parent/child, romantic, platonic, sibling - they all evolve. This is not a story where Evil is defeated and Good triumphs, or even where the underdog beats the alpha to get the girl. It's a very realistic, grounded exploration of relationships.

For some, this could be hard to enjoy because it does not offer the escapism that we may come to expect from fictional TV. Instead, it is a mirror, showing us what love looks like in every form. From the characters to the cinematography, to the music, and the color scheme: every artistic choice of Melo Movie tells a love story. It reminds us that love can hurt us, love can leave us, but love can also heal us, and love can bring us to new adventures.

Melo Movie reminds us that love - for all its ups and downs- is a gift. And in this world, where headlines often highlight acts of hate - I'm happy to slow down for a bit and reflect on love with this series.

I love kdramas and I have seen the main leads in other shows and I know they have great potential However, it seemed wasted on this show, the main reason was it missed opportunities to further develop the characters, and needed more action from them. The emotions didn't translate as well and couldn't connect on a deeper level with them, needed a narrative of who they all were in the past. Parents death, brother suicide, relationship broken (this did not need so much air time) - do we/can we fix this or move on? Poorly executed.

To sum it up, they all felt like walking at the same speed - and couldn't tell them apart. Would have liked to see stronger reactions, timings at key points but it was too slow towards the final 5 episodes. Started well then crashed.

A shame as I love the cast.

There is always a problem with the dramas with no villain or any revenge story that they don't seem to be engaging easily as they have to had a really good story to engage audience. Melo Movie is a good drama with 10 episodes which deals with few problems of adulthood like making a living and being independent. It's modus of profession is Movie Industry. When you watch it from the starting it does seem to entertain a bit then you may find yourself fast forwarding it a little bit. The characters were good the actors did a excellent job especially Park bo Yong. She being a versatile actress did a great job in delivering the character and same could be said for Choi woo shik. If you ask me it was more of a coming of age drama rather than romance as it enlightens the relationship between parents and their children and siblings, it touches the the concept of depression related suicide attempts. Overall the drama characters is good but the story was not engaging ans was hefty to finish, you can watch it if your are fan of Park bo Yong aor Choi woo Shik.

Great series all the way until the end. Too much left unresolved. Some of the storylines resolved horribly. Acting was good, which made it bare able in the end. I was left think, ok there should be 2 to 3 more episodes. Loved Park Bo-young and Choi Woo-shik. The way each Episode ended was kind of confusing with time flow. So watch all the way to credits or you'll miss something. The soundtrack was excellent and was another plus for the series. I really think Melo movie could do with a second season. So if you're looking for a short series that's just okay, this is it. It won't get you hooked on K-dramas, but it will help past a boring weekend.