Leiura

This drama felt realistic in it's plot and characters. Even characters which I was sure would be painted in a negative light came out to be very human and lovable. The first drama I've seen where every character was someone you could empathize with and root for. Lee Na-Young's character was inspiring, beautiful and strong. A solidly written female lead. One of the best I've seen in asian dramas. As a fellow female in her 30s, I empathized HARD with her on many fronts. Normally slice-of-life type dramas fall flat or feel relatively mild in their plot and character developments but Romance Is a Bonus Book really blew me away and kept me engaged through every episode. It's one of my top favorite dramas and worthy of a rewatch.

This is the first drama where I cried so hard for a secondary character. Yoon So-Hee's character really ripped my heart out and I continued to cry for her character until the end by simply thinking about her. I wasn't in agreeance with giving Kim So-Hyun's character the happy ending as she had a personality I just couldn't empathize with. And, as much as I like Kim Myung-Soo, I didn't feel like the darker role he played was a fit for him. There were a few other things I could nitpick but for the most part the story was enjoyable. I like historical dramas so I'm a little more lenient when it comes to glossing over certain things in this genre. It's not a drama I would consider rewatching but worth watching at least once nonetheless.

I really didn't feel the chemistry between the actors for this drama and found the romance to be flat up until the end (and by then it was too late for me to get into.) The general overall story is unique and the cinematography is gorgeous throughout. I was a little annoyed by how much "Harvard" was mentioned repeatedly through the show and the past connection between the two main leads to be weak. The show is fairly episodic with an overarching storyline that slowly fills in as it goes. I think I liked the side characters more than the central characters to be honest. Regardless, it was a fun watch and I'm curious to see if they decide to do a season 2.

This is a beautiful fairy tale-esque drama and I was surprised to see a western religious philosophy being used. Honestly, I came in with low expectations but came out a believer. The main leads have great chemistry on screen and portray their characters wonderfully. Both Shin Hye Sun and Kim Myung Soo did well in portraying the innocence behind their characters while still maintaining their central personalities. Even when the characters fall to their lowest points of desperation they remain believable and empathetic (and very human, despite the fairy tale setting.) There are repeated themes you see in other asian dramas (such as a past connection, a rich main lead, etc.) but plenty of unique themes or underused themes that, when mixed together, create a memorable experience for the viewer. I felt the story flowed logically from one scene to the next. There was plenty of comedy sprinkled throughout to keep the atmosphere light for most of the show and enough fluff to keep romantics satisfied even from early on. The ending had enough closure for me but I would have been happy to have just a little bit more. :)