This review may contain spoilers
A messy but enjoyable watch
The edifice upon which this show is built is a chaotic, disorganised and spiralling series of plot threads that often didn't receive enough attention to the point where the show should have suffered. And it did in the sense of I felt it could have been so much better. At times it was ridiculous how conflicts were invented randomly without any foreshadowing, and then clumsily resolved. But crazily, Fight For My Way somehow, insanely, made it work. The messiness of the story simply worked in enriching what was fantastic about this show - and that was the relationship between Ae-ra and Dongman. Their chemistry was superb and they genuinely imparted a feeling that we were watching two bickering, best friends realising that they were in love with each other.The romantic subplots sometimes diverted from what was really interesting about the show, made worse by how cleanly they were resolved without a hint of a mention later on. Ae-ra's early dating fling being a prime example of poor writing that somehow worked out all right. Where the show prospered was on combination of strong dialogue and terrific acting. Give me a bad plot and I'll still enjoy it if the characters and acting are good. This show embodied that oxymoronic trait that sometimes accompanies shows. It could have been better if it focused more on the two main character's backstories and career pursuits. Where it concerned Ae-ra, the show told a good story about class inequality and meritocracy, about the difference of an empty CV and one built on scrapping to survive. Ae-ra's plight told the modern story of the financial constraints on ambition, on how the need to financially survive outweighed career pursuits. This arc was ultimately a satisfying one, but could have been so much more.
I'm less convinced by how Sul-He and Joongman's relationship unfolded. I don't agree with the way it ended, or at least I usually wouldn't have. Not respecting your partner should come with a price. And yet, the authenticity of the dialogues and the sincerity of the acting convinced me that it wasn't so bad. Again, the show was really good at that.
I'm giving this show a low 8.5 because I think it was ultimately a very enjoyable show but it was derailed by messy storylines built for conflicts and progression of arcs.
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Honestly, out of all the dramas I've watched, in this one I've never have thought of skipping a few seconds in any of the episodes, It was so smooth and so fun to watch each and every episode. That was only possible for the great script and the Fantastic Actors.
Kim jiWon was soooo cute and great acting , I loved her the best. Her iconic aegyo moments were too much to handle in just one go, I was watching her doing those aegyos in repeat don't know how many times :p . She's the best.
Don't think too much, If you love cute and funny drama just go for it.!
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An easily watchable series that could be re-watched multiple times with the same amount of enthusiasm towards it. When it comes down to K-Dramas in the same genre, I believe this show should be talked about way more than it actually is. I had never even heard of this show before I started watching it, yet it's one of the greatest dramas I have watched.
Anyone will love this drama!
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STORY - At first, when I read about the content, I thought that it was too banal, nothing interesting and unique.. BUT I was sooo wrong. It's realistic plot is EXACTLY what makes the story perfect, enjoyable, closer to you. It's not just typical romantic comedy, story made me think about the main point - that you have to "fight for your way".
Acting/Cast - Fantastic! Everybody has made such a great job. When you are worried about second leads as much as main leads, yeah, that says everything. I can't say which character was my favorite, there were sooo many, everyone was so unique in their own way.
Music - The songs are in my playlist !!! Every song fitted the series perfectly and made each episode more memorable and enjoyable.
Rewatch Value - 10/10.. There were so many funny moments that I wanted to rewatch today, I thought that I could skip some time in episodes, but I ended up with watching the whole episodes.
Of course, it's my own opinion, but, if you want to relax, enjoy, laugh, give this drama a chance. Hwaiting !
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The story was sweet and I can see how it could be relatable, but personally did not find it relatable myself. I first heard about this drama after watching Because This Is My First Life — while it has a similar style (slice of life, romance, and friendship), I found the issues less relevant to my life. Mainly, I know people in this world work in "third-rate jobs" and are forced to work instead of building their resume... but I am more comfortable in the world of top universities, tech jobs, elite VC, and looking to pay off a mortgage than the world of month-to-month rent. The discomfort is a testament to my privilege, and not a knock on the show at all. If anything, it made me more appreciative of all that I have in life. And I definitely admire these characters for pursuing their dreams.
I think the landlady plot was one of my favourites, and I definitely teared up as revelations related to this storyline got tied up. I also loved how the childhood flashbacks played a role in this story.
I wasn't a huge fan of the MMA fighting, but I did become invested in this. It's hard not to be when Tak Su is such a prick!
I was conflicted by the second leads' storyline. To me, the only satisfying conclusion for Seol Hee would've been to end up alone; and the only satisfying conclusion for Joo Man would've been to end up together. You can see how this led to some dissatisfaction in the end.
I also really hated all the unnecessary external folks interested in any of our four leads. Hye Ran, Moo Bin, Jang Kyung Goo, Ye-jin, and Chan-Ho... get away! I don't want to see any of you on my screen!
But above all else, the Dong man and Ae-ra storyline shone the brightest. So cute (even their friggen aegyo!)! I treasured their moments together, and I'm thankful that their time apart was short (vs. "will they / won't they?" type stories that only have them dating in the last 5 mins). I do think the ending was rushed for them — the moment in the ring didn't explain how things were different, and I wish we had a callback to the "real gold" as well. As far as a love story goes, this one was cute. And one more thing... PARK SEO JOON, YOU HAVE MY HEART.
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Funny and romantic!
Este kdrama me hizo recordar por qué amo ver a Park Seo Joon actuar. Ese hombre es bellísimo y me encanta cómo actúa.Es un drama muy divertido, muy ligero, esto último porque al verlo los capítulos se me iban muy rápido, cuando menos me di cuenta ya estaba viendo el final.
Aparte tienen una pareja secundaria con su propia historia que me tenía muy pendiente de ellos. Y eso me encantó. Las dos hsitorias no se interponen entre ellas y logran tener su propio desarrollo.
Los personajes me encantaron, todos. Cada uno tiene su propósito y no aburre ver la pequeña historia de cada uno.
El romance lo amé, fue muy bonito, yo amo los friends to lovers y este no fue la excepción.
Los dramas donde tienen como objetivo seguir sus sueños y luchar por ellos me gustan mucho. Me encanta como muestran lo difícil y lo duro que a veces puede ser, pero que no es imposible.
Aunque no me gustaba que Aera limitaba mucho a Dong man, pero creo que al final pudieron manejarlo.
Muy buen drama, me encantó!
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The plot in itself wasn't that unique. It was a typical story of four friends finding their way in life. Most dramas nowadays have similar stories. I, for one, found the premise very similar to 'Because This Is My First Life' starring Jung So Min and Lee Min Ki.
It was nice to way these four friends that are in their late twenties finding their dreams once again and finding the place they belong to. I think many people take people in their twenties for granted. Most people think that once you have finished education or granted you should be good to go in life. But, we all know that's not true. There are many people that are still lost after graduation and don't know what to do. Similarly, there are other people that are in professions that they don't enjoy. This drama really shows that if you have a chance then you should seize the opportunity to achieve your dreams. It was very refreshing to watch this. There were parts that kind of dragged especially the last three episodes. Also, there were some parts that were really unnecessary.
I mainly watched this drama for Park Seo Joon. I am a fan of his work. He is a very enjoyable actor. Once again Park Seo Joon did really well in this drama. He does really well in rom-coms. He makes his characters alive. Go Dong Man wasn't an intelligent character but he was simple and an open book. Go Dong Man was very different to many male characters. He was a character I enjoyed watching and I wouldn't having one in my life.
I was surprised at seeing Kim Ji Won as a lead character. I never really saw her as a lead but she did really well in portraying her character and I can't imagine another actress playing this role. Choi Ae Ra was a very strong female lead. Once again, this character was different to many other female leads who appear strong at the beginning but become a shell of a character near the end. It was nice to see a female lead so strong from the beginning to end. One thing, however, I didn't like was the fact she wasn't very supportive of Dong Man's wish to be a fighter. I understand she didn't want to see the man she loved getting hurt. Who would want to see? It would be torture to see that; knowing you can't do anything to help. It reminded me of Monica in Friends when she broke up with Pete because she couldn't stand to watch him get hurt. But, I do believe she should have been at least a bit supportive. They have been friends for 23 years so she knows more than anyone how much Dong Man wants to fight and the regret he felt from losing his last match. Dong Man was very supportive of her.
Seol and Joo Man were a cute couple. I was annoyed at Seol for being really weak and letting people walk over her but I praise her for standing strong and getting to back on her feet alone. I do believe Song Ha Yoon (Seol) would make a great lead character in another drama. Her acting was very good. Ahn Jae Hong did really well in portraying his character. The Coach was another enjoyable character.
I avoided this drama for a while but I'm glad I finally watched it. It was a pleasurable watch. It was a great journey to self-discovery. If you're feeling down about where you are at life and whether you are in the right place, I would definitely advise you to watch this drama.
For all those in their twenties, 'Fighting!'.
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This review may contain spoilers
This was really good. I had Dots vibes during the entire show, but I think this is better, because the most annoying things in DoTs aren't present here & what we had instead were pretty fun, plus DoTs had the worst child actors I have ever seen, opposed the top tier child actors in FfmW. Pretty much all the flashbacks were excellent, plus all the MMA fighting scenes were entertaining, it's nice that the fights did not take 15-30 minutes each, like in other dramas/movies. It was also nice that the love triangles & stuff were heavily front-loaded making the pacing of the story much better than usual, the frustration factor was also on the low-ish side. Pyo Yejin was kind of surprising in this half villain role, but it definitely worked. The ending could have been half an hour longer, but it was decent nonetheless, especially the last scene during credits. One negative thing I guess was the breakup scene at the end of E15, it was just a meaningless forced cliffhanger, since nothing changed after the breakup, there was no tension, or drama from it.The OST was definitely above average, although hearing that instrumental track from Goblin several times felt a bit strange, because the mood of this show is just so different. (ofc that song from DOTS also appeared a lot, but that was perfectly fine for this show)
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