Backstreet Rookie (2020)

It's actually good

I'm new to kdrama and this is actually my first time writing a review, honestly the acting is really good I felt like I've grown into these characters and their personality and the story is honestly an 8 for me it's very good the only thing that's kind off a bummer is that the pacing is quite slow and sometimes I get annoyed that when Dae Hyun is about to say something I immediately think that maybe this is it and 5 seconds later I'll just do a face palm. It's like a shounen anime it's not for everybody because the pacing is slow, but it's extremely satisfying when it gets to a certain arc, but in Backstreet rookie for me the slow pace didn't really match with the climax like i didn't like the way at the end they didn't show saet byul and dae hyun kissing but that's just me lmao, but honestly I still enjoyed it. And there are times that cgi is cringy and makes me curl up out of cringe but as the show progress it disappeared (thank god). Backstreet rookie's random story (like an individual character scene) is kind of a double eged sword. Sometimes I scratch my head thinking why did they even put that scene what's the point? But the good thing about it is it made the characters have more life, as if they were really real. I just wish shone more light on jang mi, eun byul, kang jiwook, etc. Overall I'd give this a 8.5/10 I loved it, I also love the fourth wall breaks the way that Dal sik created a comic about the whole series and at the end it shows the crew and everything. This drama made me smile and laugh soo yess In short I loved it :))

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Controversy or not, The drama is oddly addicting~

Before I have begin my journey of watching Backstreet Rookie, I remember the time when it was first airing the first few episode where I heard a controversy which did affect me slightly in terms of perception (I was watching It's okay not to be okay at the time). But I wasn't one to exaggerate such an issue so I have commence watching after a few week has passed without bringing in any prejudice and largely ignore the smaller problems others would find.

Turns out, the drama was so enjoyable on the comedic level with a fusion of popular culture that exist globally. The amount of references would borderline make the drama "a parody" that you can relate to and laugh alongside the cast. The drama is so different, absurd and out-of-this-world. None of this should ever be taken seriously and watch with a grain of salt is my core advice. The drama became oddly addicting as I wanted to know what would happen next cause every turn can be unpredictable.

I am a believer that the best drama should have a "sound-complex plot" being the way forward due to the number of drama I have watched in the past which is inclusive of every cliche/typical elements I am well-versed in seeing.
Yet, Backstreet Rookie would be the 1 in 5 typical drama that I enjoy fully. The drama delivers what it states to be, a strong-superwoman female lead with a fragile background revolving around a kindhearted, honest male whose dream is to provide comfort to the people in his neighborhood through a convenience store. With many twist and turns, find out more as you feast on your eyes on the visuals and the fun aspect the cast had filming.

What's even more outstanding are the characters acting level where in particular, Kim Yoo Jung (the female lead) can get very emotional with detailed facial expression I caught. Truly I would love to give her a hug and a pat on the back and she is a natural in that field. Her action-fighting scenes were well-performed and I am looking forward for more of her projects in the future. In contrast, Ji Chang Wook play a more laid-back character that is unusual considering his past roles for Healer/K2 (having many actions scene). Although he didn't reach the intensity I have seen in other works, the hole was instead filled with his love charisma and the comfort he provides to our female lead. Him being there for the female lead mentally would uplift her acting. (Rather than downplaying it if he were to play "the fighter kind of role" )

Whenever the leads/minor characters talks about their difficulties and how for the first time in their life, they could receive the warmth and love that they don't expect ever receiving. My heart broke a few pieces too with teary eyes. This is why the casting for the characters was done well, other than the villain who weren't very relevant. The OST list was alright with my favorite being Sleepless Night by Rothy and Something by Kang Daniel. I am sure if I want to laugh one day, I would re-watch the drama but I don't recommend watching with your family because of how it can get awkward with some of the "almost-erotic" like scenes.

My final thoughts for the drama would be about how the drama wasn't able to start on the right foot. This drama was enjoyable for me so it is a pity when it couldn't get the love it deserves. The drama intention was to make you laugh and the cast were doing a honest job. I hope more viewers can give this drama a chance and depending on your sense of humor, you would either like it irregardless of how weird it is or dislike it for the flaws present in the plot. Have a Happy Watching and Wish you all the best.

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Amazing Drama

It's was really good and I'll recommended this to all the k - drama watchers out there. The story plot is really different from what we usually see. It was so funny and thoughtful at the same time. The acting especially. Woah, they were so realistic. All in all an amazing drama I'd say. Do watchhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

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Too many reasons to skip this drama

One can only put up with so much for what is ultimately a typical romcom. There are obvious challenges to adapting an “adult” webtoon for a general audience: crude humor, offensive stereotypes, and questionable objectification of characters. Is there an audience for this type of material? Yes, but it is most likely not you.

Let’s make it clear(er). Fart jokes and body gags - check. Uncomfortable and unnecessary depiction of “Jamaican” culture - check. Love line between a minor and an adult - check. Backstreet Rookies is not worth the mental gymnastics needed to overlook its glaring flaws.

Story:
After peeling away Backstreet Rookie’s controversial gimmicks, a very familiar plotline remains, i.e. hardworking leads that suffer from a series of misunderstandings. Even the “female chases male” tag is easy to find elsewhere. Characters are also black-or-white and never break their mold. So, the drama relies on various gimmicks to push the narrative forward. While some are wholesome or funny, others are uncomfortable or offensive and cringe inducing at best.

Acting:
The cast is definitely the lone bright spot in Backstreet Rookies. Ji Chang Wook is well established, and Kim Yoo Jung is quickly establishing her young adult career. Some viewers criticized the age difference between the two, and all I will add is that Kim Yoo Jung is at least of adult age (compared to her age while shooting Love in the Moonlight in 2016). Supporting cast is stellar with Kim Sun Young, a staple highlight in kdrama land. Everyone outperformed their simple and flat character designs.

Music:
Backstreet Rookie’s OST fits well with its story and the lyrics are even used as lines throughout. The drama uses a more modern sound and often relies on input from various kpop artists. Rothy’s OST contributions are always solid. Still, the music is rarely compelling enough to make a drama watch worthy in itself.

Rewatch Value:
In the end, I am surprised to find myself finishing the drama. It was difficult to get through my usual 4-episode trial, and there were later episodes (scenes) which made me want to drop it. Save yourself the headache and indulge in the many other kdramas available. Although it has its own flaws, the recent drama, Itaewon Class, is a better feel-good drama about hard working under dogs.

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Missed opportunity

The controversy

first things first, i don't care about the controversy but if you are someone who gets offended really easily i would suggest to avoid this show. there are couple of questionable things and situations here and there in the show. so make your decision wisely

The music , the editing and the cinematography

the music is very good and gets the job done, its not something that i would put on my phone and listen to but its really good and there are some really good standout ost and soundtracks in this one. sound-effects are also very well done and precise, this show has high production value and it shows the editing and cinematography are on point here.

The Acting

both of our main leads do a very good job at the acting . Ji Chang Wook is a seasoned actor and performs as well as you would expect him to. but for me its the Kim Yoo Jung who steal the spotlight as Funny, Sassy Bad-ass and some what questionable Jung Saet Byul everyone else does a decent job with the material they were provided with.

The story The Characters and the writing

this is where the show falters for me, its starts out well with the characters, there setup and there motivation
and then it went downhill from there. the romance is the biggest disappointment for me. here i was hoping for some cute, sweet and fluffy romance between the leads and we got.... I don't even know what we got can you even call this a romance. first show focuses way to much on JCW and HSH relationship (which Was Trash btw ) and when the show did decided to focus on JCW and KYJ it was already too late.

the story is mediocre and there are couple of other side characters here and they have there own storyline going on but it was meh for me. non of the other side characters or there storyline did any thing for me they were mostly underdeveloped.

This is the worst case scenario for me because i could see that this show could have easily become one of my favorites but because of bad writing , annoying as hell characters (HSH) and mediocre story made it one of my worst experiences of 2020

And one more thing Do Sang Woo, why was he in the show, his character was probably one of the most pointless character in Kdramas this Year

The Conclusion

Overall my suggestion would be to completely avoid this show (unless you are a massive fan of either of our two leads) there are way better shows that you can watch .

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The first 10 episode for me is one of the better rom com mainstream drama out there in terms of the way it's unfold. So many moment and situation that I can relate. The Struggle of the main character get written quite well, Name Dae Hyun and Saet Byul. The drama never lose track untul it hit episode 11 onwards. As If the writers doesn't have better option of how to solve the problem more cohesively. Unfortunately. really..... Since I really Love those first 10 episode about prejudice and conflict between different social class seems quite touch the reality. Since episode 11 onward, the drama despite has it's moment, the drama start losing it's momentum for me.

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Not really a RomCom

Going into the drama, I watched it without putting too much thought. Only after reading comments online did I see the controversy, but I will not talk about the controversies (the age gap/cultural appropriation). I'll let the viewer watch it and form their own opinion.

Pros:
1. Great cast. The only reason I finished the show was for JiChangWook and KYJ. Both are very attractive and good (or capable at the very least) at acting their roles/characters in my opinion. Supporting characters were okay, I don't have any strong opinions on them.
2. If you like slow burn romances, then this show is for you. But, I warn you, there is not much romance.
3. I will give it a +1 since this drama has the FL liking the ML first, and them making moves.

Cons:
1. No skinship. I don't really recall hand holding. There were a few hugs, but there is no kiss scene. Ending is a teaser kiss but they don't actually kiss. I still don't know why they butcher the ending like that when this is a romcom. Yes there is kiss scene in episode 1 but for the sake of the development I don't classify that as a kiss scene.
2. The drama could have been better if there was no kiss scene in the beginning, and they saved that for episode 9 or 10 or something. Yes, I get that it may follow the web toon but hey not everything needs to be followed right? We can make some adjustments for the sake of it being a drama? Right?
3. The ML is involved with his ex for like a majority of the show. Way too much time invested with his ex when the show needs to develop and move on. If I remember correctly, his ex is still in his life around ep9. And even up till the last episode the ex is still trying to get back with ML... isn't this a tad bit too much?
4. Too much attention/emphasis with the parents. The drama does not give enough attention and screen time to the couple. I wouldn't even call them a couple, but yeah. They need more conversations together. They really don't have much to talk about, now that I look back and think about it. It's mostly them just laughing or ML making some joke on how he's awesome and FL praying that ML makes a move. I don't mind this though, I only mind the emphasis on the side characters and family.
5. Most of the show is just the FL hoping the ML likes her (dont get me wrong I love it when the female makes a move on the male first), but its so repetitive to the point that it gets boring. It's to the point where as the viewer I just wish the ML just accepts her advances, but throughout the show its just the same repeating process. I am talking about the times AFTER the ML has broken up of course.
Here's where it gets interesting.
When the ML finally proposes to the FL, guess what? The FL pulls a 360 and says she needs to think about it... when she has been madly* in love with the ML since before ep1. At this point the director could have gave a classic kiss scene. But hey I understand not every drama needs a kiss scene for romance right? They could have even just done some cliche romantic talk scene but no. They just further complicate by having the FL be undecisive then run away.

TLDR: Beginning episodes were pretty good. Stayed for the cast. Plot and development were not good. Cast was eye candy, probably the only reason to watch. Not a very satisfying drama.

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Drama that rose above criticisms

This drama started with bunch of criticisms but rise above everything to prove it's worth. Both YooJung and ChangWook proved their versatility as a professional actress and actor. It just so happens that Korean culture might be different than the rest of the world.

Th plot is cute and fresh. The comedy is made out of ridiculous scenes which are actually funny. YooJung and ChangWook's chemistry is romantically cute and funny. It wasn't the best romantic-comedy I've seen but I really loved the it. GeumBi and DalShik's romance is also one of the scenes I anticipated the most. More than romance, it also tackles family drama with a lot of heartfelt scenes that brought my eyes into tears.

There were some premises in this drama that might be uncomfortable for sensitive viewers like the fact that SaetByul is way too young for DaeHyun, but if these kind of things doesn't bother you, I can assure that this drama is worth the try.

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ITS A SIMPLE LIGHT HEARTED DRAMA

I rarely finish watching an ongoing dramas and due to this i rarely watch ongoing dramas.. i usually wait for it to finish and then binge-watch it. BR is one of the few i watched while it was ongoing and didnt drop it midway.

The first thing i want to say to those who decide to watch this drama is its not as problematic or as controversial as some people projects it to be but its not the best drama out there either.. this drama definitely dont deserve all the controversy surrounding it.. people over exaggerated every action in the drama as if this created everything thats wrong in the word.

One thing that made me like BR is that i officially became a fan of both JCW and KYJ.. i never got the hype behind KYJ until i saw this drama(i have only seen her in moonlight drawn by the cloud and i dropped that drama half way through). she is like a breath of fresh air onscreen.. she brings a certain kind of energy whenever she is onscreen.. i have seen that kind of energy only in jun ji hyun and park bo young.. KYJ is kind of like a younger version of JJH to me.. i always found jcw to be one of the best looking guys out there but this drama made me appreciate him as an actor.. he can pull off a character like daehyun who dont have any special skills or charm pretty well.. if you want to see JCW as the charismatic and charming kdrama lead then you will be disappointed with daehyun but if you want to see JCW as an actor then DH is one of his best roles..

the story is very simple and the characters seem real.. one of the very few dramas that show both the good and bad of almost all the characters.. none of the characters are pure evil or perfect.. everyone has their pros and cons.. the different thing i found about this one is, it starts off by showing the negative side of every character and then slowly shows the depth in them.. characters like DH's father and SB's sister might come off as extremely selfish and self-centred at the beginning but its just that the way they do things are not the ideal way..

PROS
1. the relationship development of SB and DH is really good. there is understanding, mutual respect and trust b/w them as well as they give each other personal space. KYJ and JCW have good chemistry without a lot of intimate scenes. they both are good actors so all their emotional scenes came out well.. like the characters, their relationship also started on a questionable note but ended up being so beautiful.. it started as an obsessive infatuation of SB towards a good-looking older guy who was nice to her but ended with uplifting each other and correcting each other's flaws.. even though there is an age gap there is a sense of equality in their relationship.. DH takes the front seat when one of them needs to be wise and SB takes the front seat when one of them needs to be bold or strong.. they complement each other quite well..
2. SB and DH's mother's relationship. they both are hardworking and sincere but are taken granted by their family.. so they both understand each other very well.. all their scenes are high on emotions.. again the actress playing DH's mother is amazing.. she is good as the loud but good-natured mother.. she clearly can make you love her in one scene and irritate you in the next.
3. DH's personality. i personally loved his character. he is at times too good for his own good but is a very respectable guy. he might not be a macho alpha male but has the patients to deal with things the right way.. he is sincere and gives his 100% to any relationship he has.. he stayed loyal to his gf because he is a loyal person and his gf deserves his loyalty and not because he was blindly in love.. he clearly liked SB's company but also knew to draw the line..
4. since the drama didnt had any high tension moments or cliffhangers, it was like a stressbuster.
5. the emotional scenes of the drama were really good.. one of the best i have seen. you can connect with every character and understand why they get emotional..
6. SB and her friendship with her 2 bff esp GB.. GB might be from a rich household but clearly understands the struggle SB faces and is always there for her.. those two girls are friendship goals..
7. SB's character growth.. the makers kind of put a bump to it on ep15 but quickly clears it on ep16.
8. BR had one of the most satisfying endings for me.. there was no proper kiss but still every scene of DH and SB was worth it..
9. parasite and the fiery priest reference. i just finished watching fiery priest when i started BR and FP reference and guest appearance from some of the FP cast were hilarious to me. the parasite reference fits perfectly into the story.

CONS
1. the stretching of DH-YJ relationship. it becomes a bit repetitive after a point.. we get it why they are together and also get it why they shouldn't be together.. the makers have made that pretty clear by ep 7-8 but still the breakup happens only on ep 9.. also the actress playing YJ was the weakest link in the cast.. she has very limited facial expressions. like every other character, she is also not too good or too bad but since she is the roadblock to the union of SB-DH as viewers we tend to hate her the most. DH becomes an unlikable person when he is with YJ and he might come off as a weak guy when he was in the relationship. the showed how this relationship is eating up his real self.
2. there were some scenes and characters that should have been cut short and more screen time should have been given to the leads in the end of first half of the drama.. ep 7-9 was a bit dragging..
3. not enough fluffy romance b/w the leads.. this one was supposed to be a rom-com but ended up being a comedy slice of life drama with a pitch of romance here and there.. there is a lot of meaningful and emotional scenes b/w SB and DH but dont have much typical romantic moments..
4. the time gap.. the makers didnt made the time gap b/w the breakup and DH starts developing feelings for SB more evident.. if you give importance to minute details then there is a lot of time difference b/w DH's breakup and his feelings for SB but if you dont notice it then it might feel like DH started falling for SB within a week of the breakup.. EB's sister debuted after months of training but it might look like she debuted within weeks of joining the agency. same with SB's exam.. it looks like she wrote the exam after 2 days of studying but the time gap is only evident when she remembers the flashbacks with DH helping her with her studies..

there were some episodes i didnt enjoy as much as the rest but when i look back i liked the overall drama.. this drama definitely deserves a try..

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This is a very typical comic-styled comedy, with really outrageous special effects and random jokes.
I'm a huge fan of the drama trope memes they inserted here and there, including a guest appearance of the Temptation of Wife OST somewhere when side characters were breaking the fourth wall.

Forget about the romance though. Honestly I couldn't find much chemistry between the two leads, and the second female lead arc went on for wayyy too long (and the second male lead arc way too short! I had severe second male lead syndrome for that guy but he didn't even put up a good fight)

I would recommend this for the laughs, especially if you're a kdrama veteran and can see through their play on drama tropes (though they end up committing a few themselves)

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