Bo Ra! Deborah (2023)

This show needs a scripting coach. Not a dating coach

What impressed me about this show is not the plot, which feels tropey and bloated, but the acting of our leads, especially our FL.

Allow me to explain. I knew the FL has great visuals especially her eyes. They are so expressive. She certainly looks glam from her first scenes, but her role soon required her to pull all her carefully curated facade down. We are talking total demolition. So much ugly crying, drunken antics, and serious faux pas. This is not unheard of in k-dramas where excessive drinking seems to be a national sport but most rom-coms would not take things too far and will let the leads down gently before buoying them up with a new lease on life and love. It is rare for a show to drop their FL in a pit of despair like this. So, hats off to Yoo In-na for her dedication to her craft.

Now, the plot was running reasonably well up to the halfway mark and you'd think that we are on course for an easy jog to the finish line. Unfortunately, we are hit by a relationship tsunami;
a) Both leads have had a nasty breakup, and both are hurting. Their growing feelings for each other is helping them to heal but their burgeoning romance begins to founder after their first passionate kiss. Add a couple of clingy ex's and it is a party. Hey, maybe we should start a drinking game. We take a shot after each cliche plot device. (Shot #1/2/3)
b) The marriage of the 2CP (FL's BFF) threatens total meltdown. It is also the usual growing apart/you changed trope (shot #4). I’m not saying that it can’t happen in RL, but it feels scripted and the resolution swings their relationship in the completely opposite direction without much preamble. It does make you wonder if it is sustainable.
c) The 3CP failed to launch when the older boss rejects the young pretty part-timer. It is the classic ahjussi-sonyeo setup (shot #5). The boss was burnt by a messy divorce, so he pushed back hard initially. This is not helped by a lack of chemistry between those two. Does the 3ML loves the 3FL at all or his took the path of least resistance once his male ego was suitably stroked. I see troubles ahead.
d) The 4CP's (FL's sister) romance is a textbook "love at first sight" trope. (shot #6) It is cute and sweet enough but it gets complicated real fast. Which resulted in another tropey situation. (shot #9? I'm too drunk to count)

When you consider there are only 14 eps rather than the usual 16, we have a petri dish of woes. This creates a lot of interference and left little room for our OTP.

This is a serious issue as it is the chemistry and connection of the OTP that captivated us in the first place but then it hits a wall while the ML tries to overcome a speech impediment anytime he needs to confess. All the while, the FL is suffering from terminal frustration. The extra 3 CP's and sundry ex's are fillers and they take the wind out of the OTP’s sails. Who’s show is this anyway?

By now, I'm hanging on with grim determination. There is no reason for the show to go dark on us and commit hara-kiri but there are moments of self-doubt. It is with a collective sigh of relief that the final episode delivered a sugar overdose. It is pretty much pure fan service. Not that I’m complaining but it really highlighted how the show took some serious detours before arriving at the designated spot. Honestly, I can pinpoint scenes where the ML could have said the magic words to the FL and we are home and hosed.

Acting wise, the FL is the star of the show, but the ML is very charismatic. His chemistry with the FL is undeniable. I loved his ability to portrait his inner thoughts, but I hated that aspect as well because his indecision has a major impact on the flow of the plot. However, this is a script problem.

Speaking of acting, the support cast is ok but most of the roles are tropey and one dimensional. For a shortened run, there are too many side plots/characters. It is hard for us to sort the wheat from the chaff. This is where the show lost points with me. Focus! Writer-nim focus!

In hindsight, I can see why the show wants to push the idea of loving someone for their real/imperfect self, rather than someone who is roleplaying the perfect partner. It is particularly true in this age of unrealistic expectations created by overheated social media. However, is that message consistent across all our CP's? I'm not so sure.

The show is entertaining, and I enjoyed watching our leads falling in love and healing each other. There are some skinship and a decent amount of swoon worthy moments. The rest is a bit of a crapshoot, and your mileage will differ. I do think that a better script with more clarity, fewer side plots and a smaller cast can take this show to the next level. Peace out.

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You know what's coming

When you watch this drama you know what comes next. You never say ''Ooo I didn't expect this''. Everything is cliche and basic in the scenario.

I know FL loves her boyfriend, but her action is lame. She tries every problem to act cute. Like women, if act cute they can solve their problems and also they need a man, a new man, or an ex-man to rescue them. Also, they persist that women should beauty. So all doors open for them. Did they finish this kind of drama ten years ago?

Bora's sister and her boyfriend's story also feel like watching something ten years ago. Their happy ending can't suit this era. Irresponsible and childish.


In the end, everyone is married and happy. Yeeah good for you. In the beginning, they show social pressure about marriage on women. She can handle all this pressure, but in the end, they have to show this ring. Because everyone knows happiness just comes a ring. -_- They still can't be happy without a ring.

Acting isn't a problem but I really don't like characters. Also, all of them are my favorite actors, I feel a little bit sad for them.

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Pleasant surprise !!!

Surprisingly i found the annoying Debora adorable and reliable towards the end. At first i hated how she clinged to her ex despite all that he has done to her. She portrayed all the emotions thay anyone would go through after breakup so perfectly that it annoyed me .
Ofcourse world seems to collapse if all that you have dreamt about just flew into thin air without any traces yet i am s proud abput how Debora picked herself up depicting "life must go on no matter what" . She came back, came back with grace.

I would give a 10/10 to how well each character in this drama was designed. Nothing felt like a gap filler and absolutely fascinated by every actors screen presence.
I was not annoyed nor despised any character all of them were lovable

Deborag-soo hyuk :- Taught me that Happiness can be pursuied by killed petty pride
YuJeong - Jinwo :- Made me want to believe in marriage

I just love DeBora does self-talk and yet deliver such beautiful and meaningfull message to every soul who has went through pain. The dialogues were note-worthy. Memorable oen of all - Now that you have fallen to the ground all that you can do from here is RISEUP!! It is a perfect mix of friendship, comedy and romance

NOTE:- Not everyone will find someone like JinHo who takes responsibility . This is drama for a reason . So choose people wisely and HAPPY LIVING!!!

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A Fun Rom-com

This show was such a fun watch! This really played out a classic rom-com trope in 14 episodes. If you take it as it is suppose to be which is silly, but also can get serious at times it is such a fun watch. I thought it was also interesting how relationships were discussed.

Did I think the portrayal of relationships was realistic? No. But personally I find that is what makes this type of show so fun! I would highly recommend for Rom-com lovers.

Also side note the female mc’s acting is just - chefs kiss! She can play a fun character like this but also add micro expressions that portray a further depth into the character

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We wanted more!

I started this drama mainly because Yoo In Na was in it and because the drama's synopsis reminded me of 2010s romcoms. The story was off for a very promising start, but they kept on dragging it. We only got the genuine confession in the final episode, and a short scene of Bora and Suhyeok being lovey-dovey at the very end of the last episode. There should be a special episode dedicated just for them, because I think that the other couples (Bomi/Jinho, Yujeong/Jinwoo, even the divorced couple) had a more interesting story. There was a lot of tension between our main couple, but that was it. If they wanted it to be slowburnish, it should've gone smoothlier, not make them mistakenly kiss at episode 8 and then make them beat around the bush during the following episodes. Still, I'm happy Suhyeok mustered up his courage at the end and said it literally that he loved Bora. This drama was a nice watch, but has a poor rewatch value. I also really enjoyed the comedy and the acting of the cast, I wish them the best for their upcoming projects!

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Peaks. Valleys. More peaks. Lots of valleys.

"Bo Ra! Deborah" has many characteristics of a dyed in the wool, stock set up rom-com. But it's oddly light on the romance between the leads, erratic with the comedy and with a narrative that is stretched extraordinarily thin across its run. Despite it's negatives, Yoo In Na is terrific as the titular lead once she is allowed to play to her strengths. Her presence makes this a show worth investing the time (at least most of it) to watch.

The rest of the cast? Park So Jin is marvelous but is paired with Lee Sang Woon who plays an exceptionally unlikable husband in a particularly dismal manner. June is a refreshing and likable and energetic presence but Kim Ye Ji's character is so inconsistently written that until a late arc adds some heft to their relationship, it's a disappointing subplot. Hwang Chan Sung works as a loathsome ex to Bo Ra, but it's a one-dimensional caricature which naturally raises significant credibility issues about how she ever would have considered him a desirable match in any respect.

Yoon Hyun Min somehow is getting lead roles despite being the epitome of bland. The writing doesn't do him a lot of favors as his character has an arc but he is asked almost universally to not emote in the slightest. Even in the big moments, it's a character that seems to only exercise restraint, caution and detachment.

What would have aided "Bo Ra! Deborah" more than anything else would have been to axe a good chunk of episode 2 and almost the entirety of 3 & 4. What could have been accomplished with a handful of scenes and a brief musical montage is brutally trod through nearly 200 minutes of excruciating run time. It gets better, much better, at the halfway point and continues almost through to the end with some strong episodes.

Memorable? No. Enjoyable? Ok sure.

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True to Uniqueness

Food analogy: A whole plate of tasty dimsums, juicy and spicy with tasty dipping sauce, but you didn't eat the last few pieces with the sauce, so it tasted a little bland.

This series was like playing pieces of puzzles, healing in a few, breaking down in the next, again some heart-warming bits in the others.

Story was nice, not the worst and certainly not the best, it tries to put other side stories in parallel which doesn't pack as much power.
I get the show tried to show different points and perspectives of relationship but it lost focus from the best and the main one, deborah's arc.

But nevertheless, it is filled with many good and unique moments, and has produced some nice laughs. A great show for a one time watch

The cast was amazing. FL has been one of my favs since Goblin and she never fails to be amazing, and it's my first time seeing the ML but i would definitely follow him from now on.

Give it a go. Overall not bad at all.

Also, it is my first time identifying the attachment styles of a character as "oh, he is an avoidant, and is in a relationship with the anxious" haha, growth.

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Don't hesitate to say love

As a seasoned actor/actress, both Yoo In-Na as Yeon Bo-Ra, and Yoon Hyun-Min as Lee Su-Hyeok, showed their quality. The chemistry between the two is very strong.

When Bo-Ra cried bitterly in Lee Su-Hyeok's arms, it felt like her heart was being torn apart.

And in another scene, laughing out loud when Bo-Ra fights with her ex-boyfriend, Noh Ju-Wan in front of a garbage truck.

Bo-Ra shouted at the garbage man while pointing at Noh Ju-Wan:

"Sir, there is still trash, please dispose of this trash."

To which Noh Ju-Wan answered: "If I'm trash, you're going out with trash."

Genuinely laughs hard, especially when Bo-Ra swears at Noh Ju-Wan:

"You are toxic waste that will no longer be able to be recycled".
The premise of the Korean drama "Bora Deborah" is actually just about a woman trying to get back up after being dumped by her boyfriend. So exciting after being told that this woman is a love consultant.

If something bothers you, it happened in the final scene of episode 14. For some reason Lee Su-Hyeok is being pretentiously cute.

Another upsetting thing is the story of the young girl Bang U-Ri who has a crush on Han Sang-Jin, the middle-aged CEO of Jinlee Publishing. The chemistry between the two is really bad.

That's all. Overall Korean drama Bora! Deborah is highly recommended. Not only for those who are exploring relationships, also for married couples.

Oh yes, even though it is about the love affairs of 4 couples, there are no bed scenes in the Korean drama “Bora! Deborah”. And there's no need either. After all, it can be illustrated by other scenes, such as the scene of Yeon Bo-Mi -Yang Jin-Ho who is nervous waiting for the results of the test pack.

If they don't do it, why are they nervous?

Further reviews can be read at:
https://www.maria-g-soemitro.com/2023/05/bora-deborah-jangan-ragu-katakan-cinta.html

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Only The Main Couple Matters

The reason for couples being cheesy-in-love was maybe so we don't complain about the LACK OF ROMANCE - cause what we got, in the end, was cringe af.

The random pregnancy arch ruined an almost perfect couple - almost cause Bomi was annoying as sh!t. Who would their sister so bad? It seemed like a bad attempt to portray a younger sibling: almost as if she was a 'teenager' because her behavior as an adult was unacceptable.

The WORST part of the show was the AGE GAP couple. Ew. I don't know the age gap in the drama, but the real one is revolting enough. Age gaps around 5-years are good; I'm even down with 10-year age gaps when both parties are FULLY GROWN (30+) consensual adults but 44 and 25!? 19-YEAR AGE GAP - are you kidding me? I was so uncomfortable that I had to play it at 2x speed.

The married couple was only entertaining because of Yu Jung, but after one point - I had enough of how mistreated she was. The ending made it seem like a miscommunication trope, but it was so much worse than that. To act as if Yu Jung was SOMEHOW at fault for her husband acting indifferent to her - PLEASE. No man in love would treat his beloved like that. He felt shivers when she was in the shower bruh tf. At first, I thought that maybe he was ace or just having difficulties in that department (ruled out cheating cause he didn't look the type), but no. He just "GOT USED TO HER" - LMAO. And how did it turn back to normal in the end, huh? All her attempts to initiate romance or even a conversation were met with a whiny adult who just wanted to put it all under the rug. She felt so neglected that she even considered DIVORCE, but it all was MAGICALLY resolved in the end, huh?

And what's with K-dramas treating cheaters well these days? Neither Ju Hwan nor Yuri faced the consequences of their actions. The show is fiction: at least show some poetic justice in it. Yuri even ruined another man's life, and people just let it happen - WTF? Soo Hyuk acting like her two-timing was okay was NOT OKAY. Ju Hwan has generational wealth, so his only loss can be losing Bora.

And finally, the BEST part of this show: YOO IN NA. I love her so much that I couldn't digest giving this show a 1/10 despite the disappointments. I LOVED BORA SO MUCH. Yes, she wasn't perfect, but feeling her pain during the breakup and seeing her journey was so well done. I felt her pain, cried seeing her cry, and rejoiced when she moved on. Soo Hyuk was great, too - not for lacking boundaries or letting a cheater get away but for being a good man. I loved that he mourned the loss of his relationship too, and his inability to communicate. It's a first: liking a character's communication problems cause at least he tried. He cared, and he got it at last. He was so kind and generous towards Bora: this is how people express their love - those who have trouble saying "I love you" out loud do at least.

The ending was rushed, but the cringe made me glad about it, lol. I binged 12 episodes in one day - that's how good the show was. However, I struggled with the last two episodes. I regret making the last 2-episodes my "treat" after a long week's work ;_;

Side Note: the old friend being a big, mean, jealous woman didn't sit right with me. Though, she wasn't the worse afterall. They showed a WLW-couple in the montage of Bora reading her fan's messages, but the subtitles used 'he/him' pronouns for the lover. Korean doesn't have gendered pronouns, so I get the confusion. Bora was called 'skinny fat' - don't make me laugh.

Anyway, that's a wrap, and I look forward to seeing more dramas starring In Na now.

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A REALISTIC, HEALING AND FULFILLING ROM COM❤️

While watching this, I felt like I was right there witnessing every ones story growth and development.

There many things I adored about this drama but what I loved most was the story/ plot, regardless of it appearing like any other romantic comedy this had depth to it, it was perfectly paced and consistent it was entertaining at the same time heart breaking but also had a way of keeping viewers involved,it had a realistic approach to it and most of the couple stories were more than relatable to me.

The characters were imperfect, there is nothing more I appreciate about K dramas than when they write a character so flawed and imperfect you can't help connect with them, relate to them and root for them because they feel human, that type of connection q character and viewer feels can only be really felt if the viewer can relate to the character in one way or another and in this show we had flawed characters with actual problems and struggles...as an example I'll give is Bora's story line,from her having this relationship she though was perfect only to be disappointed, to her stages of grief and coping with a break up,to her slowly putting her self together and getting back on her two feet it really felt connecting..other characters had worries of their own as well, coping with first loves, marriages, making wrong decisions,being impulsive, clueless and scared..that's how imperfect yet amazing they made all the characters in this series...it felt good.

The leads relationship wasn't abnormally or wierdly paced in my side, it felt normal since they were two broken people trying to heal from their demons...they couldn't rush into a relationship..it had to take time and it did pay off at last.

The osts were absolutely beautiful...and one more thing liked was when she said at the end“ Our story doesn't have a happy ending and neither does it have a sad ending, it has an opening ending" there's room for growth, they might have issues with their relationship and might even break up but they still have time to find that out❤️

Conclusively, I highly recommend this, it ain't just a rom com it's a deep fullfilled story with imperfect yet beautiful characters and stories and lessons and nice quotations...it's a roller coaster of all emotions put together which makes it extremely beautiful ❤️

I LOVED IT

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How to mend your broken heart and lose the fight in love gracefully

Story: The story was plainly relatable about love lessons in the lives of different couples’ relationships. This drama exactly showed the realism of being cheated and dumped and the recovery process from pain and sadness caused by it, of being in a marriage in which the husband is turning cold, a marriage that could have been saved from getting divorced if both openly communicate to each other, prejudged may-december superior and subordinate workplace romance, and a blossoming relationship tested with an unexpected pregnancy. The story was written and carried out reflecting truthfulness in every scene that certainly any viewer could identify themselves in one of the characters. It was honest and direct with no unnecessary and pointless dramas.

Acting/Cast: This was my very first to equally loved all the couples in a drama. The whole cast was all great and whoever was responsible for the casting (usually the director) has a very good eye in choosing the right actors not only who will fit the role but who will make a nice balance and look for the overall cast. June of iKon was a revelation. I didn’t expect that he could really act properly. I guessed their acting pieces of training from YG ENT. before is now paying off. Of course, Yoo In Na, whose always been one of my favorites bagged the top performance in this drama. She was beautiful on-screen and possessed that special charm that so far I have only seen in two Korean actresses, her and Lee Da Hae. If you’ve seen My Girl, you would know what I meant by that charm. It serves as their key weapon and works well when they are doing rom-com. Another surprise was the strong chemistry between Yoo In Na and Yoon Hyun Min. Their romance was settled a little late in the story but even in their constant bickering and interactions provoking their hearts in a sweet and funny way; they can actually affect you and see in them that mutual sense of attraction. I am not leaving behind Joo Sang Wook who was also remarkable here and showed his flexibility in acting.

I immensely enjoyed this drama. I had a good smile and laugh. I learned something. I loved it. My precious time was meaningfully spent watching it.

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