Drama-Lovers-Anonymous

So imagine my surprise when I started watching Because this is My First Life, expecting a pretty standard friends-to-lovers story and discover that one of the main characters is radiating ace-energy. Nam Se-hee is a very pragmatic man who needs a roommate to help him with the housework and taking care of his cat. He is a very serious person that cares a lot about his work and maintaining his schedule. He states very clearly to Ji-ho early on that he has no interest in pursuing a romantic relationship with her. His friend Ma Sang-goo states a few times that Se-hee doesn’t have an interest in pursuing women or sexual relationships at all and admits that he thought Se-hee was asexual. If it weren’t for my knowledge of the genre and how these stories usually play out, I would have thought that Se-hee was not only asexual, but also aromantic — the lack of romantic attraction. 

My personal interpretation of Se-hee is that he is demi-sexual, or a person who does not experience sexual attraction until after developing an emotional bond. Please feel free to discuss this with me if you would like. I encourage discussing different perspectives. I am especially interested in the opinion of a person who identifies as demi-sexual, as I do not. 

This reading creates a very interesting interpretation of the different relationships that are portrayed in the show. The other two main couples are very sexually active, Ma Sang-goo and Woo Su-ji expressing sexual desire before developing a relationship of their own, and the forever-couple of Yang Ho-rang and Sim Won-seok are shown in bed together. It almost feels like the writers were trying to quietly highlight how different Se-hee is from Sang-goo and Won-seok and their overt sexuality. 

All of that said, there is one aspect of the show that creates a little trepidation for me. In the later part of the series, we are given the information that Se-hee had a previous relationship with Go Jung-min (who is not portrayed as a villain, praise the heavens). In this relationship, Se-hee and Jung-min were in love and anticipating a baby, but his father did not approve of the match. After they lost the baby, Jung-min left Se-hee and left a note in one of his favorite books telling him that he didn’t deserve to be happy. This act severely traumatized him, and that’s the part that I have an issue with. 

A common misinterpretation of asexuality is that the person is traumatized, and that’s why they don’t experience sexual attraction. This is incorrect. The insinuation that Se-hee shows asexual traits because his ex-girlfriend ruined him leaves a sour taste in my mouth because of how damaging it is to the community. I wish we had seen a little more of Se-hee and Jung-min’s relationship, but seeing as it wasn’t important to the story that was being told, I can see why it wasn’t elaborated on. 

To conclude, I really enjoyed watching Because this is My First Life because it unexpectedly gave me a lot of material to think about. The characters are all uniquely crafted and interesting to watch, they have engaging dynamics, and the story is good. If nothing else, watch it for the cat. 

I really like Ha-won’s relationships with each of the boys, as they are unique and allow the watcher to easily imagine her falling in love with any one of them. The first one Ha-won is introduced to is Hyun-min, the oldest and cockiest. He flirts easily and exudes confidence. I really enjoyed the playful dynamic between him and Ha Won, and if this had been any other drama, they probably would have had a romance. As it is, the rhythm of their relationship feels more like a brother and sister who get along pretty well: protective yet antagonistic.

Keeping in the brother camp, the Chairman’s secretary Yoon-sung. He is the serious, no nonsense, married to his job type, but he is very sympathetic to Ha-won and regularly helps her out. For her part, Ha-won always treats him like an equal and encourages Yoon-sung to call her by her name instead of an honorific. Toward the end of the series he gets a little nerfed — in terms of interacting with Ha-won, but he had other problems to worry about — and I wish that he could have gotten a better ending. 

Ha-won has two main love interests in this series, Ji-woon and Seo-woo. While Ji-woon presents himself as an absolute asshole to most of the world, he has a tender side that is shown to the audience pretty early on. So he’s almost an asshole-turned-adorable, but not quite. His dynamic with Ha-won is interesting in that they are very similar people. I mentioned earlier that Ha-won is a tae-kwon-do badass, but it’s rarely brought up the first few episodes. I am pretty sure this is because if she were actually allowed to use her skills, she and Ji-woon may have gotten into a fist fight (and I would have loved every second of it). 

While Ha-won and Ji-woon took a while to warm up to each other, Ha-won immediately got along with Seo-woo and became pretty good friends. He is a sensitive-artist type and an all around good boi. It’s honestly adorable how much they just clicked, which made it even more heart-breaking when Seo-woo sorted out his feelings and got his heart subtly crushed a few episodes later. I really liked Seo-woo and every time I see a decent guy get nerfed in one of these shows I am reminded of how much I hate it. You will find love, my boi, the ending saw to that. 

When all is said and done, Cinderella and the Four Knights was a really cute story with engaging characters and an interesting story (even if it wasn’t super complicated). All of the story threads that get brought up are figured out, and all of the characters get a happily ever after. If you haven’t seen it yet, I would definitely recommend it. 

Perhaps because it was based on a book, but I really liked the story. It was well-paced and well-acted by a very engaging cast. But there isn’t anything in particular that I want to spend 300 words talking about like I usually do. In light of that, I think I’m just going to bullet-point my thoughts. 

I really liked Tie Xinlan and how her relationship with Xiaoyu and Wuque progressed. I never really trusted her claim that she was in love with Xiaoyu, especially because her dynamic with Wuque was a lot more balanced. I do wish we could have seen more of them as a couple. 

Speaking of balancing characters, I really liked the character of Su Ying and her relationship with Xiaoyu. I also appreciated that she showed up later in the story. It helped keep the question of who was going to be able to tame Xiaoyu up in the air. Plus the fact that she is one of the few characters able to keep up with Xiaoyu mentally is fantastic and I am here for it. 

After the reveal that Xiaoyu and Wuque were siblings happened, I loved the expression on both of their faces. The absolute joy was infectious. I just wish we could have seen them living with that revelation for a little longer. 

I honestly wasn’t thrilled with the last few minutes of the series in general. I would have preferred an epilogue that takes place later letting us know where all of the characters afterward. 

The Ten Great Villians weren’t really that villainous, though they were interesting parent characters for Xiaoyu. 

The character evolution of Murong Ju was interesting. She spent so much time acting like Ms. Meng that it actually felt like whiplash when she got her memories back and rejected Hei Zhuzhu. But I was thrilled when she remembered that he took care of her and realized she was in love with him. Their wedding was also wonderful. 

The costumes are bloody beautiful! 

And the sets

And the music

And the fight choreography

Especially that penultimate fight between Xiaoyu and Wuque. 

To summarize, it’s a really good show that more people should watch. 

“Here I Am” sounds like the opening to a cop show, and I love it. 

“Always” and “Not Gonna Wait” are pretty, but also pretty basic. I don’t find it particularly memorable. 

“Beauty Queen” just bops. It’s got a great rhythm, and I like the strong-woman vibe that I get from the title and the singers. 

“Dream or Reality” is pretty chill and has a nice beat. 

But… like… Time travel logic? Is there any?

Early in the series, we find out that Heo Im, the Joseon doctor, can bring Choi Yeon-kyung, the modern doctor, into the Joseon era with him. While there, she often leaves pieces of her time littered around, such as bandages with adhesives and candies wrapped in plastic. It’s just… It’s hard to wrap my mind around the idea that none of those would survive into the modern-day and be discovered. I can totally imagine an archeologist digging up one of those candy wrappers and just being baffled. “Did they have plastic and aluminum back then? But how?” Mostly, however, I just found that aspect to be hilarious. 

I think that’s the tone of this entire show. A light-hearted romp about two people that, by right, should never have met, yet they did, and it’s adorable. I seriously can not stress how cute Heo Im and Choi Yeon-kyung are. They fight and they argue, but they also geek out over medical knowledge and helping others. It’s exactly how I imagine all of my favorite couples acting. 

So… Yeah…