▲ This photo, provided by tvN, shows the drama "Our Blues." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

 

SEOUL, Apr. 19 (Yonhap) – The new weekend dramas "Our Blues" and "My Liberation Notes,” which delicately depict the psychology of the characters, received mixed reviews.

According to a broadcasting company on Apr. 19, tvN's "Our Blues," which was first aired on Apr. 9, recently recorded a viewer rating of 9.2 percent, which is on the verge of surpassing 10 percent.

Meanwhile, JTBC's "My Liberation Notes," which broadcasted its first episode on the same day, has narrowly maintained 2 percent in viewership, falling from 3 percent to 2.3 percent.

The two dramas made their debut by emphasizing their strengths of embracing emotions while genre dramas with intense subject matters, which center on OTT(Over-the-top media service) platform, have become a trend in the entertainment industry.
 

▲ This photo, provided by tvN, shows the drama "Our Blues." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

However, while "Our Blues" drew sympathy by featuring characters with various stories, "My Liberation Notes" has received reviews that it is not enough to attract viewers' interest due to rather depressing stories of the three siblings living in rural areas near Seoul.

“Our Blues,” a series in an omnibus format, cheers for the happy and bitter lives of people enduing pain but never losing hope to get over the ups and downs of their lives.

A total of four episodes have been aired so far, portraying two stories with the blue sea of Jeju Island in the background.

The story of Han-soo(Cha Seung-won) and Eun-hee(Lee Jung-eun), who were high school friends and now have become middle-aged, reuniting after a long time makes audiences smile, while the young love stories of Young-ok(Han Ji-min) and Jeong-joon(Kim Woo-bin) tickle viewers.

It has received favorable reviews that the strength of screenwriter Noh Hee-kyung, who created successful humane dramas including “It's Okay, That's Love” and “Live,” stood out once again.

The cast leading the story of each episode has also drawn attention.

S. Korean sars Lee Byung-hun, Go Doo-shim, Kim Hye-ja, Cha Seung-won, Shin Min-a, Kim Woo-bin, Uhm Jung-hwa, and Han Ji-min have appeared in the drama. The actors transform into the realistic characters in the work and tell stories of pain and hope that anyone experiences once in their lives.

 

▲ This photo, provided by JTBC, shows the drama "My Liberation Notes." (PHOTO NOR FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

On the other hand, there are many responses that viewers feel uncomfortable watching "My Liberation Notes” as they see characters indulging in self-pity with the generally sluggish mood of the drama.

First, Yeom Ki-jung(Lee El) complained to her friend, saying that the blind date she went on "failed," while Yeom Chang-hee(Lee Min-ki), her brother, faced a breakup notice from his lover, who told him that she cannot stand him because he is out of style. The youngest of three siblings, Yeom Mi-jung(Kim Ji-won), is an introverted character having difficulty in relationships even at work and office dinners.

Through the three siblings, the drama tries to unveil the hidden feelings that people have not been able to look directly into. However, it is pointed out that it failed to draw sympathy due to excessive emotions.

On top of that, there is also an evaluation that it is frustrating to follow the slow pace of development of emotional scenes, which are screened with the monologues of the characters.  

 

▲ This photo, provided by JTBC, shows the drama "My Liberation Notes." (PHOTO NOR FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Although the drama has drawn attention for its renowned screenwriter Park Hae-young, who wrote "My Mister” and "Another Miss Oh," which were loved for the lines that sharply reveal reality, some people point out that "My Liberation Notes” seems to have "famous lines" in mind, making the story quite awkward.

Drama critic Gong Hee-jung said, “’Our Blues’ has a wide range of actors from various age groups and Noh’s own style of sensibility, which digs into the story of daily life, touch the viewers,” adding, “The setting of Jeju Island in the drama also led the work in popularity.”

Gong also mentioned, “On the contrary, ‘My Liberation Notes’ is inevitably narrow in the range of audiences as it pursues minor emotions of the youth living in a quite rural village Sanpo,” adding, “However, as the drama is still in the early stages, it may be evaluated as a highly completed work like “My Mister.”

(This article is translated from Korean to English by Kim Sun Min.)

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