After a few delays due to the awards season, Now, We’re Breaking Up came to an end on January 8. The romantic drama starring Song Hye-kyo and Jang Ki-yong was a story of love and breakups set against a backdrop of the fashion industry. It focuses on Ha Young-Eun (Song Hye-kyo), a beautiful, trendy team leader of the design department of a fashion company called ‘The One’. Yoon Jae-gook (Jang Ki-yong) is a successful freelance photographer. It is about their love story and the people surrounding them.
The drama had people divided with some finding the slow pace of the show a bit too much. There is no denying the show was slower paced even when compared to other romantic shows. However, that actually formed part of the charm of the show. Here are some things we enjoyed about the show.
Song Hye-Kyo’s performance was definitely one of them. The actor showed why she can be counted amongst the best in the industry. Even though the chemistry between the leads wasn’t always on fire, Song Hye-Kyo performed throughout the show. All the emotions of her character were beautifully portrayed. Her gentle personality and unwavering support for her loved ones was comforting to watch.
The show is definitely less fast-paced than others. However, if you are a fan of Something in the Rain and She Would Never Know, this show had a few similarities with those shows There is the backlash from family against the main couple’s relationship, the dynamics of an office environment and all the angst and drama.
What we liked about the show was the focus on interpersonal relationships which were done so well. There were the parent-children relationships, the husband-wife relationships, the friendships and the romantic relationships. So many different ones were depicted with so many different outcomes but it was beautiful to see them all unfold. One of the most special ones was the friendship between Young-Eun, Chi-sook and Mis-sook. It was so heartwarming to see their decades long friendship and how it strengthened even as the trio went on different pathways in life.
The ending might have seemed a little too open-ended (no spoilers!) but it was actually quite realistic. Life isn’t always about happy endings. Sometimes people don’t end up together – no matter how much they care for each other. Life isn’t generally all happiness – there is loss, grief and sadness and this drama showed all of that.
There is a quote from Song Hye-Kyo’s character which sums it up. She says: “that is the path called lie, and living means even if some things hurt, we have no choice but to go on walking down that path.”
On the lighter side of things, another cool thing about the show was the fashion. It was about the actual designs the team at Sono were creating and using to put on fashion shows. But it was also all the fabulous clothes that the characters wore. A special mention as an EXO-L has to be Oh Sehun’s fashion. All of his clothes were expensive – which is expected as the face of Dior! His performance was also surprisingly good as well as his chemistry with So-young.
All in all, the show was a comforting watch which is definitely recommended if a break is needed from the faster shows.
How did you like this series? Let me know in the comments below!
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You being out several points that I hadn’t thought about.
I had a hard time staying interested because of the slower pace, and you point out that that wasn’t really a negative aspect.
My biggest thing was the pairing of the leads. She is a fabulous actress! Her character’s emotions were portrayed beautifully. On the other hand, he just didn’t seem to have that ability to deliver his emotions equally as well. At times his performance was so understated that it just didn’t seem like he was “all in” portraying his character.
Overall, I was disappointed in the drama.
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I was also disappointed. So disappointed that I gave up midway. This is my 4th Song Hye Kyo drama, and I honestly can’t say I’m a fan. All of her characters, in Encounter, DOTS, and now this drama, seem like slight variations on a theme. Not since her early role opposite Rain in Full House, was there any sense of surprise or discovery in watching her. As for the writing, I found the pace too slow, the characters too much caricatures, and much of the dialogue pretentious. I just didn’t like anyone enough to stay until the end.
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I had a similar take, Song Hye Kyo’s character isn’t surprising/interesting enough for me to get hooked. Plus the slow pace and the predictable dialogues. I like slow-paced storylines but this is just really hard to finish lol.
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