I Need Romance 3

I Need Romance 3

8.5/10

I Need Romance 3

Genre:                                   Episodes: 16                          Year: 2014

Romance

Comedy

Synopsis:

Shin Joo Yeon is a woman who used to be innocent and kind, but has been hurt badly by failing love and turned cold. Joo Wan grew up with Joo Yeon as a child, but hasn’t seen her since he moved to America. When Wan returns to Korea under the name Allen, he is sad to see how life has hardened Joo Yeon. Joo Yeon doesn’t recognise Wan as the boy she grew up with, and he uses that as a chance to show her real love.

Cast:

Sung Joon (Joo Wan)

Kim So Yeon (Shin Joo Yeon)

Namgoong Min (Kang Tae Yoon)

Wang Ji Won (Oh Se Ryoung)

Park Hyo Joo (Lee Min Jung)

Yoon Seung Ah (Jung Hee Jae)

Park Yoo Hwan (Lee Woo Young)

Yoo Ha Joon (Ahn Min Suk)

General Thoughts:

Well, well, well- that’s an adorable little drama right there. Sung Joon really carried the romance well and made this drama one of the better noona romances around. As far as the ‘I Need Romance’ franchise goes, I will admit that this one didn’t really seem to fit in the same mould as the other two before it.

More romance, less angst

I’m not complaining as I actually preferred ‘3’ over ‘2011’ and ‘2012’, but hardcore lovers of the franchise might be a bit put off or disgruntled at the differences. For starters the love-line. It’s far more dreamy, fairytale, not-quite-real than the previous two. Rather than being about the everyday struggles of loving someone flawed and getting to the heart of why the main couple fell in love, ‘3’ takes a much more typical K-Drama approach in that it’s mostly about the joy and fluffy feelings of a beginning romance.

Not the same three friends we're used to

It’s also a fairly new relationship. In ‘2011’ the leads were in a 10 year relationship, and in ‘2012’ they’ve grown up in the same house all their lives. Here, Wan and Joo Yeon may have known each other as kids, but they’ve never met as adults. This meant that the romance was more about falling in love rather than staying in love. This instalment also lacked the noticeable girl-trio. While it was a bit sad to miss out on all the girl bonding and friendships (we did get a bit of this in the last few episodes), it also meant that the characters felt new and interesting. The ‘2012’ girls felt a bit like carbon copies of the ‘2011’ girls, so it was nice to have some new personalities in the mix. The writers also didn’t commit as hard to the love triangle as they did previously. While in previous seasons there might have been some doubt as to who would end up with the girl, I don’t think anyone was really thinking that Wan would be left high and dry while Sunbae got the happy ending. Perhaps the biggest difference is that this story is primarily told from the leading male’s point of view. Joo Yeon does do a lot of voice-overs, but it’s mostly Wan’s thoughts and Wan’s side of the story that we connect to.

It was definitely Wan's show

These differences were what made the drama feel new and refreshing, but there were definitely similarities that reminded you that it was part of a franchise. We got the same voice-overs letting us in on our leads’ thoughts, the same thoughtful, contemplative tone, and the same editing style.

Do I believe this relationship will last? Not a chance.

It was enough to remind you of the things you loved in the other dramas but also avoided seeming like it was trying too hard to cram all three shows into one distinct set-up. Moving onto this drama alone, there were really so many things to enjoy. The romance is what takes centre stage (obviously), and the lack of a competitive love triangle meant that we got to see and enjoy every moment of our hero wooing his lady love. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, and there were definitely some sadder moments, but the show never lost itself in trying to drag out too much emotion. The characters felt genuine and sincere and their situations were relatable, so that let the emotion of the story flow naturally without feeling forced. We were sad when our characters were sad because we connected with them- not because of some angsty soundtrack and weeping actors. The characters were all flawed enough (except maybe Wan because he’s perfect) that they felt real. There were sides to each character that were both likeable and dislikable, and the relationships were all fun to watch develop. I really loved the inclusion of a man in the early friendship circle, as it meant that in the girly conversations it added a male opinion. The acting was pretty great all-round. Sung Joon was particularly delightful.

Sung Joon is the biggest big spoon I've seen in K-Dramaland

Even though Joo Yeon was a character that had a lot of defences (that sometimes made her seem dislikable), Kim So Yeon acted her with an undertone of vulnerability that kept the character likeable. The four different couples and their different issues felt new and interesting, and meant that our main romance could take its time telling its story, as there were many other plots to keep us entertained in the meantime- my favourite being Min Jung and her baby-daddy.

You don't even know what you've just started

I will admit that I wished the side stories had a bit more depth and/or screen time, as it felt like a rather abrupt end to their stories. But then again, that would take away time from how adorable our leads were, so I’m not super disappointed about it. Also, side note- the soundtrack for this drama was wonderfully enjoyable and added a lot to the series. 

What Was Great:

Goguma:

Ahhh the K-Drama hero that doesn’t exist in real life no matter how hard we wish. Wan was just an all-round perfect hero. He loves and protects his girl and never forgets to let her know just how special she is.

Things like this just don't happen to regular people

Sure, Wan had his (minor) flaws, but he’s the type of drama hero that every girl wants in real life. The last drama I watched Sung Joon in almost completely killed my love for him, so it was nice to be reminded of why I like Sung Joon so much in the first place. He does the sweet younger man so well, and was just too adorable for words. 

Learning Curve:

Throughout the whole series, each of the characters were learning things about themselves and about the people they cared about.

This is what happens to regular people

It meant that the drama felt like it was continuously moving forward, and we never got bored watching similar scenarios play out. Even though Joo Yeon’s brief stint with Sunbae felt really awkward and emotionally dead, it was easy to watch because we knew that it was something Joo Yeon had to go through in order to recognise her own feelings. Se Ryoung could at times be a character that was difficult to like, but she was great at causing conflict for our heroine. Se Ryoung brought out the worst in Joo Yeon, and not only was this a problem in that it made Joo Yeon a worse person, but also because it distanced her from Wan. While it was nice to see Wan calling her up on her mistakes, it did add a bit of nervousness to the relationship- when would Joo Yeon finally get sick of Wan nagging her? It was excellent that Wan eventually came to the realisation that he couldn’t force Joo Yeon to change, and that he had to accept her the way she was now, and not just love her for the girl she used to be. The two main girls, Joo Yeon and Se Ryoung, had mass amounts to learn when it came to each other. I’m glad that they were able to play nice by the end (even if it came on a bit quick), and they each took what they learned from that relationship and used that to better their other relationships.

All the b*tchiness was worth it to get our heroine here

What Wasn’t:

Fairytale Finish:

Every ending was tied in a neat little bow. I’m usually not one to whine about happy endings (because I love happy endings), but it did feel a little forced here.

I guuuueeesss I can live with all snoodles and no angst

Wan and Joo Yeon didn’t really encounter any really problems that stemmed from him being so much younger than her. It felt a bit like we ended on a happy note, but were going to miss out on so much growth and development they could have had- the downside of dramas that focus only on the start of relationships. I also think the friendship between Joo Yeon and Se Ryoung was wrapped up a bit quickly- as if the writers suddenly realised they didn’t have enough time to do a bigger reconciliation. I also wanted to see a little more of Min Jung and her baby-daddy and all the issues they would face. Of all the conclusions, I think I was most disappointed with the way Hee Jae’s story finished. While I really liked Woo Young and believed that he liked Hee Jae, I never really bought her side of the romance. I thought what her character needed was some single time without a man telling her who she should or shouldn’t be. I guess she sort of did get that a bit with her trip, but I would have liked a bit more of an open ending for her character (gasp- me? Wanting an open ending?!).

Recommend?

For sure. This drama has so many things going for it. Sung Joon is a delightful hero and makes the romance really addictive. 

Long live noona romances