“Nevertheless” Episode 1 Review- The Promising Slow Plot And Why Song Kang’s Acting Received Mixed Responses

Published Categorized as Kdrama Reviews
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JTBC’s newest drama “Nevertheless” has aired on the weekend and I’ve been busy so it’s been delayed for a couple of days, but now, I am finally here to discuss the drama, the discord around Song Kang’s acting, and the premise.

Let us begin!

Note: this is a subjective review. I will share my personal opinion while keeping in mind how others might perceive it. This is a spoiler review

The adaptation from a webcomic

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I’ve heard the ending of the webcomic wasn’t what you’d expect, I dont want to spoil it but I guess we’ll see how it goes based on how the male character evolves throughout the drama.

A lot of my friends who read the webcomic said they were surprised it got adapted because even in webcomic format, some of the lines were very odd and very cringy. Aside from the cringy aspect, what caught my attention was what they said about line delivery and lines in general.

I could see what they mean even with only one episode in so far.

But I also think this is kinda intentional? The story appears to be told from the female perspective with the camera focusing on her perspective of things and zooming into other characters faces in part treating them like they’re not the focal point but her emotions are.

I think this is a very interesting approach. I don’t know how to feel about the camera work but I also kinda understand what the director aims with this approach. It’ll be very interesting to see if the director keeps this style up for the remaining episodes.

The plot- a bit cringy but promising

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“Nevertheless” episode 1 was in many parts slow, very slow. Out of the bat, many will not like this format because its slower than what they’re used to, especially if you watch high-stake kdramas like the penthouse for example.

Its a slow-burn type of kdrama that takes it’s time. The selling point for JTBC wasn’t the plot in my opinion as much as it was the focus on who the leads were, how beautiful they are and their potential chemistry. I get the marketing decision for sure. I would’ve done the same.

In terms of the plot, I see hope, hope that this drama will turn out a bit different. That this drama will focus on the realities of dating for people in their twenties with all the good, the bad and the ugly.

I’d like to think the female lead is telling the story from a previous concluded chapter of her life, I would love for this couple not to make it but be a lesson for the female lead.

I really liked how susceptible the female lead is, we rarely see female leads portrayed in that perspective. Na Bi doesn’t know her own worth and judging by how she’s attracted to a man she’s just met who is obviously shady shows me she gravitates towards men who hurt her without knowing the true value of herself. She jumps into toxic relationships without seeing the red flags.

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You can also see it with the way she talks about herself through voice-over.

This could go well because it would show a new type of female kdrama lead that is ‘weak’ but not in the way you think..

The male lead- the walking red flag

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I love Song Kang, I think he’s so adorable and I really enjoy just looking at him. His choice here is also very interesting.

Out of the bat, the character is a walking red flag. The only reason audience think its heart fluttering is because Na Bi is attracted to him but if she wasn’t, he’d be a creep not a ‘hot and confident’ male lead.

A lot of the things he say are not only cliché but cringy, he knows he’s hot and uses that for his benefit, he’s basically looking for someone to sleep with and hang around with without the emotional baggage. Which is probably the opposite of what Na Bi wants.

He’s overly friendly and touchy with Na Bi whom he just met. I was face palming watching her fall for him the entire time. Jae Eon could easily be the villain and creep in a different kdrama.

My friends also told me he’s an absolute jerk in the webcomic. I wonder if this will also be the case here. Kdramas tend to tone down a lot of things but I have hope this drama won’t. That way it would be more interesting.

Now onto what’s been the trending topic again, Song Kang’s acting

Song Kang- a good actor or not?

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As you already know, I really like Song Kang but even with that, I will not mince words and be nice in places where I feel I should be honest.

If you’ve been keeping up, you’ve probably seen people discuss his acting in this drama on online community sites. Every single kdrama he comes back with, there is always a discussion about his acting, some think he’s good, others think he’s not.

In my personal opinion, Song Kang is not the best actor and I honestly see why people have conflicting opinions about him. Let me explain why I said that before you send threats and tell me Im a hater.

Song Kang can be very wooden when he acts, when he has to deliver emotional scenes he feels distant and his facial expressions don’t quite hit the mark you’d expect from a leading man. If he’s acting a role where he’s emotionally distant [like Sweet Home], he rocks it but if he’s acting a role that demands emotional investment and emotional acting, you can see the flaws.

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Song Kang range is limited, at least thus far. I’ve seen all of his projects and I noticed an improvement in his acting but he’s not quite there yet.

K-netizens are saying his voice and pronunciation is off in this drama. I looked back just to check, but I don’t see it. I am not Korean but I can speak Korean and have been watching for a while, I don’t quite follow what they’re saying about the pronunciation but I do understand the complaints about his acting.

You can sense that sometimes, something is off with him. He also appears awkward in certain scenes as if he doesn’t know what to do with himself or that he doesn’t quite get the type of emotion his character needs to portray.

You possibly can’t quite pin point it but this is where people like me come. I think he’s not used to emotionally express himself in real life that well and this is reflected in his performances. If he’s taking acting lessons, I’d recommend he keeps doing that, and if he’s not, then I’d recommend he gets an acting coach that would specifically target his facial expressions when he has to deliver important lines.

I still enjoy watching his face. I think he’s suited for this role because the lead hits certain marks where he does well with acting.

With the push he’s been given, its no wonder why so many people are discussing his acting, the general consent is that first male leads are exceptional actors, if they’re lacking you’re mostly dealing with idol actors but it is rare to see someone who trained to be an actor not be as good as you’d expect them if they’re leading a kdrama.

My other recommendation for him would be that he rests a bit between projects but I understand why he doesn’t, his enlistment is coming up and he’s working hard to establish a name for himself before he has to serve. I understand the urgency in his actions. I wish when he enlists, he takes time off to reflect and assess certain areas of his acting.

So these are my thoughts on “Nevertheless”, so what about you guys? did you like the episodes? let me know what you thought in the comment section below.

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By Jass K.

Hi, I am Jass k. I discuss some of the hottest currently airing kdramas on this site in form of reviews an/or recaps, join me in the discussion~

6 comments

  1. Personally, decided to drop it after the 1st episode. Seems a very predictable story, I don’t expect any surprises and so it’s not interesting to me and I think they will row in the same direction until the end, which will be a waste of time. Also, I find the voice over unnecessary – they would do better trusting the audience who can (and should do it on their own) perfectly decrypt characters and behaviours instead of chewing her emotions for us, it does not add anything to the drama and just demystifies it completely which makes me lose my interest even more. On a side note – to me, Song Kang is not a bad actor, he is more emotional than many others in kdramas which by the way does not prevent them from being cast and be on screen all the time.

  2. Well to me the fault lies not so much with Song Kang but with the atrocious lines and plot of the drama. I found the first episode to be extremely awkward. The actor can do so much but they can’t save bad writing.

  3. The lead actor didn’t even impress me too..I even thought about stopping watching the drama but since I kinda like the leading male I have to watch it

  4. Song kong is still a budding actor. He has still a long way to go, I think that his acting skills are more for dark characters as in sweet home and not for typical rom-com kdramas ( but a person learns and grows and it takes time)and your analysis on him are just perfect. He is a bit distant and awkward, but what I think he has a very little experience in this industry. He debuted as a supporting cast in 2017 where he might just have few scenes ,but due to a sudden rise I think it has affected him a lot. He is still a novice. In my point of view still a great a actor.( no hate). He has still achieved a lot with those acting skills.

  5. Ok, whatever some feel the ML lacks in the acting department, he was surprisingly sensual in the dream sequence. There are a lot of veteran actors who show little passion, don’t seem to know how to kiss and are very awkward during intimate scenes.

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