Trailer Impressions: Was It Love?
Synopsis & Trailer
From the press release:
Noh Aejeong (Song Jihyo) is a movie producer and single mom of 14 years. Her life is turned upside down when four men walk into her life at the same time. Her daughter, Noh Hanee (Um Chaeyoung), is determined to figure out which of the four men is her biological father. First up is Noh Aejeong’s ex-boyfriend Oh Daeo (Son Hojun), a bestselling novelist with the pen name Cheon Eokman, who Hanee describes as being a bit off-putting. Second is A-list actor RyuJin (Song Jongho) who is seemingly perfect in every way but hides a different kind of appeal behind his movie-star persona. Next is Oh Yeonwoo (Koo Jasung), who is Hanee’s teacher and lives with Noh Aejeong’s family. Aejeong’s mother likes him the most. Last but not least, Koo Pado (Kim Minjun) is a “scary but sexy” former gangster who is an investor for Aejeong’s film and is the father of Hanee’s best friend Koo Dongchan (Yoon Sungwoo). Looks like there’ll be some competition though because actress Joo Arin (Kim Dasom) is described as Aejeong’s rival in love. Which of the four men could be Hanee’s father? Stay tuned for the romance and baby daddy mystery when Was It Love? premieres on July 8, only on Netflix and JTBC.
Thoughts and Impressions
From the get-go, the premise immediately feels like a grown-up version of tvN’s Cinderella and the Four Knights from 2016. While Korean dramas have always been great at introducing and building second lead male characters, resulting in Second Lead Syndrome, it is definitely not common for Korea to push out reverse harem genres—a popular genre featuring a male protagonist with multiple love interests. Reverse, in this case, refers to having a female protagonist instead. K-Dramas are often all-in with the character development of either the main male lead and or the second male lead and other male characters act as comedic relief or have their own less significant side plot. Other more notable reverse harem K-Dramas include Sungkyungkwan Scandal and Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo. A potential plot loss is that the main male leads are often made too apparent and are easily predictable from the start. Even the promotional teasers and images make no effort to conceal the final love choice, which is an interesting plot device that can be seen masterfully utilized in the Reply series, where the ‘husband-search’ is a core part of the plot. I hope I didn’t just jinx it by saying this and having Oh Daeo turn out to be the final choice based on the characters’ proximity to Aejeong in the above promotional poster.
Fortunately for Was It Love?, its trailer is more open-ended and plays to the secretive nature of Hanee’s father. While the teaser takes the perspective of Hanee and provides humorous commentary on her mum’s love prospects, it is unknown if the drama will put her at the forefront of the series. Another interesting theme this drama seems to explore is the concept of mature life and dating, as our female lead is a single mother. A well-crafted series of this theme of self-discovery in later adult life would be Second 20s. While we are aware that the premise of Was It Love? is rather different, it will be interesting to see how romance in this stage of life is portrayed. Whether this series differentiates itself by being emotional or remains in the realm of the teenage-puppy-love trope will be pivotal to the drama’s overall tone.
Verdict: Watch or Pass?
These mature characters are played by veterans of similar ages, making them a perfect fit appearance-wise. Song Jihyo of Running Man fame is pretty much a known name for all Hallyu fans for being an all-rounded entertainer. However, her last drama series Lovely Horribly is a divisive hit or miss for most. Noh Aejeong’s character set-up as a single mum will be an unventured territory for Song Jihyo and an opportunity to push beyond her usual boundaries as the typical rom-com female lead. Perhaps Was It Love? will finally be her long-awaited series to flex her acting chops to her fans and the public once again. Only time can tell.
Besides Song Jihyo, the male leads including Son Hojun, Song Jongho, and Kim Minjun have extensive portfolios in both drama series and movies, making them solid casting choices. Actor Koo Jaesung is the only outlier of the four and is a rather fresh face in the world of K-Dramas. However, he has appeared in The Secret Life of My Secretary and doesn’t seem to be a big cause for concern at the moment. Lastly, playing the love rival is former SISTAR member Kim Dasom, who has done several acting gigs since her days as a girl group member. Generally, I would say the main cast are all safe choices. The director in charge of this project is Kim Dohyung, who has worked on classics such as Princess Hours and Mischievous Kiss. The director’s ability to translate his previous hits into today’s sentimentalities and drama-consumption conventions will be key to this drama’s success.
To conclude, we say go for it! Was It Love? will take over Mystic Pop-up Bar’s Wednesday and Thursday timeslots. If you have been catching the latter, maybe Was It Love? will be a perfect light-hearted rom-com to help you tide over Mystic Pop-up Bar’s finale.=
Was It Love? will be available for streaming on Netflix this coming July 8.