Something in the Rain

 

I haven't finished this series, but I want to comment on it while I remember it. There are a lot of issues being taken on here. The protagonist, played by Son Ye Jin, is taking on familial expectations, workplace sexual harassment, cultural norms....a whole host of things. She's no stranger to that kind of role. She also starred in "Crash Landing On You" which faced the challenges of having North Korea right there.

I can tell when a story is well written. And I do have a type. The protagonist is usually just a normal person that won't "take it" anymore. In this case, she got tired of her bosses hitting on her all the time. So she's dealing with that, and the fallout that it is creating. There's another woman in the office that is helping her and the CEO root out the people at fault. That is an interesting arc.

She's also facing the cultural issues of falling in love with a man many years younger than she is, and she's almost an "old maid" by her parents' terminology. Well, her mother is the domineering one. The Father is fairly laid back about the whole thing. The twist is that the man she's in love with used to live with them, almost an adoptive child to the family. So everyone is freaking out like she's in love with her brother or something.

The hooks for me? A strong female protagonist. Kicking butt and getting things done, and still trying to balance her life. The boyfriend is genuinely happy, almost giddy around her. He just wants to be with the woman that he's in love with.

And that brings me to another show, an anime, that I'm almost done with, "Say 'I Love You'". It's about 10 years old. Not the best artwork, but all the characters are a little flawed and they dive into the reasons. I don't know what kind of a person I'd be if I'd grown up watching this stuff instead of Bugs Bunny. I'd probably be a better person. Anyway, the story is about an unusually attractive boy falling in love with a "plain" girl, one that is antisocial at that. One of his friends touches her in a "creepy" way and as he tries to stop him from doing it, she turns, roundhouse kicks him mistaking him for the creep, and that's what it takes. He's in love. Like I said, I have a type.

I had a girlfriend in college that had strong opinions. She didn't care if I agreed or not. That stayed with me and I've wanted strong, opinionated women around me ever since. I wanted someone to call me out on any BS I might try to push. I wanted to be better and I needed that honesty to get me there. I still do.

Another, better review.