Beautiful! It's hard to find the one among all different kinds of dramas but when you do, it hits you hard. Sometimes, I question how the drama knew exactly how at feel.

My Ahjusshi is indeed a once in a blue moon drama. So glad I gave it a chance

May 2019 be a good year to you and to everyone!

This is beautiful. And no not bad at all. Our Ahjussi is one of the inherently decent and noble characters I've met. Not a bad place at all to see a reflection.

I can give you a million and one examples on why Park Dong Hoon is such an amazing, relatable character. (spoilers!). Remember in that last episode when he was finally alone and cried his heart out? or when he admitted to his friend that he was pitiful, because he, a man who had «everything» got pity from a girl who had «nothing». or that part when he says its no big deal. or that part when thanks jian for her help and caring despite how pitiful he is. I'm afraid I want to say im like him, but I'm no where near as wise and probably 100000% more pitiful and sad. But what I can admit is that i relate to him and understand him fully. I loved reading this!!! (yay MA!!!)

@anonybean,

Thanks for your lovely essay. I didn't watch MY AJUSSHI in 2018, but I've read so many raves about it here at DB that I'll have to check it out. Besides, I've been a Lee Sun-kyun fangirl since I first watched COFFEE PRINCE. Methinks you and I are of similar temperament and vintage, so what you wrote in finely-turned phrases resonated with me. Thanks again. ;-)

For me, this year, I am pretty much on course with all four leads from Matrimonial Chaos. Just when I think I am one character, nope, I am totally relating to another.

@anonybean, this is lovely, and I found myself nodding along with much of what you say. I'm not sure I could ever be as warm, kind, and invested as Park Dong-hoon, but he is definitely someone to look up to.

Beautiful and well-written. This is actually the first "2018 Review" I've read, and I tell you, this is exquisite work. I'll be checking My Ahjussi out because of you. I hope your 2019 is filled with big, bright rays of sunshine like Woo Seo-ri and overflowing optimism like sweet Hong-shim. Thanks for sharing.

Lovely, lovely, lovely! I know @javinne will chastise me for still not watching My Ahjusshi, but it’s definitely at the top of my list when time permits. Thank you for your review. And good luck to you with adulting and finding satisfaction in life. We all flail and fall, but it’s if and how we get up that matters.

@anonybean are you a writer? This was phenomenal!

While I do hold on to hope, my efforts are less obvious, low and soft like an ember in a dying fire; easy to miss because the glow’s half buried in ash.

Your writing really resonated with me. It does feel frustrating when you can’t do what you originally set out to or wish to achieve and the flailing is relatable. I hope 2019 is a positive year for you, where you can meet your targets and navigate adulthood more easily. 💕

Thank you, @anonybean for such a lovely review!!!! I love My Ajusshi. It is the best drama of the year, I want to watch it a third time and even a fourth!!!!
And with this post here in Dramabeans, I think @sadie will be happy and satisfied.
Beautifully writing! It makes me tear up a little bit.
Really really well done!!!🙂😊

My Ajusshi is the first drama that had me hate and love every single characters at the same time. They are all so annoying, almost unbearable, because they are in some way just like me. And I love them because I get them. I don't know whether this make sense.
Except Ji An. I don't hate her, I just rooted very hard for her. Perhaps because she is the only one who's nothing like me.
I freaking love this drama.

One of our deepest desires is to be loved. Because we want people to love us so badly, we’re often tempted to hide our shortcomings, weaknesses, and failures. We erect walls to keep our friends and family from suspecting our true depths. Only after we’ve successfully hidden the worst of ourselves do we realize we’ve actually facilitated a false love—a love based on an illusion. This is a true tragedy, for to be loved without being known is nearly worse than not being loved at all. To be truly known and truly loved is actually our greatest desire, and this was the need that Park Dong-hoon and Lee Ji-an met for each other.

Wow, I'm not even sure how I should react to this. I've spent years wearing a mask to hide personal issues from those around me and lately it's been a struggle to deal with it all on my own. Maybe it's time that I learn to be honest with my friends and family. Thank you for such a well written and thought provoking article!!!

I’ve been waiting for such a review for like ages. Thank you so much for writing about My Ahjussi and I must say I share so many of the feelings you just mentioned eith you. When people ask why I do love this drama this much I simply say because despite many other stories and characters, I didn’t choose MA. It, itself chose me. It makes me feel I’m not alone and there’s nothing wrong with feeling broken inside but I should try and I should appreciate the people who have always been by my side and never forget that everyone is going through so many untold difficulties so we should be kind to each other.

One more My Ajushi lover.
It was the drama of the decade for me. Nothing can ever beat this.
So poignant and profound that it opened up some of the deepest wounds. It made me realize how we could all do with a little more self love. And without us loving us how we can receive others.
Ajushi- his kindness was a character by itself that I started feeling it in his breath, voice , walk, eyes, smile etc.

Beautifully written!!

Fighting!

Thank you @anonybean for capturing the magic and message of My Ahjussi, "it's who you love, and how you show that love". I for one descend into tongue-tied inarticulateness when confronted by the artful and artless beauty of this drama.

You've captured what My Ajusshi is about very well and I'm glad to have read your review, @anonybean! Being the best of 2019, I always try to recommend it to my friends that watch dramas, but somehow all I can say is "It's sooo good!", "Just watch it!", "I cried and related to it so much". Like I know that it is more than that, but the right words never came to me. My friends are definitely much brighter than me and somehow that makes me think they might not enjoy it as much as me. But still, My Ajusshi is one that you can't pass over, a must-see!

Lovely writing! I wish you the best for 2019.

Beautifully written! *slow clap* Thank you! The words TT__TT

I'm not noble enough or despairing enough to see much of myself in 'My Ajusshi' but I did see very large pieces of myself in the more recent (and less epic) series 'Matrimonial Chaos'. I may not be a Dong-hoon but I am more of a Seok-moo than I'd care to admit.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 😎

Thank you for the beautiful write up. Yours by far is the most heartfelt.

I have been waiting for a review mentioning "My Ajusshi" because this drama really is very special, very rare. It weirdly reminded me so much of my beloved cat, Jack which I discovered out of nowhere, with little expectation of what it could accomplished yet becoming something that I love so deeply.

I watched plenty of dramas this year but dropped more than half of them and my only takes from 2018 are definitely "My Ajusshi" along with C-drama "Story of Yanxi Palace". The rest.... I could barely remember.

@guest-beanie I haven't watched any of the dramas you've mentioned but I love the way your words seem to flow from the heart and now I wanna watch My Ahjusshi.

Thank you! I was really touched by your words. I think, even if because of different reasons, a lot of us are experiencing the same, and knowing it makes us feel a little less lonely.

@anonybean Thanks for this, it’s thoughtful and heartfelt and lovely.

It’s hard to find a drama character to fully relate to, as often they are too perfect, too hardworking, too bright, too... everything. Over my years of drama watching, I’ve only found one character that I’ve recognized as me, but still they have parts of themselves that are “too” much for me to relate to (in this case, too genius hehe). But that character has meant the world to me, in understanding myself and understanding what I need from the world. Im glad you were able to find yourself in My Ahjusshi ~