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| JTBC romance series "Nevertheless," started airing on Saturday. Courtesy of JTBC |
By Lee Gyu-lee
JTBC's new series, "Nevertheless," kicked off to a disappointing start on Saturday with poor ratings and complaints about the lead actors' performances.
The romance series, which had gathered high hopes with the two rising stars, Han So-hee and Song Kang, as its leads, saw a 2.2-percent viewership rating, with its premiere nationwide, and a 2.5-percent viewership rating in the metropolitan area.
The series soon ran into another problem when some of the viewers questioned "Sweet Home" star Song's performance as the lead actor.
Based on the hit web-comics of the same name by Jung Seo, the series is about a romance story between two students in art school ― Park Jae-eon (Song), a man who only wants a fling, and Yoo Na-bi, a woman who is skeptical about love. It is directed by Kim Ga-ram with a script by Jung Won.
The first episode showed followed Na-bi's perspective of the two's flirtatious encounter, led with her narration. On the day she broke up with her first love because he cheated on her, she meets Jae-eon at a bar and finds herself immediately attracted to this mysterious man.
After a brief flirtatious encounter, without exchanging names or numbers, she runs into him a few weeks later and finds out that the two have the same major at the same school.
The character, Jae-eon, is an easygoing, handsome person with "intoxicating charm," which Na-bi finds irresistibly attractive, despite her heartbreaking experience with love. He seems to be sociable and carefree, but he doesn't let people in beyond certain boundaries in order to not develop deeper feelings than just flirting, which makes his character an enigma.
However, Song's portrayal of the character in the first episode seems to be far from a seductive, enigmatic character with poor diction and an innocent-looking face.
"He has that look, but it was disappointing to see his acting. I couldn't get over his manner of speaking and that cheesy facial expression," a user wrote on an online forum.
Another user wrote: "His acting was so awkward that I wasn't convinced when Na-bi said, 'This guy is bad for my heart.'"
On the other hand, some viewers noted that it's too quick to judge based on the first episode, and that it needs more time for viewers to get used to seeing the actor as such a different character than in his previous works.
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| Actors Han So-hee, left, and Song Kang pose for pictures during an online media conference held on Friday. Courtesy of JTBC |
The actor admitted that he had a hard time putting himself in character at an online media conference held Friday to promote the series.
"I didn't know how I should portray this character at first, but I was able to work it out, as I discussed ways to do so with the director," he said, adding that he chose this role because he wanted to be part of a heart-fluttering, sweet romance with a sensual fling.
Director Kim noted that she has been thinking of Song and Han as the lead characters ever since she read the original webtoon that the series was based on. "Both Han So-hee and Song Kang sync well with their characters (from the webtoon)… as they have such good chemistry. Even off the set, they exert a good influence on each other," she said.
Describing the series as a "hyper-realistic depiction" of the love inside a couple, she added: "It's about the story that comes after the word, 'Nevertheless.' It's about a love that you know you will hurt you and fill you with regret, but that you will still fall for.
Actress Han added that the viewers will be able to sympathize with her character in the series, saying, "She goes through the emotions that anyone who's ever loved will have felt."
"I hope that viewers can resonate with the romance that the series offers, whether it leads them to reminisce about their past, acts as a wake-up call, or stirs up a romance in their lives," she said.
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