An Extraordinary Haru-Found-by-Chance Day
For a drama I literally found by chance, Iâm quite shocked at how invested I was throughout its run. It has been about 2 weeks past its finale but I am still closely following news and interviews of the cast (who seem like such a lovely bunch to be around!)
So how does one become âawareâ?
Extraordinary You is primarily about the lives of high-schoolers who are manhwa characters. These characters act with motives (controlled by a writer) while they are on âstageâ (the actual storyboard that manhwa readers see, whoever these readers are), and in the âshadowâ (their life sans the actual storyboard). Unaware characters do not remember what happen in âshadowsâ - giving âawareâ characters the chance to do whatever they want (e.g., skip school - I wonder why they didnât do more of that).
But, how do characters become âawareâ? I assumed the very first character who became aware in Secret was probably Dried Squid Fairy (Lee Tae Ri), but how did he become aware in the first place? How did Dan Oh become aware beyond just realising randomly one day that she has memory lapses? Is the writerâs intentions for his/her characters to be aware and hence she recycles them on purpose so they have a chance to be aware?? *Mindblown*
Itâs great to see Kim Hye Yoon as a less angst teen.
Iâve come to know of Hye Yoon through Sky Castle (which I suppose is where most people know her from) and then found that she was also in Goblin (as an extra... pun intended). I will not lie but I was half expecting Dan Oh to start screaming like Ye Suh as soon as she made her appearance. Still, it did not take long before I believed Dan Oh as a tiny chirpy bubbly princess.Â
Although she was an extra in Secret, Dan Oh was in almost every scene there is in Extraordinary You. Hye Yoon probably had such a tight unimaginable schedule (given this is a live-shoot drama), but she delivered over and beyond. She was the cute factor, drama factor and emotional factor. I never needed to guess what Dan Oh was feeling or thinking because Hye Yoon helps me understand Dan Ohâs every move and motive. This. Girl. Can. Act. and we should keep an eye on her (her dimples are also super adorable).
He appears as a nameless and rather clueless extra (who for almost 4 episodes had no face or name to his fuzzy silhouette). The first thing he says is âEun Dan Ohâ (during the summer camp after stacking her fallen rocks); which is really sweet since he muttered her name even before she named him. Interestingly, it is also the last thing he says before disappearing from the Secret manhwa *still collecting my tears*.Â
Itâs also interesting how the first word Dan Oh actually ever hears Haru say is âsorryâ (while being lost in the woods). I felt it was so apt as that would probably be the first thing Haru from the previous manhwa would have wanted to say to Dan Oh after somewhat having a part in killing her *collects more tears*
Rowoon is a new face to me (and to my utter surprise, he was actually in Where Stars Land. Like really?! How did I miss his handsome face?! And Hye Yoon adding to her SF9 collection as she moves along... Hahaha!). It was quite fun to see Haru ver.2 and Rowoon being slightly mean (because how can that face be anything but a cute puppy).Â
Haruâs character development was slightly tricky to handle. He transforms from meek to bold, from unnoticeable to in-your-face-Baek-Kyung-back-off mode. Hence I can understand when Rowoon says he gave a lot of thought to Haruâs thoughts, and he definitely made Haru believable.Â
While we are on Haru, letâs get this off my chest, Haruâs ending in Secret was just pure cruel. Haru only had a life in school and now he doesnât even graduate from it?! And I cannot deal with how Dan Oh did not know about this till the last minute. I guess such a cruel ending then makes the meeting in the next manhwa more bittersweet. I loved how they were just extras because that means they can do anything they want in the shadow while being aware. But I also want that manhwa to last forever so we donât have to go through another separation and another period of unawareness.Â
That fluffy fuzzy first love feeling...
*music* âNeon naege maeil cheot sarang...â That feeling is so palpable. Hye Yoon and Rowoon nailed the dating scenes so well. I donât know if Iâve ever seen another love that is so pure. I have no more words to say. Itâs just love in its most basic form.
Whatâs up with you, Baek Kyung?
Moving on to our other lead. There is such a strong Baek Kyung fandom for reasons I cannot fully understand; maybe itâs because Lee Jae Wook is such a cutie behind the scenes, but Kyung is really kind of a j*rk. Baek Kyung really only redeemed himself in the last few episodes where he was slightly more human, less mean, and more active in taking over his character setup. Jae Wook though does some pretty good emotional scenes for a rookie!Â
Those other relationships...
Nam Joo and Joo Daâs relationship was an unconventional one. I actually liked how Nam Joo was never ever self aware. It brings the whole relationship to another level when a self-aware Joo Da decides it is more important for Nam Joo to be happy than for her to follow her true feelings.Â
Oh bless Do Hwaâs heart, he was so adorable. I was a little upset that Do Hwa didnât get a girl. He was such a reliable friend to everyone (especially when Haru and Dan Oh lost their awareness, he was there for them). And he doesnât even get a role in the new manhwa?!?! I really wanted to see this threesome again!
Again I have never seen Jung Gun Joo, Kim Young Dae or Lee Na Eun in any of their previous works, which seems to be the running theme of this drama. It is a whole bunch of rookies (probably extras in their previous works) who are brought together to this project and they made it work. I also liked that little last minute story of Dried Squid Fairy and Soo Hyang (thank God he found out she was aware at the very end). There was no purposeless character (though barely scrapping through is Kyungâs brother but since Bae Hyun Sung looks remotely like Park Bo Gum, Iâll let him slide).
Who had that extremely challenging job of framing?
It takes a lot to put together an entire production on film; i.e., actors donât just turn up to say their lines and leave. Lights, costume, makeup, logistics etc. are all so important in creating the whole viewing experience. It made us believe Extraordinary You was a real alternative world. Its camera work itself deserves a mention.Â
The leads (or in fact Hye Yoon with any of her male coactors) are almost a whole 30cm ruler difference in height. While that is extremely adorable for us as viewers, it must have been a nightmare for the camera to frame them. While my finite knowledge limits me, let me try to explain why I am so amazed with the camera work.
Take for example this frame (from episode 21 where Do Hwa finds out about their relationship). These two screenshots were from the same shot that lasted barely 2 seconds. You can see the camera starts framed such that Dan Ohâs necktie is not seen (so as to have a fuller shot of Haru) before it subtly pans downwards which also then results in Haruâs hair being slightly off the shot when it ends. It is such a minute detail but it matters since the last shot properly frames Dan Oh (who is the one speaking at that point). Of course, kudos to the actors too because such a tight frame means in order not to go out of shot, Rowoon and Hye Yoon need to act within a tiny amount of space (not that we are complaining...). And this is just one shot of many shots in one scene of many scenes. *mindblown again*
Besides making Hye Yoon stand or sit on boxes which do not get filmed (e.g., above - there is no way a tip-toed Dan Oh can reach that height), I liked how the planning of the scene involved her going on other random platforms/ chairs/ stairs (which do get filmed) to create a different feel - so sheâs not always looking up at them.
As viewers, we obviously donât see that much details when we are fully engrossed in the actual plot. But yes, behind the scenes work deserves so much more credit than it gets.Â
I never thought I would like a high school drama that much, but Extraordinary You had it together. It wasnât perfect, but it was genuine. Iâm still a bit on the fence about its ending and whether I like the idea of Dan Oh and Haru being the only ones aware in the next manhwa. But I like that I am left thinking. And I will probably be thinking of this drama for a long time to come.
Verdict: I LOVE IT! To watch again!
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