So I Married the Anti-Fan

I came with some excitement when I started watching this series. The theme, the actors and the story felt just like what I needed. Unfortunately, I found myself waiting whole 8 episodes for the series to start providing actual development. The ending of this series itself was not that something even though it was a happy ending. If you are willing to wait, starting from episode 9, you'll start getting some action and from there on things will keep getting better as the plot opens wide and starts to develop as it is supposed to be.

A journalist played by Choi Soo-young gets into a misunderstanding with a successful singer played by Choi Tae-joon, and ends up flinging a shoe at him which is captured on film hitting him. This altercation leads them both to appear on a tv series called "So I married an anti fan" where they are expected to behave like a couple. Behind the scenes there are people trying to hurt both their careers and the initial frostiness between them melts as they begin to care about each other and want to shield the other from harm. It is a predictable script and the story seems to fizzle out at the end but the romance is sweet and there are some amusing moments.

SIMTAF happens after a clash between a reporter and a pop superstar that ends with her getting fired. Next, she seeks retribution - through social media and VERY public demonstrations. The whole spectacle was on display for rabid fandom to devour. What usually follows a spectacle these days? The reality show. The pop star will marry his anti-fan. He quips: 'Anti-fans are fans in a way after all, aren't they?'

Proximity Alert! The best way to overcome prejudices is through exposure, or proximity. The more we're around somebody, the more we'll see them for who they are instead of what we chose to believe before we knew the person better. (As an aside, color is one of the first things we don't see anymore once we get used to being around a person. There's a few things that are less important than the shade of someone's skin). The more we're around somebody, the more their looks change based on their inner beauty whether for the better or worse.

That's the set up. He's basically a decent guy who's gotten a tad spoiled from being a star. She's an aggressive, intelligent reporter who is the opposite of spoiled. They detest e/o. Thus the show promises us some 💥-sparks-Tension-🔥-PASSION, but we get very little of that. They start with the marriage, which is a sham. She gives him a good scare as she peels out in the convertible: The show creators, thus, reiterated their promise (FIB) that 🎆fireworks🎇 are to follow.. and... there's almost none💢. It's really perplexing as to why they didn't show them bickering while filming their show. That would have been so much more fun. The 1st episode is disjointed, sloppy, and unfocused. It lags. What they ended up with is close to glorified time-killer.

Thank the stars, they cast,actress Choi Soo Young as the FL "Geun" Young. She is special. They mostly squandered her talent. She stole the show, Run On-7, as half of the 2ndary romance. They tossed in the MSP trope (Missing or separated parent(s) which doesn't do much to enhance the plot. The show borders on bland, but it has its moments. The leads are competent and likable, while the writing is insightful in places, and those serve to guard against total floppage.

Choi Tae Joon (Suspicious Partner, Ugly Alert) portrays ML, Hoo Joon. Hwang Chan Sung (True to Love, What's Wrong with Secretary Kim-6.8, My Holo Love-6.8) is JJ / Choi Jae Joon. Han Ji An (Oh Seonam Girls High School Investigators, The Vanished) is In Hyung. Her character drags the series down a peg but she ends up providing some of its greatest depths. True, I hate the look on that girl's face. She's trying to make her singing career work and it's not going well. As her character is under tremendous stress, she holds her mouth tightly and always looks anxious. She's so stiff that it seems as if she has a neck and shoulder injury. She skulks with her shoulders drooped and her head downcast, looking a bit like a chipmunk that's about to barf. It was difficult to watch. She seems to see herself as a powerless victim and is so caught up in her trauma that she isn't once engaging, relatable, or sympathetic. I felt uneasy every time she was onscreen. She gave us a gift, in the end, though: In Hyung concludes that while she's dreamed of being loved by many people, she realizes that she's not a person that knows how to give or receive love. Few people can turn their gaze from one of self-absorption to true introspection and reach that level of internal honesty.

It seems like SIMTAF was shot as a reality show. There's nothing slick or smooth at all. There's little soundtrack, even though we're following the music industry. It's nearly lifeless at times. Geun is always beautiful, but some of her outfits are atrocious.

Yet, there are worthy themes. "In real life we all cover ourselves with prideful wrapping paper." His pride. Her prejudice. They need to crumble. One of the friends is full of hatred and bitterness over a past event which he seems to have misunderstood, to a certain extent. Things became worse over the years, not better, because his anger couldn't be mollified. It hardened into bitterness. He let a person live rent-free in his head for years! That's the same as enslaving oneself, so don't let that happen. How lying isolates us in the middle of the wilderness is another theme. "I came a long way on wings made of lies. But I realized I had nowhere to return to on wings of lies. Whether they are exposed or not, at some point our lies run their course. We who are fortunate reach our dead-ends with enough time left to do some good." That quote is more profound every time I read it.

To the final shot, though, this could have been tighter, neater, funnier, fit together better, and it could have had a better flow. It could have been alot better, yet it still wasn't bad. As I write this I'm trying to decide if this show is worth watching at all? I'm wondering if I should have abandoned it. This might be worth watching for their first kiss. It's well above average - an 8, minimum. They think no one is watching, and nobody was, but the cameraman left the camera rolling. They are so exposed, snagged, ~oh snap~ Well, lookie here. The fans are going to lose their minds!

QUOTES🗣

Things that don't fit always become a problem.

You have to tell seven lies to make one lie work.

〰🖍 IMHO

🎬6 🖊〰6 🎭 7.3 💓68 🦋7 🌞7 🎨65⚡4 🎵/🔊73 😅45 😵35 😭35 🤔64 💤5 🔚74

Age 12+

Re-📺? Pass

It's the we've-been-forced-to-live-together trope! Similar offerings:

My First First Love-8, A Witch's Love 7.8; Playful Kiss-7.3, My Roommate Is a Gumiho-7.9, Crash Landing On You 9.1; Oh My Ghost 10; Mr. Queen 8.5; Romance is a bonus book-7.9, Hotel del Luna-8.4, Because This Is My First Life-7.7, The Bride of Habaek-7, That Winter, The Wind Blows-7,

🇯🇵Mischievous Kiss Love in Tokyo-7.8

🇨🇳Well-Intended Love-7.5 19 Rom-porn - extra points for the dopamine, Love Between Fairy & Devil 8.9; The Romance of Tiger and Rose 9.8; The Sword and the Brocade 8.6 - arranged marriage loosely fits in this category.

So I Married An Anti-Fan is a rom-com that's sweet, cheesy and sometimes emotional as well. A simple story of a journalist's life changing moment when she gets involved with a popular star.

The cast were good, especially Choi Soo Young who played here mischievous yet understanding character pretty well. While the character development of the lead pairing was palpable, it did not reach a point where you feel like the supporting cast was not part of the picture at all.

With a breath-taking mix of comedy, romance, friendship, bromance, jealousy, and a lot more, the journey of Geun-young and Hoo Joon in this drama was satisfactory

My Rating : 7.5/10.

I think this drama came with a really good concept. But chemistry Between main character was totally disappointed. Just sudden kiss can't start a love story,they need to know. I don't know why they ended this drama just like one side love. Even at the last moment of this drama,main actress was still confuse is she really love him or not or is she really his girlfriend. And i personally didn't like her facial expression after their real love story begin.