Netflix premiered K-Drama Our Blues has been an overwhelming drama since it was released in April 2022. Our Blues, with its heart-wrenching storyline, makes the viewers emotional throughout the series, leaving an impactful message at the end. Our blues story revolves around the residents of Jeju Island making their way through the emotions of love and hardships in their daily life.
The series was directed by Kim Kyu Tae, while it was written by Noh Hee-Kyung, who’s been known for her previous work such as “That Winter, the Wind Blows,” “It’s Okay, That’s Love” and also for ” Live,” Our Blues features a diverse range of characters from different backgrounds and struggles, receiving positive reviews from the viewers.
The Gist of the Series “Our Blues”
Our Blues is the story of the people in Jeju Island, each with his or her own problems. Jeong Eun-Hee (Lee Jung-Eun) is the community leader in Jeju who runs a business in the Fish market and is well off. Eun-Hee runs into her past love Choi Han-Soo (Cha Seung-Won), who has recently moved to Jeju after many years because of his struggle.
As they met, the bond between Choi Han Soo and Eun-Hee began to develop, leading to a misunderstanding to Eun-Hee that Han-Soo might be indulging her because of his financial crises. On the other end, there is the ship captain Park Jung Joon (Kim Woo-Bin), who is involved with Lee Young-Ok (Han Ji-Min), who is a Hanenyeo (female diver).
Then there is Lee Dong-Seok (Lee Byung-Hun), a merchant who made his living by selling odd household goods throughout the town on his truck, and Min Seon-Ah (Shin Min-A), who is in depression while struggling as a mother.
Bang Ho-Sik (Choi Young-Joon) – who lives with his daughter Young-Joo (Roh Yoon-Seo) – and Jung In-Kwon (Park Ji-Hwan), a former gangster turned food stall owner who’s busy raising his son Jung-Hyun (Bae Hyun-sung). Young-Joo and Jung Hyun get acquainted in Love which comes to an edge as Young-Joo becomes pregnant.
With all these stories, Our Blues makes its way out in each episode focusing on each story one by one, giving each character proper screen time and thus effortlessly diving into a new chapter.
Also Read: Our Blues Season 2: Renewed or Cancelled? – OtakuKart
1. The Cast
Our Blues features all the Hallyu Stars of the K-Drama industry’s soon as the cast was announced, all the K-drama fans were left in utter shock as they were going to witness all the talent of the Hallyu stars on one screen.
The cast includes Lee Byung Hun as Lee Dong Seok, Shin Min A as Min Seon-Ah, Cha Seung-Won as Choi Han-Soo, Lee Jung-Eun as Jeong Eun-Hee, Uhm Jung-Hwa as Go Mi Ran, Han Ji Min as Lee Young-Ok and Kim Woo-Bin as Park Jung-Joon as main leads. In addition to this, the series also got attention for featuring the real-life couple Shin Min Ah and Kim Woo Bin, who has been dating for the past eight years.
2. The Heart-Warming Storyline.
Aired for 20 episodes, The omnibus-style drama “Our Blues” throughout its storyline revolves around the lifestyle and the hardships of its 14 diverse characters who face the emotions of love, sorrow, and pain as time passes by in Jeju Island.
Each episode has its own essence of life to add, focusing on one story after another. The series hit differently as one can experience different flavors of life, which at the same moment heals your soul!
Also Read: Strong Woman Do Bong Soon Review: Does This Drama Deserve The Hype?
3. Know About The Korean Gohyang (Hometown)
Our blues is a warm, charming drama that beautifully captures the essence of life on the island. It brings the lifelong bonds that one experiences while growing up in the countryside. Long with the Jeju Island lifestyle, Our Blues showcases the unique way of fishing by the “Hanenyeo” or “The sea women” in Jeju Island, which we witness in the first episode.
Hanenyeo is a Jeju Island woman who dives deep into the ocean to harvest seafood. One of the main leads, Lee Young-Ok (Portrayed by Han Ji-Min ), can be seen working as the Hanenyeo.
4. The Career Comeback for Kim Woo-Bin
“Our Blues” is the first drama Kim Woo Bin worked on after being diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer in May 2017.
Kim Woo Bin, who played the character of Park Jung-Joon, a kindhearted ship captain, said in an interview that he had worked hard for this role, as it was his much-awaited comeback, and went to Jeju Island to understand life in Jeju and how the boat captain works and put himself in the shoes of the character Jung-Joon to understand his feelings.
Also Read: GOING SEVENTEEN (2023) Episode 1: Release Date, Time & Where to Watch – OtakuKart
5. Shin Min-ah Acted as a mother for the first time.
Shin Min-A played the character of Min Seon- Ah, who came to Jeju Island to escape from her past, her first role as a mother of a child. Min Ah told that it was a challenge for her to depict the pain and suffering of Seon-a, but this was the sole reason she took up the character, as Min Ah felt that Seon-a’s emotions and personality were relatable to her.
6. The reuniting Love
The story unfolds the old memories of love between Choi Han-Soo and Jeong Eun-Hee. The story starts with the daily life of people on Jeju Island while covering the fish market and the Hanenyeo diving in to harvest seafood with the side story of the hardships and despair faced by Choi Han-Soo at his workplace, and went to Jeju Island after many years, where he met his past lover, Eun-Hee. Following this, we see the bond between Choi Han-S00 and Eun-Hee Being developed again.
7. Lee Byung Hun and Shin Min Ah shared the screen for the third time
The screenplays of Lee Byung Hun and Shin Min- Provide comfort to the views as it revolves how Lee Dong-Seok (Lee Byun- Hun) supports the hardships of Min Seon- Ah (Shin Min Ah), who suffers from depression and has lost all her hope while battling the legal custody of her son.
Lee Dong-Seok appeared to give comfort to Min Seon-Ah and supported her by giving Min Seon- Ah reasons why not to give up on the life lessons depicting the hardships a mother face while upbringing. The story gives a strong message of not giving up when the world is still growing.
8. Unfolding The truths of Real Friend
Choi Han-S00 can be seen through a lot due to his family and need for money. Despite that, we saw a warm, pleasant vacation with Choi Han-S00 and Eun-Hee. By the end of the day, Eun-Hee comes across the truth that how Han-Soo is having a hard time and asked money from his friends from middle school.
Eun-Hee is frustrated by the fact that all Han-S00 friends denied helping him, and even they did ask for interest on monthly repayment. The story is a detour of lessons about what a friend is for and how we should move on to live on our own, facing the hardships of life.
Also Read: How Did Noh Hee Kyung Cast Shin Min Ah And Kim Woo Bin In ‘Our Blues’? – OtakuKart
9. Acceptance of truth before it’s too late
In the complicated loop of life, the love story between the High school students Jung Hyun (Bae Hyun-sung) and Bang Young-Joo (Roh Yoon-Seo), whose love is obstacle by the rivalry between their fathers Ho-Sik (Choi Young-Joon) and In-Kwon (Park Ji-Hwan) Things comes to an edge, when Young Joo found that she is pregnant and tells Hyun because of which they plan to go to a clinic and abort the pregnancy.
Though things don’t go as planned, ultimately, they get caught and decide to keep the baby. Also, they reconciled with their fathers, who, in the end, came to a decision to let Young Joo and Jung Hyun handle their situation as they accept the truth that both of them are adults now, and their rivalry is harming their kids.
10. Our Blues is a series as well as a movie
Our Blues is a series that follows an omnibus-style narrative, which means that the episodes in the series focus on one or two characters in an episode out of its diverse 14 diverse characters.
Throughout the series, we experience the life of each character as each of them plays the main character. Our Blues director Kim Kyu-Tae approached the show as a series cum movie, where he wanted to provide the viewers an experience of a series of 20 episodes which also is like a movie.
Also Read: Shin Min A’s Net Worth: How Rich is Our Blues Star? – OtakuKart
11. The meaning of Forgiveness
Throughout the series Our Blues, we come across struggling relationships, and one is of Kang Ok-Dong (portrayed by Kim Hye-Ja) and Dong-Seok (Lee Byung-Hun). The relationship seems bitter between the two as Dong-Seok despises her mother because of his childhood trauma and abuse.
Going through all of this, When Dong-Seok comes to know that Ok-Dong is sick, both of them try to mend their relationship as death looms upon Ok-Dong. Both Dong-Seok and Ok-Dong went on a hike where they both feel guilty and try to forgive each other for their past deeds.
By the end of episode 20, Both Ok-dong and Dong-Seok come on good terms when Dong-Seok realizes that Ok-Dong passed away while sitting near the side table. This scene was heart-wrenching as many emotions emerged with the sorrow of death. However, it came out with a message that we should amend our bad relationship before it becomes too late.
12. The Prejudice Against Disability
Our Blues became the first K-Drama to feature the hardships and prejudice faced by people with Down syndrome (Down syndrome is a condition where the child is born with an extra 21st chromosome which results in both physical and mental disability).
Thanks to the writer Noh Hee Kyung, instead of using a reel actor to depict the character, The show casted actress Jung Eun-Hye, who lives with the condition in real life, to portray the character of Lee Young-Hui. The story explores the guilt, struggle, and love between Young-Ok and her older twin sister Young Hui.
Young-Hui, who was sent to a care facility in Seol by Young-Ok, came to Jeju Island to meet her sister after two years. On the other hand Young- Ok was reluctant to the fact that Young-Hui came to Jeju as she did not want to disclose her personal life.
Young- Hui being a person with down syndrome, has great socializing skills and was warmly welcomed by the people in Jeju. The story depicts how one with a disability can also live a normal healthy life and can connect with people in their own ways, which was heartwarming to see.
13. The Life Message.
As the series “Our Blues” comes to its last episode, it gives a refreshment after the death of ok-Dong by showing a 1-month gap where all the Residents are having a friendly athletic tournament. Everyone comes together, and we can see Young-Ok and Jung-Joon running in the tournament in sync after amending their love story.
In-Gwon and Ho-Sik also participated. The drama beautifully portrays that even though each resident has their own story overcoming throughout the series but in the end, everyone is always there for each other, and Everything will be Ok in the end!
14. The Notable Soundtrack
Netflix’s Our Blues also came to the limelight because of its notable soundtrack, which includes “With You ” -the collaboration between BTS member Jimin and Han Sung Woon, which has been used as a background track at the exact right moments with the lyrics which gives the clue of the heart-wrenching stories to come in the series.
The song, with its calm and soothing lyrics and not to forget the vocals of BTS Jimin, makes a long-lasting effect on the viewers.
Also Read: How To Watch Peak Time Episodes? Streaming Guide – OtakuKart
15. Our Blues is a one-of-a-kind K-Drama
In recent years we have seen a lot of k-dramas that focus on child abuse, hardships, debts, and teen pregnancy, but Our Blues is different because instead of focusing on one societal concern, it focuses on each and every concern while resolving them in a meaningful way. Our Blues describes the situations and respect the characters while unfolding their life, hardships, and memories.
With an outstanding performance of its cast and crew, Our Blues is a refreshing, soothing, and at the same time, heart-wrenching drama that does not follow a single issue or story but various societal judgments which have to be resolved by having the loved ones by the side.
Our Blues, by its last episode, beautifully deliver the message behind the meaning of the series Our Blues in its post-credit scene “There is one thing we must remember in our lifetime. We weren’t born into this world to suffer or feel miserable.
We were born to be happy. “Concluding the episode, the series surely leaves a soothing impact on the viewers, which gives a sense of contemplation. Our Blues is a must-watch series to know how life works even after facing hardships!
Also read: 34 Korean Dramas Like 18 Again To Watch
