REVIEW: Fight My Way

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Re-watch value: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis

*partially taken from Dramafever*

Also known as “Third Rate My Way” and “Fight For My Way,” Fight My Way is directed by Lee Na Jeong (Oh My Venus) and written by Im Sang Choon (Becky’s Back). Park Seo Joon and Kim Ji Won star in a drama that shows even a life without money and success can be beautiful; you just have to fight for it. When four long-time friends with third-rate careers become tired of struggling to make ends meet, they make it their mission to start living the good life.

Ko Dong Man (Park Seo Joon from Hwarang, She Was Pretty) is a contract employee living a mundane life. Hard to believe he was once a taekwondo prodigy that was super popular with the girls. He was the Tony Jaa of his small town. And when a small-town rebellious hero attends school in Seoul, he wins the hearts of girls and the ire of teachers.
Kim Joo Man (Ahn Jae Hong fromAnswer Me 1988) is Ko Dong Man’s friend, and together the “Man Brothers” caused trouble and broke hearts everywhere they went.
Choi Ae Ra (Kim Ji Won from Descendants of the Sun, Heirs) is Ko Dong Man’s biggest fan, longtime friend, and fellow hometown girl . She works as an information desk attendant. In school, she dreamed of being an anchor, and loved taking her fake microphone to Dong Man’s matches.
Baek Sul Hee (Song Ha Yoon fromTouching You) is Choi Ae Ra’s innocent and quirky best friend, and with Choi Ae Ra, was Ko Dong Man’s biggest fan in school.

Rambling

*Beware of spoilers*

Well, what can I say? After bingeing Hwarang, I jumped on Fight My Way, and it was a fantastic decision.

I’ve been ingesting so much sageuk K-dramas and wuxia C-dramas that it was a breath of fresh air to watch something that was set in modern day and that was so mundane. All our characters were regular people with mediocre jobs. It was just what the doctor ordered. Easy-breezy.

I think what really stood out to me about this show was that it was constantly moving; the plot didn’t get stagnant and come to grinding halt. It’s hard for a drama without any sort of special plot points (you know, sudden amnesia, male lead is actually the hidden son of a chairman, etc.) to make it exciting, but I was fully invested every step of the way. No boredom whatsoever. Major plus.

Y’all know I was raving about Park Seo-joon in Hwarang, and after this show, I believe the man can do no wrong. He was absolutely pitch perfect in Fight My Way. His character was just an immature, idiot, big kid, and he played the part so darn well that it serviced the plot—it made sense why it took our leads 20 years to finally make a love connection.

His character spends the better part of 5 years in an on-and-off again relationship with a beautiful, psycho, vain bitch before realizing his growing affection for his childhood best friend (our girl Ae-ra), and man, that scenario was agonizing in flashbacks (as of course, I’m cheering for Ae-ra 100%), but it felt totally genuine and true to life. It’s something you rarely see in K-drama: the male lead passing up the (eventual) female lead for another girl, to be a boy toy, manipulated and dumped, for years. It’s unusual in this genre, and that’s why it was so convincing and irresistible to watch.

While we know Ae-ra was crushing on Dong-man since high school, I appreciated that she wasn’t a passive pining party (alliterations are always acceptable). She had other romantic relationships; she was trying her best. She kept her pride, her spunk, and her dream alive. The one complaint I would have about her character is that she cries way too much, but even that can be forgiven, since Dong-man teases her about it. It’s part of her charm, to be this strong, independent woman who often buckles under the weight of her own emotions. And to be fair, she cries over legitimate cares (e.g. Dong-man gets slaughtered in the octagon, knocked unconscious right in front of her).

Just a few posts in, and I’m already running out of ways to say the leads have great chemistry. So here goes: OUR LEADS WERE ON FIRE. The sparks that we see in the first few episodes were fanned into an inferno, and I was melting. I can’t even. The only other drama that was remotely as satisfying to see girl-guy best friends couple up was Two Outs in the Ninth Inning, and geez, that was in 2007! There’s a kind of desperation to it: finally succumbing to those feelings that were fought, rejected, and questioned for however long. It’s sweet and rewarding, and really different from the typical flow of K-drama.

Dong-man’s fight scenes were all excellent in their own ways, possibly too short in length of screen time. I got major Rocky vibes, and that’s never a bad thing. Maybe the drama could have used an epic training montage, but that’s just wishful thinking. His training always made it look like he made no progress, but it was kind of worth it any time he took his shirt off. Lawd.

I want to touch really quick on our second couple, Joo-man and Sul-hee. Their story was nothing to sneeze at. Their flashbacks, romance, and dissolution was just as well done as Ae-ra and Dong-man’s! And it’s a good thing, too, because if not, I don’t think I could be writing such a glowing review. Joo-man and Sul-hee started off on the same foot, same pace. Then somewhere along the way Joo-man wanted more than what Sul-hee wanted or was offering. The moment he said he didn’t want or care about the “small things” was when I stopped rooting for them to make it. Sul-hee deserved someone who appreciated the small things, and she definitely deserved better than someone unwilling to stop a flagrant crush from wreaking havoc on their lives.

I’m grateful the drama gave Sul-hee some agency. She quit her call-center job, broke up with Joo-man, and started her own company doing what she loved. It was maddening to see her suffer during the last phase of their relationship; she is a beautiful, gentle character. She only wanted to be the best wife and the best mother—that was her dream! Sul-hee broke herself when she broke up with Joo-man, and I respect the hell out of her for it. The drama left their relationship open-ended, with Joo-man still trying to win her back and make amends. I think that was a smart move. A clear ending would have gone against Sul-hee’s character at that point.

I think the subplot about Ae-ra’s mom could have been explained a little better (or just not included at all). It seemed rushed and unnecessary. I can’t quite understand why Ae-ra’s dad would make her leave/divorce her. Was it because she “cheated” on him by taking off her clothes in a movie? Was it because the movie wasn’t a movie but a porno? Was it because of the bad press? Bad reputation? It didn’t click for me, especially since he kept her so informed and present in Ae-ra’s life. I don’t know. (It could be that the subplot manifested during episodes when Hurricane Irma was raging outside, and I had one eye on the huge sliders in my family room behind which those massive wind gusts were giving me anxiety.)

All in all, I would rewatch this drama in a heartbeat. If nothing else, shirtless Park Seo-joon… I mean… Be still my heart!

Did you see Fight My Way? Tell me your thoughts in the comments below!