Extraordinary You (2019) Review

       Extraordinary You is a romance fantasy about a high school student, Eun Dan-Oh, who started experiencing gaps in her memory. Sometimes hours, days or even weeks pass by within a blink, but she seems to be the only one going through this. Soon enough, Dan-Oh discovered that she’s actually a character in a comic book, and that the world she lives in plus the people around her are all created by an author. Unlike most characters, Dan-O has obtained her ego, meaning that she is able to form independent thought outside of her designated role.

       To kick things off, I would rate Extraordinary You average at most. There were countless moments during this show where I wanted to quit. It has 16 episodes in total, and I managed to get to 15 after pushing myself for the sake of gathering enough information to write this review.

       It’s difficult to discuss this show without revealing some key parts, so I apologize in advance. If you’re tolerant towards minor spoilers, I’d love to have your attention for the rest of this post.

      The show started off very corny; think about every typical YA romance novel you’ve ever read and every cliche romance K-drama you’ve ever watched. I’m talking about textbook cliche, complete with the classic trope: an attractive tsundere main boy and a poor main girl who gets picked on by bullies, set in a beautiful school for the rich elite. I almost dropped it during episode 1, but stuck around because I wanted to poke fun at it. Eventually, I realized what the premise was, and understood that it was supposed to be predictable. After all, this world was built upon a teenage romance comic, with dialogue trees we’re painfully familiar with.

       As it turns out, Dan-Oh was not the only character in Extraordinary You who developed her ego. With ego, characters gain self-awareness and are able to remember events during the Shadow, which are intermittent periods between the Stage. The Stage is made up of scenes in the comic, and usually involve the protagonists. Characters without their ego do not notice the gaps in their memory and never act outside of their set personality.

       Before I launch into my justification on why I found this show difficult to get through, let me first give credit where it's due since there are certainly likable aspects to it.

       Firstly, it was fun seeing how the characters with ego make a joke out of the author's lack of creativity with the plot and lines. Some of the exchanges in the comic they exist in are incredibly cheesy, and they ridicule the author through their internal monologues. (E.g. "I can't believe he made me say that" or "I have to play the Kind Friend and give up my Strawberry drink to the protagonist?" or "Does this comic book even sell any copies?").  

       Secondly, I liked how the scenes in Stage and Shadow are clearly distinguished using the page flip sound effect and the video filter (greenish blue hue for Stage, orange hue for Shadow). This helps to prevent confusion among viewers. As more characters gain their ego, the dynamics of their relationship in Stage and Shadow become vastly disparate. They could be smiling at each other in the Stage, but go after each other's throats the second Shadow takes over. The tension that builds each time keeps viewers on their toes, as they wait to see what unfolds once the author's intended scene is over.

       Thirdly, there is an alternate story which runs parallel to this world, though I cannot reveal any more than this. The genre of that story is Sageuk and its scenes had me far more engrossed than the original plot. I personally think the parallel story should be a series on its own, or released as a mini spin-off.

       Fourthly, one of my favourite things to come out of Extraordinary You is this particular soundtrack, which encapsulates the essence of nostalgia, sprinkled with hints of fantasy, while simultaneously evoking an emotion of something imminent.

       Now, moving on to the juicier part of this review: why I had to gather patience to get through this show, and what I would have changed about it.

       As much as Extraordinary You is occasionally somewhat of a parody to poke fun at common cliches, it doesn’t escape them either. Some of the lines were getting too repetitive and the romance took up too much of the spotlight. I physically groaned out loud multiple times because I was not feeling the romance, and wanted the scene to be over with. I am in love with the idea of love as much as the next person, but I prefer it shown in moderation.

       Next, Baek-Kyung could have made a great morally grey character, but he was not developed in the right way. I wanted to at least root for him for a minute, but as time passed, his temper got worse and he became more unbearable. He was manipulative and pathetic in his attempts to win over Dan-Oh up till at least Episode 13. He also put himself on a pedestal and was scornfully bitter at the fact that Dan-Oh chose Ha-Ru, an extra, over him. I understand how he ended up the way he did, and that his toxic relationship with his father contributed to it, but I could not tolerate him for one simple reason: he does not stop when a girl says no. His affection was not genuine; he loved Dan-Oh in hopes that he could obtain her, disregarding her true happiness.

       Lastly, and arguably the biggest issue I have with the series, was the immense potential wasted when they decided that the genre should be a romance fantasy rather than a psychological thriller.

       I can envision it in my head, just how much further they can push the boundaries, just how much darker the series can go. Just think about all the components they can play with. Characters with ego are driven into a state of insanity with the realization that they live in an imaginary realm, alone with this knowledge. Characters with ego are made to kill others in the Stage, and have to accept that free will does not exist in this world. Characters with ego try to end their lives, or worse, to transcend dimensions in order to reach the author for revenge. My mind ponders to the masterpiece we could possibly have if this idea (of fictional characters gaining awareness) falls into the hands of the Black Mirror production team.

       To wrap things up, I would personally not recommend Extraordinary You to anyone, considering the infinite amount of better media available for consumption out there. You could dip your toes into the first three episodes to check if it's to your liking, or you could just move on with the other shows on your list. 5/10 is the most generous score I can give.