Fragile Review: Strong Friendships, Weak Romances
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
One of the most comically sweet moments in the Korean drama Fragile is a scene where five teen girlfriends turn up at a gynaecologist’s office because one of them fears she might be pregnant. “Don’t they look like high school students?” a man visiting with his wife comments on their appearance, but the girls reassure their friend not to care about anybody else.
Directed by Kim Ji Hoon, Fragile primarily follows Park Ji Yu (Kim So Hui), a high-school girl who spends most of her free time sneaking her boyfriend No Chan Seong (Kim Eo Jin) into her home. With no friends, Ji Yu is practically obsessed with her boyfriend and pays little attention to her grades. But when the new girl Seo Ara (Kwon Hui Song) befriends Ji Yu, the latter soon becomes part of a new fun girl group, discovering a new social life while still navigating the treacherous waters of love, jealousy, and boyfriend problems.
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The most enjoyable bits about Fragile are the teen girl gang hanging out and having fun, like kids their age should—going bowling, playing board games, having a pajama party, or simply studying together with lots of snacks. Ji Yu and Seo Ara become close friends with the cute Mi Na (Moon Ji Won), the laid-back, cheery, food enthusiast Yeo Eun-soo, and the cynical but smart Kim Ye Ri. The classmates’ personality clashes and differing opinions lead them to reexamine various aspects of their own lives, giving them fresh perspectives they might not have considered otherwise. For instance, Kim Ye Ri is constantly reminding the girls there’s more to life than dating boys.
Large chunks of Fragile focus on how Park Ji Yu’s romance with Chan Seong gets complicated when a senior, Nam Do Ha (Cha Se Jin), starts hitting on her. Chan Seong’s best friend, Kang San (Kong Ju Han), is quite supportive of Ji Yu; however, there are ample hints throughout the episodes that he either has a crush on Ji Yu or Chan Seong. In fact, even Park Ji Yu seems to have more than platonic feelings for Kang San too, displaying a streak of jealousy when he shows interest in someone else. Her constant confusion between men becomes annoying, and her personality is boringly one-dimensional. Supporting characters Seo Ara, Kim Ye Ri, and Yeo Eun-soo are a lot more entertaining. Actor Moon Ji Won is adorable as Mi Na, her character a prettier, dumber, and more emotional version of Ji Yu.
While Fragile is a well-shot teen drama with many relatable teen characters, each going through their own problems. The background score is understated, in a good way – it doesn’t stand out, but subtly complements the story. One wishes the creators had split the screen time between some of the actors more evenly. Yes, Kim So Hui is convincing as the doe-eyed Ji Yu, but she is also the least interesting character in the series.
First love, confusing crushes, secret relationships, eating disorders, cyberbullying—Fragile covers a lot of issues affecting its teen protagonists. Much of the show is engaging and a gorgeous cast is added bonus; however, its biggest pitfall is the disparate amount of time given to secondary characters, who could have used more screen time.
Episode eight, the final edition of the series, ends with a big cliffhanger, which is bound to make viewers feel a little cheated. Perhaps two more episodes, and this season could have ended more conclusively, but in its current form, Fragile feels unevenly broken. That said, I would watch a season two.
Rating: 6.5 on 10. Watch ‘Fragile’ on Kocowa.
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