agree 100%. i’ve been arguing since forever
that taku is underdeveloped and the ONE way for him to grow would be to experience loss. you can’t become a truly empathetic person without ever having felt loss. taku is hurting now but he’ll return to Japan having learned a lot and I think that’s far more important than a superficial one month relationship.
i can only hope the bitter taku stans will realize that and maybe appreciate what this story has been since day one
Preach, sister! You said many true things. I love Love or Hate (or am I obsessed with it?), it's such a complex, deep story. At first you might think it's just a cliché plot with your habitual love triangle. But it's way more than that.
Like you, I was so afraid of Taku being a flat character, too perfect compared to Haesoo and Joowon. For a while, I couldn't like him. But he is way more than a plot device, he is too a true and realistic character, and I learned to like him.
I'm a little bit disappointed with the cliché car accident that helps the MC realize/accept his true feelings, but well. We waited long enough for this moment.
I hope the end is still far. I need to see Joowon and Haesoo loving each other openly, and I hope Taku will move on and be happy - maybe even find love with someone else.
yes yes exactly! i've been saying the exact same thing too about how he's underdeveloped and it makes no sense for him to be the endgame. this story is about the way people are flawed and change, so how can taku be the end choice if he's been such a stagnant character and never suffers and changes the way haesoo and joowon has??
yeah i agree, the car accident was a bit cliche but at least it did its job lol
i hope there will at least be a side story for Taku at the end. In most romance stories, the second lead comes out of it with nothing at the end. It's as though they just continue life like normal. but it would be so refreshing to show how Taku's relationship with Haesoo, DID have an impact on him as a person and it helps him change. that's what Taku's character should be about.
Beautiful post. I agree wholeheartedly.
Yes one of the reasons I've enjoyed the story is because all characters were complicated and morally gray at times. In many love triangles situation is pretty white and black and here everyone has their own flaws.
Author also focused on three of them, we could observe how they were changing during the story.
Yes!!! They all had valuable lessons to learn from each other. And Taku definitely needed to mature when it comes to love. He was too arrogant and childish, treating love and partners like toys he can put down and exchange when something shinier catches his eye. Love is about endurance.
Okay so this is gonna be long.
I just want to talk about Taku in the latest raws, cause I think it was a defining moment for him. Basically, Taku was quite selfish in this chapter. He got angry at his friend because she told Haesoo about Joowon’s accident. Like even if Taku hates Joowon, his reaction to his friend is OBVIOUSLY in the wrong. He knows how much Joowon means to Haesoo, and wanting to hide something like that accident from Haesoo would be terrible.
Yeongha is quite realistic in her depictions of people, and I think Taku acting like that kind of proves how Haesoo really wasn’t the one for him. Joowon was selfish too... earlier in the story. But he overcame that aspect of himself, and apologized. He was accepting and completely ready to stand down for Haesoo’s sake. Despite not getting what he wanted, he said he would always stay by Haesoo’s side in whatever way Haesoo would have him. Hypothetically speaking: if Joowon and Taku switched roles in this situation, Jowoon's current self would NOT react the same way about the accident. He would want to tell Haesoo immediately because he knows that Haesoo cares about Taku, and the fact that he wants Haesoo to be happy trumps how much he wants Haesoo for himself. Basically his love had changed from selfish to selfless over time. Taku meanwhile, is like a young Haesoo/Joowon right now. He’s so impatient with his advances onto Haesoo after only like a month or two of dating him, that it just doesnt make sense for Haesoo to end up with him.
Taku still has a lot of growing up to do and yeah he didn’t “win”, yes he didn’t end up happy in the time being... but if you ask me, he learned some of the most valuable lessons as a person because of his relationship with Haesoo. Haesoo was the first person who he actually *loved* and cared about. Him losing composure and getting angry like this in the chapter makes so much sense, because he really doesnt know how to deal with all his new emotions, and he can’t fully grasp a sense of sacrifice, or patience, or selflessness in his love. It’s a realistic portrayal. And it’s when people lose what they want (cough joowon cough), thats when they show the most growth. Him ultimately losing Haesoo should make him realize his faults and missteps with HIMSELF— and that he’ll be better for whoever he loves in the future.
I like this manhwa because i find that in most romance stories, the second lead is this flawless and perfect person, and it literally makes zero sense for the mc to end up with the crappier first lead. But in Love and Hate, ALL of the characters are flawed. Their growth is what actually matters, and it makes sense for Haesoo to be with Joowon in the end. Because A) they genuinely LOVE each other -and- B) as much as they loved each other, their relationship in the past was just... not it. Its the fact that Taku broke the cycle of their messed up relationship, and literally forced Joowon and Haesoo to change without even realizing it himself, that made them good for each other in the end. Thank you for coming to my ted talk.