A tearjerker without playing the victim: 3 reasons why “My Remaining Love” is the most moving dating show of the year

• Related reading: The 12 contestants and Instagram accounts for “Mother-Solo Dating Battle 2” are out – follow them all now!

Tearjerking without playing for pity: A “second life” for young people with terminal illnesses

The show boldly focuses on people in their 20s and 30s who have had terminal illnesses or recently undergone major surgery. Serious medical histories, such as stage 4 cancer and total gastrectomies, have become markers of having faced the boundary between life and death. In the first episode, guests read from their cancer journals, moving Choi Yena, an in-studio MC who battled cancer as a child, to tears again and again and leaving viewers at home with a lump in their throats.

What makes this variety show so resonant is that it doesn’t lean into sentimentality. When male guest Kim Sun-ho shares the blank medical report bearing the words, “You’ve worked hard. You don’t need to come back for follow-up appointments,” his joy and relief deeply affect fellow guest Kim Lun-ki, who recently underwent a total gastrectomy. When female guest Kang Min-young talks about the increased appetite brought on by steroid injections, everyone jokes about it openly and sincerely. The optimism and confidence they have developed through hardship are what make them so compelling.

A fresh dating format: How do the “100-minute time blocks” work?

Beyond the guests’ real stories, the dating rules bring a fresh twist, too. Each day, the production team gives out 10 “time blocks,” representing 100 minutes in total, which everyone must divide among the people they’re interested in. A romantic date can only happen if two people choose each other and the time they give one another adds up to more than 100 minutes. The format makes people’s feelings more tangible and adds to the suspense of later pairings.

Things get dramatic at their first meeting: A K-drama-like reunion with someone from the past

The romantic connections everyone is most curious about are already flying in the first episode. As soon as Kang Min-young enters, she sets her sights on Kim Sun-ho, who is her ideal type. Kim Sun-ho, meanwhile, nervously clutches his chest when Jung Ye-ji appears.

Most surprisingly, Kim Sun-ho privately tells the production team that he seems to have spotted “someone I already know” among the group. The comment sends the MCs, including Lee Se-young and SEVENTEEN’s DK, into a frenzy. Just who is the girl he can’t stop thinking about? The more you watch, the more impatient you become to find out. For now, all you can do is mark the late-night Tuesday update on Viu and follow along.

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