This review may contain spoilers
Where to begin? When I discovered this drama almost 2 yrs ago, I wasn't expecting how much I would grow to love this drama. I fell in love with it and still in love with it. I've watched this more than 5x and I never get tired of it. It just has all the feels. The love triangle here was the best. Hands-down best love triangle out of all the dramas I've watched. It's just so hard to choose between these 2 oh so different male leads. Lee Hwa Shin (Jo Jung Suk) was the stubborn/cocky hard-hitting reporter but do everything-for-love type from picking up Pyo Na Ri using the station's chopper to admitting to the entire nation about his illness. Then Ko Jung Won was the sweet, sexy and uber-considerate guy who chose to pursue an ordinary girl despite the huge difference in their social status. The way they express love is so different but they're both intense and sincere. Pyo Na Ri is the unassuming girl who had a three-year crush on Hwa Shin but kept getting rejected and just when she was ready to give up on Hwa Shin and fall in love with his best friend, that's when Hwa Shin realized his feelings for her. I love the internal struggles that the 3 characters went thru. It reminds me how messy love is and how strong the feelings usually are when u first fall in love. I love how the writers was able to seamlessly incorporate their work life into the love story. I love how the two male leads competed with each other but still cared for each others as best friends at the same time. I love how Pyo Na Ri who had no one who loved her in the beginning suddenlu had two men fighting over her. I can't imagine a better cast, the actors have surpassed my expectations. Plus that kissing scene between Jo Jung Suk and Gong Hyo Jin. Just WOW. Jo Jung Suk, what can I say, he's a damn good kisser and the tv screen doesn't lie. I also love the ost! I've lost count how much I've listened to Lovesome. The other characters and storylines are also quite enjoyable. I also love the symbolism with the slippers. I will never get tired of this drama and will always be one of my top favorites. Was this review helpful to you?
you will have a love - hate relationship with this the drama
Good points about the story/ plot/ drama1-Very light , easy going, full of crazy fun drama, without villains, controlling parents etc
2-Throw light on a very unusual but deadly diseas
3-Shows the competitiveness and drama from behind the camera in the broadcasting industry, also in a very entertaining & engaging, non boring way
4-Deals with mature Issues related to mostly mature people like health, work problems, two timing ,asexuality etc.
5- A drama that is funny but if it were not a rom- com, it could have been easily a very intense Melo drama so writer did a good job by keeping an otherwise heavy story immensely funny
6- All the characters except for 2nd male lead was very realistic, the 2nd male lead was too perfect to be true.
7- One of the most hottest, sensual, sensational kisses from JJS , Gong Hyo Jin is one lucky woman.
8- The best of the best chemistry between main leads,and among all the characters.
9- Absolutely amazing OSTs, step step, would you to come to me, bye autumn are to name a few that leaves in my heart rent free.
10- Amazing bgm. Also very befitting according to the scene requirements.
Negative points about story/ plot:
1- Uninteresting side stories
2- Not everyone's cup of tea, very controversial for some .
3- One of the most annoying, unbearable lead female role
4- The biggest flaws
* The story and role of 2nd lead is very unnecessarily prolonged that makes at least half of the audience to root for him not for the main lead.
* The writer failed to bring out clearly, the reasons why male lead was a tusendear. she was unable to make a good no of the viewers like the male lead. She should not have made 2nd lead seemingly so perfect that many of the viewers could not connect to 1st male lead.
This drama is not everyone's cup of tea , like I said before especially for them who have over active brains, analyse dramas so critically, do not enjoy the drama for its face value, and don't take a drama as just a drama. And mainly for these reasons many dislike the main lead ,
But there are very few who dislikes female lead and I am one of them. The female lead almost through out the drama acts as a cringy ,puny woman who have no self respect, dignity, has no idea of someone's personal space,has no idea to let go and move on, wish-washy, indecisive on top of that is immature, naive. For me she only redeemed in the last 4-5 episodes and forother 20 episodes a little bit here and there. Even then she has the sympathies of all the viewers because she gets the benefit of being a woman and the portion of woman in the total no of viewers is always in majority.
On the other hand I absolutely loved the male lead who is a loveable jerk, little tusendear, a lot of arrogant ,have inner insecurities,think highly of himself but he cares in his own ways for his loved ones, actually do care for female lead when poses that he doesn't not care for her for various reasons for, he is charming, adorable, sincere, straight forward, all out honesty,sets the same bars for himself that he sets for others, and I was rooting for him because I understand why he acted the way he did. A major credit for it goes to Jo Jung Suk for his phenomenal, extraordinary acting. It was a fun ride to watch Hwashin's character growth.
A lot of viewers got the 2nd lead syndrome but I barely noticed him in my first watch, because for me personally he was very boring and bland. Again he is not a flawless character , he becomes clingy, not ready to move on from the female lead, was so rich but very weak in handling his personal matters, badmouthed his friend all the time in front of female lead to woe her back. But again just because he was good to the female lead and super duper rich so he was a perfect guy who gave some viewers 2nd lead syndrome.
I enjoyed every bit of the main story related to three main characters,it never got draggy, even though I had concerns with female lead but I was overcome with those concerns because female lead character is very realistic and such people like her exist. So the drama never got bored for me, I binged watched it in 3 days, I have rewatched it multiple times, I have saved it and come back to it time and again. I love it for it's crazy light theme, for its realistic characters, it's intense love triangles, it's flow, and for every good point that I mentioned above in the beginning of the review.
I hate it for making less efforts to make some people understand the main lead character and invest in him.
But I would say that this is one and only drama where it makes us to raise questions so very often on the behaviour of different characters but this never fails to stop us from watching it, from enjoying it, from craving for the next episodes.
Acting of every one was top notch except the 2nd male lead,he was good but not as good as others, but the one actor who totally shone , stole the show had to be Jo Jung Seok. I have fallen head over heels for him. He has made a seemingly unpleasant character , a totally loveable character, he made me believe in all of his happiness, insecurities, pain, sufferings, regrets, loneliness. I felt physical pain in my chest whenever he suffered. He made me laugh. He made me understand seemingly hidden reasons for his those actions that were considered unpleasant. This drama was my first time watching him. And If it was not for him, I think I would not be able to love this drama as much as I do now, without him this drama would not be as much interesting for me as it is now. Hwashin is a difficult role to play where he is an ordinary guy with an unlikable personality on paper, so the actor had the daunting task of making him as an endearing, adorable one, also actor had to show his grief and pain but not going full emotional & Melo but with a touch of humour, that is again not easy to act BUT JJS has done a DIVINE job with microexpressions and emotive eyes to fulfill all the needs of the role. I can go & on in praising him but I would like to leave a link here that would prove you how much of a good actor he is and how much of a phenomenal actor he was in Jealousy Incarnate as Lee Hwashin. Don't forget to read the comments down there in the last part of the article.
http://netizenbuzz.blogspot.com/2016/10/kim-soo-hyun-polls-in-as-1-romcom-king.html?m=1
Also, apart from his outstanding acting as Lee Hwashin , I would like to appreciate him for taking on such a difficult role where he actually had to wear a bra. A role that is actually as embarrassing to play as an actor as embarrassing it was shown in the drama for the same reasons, for all the same stigma .
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I was turned away by the low ratings but I'm so so so glad I finished this drama because it turned out to be one of my all-time favorites!!! The first episode didn't pull me in right away but as I watched on I grew to fall in love with the cast more and more!!! Literally this is the cutest and funniest drama I've ever watched!! Every episode had me on my toes but at the end of the day they would wrap it up in a heartwarming and light, funny way. If you're into heavy suspense maybe this isn't for you but if you're a sucker for romantic comedies then this is the one!!
I literally can't over that I finished this drama so fast. Best chemistry and best music! Jo jung suk is also suuuuuuper cute and I'm just so in love with him after this drama. Don't be turned off by the ratings, try it yourself!!
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The story:
I read a review that said the story is messy but perfect kind of messy. I didn't understand this until I started watching this drama... I ended up finding it the perfect description for it.
There is a lot of side characters (which I usually hate) but for this drama, I loved each and every one of them.
The beginning is a bit slow but after a few episodes, you'll find yourself hooked to know what will happen next.
The romance is perfect. If you're a romance fan you'll be satisfied. I think this is the best love triangle of all the dramas I've seen.
The comedy... God the comedy was amazing, beyond perfect actually, I was laughing all the way from the 1st episode till the last moment (which doesn't happen easily)
It was so refreshing and new., I'll definitely remember it for a long time.
What I didn't like :
- There was no actual plot. It felt like I'm just living their daily Lives with them. It wasn't bad but it could've been better.
- Towards the end they gave up on some of the side stories, it bothered me a little but I got over it because there was a lot happening with the main story.
- They could've finished it in 20 ep (not 16 though) it would have been richer with events.
The acting was perfect. It was like Every actor was made for his character.
Jo Jung Suk is at his best. I fell in love with him all over again..he was perfect for this role and I don't think that there was someone who could do it as well as he did.
The music was wonderful. A big part of the drama was the music. It controlled your emotions during different scenes.
Without the music, it would have been a very sad drama so thank God.
Overall I strongly suggest you watch this if you don't mind the simple plot and a fan of romantic comedy.
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FUUUN FUUUN!!??
It's always been on my PTW list, and finally watching it made me realize how much I missed old K-dramas🤔FUUUN FUUUN!!
I think "Jealousy Incarnate" is the first Korean rom-com I've seen with 24 episodes, and I managed to finish it quickly, a first for me! Usually, I lose interest around episode 16 or put the show on hold altogether.
But not this time with this one. It was chaotic in the best possible way, everything had me bursting into laughter because I was simply stunned 🤭Friends sharing the same taste in women, and two ladies working together having identical preferences in everything from clothes to men, which inevitably leads to conflicts over a daughter.
I won't deny that there were moments where boredom crept in, questioning where the story was headed or why certain problems were introduced, so I ended up fast-forwarding through some parts🤷♀️Still, I thoroughly enjoyed the drama, and it brought light to those days.
The ending was fantastic; I couldn't have asked for more. The cast was outstanding, from the leads to the supporting actors. I found myself missing some of them, and seeing them in this drama brought me immense joy.
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The acting skills in this drama were really high, with complex and fast dialogs, also a lot of corporal expressions and improvisations. The music was nice and most of the writings were really well thought and the themes were developed really well with deepness and intention.
So why I give and 8 over 10 in overall and no more?
As the title said I felt the drama lacked a bit on the charm side, maybe because they put too much effort on some bittersweet comedy scenes and the main male character had a kind of akward personality, with the contrast of giving a great personality to the second lead male and rival of the main.
Also the main stories were somehow simple (probably more suited for 16-20 episodes instead of 24), forcing the drama to focus on some side scenes not very intriguing but some of them funny at least. With that, the dramatics lost some strenght.
However, the high acting sklls and a decent conclusion of the stories made up for a really decent drama overall.
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Gosh it was sooooo binge-worthy and tbh, I don't even know why. This drama was a mess, but a beautiful mess! As if I was on crack, I couldn't get enough.
Some bits and pieces that made me love it:
- The work setting of a broadcasting studio ('Pinocchio' nostalgia!)
- Girl has crush on boy for several years but boy has no interest until fate pushes them together in the unlikeliest of ways ('Mischievous Kiss'/'Playful Kiss' anybody?)
- Even though the male lead says he has no interest in her, he comes through when other people disrespect her. (E.g. when she faced difficulties at work: he barged into the news room and was ready to throw hands!!)
- Another guy enters the picture to help him realise his feelings
- Love triangle with comedy & heartache
- Touched on a topic I wasn't expecting at all: male breast cancer. Was NOT expecting a fun broadcasting romcom to go down that road, but I'm so glad it did! So much came from it, from character growth, inner turmoil, shenanigans, great characters, and of course bonding of the couple.
- The male lead Hwa Shin's character is so interesting. A mix of arrogant, charming, tsundere and adorable. So multilayered, Jo Jung Suk truly shines in this drama.
- All the surrounding characters. Especially our big messy family
- Big relationship milestones that are we rarely see in kdramas!
If I had to describe the drama in short though, it's a love triangle taken to the extreme XD
It's one long, fun, bumpy ride that I'd gladly go on again and again
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Brilliant Acting Carried out with Charm
NON SPOILER REVIEW :' Jealousy Incarnate '
This drama is so true to its name.
There are 3 phases in this drama :
1. The Push
2. The Pull
3. The Centre
All describing how jealously is a part and parcel of the game called love.
People take each other's presence for granted.
Friendship and love go hand in hand.
You know what the best part about this drama is,
It's the charm, the easiness and the blending.
You won't even realize how good the characters are.
Each and every character in this drama is fantastic, especially our leads,
Jo Jung Suk acts so well, his facial expressions are one of the best in the entire industry.
Gong Hye Jin, Damn! She's the plotting queen for me.
Even though her face is not quite eye catchy still she's one of the greatest actresses in this industry.
If you're looking for a drama with a rom-com experience, continuing with the social dilemma, and great friendship continuing through the form and representation of a Broadcasting station. Then this is it.
The only con is 24 episodes so i do feel they could've cut the drama for around 6 episodes short.
It does get slow and I did skip many parts of it nonetheless it's a great drama.
Worthy of being watched.
Final Call
8/10
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I admit that at some parts, it is a bit draggy but come on.. sit back, relax and just watch it. The so-called draggy part is to snow-ball the feeling of the 3 leads between them. I find it rather helps the story well.
The acting of the leads.. AWESOM!! Especially Jo Jung Suk. He is a good actor, he can act so well. He is just born to be an actor. I'm glad that I watch his drama and I will definitely continue to watch his future drama as I know I won't be disappointed. Even if 1 day, he acts in a lousy drama, I know his acting will let me go on to watch finish the drama. He is just too talanted.
The story somehow I believe that there is a struggle between the 2 male leads because 1 is gentle and loving, the other is self-centered and arrogant. Some people will choose the one who is gentle and loving but in real life, the self-centered and arrogant one is the one who will attract you more. I really like how the script is written to round the story so nicely.
The comedy in this drama is DAEBAK!! You will find yourself ROTFL UNCONTROLLABLY. Maybe my laughing point is below average..lol. I just loved romance-comedy.
The reason for me to rewatch is the comedy and most important the acting. I'm not sure if you ever come across some drama that you just wanted to see the acting of the leads because it is just too awesome that you want to watch again and again. And strange enough, everytime i rewatch it, it just attracted me more to watch it again.
Seriously, it is really worth a watch.
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This review may contain spoilers
The summary here is not really correct I think
I started watching because of hate to love and without reading the love triangle tag. But in ep2 I just thought it is not a love triangle but love triangles. And there is no hate to love actually... It is not hate ... Of course it wasn't hate nor there wasn't any competition kind of thing which I expectedAnd I hate love triangle.
So y I continued watching was only because of the comedy. There were fun even at most serious moment. And hence I was able to brush away the triangle love. So for someone who may skip because of the love triangle... May be give a try and drop.. of u can't continue
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It's all about 2
Do you have spare time? Or having a bad day? Wanna laugh like crazy? Great grab some popcorn and you're good to go.This drama is a complete mess. I felt like I was watching a telenovela.
Summary: Stay single. If not, always date two persons at the same time. The person who makes you more jealous loves you more.
Reasons why I love this drama:
Fantastic casting! I love almost every work of Jo Jung-suk and Gong Hyo-jin, especially romcoms. Their acting will make you invested in the story for sure. Super addicting. The best thing I like about this drama is it's self-aware. It lets the viewers know that this series isn't meant to be taken seriously. There are some heart-touching emotional scenes if you love those. Production was good.
Reasons why I dislike this drama:
Plotline. The story isn't much, it's typical romcom just super messy.
Lacking side characters screentime. I was really interested in those three teenage characters, I would have love to know more about them. Same goes for Pyo an ri's parents, her father doesn't make an appearance, her mother snd stepmother had very small screentime, I wish it was longer.
Unnecessary events, overdramatic. As I said this drama is so extra, it has so many random events, not impacting the storyline at all.
Osts were bland.
I recommend, watch it. It's fun and a great time killer.
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The actors did a good job, although, let's be honest, here: the actors of the two main leads always play the same kind of characters. Having watched many of their dramas before, I absolutely knew what to expect when I got into this. Nevertheless, the drama was enjoyable as the plot about breast cancer and dating two people at the same time was very fresh!
What I did not enjoy was any other plot beside the main one. I could not have cared less about any of those other broadcast employees or the people living in the female lead's building. Those scenes were all extremely uninteresting.
But what really really bothered me was the music. It was soooo bad. Just horrible. It did not fit most of the scenes. Some were completely ruined by the bad choice of background music.
All in all, this was a fun but rather unnecessary long ride. Had they left out all of the uninteresting side plots and chose some better music, I would have given a way better rating because in my opinion, the main plot deserves it!
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