Another Miss Oh (2016)

I have come really close, really REALLY close, but I've never given a drama all 10s so easily before. It's not because it's perfect, but it's because I loved every single episode from beginning to the end. The cast is Amazing, and includes some of my now favorite KDrama characters EVER! The story was totally different than any other romcom I've seen, and kept me fully engaged from the beginning until the end. My rewatch score is an easy 10, since I was often tempted to rewatch episodes immediately while waiting impatiently for new episodes to come out. The music has been on steady rotation in my playlist too.

Most people will be skeptical that this drama deserves all the praise it will likely get, I know I would be. A common question has been, "Is it really that good?". Umm... YES. The answer is YES, in ALLCAPS.

Let's start at the beginning, which most people call slow, but I was completely fascinated from the very first scene. I had a friend who was a sound editor, and I always thought the job was so fascinating, but I love the way they weave that element in throughout the show. I think it's the attention to details like that that makes this drama stand out more than others. Add the psychic premonition/flash forward element to that, and I was hooked for sure. I just had to know what was going to happen next.

I think the writing was really extraordinary in how they married all the different genres together without ever totally losing it's charm. Watching it felt like being on a roller coaster. I liked the ebb and flow of the story... Some moments are cute, some intense, some are passionate, some are heartbreaking, then frustrating, then suddenly hilarious... In telling the story of a mature and truly complicated relationship, they never settle on sticking to one approach for too long. Some people who joined in for the romance may get annoyed during the depressing & frustrating parts, and those looking for suspense probably got bored during the extra romantic moments, but I was too invested in the story to ever be bored, and I knew the story would never stay on one type of moment for too long. I know that personally that "surfing" shirt kept haunting my dreams... One can criticize certain parts of the story for not being realistic, but being real is not my criteria for a great drama. In fact, the only other drama I could see myself giving perfect 10s to is Secret Garden, for most of the same reasons, and that is definitely not a drama that relies on being "real". All the authenticity this drama needs comes from the portrayal of the characters.

Seo Hyun Jin as Regular Oh Hae Yeong, and Eric Moon as Do Kyeong, are not the ideal dream couple on paper. They are emotionally damaged, dysfunctional, and certainly imperfect, but I fell in love with both characters as they fell in love with each other. Regular Oh Hae Yeong's vulnerability broke my heart, and yet inspired me. Do Kyeong's guarded personality was frustrating, and yet I was completely empathetic towards him. The banter in the beginning was fun, their chemistry is perfect, the intensity of their intimacy got me in the feels, and they have the best KDrama kisses EVER. Seriously... ever. No need to fear them touching lips together while standing awkwardly. Eric plays repressed so well, that you would never think that he had it in him. I definitely swooned several times. I am a romcom fan, and have a lot of favorite couples, but they definitely leaped their way to the top couples on my list.

Then there is the rest of the cast. If I could give higher than 10 to some of the supporting cast I would.

Regular Hae Young's parents are the best parents in dramaland... FACT. The family moments were equally touching and laugh out loud funny. Kim Mi Kyung is just so good, and Lee Han Wi balanced her out perfectly. Any scene with them in it was automatically a good one.

The rest of the supporting cast were all 10s, or close enough, and there are way too many too mention, but shout out to the bromancemobile!

Jeon Hye Bin, and Lee Jae Yoon didn't have to rest on being attractive. They each had complicated characters who had me rooting against them while totally feeling sorry for them. I admit that I HATED Pretty Oh Hae Young, but that's because she played her part so well. Tae Jin was much more sympathetic, but both of them made the complicated love dilemma work well.

Kim Ji Suk, Heo Jeong Min, and Heo Young Ji all had very fun and memorable characters, but the true MVP of this whole drama to me is Ye Ji Won. She is my power animal! I had no idea, in her first scenes, how much I would end up adoring her character. Even If the story sucked, and the rest of the cast sucked, I would still be glued to the screen waiting to see what kind of shenanigans she would do next. I don't want to even slightly spoil any of her moments, because the surprise randomness of it is what makes it comic genius. I need to stalk her in something else. If you know of any dramas where she is particularly awesome, please let me know!

I already mentioned rewatch value, but just to be clear, I am tempted to rewatch the whole thing right now. I'll try to wait longer before I watch it again, but I will, without a doubt, be watching it all again... and again.

The music is now one of my favorite OSTs. I listen to certain songs over and over and never get tired. What Is Love is too cute, and I love that Seo Hyun Jin is singing! Ben's Like a Dream started playing in a store and had me singing along like I know the words... no, I do not speak Korean, much less sing in Korean. Maybe I by Roy Kim is like musical crack. Needless to say, the OST is really good.

Overall, I don't know what I am going to do with my Mondays & Tuesdays now that it's over. I rarely watch on air dramas, but I am so glad I watched this one. I think it was worth it from beginning to end, and yes I did like the ending, but I won't say too much about it other than that I thought it was... in it's own way... perfect ; )

So yes I recommend it very highly. I think a romcom hater, or a melodrama hater, or a suspense hater could all agree that there is surprisingly a little something for everyone. I also loved the message at the end.

Now excuse me while I make some room for this drama, and it's cast on my favorites lists.

Read More

Good drama to get out of a kdrama slump

Solid 8.5/10 for me, I watched this and honestly the storyline and actors had me hooked. It takes a while to build up but if you stick with it I promise it gets better. For me this was a very intricately written slice of life drama with romance and some supernatural elements.

I like the fact that this drama sheds a light on more niche professions such as audio / sound engineering and we get to delve into what that really entails in Do Kyung's daily life. I enjoyed learning about the main character's backstories and how they became the way they were. I know a lot of people say the FL, Oh Hae Young is very annoying and behaves like a child but I really loved her character. She was so hilarious and endearing in my opinion. I feel like anyone living her life would lash out and react the way she did. I really resonated with Oh Hae Young's character as she's very strong willed and emotional but unlike others she isn't afraid to hide her emotions. She feels deeply and wears her heart on her sleeve. That for me made her character seem more real / genuine and relatable. You could also tell that the actress Hyun-Jin put her everything into that role – her performance was phenomenal and she truly deserved all the awards she won.

I liked the fact that this drama highlighted real struggles in peoples day to day lives. I felt connected to each character and came to a better understanding of them as the story unfolded. The chemistry between the leads was amazing I love how they were lowkey strangers to enemies to lovers. I loved how their relationship progressed and when it reached its climax it was like all the emotions and tension between them were palpable through the screen. I love how through all their trials and tribulations you could see the situation from their point of view, understand why they each wanted to let the other go and eventually how their undeniable connection brought them back together.

At first I was weary of pretty Oh Hae Young but then we got to see who she really was underneath her happy exterior. On the surface she looks happy and seemingly has a perfect life but the truth is that she was broken and wasn't raised in a family that loved her / showed her how to love. The sheer irony of the fact that both Hae Young's wanted to trade lives or were envious of the other at some point in time was some excellent writing. I feel like the writers thoroughly thought out the plots, story arcs and found a way to mesh all the character's lives together.

This drama taught me not to judge a book by it's cover and to treat others as you would want to be treated because you really don't know whats going on in a persons life or what they have been through. Additionally the drama emphasized the meaning of friendship, forgiveness as well as love and family relationships (the good, the bad and the ugly)

Other highlights for me included Do Kyung's precarious relationship with his mother and his crazy relationship with his siblings. I particularly enjoyed watching the love story of Jin Sang and Soo Kyung unfold. It took a while but they got there and I was so happy for them.

This drama had me grinning from ear to ear half of the time and I definitely appreciated it for everything it was. I would recommend this to people who are in slumps and don’t know what to watch next. This got me out of my own :)

Read More

I'm very glad about my drama trade I did with another MDL user because it made me watch this little gem, that I surely would have never touched on my own. The summary and the promotional covers never piqued my interest before.
 
There are so many things that I love about this story. First of all is the idea in itself. They did a pretty good job with explaining the visions, making them convincing without making it look too much out of space. With the same pace Do Kyung was getting an idea of what was actually happening to him, it made me understand it step by step, too.

The way the romance was emerging. From the original setup to the new one. Well explained and real. I got a pretty good feel of how deep their emotions were growing and I liked the idea of "fate" here. I loved how that whole relationship was developing, even though they sometimes seemed a little foolish. But that's what love actually is, right? Acting against all logic and not getting bothered about other people's opinions. What makes you really happy and how do you want to spend that one life you got?

I was dying with pleasure seeing all that skinship. It felt comfortable and real and made me very, very happy. When it seemed like their pent up emotions were finally exploding, I felt the same. I'm a sucker for hugs and here are so many tight embraces that I wish I had someone near me who would hug me just at the same time, lol. And their kisses... Don't get me started with those. All these things are one big part of what made this romance so intense and beautiful.

The acting was very impressive. Eric blew me away. His character drew me in to a point where I couldn't stop but root for him all the way, no matter what he did. I saw his remorse, I felt his misery and I enjoyed his approach to slowly change himself and become happy, no matter the outcome. Same goes for Seo Hyun Jin. Her despair, her hunger for love and her feeling of betrayal of life itself were crushingly unfeigned.

There is some really strong writing in this drama. Some dialogues had a big impact on me and made my heart flutter all of a sudden so many times. The story did a pretty good job at riling up my emotions in every way possible.

I also loved the side stories. Interesting characters even though some of them were a little exaggerated. I enjoyed them nevertheless. Do Kyung's sister was one hell of a person. Her on/ff modes were hilarious but what I loved the most was that no matter what, she stuck to her family, supporting them in her own way whether blood-related or not and was always like a guardian. I also loved Hae Young's parents. Although her mother was really, REALLY stubborn towards the end, I enjoyed the time when she was silently giving in, showing that she truly loved her daughter and wanted her to be happy.

About the two second leads here...
Well, I didn't really care for their stories while watching the drama. Now, at the end... Well, of course they had their reasons for behaving the way they did. The other Oh Hay Young... as the story went on, her character became more palpable and explained some things, but it didn't change the fact that I couldn't care less. She had her chance, she blew it. End of story. Han Tae Jin... same goes for him and on top of that he was a petty loser. He couldn't accept the facts, acting all childish, throwing one tantrum after another. Do Kyung and him both did wrong. But at the point where Do Kyung realized his mistake, Tae Jin blamed others and continued his raving, staying blinded by his anger.

The ones I disliked till the end were Do Kyung's mom and Chairman Jang. No further explaining. Just stating that fact.

If there's one thing to complain about, it would be the dragging in the middle and until ep 16. I know that every scene and every moment were important for the story and can't be considered fillers. But I still think that they could have made some things a little shorter and not putting me in such agony >.< (although it makes you wonder if I would have gotten riled up about it with the same intensity, if they HAD made it shorter, right? Haha...)

In the end a very, very enjoyable roller-coaster with many memorial moments. Lots of emotions, lots of ups and downs and very satisfying in the end.

Read More

i really didn't like this drama. there are so many things that pissed me off that i don't know what to begin with. maaany loose ends with the script.
from the start it seemed like everyone had a problem with alcohol which seemed like a lazy excuse to put the whole story together at first so it could develop from that. it gets boring watching all of the characters having the same behavior. they could've been more creative about it. also i felt like the drama wouldn't end until all of the female characters had humiliated themselves for the guys they were in love with. all of them seemed desperate and crazy in this drama and it had me feeling ANGRY most of the time. i can't imagine someone begging to be loved in real life like OHY did with PDK who seemed to have zero interest in her for most part of the drama. i hated the lead character, i was always thinking "girrrl dont be stupid, this guy doesn't want you MOVE ON there's others out there!!". OHY had no self confidence or respect for herself, always playing the desperate fool. i don't think its a nice thing to watch, it was really uncomfortable, it was like she was really depressed and holding onto people and feelings that were only destructive for her. in real life these sort of things doesn't lead to a happy ending.
also it never really explained what was the relation that the old singer on the TV had with park do kyung, there isn't really a connection between them, that is one more thing that was messy and lazy about the script.
and it ends out of nowhere, so everyone who has the incredible amount of patience required to watch this show until the end will get to disappoint themselves with how hurried and messy was the work done by the writers of this show, making everything happen in like the last 5 minutes of the drama, and not showing anything about how everything turned out for the other characters beside the main couple.
all of that said, the cast was good, actors made a good job but it wasn't enough to save the horrible script.

Read More

I will preface this review by stating that I'm not a fan of romantic comedy. I am a fan of the cast and decided to watch it. Another mIss Oh has an interesting adult plot that takes from the normal Korean cliches but puts a little twist on it. I don't usually like comedy. Mostly because I don't find things that other people find funny to be funny to me. However, this drama kills it with the comedy. I laughed so hard sometimes. Once when I was at work and people probably thought I was crazy. There are also great meanings as to live each day as if it were your last and you never know where life will lead. I like that for all the crazy of the story it seems real. Partly because of the story, but mostly because of the acting.

The Acting...I don't know where to begin. Usually I would start with the leads, but I have to start with Ye Ji Won as Park Soo Kyeong [Do Kyeong's sister]. She is awesome. For as outlandish as her character is, I felt like she was real and I so wanted to be her friend. I can't say too much because of spoilers, but I love where the writer went with her character. Seo Hyun Jin is also amazing as the one and only (at least in my mind) Oh Hae Yeong. Her forthright character that felt with such honesty was a breath of fresh air. So many times in a drama a character will hide their feelings. Not Her. She feels from her soul. I respect that in people. Eric was also good as Park Do Kyeong as he tries to navigate the confusion and visions that in the end help him look at life in a different and I would even go so far as to say in a more positive way. Ahhh...Kim Ji Suk. I so love him. He is so funny as Lee Ji Sang. Rooftop Party Rooftop Party

Music is good. Some of it really good.

I might rewatch this sometime.

I recommend this to all romance lovers...It is a really nice drama.

Read More

This drama offered new takes on old themes. We have many clichés here (the-more-beautiful love rival, a rich guy who is anti-social, a stupid chaebol-mom, a "mystery" etc.).

HOWEVER, all of this is depicted in quite a new way: the love rival is actually a nice person and isn't bitchy at all, the rich guy is not THAT rich - just normal - and his anti-social behaviour is totally believable and not over the top. The chaebol-mom isn't really one, but tries to be.

And there are many other aspects, that felt fresh: The main woman's parents, esp. the mom, were no minor roles and showed some hair-wrenching parts of family life. The horny attorny (yeah, you read that right) with the older sister and their wonderfull outlandishly behaviour.
The female and male leads were totally believable imo - I know the actors from interviews and I couldn't see them past their roles. I believed all of it, and even the falling-in-love happened so gradually, esp. for the man, that for once it was real.

The mystery of his visions was really interesting and they even tried to explain it.

The humour - oh, this was awesome. It was a really new kind of humour that I haven't encountered like this in any drama before. It was at the same time crazy but realistic.

The only time I was a bit unnerved was when the back-and-forth between the couple got a little bit too frequently. It was still believable, not artificially emotional as in many other dramas, but still. Thank God, that resolved rather quickly when the guy decided to do what has to be done.

I really think, that I will rewatch it, especially for the humour and this one freakishly awesome kiss-scene.... ^^

Read More

Setting aside my orange colored bias for this review....

I've been in a drama slump for more than a year now, dropping more than I've completed. I started watching out of support for my leadernim, but didn't have high hopes. I was pleasantly surprised as the characters and the actors' portrayals kept me interested through all 18 episodes (though the extension was definitely not needed).

Set with the premise of Park Do Kyung (Eric) being able to see his future (or past?), it may have seemed unrealistic on paper, but the writing and direction were well done in that it added to the story of his falling in love. The side characters definitely helped the drama with well developed subplots of their own, adding humor to otherwise serious scenes.

My only disappointment would be with the cause of Do Kyung's visions not being fully explained. I admit it lost a bit of steam after Ep 14, but not enough for me to skip as I normally do when I feel a drama stretching itself. It recovers nicely however and you continue to root for everyone, including the second leads.

Growing up with a common name (There were 6 other people with my same name in high school), I get it. Oh Hae Young's reactions towards the so called prettier one were natural. I was also happy to see both Hae Young's perspectives of each other by the end.

I recommend this drama for the acting, Eric's expressive eyes, the laughs, the kisses, and the love.

Read More

All my stars are for Seo Hyun Jin, because I really really love her as an actress.
The overall acting was quite good, but... I spent most of the time hating the story and where it was obviously heading to. Many reviews already mentioned the issue about the lack of self-respect of the main female character, OHY. I would also add that, personally, I don't find either romantic nor forgivable the fact that the male lead basically destroyed the lives of OHY and her fiancé and, regardless, he did even manage to get the girl. I didn't like the male lead character AT ALL, and hated that she fell in love with a such a douchebag. This fact distracted me and made me forget about the funny moments in this drama, to the point that I will never watch it again, because it really gets on my nerves.

Read More

This is my first time ever in my whole 15 years experience watching kdrama; in the end of the drama I casually and with no regret say, "I don't respect the first female-male lead character!".

At first I like to watch this drama because its plot was 80-90% just the same with My Name is Kim Sam Soon (2005). That drama get Daesang at Baeksang Award and MBC Daesang for Kim Sun Ah (female lead). I kind of reviving again my memory when watching this drama. Same big framework and plot but different detail.

But I started to get irritated when there were many weird things happened...First of all, character twists(?) and unfortunately the worst one came to the first lead cast, both male and female. I started to question: "Does her character all this time actually was just a childish-impulsive-destructive-selfish-disrespectfully toward parent-victim mentality-no self-respect woman?" Until the end there is no asking- forgiveness-thing from GOHY to her mom. I am so so disappointed at her character. And also the everlasting fickle-wishy-washy kind first male lead. Giving no certainty not even after GOHY mother speak out her concerns.

For me, the best character in this drama is GOHY mother (I am quite sure most of the viewer agree with me)..and the second one goes to Isadora - Jinsung couple (this might be optional but I think many of them also agree with me) ^_^v well cast ranking end on second place..since if I carry on I might spill out some spoilers v^_^v

Anyway, not just about first lead's character, the story was too draggy and pleonastic. So many unnecessary scenes were put in. And lastly, even though this drama has a happy ending the process on to that end was too lousy. If this is a before-2010 drama I might understand and receive it as a lack of experience or knowledge or technology on how to create it as real as possible. But today is 2016..where has they're been for this time..even if they are just a debut prod.crew...(@_@)

I still put a quite high score for the acting/cast because imho there is not much complains about the cast's acting..lead-supporting-or cameo..even though some might have lack in here and there. No low soundtrack rating too because even though this drama follows the adding-funny-sound trend but the song track were good. For me this mess happened because of the awful script developing and directing =/ .

Read More

This is a story about fate, about love, about overcoming heartache and changing ones fate with the decisions you make. For me, i connected with the story and the characters.
From episode 2 onwards this drama was so engaging and its charm and unique take along with a brilliant cast quickly becomes addictive. Initially you find plain Hae Young to be quite pitiful. You find Do Kyeong to be cold and even a little hateful. But as the story unfolds and the push pull between them as well as fate throwing them together you start to care about them as individuals learning to heal and then rooting them as a couple.
Hae Young goes down in K drama history as one of the best female character, not because shes strong or badass but because of her fearless and even shamelessly adorkable way she throws herself wholeheartedly in love. Despite being burn after being dumped a day before her wedding, she promised the next time she will love wholeheartedly. Needless to say wearing ones heart on the sleeves means embarrassment, sometimes disappointment and more heartache. But these are also the qualities that attracted Do Kyung who although initially guilt ridden becomes fascinated and even disarmed by Hae Young's frank and direct nature.
Along with this romance, we have bromance between Do Kyung and bestfriend Jin Sang, Do Kyung and brother Park Hoon and Do Kyung and his sound team workers. All generated good vibes and laughs. Then theres the family love of Hae Young and her wonderful parents who make you cry and feels the warmth of family like you've been hugged. Finally you get a second romance of noona Soo Kyung and Jin Sang. So this drama is full of heart.
What further separates this drama is the out of this world chemistry between Hyo Jin and Eric.They share shy smiles, lover's embrace and sweet to sizzling kisses. Most of all they look really comfortable and believable. I enjoy all the simple moments of them together like walks on the beach, cuddle in front of the tv watch movies and cooking for each other. Theres some cheesiness but it wasnt too bad.
By the end of this drama i still have the warm fuzzies. The biggest take away message is to live with no regrets, like today is your last day. The impeding death visions allowed Do Kyung to open up and learn to love. His character has the most growth.
Honestly after episode 11 and the extension decision, the drama did lose some of its groove and spark. But episode 17 and 18 really lifts it back up along with my spirits.

In terms of ost theres quite a few tracks that are memorable, touching and suit the scenes.
In terms of picture this drama had some of the most beautiful cinematography. Spring is captured in full beauty.
In terms of sound because Do Kyeong is a sound director (what an awesome job) it also makes me appreciate that element.
In terms of clothing, i thought Hae Young's wardrobe kept improving. And like she says love makes her prettier.
In terms of hair, finally Do kyung gel up his hair in the last scene. He looks hotter that way instead of bangs

Rewatch value is high and thats a big plus in my book since i seldom rewatch but theres too many wonderful scenes in this drama. The plot is not without flaws and the characters aren't perfect but then is life ever perfect. This drama just push alot of the right buttons for me. Its a matter of taste but to me theres really a good balance of many things but still emphasizing the beauty of love. Sometimes its that simple: make your loved ones happyn and you are happy.

Read More