Boring (Plot? What plot?)
I was really excited to watch this drama because of the plot and Park Shin Hye, but after watching 11 episodes, I wish I would've dropped it sooner. I'm quite disappointed in this show; I really thought I would like it, and tried to finish it, hoping it would get better, but it never did.Despite almost finishing the drama, Go Dok Mi had zero character development and was incredibly frustrating. The love interests annoying (Enrique) and borderline stalker-ish (Oh Jin Rak). There’s no chemistry whatsoever with either of the main leads, so the romance didn’t interest me from the start.
The pacing is slow, the plot unclear, and the characters are bland and flat. Every episode seems to drag on, and despite the amount of characters and scenes, nothing seems to happen. I thought it would be a comedy, but it honestly doesn't seem that way. The plot is all over the place, switching from story to story, and so many different couples, all while Go Dok Mi does nothing except mope around and avoid people--I get it, anxiety is no joke, but seriously? The same attitude for 11 episodes? It gets old really quickly. The only decent part about this drama is the casting, and even then their characters are terrible (not the actors’ fault).
Overall, if you're looking for an entertaining romcom to watch, this might not be the one for you. It certainly wasn’t for me.
PS. I tried to finish the drama via recaps, but even then it was so so boring and slow.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Updated Review 2024:I no longer know what year it was the first time I watched this drama. I only know that I was enamored with it the first time I watched it, and I am decidedly Not enamored with it anymore. In fact, this is the only drama I've rewatched so far that I've been really disappointed by. (Which does make me feel rather good about myself since I've mainly rewatched dramas I loved the first time, so it's nice to be reminded that I have good taste, lol.)
Contrary to what probably a lot of other drama viewers think of this female lead, I love everything about the Go Dok Mi. I relate to her struggle of connecting with the outside world, I relate to the way she carries herself, I relate to the way she communicates, I relate to her intense anxiety in social situations and her desire to hide. There's nothing I dislike about her. Sadly, I think it was my deep connection to the female lead that blinded me to the drama's otherwise serious flaws in my first viewing.
Firstly, there is no romance between the leads. Unless you count the male lead pestering the female lead and repeatedly stepping over her boundaries and being generally annoying. Enrique is a hyperactive man-child, and it is not attractive. He acts like he's 7 years old, bulldozes his way over everyone, and that's literally his entire character. I understand what the writers were going for. They were trying to write a male lead who would push the female lead into getting back out there instead of hiding in fear. They just did not succeed. The romance is simply 'They like each other now.' No discernible story reason, just the writer said so.
It's decidedly unromantic.
This brings me to the second male lead, Jin Rak. Poor, sweet Jin Rak who would have been a Much better male lead. Yes, his method of helping the female lead is ineffective, and his way of connecting with her is misguided in some respects, but you can see his heart behind everything he does. The daily post it notes are incredibly lovely and romantic, and you just know he wants the best for her. His problem is he doesn't know how to help her, and that's probably because of his own insecurity.
In my perfect drama world, Enrique would have floated down like a fairy godmother/matchmaker/cupid and worked his magic to gently but firmly guide Dok Mi and Jin Rak together, pushing Jin Rak to be a more active pursuer and coaxing Dok Mi out of her comfort zone so she could face her past and really live her life. What a lovely drama that would have made.
Tied with Enrique for the worst character of the drama is Do Hwi. Do Hwi is the epitome of the evil second female lead that so many Kdrama's of this era had, only she's one of the worst offenders of this trope (if not The worst). Her entire personality is 'I treat Dok Mi like dirt and chase Jin Rak around despite his obvious disinterest in me, because I just Can't. Let. Anything. Go.' The actress does an admirable job with what she's given, so you really can't hate her performance. It's just that the character itself should have either been thrown in the drama-writer trashcan, given some kind of real redemption or come-uppance arch, or turned into butt-of-the-joke comic relief. Those are the only ways to make this character not insufferable.
And the writers chose none of them.
One bright spot of this drama is the comedically adorable romance between the webtoon manager and Dong Hoon. I've been a Kim Seul Gi fan for ages (I think this is the project that put her on the map for me), and she's fabulous here. She's aggressive in the most hilarious way, and her machinations to ensnare Dong Hoon are amazing. I'm literally taking notes, lol.
Something interesting about rewatching Flower Boy Next Door is that I wrote down a lot of quotes (all by the female lead). I connected with the drama's themes of isolation, insecurity, anxiety, distrust. But the drama's execution was so incredibly disappointing, and that makes me sad. Dok Mi and Jin Rak deserved better.
(I'm trying to get my hands on the original webtoon, because I feel like I will really love it, but it's nigh impossible.)
Old Review:
Loved it immensely, despite its flaws. Felt a very deep connection with the female lead and her struggle to connect with the outside world. Even though she does not have a mental illness, this drama perfectly portrays the internal turmoil those with mental illness (including myself) deal with.
Was desperate for an Enrique of my own by the end.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I haven't finished this drama yet. I watched it because I saw many good reviews about this, and I saw a teaser which was fun to watch. Personally I didn't like it...I watched up to episode 4, but stopped, my reasons are:(WARNING: May contain spoilers)
Park Shin Hye terrible acting/ character
This drama is kinda old and her acting has definitely improved a lot! When I was watching it tho I always cringed at PSH, sometimes idrk if it's because of her naive shy vulnerable character or because it's her acting...
Her character is really annoying, it's so stupid and has no confidence what so ever, she needs to talk! I understand that it's because of her past bullying, but I can't deal with it anymore :(
The plot is confusing and not in depth
I don't get PSH character, maybe with more episodes I can understand her character better.
How did Oh Jin Rok fall for PSH from watching her pick up rubbish, I find that really stupid
Sorry for bad grammar.
Was this review helpful to you?
But after that it was really good. The main characters are well-written and the story is not ordinary.
Was this review helpful to you?
Конечно, был треугольник, но с кем будет Гг-ня душа абсолютно не болела. Главной злыдни не дали позверствовать, а могло бы и вытянуть сюжет. Гг-ня в конце начала истерить и жутко бесить.
3/4 серий были скучны. Жалко. Радовало только она
А еще нравился момент, когда Энрике как бы читал мысли Гг-ни. Ах,да, а еще камео на 46 минуте последней серии порадовало
Was this review helpful to you?
Une heureuse surprise
Le plot est très actuel : la situation d'une FL qui se cloître chez elle après une suite de harcèlements et d'agressions. En raison de circonstances "assez drôles" (elle stalk le voisin d'en face), elle rencontre un ML venu d'Espagne, direct, exubérant, bruyant et joyeux. Il va peu à peu "l'apprivoiser" et la sortir de son isolement.Le ton est clairement à la comédie, mais les thèmes abordés sont sérieux et la psychologie des personnages est intelligente.
Les acteurs sont excellents bien que le ML surjoue (sans doute volontairement) le côté puéril et optimiste. Les personnages secondaires sont bien développés.
Bref, une histoire bien construite et racontée avec finesse et subtilité.
Un peu réticente au départ, j'ai finalement beaucoup apprécié ce drama.
Was this review helpful to you?
