Riko
Paris
It is a perfect mix of what i enjoy the most : action, love , "broken but still trying-hard in life" characters, sweetness, suspense, and even funny moments.
The plot is interesting in itself but also mainstream among dramas, the journalistic aspect brought an original side to the other shows mainly related to politics and business.
But to me, what really made this drama a total hit is the acting.
The characters were great, funny, appealing , struggling with life but mainly very well acted, even second leads were amazing (special mention to Kim Mi-Kyung who totally stole the show)!
The love story totally worked out with the suspense/action side of the show, and was overloaded with chemistry and cuteness, but also hardship for those two main characters who both had a very rough life.
I think it played a perfect role of balance ( in addition to funny moments) in this dramatic plot.
The action part was thrilling to me , and unlike lots of other dramas, it didn't get too long or boring towards the end. (which is extremely rare)
The OSTs were great (and stuck in my head for a month).
I really went through all different types of emotions watching this drama, and was so devastated when i finished it, i even wish i was able to erase it from my memory and discover it again!
Anyway, to me , it was an excellant show, who gave me a very bittersweet kind of feeling and i strongly recommend it.
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Not for people who dislike age gaps and straightforward romance
Everything has already been written. I think it's purely a question of personal taste. Here are the two things that didn't work for me :- Age - gap : I was very worried about that aspect. To be fair, it was handled rather professionally and there was no reciprocity until the FL was an adult. But it still is a bit on the edge for me. 19-24 is not huge in theory and a 5 years gap is pretty common later on in life. But people change A LOT during those specific years. I am 24 and would personally never consider looking at a 19 yo coming out of highschool as anything else but a young adult who has a lot to learn, no matter how "mature" they present. It would just feel wrong to me.
The ML has treated the FL like a little sister for 10 years and even though they weren't always together, they still were close enough to have each other's phone number and occasionally text. The shift in the relationship almost as soon as she becomes an adult is a bit abrupt for me.
- the ML approach : once the ML quite suddenly decides that he's gonna go for a 19 yo, he gets very blunt with his approach. And it makes sense, he's honest and clear about his intentions and it's probably the best way to straighflowardly break the existing walls between them. I personally don't like this style at all, it's a matter of personal preference but he came off as too pushy and rushed for me.
Other than those two major contention points in the story, it's a very well made, peaceful love
story. So if you don't mind the age gap and the straightforwardness, it's worth a watch.
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Too blend for me
Hmm... I don't really know how to even comment on this drama.The plot feels very 2013-like. A competent office-worker who can see the future when she kisses people, and her cold but very smart boss who actually suffers from over sensitive senses and childhood trauma ... I would end this sentence with "and obviously they fall in love" but it didn't even feel like they did.
The cast was originally very good, yet somehow in this drama, I wasn't very impressed with their performances. I don't know if the characters were difficult to bring to life or if the directing was lacking but everything just felt artifical.
I think one of the main problem is the lack of character development. I know that 12 episodes is short but I found it quite weird how easing into a relationship didn't change any of the leads' behavior.
The ML is tragically stoic all along but not in a natural way, more in a kdrama dramatic way.
Some people are introverts and blunt and come off as cold and I would empathize with that, but in this role, the ML just looked like he didn't have any emotion at all most of the time. He would say sweet things to the FL towards the end but I could not sense the sweetness and love or chemistry through the screen.
The FL and her ability do raise the interesting question: do we trigger our own fate or in the contrary, are we simply unable to escape it no matter our course of action ? But because they didn't try to make this show a philosophical piece, that question isn't fully exploited by the script.
But again, main problem is : lack of chemistry. Even lots of physical contact cannot fix that. I know they were trying to portray a more mature relationship, less fluff, and I actually really like that angle, I usually prefer more realistic portrayals. But no matter how mature the script is, love still has to pull the heartstrings somehow, even through the most stern parts of it sometimes, such as mutual respect and understanding. Yet, I didn't feel anything.
The second lead is also a very overseen version of the desperate ex boyfriend for a number of episodes. He lacked originality or deepness of character in my opinion.
And then the mystery subplot which was teased throughout the drama but left aside to develop the romance, actually really kicks in the last two episodes, which felt quite rushed.
There's a lot of things in this drama that don't work for me : the plot, the emotions or lack if it, the acting ...
It's not tragically bad but there's nothing to be excited about.
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An office-romance parody gone wrong
This story was, in my opinion, purposefully turned into a parody of office romances.For example, the actors are totally overacting certain facial expressions for comedy, and the classic employee-and-her domineering-traumatized-child-boss backstory is also extremely cliche.
And it could have been a brilliant parody considering the cast but parodies are a very hit-or- miss kind of project.
The main actors have shown their ability to portray nuances in multiple other dramas and yet, in this drama, the comedy was very blunt and cringe. This would have been totally fine if it was well directed but the mix between forceful comedy and traditional romance was just not well balanced.
The story is also ridiculous, but here again, it's a choice : The unbelievable trope of the "normal" employee and the domineering almost caricatural boss falling for through unrealistic plot twists , he obviously had a tough childhood and obviously is forced to get married by his grandfather. Very very cliche.
And it could have been an incredible parody if it had that one special element differentiating the story from other classic office romance dramas.
Brilliantly aligning cliches is not enough to create a satiric story, an off-beat original element was needed.
So all I got was out of this was a LOT of cringe-worthy moments and a little bit of disappointment with how the actor's talent was misused.
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An amazing start but a disappointing second part
I got really attached to this show because the first 10 episodes were absolutely incredible.But i have to admit that i spent the rest of it just speeding through the story. Hence the final rating. Which im still conflicted about.
First part : 10/10
Second part : 5/10
- the characters were classic c-drama cliches for the most part. And its very confusing because the main leads are very different. They're more mature, more realistic, portrayed with much more care and subtlety than the rest of the charcters. So as long as it focuses on them, the show is amazing but the side plots and interactions are pretty blend and mainstream. Its like the main leads story and the rest were not written by the same person.
The FL is strong-willed but calm and resilient and she doesnt loose her independence and personality even when madly in love unlike many c-drama heroines.
The ML is not the typical save-your-princess guy, he cares about her so much and shows it but leaves her space to be and breathe and that's extremely rare in a c-drama.
-THEIR CHEMISTRY is out of this world. Its absolutely crazy, i did not cringe at all because while having many sweet moments, it just seemed to obvious and relaxing.
The FL didnt end up with wide eyes and a surprised face captured in slow-motion eveytime they had a physical contact.
- Now the problematic part is the story.
The first part is absolutely adorable. The way they meet and discover each other and get closer is extremely sweet and its also a real friendship before being a love story. The FL is portrayed as being very strong willed and honest even at a young age and they both have a very moving sincerity towards each other.
And there's a little bit of "them against the rest of the world" vibe .
But a lot a cliffhangers left unanswered in the highschool part don't really get a follow-up in the second part of the drama.
Their love story is actually steady , which i liked . They did not go through 4083 beak ups and plot twists and im glad they didn't because it usually makes the story totally unrealistic .
BUT if the romance is steady, then you gotta have a story.
And I've looked for it but im still not sure where it's supposed to be. Its nice to see a sweet couple on screen, but you don't need 28 episodes for that.
For the most part, they go to class and date. That's great and you could somehow say that it might be more realistic that way but because it only includes a few years of their life, we don't really get to see growth and real relationship hurdles. And it found it boring .
So an amazing start, a crazy chemistry but no story in the second part, so i kinda felt disappointed.
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Go Go Squid proved me wrong.
The storyline is interesting because of the CTF competiton aspect which is an original base, and even if the "lets fight for our dream" was a little over dramatic in my opinion, the character development was amazingly subtle and human.
Its not only a romance between bright girl - cold guy, its portrayed like a relationation in which two people learn to really love each other.
And i was SO GLAD that the female lead wasn't stupid and embarassing for ONCE !
Yes she is young, bright and pink but she doesnt embarass herself only for the male lead to find it cute during 40 episodes .
She still has her composure and maturity.
The acting was overall very good, not as dramatic or awkward as some of the previous chinese dramas i've seen so its easy to get into the story.
The side characters are very funny, and even if the whole bromance aspect was a little overdone in my opinion, their story is still very interesting.
I laughed SO HARD at all the ridiculous situations in the club with the kids and also the interactions with team solo.
Anyway worth watching for sure !
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I really liked the concept, I also really liked the cast.
The second leads were incredible. Honestly, the background story of each reminded me of the Reply serie which always make sure that each character is well developed and appealing.
BUT... the main couple was a fail for me. Although I liked the mature romance, the way it was brought up and all, I didn't like the energy at all. In my opinion, they didn't manage to convey a romantic feeling and just kept the friendly atmosphere just with a ton of cringe on top of it.
The main guy was way too cheesy, the main girl was a bit bland, the chemistry was not great.
But I still liked it because of the side stories going on, the comedy aspect that was really well made and the cast.
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I think the story itself, the writing and the directing were just not on point.
It felt too slow at times, totally rushed at others. I can see where the story is supposed to go and what emotions I'm supposed to feel as a viewer but the drama didn't manage to catch my attention at all.
The romance was very mechanic, and it felt like they were in love just because they had to for the purpose of the drama but nothing felt organic.
The comedic aspect was overdone and therefore not funny in my opinion. The plot was ... just very superficial, forced and uninteresting.
I couldn't go past the 10th episode so my review is based on only half of the drama but I dont think it's worth watching it further. I still put a 6 for the actors who seemed to try very hard with the material they had.
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I always liked the pairing of a tsundere boy and a cheerful girl, which is a total classic among dramas and amines, and in this show, i thought that it was exceptionally well made and balanced.
It's actually quite rare for me to not get annoyed by this kind of storyline after a while (even though i like the concept) , but with this drama , i was completely hooked up until the end.
The plot is not the most thrilling one and is pretty mainstream, but what gave this amazingly sweet feeling to the show was, at least for me , the acting.
Yamazaki Kento, in additon to be really hot (^_^) , really fitted the character and made it a perfect tsundere (an actor to watch out for in my opinion) ; meanwhile Kiritani Mirei managed to keep her character of cheerful and determined girl (who can actually get very annoying after a few episodes) interesting and entertaining. Miura Shohei is already a well know japanese actor and even though i don't think it was his best role, he still did pretty good.
To conclude, i would say that this drama was really addictive to me mainly thanks to the sweet and heartwarming romance that the actors managed to keep refreshing despite an ordinary storyline , so i totally recommend it !!
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Underrated : a classic plotline including a refreshing level of emotional complexity
This is pretty much my first positive review of a romance-in-college c-drama, as I would usually rate those with a 7 or lower.There's absolutely nothing interesting about the plot or the side characters. (Just like in almost every other similar c-drama out there).
The surprise of this c-drama rests entirely on the impressive range of emotions displayed by both leads and specifically by the ML, who originally plays a cold and smart "typical" c-drama ML.
The ML is only cold for about 4 episodes. Very far from the stoic face and arrogant demeanor of most emotionally impaired ML, he actually shows an impressive range of facial expressions and various shifts in moods. To the core, he's only scared and resentlful , and his defense mechanisms get in the way of honest communication but he is very aware of the issue and actually tries to solve it. I truly enjoyed the way the ML's internal struggle with his own feelings was depicted.
For both leads, scars from childhood play a role in their current behavior, which is a common plot line in many dramas (and in real life), but I found it subtly handled for once. The ML wasn't beaten to near death but experienced insecure attachement to a parent. The tension between parent and children is well articulated, the mother wasn't a horrible person and neither was the son, but scars remained and I liked that the ML was able to articulate his hurting.
Like a real human, he was sad, anxious, uncertain, joyful, coy , flirty, sulky and everything in between. But he struggled with means of expression.
This was a fairly well executed exemple of struggles between an avoidant attachment type of person (ML) and their partner.
The FL tries her best to understand him but gets confused and angry at the contradictory signals and all the pushing away, and rightfully so. She was patient but not in an overly naive way and was smart enough to also articulate some of that. Ultimately, each had understandable reasons to resent one another at times, and I'm fairly impressed that, for once, the misunderstandings weren't completely illogical.
There are still some parts of the plot that felt very forced for purposes of narration, the ML did play the super hero saving the damsel in distress a few unnecessary times. The other characters did not interest me at all, the university setting was almost irrelevant.
Ultimately, this drama doesn't get a lot of things right but doesn't get it wrong either and nails it on the emotional complexity (compared to other c-dramas of the same genre). For this reason, I would truly recommend to give it a go without expecting any anything.
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Cliche but amazing chemistry
I found the plot cliche and even quite ridiculous, everything is made to create opportunities for the male lead to save the " girl in distress", too many slow mo forced kisses and hugs, a genius cold guy and a cheerful cute girl following her dreams ... nothing to see there.
BUT , the actress playing Nuan Nuan was amazingly good are portraying her character. She has a very expressive face and totally embodied the cheerful girl without making her annoying. I was very pleasantly surprised by her performance .
On the other hand, the actor for the ML role didn't look very comfortable in the cold guy part but got way better after opening up to Nuan Nuan and becoming a sweeter guy.
There's a LOT of lovey dovey moments, maybe too many, but i I didn't find it as cringey as other c-drama, the chemistry between the main couple was very natural and believable.
I I actually would recommend watching for the lead actress performance and the lead couple chemistry but that's about it.
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I tried so hard and dropped it for months in between each episodes for the 5 first episodes.
Cause the female lead IS SO ANNOYING. And also cause at the beginning the male lead is a total caricature, and the story is blend and the acting is not catchy and it’s a office romance which I hate...
BUT, I gave it a last try a year later , I passed the episode 5 bar and it got way better because suddenly, the story focus on the psychology of the characters in a much complex and subtle way.
Yeon Woo Jin did an amazing job in his role, keeping the deep emotional side and the comic of his caricatural character in balance.
He saved the drama. Despite his love interest being annoying until the end.
So I would recommend it only for his performance and for the fact that this drama was able to get me til its end a year after I dropped it.
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BUT, I think the real story begins when Lee Jin ho played by Jung kyung ho appears.
And after that, the remaining episodes are an absolute delight, a mix of smart comedy and emotions.
The characters are so human and you really get attached to each one of them.
The drama really reminded me of the reply serie in its dynamic and its bitter sweet feeling with a really happy, comic note. The sound effects, one of the trendmark of the director, are also serving their comic purpose really well in this drama !
Anyway, it took me time to get in the story , but once I was in, I was hooked.
I definitely recommend !!
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The plot was not exactly great , in the sense that it really appears as a terrible decision for those two to try to be a couple again , but the acting was pretty good.
And what i found really interesting is that the main female character showed a very human side , i couldn't help but still like her even tough she seemed like the most horrible gold digger ever .
It made me forget the rational side (if we look at the facts, she abandoned her husband without real explanations mainly because he was struggling financially and then came back once he was rich, so she is not a good person, lol ) and really forced me to see the emotional one , with a nice evolution of the main characters , who are both trying their best , but still make mistakes.
It also pictures pretty well the fact that in Korea, money and financial stability are major standards to be accepted in the society and even more to get married.
So , more than the acting and the basic plot , what i really enjoyed in this drama , is how human and vulnerable the main leads were.
I ended up cheering their love story , so yes, i recommend this show !
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But I really love dramas about the judicial system even when they’re portraying impossible situations like in « Your Honor ».
But Go Ara’s character and the way she interpreted it... i just couldn’t.
Obviously in a lot of dramas, because it is not reality, you can see how humans feelings and « sense of justice » are important even when facing the law.
And I get it, it’s a drama, not a documentary on the judicial system.
but Miss Hammurabi is going too far, Go ara’s character is constantly crying and whining, thinking about the victim’s Feelings instead of being objective.
How can she be a judge ?
And Go ara’s acting didn’t make it better.
In conclusion, If you wanna watch a legal drama, I do not recommend this one.
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