Charming92
Greece
Introverted boss is the story of a girl whose sister died a tragic death and now wants to take revenge on those who wronged her making her commit suicide. To her surprise, she finds herself caring eventually for the person she was originally set out to destroy. The drama is an aspiring melo comedy romance set in a business PR company centering around 2 polar opposite characters, an introvert and an extrovert. Sounds pretty watchable doesn’t it? Well, I had so many issues with Introverted Boss that I somehow believe they wouldn't bother me but at the end, I’m so infuriated by them they need to be phrased.
However benevolent the show’s meaning is, essentially expressing that everyone should be accepted and we should not judge others merely based on their looks, as a whole the drama just didn’t work. Trying to piece everything together I think I can pinpoint what went wrong. Overall it seems that the drama didn’t know how to draw a line between serious situations and comedy therefore ridiculing things in a bad way.
First and foremost, although I enjoyed how complicated the story was and how (unnecessarily) interconnected the characters were, the backstory which is the base of the whole thing is the weakest backstory I’ve ever witnessed in the almost 100 dramas I’ve watched thus far. The whole thing relies on a girl committing suicide. It’s the first scene of the drama, the driving plot device. It then continues developing this into a mystery “what happened to that girl, why” ect; it is only logical I’d expect an exceptional backstory there to wow me since kdramas specialize in such.
To my disappointment the reasons the girl commits suicide were utter garbage. Not only unimaginably exaggerated, but also utterly stupid – weak writing is the main fault of the drama and I cannot forgive it. However, what made me really angry was that as a plotline it puts women in such, such a bad, naïve, gullible, stupid, weak spot that made me sick to my stomach! Suicide is not a plotline to play with. Either do it right or don’t do it at all. Making a woman commit suicide in 2017 because of… men basically, just feels wrong, doesn’t it?
Moreover, to top it all off, during the last episodes they pulled a complete 180 on those already severely stupid reasons and made it even worse! Was that their idea of a plot twist? The “twist” pretty much disregarded everything that had happened up to that point, and made the backstory not only disappointing but also completely laughable.
Continuing the drama apparently has a thing against women in general, or at least this is my take. I never have a problem with bitchy 2nd female leads, I rather enjoy watching them spiral. However what was that here? The 2nd female lead isn’t bitchy, she is mental. I’ve never witnessed, EVER, such a weak, penis-slave female character before. This the best way I can describe her. I seriously don’t want to even think that in 2017 there are women that act like that, let alone 20something girls who are as excessively beautiful as this young woman here.
Are we really going to accept tv shows that put women in such a bad light nowadays, or even sympathize with one? No, if a bastard doesn’t want you, you don’t forgive his sleeping around and neglecting you because “you can’t live without him”, you kick him in the nuts, you do a hair flip and you move on! This is not the 1800s! Unacceptable writing!
What’s more, another thing that seriously bothered me was the misuse of the terms “introvert” and “extrovert”.
Introverts aren’t people who hide in black hoodies, can barely talk to others, never leave their houses and don’t have any friends acting like creeps. What is this? So an introvert has no fashion sense and only wears black hoodies to cover his face, not being able to cater for himself. He can’t strike a normal conversation with a person to save his life and he overthinks to the point he hurts himself. As I said, over-exaggeration killed this drama.
Somehow this was supposed to be funny but it wasn’t! I agree introverts have difficulty in socializing, but there is a huge difference between an introvert and an anti-social person, which is what the male lead in this drama is.
In the same sense, an extrovert isn’t a crazy person who screams and violates people’s proximity levels. Over-exaggeration made me role my eyes so hard, they were stuck at the back of my head.
Since I mentioned the extrovert part, the female lead, let’s talk about that. Yes, the female lead was awfully annoying in the first 3-4 episodes, but during those episodes the drama had something different to offer, it was somehow original. I was actually enjoying her quirky character giving a unique vibe to the drama. Not every female lead needs to be nice and innocent so as to eventually “change” the male lead. So boring and unreal! After the script changes, yes she became conventional and likeable but also super boring, and along with her the drama reduced itself to a very, very classic and boring rom-com.
Additionally, I would like to mention what was a failed romance for me. No one in this drama had chemistry with one another. Park Hye Soo and Yeon Woo Jin seemed to be having fun in their scenes, but I won’t ship 2 people who just look good together. Everything felt too forced to go down a romantic lane making their scenes cute but also non-inspiring and boring.
Furthermore, broadening my rant to the supporting characters, I’ve never witnessed such uninspired, superficial and machine-like secondary characters. They all had nothing to offer other than comedy which, on the whole, fell completely short in my eyes. I was mainly annoyed at the misuse of Ye Ji Won who is just too good to be treated like that.
All this in combination with the thoroughly tedious and long episodes contributed to the drama’s complete failure. I could have overlooked everything to be honest if it wasn’t for the exceptionally weak backstory. I know this is a drama and i should just relax and enjoy, but when they put serious plot lines and issues in the middle like suicide and emotional abuse, there are lines that should be respected. Not everything can be comedy!
As far as the acting is concerned all the actors did a good enough job but I think all of them were miscasted.
Park Hye Soo was borderline unpleasant to watch and completely forgettable, no charm in this role. I am all for actors trying different roles and testing their limits. She did not do a bad job in this role, she was directed to act like that after all, it is just that the role didn’t suit her at all. Maybe it would be better for some actors to just stay in what they can excel at. I could totally picture Lee Sung Kyung in this role.
Yoon Park is too cute to be playing ungrateful bastards. Good job but I couldn’t dislike him enough to consider him an antagonist or sympathize with him at all to care or root for a character development which left me with a lukewarm taste throughout the drama.
Gong Seung Yeon. Oh my god! This woman is too beautiful to be playing such roles. I understand the directors’ thoughts behind hers and Yoon Park’s casts but it just didn’t work out. When you are beyond beautiful like Seung yeon you know it and you don’t run behind any bastard, and if there are girls like her, no reason to beautify it by presenting it in a tv show!
Yeon Woo Jin was the only actor I actually enjoying watching, still his performance wasn’t memorable to save this thing.
Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this drama to anyone to be honest, but considering the positive reaction it is getting I think my personal views, principles and values got the best of me. Apparently rom-com lovers, business drama followers and comedy fans will enjoy this but I’m positive there are far better dramas out there.
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Story
Same old, same old, 2 police officers whose relatives get murdered by the same person, are teaming up to create a new division based on the emergency call police department and their end-game is to catch that bastard.
Been there, done that, so what did Voice do to break the mould of crime dramas?
First of all, the concept of Voice profiling. Not sure if this is a thing, but even if it’s not, we accepted a crime drama about a walkie talkie that could make a 2 guys living in different timelines to communicate, why can’t we accept a woman who can hear extremely well? The voice profiling was original for me, gave a different vibe and an innovative twist to the all-too-usual police procedural recipe.
Furthermore, the impressive cinematography and music. The drama is gritty and dark in all the right ways. Creative directing, haunting dark colors and soulful music just came together perfectly and clicked, making a drama that not only gives off ominous vibes but it is also sinister only by looking at it.
Continuing, the incredible side stories. Every two episodes or so there is a new crime story introduced for the “golden time team” –the aforementioned new division created- to resolve. This is where the writing along with the directing and montage click together doing miracles. All of the side stories were intense, engaging, thought-provoking (although the first two ones were my favourite), well-written and did not drag at all.
Finally, the most important one, the marvelous core story. Cliché done right. The concept of putting a psychopath as the main villain isn’t foreign to dramaland; however the drama’s atmosphere, world-building along with the casting literally did miracles. More specifically, I appreciated that there was not a lot of red herring involved –crime dramas seem to think that we enjoy being led astray every 2 episodes for some reason; while, it felt like there is a whole story going on in the background making this drama look like a part of a whole. Effectively, we were focused on the police side of a bigger narrative - plot twists, havoc and despair ensued.
Furthermore, it’s worth noting how every character, plot device and potential twist are beautifully connected and intrinsically linked to the bigger picture. Good writing - the drama is actually so good even when you see the twist coming, you're still gonna like it anyway cause the whole aura of the drama won't let you a moment's rest.
Lastly, It would be a serious negligence, at this point, to not mention the exquisite Serial Killer. Undeniably, the drama owes how well it worked to its main villain. As far as I’m concerned we’re talking about the best villain I’ve ever witnessed creepy, scary, disgusting and disturbing, the type that crawls up your skin only by seeing his smirking smile. He enhanced the drama while simultaneously we do get the environment in which a serial killer is born that was spectacular to watch.
Honestly, not many drawbacks can be cited by me. If I could address one it would be the somewhat conveniently written side stories. But, come to think of it, isn’t every kdrama ever like this? Rich hot arrogant chaebols falling for poor innocent girls, silly coincidences and other cliches and we accept that but can’t accept a crime drama with stories being a little far-fetched or exaggerated here and there? This is dramaland, if everything was absolutely rational there would be no drama to watch!
Additionally, it was claimed that the drama had gruesome scenes and a lot of blood. Having grown up watching American TV shows this felt like child’s play to me but I do understand if some scenes were too much for some people. Everything is censored (actually, too much censoring going on to be honest), but be aware if you are sensitive to such scenes. Moreover, I read comments saying the side stories were boring and dragged, which contradicts completely what I said. I obviously disagree. Frankly, the side stories might be the best part of it all.
What's more, people argued that the drama takes a hit after a strong beginning. Strong starts bring high expectations too. I think the drama did well in keeping up pace, not dragging and staying strong plot-wise. Yes, middle episodes weren’t as strong as the first 2-3 but still a solid drama overall.
In general, Voice isn’t perfect, but it is time well-spent for sure. It is extremely thrilling; the side stories addressed interesting issues like child abuse, rape ect and were generally on the humanistic side of society, definitely struck a chord with me. The drama deserves a 9 for its flawless story line (side+main) +0.5 for the fact that it was utterly stimulating and increasingly intense with fleeting moments of strong sentiments and despair that just make the whole thing feel that much more real and emotional; I was at the edge of my seat during pretty much every episode either being thrilled or feeling hopeless.
Acting
I admit I was purposely avoiding Lee Ha Na. I only saw her once before Voice, didn’t like her. That being said, thank god I picked this because she redeemed herself completely. I couldn’t even recognize her here and I drew the conclusion that she just doesn’t match cute rom-comy characters, but rather darker ones. Her performance was impeccable here and she had great chemistry (as co-police officers) with Jang Hyuk. I’d love to see her in a similar role, or even in a melodrama in the future.
It is established how good Jang Hyuk is, and here is no exception to his unending talent. Fearless and brave character with a broken and emotional side, he pulled off his role immaculately and he was a perfect fit for it. Such a well-rounded actor, he can do everything. Respect.
Where have Kim Jae Wook been all this time? Flawless and creepy, an absolutely perfect match for his role, I need to keep an eye out for him in the future. I can safely say he made the drama!
Recommend
Concluding, I’d say don’t turn a blind eye to this drama, it’s really good. Crime and thriller drama fans I call out to you, viewers who enjoy intense and provocative dramas/stories that aren’t extremely complicated this is for you. I can’t see how someone wouldn’t be entertained by Voice if you disregard the convenient part and you don’t have a problem with some violence ect.
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Story
Missing 9 revolves around a plane crash on a deserted island. Effectively the story can be split into 2 parts that are unfolded at the same time as the drama continues. First part, the flashbacks, are centered in the past as we see the aftermath of the plane crush. Part 2 takes place in the present and talks about what happens after a survivor is found. The drama develops as a mystery: “what the hell actually happened on that island?”
Missing 9 is not a drama to be taken seriously. It tried its best to be original and different and while that is a definitely a plus for me, what actually made it stand out was the peculiar combination of mystery and comedy.
The drama doesn’t know what it wants to be, a thriller about 9 people trying to survive while reevaluating their lives or a hilarious comedy about a plane crush. Answer is both, and the faster you embrace it the more fun you will have watching.
I read a lot of comments claiming that the plot is a trainwreck. I sincerely disagree. I could call the plot tryhard, absurd, ridiculous but also quite intriguing and interesting. What I appreciated the most was that even in its completely ridiculous nature, the story was there from start to finish, implicating murders, mystery, questions and twists that will make you keep watching, hence the addictive part. However, there were countless times I rolled my eyes and giggled at how absurd the script was, how convenient and silly. The comedy isn’t for everyone but for me it was golden.
Best thing about it? The transition between comedy and seriousness was nonexistent. The drama throws intense situations at you and then it mocks itself by ridiculing them all the way, without making itself unwatchable at all. It’s amazing how they made it work. I am the first person who dislikes serious situations being made fun of, but here, I loved it. This is the first time I’ve witnessed a drama doing this so, even if the results aren’t perfect, I give points for originality.
The drama doesn't want to be serious, it wants us to have fun. Therefore, it would be advisable for everyone to just dismiss your logic while watching this and just buckle up and enjoy the crazy ride. I understand this is not for everyone, but what i don't understand why we need to blame this drama for its irrationality when we've accepted countless unrealistic and stretched dramas (with less plot than this one), dramas about time travel, mythical creatures, comic characters ect. Either judge them all or accept them all, they all come from the same imaginative place.
Romance wasn’t present in the drama; there is some kind of romance developing between the leads that was not explored and didn’t need to be. Romance, with the heavy sense of the term, would have been redundant. The couple did look great together and had amazing synergy especially in their comedy scenes.
Overall, Missing 9 was immensely entertaining and one of the better dramas for escapism. Completely mind-numbing, but oh-so amusing! It was this distinct characteristic the drama had where it just made fun of itself completely that I found so provoking and creative that I just fell in love with it. The drama knows it’s silly and absurd but instead of trying to avoid facing that, it builds and thrives on it! Commendable! Not a drama one would rewatch but for what it was it was extremely enjoyable.
Acting
I came here for Jung Kyung Ho, and he was flawless, especially acing his comedy scenes like never before, but the actresses that made the drama for me were Baek Jin Hee and Lee Seon Bin.
For… reasons, I had low expectations from Baek Jin Hee even if I had never seen her before. The girl positively surprised me and proved to be a very strong female lead. Her acting was spot-on and tip-top, being funny, cute and emotional when needed. I'm looking forward to her future projects!
Lee Seon Bin is definitely a new favourite for me, not only because she’s certifiably hot but because she’s a very promising young lady with a bright future.
The cast was mostly unknown-at least to me- but I sincerely enjoyed watching them as a whole.
Recommend
Missing 9 sounds amazing from the synopsis but it would be wise to drop your expectations a bit. It is not anything groundbreaking as a drama, but it is unique in terms of script-idea and development. The combination of thriller and comedy and the ridiculousness of the whole thing really clicked perfectly all together for a unique experience. If you are into comedy, want to watch something light and would like some thriller on the side this is not a bad watch at all.
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Story
Welcome to the ugly side of the business and enterprise world. The drama talks strictly about the ways CEOs and company presidents try to multiply their revenue, manipulating each other, using and abusing their power and money in order to achieve their goals.
In its core the drama wants to express how in such power games there are no friends, presidents are ready to form alliances to destroy their opponents and then turn their back on their “friends” to become the winners. It is a constant, never-ending battle for power filled with dirty scheming and despicable plotting. Therefore the drama ends up being quite unfulfilling and frustrating as it makes us feel like it goes nowhere.
Night Light focuses on a female ceo who wants to become the richest woman in Korea destroying her opponents, having no friends, using and throwing away people in order to accomplish her ambitious goal.
The drama does not offer any comic relief, no side stories, no romance at all, no sad backstory, nothing. It is firm and brutal staying in the same strict line of corporations.
Best thing I could mention about the drama was the constant turning of tables, the winner never stays the winner for more than 1-2 episodes while the alliances between the power people changed all the time depending on their interests.
My favourite thing however was easily the amazing underlying chemistry of Lee Yo Won and Uee in their roles. Usually in kdramas the female leads are enemies or frenemies at best. Here on the other hand, the chemistry was off the charts and the relationship was a lot more fluid which made the drama very interesting and kept me going. Moreover, i feel inclined to mention the incredible clothes fashion by the main cast that was a pleasure to watch as well as the spotless background music instrumentals that made most of the drama pretty atmospheric.
At this point i feel inclined to talk about the girl power in the drama. The drama is all about female empowerment. We get a female lead who is vicious and strong beyond imagination. Saying something sophisticated and memorable whenever she opened her mouth, slaying men, scheming and plotting, destroying them in their own game. If this isn't stimulating and exhilarating in a sea of weak female characters in kdramaland, i don't know what is!
The first half of the drama was more interesting for me as there was some background story and the relationship between the main characters was quite intriguing as well as the drama talked about relatable stuff like the importance of money. That being said, the second half of the drama focused almost completely in the subtle battles between the companies and that in combination with the characters being completely difficult to empathize with and the situations being thoroughly unrelatable made the drama very difficult to keep up with and rather boring.
Acting
I read quite some viewers had issues with the acting, but I beg to differ.
I could easily say that acting is the best part of the drama mainly because of Lee Yo Won. Her naturally cold aura fitted perfectly with her strong, cold-blooded and ruthless character. I was utterly impressed by her performance from start to finish. Best and most vicious character I’ve seen in a kdrama and best portrayal of such character!
Uee has a lot of haters but I think her acting was equally as good in a very sweet but determined character. She stood well next to Lee Yo Won and in a very weird but beautiful way they complemented each other. It was a blast seeing them on screen together hope they can work together again.
Jin Goo’s character was rather weak and a pushover. I think he didn’t suit the character well at all, it was almost annoying seeing him act but I can’t say his acting was bad per-se, he just wasn’t a good choice I think.
Recommend/Rewatch
The drama is difficult and not for everyone. If you want romance, melodrama, comedy or anything usually found in kdramaland, this is not for you. This is strictly a business drama only for lovers of the backstabbing and the fluidity of such situations which is the beauty of them. I will never rewatch this.
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Solomon’s perjury is a dark, gritty drama, taking a realistic spin on the awful, inhumane educational system, the gloomy side of teenagers -bullying as one of the main topics-, the lack of compassion of grown-ups and the general selfishness of people caring only about their lives and nothing more. The drama illustrates a very clear and vivid picture of school system and teenage life not only in Korea per-se but on a world-wide spectrum.
The drama is centered in a high school where a student presumably commits suicide, or did he? The students take things to their own hands and try to find what exactly happened after the disinterest of the adults. Solomon’s perjury primarily focuses on two elements; firstly the unfairness of the educational system and secondly the rough life of adolescents.
We get very close insight on how the educational system works, teachers and professors caring much less than expected about the education of their students, but mostly want to secure their jobs and reputation of their school. Furthermore, not only we understand how private schools work, where equity is sacrificed in the name of money –as everything else-, but also how no adult really cares about justice but essentially for their own profit and well-being.
Furthermore, we see first-hand how the students cope with their cruel reality. Talking about barbaric situations, bullying in school as well as domestic violence take the first wheel here presenting the severe repercussions they have on teenagers. The drama focuses heavily on the brutal reality of students having to take on numerous exams, unceasing pressure to succeed and be perfect as well as endure heartless teachers, problematic classmates and merciless parents. Several strong messages sent here as well targeting domestic violence and bullying most significantly: “violence only breeds violence, but in the end it’s also a choice!”
It was inspiring to see a bunch of 18 year olds caring much more about justice and fairness than people who get paid to do so, showing that kids even in the midst of their beefs are way more lawful than adults.
The drama is quite short and I’d say fast paced. It focuses on 3-4 specific characters trying to solve this case and their personal lives at home. I’d describe Solomon’s Perjury as an ambitious mystery thriller. It had its fair share of twists and it was interesting from start to finish and strong but I can’t say most of it wasn’t predictable. Still very entertaining though.
Having said all that, I can’t deny for a drama wanting to depict something real and significant it went on an increasingly unrealistic route to stay original. While I do appreciate where the writers were coming from and all the serious and important issues they addressed, I can’t deny I raised my eyebrow in front of the way the plot was developed.
The students decide to start their own school trial to solve this case and find the truth. What type of authority this school trial has? Considering students were barely interested in signing the petition to start the trial in the first place the auditorium was awfully packed when the trials started. Suddenly the students cared? We get a bunch of 18 year olds playing court, acting like proper prosecutors and attorneys and actually starting talking like ones. How? Did they stop studying for their high school final exams and picked up some legal books or they’ve watched too many legal dramas?
On top of that they started calling themselves prosecutors, attorneys and judges. You are students accept it! And to top it all off, when this little joke started getting out of hand, attacking teachers ect, the teachers barely did anything as well as the parents. The “judge” who was supposed to be a suppressed kid who only studied was yelling at his mother “take her out of the auditorium” and she just walked out? My mother would have come up to me, slapped me and dragged me out by the ear… I didn’t know if this was a bunch of kids playing court or a legal drama set in a high school somehow. This was all just too much to go with and accept.
What’s more, the seemingly normal, ordinary students started feeling increasingly difficult to relate to, acting like brats with psychological problems or one-dimensional wannabe “prosecutors” who couldn’t keep their emotions at place. At some point I felt the need to scream, y’all need serious psychological support before trying to solve anything. There’s only so much I can blame to troubled characters and abusive parents. 80% of the parents happened to be awful people somehow; just too convenient, a tad too much if you ask me.
In all its questionable nature Solomon’s perjury did leave a strong and memorable impression which is enough for me to recommend to everyone who wants to watch something more serious than usual and is into school dramas and crime mysteries.
Since this is a habitual question I’ll mention it. The drama offers only limited and subtle comic relief, while it has little to no romance, so you’re informed about what you’re getting into.
The acting was pretty satisfying considering I’d never seen any of the actors before this and all of them are very young. However, I can’t say any of the performances was memorable. Still, I’d love to see each of them again in the future nonetheless, especially Jang Dong Yoon who left the strongest impression.
Even in its far-fetched nature Solomon’s Perjury sent a lot of meaningful messages like the fact that we barely know the people around us, but it’s in our hand to acknowledge and appreciate them; the significance of friendship, forgiving ourselves firstly and those who wronged us, the unlimited potential of life and most importantly an extremely strong message of never giving up. No matter how difficult it might be today, there is always a brighter day coming tomorrow. If it’s winter today, just remember spring is coming!
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Story
Oh My Geum Bi tells a beautiful story of affection, devotion, forgiveness, becoming a better person, letting go and growing up. It’s a very simple story about a little girl who suffers from a terminal illness and has a very bad history with abandonment while she’s thrown at the hands of a clueless swindler who doesn’t know what to do with her. The story is quite predictable but the key point here is the simplicity and the chemistry among the actors that makes this drama grow into something unexpectedly special.
But, what made Geum Bi so particular? It just felt so real.
We are all born perfect and beautiful, without a trace of hatred, meanness, deviousness avarice or anything similar; and yet slowly we become that and so much more, why? We are born perfect and instead of keeping that, we are belittling it to the point we are nothing like that masterpiece we once were.
People are defined by their experiences. We’ve all been through some kind of trauma while growing up, either at home (most usually) or at school, or even later, that made us think lowly of ourselves, hate ourselves, hurt ourselves, have social issues and be afraid of people, want to hurt them back ect. Something scarred us, ruined the purity and instead of covering that scar, help it heal, we build on it. We build our lives on all the shit that happened to us, and deep inside we stay in that moment forever and we start hurting each other thinking this is the only way to survive. What does it take for the harming to stop? It takes another perfect human being, a kid, to remind us what we actually were and what we lost.
Geum Bi gave me hope that there is a way for everyone to regain the lost happiness, the lost innocence, the lost positivity and purity. This is why Geum Bi was special because it showed that we are all perfect, but we’ve just… forgotten about it.
I consider this drama a very heavy and depressing melodrama. I wouldn’t recommend marathoning if you’re a softie like me. Getting attached to the characters came way faster than expected, every character has a sad story, a trauma of some sorts if you may, that directed their life completely. Geum bi helps them work through these issues and see their selves in a whole new positive light. It’s amazing to want to change for a special person, isn’t it?
Best part of the drama is the character development. Geum Bi founds herself in the midst of crazy situations and scary self-obsessed people. And yet, being her flawless perfect self as a kid she finds a way to pass that light to them, inspire and motivate them to become better, and they thrive; inspirational and beautiful in every way.
Another amazing part of the drama was the family bond. The fact that blood is only the loosest way to define family and that people who love you will stick with your through thick and thin no matter what. They are out there; it’s time we found them!
The drama is full with heart-warming and extremely meaningful moments, outdoors among grown-ups, in the house as a family and at the school between kids. It shocked me how kids even with their silly beefs and complaints they would stick to each other when it’s needed, they are considerate and helpful expecting no compensation while grown-ups would only scheme and plot against each other no matter what. Why? The drama puts everything in perspective. It is incredible and worth noting to mention how Geum Bi changes literally everyone around her with the way she acts. And this was enough for me to overlook some convenient or inconsistent writing here and there.
During the later episodes we get to see how difficult it is to live with a person with special needs and the drama overall sends a strong and meaningful message against discrimination of the inclusive.
There is some subtle comedic relief thrown in there to relieve the tension, but don’t expect much.
Lastly, another thing I enjoyed was the genuine effort to make the backstories intense. There were some plot twists, some of them expected some not, but what I want to point out is the good writing here. There wasn’t a dull moment while everything had a meaning.
Geum Bi taught me the meaning of true deep unconditional love, what it looks like and what it can do. True love doesn’t need to be romantic to change you, to reinvent and enlighten you. I sincerely hope we all get to find our Geum Bi in this life.
Acting
Heo Jung Eum won best young actress award in KBS drama awards 2016. She deserved it and that is all I’m gonna say here. Brilliant, flawless and immaculate isn’t enough to describe it. Hope we can see more of her in the future
Oh Ji Ho is a good actor, and I think he was chosen for this role because of the impeccable chemistry he had with Heo Jung Eum. It was really magical. Father-daughter feels were so real. He was good at his comedic scenes and quite emotional when he needed to be. Overall a spectacular performance.
Park Ji Hee is firstly very beautiful and secondly she has this “broken mother” aura to her therefore being a perfect fit for this role. Second time I’m seeing her in a drama and I didn’t regret a moment of it. Emotional, dramatic, motherly and loving she had it all.
Oh Yoon Ah was exceptionally good at her role as well, as well as my personal favourite Lee Ji Hoon.
Kid actor Park Min Soo left a strong impression as well.
Overall the full cast was amazing and memorable.
Recommend/Rewatch
I’d wholeheartedly recommend this to every melodrama fan. People who are into depressing stuff that feature terminal illnesses ect, you’ll love this. Family drama lovers, viewers who enjoy incredible character developments I call out to you. This is not a drama to be missed. However it can be pretty depressing, so bear that in mind. I will definitely rewatch this in the future because it was beautiful, but so heartbreaking, it’s gonna take a while.
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That being said this is one of the best dramas i've ever watched because of the perfect, symbolic and realistic characters as well as the quite fast paced and pragmatic plot. The premise is simple and is set around a woman who is in love with a married men and does everything in her power to get him. The drama focuses more on the 2 main female characters, the wife and the mistress, while the husband takes the 2nd wheel of this ill-fated love triangle.
Interestingly, it is a lot different than other similar themed adultery kdramas. Usually we get a sad backstory that tries to excuse and partly maybe even justify the actions of the adulterer. Here the story is a lot more brutal, there is no melodramatic backstory to drive any of the character, thus the drama is completely character-driven; while it does a splendid job delving into the mind of each and everyone of them.
What the drama wants to do is not glorify cheating or excuse the adulterers or even punish them or push viewers into a forgiving mentality towards them. On the contrary, i would stay, it stays neutral to all of that, it depends on the viewer's viewpoint whether to understand, hate, like or dislike the characters, and it depicts solely the repercussions of infidelity in the most cruel way possible.
Starting from the couple itself, how years and years of (superficial -obviously) happiness fall apart, questions, doubts about what went wrong, efforts to save something that has already died, screaming, violence, paranoia is just the beginning. Having kids in this situation will only worsen the process making it even more heartbreaking. Children hating their parents, accusing themselves for their broken family, not knowing how to react or deal with it. Continuing to the extented family that are just ready to jump in, judge and make everything worse (whether they want to help or not). What's more, it widens its spectrum to social everyday life and work place, showing that people are ready to judge hate and ridicule the situation and everyone involved.
Furthermore, we get a very good insight on what adultery means in the korean society. The drama is 10 years old, so i'm guessing (and hoping) there's a sea change in this department but i liked how the writer sneakily promoted the idea of equity when it comes to adultery. If, in a society in which cheating men are considered normal, then so should women. Hate one-hate both or accept both. But also loved how it showed that no matter how strong the bond between the mistress and the husband is, there will always be situations that will prove that the marital bond is just too strong to be broken that easily thus "love is not enough" the feeling that kept coming back throughout the drama.
Money of course wouldn't be possible to not have a prominent role in such a gritty drama. It shocked me how everything always revolved and apparently always will revolve around money. "Stay with him and accept his cheating and make him your personal atm machine for revenge", "If you stay with her, i'll disown you and you won't get any of the inheritance", "Quick get pregnant so you can demand some of the inheritance". Life is supposed to be about happiness, an affair happens because something in a marriage isn't working, bringing money to the topic just made the whole thing even more disgusting but that much more real too.
The drama is entirely character driven, hence it will be unappealing for most viewers. There is no backstory no shocking revealings nothing, just people meddling with adultery and the implications. The drama was ultimately a never ending fight between the characters -which woman will win- and a self-hating game of each character alone.
At this point i'd like to talk about the character since they were so significant. Each character represented something, fought for it until the end or let it consumed and eat him alive to his destruction. In the very end everything does happen in vain something that makes everything even more tragic and sad.
Hwa Young was the mistress, and she represented Greed. A sad person that was used by her family and decided that she'll do whatever it takes to be happy thinking nobody but herself for the first time in her life. However, for that one person she'd choose, she'll give her all, and she had nothing but her ego. She shreded that ego like it was nothing, she increasingly settled thinking this is what she wants and that she'll eventually be happy, but happiness comes from within. A greedy person who wanted someone else, someone empty, to give her everything and in return she'll give all of herself too. But it was not that simple. I appreciated her persisting personality, i appreciated her character up to a certain point, but everything in her life comes with a price. She was ready to change for 1 person, but she picked poorly, now she's gotta live with that. What she needed wasn't someone else to love her so she'll feel complete but she needed to love herself first in order to be complete.
Joon Pyo was the husband, and he represented Selfishness. A tad similar with the mistress at first glance but no. They were probably absolute opposites by the end. A person who loved deeply, but -plot twist- loved himself more than anything else, and he barely even realised it ever. 24 episodes and he couldn't make a simple choice, he many times felt like a tennis ball just being thrown here and there with no mind and will of its own. A complacent person, wanting it all till the end. But can you really hate and judge a person who is just too empty to even realise what is going on around him? Selfish people are usually selfish because they are empty.
Ji-Soo was a bit more difficult being the wife. One would expect she would be the easiest person to like and root for. Yet it took me several episodes to even bear her face. She represented those people-pleasers. Growing up as a cater for others, she barely even created a personality of her own. Being the pushover of her sister she never shaped a whole identity and all that came to bite her in the worst way possible. Such people need the personal time to get to know themselves first and cater for themselves before going on to form relationships.
All the characters were increadibly well-thought-out and well-written. I have to admit that i severely disliked them in the first half when there are barely any logical decisions made. I loved how there are shy, small steps made by all of them in terms of character development in the 2nd half, goes to show what dramatic situations do to all of us. And i was thoroughly shocked by how close i felt to all of them by the end. I wanted this to be over since episode 4, and by episode 24 i couldn't let them go.
In the very end i wouldn't call what happened "character development", real people don't change, they adjust. This is what happened here, the characters tried to adjust and i couldn't help but appreciate their authenticity and the marvelous writing. In the very end, it was nothing but themselves that kept them from happiness, the happiness they had been chasing since moment 1.
Lastly i'd like to mention the amazing deep messages we got about decisions and consequenses of our actions in this drama. In a very honest and rough way, situations like marriage decision, significant other choice, having kids, forgiving your spouce, your kid, your parent, life choices in general and a whole lot more were targeted and talked in a subtle but meaningful way.
The drama was full of symbols; beautiful but so so so difficult to watch.
The acting was luscious and spectacular by more or less the full cast. However, the real memorable acting here was by Kim Hee Ae who gave the performance of her life in every way. She was memorable, she conveyed the feelings and concerns of such a troubled, totally hateful character in the best way possible. I hated, i disapproved, i understood, i felt sorry, i rooted, i cheered, i felt sad, i cried. In episode 4 i would have never thought she would have made such a turn on me. Kim Hee Ae studied this character and made it hers.
Kim Sang Joon was brilliant too, i especially enjoyed his angry scenes, he was always rather quiet and remorseful, and his puppy eyes were on spot. Yet, he conveyed the mindset of his twisted character perfectly, acting like a victim when he was the sinner and really believing it. A wonderful ill-hated chemistry with Kim Hee Ae that basically made this drama work.
Bae Jong Ok was amazing as a person-pleaser, i have to admit during some conversations it felt like she was just uttering lives, i especially liked her paranoia scenes, she was shivering. I think there could have been better choices for this role, but she was not bad in any case.
I have to mention especially Ha Yoo Mi from the supporting cast, because she was flawless in her incredibly hateful and crazy sister role, hopefully i will never see her again lol.
Would i ever recommend this to anyone? No. Is this one of the best dramas i've ever watched? Yes. Confused much? XD
Problem here is, there is a very small amount of viewers that would enjoy this. Adultery is my favourite kdrama concept and out of all the dramas i've watched this was the most difficult one. There is no real comedy, there is no likeable or relateable character, you need to work hard to understand them. The episodes are big and in the very end you'll end up depressed plus this is a 10 year old drama. If you like the concept of adultery, you are mature enough to watch without judging too much (and it will be hard in this one) and you like serious, depressing dramas, give this a chance. I want to rewatch this in 10 or 20 years time, because i can feel there are a ton of things that i missed because of my age mostly and because i lack the expreriences this drama dealed with, but it won't anytime soon, this was difficult to get through just once.
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Entourage isn't your average kdrama, it has none of the usual tropes, love triangles, crazy 2nd leads, misunderstandings, absurd coinsidences, scheming, melodrama ect. It actually feels a lot like a western tv show -which shouldn't come as a surprise since it is a remake of an american tv show, and i am happy they didn't try to korean-ize it too much. For all these reasons entourage is a breath of fresh air in the dramaland for me, but it is not a drama for everyone for the exact same reasons.
Story
Welcome to the entertainment industry. The main lead of the drama is an up and coming fictional actor who just had his first movie breakthrough, got mixed reviews but also got immensely popular and we watch him as he tries to find his next project, balancing his personal life and work life in the best (or worst) way he can. At the same time we see his 3 best friends as well as his agency's CEO. All of his friends have something to do with the entertainment industry; the drama's exploring different sides of it through them.
The show focuses on the hardships of the industry, putting it in the spotlight in a rather realistic and even negative -if i may say- way. It targets issues about the entertainment industry like: how difficult it is to find a potential hit movie/drama project, how actors are placed in the public eye and have little to no privacy, the way the agencies try to control them work-wise and personal life-wise, how difficult it is to actually get casted and breakthrough in this industry, the severe importance of appearance ect. Simultaneously, the relationships between actors, actor-manager, actor-agency, actor-significant other ect. Moreover, it puts the actors and agencies on the spot as well, showing both negative and positive aspects of their life and the way they act, as well as very realistic repercussions of their actions (this was probably the most interesting thing this drama had to offer for me).
All that being said, i think it is very obvious that this drama is not the average rom-com one would expect. There is no romance here. There is a love-line plot, but there is no actual romance, this plot line serves a purpose to explain how difficult it is to maintain a relationship being a celebrity and nothing else. The comedy is present, but i would safely dub it as elitist. It's not your usual slapstip kdrama comedy, it is heavily based on sexual comments, and a lot of the jokes involve other idols or actors and i am not sure if they can get across to an average kdrama watcher. What's more, there is no melodrama at all, or overdramatic situations evolving emotional conversations, stares ect.
Lastly, i would like to stress how i totally understand why someone would find this boring. If you're looking for a sweet romance story with comedy, you won't like this. If you're into heavy melodramatic situations this isn't your cup of it either. The drama is a light comedy about the entertainment industry, everything revolves around that. Concluding, the drama is told completely from a male perspective, so there will be a lot of pants dropping, creepy sex jokes, men desperate to have sex, clubs, silly, immature situations ect. If the drama lacked something was a proper female touch, but then again, this is why this drama was fresh and different.
Acting
The acting left a lot to be desired, but it wasn't a problem.
Seo Kang Joon was great, but not really memorable; Lee Dong Hwi, the same. Lee Kwang Soo was adorable and hilarious and performed impeccably as expected, however none of those 3 characters were well-enough written to leave a strong impression.
On the contrary, the most memorable actors were Jo Jin Woong, who portrayed a caring ceo -almost a father figure- with anger management and attitude issues immaculately and also my personal favourite Park Jung Min who might not have been the best acting wise, but the role was a perfect fit and was completely relateable and absolutely delightful!
I would like to emphasise how i wouldn't -not in any way- stick with this drama because of the good cast or because of the countless guests.
As for the supporting cast, amber had the most promiment role of the females, and i loved her. The role was a perfect fit. Ahn So hee needs to work on her acting more and i would like to see Kim Hye In more in the future. However, none of the supporting actresses had the time to build up as characters or show something of substance.
The guests were there for a split second, said a line, waved and that was it. Don't expect much.
Rewatch/Recommend
This drama is an elitist drama, but it's not bad; it's just different. If you are into classic kdramas, ignore this one, you aren't missing out. If you want to watch something different, and have an interest in the korean acting industry, then do try it. I also believe this drama is adressed to male viewers because of the nature of the comments and issues it depicts. I wouldn't rewatch this though.
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Story
The drama’s tags: comedy, family, romance. One would expect a rom-com. First thoughts I had coming in, this is all a misunderstanding. Well it’s not. The drama starts on a comical note but quickly escalates to a proper melodrama. This is a drama about an extramarital affair; and while the base concept is that, the drama offers so much more than a story about infidelity. With us hardly realizing it, it widens its spectrum to relationships, marriage, friendship, career, family; ultimately aiming to show how in midst of our crazy hectic lives we forget and overlook the important things taking people and situations for granted, sacrificing our well-being over work and faceless responsibilities.
The drama is all about different perspectives. We get a wife who cheated on her husband. Is this just about a woman who cheated on her spouse, though? The show focuses on the husband/male lead but does a splendid job introducing every perspective; all we have to do is see them. Relationships are a two way street maybe it’s time we stopped looking solely at ourselves and our obligations, and take a look at those around us. We all hurt, and the best way we can heal is protect each other. The key point here is caring, showing it and ultimately communicating and showing affection. Nothing should be taken for granted!
What’s more, it introduces a 2nd adulterous story, which is mainly used as comedic relief but also wants us to compare the two stories, understand the different dynamics, the reasons and further grasp what is this thing called affair and what lies behind it. The 3rd wheel of the main cast is two loveable people expressing how difficult it is nowadays to love, become vulnerable and be self-confident giving an insight on the diversities between single and married life.
Simultaneously, the drama introduces the social spectrum on such a personal matter. Affairs are all about the couple; but in reality they are not, nothing is. We live in the public eye, technological wizardry aimed to make our lives easier but instead it confined us to our little phone and pc screens making us afraid to strike a normal conversation or even care. Talking to strangers suddenly feels safe, but it’s not. We get a glimpse of other random stories, demonstrating that there is no magical or general solution to this problem. The repercussions might be similar, the issue is one but the basis it grows on changes thus the solution shifts as well. When is it worth fighting, when it’s not? Is there always a solution, is there not? Valid questions with invalid answers.
What mostly shocked me were the comments people made all these weeks while watching. It actually made me think on several occasions that we’re probably watching different dramas, but this is why this drama is so special and why such dramas must be protected and celebrated. It is not about a cute story that we will all cheer upon and move on after it’s done. It triggers something in us, it puts our cognitive ability in motion, hons our critical thinking and eventually puts our entire beliefs in question. It’s a topic that opts for conversation. Of course this is not for everyone and this is why some people will resolve to unreasonable hate. People who refuse to see things from a different corner will hate this.
Bottom line, what the show wants to do is to negotiate what adultery really is; its reasons, its triggers and types; after that, on a second basis it gives an unconventional message that we need to open our eyes and our hearts to the people around us, the people we love, and protect them. Even if they seem fine, they’re not. Nobody is. Ultimately, see things from different perspectives and walk on other people’s shoes. Nothing in life is black and white. We all have it hard, but no one has it harder than the other person. Be considerate be open be respectful!
Acting
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t impressed deeply by the acting, but I might be biased because of how much the concept of the drama touched me.
Song Ji Hyo lived her role, and I appreciated the fact that she barely spoke and yet I felt the complete amount of feelings her character did. First time I saw her here, and I’ll be sure to check her older projects and look forward to the next. A round of applause to her for picking such a particular role and for pulling it off so immaculately
This was my first time seeing Lee Sun Gyun as well, and I didn’t regret it. I loved how people’s interpretation of his character varied, means he did a hell of a job, same goes for Song Ji Hyo. Another actor for me to look out for, especially during the later episodes his acting spiked becoming increasingly emotional and determined.
Special mention to my favourite –and I believe everyone’s favourite – duo BoA and Lee Sung Yeob. Loveable, quirky, funny and playful, they aced every part of their roles delivering an overall meaningful, enjoyable and luscious performance.
Lastly the fan favourite Ye Ji Won who was as charming as ever in this and deserved more screen time and the ludicrous but amusing Kim Hee Won gave a spectacular performance presenting the… ugly side of the affairs in the most entertaining way possible.
I feel inclined at this point to congratulate the writers. They delivered a great well-thought-out plot with several layers to entertain but also give us something meaningful and worthwhile. Thank you!
Recommend/Rewatch
Easy. If you’re of the mentality “You cheated, die you little slut” then steer clear of this drama for your own mental well-being mostly. If you’re willing to go out of your comfort zone, watch something that isn’t cute and playful, trouble yourself with what is right and wrong and you are open-minded as a person then do watch this. I’ll go ahead and say this is one the best dramas I’ve watched, but it demands a certain type of viewer. I will rewatch this at some point, certainly.
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Story
The K2 is ambitious, it wants to be intriguing and captivating but too much pressure has underwhelming results. The drama is a weird combo of action, political drama and romance that doesn't really work. There are 4 main characters, all of them perfectly demonstrated and completely 3-D, each of them has a story of revenge or ambition about the future and all their stories get entangled to set the plot. The characterization is the best part of the drama.
The base story is there and it's quite well-thought-out once you get to grasp it (takes a few episodes - or more than a few), however the K2 was one of those dramas that even though you enjoy it, only drawbacks come to mind when you think of it, sadly.
The drama felt 50% superman, 30% boring political talk and no act and 20% forced romance.
Most surprising thing about this drama is that the biggest and most critical asset of it, the action scenes, ended up working against the whole thing. Ji Chang Wook was immaculate in them, it's not his fault that after 2-3 episodes my initial enthusiasm turned into yawning. It was certainly not his fault. The directing and editing is to blame here. They overplayed the scenes so much, they quickly lose their spark and interest; unnecessary slow-motion, gratuitous weird angles and more made them look overly cheesy. What's more, it quickly felt that the drama pays too much attention in CJW doing his thing than to the plot itself which made the drama feel increasingly superficial and shallow.
Furthermore, what is the korean obsession with making their male leads look like superman? As the episodes continue CJW's character felt more and more unreal. Humans have their limits, that's their charm. Striping them of that feature makes them look fake. I didn't sign up for a hero film, sorry.
Another really awkward thing is that each episode is packed with action, or scheming, plotting, romance, so many things going on, but when i stopped to think what had actually happened after the end of every episode, how the episode contributed to the overall story, i came up always with nothing. In retrospect, nothing actually had happened. Amazing isn't it? The story is there but there is no real development until the end. Dissapointing, what a letdown.
Continuing, the drama is defined by its political aspect. I'm not into political dramas, so once this part kicked in i was inevitably bored. However, I'm usually very much into scheming evil characters and backstabbing and this drama has plenty of it, but the build up to all this was lenghty and quite tiresome to watch.
Additionally, i'd like to talk about the dissapointing romance. CJW is paired with Yoona here, and while they do look good together, their romance felt thorougly forced and wasn't given adequate time to grow and develop. On the contrary CJW and Choi Yoo Na's chemistry was effortless and off the charts. I think i can safely speak on behalf of almost every viewer when i express my dissapointment in the writer's persistence to shove the former couple down our throats when the latter was there and was spotless since the very first moment.
Drawing my rant to a conclusion i'd want to talk about the misuse of Yoona (Anna) as a character. She was either running, crying screaming or taken hostage throughout the whole thing, while she barely appeared in the first half. She basically made CJW's character look like super mario trying to save his girlfriend, unrealistic and cringy.
At this point i feel inclined to mention and stress the significance of Song Yoon Ah's character who probably makes the drama worth watching on her own. Finding characters that are 3D and not carricature versions of real life people is difficult in kdramas. Here, all the character were well-created but Choi Yoo Jin was the perfect villain or more like the anti-hero. There are several layers of her character that go deep and are visible little by little. She was the perfect villain who everyone grew fond of quickly and she deserved better from start to finish. You'll love her believe me.
Acting
The acting was dazzling.
Yoona who is seemigly the weakest link of the main cast was way better than expected. She suited the character perfectly and was completely satisfying in her every scene even though severely misused.
Ji Chang Wook executed his action scenes spotlessly, and to be honest that was his character's main goal. I have nothing else to add, he was manly and a worthy main lead, but he deserves better as an actor.
Jo Sung Ha was also spectacular in his twisted role, but the real queen of the drama was Song Yoon Ah, hands down. Her character was disturbed, easy to misunderstand, but she made us all care for her and see beyond her evil mask. Loved her completely. Star quality actor.
Recommend/Rewatch
Overall, the drama wasn't bad, it is one of those dramas that blow up in the beginning but never come up with the goods. It was enjoyable for the most part (let's exclude the boring political talk), and entertaining. If you are into hot guys playing superman in fight scenes, like evil characters scheming and double-crossing as well as some kind of romance in the sidetracks, do give this a chance. Having low expectations will surely result in higher pleasure. My 8 is kind of a stretch, consider this a 7.5 + 0.5 for the perfect poetic ending! I will never rewatch this.
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Story
The moral of the story is praiseworthy. It tries to convey the message that discrimination should not be acceptable on any grounds and that people should search for what brings them closer than what tears them apart - and what better way to demonstrate that, than through the power of music that is omnipresent and loved by everyone no matter the superficial differences.
Story-wise i can split the drama in 2 parts. First part (episodes 1-4 and 10-12) is the 21st century scool-based part. Your average school drama revolving around a love triangle. The plot twist of the whole drama? Vampires aren't only real but they have been known to exist since forever.
Second part of the drama (episodes 5-9) is actually set in an alternate version of the Joseon empire in the 17th century when vampires were also known to exist and even had different fractions. There is a whole sub story here that unfolds. Moreover, the characters here are supposed to be older versions of the characters in the first part in an effort to link previous lifetimes with current ones and make the love triangles and ships star-crossed.
It was argued that the sageuk part of the drama was boring and unnecessary. I beg to differ. It was actually the strongest part of the drama for me, it wasn't just another cheesy drama about a love triangle, it had suspence, gave most of the characters a lot of depth, further established the main point of acceptance and the attempt to link present and past lives was pretty well-made.
However, even though the story of the drama was pretty solid, the plot development was severely absurd. Let's give the disregard of standard vampire lore a pass, they used what was convenient and twisted some of it, and let's talk about the plot itself. Most situations lacked some fundemental build up, most of it was rushed to fit in12 episodes, a lot of plotlines just popped out of the blue or were conveniently introduced unexpectedly. This made the drama kinda ridiculous and borderline laughable; what's more, even though the drama wasn't draggy plot-wise it couldn't help but be boring quite a lot.
Acting
The acting was overall a bit cringy from the ful cast not just Seolhyun. Yeo Jin Goo and Lee Jong Hyun were satisfying enough, but not perfect and sadly lacked chemistry with Seolhyun. Gil Eun Hye needs work, while Seolhyun wasn't bad but there's definitely room for improvement.
I can't say that the acting deems this drama unwatchable but if bad acting really annoys you, maybe you should steer clear of this drama.
Recommend/Rewatch
OM has its issues and they are significant. My 7.5 is definitely lenient because i appreciate the effort in being original and i enjoy the concept of present and previous lives being linked. However, even in its nonsensical and quite ridiculous nature it was enjoyable enough and quite fast and easy to watch. It targets mostly young-adults, the sageuk part is skippable if you dislike it that much but i'd advise you to stick with it. If you like youth, first love and love triangles, do give this a chance, but even if you don't you aren't missing on anything major here. I won't rewatch this.
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Let me break it down for you, the drama is about 2 beautiful loving soulmates who, by the time they meet, they already have settled down for the wrong people. The drama is about true and fated love, but in its core it talks about putting yourself, your needs first and choosing your own happiness over everything and everyone else. We deserve to be happy and nobody is entitled to strip us of this right!
Yes the drama, on the surface, presents 2 married individuals who, because of different personal circumstances, fall for each other. Don't let this drive you away from this drama. The affair is introduced in the most romantic way possible without being glorified. It's not filthy in any way, quite on the contrary i'd say.
What made the drama stand out was easily the chemistry between the leads. Not the best i've seen but enough to charm you and make you get lost in the sparks. However, the best of the drama for me was the characterization. Seldom do we see such 3D, deep and well-rounded characters that feel like real people. This is one of the dramas that you have to read between the lines to properly comprehend that is going on and why. Many's the time i felt frustrated by the characters' choices and decisions, but this is human nature, scarcely logical sometimes. Moreover, i loved how even the "evil" characters had many layers but if you tried walking in their shoes you could understand where they were coming from, even if you still disagreed with their course of action. Good writing.
Sadly the drama was cut 4 episodes shorts and significant part of the storylines along with some characters were left unexplored. Still the writers did their best to complete the drama is a fulfilling way.
The drama is so natural, based completely on emotions and feelings, the plot devices for the story to unfold are strong and it is never really dragged or anything considering you're into romance and melodrama. However, there are certain drawbacks that refrain me from giving it a higher score.
First and foremost, i feel that the writers were really scared to actually go for it. The build up is there, the reasons, the excuses, the plot that is getting thicker and thicker, the chemistry which is sizzling but there is no climax. Generally the drama lacked the intensity that was needed sometimes, but the drama was special because of its mellow and calm nature. That being said, this aspect of the drama may make some viewers feel a little bored.
Story wise, the drama was solid, i only wished it wasn't so subtle when it came to the affair and also that they wouldn't deem some characters so evil just so they make other character look favorable. Too fake in my opinion.
Continuing to the acting, the overall experience was quite spectacular.
I've seen Lee Sang Yoon in other roles, wasn't impressed. Apparently i hadn't seen his flawless puppy eyes that he so effortlessly demonstrates here. Emotional and passionate, he pulled of his character impeccably.
Gotta hand it to Shin Sung Rok, for being a complete asshole (jn yet another drama i've seen him in). Takes talent to become the perfect antagonist and act like a complete jerk so realistically. His character was rather unemotional and shut down. It takes talent to act as an unemotional jerk and still pour part of your soul in the role! Luscious performance. An actor for me to look out for.
My personal favourite is, hands down, Choi Yeo Jin; the actress deserves more credit, she's been amazing in every project i've seen her in, but she shines here. Loved her character and the friendship subplot that she introduced, she was strong and intelligent and yet so loyal and dependable. Relateable and loveable.
My only issue was with Kim Ha Neul. Not that she was bad or anything, but i did feel that she overacted a lot especially while crying to the point it was fake and, moreover, i couldn't really relate to her in certain scenes while the plot was crafted so conveniently that anyone should have been able to excuse her and identify.
Overall, this is a good watch. Considering this is a melodrama it's not overly heavy, just the right amount. I'd recommend this to melodrama and especially romance fans. Be warned that the romance is not cute and fluffy here, but it is fullfilling (the chemistry is one you don't want to miss out on) in case you want to see something more "serious" let's say. I doubt i'll rewatch this, but it deserves a try.
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Story
Your very, very basic police procedural. Cop + partner team up to solve murder cases. They tossed the ghost concept in there to make it original, or more interesting but they failed. Don't expect to be scared or thrilled because the drama is just a typical police procedural. I feel that the drama aspired to be CSI meets Supernatural but it couldn't pull it off.
First 2 episodes are great in setting the tone, the base story and backstory. Episodes 3-8 have an episodic format, episode and different case. I expected those episodes to reduce themselves in soulless cases but usually procedural dramas come with kickass, amazing episodic plots that keep you on the edge for the whole episode. I don't know if this was just me not being a fan of police dramas, but the cases here were extremely tedious. All of them tried to be unpredictable and i could see the punch line when they wanted me to go *wow* but i felt nothing. There was no build-up for that climax to make an impact so it always left me uninterested. Last 2 episodes explore the backstory that was introduced in the first 2 episodes. Not bad, but the ship had already sailed by that moment... too little too late.
I blame everything mostly on the boring dialogs. It wasn't that the cast were acting like reading lines, it was that the lines themselves were unisprired... 75 minutes per episode need some inspirational dialogs to keep me going because my pillow is too fluffy and i tend to doze off fast!
The drama introduced several superntural concepts like human blood injuring ghosts, and other special/magic weapons ect that were never explained. Poor plot development overall
Another major problem i faced was the ridiculous and infuriating camera work. Apparently the cameraman was either drunk or seriously high. I can totally see how it was fun for him to zoom in and out x50 a thousand times during a scene, i would have laughed too had i been there, but me watching it, i felt dizzy and irritated and i couldn't even focus on the conversations.
The budget was overall, obviously very tight and the whole cinematography was pretty basic too. 10 episodes 8 different cases and i remember none right now while i can easily recall cases from other police dramas i watched in the past. The drama was good for cheap entertainment but there are far better dramas of the same genre out there.
Acting
Had its problems but not that bad either. The main cast was pretty solid but not memorable. Oh Ji Ho was good enough, but pretty forgettable and felt like he didn't put any effort in his work -his fighting scenes were mediocre at best. Same goes for Oh Ji Eun, i barely remember her face. Jeon Hyosung was the only memorable actor in this, not because her acting was impeccable but because her character was the most likeable one.
The supporting cast was mediocre to bad with no enjoyable performance whatsoever.
Recommend/Rewatch
I will never rewatch this of course, i regret finishing it to be honest. I could only recommend this to police procedural fans who know what to expect. This is not your average kdramas, no romance ect. It wasn't bad but there are better similar dramas out there.
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So what was so extraordinary about Ho Goo's love? The drama without straying away too far from the usual kdrama cliches, like archetype characters, or absurd coinsidences and ridiculous comedy, manages to deliver something unique, be different and adress specific issues that not only are taboo when it comes to the dramaland but also ignored and overlooked in reality as well.
Ho Goo's love doesn't shy away from several problems that are incriminated by society like unexpected pregnancy, different sexual orientation, plastic beauty, single mothers working and taking care of their family simultaneously. As well as adressing several society issues like domestic psychological abuse, sexual assault, bullying, dating-sexual abuse, suiside - i can seriously go on. Sounds pretty heavy already?
Well, you can rest assured, it's not. It centers around Ho Goo, an adorkable character and his crazy life full of coincidence and absurd situations. His first love reappears after 6 years but this time she has a secret and everything just keeps getting more and more tangled from there.
The drama actually comes off as way too cute, even fluffy. It relies a lot on comedy but this is exactly what i loved so much about it. The perfect blend of absurd and hilarious coincidences that might make you raise your eyebrow a bit, together with the severity and intensity of all those society issues that people tend to turn a blind to. The drama is a perfect mixture of melodrama and comedy, one of the best i've watched. It starts focusing on comedy and it gradually turns to darker themes without losing its funny spark.
I have to admit that the characters were a little difficult to warm up to. The whole drama actually was hard to get used to. The characters are ridiculous, the situations are bizarre and they take some time to become likeable and feel real/acceptable. The drama gets drastically better after the midway point and it gets seriously addicting too. The main reason i don't rate it higher besides the warming-up-to-the-characters and the unreal coincidences parts, is that i felt that they over-ridiculed a few very serious matters and it felt borderline offensive. However, this was the best way to showcase them without making it too sad, appeal to a larger audience and still send a few messages along the way.
I have only positive things to say about the acting. It wasn't exceptional but it was satisfying.
Choi Woo Sik, exceeded my expections, but i doubt i even had any coming in. He was hilarious and absolutely adorable. A perfect fit for this role. Uee's performance was spectacular, she aced her dramatic scenes, more than anything else. Lee Soo Kyung needs more roles. She was entertaining beyond imagination. Im Seul Ong was another pleasant surprise, his performance was realistic in a questionable character, and always amusing. The whole supporting cast was amazing.
Overall the drama is not the masterpiece of our time, but it's definitely worth checking out. It brings something old and something new together and the results are commendable! I'd recommend this to everyone feeling like watching a significant but still light rom com. Rom com fans will enjoy this immensely, while melodrama fans if you ever feel like something more light-hearted than usual, this is a great choice.
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Story
So, in contrary to the common belief that this drama glorifies adultery and adulterous couples, it rather incriminates infidelity simply by expressing a very well-round idea of what it exactly is. We get to see how it starts (as innocent as everything else, or maybe not so much), why it can start (it won't happen unless there's a reason(s) that has been ignored for a long time), how it intensifies, the guilt, the excuses, the fears, the acceptance, the happiness, the sadness, everything, and in the very end the consequenses, that hit hard, and hit everyone and everything around the adulterers. There is no happy end simply because in a sea of hurt feelings nobody can be truly happy ever again.
There is nothing cute about what happens, the story is rather difficult to watch at times, you can't root for anyone, you can't excuse but you can understand and the whole drama just made me question several times what i would have done had i been in such situations.
The drama, in its core, isn't even about adultery, it's about life choices. It exploits all the wrong reasons we decide to settle down in a marriage. Because we're afraid to be alone, because we want an easy life financially, because we just want to see a face when we come from work every day and have a clean house, because we are arrogant and we think we can buy everything with money, even people... and so, so on. People marry because they're afraid to try hard and be happy, they're afraid to search for that one person, so they settle. Being happy is scary, and it means being with that one person that completes you, the love that consumes you; but what happens if that person appears in front of you after you've settled down?
The drama offers the answers. Either suck it up and live a miserable life, or face the facts, break up/divorce and continue, finding yourself. But still, people are scared, being happy is scary, so they get greedy. Who will leave their perfect safe life to live a dream? Noone, so they'll cheat, because they want the best of both worlds. The drama shows you exactly this journey or bad choices, of selfish acts and the result which is cheating and destroying everything because of greed!
I appreciated how fast paced and to the point the whole drama was. First 5 episodes illustrate the beginnings and reasons of adultery and after episode 6 how everything crumbles down and the repercussions of it. The music wasn't original but it brought so much to the drama, it set the atmosphere in the best, most dramatic way possible. Another thing i appreciated was the slow but steady build up which did make the first episodes feel bland maybe, but it was carefully planned for the intense explosion of the later episodes. Best thing about it were the 3D characters, they felt like real flawed, greedy, selfish people, that you can't help but judge and hate, but in midst of their spiraling they made more sense than i could ever imagine!
If i had one problem to point out, it would be the... mildness of some scenes. While the acting was always tip-top the quarrels and fights felt rather calm, i missed the intensity in the conversations. The drama definitely needed some more... tension in certain scenes.
Acting
The acting was overall spectacular.
Ueto Aya was luscious, conveying her charactrer's feelings constantly, she made total sense and expressed perfectly her thoughts and acts. Couldn't help but feel sorry for her while wanting to slap her for not being rational.
Kichise Michiko was equally breathtaking, portraying a character who saw infidelity as something trivial, who had never fell in love, but when she did she fell hard and completely with her whole essense! Breathtaking performance indeed.
Saito Takumi was cute and sensitive, a close-to-perfect performance as a kind man who is unhappy but isn't even aware because his life is seemingly perfect; and not to forget Kitamura Kazuki for his charming portrayal of a rough but emotional artist.
The casting was really special, the actors really suited and looked amazing next to each other, i don't know if they took the time to find them or if they just worked out this perfectly, but it was indeed magical.
Recommend/Rewatch
This should not be watched by a huge amount of viewers. It's a melodrama but not even your average melo. It talks straight about cheating, there is no side story, no comedy at all, nothing unreal, nothing pretty about any of it. It demands a certain mature viewer who can understand the meaning without judging too hard and is willing to see some disturbing stuff. If you are ready to go out of your comfort zone, watch something serious and difficult then do give this a chance, otherwise it's just not everyone's cup of tea. I can see myself rewatching it in a few years but i'm a fan of such dramas.
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