Just Lame...Unfortunately

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

It's so disappointing every time I witness a drama self destructing...

Acting/Cast: Just okay. The female lead's acting started off strong in the first episode or two, but it quickly dive-bombed off a cliff. What her acting regressed in to reminded me of the female lead's acting in the beginning of Perfect Marriage Revenge. Except, in Perfect Marriage Revenge, her acting improved as the drama progressed. It was like she was trying to imitate the female lead in The Glory, but only at random moments, so she just seemed like she had a split personality for no reason. Then, that split personality acting turned into cookie-cutter basic female lead personality (which is an absence of personality). The best acting is probably from the second female lead and maybe some side characters. The male lead is boring too. If you're going to have no personality, at least have good chemistry with the female lead... 2/10

Writing: Literally the same plot as Perfect Marriage Revenge. I was hoping that this drama would at least be an improved version. Unfortunately, I ended up giving them the same overall score, but for different reasons. The leads weren't as likeable and didn't have as much chemistry in this drama. However, the villains were a lot better and the entertainment value was a bit higher. This drama also has some entertaining side characters as opposed to Perfect Marriage Revenge. The drama really goes downhill when the character Oh Yoo Ra is introduced in episode 11. The original villains were good enough - I don't know why they felt the need to add in another villain towards the end of the drama. Oh and you know how in every single romance drama there's a point about 2/3 into the drama where the leads "break up"? Well...simply the introduction of this new character is the catalyst for it here...and it's such a dumb reason. I started hating the female lead. I described her as being "self-righteous" (a very unattractive trait in my opinion). Also, the male lead does some ridiculous sacrificial lamb BS that was so cheesy and lame. I couldn't believe the drama had devolved into this stupidity. On a positive note, I liked the added complexity to the "rules" of fate and the detail of the female lead's father being involved in her second chance. 3.5/10

Direction/SFX/Music: The direction got drunk and wouldn't go home... I'm not a fan of the OST. And the intro...I usually don't mention intros because they really don't matter at all, but in any case, it's terrible. It doesn't fit the drama, but whatever. I can say that the beginning of this drama was well directed. The female lead's reaction to waking up ten years in the past, face-to-face with her abusive ex that had just murdered her was on point. It was so realistic...seriously, it was the highlight of the drama. Too bad the writers couldn't maintain that same energy for the rest of the drama. 4.5/10

Entertainment Value: Very entertaining through the first half of the drama. It takes a turn for the worst when an additional character is suddenly introduced in episode 11. The female lead started to really piss me off and her acting became a mess. The drama started getting cheesy. This wasn't supposed to be a Makjang right? It felt like more of a Makjang than Perfect Marriage Revenge did...and not a good one. 5/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 4/10. Highly disappointing, but it did get some things right.

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I Forced Myself To Watch This Fan Service Drama

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

I would have never even started watching this drama on my own. I had a friend who wanted us to watch it together and then talk about it. I warned my friend about what to expect watching a “deity romance” genre Korean drama and I was right. They’re terrible. The only deity romance (that I’ve seen so far) that is actually really good is Goblin.

Acting/Cast: Was there acting in this? Oh yeah, the villains did some decent acting. The female lead was good in the beginning. Everything else was just the leads staring at each other or the side characters trying to act like cartoon characters in order to be funny (and it wasn’t). If this had been the first drama I had seen starring Song Kang (송강), I would have refrained from watching anymore of his dramas in the future. Is he supposed to be a scary, intimidating demon in this drama? Because all I could see was an infant in fuzzy sweaters whose eyes glowed red sometimes. 1/10

Writing: Was there writing in this? Oh yeah, the first few episodes were actually decent. At first, it seemed like a legitimate drama with a plot and its own quirky identity. What happened? I feel like I was tricked. It was as though they only put a lot of effort into those first episodes in order to draw viewers in. It turned into nothing but fan service and a fashion show. The male lead’s character doesn’t make any sense. He has a split personality that changes on a whim to suit the writer’s needs. The female lead was initially intelligent and then became stupid toward the end (what did you expect Do Do Hee? He’s a demon. Well, maybe I can’t fault her too much since even the writers were confused as to how his personality was supposed to be and the stylist kept dressing him like toddler experimenting with pretty clothes). Even the second female lead went through a drastic change in personality out of nowhere. And of course, we can’t forget the forgettable second male lead. Well, actually we can. (Missed opportunity for a side love story between him and the second female lead.) Oh, and the useless gang members. Why were they in the drama? Most of the side characters were completely unnecessary and had no purpose. The worse side characters were the Aunt-Justin-Austin trio that were only there to be obnoxious. The second worst side characters were the office employee trio that were only there for product placement commercials. What was that ending? (Besides cliché.) So strange. The wrap-up just left me scratching my head. At least it didn’t leave me angry…I guess. 1/10

Direction/SFX/Music: There was one good scene in this entire drama. It was the tango dance scene in the beginning. I actually laughed out loud. The drama seemed to be finding itself. It had this goofy, whimsical, fun, magical vibe. However, it struggled to maintain that identity and instead became a nonsensical cliché-filled deity romance. The SFX was pretty good and in the beginning, there was some clever camera work and cuts that also had a part in giving me some (false) hope that this would turn out to be a decent drama. The OST is not my cup of tea, but not bad. 2/10

Entertainment Value: The first half was ok regarding entertainment value. I thought maybe it won’t be so bad after all. Some viewers were saying it reminded them of Goblin and that this drama had even copied scenes from Goblin. It’s been a while since I had seen Goblin, so I didn’t pick up on that in the moment. Personally, while I was watching this drama, I was reminded heavily of Doom At Your Service and a bit of My Roommate is a Gumiho (Both are bad dramas, yet both are better than My Demon.) I’m kind of shocked that I can’t even think of one redeeming quality that this drama has…hold on...I can do this…ok maybe the SFX? The first 6 episodes maybe? Oh yeah, the female lead is pretty strong and confident…that’s nice to see. Anyway, I remember hitting play to watch episode 14 and in my head I said “I hate this drama” and then I laughed out loud when I realized what I had just thought in my mind. 1.5/10

Overall, I ended up giving this drama a 1.5/10. It at least didn’t make me want to die. If you want to watch a drama that’s like Who’s Line Is It Anyway, where everything is made up and the points don’t matter…except it’s not funny, then this is the drama for you!

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The Drag Nearly Killed It

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

If you're like me and you hate flashbacks, you probably won't like this drama.

Acting/Cast: Top notch easily. Great cast, great acting. The acting made me feel things, especially in the first half of the drama. 10/10

Writing: The writing was great in the 1st half. I liked the story between Bong Seok and his mom. I found the kids to be interesting and how they each deal with their "condition". This isn't really about superheroes...they're more like everyday people that have an ability that has made them outcasts. I found that approach to be compelling. It reminded me of the plot of a book I read in school called Hidden Talents by David Lubar. So, in the beginning, when the focus was on the kids in this school together, I really enjoyed it. Then, the story went into flashback mode that lasted for way too long. The story wasn't very linear anymore and it jumped between characters. Because of this jumping around, many characters that I enjoyed watching were completely absent from multiple episodes in a row. I just wanted the flashback to hurry up so I could get back to watching the kids at the school. Don't get me wrong, the adults had interesting stories too, but they were dragged out for way too long. I almost dropped this drama because of this. They should have cut back to the kids in the middle of the flashbacks or maybe cut the total number of episodes down. Towards the end, a character was introduced, given a back story in flashback fashion and everything. It seemed out-of-place. Why spend so much time on an insignificant character this late in the drama? I guess it was to give the characters connected to him a little bit of background and humanize some of the "villains"? Maybe if they didn't drag out the flashbacks of the 2 main kids' parents, they could have had more time to appropriately flesh out some of these side characters. However, despite almost dropping this drama in the 2nd half, the ending was decent. 6/10

Direction/SFX/Music: I didn’t like the flow/pacing of the drama. Flashbacks lasted so long that I nearly forgot what the faces of characters on the backburner looked like. However, the production value was obviously high. Most of the time, the SFX was very well done. However, there were some flying scenes that I thought didn't look so great. The music didn’t grab my attention, but at least it didn’t annoy me. 5/10

Entertainment Value: The first half kept me engaged. It was emotional and unique. I found myself looking for a plot but instead, I got a barrage of flashbacks. The story dragged on, and I longed for the simpler times that took place within the school for extraordinary children…which did eventually come around again, but too little, too late. 3.5/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 6/10 mainly due to my hatred for flashbacks.

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It Didn't Get Me Out Of My Drama Slump

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

I usually avoid medical dramas and healing dramas, but I decided to give this one a shot in hopes that it'd be a different kind of medical drama. It is...but I still didn't like it. I've come to find that 'healing' tends to be synonymous with 'boring'.

Acting/Cast: This is easily the best thing about this drama. It has a very likeable cast who play very likeable characters. Even Park Shin Hye (박신혜) did a decent job, which surprised me. I love the main family as well as the two best friends. Regarding the chemistry of the leads, I've seen reviews that say they have amazing chemistry and others that say that their chemistry is terrible. I'm a bit in the middle. I think they had decent chemistry, but maybe they were better suited as best friends or brother and sister. Wait...I just had a thought...If they took out the romance and made it a family healing drama...that could've worked really well. Anyway, their chemistry actually kind of reminds me of how I felt about the leads in Welcome to Samdal-ri. Maybe it's because of the over-the-top cutesy behavior. To me, it comes across as childish and not romantic at all. I think the secondary couple in this drama has much more romantic chemistry. 7/10

Writing : The drama started strong. It definitely isn't your typical medical drama, which is nice. The focus is on the issues that the leads are going through and how to overcome them and heal together. I also like the premise of the leads being rivals in the past and the idea of how enemies can actually be friends and friends can actually be enemies. I really like the female lead's family, as well. They feel realistic - they're not overly critical or controlling or overly dramatic, but supportive and level-headed. Regarding the mystery aspect of the drama, I liked it. It added some drama to the plot to keep me interested. However, it ended abruptly and too soon. By the time I got through the drama (which took a long time because it had become so boring), the mystery plot seemed like a distant memory. On another note, I liked how depression and PTSD is represented in the drama. However, I found it ridiculous that a super smart doctor, who reads medical dissertations as their only source of fun, seemed to have no idea what depression is. That was very strange to me. It made the psychiatrist visits feel a bit condescending. Regarding the use of alcohol in this drama, I guess it is strange for a medical drama to promote drinking like it did. However, while watching, I didn't think twice about it. Even though I personally hate alcohol, I guess it's just something I've become accustomed to seeing in Korean dramas. So, it didn't bother me, but it is odd...especially when the leads are taking meds. They put the drinking scenes in there, I think, in order to give the characters reasons to act 'cute' (especially the mom). It's not something I find cute, but I get why it's there. 4/10

Direction/SFX/Music: The biggest problem I had with this drama is the pacing. This is probably a combination of a writing and directing issue. The mystery plot and any other conflicts that the characters were dealing with should have extended throughout more of the drama because once everything was resolved, it became incredibly boring. Episode 13 is when the dragging starts. It shouldn't take 3 episodes to wrap up a drama. Maybe this drama would have done better with a 12 episode length. Too many flashbacks also. It wouldn't have been so bad if they weren't flashbacking to the same scenes repeatedly. On a more positive note, this drama does have decent camera work and music. 1.5/10

Entertainment Value: The first half of the drama was decently entertaining, especially for a healing drama. However, towards the end, I thought I was going to end up dropping it because it was dragging so much. Actually, the reason I didn't was due to the side love story. I keep thinking of how I felt about Hello, It's Me!; It's also a healing drama with a lot of similar issues. I ended up giving it the same overall score as this drama. Comparing them, I think they both conveyed good messages. I think Hello, It's Me! has a more moving message and is a bit more entertaining, whereas Doctor Slump has more likeable characters and better chemistry between them. Both dramas I struggled to get through - this one slightly more. 2/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 3.5/10 mainly due to the pacing issues and the lack of romantic chemistry between the leads.

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Side Characters Carried This Boring Drama

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

I normally don't watch these kinds of dramas - a drama with a fanfic type plot that appeals to teen girls - but I want to see Jang Gi Yong (장기용) in main roles. He was awesome in My Ajusshi playing a scary loan shark, but he had limited screen time. All of the main roles I've seen him in so far after that, he's played the same character type - stoic, no emotion, robotic. I don't know why he seems to be only playing these roles now, after he did so well with his character in My Ajusshi. Maybe he was afraid to be typecasted as a villain?

Acting/Cast: The promising cast is deceiving. Yes, the acting was good and the humor was good, but the story itself was so boring that the cast and their acting couldn't save it. I thought the two leads were the weakest in this area. Maybe it's more of a writing/directing issue though. The male lead was the "stoic" type which a lot of times (in badly written dramas) means that they can't convey emotions well and makes for a boring watch. It's difficult to write and portray a good stoic character, but it's not impossible (Terius Behind Me male lead, My Ajusshi male and female leads). The female lead's character building in the beginning gave me false hope - that she was going to be a distinct and unique female lead. She started out that way but by the end, I was annoyed by how she talks and acts, specifically with the male lead -- It felt too childish. The side characters were great, however, and I really just wanted to watch them. 7/10

Writing: The plot itself is pretty boring. There's not much to it. The fantasy element really didn't add much, since it became a simple cohabitation plot and a college romcom plot. There was this really annoying back and forth regarding the relationship between the two leads that made me want them to just give up on the whole human and fox love story and be with their own kind. They kept stressing how the male lead is "just an animal" as if he is literally a fox and that he's a super old man...so that made me feel weird about the leads being together romantically. He felt more like her guardian rather than a potential love interest. I also love love triangles when they're done right. This is also something that is difficult to do, but not impossible (Cheer Up, True Beauty, The King In Love). This drama had a weak love triangle, so much so that it was completely pointless for it to be included. Literally, it was only used to make the male lead jealous. It was clear that there was no way the female lead would even consider the second male lead. I actually felt bad for the second male lead and thought that he could possibly be a better match for the female lead than the male lead. Also, why make the female lead a history buff and not use it in a meaningful way for the story? So pointless... 1/10

Direction/SFX/Music: I want to blame the acting of the two leads on the direction. The music is nothing special. SFX was ok I guess. There was a stupid scene in a sauna involving ice powers for some reason...That might have been when I started really losing interest. The sauna scene in Episode 9 is a good marker for the beginning of the decline. 1/10

Entertainment Value: It was decent up until episode 9 when it first started going downhill. Then, when the red string was added in at episode 10 and the weak love triangle was created, I was just annoyed. I kept watching hoping that maybe there would be some unexpected twist. I almost dropped this drama at episode 13, but I decided to continue watching to see what would happen with the side characters. I should have dropped it though. 1/10

Overall, it was tough to give this a final rating. I ended up giving this drama a 2.5/10. I can't help but compare it with Tale of the Nine-Tailed, which I gave a 3/10. I didn't like Tale of The Nine-Tailed either, but I never considered dropping it like I did with this drama. The nine-tailed foxes in Tale of The Nine-Tailed were much more interesting characters with a certain kind of charm and with more interesting lore.

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A Relaxing Watch That Ultimately Left A Bad Taste In My Mouth

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

This was a very serene watch for the most part. I found it enjoyable although there were things nagging at me throughout the entire drama.

Acting/Cast: I think this is the first time I’ve seen these actors (except for the female lead’s best friend and the female lead’s brother). I thought the female lead was fine, but I thought the male lead’s acting style was a little different that the others. He seemed like a regular person -- not very passionate, constantly flipping his hair out of his eyes. I didn’t feel like he liked the female lead. He seemed happier and more comfortable alone. Basically, I'm saying he didn't sell the romance for me; it wasn't believable. I enjoyed watching the sign language between them and not necessarily the love story between them. Maybe the leads just didn’t have chemistry. There was too big of an age gap between the leads, which also bothered me and didn't help with the chemistry. I typically don't like big age gap romances, but it still probably wouldn’t have bothered me as much if the two leads actually seemed like they loved each other. Unfortunately, I developed the dreaded second lead syndrome because the female lead and the second male lead seemed to be a much better fit for each other. 4/10

Writing: The main story started off strong, but as conflicts were introduced, it became annoying. I enjoyed all of the side love stories more than the main couple's love story. If this drama wanted to stay realistic, it should have taken a risk—have a female lead end up with a second male lead for once. I know, it’s crazy...so crazy it just might work. My heart goes out to all the mistreated second male leads in the K drama world. Anyway…where was I? Oh yeah, so the romance between the leads suddenly becomes toxic out of nowhere. I was so confused…the female lead just does a complete 180. I mean, I guess it was realistic because in real life there would come a moment when she’d realize the reality of the relationship and the age difference (Although, I don’t even think the age gap was addressed…). But then, the ending made it unrealistic and left me feeling very negatively about the whole thing. 2/10

Direction/SFX/Music: The pacing was great. That was one thing I really liked about this drama. Even if I wasn’t too into the main love story, the pacing made it a nice watch. The OST is also pretty decent. I like the artwork that was used throughout the drama as well. 6/10

Entertainment Value: I did enjoy watching this drama. It had a nice, peaceful vibe. I really liked watching the sign language and I liked the side love stories. However, they weren’t given enough screen time. I started getting annoyed in the second half of the drama by the repetitive conflicts regarding past trauma. Then, the sudden change in the female lead towards the end threw me through a loop…and then, the sudden change AGAIN at the very end... 4.5/10

Overall, I ended up giving this drama a 4/10 due to the unrealistic and strange ending, the lack of the development of side characters, and due to it being yet another drama that does a second male lead dirty. I’m going to go sulk now. (Don’t mind me…I’m still not over the second male lead syndrome I had developed while watching True Beauty.)

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Looks Beautiful, Feels Hollow

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

After I had binge-watched this drama in 1 day, I was left with mixed feelings. I spent some time reflecting on it to better understand what I liked and didn't like about it. By the way, I have not read the webtoon that it is adapted from.

Acting/Cast: I literally only wanted to watch this because it had been a while since I've seen Suzy in a drama. Don't let that fool you though - I actually don't think she's a good actress. Everything I've seen her in, her acting is subpar. However, she's one of the few actors that I still enjoy watching despite their acting ability. Instead, I like to watch her for the sake of nostalgia (Uncontrollably Fond -- my 1st K-Drama, Dream High). This drama was no different for Suzy; her acting was still lacking. But even so, I was glad to see her. On the other hand, Yang Se Jong (양세종) is a good actor. I've only seen him in one other drama (Thirty but Seventeen -- one of my top 10 K-Dramas) and I loved him in that one, so I was relieved to see that he would be playing the male lead in Doona! I knew Suzy would need the help and I was right - he was great. They worked well together and I felt their chemistry. The side characters were interesting too. I thought I wouldn't like them and I didn't at first, but they ended up being a fun addition. I actually wanted to see more of them. 5/10

Writing: This is the difficult part...this is the part that left me with this hollow feeling. Its as though I walked into a building that was still under construction. The foundation is set, the support beams have been erected, the walls are starting to be built up, and I can see signs of some great craftsmanship and beautiful architecture. But, the construction was left abandoned...I guess because the architect thought it looked more meaningful this way. I can't say that more episodes would have fixed this problem, because it seems to be an artistic choice. I felt as if the writing was skirting around the issues, afraid to really delve deep. I saw the potential for the drama to get into more of the psychology of Doona -- to really understand not only her, but others in the entertainment industry that may be facing similar problems, but it just didn't happen. This hollowness was even felt with the side characters. It seemed like they were just thrown in without much character development, which is a shame because I actually ended up liking them. The chemistry between the 2 leads helped to sell the romance in K-Drama world, but it didn't feel like a real-life romance to me. Observing it realistically, Doona would be the type of girl you'd expect to be (to put it nicely) a serial dater. She would have eaten that sweet guy alive in reality -- completely crush his heart with no remorse. So, while I was watching, I was very scared for him...I mean, she's just one giant red flag. But anyway, I'll stop here so I don't give any spoilers. 1.5/10

Direction/SFX/Music: Easily the best thing about this drama. It is very pretty, very aesthetically pleasing. Great ASMR mic quality. Great cinematography all around. I even like some of the music. My favorite songs on the OST are The Universe by Kwon Jin Ah and Still by DVWN. I think this is why it was so easy for me to binge this drama - it was just so nice to look and and listen to. 9.5/10

Entertainment Value: I found myself hanging on the every word while watching this drama. Even rewinding if I missed a sentence. I only do that when I'm genuinely enjoying a drama. However, by the end, I was left dissatisfied and wanting so much more. Maybe a bit confused, too. Towards the end it became somewhat frustrating to watch. I myself wasn't even sure of Doona's feelings... 4.5/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 5/10. It was difficult to put a number on it since my feelings about it are all over the place. Would I recommend this drama? Probably not... unless you're a fan of one of the leads.

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Light and Fun but Suddenly WTF

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

If I were to rate the 1st half of this drama and the 2nd half separately, the ratings would be very different. Let's just go through the categories and I'll explain:

Acting/Cast: Easily the best thing about this drama. In the beginning, I was iffy about some of the characters. However, well before the end of the drama, I liked every character and enjoyed all of their roles. 1st half=6/10 ; 2nd half 10/10

Writing: This category can be broken into 2 parts - character writing/dialogue and story writing. Throughout the drama, the character writing was well done. Everyone had very distinct personalities that felt real. I easily became attached to multiple characters. That being said, I felt the male lead was the weakest in this department, especially in the 2nd half. His character felt like he had the least development. I knew the other characters so well, but the male lead remained fairly mysterious. Although, I also realize this was intentional, but I still didn't like it. Now for story writing...great in the 1st half. I loved the light and fun vibe of the 1st half. It was very charming. My only gripe was the writer's overuse of red herrings to the point of slight annoyance. I also thought the cliche stalker plot point didn't fit in well with the feel of the drama. It was also quickly glazed over like it never even happened, which made it feel even more out-of-place. In the 2nd half, the overuse of red herrings became obnoxiously ridiculous and those cliche out-of-place plot points were, unfortunately, here to stay. How can I put this simply? The story became confusing, unrealistic, and I haven't been so pissed of about an ending since Black. The ending ruined the entire drama for me, just like what happened with Black (which, oddly enough, stars the same female lead). It's as though the writers didn't know how to end the drama and they were fighting with each other and changing their minds every episode. But, what makes it worse, the writers were foreshadowing the ending from much earlier in the drama. It makes me believe that this mess was completely intentional and I'm shocked. And what's even worse, I feel betrayed, emotionally manipulated, violated even -- similar to how the characters in the drama SHOULD have felt about the whole situation. 1st half=9/10 ; 2nd half=1/10

Direction/SFX/Music: Almost no complaints here. However, I am reminded of that one scene...the piano on the beach. I was so confused. Very out-of-place scene. Was it a dream, was it a fantasy? I hope so. Regarding the music/OST part, the OST is nothing special; not my cup of tea; it neither caught my attention nor annoyed me. However, the piano music was great. 8/10

Entertainment Value: I got through this drama fairly quick because it was fun and had likeable characters. In the 2nd half when crazy random things were happening, I'm not going to lie, I was entertained and the cliff hangers got me through the drama even faster in the 2nd half. I was extremely curious about how the writers were going to play out this ending. I was hoping the male lead's mom would get some kind of redemption arc. I was hoping everything would come together and make sense. It seemed like it was heading that was until suddenly -- the writers forgot how to write and my hopes were shattered. 1st half=4/10 ; 2nd half=6/10

Overall, this drama would get an unweighted score of 6.5/10, technically speaking. But since the ending was drama-ruining, my weighted score would be 3.5/10.

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A Makjang That's Nothing Special

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

This one is pretty tame for a Makjang. It's not bad but very forgettable.
By the way, I am not familiar with the webtoon this drama is based on.

Acting/Cast: Most of the casting was fine. Even the male lead grew on me. He always plays these types of characters though. I'd say the worst character is the 2nd female lead (the female lead's sister). I felt like she was unrealistic and over-the-top. Her acting is probably the worst. The female lead's acting isn't great in the beginning either but I think she improved through the course of the drama. No interesting characters really... The villains are lame. My favorite character was the male lead's mother played by Lee Mi Sook (이미숙). 4/10

Writing: The plot is interesting and the writing isn't terrible. I was just expecting more craziness than what I was given. Not much for twists. Nothing super unexpected happened. No real roadblocks for the female lead. The villains are boring and unthreatening. It made for a stress-free watch though. The romance is surprisingly good (I say that because I normally don't like Sung Hoon's characters (방성훈). I felt the leads had chemistry and I like how the romance develops between them. I also liked that the female lead has an impressive talent. She kind of reminded my of the female lead in Love In Sadness (now that's a memorable drama). 3/10

Direction/SFX/Music: It has good pacing. The music is ok. One thing, that I'll mention here, that bugged me while watching was the styling of the male lead. They kept putting him in really baggy clothes that just makes it look like he's not wearing the right size...as though he just recently lost a lot of weight and hasn't had time to buy new clothes. But that was just a small personal gripe. 5.5/10

Entertainment Value: I stayed fairly entertained throughout the drama. I think I started to lose some interest toward the end when I realized nothing too crazy is ever going to happen. So, it was entertaining enough to get me through the drama once and fairly quickly. However, it's no where near entertaining enough to remember this drama let alone to want to watch it again. I actually forgot that I had finished this drama, which is why I'm writing this review a little late. 4/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 4/10. It's not bad, not good...just meh.

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Perfect Male Lead, Undeserving Female Lead

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

I held off writing this review because this drama disappointed me so much. I probably would have ranted a lot about the female lead. Now that I've calmed down, I'll try to keep this short.

Acting/Cast: The cast and acting were great. No complaints here. Watching the male lead (정해인) in particular made me think that he really is a top tier actor, as I compare him to some male leads I've seen in other dramas. 10/10

Writing: The first half of the drama was amazing. The way that the relationship was built and how it evolved. It was so cute. I usually stay away from age gap romances, but this one made me feel like it could actually work. I was becoming a believer. Their chemistry and the writing was making me believe in them and root for them when society would find their relationship weird and taboo. That is until about midway through, the female lead begins making a series of stupid decisions with no end in sight. Seriously, everything she did made things worse. It would have been better if she went into a coma for 5 years instead. It was almost as though she was intentionally trying to ruin everything (her life, her career, her relationships) and cause drama. I'll give an example (it's one of the early bad decisions & I'll try to be vague): She gets into a clearly dangerous situation with her ex, where she could have pressed charges against him. But instead, she continues to communicate with him like she's a naïve 14 year old girl and even GETS INTO HIS CAR (keep in mind this is a 35 year old woman with a boyfriend getting into her ex's car who has a recent history of emotional instability and violence). Then, after surviving an even scarier and more traumatizing situation that she had gotten herself into, she still acts like her ex is her friend and tries to shake his hand. It was so strange...I was bewildered by her behavior. This is why I think she may have been intentionally causing drama, because it just doesn't make sense. Maybe the writers were trying to emphasize how much of a doormat she is? But, it just gets worse from there. Her mental age continues to regress, all while trying to convince the audience that she's growing and becoming a better person. Meanwhile, the 25 year old male lead continues to be perfect. He's definitely the more mature person in the relationship to the point where the mental maturity of the two are greatly contrasted. The way she treats her boyfriend and her best friend...I couldn't believe it. She had become incredibly selfish and ended up completely thro- Ok I need to stop before I spoil anything. Let's just say, by the end, I wasn't rooting for her anymore. She didn't deserve such a perfect relationship with the male lead. 4/10

Direction/SFX/Music: I love the tone, the vibe, the camera work style of the drama. It had that charm that draws me back in and invades my thoughts. The OST is nice on it's own, but it was entirely in English which felt a bit strange. However, what really irked me was how repetitive and obnoxious the music became. The same loud English lyrics would replay over and over. 5.5/10

Entertainment Value: The first half was great. I was excited to watch the next episode. However, the female lead became progressively worse over time. It was frustrating to watch. Notice I haven't mentioned anything about the mom. That's because the female lead is the real problem. The mom was just there to cause a conflict for the leads to overcome. I get it. 3/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 5.5/10. The ultimate ending wasn't terrible. Yes, it was pretty unsatisfying how certain plot points ended, but watching the downward trend from midway through to the end of the drama was worse than the ending itself. What I'm trying to say is that relatively speaking, it ultimately ended on a high note in comparison to the events leading up to it. I know that's not saying much, but at least there's a tiny bit of light at the end of this tunnel.

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Intense Feelings of Hopelessness

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

I'll preface this by saying I am not a K-pop fan. I didn't even know a K-pop star was starring in this drama until I got near the end of the drama. And now that I know the lead female is a rookie actress and considering this drama is her first time playing a main role, I am impressed. Also, I will say that my all-time favorite K-drama is White Christmas, which is also a hostage plot, so this type of story is right up my alley.

Acting/Cast: I'd say one of the best things about this drama is the casting of the spies. Perfect casting, especially the male lead spy. I couldn't imagine anyone else playing that character. He has this innocent look about him, but he can also have an intimidating presence, which is essential for the role. His ability to convey emotions through his eyes and facial expressions was vital to the role, as well. I think everyone inside the dorm (for the most part) had good acting. I didn't even have a problem with the rookie female lead's acting. Those outside of the dorm are another story. I think the worst thing about this drama is Park Sung Woong (박성웅). I hated every time he was on screen. His acting was over-the-top obnoxious. My brain's reaction to his presence would be to automatically start tuning him out. I actively had to fight against it. Him, as well as others on the outside of the dorm, really brought an unwanted cheesiness to the drama, which actually has a very serious plot that I think should have been taken more seriously. 7/10

Writing: For the most part, the story is pretty well written. The foundation that was built in the beginning was very solid except for the two important ANSP agent characters. I didn't care about them at all in the beginning. I didn't know exactly what to expect with this story, so once the hostage situation began, I was shocked and hooked. I think the writing begins to get shaky toward the end. I kept thinking "I wish the female lead had more of a role." She was great in the first half. She felt like a realistic, but strong female lead. She was trying to fight back, figure things out, even manipulate others to save her friends. The only thing potentially unrealistic about her behavior would be that if I were in her situation, I would be deathly terrified of the male lead. I wouldn't even have been able to look him in the eyes. I'd be way too traumatized and ashamed about the whole thing. However, toward the end, it's as though the female lead becomes more of a background character who looks sad all the time and is silently hating herself. I wouldn't have been surprised if she had tried to take herself out at some point...I think that would have been realistic. I mean, it's a deeply depressing and traumatizing situation for her specifically. Another reason I thought the writing got shaky toward the end was because of the excessive twists. I don't think it was necessary to put in twists toward the end; the main plot itself is engaging and complex enough and should have been fully embraced as it was. Also, toward the end, the intense feelings of hopelessness that I felt from the whole situation had increased too much to where I was almost unable to see any light at all at the end of the story. I think that's a bit more of a personal taste - I need a certain amount of hope to keep me on the edge of my seat and not lose interest. On a positive note, the political aspect of the drama became more interesting to me as the story went on (usually stuff like that bores me) and the two ANSP agents became much more likeable. I found the politics in this drama to be very thought-provoking. What kinds of events in real life have governments and media worked together on to cover up or spin to win elections? 9/10

Direction/SFX/Music: This drama definitely had a higher quality of production, which I really look for. I will drop a drama 20 minutes in if the production quality isn't doing it for me. There are a lot of guns, bombs, blood, I love the set and the time period. The OST is okay. It didn't stick out too much for me. The only complaint I have here is that sometimes the music didn't fit the situation, especially in the beginning. There's a gun fight and blood and chaos but romantic sounding music is playing. How is this romantic? 9.5/10

Entertainment Value: I was hooked for a majority of the drama. I stopped watching other dramas to binge watch this one. It was only toward the end (maybe episode 14) that I wasn't exactly excited about watching it...more scared to watch it I guess. 9.5/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 9/10. It's rare that I ever rate a drama this high. I think this one won't soon be forgotten. I wish there had been more of a sole focus on the dynamics inside of the dorm, such as relationships between the girls, and how their personal bonds helped them to survive. This person being an ANSP agent or that person being a northern spy or this person doing something bad in the past or that person having some past connection that I don't care about -- to me it was just a bunch of unnecessary Korean drama clichés that didn't really add much to the plot.

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Conflicts Aren’t Great but Enjoyed Light, Positive Vibes

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

I picked this drama up because I like the lead actors. Actually, I don’t like Ji Chang Wook (지창욱) in any roles other than action, but I decided to give it another shot. This seemed like it could be a cute romance, but in order for it to work, the chemistry needs to be on point.

Acting/Cast: I was pleasantly surprised by the cast. There were some actors that I was very happy to see again and some actors I’ve seen for the first time. I think everyone did great acting-wise (except for the female lead’s dad). However, like I mentioned before, the chemistry is the most important aspect here. All of the friend groups had good chemistry as well as the side romances, but I’m not sure the two leads quite got there -- at least not as more than friends. Maybe it’s because they were so overly cutesy with each other or maybe it’s because there weren’t any - even remotely - steamy scenes between them. I just wasn’t completely sold on them. Especially, after that ending with the choice that the male lead made. Careers were obviously way more important to everyone over love, which is strange for a “romance”. 7.5/10

Writing: I like the plot and the side stories. I like the characters. However, there’s some details that bothered me. The useless love triangle is one of those things. Literally, it was only there to motivate the male lead to make a move. They really built up this second male lead like he was going to be a huge threat, but no, just another poor victim of second male lead abuse. I think he was an interesting and unique character, too, so it’s such a shame. Another issue I had with this drama is the forced conflicts (apart from the love triangle). The initial conflict that sets the plot in motion is fine, but later on, things happen that make it feel unrealistic. There’s also another conflict between the male lead’s father and the female lead that just feels annoying and childish. I wanted to just skip over all of that nonsense. Then, the “plot twist” at the end with the foreigner seemed so pointless… I was like ‘Why??’ Blink and you’ll miss it. Fortunately, this drama has good side stories and likeable characters all around. 4/10

Direction/SFX/Music: The ending was so cliché that it didn’t feel consistent with the male lead’s personality. The pacing was decent despite using so-so conflicts to push the story along. The OST isn’t really my cup of tea, but I did add two of the songs to my playlist. Beautiful Day by Gemini (제미나이, 아름다운 날) is really pretty and of course the drama’s theme song: DK (도겸) (Seventeen) - Short Hair (단발머리). 6/10

Entertainment Value: It was an easy, light watch. Nothing very exciting to make me want to binge watch this drama, but also nothing so irritating that it would make me want to drop it. The second half is when I started feeling a bit of a drag (episode 9) and episode 10 or 11 is when more conflicts are forced in which began to annoy me. The ending was cliché, too. Although one of the side love stories was solidified, which was a pleasant surprise. 4/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 5.5/10. It makes me wish I had a rabid posse of male friends. It almost made me want to start taking photos...I hate taking photos.

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Clever Writing, Movie Quality From Start To Finish

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

(This is a review for Part 1 and 2 together)
I watched this for Park So Dam (박소담). It’s been so long since I’ve seen her and she’s so cute. However, in this drama, she’s playing a character that’s not so cute. I was curious to see how she’d do. I wasn’t disappointed.

Acting/Cast: Great and unexpected cast. I was so happy seeing all the familiar faces and they all performed exceptionally in their roles. In particular, I think Kim Jae Wook’s (김재욱) character was so well done that he could have a drama or movie of his own. He was like every iteration of the Joker rolled into one. The styling, the suave body language, the confidently demented personality, the high-paying hobby with a horrifying secret—he was very much his own mini movie. I think the main actor, Seo In Guk (서인국) overacted at times, but it could have been more of a directing choice. 9.5/10

Writing: The writing was extremely well done. The story had a movie quality to it due to how neatly everything was laid out and then wrapped back up. I had no idea what to expect when going into this. Except, I knew it was going to have a body swapping theme, which I usually don’t like. I thought it would be another cliché plot. Not at all. There is no sugar-coating with this drama. It doesn’t pull any punches. Be advised- this drama is not for the faint of heart. There is a ton of gore…shocking gore, too. That’s something I also don’t normally like, but I think the shock value added something much needed to the idea behind this drama – the fear of death--or the reverence of death. I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to give anything away...but this drama is about suicide. Suicide is a sensitive topic that is difficult to address. It’s a subject that I am very familiar with, so I tend to be particularly critical regarding how it is approached. I felt like this drama portrayed the internal struggle of a suicidal person fairly well. Towards the end of the drama, my cynicism caused me to think that “this would only be an effective message for those who have at least one good parent in their life or a significant other that truly loves them. What about the people that have nobody? What’s their reason to live?” Despite my negativity, after watching this drama, I immediately typed up my reaction or my ultimate take-away from the story: “Watching all of these people die so suddenly...so easily…and watching them fight for their lives…made me think that the time we have alive can be seen as a gift or an opportunity. We really have a short, temporary life that can end at any moment. So why cut it even shorter? It'll be over before we know it anyway. ‘It's ok if we fail, as long as we don't give up.’ (a quote from the drama)” I need to mention the ending here. A little predictable…ok maybe more than a little, but not bad. This feels so out-of-character for me to say, but I think that an open ending would have worked really well for this story. Wow, this is the one time I’ve actually wanted an open ending. 8/10

Direction/SFX/Music: Watching this drama felt like watching a long blockbuster movie. Not only because of the writing, but also because of the high production value. Immediately, we see stunts, action, explosions, blood, and all out insanity. I was shocked. Why was I under the impression that this was going to be a romance? At times, I even thought it was too much--too over-the-top. Just think if this drama had a badass OST... I mean even Bad and Crazy had one awesome song that made the drama super memorable even though I didn’t really like the drama. Same thing with Tale of the Nine-Tailed. This drama just needs that one badass song to really make it unforgettable. 6.5/10

Entertainment Value: I waited for this drama to finish airing before watching it. I knew it would be binge-worthy. It does slow down quite a bit in the end, but I wasn’t complaining. I needed a break from all the insanity anyway. Sometimes, it was a bit tough to watch. I don’t like gore. I had to look away a lot. It also has a very depressing theme. I’m glad I was able to get through it quickly. I feel when I’m watching a drama, it’s sort of like a part of me is in that world until the drama’s over. So, I’m glad I wasn’t in that world for very long. 8.5/10

Overall, I gave this drama an 8/10. There’s a lot of violence and gore. It feels over-the-top at times. The topic of suicide is really tough to navigate, but I like the fearlessly aggressive approach, even if I don’t necessarily agree with everything. I don’t like it when drama creators are too afraid of the audience to do anything risky. It could have really used a badass OST though…

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Strong Foundation But Still Managed To Lose Its Footing

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

I really had high hopes for this one. I love Rowoon (로운); I think he's a great actor. I saw some short clips of this drama that highlighted his portrayal of a quirky character in an unfortunate but comical situation. It seemed very charming. So despite my dislike for the female lead, I decided to give this drama a shot...

Acting/Cast: This is going to sound so harsh...honestly, the only positive in this category is Rowoon (로운), the male lead...and even he struggled. I don't know if it's his fault or the writing or the direction or all of the above, but he couldn't hold the character. It was such a unique character, too, with an extremely distinct personality and it just...fizzled away as the drama progressed. I would catch glimpses of his former self here and there but it only served as a depressing reminder of what once was. Jo Ba Ah (조보아), who played the female lead, wasn't any better. I had really disliked her after watching her ruin Tale of the Nine-Tailed with her horrible acting. At least she had improved in this drama. I was surprised that she wasn't the reason this drama failed. The villains - all three of them - are lame. The side characters tried so hard to be likeable and they just couldn't pull it off. Oh, I almost forgot about that poor 2nd male lead... a K-drama pet peeve of mine -- disrespected 2nd male leads. 1/10

Writing: I'm so sick of the "we loved each other in a past life" trope. It's so over done. It's seriously becoming another huge K-drama pet peeve of mine. The writing and plot started out strong. It was an interesting premise with a dark, ominous undertone. Unfortunately, this all goes away pretty early on in the drama and it just becomes a boring, typical romance...with a stalker cliche. I think it fizzles out around episode 8 or 9. Ugh...the beginning was so good...I'm so disappointed... 4/10

Direction/SFX/Music: This drama does have good cinematography and production quality. This is definitely the strongest category. The OST is decent. Direction though, I did not agree with. Going from unique, quirky, cute, with some creepy and even adult vibes to a cookie-cutter romance. I forgot the ending. It's only been a few days and I already forgot. That's how unimpressed I was. 6/10

Entertainment Value: Getting through the 1st episode wasn't quick for me. I don't know if it was the drama or me. However, after the 1st episode, I really got into the story. I was excited to watch it. I really loved the male lead's character and the dynamic between the 2 leads. I thought the plot itself was very engaging. Then, I reached the 2nd half of the drama and as I continued watching to the end, I experienced all the hope within me slowly shrivel up and die. 4/10

Now I'm sad.
Overall, I gave this drama a 4/10 due to the complete disregard for the solid foundation that had been established in the beginning of the drama.

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Learning to Shine as Ourselves

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

A charming drama with a great message. I'm so glad I didn't pass this one up.

Acting/Cast: This drama has a great cast with acting that feels very natural. My favorite is probably Choi Hyun Wook (최현욱) and his portrayal of his character, Ha Yi Chan. I loved watching him on screen. He is such a strong and unique male lead - he's pure, joyful, passionate, tough, caring, and childlike. I keep thinking of that scene where he randomly starts spinning around and yells "TORNADO" for no reason. His character was such a breath of fresh air - no angst, all fun. His chemistry with Yoon Cheong Ah seemed so organic and the way his relationship with Ha Eun Gyeol developed felt realistic and heartwarming. I would say Choi Hyun Wook is this drama's MVP with Seol In Ah coming in at second. The entire cast just seemed like they were really enjoying their time while filming this drama and watching them have fun made it so much more fun for me. However, I would say the weakest link in this area would be Ryeoun (려운) who plays the male lead, Ha Eun Gyeol. While his character was written well, his acting was noticeably weaker than the other lead actors. He didn't have that effortless, natural feel to his acting that I felt while watching the others. Fortunately, this did not hurt his chemistry with Ha Yi Chan. 8/10

Writing: The characters are extremely well written and developed. The plot is interesting. Because it wasn’t predictable, it kept me engaged. I don’t think I’ve seen a drama with a plot and characters quite like this one. The story had a good progression of events and good pacing. There are only a couple issues I could point out in this area: One is towards the end of the drama - there is a scene that shows what had happened in the original timeline of events, but it feels a little jarring and I had no idea what was going on at first. I thought I had skipped an episode. The other issue is the ending itself – it went in a direction I did not expect, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I felt it was like an alternate or fake reality because it seemed like too much of a change and more on the unrealistic/idealistic side. 9/10

Direction/SFX/Music: This is definitely a well-produced drama. The special effects were good, the music was good, the art was good, the styling, even the name of the band. Like I mentioned above, there was a scene toward the end that felt jarring. I would have shot it differently, like with a filter and effects to indicate that it was a different timeline of events. There was also another scene toward the end that involved a bad case of staring that I felt didn’t fit or feel authentic to the situation. However, these are just minor gripes. 9.5/10

Entertainment Value: A binge-worthy drama for sure. The fantasy aspect gives it a bit of mystery and the characters are so well written and acted that I just wanted to keep watching them. The fun vibe of this drama also makes for a fairly stressless watch. The ending though, caught me off-guard (like I mentioned before) and caused me to feel some kind of disconnection with the story. 8/10

Overall, I gave this drama an 8.5/10 due to my issues with the acting of the main male lead and the ending. This drama has a wonderful message about family, friendship, life, and self-acceptance. It’s very encouraging and healing while being entertaining. Also, I love the sign language aspect of this drama and how integral it is to the plot. I really like the direction they went with it.

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