Incredible

This K-drama was the first one I’ve seen in quite a while. I decided to watch it on a whim. The acting was phenomenal, the pacing was incredible, the balance between humor and seriousness was really well done (there was a tonal shift around halfway through as the romance took precedence and things got slightly more serious, but the comedy stayed, though it was slightly less prevalent). The character development, both in terms of the mains and the side characters, was fabulous. The last episode really wrapped up all of the loose ends, which I loved! At any rate, I laughed and I cried (multiple times - there was lots of crying in the second half). I loved, loved, loved Im and Yeon-kyung together. Their relationship was incredibly well done - very, very organic and well executed, with loads of chemistry and satisfying kisses once they got together in the later episodes. The medical drama (the biggest part of the show overall) was really interesting and heart wrenching at times. God, this made me so emotional. I would 100% rewatch it though. It’s so freaking good, and also can I mention that Jae-Ha’s character was really well done, too? I ended up disliking him for a good portion of the show, then feeling bad for him, and finally liking him by the very end. Well done! Grandpa was great as well, and so were all the old ladies, and everyone’s friends. God, such a good show! I would definitely recommend it, and as I said, rewatch it. 5 stars! Great music too!

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Worth the Watch

I started watching this show because I wanted to watch something about the entertainment industry and it had excellent reviews. At the beginning, I was amused but not sold; however, it was absolutely worth pushing through, because around episode 6 I went from "this is entertaining" to "omigod I love this."

In large part, this should be credited to the actors playing Gu Ae-Jung and Dokko Jin, who were phenomenal. They brought the roles to life. I read along with the dramabeans recap as I watched, and while the recaps were well-done, the acting in the actual drama elevated it to a whole new level. The recaps were also nice because they pointed out lots of the more "meta" aspects of the show, which is a drama about Dramaland.

Story and character-wise, I found Dokko Jin, the ML, very immature at first, but entertaining. As the story went on, he became much more endearing and there is a *world* of difference between his character at the beginning, middle, and end of the show. The character development is very well done. Gu Ae-Jung is a fantastic female lead - strong, caring, and not afraid to confront the ML when he does something wrong (which was frequently in the beginning of the show, haha).

I liked the side characters, in particular Ding Dong! He was adorable and sweet. I have a soft spot for Yoo In-na, so I enjoyed her portrayal of Se-ri (even if Se-ri was annoying sometimes, she was kind of cute and I liked her). Ae-Jung's brother was a bit annoying. Dokko's manager was great.

There were a couple of smaller storylines that could have been tied up better, but that aside, I really enjoyed the show. I didn't expect to love it as much as I did, but once I properly got into it, I laughed every episode (and cried more times than I'd like to admit...) so kudos to the Hong Sisters and the wonderful cast for bringing this drama to life! Definitely recommended! 9/10 stars.

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Worth the Watch

This wasn’t perfect, but it was definitely good! The main selling point was the charming, compelling, adorable, amusing main couple (Cheon Song Yi and Do Min Joon) - both of whose actors were attractive people with fantastic acting skills. The plot was okay - some things could have been better explained with the alien stuff, and the murder plot was a bit dragged out at the end. The proper end was also a touch deux ex machina, and again, skimped on the alien/sci-fi explanations/possibilities. That said, I had a really fun time watching this and was definitely absorbed into the emotions of the characters. Also, shout out to Lawyer Jang and Yoon Jae (Song Yi’s little brother)! They were great, too. Overall, this was a solid drama that was worth the watch. Recommended.

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The Best K-Drama I've Ever Seen

This was, hands down, the best kdrama I’ve ever seen, and quite honestly, probably the best TV show, regardless of country of origin. It hit me so deeply, and the characters were so good. Deok-sun, Taek, Bo-ra, Sun-woo, Dong-ryong, Jung-Bung, Jung-hwan, and the ommas and appas were all amazing. I loved them all so much, and I cried for the entire last half hour of the episode because I was so sad to see them go. They feel like my own family now. I loved how the show not only let me get deeply attached to the characters, but also had different focuses in its episodes, such as on mothers, fathers, first loves, and more.

It was masterful how the writers entwined at least four different storylines in the space of 1.5 hours, and how the actors drew me into their performances and made those 1.5 hours fly by. The historical accuracy and the setting of Ssangmun-dong were also really immersive, only occasionally changing to people’s schools or restaurants instead. It was amazing how the show managed to make the most mundane of things, like eating meals together, hanging out in Taek’s room, and Jung-Bong’s dad telling bad jokes the heart of the show. Slice of life is not my thing most of the time, and this show grabbed my heart and didn’t let it go as the characters - who felt like fully realized people living their actual lives - went about their daily lives. I really did love them all so much, and I’ll really miss them. I’m definitely going to rewatch this eventually, because it truly did leave an impact on me. It was powerful. 10/10 would recommend. I’m going to watch something else with Park Bo Gum (Taek) in it for sure.

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Poignant, Sweet, and Funny

This was a very poignant, sweet, and funny show. I really enjoyed Li Jin Bu's trip back to the past, watching as she got to know her mother and her mother's friends, and becoming friends with them herself. If I had to name one thing that this show did really well, it's the characterization and character development. In particular, Li Jin Bu, Li Qing Tong, Duan Xiao, and Chen Jun He. This show takes place over several years, and it's a well depicted journey of the end of childhood into early adulthood. The music did a great job of accentuating various scenes, particularly in the second half of the show, which was more romance-focused. While occasionally people would make frustrating decisions, they generally felt consistent with the characterization. Overall, I really enjoyed watching this show and would wholeheartedly recommend it.

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Fun Time Travel Romance

This was a very fun drama! I enjoy time travel romances such as Live Up to Your Name and Mr. Queen, so this was a nice new drama in the same vein. The main couple's relationship development was really well done, moving from initial dislike to eventually being head over heels for each other. The secondary couple was adorable and hilarious as well! I loved Sa Wol's character. I also really liked Tae Min - I appreciated the development of his relationships with his brother and SIL.

I also liked how Tae Min's mom wasn't pigeonholed into being a complete villain and was portrayed as a three dimensional, believable character. I'm happy that things worked out for her in the end. I wasn't super happy about what happened to the grandpa since it didn't feel completely believable - it was very makjang imo.

Characters aside, I thought that the past and present life's parallel storylines were quite well done. The reveal that the grandpa was the real villain was decently built up. I also liked seeing the differences between the first and last episodes. The lady with mystical powers was a good plot device to tie things together. Finally, Yeon Woo's arrival to New Joseon was absolutely hilarious and really made the first few episodes for me! Dol Se the vacuum deserves an honorable mention for his sacrifice.

Overall, despite the large amount of chaebol infighting, I thought that this was a fantastic drama. The acting was excellent, the romance was sweet, funny, and believable, and the storyline was fun and exciting. The balance between humor and seriousness was also really well done throughout. 9 stars.

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Decent Show But Way Too Long

This is a fun show, but a ridiculously long one. At 2.5 hours PER EPISODE, it's way too much of a time investment. There's a lot of filler-like content in the elimination episodes, for example, where the contestants play games instead of just showing the entire elimination process. In addition, the sheer number of trainees in the first half of the show (prior to being eliminated to 60 and then 35 people) made it very hard to see the trainees beyond the ones that the show was clearly pushing already.

Recommended watching process: Watch ep. 1 with the auditions, then only the performances until ep. 8. After that it's worth watching entire episodes (minus filler content).

Overall, this wasn't a bad show - I had a lot of fun with it and cared about the trainees. It was very fun to watch them perform and grow. In particular, I loved Nong Nong. The mentors were all amazing too!! However, Idol Producer was way too long for me and while I watched the first ~4 episodes in full, I was skipping parts of the other episodes because they couldn't keep my attention for the entire time. 7 stars.

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Fantastic!

I watched this all in one go and it was fantastic! The plot was strong - it was very fun and meta and mocked all the usual clichés which was great. The acting was good as well and the two main characters Leng Ye Han and Luo Qing had a great dynamic. I really enjoyed watching their relationship develop (thank you Luo Cheng!) and seeing how their interactions changed the plot of the manhua.

While this was a mini drama (and so had a lower budget), it mostly just meant that shooting locations were reused. The special effects were mostly decent (although the blood looked rather fake the couple of times that it was used) but other than those two small complaints, the show was very well executed. 10/10 recommend! Would rewatch at least my favorite scenes.

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Amazing!

I adored this drama! The actress for the female lead did a phenomenal job, the comedy was always on point, and the character development for Cheoljung was very well done too. I loved Court Lady Choi, Hong Yeon, and even the curmudgeon cook and Soyong's dad. The pacing and development of the story - including the palace drama, romance, and Soyong/Bong Hwan identity aspects - were very well executed. I was deeply invested in every part of the drama, and the OST and other pieces of recurring music helped set the scene nicely. I thought that Uibin's character also had an interesting development arc - she almost went down the path of vengeful villainess, but then she saved herself. It was a nice change from cliches, which is a general theme in this incredible drama. As I said, I ADORED it. 10/10 recommend and will be rewatching!!

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Phenomenal!

Oh my God, so good! This reminded me of Reply 1988 in the best way possible - poignant, family-oriented, and full of life in all its hilarious, heart-wrenching, and beautiful glory! Seriously, it was amazing. The acting was phenomenal and the adaptation from the webtoon was well-done (mostly accurate, with expanded plotlines for various characters). Navillera really captured my heart (and my mom's) and didn’t let them go. I loved Chae-rok, Deok-Chul, and the rest of the cast. Song Kang, who plays Chae-rok, is also very handsome. And the ballet-based plot was gorgeous to watch, which was a joy. I adored it - I just loved the entire show to pieces. It was perfect. 5 stars! Would 100% watch again.

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