So I don't actually think this drama is completely perfect even though I've given it a ten across the board, but the way this drama made me love it makes it Feel like a ten to me, so a ten it's getting. I might come back to this review later and change the scoring, but for now, I'm on a finished-drama-high, and who am I to say no to the impulses you get when that happens?

So yeah, there's one main flaw to this story, and if you've done any looking at the comments on MyDramaList, you probably already know what it is.

The drama doesn't provide any compelling reasons, outside of destiny and saving the world, for the leads to end up together.

Granted, I think it does a pretty good job of showing their compatibility when they interact with each other, but still. You do expect a romance to do a little bit of work convincing it's audience that these two are right for each other. Similar hobbies, compatible personalities, the same moral code, something that shows that there's more to their relationship than just 'Fate demands it.' Of course, I'm sure there are many drama lovers out there who find destiny and saving the world compelling enough reasons on their own, and I don't fault them for that. While I'm not really a fan of the 'do it to save the world' angle (that's a very different kind of story, in my eyes), I don't dislike the use of destiny in romance stories. And despite it being the only real foundation for their relationship throughout most of the drama, the leads did always feel Right for each other to me. I don't know if it was the acting chemistry between the actors or the subtext of their interactions with each other or how they always somehow just Fit or what, but I always wanted them to end up together. And by the end, I honestly wasn't all that bothered anymore by their relationship being built almost solely on destiny, which I guess means the writers did a good job of selling me their story.

At the core, this is a drama about two kind people who've experienced some heavy romantic disappointments in life being guided (or pushed, lol) towards each other and ultimately finding themselves the better for it. And I don't know about you, but that's a good story to me.

(On a side note, I have to say that the most emotional part of the drama was when our resident 'God's' job was done and he went about making his goodbyes. Uggggghhhhhh, that was a gut punch. I definitely got a little misty-eyed over it.)

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I could have sworn I had a review up for this, but it's nowhere to be found, so I guess I'll write it again, lol. Just a heads up, I watched this before ever reading the webtoon it's based on, but as of writing this review, I am currently almost finished with season 1, so I probably will end up referencing it here.

This is, like so many web dramas of it's genre, kind of surface level and cliche and truthfully too big of a story for it's run time, but it's also very cute and fluffy and generally feel good and the acting is decent, so I enjoyed it well enough. (I would honestly love to see another season (especially now that I'm reading the webtoon).) My biggest complaint with the story would have to be how everything plays out with Nari's 'boyfriend.' That entire part of the plot is terribly handled, in my opinion, and doesn't make any sense without reading the webtoon for context. To spoil it (cause that's what I do in my reviews, lol) Nari starts going out with a boy at her school, and he's incredibly kind and supportive and thoughtful the entire time and appears to genuinely like her...until it's suddenly revealed that he's only been dating Nari to get to her classmate/friend Yuna, because he's been stalking Yuna for ages and can't take no for an answer. It comes completely out of left field and is so unbelievable that it's laughable. The plot point does come directly from the webtoon, but it also makes Sense in the webtoon. There's proper pacing and foreshadowing, and he isn't this completely perfect in every way boyfriend, so even though the reveal is shocking, you still believe it. The drama writers didn't get this part of the plot right, and I think it's probably the biggest flaw of the story.

My only other complaint with this web drama is the treatment of Yuna. There are a lot of complicated layers to Yuna and Nari's relationship. There's hurt and betrayal, some unhealthy attachment, and ultimately just too many layers for a short webdrama to properly explore. Unfortunately, this affects how Yuna is portrayed in the story. She is very manipulative and selfish and demanding in the webtoon And the webdrama, but the webtoon adds context to her behavior, and her part of the story is ultimately one of her working towards reconciling with Yuna and growing as a person so that their friendship can be healthier for both of them. Because of the time constraint inherent in webdramas, there was no way the drama writers were ever going to be able to do the same thing, and Yuna ends up suffering as a character for it, which is disappointing.

I admit it's probably a good thing I watched this Before starting the webtoon, because aside from the two complaints above, there were some other changes to the story that could have made this a frustrating watch, but I went in with fresh eyes and I'm glad I did. I'm able to view the webdrama and the webtoon as two separate entities and enjoy them both as such without the differences ruining my experience. If you're reading the webtoon and wondering about watching the webdrama, I recommend approaching the webdrama in the same way. It will definitely help you enjoy it more.

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I'm honestly quite shocked this drama has so many 9 and 10 star reviews. Not that other people aren't allowed to enjoy it if they enjoy it, but because I found this drama to be rather lackluster and underwhelming and not the most well plotted thing I've ever seen. I started it because 1) I was craving something thriller/mystery-esque, a new drama craving for me as I've stuck mostly with rom-com drama's up until recently. 2) I'm forever a Seo In-Guk fangirl, and I want to watch as much of his projects as possible. 3) I quite like Jang Nara as an actress, and I quite like her role choices. 4) It had been sitting on my to-watch list since it first aired, and since the thriller/mystery drama bug had finally bitten me, I figured this was as good a time as any to sit down and watch.

I will say, the first half kept me fairly invested. It wasn't anything unique or ground-breaking, but I don't need that for me to like a drama. You just have to sell me the story, and for the first half of this drama, the writers did just that. I lost interest in the over-arching mystery halfway through though, as it went from engaging and interesting to poorly plotted and boring. There was some hinking around with character motivations that didn't work for me, things never quite connected in a way that made sense, and the main villains were not the slightest bit interesting in their adult forms. I can unequivocally say that I found both villains unendurably boring as grown ups. They never Did anything, and yet we were supposed to be terrified of them. They were also such Polar opposites of their younger selves that I had a very hard time believing they were the same people. Of course, this would make sense in the case of the younger brother considering what all he must have experienced growing up, but there was zero time spent on showing us just what growing up under the terrifying watchful eye of a psychopath might morph and change you into, and I don't understand why. The main villain does end up having a really well-thought out backstory that really adds to his overall creepiness, but it only makes his Younger self more scary, not the older version. For some reason, the older version seemed more confused about what feelings are and how they work then he did psychotic murdery. You definitely don't get the feeling that his younger self experienced any sort of confusion around emotions and their purpose in life. I got the feeling that he didn't really care.

The romance is mostly uninspired, but again, that doesn't necessarily ruin a drama for me if the writers can sell it to me, and I was onboard for the pairing. I think the combination of bad plot, boring villains, And and ultimately uninteresting romance is what ultimately did this drama in for me.

In my opinion, both Seo In-Guk and Jang Nara have been in, and have done, better things. Of course, if everyone else loves this drama, then who am I to stop them? Hopefully, my next thriller/mystery drama will be something I like a little bit better.

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A reverse-harem story a la 7 First Kisses but for the teen set where the female lead both ends up with all of the male leads and simultaneously ends up with none of them.

While I can see the appeal of these sorts of stories where you get to enjoy multiple romances and pick your favorite (without the story involving an Actual harem, because no-thanks), after both Click Your Heart and 7 First Kisses, I can firmly say that they are probably not for me (although I probably won't stop occasionally watching them, lol). I like having one male lead, not a gajillion. I can appreciate a well-written second male lead, but when there are multiple male leads all with equally compelling reasons for deserving to be with the female lead, that just leaves me sad for the 'losers' and frustrated with the overall viewing experience. I like investing in the main couple, but it's hard to do that when there isn't a main couple.

To be fair, Click Your Heart isn't too terribly plotted considering it's genre(s) and episode runtime. All of the male leads are likable and have good chemistry with the female lead and a compelling reason for her to choose them. The female leads main flaw, being seemingly cursed to ruin other people's lives, isn't really prominent enough, but it is used fairly effectively. And while the story can be cringey at times, it still has enjoyable moments that mostly make up for the cringe.

If you're looking for something quick and easy, you like reverse harem stories (that don't involve actual harems), and you don't mind cringey/cheesy teen drama/romance, you'll probably like this. It's cute enough.

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I finished this drama out of a sense of obligation to the beautiful story the production team had made together more than anything else. While I wrote down many, many quotes in my journal that I found particularly moving and profound, I ultimately didn't connect with the story or the characters as deeply as I had hoped. I was particularly disappointed by the romance, namely how little there was of it in the second half. The way the male lead expresses his feelings for the female lead, initially only to himself out of respect for her marriage, then slowly more openly where she can see, until eventually, declaring his love and making it clear where he stand, I appreciated his delicate and respectful yet earnest and open approach. Their natural transition from friendship to romance was very true to life. But once they're together, the drama really pulls back from giving us more than the lightest hints of romantic interactions between them, and I just don't get why. Why not give us the romance we've been waiting for? Why not give us the romance you've been teasing us with?

Then there's the issue of her being a single mother. There was so much focus on this in the first half, how her husband left her high and dry and she's had a genuinely hard time of it, and you feel genuinely upset on her behalf. But part of me wonders what was the point of the writers focusing so much on this if they were only going to drop this plot point from the story almost completely in the second half. We go so long at one point without any mention of her daughter or her ex-husband that I forgot either existed. Once she starts working at the publishing company and the story begins to focus on her difficulties with being respected and taken seriously at work, she stops behaving like a mother altogether, and it begins to feel somewhat like child abandonment.

There are a number of positive things to say about this drama, of course. I am giving it a 9 overall, after all. First, I found the story and the treatment of it's topics thoughtful and retrospective. When it did address the difficulties of single parenthood, it did so with honesty and kindness. Similarly, it handles the struggles of being a woman re-entering the work-force after a long absence due to motherhood, etc. with a compassionate touch. I don't know that I agree with all of the messaging the drama presents around this topic, but I understood where the drama was coming from and can agree with it's ultimate message that just because you chose to take a step back from the working world to start a family, that doesn't mean you have nothing to offer when you come back.

Ultimately, I think my problem with this drama is simply that I expected something very different. This isn't quite the story I thought it was going to be going in, and that had an impact on my viewing experience. That's not the drama's fault. The writers told the story they wanted to tell, and it's not their responsibility to make that story appeal to absolutely every person who watches it. I was just hoping for something a little different, and it didn't quite meet my expectations. But I can say that I appreciate this drama for what it was hoping to achieve, and that it ultimately did achieve it. And that's really all that matters.

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What a moving movie this was, a story about the impact a mother has on the people around her, from her daughter to her estranged husband to a lost child to all the other people the mother meets on her journey. There are multiple different characters in this film, but for all intents and purposes, the three women of the family, Futaba, Azumi, and Ayuko, are the main characters and the ones whose stories the film is really trying to tell.

I found Futaba herself to be the sort of woman I wish I could be. Tough, resilient, refuses to quit or back down. And she could quit. She could give up, and you would completely understand why. As you discover over the course of the story, life has not been easy for her. But Futaba never quits. She has a determination that pushes her and pushes her and pushes her and that pushes the people around her as well. It's ultimately her perseverance that moves this movie along and makes you want to invest in the characters lives and well-being.

I appreciated all of the little ways Futaba worked to teach Azumi how to be brave and bold and courageous. First, she lead by example with the way she lived her own life. Second, she pushed Azumi when she needed to, sometimes thrusting her into the deep end where she had no choice but to swim. When Azumi stripped down to her underwear in the middle of class to reveal the new underwear Futaba had given her 'for that special moment when you need it', I was proud of her courage. I was also kind of uncomfortable. I certainly understand Why she did it, and I can admit that it was ultimately very affective at getting her point across, but I will never be totally comfortable with very young actors/actresses stripping down for the camera. There's just a feeling of exploitation that I cannot shake.

Regardless, the lessons Futaba had been teaching Azumi up to that point were clearly sinking in. I think the only thing Futaba did that I found disappointing and somewhat upsetting in her effort to teach Azumi to be more resilient was the way she revealed to Azumi that she was adopted. I was initially confused and somewhat turned off by the plot twist as it seemed like not only overkill for the story but a rather cruel approach. But it was handled in an interesting and ultimately positive way, and it was clearly set up to happen from the beginning of the story, so I can't say that it was poorly written or planned out. Now that I'm a few days away from having watched this film, I'm not as bothered by the twist as I was, and I think I've almost come around to it, but it might take another viewing for me to feel truly comfortable with it.

Futaba's easy acceptance of Ayuko is another particularly impactful part of the film. The way she embraces Ayuko into the fold of their family so naturally, not making a big deal out of it or making a point of it, but treating it like it's just a normal thing, 'Ayuko was an orphan, and now she's not. Could you please pass the ketchup?,' this could feel a bit insulting to us westerners, because we like to acknowledge the unfairness of the abandoned child's situation and openly discuss it so as to give the child the space to express their own feelings. And I won't lie and say that I Like Japan's non-response way of dealing with difficult situations like this one. But in a culture like Japan where so many things are often left unsaid and left unaddressed and just flat out ignored, I do think it was the most thoughtful and appropriate way of dealing with the situation if you're Not going to bring it all out into the open and talk it through.

Now, throughout the movie, you think Futaba cares so much for Azumi and Ayuko because she's just a deeply giving and loving person (and I think that is still part of the reason), but you discover towards the end that there's another more secret reason, something that connects her to these two girls in a deeply emotional way and makes her all the more determined to give them the best chance in life they can get.

And that is that Futaba was an orphan herself.

What's particularly impactful about this reveal is that you can see how easy it would have been for Futaba to say 'these kids are not my problem.' We see in many other Japanese films and dramas, etc. that being an orphan in Japanese culture is not exactly accepted or understood by broader society, and those who are orphans or from deeply broken homes typically hide this fact about themselves from others once they get older. But another, equally unfortunate, aspect of this is that those who are/were orphaned, etc. often refuse to associate with anyone else who was/is orphaned as well. The shame associated with being an orphan, and the reminder it can give you of your own shame, can be particularly potent in many societies like Japans.

This is where Futaba's unwavering commitment to her own principles shines the most. Not only does Futaba refuse to do this to Azumi and Ayuko, refuses to abandon them like she was abandoned, like they have both already Been abandoned, she instead goes above and beyond to provide them with all of the love and encouragement and instruction she can. Those kids are going to have a decent chance in life if she has anything to say about it.

Of course, Futaba has her own struggles, her own inner demons, and we eventually get a glimpse of them towards the end of the film. Her desire to be loved and accepted by her birth mother, her deep-seated anger with Azumi's birth mother for abandoning her, her own fear of being alone/abandoned by those she loves, all tied into her experience of being abandoned, orphaned, unwanted much of her life and all pushing her to work twice as hard to make sure those around her don't go through the same thing.

I will be honest here and say that I do wish that the reason characters in Japanese films or dramas are so sacrificial and willing to just accept others with difficult backgrounds wasn't always because they themselves come from the same or similar backgrounds. I would like to see more of these stories show regular people who maybe haven't experienced the level of heartache the three leads in Bathwater have doing the right thing simply because...it's the right thing to do. But when a story is as compelling as our three female leads, I can accept that maybe this just wasn't the right movie for that to happen in.

Now, before I end this review, I want to address the elephant in the room of this movie, that being Futaba's husband, Kazuhiro.

Kazuhiro is a big, fat coward.

While I'm glad she tracked him down and brought him back, because he's ultimately the one who should be responsible for Azumi (and later Ayuko's) upbringing, boiiiiiiiiiii does he piss you off. His reason for leaving the family has got to be about the dumbest thing ever, and I want to smack him upside the head a few times just to release my frustration. A woman shows up at his house and says 'this is your daughter because we had sex together once,' he just assumes she's telling the truth, and instead of sitting down with his wife and talking the situation out with her....he just up and leaves to go live with this woman and her daughter whom she has not proved is his in the first place. On the one hand, I'm extremely glad he did it, because Ayuko probably would have never found a family of her own and possibly could have ended up in a much worse situation. I'm glad that through his dumbass idiocy, Kazuhiro and Futaba and Azumi were able to become her family. But boy if he didn't have to take the dumbest route to that outcome. Credit where credit is due, he does come back to the family once she tracks him down, he does make an effort to be involved once he gets back, and by the end of the movie, I felt pretty reassured that he wouldn't run off and abandon his family again. But oh my GAD, was he stupid.

There are a couple of other characters who play a valuable role in this film, namely the hitchhiking kid and Azumi's birth mom, but Bathwater isn't their story. It isn't Kazuhiro's story. Futaba, Azumi, and Ayuko are the heart and soul of Bathwater, and it's story was theirs and theirs alone.

And for that, I'm grateful that this film exists.

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I don't know that I like this drama. I like the main characters and relate to their struggles with finding love and purpose and meaning in their lives. I like their friendship with each other and how loyal they are to one another and always there to lend a shoulder or an ear. And I inherently love stories that explore what it means to love and be in a relationship and all that juicy romantic stuff. It's just the story built around these characters and their friendship and their pursuit of love that could have been fleshed out better.

Rinko's story has the most substance to it and the most development. She's a rather immature character who spends most of the drama seeking the most shallow idea of love possible. Throughout the story, you find yourself feeling more and more frustrated with her childish, immature way of thinking and how many times she makes a decision only to change her mind at the last minute, because the truth is, she really doesn't know what she wants or what she's doing. But she does have a genuine story arch and experiences some real character growth, and by the end of the drama, you can tell that she's finally, genuinely trying to get it right. She really wants it this time, and she's doing everything the right way...and yet she still gets it wrong. Ooof, did I feel for her in that moment.

The other female leads stories were not nearly as engaging.

We have Kaori whose story arch starts off strong. She runs into her ex after having not seen him for years and swiftly finds herself engaging in an affair with him despite her better judgement. I will never approve of affairs as a matter of principle, but the storyline Makes Sense. There's history there, unresolved feelings, the question of what-if, and you can understand how Kaori would find herself in such a situation, even if you don't agree with her choices. But the storyline starts to fizzle out toward the end, and by the time the situation is resolved (and it's resolved in a mostly satisfactory way), you've kind of lost interest.

Then's there Koyuki. I feel like the writers got to Koyuki and were like 'Uhhh, we don't know what to do with this character, sooooooooo let's make her have an affair too!' Not only is her relationship with 'random guy' probably the most BORing relationship ever, but it feels so incredibly out of character for Koyuki to engage in an affair in the first place. She's the most headstrong, conscientious one of the three leads, and I was hoping for something more meaty and interesting for her character. Like maybe she meets a man who is disabled, and the people around her are all telling her not to be with him because of how difficult the relationship would be, but she defies them all and loves him anyway. Or maybe she decides to eschew love and marriage altogether and live out the rest of her life a single lady, because she's happy with things just the way they are. Either way, both of these options would have been better than what we ended up with. I honestly feel bad for her character, because she really does get the short end of the stick in terms of storyline.

But what really frustrates me with this drama is that none of the leads, with the exception of the main lead towards the end, take any real responsibility for their part in the situations they find themselves in. It takes two to tango (or to have an affair in the case of this drama), but neither of the girls involved in the affairs really take much accountability for their actions, and that's just about the most annoying thing ever.

You're probably wondering at this point in the review why I kept watching this drama if I found the female leads separate storylines so frustrating. Well, first and foremost, their friendship with each other is one of the best parts of the drama, and one of the things that kept me coming back. As annoying as it is to watch them make such silly decisions on repeat, it's equally delightful watching them together, chatting over food and drinks about the daily goings on of their lives. They're such a tight-knit group, so loyal to each other, and they just look like a lot of fun to be around.

I also really liked Rinko's two biggest potential romantic interests, KEY and Tetsuro. I was sad for Tetsuro at the end, because he came so close to getting the girl (and honestly is every bit deserving of her as any other guy, and might even be more suited to her, if we're being honest), but he ultimately found himself in second male lead land through no fault of his own, and I hope he's able to find his own happiness in the sequel drama coming out later this year.

As for KEY, a lot of people think he's mean or abusive or what-have you, but I have to disagree. Yeah, he could be kind of a jerk at times, poking his nose into the leads business and offering his unwanted opinions and being rather judgmental of them (although I can't totally fault him for that one considering how consistent these girls are in making stupid choices and then whining about it later), but he's certainly not this awful, abusive monster that a lot of people have made him out to be. His bark is definitely worse than his bite, and I personally was not opposed to him ending up with our female lead at the end.

My only complaint with KEY is that his tragic backstory...is that he married his high school teacher because she was dying to fulfill her last wish????? I'm not surprised to see this in a Japanese drama, because it's the sort of thing I would expect at this point in my drama viewing history, but I will never stop finding these sorts of plot lines ridiculous. I don't know much about marriage laws in Japan, and it may very well be legal for a teacher to marry their student, but I certainly don't find that particularly...copasetic. I also just find it pretty stupid, because how does marrying your student whom you are not in love with fulfill your dying wish of falling in love and getting married? Um, it doesn't. But it's a fortunately small part of the drama and was no more than an innocent friendship rather than romantic relationship, so I can overlook it.

Now, if you've read all of that above ^ and are thinking 'this girl didn't like this drama and probably won't watch the sequel'........I will most DEFinitely be watching the sequel, because as frustrating as this drama was, I also strangely enjoyed it. I know. I started this review saying I don't think I like this drama and then I ended the review saying I enjoyed it. I guess I'm as illogical and all over the place as the Tokyo Tarareba Girls, lol. But it's true. I've given this drama an 8 overall, because in spite of it's flaws and the frustration with characters decisions and there not being enough character and story development for two of the leads, I'm invested in these girls and want to see where they end up.

That and I had planned a trip to Japan this year during the Olympics myself that all fell apart (before the Covid stuff ever happened), and I guess I want to live vicariously through these characters a little bit.

So sue me, lol.

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This drama wasn't quite what I expected. I expected a story about a small little government agency that went around helping different women each episode or couple of episodes on their quest for love and marriage. Something like Five Star Tourist (https://mydramalist.com/13029-five-star-tourist) but about a government agency helping people find love rather than a travel agency helping people plan the perfect vacation.

What you get is still a small little government agency, but one that mostly spies on a particular group of women for what they call 'research' but then never explain what the research is for. So something more like Tokyo Tarareba Musume/the I Need Romance trilogy/most dramas with a similar 'Group of Female Friends Seeking Love' type of story but using the Peanut Butter Sandwich organization as story framing.

While I still think the first synopsis would make for an interesting story, I will say that This drama makes for a very breezy, enjoyable watch. The characters are all generally quite likable (even if some of the choices they make are not so likable), their journey's are all fairly relatable, and I like (or can at least accept in the case of one of the characters) how each of their stories ends. My only major complaint would be that I would have preferred the issue of cheating (presented in two of the women's journey's) had been addressed a little differently. (Japanese dramas always seem to be just a tad too ambiguous for me with their messaging around this topic, and I find that very frustrating.)

I'm still not sure what the purpose of the Peanut Butter Sandwich organization is. They don't actually Do much other than give random little factoids about what Japanese women are feeling and wanting based on their answers in various polls (no idea if this is based on real data or not, but that would be interesting to find out about) and spend the rest of their time spying on a group of four women as part of their 'research.' They make for an affective story framing device, but you also finish the drama not really knowing what their purpose is in the stories universe.

But that's fine. This isn't a drama that's meant to be read into too deeply, and for the most part, I was able to not do that and just enjoy the ride. If you're like me and you enjoy the 'Group of Female Friends Seeking Love' drama trope, then you'll probably enjoy this drama too.

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Jarring, colorful, irreverent, heartbreaking, this is a weird, but affecting, movie.

My only complaint is the sexualized content. I don't believe there is ever a reason for sexual content in any story, but especially not in a story about a character who is forced by her life circumstances into prostitution and other demoralizing and compromising situations that she did not wish to be in. It cheapens the message.

Criticisms over the sexual content aside, damn does this movie break your heart into a million little pieces. The forceful combo of weird and brutal and bright reminds me of some other quirky Japanese films I've enjoyed such as Wool 100% and Rinko's Restaurant and I'm a Cyborg but That's Okay, and that is definitely not going to make me complain.

More importantly, however, ever since finishing this movie, I've really wanted to watch it again, so they clearly did something right when it came to the story. The biggest take away from the film for me was this line at the end 'A life isn't valued by what one receives, but by what one gives.'

I would say Memories of Matsuko conveys that message fairly well.

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A lot of web-dramas are pretty throw-away. While often quite cute and fluffy and fun (unless that's not in line with their particular genre, of course), when you analyze their stories objectively, they have no real substance. They try to do too much with their limited screen-time, and what they do end up doing is pretty shallow. That's definitely not the case with Society Obsessed with Love. SOL takes a simple storyline, and instead of over-complicating it with too much superfluous bits and bobs, it commits to simplicity. It's a story about contentment with one's life, even if that life doesn't look like everyone else's, and there's no need to dress that up or overdramatize it.

I would recommend this web-drama to anyone but especially anyone who lives and enjoys the single life, or to those who are maybe feeling a little down about their singleness. You'll definitely enjoy it.

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This is the third version of this story I've seen so far. (First being the Taiwanese and second the Korean.) I can't say that I have a favorite as each version has things I like and things I don't, but I think I can say that this is probably the easiest version of the three to get through. The Taiwanese version was my first ever drama, and it holds a very special place in my heart, but I absolutely cannot get myself through it again. (And I tried.) It's biggest flaw is it drags the main conflict out (the male lead trying to have his cake and eat it too) far longer than necessary, and I'm enough of a drama veteran now to not put up with that anymore if I don't want to. And while the Korean version is a much lighter, easier version to watch than the Taiwanese, it still pulls a trope or two at some really unnecessary moments (amnesia is thy name) that pulled down the middle part quite unfairly (I think it might have received an extension so they were trying to fill time). This version, however, while flawed in it's own right (and I will get to that in a moment), is still an easier viewing experience, and the main reason for that is that this drama just gets to the damn point.

The first couple episodes serve as a nice little diversion from the source material. It's still the same basic story, but they tone down some of the more outlandish aspects and make how the two leads end up meeting and 'being' together much more believable. (As believable as it can be with this sort of set up.) Of course, once you're 3 or 4 episodes in, it becomes a true remake, losing some of that believability as you go along, but I also went in knowing what sort of story this was and wanting some of that unbelievability, so that never bothered me.

The only part of the drama that had me scratching my head is the way the writers chose to deal with the abortion consent form in the final ep. I understand Aya deciding to leave after seeing it and being told it's from him and thinking about all she's been through and just not wanting to do it anymore. It makes absolute sense for her to want to heal and move on and become a braver, more confident version of herself. I even understand Kei letting her go without trying to convince her to stay or offering any sort of apology, because he feels guilty over how he's treated her and knows he has no right to hold her back or maybe even speak on his behalf. He didn't give her that form, but he didn't exactly give her much reason to believe he wouldn't have. What I don't understood is him letting her go without clearing up the misunderstanding about the form. I get feeling like you've hurt someone so much that you have no right to say or do anything anymore, but letting them continue to think you did something that horrendous to them when you didn't makes no sense. Take ownership for your choices, but don't take ownership of someone else's.

And this is where we come to the ultimate flaw of this version. The pacing is way too fast. All of the key moments are done the right way. The accidental 'trist' on the boat, stopping the abortion, Kei and Anna Actually breaking up, the terrible accident, crafting a logical misunderstanding through which the leads are pushed apart, it's all done as it should be. It's just building up these characters and their relationships with each other and filling in all of the gaps In-Between all of the key moments that is not done well. Not really done much at all, in fact. When it's all said and done, I genuinely liked the leads together, and I wanted them to fall for each other, even believed that they had by the end. But we got to see so very little of them actually falling and getting to know one another and having those little moments, and that really hampered the story. I could quibble some more over the issues around the abortion form, but it's this right here that ultimately lowers this versions rating for me. If there had been more build up to their relationship, I could have completely forgiven the writing misstep around the form, but there wasn't, so I can't.

This is very much the most fluff, lighthearted version of this story (minus possibly the Thai version, which I have not seen and can not speak on) mainly due to it's pacing, so if you want to check out this story but don't want a lot of angst, then this is definitely the version for you (followed by the Korean version). It was apparently quite popular in Japan, and I can see why.

Oh, and for anyone reading who's confused by the ending and wondering why I haven't addressed it in this review and if there's going to be a second season to finish the story, I didn't address it because I got caught up in crafting all of my points and forgot to even mention the strangely open-ended ending, but for your answer as to whether there will be a second season, it seems likely there will be as this was advertised in Japan as only telling half of the story, and it has apparently been quite popular, popular enough to warrant another season to tie everything up.

And now any of you who are reading this review in the distant future will most likely be very confused because there will probably already be a second season out at that point and everyone will have forgotten that us western drama viewers had no idea why this drama ended the way it did and now I'm rambling for no reason so have a nice life and thanks for all the fish.

Links to my reviews for the other versions:

https://mydramalist.com/profile/OhSoEnthusiastic/review/22006

https://mydramalist.com/profile/OhSoEnthusiastic/review/22004

https://mydramalist.com/profile/OhSoEnthusiastic/reviews/274737

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This drama is a classic for a reason, the exact kind of rom-com, melo, crack drama most drama lovers search for. It's got the quirky, persistent, lovable female lead who Stays quirky and persistent and lovable the entirety of the story. It has a male lead who Starts the drama as an actually humane, likable person with a decent moral compass (although more on that later). The premise, while completely implausible, is still a lot of fun full of hijinks and mishaps and fun bonding moments. And like many rom-com/melo's from it’s time (and many modern rom-com/melo's as well, to be honest), it utilizes the ‘drag the main conflict out far longer than necessary’ trope for the sake of creating conflict, but of all the classic dramas that rely on this trope, this is definitely one of the better ones.

Unfortunately, that last point is exactly the reason why I ultimately had to drop this drama, despite all of the other wonderful things about it.

The lie starts out fun, harmless, then reality sets in and our leads begin to understand the age-old saying 'Oh what a tangled web.' And that's fine. The lie Should become a weight around their necks that they have to struggle with until they eventually throw it off in exchange for the truth. It just. Takes. Too. Long. for them to cut the rope keeping the weight tied to their necks. There's No reason, past about episode 11/12 (and that's honestly too long for my tastes, but I'm trying to be reasonable here), for the lie to continue. And before anyone starts shouting 'But then there's no conflict driving the rest of the drama!' I'm not saying they should have ended up together by ep 13, leaving three episodes as unnecessary filler. There was plenty of conflict to mine from the reveal of the lie that would have pushed the drama forward for another few episodes before our leads could get their happy ending. Grandpa could oppose the relationship because it started with a lie, a lie that ultimately hurt the rest of the family in one of the deepest ways possible (which, from reading spoilers about the last three episodes, is sort of what happens in the story anyway, just in an unbearably rushed way). They could have been separated for a time in punishment for their actions and maybe spent some of that time both atoning and pleading on their love's behalf. Hell, they could have just have a big, knockout, drag out fight about it and 'broke up' for a couple of episodes. There was just no reason for the lie to live so long.

But what's worse than the lie lasting longer than it deserved to is what it ultimately does to our leads. It ruins a lot of what was so good about the male lead at the start of the drama. Gong Chan is extremely honorable and responsible and decent in the first half (minus the lie about his cousin). He's obviously not the sort to lie before the drama starts, and he creates the lie out of a desperate, misguided desire to do good. And as I said about the importance of the lie becoming a weight around their necks, I also think it's important that we see the lie change him and turn him into the sort of person who would betray his family, the woman he loves, his own self for self-serving reasons. But the drama never actually explores this. It just makes the lie go on forever like the song that never ends, and by the end, you just don’t like Gong Chan that much any more.

It's sort of the opposite of what most old-school dramas do with there male leads where they take a horrible person and make them a kinder human. This time, they took human who was already kind and made him terrible.

Alternatively, the lie doesn't turn Yoo Rin into some sort of terrible person but rather into a more sympathetic, conflicted, incredibly sad character. It doesn't take away her spunk, but it severely dampens her personality. And again, this is exactly how I think it Should have played out. While either of them could have ended the lie if they really wanted to, and ultimately, they are both to blame for not doing so, I can understand Yoo Rin's difficulty with it more than Gong Chan's. She has more to lose by ending the lie. Gong Chan could lose the woman he loves, but he'll still have his family at the end of everything. They might be angry with him for a very long time, but underneath that anger will be love. Yoo Rin doesn't have that luxury. When the lie ends, she is left with nothing. Not the man she loves, not the family she's come to love, she's back where she started, homeless and now with no idea where her father has ended up. What's interesting about that is that out of the two of them, she's also clearly the one desperately Wanting to end the lie the most but continuing to agree to keep the ruse going because she cares so much for Gong Chan and for his family.

And this is where the drama lost me in terms of her character.

More than anything else in this drama, I wanted the story to spend time exploring Yoo Rin becoming close to the family emotionally and how it must have made her feel lying to them the closer she got to them, but the drama never does that. It sidesteps this entirely. We see her feel bad about the act of lying itself, feeling guilty over what they are doing to each other and to Gong Chan's family, and we see her spend lots of time with the family, all of them genuinely coming to like each other and enjoying being in each other's company. But there’s very little discussion over how much of a toll lying to these people that she's come to care deeply about must be having on her. She has to be lying awake at night thinking about how terrible grandpa is going to feel when the lie is revealed, how much the entire family is going to hate her for what she's done, how when it's all over...they won't love her anymore. This is where her habit of eating when she feels guilty could have played so much more of a prominent role than it did. What better way to show the guilt and shame she must feel over lying to so many people.

And I'm about to say something I can't believe I'm about to say, but I think this is the first time I’ve wanted the evil second female lead to Succeed in her pursuit of being evil. Not because I didn’t want the leads together or because I had any love for the second female lead (Dear God In Heaven No). I wanted her plans for revealing the lie to succeed...because I wanted the lie to end so the leads could finally, bloody get together. I wanted them to face the repercussions of their decisions, and I wanted them to get together and be happy, because I really liked them as a couple.

But neither of them could ever muster up the moral courage to end the lie, and the writers kept thwarting the second female lead at every turn, thus denying me the relief I was so desperately seeking.

And now I'll end my complaints by turning everyone in the drama community against me by saying that the secondary male lead is exactly the sort of pesky second male lead that I sort-of, kind-of, maybe hate in most dramas where they appear. I know a lot of people really enjoy their second lead feels, and that most secondary male leads in older dramas are just significantly better people than the male leads are, and that's cool and all, but I typically don't experience second lead feels. When a drama writer tells me who's supposed to end up together at the end, I believe them. I put all thoughts and ideas and secondary options in a drawer somewhere, and I invest in the main couple, because I want the writers to make their couple work. When I Can't invest in the main couple, I generally just don't invest in the drama at all, and I go watch something else.

On the rare occasion that I Do experience second lead feels...I ignore them, because I can't handle that kind of pain in my life.

So yeah. The second lead quickly went from roguish fun to obnoxious irritation for me. It's 100% hypocritical of me to feel this way about persistent secondary male leads when I often adore persistent female leads, but when there's an established couple in a drama and a secondary male lead refuses to accept it (and this goes for secondary lead feels too), I want to hit him over the head with a frying pan.

Part of me, even still, wants to finish the last three episodes of this drama, but I know I'll still be dissatisfied when they're over. So I have to accept it. It's just not worth it for me.

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I didn't realize until sitting down to watch that this was a sequel of sorts to 7 First Kisses (okay, maybe not a sequel really, but sort of), which I also watched, although I found that one more difficult to push through. As much as I loved the premise of Kisses (I mean, I play Otome games), I wasn't finding myself all that eager to press play on each consecutive episode. Queen Makers, however, was significantly easier for me to watch and enjoy, and I think I probably owe all it all to the female lead.

I know I'm in the minority when I say this, but I love shy, insecure, awkward female leads. I can appreciate a 'strong' female character (although I think there needs to be a conversation on what exactly that means, because I think people don't understand what they ask for when they ask for strong female leads), but I don't relate to them on just about any level. Insecure female leads are infinitely more relatable to me and probably always will be, because as much as I might wish I were some sort of strong and brave and resilient person, I'm not, and these characters make me feel like I'm not alone in being so useless. So yes, I loved the female lead here. Of course, it didn't hurt that the actress playing her did a superb job. She may not have Looked the part of an awkward, 'unattractive' girl, but she definitely emanated the emotions of one through her portrayal, and that goes a long way.

Now does this web series have a strong storyline? No. It's fluffy, it's cheesy, it's way too rushed and has a glaring plot hole or two. But I was still able to enjoy it for what it was.

So if you can approach a web-series like this with the attitude of 'I'm not looking for a perfectly plotted story. I just want a little fluff' then you will enjoy this just fine.

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This drama is inevitably going to be compared to Healer. Similar plot setup with the same lead actor playing a character living outside the law, highly trained in the art of fighting and espionage, finding himself wrapped up in a massive conspiracy centered around a traumatized young woman, etc. etc. etc. There’s obviously a lot there to compare.

But the #1 complaint about this drama I heard the most from other viewers was about who the male lead chose to be with. By and large, everyone liked the idea of a passionate (albeit reckless) romance between Jae Ha and Yoo Jin and utterly disdained the pairing of Jae Ha and Anna. They loved how meaty and well-written Yoo Jin is (not to mention the strong chemistry she has with Jae Ha) while they hated Anna passionately, how innocent and helpless she was, how she wasn’t a ‘strong female lead’, how the relationship between Jae Ha and Anna was tame and boring, so on and so forth. The consensus seemed to be pretty unanimous.

But these complaints sounded like quibbles rather than drama-breaking issues to me, so I dismissed them. I don’t consider innocence a character flaw, I don’t automatically consider helplessness a character flaw, and I quite enjoy my sweet and innocent romances, thank you very much. On top of that, I wasn’t seeing any of these critiques going any further and really examining why Anna was supposedly such a poorly written and acted character, just that she didn’t fit everyone else’s personal preferences for a female lead.

I now have to admit that I was wrong to dismiss everyone's critiques so quickly

Having now seen a sizable portion of the drama, I understand the criticisms, and even have to agree with them somewhat. Yoo Jin is simply a much better character. She has personality presence, the actress does an amazing job making her interesting and intriguing and impossible to look away from, and yes, she has crazy good chemistry with Jae Ha.

But she’s also a terrible person, and there's no getting around that.

She's manipulative and selfish, willing to hurt others for what she wants; she uses Anna as a pawn, keeping her separated from her father basically her entire life, more than happy to make her life miserable and allow her to believe she's not loved or wanted, probably even willing to drive Anna to losing her mind. Yoo Jin is a b****. She may be a fascinating, intriguing, mesmerizing b****, but she's still a b****, and I don't stan that sort of romantic relationship.

Unfortunately, Anna is not a good character, and there's very little about her that will make most viewers root for her relationship with Jae Ha. It's not that she's so terribly written. She certainly could have been beefed up a bit more once you really got into the story, but a good actress would have been able to make the character work and even feel sympathetic and interesting to the audience. But, and I'm sorry to crush any biases here, Im Yoon Ah is a terrible actress. She has her moments, but every time she speaks in sentences longer than 2-3 words, it's a cringefest. And that's why everyone wanted Jae Ha with Yoo Jin. Not because Yoo Jin was worthy of his love, but because she's a better character.

For my part, I did still want Jae Ha and Anna together as I quite liked their innocent romance, and I like stories with knights in shining armor, and Jae Ha very much is one. But as you can see by the dropped tag in this review, their romance was obviously not enough to keep me watching, and that's due to the other major complaint people have had about this drama.

The story is all flash and no substance.

The first few episodes provide great set up with a clear trajectory. We’re treated to a number of impressive fight scenes early on that really wet your appetite for more. But that's where the compliments end. The fight scenes become fairly generic 6 or so episodes in, and it quickly becomes obvious that there's very little story to back them up. Yoo Jin's complex character motivations and Jae Ha's innate bad-a**ness and their obvious chemistry become the only things in the drama giving it reason or purpose. Even poor Anna's complicated and sad relationship with her father doesn't inspire you to feel much.

Ultimately, the drama set itself up for success before finding itself floundering in it's own story.

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For the most part, this was nothing more than a goofy, honestly quite stupid, but still lighthearted and funny film with a delightful female lead and some great romantic chemistry.

That is until possibly the stupidest scene I have ever seen in all of Asian media happened.

We watch the female lead be lured to an empty building in the middle of the night where she is then bombarded by a group of dancers gyrating in a semi-choreographed fashion to a song about literal twerking while the male lead plays the drums (which is apparently a new skill he developed between this scene and the last one) and then when this mess of a non-sensical performance is over, he confesses his love to her complete with a flying drone.

Because what every woman wants is for the man she loves to confess his love while people twerk in the background to the equivalent of a bootycall song.

Yes. That is a sentence...that exists. And that is a Scene...that also exists. *metaphorical throwing my hands up in utter mystification*

The side of my brain that wants stories to be logical and well-thought out can't fathom why anyone would choose that song for such a moment or want twerking dancers involved in a love confession, but then the part of my brain that stores all of the information I've collected about Asia over the years through their dramas and films and music understands Exactly why that song was chosen. Because Someone on that production team heard it and liked it and didn't know what the Literal Hell it was about.

But I'm digressing at this point, so let's get back to the actual review.

Truthfully, I wanted to quit watching the movie after this scene (it's so cringeeeeeeeey), but I went ahead and finished it anyway for review purposes, and the story ends...pretty much how you would expect this type of movie to end. There's a tragic reveal, followed by a big romantic gesture, and finally, the leads accepting their feelings for one another. I will admit the reveal that Min's 'boyfriend' is actually dead and what happened to him made me very sad for her character. The accident is emotional to watch, and you definitely can understand why she's been so traumatized since. The big, romantic gesture, on the other hand, didn't do anything for me, most likely because 1/3 of the way through the movie I'd already stopped being invested in the male lead because he stopped being interesting.

If you take out the ridiculous love confession, this is a really fun, if pretty stupid, movie with charming leads, and it does some interesting things with it's premise, even if I didn't personally find all of those things all that enjoyable or interesting. (One of the better parts of the film were all the little animated sidebars. They go a long way in helping you connect with and like the characters.)

I think a lot of people will probably like this movie and how goofy it is. Heck, me from 5 to 10 years ago probably would have really liked this movie. But me today? I'm not ever gonna watch this again, because I refuse to give that stupid confession more of my screen time, lol.

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