Somewhat disappointing

There is no doubt the drama is well acted and the friendships explored and maintained in the backdrop of a stressful, busy hospital and personal life is rewarding. Nevertheless, I felt as though some of the episodes dragged. I kept waiting to fall in love with this just like so many others did, but try as I might I endured through most of the episodes but wasn't wowed like I expected to be.

I will say I love Ik-Joon. This actor is largely why I watched and he didn't disappoint. All the other actors were excellent too, I just wasn't as invested as I expected to be. I particularly enjoyed Rosa's steadfast friendship with the Director and how they relied on one another always.

Given this was written by the Reply 1988 writer, I'm fully expecting Ik-Joon to not be with Song-Hwa. I feel we've been made to feel empathy and excitement about their coming together just as we did in 1988 only to be messed with again. I'm fairly certain we were taken on a ride wherein we saw the Ik-Joon and Song Hwa relationship most only to have it snatched from us so that we question their every past interaction or our expectations. (Clearly, I'm still not over how poor Jung Hwan was wronged and deserved better... LOL!)

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Not great

Strictly speaking none of the actors are great. The ML looks almost disgusted by the FL for more than half of the series and the FL looks like she's 12. The height difference doesn't bother me but the fact that the female lead looks like a little girl and behaves so foolishly makes it hard to really get in to the love story. I understand that she's accident prone and clumsy, but she just seems so young and inexperienced to boot.

I fast forwarded through more than half of this because it wasn't great. The secondary characters and family members also weren't interesting.

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Perfection

While I began watching Vincenzo largely because it was something the men in my family may be more apt to enjoy, I soon became the most fervent of viewers in my household. However, my guys were pretty invested in this too.

Not only is this drama incredibly well acted, the story is captivating as well. The intricacies of Babel vs. the plaza family and the injustices faced by the Babel workers were interesting and the relationship between the leads was just the cherry on top. I like how the writers/producers weren't afraid to delve into some dark and uncomfortable places as they explored where this story took us. Very clever indeed.

I cannot recommend this drama enough. Bravo...so glad I delved into something different.

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Strugged with this

I loved the ML...I really wish the writers had spent more time focusing on how he morphs from a shy stutterer into a relatively speaking more open and confident leader. It's not the ML's fault. He was the only consistent bright spot in the drama. I thought the FL was cute, but just didn't think she was right for the ML. Her sister (who coincidentally committed suicide so she couldn't be with him I know) or someone more reticent (ie his former secretary) would have made more sense.

My main struggle though was in the SML and how he was forgiven for sexually assaulting a female and for his role in her suicide. He was a cheater too and yet the getting back together with his ex was really bothersome. Speaking of his ex, I hate how they didn't delve at all into the help she must need following another suicide attempt, years of self-injury and just seeming like not a very nice and compassionate person towards others.

Too many gaps. It was horrible at the start. I actually dropped this months ago and picked it up since I like the ML and liked the SML's character in "Age of Youth". It did get better post episode 4 like everyone says, but the writers just didn't make the story cohesive or one I could get behind.

I did love all the cameos from "Another Ms Oh", one of my favourite dramas though.

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So much better than the summary suggests

I really put off watching this largely because I thought the plot summary sounded so incredibly silly. Ultimately, I was in need of something lighter as I’m trying to work my way through the super-heavy Misaeng.

What I discovered was a really engaging story about a male lead who had been betrayed by everyone who he should have been able to trust. The same sort of child trauma has been handled really sloppily in the past, but this story decided not to delve too deeply into it and instead focus on the consequences of not being able to trust easily & how to begin to re-engage with people who are worthy of his trust.

The chemistry between the two leads is so cute and the ML’s range & acting ability is impressive.

So glad I watched this!

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Lags and Gets Boring

I started this very interested in the concept and curious about where the story would go. The monk angle as one of the Lead Characters was one I hadn't seen explored before in so I was fully invested in the first few episodes. I even binged and didn't sleep to watch the first five or so episodes.

But then the story didn't advance. Not significantly. The secondary characters became intrusive since time spent with them meant our lead characters didn't advance their story...and their story needed to advance.

FL is gorgeous but when she has a change of heart in the latter episodes it's so sudden it seems unrealistic...and ML's obsession with her was steadfast until it wasn't near the end and then it just seemed forced and a glaring plot device. And it bothered me how the ML stalked and even kidnapped her to force her to love him. It was bad enough that his grandmother was horrible, but he was so obsessive it stopped being cute or trope-y. It was just plain toxic.

It also frustrates me when repeatedly the characters try to kiss and get interrupted. By the time they do in the final 2 minutes I don't care anymore.

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I stumbled upon this Jdrama largely because the marriage/cohabitation trope is one I always enjoy. I typically watch kdramas, but in the recent weeks I've been veering more into jdrama and even some cdrama.

This drama was enjoyable and truly captured the turmoil involved in a new couple coming to know one another after marriage. While the lead couple's struggle is heightened exponentially by marrying before coming to know one another, I think living together and/or getting used to another role is always challenging. This drama reveals all the messiness of becoming accustomed to someone else.

Both lead actors were terrific. The FL was so beautiful and graceful while the ML's gruffness and rigidity played so well. If anything, I wish the ML would have toned his staunch and exaggerated personality down just a little. I understand this is who he was but it became rather ridiculous at times...and I wish he could have gotten over it and kissed her. Gah! The lack of skinship made me crazy. Jdramas are typically so much farther ahead in this area.

It became a bit draggy with the secondary characters. I suppose I just didn't care enough about them.

Overall, I'm glad it was rather short and a quick binge.

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Masterful ...

What a lovely drama. I was not at all familiar with the FL or the ML, but I did recognize so many secondary characters. Yet, it was the actors who were new to me and who were the Main Leads who just blew me away in this drama. I just can't get over how unbelievably good they were.

This drama had me crying every episode. The reviews I've read suggest I'm not alone in this. The longing and emotional intensity was so real, so evocative that it demanded that level of engagement.

(This is me nitpicking, but I really wish the FL had chosen the fact that her daughter loved her step mother immensely as the reason why she couldn't continue living as Seo-Woo's mom. I appreciate the whole "she'll keep seeing ghosts" angle, but it pales in comparison to how much her daughter had grown to love her stepmother and how much she would have suffered if Yu-ri had chose to be selfish and stay. MINOR POINT though)

So glad I watched this. It was so nice to watch a drama without a physical antagonist force (other than the exorcist I suppose). Not an evil force to be found. Lovely.

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What the heck did I just watch????

The romance is so thin here...particularly the resolution. And how strange was it to watch the male speak to everyone in English when he's surrounded by Koreans speaking their native tongue? Bizarre! Either choose another actor or pick a language lane!

So weird. I love this trope which is why I watched in the first place, but this didn't cut it for me. I was happy it was less than 2 hours which made it a quick binge, but there were so many flaws here.

Perhaps it just didn't age well. The "Pocahantas" comment comes to mind as well as others. I do think the FL is a good actress (can't say the same for the ML based on this anyway), but as a woman in the corporate world she made so many professional and personal faux pas it's unbelievable. (This fault lay in the writing and not the acting)

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And to think I didn't like Fantasy

This drama really surprised me. It's been on my Watchlist for a long time largely because although it's highly rated and raved about, I'm not really into Fantasy. It's also an older drama and I thought that would turn me off. Finally, I do know the ML and the SFL and SML, but I'd never seen anything with the FL in it before.

Well, it turns out this was far better than I could have imagined. The Fantasy is corny/cheesy, but it works with the plot and they've managed to make it kind of humourous...almost like they're poking fun of it themselves. This is a 2013/2014 drama, but it really doesn't "feel" that old. Also, in spite of "knowing" several of the characters, it was the FL who I didn't know at all that helped me to sustain my interest in this drama. She is hilarious! Living through Covid (albeit the tail end of it), I don't get a lot of chances to laugh. The FL's antics helped in this regard for sure! I really liked her character.

I'm not crazy about the ending of this. Finding out the screenwriter also wrote CLOY, it makes sense. In fact, I suppose the ending does make sense, but I always prefer a more succinct, final ending. Nevertheless, looking at the reviews for that final episode reveals I'm in the minority. Most people think it's perfect...and I guess it kind of is.

This is a really good drama that holds up well and will make you laugh...and even cry a bit.

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Loved it....and then episode 15 hit

Honestly, I so wanted to like this show in spite of the really slow start. Up until Episode 15, I would have given this a solid 8/10, but the lead couple breaking up close to the end of the penultimate episode for a really stupid reason made my rating of this show drop. If the SML would have got the girl in the end, I would have been happier. Instead, tying up all those knots in the final half hour of the drama just so you could have a happy ending was just really silly.

As much as I loved the ML in Something about 1%, he was pretty scummy in this. The only funny thing was him going on and on about "quality" and his co-workers mocking him for it. His character was really poorly written in my opinion. He was absolutely horrible for most of drama, then he turns into Mr. Sensitive and Passionate Lover and then reverts back to the prick he was and then suddenly switches back to being woefully in love at the end. What a disservice to the drama...and to the tsundere trope too.

The 6.5 rating is due almost exclusively to the disgruntled Director, Kim Won Hae, who was hilarious in this and is in my opinion the best part of this show. If it were him alone, I would have given a much higher score, but he is after all a supporting character. I don't know if I love him so much because his role in this is similar to his character in Strong Woman Do Bong Soon (a recent favourite!), but he is the only part of the show I want to watch again.

Disappointed this drama took the turn that it did so late in the series.

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Just "meh"...that's it...

Not much here...at all. The acting wasn't spectacular. They didn't give us enough to invest or care about the ending. It was "meh". Gave it a 5.5 only because it deals with my favourite trope - contract marriage...but it really didn't do much for me. This is unusual for me. I'm a sucker for the storyline, but the love just didn't feel developed...and I particularly didn't see any affection coming from her at all so when she professes love it comes from out of nowhere.

I know it was short, but they didn't develop anything so I couldn't care much about this at all.

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Another Drama to add to my Top 5

I literally just finished watching this and am about to rewatch. I can't remember when I've watched something and laughed as hard as I did watching SWDBS! I know for sure I haven't laughed this hard during the past year of Covid quarantine/lockdown.

I'm really kicking myself for not watching this earlier. To be honest, the description made it sound a bit too fluffy and immature...and, truth is, it IS fluffy and a bit immature, but that happens to be part of its charm. The scenes are zany and ridiculous but this drama manages to combine the zany and ridiculous in the funniest way.

It certainly helps that both the ML and FL are so gosh darn cute too. Their chemistry is off the charts. Typically as an older kdrama watcher, I don't enjoy younger romance stories, but this one is the exception.

My only criticism is that at times the secondary characters were given too much attention. We watched the same scene of some injured characters in the hospital over and over again...and for so many episodes. I'm still not sure what that was for. It was funny the first two times we saw them...the other 20? Not so much.

Anyway, I'm surprised at how good this was and how much I enjoyed it. Few dramas make me want to rewatch right after they end. This one does it (and I even re-watched certain scenes while I was watching the first time!)

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Perfect fluffy romance piece

I was ready to dislike this drama, but find myself absolutely enchanted by it. I realize this isn't a serious piece nor is it the most stellar acting from the cast, but I think they all work well together to create an enjoyable drama that I personally have watched over and over again.

The chemistry between the leads makes it easy to watch their every interaction and I'm a sucker for any drama where the male is a bit of an arrogant ass who is overcome by his feelings for the female lead. I realize the FL in this is naive beyond belief, but somehow this never in any way minimizes my viewing pleasure.

This seriously is my go-to drama for anytime I'm overwhelmed by some of the more probing and "deeper" dramas. I feel so grateful to have discovered it.

I know I've read many reviews here and on YouTube pleading that this pairing be given another opportunity to act together. I'm not sure how likely this is after so many years have passed, but I know I'd love to see another romance between them.

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