kdramas_stan
Quite different from the webtoon, decent standalone.
Let me begin with telling you that Sweet Home as an adaptation starts of great, there’s a chilling feeling from the first episode and many similarities with the webtoon, but unfortunately things don’t quite stay along the same line. So if you go in with expectations that you will get something along the same lines as the webtoon, you’ll be disappointed. The characters that you might have loved while reading the comic have pretty much been sidelined and an extra character is introduced who is given a major plot line which starts to appear very funny (unintentional) after a point. I wanted to see the dynamics between many of the characters, but sadly there’s hardly any interaction between them. Few characters like Wook and Jisu were absolutely annihilated. Despite being the lead, we see Hyun Soo as a pushover. None of the nerdiness of Hyuk and his complex character is highlighted. His relationship with his younger sister (whose age seems to have been increased and a romantic angle with the lead is introduced) is hostile at best.It’s a little difficult for me to see how I would have felt if I hadn’t read the webtoon, perhaps I would have enjoyed it more but still been disappointed with the military arc that was introduced. Despite all the changes that I didn’t like, it’s still a decent watch. There’s a lot of gore and creepiness and lots of blood. Though it ends on a cliffhanger while the webtoon gives you more closure, it’s still a watchable story. The CGI takes a while to get used to, and the OST feels a little repetitive and out of place at times, but it’s all right.
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Cute, short, feel good vibes.
Kiss Goblin is a short bingeable drama about a 160 year old Goblin wanting to become human because he’s tired of being alone. For him to achieve that, he needs to accomplish kissing 10 women and get the strongest emotions from them. With an cute backdrop intended to make you swoon, the story starts off with the first kiss. I absolutely loved both the leads, they had their individual characters and complimented each other so well. As the episodes progress, it only starts to become cuter and cuter. There’s a certain exaggeration and few loopholes which one needs to ignore — mostly because it’s a short drama. Despite it being 12 episodes per episode, I took my time with this one. The pace is perfect and it doesn’t feel like the story is out of place. You can watch this if you aren’t sure what to watch but want a little bit of cute romance.Was this review helpful to you?
Short and creepy.
Started watching this one because of this length — it’s a short drama with 12 episodes ranging from 15-20 mins each. The plot is engaging, it starts off a little slow paced but as we progress through, it’s quite captivating. I was more involved in the arcs of the students midway. I personally felt that this drama was a clever way to deal with the insecurities and challenges that high school students face and while many of their experiences seem specific to Korea, the underline could be shared and felt by students throughout the world. It has a lot of Devil’s Advocate vibes as well.If you’re in a mood for something eerie but not long enough for a 16-20 hour drama, definitely go for this.
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Sad, poignant.
Hymn of Death is a short (three episode) drama based on two real people — Sim Deok (Korea’s first soprano singer) and Woo Jin (playwright). The drama is set during the early 1920s, Japanese colonisation of Korea is the backdrop of the romance between these two talented artists. If you’re interested to learn more about the aspects of history, I wouldn’t say this is your drama to watch because it focuses mainly on the relationship which these two share. The beauty of this drama is that it managed to show the yearning and love Sim Deok and Woo Jin had for each other, a bond that transcends through time.As the title suggests, it’s a tragic drama. The fact that these two people saw no other way to be together except through that one action. While the plot revolves around these two’s struggles, we do see very little of what it is to be a Korean, a woman, an artist forced to live a life dictated by others and the freedom to not share your art in your language.
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For days when you want something slow paced.
Tune In For Love is a movie showcasing interactions between two people who have somehow managed to miss each other and yet keep finding. The movie layered with subtle romance, showing us of a time when you couldn’t rely on various apps to link you with someone. The romance with Kim Go Eun and Jung Hae is so well done, their chemistry is sizzling and even though we don’t get many romantic interactions between them you’re left craving for more. I hope they do a drama together in the future! This is cute movie, a little slow paced in the beginning but shows their relationship and yearning evolve beautifully. I felt that the end was a little rushed and could have been better wrapped, but that’s okay.Was this review helpful to you?
Refreshing, great storyline, wholesome characters
You know there are dramas whose first episodes don’t just feel like an introduction but also give you vibes of something epic coming your way in the next few episodes? Well, While You Were Sleeping is exactly that. It’s not slow paced, it rushes right into the events and you are hooked in it from the beginning.The plot is original, we have a character who sees the future of someone’s death in her dreams, believes that nothing she does will be able to stop them, but things take a different turn when she’s acquainted with a newbie Prosecutor and a young police officer.
I loved the friendships portrayed in this drama, the way the second lead was kept non toxic despite him having feelings for the main female lead. There are enough plot twists, intense moments, humour along the way that makes this drama stand out. There isn’t one moment where the drama falls flat. The transitions to the past and from the present and vice versa are so well done, too. Every character felt complex and the actors did justice to them. A perfect combination of thriller, romance and mystery. Do give it a watch!
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This review may contain spoilers
Intriguing, plenty of twists, eventual miss landing.
(Contains unspecific vague spoilers)Started off this drama expecting a combination of fantastical elements and suspense filled plot, and let me tell you it delivers. You’ve a girl who can see shadows and moments of people’s deaths, you’ve a grim reaper who is brought to earth in a human body which belongs to a detective trying to figure out where his missing partner is, but unaware that he has a convoluted mysterious past which needs finding.
Initially I was shocked and disgusted at various scenes, considering the present timeline, it felt very unreal how ridiculously the crime scenes were treated by this group. There’s no awareness of trying to maintain the crime scene, we’ve detectives throwing up all over the bodies and it’s disgustingly gory. I felt like with each detective in the support team, they wanted to bring the worst traits out. However, after a point you somewhat get used to their behaviour. During the second episode I was so unsure if I wanted to continue. But the mystery seemed promising and I held onto it. Then after a point i had invested too much of my time to stop.
Coming to the plot, the story line is amazing. It does get plenty frustrating though. Each episode is filled with at least one plot twist. You continue to think that something has been revealed and figure it out, and bam! You’re hit with another reveal, that the mystery and killings are far more convoluted and the ones caught are only pawns in the game.
Despite it being a series drama, there’s fair amount of humour in it. I loved the pairing of the Joseon reaper and Rap enthusiast reaper. Their conversations with Black were always something to look forward to! With other characters also there’s a good enough chemistry. I found the acting to be decent, but at various points Go-Ara felt a little off.
I don’t know what to think about the ending though. A lot of viewers told me that I should skip the last half of the episode if I don’t want the season to be ruined, and I partially agree with them. The first seventeen episodes are all working towards wrapping the plotholes and manage to do it fairly well and then comes an ending which kind of undos everything. It might have happened, but you’re left with confusion. I’m usually a fan of epilogues, but the one in Black takes it to a whole other level. The show could have done without it, and honestly if they had ended it before the epilogue, it would have still been an okay ending. Did I hate the ending, though? Not really. I can see why they wanted to go in that direction. I wish they had been bolder in their approach.
It’s a decent drama filled with lots of mystery that will perpetually keep you on your toes. Not your usual crime drama, for sure.
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Funny, intense, wholesome.
Started this drama because I was intrigued by the summary, and stuck onto it because of L’s expressions and SYS’s character. Angel’s Last Mission starts off with an intriguing introduction and continues to build throughout. There are many moments when you’ll be left amazed with SYS’s acting. She’s done an incredible job in portraying a hard hearted character with walls drawn up, who finally starts to open to one particular person/Angel in her life.This drama has little bit of fantasy, reincarnation, childhood connection, and heartwarming chemistry between the leads.
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This review may contain spoilers
Easily forgettable, watchable only for the cast with a plot that doesn’t deliver.
The moment I knew the story will go downhill? The first scenes set in America. Honestly, I couldn’t see what the point of them was! Every time I saw Tan interact with Americans, I cringed and wanted to stop watching. I couldn’t wait for Tan to move back because because they were super exaggerated and so cringey.Basically it’s a high school drama focused on rich kids, whose only aim in life is to form connections and brag about how rich they are and eventually take over after their parents. And of course, no chaebol drama can exist without a poor girl to rescue. Heirs has every trope associated with rich guy/poor girl drama. With this, you’ve to deal with angsty romance of two teenagers who have to fight against the world (basically Tan’s rich family) to get their love approved. There is no plot, everything that happens is too ridiculous to be taken seriously. Albeit, the last episodes do have some content but nothing so good that it can redeem the show. This show highlights bullying and the constant references to their past were somewhat hilarious. How bad were they at 15 that their behaviour when they are 18 is them being milder version of their past???
And majority of the romantic scenes were not romantic at all. It was Kim Tan imposing on Cha Eun Sang until she says yes. It was frustrating to hear “Love is the moment” (I ended up hating this song) play every time he forced her into reciprocating his feelings without really receiving her consent in any form.
Anyway, the saving grace of this drama was Kim Woo Bin as Choi Yeong Do. Yes, we love a bad boy who’s a softie underneath and Woo Bin takes it up the notch. Not because he learns how to and gets better, but because even when he’s being a little shit and knows he’s being one, he still owns it and does it. It’s almost like a child seeking for attention, trying to see how others around him will react. Despite the multiple layers in his character and the amazing acting by KWB, his character does a lot of problematic things which are beyond borderline assault. With Eun Sung, it’s passed off as cute romantic interest in the girl. And yet I found his behaviour with CES, as the story progressed, to be more respectful that Tan’s.
There were few other characters I loved watching: Lee Bo Na (Krystal) — her character grew on me. From jealous girlfriend to being actually warm hearted and sweet underneath who stands up for her friends was a pleasant surprise.
Jo Myung-Soo (Park Hyung Sik) was another character who I wished had more screen time. He seemed to be one of the few people who was not problematic.
Lee Hyo-Shin (Kang Ha Neul) — a character who showed stress from expectations of ones parents, struggling to achieve his own dreams.
The relationship between CES and KT’s mothers was actually fun to watch and wholesome at various points.
I feel like so much of the drama and unnecessary situations could have been avoided had the characters sought therapy. Moral: guys, if you are rich enough like the people in this drama, you can afford therapy to fix your issues.
There’s no reason for me to suggest watching this show in 2021 unless you want to watch it for cast. (But their characters will leave you in a state of frustration!) If not for your love for the cast, you can totally skip it. Not worth 20+ hours of your time.
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Subpar at Plot, Amazing Acting
I had high expectations of this drama because of the cast, but I’m afraid it was disappointing with respect to the writing. I thought that acting was amazing throughout, but I simply couldn’t get into the story. It wasn’t engaging enough and relied on making one side weaker without substantial reasons for the other side to win. If you’re looking for an intense crime thriller with an interesting plot, you’ll feel the latter doesn’t quite catch up. It’s intense nonetheless. It’s also quite brutal with all the action scenes, but most of them feel like it’s for the ‘vibes’.Was this review helpful to you?
Good potential but fails to land.
Was really excited about this one because of the main leads, and while the story started very promising, I got too dragged and stretched as it progressed. Many plot lines were introduced which weren’t followed up on and the story kept moving in circles. Most of the characters were great, and I wish we had good subplots for them. The romance was super cute and the bromance even better. Jun Ho’s chemistry with anyone on screen is always sizzling. This was a refreshing drama with a fresh premise, and it’s disappointing that the middle and end didn’t land well. Not a bad drama, but not very good either. You might consider dropping it if you don’t already love the actors or don’t want to because you’ve invested too much time in it already.Was this review helpful to you?
Slice of life dramas defying tropes!
Run On is a heartwarming, wholesome drama which will leave you with more feels for the characters than for the plot. In many other dramas, these might go hand in hand, but in Run On, you will find the story to be more influenced by the people the characters are. It's the kind of drama you may either love or dislike. You are bound to like it if you are tired of the same old character and plot tropes that exist in pretty much every drama. In the leads we have refreshing characteristics where communication and support for each other is what helps them develop the relationship. Both of them begin to work on what's lacking in each other upon being pointed out by the other. With the second leads, it's similar but it's a burst of emotions and extra at every level while the story of the main leads is more subdued.What I loved the most in this drama is how every character - major and minor - has grown throughout the story. The beginning of the episodes start with pulling you in, wanting to find out who these people are, and then you stay because you are so comfortable and invested in their arcs. In the end, Run On leaves you with a lesson to change yourself for the better. It's a brilliant drama with lots of positivity and healthy relationships' portrayal. I personally felt that the last episode was little out of pace from the rest, but that can be ignored.
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I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone,
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What did I end up watching?
Don't feel like watching something lengthy, 10 short episodes? Let's give it a try? Plot summary seems interesting, what could go wrong, right? Well, this was my thought process when I began watching this drama. It didn't take long for the "WTF" moments to arrive. Despite it being weird right from the beginning, something about the drama keeps you engaged. The story is about Terada who finds herself in a situation where she has live in a house share, and finds that her first boyfriend is also one of the people living there. Almost at their first interaction, Terada learns that Tomo Hongyo has a problem and she's the only one who can help him. Of course she decides to agree to whatever Hongyo asks! Throughout the series, we pretty much see Terada with no agency of her own. She gets pulled into situations and only after they are done she questions herself on what she thought of them. After all the character introductions, I was convinced that everyone in this house needed therapy. The only positive thing in the series was Terada's friendship development with the only other female housemate.I could have ditched the drama, but the characters (though majorly dysfunctional) were complex enough to keep you intrigued. You keep hoping for their growth, and it's only at the end that things tie up well, almost too well. I still think they need help. Despite the seemingly toxic relationship that the leads share, I couldn't deny their chemistry. Acting wise they were great too. It must have been super awkward or hilarious film this.
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Uberly Cute
This is such a cute, wholesome drama with an insane premise that’s probably suffering in ratings and views because of its frustrating airing schedule. I love the FL and enjoy her acting, and this time Cha Eun Woo has actually done a good job too. I usually find his acting stiff because of the roles he plays, but playing an older character seems to have worked this time. He’s still very cute and I find the romance between the leads to be heart fluttering,The plot itself is a mix of fantasy and thriller. The premise almost seems ridiculous but it’s well adapted. There seem to be few differences from the webtoon but those elevate the story so far, I hope when I edit this review, I can say that the ending lands.
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