This drama is so Skiptastic! In the beginning I was so excited by the possibilities, but by the end I pretty much forced myself to finish. How do you mess up a romcom with two popular leads? Bore the audience with a completely scattered and uninteresting plot! Instead of being called the "Undateables" it should be called the "Unwatchables".

Let's start with the main couple, handsome Hoon Nam and Jung Eum. I'm used to having mixed feelings about Hwang Jung Eum's performance, but I thought matching her in a romcom with Nam Goong Min would be awesome! I was a fan of Can You Hear My Heart , so it's nice to see these two reunited as co-leads. I will admit that Goong Min hasn't been the romantic lead in a drama that has impressed me yet, I prefer his darker side, so maybe this isn't all Jung Eum's fault. Either way, their chemistry started off great, building up to romance pretty quickly, but then their story became incredibly boring. She would get hurt and stare blankly into space. He would do his weird smile to charm her into taking him back. Then insert flashbacks, silly side characters, and obnoxious product placements, and that is literally the whole show.

There is one saving grace for this whole drama and that is Choi Tae Joon as Jun Soo. He deserved his own spin-off show, he was so good! He definitely justifies second lead syndrome. His character was the only character I really cared about at all.

The rest of the cast is mostly silly, annoying, cliché, and unnecessary. Besides Jung Eum's dad, and maybe her supervisor, I was completely uninterested in their stories. You know it's bad when seeing what the supervisor would wear with that ugly jacket started to become the highlight of the show. The couples looking for love had such superficial stories that insulted my intelligence more than it made me laugh. Maybe I don't get Korean humor sometimes, but some of the moments that were supposed to be funny felt too corny, and even sometimes mean. The coach/best friend and cousin, had way too much screen time (The Coach was also the worst friend). Susie and Jun Soo didn't have enough screentime together (I was hoping they would distract me from the boring lead couple, but their story went nowhere)

I would talk more about what went wrong with this plot, but it was so forgettable, I have a hard time remembering everything I hated.

The soundtrack is pretty cute, but every time I heard "Slowly, Slowly..." I was reminded of how much of my time was being wasted by stubbornly watching this drama until the end.

So was watching the end worth it? NO! They basically forced a bunch of the characters together for a random event, and tried to give some characters "closure", but it's hard to have a clean ending to a drama that is such a random mess. Would I watch this again? Bahahahahahaaa! No Thanks. I'll pass.

Obviously I would not recommend this one. Some of you will watch it anyway, but heed my warning. I went from not being able to wait for the next episode to not caring that it was finally over. If I skipped the last 8-10 episodes I would have missed nothing important. Yes, It's THAT boring.

But if you really like commercials, watch all the inventive product placement moments, which made me laugh the most... like that app, which I clearly need to download. Sigh... I gotta learn how to drop dramas more often!

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I ignored this drama for a while and I was a fool to. I think the storyline scared me away because I had no desire to watch what I thought would just be "Pasta 2". I didn't even notice the cast, which was another big mistake. This drama has now made it's way to my list of favorites, and I easily binged watched it in 2 days. It may not be perfect, but the cast made this drama extremely enjoyable.

I'll start with the three leads, who match the chemistry and talent I loved in "Jealousy Incarnate" (by the same writer), while still having their own unique flavor. The trio of main characters is strong and I loved them all in previous dramas. Jung Ryeo Won as Dan Sae Woo brings everything I loved about her in Witch's Court. She is randomly funny and far from a timid lead, which makes her the kind of leading lady I adore. Then there's Lee Jun Ho as Seo Poong, who impressed me so much in Just Between Lovers, that I should not have been surprised that he would hold his own with his much older cast mates. Then lastly there's Jang Hyuk as Doo Chil Seong, who is always amazing. Money Flower and Fated to Love You are two more of my favorites, and this drama is no exception. All three played the comedy and emotional moments extremely well. They became characters I really cared about, and even when the story seemed all over the place, I was hooked from the moment they all met.

As for the story, I'm glad I didn't read about the plot ahead of time, because I enjoyed not quite knowing what in the world was going on. The beginning of this drama is very random, but eventually, things come together and make much more sense. This really is a standard rom com in a lot of ways, so romance fans should not get scared off by the gangster elements, or the revenge part of the story. This is still a very lighthearted drama, without any moments that are too heavy. There are plenty of palpably cute and swoon-worthy moments between Poong and Sae Woo. Even with their age gap they were extremely well matched, and their chemistry was amazing. I honestly loved the relationship dynamic between the three of them so much, because of how real it all felt, instead of just playing up their rivalry, or adding unecessary melodrama.

I feel like the whole cast performed as if they had fun making this drama, and that made me have fun watching them. I know that many of the cast members have been in dramas together before, and it really felt like an all-star cast. The minor characters may not have had strong storylines, but they did each have their own individual charm that made me care about all of them... except two (but it's not their fault). The only character I absolutely couldn't stand was played by Lee Mi Sook. She does take on double duty in this drama, playing two characters, but one of those characters became such a nuisance, that I began hating every moment she appeared on the screen. Maybe that speaks to how great of an actress she is, but it also speaks to what an unlikable one-dimensional character the writer created. The other character was played by Cha Joo Young, who although she is a large part of the plot she was barely around or involved, so she was very forgettable.

Is the actual plot original? no. Are there cliché moments? Definitely. Are there gluttonous food scenes, and are you likely to get really hungry while watching? Absolutely. There are definitely food porn moments that are almost as gratuitous as in Let's Eat. Anyone watching while on a diet should be warned. I'm also impressed by the kitchen scenes, and how interesting they made cooking look (which I have no interest in). I also liked some of the creative choices the director made with some scenes, including the random horse moments.

There are moments towards the end that felt repetitive and extra annoying, but the character's charm kept me from getting bored. I just wish they didn't rely on such a standard and annoying obstacle.

I also forgive the gratuitous Kia and Subway product placement.

Would I watch this again? This is the kind of drama I could see myself watching repeatedly. I already miss many of the characters, and the bad and slow moments were overshadowed by how much I enjoyed the rest of it.

Overall, this is a drama that satisfied my craving for a fun romance, with addictive episodes. It may not suit everyone's taste, but if you are a fan of anyone in this cast I would definitely recommend watching. I would say this drama is less of a meal, and more like a sweet dessert. I happen to have a sweet tooth, so I thought it was delicious.

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If I had to describe this drama in one word I would use DISAPPOINTING. I watched the first four episodes, and became absolutely hooked. I thought Byun So Ra, and Yoon Joon Soo's romantic backstory was hilarious. I liked how Hwang Jin Joo, and Kang Chan Jin completed the dramas love square. The show was a lot of fun in the beginning, but it suddenly lost all of it's charm.

The main issue? There was zero romantic chemistry between any of the four lead characters. There seemed to be lots of sexual tension in the earlier episodes, but once it was time for more romantic scenes, they just fell flat. I understand that Yoon So Yi & Jae Hee were both playing socially awkward characters, but that doesn't mean that their relationship should come across as stiff. Yoon So Yi never showed any emotion, and it's hard to root for a emotionally repressed romantic lead. Jae Hee relied too much on making cute Johnny Depp-like faces, which often made me not take him seriously.

The rivals were often more interesting than the main leads. Lee Soo Kyung did a good job of playing a competitive rival, but I still never felt like she had any genuine feelings, just a bruised ego. She did play selfish perfectly, and I hated her character because of it. Shim Ji Ho was the only cast member who made me feel anything close to real emotion. I fell for the longing looks Kang Chan Jin would give to So-Ra. I wanted him to win the girl simply because he was the best actor of the bunch. Sometimes it felt like he was in a romantic drama all by himself. He definitely held the romantic part of the story together.

I think this drama didn't know how to find the right balance between romantic comedy, and office drama. The workers at L'aura were fun to watch, but they eventually took up way too much focus. I soon felt like I was watching the Korean version of "Ugly Betty". Jun Soo Kyung role was so cliché, and her scheming soon took over the whole show. All the romance was soon reduced to misunderstandings, missed opportunities, and stubborn characters making frustrating choices. The only redeeming original moments were with Park Sang Myun. I loved the randomness of his all knowing character. All the rest has been done before, and much better.

I reserved the highest marks for the music. No matter how bored I became, the music started to become a pep talk that kept me watching. I wish I could blame it all on waiting for translated subs, but If I had watched it marathon style I would have been tempted to skip through a lot of it. I might rewatch some of the cute earlier scenes again, but I wouldn't ever make it through all 20 episodes again.

My main goal for even finishing this was to see who So-Ra ends up with. The end is anticlimactic, and it fails at giving the grand romantic conclusion it was aiming for. I'd recommend asking someone, if you're curious, rather than sitting through the frustrating last two episodes. Then again, I would recommend skipping the whole thing.

This review is long, I know, but after sticking with this drama for so long I had to vent! : )

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How this drama got me so hooked is magical!

It took me a while to finish this drama because I really didn't want it to end. "From Now On, Showtime!" is a hilariously silly comedy but there's also the perfect balance of romance, suspense, and heartwarming emotion. I genuinely laughed and ugly cried and truly felt connected to the cast at the end. Yes, the story is pretty well written but it's honestly the cast that makes this drama work so well. At the start of the first episode, I was not impressed and thought it would be too cheesy for me to get into. The arrogant magician meets the stubborn lady cop plot didn't have any appeal. It turns out that these characters would become way more interesting and endearing than they initially seemed, and Cha Cha Woong's "assistants" would soon steal the show, and keep me watching! This isn't just a romance with great chemistry, it's the bond between characters that got me! I won't say too much about the supernatural aspect, since the reveal is so well done, but that's also a major hilarious highlight!

Park Hae Jin as Cha Cha Woong is a cold and conceited loner who is the unlikely match for Jin Ki Joo as emotional and impulsive Go Seul Hae. These characters are extreme in order to play up the comedy, and at first, it felt like too much, but soon I grew to love their banter and they seemed perfect together. You can expect some standard romance tropes like denying their attraction, melodramatic destiny, and past life connections, but the ghost aspect of the story made this drama still feel very original. Go Gyu Pil, Jung Suk Yong, and Park Seo Yeon, much like the characters they play, are the glue that holds this story together. Their chemistry with each other and the leads are what makes this drama magical. Their comedic mystery-solving antics (later including Jung Joon Ho) are the plot of the majority of the episodes, and that was enough to keep me addicted.
They were all so good at conveying emotion too, as well as comedy, making the characters also feel memorable and real.

The entire supporting cast is great as well. Sure, some of the characters are cartoonishly evil (like Detective Seo) or overly sweet (like Officer Lee), but because this is mainly a comedy having over-the-top characters made sense. The guest star ghosts were also great. I'm not the biggest fan of dramas with random stories introduced each episode, but the writers did a great job of connecting most of the ghost stories seamlessly to the main plot. I should also shout out Kim Jong Hoon as Seo Hee Soo for giving big second lead energy! For those who hate love triangles, yes this drama has one as a major factor in the plot, but it is also a well-written aspect of the plot not just thrown in as a contrived conflict for the main couple to face.

Would I watch this again? Definitely. It's super fun and I never got tired of watching the main characters work together. The cast seemed like they had a lot of fun making this drama too. I could have done with fewer past life scenes, but they did feel important to telling the story. I also had no interest in the officer vs shaman side romance storyline, but it wasn't bad enough to skip. Watching this whole cast just put me in a good mood, and that's a good enough reason to watch this again.

Overall, I highly recommend this drama if you want to laugh, which I know is weird since this drama also deals with a lot of death. I think this drama being well balanced is why it works so well. I LOLed and wiped tears through so many episodes, especially near the end. I think romance fans will love the awkwardly cute leads, but it was the loner learning to depend on his "employees" & "partner" theme that got me right in the feels! If the idea of ghosts makes you nervous, just know that this isn't scary. It has more of a kid-friendly haunted house vibe than actual horror. I also thought the ending was very satisfying. I don't think this drama is perfect, but it's definitely a new favorite of mine. Even the opening theme song started to get me hyped!

If you're looking for a different kind of feel-good drama, you found it.
Grab some snacks and tissues and get ready to laugh a lot... It's show time!

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I will start this review with a warning that this drama, even with it's promising start, is very "drop it" worthy. I started watching with a lot of interest, because the premise of "life clocks" was so interesting. I loved the idea of this tragic love story meets rom com, but once I got sucked into the story it was clear that it was turning into a mess of clichés. Still there was enough left to like, so I continued to watch with no regrets. A lot of that credit should go to the cast.

I was at first suspicious about whether I'd like MiKa and Do Ha as a couple, since their chemistry isn't immediate. I know there are often big age gaps in dramas, but her childish behavior, and his stern maturity, initially felt like such a bad casting choice. Then, once Do Ha turned on the charm, I started to really like them together, and got very invested in their romantic dilemma (No spoilers, but I knew tears over them would be involved eventually). I think this is the first "grown up" role I've seen Lee Sung Kyung in, and definitely the most tragic, but her youthful fun personality kept her character from being too depressing to watch as she watches how much time people have left to live. I was also very surprised by how much I liked Lee Sang Yoon as a leading man. He has a very low key seductive quality that I loved, and I felt like I could see all of his characters love, heartbreak, concern, and guilt, just in his eyes alone.

My main, and only, criticism of MiKa... too much dang singing! Unfortunately a lot of this drama becomes about the making of a musical, which started to become extremely annoying. I get that performing is a huge part of who the character is, but I cringed every time I knew she would be singing a full song AGAIN. It's not that she can't sing, but she still sang too much, and none of the performances were epic enough to be repeated. The soundtrack is also pretty good, but because of all the songs from the musical being sung on repeat, I just wanted all the music muted after a while. I honestly wish that most of the scenes and characters revolving around the musical were cut, but maybe it would have worked better with just less. I also say this as a person who LOVES musicals.

The rest of the cast was great, even if some of their characters were written to be cliché, or pretty useless. I really did like everyone... mostly. MiKa's bff was awesome, her brother was cute, and her mom was irritating but also adorable, and I liked Do Ha's banter with his secretary, but there were 2 supporting characters in particular that I liked the most, maybe even more than the main characters.

I'll start with my favorite KDrama actress Kim Hae Sook. She is always good, and this drama is no exception. I feel like her character's story touched me the most. She had so many moments that got me in the feels. I wish I got to see her with MiKa more than many of the other characters, especially Do Ha's family, since everyone but his Dad and half brother were completely forgettable.

My absolute favorite character though is Im Se Mi and Bae Soo Bong. I know this may be an unpopular opinion, but I thought she was flawless. Her outfits were flawless too! Usually I cringe at the idea of a female character who's only there to ruin the main couple, but Soo Bong is that to the best extreme! There were 2 moments when I came very close to dropping this drama completely, and she kept me watching. Her character became definitely overly melodramatic, but it was much more entertaining than the repetitive mess that the rest of the story started to become, or the ex girlfriend who I forgot all about until typing this sentence.

That leads me to my main issue with "About Time". Even though the basic idea of the story is good, the actual drama decides to fill the time with unnecessary filler stories (family rivalries that go nowhere, useless exes, showbiz drama involving a cute but completely ridiculous "genius" temperamental director...) and then resorts to clichés, and flashbacks. I would be lying if I said there weren't still moments that brought me to tears, or made me laugh, but when I finally made it to the final episode it was clear that there was no original thought put into how the story would end. I felt like the ending chosen was a total cop-out, and I even laughed inappropriately at one point. Sure, there is closure for the characters, which will satisfy some, but for me it didn't live up to this story's potential.

Overall, I cannot say that this drama is worth the time. If you decide to watch, and feel the urge to hit fast forward, do it! That's the only way I would rewatch this. There are some good moments, and some thoughtful themes about truly enjoying life, and not taking anything for granted, but, If this drama had a life clock I would definitely cut a few hours from it.

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I was drawn to this because the vibe seemed so different from most KDramas, and I really liked that, but Itaewon Class is the kind of drama that I think tries too hard to be cool and relevant. I like that it tackled a few topics like race, gender identity, ageism, and social status, but it also does it in a way that was too corny for me to take seriously. I still want to give it an E for effort because I liked the idea of the diversity and inclusive vibe of Itaewon. What initially drew me in about the story was the revenge plot, which sadly got overshadowed by an annoying love triangle... square... pentagon... which eventually ruined everything for me. The only consistent likable thing for me throughout was Park Seo Joon as Sae Ro Yi.

I think Sae Ro Yi is a great character. Watching him navigate epic hardships and relationships with an endearing stubbornness and loyalty was my favorite thing about the show. I've loved Park Seo Joon in so many dramas, he never disappoints, so this drama just solidifies what a great actor I think he is. Surprisingly the one area where he is weakest in this drama is the "romance" aspect, but that's not his fault. From "Witch's Romance" to "What's Wrong with Secretary Kim" it's obvious to me that he is a great romantic lead, but the problem here is that the romance plot is the weakest part of this drama. His relationship with Nara as Oh Soo Ah had an initial spark of chemistry but was soon too repetitive, and I thought his relationship with Kim Da Mi as Jo Yi Seo made absolutely no sense! They had no chemistry but seemed to appease some fans so it felt like it was forced into a story that didn't need it.

More than romance this drama focuses on friendship and loyalty. The cast is full of interesting characters who learn to accept and depend on each other with Sae Ro Yi as their guide. I liked the supporting cast in general, even if their acting skills weren't all equal. My favorite performance of the supporting cast was Lee Joo Young as Ma Hyun Yi, and sadly my least favorite was Chris Lyon as Toni (who's Korean was way more impressive than his acting... but I don't speak Korean so that's just a guess lol). I also thought Ahn Bo Hyun was great and consistently unlikeable as Geun Won, and Yoo Jae Myung was epically evil as Jang Dae Hee, and I love epic villains worthy of epic revenge! I can't really say that anyone was bad, but many in the cast were more decent actors than amazing.

The breakout star is clearly meant to be Kim Da Mi as Yi Seo, but she was not my favorite. She's a great actress, and was an interesting character in the beginning, with her sociopath social media savvy persona, but she soon became annoyingly obsessive and childishly whiny. I wanted to root for her being a young empowered and clever female lead character, but instead, she felt needy, self-involved, and just too hard to like at times... most times. The forced love story definitely didn't help me like her character. I guess some people found her devotion cute, but I thought it was creepy. I think people liked her IDGAF attitude, but I found her selfishness irritating, which overshadowed anything I liked about her initially.

That brings me to the plot, which was just messy! It starts out as the motivational story of a pied piper of misfits bringing random people together to create his dream to fulfill his epic plans of revenge, and suddenly focuses instead on a really bad love story. I can't blame the age gap, because the first drama I saw him in was a romance with a huge age gap. I just think the match didn't work and was so awkward to watch no matter how hard they tried to make it a thing. Then evil characters started to be less realistic and more cartoony, and things suddenly resolved and fell into place way too easily. Even though there are many moments I still liked, overall the script is more bad than good. I waited to watch the last 4 episodes because I stopped caring, and the last 2 episodes were so painfully drawn out and dragged so much that I was tempted to drop the drama with only 30 minutes left in the last episode. Even all of the confrontation and fight scenes that the show was building up to were boring to watch.
This has the same Director as " Big", one of the most ridiculously awful dramas I have ever watched, so maybe this turn isn't surprising after all.

Would I watch this again? Obviously not, and I almost wish I would have dropped this sooner, but I was still too invested in Sae Ro Yi and all he went through to give up on this completely. The ending was good about addressing everything that needed to be addressed and had a few moments that I liked but It still was not satisfying enough to make me like this drama as a whole.

Overall, I was excited by the beginning but the thrill didn't last till the end. Yes, there was an overall message that I am not mad at... about friends like family, what real power is, and what really matters in life, but the weak love story, rushed character development, predictable resolutions, and lack of emotional depth didn't execute those themes well enough in the end. It looked visually cool, but the substance felt too immature and unrealistic for me. I wouldn't personally recommend this drama, but I can understand how people can like it more than I did, especially if they liked Kim Da Mi's character a lot. For Park Seo Joon fans it may be worth it to watch even just the beginning, then decide on your own if it's worth your time. Personally, I wish I could edit out whole parts of the drama to make it better, but instead, I will move on to something better while looking forward to the next Park Seo Joon drama instead. It did make me curious about visiting Itaewon when I finally make it to Korea, because they did make it look cool, so I guess that's a good thing too.

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Il Mare is a truly unique love story, that shows romance in a refreshingly different light. Jun Ji-hyun and Lee Jung-jae are good playing two lonely people who find comfort in words shared with a stranger, but there was honestly nothing extraordinary about either performance. The true star of this movie is the story itself.

The plot takes the idea of long distance romance to the extreme. It's written so well that the fantastic concept seems perfectly plausible. I loved how their shared moments were shown. The director did a great job of making sure the time difference never felt like a cheap gimmick. The movie is also visually stunning, especially the house itself ("il mare") which I absolutely loved. This movie is not fast paced, nor does it have cute moments full of chemistry/sexual tension. Instead, it's about watching two people become close although they can't be together. Showing that connection is hard, but I think the movie pulls it off well.

The American remake of this film is "The Lake House" staring Keanu Reeves, & Sandra Bullock. I actually liked the remake as well, but one doesn't cancel the other out in my opinion. At the very least, the korean house is MUCH cooler!

I think the key to this story's appeal is the question of whether or not they will ever meet in the future, and have a true romantic relationship. Once that mystery was resolved, rewatching was a little less exciting, but It is still very interesting to watch the story unfold while knowing the outcome. If possible, avoid reading the synopsis, which gives way too much of the story away. I also wouldn't be concerned with how old this movie is. Like the relationship between Eun Ju & Sung Hyun, this movie is timeless.

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I can't believe that I watched a bread baking drama, that was 30 episodes long, without being bored! It took a lot of persuasion from a friend to get me to watch this. The high ratings didn't even have me fully convinced, but from beginning to end this drama lived up to all the hype.

The entire cast was great. The first episodes are set in the past, and I thought the cast of younger actors were exceptional. I also thought the younger actors matched their older counterparts very well. Younger Kim Tak Goo hooked me into the story, and older Kim Tak Goo kept me hooked from the first time he smiled. I loved that the cast of "villains" had depth, and some characters walked the fine line between good and bad. I liked that Eugene strayed from the romantic lead path into her own interesting character. I thought Joo Won was really good at being very sympathetic, and equally distasteful, though I lol-ed at the look on his face as if something constantly stunk. Even the supporting characters really added to the story, so I had to give the cast a 10.

Though the show is about baking, the story centers around family betrayal, revenge, rivalry, and painful relationships between children and their parents. There are some over the top fight scenes, dramatic rescues, and heartbreaking confrontations, so don't expect to just watch a bunch of scenes about how to bake bread. There's also a good balance of sweet, and humorous moments, and the pacing is good as well. I loved that the romance in this was a bit unconventional, and was touching without being cheesy, or the central focus of the story. This drama also has something I find rare in most dramas, a great ending. They manage to give each character proper closure, and the ending felt just right.

Overall the story isn't necessarily original, but It wasn't predictable either. I laughed and cried many times while watching. There aren't many specific rewatchable scenes, and since suspense is mainly what kept me up nights watching, I'm not sure If I will watch this again. Yoon Si Yoon is so charming, that he may be enough of a reason to give this one a second look.

I definitely recommend this. The 30 episodes will fly by...

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I have mixed feelings about this drama. Maybe my expectations were too high, because of the great reviews, and because of how much I was pleasantly surprised by Sungkyunkwan Scandal (both were based off of books by the same novelist). Don't get me wrong, there are many great things about this drama, but towards the end I felt myself losing interest.

During the first half of the series I was extremely excited. The story of the royals plotting, and scheming, was great. I loved following their rivalries, obsessions, and ruthless ambitions. I thought it was even more impressive considering the fact that most of the main cast was so young. The performances by the teen actors were really great. I think Kim Yoo Jung, and Yeo Jin Goo could rival any adult couple with their performances. l loved watching all the relationships develop, and the fact that there were such strong backstories for the characters. I loved some characters, and loved to hate others. I was instantly hooked, but then all the characters grew up...

Once the characters matured, the show lost some of it's spark for me. I'm not sure if it was because of the pacing, or the constantly depressing tone. It was clear from the first episode that this story would be tragic, but many times in the 2nd half I was bored watching characters cry & scream over the same things. It also seemed irrational for so many characters to be so determined to be with people who didn't love them, so it was harder for me to sympathize with them. The story always managed to pull me back in however with new revelations, or a great scene, but there were still long periods that felt repetitive. This made it much harder to stay excited.

I can't really blame the adult cast, because many of the adult cast members matched their younger counterparts well. I thought Kim Soo Hyun did well as the king, and he really seemed like an older Yeo Jin Goo. Jung Il Woo didn't really look much like his younger version, but I knew to expect a great performance from him. The Queen, Seol, and Jan Shil were all great casting matches. I think the most flawless transition between the young and older version of the character was Jin Ji Hee and Nam Bo Ra. I also think that Nam Bo Ra had one of the most moving scenes in the entire series. On the other hand, one character that was a disappointment was Song Jae Hee as the older Heo Yeom. He just seemed so much older than the rest of the cast, and It was distracting hearing him described as being so handsome when, no offense but... he's one of the least attractive men in the cast.

I think one of the biggest character issues I had was with Wol/older Yeon Woo. I thought she visually matched Kim Yoo Jung, and gave some good emotional performances in some scenes, but she lost all of her charm. She transformed from a young but wise independent thinker, into a willing doormat with a blank wide eyed stare. I really had a hard time believing that such a well read young girl would be so self sacrificing towards the king. I think it also effected their romantic moments together. I think Han Ga In meant for her performance to be melancholy, and altruistic, but instead she often looked bored to me.

Even though all of the main characters had at least one epic crying scene, i barely teared up while watching this. Nam Bo Ra, and Yeo Jin Goo came the closest to making me cry, but I did not have an emotional reaction to many of the sadder parts, which is crazy since the 2nd half is mostly sad parts. Even when characters died my eyes were dry, and I am often a crybaby. I enjoyed watching the relationship between wol, the king, the prince, and the queen, but it lacked enough chemistry to get me emotionally invested in their stories. You still may want to keep tissues nearby just in case, a lot of them.

Speaking of story... The plot itself was a good one, but the pacing of the episodes got worse and worse. There were too many repetitive scenes ( i said this already didn't i. irony...), which fueled much of my boredom. There was also too much reliance on flashbacks, including a flashback of a scene that happened seconds earlier. I didn't lose interest in the story, I just lost patience with how it was being told. The last episode is a perfect example of that. They rushed through endings for major characters, some pretty tragic endings, then filled the time with a silly story about learning to play an instrument. I was satisfied with the ending, but not moved by it.

I would recommend this drama to people who like tragedies (like 49 days, or Sorry I love you). Those looking for more romance (like in Sungkyunkwan Scandal, or Goong) may be disappointed. Those looking for comedy will find some funny moments, but not enough to balance all the crying, sulking, and screaming. Overall I liked the story, but thought the drama was inconsistent. I doubt i would watch this again, but maybe I'd like it more the 2nd time since I now know what to expect.

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I still can't believe I watched all 52+ episodes of this mess voluntarily.

I gave myself an extra week before finishing this drama because after weeks and weeks of this hot mess of a drama I wasn't quite ready for it to end. Watching this show has been slightly masochistic. The plot is possibly the most ridiculous I've ever committed to watching, the main couple was well past my threshold for cheesiness, and yet I couldn't look away. Every week I volunteered to be irritated by characters and baffled by their actions. The actors committed to some of the worst written characters I've ever seen, so I can respect them for that, but it is so way over the top that I couldn't take a minute of this seriously. If I could rename this drama I would call it "Why can't everyone just mind their own business?!!" since most of the plot ends up being about meddling parents and caring too much about what others have to say. I'm sure culturally this maybe resonates more with a Korean audience but I couldn't relate, and the actions of many of the characters felt insane. I felt insane too because I couldn't stop watching.

The main story is pretty basic. A young tutor/nanny and her widower boss fall in love in the most nonsensical way. There is also an implied HUGE age gap between them which already felt strange because in real life there isn't that same big age gap, and it shows. Their romance also feels extremely childish. The FL was constantly having random mood swings that went from obsessed crush to pouty brat while the ML was usually in robotic and gullible mode. They fought like immature kids, not lovers, for most episodes. Maybe people who like an old-fashioned love story will like how innocent they are but I felt like they traded in chemistry for a more "wholesome" style that was more cringy and corny than exciting and romantic. Still, this didn't stop me from waiting and watching to see what would happen, even when the same tropes kept repeating episode after episode. The silly music often played to remind us when it was supposed to be funny but I don't remember ever laughing... not even once in 52 episodes. I just stared at the screen wondering how something so terrible could put such a spell on me.

The rest of the characters consist of selfish parents throwing tantrums... a Sa Ra who is just as evil and slap inspiring as Se Ra's of dramas past, a lot of random family members in their own relationship messes, and 3 kids... 2 of which are super adorable and the show's highlight by far. All of these characters also constantly talk to themselves aloud which adds another layer to the ridiculousness. Still, I can only blame myself for tuning in each week. I dare say the end didn't disappoint, complete with a cringy musical moment that felt like our big prize for finally finishing this. There were also dramatic moments that left me completely dry-eyed but helped with the closure I need to move on.

Would I watch this again? Bahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaa.

No.

Should you watch it? How do you feel about wasting hours of your life watching parents act like toddlers and the dysfunctional relationships they cause through meddling? Do you think dramas today aren't wholesome enough? Can you just not get enough of Amnesia plots? How about birth secrets and false paternity claims? Do you enjoy yelling "This is so stupid" at the screen? Do you enjoy being frustrated by characters doing things that make so sense at all? Do you love stories that drag out plots and jokes? Then by all means enjoy all 52 episodes of this train wreck of a drama. Scroll through the comments here and commiserate with others who also decided to watch this madness week after week. This is the one time where I feel like watching in real-time was better, and I just can't see binging this show for 52+ hours. The way so many parts of the plot drag on would be more blatant if watched back to back.

And don't forget the special... which could have easily been added to the last episode but maybe they needed more time for product placements and cheesy montages and flashbacks.

I admit that I will miss the "Do-Ba Do-bi-do-bi..." song during the awkward moments, which was a guilty pleasure.
Not to be confused with the more lighthearted "Dodo lehdehdeh..." lol! The music was definitely cued up to set the mood and will probably haunt me for years to come.

Overall, this is definitely a drama for a specific audience, so I don't want to trash it too much because I chose to keep watching. I'm still in shock that I made it to the end. If you dropped it, don't bother trying to watch it again. It doesn't get any "better" If anything it gets worse. Or maybe gather friends and you can heckle it together like "mystery science theater", because I know I wouldn't have made it without the comments here showing me I was not alone.

To all those who also made it to the end, We did it! I don't know why we did it to ourselves, but we did it!

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This is the first time that a drama has had a strong emotional effect on me. The plot could have easily taken an extremely cheesy, or overly melodramatic turn, but it didn't. I think a lot of the credit should go to Kim Sun Ah for playing the part of Lee Yeon Jae with such sincerity, though the entire supporting cast was also impressive. Her character's journey was frustrating, and depressing, but also very inspiring to watch.

Watching a story about a spinster who is told she only has a few months to live may be a turn off to some viewers, but this drama offers much more than scenes set up to make you cry. There's definitely humor, and at the heart of this drama is a great romance. Though the premise of the romance is pretty standard, Lee Dong Wook & Kim Sun Ah have amazing chemistry. There's one tango scene in particular that I would call one of the hottest scenes I've seen in any drama. Lee Dong Wook really is a talented actor, and it doesn't hurt that he looks really good in a shower.


I only have a few criticisms. I hated a couple of the main songs, which killed the mood at times, and I was unimpressed by the love theme sung by the two leads, which was the only romantic moment that felt forced/cheesy to me. The biggest criticism I have is that way too much time was spent on Seo Hyo Rim's character. Though she played her character well, she was too one-dimensional to need that much focus. Some of the scenes revolving around her plot seemed like they were put there just to fill up the time. Time could have been better spent on Uhm Ki Joon's character, who turned out to be one of my favorites.


I definitely recommend buying a few extra boxes of tissue, and watching this drama. About halfway through the tone of the drama starts to change, and I wasn't sure If watching such a tearjerker was a good idea, but the ending was so well done that it was absolutely worth it. I could see myself rewatching this for the great romantic moments, to be inspired to live life to the fullest, and because it was so beautifully shot. There's some really gorgeous cinematography that made me long to go on a vacation asap… and possibly learn to tango.

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This is the longest drama I have ever watched. Was 50 episodes too long? YES!!! Even if you love the characters, a drama can still overstay it's welcome, and I think this one did. If it were 30, or even maybe 40 episodes, my overall score would've been much higher. Am I disappointed I watched it? Not at all. In the beginning I was completely confused, but "I Have a Lover" was very entertaining until it got to the home stretch.

The story centers around a ridiculously attractive couple played by Kim Hyun and Joo Ji Jin Hee. Their dysfunctional relationship ends up being the catalyst for infidelity, mistaken identity, family wars, business betrayals, and a lot of frustration (not a plausible plot at all, but still entertaining). Ji Jin Hee was great as Jin Eon (who I named "The Brat" because of his annoying tantrums), but Kim Hyun Joo was really unbelievable, and the MVP of this drama! I really thought of Hae Gang and Yong Gi as two completely different people. Even knowing that it was the same actress, I still felt like I was watching 2 completely different actresses who looked slightly similar. I started calling her "Orphan Black". Then there's Park Han Byul who played the young "homewrecker" who tests their relationship Seol Ri ( I started calling her "Young Ho" - inappropriate but befitting her character). I wanted to smack her in her head for most of the show, but that means she was really good. Then they added Lee Kyu Han as Baek Seok (who I named "Forever friendzoned"). Will he ever get the girl? I just watched him in "Can you hear my heart" and he is really the perfect second lead. I would totally friend zone a guy as cool as him, but I hope to see him as a lead (Does that drama exist?). In the first quarter, it's the dynamic between these four characters that drives the story, but this drama almost changed into a completely different drama several times before it ended. It's only the acting that really holds the whole story together.

I was really into the relationship story, then the show started to focus more on the corrupt family business, and that's when I started to slowly lose interest. Dok Go Young Jae, Baek Ji Won, and Gong Hyung Jin were great at playing characters you love to hate, but I just didn't care about that story line. Thankfully eye candy Lee Jae Yoon starts having a more prominent role (I called him Dr. Aspergers) and I started to wish that he, Kim Hyun Joo, and adorable Kim Ha Yoo had their own spinoff show. Soon I started to like them more than the main couple, who's antics became just too repetitive, but they weren't given enough scenes, and their story resolved way too early in the show. That's why, for the last few episodes, I was forcing myself to watch, because it seemed like a waste to drop it after committing so much time to it.

Would I rewatch this whole thing? No! I could definitely watch certain scenes again, strictly for the chemistry and attractiveness. The last few episodes felt almost like complete filler (so many flashbacks at the end), so watching those episodes even once was more than enough. I also didn't like the introduction of new characters at the last minute. It almost seemed like they had no idea how to resolve certain main character stories, so they just added random characters to make the audience feel better. I didn't feel better, I felt cheated.

What about the music? Ryu's "Years" is damn near impossible to get out of my head. That's probably because it was played so obnoxiously during every single tragically romantic moment. Once that drum intro started I knew Hae Gang and Jin Eon were about to have a "moment". It's a beautiful song, so having it as an earworm is forgivable. The rest of the soundtrack was good too, and I like how music played a part in reminding them about their daughter. Oh, and my confession about the Ryu song... yes I already downloaded it. The fact that i still wanted to listen to it after hearing it so many times during the 50 episodes, means I must like it a lot. I think I will play it while I finish writing this review, to set the mood *Cue drum intro*

Overall, This drama is good enough to recommend, but I definitely understand if people don't want to make the 50 episode commitment. I didn't feel that addicted feeling until about episode 10, and it didn't lose it's thrill until after episode 40. I'm personally not sold on watching dramas this long, but I have no regrets about watching. What this drama does really well is show the depths a relationship can go through, which I loved. This is a grown up love story that is sad, and sexy, and frustrating, and inspiring. I would recommend it, but suggest loading up on snacks, getting a super comfy spot, and not making any plans for a while.

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I could barely wait a second to review this drama! I started watching this while reading reaction posts on the feed, and I just had to know what would inspire those posts... now I do! I marathon-ed through this drama in 3 days, because I was that hooked from the very beginning. I love a drama that gives me a good dose of "the feels", and although I didn't cry at all (which is very unlike me), this drama took me on a roller coaster ride of emotions. There is nothing mellow about this melodrama. There are plenty of punches thrown, lots of ugly tears, overloads of jealousy, mistaken identity (of course), and an daebak star crossed love relationship. I guess I can officially say I am a melodrama fan, but only when it's done right, and "That Winter, The Wind Blows" does it right!

I loved all the cast, and characters. I loved that all of them were flawed in some way, and that even minor characters had depth, and were complicated. I especially loved the chemistry between Jo In Sung and Song Hye Kyo! From their very first scene together, I saw the spark of what would become my three day obsession. Jo In Sung's charm is undeniable, which makes him perfect as a womanizing conman, but he also has this incredible sweetness that makes viewers *swoon* (I know I did with every smirk). Song Hye Kyo seems to be typecast as irrationally stubborn and kinda conceited (qualities that make me want to punch her character in "Descendants of the Sun"), but in this role it makes complete sense, and makes her character seem strong, and not just a pitiful victim with a disability - and YAY lady Chaebol! Yeoung is smart, and often a step ahead, which I liked most about her. She also did a pretty good job convincing me she was blind. The normal melodramatic KDrama romance back and forth was much less frustrating than it usually is for me, because their romantic tension was seriously epic! I won't say why, because it's a large part of the story, but when two people with abandonment issues, who can't admit how they feel, start falling for each other, it's gonna cause epic tension. Sure, if you replaced the music with a horror soundtrack, the show could suddenly seem like a frightening tale about a guy seriously stalking a blind girl, but we all know stalking means saranghae in KDramaland. It also helps that they are quite easy on the eyes, and that she's tiny enough to carry (ok, maybe that could be creepy too).

There are too many great performances by minor characters to name them all, but I will name a few. Kim Bum is always great, and adorbs, so the fact that he's so good is no surprise. Jung Eun Ji grew on me, and I liked her spunk. Bae Jong Ok, as the secretary, was super chilling, and surprisingly empathetic. I don't necessarily like how her actions are dealt with in this drama, but that has nothing to do with her performance, which was great. Seo Hyo Rim's annoying face is perfectly cast as super cray cray. Her character is so unhinged, that it was borderline comedic, but she truly pulled the character off. And then there is Kim Tae Woo as Moo Cheol, who was my favorite kind of villain. He's the kind of villain who is not only empathetic, but I couldn't help but root for him a little, because he was so good at being bad. He also pulled off being bad@ss very well, considering the fact that he looks like asian Spock. I only lowered the score slightly for those extra over the top moments, but in this genre, that's acceptable.

I truly think the writer and director did an amazing job putting all the pieces together. Sometimes it was confusing keeping track of certain rivalries, so I lowered my story rating a little, but it eventually all became pretty clear. The writer & director are the same team that made "Padam Padam", another tragic love story with Kim Bum as an epic sidekick, and disappointing kiss scenes (Though TWTWB isn't nearly as bad with the kiss scenes). Both stories are sweet, intriguing, frustrating, heartbreaking, and inspiring. With this drama in particular, I loved the imaginative way they chose to show memories, and her blindness, which kept me guessing as a viewer without it feeling gimmicky. I was also very confused by the ending, at first, which could be interpreted as open-ended, but I think it was very beautifully done, and not as unresolved as others may think. I took a deep satisfying sigh after it was all done.

The music was great, and fit the story well, but the lyrics were so literal I think I actually laughed at a few of them. I still liked it, I just wouldn't add it to my KDrama OST playlist.

Would I watch it again? Definitely. The suspense made the episodes seem to fly by, and kept me watching waaaaaaay past my bedtime. It may lose some of that thrill on a second viewing, but the performances are worth watching again, and I may catch something in the plot I missed the first time.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this as a must see for fans of romance and melodrama. There is also some action, and suspense, with enough humor thrown in to stop it from being too depressing. You may want to have plenty of tissues handy, just in case. You also have to sometimes give in to "KDrama logic", but who watches melodramas for their realism?

TWTWB made me glad to be an only child - siblings have so many rules lol! It also made me think about forgiveness, holding grudges, and what really matters. In my search to find a show that could remind me I have feelings... mission accomplished! My favorite drama list just got a little longer too.

I know I will probably never be able to hear a tiny bell again without thinking about this show.

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This movie is twisted! The first time I watched it, my reaction was "what in the world did i just sit through?!" I was ready to just write this movie off as confusing-weirdo-gore, and never think about it again, but I couldn't get it out of my head!

The movie starts out with 54 school girls gleefully jumping in front of a train. This sets the tone for the type of campy gore that is featured throughout the movie. I don't particularly like gore, but I like movies that make me think, and the plot definitely kept me thinking/scratching my head in confusion.

The story is set up as a mystery involving a website, a pop group, and a bag, that are linked to a wave of seemingly random mass suicides. The story is really much bigger than a simple mystery plot. There are a lot of esoteric scenes that turn this movie into an unapologetically ambiguous social commentary (If all of your friends jumped off of a bridge, would you???). The mystery does eventually get solved, but the resolution just leads to more questions. My rewatch value score is high, because my confusion over parts of the story was so high. I honestly think the concept was much stronger than the actual story, and individual scenes were stronger than the plot as a whole. I usually hate movies that put metaphor before plot, but this movie still manages to be so entertaining. The subject matter is serious, but many of the scenes have more of a dark comedy feel, and did I mention it's sort of a musical?

I had to give the soundtrack a 10 because it left such an impression. I love how disturbingly catchy Dessert's songs were, and I still want the "mail me" ringtone. I have no idea why the Genesis' character starts randomly singing, but his song was also stuck in my head afterwards. I admit that a couple of the songs made it onto my iPod.

This movie is a hard one to recommend. It took a second viewing for me to realize that I actually liked it, and I do now own it. If you can handle a little gore, and and feel like watching something unconventional, I'd say give it a try. Join the club ; )

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I am genuinely surprised by the amount of high the ratings for this drama. This drama is all concept and zero plot. It's finally over and I'm still waiting for a coherent storyline. There were enough moments that I found interesting or even entertaining, to keep me from dropping this drama early on, but I'm convinced that not much planning went into the making of "The Beauty Inside", and they were just relying on the actors to make this weird idea work. For me, that simply wasn't enough. Clearly, this is a movie plot idea stretched beyond its means to fit a drama format (Something I realized too late).

I won't go into the details, but this is basically a story about two people who seem uniquely matched, and in some ways ill-fated. There is also a general theme about empathy and opposites attracting, which is also echoed by a secondary couple. These are very common themes in Kdramaland, but usually, the story becomes more involved and engaging with each new episode. The opposite happened to me while watching this. Everything interesting happens early on and then too much of the time is filled with repetitive tropes and boring scenes full of annoying banter that goes nowhere and adds nothing to the overall story. Her uniqueness remains unexplained for the entirety of the show, and his issue is resolved so simply that it almost felt like cheating. Well, at least there's a great pairing to carry the show, right? Well, yes... and no.

The cast is lead by Seo Hyun Jin as Han Se Gye, who I am a big fan of, and she hasn't disappointed me yet. Instead of playing the quirky odd lead, here she plays a celebrated actress... but don't worry, her quirky charm still shines. She is matched by Lee Min Ki as Seo Do Jae, who usually takes some time to grow on me. He is always super low key and straight-faced in the roles I've seen him in, and this is no different. His robotic charm and her unpredictable energy do work well together for the most part, and they have good chemistry, especially in the earlier episodes. The main problem I had with them is that, once they didn't have a strong conflict to play off of, their scenes started to feel more forced and cringe-worthy. I feel like sometimes they tried too hard to be cute together, and it just turned out to be more annoying than adorable.

The supporting cast was a mixed bag of people I really liked and people I could barely stand. Lee Tae Ri and Moon Ji In both played their loyal assistant/bff roles well, and had good chemistry with their bosses, but one character who I was never really sold on was Ahn Jae Hyun as Ryu Eun Ho. I honestly don't get his appeal at all. Much like Lee Min Ki, I've always seen him play low key characters, but having two low energy males in one drama felt like a downer at times. My problem with Ahn Jae Hyun is that his character is meant to be super attractive and innocently charming, but to me, he just felt subtly arrogant and often boring. The dog's acting had more range than him. Most of his scenes, especially the drinking scenes with Han Se Gye & Woo Mi, made me want to skip all of his dialogue completely. The one thing that made me almost like his character was his chemistry with one of my favorite characters in the whole show, Lee Da Hee as Sa Ra. I loved Sa Ra's mean but reluctantly nice attitude, and matching her with a guy wanting to be a priest made their relationship fun to watch. There were times I looked forward to their scenes together as much as I did the main couple, but like the main couple, their story became very repetitive and dull towards the end.

Also, keep an eye out for lots of glaring cameos! It's almost like actor product placement lol!

Would I watch this again? Definitely not. There's just way too much filler to justify 16 long episodes worth of show, and every episode felt like an eternity to me! I even fell asleep while watching more than once. I would have to skip through most of the scenes just to rewatch the parts I like. Also, the last 2 episodes were so incredibly boring that just watching all the combined flashbacks would basically give you the entire drama in a nutshell. The ending didn't do much as far as closure or answers either, so even completing this drama until the end the first time felt like a waste of time.

Overall, I wish this drama was better since there was the potential for it to be good, but I think the lack of a strong storyline, the repetitive moments and flashback abuse, the way too easily resolved conflicts, and cheesy dialogue make it impossible for me to recommend this drama, even to die-hard romcom fans. There was a missed opportunity to create a really interesting love story, but instead, they decided to go with standard clichés and a super light-hearted and safe plot that won't make audiences too sad or upset. They even tried to imply a meaning for the main character's "identity crisis", but it came across to me as an afterthought and a stretch that failed to give this drama the substance it was going for.

But I guess, like beauty, this drama is in the eye of the beholder. Count me among those who are unimpressed with "The Beauty Inside".

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