1
manicmuse
NYC!
I really liked the main couple. I'm not familiar with Son Ho Jun's acting, but I'm a fan of Jang Na Ra (Hello Monster, and Fated to Love You), and I think they were a good match. The script calls for a lot more melodrama than cuteness between the two of them, but I definitely believed them as a couple, and got invested in their relationship pretty quickly. There's a sense of intimacy between the two of them that is really believable. Jang Ki Yong however brings on some major second lead feels, and really pulls off being the "older" member of the group, while actually being one of the youngest in the cast. I was very impressed by him, and loved his scenes with Na Ra. I hope to see a lot more from him. I also gained some new appreciation for Jang Na Ra's range, so I want to see a lot more of her dramas too.
The rest of the cast was solid as well. The friendships are awesome! Sometimes they go a little overboard with the immaturity, but it was fun to watch. The retro vibe also makes it fun, especially if you remember the last century well, even if a few of the references went over my head. I cared about every character, and they all had such memorable personalities. The MVP of this drama however is Kim Mi Kyung as Jin Joo's mom, which isn't so surprising based on her awesome career, but her character's storyline ends up being the drama that drives most of the show, and immediately sets the tone that this is more than a silly retro drama. Any fan of hers won't be disappointed, not that she's doing anything particularly new, but she's just so great to watch in general that you get to really appreciate her in this. I was also impressed by her moonwalking skills.
I got hooked on "Go Back Couple" pretty quickly, so I was shocked to see that it only had 12 episodes. Initially I was disappointed by that, but it honestly felt like the perfect length at the end. Although I did think some parts of the ending were a little rushed and contrived, they did do a good job of satisfyingly wrapping up everything. I like the message overall, and I suspect that making it longer would have just dragged things on unnecessarily. The episodes are over an hour long, so that does make a difference. I was never bored, and looked forward to watching each week. It also makes me more likely to rewatch it, and makes it much easier to binge watch.
Maybe I'm biased towards stories about gaining a new perspective on a life, or a relationship, that you wish never happened, or have regrets about, but I highly recommend this one. I will warn anyone that has lost a parent that this may be really tough to watch at times, but there is also a great balance of comedy, and insightfulness, that keeps it from being too depressing. I cried hard, I laughed out loud, I got in my feelings about life, so I consider this a drama success. This is the kind of well rounded drama that I don't think you will have any regrets watching.
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From Obsession to Disappointment... That's the plot and my review
In the beginning, I became quickly obsessed with "Nevertheless," even during the torturous wait each week for only one new episode. This series is short so things move pretty fast in the beginning and it's clear that the subject matter is more adult and risqué than usual. What started out as a realistic look at a messy, addictive, and super toxic relationship turned into a much safer story that I lost interest in. This drama struggles with the idea of exploring non-traditional, and non-idealistic relationships while still wanting to play it safe and not cross too many lines. This drama had the potential to be cautionary but sadly turned into another love triangle cliché.The best thing about this drama is definitely the chemistry between the leads. Han So Hee as the recently heartbroken Na Bi and Song Kang as the manipulative Jae Eon are definitely sexy as a duo. I also admit that Na Bi is annoying at times. Also, even though she is the main lead, she has the least interesting personality of the entire cast, even when listening to her inner monologues. I hated seeing her same wide-eyed expression over and over. Still Na Bi was also super relatable. If you have ever been in a toxic relationship with a narcissist you can probably understand Na Bi and her struggle between doing what she knows she should vs what she can't help but desire. Song Kan is perfectly cast as the charming baby-faced bad boy Jae Eon. His confident smirk is enough to make him very believable as the guy everyone wants, and the guy who can get away with doing whatever he wants. He gave me chills because I definitely know some "Jae Eons" and had my own struggles with one. If you ever come across one, run away and save yourself. Believe me! lol! Sadly in the later episodes, his character shifts in a way that made no sense and his performance seemed much more fake and forced, and Na Bi barely had a character arc.
As for the supporting cast, this drama does a great job of spotlighting other relationships that are just as interesting as the leads. My only issue is that I felt a little cheated when those other relationships weren't as fully explored. It was clear that there was only so far this drama was willing to go with each story, but the performances were still great, and the couples were cute.
Of course, I have to mention the all-star of this drama, the infamous "Potato Boy". Chae Jong Hyeop as Yang Do Hyuk is the 2nd lead MVP that dreams are made of. He's cute, he has a sweet smile, he's understanding, he can cook! If you love "shipping" the underdog Potato Boy will not disappoint. He was exactly the boost the main couple needed before they got too boring and repetitive. I'm also currently watching him in "The Witch's Diner" and he definitely has the potential to become a new favorite of mine. I can't wait to see him star in a full 16 episode drama.
Would I watch this again? I'm torn. I think there are definitely some scenes I could rewatch in the early episodes but the payoff was so disappointing that I probably wouldn't. I liked the characters but not enough to want to revisit them. So much about this drama is about awkwardness so it's not exactly a fun rewatch either. I also had zero interest in the art scenes besides the 2 art pieces that bookend the story. Since Art is what connects all of these characters, that's not a good thing. At least they didn't stretch the story out to make it longer. I maybe even could have been shorter.
Overall this drama should have been much better but playing it too safe was its downfall. I know many romance dramas promote unrealistic scenarios, and I don't want to give away anything, but I feel guilty recommending this drama because it may give people too much false hope in a way that could be damaging. Maybe I am too personally biased about the situation, but it still felt a little irresponsible by the end, and It seems the ending is different than the webtoon version (which I am excited to check out). I thought I might love this drama, but instead, those feelings didn't even last for the full 10 episodes. Nevertheless, I have no regrets and I'm glad I watched it.
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If I'm honest, I think I liked the message more than the show...
"Hello, Me!" is a drama I have mixed feelings about. Although I did love the concept and self-love theme a lot, I could feel myself losing interest in this drama towards the end. In spite of dealing with serious things like grief and guilt, this drama tries to stay lighthearted and "feel good" which I think stopped it from becoming as deep as it could've been. I think playing it too safe and relying on tropes is what made me less excited about what was going to happen, but there was still a lot that I did like, and I'm glad I eventually watched it until the end.I'll start with Ban Ha Ni, played by Choi Kang Hee. I think she is a great actress, and this character reminded me a bit of her role in "Heart to Heart", which I really liked, but one petty thing was driving me crazy. Sorry, but I just couldn't believe she was 37. Since so much about this drama is about her age, as opposed to Lee Re who is Ban Ha Ni at 17, I just kept wishing they bumped the time difference up to 25 years, which would have been way more realistic. Still, I did like the idea of the major contrast between her past self and current self and thought they were a great match. Lee Re is super cute and obnoxious but likable, which is the perfect contrast to Kang Hee's passive and worn-down version of Ha Ni. I won't go into the details of how and why their paths cross, but the idea of not being a disappointment to your past self was an inspiring theme, and what kept me initially engaged. Many of Ban Ha Ni's moments, at both ages, are silly and over the top which stops the story from ever getting too heavy, but I think that also backfired and made the story feel too repetitive and cliché at times. Convenient connections and "fated" situations became this drama's crutch. I appreciate that this drama wasn't too dark, or depressing, but the over the top comedy was sometimes too much.
Speaking of balance, this drama also stars Kim Young Kwang as Han Yoo Hyun, who was my favorite character even if his storyline was all over the place. He also played a similar role in Pinocchio (another favorite drama of mine) as a spoiled rich heir who is still sweet and considerate. In this drama he thankfully isn't the second lead. He's also cute and cheesy in "The Secret Life of My Secretary", so this is definitely his lane, but any romance in "Hello, Me!" is definitely just implied and that was very disappointing. The chemistry between him and Kang Hee is cute but super platonic. They have cute teamwork moments, and the way he supports Ha Ni is like a loyal puppy more than a love interest. I guess I'm glad they didn't force the romance idea too much, but I wish they made them clearly just friends instead. Any small attempts at romance between the two just seemed too awkward, and forced. He did make me smile whenever he was on screen, which was another thing that kept me watching even when I stopped caring. He has such a great smile! More than with Ha Ni I loved his chemistry and banter with his dad, played by Yoon Joo Sang. Some of my favorite scenes in this drama were random moments between the two of them more than any moment between the leads. If romance is your reason for watching this, definitely lower those expectations.
The rest of the cast was also good but because so much of the story lacked depth so did many of their performances. Ha Ni's classmates and family are all great. Eum Moon Suk as Anthony is considered a lead, maybe even an intended 2nd lead, but as much as his story works as a direct counter narrative to Ha Ni's story, I just never cared as much about him and what happened to him. I also didn't really care about the drama in Yoo Hyun's family, beyond his back and forth with his dad, the fighting for company control trope felt really out of place in this drama. Then there is one Shaman character who feels completely unnecessary. A character that weird and random should have had much better scenes. In contrast, I adored the lunch lady duo. In fact I liked them way more than many of the more prominent characters.
Would I watch this again? I don't think so. I didn't even feel motivated to finish this drama but I still wanted to know what would happen to Ha Ni. I do feel like that part of the story ended well, and I was satisfied with that, but the ways that so many other parts of the drama were resolved were extra corny and predictable. I feel like maybe to counter the sad parts they made sure the ending was extra positive, which felt a little like overkill. I only learned after watching that this was a novel so I'm curious which parts were added to fill in the 16 episodes, because that's what a lot of it felt like.
Overall this drama is Ok. I think I liked the message and idea of the show more than watching all of the episodes. Some parts made me laugh, and some parts made me really cry, and I loved the theme of making peace with who you are no matter what. I wouldn't call this a must see drama by any means, but there are enough good things about it to make me recommend this to anyone looking for something that's not too deep or completely frivolous. If you're a scene skipper, this is the kind of drama that has many skippable scenes. Also, if you are on any kind of diet beware! Snacks and snack love are a major factor in this drama, which felt a little overdone, but I can appreciate the sentiment as a snack lover. This drama itself is kinda like a snack more than a meal. It may not be filling but if you're in the mood for comedy sprinkled with nostalgia and self reflection and with just a slight (very slight) hint of romance it might just hit the spot.
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There are plenty of dramas about bffs falling in love, or how living together can turn into romance. The premise itself is pretty standard, but unlike other dramas that I've seen, this one doesn't just jump from strictly platonic to romantic love with a sudden revelation & a kiss. This one explores all the complicated in betweens, and conflicting/confusing emotions, that can come up when a relationship changes from friendship to possible romance. There are also no scheming exes, malevolent parents, debilitating diseases, social class barriers, or major "scandals" thrown in to add more excitement to the drama. It doesn't need any of that. Lee Jung Jin & Soo Ae's performances alone are enough to keep the story exciting. There is also a great supporting cast with interesting love (or lack of love) stories of their own, and a great overall theme about maturing into adulthood.
Maybe the fact that I've had a similar opposite sex friendship plays a role, but Hyung Tae and Nan Hee relationship really resonated with me, plus they had great chemistry. This drama took it's time realistically portraying their close friendship, and they are also had their own separate romantic storylines, which made the pace a little slower than a typical Kdrama romcom. I thought the slower pacing was perfect for telling this kind of story, and lots of humor kept it from feeling like it was ever dragging. It also helped to build anticipation. I honestly enjoyed every episode.
There were a few parts of the story that I think could have been handled a little better, but I think the writers did a really good job juggling different stories without losing focus on the main couple. I think the only weak character was Sung Ah, who after being mentioned so often in the drama, should have had a bigger presence when she finally appeared. I know she was meant to be portrayed as an outsider, but compared to the rest of the cast, her character bored me.
I also have to mention how weird it was to see a young Lee Tae Sung in this after seeing him recently in Rooftop Prince. It makes me appreciate his acting range, considering how different each role I've seen him play has been. He's a real sweetheart as Jung Joo, Nan Hee's much younger boyfriend. His character is the only one that really has anything to do with baseball, so this should not be thought of as a sports drama. Baseball is just used as a metaphor for relationships in a way that kinda reminded me of the movie "Love & Basketball". You don't have to like baseball to appreciate this drama.
Overall, "9 End 2 Outs" was a pleasant surprise, and I will definitely rewatch it. With all the cliché drama romcoms out there, this one certainly stands out. It's funny, and touching (though not a tearjerker), and I highly recommend it to anyone in the mood to watch a good romance unfold.
*I swear I didn't give this mostly "9"s on purpose : )
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The story revolves around a Mall's tragic collapse 10 years ago, and the plans to rebuild a new mall in the same spot. In the beginning I thought I would get bored by that plot pretty quickly, but the real story is all the characters directly or indirectly affected by this tragedy. Yes, it's also a great love story, but there are so many other interesting characters besides the main couple with their own struggles, romances, and personal battles. The characters are also extremely diverse as far as their circumstances (age, status, abilities...), but they all deal with their own frustrations, and self realizations. The cast is basically perfect.
Lee Jun Ho and Won Jin Ah were amazing together. I was impressed by how realistic their pain, angst, and chemistry felt. They never felt melodramatic or over the top, no matter how heavy the story got. Moon Soo has a cool no matter what personality, while Kang Doo has a dangerous charm, and both are frustrating at times, and heartbreaking at other times, but also incredibly cute together. I will say that Jun Ho was exceptionally good, and I was extremely impressed by his range. Whether he was tough, sensitive, smirking, crying, sickly, seductive, or just charismatic... he nailed every single emotion. I guess this proves once again that you can't underestimate someone by their past boyband status. I look forward to seeing many more awesome roles in his future!
This is the kind of drama where it's hard to pick out a few members of the cast because the whole cast is stellar. This review would be pages long if I tried to mention all the reasons why, just know that they are all realistic, sympathetic, imperfect, and that I genuinely cared about all of them. I will mention one MVP of the cast, which is saying a lot considering how good everyone was, and that's Kim Kang Hyun as Sang Man. There were many times that I thought his humor, wisdom, and emotional observations stole the show. It may be a stereotype to have the slowest person be in many ways the smartest, but he executed it so well. I loved Sang Man way too much not to mention him specifically.
I know I keep giving a lot of credit to the cast, but the writer and director deserve much of the credit too. The whole story feels extremely intimate. We get a sense of the Mall collapse's impact without it becoming too melodramatic. The images were also more haunting than gruesome, which gave them a stronger impact. The writer also avoids having everything work out perfectly, or making everything doom and gloom, which is part of why it all felt so realistic. Even during moments where the story felt a little slower, everything still felt connected, and necessary. There was one point where a character kept repeating the same frustrating action, and just as it was about to drive me crazy, they explained why they kept doing it and it all made sense. There's also enough balance in the story where it's never too sad, or too happy, for too long. If you like character driven stories, you will definitely not be disappointed.
The question of whether I would watch this again is tricky. While it's certainly good enough to watch again, you have to definitely be in the mood for this kind of story. Some of the suspense in wanting to know what decisions characters would make would be gone, which may make some episodes feel slower. Still, the cast is so phenomenal that I would enjoy watching these characters again even knowing the outcome.
I also really enjoyed the soundtrack. It was mellow, and moving, without being too distracting. I though that was perfect for a drama like this.
Overall, this is a must see drama, but be prepared for some tears... or many tears if you are a crybaby like me. With a story surrounding so many different characters, know that the ending is extremely satisfying (which I was worried about), as far as not leaving any characters hanging or forgotten about. I expected to be depressed when it was over, but instead I felt inspired to appreciate each day, even when life isn't exactly what I want it to be. From the beginning until the end I was totally invested in "Just Between Lovers", and I'm so glad I took a chance on it when I had no idea what to expect.
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The plot involves seeing the future in your dreams, which is not a new kdrama concept, but I liked the way it was executed here. The supernatural thriller aspect of this show was what kept me most interested. I was excited each week to see if the characters would be able to change their fate. There's also a lot of the plot that involves the characters' backstories, which I also very found interesting. It's not the most exciting or original thriller, but I was entertained. The writer, Park Hye-Ryun, wrote two dramas that I enjoyed with similar styles, "I Hear Your Voice" (one of my favorite villains) and "Pinocchio" (one of my favorite dramas). I think this one doesn't quite measure up in comparison, but in some ways it's kind of a hybrid of the two. "While You Were Sleeping" combines the law and reporting, asks similar questions about morality, and of course adds a supernatural twist in a way that is meant to seem totally plausible and realistic. The most obvious similarity, of course, is that it stars Lee Jong Suk. Maybe they were banking on recapturing past magic with all of these elements, but it still falls a little short.
Lee Jong Suk is fairly consistent. He's got this cool confident swag thing going on, without being too arrogant, and while being vulnerable enough to maintain his charm. In this role, however, he is supposed to come off as a little less cool, and it honestly didn't work. He still maintains his charm, but the lighthearted character he was going for still seemed too much like the character he usually plays, just in forced silly situations. I don't think fans of his will be disappointed, or that he does a bad job, it's just that something feels off with this character pretty early on. He of course is matched with Suzy, who I have been neutral about for a long time. She plays eccentric Hong Ju, the real center of this whole drama, but she went from being interesting to too predictable for me in this role. For a character who is supposed to be so headstrong and determined, she was still easily overshadowed by the guys. I honestly don't think she had a strong enough presence for this role. It also doesn't help that her chemistry with Jong Suk didn't quite work either. At first they were cute, really cute, but then they were pretty boring and forgettable. Both of their emotional scenes also felt really forced. She seems like an actress that relies on her costar's charm to make the chemistry really work, and since Jong Suk wasn't at his A game, that made her extra mediocre. So fans looking for a good rom com storyline will be pretty underwhelmed.
The rest of the cast is mostly great, especially Jung Hae In and Kim Won Hae. Hae In is a formidable second lead, if the romance portion wasn't so lacking, and really charming. I also love Won Hae's versatility, even though this role is more low key and emotional than I've seen him before, he is clearly a talented actor. Then there's the rest of the ensemble, especially the prosecutors and staff, who were all extremely entertaining, and added a lot to the story to hold my interest. Still, I have to say that I was disappointed by Lee Sang Yeob. He was good at playing arrogant, I will definitely give him that, but as a villain he was pretty boring. On paper his character is duplicitous, charming, and manipulative, but I felt like he was pretty one note in his portrayal. I'm a sucker for a good villain, so maybe I'm being extra hard on him, but I just wasn't impressed.
My rewatch value is obviously pretty low because my desire to even finish was pretty low. The plot is good enough, I think, to warrant a second viewing to see how the pieces fit. It may even be better to just binge watch so you don't have enough time in between to lose interest. I will also add the disclaimer that I was simultaneously watching other on air suspense/thriller dramas at the same time, and this started to pale in comparison, which didn't help.
The OST was pretty "meh" worthy for me. It fit the vibe of the story well, but I have no desire to hear any of these songs again. If I connected to this drama more I would probably like the OST more, but there are plenty of bad shows with soundtracks I love, so maybe not.
Overall, I'd say I'm disappointed based on the strong start, but not mad that I completed it. I would recommend too many other dramas before this one, especially since suspense is a common theme this season, but this isn't terrible, just not great. I wish more questions were answered at the end, instead of going for the standard ending, but I don't have any real major complaints. I would easily recommend this to fans of "I Hear your Voice" and "Pinocchio", with the disclaimer to lower your expectations, and expect some major deja vu.
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What I loved most about Ji Sung's performance is that Dr. Cha is often very poker-faced and hard to read, and when he was emotional it was usually very subtle where just a simple look from him, or tap of his finger, could break my heart, or get me excited. He is matched with Lee Se Young as Dr. Kang Shi Yeong, who is pretty young in comparison, so I wasn't sure if they would match well or have any chemistry. I was definitely wrong about that and she was often great at matching his subtle intensity and definitely held her own in all of their scenes together. This is less of a cute romantic pairing and more about watching two people inspire each other to be better. I really enjoyed how they worked together and complimented each other.
As for the rest of the cast, there are supporting characters that I loved and others that were a little annoying. I absolutely loved the team of doctors in the Pain unit, especially Hwang Hee as Dr. Lee Yoo Joon (aka the poor man's Gong Yoo). It felt as if I was actually watching a team bond and come together. On the flip side, I was much less interested in characters like Nurse Chae and prosecutor Son Suk Ki. I thought their story was interesting and resolved well, and I did empathize with them initially, but eventually, their actions became way too repetitive for me to continue to care. A large part of the "mystery" in this story revolves around them and they became my least favorite part of the story. I did like how the story took its time in revealing what was happening, but I wished some parts weren't dragged out for so long once things were revealed, especially in the later episodes. The last few episodes were definitely the weakest.
What I surprisingly did like a lot were the random stories of patients. They were extremely interesting, and their diagnosis was like solving mini-mysteries. Some moments are a little graphic, but never without reason. Many of them also stuck to the show's main themes about what the role of doctors can/should be and the more controversial topic of euthanasia. All of the stories are handled with respect and without heavy-handed judgment, which I think is what makes this show so thought-provoking. Maybe that's why I liked it more than I usually like other hospital dramas.
Would I watch this again? Yes, I can see myself watching this again, although I may be tempted to just skip past a few parts. Some of the mystery would definitely be gone, but it's still entertaining enough to hold my interest. I also think the soundtrack generally complimented this drama well.
Overall, I think this is a great drama to watch, even if you're not into medically-based stories because the mystery element makes it all more entertaining. The love story feels real, although it may not satisfy fans who like a strong focus on romance. It's at times heartbreaking, and frustrating, but also inspiring. The patient's stories are strong enough to override the weak hospital rivalry stories, but overall the hospital atmosphere also felt very real. I am curious about the book this is loosely based on, but I think this drama definitely stands on its own. I also don't understand why Cha translates to "John" but no matter what you call him Ji Sung nailed the role! This is yet another drama that won't be added to my favorites list, but I can't deny what this drama does well and that I am glad I watched it. By the end, I felt good, without there being an extra cheesy feel-good resolution. If you don't think you have a high threshold for dramas like this, give this one a chance, and you may be surprised like I was. I prescribe at least 4 episodes of Dr. John before making a decision. Just like this drama's themes show repeatedly, you can't always go by your first impression, and Dr, John definitely deserves a chance to really be seen, especially if you are a Ji Sung fan. If you're not, I suspect you'll become one after watching!
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Maybe it was a little more innovative at the time, but the story is super basic by today's standards. Super cute curly-haired Dalja is anxious about getting older, when she ends up getting involved in a pretend relationship with a much younger and carefree Tae Bong. Their story involves everything you expect, including a classic relationship contract, but that still didn't stop me from loving watching their story unfold. Dalja's constant complaints about being old were annoying, and some of her fantasies are super cheesy, but she is an extremely likable character. Chae Rim did a good job of making her naive without being extremely annoying. She matched perfectly with Lee Min Ki's much edgier portrayal of Kang Tae Bong. Tae Bong has a mischievous charm that makes him very crush worthy. His eyes were very red, as if he was always high, or had bad allergies, but the looks he would give Dalja made it impossible for her (and I) not to fall for him. Their kissing moments left a lot to be desired, but I expect that from a drama this old. Their chemistry alone makes the show good enough to watch, but there is also an amazing supporting cast.
What I love most about the supporting cast is that I had no idea how significant, and interesting they would become. On the surface they are stereotypical... the playboy, the cool egotistical host, the perfect on paper second lead, the scary boss (with the awesome glasses)... but each of these characters end up being way more complicated, and significant. I adored Lee Hye Young as Seon Joo, who I expected to hate, but won me over. Gong Hyung Jin was great too, even if his hair was distractingly stupid. I even loved some of the more minor characters, like Jang Young Nam as Ki Joong's psycho wife. The minor storylines were also entertaining, so they never felt like filler, and they helped to make the 22 episodes not drag for me.
Even though I really liked the writing, if there was a kdrama trope checklist, this drama would almost check every box. The drama is however clever enough to make fun of that fact several times during some of the show's "if this were a drama" moments. It also plays off of some of Dalja's romanticized ideas about romance. Still, it's super predictable at every turn, but the cast is so good that knowing what will happen didn't stop me from wanting to see it happen. My only real complaint is that, although I liked the endings for the supporting characters, I didn't love the ending for the main couple. I rolled my eyes several times during the last 2 episodes, but It did however leave me wanting more, which I guess is a good thing.
The OST for this show is also a good one, and matches the mood of the show well. The main song definitely got stuck in my head! But it's the illustrations that really steal the show! I looooooved the artwork, which was a really nice touch, and captured the characters and stories well.
Overall this is a drama cute enough to stand the test of time. I could see myself watching this again just because the characters are so fun. I really liked the theme of true love vs expectations of love as well. I highly recommend Dal Ja's Spring to anyone who avoids retro dramas... I think you may also be pleasantly surprised.
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Jo Jung Suk and Gong Hyo Jin are perfectly matched in this! She has basically paired with most of my favorite male leads at this point, and in some of my favorite dramas, but this match is definitely one of her best. Na Ri is quirky and likable, and frustrating, and definitely a memorable character. Parts of her personality would have easily made me hate her if she were played by a lesser actress, but she is so good that it works. Jo Jung Suk as Lee Hwa Shin however, is the key to what makes this couple so good. He's played lovably arrogant before, and extremely well, but he made me fall for him so much in this role, even though he is an absolute jerk. I don't want to give any of the story away, but it's certainly not your average love story set up. It also could have easily gone a much cheesier melodramatic route, which this story thankfully avoided. The plot stays true to the seriousness of the subject matter without losing any of the humor. What I never expected from these two was that they would have some EXTREMELY HOT moments, with an intense attraction that was addictive to watch. The relationship also felt real, with their personality flaws on full display, which made them super relatable.
Of course, I can't leave out Go Gyeong Pyo as Jeong Won. Not only is his bromance with Hwa Shin perfection, and an essential part of the story, but he completes my favorite kdrama love triangle, possibly of all time. These three actors had me excited about watching their shenanigans each week, and I could never quite guess what would happen next. I loved them so much that for the first time I was excited that a show was longer than I expected it to be. Gyeong Pyo is also the kind of character that the term "Second Lead Syndrome" was made for. His actions did start to annoy me after a while, but they never lost their charm as a trio, which was the best part of the show for me.
The rest of the cast is filled with memorable, and hilarious characters. It truly is a great ensemble, with entertaining stories of their own. I could spend all day writing about why I loved each supporting character, down to super cute Seol Woo Hyung, but I will just say it's a cast worthy of a perfect score. Again, I need to compliment the story for staying interesting, and not falling into the same old expected clichés. Although this is pretty much a romantic comedy, I not only laughed, but I cried, I also laughed while I cried, and got deeply invested in each story. It also made behind the scenes in the newsroom seem fun, interesting, and even intense at times. Usually, the "at the job" parts of the story just feel like filler to me in romcoms, but the cast and crew of SBC were entertaining on their own. I also feel the same way about the Chef, and the apartments at Rak Pasta, though it took me a little longer to get into that part of the story because it was initially kinda confusing (especially how related they all were without knowing it).
Would I watch this drama again? Absolutely. In fact, this is one of those dramas I was ready to watch again immediately after it was finished. I have the soundtrack, of course! The "step step" song will be stuck in my head for a long time! There are a lot of good songs and some that fit the mood of the story really well, like "Monday To Sunday"... which always played at the perfect time. Hilariously, "No No No" is maybe one of my low-key favorite OST songs of all time.
Overall, I knew this would be added to my favorite drama list halfway through, so of course I recommend it! By the end, I was totally satisfied and was never bored, and all the weirdness in the beginning made perfect sense... umm... except for the aliens... What's up with the aliens? Anyway, This is an absolute must for Gong Hyo Jin fans and Jo Jung Suk fans, and romcom fans in general. If you're not a fan of either, it's still worth giving it a shot. Prepare yourself to laugh, cry, and crave ramen while watching. This drama is definitely unique, so just go along with that "What the hell am I watching?" feeling that you will probably have in the beginning, and I don't think you will be disappointed. Personally, I miss the characters so much that I'm singing the OST to myself... "step, step, where do I go now?" :(
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This review may contain spoilers
This drama really exceeded my expectations! This is a completely re-imagined version of historical events. Like Shakespeare's historical plays, It's less about being historically accurate, and more about exploring themes ... specifically love & fate. I didn't really know about the true history until after I finished the drama, which I am thankful for. Not really knowing anything kept me on the edge of my seat until the end. I was afraid that a sageuk with a very political plot would get boring, and confusing, but that was not the case. The politics in the story is just there to set the stage for this tragic but beautiful romance. If you already know Jang Ok Jung's story, I suggest pretending that you don't. Kim Tae Hee's version is not an evil villain, greedily ambitious, nor is she a passive victim. The Jang Ok Jung of this drama is inspiring, but flawed. I liked her, even when she did things that frustrated me, which I think made her more human, and relatable. (Something told me she was a scorpio, and I was right. lol.)
Yoo Ah In & Kim Tae Hee's amazing chemistry are the driving force behind this drama, and both do an excellent job in their roles. I loved how King Sookjong would go from an arrogant smirk, to moments of complete sensitivity. Like Jang Ok Jung, he is also flawed, which made me love his character more.
The majority of the cast was excellent. I hated the villains I was supposed to hate, but they also had moments where they completely won my sympathy. There were too many great performances to point them all out, but I think Hong Soo Hyun, as Queen Inhyun, was the most complicated of the supporting cast, and my favorite.
The two cast members I was least impressed with were Han Seung Yeon as Sookbin Choi & Jae Hee as Hyun Chi Soo. Sookbin Choi seemed to be the only one dimensional character, with one arrogant "stank" face throughout. This was probably done in order to justify Jang Ok Jung's actions, which worked, but I wish she had as much depth as the other characters. And Jae Hee was just... well... boring. Maybe it's because I still can't forgive him for "Color of Woman", but I thought he was the worst of the cast, and subtracted a full point for his performance alone.
Overall, even if you're not a sageuk fan, I would make this one an exception. I'd suggest avoiding spoiler happy "Dong Yi" fans, or Korean History buffs, to have the best experience. Romance fans, keep in mind that this is a romantic tragedy, filled with many more depressing scenes than cute ones, so just keep your tissues handy, especially in the later episodes. Kudos to the makers of this drama for making 24 episodes without any unnecessary "filler". I laughed, cried, cheered, and got pissed off, but was never really bored. I could see myself watching them all again, it was that good.
This story may not be heavy on truth, but it did succeed in making me not only interested in her life, but other dramas that tell the story of the women of King Sukjong of Joseon's royal court. I guess I'm now officially coming out as a sageuk fan!
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The plot makes no sense. A rich guy finds his 3 dead son's sons and forces them to live in a fancy home together, even though they don't get along. His solution is to hire a weird poor girl to move in and trick them into getting along, just as long as she doesn't date them? What???!!! Obviously the premise is just a set up to put her in close proximity with 3 cute guys (4 if you count the hot secretary), and honestly I was willing to forgive the implausibility of it all just to watch that often repeated k-drama dynamic of "which cute guy do I choose?"- but unfortunately the show dared to introduce another female lead which literally killed any joy I found watching the show. Once they tried to force feed that story into the plot, the show lost it's charm, and that brought my attention to how dumb the rest of the plot really was. Oh, and the flashbacks... waaaaaaay too many flashbacks filling up the time. Each flashback seemed to say "remember that part that you liked" as a way to distract from how bad the current story was.
As for the cast, it took me a while to warm up to Park So Dam as Ha Won. She bored me at first, the same way she initially bored me in Beautiful Mind, but eventually I started to root for her. She's quirky, and kinda naive, yet outspoken, and honest. She was definitely giving me Jan Di from BoF flashbacks. She is matched with the 3 leads, and had cute chemistry with each of them. Playboy Hyun Min had great second lead potential in the beginning. I liked many of their early scenes together. Seo Woo is super sweet, and a cute match to watch throughout the show, although they spend less time together as the show progresses. Then of course there's Jung Il Woo as Ji Woon... the reason I kept watching. He has great charisma, and his smirk won me over early on. There were moments where he and Park So Dam looked like they really could be dating, that's how cute they were together. That's also what tricked me into sticking with this show... every time I was about to quit watching they would have a moment that sucked me back in. I should also mention the cute secretary (I guess he's prince #4) who's character, and storyline, seemed like an afterthought, but I really liked him a lot (I personally would have chosen him).
So if most of the main cast was pretty good, why such a low score? The answer is Son Na Eun as Hye Ji. She is not just bad, she is a ruiner of scenes. Not only is her character terribly written... they try to make you empathize with a crazy ex who can't let go, and it did not work for me... She is also just not a great actress at all. Her expressions were bland, her emotions felt fake (tears of the crocodile variety), and I'm not an A Pink fangirl so I don't get her appeal. I felt like groaning every time she was on screen, which was more and more as the show progressed. She ruined any love I had for the show, and by the end her scenes became moments to take bathroom breaks, or check messages or my email... I wish the show was half as long and omitted her entire storyline (which also made no sense, but I won't spoil it). A good rival should add to the plot, not make you want to never watch again. Grandpa CEO was also a terrible character, and frustrating to watch, but his acting wasn't terrible so it worked. Other parents were equally annoying, but still not as bad as Na Eun (and had much less screen time). The only character who annoyed me as much is Ja Yeong, the BFF of Ha Won. I guess I was supposed to find her creepy fangirl personality cute, but she annoyed me. The forced romance implications were also not working for me. Ahh, forced romance... that brings me to the end... ugh!
I honestly wanted to see how it would all be resolved, but the ending felt so forced, and overly romantic, that I would have rather had a tragic sappy ending where everyone died. The ending scene was so incredibly cheesy that I couldn't take it. The only thing I liked was the surprise (totally predictable) backstory between Ji Woon and Ha Won, that I wish was the main focus of the show in the first place. Of course they add unnecessary drama to the final moments too, but there are no surprises, so I don't recommend forcing yourself to stick it out to the end.
The soundtrack is not my favorite, but it's the best part of the show after the main kissing scenes.
Would I watch this again? Never. I'm still wondering why I didn't stop watching weeks ago!
Overall this show is bad... really bad, in spite the cute moments that I wish could be pieced together to form it's own mini show. If you start it, you will probably be tempted to keep watching, but let me assure you that once it starts going down hill it will only get worse. Just watch youtube clips of the best scenes from the show, and don't bother trying to make sense of the messy storyline, or care who the characters are... clearly the writer didn't care either. I can't believe this is based on a book, and I wonder how much this show misses the mark.
I wish I could go back in time and drop this drama. If you're wondering if it's better to watch and drop, or to never watch at all, I would say both choices are better than forcing yourself to watch the whole thing. I give the show a 4 - one point for each of the 4 prince cuties interactioning with the lead. That's basically all the show has to offer, and that's not enough to fill 16 episodes. With soooo many cinderella themed k-dramas out there, this literal one is the one you should miss.
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My guess is that Kim Sun Ah meant to play Jenny Jang as poker-faced and cold-blooded, but instead, she came across as robotic and with such an emotional backstory and such a fast-paced and plot-twisting story her being emotionless for the majority of the drama, besides a few restrained crying scenes, got old really quick. I felt like she was going for a similar vibe to Jang Hyuk as Pil Joo in "Money Flower" (which I LOVED) but he had so many emotions that were always noticeable right below the surface while Jenny Jang just seemed like she was on depression medication from the first episode until the very last episode only occasionally looking slightly shocked when something didn't go her way, or smirking and sneering slightly when pleased. Luckily so many of the other cast members are really exceptional and they are what kept me interested enough to keep watching.
If I had to choose a favorite character I would be torn between Jang Mi Hee and Park Hee Bon. Both of their characters are far from likable but their greed and ruthlessness were addictive to watch.
Jang Mi Hee is praiseworthy as the head of the Deo Group Kim Yeo Ok who puts success in her business before anything else, including her family. I loved watching her devious smile as she crossed lines no one would ever expect anyone but a sociopath to cross. Great villains are my favorite and she definitely falls into that category. If Jenny Jang had more of a personality and was less passive-aggressive their scenes could have been so much better but Yeo Ok's performance still shines. I also loved Park Jae Young as the Deo daughter Ye Nam. Her irrational greed and jealousy were so frustrating to watch that I wanted to reach through the screen several times and shake the hell out of her. I'm not used to seeing her as a villain type instead of the "quintessential bff" but she was perfect in this role. She didn't just play up her annoying and whiney characteristics but I also empathized. Even if I didn't like her I cared about her story and at times pitied her. I also loved her rivalry with Jenny even though she also carried the emotional weight in their scenes together too. I hope to see her in more roles as a main character.
The next characters that deserve praise are Kim Jae Young as Sun Woo who takes loyalty to the ultimate level, and the determined and strategic Go Min Shi as Lee Hyun Ji. I really loved their performances and complicated relationship. The scenes where they get to know each other better were some of my favorites in the whole drama. Jae Young nails Sun Woo's puppy-like loyalty but also his bad@ss qualities, and I found myself rooting for him much more than Jenny. I think that's because unlike Jenny he had moments where he was vulnerable and human, and that along with his backstory gave his character a lot more depth. I also loved that Hyun Ji was seemingly innocent and idealistic but usually one step ahead of everyone, and I liked watching her character evolve from being used to using others. I know Go Min Shi from one of my favorite dramas (The Smile Has Left Your Eyes) and I look forward to seeing her in more dramas. I think these two deserved way more screen time together, and their chemistry and storyline kept me interested when the rest of the plot lost some of it's spark. I wouldn't call the dynamic between these 3 a love triangle (or love square if you include Kim Tae Hoon
as Jung Hyuk) since there really isn't any romance in this drama, but it's more about devotion and support for each who they love with each character dealing with their own form of unrequited love.
The rest of the cast was good too but I wonder how much more I would have liked their performance if they got to play against a main character with more of a personality. The plot is also pretty fast-paced for the most part and has a good amount twists but as the drama went on things started to get more repetitive and less interesting until I was ultimately bored and no longer excited for the next episode to come out. Still, many of the twists are really well done, especially the first major backstory reveal which was jaw-dropping. And I didn't love the ending but the ending does make sense and wraps the story up pretty neatly, although it felt a little rushed even if I was definitely ready for it to finally be over.
Another petty complaint I have is that the "Secret Boutique" this drama refers to is mostly a glorified office and not worthy of inspiring the title name. I wish I could see more of the Boutique in action. Maybe that would have made the fact that Jenny built it with nothing more interesting too.
Would I watch this again? Maybe. I'm not sure if knowing what is going to happen would help me lower my expectations enough to like it more or just bore me for the second time. I would be curious to see if I missed anything since there are so many elements to this plot, but watching Kim Sun Ah's lackluster Jenny would probably be even less interesting the second time around. It also doesn't help that I didn't love the ending. Meanwhile, Yeo Ok is such a fascinatingly sinister character that it might be worth it just to watch her in action again. Who knew that stroking a cat and drinking tea could be so dramatic!
Overall this is a standard ruthless rich family power struggle makjang flavored with revenge that started off strong but just couldn't keep up the momentum. This really is the worst family ever on so many levels, which I found to be extremely entertaining, but because it centers around a female lead that I became indifferent to it's hard for me to recommend this drama without that warning. There's still enough to the story that I would recommend it to people who like rich family melodramas in general, it's still probably better than most in that genre in many ways, especially if you binge-watch instead of waiting on episodes as I did (which kept getting delayed). If you enjoy watching people casually do the most heinous things in the name of greed and power then there is plenty of that. I liked that I was never really sure who the good and bad guys in each situation were. It's also beautifully shot, like a film, with some scenes being visually stunning and haunting at the same time. As Aalia's Masquerade played for the final time I realized that this drama did deliver on what it was trying to do, even if I did still feel let down. Some viewers may also like Sun Ah's performance way more than I did, so it's definitely worth watching to judge for yourself. I think of this as Money Flower lite, which isn't a bad thing. It's also good to see such a female-dominated plot in general, with all of the men playing supportive roles to the women in this drama. This drama may be guilty of a few tropes but it being a female-centered drama around business and power is refreshing and unique. That alone may be enough of a reason to watch.
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Too much talk and not enough plot.
I expected "Doom at Your Service" to easily become a new drama favorite of mine. It starsSeo In Guk as an attractive and mysterious male lead, which is his specialty and almost a guarantee that I'll get hooked, but his storyline is hijacked by a mediocre love triangle/fractured bromance that made me lose any interest I had. Instead of getting a fully fleshed-out-fantasy- romance about Doom itself going against character and falling in love with a depressed woman, I got a boring office drama about writers and editors with way too much dialogue and not enough plot. This is also meant to be a tear-jerker yet my eyes remained dry the entire time. This drama went from addictive to barely watchable fast. I almost dropped it in the last episodes because it dragged so much. Maybe a more dynamic female lead could have kept me interested longer. Even though Park Bo Young may be cute, and even likable, she annoyed me as the Tak Dong Kyung.
Dong Kyung as a character starts off amazing. She does the unexpected, she appears brave and considerate and clever, but as the story loses direction so does the character. There were too many Park Bo Young scenes with her crying/whining before I had a chance to fully connect with the character's situation. I also felt declining chemistry between her and Seo In Guk as Doom/Sa Ram. What started with an interesting connection turned into long conversations and repetitive fantasy sequences but not a love story I could connect with. I'm just gonna say it, Seo In Guk is much better at passionate scenes and showing depth (like in "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes"), and he tried to carry many of their scenes with subtle choices I loved, but having Park Bo Young play so innocent, almost childish, missed the mark for me. She also seemed too indifferent about literally dying for too long. The denial in the beginning aside, which worked well, as episodes evolved I just didn't believe she was a woman making life or death choices which stopped me from caring enough to cry or just fall in love with the story. I can't say she was bad in the role, she just wasn't good enough to make me buy into this unusual plot. Big Park Bo Young fans may feel differently and be more forgiving, which would make a huge difference in whether you like this drama or not. She is in 2 unique concept dramas that I loved "Strong Woman Do Bong Soon" and "Oh My Ghostess", where being cute worked much better, but not this time. I was unimpressed.
The next problematic character for me is Jeong Ji So as "God". I didn't mind the whole Dora The Explorer Diety Gardner thing, or her performance, but her esoteric unclear presence in the story was more frustrating than interesting. Mainly, again, because she talked too much and showed too little (besides random plants). Maybe some things were lost in translation, but her long conversations and observations may be good in a novel, or a webtoon, but on screen, it just drags and bored me almost to sleep at times. I'm wondering if the dialogue sounds so "beautiful" in Korean that the writer fell too in love with their own words to cut any of it down and remember that showing is more compelling than telling on screen. Yes, there were a few well-done visual scenes but they were still mostly overwhelmed by talking. Too many scenes of the leads just staring at each other in bed (together and apart) was a huge romantic disappointment too. They were damn near platonic for such an epic fated love story, with too much narration. It lacked enough passion to sustain the story to the end and by the time things resolved I barely cared.
Oh, and about that extra love triangle, usually even a cliché love triangle has exciting scenes and chemistry but nope... these 3 characters also just have lots of conversations about the past, about each other, about what they may want to do or should have done, with very little actual progress. I think Lee Soo Hyuk as blunt and straight-faced Cha Joo Ik was supposed to be funny, but I found those banter scenes to be flat. I'm sure much of that intended dry humor was lost on me as well. For me, just having two attractive men isn't enough to fuel a love triangle romance plot. It also has nothing to do with the Doom plot, which makes it seem like unnecessary filler or a different drama.
I did like her brother's character, mainly for cute comic relief, but most of the other characters are just ok, and pretty forgettable (Shout out to poor Kevin who didn't even make the cast list lol).
Would I watch this again? I wouldn't torture myself like that. I'm sure a lot of these actors will go on to better dramas that I'll watch and I will probably forget this drama even exists after a while.
The OST is also forgettable but oh how I love Seo In Guk's voice. Rather, I just love him and his beautiful voice is a bonus. I didn't fall in love with any songs though... or his hair color.
Overall this drama is a huge miss. Maybe it's good if you want to hear more Korean dialogue than usual as language practice (it's A LOT y'all) but I can't call this drama good. It is an ambitious and pretty original idea but that's not enough to make this drama work as a whole. Characters saying how they feel instead of showing it for me felt like a romance buzz kill and lazy. If this drama had no Doom character I would have dropped it almost immediately. I also expected tears, since sadly cancer scenarios are too familiar in my real life, but my eyes remained dry the entire time. And what's worse than abusing flashbacks... describing flashbacks as you abuse and overuse them. I looked up the last drama written by this writer and it was "The Beauty Inside", another drama with all concept and zero plot. Another movie plot idea stretched beyond its means. Another missed opportunity to create a really interesting love story. Maybe I should have double-checked who the writer was before I decided not to drop this. Sadly, those who don't learn which drama writers create shows they should have dropped are doomed to repeat it.
I guess Seo In Guk was too good at his Doom role because he doomed me to complete this.
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The cast was pretty good, but I felt like a lot of talent was wasted. Nam Sang Mi and Kim Jae Won had decent chemistry, but the romance story became subdued and even dull once the story focused more on the melodrama. Jae Won played up the smiley nice guy role so much that his portrayal of Dr. Han Gang Woo seemed very one-note and even at times uninteresting to me. However, it's the character of Ji Eun Han that'supposed to drive this story, and Nam Sang Mi's performance wasn't strong enough for me to do that. Lee Shi Ah's performance felt much more exciting so the shift to a more subdued Nam Sang Mi was a dramatic change. It was almost as if Sang Mi was just too chill to play such an emotionally complicated role. Especially a role where the character has and makes such drastic and contradictory reactions and choices. Also, despite them trying to imply that they were similar, these two actresses were just too drastically different to be considered the same person at all. No plastic surgery in the world is that magical.
One talent in particular that felt wasted was Lee Mi Sook, who knows how to make the most out of a melodramatic character, especially this kind of mother role, but her performance felt more interesting than her character was written to be. Detective Kim was similarly underutilized, and the story was less interesting when he was less involved. Jo Hyun Jae was good as well, even when his actions were written in a way that made him more laughable than emotional. Also, Han Eun Jung did her best to play up the drama of her character, as written, but that made her character seem laughingly ridiculous by the end, and hard to take seriously. I also think the cute banter between Jung Jin Woon and Lee Ho Jung is worth mentioning as cute but wasted filler. Many of the minor characters, including the kids, were good even if their character wasn't written well.
That takes me to my main issue with this drama, which is the writing. It's not that the story doesn't make sense, but it's sensationalizes everything so much that I couldn't take anything too seriously, or emotionally connect at all. The drama surrounding a cell phone and a song lasted for so many episodes, which made the story drag. The music was often sinister giving even mundane conversations an extra dramatic feel. It made it seem like they were trying to force a suspenseful feeling at all times, which backfired on me. I did think the "Save Me" song was pretty, and although it also felt extra dramatic during certain scenes, was fitting.
I'm doubtful I would watch this again, but maybe I would be more forgiving with a second viewing since I now know what the story is really about. My high expectations at the beginning made me more disappointed at what it turned out to be. Lower expectations during a second viewing may make me see this drama differently, and see earlier scenes differently. Maybe it would be less likely to bore me if I binge watched instead of waiting each week for new episodes, which I lost interest in keeping up with.
Overall, if you are interested in this drama based on the romantic mystery sounding synopsis, know that this is actually a wealthy family secrets centered melodrama that takes on a serious theme in a very senationalized way. Romance may drive the story, but it isn't the focus, so don't expect that part of the story to be very exciting, especially with two calm and repressed characters. The action feel during the early episodes doesn't last either, and that slowed down the pace for me too. Every question that arises in the story is eventually answered, and there's is a satisfying ending, but I still had a hard time with the pace of the drama, and with the story continuously holding my interest. Don't expect clever twists, even though many parts of the story aren't what they seem to be initially. If you have patience with the story everything pays off, but I'm just not certain that it was worth the price of watching. For a drama about amnesia, it is pretty forgettable.
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The story is smartly told from beginning to end. It's based on a (supposedly true) blog, so each scene is a highlight marking their time together. Focusing on the highlights helps to fit this pretty long story into a concise film, though some of the leaps in time felt a little too sudden. Though fated love is a familiar theme, this story doesn't take the predictable route. I especially loved the ending, which I never expected, because it tied the whole story together perfectly.
I agree that My Sassy Girl is a classic. An american remake exists, but it's barely worth mentioning. This is definitely the type of movie you can watch over, and over again. I saw this for the 1st time years ago, and it's still just as good rewatching it now. I definitely recommend putting it high up on your Plan to Watch list.
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