Reviews

Cute but couldn't avoid cliches

"Hello I'm at your service" is a lovely office romance that is both binge-able and cringey. One of those sweet, sugary dramas that we get every year from China but it still has some elements that you would enjoy. For me, it was a unique CEO male lead and the concept of your workplace being your family.

Our ceo male lead, Lou Yuan (Miles Wei) appears like a cold, aloof, very typical at first but he is rather friendly and nice. He is not a total introvert either. Behind this perfect ceo is a down to earth, frugal guy who dotes on the female lead.

Contrasting to him is the female lead, Dong Dong En (Xu Lu) who is quirky and efficient at her work. As a customer service representative she is good at flattering people too. She is just too smart and knows how to talk through her way.

She works for a small company called Ba-Er (Eighty two studio) which has less employees but they all are like family members who go through hardships together. An amusing company which barely makes any money but stays up for nights to meet the client's requirements. The founders are like elders of the family where an employee is casual enough to nag or stare at the boss. They even dine together daily. Her bonding with them was one of the parts I loved in the drama.

Now coming up to what took 2 stars away. Its the stereotypes of a Chinese Romcom. You get a CEO, rich ML- poor FL story (which gladly is the main highlight here although they presented a very healthy relationship since Lou Yuan was not domineering and rather understanding), you also get a bitchy childhood lover out of nowhere (with zero self respect obviously), a toxic Ex (who you wish could die bald, many might enjoy this arc tho becoz I laughed a lot at the end).

But anyone watching this for the romantic story wouldn't get bored for sure. Along with these adorable leads we also get two second lead couples who have interesting stories going on parallely.

And all throughout this drama one thing you can definitely learn is how to butter up people. Like no one here is talking in a sane way without adding compliments. Its so cheesy at some scenes but its funny too. Comedy makes this drama light and an easy watch.

Overall, it was quite a mid, okayish drama that you can binge watch over a weekend or keep as a side dish for a strong ongoing angsty historical you're watching.

Sweet, a lot cliche yet fun!

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amazing when you haven’t seen the original

having not seen the original, i was able to appreciate this drama on its own and i found it incredible. in fact i HAVE to watch the original now because i was in disbelief when i heard it’s better than this already is. i think it’s inevitable to compare two versions of something, but if you haven’t seen the original don’t let the negative reviews steer you away because this was really good too.

it also makes me sad that some people are dismissing it because of its complexity. time travel plots should be confusing, if they’re not, then they’re not doing it right. another great example is donnie darko. i don’t like a lot of time travel stories because they fail to consider how one small thing would change the whole future, but they understood the concept really well with this one and used it to create one of the most clever storylines i’ve ever seen. i guess not everyone will understand it, admittedly there were multiple moments where i had to pause and wrap my head around what was going on, but in the end everything adds up so perfectly it had me wondering how on earth people come up with stuff like this

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An intriguing and complicated story of time travel

The characters crisscrossed time into the future and back to the past so many times that I lost track. However, it is an interesting drama. I followed it through continuously and completed watching it across three days while recovering from a flu.

Two lovers from different time periods were star crossed and their shared memories were eventually erased. The drama cleverly kept its audience guessing the identity of two individuals- the missing boyfriend and the real killer, and wondering whether the killer could be stopped on time to save the lead lady.

The main actress Ko Chia Yen was excellent. She acted two completely different characters very convincingly - a timid depressed young teenager with an inferior complex and a confident university student who grew up very assertive.

The actors and actresses were good looking. The main cast acted their parts well. Some of the insignificant minor characters were not so convincing; however their less than a minute duration parts did not impact the overall drama. The backdrops were appropriate for the scenes.

The pace of the story was quite slow, so you have got to be patient. I nearly wanted to skip to the last episode.

As for the music, it's just that one piece 'Last Dance' and that's about all.

The main negative is the ending did not flow well. Suddenly, the main couple was on a bike appearing from nowhere - how they met again was not explained - if it was from the time when the female lead was a child, it would be very tacky.

If I were the writer, I would let them meet in the future with a role reversal - with Li Zi Wei returning from Canada, walking into a cafe and ordering his coffee. The waitress whose back was toward him, answered in affirmative, prepared his coffee and turned to hand him his coffee. Their eyes met, they found each other very familar, stared and asked each other simultaneously 'Have we met before?'

Overall I would highly recommend this drama.

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easy to binge in a day if you want a good laugh!

so i watched all 6 episodes in a row and thoroughly enjoyed it!

here is what i liked about it:
- the teams dynamic is great, i loved their friendship and banter, you can tell they get on really well
- the comedy aspects in this had me laughing out loud multiple times
- the acting from everyone was great, i especially enjoyed lieutenant han
- it is easy watching

i don't quite understand why people are saying its boring or that they didn't like it, however i suppose we are all different.. BUT i would definitely recommend this to someone if you want some easy watching action filled drama, it did not disappoint!

i just hope we can get a season 2!

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When the characters regress and you are questioning reality.

After watching one episode one would think the female lead will get an amazing character development and slowly will learn how to prioritize her own needs. One could not predict she will infect male lead with her Jesus complex - and yet this is kind of what happens.

Not gonna lie, Takumi was adorable. The twist on the contract marriage and the initial presentation of him as a cold male lead was done perfectly and set my expectations for the rest of the show slightly too high. On the other hand, Yae was just frustrating. While at the beginning the situations she put others’ needs ahead of her own made at least some sense, later it was just too much to handle and the script was leaning into some ridiculous territories.

I think the writer just fails to deliver a character development. I know not all characters need one, but her behavior was truly pathological on a whole new level. If anyone needs character development, it’s her. What’s worse, I feel like her “giving up so others can be happy” persona started to influence male lead too, which led to at best questionable last episode.

That said, I did enjoy them as a couple and their scenes were adorable and blast. The actors had amazing chemistry and as a viewer it was clear to me how in love they are. I also really liked all the side characters - which, surprise surprise, actually got more character development than our leading lady…

Overall, a decent rom-com that is lacking in some major areas.

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=> An almost perfect series in the romantic-investigation genre

PLOT: The FL, who has a built-in "lie detector" (from birth), makes a living from this talent. She meets a mysterious man, always masked, the ML, who turns out to be a famous composer, once suspected of a murder. Circumstances force them to search together for clues and the real culprit, with the help of the FL's ex boyfriend, a courageous and still in love police officer.

PROS:
+ Hwang Min Hyun is handsome, talented, and performs superbly the ML's torments. I'm not a big fan of Kim So Hyun ( I find her not very expressive), but I like her character and the couple's interactions and their trust in each other. They are very cute.
+ Excellent casting for all the characters, including FL's parents, who bring a touch of humor.
+ Well-constructed storyline, with clues appearing at the right time to maintain suspense. (cliffhanger at the end of each episode, which requires you to binge watch the series).
+ efficient production, without length
+ Very beautiful images, framing, with the magnificent landscapes of Korea
+ Excellent OSTs (some will end up in my drama playlist, especially the ending song :)

CONS:
- Product placements are too obvious (as is often the case in Kdramas).

=> An almost perfect series in the romantic-investigation genre, that I'll probably rewatch eventually.
Don't hesitate, you will have a great time!!! (｡◕‿◕｡)
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PLOT: La FL, qui a un "détecteur de mensonge" intégré, vit de ce talent. Elle rencontre un homme mystérieux, toujours masqué, le ML, qui s'avère être un compositeur célèbre, autrefois suspecté d'un meurtre. Les circonstances les obligent à rechercher ensemble les indices et le vrai coupable avec l'aide de l'ex de la FL, policier courageux et toujours amoureux.

PROS:
+ Hwang Min Hyun est beau, talentueux, et interprète superbement les tourments du ML. Je suis moins fan de Kim So Hyun, que je trouve peu expressive, mais j'aime son personnage et les interactions du couple, leur confiance l'un dans l'autre, sont très cute.
+ Un excellent casting pour tous les personnages, y compris les parents de la FL, qui apportent la touche d'humour.
+ Storyline bien construite, avec des indices qui apparaissent au bon moment pour maintenir le suspense. (clifhanger à la fin de chaque épisode, ce qui oblige à binge watcher la série).
+ une réalisation efficace, sans longueur
+ De très belles images, cadrages, avec les magnifiques paysages de Corée
+ Excellents OST (certains vont finir dans ma playlist, notamment la ending song :)

CONS:
- placement de produits trop trop évidents (comme souvent dans les Kdramas).

=> Une série quasi parfaite dans le genre romantique-investigation, à revoir sans doute dans quelque temps.
N'hésitez pas, vous passerez un super moment !!! ( ｡◕‿◕｡ )

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Not good.

3/10 dropped, disappointed.

I wish the boy stayed by him........so bad......ending...i donk like that ending....it was weird.....
i would have liked to see much more of the beautiful main couple. I was very disappointed afterwards.
If the series had been implemented well then it would have been something. The potential was definitely there.

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Good but could be much better.

4/10

It was good but I expected much more. (in terms of closeness, e.g. kissing and hugging, cuddling).
(Unfortunately, it was forbidden to kiss what I find very sad and I don´t understand).

My Favorite Couple was Chang Min & Jung Hyun.

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Good but could be much better.

5/10

It was good but I expected much more. (in terms of closeness, e.g. kissing and hugging, cuddling).
(Unfortunately, it was forbidden to kiss what I find very sad and don´t understand).

My Favorite Couple was Jun Sung & Sung Ho.

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Not good!

3/10, dropped.

The couples were good but the implementation of the series was unfortunately rather poor. The Ending was not good. Acting was very good.
Btw i would have liked to see more of the affair. That was hot...........

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Disappointing frontline responder drama

After watching First Responders, I missed it so much that i thought this would alleviate my longing. Boy was I sorely wrong.

The dramatic started off well enough as it was amusing and action packed but then quickly descended into the usual tropes: three way love stories, corrupt politicians, mafia, rouge hero law enforcers with tragic pasts…

For a drama called the Han River Police, they spend less than 25% of the drama ON said river.

Also for a 6 episoder, it really dragged along. Why is it First Responders can go on for 2 seasons with 12 episodes each yet this is so draggy at a quarter of the episodes? It had better NOT have a season 2!

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