Watch it for Yoon Hyun Min
I'll start with the reason this show got the high score that it did. Yoon Hyun Min! I just finished watching him in Falling for Innocence and I was looking for something that he would play the romantic lead in. He's been in numerous shows that are not romances, but since I'm usually pretty much all about the romance, those shows were not what I was looking for. He was excellent in this. Playing cold, rich, damaged Nam Do and Holo, the hologram that inexplicably develops AI, I felt that he was able to display a range of emotions, often side-by-side. When he was Nam Do, you could feel his drive, his brilliance, and his loneliness. Watching him roam the workplace in the middle of the night was just sad to watch. He had every convenience available to him, but he was always alone. Then, as Holo, he was boyish, charming, caring, and as Holo he kept evolving as he developed AI characteristics. Hyun Min has a very interesting look about him. His features are sharp, his look is intense, and he's, of course, handsome. But I have to say I'm more fascinated with his acting than the way he looks. Because I enjoyed the parts he played in this,, I totally would have rated this show higher if not for:STORY: Every K-drama trope in the book is in this one! It starts out really strong, but then becomes a mess about halfway through. The storyline continued to get more complicated and unnecessarily implausible. How they dealt with Holo toward the end was very emotional and touching. Obligatory time jump at the end (yet another trope) and the last scene was very cute, but the overall ending was unsatisfactory to me, mostly because:
ROMANCE: I felt that this show was too light on romance and it wasn't fully fleshed out. Why did Nam Do like So Yeon? That was a mystery to me. I felt like she was the first girl he ever talked to so, of course, he had to like her. A couple of really bad/accidental kisses. Later on there were some good kisses, but I was wishing that Nam Do and So Yeon's relationship would have been developed more completely.
CHARACTERS: So Yeon. Go Sung Hee did a good job in this show. I'm used to seeing her as the kind of bitchy secondary character, so it was nice to see her as the lead. However, So Yeon spent entirely too much time crying/sobbing/drinking. She was pitiful. And her liking Holo - that just didn't work for me. I'm glad they addressed the issue that she liked him because it was safe and she wouldn't get hurt like if she was dating a real person, but it just didn't feel real to me. I enjoyed the other characters in the show - the secondary couple, Nam Do's co-workers, the policeman and his sidekick.
TECHNOLOGY: The technology addressed, and the cinematography were both really good.
MUSIC: Went well with the show. Nothing really stood out to me, but it wasn't distracting.
Random thought: I wonder why they have to translate the curse words in these shows. Couldn't they just use another word, rather than cursing?
OVERALL: Definitely worth watching, but it wasn't one of my favorites.
Was this review helpful to you?
Love story between AI and human
My Holo Love 8/10plot - programmer made almost perfect AI with hologram projection through glasses.
Once it was made public, powerful people try to get their hands on product. To keep it safe Glasses ends in hands of normal civilian woman.
Story goes on about love, Mystery, action.
Its from big part romance drama . 12 ep quite fats paced almost always something happening. As romance drama aint bad but I couldnt empathise with main leads much its why I rate it as average romance drama 8/10.
Was this review helpful to you?
Good chemistry - watchable plot
My Holo Love seemed like a weird, crazy drama and nothing I would actually enjoy, but after watching the first minutes of the first episode, it somehow manages to hook you up no matter how messy or ridiculous the plot may be.I agree with some other reviews saying the drama is full of cliches and it's difficult to tell someone that it actually is enjoyable, but it totally is. The chemistry within the main leads is believable, there's good character development from all the leads, the second couple has great chemistry too, although I would've liked to have more romance between both Nan Do & So Yeon and Yoo Jin & Chan Sung.
The pacing is enough for a 12-episodes drama, you don't really feel like there's anything rushed or slowered down, it has romance, mystery, crime, psychological issues and more and it manages to solve all the open threads smoothly and makes you feel fulfilled with how things turn out.
I wouldn't say it's the perfect drama, but it's definitely a great one to binge-watch on a lazy day off. 7.5 ?
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
STORY:
My Holo Love is about a company that develops a companion AI product (kinda of timely for this particular moment in history) that is all wrapped up in a pair of glasses that project Holo in front of them. The AI is called Holo and he is designed to be in the image of his creator and recluse Go Nan Do (both very well done by Yoon Hyun Min). Some bad guys want to steel the Holo technology and chase the company’s CEO Go Yoo Jin (played by Choi Yeo Jin) until Holo helps her pick a poor unsuspecting civilian on the street to hide the glasses. That person is Han So Yun (Go Sun Hee) who works in marketing and suffers from face blindness (is there such a thing?).
Han So Yun develops feelings for Holo as he also becomes attached to her (hence the question begins, is AI a living being?). Because Go Nan Do needs the Holo glasses back, he is introduced into the mix between Han So Yun and Holo. It wasn’t until the police got involved (the story gets more complicated as it progresses), that I started to ask the question…..what constitutes a living being if that being can feel attachment to a human.
CHARACTERS:
I’ll be honest. Most of the time, I could tell when Yoon Hyun Min was playing Holo and when he was Go Nan Do, which tells you how good he was in this show. I was impressed because I loved both Holo and Go Nan Do. I could see the differences between them which fascinated me…….it also helped me overcome the almost creepy minimalist music.
I loved Han So Yun and her ability to develop a relationship with both Holo and Go Nan Do. The development of her feelings for both appeared natural and appropriate especially towards the end (romantic relationship with AI is fraught will all kinds of issues). She wasn’t whiny nor clingy and was strong and take charge when she needed to be (I’m getting annoyed with whiny female leads). She had good chemistry with both Holo and Go Nan Do.
The characters of Goo Yoo Jin and Baek Chan Sung added to the story, although I feel Chan Sung’s character could have better development from where he started and where he ended. If they had made a couple more episodes, probably he could have been fleshed out more fully…..the same as Yoo Jin’s character as well.
My guess is the production values were so high with all the technology used (and it was American Blockbuster grade technology) that they couldn’t afford to make more than the 12 episodes so only the two main leads were truly developed fully.
MUSIC:
As I said in the beginning this will either make or break the show for the watcher. Its not that there wasn’t music, but it was very minimalist. At one point it sounded like the piano music that plays in the lobbies of fancy hotels (very classy but just a piano). The subject matter is serious so kitschy songs would not work AT ALL for this show. Its likely they couldn’t spring for the full-on orchestra bit because all the technology soaked up the budget. Its not bad, its just makes the show appear more sad that it really is.
REWATCH VALUE:
I haven’t started re-watching this yet, but I plan to. Both Yoon Hyn Min and Go Sung Hee were compelling enough that I want to revisit them again. But first I’m making my way through some cleansing Chinese offerings.
OVERALL:
By the last episode, I felt more hopeful about the world than I thought I would. In the middle, the conflict was believable and pretty intense. I did find it amusing that in Falling for Innocence, Yoon Hyun Min and Nam Myung Ryul played father and son with one of them being a bad guy and in this show they again face off with each other and this time the other is the bad guy.
My Holo Love is an interesting watch. It didn’t make me cry nor did it make me scream so it is not one of my favorite shows……however, it was compelling and fascinating, and the love story was out of the ordinary for a K-drama. Very refreshing. And again…it makes you think about what AI truly means.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
"Ships Are Safe in the Harbor, But That Is Not What Ships Are For!"
This is a fascinating character-driven series that I feel that many people will be able to relate to. So many people have suffered unimaginable suffering that they choose a life of solitude in order to prevent something like that from ever happening again. In short, the "defense mechanism" kicks in and the walls go up.We have two such characters in Nan-Do Ko, and So-yeon Han. Nan-Do is so traumatized by his mother's suicide, that he prefers a world of computers. He locks himself away, immersing himself in his latest project: an AI.
So-yeon is also traumatized, but for another reason in which her memory blocks out the event and also causes her to have facial-blindness, also known as prosopagnosia. In short, she is incapable of recognizing someone by their face. To her co-workers, she comes off as cold and rude because of this.
Little do we know that Nan-Do's invention brings a light to So-yeon, who is pretty much a social outcast. She spends her free time up on the roof of her apartment building, drowning herself in alcohol...her only means of coping with an essentially empty life.
We also find that there is much more to the story than meets the eye, as a tragic event is responsible for Nan-Do and So-yeon's current states of self-loathing.
So then, how are two anti-social people able to come together? You can only imagine the bumps and pitfalls of two people ineptly attempting to navigate the social awkwardness that exists between them, despite their obvious feelings for each other. Uniting them is Holo (Nan-Do's AI) who is only able to express himself honestly as well as unconditionally. In short, he is what many humans aspire to be--not only for themselves--but also for each other. Holo is the ideal version of the best version of a person, no matter how unrealistic he may be.
Love is the simplest thing in the universe, and yet our egoic minds make it the most complex thing in the universe. It requires us to take a chance. It requires us to have trust and faith. And it requires the ultimate form of courage: to be absolutely vulnerable.
Would people love to have their own "Holo?" Of course! But that is not a relationship. It's a fabrication for those who wish to play it safe; for those who do not want to risk being hurt; for those who wish to remain safely entrenched within their walls; for those who prefer to remain in the harbor. It's funny and sad how much our technology today has crippled people's ability to communicate genuinely face-to-face.
"My Holo Love" is only twelve episodes long, but they are rock-solid episodes! I was grateful that the writers didn't attempt to stretch things out.
Performances are fantastic across the board. Especially from Hyun-Min Yoon, who must be given the highest accolades for being able to deftly play two distinct characters. That is not nearly as easy as many people might believe.
My only issue was that the "stage" was almost too small. Such a technological breakthough would not only bring notice from a rival company as well as local law enforcement, but would easily bring the scale to nationwide attention. The National Intelligence Service as well as the government would undoubtedly be involved as well. Still, this is a minor point as the story is well written.
I was also pleased that we didn't get the typical, cliched storylines involving the romantic aspects of Nan-Do and So-yeon that tend to flood most Korean romantic dramas. It not only felt fresh but also much more realistic. I'm glad that there are writers who are still able to think outside the box in this regard.
If you want to immerse yourself in a wonderful series, you really can't miss with this one!
Was this review helpful to you?
Loved it all
My Holo Love, uno dei drama più belli che ho visto. Mi è piaciuto tutto, dalla storia principale alla caratterizzazione di ogni personaggio, bellissimi e bravi gli attori, bella fotografia, buona cgi, bella anche la ost.Pensavo di essermela cavata senza piangere ma l'ultimo episodio mi ha fatto capitolare.
Vero, ci sono espedienti nella trama che spesso si vedono nei drama di questo tipo ma tutto è usato con scrupolo e attenzione risultando in un prodotto che non annoia, avvince e conquista.
12 episodi da maratonare ❤️
PS: lui è troppo bello, mi sono innamorata perdutamente ed è finito nella lista infinita di gnocchi dagli occhi a mandorla.
Was this review helpful to you?
I thought this was a romance love triangle rivalry between the AI and the AI- maker, and this is totally wrong. Never imagine that the AI will leave so much impression.
The story is much more complicated than you think and you will get a bit shock by it in a good way.
Overall, this whole story, the cast and the acting is really good, cannot find any flaw, and mesmerized by the AI technology. I binge-watched it on weekend in the middle of the busy schedules but still cannot stop me from watching it.
Yoon HyunMin, You slayed this project! GOOD JOB REALLY
Was this review helpful to you?
It's definitely worth your time so please give it a chance!
Was this review helpful to you?
Nice story but had a lot of usual tropes
Likes:1. Story tackled the benefits and dangers of AI and the consequences when used selfishly or for goodwill. It's scary to think that AI is so powerful that it can be uncontrollable. And that it can evolve from a simple algorithm to adapting emotions like humans. And humans should also be careful of handling such technology and to know their limits.
2. I didnt really like Soyeon at the start because i thought she was too pathetic to cross the line and start caring and even falling in love with Holo. But she ended being a great person and was able to be more herself.
3. Holo is a great character that he felt so real. I was as sad as the group in the end when he had to go.
4. I loved Nando although he did go the noble idiot way during the middle part of the show (and made the story boring).
5. The last 2 episodes totally redeemed the drama. I loved how it ended and how they resolved everyone's story.
6. I thought face blindness and childhood friends tropes again? But this time i was delighted that it was actually put into good use.
7. Nando and Holo may look alike but Yoon Hyun Min made them into two distinct characters.
8. Finally saw the actor playing the detective as a good guy! He always plays the mean character.
9. The super cute kid actor who played the young Nando. I want to squish his cheeks and take him home with me.
10. Good thing this drama is just for 12 episodes.
Dislikes:
1. Of course Chairman Baek!! I was glad that Nando was able to punch him once (i wish Soyeon let Nando hit Baek one more time). He was too evil! And Chansung finally had the courage to break his cane! (I wanted to do the same plus slap his face)
2. Soyeon and Nando during the first part were so full of self-pity i almost dropped the show.
Rating: 7/10
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Could have gone wrong but didn’t!
My Holo Love is drama with many cliches that you see repeated in dramaland, but surprisingly despite the familiarity of the arcs it manages to remain original. Perhaps it has to do with the sci-fi element in the drama which kept things interesting. I’m glad it wasn’t longer than 12 episodes because dragging it would have made it a frustrating watching. Right from the beginning the pace of the drama was perfect. I also felt that the leads were really cute together and I wish there had bit more focus on their relationship. The AI aspects of the story make you question the ethical nature of such advanced technology and quite honestly, that was scary — to know that such intelligence could be entirely dependent on people’s morals.I liked the supporting cast, their interactions and their arcs as well. Another plus point was how they didn’t focus on unnecessary miscommunication arcs — there’s one bit where the ML refuses to disclose something to the FL but thankfully that doesn’t take too long to resolve. Dramas usually tend to leave a lot of loopholes in their final episodes, but I liked how they dealt with everything here.
Overall it’s a cute watch with some thrill and plenty of non-tech focused sci-fi (if that can be a thing.)
Was this review helpful to you?
A show sold by the characters and the actors
I was rewatching I'm Not a Robot when this popped up and I decided to give it a go. Maybe because of that, I was drawing comparisons between two shows that consisted of a human being falling in love with something artificial, or seemingly anyway. But the comparisons end there. This show has characters and a setting that, by being less comedic, is more rugged and realistic. The characters are all sort of broken, and it doesn't take much for something to revert them back to their damaged selves. This is what they fear the most. This show was good at detailing how the warmth of human relationships can fill up one's life like decoration and although the plot wasn't very complex, it was made worth watching by two things: the characters and the acting performances.I really really enjoyed the chemistry between the lead duo. I really enjoyed their characters too. These are people who simply want to live quiet lives, don't have grand ambitions, but just are fundamentally good people. This is what made me like the show a lot.
If I have any criticisms, it's that the show could have told a story about how relying on technology as a crutch to compensate for absent relationships. I also wasn't sure about the backstories of some of the characters, but every show has its fault and I wasn't complaining too much.
I'd highly recommend this to someone.
Was this review helpful to you?
