A mixed bag
There were some parts of this that I was absolutely in love with — the main ship, the thrill of the mystery, the backstory reveal...And then there were some characters that just went into a downward spiral and made me want to tear my hair out. I'm not talking about a villain or evil character; I'm talking about characters who are just downright annoying and hypocritical, or side characters who have no business being there inserting their opinions into the plot.
I knew the vibe of the ending before going into it, and though I was still emotionally satisfied with the way things turned out, I felt like logically, the actual unfolding of the last episode was disappointing and nonsensical.
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This review may contain spoilers
First i want to say that this is one of the best dramas i have ever seen and i have seen a lot of them this past 3 years.As i was watching this drama the first few chapters were a jigsaw to me, i couldn't understand some things like the behaviour of Kim Mo Young, the things he kept saying to Jin Kang brother and others things that seemed strange to me.
As the drama kept on going i started to understand and was like "oh that's why he did that" or "that's why he said that". But the more you understand everything the more anxious you would get, the more you like it. Sincerely i wanted to give it a 9.5 BUT i just can't because it was so amazing the feelings you get while watching this, the thrilling i felt as things got twisted are not feelings i felt while watching many other dramas, so a 10 is the least this drama deserves.
The cast is just spectacular In Guk was my favourite one i could see the emotions he "felt" clearly, he transmitted them and how he portrayed the role like he owned it i would even give him an OSCAR for such a great performance.
The music played was good carefully chosen for specific scenes that ended in harmonious way that give the drama extra points.
IMPRESSIVE DRAMA ONE OF THE BEST ????????????????
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This review may contain spoilers
I've recently started watching KDramas and didn't quite know what to expect. It was my number 5 or 6 in a row of other more or less recent shows. I took my que from Quora, where I read countless reviews of different shows and it turned out to be a good tactic. But this was an ongoing show. Was it going to be any good? Yes. It was.
My review is based partially on the Japanese version of the show. I mastered the courage to watch the last two episodes of it and I painfully regretted it. It was so extremely dark and crippling in its atmosphere, I was worried the Korean version would carry the same characteristics. It did not. Luckily, the way TSHLYE tells the story is more palatable, not as shocking YET it takes a solid grip on you. What confirmed the feeling of me being totaly consumed by the story, was how difficult it was to wait for the subbers to finish their job. I was forced to wait up to ten days between the consecutive parts were being released. But at least I could see two episodes in nearly one go which helped immensely and confirmed me in the righteousness of my choice of drama. I rarely feel this way about western shows as they are reared towards men and are full of crime, guns, sex and with one dimensional characters and countless episodes.
My review is in no manner an attempt at dissecting every single aspect TSHLYE it to prove it was perfect or not. For me to classify a drama as worth rewatching , it needs to make me feel emotionally invested in the story DESPITE its obvious flaws, be it bad acting, plot holes, boring music or inconsistencies of any kind. This show did.
SIG is an excellent actor. He also left a mark on the show musically and thus proven he truly is a multitalented guy. JSM, whom I watched in "Because This Is My First Life" is perfect in her role of an ordinary yet resilient human being and I truly enjoyed interactions between her and SIG, a presumed murderer. The connection was so deep and honest between the two - one more reason to rewatch the show. Somewhere in the distant future, because I'm just NOT quite done crying over my Romeo and Juliet.
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MUST WATCH
This is absolutely beautiful. The acting, the production, the whole 'mood' of this kdrama is very eerie and sentimental, yet so beautiful and touching. I watched this two years ago and recently rewatched and felt exactly the same way as I did the first time. This shows how broken a person can become when the world turns their back on them. But the FL came along and they rekindled as soulmates. It's such a beautiful story and definitely one that will make you cry a ton. Even though the pace can be quite slow, it leads up to a lot of strong and satisfying moments in the drama. It explores childhood trauma, self-hatred, giving up and finding hope again. Please give this a chance!Was this review helpful to you?
This second act will punch you in the gut.
Truthfully, I was looking for a new drama, saw this recommendation almost a year after first watching it, thought hard about what I’d write, and went to watch it again only to stop myself because I had not yet written this review.You’ll read many other lengthy reviews, so here’s what you need to know:
1) This drama’s beginning and ending are worlds apart. Other than introducing the general disposition of the characters, this second act will leave you in a tizzy with no care for anyone you’ve met at the beginning but our three main characters.
2) The storyline is a sliver of the realistic tragedy that (hopefully) few live in. We meet protagonists who are merely trying to get by. In so many ways they are confronted by love, and every single time they acquiesce to finally accept the love they didn’t think they could have (romantic and fraternal), other powers rip the rug out from under them.
3) Despite all the depressing content, this show is worth watching for the resilience that our characters scrape to have. The main couple does an amazing job of portraying two people who are bewildered to find their other half, reject it, and find that they are more tormented to be without each other. And while the show is not rife with sexiness, the chemistry between both actors is constantly smoldering just below the surface so you feel both their relief and tension each time they are together.
Mild spoiler: As you watch this show you will be mad at other characters for threatening our heroes’ happiness, and then afterwards you’ll be mad at the writers for bringing to life such people only to experience such heartache.
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Melodrama or bad writing
I will be completely honest with you, I hated this drama! Since so many people hyped it up I expected too much from this drama. Sadly, I was disappointed.I´ll start by highlighting the good points of this drama, the actors, and the music. The cast was picked perfectly for the roles they played. The director was able to get the characters perfectly aligned with the actors who should play them. Down to Moon Young's mischievous eyes and Ji Kangs bright silly smile. You couldn´t ask for a more perfect cast!! The music is another thing that was great, it did a good job of queuing you when an important scene was coming. The music was picked perfectly and there weren't any unnecessary songs that didńt match with the scenes.
Now onto the bad part, the plot. I'd like to say the plot had a good pace but there were so many different parts of the plot that were rushed. We start out thinking this is just going to be a murder mystery about a college girl and whether not the male lead is actually the perpetrator. Then we end up getting swept away by the main leads forgotten yet recurring trauma. Then what seemed to be the main plot is forgotten. Then we get introduced to a new character that we think will be a threat but turns out to be helpful and their so-called ill intentions never end up being acted upon. Ultimately creating a bunch of plot holes and dumb decisions that could have easily been solved. If you like melodramas/soap operas you´ll most likely like this drama and will dismiss the illogical events and plot holes that occur, but to those who seek a plot with reasoning and meaningful messages don´t waste your time!
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so it was boring for me at first and i couldnt get why people praised it so much looking at the reviews but im glad i stayed with the drama because of that. the writing is truly well done as well the ending is heart breaking. SIG is a great actor periodt idk what else to say helpghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
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The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (A Hundred Million Stars From The Sky) is a fascinating drama that questions one's sense of morals and beliefs.
"This isn't right... but why am I okay with this happening...?" - Was the question I asked myself constantly while watching the first couple of episodes.
At its core, it is a drama filled with drama, mystery, crime, and love.
Seo In Guk plays the focal point of the story, "Kim Moo Young", a seemingly simple employee of a beer company suspected for murder. He is cold and distant, and the drama pulls all manner of film techniques to get the point across - he is not a good guy. Yet he also displays child-like mannerisms, sometimes caring, plays around at the thought of women or money. Is he acting bad on purpose? And for what purposes? Seo In Guk plays this distinction quite well.
Jung So Min plays "Yoo Jin Kang", another seemingly simple employee of a product design company. She also seems to hide a deep secret, whether consciously or subconsciously, which leads to the development of a relationship with Kim Moo Young. As always, Jung So Min's acting is superb and compelling, making every one of her lines that much more heart wrenching.
Park Sung Woong plays "Yoo Jin Gook", a police detective who's priority is the happiness and well being of her younger sister, Yoo Jin Gang. Park Sung Woong's acting of Jin Gook is also nothing short of spectacular as seen in past roles - while normally he may appear to be a little simple-minded, when it comes to matters surrounding a crime or his sister, his attitude completely shifts into the role of an astute and top calibre detective. All while harbouring a seemingly dark secret of his own.
A special shout out to Seo Eun Soo - an up and coming actress who plays "Baek Seung Ah" who isn't necessarily a main character, but is probably next in line in terms character development. She plays the daughter of a rich family who doesn't seem comfortable being trapped in the expectations arisen from her wealth. Her story gets tangled in the above relationship.
The music isn't particularly memorable, yet it is used very well to get points across, albeit perhaps too blatantly obvious at times. Dark and suspenseful music every time Moo Young is shown can get a little old. It was weird seeing one time where lighter and fluffier music was played during a funny scene, even though before that point, the funnier scenes had no music at all (which I preferred), showing a lack of consistency.
The complexity of the relationship between the cast, and the slow yet satisfying fleshing out of their individual characters is what hooked me on from the first episode. That said, episode four felt a little rushed and took a little bit of a turn for me in terms of having to spell things out for me rather than allowing me to figure things out for myself, but this is more a personal taste and there may be a reason for this later on that I can't deduce from just having watched four episodes.
I always have a special place in my heart for TvN dramas because of its' production value, and it's also currently my favourite drama running so let's see where this one goes!
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Thanking all of The Smile Has Left Your Eyes team for making this drama, I applaud you. I want to thank the screenwriters and producers for orphan children and the orphanage that takes care of them. Not all orphanages are bad but some are.
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Really can't imagine anyone wanting to rewatch this series.
Great acting on the parts of Kim Moo Young and Yoo Jin Kang. About the only positive of the drama. The problems between Yoo Jin Gook and the team leader were not properly fleshed out. The relationship with Tak was also left hanging and not properly developed.
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EXHILIRATING
This show kept me entertained and the emotions portrayed by Seo In Guk were remarkable. The story line kept me on pins and needles throughout all of the episodes. I would literally watch anywhere from 3-4 episodes in one day.I felt such empathy for Seo's character, he did a superior job in this role. I was heart broken because how the story ended but then, I am one of those individuals that loves happy endings. I would watch this movie again because of the main actors excellent performance.
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DO NOT watch this if you're looking for a light hearted drama, this one is heavy from the beginning to the end.
Wonderful actors, amazing writing. I can't say enough good things about this.
It has its flaws, of course, the biggest one in my opinion being the development of the female lead. But on the other hand, the male lead character building was outstanding. In the end her story is just an accessory to his. But as a whole it was so worth it!
[WARNING: may contain spoilers]
Oh, and I have to say I started thinking it was about a sociopath and hated the way they were romanticizing his condition, I almost dropped it because of this. If you're like me, don't give up! They make you understand him way better.
Cheers to a good (and heavy and sad) drama!!
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