What a wasted potential ?
This is the story of low level civil servant, orphan, bullied, insecure and lonely, getting entangled in magic with a lawyer.BIG HOPES: the initial plot and characters that was PROMISING a classic fantasy melodrama and starcrossed lovers whose characters grow together and find each other …
But somehow, along the way -very early-it got tacky.
What i liked:
- they had a cute intricate melody for magic and general ost was nice
- Early episodes (1-4) really had a witty comedy even if it was cringe( still happening by the end but its sparse and mostly off )
- I liked trying to guess the rules of this magical world and the mysteries along the plot ( in the beginning)
- FL development is among my fav element of a show: i loved that we see her evolve and the actress really showed a nice progression ( but it was still a bit inconsistent, feels skipped and weird!!)
What i didn’t like:
- without spoiling, early on the ML actions suggest some toxic behaviour , that even if addressed by the other characters, it really was a low from the writers , especially how they reveal events related to that part. I totally disconnected from the romantic side of the story
- The magic mystery itself 😢 while i love fantasy in the real world and making it subtle, sometimes it was sooo subtle we were constantly being thrown off/ON the magic.
- The characters: while they could all potentially be great characters ( in their own roles to the story) each character had something off and unrealistic making us disconnect further with the story. Especially the main leads.
- The MOST ANNOYING EKEMENT: Witholding information from the viewer: this is a show that constantly hides parts of a scene to reveal it later, while it can be really nice if well done, it was sooo overdone and annoying in this show. We were expected to root for the FL and ML from a short reveal from the past? This made the story / engagement of the viewer forced. I felt tricked by the writers hiding a lazy evolution of the story to buy minutes…
- This brings the last point: we remain confused for most of the show … the main story is not clear as if random scenes were patched together.. it lacked cohesiveness…
I had read in some comments that the writer’s last work before this one dates back to 2018, which may explain the choppy scenes?
Overall, the show felt shallow, often redundant. the viewer is almost always left guessing.
I really wanted to love this show because it had a nice idea!! But it was shabby with no meat… the actors did great often but it wasn’t enough…
I was left disconnected from the story . My neurones weren’t ‘coupling’ with the story ( it’s an inside joke from the story) …
I still want to finish my review on a positive note because some episodes were really nice so :
- Shout out to the main actors who did their best to bring these characters to life considering the script ( some lines were really cringe but it turned out witty or really funny !)
- I liked the general atmosphere of the world in this show and cinematic quality.
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This review may contain spoilers
Started super interesting then lost me mid way through
I'll be keeping this review very short and sweet.The plots of this series were all over the place.
Seems like the writers didn't know to pick one story line and do thst very well. One minute the show is a mystery, the next it's Harry potter with spells and music and the next, it's a past love story.
I think they did all the past story lines much better. Everyone acted their parts very well.
But the rest of the stuff just didn't know. The office stuff with other Co workers. Her stuck between two guys who kept playing with.
The leads are good here. Though, the FL is charming and funny and the ML is also charming and got some good lines.
The SML is just there. I didn't hate him or like him
But the SFL was just horrible through the show. Not her acting but the character actions and the ML took way too long to break up with her.
Anyway, I think the show had potential like a lot but it ended just like any old drama.
Oh that creepy flower guy didn't need to be there. He was there just to make the show longer.
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I want my sixteen hours of life back
This drama had a promising premise. Past lives, shamanic themes, a touch of mysticism — all the ingredients for something compelling. Yet the execution is astonishingly weak. The story feels loose and poorly anchored, as if no one involved truly believed in the world they were building. Everything unfolds with the emotional intensity of a shrug.The chemistry between the leads is nonexistent. I am not particularly a fan of either actor, but the FL seems capable only of playing “cute”, and never once does she look genuinely in love with the ML. Her backstory — especially the fact that she grew up without a family — could have been the emotional backbone of the entire narrative. Instead, it is flattened into a portrayal of someone simply desperate for attention, rather than a woman shaped by loneliness and resilience. It makes her come across as strangely childish, which undermines her arc completely.
The ML’s performance is also simplistic, but at least he seems more emotionally invested in his role. Still, this is nowhere near enough to salvage the plot.
A weak story paired with disengaged acting. A wasted premise and a waste of time.
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The Butterflies I felt watching this!!!!
This show was an absolute masterpiece!!!! the connection between the two main characters was everything!! the romance involved was everything!!! the first episode was lackluster a little confusing and slightly boring, but afterwards I was giggling like and kicking my feet like a school girl every episode. the romance was chefs kiss; I loved how the romance developed and between each episode and they went more in dept than most other Kdramas go. this will be a show I will most def watch over and over. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!!!!!!Was this review helpful to you?
the mild and kind of beautiful romance in it is to be appreciated
the overall drama was good and the wait for every episode was eager the last few episodes were kind of chaotic but the male lead made the whole drama moving with his fine features , but the drama was quite unclear regarding it's historical depiction and beliefs on spells but maybe that's how a dra is supposed to be at the end the supporting characters were left with untold stories and much more were left unfinished all together the drama was worth watching I watched it for rowoon oppa and that was worth it ✨Was this review helpful to you?
It goes downhill really fast
The story is interesting and it got me hooked in the first couple of episodes, but then I started to realize the FL has no personality. At all. The actress tried her best and she's great but the character is weak at best.And then the FL from ep 12 on just picks the most dump decisions and that just wasn't for me. I'm not a big fan of the "I'll go to the bad guy to protect my loved one, with no plan and no good reasoning" thope and I honestly think we're way past this cliché.
That being said, I really think the actors did a good work with what they had and the leads had good chemistry.
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Great series to watch or background noise
I enjoyed it overall but was very repetitive. Just started episode 9 and I'm not liking it. it's confusing. but I have seen bits of their relationship for later on in the series so that's why I continue to watch it. The clips I have seen, the ML and FL seem to be acting like completely different people. we shall see!The grown man is creepy and weird. Cringe. The girls at work are not real friends. I adore the ML. Just finished ep 9 and started ep 10.. I'm very confused it's as if ep 9 didn't exist.
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Netflix's Top 10 TV Global Non-English seven weeks aired on JTBC Aug 23, 2023 - Oct 12, 2023
This review will not assess cinematography, mise-en-scene, lighting, diegetic etc.Destined With You (This is irresistible Love) 2023
Director: Nam Ki Hoon (Tunnel 1987) (Kiss Sixth Sense 2022)
Screenwriter: Noh Ji Sul (100 Days My Prince 2018)
Main Actors: Jo Bo Ah as Lee Hong Jo/Aeng Cho (Female lead Onju Civil Servant)
Rowoon as Jang Shin Yu/Jang Mu Jin (Lawyer)
Ha Joon Kwon as Kwon Jae Kyung Advisor to Mayor (Second Male lead)
Yura as Yoon Na Yeon (Mayor's daughter, decorator, ex-Girlfriend to Shin Yu
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Comedy
This is a love story encompassing three hundred years that requires you to suspend logic because Shamanism, Karma, Curses, past lives and reincarnation must be accepted.
This drama uses non linear storytelling, flashbacks that DON'T fill in all the blanks.
You will be left with questions because the screenwriter, director purposely allowed the audience to develop their own theories of what happened and what will unfold.
If you lack patience, need to interrupt the story at every turn, this isn't for you.
Surrender yourself to this drama; get lost in the beautiful love story between Hong Jo and Shin Yu, you won't be disappointed.
The Princess Bride (1987)
Grandpa to his Grandson stop interrupting me.
Destined With You reminds me of Secret Garden (2010)
Recommend the OST
Lighten up Francis
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This review may contain spoilers
Perfect drama for a someone not used to Fantasy dramas!!
Wow!!! Just wow!! I’m so impressed with this drama!! I don’t normally watch fantasies, they never appealed to me, but I’ve gotten into them more recently and I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED!!!yes there are spells and magic used in the drama, but not enough to overwhelm you!! It was mostly just about past lives and reincarnation which they executed PERFECTLY!! This drama is officially going on my list of top drama’s I’ve watched and mind you I’ve watched thousands at this point!! I LOVE THE WAY IT ENDED!!!! I love that they didn’t end it when you thought they were going to!! I really thought they would end it when she went to get the cotton candy when they were walking in the park, but they didn’t and that made me so happy!!! I love that they ended it with how their relationship started; with the box.Hong Ju and Shin Yu had insane chemistry the entire time and Shin Yu’s scene when he was crying thinking she was dead broke my heart! His acting is SO GOOD!!! I’m genuinely sad this has ended!! Bravo to the writer and director, they really had a vision and executed it stunningly!! I have nothing bad to say about this show!! And I’m so glad there were no empty plot holes! Everything got answered in the end!!! I should have watched this show when it came out 7 months ago!!!
SO OVER ALL
Acting?- SUPERB!
Rewatch value?- Honestly a good 8/10 and I NEVER rewatch shows unless I’m obsessed with them!
Plot?- SO UNIQUE!! They really didn’t do a lot of the known Kdrama cliché’s that everyone knows either! Definitely some plot twists!!
BRAVO!! 👏🏼😭
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Going down roofie road.
After binging this drama in the span of less than a week. I have to make a formal apology to "From Now on Showtime!" because this show is basically the same thing but like wayyy worse in every aspect.Its boring, predictable and cliché. The stalker serial killer, the b*tchy 2nd FML, the second lead not liking her until he's got competition... All of it made me wanna hurl. The show not being able to remember it's own lore about magic.
I don't mind dramas being commercials... But I still wanna be told a good story. I was totally on board for this show until the 5th episode? Once he drank that DAMN love potion it was OVER for me! Such a dumb decision! Speaking of dumb things.
I could not bring myself to believe that a woman willingly wrote this. Every single female character with 1 exception (and no, its not the FL) is a joke. An actual joke. The FL's only characteristics are her being "nice" and liking hot guys. Aside from her dad dying thats all we know about her. Everything else circles back to those two things. Oh? she's hardworking? YEA cuz she's "nice". Oh she's making dumb magical decisions? YEA it's cuz she likes hot guys. The script has her isolated from other people without really giving a valid reason. If she's so nice why does she get bullied and isolated everywhere she goes… I know it's Korean fiction but there's gotta be a reason for her lack of human connections. Even the biggest b*tches I know have a couple f*ckin friends??? (its me, I'm b*tches) Her superiors and coworkers are all disgusting shallow people who walk all over her, take advantage and so on. DESPITE THAT! The FL still wants to be friends with them?
LADY PLEASE have some respect for yourself.
I really dislike when women in dramas can only think of men... you don't have any hopes? Dreams? Goals? Hobbies? The coworkers and 2nd FL have lives that only revolve around the males they drool over... So pathetic. Also the 2nd FL is a freaking delusional hypocrite that honestly made me head cannon that she was a stand in for someone that actually bullied the writer in real life, that way she can feel like she punished her bully through the show… All of this seems like bad fan fiction. The Mary Sue FL, the lack of romantic tension, and the one dimensional 2nd FL… it all reeks.
The male characters are basically pieces of paper. I don't know why the ML ended up liking the FL? He was so rude to her and then BOOM the worst decision of the show comes and all of a sudden he's all about her… The 2ND ML seemed like he might have something relatable and interesting going on… but it doesn't get enough development and he too also starts liking the FL for shallow reasons… I have nothing to say about either of the villains… Both were so boring. The mayor man…. allows his uneducated daughter to make political decisions for him because she's angry… What a whack politician…
The biggest issue is the FL making the conscious decision to trick a man into drinking a love potion that would FORCE that man to love her. This action is the biggest issue for me... Is her life so bad that she needs to essentially magically roofie a man? She's that desperate for love??? WHY??? So cuz her dad died she has the right to force men into a relationship even after being PREVIOUSLY REJECTED BY THE SAME MAN? I just can't wrap my head around this creative decision.... THIS and everything that results from it are tainted. If she gets into a relationship with that guy… then everything that takes place is r*pe… I don't understand how the writers missed that… The drama doesn't really make any effort to condemn her actions either, instead it's used as a comedic trampoline… All kinds of shenanigans take place after that…
The cinematography, music, and acting were all fine I guess.
I can confidently say this was my worst drama of 2023… too much of it rubbed me the wrong way. I would gladly watch King The Land 20x times more than ever watch this again. Just awful.
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Disappointing storyline
I don’t know how to start this, honestly.I was super excited when I heard Rowon and boah would be the main leads for this drama and thus I had quite high expectations.
When the teaser started to release, I thought it might be a bit cliche but I thought, let’s wait until it’s out, and yeah, it’s cliche.
The storyline is basically solely focused on the fantasy aspect that we have seen plenty of times before, and it’s nothing new.
The only interesting part about this was the fantasy storyline; besides that, the romance and characters were barely interesting
I didn’t see a point in it being 16 episodes instead of 12 cause the only thing the drama had going for it was the fantasy aspect, and that was it.
The overall story was okay, but I wouldn’t rewatch it, 'cause nothing interested me enough to keep watching.
The romance was messy, I guess an attempt at making some drama in the hope that it would keep the viewers interested, but instead just made me question it.
The characters were annoying, the most annoying characters I have ever watched in a kdrama so far
The female lead was just annoying and because of the writing, I hated her every time she was on screen. I couldn’t even focus cause the writing of her character made me dislike her so much, and I can say that for the male lead as well. Plus, her colleagues are so annoying that I wanted to slap them and her team leader.
One thing I have to say is that the relationship between these characters really had a lot of inconsistency. I mean, they go from hating her to being friends? And the way they did that is just so bad; there were so many inconsistencies.
Overall, this drama was just not my cup of tea, which was a shame cause I really was excited for a rowon and boah pairing, but the writing ruined it.I hope that they would get cast together again in another better drama, and this whole enemies-to-lovers wasn’t even enemies-to-lovers; it was just badly done.
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