Anto
Argentina
A well deserved happy ending
Absolutely loved the premise! The fact the Cheol was, initially, a fictional character inside a webtoon, then, one day, he becomes aware and free will starts coming into play against the webtoon's creator wishes.Honestly, it was amazing and flawlessly executed. The "cartoonization" was so incredible! I loved all the special effects and transitions that were added.
Both leads were great in their roles. I especially loved Kang Cheol's character. It's not everyday one comes across a k-drama lead who's comfortable in his sexuality and an outrageously charismatic, arrogant flirt. The main couple had great chemistry and were so earnest and emotional in their performances. I couldn't help but root for them and shed a few tear during the heartbreaking moments.
The drama was insane and never ending. And it'll all get worse before it gets better. Like, way worse than you'll imagine. But if nothing else, this show guarantees you a crazy, entertaining ride.
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The main couple is the main reason for that. They had such good chemistry and were so sweet. I'm a sucker for the "enemies to lovers" trope, which was executed so very smoothly. I also really liked the relationship between the producers for the variety show. Joon's manager, wardrobe lady and Geoun Young's parents were very likable characters, too. The parents had a few hilarious scenes, and it was cute how Ji Hyang was their first shipper.
On the negative side, the second couple was so very toxic. Which was only made worse by the fact that they were two sides of the show's love triangle. It, perhaps, would have been better if JJ died. He was such a mean, manipulative and emotionally abusive character, and I don't think he deserved the weak attempt at a redemption arc they gave him. He was nowhere near damaged enough to justify him being that absolutely awful to other people. In Hyung was not much better. So pitiful for no apparent reason. She made her choices, picked her path and then refused to take responsibility for her own life. I don't really like "woe is me" characters who don't do anything to change their circumstances.
But, all in all, this show was extremely bingeable and so much fun! Would recommend.
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I've been turned into a Park Bo-Gum fangirl
This drama is what you would get if you were to mix a star crossed lovers story, a la Romeo and Juliet—except, you know, with a big social class gap between the two main characters—Mulan, and maybe a little bit of Cinderella, and set it all as a historical drama set in the Joseon period of Korean history.This was my first foray into the world of sageuks, and I must say, it was an excellent choice.
Had its fair share of laughs as well as angsty, teary moments. I enjoyed it very much, and the leads were absolutely adorable together! Had great chemistry. The supporting characters were also very good.
I would definitely watch it again!
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I actually liked this so much I watched it twice
At times it was silly and quite ridiculous. But when it aimed at your emotions? It hit true every single time. Hold on tight and reach for the tissues box. The chance of ending up in tears is high with this one.This was my first time ever watching a K-drama, and I've gotta say, never before have I seen as much crying as I did on this show. Every single episode either one or both leads ended up crying, and it may or may not have tugged at my heartstrings (it definitely did).
The main couple was marvelous and had incredible chemistry. And all the supporting characters were also great. I especially loved Captain Ri's subordinates. So many laughs with those four. The provided amazing comic relief and were a bunch of lovable goofballs.
Thoroughly enjoyable first experience, I look forward to watching plenty more.
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And here are a number of extra characters to comply with the 500-minimum rule.
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All Hail Hee-Kyung Eonni
If you're thinking of starting this drama, you should definitely consider watching Extraordinary You first. Trust me, it'll make watching True Beauty all the more fun.This drama would be worth watching for the eye candy and fun references to other k-dramas alone, but it had so much more to offer!
The first few episodes were totally chaotic, extra and over the top. Kinda crazy, but a lot of fun! Then a few more serious topics like low self-esteem, bullying and psychological trauma were brought up. Honestly, the show struck a good balance between kooky and serious. It was funny and lighthearted, but also emotional and deep in certain aspects. It succeeded in making me laugh, swoon and pulling at my heartstrings.
And the casting! The 3 main actors look like the webtoon characters come to life. Which is insane. And they delivered solid performances all around. But I have to admit the older sister completely stole the show. All of her scenes were hilarious.
I absolutely loved this show and would recommend everyone who loves romance dramas watch it.
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Very solid first season. The acting from all the leads and supporting characters was astounding and the chemistry between the Counters was so natural. Plot-wise, an interesting idea, pretty well executed, except for some moments of dumbness where unreasonable decisions were forced for the plot's sake. Was it predictable? Yes. Was it still fun to watch? Also yes. I felt the serious topics were well blended with the funny bits, and I liked the "territory" light effects, even if some of the more practical bits look quite rough and fake (particularly the wire work). For the casual action-adventure watcher, I feel like this would be an entertaining show.
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It was super creepy and unsettling, but in a quiet way that built a lot of tension and didn't ruin the whole thing with unnecessary blood and gore. I think fans of horror and casual watchers alike will love that element of it.
The main actress was definitely the biggest stand out. She was insanely good and killed it throughout. And the rest of the cast was also super good, too. Even the more peripheral characters, like the FL's mom and the grandmother.
I loved the twists and turns of the story related to the ghost, it was super interesting and I was kept guessing until the very end. Having to wait between episodes was awful.
Lastly, much as it happened with Jirisan, I wonder at the choice to hint at romance (or at the very least the younger ML being very clearly romantically interested in the FL) when the writing won't really commit to it. I loved how obviously smitten Hong Sae was, but I hated how it was just left at a few teasing scenes. We all know what was being implied (as the Twitter edits abundantly evidence), so why be coy about it? I'm of the mind that a solid romance plot could have been smoothly integrated into the overall story. Romantic horror k-dramas need to become a thing (especially if they include ghost possession).
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So much better than I'd thought it'd be!!
I may be biased because I love fantasy and idol dramas, but this show got a lot more hated than it deserved to. All the bad comments and low scoring I saw it get made me put off watching it, and I wish I'd just gone with my gut (the poster and description were right up my alley) and started it when it first came out.So much happened in each and every episode that it was impossible to get bored. I remember thinking by episode four how it felt like I'd watch double the amount of episodes because of how much story had already been tackled. And even if "good vs evil" is not my favorite trope (villains being bad just for the sake of it is boring), I still really enjoyed every other aspect of the show.
The leads had good chemistry, even if perhaps their romantic spark was a little lackluster. But I liked their rapport, especially when Gam Jae was added into the mix. I also really liked how the show blended its serious moments with lots of little, hilarious pockets of comic relief. The cute sound effects and switch to funny music during weighty scenes had me laughing more than once.
Another aspect that was a positive was how Lembrary helped each of his group members overcome their emotional pain. I thought the camaraderie and brotherhood idols develop with their group members was very nicely portrayed. And I think dedicating a little time to show how each of them wrestled their feelings of disappointment and discouragement after not seeing all the blood, sweat and tears they'd poured into becoming successful pay off, made it all the sweeter and more significant when they finally overcame these dark emotions and finally got to reap the benefits of all their hard work. Fractured groups coming back together is my favorite aspect of idol dramas (besides, I have the softest spot ever for BTS, and Wild Animal living all on top of each other and their company being small heavily reminded me of how they started off). The one thing I will say, though, is that I would have liked to see more performances. There wasn't nearly enough singing and dancing.
Final positive aspect? No love triangle. And the bonus of the unexpected twist involving Redrin.
I think for anyone that enjoys idol culture and shows, and fantasy, this'll be a good fit. Personally, I thought it was great!
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Definitely had a good time watching it :)
I know absolutely nothing about EXO, but I loved this mini drama! It was so adorable and fun. And even though I wasn't expecting much acting wise (this is not my first time coming across k-pop stars acting in dramas), I was pleasantly surprised! Solid performances all around! I had a smile on my face almost the whole time while watching this.Moon Ga Young totally kicked ass in this. The more I see of her stuff, the more I like her.
Also, the bromance between Yeon-Hee's wacky younger brother and Sehun was priceless.
I wish all k-pop groups did little dramas like this.
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A fun drama that doesn't overstay its welcome.
Was the plot predictable? Yes, but most romance k-dramas are, so I can hardly fault it for that. With what little I know of Idol culture, I think this drama did a good job portraying how overwhelming and stressing it can be to stand under such a huge spotlight and all the pressure attached to that kind of fame.I liked how each member of the band had their own little side plots. Well, except for Woo-Yeon. They did him dirty. I wish they'd given his character more of a backstory or something to do besides being the very far removed tip of the love triangle.
The music was actually good! (edit: Luna even has a Spotify account!) I'll probably be looking a few of the songs up to add them to my Spotify. And the instrument playing looked legit (edit 2: There's a behind the scenes video on YT of all the guys playing the songs live over the tracks while filming) Also, I hugely appreciate that when there was only a guy with an instrument on screen, the song reflected that and didn't have multiple instruments and people singing.
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I wish it would have been longer
They went all out with the aesthetics for this one! It was a beautiful looking drama (kinda reminiscent of the soft, dreamy feel of Love Alarm and Nevertheless) and with a ridiculously good looking main couple.Super chill vibes and quite interesting use of silence and pauses, both with the music cutting out at pivotal moments and also letting the characters reflect in moments of quiet that somehow made them more poignant. Which, if you consider this show is all about music, from the name to the plot, using sound in such an understated way to enhance the storytelling was such a smart choice.
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It would have been better as a 10 to 12 episodes show, and cut out all the random, not-relevant-to-the-main-plot bits. Honestly, 80% of the last few episodes just felt like a never ending epilogue.
The small town community was fun and full of colorful characters, and all the cast did an amazing job and had fantastic chemistry, but of all the dramas I've watched so far, I still think the one that did that aspect the best was Crash Landing on You.
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Something a little different, but not all that exciting
I liked the plot and how there were various cases the royal secret agent had to investigate. Also, Joseon dramas are always just so beautiful to look at with the locations and costumes. But as it's happened with pretty much every single Joseon drama I've ever watched, the whole thing was brought down by the villains. I always hate the villain's plots in these kinds of dramas, They're always predictable. For once I'd like to be surprised, for the villain not to be revealed until a breaking point in the story.Also, the B-plot with the relationship between Yi Gyum's little brother and his ex girlfriend was so unnecessary. The actress they cast had one single facial expression and her delivery was so dry and unemotional. She was a pointless character that the story could have done without.
Other than that, the drama was fine. The three main characters had great chemistry and banter and I really liked Da In's character and story. Not much romance to this one, though.
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This review may contain spoilers
Not really worth watching
I like cheese, I like a little bit of cringe, and that's mainly the reason why I watch webdramas.This one had both of those in spades. But I think they went wrong with how much emotional drama they tried to squeeze in. There were discussion of death, of driving people to their death, there was even a (not very implicit) suicide scene. They even gave the FL a terminal illness, only to leave that plot thread loose. Why go that deep? The mother's death to bring the magical dolls to life was more than enough. It was even a little bit frustrating how dumb the FL was in not even being a little bit suspicious by the fact four random guys with the exact names of her stuffed dolls mysteriously showed up and took residence in her home trailer.
Webdramas, especially of the idol kind, are not supposed to be analyzed that deeply because they're always, predictably, full of plot holes since they're typically meant to be little else than a bit of fanservice. But the writing in this was quite bad. It was like watching amateur fanfiction written by a 13-year-old come to life. The continuity was practically non-existent and the pacing was kind of awful. Same with the cinematography. This was probably extremely low budget, and it showed. The acting I'll give a pass on, since most of the cast are not trained professionals.
It was brave of whoever wrote this, however, to have idols act like such selfish jerks. I kept being consistently surprised by the reprehensible actions and behaviors of some of the characters. Really bold choice to paint, Jr. especially, in a very unfavorable light for pretty much 80% of the story.
In any case, unless you are a GOT7 diehard, I wouldn't recommend watching this. If you're hankering for an idol webdrama, the EXO one is 50 times better. Watch that one instead.
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