PhuongNguyen
This review may contain spoilers
oldie but goodie
Overall:
From the synopsis, I was sure that I would hate this drama, especially when its also very old. Kdrama ages relatively quickly. Most stories are outdated after 3-5 years and the cinematography also ages. Particularly, having spent my teenage in the late 90s and early 00s, I had watched enough Cinderella-type dramas to know all the motifs of the genre like the back of my hand, which may have been appealing to a dreamy teenage girl me, but as I grew up, I also grew out of its annoying stupidity. I decided to watch it anyway, as I was in the mood for some feel good romcom after finishing my assignments and exams for the year and I had covid so i was off work as well. Plus I figured its a remake, why would they have remade something dumb, right? And I was surprised by how watchable it is, although I must admit the 2010s fashion and hairstyle are hideous looking from the 2022 perspective. Also like all K drama, make sure you turn your brain off at all the illogical coincidences, inconsistency and discontinuity and just have a good laugh at the cuteness of the central couple.
Plot:
Yes, the story has all the elements of the genre. You name it, rich chaebol ML, poor pushover FL, perfect yet hopelessly friend zone second ML, clingy conniving ex, interfering relatives, amnesia, noble idiocy, time skip etc. It's so cliche that I know how it starts and ends without having to watch it. But it is executed well enough to compel me to finish it albeit with skipping the most if not all of the second half. I finished it, which is an attestment on its own to its story telling. Full disclosure, I drop most shows i start, including similar stories like Secret Garden, What's wrong with secretary Kim, Dont dare to dream, Oh my ghost etc. Indeed, I almost dropped this show after the first few minutes because of the over-the-top (ott) advertisement scene and the ear grating laugh of the ML. If you can manage to pull off the first 10 minutes, you will enjoy the next 10 episodes. There are a lot of funny moments and true-to-the-genre drooling sweetness. I guess I kept on watching because I needed that dose of ott romantic prince charm to escape from the harsh reality of my nonexistent love life. Unfortunately, it all goes downhill pretty quickly after that once the amnesisa kicks in. I feel that the story can end at episode 12 when the amnesia is resolved. But it drags on with noble idiocy where the ML's stupidity is on full mode for another almost unbearable 5 epsisodes. While I agree that had I have some sort of heritable disease, getting married and reproducing would definitely and totally be out of my consideration. However its only applicable when there's no child on the way. In this case, the FL is already pregnant by accident from the very beginning. To me, speaking as a mother myself, it is extremely irresponsible and selfish to not inform her of the risk of an incurable disease to her unborn child. That should have saved us from the infuriating noble idicy and the FL could have whacked some sense into the ML way before episde 18. Luckily, the reunion scene is on fire and worth skipping to. I've watched it like a hundred times. The last few episodes are literally just scene filler with no plotline although not unbearably frustrating like episdoes 13-17. The only bonus point of the second half is that ML is given a haircut, and man, he IS super hot. In general, it is an old cliche drama but done well.
Characters/Acting:
Initially, I thought Jang Hyuk's face is a bit too old for this type of drama, especially with his ridiculous hairstyle. But he plays it out well. His character is down right crazy and does take some time to get used to, not the few odd eccentric traits that are usually seen in this type of character but full on mania. But unlike other similar characters of the same era, the ML is not the annoying type "boy mistreats girl because he likes her". In contrast, he never belittles the FL and gives her nothing but encouragement. Yes, they do do the push and pull thing typical of the genre, and he's two timing but it is justifiable by the circumstance that they meet and their chemistry is so good that Im willingly turning a blind eye. He is controlling like this type of character defines him to be but from a different angle, he is manly and decisive, yet also humble and down to earth, not absurdly arrogant and obnoxious like Hyun Bin's character in "Secret Garden" or Park Seo Joon's character in "What's wrong with secretary Kim". The biggest complaint from me for the ML is the noble idiocy and the lack of communication mentioned above. Overall, its a likeable character, though im not sure its because its written well or executed well by Jang Hyuk or both.
As for the FL, I dont think I ever liked a weak FL but Jang Nara's character makes me want to cheer on for her rather than punching the screen. She is just simply pure and kind to a fault but not portrayed as stupid. She carries a silent strength that makes her transformation believable (personality wise not career wise though). The first half of the show brings us a timid adorable girl while the end delivers a courageous and confident woman but keeping true to her core. Watching her growth in how she faces the press at the beginning and at the end is gratifying. Jang Nara brightens every scene she's in and her smiles warm my heart. I do secretly wish they had actually cut the noble idiocy short and extended their courtship to make her more visibly pregnant with more comical scenes along the pregnancy though. Anyway, another likeable, well written and/or well executed lead character. And together their chemistry is phenonmenal. All the passionate kiss scenes are heart melting, especially at the reunion scene, their gaze at each other really shows how much they long for each other.
With regards to the second ML and FL, they are just standard characters of the genre that leave no impression in me. The same goes for the supporting casts, with the exception of the FL's mother, the ML's grandma and surprisingly the second FL's mother, The scene where the FL's mother stands up for her daughter when everyone is pressuring the FL into marriage is one the deciding factors for me to keep on watching. She is protective and has her daughter's best interest in mind however, she's also very respectful and supportive when the FL says no. The grandma is probably the most welcoming chaebol family in K dramaland. Some of her lines are hilarious. And to my amazement, the second FL's adoptive mother 'also capture my attention with her no nonsense attitude despite appearing for only a few seconds. She is the most sensible character in the show. I'll forever remember her line "stop your self-pity and you will be happier that way."
All in all, a very likeable ensemble with no overly annoying characters.
Music:
I dont think I've ever come across any K dramas with bad music and this one is no exception.
Recommendation/Rewatch:
If you are a sucker for ott comical romance like me, then knock yourself out with the first 10 episodes but feel free to drop when the angst gets too tiresome after that.
From the synopsis, I was sure that I would hate this drama, especially when its also very old. Kdrama ages relatively quickly. Most stories are outdated after 3-5 years and the cinematography also ages. Particularly, having spent my teenage in the late 90s and early 00s, I had watched enough Cinderella-type dramas to know all the motifs of the genre like the back of my hand, which may have been appealing to a dreamy teenage girl me, but as I grew up, I also grew out of its annoying stupidity. I decided to watch it anyway, as I was in the mood for some feel good romcom after finishing my assignments and exams for the year and I had covid so i was off work as well. Plus I figured its a remake, why would they have remade something dumb, right? And I was surprised by how watchable it is, although I must admit the 2010s fashion and hairstyle are hideous looking from the 2022 perspective. Also like all K drama, make sure you turn your brain off at all the illogical coincidences, inconsistency and discontinuity and just have a good laugh at the cuteness of the central couple.
Plot:
Yes, the story has all the elements of the genre. You name it, rich chaebol ML, poor pushover FL, perfect yet hopelessly friend zone second ML, clingy conniving ex, interfering relatives, amnesia, noble idiocy, time skip etc. It's so cliche that I know how it starts and ends without having to watch it. But it is executed well enough to compel me to finish it albeit with skipping the most if not all of the second half. I finished it, which is an attestment on its own to its story telling. Full disclosure, I drop most shows i start, including similar stories like Secret Garden, What's wrong with secretary Kim, Dont dare to dream, Oh my ghost etc. Indeed, I almost dropped this show after the first few minutes because of the over-the-top (ott) advertisement scene and the ear grating laugh of the ML. If you can manage to pull off the first 10 minutes, you will enjoy the next 10 episodes. There are a lot of funny moments and true-to-the-genre drooling sweetness. I guess I kept on watching because I needed that dose of ott romantic prince charm to escape from the harsh reality of my nonexistent love life. Unfortunately, it all goes downhill pretty quickly after that once the amnesisa kicks in. I feel that the story can end at episode 12 when the amnesia is resolved. But it drags on with noble idiocy where the ML's stupidity is on full mode for another almost unbearable 5 epsisodes. While I agree that had I have some sort of heritable disease, getting married and reproducing would definitely and totally be out of my consideration. However its only applicable when there's no child on the way. In this case, the FL is already pregnant by accident from the very beginning. To me, speaking as a mother myself, it is extremely irresponsible and selfish to not inform her of the risk of an incurable disease to her unborn child. That should have saved us from the infuriating noble idicy and the FL could have whacked some sense into the ML way before episde 18. Luckily, the reunion scene is on fire and worth skipping to. I've watched it like a hundred times. The last few episodes are literally just scene filler with no plotline although not unbearably frustrating like episdoes 13-17. The only bonus point of the second half is that ML is given a haircut, and man, he IS super hot. In general, it is an old cliche drama but done well.
Characters/Acting:
Initially, I thought Jang Hyuk's face is a bit too old for this type of drama, especially with his ridiculous hairstyle. But he plays it out well. His character is down right crazy and does take some time to get used to, not the few odd eccentric traits that are usually seen in this type of character but full on mania. But unlike other similar characters of the same era, the ML is not the annoying type "boy mistreats girl because he likes her". In contrast, he never belittles the FL and gives her nothing but encouragement. Yes, they do do the push and pull thing typical of the genre, and he's two timing but it is justifiable by the circumstance that they meet and their chemistry is so good that Im willingly turning a blind eye. He is controlling like this type of character defines him to be but from a different angle, he is manly and decisive, yet also humble and down to earth, not absurdly arrogant and obnoxious like Hyun Bin's character in "Secret Garden" or Park Seo Joon's character in "What's wrong with secretary Kim". The biggest complaint from me for the ML is the noble idiocy and the lack of communication mentioned above. Overall, its a likeable character, though im not sure its because its written well or executed well by Jang Hyuk or both.
As for the FL, I dont think I ever liked a weak FL but Jang Nara's character makes me want to cheer on for her rather than punching the screen. She is just simply pure and kind to a fault but not portrayed as stupid. She carries a silent strength that makes her transformation believable (personality wise not career wise though). The first half of the show brings us a timid adorable girl while the end delivers a courageous and confident woman but keeping true to her core. Watching her growth in how she faces the press at the beginning and at the end is gratifying. Jang Nara brightens every scene she's in and her smiles warm my heart. I do secretly wish they had actually cut the noble idiocy short and extended their courtship to make her more visibly pregnant with more comical scenes along the pregnancy though. Anyway, another likeable, well written and/or well executed lead character. And together their chemistry is phenonmenal. All the passionate kiss scenes are heart melting, especially at the reunion scene, their gaze at each other really shows how much they long for each other.
With regards to the second ML and FL, they are just standard characters of the genre that leave no impression in me. The same goes for the supporting casts, with the exception of the FL's mother, the ML's grandma and surprisingly the second FL's mother, The scene where the FL's mother stands up for her daughter when everyone is pressuring the FL into marriage is one the deciding factors for me to keep on watching. She is protective and has her daughter's best interest in mind however, she's also very respectful and supportive when the FL says no. The grandma is probably the most welcoming chaebol family in K dramaland. Some of her lines are hilarious. And to my amazement, the second FL's adoptive mother 'also capture my attention with her no nonsense attitude despite appearing for only a few seconds. She is the most sensible character in the show. I'll forever remember her line "stop your self-pity and you will be happier that way."
All in all, a very likeable ensemble with no overly annoying characters.
Music:
I dont think I've ever come across any K dramas with bad music and this one is no exception.
Recommendation/Rewatch:
If you are a sucker for ott comical romance like me, then knock yourself out with the first 10 episodes but feel free to drop when the angst gets too tiresome after that.
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