Elin Einarsdottir
Iceland
8 episodes, complete series.
This is definitely not your typical K-drama. It's more explicit and violent at times. There are aspects of it that I would associate more with a western / US made TV series, which is one of the more frequent issues I have with Netflix created K-dramas. It's almost as if they're slowly morphing the beloved K-drama format into a western / US made thing and thus diluting what attracted many of us to the genre to begin with.Content wise I like the overarching idea and theme of the drama, the actors do a great job as is to be expected of what can only be thought of as veterans in the field. Piecing together the past and present of those involved, seeing the true personalities and agendas coming through, all in only 8 episodes makes this a bit of a ride. There's no room for the "first kiss in e8" and "spanner/wrench in the gears in e12" tropes we're so used to.
I will need to watch the drama again to fully appreciate it as this first experience was too colored by my annoyance at what to me felt too western / US like. Now that I am aware of it I should be able to put it to the side and appreciate the K-drama more.
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Pleasantly surprised
Given some of the other reviews I was pleasantly surprised at what I saw. This is not a drama without flaws, and I can appreciate an ick factor at having the ML be an actor with a past including allegations of sexual assault. I was relieved that there isn't THAT much skinship and kissing going on, so I could push it slightly to the side while watching.I think the cast as a whole is good, even the minor roles have suitable actors making each character pretty distinct.
The story arc of the 2nd ML is good, something I didn't really expect given some of the previous reviews.
These are pretty quick 12 episodes (I just came off binging a 50 ep drama before thistle one so my view might be slightly skewed) and worth the watch.
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This K-drama is... Different
I'm seeing a lot of mixed reviews for this K-drama which inspired men to write my own.It's not a bad K-drama, it's just as if it's kind of stuck between being 2-3 different things, ending up by being none of them. It's not very light hearted, but not horribly dark either. It's not really a Whodunnit, nor a typical procedural show. The love triangle/-s is/are interesting, but definitely in the background. The conflicts are there, but not very prominent.
I don't regret watching it through to the end, many of the actors are really good and enjoyable to watch, but this is very unlikely to be something I'll ever watch again, and I'm really glad it's only 14 episodes.
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A pretty solid watch
There's a lot to find in these 12 episodes, I saw mentioned that the drama is a bit disjointed in a different review, but in my opinion it comes together well enough. There's his family issues, her family issues, his work, her work, and then all the secondary characters - so there is a lot to cover.My main problem with the Kdrama is that I couldn't get away from the fact that it's happening in 3 different places; Seoul, Busan, and a "midway" point. There's a 4.5-5.5 hour driving distance between Seoul and Busan and our female lead works in both places during the drama while still living in the same home. And sometimes it's so far between that you need a cat sitter, and sometimes it's just a quick drive 🙄 Yes it's fiction, and yes, these are the two largest cities in S-Korea and therefore the best known ones - it still took away from my enjoyment of the drama.
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It's not bad... I just have an unfair comparison in my mind
If you like Her Private Life... This does not live up to it - at least not in my mind. If you're trying to choose between the two, watch this one first and then Her Private Life.The stories have similarities, but the execution of this one just isn't as good. Too many new things are added after e.12 for the story to feel cohesive, instead it's definitely a story in two halves and the second half is dealing with what came before the first. Intertwining the past and "now" sooner and exposing things here and there along the way would have made the second half more satisfying to me, and improved some of the things that feel half-baked in the first half.
It's not a bad drama... It just suffers from similarities with Her Private Life, which is a personal favorite that I have frequently re-watched, and the comparison is unfavorable. I may need to watch it again knowing what happens in the second half and see if my opinion changes.
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Short, simple, and sweet
The title says it all. If you're looking for something that's not too complicated or demanding, but rather lighthearted and sweet this absolutely hits the spot. With 12 episodes that are just over 30 minutes long it's not a big commitment, and in my opinion worth sitting trough.I do not appreciate that there is no cringe humor or what I'd classify as stupid jokes - you know, the cheap shots.
In the future I could see myself re-watching the series as a comfort watch, or to fill the gap while waiting for a different Kdrama to finish airing (I binge-watch rather then having to wait for the next installment).
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Slow, simple, cute
This is a slow movie, with a very simple plot and storyline. I am a fan of the two main actors anyway, but I think they do a good job carrying the movie.Are there flaws? Yes. But I would be nitpicking if I were to list them.
The main thing to take away from the movie, in my opinion, is honest and open communication. This is of course a familiar theme in Kdramas and movies; difficulties, misunderstanding, and conflicts due to holding back and not communicating clearly. It's difficult to "take a hint" if one isn't even being given.
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It is what it is... Not bad
First things first. One of the male leads gets switched out for a new actor after episode 16 - I've seen a bunch of complaints but I have to go say that it was decently done. I particularly like how they played with it, comments like "you've changed!?" or "there's something different about you" show that the people involved in the making of the drama acknowledge that a new actor has arrived in place of the original.Second, to the comments that the series should have been cut after episode 16... There wouldn't have been closure and it was obviously written in 3 "acts" where e 17-20 are the final one. Too many things had been set up in previous episodes.
It's a fun and silly drama. The two main characters 쌍박 are a bit OTT and the "fighting" between them and then the "cringe worthy" making up with the finger hearts 🫰🏻 are playful. The topics that they are dealing with are very heavy and this playfulness and silliness prevents the drama from becoming too gloomy and broody. It was entertaining while I watched it... Would I watch it again... I don't know.
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Not your typical romance
Romance is definitely a secondary plot of the drama, if not tertiary.I'm writing the review as I'm re-watching the drama as there are a couple of nitpicky things that bother me.
1. The marketing team is in charge of development, working with production, and all the other things. 🤔🤔🤔 Why not just call it The Team as they seem to be doing it all.
2. Director of the headquarters, what sort of title is that? It's the label on 옥자정's office but she's Director of marketing (see rant above). As there is barely an office scene without showing it it's annoying me more and more.
3. There's the main cast that's the focus of the story, but there are at least 2 people in the same office space as The Team who are on occasion shown as part of the group but they don't otherwise get any acknowledgement or even a name. At one point there's a performance review and there are ~7 personnel files, but it's all focused on the main 4. Why bother padding the numbers if they aren't involved in any way whatsoever. Actually excluding these extras would probably make more sense and emphasize that this is a small business. Otherwise making it a marketing team focused only story would also make more sense.
It's still an enjoyable watch, even as a re-watch, but don't expect too much from it.
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