Focus On More Than 1 Element In This Drama

Focus On More Than 1 Element: Romance, Healing, Mental Health, Novels Within a Novel, Mystery, Non-Traditional Family

The sum of the parts of this drama are just so good that regardless of the lapses of certain elements of the writing, it still deserves tons of praise.

My favorite part of this drama, hands down, was the 3-way relationship of the OTP and brother. The way they evolved had so much preciousness to it, it was unbelievable.

The 1 point deduction is for the part that everyone seems to be stuck on, that doesn't make sense in the *real* world but is fine for *la-la-land*, regarding the mystery. Plausible or not, this does not take away from all of the other parts that were done so well, to me, that I just cannot fathom deducting more than 1 point.

Lastly, you know a drama's story is well told when I bother to go to an online Korean marketplace to purchase the novels within this drama, that are written in Korean, to be sent to me here in the USA during a pandemic. Shelling out $170 for a fantasy author, Moonyoung & illustrator, Sang Tae's REAL work is nothing to sneeze at! I enjoyed them so much I was truly willing to invest.

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Quirky Take on Politics

This certainly wasn't a drama that was about taking itself seriously. I like the style of this drama but the execution of the plot was inconsistent at times. Being silly, in essence, gives the drama leeway on this fact.

I was onboard with the quirky female lead because it was a new take on the typical K-Drama Kongji & Patji dramas. She's a lot stronger FL than most, and not trampled on hardly at all. Her setbacks are all situational and manipulated but not from a specific case of those "out to get" her.

Towards the middle her character turns less dogmatic about the things that drove her choices which felt a bit out of character. Even the ML pointed it out in passing a few times. I was irked a bit, but they brought her back around to be more in character, and she never lost her passionate side or strength one time. Being quirky sort of meant spacy and she flies from one train of thought to the other but not in a ditzy or chaotic matter. It's just more messy at times.

The ML is stoic but with a heart of gold. He's the calm in the storm. The passion for doing the right thing match the FL, and they make great leads with wonderful interactions that come across genuine and natural. It's refreshing, and the drama around them drives them forwarding as characters rather than stymie them.

This was a fun ride although the ending felt as if they production didn't know how to end things. The time jumps were a bit awkward, and the characters either when in a strange direction or ended up, after all that forward movement, back to where their character's personality was before everything started. But, again, this is on the quirky side so it played to the style of the drama. I just prefer to have a more wrapped up ending.

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As other commentators pointed out below, this series started off so well, but around episode 18 it goes completely down hill. This show went full makjang, and it's unfortunate because it didn't really start out that way.. I mean, of course, the teacher's family is shit, but that's normal. It's the outer limits quadruple triangle, orphan, lowclass mom, women fighting over money, affairs, life threatening illness, amnesia, etc, etc. It made you miss the simple kids bullying and killing other kids stuff it started out with... and as a mother myself, that's not something I take lightly.

The 1st 18 episodes were great. A tough ass mom whose son died who does everything to teach the kids at the school lessons their own parents are failing to teach them, and support them to be happy and successful. But all of a sudden the focus started become more about the Family Feud that was portrayed like a Joseon Historical with princesses lying & scheming, vying for the title of Crown Prince. Every episode was just merely a flipflop of the previous one, with SIL #1 on top then SIL #2 on top... and the men acting like ghosts, except for dad who is an island unto himself. They manage about less than 10 minutes cut into 1:30 segments in each episode with the OTP walking SLLLLOOOOWWWWWLLLLLYYYY away from each other or staring at each other or opining on whether they're allowed to love each other and be happy...

Let's just say that more than 2/3rds of this show, the school children are no where to be found, the very thing that made this story great, and the whole time I'm saying to myself, "I don't give a shit about anyone's family. I just want to see her continue to help the boys at the school grow and mature, and teach the parents lessons in humanity... while knocking heads together." After the lead fell in love she was a wuss and shell of her former self... spent her time getting spoken to and treated like dirt without laying a hand on anyone, crying all the time, and walk around like she's in a comatose state. ....it's like they spent so much time on the SILs being nasty they were completely out of any ideas for their lead.

You know, it's being pulled in for 18 episodes then wrecking my mind for 22 more that pisses me off. I feel extremely cheated by these writers who seem hell bent on being sadistic with their unwillingness to give you what you want.

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OTP Incorrectly Billed! OTP/SLC Switch:

This could have been such a great drama but this writer was so lacking it ruined it completely.

CONS:
1) If someone set out the task, like they do with lyric distribution for K-Pop idols' music, to calculate how much on-air screen time the Secondary Lead Couple got to the OTP, I'd say that it would be 2:1. This isn't even counting the amount of time the OTP, either as a couple together on-screen, or individually, spent discussing the SLC's issues, problems, life, and not focusing on themselves.

2) For me, it was like false billing where Viann Zhang & Yi Da Qian were actually the true OTP and Zhou Fang/Song Lin couple were the SLC, and the ONLY reason they billed Reba and Johnny as the OTP was because of the Qin Qing/Zuo YuLin story being lacking, and trying to get away with it. Qin Qing's character annoyed tf out of me...and the topic of this couple's issues and problems, and roundabout relationship and work place stuff was so PAINFULLY boring, it ruined this drama for me.

3) The editing wasn't the worst I've seen but it was certainly messy. Too many random scenes, and the OTP meeting in random settings, talking about random things.

4) A LOT of predictable scenes and conversations.

PROS:

1) Reba & Johnny as a couple are the best. Off-the-charts chemistry. Both acted the hell out of their characters despite the poor and lacking script/plot. They were the most natural couple I've seen on screen in a while. So much so, I wouldn't be surprised by eventual dating rumors. lol.

2) Johnny's character was absolutely the best, hands down and he played Song Lin the best anyone could. Reba's Zhou Fang was good as well, and she played her excellent, but, unfortunately, her character was trashed by the writer a handful of times, and it wasn't pleasant and made me frustrated watching it.

3) The friendships, bromance/sismance are really pretty good, even despite not liking some of the characters initially or on/off during the course of the drama based on their actions and boring topics.

The beginning had the seeds of a good story... it's just too bad that the writer decided that the boring SLC's story was better and worth more promoting than the actual OTP. The only time I really enjoyed this was when the OTP were together on screen.

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Story: I was surprised at how much I really started to dislike this drama after ep. 8. I could already predict that the lovelines would be dragged out. It was great up until this point for me. It was very humorous, insightful, and cute. The thing that started to turn me off about it was the show didn't know whether it wanted to be a romantic comedy or profound like Misaeng. I use that drama comparison specifically to point out that I don't need a loveline to enjoy the show, but if you're gonna give me that angle, then play it out. Watch the whole show, with each couple, and notice that the romance is really lacking and the skinship, although hugs and handholding are nice have little romantic meaning. It's usually given in the process of some misunderstanding. For a TVN production, I was very sad about this part.

The way this show was edited also bothered me. It had way too much filler for me. At least 15 minutes of each episode has flashback filler of scenes we've already watched, and the same ones over and over again and this is just for the present scenes. Then there's the flashbacks of their youth that give you a scene then next episode replays that scene and adds an additional 3-4 minutes of extend the scene to give more information. I didn't really like this style. I thought the youth scenes could have been intertwined into the present more seemlessly.

Acting: There is nothing bad I can say about the acting. The actors are topnotch and even the new comers are great. This show introduced me to lil Kim Min Jae who I was not aware of until now. Realized that he could actually dance and his acting is good for a rookie. It's no wonder he got picked up for a new drama. All the side characters/students/old friends were really good and played their parts well. I enjoyed watching them even if I didn't really like the way the story was written and directed.

Music: The music wasn't too catchy for me. This is coming from someone who downloads OST for dramas and got into k-pop this way. One of my most disappointing scenes was her dance, which could have been handled so much better even if they need to get a body double, when they cut BTS Dope into a ballad. I was like: I'm just getting my groove on and expecting her to bust out and put the moves on and they slo-mo the hip-hop? WTF? lol....

Rewatch: Watching it once you get the story gist, no need to replay. If I'd rewatch anything it would be for cute scenes from the beginning episodes. Past that, there was so many flashback repeats I rewatch the drama already while watching it the first time.

Overall: It's entertaining. I'd watch it without expecting a loveline. Like even if the drama tries to throw that aspect at you, don't bite. Watch like a Slice Of Life show and enjoying getting to know the main character and her life. Don't expect too much from her, just watch her learn, and grow... and that's why I mentioned Misaeng... If you've watched that drama, this is a lesser version of someone learning and growing. The acting in itself is worth a watch even if the plot is bi-polar.

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To sum it up, after FIFTY, yes 50 episodes, I feel like it ended TOO SOON, and I feel like I could watch another 50 episodes back-to-back, no problem, and I didn't fast-forward a thing, that's all you need to know.

Wei Ying was the quintessential protagonist and I loved every ounce of him from start to finish! Never ONCE did HE disappoint me. That means a lot to me. It's hard to come across a character that you fall in love with this much, and it was as much the actor's ability to transmit all the emotions and dynamics into it as it was how well it was written.

Every other actor played their part beautifully, how could you have any real complaints? Although I still felt Wang Ji was only second to Wei Ying in my book, he was still part of an excellent duo in this drama. Additionally, the other actors/actresses played their parts so perfectly, there wasn't a person who didn't fit their role, be it bad guy OR good guy, and everything in-between!!

The camaraderie and inter-/intra-personal relationships of all the characters are absolutely what makes this drama. This is better than the best soap opera you could find. In fact, as my heart started to sink with every passing episode, realizing that I was one step closer to the end, I kept thinking how wonderful it would be to have THIS be an on-going drama with Wei Ying & Wang Ji & Wen Ning antics, solving problems and NEW mysteries, one after the other!! That's how good this story is, frankly.

The one thing I've always hated about American dramas were their revolving never-ending stories, where every episode people's morals are further set aside. BUT THIS, this is a story that feels like it would be ripe and fit the on-going drama formula. ....but maybe for the freshness of it all, it's best to have a ending... but I love the semi-cliffhanger ending, in that, if they truly wanted to do it...they could have a sequel.... This is definitely one to ponder on....

This was just excellent production all-around.

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There were entertaining moments but the totality was a drama that is a dime a dozen. Female lead wasn't really sassy but horny. Male lead was the saving grace. The rest of the cast did their part, but with a stale story and bad editing, this is forgettable.

I'm really not a fan of the noble idiocy. This drama ended up doing what every average Chinese Drama ends up doing, making things messy in the 11th hour with very little episode film time to give us anything but a quick end after dragging everything out and put every obstacle in front of the OTP, including the kitchen sink. So unnecessary.

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Edited With A Serrated Knife

Tbh, this started out pretty good. I was enjoying it despite the rough editing cuts and a few other random flaws here and there.

But then all of a sudden around Ep. 10, one of the main police characters disappeared. It made the whole murder mystery situation a complete mess. The cops looked like fools who aren't out to seek justice but just to do the bidding of chaebols giving orders or placating the rest of society to pretend like they're actually trying to do a job they are not. Leaves a bad taste in your mouth....

Then after that the story fell apart into a rotating cycle of the same topic: they're hiding, they're lying around in each other's arms waiting for death, the bad guys find them, bad guys tell the cops, cops chase after them, catch them, then release them....and we just rinse and repeat this cycle until the show is over....

The end was a time skip, with stuff that made no sense.... we didn't see any of the hospital process, and why is the head nun giving medical advice and not a doctor??? There was nothing to cops doing their job... it was all 'in the background".... We just basically watch a group of people cry over each other when we already knew this shit would happen from the start... There was VERY little character development except for the OTP... and that was an aspect that was truly overlooked and lost as a potential to bolden this plot.... but this writer just wanted to do 'depressed and sad lives' and keep us there.... Hell, we don't even get to truly see the results of the bad guys... just a partial TV news report... which was just as weak as randomly cutting a main supporting actor playing a cop without any real rhyme or reason for it... don't believe me??? Go look at the comments to the ending... people STILL don't understand what happened and think he was written out for personal reasons, not because the writer wanted to do it for the plot... but there's no confirmation either way... which just proves the sloppy writing this had...

It's really sad because the actors, especially the grandma, acted the shit out of their characters and really truly tried to sell us the whole thing... but even with all of that, they couldn't save the final snooze fest of 3-4 episodes of nothingness the writer put into that script.

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STORY:
This story line never dragged for me. The flow and pacing was very nice. It had different stories within the main story that kept it from going off track too much and keeping it from getting boring. It stuck to a theme and I really liked that aspect. I loved the sismance in this one. The 2 female leads were paired well and their relationship to everyone else was pretty quality entertainment. It started off silly, got a bit serious in the middle without losing its humorous feel, and then ended with the same kind of silliness. Overall a really "feel good" series with just the right amount of angst to have a good story throughout 15 episodes. It didn't feel draggy, or rushed. It was just right.

ACTING:
Everyone acted superbly in this drama. I really did like everyone's character, even the villains. I do have to give special props to Roy's character and NOT merely because it's Roy or for fangirling or anything like that at all. His character was just like the most perfect imperfect male lead you could ever ask for in a drama. I like that he's not necessarily romantic and "for love" but learns through the process of falling in love, being let down by it, yet still never giving up on himself and being true to what he feels. It really was a quality love process... ...and it really helped that Alice and him play well off each other. They have really good chemistry, but I think I'd still like his character even if it was someone else. He's just a really, really likable guy.

MUSIC:
The music was pretty good quality. Not overpowering and interfering with the drama. Upbeat, sad, & sweet all placed at the right times.... and at least 3 songs [Linger on by Yoga Lin] [Lost Heartbeat (?????) by Power Station] [So Close (??) by Joanne Tseng] are worthy of downloading and playing on your mp3 player. ;)

REWATCH:
It's just such a feel good show with lots of great kiss scenes between Roy and Alice that after it sinks in you'll probably want to come back to see it again. There are those rare ones that are worth a rewatch. This is one of them.

OVERALL:
What can I say more than ^^^ this? I just really, really liked this drama.

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Not As Slow Burn As You Might Expect

I was mislead by a lot of comments. There was really a lot about slow burn, but in actuality, there is no more slow burn than any standard rom-com Kdrama.

The template of such a drama is the work up to the 7-8th episode for the confessions, and skinship to happen... this drama fits the templete so I'm not stressed about it. I expected it to be more like a Cdrama where you almost have to wait for the last second and then they're only happy for 1/2 a day, some tragedy or fight happens, and you don't see them together for the rest of the drama until the last 15 minutes. lol. This is no where near that kind of thing.

You don't get a lot of silliness once they start to grow up, get over their mental issues, open up to others, not just themselves, and start to become more and more emotionally healthy.

Also, the comments about them being way too immature for their age and that this was boring had the point of this drama go right over their heads. That WAS the point of the drama, hahaha. It is a testament on varying mental issues, how parents can make or break that, and set up their kids for success or failure despite their circumstances and how that affects your other interpersonal relationships, be they work related, friendships, or extended family. You can watch the entire Johnny Depp v Amber Heard trial to understand what this means. And this couple aren't anywhere near having the mental issues those two have, and he's in his 50s... So, yeah, the way things transpire in childhood has a serious affect on how you handle life in adulthood. If a rom-com based on this is boring to you, than avoid those topics.

As to how the drama handled the subject matter, for the most part, it was quaint and relatable. There were moments of cliche that made me sad they couldn't have made fresher interpersonal issues. The idea you actually need a 'degree' to grow creatively etc is too antiquated. It discounts folks like Steve Jobs et al. There's no One Size Fits All to maturity, growth, & creativity... but the Korean mindset just hasn't grasp that idea yet, it seems. I thought with Ung they almost got there, but they fell short in the end by doing him a bit dirty.

I wasn't really a fan of the forward backward then forward again flashes in time to tell the story. They used it to slowly unfold the truths behind each character. It was okay and effective at times. In others, it felt like they were trying to play you with forced "Ah,, ha" moments. After a while, it was a bit irritating.

So, weighing the pros and cons of this drama, I still think this is an above avg Kdrama, worth a solid watch.

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One of the Best Makjang's I've watched

The overall energy, aura, and vibe of this drama, along with the OST really moved me a lot, even to the end. This is MAKJANG genre, so I think it's best to watch this drama and mind that fact. I rated this accordingly.

Let me say that this one of the most calming, sane, makjang dramas I have watched, despite all the nonsense, thrills, and suspense.

Contrary to a LOT of comments, the OTP's situations weren't really dragged out. There wasn't just one way this couple was "attacked" or "struggled" over their relationship. And each "attack" was addressed, handled, and taken care of in a matter of a few episodes, and then the next "event" would happen. That's not dragging it out...for a makjang to handle its OTP this way was actually delightful because it meant that the pacing and story moved along at a good speed.

Even better is that this OTP never hated each other, blamed each other, fought with each other. There were no TRUE triangles or parent, friends, family interference. They weren't overly obsessed with each other. They respected each other's space and choices, yet, remained true to themselves, and their lives. They were independent, yet shared each other's life. They made choices they felt was for the best for everyone, but not rash or without thought and meaning. They never fell out of love either.

For a makjang, this OTP was extraordinarily loving and compassionate to each other. Jeong Hoon is an extraordinary character. It's hard to find such a balanced and caring ML like him, who has issues and flaws. Ha Na was just pure joy, cheer, and happiness walking in an innocent suit of armor. No, she wasn't childish. She was dealing with immense pain in the best way she knew how, and that she did it with a smile made me love her too. That these two always brought out the best in each other AND those around them made me just love this OTP from start to finish. Their situation wasn't easy, and they worked through it in such beautiful ways. And it's because of all this that I willingly set aside the Jumping the Shark moments of this MAKJANG because it's one of the best MELOdramas I've ever watched, in that it made me forget, most of the time, this was what I was watching... seriously....

If you've never looked up the definition of MAKJANG let me give it to you now:

~per DramaBeans website definition posted circa 2010:

"makjang :: a sylistic, tonal, or narrative element in dramas that chooses to play up outrageous storylines to keep viewers hooked despite how ridiculous the stories become (adultery, revenge, rape, birth secrets, fatal illnesses, and flirting with incest possibilities are some makjang favorites). Shows can be part of a makjang class of dramas (Wife’s Temptation is a makjang series), or they can have makjang tendencies (Mary Stayed Out All Night went makjang toward the end)."

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This was definitely a webdrama to allow Kai to debut. The actors they put around him were superb.

The story was a bit off. One minute confession, next minute denial... confusing where this was going... especially since it was so short.

Kai wasn't bad in this. He needs to work on his focus is all. He plays off of other people's emotions pretty well but he seems to find it hard doing it on his own. It was kinda of funny to watch, because he'd go in and out of character a lot for such short episodes. lol.. He'd be in the groove one moment, then go stone faced the next, then he'd have that 1-2 second delayed reaction, like he was thinking about how he should make his facial expression for the particular dialogue he was about to say... hahaha... It was kinda endearing, bit better than a school play or video.

With D.O.'s debut, you never questioned his acting chops. Kai, I feel, has it in him, but he just needs to work on his focus and not needing other people's acting to coax him into the vibe. For me, I felt like I wasn't watch a character but Kai literally playing a character, because, I don't know why, I started getting curious thinking, "...this guy must have had a charmed life from the beginning, because he seems to be overthinking, and reaching for how to play a person who has struggles, like he's never experienced it in his life, so he doesn't know how to convey the feeling..." lol.. I literally started to wonder if he comes from a rich family background. To start of with, until he develops his ability to act, best to put him in roles that are equal to who he is in real life. I think he'll do well in those kind of roles.

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