WASTED TALENT WITH WORST SCREENPLAY

This drama had potential.
But it's irrational.
By the time the character development happens, it's almost over.

This is by far the only drama, that too coming of age in which the characters are so complex and indecisive, especially the FML
She's mundane.
Absolute low-crushing spirit throughout.
The MC is a m0r0n , who keeps going on and on after her.

The whole friend group is a cross-loving quad-entangled web.

I would say many of us watch dramas due to the script involving interesting characters.
This drama could be liked by those who can accept human irrationality to the point of zero expectation.
Coz one way to look at it, more than 50% of such people do exist.
It's an ordinary script.
Think of the most non chalant way of interaction b/w your day to day peers , zero spark , tons of foolish emotions only to be wasted at the end.
All the characters are hypocrites except the MC .
And the FMC is the biggest hypocrite of them all.

Man, I'm so disappointed coz I only watched this due to MC', since his script selection has been credible.
Avoid this one .
It's nothing but a pain in the a3se to watch .

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Fun , Fast, Slow and Intriguing

Dramas with a bit of twisted romance including supernatural tricks always pique your mind.
And it's the same with this drama
The plot is fascinating.

The acting is outstanding, brilliant!
The plot starts fun and fast but then gets so slow, the plot revolves round and round the same lame thing which kills the curiosity, and it feels like a drag.
And by the time it comes to an end, you lose your patience with all the melodrama and the biggest plot twist one could expect.

This is where I feel this drama should've been 16-18 episodes only and then it would've been perfect.
This is one of those rare plots where you can experiment with pretty much anything.
I can insert tragedy , mystery , action , Noir , supernatural , historical and this script would work flawlessly.

Too bad this didn't live up to it's full potential , but then again this drama do has a special place for being spectacular.
If I had to redo the script , I would remove the Idol part and make it as an actor instead .
It will work better.

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Portrayal of irrationality in the best way possible

LEAST SPOILER REVIEW :

Orange Days is a classic women's fantasy.
But what it does great is the portrayal of irrationality in the best way possible.

There's MC who's committed to a 3 yr elder girlfriend.
There's an FMC who's deaf.

There's a playboy character,
FMC's friend who's eyed by the playboy.

And the general supportive 3rd friend who likes FMC's friend but is a wussy.

Now this drama is spot on with human relationships and how they pan out except for the MC and FMC which is a fantasy sort of, the damsel in distress whom the MC can't help but get infatuated with.

MC's girlfriend is always insecure about the age difference with the MC, and this pans out in the end.
She ends up going to someone else as she sees her boyfriend get swayed.
Basically, women always have an option even when they don't.

The player gets the normal girl who will fix him or perhaps.
And the 3rd friend, well I guess we don't know when he'll get a girl coz he's never dated before and that starts a love triangle with the playboy, FMC's friend and this guy .

So now you may ask where this drama lacks.
The script, I would say.
The starting episodes are strong after which it falls out .

In short, Orange Days is an average drama but a good learning curve on irrationality and how it pans out.


5.5/10

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FAILED REMAKE

This drama is a remake of 'One Night Spring ' which was an outstanding drama.

I started this drama with good expectations but it completely lacks the warmth compared to the original, which is why it comes off as implying blatant cheating which is the fact in most cases.
They did edit the script only to create more flaws.
Now it's a drama about emotional instability and indecisiveness rather than taking the right path.
I somehow couldn't support both leads.

And the ML is stone-faced, bad casting IMO.
Yes, the character does demand a bit of coldness but there's a difference.
Anyway
It's not the best of the remakes but anyone who hasn't seen the original may want to watch this, but you shouldn't tbh.
It's below average and doesn't do justice to the original script, why ruin your idea about a plot that hasn't lived up to the potential as a remake?
I dropped it at EP 7.

You better watch the original if you haven't.

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The best contemporary romance you'll ever come across

' Fake it till you make it '
The title piqued me instantly.
The poster was compelling.
The start was catchy and intimidating.
I'm not an avid watcher of Chinese dramas, coz they lack depth more often than not and are quite superficial, but this drama blew me away.
It was so compelling, the script is adapted from a novel.
The characters were so well written, and so unique.
The plot was so engrossing, it's one of the best dramas of 2023 and certainly the best contemporary romance drama.
The actors are outstanding.
It's like everything this director wanted to do, happened with this drama.

The versatility of characters was surprising, it made you wonder often what's their purpose, each of them served and left and some people in life normally do .
The biggest plus point is that the whole drama rotates around both the leads .
Mesmerizing chemistry b/w the leads followed by modern takes on how things proceed, the dating ploy, the urban constraint, the pretentiousness of humans and how it isn't necessary.
The struggles of the workplace, the toxicity of corporate culture, and how at the end of the day everybody is still struggling despite all the cunning tactics.

With the conclusion that life is more than work.
You might think that struggle and hard work will lead you to something but it can never fulfil the void it leaves in your life.

Most dramas lose their ploy by the time they end, this one never did, infact it develops as the episodes progress to a newer perspective, it does get slow after episode 10, which I found to be the problem.
But it still deserves a 10 for bringing something new to the table.

It was a lovely experience, I hope you watch this drama and enjoy it too.
Till then ^^

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Best Drama of the Year 2023

This is the best Chinese drama I've come across and even as a whole any industry-wise.
A real Gem.
It is based on a novel.
The story goes into a bit of narration but with time lapses from 2008 to 2022.

The leads are 2 FML.
Both surprisingly share equal onscreen time.

Both are fresh law graduates and it shows their struggle in life.
How both of them make different choices and what leads to them where they end up at last.

This drama has quite a lot of ups and downs with the characters just like any real person would.
You rarely see such writing depth anywhere.
Each and every character stays true to what they could potentially evolve into, lose their path midway and then make strong comebacks.
Phenomenal writing I must say.
The novelist deserves an award, and I'm dead serious.

Also one of the unique parts of this drama is the involvement of side characters, each side character has their own personality, which they maintain throughout the drama.

We have a 3rd couple whose screenplay is considerably low but ironically they're the best couple in the drama.

~ What the writer does is, give two the perspective of the two FMLs, involve them in certain real-life situations according to their personality, and develop their characters throughout while comparing them to the 3rd couple which gives us a fair idea of how distinctive people can be.

And how we should appreciate the choices we make, but there are consequences to those choices and how the 3rd couple is what's required most of the time.
The hidden message after all.

The drama focuses on how we live our lives by trial and error method.

How the young period and your 20s are for you to explore the world and find what you really want and never settle for anything less.

How the things we're meant to pursue change with time.
How it affects our life overall
How in the end, the family becomes important despite the differences, the ego and the choices.
How marriage is a crucial part of your life.
And how dating affects you, how the way we select our partner develops us or stops our growth.
How the arguments could create differences but that's part and parcel of whatever you're trying to achieve.

How feminism destroys your thinking criteria when it really matters

How important it is to be kind and forgiving.
How the corporate work culture can be toxic and how to counter it, learn and grow from it.
How important it is to have a mentor in your life.

How you would end up making a perhaps wrong decision in love, or that your feet would get cold and why it shouldn't.

How you end up using some people and how the others end up using you,
There's balance in everything.
How necessary it is to be versatile.
How chasing money blindly won't give you the satisfaction you want.

How the meaning of life lies in experiencing rather than the focus on winning

How the world is filled with all kinds of people.
How Growing up means facing them with an open heart.
Fight with them if you want,
Get away if you don't.
Wave goodbye and walk freely.

By no means this drama is perfect.
The reason is, that this drama wasn't made to be perfect at all.
It was made to be realistic and fun while being inspirational
So that you feel that you're part of the journey, both the FMLs make.

Since I've mentioned all these appraisals, one of the most annoying or missed parts of this drama to me was, that they didn't focus on the ML as particularly as they should have with the character development.
Or you could say there was no ML but the brilliance of his acting and the impact he left onscreen, left us wanting for more.

You would have your likes and dislikings with certain traits in this drama but the best part is characters do evolve, and while some don't,
which makes you piqued.

~ Also, I really love the ending song of this drama.
Such beautiful lyrics and the voice of the singer.
Mesmerizing.

~ The cinematography is top-notch, not even a single scene felt rushed.
The direction was focused on the story as a whole and the episodes do end up abruptly but that's the new charm.
Rarely do you see such happening, since everything these days is to grasp your attention and bind you to look forward to the next episode.
This drama doesn't even try to fake end things on a cliffhanger.

~ The actors, gosh this has to be one of the greatest castings ever made.
Each and every actor played their role in the most significant and impactful manner they do.
You could feel connected to each and every one of them and their perspectives.

Even I as a viewer feel proud of them.

I can add a lot more.
This drama has so many things to give to a viewer that it can be rewatched multiple times...

But I'm just glad I somehow ended up watching it.
I don't remember how it came to my watch list but there was this sudden instinct after looking at the poster and the title that there's something special about this and Boi, it was the best decision I took to watch something this year.

Also, Don't let your quick evaluation of binge-watch destroy your expectations of this drama.

The plot changes a lot every 6-7 episodes and it's worth it.

I had a great time watching it and hope you do as well.
Till then.

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SUPERFICIAL IDOL PLOT

If you've read mangas and seen various anime or even some J-dramas, this plot wouldn't be anything new for you.
It's your typical ' A depressing broken Idol lost singing plot where the most normal/bland MC appears, blooms her life and she goes back to her routine life. That's it. '

Now where this drama loses is, Suzy's character lacks depth.
All she did was make a sad face and smoke cigarettes for 80% of her screen time.

Perhaps that's why they cast her, she fulfilled her character's personality. xD

Everyone else was good.

It was a one-time watch
Oh, I still think the manhwa writer stole this plot from a Japanese manga, usually, Koreans don't write/draw in such a setup.

This was definitely a Japanese idol theme rather than Korean.
For someone who's read and seen numerous J plots such as these, you can easily tell.
They even had a dating simulation scenario till episode 5, which was fun to explore.
You root for one girl and the writer, in the end, tricks us, after all the drama is named ' Doona '

The theme had various elements similar to ' A Star Is Born ' as well.

The SFML was the best character in this drama, played by Ha Young. (The girl is really talented)
She's worth looking forward to, the manhwa writer has focused on her in 2 episodes particularly, and she outshines the FML.

Apart from her, in the end, this drama felt superficial.

Now if you want to drown yourself in melancholy for no reason, and be sad, then you might find this drama a bit to your liking.
But that's superficial, there are many more better plots than these.
My suggestion is to avoid watching this sh8t .

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Bland

Initially, the plot might seem catchy and something new.
But that's about it.
This drama is superficial to that context.
The cliche's work their way.
It's a messy rom-com.
Your typical you save me, I save you.
Develop affection, a bit of mystery drama.
Voila happy ending.

The hype dies quickly, and it's too long.
The actors are good, the chemistry works but the elegance is missing.
They couldn't even revive this drama despite so many kissing scenes.

12 episodes should've made this better.
An average drama at best.

PS: The unique thing that I liked was the memory palace visualization. But they failed to carry it forward as well .
Quite disappointing.

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Bunch of indecisive characters playing circus

I'll be damn honest, the plot had potential.
Something piques your mind when you read the synopsis, that this drama could be about a potential reunion of a college couple.
But things aren't that simple.
This drama is a mess.
It's like the writer took a Bunch of indecisive characters playing circus.

The actors were really good but what's the point when you're not clear with communication?
The fundamental lacking in this drama is proper communication skills.
It's horrendous if you look at it.
It's a joke.
Everybody is stalling, each and every one of them.
Nobody talks straightforwardly.
Buts and ifs and no answers and pretension from your own pov.

Everybody's sad and gloomy.
The plot development reverts back and forth which annoys you even more coz the present is not gonna change itself unless the characters themselves change.

It baffles it that most audience in this review section rated this drama higher.
Women love to watch illogical and wasteful emotional distress for sure.
They thrive on it.
Such high ratings prove it.

But to me, this drama was a joke.
Definitely not recommended unless you're a person who thrives on such cheap pleasures of wasteful emotional distress.

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Old wine in new bottle

So the writer had 2 different scripts for the same scenario and Netflix decided to experiment with the what ifs?
1st season was better, especially the first 8 episodes after that it was a downhill
And the second season is mediocre at best, there's no flow to it.

It's the same story done differently and they still managed to do it shabbily.

The direction is such that they're trying to fix and experiment with whatever they can in the 2nd season, hoping it will go right.
which is so wrong.
They could've done better with this one, especially after the audience's response.

The actors did their best with whatever they could, with plenty of flashy scenes like those imaginative temptation ones, again something which is unique for this one.

You know what, they can reboot it once again and do a better job.
The plot has potential.

As a frequent drama watcher, it stings when I see such good scenarios just wither away with mediocre everything.
The Chinese have so much potential but waste it more often.
Learn from your neighbours, the Koreans.
Anyway.

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Well Intended turned to Sh*t Intended

The drama starts well.
Has all the aspects of what a brilliant rom-com could be.
Funny characters, raunchy scenes, naive yet complex flirting.
All this lasts for 8 episodes and after that, it's downhill.
The plot is wrecked, the writer kills it in every way possible.

It's a complete mess,
A mess you would certainly not want to complete.

The chemistry b/w the leads is sparkly but the writer sabotages it so often that you'll find it strange.
Moreover, the efforts of pushing a reverse harem let it down continuously.

This drama has all the aspects of a female fantasy.
3-4 males pursuing her, a controversial marriage, her independence bit of it mixed with a controlling partner, kindness towards everybody, successful career and love life.
A bit of drama midway full of lies and deceit.
Of course, this will be combined with a happy ending.

Basically, it's a juggling plot about what women desire secretly, even though they'll hate it on the face of it.

Overall, it's below average, it can we watched but just skip the scene with side characters.
The support characters are a pain in the a$$ to watch.

PS: The best part about this drama is there's plenty of fan service from the FML (¬‿¬)
The costume designer and the director took advantage of every opportunity to highlight her and make her appealing, which is something rare
Not explicitly but just the mere hints and expressions.
You know where the imagination works better than the real deal , that kinda fan service.

Also, the ML and FML didn't kiss, they just had lip locks , clearly indicating one of them wanted it as a condition to be part of the contract.

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My Disappointment Is Immeasurable And My Day Is Ruined ( WATCH THE ORIGINAL )

What a horrible remake of a legendary script and such a great drama from 2020.
This drama is broken.
From script to screenplay to the main plot which involves ( time travel) everything is compromised, and the sole focus is on melodramatic romance which is ironically half baked in itself.
Horrendous.

And this is not the actor's fault, it's the director.
Just imagine if you had the opportunity to create a remake of such a great script, Nothing could go wrong if you inherited the direction but Nah, they had to insert the typical Korean flavour of melodrama in a time travel thriller, can you imagine?
I'm so disappointed I don't even want to write this review.
The times when you expect the best from the Korean drama industry are when they disappoint you the most .
The script has so many gaps, and once completed you don't feel the connection at all.
It's broken.
Even the side characters, oh yeah I completely forgot about them.
These guys abandoned them, with zero focus on side characters, can you imagine?

I wish I could shoot the director, and I'm not even kidding .

Don't watch this.
Just watch the original version of this drama named 'Someday or One Day' if you still haven't.
There are two versions of it.
Watch the drama first, the movie is secondary and is based on an alternate universe.

Overall, this drama lacks the charisma the original has.
Not a worthy remake at all.
I'm not saying this can't be watched, but why compromise on quality when you've something 1000 times better?

It's not everyday Taiwan produces a better script, acting, direction and songs than South Korea
.
' Someday or One day ' was the drama of the year 2020, and definitely deserves to be seen ahead of this.

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A potentially failed project that could've been alot better

You know what this drama is like a college community project.
It's good in pieces.
The cinematography is just outstanding, and the idea has potential but the final screenplay is a messy sh8t, the dialogues fail this on a mega level, combined with eccentric acting from the actors.

The strength and weakness of this drama are the same, it's the tempo.
It's paced like a real-life scenario with day-by-day progression.
Once you see it through this lens, you'll like it instead of going after its flaws.
But the question ends up until when?
It doesn't pace up at all, which becomes annoying in the end.
There's nothing that keeps this drama together as a unit.

I watched 10 episodes, and I'm dropping it.


It was good till it lasted.
I'm gonna follow up with the director and the writer for this drama on other projects, these guys do have potential.

PS: I don't agree with the lead review on this drama that it was too negative, these are wishy-washy people who always want an escape dream fantasy plot whereas this drama feels too real.

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THRASH OF 2023

Writer: Producer-nim we have an interesting concept to make the drama on .

Producer : Okay Ms. Writer, let's proceed .

Writer after 2 months: Sir , I forgot to write the ending or any explanation regarding vampires plus the ML dies in the last episode.

Producer: Somebody bring me my shotgun.

Writer :Sir , before you shoot me , how about adding some thrash side characters , they would keep the gag in check ?

Producer: Good idea, now someone bring me a katana . 😡

WHAT A JOKE This drama was .
I skipped it post-episode 10 .
The worst drama of 2023 so far.
Zero chemistry b/w the leads.
Zero character development.

Wasting the talent of great actors like Ok Tec Yeon, Amazon should be ashamed of producing such dramas.

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When the writer sh!ts on the plot and the actors spray the perfume

My biggest mistake to watch this drama and believe the writer must've continued it better.
When I came across such a distinctive synopsis I was excited, even the start was good
But Boi I was wrong.

What a sh8tty writing to such a good plot that could've been.
It just keeps on dragging till episode 35 and after that doomsday.
The plot goes down the gutter.
You can't help but laugh like a villain in that moment.
You'll go insane with what the writer actually did to the script.

You'll wish you get a gun to the writer's head at point blank.
Grave Injustice to this idea actually.
The rationality of the characters is highly compromised.
The writer didn't have any idea at all on what to do with the plot, it's like they stole this idea and then struggled to continue for ages.

The chemistry was the only thing that was awesome in this drama.
The only thing that kept me going were the leads.
They did a terrific job with a weak script.

In the end, this drama is a disappointment, far-fetched from what it tried to be and what it ended up being .
What a waste of talented resources .

Believe me, 4.5 is a generous rating for this drama.
If you can do with the brilliant chemistry , you can give this a try .

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