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Completed
Hotel del Luna
0 people found this review helpful
Apr 23, 2020
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 8.0
Story

The plot of this drama is definitely something new; each episode leaves you with a lot to think about. That isn't to say however that the plot is free of cliches and stereotypes. The story was also predictable. I already guessed (correctly) how it will end when i got to episode 6. It's a refreshing take of a fantasy drama, but it's not really something to rave on about.



Acting/Cast

Good! The leads were awesome, especially IU. The supporting cast was great as well. A lot of people are criticizing the chemistry between IU and jin goo... I do not think they were bad, their chemistry just wasn't suited for something romantic in my opinion. Overall, it's not a deal breaker and it shouldn't be



Music

My only barometer for a good drama ost is if it (a) matches the mood of the scenes in the story and (b) if it makes me listen to it outside the drama. Generally, the music was bad. They were all mellow if not sad. It was mehhhh


Rewatch value

It's actually a relatively simple plot so rewatching this for me is fine. Not something I look forward to, but something I can stand



Overall

A good fantasy drama to give a try. It's not quite at the level of god-tier fantasy dramas like goblin or while you were sleeping, but it definitely has its own charm. By charm, i mean the visuals and the effects

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Completed
Itaewon Class
3 people found this review helpful
Apr 20, 2020
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 2.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 4.0
I don't even know where to begin.....

How does one ruin a show that's starring Park Seo Joon, Kwon Nara, and Kim Da Mi? Well we have to give it to the writers of this show


Story

TRASH. Straight up fucking Trash. A story that looked beautifully written in the first 2-3 eps, and just went on a downhill spiral from there. The closest I can compare the quality of the story is to Bride of the Water god's: a fucking joke.


Acting

The show had good actors, even the supporting ones. I'll give them a pass: They all played their characters right, the story just brought them down. This is definitely Park Seo Joon's worst drama up to date


Music

The saving grace of the show (if there is anything left to save lmao). Good OSTs


Rewatch Value

No, I will not re-watch 16 hours of trash.


Overall

If you want a drama that's not sci-fi, but as unrealistic as a sci-fi is, then watch this shit show

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Completed
What's Wrong with Secretary Kim
3 people found this review helpful
Jul 27, 2018
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 10
In a quick summary, this drama is now my favorite rom-com of all time (topped i am not a robot, and weightlifting fairy). It's filled with clichés but it didn't make me love it any less. It had cringy moments, it had forced interactions between the characters (especially with the psycho brother), but it isn't even close to the fluff, the laughs, and the feel-good moments this show brought me.


Story 8/10
This is the weakest part of the drama. It started out really strong; it showed us a female lead who isn't a pushover and made lots of sacrifices by taking the burden of her family. It also showed us a seemingly rude looking boss, but it actually turned out to be a really naive, and cute boy inside (albeit narcissistic). Their relationship was super natural and the development to romance was perfect; burning chemistry. The issue for me started when they expounded more and more of the flashbacks. They just had to insert that cliché that every couple in a drama is star-crossed lovers hahaha. They could've made the story without any flashbacks, and this would have been rated higher. All those flashbacks were cringy. I liked the concept of a psycho brother fighting with Young Joon, but his interactions with Mi So were just not right. It seemed off. Every bit of it. Apart from that, the story was good again. It showed different supporting characters' interactions within the office, Mi So's sisters, and they honestly all made me laugh and smile every time. I do agree with the criticism that the overall story regressed as it went on; it started out scorching hot but it became stagnant after episode 11 and it didn't improve form there, they just maintained it and that's why it felt dragging to some and bad to others.

Acting 9.5/10
This would have a 10 if only everyone fitted nicely. Everyone in this drama was on fire in terms of acting except Lee Tae Hwan. He's definitely the odd man out in is great cast. He's good in acting, but just doesn't have any chemistry with the rest. Even the guest stars had better chemistry with the cast than him. All had good interactions among each other. If I were to choose a character relationship that isn't PMY and PSJ that is overflowing with CHEMISTRY, it's PSJ and Kang Ki Young. Every time they have scenes together, I make sure I don't eat cause I'm pretty sure I will be choking when I laugh out loud while eating. Every supporting character was awesome in this drama, especially Pyo Ye Jin (give her some lead roles now) and Kang Ki Young (and him too)

And to state the obvious, pmy and psj were super in-sync. They acted so naturally; good when they are a couple, but on fire when they play vice-chairman and secretary. I disagree with the comments that they didn't look natural with the romance. They absolutely did and I wish they did date in real life. The chemistry between them is on par with Lee Jong Suk-Han Hyo Joo or Park Bo Young-Park Hyun Sik. Definitely a must watch for that reason alone

Music 9/10
The music was avtually really average. They a lot of good songs, but no great somgs at all. Great for me is when a song makes you listen to it outside of the show, without any knowledge or reference to the drama. Howeverm I'm giving this a 9 because of the special effects/sounds that they use that adds so much more laughter to the conversations. I loved the Cow sounds when hardworking cow is showed, or the sound that flashes when PMY glares at PSJ, or the hysterical music that plays when the driver rescues Bong Se Ra from embarassment. Those were unique, and awesome at the same time funny.

Rewatch value 10/10
I like legal dramas. I'm starting to like melodramas. But i'm not some saddistic fucker who only watches heart wrenching dramas or intense dramas. I need feel-good shows too and this show is the best representation for it. Even with the cliches and the cringy flashbacks, I would still rewatch this any day.

Overall
This is a drama that didn't have a special story or kick to it, but was rescued by a really good cast, with two awesome leads, and really unique sound effects. I understand where the criticism from this drama is coming from, however, I don't think it's enough for this show to be labeled average or bad. This is one of the best dramas of 2018, posisbly the best rom-com. If you haven't watched it, give it a try. If I took a shot of soju for every time this show made me laugh, I would be puking for a month.

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Completed
My Mister
10 people found this review helpful
Jul 20, 2018
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 10
I really tried to delay as much as possible writing reviews of shows that I have liked, just because I want the 'high' in me to die down and give them a proper review. It's been months though, and the 'high' in me regarding this show is still there. It's now tied for my all time favorite drama, and this is coming from a 21-year old foreign exchange student who shouldn't be liking melodramas yet. To think that I was even asking then if this show was as good as something in the rain (which actually turned out to be a really average drama), makes me feel pathetic for not realizing sooner. With that, for everyone else who hasn't watched it, I advise you to watch this.

Also, don't read the fucking synopsis or initial plot because it really does a bad way of describing this show. "3 brothers blah blah blah...." how the fuck will that entice viewers? It seriously doesn't do justice.

It should've been "A story about how life will fuck you over continuously, and how you'll realize that some unexpected people are the ones who are actually helping you breath."

Story:
There it is. My first 10. My favorite drama of all time, Goblin, didn't get a 10 for me because even after thinking hard in myself that it should have, some details and parts of the story wasn't properly closed. This show is perfection at its finest though. Just looking at it makes is seem so unfair. You would think to yourself how the hell were amazing scriptwriters and an amazing director dare work on a single production? It's just beauty from start to finish. It's a melodrama, but it will keep your eyes on the screen like a rom-com and make you feel fear and despair like a thriller. The thing that I liked most about this is how they were able to accurately portray the unexplainable reality of life. Nothing will ever go your way if you don't let others in. You'll only grow as a person, if you help others and let them help you. The protagonist was a really poor girl who had nothing but hate and sadness in her because of the rash, unfortunate events she had to go through growing up. In a nutshell, this story is about how her heart warms through the voice of a man who is a sincerely good person by heart, but is just as pitiful as she is in other aspects of life. That story is mixed with other bitter-sweet storylines from supporting characters which all lead to point to one lesson: "You won't always get what you want in life, but it shouldn't make you stop working from achieving it." I won't spoil anything in this review, but this drama is tied (if not better) for the award "Best Ending" in a drama with Tomorrow With You (another melodrama)


Acting:
I hated IU's acting before, but this drama changes it. That's one hell of a jump in terms of acting level. Would honestly not come as a surprise to me if she ends up racking all possible awards for her role in this show, because she nailed it. Everyone else nailed it too, from 'Mister' Park Dong Hoon, to his 2 brothers, to the bar owner, to the douchebag wife and her surprisingly young looking but actually old lover, to Ji An's mother, everyone else seemed so natural and adept at the roles they portrayed. They all showed us complex characters who reflects real life people; they are all unique characters, just like how each person in our world really is unique in their own little way. If I were to pick out my favorite character from this show that excludes the two main leads, I would pick Yoo Ra. Kwon Nara continues to surprise me with her acting. She only had 1 previous show where she had significant screen time and I honestly thought she nailed it. Her acting on this show however was superb because she was able to showcase one of the hardest personalty of a character in this show; a tragic actress who has failed in life, but was able to garner strength once again upon knowing that someone important to her was also at their lowest. She was incredibly cute and strangely precise. Lastly, I believe this is borderline cheating; having a really good script for an already stacked cast only does the show good. Their lines suited their personas so much

Music:
The music was beautiful and accurately represented everything in the show. However, as a musically inclined person, what I'm looking for in an OST is something that I can listen to outside of the show and still feel connected to it, both thinking of the characters of the drama and not thinking of them at all. In a simpler way, both the tune and the lyrics of the songs should be dynamic enough to be able to stand on their own without prior knowledge from the drama, but still make you feel connected to it in every way. Goblin had that kind of OST and although I'm half regretting saying this, the tragically awful Uncontrollably Fond also has that kind of OST. I only felt it, and cried while at it cause the genre and message was bittersweet, at a single song in the OST of this drama and that's Sondia's "Adult". I'm not saying the OST is bad, because it is actually good. I'm just saying that it didn't have a wow factor for me to remember it outside of the show.

Rewatch value:
Hands down, the one and only melodrama that I would probably be happy rewatching. So many quotable scenes, even for such a slow paced show. If I want to be bored to death by the slowness of the pace of a drama, I'm only willing to do it crying and smiling like an idiot to this show alone.

Overall:
Even if you're a rom-com lover (most kdrama fans), a comedic type of person, someone who prefers thrillers, likes a legal setting (i belong in there), or basically someone who doesn't like melodramas, give this show a chance. It will change your perspective in melodramas, and you'll have faith at humanity again. Who knows, you might even start searching for your own mister after watching this show.

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Completed
Lawless Lawyer
4 people found this review helpful
Jul 2, 2018
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
I'll make this review as quick as possible without giving away any plot at all.

Honestly when I was starting the drama, I had high expectations. The plot seemed like a unique take on law-crime based based drama (which is exactly my genre) but as I finished this drama now, nothing stood out. The concept of the story was good; it was something fresh and I personally had loads of ideas how it would've gone on. I didn't notice it while watching and I only noticed after the drama has ended that the execution wasn't really good. Nothing really stood out from the drama, story-wise. It was just like watching another legal drama to me (A decent legal drama like Suits, not a bad one like whisper). Legal dramas are my cup of tea, and while I've had my fair share of watching solid legal dramas, I'd like it more if people would start incorporating other themes (especially fantasy) to them. Just see two LJS masterpieces: While You Were Sleeping and I can hear your voice.

The cast was solid for most part. Everyone had good chemistry with one another. The music however is a downfall. I don't know, the music just didn't seem..... fitting, especially when he's out there throwing shots at the bad guy.

To sum up, The show had its good moments sure, but with a really intriguing plot and a solid cast, I expected to have a better, stronger lasting hangover upon finishing. I felt the same way about Pinocchio; a drama that started with a bang and really had loads of but just fizzled out towards the end. Give this drama a go, especially if you're a legal-drama lover like me since it's a solid drama overall. If you're expecting something innovating though, this drama is not it. This is just another series that will placed under my "definitely not bad, but also not great dramas"

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Completed
Tempted
1 people found this review helpful
May 2, 2018
32 of 32 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 6.5

As someone who has read the original novel and even watched an american movie adaptation, I can say this drama did bad in terms of capturing the whole essence of the story. I believed it focused on the wrong stuff, and downplayed a loooooot of elements. Would've wanted for at least 5 characters dying in the drama (a lot more in the original) just so those alive would feel the burden of their choices. But this story looked like a half-baked effort of modern day, young adult adaptation

Story
This is the first kdrama ever that I liked the latter parts of the story more than the start. Even some of my favorite dramas, W and Pinnochio, have fallen victim to having a blazing start but kind of fizzled as the story is about to end. After the first 4 episodes, I contemplated about stopping this drama just because the plot driver looked really bleak, and stupid for me. It's nowhere near the original plot of the original story annnnnd even if I didnt compare it to the original, it sounded stupid. You'd start a bet to take revenge on your friend's ex by seducing his first love? Wtf no one goes to that extent irl.

Anyway, I decided to stick through with the story just because I'm familiar with the original french novel and while it's a bad adaptation, I still wanted to have a sense of closure. We can all foresee the story from the start; we already knew the secrets will eventually blow on their faces as the story progressed but Surprisingly enough, I actually felt emotions. I felt surprised about finding out who Soo Ji's mom's secret lover is, felt anger upon knowing that Soo Ji's mom was responsible for the car accident, felt bittersweet for Tae Hee's Dad for doing all for the one he loves, yet getting so little in return, and sadness, frustration, and despair when Tae Hee finally talked to ShinHwan about what the fuck he did with her. My favorite emotion of the story nevertheless is feeling stupidly happy for Seo Joo, who did everything his crush wants but ultimately decided to fuck things up with his friends in the end because he felt like he wanted to be selfish for a change. That's a unique kdrama character is too be honest.

I kind of expected the ending to be happy just because it's part of the kdrama formula:
- Rich lead guy
- Poor lead girl
- Absurdly good looking second lead
- Optional hot-as-well pairing for the 2nd lead
- One-dimensional, close-minded annoying parent(s)
- Lead guy and lead girl don't like each other at the start >>>> decided to talk a bit >>>>> likes each other immediately
- Unecessary/overused slowmo when the lead guy gazes the lead girl
- Rain starts to fall unexpectedly, lead guy and lead girl dont have a fuckin umbrella or share a single one
- Happy ending, regardless if anyone dies.

I dont mind the happy ending though. For a rather weak to decently strong build up, i dont mind the happy ending at all


Acting
I didnt like Joy in her first Kdrama but I loved her on this one. She played the role of naive, innocent looking cutie who didn't want no fucking around in the first place. Contrary to how others think, I believe she played the role really well cause I actually thought she was innocent in the entire series. I loved her chemistry with Woo Do Hwan as well; their scenes together didnt look forced or awkward; it felt innocent, sincere, and stupid just like how teens/young-adults deal with love anyway. Do Hwan has the same aura as Kim Woo Bin for me; bad boy perfect lead. I loved Seo Joo and Soo ji as well; both were jealous of their own desires. Soo Ji wanted all the attention and appreciation for herself and went to drastic measures to make sure she gets what she wants, even if it is at the expense of others. Seo Joo is selfish for wanting to please his crush and please her alone, disregarding his own emotions and intentions just for his feelings to be reciprocated. Everyone else, especially all the adults (parents) in the drama were all annoying. Ultimately, all the characters felt stupid, frustrating and unique that I actually had a refreshing experience watching this. Something new personality wise

Music
Music was mehhhhhhh normal though I did like some songs. It wasnt bad, but it wasnt a standout as well (coming from a part time musician myself)

Rewatch Value
Should I ever decide to rewatch this in the future, My reason would probably be due to my fondess of the 4 leads. Not with the story, but just their accurate portrayal of flawed characters.

Overall
To conclude, if you're gonna ask me if I can and will recommend this for anyone to watch? The answer is no. Watch it at your own curiosity for the show everyone speaks bad about. If you'll ask me if I liked the show, I'd rather describe it as a refreshing take of flawed characters interacting within a stupid plot driver, but actually produced a rather decent story. But if I really have to answer if I liked it or not, I would say yes (for reference, some of the kdramas I hate are Black, Cheese in the trap, and Bride of fucking Habaek, which is the stupidest kdrama ever produced for me)

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Completed
Strong Woman Do Bong Soon
3 people found this review helpful
Apr 23, 2018
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
Story
The entire plot and motive of the people who wrote it is just laughable. Strong Woman was a Rom-Com show that was supposed to be all lovey dovey cute between the two leads but then they added the theme of having a serial killer to be the driving force of the show. Nevermind the show being about a woman who has super strength; it's a fucking rom-com! Why the fuck do you have to mix it with a thriller theme? They could've just made the show about the everyday struggles of a woman with super strength has; could be about those who are starting to like her, suddenly despising her because of her powers. Or some people before use her for good, thus why she shuns out people. I can think of a lot more ways the plot could've gone simpler, and 10x better than this fucked up Rom-Com x Thriller theme. And since we're at it, the thriller theme of the show also failed miserably. The main villain of the entire show was just a washed-up lunatic who somehow has a lot of resources from unexplained reasons and starts kidnapping women all because he is addicted to a play. I mean seriously, my 4 year-old nephew would've done a better job of telling a story he thought of. I think the director and the writers really just wanted to mix 2 genres to become unique and successful like While You Were Sleeping, a Legal/Crime + Fantasy and it was awesome. Another example is Descendants of the Sun which was a Melodrama + Medical, and although I personally think that it wasn't that great, I still loved it. The end product of mixing Romance(Comedy) and Thriller is destined to suck already even at first glance. It just doesnt make sense.

Acting
The acting really made up for a really shitty story. Strong Woman was rated so high and received so well by people mainly because of the electric chemistry between Park Bo Young, Park Hyung Sik, and Ji Soo. Park Bo Young was cute and adorable in almost every scene; Park Hyung Sik was funny and appealing in most of the scenes; Ji Soo was straightforward and tense like a true cop is. When added together, they made a show with a really shitty story become a respectable one. Props to the supporting cast as well! Kim Won Hae was funny as hell in the two roles he played.

OST
A nice, respectable OST. Fitted the scenes well and made my heart follow the beat

Overall
If you're someone who wants to watch a chill Rom-Com, then this show isn't for you. Trust me, while it seems that you're up for a generally chill ride, you'll suddenly find tense characters who are determined to catch a psychopath who somehow is rich and smart. If you can withstand that, then you can probably enjoy the cast

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Completed
Uncontrollably Fond
12 people found this review helpful
Apr 14, 2018
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 8.0
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 6.5
Now I'm just more concerned that people just rates this show poorly because it had low viewership ratings. 1st of all, viewership ratings shouldn't be included when it comes to rating a tv show by its quality. I am not a robot and tomorrow with you are just two examples from a long list of shows that had low viewership ratings, but are really good shows.

Story
This a fucking melodrama for god's sake. If you're complaining about the shallowness of the characters, or the never-ending cat-dog chasing between the two leads, well then you must not be familiar with melodramas. Melodramas are usually very slow paced, filled with one-dimensional characters, and everything is exaggerated. In terms of the story, I was fine with it. Nothing spectacular, but I liked the backstory and how the story progressed (especially the ending). Gave everyone proper closure (yes including Shin Joon Young), and reminded us of a sense of realness.

Acting
Kim Woo Bin literally carried this show. If you were to compare his acting to a boxing match, it's a straight up beat down. Every time I think of a bad boy stereotype, I always remember Kim Woo Bin. He just portrays it the very best for me; signature smirk, douchey tone, always looks angry. Idk... it gets the job done for me. Suzy was ok for me, like the rest of the cast. Not good, but not bad as well. (For all Suzy haters by the way, her acting has improved drastically in while you were sleeping)

OST
This is the bomb!!!! I have only given a perfect 10 to music to 1 other show, and that's Goblin. Trust me, even if you don't know the show, you'll love the OST. It fits the scenes in the show perfectly, and the blending of the music made it so much better for us to hear. Even the english song was good. The tune and melody are happy and bubbly and full of energy, but when you actually listen to the words, it's actually bitter-sweet cause it kinda foreshadows a lot about the show. I loved every song in the show.

Rewatch value
I'm not really a fan of Melodramas, but even if I was, I'd still not rate the rewatch value of this enough. The heartbreak was good, but it lacked enough 'romance' and proper build up for me to remember.

Overall
This drama received so much hate and criticism because of it performing badly, and people started to say that it is a bad drama when it's actually decent. Let's be honest, how can you expect this drama to be viewed a lot when it competed with Doctors (Park Shin Hye and Kim Rae Won) and later on, W (Lee Jong Suk and Han Hyo Joo). That's just plain injustice

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Completed
Pinocchio
1 people found this review helpful
Apr 3, 2018
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 9.5
I honestly was hesitant to watch this because the plot summary sounded so boring to me. It's about reporting the news, with a tragic background. Just reading that line makes me yawn. A lot of people have been telling me to watch this since 2016, and while Lee Jong Suk is my favorite kdrama actor, and Park Shin Hye is one of my favorite kdrama actresses, I still didn't watch it. I finally did though, and all I can say is that I regret not watching this sooner. This is a work of art!

(Trying to do something different from the usual reviews, so I'm changing the format of my reviews this way)

Positives (Pros; Strengths of the series; Things that I liked)
- Unique Plot: While sounding really boring when you read the plot summary, the plot is actually really good. It transitioned from a kid, who grew wanting to get revenge from the reporter(s) who destroyed his family, to actually loving what he does for a living (which ironically, is reporting).

- Genre Mixes: I had a hard time classifying the genre of this drama because it was so dynamic; There was obvious romance, a ton of witty comical scenes, there was some hints of slice of life, a dash of melodrama, and a whole lot of revenge-scheming. While each on their own wasn't fantastic, when mixed together, they turned out to be really really really well.

- Park Shin Hye: The whole cast was really good. Even the supporting characters were delivering their best. But with one look at the show, you can already see who stood out. It's Park Shin Hye. Personally, I feel like this is my favorite role of PSH (I've watched a ton of her dramas, what I hate most is her role in the Heirs); she showed a lot of her funny-quirky side, made me feel flustered when she's gazing at LJS, and made me cry when she was delivering those melodramatic monologues (while hiccuping of course). I wish Park Shin Hye lands more good scripts like this. Doctors was really bland, The Heirs was really stupid. For her acting prowess at her age, I feel like she deserves a whole lot more good scripts like Lee Jong Suk. Speaking of Lee Jong Suk, he was also phenomenal in this drama (but then again, when has he failed to deliver for us?). His acting was superb, but by Lee Jong Suk standards, I've seen better roles from him (Kang Chul from W, Jae Chan from While You Were Sleeping).

- Character development (Choi In Ah, Ki Ha Myung, Seo Bum Jo): All 3 main characters showed some serious character development throughout the series. Choi In Ah, from being nervous, easily-rattled pinnochio to being a reporter who brings out the best of what pinocchio can offer in situations, especially when judgement is involved. Ki Ha Myung, from being a vengeful, reporter-hating, plot-scheming guy to being a fair reporter who checks every detail. and Seo Bum Jo, from being an overprotective, privileged mama's boy who's obsessed with a girl to being an understanding, more competent person as a whole.



Negatives (Cons; Weaknesses; Things that could've been done different)
- Overuse of Plot Twists: There were so many plot twists that some of them already looked predictable. From episode 1 alone, I already knew In Ha's mother was a reporter. That's a good twist (i'm just really good at sensing these stuff). Then there comes the Ki Jae Myung, coming out of nowhere to start killing people. Ok kinda weird, but what's weirder is that he actually changed IMMEDIATELY once he talked it out with his brother. Wait what? This is the funniest and most absurd plot twist in the series................... (see below)

- Character development of Song Cha Ok: The character started out really well for me. From episode 1, I felt irritated and angry at her lines in the series. Signs of what a good villain in a show is. From episode 1, it was clear that she was the villain of this story and should've been the villain 'till the very end but for some really odd reason, they made her to be an anti-hero (episodes 15-17) then a good character from episode (18-20). They just placed the blame on Seo Bum Jo's mom; they suddenly drew a connection from the past that will make Song Cha Ok not really bad, because there's someone badder than she is, and that character wasn't properly given screen time until episode 14. I felt like they tried to make it different from the norm; making a villain become morally good towards the end or at least an anti-hero, but I really think they could've done it without bringing up another antagonist to the story (and for heaven's sake, without connecting it to the past. Koreans love connecting things to the past as if things that are happening are always connected; happening due to destiny or some shit).


Verdict
Worth the watch. If you want to see the beauty, and perfection of this show, watch episodes 1-12. The series started of blazing hot, like a big burning warehouse but as the series grew on (13 onwards), all we can see were smoke from what was once a really monstrous fire, and reporters were just doing their best to try to make a story out of it

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Completed
Tomorrow with You
2 people found this review helpful
Mar 28, 2018
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
This review may contain spoilers
I just want to clarify one thing first:

People have this misconception that since Tomorrow With You revolves around time-travel, the episodes should be action-packed. However, Tomorrow with you is a melodrama. To put it short, it's a mix of time-fantasy + melodrama combination. I have seen a lot of shows that failed overall just because they wanted to create a new mix of genre (Bride of the Water God = fantasy + youth romance || Suspicious Partner = Crime-Mystery + Romance || Doctors = Medical + Melodrama + Romance), but there have also been a lot of successful genre-mixes (While You Were Sleeping = Legal/Crime + Fantasy || Descendants of the Sun = Medical + Melodrama || W = Fantasy + Thriller). Not gonna include Goblin as an example because that show is a masterpiece and no drama from recent time has been close to it at all. At least for me.

Tomorrow with you is a melodrama that stood out well for me. It did well enough that I can say with confidence that it can be mentioned alongside the names of top-notch Melodramas such as The Master's Sun and The Innocent Man. Now the actual review starts from here


Story
I'm pretty precise when it comes to scoring the story. I haven't ever given a perfect 10 for story; even for my all-time favorite show, Goblin. For the story to be a 10 for me, the plot, the conflict, the flow, the climax, and the ending must all be equally resonated among the episodes. There must be absolute clarity in terms of the delivery of the plot from start to finish. That includes the most important part which is the ending. Hence, to spoil a bit from the story, I want to say that Tomorrow With You probably has one of the best endings of a melodrama in history. Hands down.

The plot itself is unique. I'll give a short premise to the plot to let you know how unique it is: A man can time-travel to the future (and back to the present) through the use of a subway, thus leading him to be successful in his current life. The story starts there, introducing us to Yoo So Joon, a selfish and wealthy time traveler. His life changes when he finds out the he will die in the future (for those who haven't watched, relax. This spoiler isn't exactly a 'spoiler'. Technically) on the same night with a beautiful woman (Song Ma Rin). He then made the effort to rescue that woman in the present in the hopes of changing his future. It didn't change however, and it actually turned out worse because now, he couldn't travel in the future if the date is past 2019. Also, he doesn't die in the new future, but rather becomes missing.

If that's not some unique plot that will catch your attention for a melodrama then I don't know what will. The supposed 'plot twist' was already given at the start of the drama so it makes you think how will this pan out (Sort of how W did it from episode 5). Give this drama a try if you want something fresh and new. I wouldn't lie, it has some tweaky plot holes near the climax of the story, but overall, the presentation of the story from start to finish was sill fantastic. 9.5/10

Acting
I honestly thought Shin Min Ah + Lee Je Hoon was a weird combination. You're combining an actress famous for being in successful rom-coms such as My Girlfriend is a nine-tailed fox and Oh My Venus, and an actor who's known to play more serious roles, especially in Signal. I had this prejudice that both of them would suck at making viewers feel connected to them because of their backgrounds. I was wrong though. They both were fantastic in their first melodrama. The character development of both Yoo So Joon and Song Ma Rin in the show was exceptional. Yoo So Joon from being a selfish, lazy director of a real estate company to being a loving husband and a responsible person. Song Ma Rin from being an alcoholic, hopeless-romantic to being a gloomy, mysterious woman towards the end. The acting of the two leads is brilliant. Would have shed a perfect 10 had it not been for a really mediocre supporting cast. 9.5/10

Music
The OST is really unique. It was mainly composed of ballads and piano solos to capture the mood for scenes. I'm personally not a fan of classical music, but nevertheless, it was executed well in this series. You can feel the emotions in scenes from the music. 9/10

Rewatch Value
The plot is so unique for a melodrama that if you want to cry all over again, you can just watch it. I'm one of the few people who actually appreciates melodramas as it actually brings the best of the best actors/actresses in terms of delivery. Having a unique plot to make me feel that is a worthwhile experience

Overall
I recommend you to watch this even if you are not a fan of melodramas. You just might start appreciating melodramas after this. If you are a fan of Melodramas, prepare for an emotional ride

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Completed
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo
3 people found this review helpful
Mar 21, 2018
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
Story
This is how all rom-coms should be! Rom-coms should be just a chill, feel-good drama. The driving force of the plot (conflict) should be just natural drama in their everyday lives. This is why I rate WFKBJ higher than Strong Woman. Strong Woman had to hide the obvious rom-com genre in a plot wherein the main goal of the story was to know who the killer is. In weightlifting fairy, they just focused on the everyday struggles of Kim Bok Joo, who was adorably awkard and cute in every scene. The only thing I didn't like about the story was how long it took for KBJ to get over crush on the doctor. Would've been good if it lasted for 2-3 episodes, but stretching it out 'til episode 9 seems like a reach.

Acting
I honestly wouldn't be shy to claim that I hate Nam Joo Hyuk. Good face, Good abs, terrible, horrible acting. In this drama however, he did okay. He only needed to portray a charming swimmer who longs for his mom and wants to move on from his ex. I think he did an excellent job in this drama. All kidding aside, I still think he kinda sucks (he sucked big time in the next drama he starred in). He needs more practice by having more supporting roles or lead roles like this (non-fantasy, non-melodrama) 9.5/10 for him.

I have no words to describe my admiration for Lee Sung Kyung. I liked her in cheese in the trap. I loved her in doctors. But in this drama, I fell in love with her all over again. She did so well in making us feel who Kim Bok Joo is; strong (literally) but weak when it comes to her heart. She as also adorably cute and funny in almost every scene (I love the scene where she caught NJH on a double date hahahaha) 10/10 for her

The supporting cast was really good as well. Another thing i loved about the show is how they managed to insert Lee Jong Suk as a guest. The scene was so cute and funny.

Music
The OST was good. I searched a lot of songs on spotify and even learned a couple on piano.

Rewatch value
No plot twists. Just pure beauty of the rawness of every life. I'd rewatch this every day, but I will also always skip episodes 4-8 (explained above)

Overall
Definitely a rom-com for the books. My second favorite rom-com of all time (just below I am not a robot and ahead of Strong Woman and Oh my Venus)

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Ongoing 70/120
Love Returns
7 people found this review helpful
Mar 19, 2018
70 of 120 episodes seen
Ongoing 0
Overall 6.0
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
Story
The story isn't as bad as everyone is saying. It's actually a really close-to-reality kind of situation. Gold-diggers are everywhere; that type of cancerous shit isn't just in Korea, it's all over the world. I do concede however that it's not the brightest of ideas to make money as the driving point of a show.

Acting/Two 'leads'
I'm a big fan of Pyo Ye Jin. She's not the prettiest nor the sexiest actress, but when it comes to acting, she's just so natural. Her emotions and facial expressions are so believable that you almost think she really is that character in real life. I've first seen her on tv when I watched Fight for my way, and I was really impressed and moved by her acting there. I honestly think her acting there alone was a lot better than the second lead couple. I've then seen her on While you were sleeping and Doctors; she had minimal scenes, but she showed how cute and great her potential for acting is. I think she's really talented (and really really REALLY CUTE) and has a bright future ahead of her. If you're looking for a standout actor in this series, it's her. Get this woman more lead roles! Wasting talent is a crime, and she also deserves a lot more with the current attention on her. Lee Sung Yeol is actually not that bad. I have this prejudice of always thinking that kpop talent turned actors/actresses are really bad, but he actually is not bad. Has a lot to improve on, but in general, his acting won't hurt your eyes. I'd say he's at Suzy's level (not the Suzy from Uncontrollably fond or big, but the Suzy from while you were sleeping) and has loads of potential

Music
Nothing special at all. Music kinda sounds like recycled songs from 2000-2010. Idk, maybe it's just me.

Rewatch value
The reason why I wouldn't repeat this show for shit is because the cinematography and editing is really, really really really really really really really BAAAAAAAAD. Never have I watched a kdrama with such poor cinematography. It's like watching a 7th grader's school project. I cannot emphasize more on how bad the editing is. I honestly believe that if they actually had even just an ok cinematography, this show would garner better ratings and reviews. It's already one of the most watched in it's run, but in the name of god, do not watch this show if you can't handle poor cinematography at all.

Overall
If you can look past a mediocre OST and a really bad cinematography because you're looking forward to new actors/actresses breakout performances, then this show is watchable and I can say it's for you. If you can't however, you can just skip this drama. I might just let it finish first before I binge watch the remaining episodes just because I want to have proper closure from the characters.

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Completed
W
3 people found this review helpful
Mar 12, 2018
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 9.5
Story/Plot
This Kdrama is definitely one for the books. If you want a plot that is really new, and different from all the dramas out there, this one is for you. Never have I seen a storyline this unique. I loved the story of Kang Chul and Oh Yeon Joo. A seemingly typical kdrama pairing of a rich-guy + charismatic-gal, except they are in different worlds. I really loved the concept of the two worlds here; I'm an avid reader of webtoons and the use of it in this drama was just phenomenal. Another thing I loved about the story is the concept for the villain. It was so unique as well! I would've given the story a score of 11/10 to be honest. That's how revolutionizing the plot of this drama is. (I would explain later why the score for story is 9.5)

Acting/Cast
This is the best on-screen coupe chemistry that I have seen. Never have I shipped two people as hard as this Lee Jong Suk-Han Hyo Joo pairing. Every emotion was on point; from stranger-meets-stranger to lovey-dovey cuddling to tear jerking scenarios, these 2 are perfect. The only reason I gave this a 9 is because the supporting cast was really lacking in terms of delivery and realness. I can think of two roles in particular that could've been given to different actors and it would've resulted to a much better outcome. I think Ji-Soo would've done a lot better in terms of being that stout, untalkative bestfriend of Kang Chul. I also think Park Soo-Bong could've been given to a different actor. They are the only ones that to me looked really awkward, but that doesn't mean that the others are of the hook. Overall, LJS and HHJ really carried the score for acting and cast, but all the others pulled them down, that's why the score for this is 9.

Music
OST could've been a bit better. Aside from the main theme song 'where are u', every other song wasn't exceptional. Fits the scenes well, but not good enough to be remembered outside of the show

Rewatch Value
The plot is so unique and original that regardless of the flaws of the show, coming back to it can always be considered a good idea. Keep watching it other directors and screenwriters. This is how you make a unique show.

Explanation
The reason I gave the story a score of 9.5 was because of 2 problems

1.) Stretched storyline after episode 11 ---- The danger of creating a really unique story was running out of ideas throughout the whole series, and it was kinda evident near the end. After episode 11, episodes 12-15 looked really similar in terms of structure, flow, and what's gonna happen at the end of the episode. Just because you end the episode on a cliffhanger, that doesn't mean the viewers can't tell what will come next. I felt like the right thing to do here was to drag the happy moments between Kang Chul and Oh Yeon Joo at the start so that the rising action and climax doesn't feel as streched out as what happened.

2.) Lacking ending --- One of the main criteria of a good drama for me is being able to give justice and closure to most of the characters of a show and the plot. An example is Descendants of the Sun (4th favorite drama of all time). They allotted a whole episode to give closure to almost all characters in the story as well as close the plot. With W, they were able to properly close the plot but they failed to give justice to the two main characters for me, giving a rather incomplete-feel to their ending. The main leads were put into so much action and drama throughout the series especially Han Hyo Joo's character, who was 80% tensed up in this drama because of all the things she had to do and think about. It would've been soothing for the viewers' eyes to see their happy ending moments by at least 30 minutes of screen time, but in this drama we were only given 5-10 minutes.

Overall
This is one for the books. This is a must watch. (Actually my 3rd all time favorite Kdrama)

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Completed
Doctors
1 people found this review helpful
Mar 12, 2018
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 3.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
It's so frustrating because this drama had so much potential to become an all time favorite.

Let's to the good parts first


Acting/Cast
Whenever you see Park Shin Hye's name in a drama, you know emotions will run wild and it did. She was brilliant, and made viewers love her badass with a brain character because it was so believable. Kim Rae Won was fantastic; I actually thought multiple times if he is a real doctor because all his habits and mannerisms in the show looked like a real doctor's. The supporting cast was also one for the books, they all portrayed different doctors with different personalities but they still made us feel some sense of realism.

Music
OST was excellent. Each scene was packed with the right tune to sooth our ears and hearts.

Rewatch value
Contrary to many, I do believe the drama is rewatchable if you can get over the really really really weak........ (see bad)


The BAD
STORY
The show actually started really well. Showing us a bitchy Park Shin Hye who was nothing but trouble being turned good by her grandmother. It also introduced to us Lee Sung Kyung (the real bitch) and Kim Rae Won as a music-loving should-be-doctor. However, after the solid start, the drama went sideways from there. The main conflict of the show, Park Shin Hye coming to a prestigious hospital just so she could prove that her grandmother was wrongfully killed in an operation can literally be covered in 2-3 episodes. Instead, the director streched it out up to episode 19. Until now, I feel really disappointed that such a great cast was ruined with a really uneventful plot with a really stupid conflict.

My advice, if you have yet to see this show and want to see the quality of this show, watch episodes 1-6. After that, you can straight up jump to episode 20. Trust me, you'd be missing nothing and you'll only remember the good parts. Win-win situation

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Completed
While You Were Sleeping
5 people found this review helpful
Mar 11, 2018
32 of 32 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.5
I wanna address 3 things

1.) Plot/Story
2.) Suzy's acting
3.) Cast


Plot/Story
The plot of this show was really good. It was very unique, adding a punch of fantasy to a really good 'supposed' legal drama. It sounded stupid at first, but it blended really well, and the outcome was outstanding. It didn't fail to deliver in terms of being real enough for a legal drama, and not normal enough for a fantasy genre. Credits to the writers of the show and the director. And for whoever was in charge of casting that really cute corgi. I'm giving it a 9.5 to the story just because they failed to further discuss how they had their powers in the first place.

Suzy's acting
I'll be honest, Suzy isn't my favorite actresses. She is pretty, but she isn't that good in terms of delivery. For scale, my favorite actresses in order are
Han Hyo Joo
Shin Min Ah
Park Shin Hye

The acting of those 3 are far and beyond Suzy's current acting now, but she is in no way near of being classified as a bad actress by a lot of people. I would give her a rating of 7.5-8/10. If you want an example of a person who is really bad at acting, but is just overly hyped because he/she looks hot, look at Nam Jo Hyuk. I would rate that guy 3/10. Monotone as fuck. Suzy delivers during emotional scenes, and she makes us smile when she tries being quirky and cute during feel good scenes, but what I don't like about her acting is the regular flow. In scenes where there is no clear emotion, neither happy, sad, thrilling, or funny. Just the plain old, 'boring stuff' as some call it; the normal scenes that are explaining the plot of the show, she fails. She feels a bit awkward in those scenes for me because she doesn't look to convincing of a character. Her acting was far better as compared to Uncontrollably fond, but she still has work to do as an actress.

Cast
The cast was really good in this drama, particularly the main 3 characters + kim won hae. Lee Jong suk, is a shoo-in (we all know he's one of the best actors of Kdrama), Suzy has been discussed already. Jung Hae In, the adorable second lead who was so phenomenal a lot of people had Second Lead Syndrome once again. Would honestly watch another show where these 3 are in it. To further summarize my choice of Kdramas to watch is actually pretty simple: I see Kim Won Hae, I click. I get that his name isn't hyped enough to be cast as lead in a drama, but he sure does good whenever he's a supporting character, never failing to make us laugh, and on this particular role, cry.

Overall, I would watch this show again, even with one of the best plot twists i have ever watched.

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