ColourMePurple

Equal parts enjoyable and frustrating

Probably the biggest drawback for The Atypical Family is that the FL is unlikeable at first and then the ML starts becoming more and more unlikeable so I was never excited for them to get together. I was getting frustrated first with the FL's character and then annoyed with the ML because of his callous behaviour towards his daughter. For that reason, I could not properly enjoy the series as a romance.

On the plus side, I enjoyed many of the side characters especially the daughter. What an amazing potential she has. I am glad she got a good chunk of the storyline. Else the main plot would have been more boring. I also loved the sister Dong Hee and Grace's back and forth. They livened up the series.

The plot itself was good. Pacing is slow but 12 episodes were good for it.

Personally, the ending was a bit over the top. There was no need for that but if you like fluff then you might enjoy it because if you want logic, it leaves you with many questions. You will just have to accept it at face value. Let's just say I didn't hate it.

Till the end, I wasn't super thrilled with the ML. I find him quite clueless, stubborn having a one-track mind who did just the bare minimum.

The OST is nice. Nothing exceptional that stood out for me.

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Good not great

The initial episodes were a bit too slow for me but I started to enjoy Love Scout around episode 6. But it lost me again towards the end.

Let's start with what I enjoyed:
- The mature romance between the majn leads. It is very sweet and fortunately they don't waste a lot of time with misunderstandings and such. But I hope to see more which I didn't get. I am not sure why.
- The male lead character is a wonderful dad as well as a mild mannered, caring, soft man and a bit too perfect. It was nice to see that actually. Raising the bar among green flags as well.
- Development of the relationship was pretty good and natural.
- I also liked the second couple. They were cute.
- I enjoyed the OST especially the theme song Test Me.

What I didn't enjoy:
- Pacing of the show itself. A bit slow for my taste.
- Not enough romance.
- Childhood connection + past trauma. I don't really care for it.
- The main plot. The way they wrapped it up felt weird. If I find out I missed something I'll update my review but it feels like everything can repeat because people who want to harm you don't exactly change or give up.
- There was nothing really special related to the couples in the flash forward.

I had hoped it would end differently or rather have a more complete ending. I didn't vibe with it like the other viewers.

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Left Me Confused And Annoyed

I have been waiting for this movie and didn't expect it to be disappointing. Usually disaster movies are quite entertaining even if they are run of the mill stories but trying to create a twist to the story ended up backfiring for the writer/director.

The initial plot revolves around a mother waking up to discover massive flooding around their apartment complex. The water is rising at great speeds and she starts to rush her young son to get them out of the house. The son, like a typical child, doesn't comprehend the danger and adds to the mother's anxiety and the audience's annoyance levels. This whole section is quite good. The mother doing her best in order to survive and finds help from man who is sent to extract her to safety for her research.

HEAVY SPOILERS IN ORDER TO EXPLAIN MY DISLIKE
The problem with the plot starts when they finally reveal that the child is AI and created to develop emotions into an AI as the future of humans (bizarre).
Once the mother gets to the roof, the team not only shoots the man who helped her (important) but also remove a chip from the child's head that holds it's memories/data. They then show a series of rockets jetting off into space just as floods are coming in. This is odd since every place has already been flooded so where are they lifting off from? Not explained. While in space, the rocket carrying the mother is damaged and she is injured from the debris so she also extracts her memories and transfers herself into an AI mother. They then replay the scenes of the flood with slight variations each times. In most scenarios the son is missing and she has to find him and the scenarios keep repeating which is not depicted well.
Some charcaters retain their memory like the man remembered getting shot and works against the extraction team. However, the man is not real but in this game like setting or training runs should be an NPC. There are few more characters like this. So haven't they already achieved AI with human emotions?

The end goal appears to be to return to Earth with AI. With human emotions. What about saving actual humans? What are other countries doing? Is every country sending rockets with AI? No millionaires and billionaires fighting to get a seat? All rockets look the same, no other country designed a different rocket with a different mission?

SPOILERS OVER

There are too many plot holes, too many things happening that you don't quite understand and it made me womder what I watched when it was finally over. I had to read other comments to fill in some gaps and the more I read, the worse this movie became.

The movie doesn't really deserve even a 6 but have to give them points for effort for the VFX and the setting. It did keep me interested even though I was lost at the end. The plot was just too ridiculous which feels like they didn't develop the story well or ask questions like WHY and just gave it their all on the special effects aspect.

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Watch for sweet but psycho Ju Tae Seon

Note: The drama's intro theme has been created using AI.

To start with, I would suggest not reading the plot summary. Part of it ruined my watching experience. Unless you prefer to have all your facts in advance then go ahead.

Lee Chae Ha decides to become a police officer after struggling being labelled as a son of a murderer. He gets called to work in the prosecutor's office under Ju Tae Seon who detests murderers and bizarrely Chae Ha as well. So it doesn't make sense why he wants to work with him. Even more bizarre is when he angrily kisses him. The show definitely wanted to give us a wild start! It was quite intriguing as to why he was behaving this way so I enjoyed the journey of his evolution.

Chae Ha seemed to have some level of guilt so even when his senior was clearly abusing him, he refused to walk away. Professionally, they seemed to do well together despite the bickering and the disgust Tae Seon felt for him.

There are 2 cases that are the focus of this show - one is a murder in the present and second is the murder of the past committed by Chae Ha's father. In my opinion, the mystery wasn't great. The presentation of the murder case they were working on was confusing and I lost interest in it. I just barely followed along . Similarly the case of the past, I couldn't fully grasp the significance of the murder. Some clues are in the intro. If it wasn't for the two leads and their relationship, I wouldn't have cared about this drama even though I love crime thrillers. I felt like this was the weakest aspect of the show. Also, it was pretty obvious where the show was headed.

The final episode was nice and everything was wrapped up pretty quickly.

I still applaud Korea for trying something new even if it wasn't perfect. At least I enjoyed the journey and that's what I mainly gave it points for. I especially loved Kim Yoon Sik's acting and portrayal as Ju Tae Seon. He's definitely eye candy!

The OST is pretty good too. I just wish they didn't use AI so I had to deduct points for that.

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It Was HELL Trying To Finish This

When I first heard of the drama name, I thought it would be a fun thriller maybe horror drama but while watching episode 1, I realised that I am dealing with some amateur creation. But the problem is that the drama is COMPLETELY SENSELESS. I just didn't know it at the time but I put up with it because it had some 7 episodes when I started. I was struggling to even finish those, then it grew to 9 episodes and finally extended to 18. I would have dropped it in episode 2 or 3 if I knew I would have to put up with so much torture.

Let me walk you through some of the problems. While writing these I dropped the score from 3 to 2.
1. A group of friends are wandering through woods trying to find some haunted place. Sounds interesting right? nope! That segment itself was boring and filled with dead air. Had to put it in 2x right away.
2. They find this university that seems abandoned but someone comes and they make excuses to get water and stay over. But the guard locks the gate behind them. See, a normal person would have been like, we've changed our mind, we'll be going. Not these smart kids.
3. Then they see students beating each other violently and they obediently follow the guard to the dean's office who takes all of their things and tells them they can't ever leave but on the bright side education at this uni is free if you live. And they again obediently head to the dorms which only has rooms for their group. We never see where the others sleep. Low budget. But not once do they even attempt to leave after seeing the killings or knowing they've been held captive.
4. The students clearly out number the staff yet they never try to just kill the dean and guard and leave. But they have no problem killing each other. Because then the drama would end in episode 1.
5. There is no real story. Or rather it is extremely weak. Suddenly we are in fantasy world but I wish this drama was fantasy. One student in ep 5 or 6 says that if I tell you this university's secret you can never leave but it's not like the FL could leave anyway.
6. The university serves amazing food. They hold multiple events so the students wear lots of gowns and suits, there's plenty of decoration and booze. Who the heck is supplying all this? They never snuck out on one of these invisible supply trucks?
7. The parents of these students haven't looked for them in several years. Think we need to arrest the parents for negligence. They don't show up even at the end.
8. The FL knows students are out killing each other and she keeps casually strolling through the night until they are right behind her and then she runs.
9. Second lead syndrome because I can't stand cocky male characters especially when the actor can't act.
10. Extremely cheesy lines. I was gagging. Not in a good way.

Small positives:
Intro theme is amazing.
The acting got slightly better and the plot moved slightly faster but I watched all episodes on 2x and it still felt slow more times than I can count.

Final thoughts:
Just don't bother. Complete waste of time that could have been wrapped up in 6 episodes. I have read some comments online where people were gushing over this show but unless you are a teenager, this will be a very hard watch. Ask me for spoilers and I'll tell you everything.

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Boring

Usually I manage to binge short cdramas but not this one. It took me a long time to complete and there were several times when I fell asleep or just stopped paying attention. The premise was ok but too confusing. Too many characters which isn't unusual for cdramas but the characters didn't have any special traits to make them memorable. I won't even be able to relay the plot to someone because I don't know what exactly were the positions of several of those characters.

Besides the story being terrible, there was no chemistry between the leads. There is very little romance. There is a cliched scene where they MUST be together. Lol. Why do cdramas use this so often? Are you incapable of developing romance between your characters?

The music (both intro and outro) is very slow and depressing and I got a bit tired listening fo it.

Other than the leads being looking and there being some decent action, nothing really hooked me. There was just brief moments towards the end that made me a little excited but that sizzled out fast.

There are better mini dramas, just skip this one.

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Good but not much of a thriller

I did like the movie though I wasn't aware of it being adapted from a game. But as a horror or psychological thriller, it wasn't at par with other movies. There are moments when it was creepy and weird but that's about it. So if you scare easily it won't be hard watching this.

I liked the acting of the cast and it certainly made me curious to try and figure out what was happening. I'm not sure if I would recommend it to thriller lovers though.

The simplicity of the set was great and also how many things were done differently in each loop. They followed the game's design to a T!

Spoilers below.
I'm not sure if many viewers got the same understanding from the movie as I did because it seemed to be lost on a few YT reviewers that I saw. The ML is told by his ex that she is pregnant. She is at the hospital waiting for him to making a decision. And then everything that happened before or after is related to the baby. Him seeing a mother on the subway getting harassed because her baby is crying. Blood dripping from the walls and ceiling of the looped subway station as if to suggest death/murder/abortion. Baby in the locker. Him wondering if he'll be a good father and then seeing a small boy and trying to rescue him. The loop was designed so that he tells his ex to keep the baby and raise it with her. Japan has a big problem with their low birth rates and an aging population. From my perspective, this was pretty obviously baby propoganda And that is what I didn't like about it. Though I did like this one line criticising the work culture and monotonous lives the Japanese live but people are helpless unless the government actively makes changes. I thought the concept was good but it's an average film for its genre.

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Enjoyable But Could Have Been Better

I quite enjoyed the series overall though I wouldn't call it a favourite in the transmigration genre. But there is a lot to love about it.

Firstly, the leads are incredible! The FL is stunning and she is a strong, graceful, charming woman with a good head on her shoulders. She is the brains behind the collaboration of the leads. ML is the executioner. He is strong yet gentle, brave and understanding and trusts the FL which is what makes their dynamic work so well. He trusts her even before she trusts him. More than their romance, I enjoyed their chemistry and banter.

Secondly, the other characters. I loved the SFL and Mr Bai the most. The scholars were nice too. It's always great when secondary and supporting characters bring life to the drama. I also liked the physician but sadly his role was small.

Third, the plot. No drama can succeed on acting alone. If the plot is weak, it all falls apart. The story of How Dare You has a good flow and never gets boring. There is also mystery about certain characters which helped kept me interested in the story. Fortunately we don't really have a misunderstanding and breakup trope or at least not really. Whatever happens is resolved almost immediately.

Fourth, I got emotional in certain parts and I feel the ML conveyed them really well.

I enjoyed the drama OST too. It suited the scenes a lot.

Where it failed to hit the mark:
I expected this to be more comedic than it is. The title also makes you think it will be more funny than serious. It starts off funny but gets a bit more dramatic and serious 7 - 10 episodes in. There is light comedy here and there to make you smile but no laughs from my end.

The action sequences. Usually the leads are involved in the fighting and action scenes as much as the side characters but that's not the case in this drama. Though I didn't mind the leads not fighting at alll, I felt the action scenes itself were kind of average or overly dramatic. And I'm a sucker for a good action sequence so this mattered to me.

The SML was okay. I don't feel much for him which isn't a good thing.

The ending. It was quite abrupt and tbh I didn't understand what happened at all until I read some explanations. I don't really like when directors expect you to fall back on the source to fill in your gaps. But I also understand why they did it that way. Since it involves censorship, I can't call it bad storytelling. Still... they could have compensated in other ways so it was disappoiinting.

Introducing a character late and then the twist. I'm not sure the twist was needed.

Romance. Though the leads' chemistry is great, the romance is okay. You won't find much of it since there is a lot of planning and scheming going on. Since everything was good, I didn't care too much so I'm mentioning this last. As romance can be huge for some viewers, I thought I would point this out.

To sum up, How Dare You is quite enjoyable but it also leaves you wanting a bit more.

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A bunch of historical fantasies roled into one

When it first started, it resembled almost entirely like Love Between Fairy And Devil but on steroids because of how fast the story was moving. I actually quite enjoyed it. Even the romance seemed to be moving pretty quickly and I wasn't quite buying it. But as the story unfolds, a lot is explained and it was enjoyable.

Somewhere down the line it got a bit boring and then started getting interesting again later. Towards the end, I was annoyed because there were just too many twists by this point. I was a bit irritated with all the characters rather than just one or two. I didn't really like the ML's acting at this point. The FL was carrying the plot.

The FL is actually the best part of the show. She is adorable and acts well. I didn't find the ML attractive initially but he grew on me. But his acting is sometimes great and other times not worth mentioning. Partly because of the story too so I can't blame him completely. He is definitely good at emotional scenes though.

Ep23 was probably the worst for me. It was excruciating to watch but they do redeem themselves in the finale. However, by that time a lot of my interest was gone and I just wanted to end the show.

For the most part it is decent, the episodes are only 30 mins long and the story does move at a decent pace. It's an all right watch. They did mash up and get inspired by other historical fantasy dramas too but it was a good attempt.

I love the opening theme song but there are a few other songs that are nice.

Overall the show is a hit or a miss.

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Underrated

I trusted those that said this movie is not scary but a scaredy-cat like me got scared numerous times and I had to pause it. The movie doesn't have many jump scares. The slow build-up of horror is what got to me each time. It was quite fun though. I loved the comedy especially. It made me laugh numerous times and that is why I enjoyed it this much.

The story isn't exceptional. It is quite a situational horror comedy and the straight faced comedy is truly my style. I genuinely loved the characters, especially the 3 students. The movie also makes you burst out laughing at awkward moments. Again, totally my type of movie.

At the end of the day (I literally watched this in the wee hours of the night), if a horror comedy delivers, it doesn't have to be perfect. And I was thoroughly entertained and will be recommeding it to others.

For true horror lovers, this movie might feel very mild though and may not impress you.

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Terribly Painful to Watch

There is only one episode that is decent in this show and that is episode 7. The rest of this drama was so difficult to watch it took me 2 months to get through it. And even after putting it on 1.5x speed, I kept falling asleep in the final episode until I couldn't be bothered to rewind.

The biggest flaw is that we really don't have any character to root for. I had an intense dislike for both the male leads. The female lead characters were also meh. The older brother was the only decent character and I could feel connected to him and his story but we don't get to explore much of him. Nothing exciting happens. The dialogues are not something that resonate with you. There is no comedy to relieve the tension. The romance is very toned down. I wasn't feeling the chemistry between the leads at all.

The cinematography and OST are the only decent aspects of the series but not enough to make you watch. I am usually generous with my ratings but I struggled to not drop this. I really kept hoping it will get better but it never did. It just wasn't my cup of tea.

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Cute with a wild element

I didn't enjoy the ML's character in No Gain No Love but I did like him better in this since he was written as a perfect character. I had an idea of what the plot was about and it turned out to be right so there was no surprise element but I liked some of the comedy. It isn't as good as NGNL but it isn't bad. The story is fun and cute and I enjoyed the bold elements. I am glad they took us into the world the FL created. I would recommend watching No Gain No Love first so you can appreciate this drama more. I think the 2 episodes were perfect for Spice Up Our Love.

I also liked the secretary's character and how different it was to the parent story. He is a pretty good actor and did great in all the different roles.

I was really blown away by Lee Sang Yi singing 'A World For Us'. Didn't expect him to be such a good singer. I enjoyed the song.

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Dramatic, Gorey, Enthralling

From start to finish, the presentation and story-telling of the show were gripping and exciting! Both the leads - the uncle and the niece play a fantastic part in this entire series - both together and separately! It definitely makes it a MUST WATCH.

If you enjoy action, thrillers, suspense - this show has all of that. You might have to put up with a bit of gruesome gorey killing sprees along with it so "Listen Well" - watch at your own risk depending on what you are able to handle. It did get a bit much for me. Though they try to spare you a bit with the camera panning to the killer rather than the victim. The story is actually not very complicated which is a plus point. There is a bit of back and forth with episodes 5 and 6 giving important background information but never for a moment did this show lose it's pace or get boring so don't let that make you hesitant.

The show is unrealistically realistic. It doesn't make superheroes out of nobodies. People are what you expect them to be and rely on their wits and other skills. Of course there are still unrealistic aspects to the show but the series completely draws you into the world despite that.

Just FYI, the story isn't complete and although there is no confirmation as of now but there probably should be a season 2. That is the only thing I wish wasn't the case. I would have liked an extra 2 episodes and the series to be concluded. Not sure what new season 2 could hold as expectations will now be through the roof.

The OST fits the series perfectly. The actors did a good job and I'm especially happy that Lee Dong Wook took up this project. He's just the icing and cherry on top of the cake!

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Slightly above average fantasy drama

The show started off interesting and it was good until the point when the ML gets his demon powers back. After that the story is the weakest with little happening. And quite a disappointing end.

The strong point of My Demon is it's OST and opening theme. The cinematography is good but not really used. They didn't try to showcase much of the Demon's powers except for comedic purposes. A lot of recent fantasy drama tropes have been repeated in this one so it felt boring. Still, among the recently airing/aired fantasy dramas, this was one of the better choices.

Repeated tropes included:
1. Chaebol parent forcing their child to get married where they end up in a contract marriage in order to make sure their parent does a health check up (similar to The Story of Park's Marriage Contract).
2. Past life connection - also in The Story of Park's Marriage Contract, My Man Is Cupid.
3. Mystery of a murder(s) - same as above
4. One lead realizing they have a past life connection and other lead slowly getting their past life memory back close to finale and - My Man Is Cupid
5. Cold ML, Warm FL - TSOPMC and My Man Is Cupid
6. A Superior being who is the boss of the supernatural lead - My Man Is Cupid
7. A SML that makes you wonder if they are playing a negative or a useless positive character - My Man Is Cupid, TSOPMC

There isn't much to the story that is new except that they added an element of religion more heavily than other dramas. It just felt a bit cheesy by the end because of it.

The couple make a really cute pair but at times their cuteness gave me sibling vibes rather than a hot couple. For the most part I wasn't bored and I'm giving it a 7 because I enjoyed the first half. Just wish it had more of a wow factor. The ending left a lot to be desired with the villain just turning out to be crazy for no good reason. Many of his actions didn't make sense. Like stealing the demon's book and not really ending up doing anything with it. And sacrificing his son. His end goal wasn't clear at all.

It's okay for a one time watch.

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