Jinyoungie
I'm writing this review after having watched this a second time (although this time through I fast-forwarded through most of it). I didn't have an account on MDL when I watched it the first time but now that I've watched it again I really want to share my feelings on it.
To me what makes this drama worth watching is definitely IU and Jo Jung Suk, their chemistry was spectacular. Do not let the age gap scare you, because their romance is just so pure! I shipped them so hard and they're one of my favorite kdrama couples. Joon Ho is so sweet and clumsy. Even though he acts tough, he makes a fool out of himself so many times which makes him such an endearing character, not to mention the amount he cares for Soon Shin. Joon Ho supports and cheers for Soon Shin when everyone else in her life bosses her around and treats her like crap. He's the only one who truly cares about what her desires are and knows her better than she seems to know herself. He supports her and chases after her in front of all obstacles.
Soon Shin is sensitive and naive. I wouldn't call her a "strong female lead" but she perseveres through so many obstacles and even if she falls down for a bit, she always gets back up. Her resilience is inspiring. IU did a wonderful job. Of course it did kind of drive me crazy just how naive they make her character. There were also many times when I just wanted her to confront her family, or people who were putting her down and just go all out but I really did enjoy her character and enjoyed watching her grow. That's one of the reason's I love Joon Ho so much though, because he brings out the best of Soon Shin. He encourages her to be brave and go for what she wants despite the disapproval of others. She's her best self when she's with him and I love that she brings out his playful side. Their relationship is so fun and innocent and because it was so hard fought, it made me love them all the more. Their scenes together were easily my favorite scenes. I don't think I've ever rooted for a couple more than I rooted for Joon Ho and Soon Shin. In fact, my biggest regret of the whole drama was that they didn't get enough scenes!!! Sometimes they would barely even show up together in an episode and there was definitely enough time for them to have more scenes because this dramas 50 episodes long!
Ugh, anyway. I also liked Jin Wook played by Jung Woo. He was super goofy and entertaining and his relationship with Hye Sin played by Son Tae Young was one of the other good things about this drama. Chan Woo and Yoo Shin were okay but their relationship wasn't as interesting to me. Oh and I also loved In Sung by Lee Ji Hoon. I loved the tiny bits of comedy he added and his interactions with Joon Ho were funny^^ Young Hoon or the restaurant manager played by Lee Ji Hoon ( the other Lee Ji Hoon) was another calming and stable character in a drama full of so many nuts characters, so he was a nice addition.
This drama is definitely has the melodrama thing going for it though and it's one of those dramas that's fullllll of unnecessary misunderstandings. The kind of misunderstandings that can be cured by literally a sentence. The second time through I pretty much fast-forwarded through scenes that weren't of the main couple or certain characters I liked, because honestly this drama drags out misunderstandings like nobody's business. You definitely have to be able to tolerate psycho characters or let yourself scream at them. So that leads me to my biggest problem with this drama. And yes it has to do with this dramas length. The Mom and Grandma get waaaaaaay too much screen time and are in no way "a joy" to watch. Also, many of the conflicts in this drama were simply unnecessary and the misunderstandings didn't add to the drama but took away from it. While watching I had the feeling that the writers just enjoyed putting us through misery because of all the times I wanted to pull my hair out. I also hated that the writers sometimes made certain characters too insane. There were many characters that the writers made unrealistically terrible for a period of like 10 episodes or sometimes more. Like I hated Yoo Shin for the first 10 episodes and I hated the mom for like 15 episodes in the middle and oh the grandma... don't even get me started. Then there were some characters that were just psycho the whole time *cough* Yun Ah.
So the value in this KDrama defintely lies in the main couple's relationship and chemistry. If they got more screen time and other characters less, well the whole drama would have been significantly better. My opinion on this overall is that there weren't enough moments where the characters were allowed to have fun or be happy and there were way too many things dragged out/over dramatized. But my love for certain characters in this drama really made it worth watching and that's saying a lot considering it's 50 episodes. So I suggest you watch it! But only if you're into romance and super cute couples or if you are a fan of IU or Jo Jung Suk. Seriously IU and Jo Jung Suk, ugh so adorable. I shed tears while watching, screamed while watching, but also squealed and grinned so wide while watching. And I can say that after finishing this the second time, I genuinely feel sad.
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I'll begin with the cast because they have so much to do with this drama's success. Park Bo Young clearly does a hell of a job in this one. Not only does she portray one character so well, but two. The way she switches between characters is exceptional. She easily made it onto my favorite actors list. I love the energy that she played Soon Ae with and she's so cute that even when her character was being super over the top she was super lovable. Yet, she could become the painfully shy Bong Sun the very next moment and just make you wanna shake life into her. Kim Seul Gi I had seen in Flower Boy Next Door before this but she had such a small role in that I really had no idea what she was capable of but man she's impressive. Her character Shin Soon Ae, had me crying on so many occasions and her character's bubbly persona, even when she was being mischievous, was fun and eye catching. I felt for her character so deeply and a large part of that is because of her powerful acting. Now to Jo Jung Suk. Okay, well I'm a huge fan of his so of course I love him, but I'm a fan because he's an amazing actor. His character, Kang Sun Woo, is insecure while also being full of himself but also has a lot of integrity and passion. Jo Jung Suk portrays his boyishly immature and admirable charismatic character perfectly and even when other cute distractions arise aka Cordon ;), he still shines and I always looked forward to his presence. But that's the great thing about this drama, I couldn't wait to see all the characters. The kitchen crew omg don't even get me started. So funny. And funny in a natural way. I didn't feel like they were trying to make me to laugh, but rather that they were just being goofs all on their own and I just happened to witness it. Min Soo (Sous Chef) was an amazing supporting character and Kang Ki Young played him masterfully. Cordon, played by Kwak Si Yang, is another character that really intrigued me. I liked that he never actually became a "second male lead" but that he was just an extra sweetie and solid voice of reason and stability when other characters got too crazy. XD Instead of taking away from the funniness and antics of some of the other supporting characters, he just added to their funniness by being so level headed and darn sexy. Im Joo Won also did his character Seung Jae justice and he had me legitimately scared sometimes. All the cast was amazing but I won't mention them all as that would take all day.
The story: I loved the story. The characters are developed very well. Even if you don't like some of the characters at the beginning, the writers do a wonderful job of not suddenly, but consistently integrating the backstories and character growth in a timely fashion in where you don't feel overwhelmed. The writing and directing are well done. The pacing throughout the whole drama is kept very well and everything is presented at the perfect time. Therefore, you don't get too confused with too much information and you don't get bored from a lack of information. There's always something going on and any side stories and backstories are snuck in so naturally that I wasn't ever like, oh great, or, here we go again. I enjoyed every scene while watching it and even if I always looked forward to the main characters scenes, I never wished for other scenes to be cut short. What I think is done exceptionally well is the combination of genres. The romance and comedy go great together but even when this drama goes down very dark roads, it fits so well. Most importantly though, this drama never got boring and never dragged. I was also thoroughly invested in this drama until the last moment in which I cried cause it was so beautiful. Also, the supernatural spin in this was the perfect twist. I like when dramas have that one little twist that makes them unique and the ghost possession creates much excitement and intriguing conflict. If you're scared away because for some reason you didn't like other dramas with the supernatural tag or with ghosts, then don't be. This drama is unique in it's take. This show also makes cooking seem like a lot of fun and I've never even liked cooking cause I'm lazy as heck.
Music: I always find orchestrated music very emotion evoking and the instrumentals in this drama are so lovely and intense. The music is what really pulled the emotions out of me alongside the impeccable acting etc. I still listen to the music tracks in this drama and I've watched it three times. Oh and Jo Jung Suk's song in this is ahhhhh! <3
To me, the very few amount of flaws this drama has aren't worth mentioning and even at my most objective I don't think I would give it lower than a 9. A good drama is a good drama and that's just what this is.
Overall, you should watch this! This drama impacted me on an emotional level in many areas (laughter, crying, fear, excitement) and if you like romance and comedy, regardless of ghosts and the supernatural, you'll probably love this. At least I did.
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This is one of those dramas that just causes you to think and I mean that in a good way. I love how the writers went in different directions at certain points of it, and I love how there were a lot of modern ideas and thought processes woven into this one. It made this drama feel more original. This drama kept me hooked because I was interested in all three couples stories. Each of their relationships were really different specifically each partner's expectations for the other and their expectations for the direction their future's should take. I applaud the writers because it's not a typical thing for me to be interested in much other than the main couple, but they managed to keep the other couples interesting as well so that when it was their turn I didn't begrudge it but was excited instead. Even though marriage is not really on my horizon this drama gives you a lot of food for thought about the institution of marriage and it's values and issues.
I also felt really touched by a specific character's journey. Her desire to live a normal, typical life. I've never desired my life to be insanely different than anyone else either and what I've always wanted is to live a life where I do the things that everyone wants to do. Sometimes you just want what's normal and that really hit home for me.
The actors do a splendid job. Each character is played realistically even though some are exaggerated. The exaggeration isn't anything hard to watch though, it's more just emphasis on the type of person each one is and I think the actors do a really good job of being believable and likable and more than anything, interesting. Also, I loved Bo Mi's character!
The music is beautiful and I don't think they could have picked more fitting tracks. The upbeat tracks make me wanna jump up and down, and the sadder more melancholic songs are very poignant to the situation. The music definitely adds a lot to this drama.
Because This Is My First Life almost made it into my favorites list, but there was one episode or two that I really disliked and no matter how hard I try I can't quite overlook them. I know what the point was that they were trying to make, but I would argue that they went way to far, passing the bounds of realistic and believable.
Overall: I recommend this drama! I felt refreshed by this drama and whenever that happens I think the drama deserves a lot of merit. It's really good and I definitely think the pros outweigh the cons pretty heavily.
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A drama worth sticking out.
This drama started out slow but only got better. This isn't to say that I didn't enjoy the first episodes but that I found myself enjoying the episodes significantly more after around episode 6 or so. So I encourage you to stick with it if you don't get all the hype at first.I'd never seen Lee Seung Gi in anything before and honestly I waited so long to watch this because I'm kind of shallow and was convinced he wasn't my type. But like most dramas I put off watching, I can say that I'm mad at myself for doing so. Why? Because Lee Seung Gi is great! His character's evolvement from being immature and entitled to becoming a responsible, wise and deserving individual is touching to say the least. Lee Jae Ha goes through so much and maintains his dignity and morals even through the toughest of battles. Battles that would drive a lesser man to crumble only to never stand up again. Ha Ji Won I wasn't as worried about, as I'd seen her in Secret Garden and all anyone ever has to say about her is good things. She performed well as I expected. Her character Kim Hang Ah is consistently strong and supports those around her with everything that she has. The responsibilities she is given she embraces and even when those around her doubt her she remains calm and level headed. But for me the real scene stealers would have to be Jo Jung Suk and Lee Yoon Ji as Eun Shi Kyung and Princess Lee Jae Shin respectively. I'm sorry but Jo Jung Suk is just amazing and anytime he's on screen I literally can't even take my eyes off him. He makes me feel for the character in such a deep way. His character, Eun Shi Kyung, was honorable and self sacrificing. He believed in those around him with all of his heart and his loyalty and willingness to do whatever it took to protect his king and nation had my heart rooting for him every scene he was in. Lee Yoon Ji plays Princess Lee Jae Shin to perfection. She portrays her pain and tortures very realistically. I wouldn't have begrudged either of these characters more screen time, in fact I think I sometimes liked them more than the main couple.The story was well developed and the pacing was pretty consistently maintained throughout. This drama does really well appealing to the emotions which I think is one of the most important parts of a kdrama. I definitely balled more than once. However, there was one particular writing choice that I would have to disagree with and if you watched it I'm sure you'll know what I'm talking about. I don't honestly feel that it was necessary, and yes not every choice a writer makes has to be out of necessity but I really don't think it added anything. It felt thrown in last minute and it didn't help me root for any particular character more than I already was so in that sense I would have to argue that the scene took away from the drama more than it added. Also some of the English was pretty cringe but I can let that go.This drama's really good! And I wasn't expecting to enjoy it that much cause I'm not really into the military or political genres. So you should watch it! It's worth your time.Was this review helpful to you?
This drama was all over the place and most of the places it went weren't good.
The story/plotline is really messy. I had my doubts about this drama because of the whole time travel thing, and my doubts definitely weren't gone after watching this. The drama lost focus throughout and it felt like there really was no central theme the drama was trying to portray. This wouldn't have mattered as much if the drama compensated for it in other ways, comedy etc., but it didn't. In fact I've little to no idea what I was supposed to have gotten from watching this. The writers almost scratched the surface of different issues but as soon as it seemed they'd go somewhere with it, they'd stop.One thing that I always hope when watching a kdrama is that it will not only provide interesting and deep main characters, but supporting characters who are eye catching and attention getting as well. That's one of the many areas that this drama fails in. Bo Hee is the most boring character ever. Drill is also boring which is ironic because I think he was supposed to be the fun and quirky friend but instead he was just annoying and one dimensional. The grandpa and Mal Sook could have been really cute and interesting but they weren't given enough backstory for me as the viewer to care about them. I also felt that the focus shifted from the supporting characters all of the sudden to just a couple of the main characters rather suddenly and nonsensically. This wouldn't have bothered me as much if I was super into the main character's storyline, but I'm gonna be honest, the main characters really weren't a whole lot more interesting than the supporting characters. Yoon Shi Yoon's character, Da Bong or Yoo Hyun Jae started out cute, but as episodes went on he started bothering me more and more. Kim Min Jae's charcter Ji Hoon had potential to be intriguing. I liked his whole struggle with choosing his life's path at the beginning when he wanted to debut even if it wasn't encouraged by those in his family but instead of developing that, the writers just dropped that and chose to start ignoring Min Jae's character. He became the guy who had a crush on the girl and nothing else really happened to him. MJ, played by Eunwoo, I probably liked the most but his role was really small and he didn't get to do much. The main couples romance didn't seem natural and I didn't feel the chemistry between them. Kiss scenes kind of cringy in my opinion. I think I shipped MJ with Woo Seung more than any of the other guys. Obviously there were parts to this drama which I liked otherwise I wouldn't have forced myself to finish it. But I would not recommend it and I almost regret watching it, but not quite.Was this review helpful to you?
I loved the romance between Tae Woon and Eun Ho. I wasn't sure how the romance would play out between the main leads but I was pleasantly surprised with both of the actor's abilities and chemistry. Their relationship was cute and affectionate and whenever they'd interact I felt myself grinning like an idiot. I loved them. <3 I think their relationship made up for a lot of this dramas faults.
Personally I don't feel like it was quite as well done as school 2013 though. I liked the whole X thing for a while but it kind of lost momentum for me. I also feel like Tae Woon's whole backstory wasn't handled very well. I didn't quite understand all the angst between the two main guys because it wasn't really Tae Woon's fault that things turned out like they did but his dad's. One specific thing that bothered me is Tae Woon's father's sudden transformation in the last episode. He showed no growth or change through all 15 episodes but then suddenly he takes a 180. Like what the heck. The last couple episodes in general I don't feel were done as well as the others but whatever. Also the authorities in the school seemed really goofy but also weirdly evil. Regardless of my complaints, I enjoyed School 2017 and I was left feeling more satisfied than disappointed.
Overall I really liked this drama even if it wasn't a home run. I would recommend it but I think you have to have a thing for school dramas to like it though.
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I love how the writers just throw you into the drama without hesitation. The first episode may seem a bit hard to keep track of but this is what makes it so good. It's okay if you are a little confused as to how all the characters are connected, just go with the flow. I was immediately intrigued with each character introduced which was honestly quite a few. I have to sincerely congratulate every one of the actors because no matter how small the role I enjoyed the presence of each actor immensely and they each brought their own interesting and individual contributions to a drama full of wonderful characters. I also loved the story of this drama and the issues that were dealt with. I love when occupations play a part in dramas and this drama intertwines the stress and behind the scenes at broadcasting stations in a way that always had my heart racing either out of excitement or anxiousness. I also appreciated the issues that were brought up such as male breast cancer (I would name other issues dealt with but I don't want to spoil anything) and the way in which the issues were presented. The parts of the drama that were meant to be sad, were truly very heartbreaking, but this drama manages to keep the comedy going and never lets you feel dragged down for long as there's a good balance between the serious and comedic moments.
Jo Jung Suk does not disappoint which I already knew from having watched him in Oh My Ghostess and You're the Best Lee Soon Shin. His character is beautifully flawed. Hwa Shin is egotistical, rough, insecure, and proud but somehow his character manages to be so incredibly lovable. Jo Jung Suk has this presence that makes his characters so interesting and entertaining. Sometimes I would just laugh out loud because of a facial expression! Gong Hyo Jin I wasn't as sure about going into this one because although I liked her I hadn't really seen her in all that much but she is officially my favorite female actress. Pyo Na Ri is a character who is refreshing in and of herself but I struggle to picture any other actress portraying her in quite as likable of a light as Gong Hyo Jin did. Go Kyung Pyo I had only ever seen in Flower Boy Next Door and I didn't really remember him much from that but I truly appreciate him as an actor now. Go Jung Won was a very likable character as he was pretty close to perfect but I think the writers did a good job of making his character mildly annoying later on which I think helps support Hwa Shin with Pyo Na Ri. I also was greatly amused/entertained by the fights/struggles between Ppal gang's moms and loved their heated interactions and their bonding moments. Oh and Beomi is so fricken cute like omigosh I wanted to pinch his lil face!
I noticed comments saying that the drama didn't do a good job of maintaining a balance between storylines but I disagree because part of the beauty of this drama is in the way it is laid out. The fact that sometimes certain storylines overtake others or that the balance shifts throughout the drama is what makes it so fresh and entertaining. I never found myself contemplating when they were going to go back to the main couple or when they were gonna address the supporting characters or sidestorys like I have found myself doing in so many other slow paced dramas because of how engrossing the main couples relationship was. Plus, as much as I liked the supporting characters, which was a lot because they were amazing, the main couples story was just so well done and exciting that it wouldn't have made sense for the writers to take time away from them to address a pretty typical high school relationship. I liked Chi Yeol, Dae Goo and Ppal Gang, but I was so much more invested in Pyo Na Ri, Lee Hwa Shin, and Go Jeong Won so to me I felt like the writers were smart to shift the focus to them once the drama started getting more intense. Everything that needed to be addressed got addressed! And even though not everyone got their "perfect fairy tale ending," I think it was more than fitting where all the characters stories ended and I didn't feel cheated one bit at the end.
So I could go on and on but I'll stop now realizing that I already have. I would STRONGLY recommend this to anyone who loves a wonderfully strong cast, interesting supporting characters as well as amazing leads, perfectly timed comedy and music (I loved every track and still listen to them), great chemistry and romance, and unique issues that are dealt with in a deep way. Honestly it's one of my all time favorite dramas.
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Park Seo Joon and Kim Ji Won! They both carried their parts well and I looked forward to their scenes the most; with their hilarious banter and playful romance, their relationship felt believable and I thought that they meshed well as actors. Park Seo Joon plays the line between adorable and dorky while being super manly and hot so well, I'm not sure how he does it, but I think this might be my favorite role for him. Kim Ji Won's character is a lot of fun in this one, a female lead that will not be trifled with but has a good sense of humor is always a win for me. Their relationship starts off where they are both close friends of many years but start to realize that the feelings they have for each other might be more than just friendship. Their relationship development made perfect sense, I felt the slow progression from friends to more than friends was done really well. Ae Ra & Dong Man are definitely the highlight of this drama and in my opinion, the reason to watch. Plus some shirtless scenes with Park Seo Joon, I mean come on.
The second leads relationship was very unique in theory in that it showed an aspect of relationships that I haven't really seen portrayed in any of the kdramas I've watched; however, in reality their relationship is super boring and their characters super frustrating! Joo Man is the most melancholic, uninteresting character which made the actions that his character took, even more obnoxious and pathetic. They didn't make him likeable enough from the beginning, so *spoiler alert* him riding the line of cheating on his girlfriend for 10 episodes was just frustrating and made him out to be just a lame guy with no will-power. If I was more invested in him/if his character was more interesting, then perhaps I would've rooted for him to do the right thing or even have been heartbroken when he continually fails to do the right thing and be honest. Seol Hee wasn't as bad, but I still found her completely uninteresting, and even though she was the victim and the one I should've been feeling sorry for, I couldn't have cared less.
As for the story, the main plot revolves around Dong Man and Ae Ra work towards achieving their dreams alongside recognizing that they have feelings for each other. Nothing too original, but the momentum was maintained fairly well throughout. One character that bothered me from the very beginning was the landlord lady (Jin Hee Kyung), she would just appear out of nowhere and be super nosy and controlling. But to my dismay, towards the end of the drama they even tried to give her this whole storyline which felt so unnecessary and was totally thrown in last minute. It didn't make sense the way we were all supposed to care about her character just because she had relations to the main leads.
Overall, I do think this was an easy watch and worth it if you like romance or are a fan of Park Seo Joon or Kim Ji Won. I would recommend skipping over Seol Hee & Joo Man's scenes however...
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One of the things I loved most about this drama was the realness of the characters. Oh Hae Young (Seo Hyun Jin) was a very vulnerable and raw character. She was not perfect and her struggles of having to compete with someone with the same name throughout her whole life were very touching. Some might say her actions and emotions make her seem childish but I disagree. She chooses to embrace her feelings and emotions without concerning herself with the opinions and judgments of others. I admired that despite her brokenness she continued to thrive with her fearlessly bold personality. Seo Hyun Jin's charcter is inspiring to me on so many levels as she doesn't hold back and learns to pursue what makes her happy.
I was also really captivated with Eric's character, Do Kyung. Do Kyung is one of those characters who would be terribly hard to play as his character is very closed off and reserved. His character's emotions in so many scenes were portrayed solely in his face and eyes. Often times, it was a quiet stare or couple words which carried behind it the most powerful meaning. When a person is scarred it is a very natural reaction to close themselves off and to hide their emotions and feelings from others and I was very moved and impressed with Eric's acting and portrayal of such a difficult character. He portrayed Do Kyung's healing journey very beautifully. Also supporting cast was phenomenal!
I could honestly go on and on about how great this drama is as I do with all my favorite dramas, but rather than that I would just really encourage you to watch it. It is beautifully done and the chemistry between the main couple is extremely moving. The uniquely hilarious comedic moments are balanced perfectly with the heavier areas of melodrama and the hint of supernatural in this drama adds just the extra element that it needed. The work aspect of this drama is also very intriguing and interesting and I especially love when dramas intertwine occupations in with the story. One last thing, the music was amazing. Definitely worth the watch. I'm honestly not opposed to watching it for a 5th time.
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Meh.
Shopping King Louis is one of those dramas that I just don't understand where the high ratings are coming from. It frustrates me because although it wasn't a terrible drama, there just wasn't much to it either. Everything you'd expect the characters to do they do. Louis is a cute character but little to no growth was made with his character. I understand that he was spoiled but he more resembled a 10 year old boy with his mannerisms and choices. Honestly it was kind of weird. I think this was partly responsible for the lack of chemistry I felt between the main leads. It was a little unbelievable that Bok Sil fell in love with him. I liked Bok Sil's character for the most part, but she got kind of annoying in the later episodes. The supporting characters were almost interesting but not quite. The roles that they were given they played well but they really had nothing to them and I feel that the writers could have at least given Cha Joong Won or Baek Ma Ri some substance. Then again the drama as a whole doesn't really have any substance or depth to it. The "bad guys" were not threatening or realistic at all and I felt like the writers did a poor job integrating them into the plot which shouldn't have been hard to do. Also, I found the random animations to be super distracting rather than useful. The music was okay but there were a few scenes where the songs didn't fit the situation. All in all, not a bad drama, but not anything special either. Wouldn't watch again.Was this review helpful to you?
The cast - I've gotta give props to the actors. I think each member of the cast did a really good job of portraying their character and fulfilling the role that they were given. Even when their characters actions crossed far over the line of believability I thought that the good acting compensated fairly well for the areas of poor writing. I was specifically captivated by Joo Won's acting despite my frustrations with the way his character was written. His acting was really entertaining and I definitely think he did his best to salvage his character. But after about halfway or more into the drama his character became too frustratingly unrealistic and I felt like screaming at Ma Joon way more than a few times. Yoon Shi Yoon's character, Tak Goo, was like an adorable beam of light. His character's fun loving nature was captivating and encouraging when other characters had me climbing up a wall. But unfortunately there came a point when even precious Tak Goo became too dense/oblivious for me to handle. Eugene's character, Yu Kyung, was very interesting to watch and I enjoyed her character's journey throughout most of the drama even if I sometimes despised her. Lee Young Ah. Her character frustrates me only in the fact that I think she was extremely under developed and underused. She seemed to get left in the dust along with a few other side characters, but as she was a main cast that really bothered me. It almost felt like the writers forgot about her later on in the drama.
Story/plot - Honestly I thought it was a pretty interesting story but as I suspected when I saw the episode count, they simply drag it out too long. It starts out pretty strong and continues that way for quite awhile but not for long enough. I liked the issues this drama dealt with though, particularly favoritism and jealousy. This drama probably could have been vastly improved if just condensed to 20 episodes, or even 25 episodes would have been much better. After episode 25 I almost dropped it a few times, but I was so close that I stuck it out. Ma Joon and Yu Kyung's interactions were one of the main components of this drama that really kept my interest going though, even when I was all about done. After 20 episodes there were a lot more poorly written parts than well written parts. Many of the conflicts dragged on way longer than they should have and when they were about to be resolved, the characters suddenly/unrealistically flip flopped in their behavior and hence, the conflict was dragged on even longer. Sometimes kdrama characters can be exaggerated but for this drama many of the characters stepped outside the realm of believability for far too long.
Overall- In conclusion I enjoyed King of Baking, Kim Tak Goo, it's heartwarming and intense and it made me cry. So yes, I'd recommend it, but you'd better be prepared to pull your hair out a few times.
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