K-lover61
UK
Twists and turns
The character of Eun-sol is in turn likeable and incredibly infuriating, for the first few episodes, but as she gains both experience and confidence, her over eagerness and assumptions that she must be right, lessen greatly.Baek-beom's nickname of Grumpy Beom is an understatement and it's hard to believe anyone could get away with some of the stuff he does. Again though, as the story progresses and we learn more about his past, which is gradually uncovered for him too, he begins to very slowly come out of himself.
The forensic post mortems are quite graphic, even though blurred out, and there are some quite gross scenes. The crimes include abuse and rape, so could be a trigger for some (hence the "18' rating I imagine).
Surrounding characters are varied. Some deep, others arrogant and also a wonderfully light hearted police officer, Cha Soo-ho. A couple, though, are incredibly annoying, one from being so thick and negative (if he applied himself half as much to caring about his work as he does to eating, he'd be better than everyone at the lab), to another constanty speaking in English, which I found ridiculous.
The crimes and criminals overlap, lacing together to form a pretty good and intricate plot. Things are not always as they seem and there are some surprises.
The strange working relationship that forms between Eun-sol and Baek-beom is very amusing at times and it's her tenacity and quite thick skin that seem to appeal to him.
There is a lot of shouting and screaming at times (too much on occasion), but also some moving and distressing story lines.
Series 1 leaves us at a bit of a cliff hanger and I'm invested enough to head straight for series 2....
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The Wolf grew teeth
Captivating from the start, Darren Wang's duality in this role is well played. He has an aura as Prince Bo and can exude both sex appeal and menace.Li Qin also gives a good performance and her character's development from young and naive to one with responsibilities and regrets is quite melancholic.
I liked the mix of supporting characters, from light hearted to wicked. Xiao Zhan is, as always, a pleasure to watch, as his character returns to his obligations and surprises everyone.
The story itself is pretty good, with the usual scheming, plotting and treachery that surrounds the King and heirs, and mistrusting clans.
It's something of a melodrama and not a fluffy watch, although there is plenty of romance.
My only gripe is how Zhai Xing would not face up to the fact that her Wolf Boy was a person that no longer existed. She herself was changed by her experiences, yet she somehow insisted that You Wen was still an intact personality, as though stuck in time.
There's fighting, battles, laughs, cries, heart ache, redemption, regret, loyalty, everything! A good watch and one that could be revisited after a time, as there's so much going on and it's a relatively complex story.
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Big feels
This is a very moving story, funny one minute, infuriating the next.It shows an older generation, warts and all. The sexism toward women and changing culture toward older people is obvious and plays a pivotal part of the story.
Aging is different for everyone and the many facets of it are wrapped up, sometimes messily, here.
The saying that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, goes out the window in this story, especially for one quite awful character who gets a big wake up call. He redeems himself, but I could never like nor forgive him his past behaviour.
Lasting friendships through thick and thin, good and bad times, highs and lows, are heart warming. Misunderstandings, selfishness, only seeing ones own problems, all have consequences that are eloquently played out.
Seeing one's own grown up child treated so badly it causes anguish and anger, is a lesson that should be taught to everyone who's ever bullied or abused (whether mentally or physically) a partner themselves.... most people are someone's beloved child.
A poignant drama so worth watching. The cast were amazing. I loved it in a very strange way, as there were times I got really angry, but that's what a wonderfully acted drama draws out of me.
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Family life and strife
Mini soap opera with laughs, cries and everything inbetween.Great cast and chatacters. So enjoyed the daily lives of the Song family. Watching characters grow and develop was a real pleasure. Great motivator for anyone whose lives have gone off track, finding themselves lacking confidence and feeling like failures.
My favourites in this were characters acted by Lee Jung-eun, Lee Sang-yeob, Lee Sang-yi and Ki Do-hoon.
I found it hard to like some characters, even after they'd acknowledged their own short comings, but then life is really like that - we can't like everyone!
Sometimes I found the story became a little silly, which detracted from what was overall a well written drama, with many laughs and realistic plots.
Song Da-he was a unique character, but her childish way of speaking did irritate me.
I wish the ending wasn't quite so abrupt, but this is one I would consider watching again.
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A frustrating guilty pleasure
There was a lot I liked and quite a bit I didn't. Plus points are a likeable cast of characters, played by decent actors, with not too many cheesey or clichéd moments and a female lead character that's not a wet weekend. The men that end up gravitating back around her, are all very different. I liked how she didn't see herself as a victim, was independent, yet had her weaknesses. Her mum is played by a favourite actress, whose character was so supportive. The young actress playing the daughter/granddaughter was excellent and it was refreshing to see a mature young character that wasn't selfish and overly needy or full of cuteness and little else.What I didn't like was the complete lack of communication, which became totally ridiculous. The initial misunderstandings were believable and understandable, but later, there were too many occasions when explanations were interrupted and never forced, even though the facts were crucial. Situations where the plain truth would have been most rational people's first and only response, were instead met with frustratingly weak and ridiculous ones instead, making things worst. This meant any empathy or sympathy with those characters just vanished.
That aside, there were quite moving moments and some funny ones, which are what made me enjoy it overall.
It's not one I would watch again through.
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Ill thought-out storyline
Loved the cast, acting and accompanying music.Pace not bad, although it flagged a little around half-way.
What really let this drama down, was a poorly thought out ending. There really are gaping holes in it, which totally let down the entire story for me.
The relationship between 2 of the characters was ambiguous and I felt a little uncomfortable.
The character of Jin-gyum was so naive at times, about the cause and effect of time travelling and parallel universes. He really said and did some dumb things. Tae-yi could also be irritating, although she was pretty strong willed at times, whilst at others she's just stand there instead of assisting someone being throttled!
I also felt some characters were just there to fill out the cast, as they really served no other purpose.
It would have been so much better with a more plausible ending and it's not a drama I'd watch again.
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You'll cry with laughter and sadness
Filled with laughs and emotional scenes; a real roller coaster.Characters develop so well, from arrogant to humble, cold to warm and enemies to friends.
Family misunderstandings, painful memories, traumas, love and loss ~ this drama has it all.
Heo Im (Kim Nam-gil) was a real life physician who developed his own techniques of acupuncture and wrote journals on the practice. Whilst there is a comedic theme through the series, his legacy is not undermined, whilst the drama also balances the use by complimenting with modern medicine; both have their place.
I loved the cast of characters and there are other true ones, such as Japanese general, Sayaka, who was actually a Korean named Kim Chung-seon.
I loved every aspect of this drama and whilst it was occasionally a bit far fetched and melodramatic, overall it was a joy to watch.
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Just Desserts
I was very pleasantly surprised by this off-the-wall Rom-Com drama, which was far better than I expected.Loved the foodie bits, apart from references to Sharks Fin Soup, which should be illegal due to the cruelty involved and birds nest soup ~ also damaging if wild.
Sound acting from a good cast; I loved Jang Hyuk's portrayal of a likeable gangster-come-loan-shark. Jung Ryeo-won is perfect as the somewhat ditzy but feisty and quietly confident love interest. Lee Jun-ho was the most lovable combination of serious yet cute chef, whose smile completely changed his face.
I particularly like the fact that the relationship aspects to this drama are more grown up than usual. There are few clichés and the female characters in this are all quite strong and opinionated, rather than doe eyed and dull.
The evolving friendships, loyalty and just desserts make for a funny, touching and rewarding watch.
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This review may contain spoilers
I enjoyed this series a great deal. I especially liked that, for a change, neither of the lead couple (Pete/Ae), used the "I'm not gay, I don't like men, I just like you" line, which is so overused in many BLs.The characters were pretty varied and included a straight couple, which was nice, as this makes it a more inclusive story, although being a BL series, of course the emphasis should be on the gay couples.
This is a fictional drama, not real life, but some of the characters were really unlikeable and their behaviour was not shown with either the consequences or reprisals, they should have faced...
Lemon, Can's sister; what a nosy, bitchy, controlling, unpleasant character. The crap this character made up about those around her, with no thought for the havoc it might cause in their lives, was really irritating. Considering Can is meant to be older, I found it really annoying that she seemed to have so much control over him.
Kengkla was another horrid character; a real sleaze. He basically low-key stalked Techno via the latter's equally shitty brother, who seemed to have no conscience or problem selling out his brother's body (basically) for personal gain. Awful. Kengkla only got the opportunity to bed Techno whilst he was drunk. Admittedly, Techno did kiss him back. However, the next morning, Kengkla made out it was Techno who took advantage of him! So uncomfortable and totally wrong to have left that part of the storyline without any reprisals on Kengkla - a season 2 much needed, if only to rectify that!
Let's not kid ourselves, even with an 18 cert, there will be underage, or older but immature/inexperienced/easily led viewers...as this is not a 'serious' drama, but a lighter hearted series, those kinds of issues need to be clarified as not being acceptable under any circumstances.
The ending in terms of Tin and Can's (very unfortunate names for English speakers ;) ) characters, was really frustrating. I felt so sorry for Tin, whose character developed well through the unfolding of his story. Last we see of him is bawling his eyes out in the shower. Nice.
Can had started to develop so well as a character too and again, we were left with him being so wonderfully open and honest with Tin, yet not seeing that taken any further. He was equally upset, as he knew he'd hurt Tin, even though it was not intentional.
A Season 2 is definitely needed, focussing on the characters that were secondary in Season 1. I don't think Pete and Ae's characters need any further development, as they were solid and very much together at the end of S1.
I would recommend watching this series and did enjoy it, as said at the beginning. These gripes are just my personal and humble opinions! I really hope there will be a follow-up series.
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I am surprised Kim Hye-sung has not gone on to do a lot more.
As for the issue of teenage pregnancy, it could not be made fluffier if they tried.
The idea of a 15-year old, handling such a big secret in this way, is ridiculous.
It was all just too fantastical for me and lacked substance.
The film was a mess really, not funny enough to be classed a comedy, not tense or emotional enough to be a melodrama and not deep enough to be a decent drama either. That was a main problem.
Either write it as a comedy, in which case keep it light, avoid the issue of abortion and make the main characters older by a couple of years.
Or, make it a serious piece of work on a difficult topic and have the characters go through what would be an incredibly traumatic experience for all concerned, in a realistic way. That would need more focus on the families and less on their peers doing strange musical type turns and behaving like their friends had just won a teen idol competition!
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Cha Eun-woo's character was nice to watch, as he opened up and grew with each episode.
Hwang In-youp's role was more consistent through the episodes and one that I liked the most. He wasn't fluffy or difficult and a lot more open and outspoken.
What I didn't like was what I felt to be a very superficial portrayal of how girls, especially, are judged on their appearance. Yes, it happens to guys too, but not as much.
I just felt that the whole issue was somewhat undermined. The bullies, as usual, seem to get away with it. It shouldn't be up to kids to sort out, but stopped in its tracks by teachers and the establishment. That's just never seen.
The bullying in this was horrible and her own family were no better. I really disliked the mother.
One character in a latter episode, suggested a dermatologist and I actually cheered! The character's biggest problem was actually her skin/complexion, which could have been treated, not her actual looks.
The angle of being outed for wearing makeup was also somewhat contrived, especially when the main ones harassing her, wore plenty themselves! No one thought to point that out though.
One thing it did show were more-unattractive-than-her peers, judging the looks of another. It has often occurred to me that it's not uncommon for the people that judge the looks of others, to be really quite ugly themselves... I wonder what they see when they look in the mirror?!
I also dislike violence against kids by adults and, again, this was shown with no real consequences for the perpetrator. That kind of suggests there's no way out in that situation and it therefore has to be accepted.
There were also several parts of the plot in the storyline that were simply glossed over, to me, rather than being concluded sufficiently.
I also don't find toilet humour that funny, especially when overdone and featuring in more than one scene. People throwing up on others and seemingly thinking that's acceptable, also puts me off; as does treating someone else's home and belongings as their own. Just not amusing to me at all.
Whilst the cast were great, the story just wasn't for me.
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Not the average Legal drama
What a strong leading female character. Wow. Here's a woman who is smart, sassy, self made, knows what she wants and lives by her own rules. Arrogant to snobs, but underneath the money-grabbing facade beats a good heart.Her nemesis is in turn rich, corporate, from a good family, suave, unscrupulous, competitive, arrogant and blindly loyal.
When these two meet, sparks will fly and a few servings of humble pie will be consumed.
For a legal based drama this is so good. Full of high powered wheeling and dealing, with some very unsavoury characters totally lacking in morals.
It's clever, witty, grown up and only once was there a clichéd scene (I really thought I'd be spared someone dropping to their knees this time, but sadly no).
If you don't like the odd [realistic] swear word, an older strong female lead who puts most men that need to be, in their place and has no problem sleeping with a guy if she wants to; then you'll hate this.
If, like me, all the above appeal, you'll probably enjoy it as much as I did!
Joo Ji-hoon and Kim Hye-soo were perfectly cast and worked so well together.
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Layers upon layers
Aug 2023Why did I wait so long to watch this?
I really enjoyed the pace and intrigue, and binged in a day, staying up 'til silly o'clock.
Great mix of characters, with the 3 sisters it centres around being each very different.
It really was gripping drama with some well placed, but nothing standing out as being really childish, humour.
The story twists and turns, with more layers than an onion.
All 3 sisters end up entwined with one ultra powerful, sociopathic family.
The story follows their struggle to unearth past and present secrets, lies and fraud.
More than a few surprises along the way.
There were a few times when things got more than a little ridiculous and characters did do truly stupid things for the circumstances they were in, but overall it's not badly written and is a pretty intelligent story.
I'd have liked more on the youngest sister, as I felt her character's story was sacrificed somewhat for the main plot.
I also wish one particular character had a more fitting end; they didn't suffer nearly enough for my liking.
I adored Choi Do-il, played by Wi Ha-joon; a great character that kept me guessing to the very end.
Well worth a watch.
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Thrilling
A film that builds and gains momentum with every scene.I found the plot a little different, with some surprises. Through 'Dorothy', the relationships and personalities of the crew aboard The Victory develop and grow.
It's witty, action packed, emotional and very entertaining.
I loved the diverse nationalities of the cast and different languages, which sounded very natural; often a rarity in Korean productions ~ not one to watch dubbed. Song Joong-ki, Kim Tae-ri, Jin Seon-kyu and the wonderful little Park Ye-rin are excellent, as are the supporting actors bringing wonderful characters to life.
Excellent sfx, filming and direction give this a proper big budget feel.
Great viewing and worth watching more than once!
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So disappointingly irritating.
Nice idea, but just way too childishly executed for me.The LF's character is far too irritating and the direction (or acting) is frustrating. She never gets to the point and there's far too much of her just talking, lamenting and noisily complaining ~ all unconvincingly.
The mother shouts and gets so physical, a lot, which also got on my nerves.
Scenes don't flow smoothly and I just couldn't get engaged with the story or characters at all, dropping at ep3.
The cat itself is gorgeous, but the voice they chose, just didn't suit it at all. A smooth, crooning, dignified style of voice would have worked better, rather than one more suited to an old streetwise moggy!
The LM is an actor I like and have seen in other, good dramas, where he has acted well, but he couldn't save this, unfortunately.
Just not for me.
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