MyDramaObsession
This is what I call the Disney version of KWP! They took the core storyline and characters but repackaged it to satisfy a broader demographic. That's not a bad thing if you like cute romantic comedies with a hint of salaciousness and happy ending! The concept of KWP is unique in itself it's interesting and satisfying. However, if you are a fan of the original manga or original series you might be disappointed at the loss of the story's hard edges.
By softening the characters it actually made the relationship between Sumire and Takeshi "Momo" feel less passionate and dynamic. It also made their growth as individuals feel less dramatic. Without those rough and uncomfortable moments you lose much of the stories impact about intolerance from social/moral/gender expectations. That probably isn't a big deal to most but if you really enjoy those wtf elements (I call it rollercoaster euphoria) from the more mature storyline then you probably won't be fully satisfied with this latest adaptation!
The acting was fine. No one in this drama stood out to me as spectacular but they were adequate. If I had one gripe it would be Iriyama Noriko startled/deer-in-headlights look that I assume is supposed to represent nervous insecurity? I'll be nice though because it seems to work with this adaptations Sumire. But nitpicky me really wanted that composed and confident public facade in the original. The same with Takeshi "Momo" he was too adorable to the point of being childish vs Man-child. But again it feels appropriate for this version.
Nothing to add on music though the introduction was nice.
Overall rated good, but without the original uncomfortable mature situations it's nothing special. I might watch this again because I love the KWP storyline but I'm not emotionally attached to this version
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Story: The main story line is a complete convoluted disaster. If it hadn't been for the interesting characters and addictive sub plots this drama would have flopped hard! As with most Hong sisters dramas the main story line is almost completely overshadowed by the romantic sub plots. This usually isn't an issue for a fluffy rom-com lover like myself but considering this is an adaptation it was very poorly executed. There is an abundance of plot holes and over use of prop gimmick instead of actual story and character development. The saving grace are the interesting/entertaining characters and romantic/comedic sub stories, something the Hong sisters do very well. There are also some pretty great ideas and moments scattered through the crazy mess of a story but as a whole the story never delivers in a satisfying way beginning to end!
Acting/Cast: This has to be one of the best cast dramas i've seen in awhile, and that is a complete shame! Instead of making use of the great talent at hand production chose instead to rely heavily on props and an assortment of unnecessary sfx to sell the story. There are probably a lot of people who have negative things to say about the actors based on the poor development of story and character instead of actual ability of the actors. I honestly think they did the very best in a bad situation.
Music: The best thing about this drama is definitely the soundtrack, it's great! I have several songs downloaded to my playlist and listen to them daily now. I highly recommend checking them out even if you decide to skip the show.
Re-watch value: Very low for me. If I do it will be with the help of my trust fast forward button to get to the sweet and fluffy stuff.
Overall: This drama is mostly disappointing for me. It started out plagued by production and broadcasting mishaps and just kept on skirting by week to week from there. I fully believe it has some really great thought behind it which could have made for an epic drama but the execution was just so lackluster. A drama like this truthfully should have been pre-produced instead of filming to broadcast due to the abundant amount of story complexity and special effects needed. I believe that much of the cringe worthy mediocrity of this show can be attributed to a "just to get by" attitude adopted from unrealistic production constraints. It has great characters and very memorable moments I'll not soon forget but the lack of real substance to the sweetness leaves you feeling unsatisfied, what a shame!
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Firstly, this is not a drama to me this is a web series. I don't honestly know if it really was a web drama but everything about it from production quality on screams mediocre to lower end web drama. I'm not saying that web dramas are bad, on the contrary I prefer sweet fluffy romantic comedies so I really love a good short sweet squee fix! I also love supernatural/fantasy genre, webtoons/manga and anime so I actually really like some of the storylines in web dramas more than what you can find in most regular drama. I really just needed to put that out there because of the series length, media and other creative marketing it seemed like it was a shorter higher quality production (at least shorter than most regular fantasy Chinese dramas). Unfortunately, I bought into the hype and was slightly disappointed.
After you realize what it is the second most important thing to know is that the production was failing before it finished. The number one comment you'll read is that the first and second half of the series feel like entirely different shows and it's 100% accurate in a very literal sense. The show started filming at least two weeks behind production schedule because of casting and other complications. Unfortunately, the lead actors schedules were fixed to begin with and couldn't be altered so somewhere an executive decision was made to start with half the story and write as they went to fill in the gaps where the leads could not be. So essentially the story initially is being told from the lead characters perspectives but switches to being narrated by secondary cast mid series.
It's very unfortunately that all this backlot stuff happened because the story was very interesting and actually pretty entertaining to start with. The fated romance story and even the intricate mythology really gave me high expectations. I really love how the current and back stories weaved into each other, the younger versions of themselves were especially adorable. To be very honest I almost wish if they had to fill the space with secondary characters they would have just stuck with the younger actors for a clearer narrative. At least it would have kept the intimate perspective of the lead characters. However, instead the lead interactions become scarce and nonsensical in much of the conclusion.
Because of all the mentioned above the main storyline lost most of its initial momentum and really started feel draggy. The chemistry of the leads started becoming more frustrating/awkward and by the end there was so much that was left unresolved or quickly concluded it was very disappointing. Everything ended tragically anticlimactic from the initial build up and they threw away much of the potential subplot and interesting details for a quick ending. If you dislike plot holes, open endings and storylines that dead end for no good reason you will probably not like this drama. It really had some good ideas but because of poor production choices it just ended in an odd and disappointing way.
I wanted to comment on the drama introduction before I concluded my review. I really don't comment much on opening/closing montages because honestly they are often long and are victim to my fast forward button after the first few episodes. (Unless the music is good and then I might play it every other episode) The repeated narration on every every episode as the introduction was so damn annoying! I understand the need to fill space and the mythology was very unusual/complicated but that introduction made the beginning feel unpleasantly longer to me. I'm not against providing background details but that was just not flattering. I think the reason I wanted to mention it was because on the flip side I loved the closing montage! (It really had the supernatural vibe of show introductions like Forever Knight, Charmed, Angel, etc if your familiar) I wish they would have made the ending montage the introduction because it was much more appealing. I was actually more excited by the ending sequence and it made me want to continue watching the show. It really isn't anything important but i thought it really just highlighed all the wasted potential this show had and that makes me both sad and pissed off.
So in conclusion this show isn't the worst but it isn't great. My rating might seem extreme but I feel it really is called for here. I'm okay giving a mediocre story or low budget production a better rating because it is what it is. However, to me this was not really a complete story. I don't want to be to savage with the writer but it felt like the story just gave up instead of resolved. To me that is unacceptable if you want sympathetic consideration for trying. As completely insane as it sounds I'd rather have seen them bring in the younger cast and have had them add another lifetime onto the final half of the series. I mean it's a fantasy and the possibilities are limitless! Body switching, alternate reality, time jumps, etc you can easily use other actors and keep the lead perspective focused. I mean really the final special was pretty absurd and lackluster. If you are going to go out cray cray go all out and regret nothing unapologetically. Ha ha!
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This review may contain spoilers
I'm struggling with this review! I can't say I hate this drama, the concept is interesting and for the most part it is entertaining because of the unpredictable story. However, as a drama that is supposed to be set in a manga universe with manga characters it truly fails hardcore! I never once felt like anyone was in a two dimensional comic world. The overly subtle stage to shadow transitions, the weird (poorly explained) sound effects, the very manga looking comic characters in the comic book, the very dramaesque situations make the manga world too real world to be emersive. It really just makes the story feel like its set in a high quality web drama! So instead of focusing on the mystery of why the characters were becoming self aware and actual character development I was more curious about who the author of the manga was, why the shadow area existed and the purpose of the books in the drama at all! None of these things are supposed to be important nor were they intended to be answered I suppose. Because in this story's native medium of webtoon we wouldn't really question those things. As readers we know they are comics, the situation is presented and unfolds with in those deminsional constructs. But in a live action adaptation none of that is obvious. So there is a lot of technical exposition about how things work which makes it even more obvious you are not seeing a manga world.
Without the manga related aspects the actual storyline is poorly developed, very cliched and drags mercilessly at times. I found myself wanting to skip most of the main romantic storylines and mystery of the characters relationships hoping to find out why they are characters and why the writer created them. Since that never happens I was really left feeling disappointed and a little angry!
Aside from the drama not living up to my expectations of what an emersive manga world would be like my biggest issue is with the pointlessness of it all. There were no real life inspirations to take from this! As a slice of life school drama all growth is actually unrealistic and supported mainly toxic cliches. As a fantasy drama nothing is explained as to why the fantasy elements even began or exist. As a fluffly romantic comedy it has very little actual romantic development aside from the predetermined ill fated love scenarios. Probably the worst part is that by the end none of what happens even mattered because that world disappears. Suddenly you are starting over in a new world surrounded by cliches and all the same issues to be faced as in the previous story. Except the recognized each other early on but so what? We know the author does what they will and changing a stage causes pain and suffering. They are faced with an eternity of being manipulated by a writer's whims. Which considering the "dried squid fairy" aspect of being a non character is heartbreaking. It makes you wonder if those who vanish completely are not the winners in this tale?! (Not a good life metaphor tbh)
So many disturbing revelation left as loose ends makes the drama conclusion feel pointless for the amount of toil and troubles! In the end they are litterally back at square one but knowing their purpose is supposed to be the reward?! Lmbo could of been my imagination, but the primary source of nearly all suicidal level emotions was being aware of their purpose! More than once by almost every character it's implied how much happier they would be as ignorantly unhappy puppets than self aware ones? I mean I understand what they are trying to represent overall but it's just so poorly done!
I honestly can't comment on the acting because it was such a mess of a story. The way the characters flipped from stage to shadow personalities in exaggeration was obnoxious for the most part. The internal dialogue during stage moment with those hazy real emotion moments were confusing and it was hard to really develop any emotional attachment to what was happening because the chaos made nothing feel real. As such I found very little material for most of the actors to give much emotional depth in performances. The same with music it was just so repetitively predictable or absurdly disjointed to what you would expect.
Overall there wasn't anything that would prompt me to rewatch even on fast forward. If I wasn't fueled by curiosity and the need for closure I would have most likely dropped this mid drama. If you are bored and are looking for a quick binge drama with some fantasy, romance and mystery it's ok. But if you dislike loose ends, canyon sized plot holes and lack luster character/plot development you might want to skip this one!
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The first thing you have to acknowledge is poor story pacing. I understand that a lot of story is hard to fit in two hours, but it can be done. You've probably read by now there literally is no courtship before marriage. There isn't really even enough chemistry or social/physical interaction to sell the whole love at first sight hook! So the only thing you can deduce is that he married her because he was lonely, felt some weird guilt trip so felt the need to protect her. Which if honestly was the case, wouldn't require marriage at all so it still feels really off. When you add in additional factors and how immature/innocent Kako acts even for a modern 16 year old it plays out even more cringy!
This leads to the second thing that must be acknowledged, their maturity levels. Kako could pass as a 12 year old trapped in a 16 year olds body! Her behavior and expressions are so childish it makes the thought of a grown man seeing her as a woman very uncomfortable. On the flip side you have Kouta who could pass as more mature than 26 year old because of his obsession with propriety as a officer and willingness to sacrifice himself for the job! So in the end the age gap gets way more absurd and creepy! The only conclusion you can make that doesn't sound a lot like pedophilia is that he wasn't physically attracted to her as a woman and just wanted someone he could protect and not be alone, maybe have the best position of control? That doesn't exactly make for a swoon worthy romance, more like a borderline psychological thriller/horror movie plot device.
This leads to the most disturbing of all things that must be acknowledged! It is made crystal clear by Kouta that Okami is still a child! It implied many times that Kouta is a mature adult officer and Okami is a kid and needs to rely on adults like the police for help. Yet Okami acts way more mature than Kako! So it's hard to sell the double standard that Kako is grown enough to be an equal, consensual marriage partner, when it's established that she is Okami's peer therefore at the same level (if not lower maturity level ) as a dependant child! This plus the odd, uncomfortable small scenes of physical/romantic interaction between Kouta and Kako make it feel like a little girl with a crush on her older brother. She literally never reaches the maturity level you would expect from a married woman all the way to the end! The only reason you don't have the urge to call CPS when Kouta kisses her or proposes is because he appears to regress in maturity to the level of a teenage boy. That in itself is pretty disturbing though when you actually try to rationalize it!
After acknowledging all the faults it's easy to say this movie definitely failed at being able to comfortably portray a marriage let alone a romance between a 16 year old girl and 26 year old man. Since that is the major premise of the movie it's really sad to admit. The highlight to me was actually the friendship between Kako and Okami! I would actually have preferred a movie based on their circumstances to be the lead romance and the policeman story to be more of a friendship crush that never developed romantically. Why? Because it felt genuine and much more interesting. Don't get me wrong I'm not trying to insult Kame, his acting, or trash how well he executed the story! He looked amazing as ever, and I understood his perspective genuinely! It was truthful the storyline and underdevelopment of the characters relationships that made this movie nonsensical. The acting was actually not bad, but with the weird storyline and disjointed characters it felt like they were all performing in unrelated stories!
This is me commenting on the music, it was okay, lively but nothing truly beyond to be notice worthy in my opinion.
I can't actually recommend a re-watch just because there isn't much to warrant it! I mean even in badly executed rom-coms there is often enough sweet warm and fuzziness for a squee fix even if you fast forward the rest! Unfortunately all of those moments in this movie are so uncomfortable to watch and unsatisfying it's more of a downer. My advice is to screenshot Kame and his very sexy-suitable hairstyle as a screensaver and move on to the next movie! ?
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BTIMFL is like a unwitting friendship. You meet people you might not care too much about and/or are not particularly interested in but gradually as you spend time with them your heart moves. Suddenly they become a part of your own story. There is nothing life changing about this friendship, it was a brief encounter, and am truly sad to see it end. *sigh* "We'll always have Paris."
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The story started out with a really great premise. A woman with a romantic personality but "hot mess" in her career/personal life has to team up with a control freak
and relationship phobic "love expert" to help a group of unique people trying to find the one. From go it feels like a fun, light, sweet drama with great potential for hilarity and romance. Unfortunately, the main premise, that is the most satisfying part of the story, gets buried under loads of melodramatic manure of sub plots. Politics were unnecessary, complicated sub plots of secondary characters with way to much back story was also a complete waste of momentum. It would have been much better to have used the zero match characters to help advance the main story instead. The over use of unnecessarily complex backstories also killed much of the momentum of the main story and made the "fate" part of the romance seem uncomfortably contrived. As a whole the main story would have been better had it been the focus of the drama with scenarios created by interaction with the zero match members as catalyst to naturally advance the main relationship. I say it time and again but the truth is less in stories like these is always more! it's great to have well developed character backgrounds but if you have to explain it instead of letting it be discovered naturally throughout the story it's probably too much! Or in the least it is not relevant enough to do more than cause your story to drag.
I also want to mention that the love triangle/square in this story was boring and overly cliched to me. The second male lead never felt like a believable peer to the lead couple in my opinion and was even presented many times as if he was their senior. Maybe it was his style or demeanor but I never really felt like he fit the bill as a believable rival. He really didn't lack for anything and his (I'm guessing) awkward/nerdy backstory was pretty shallow to make him so relationship reclusive. Other than being around as an orchestrated rival to the male lead it was very forced and nonsensical. The same with the surfer girl, other than a poorly constructed plot device these characters felt like the writers were trying to unnecessarily cram a square peg into a round hole. It over complicated things, was actually a drag to the story slowing momentum, causing friction that until the end was never completely satisfied .
The lead actors are fantastic even though the show as a whole leaves much to be desired. Sadly, much of the secondary cast are also great but because of the way the story progresses everything secondary seems to become disjointed from the main story and boring. I have to wonder when things go askew like this if the actors themselves lose insight or motivation? I defiantly feel, aside from a few emotional moments, the series concluded with many generic/lackluster performances in the secondary stories. I suppose in the end it wouldn't mater much because I suspect many of those scenes will be overlooked anyway with the help of many viewers skip buttons on the remote. Even to the end the conclusions are rushed or unsatisfying open-ended for the time invested if you actually see it all the way through.
The soundtrack wasn't anything particularly exciting. Overall comparatively generic next to other contemporary romantic comedies.
The rewatch value for me is pretty low, at least not without the aid of my fast forward button. I hate getting to the end of a drama that has some really great fluffy, squeetastic moments and feel like it would be a hassle to revisit them. I really can only hope that this doesn't deter the leads from doing another, better quality drama in the near future.
Overall I didn't hate this drama but I will be vocal about my utter disappointment of lost potential. I couldn't rate any lower because it was a decent quality production, and overall no better or worse than most generic rom-coms. Yet let me be petty to writers/directors for a moment and say please, please consider investing in solid concepts in the future instead of this "everything but the kitchen sink" cliche mentality that is becoming more ridiculously overused. I can understand generic and overused story tropes being so inclined yet hilariously satisfying, but to have interesting and fresh prospective/potential constantly tossed to the way side in underdevelopment for cringy gimmicks is wastefully nonsensical. It doesn't cost more to develop a good idea and execute it consistently. Even the ridiculous amount of drama ads can be inclusive of this with some creativity. As a regular rom-com fan you might like this drama with the help of the lead chemistry to kill time between other dramas but its completely fair to say there is nothing special about this drama. It's sad but we can only hope Nam Goong Min and Hwang Jung Eum don't make us wait to long until their next drama together to fill the void of disappointment!
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