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If you like fantasy type saguek, this is pretty decent. there is no question that Cha Tae Hyun as Woo Chi made this very, very entertaining. I enjoyed his character, for the most part and he was very affective in portraying him. He did an excellent job in the fight sequences and it was obvious to me that he did most of his stunts so there wasn't any tricky camera action to camouflage a stunt person so I liked that especially.
Uee as My Yeon was decent, at best. I did not a problem with her acting, my problem was mostly how the writer wrote her character. There were times when Mu Yeon would do things contrary to what you, the viewer would want her to do but in the end; all was right with the world.
I found the romance between Woo Chi and Mu Yeon to be one step from boring. I wasn't vested in their relationship what so ever. When Mu Yeon was the bad Mu Yeon, she was infinitely more interesting.
The supporting cast, especially Hong Jong Hyun as Chan Whee and Jo Ha Rang as Gam Nae; the Royal Guard and Damo, theirs was the romance you wanted to see and was way better! They both did a great job for two actors so young.
The rest of the cast, especially Lee Hee Joon as the evil Kang Rim cannot be overlooked. Man, he played this role and you will definitely have a love/hate relationship with his character.
Again, the redemption theme throughout this really worked my nerve. The characters were so evil and killed so many innocent people, you just never felt, even at the end, that they got what they deserved.
Filming and the setting were great, as usual, and because the drama was filmed during the winter, I must give props to the actors and film crew for enduring that COLD!! Brrr!!!
Easy drama to watch but be prepared to yell and scream at the injustices. But without Cha Tae Hyun, this really wouldn't have been good.
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Song Ji Hyo (Da In) pale in comparison! I think everyone who watched cared more about their relationship and that's simply because of chemistry. Sung Woong as Do Moon simply stood out to me throughout the drama as Da In's father's henchman. You wanted to hate him but simply couldn't help but love him and his beautiful (and real) mane of glory! I will remember his name for now on.
Overall, if you like the genre, it really is an easy drama to watch. Sure, the usual machinations of the royals and nobles but get past that, there are so many funny and fun moments to see and characters to fall in love with!!
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I loved all of the main characters. I especially love Takenouchi Yutaka as Hata/Takashi. He was definitely a man who totally wanted to deny himself love. I've seen him in many dramas now and I must say, I've never NOT enjoyed his performance. This was my first time seeing Tanaka Misato as Amane. Her character was so damn sweet, I felt like I was having a sugar rush! There were sometimes I wished she had more of a backbone. But surprisingly, whenever she had dealings with Takashi, that was the only time you really saw the little tigeress come out. Oikawa Mitsuhiro as Yoshika will remain in my mind one of the worse stalkers I've seen in a drama. Despite his intentions, it drove me crazy! Watch it and see if you get the same vibe. Fujiwara Norika as Kaori; you wanted to hate her but I understood her the most but at least her character was acceptable.
Romance was stilted, only because you have to watch it but the romance in another sense was great and you definitely went away feeling their emotions. As this is an earlier work, this is not for everyone but I must say, it really, really was good!
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I admit I smiled and laughed a lot because of the corniness but I believe that is what the writer was going for. I think the title is SO appropriate! You have to see it to understand but the final lesson was great! You have to find your own happiness first.
The acting, well, its a cheesy, corny drama so the acting as you would expect is over the top but I bet won't come away hating anybody and just about loving every character. From Nobuko, with her silly self to Taiichi who is just a lovable mess! I guarantee, this is fun!
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Acting: What can I say, I was pleasantly surprised by all. I've seen them all in different works but in this collaboration between Jpn/Kor; they reined supreme. Takenouchi Yutaka as Shou/Takumi was phenomenal. As the gangster Shou, he played the role really well. I loved that! And boy is he a sexy man! Choi Ji Woo as Yuna was a treat! Except for movies, I'd never completed one of her dramas but as Yuna (the ever changing Yuna), she was on point. I would be remiss in leaving out Sato Ryuta as Hide. Afro-ed down and funny as hell!
Action: Okay, this is a dark. dark drama. You are talking about gangsters, crooked cops; no drama of this ilk would be complete without some serious action! No, no club and knives but serious gun action so the squeamish, beware.
Filming: A Lot of the shots are dark and I guess the director was trying to project darkness because of the subject matter
Romance: It was nicely done and I must say, very believable. You will definitely feel and experience as these two, Shou and Yuna fall for each other. It was also nice to see that they expressed that affection too with hugs, kisses, etc.
Twists: Talk about a roller coaster ride!! There are so many twists and turns in this drama, I guarantee, your head will spin like you are possessed. HAH! I'm kidding but you will be shocked, dismayed and pleasantly amazed at the number of twists in this story; well done.
Music: There really wasn't a lot of variations to the music; however, what was featured was very nice. I loved the songs that were featured and there were times that the instrumental music reminded me of one of my favorite movies called Ghost Dog; same beat. You'll be bopping your head from time to time listening to it.
Overall, the writer definitely closed this drama with a bang and I was very, very happy. But as usual with JDramas, you must watch until the very end. I'm always sad when I do not understand why a drama has a certain title. Now I know what Rondo means.
LOVED IT!! Completed in 2 days!
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Everyone did a fantastic job! From Lee Jin Wook as Sun Woo to Jeong Dong Hwan as Choi Jin Cheul! I loved the way everyone played their parts and held your attention whenever they were on the screen. Jo Yoon Hee as Min Young was simply charming. I have to point out that my favorite was Sun Woo's buddy played by Lee Seung Jun was amazing! His portrayal of Han Young Hoon was STELLAR! He amazed me with his expressions, his tears, his joy, just about everything.
Music: I loved how you had a blend of every type of music from the 90's, whether it was western or korean; just about everyone was featured. I loved how the music fit the scene and helped, you the viewer feel what was going on in the scene.
Action: AMAZING!! That's all I need to say!!
Direction and Writing: This team of Director: Kim Byung-Soo and Writers: Song Jae-Jung, Kim Yoon-Joo; they must continue to work together. Studios? Just keep them together!! With this being their second work together (Queen InHyun's Man being the first), this is a team that no other can match!!
Romance: We got real kisses, folks!! Big smack-a-roos and deep soul kisses! I have no complaints on the romance! No deer in the headlights for this drama.
So is it worth 20 hours? Damn right!! Will you be bored? Most definitely not! The ending kind of left you open but what do you expect for time-travel where the cause and effects are definitely shown here brilliantly!! This is now my #1 favorite Fantasy drama!!
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