POSITIVES :
- The main vilain is the best thing in this drama. The character is very complex, human but also evil and a psycho. Great job from the person who played the role.
- The main lead: I liked his values and behavior. Dragged into a situation he did not want, he dealt with it the best way he could both trying to dig into something he found was fishy and working to protect his family. He is a little bit of a boy scout but he was compelling the way he tried to solve all the wrong and protect the FL.
- The disabled twin sister: I found she was a nice person. I liked her more than than her twin.

NEGATIVES:
- The FL. I Could not bring myself to like her. She was very stubborn, reckless, obsessed with her vengeance using means and tone that are no better than the ones used by the people she called her enemies. She showed little respect for people and for the ML. I could not figure how they ended together as their personalities for me did not fit together.
- The second male lead. The attorney. I found him annoying, To drag the two sister into this plan. He was always able to bail them out of provide them with info from where we don't know. I did not want him to finish with the single mother twin. I did not like the fact that he stayed as attorney because he clearly did not act in the interest of the company.
- The chemistry between the ML and FL. 2/3 of the drama she talks bad to him, she is rude to him, she keeps on lying and she hits him too much. When he takes a bullet for her she still keeps on lying to him. She pursued her vengeance all the time while he was chasing after her identity. This made them follow different paths and I found it was weird
. They used one episode in the end to make them find each other out of weirdness.

OVERALL:
Decent drama thanks to the vilain, the change of direction and pace after ep 19, the action in the last part. One thing to notice: this drama is pretty conservative and lauds the adulterers and make them look like nice people who are so sorry for their mistakes. Cheaters are cheaters.

Read More

Funny but nothing memorable

GOOD;

- Silly tone and clichés well managed making the whole thing fun to watch.
- The main actors : if not for Ahn Hyo Seop and Kim Se Jeong, I would have dropped this. Their chemistry is very good. physically I liked the couple they make: not siblings like. Different physical features. It made them magic on screen.
- The two main leads: Kang Tae Moo and Shin Ha Ri. Their interactions are silly and funny but also meaningful at times. A few cringe moments but they are so cute I will forgive that.
- Second couple is decent. They have their own story and challenges. They are a more mature couple compared to the main couple so I don't really mind their story closes with an "open ending".
- The parents and bro of Shin Ha Ri. They are the funny elements.
- Lee Min Woo and his gf: a rather realistic and sorry couple but I liked them. They are like some couple really are in real life.

NOT SO GOOD:
- No character's depth of psychology
- No character's development apart for SFL with a small one
- Team developpers 1 was ok but a bit too much at times.
- Grandpa and president Kang : a lot of potential wasted here. The last ep brought some fun moments but It could have been better.
- Ending a bit rushed.

OVERALL: A very silly and fun drama to watch if you want to smile and laugh but not a very memorable one. The story is full of clichés and there is not development to really make the characters stick in your mind. 9/10 for the fun ride.

Read More

Disappointing and finally ended boring

This drama tried to look like a documentary slice of life drama with a special concept where the characters are followed by interviewers and cameras. Six "adult people" share their ideas and opinions regarding couples and love relationships while filmed during their daily life. The concept is quite refreshing but it is mishandled as they soon mix interviews and narrated souvenirs and then moments looking like living with them or recording of a reality show where every line is scripted even final closure.

Finally this Unidentified Brodcasted Object of Kdrama fails as the stories developped are in addition either mushy with annoying leads (JW/LEO aka YSA) who can't take a proper decision or too short and unsatisfactory (the 2 other couples) to the point I did not find them really endearing and I did not feel anything about their fate in the end. The characters looked immature, silly people unable to behave like adults.

Strangely there is a 4th story which came out of nowhere in the last ep looking like no part of all this documentary produced thing and it was 20 minutes but the most satisfactory story.

The big question is: Would I advise someone to watch this because it is something entertaining and worth the time? No.

Read More

An enjoyable drama thanks to the two lead characters and a good plotline.

1/ WHAT I LIKED:

- The "thriller": Dealing with a case of "unexplained death" in a drama full of colorful eccentric silly insane people is not easy as the elements of the plot can be easily convoluted. It was not the case here and the plot is well handled. The drama introduces a mystery and then keeps a good pace to slowly unveil and describe the huge scheme behind, the schemers and their final fate. The way the "thriller" part was solved and how things panned out was good as one guy who looked unredeemable turned the table in a surprising twist.

- The romance: The romance works very well thanks to the two lead characters Da Li and Moo Hak . They are very well written. FL is naive, knowledgeable cultured elegant damzel but also an hardworking dedicated boss who fights for her people. ML is loud and not so bright but he has a good nature and good values of life even if money matters first for him. They are so different that they definitively attract each other. Their path to being together is not easy but it goes smoothly with no terrible dilemma. And when they are together or trying to be together, they are just too cute but they also look quite a realistic and modern couple.

- The bad guy: He contributed greatly to the drama by being so sneaky and despicable. The good thing is his bad deeds are slowly discovered to unveil his true nature. I only regret that in the end he had a punishment too light for what he did.

- Da Li's brother , Won Tak : Althought I wished his part was more important especially the "cop" side of him, I liked the relationship he had with Moo Hak and the way it evolved to become really funny. I also like how things ended for him. He who barely washes his hair still finds a new friend in the end.

- Ahn Chak Hee : She looks dumb and spoiled annoying girl at first but she becomes quite endearing and she has an happy ending as she moves from a sad situation to become independent.

- Yeo Mi Ri : Moo Hak's goofy secretary, lieutenant, guardian angel...


2/ WHAT I DID NOT LIKE:

- Moo Hak's family: Terrible people. The step mother should be shot and fed to the pigs :D . Moo Hak's brother is a weasel who makes stupid choices when he is not taunting Moo Hak. The father is no better. He never treated Moo Hak right and in the end, he is still so selfish.
- Some character did not have very likeable personnalities: mostly the employee of the museum, the uncle and his son...
Annoying people who did their annoying but useful part.

- The time jump at the end of the drama caught me by surprised and I was a bit annoyed. But the ending was finally good and artistic.

3/ OST: Very good with some several good songs to contribute to a very original athmosphere. I had not noticed such a good OST since IOTNBO.

4/ REWATCH VALUE: Some very cute and funny scenes to rewatch.

5/ OVERALL: A good and entertaining kdrama with two colorful main characters who are lovable. 9/10

Read More

I have not enjoyed a Korean family drama this much since ages.

I was hesitant to start this drama because the idea of a guy who jumps back from 37 to 18 years old after making a wish looked too much of a childish concept for me. But I decided to against that and I am happy I did.

STORY:
It tells the story of a couple which is in crisis after slipping in a routine or misunderstandings and absence of communication.

The husband gets the chance to go back in his 18 years old body thanks to a magical trick. From this point, he will be placed in a new context and gain a new perspective of the events past and present. This will open his eyes about the people around him, their past with him and what he can do to make things better for them. His ex wife is unaware of this but the unexpected and impossible situation will also lead her in the same process of rediscovering.

The drama does not have a complicated message. Just that despite all our dreams and our best efforts, the difficulties of life can make us loose sight of what we wanted to realize for us and for our loved ones. Then we forget the good moments we had and we close ourselves to them and the lack of communication will pile misunderstandings and anger. In the end, what matters is the Love we gave and received and this is what really creates success in our life.

The drama also tackles with different issues of the modern society: women at work, discrimination and sexism at work, intergenerational conflicts, bullying at school, adoption, being abnormal in a normed society... not in a complex and boring way by little touch just to emphasize the human side of it.

CHARACTER / CAST:
- Hong Day Young / Yoon Sang Hyun - Lee Do Hyun: YSH is not the top model actor but he is a reliable actor with strong acting skills and he portrayed a very human HDY very frustrating, lazy and annoying but in reality very hardworking and dedicated who lost track of what really counts in his life. LDH was convincing as young HDY, a reliable friend and helping hand for his children and the way HDY rediscovered his feelings for his ex wife was cute and funny.

- Jung Da Jung / Kim Ha Neul: I love this actress and her voice. She is great in this drama as a woman who still loves her husband but can't do with his temper and attitude anymore. After divorcing, she gets the job of her dreams, she is courted by a handsome man and she meets a 18yo double of her ex husband. A serie of changes which will help her put her life back on the right track.

The other supporting characters and cast were all great, interesting characters with depth and complexity and their own story full of emotions.

- Shi Ah: Lovely girl and daughter with great defensive martial skills and a dream for herself. She built a wrong opinion of herself and of her parents but she works hard for her dream.
- Shi Woo: a good son abandonned to himself and to his issues until he meets a friend who will help him rediscover his dream and confidence.
- Ye Ji Hoon: Confident baseball star who wants to woo Da Jung. I have to say I never really liked him as I found him kind of creepy and sneaky in his ways to catch her from behind by surprise or lure her in encountering him. He has his good sides though. I enjoyed the real connexion he has with the leads.
- Ok Hae In : the weak part of the drama as her story is more to give depth to another character.
- Go Deok Jin and Choo Ae Rin : Super funny besties of our main couple
- Good Ja Sung : a journey from bullying to protecting
- Seo Ji Ho : Shia's best friend. A nice and good boy who wants to upgrade his status.

MUSIC :
Nothing special for me but nothing terrible either. Just appropriate for the tone of the drama.

REWATCH:
Yes for it has good messages, simple lessons about life and it is filled with good and emotional moments. Also, 16 eps but the pace is good. Not time to be bored.

OVERALL:
A great family drama well writen with every episode filled with a high dose of emotions which leaves us smiling, laughing or crying. I have almost no critic to make against it and I enjoyed it from start to finish. This family drama is a gem of its kind with a very satisfactory ending which gives a nice closure to everyone. A deserved 10/10.

Read More

Great part 1 - Disappointing part 2

1/ STORY:
ML sees his life as gloomy and because of struggling too much he decides to commit suicide. But Death takes him to the entry of hell and tells him he need to be punished by living 12 other deaths and then go to hell. If he can avoid a death by his choices, he will be able to live that life until the end.

So, it is not reincarnation. It is Soul jumping into bodies of other people and live their life... and their death.

2/ WHAT I LIKED:
- The main thread/plot that links the different characters together. It was well made, especially in the first part.
- The different deaths. Some are really funny.
- The refreshing, original, mysterious, and funny events that happen throughout the story in the first part.
- The demise of the bad guy.

3/WHAT I DID NOT LIKE:
- The characterization of the bad guy. I wished he was more cunning and had a bigger purpose. He was mostly a psycho and that undermined the quality of the story.
- The revenge plot that happens too suddenly and is completed even more suddenly with the ML becoming some kind of super agent.
- The ending is in contradiction with its the motto of the drama. If you can only be alive if you are yourself and you should not fear failures but always try, the last soul jumping makes no sense as he decides to live for a reason that does not belong to him. Also, I did not understand why Death gave him a final chance on a lottery.

4/CHARACTERS:
- The stellar cast was excellent in serving this drama and portraying great characters. All the people the ML jumps in are interesting, endearing and convincing.
- FL : I liked her. She was cute but I did not really understand why what happened to her happened to her.

5/OST: I enjoyed it.

6/REWATCH VALUE:
Some good, fun, and emotional moments but the second part disappointed me so probably I won't rewatch.

7/OVERALL:
I was a little frustrated after watching this.The ending and final are unclear to me because if he gets what he gets in the end, how will he deal with the events that will happen? It is not really a proper ending. I would recommend it for the fun but I am still mixed about it. 8/10

Read More

A very strange and enjoyable drama but not for everybody.

1/ STORY:

The story is simple and cliché about a woman falling for the wrong guy and things become complicated when he falls for her too. Nothing special and the story could be summarized with 50 words. The good thing of this drama is that it throws the viewer into an intimate connection with the characters using a pinkish filter and a very slow pace. The viewer is able to put himself in their shoes to understand where they come from and why they do what they do. The drama is a gallery of portraits and characters with their qualities and flaws and their understanding of the situation they are in. They are simple people stuck in their own little world but they face hurdles that force them change their point of view and open themselves to each other because they care for each other and they want to do things right in their own pov.

2/ CHARACTERS / CAST:

Very relatable and endearing lead characters. They have their flaws but these are understandable considering what they went throught. FL is the main character. She is reckless and daring but also protective and caring. ML is a loner who suffered a lot from others' actions but he is taken aback by FL. Lee Sung Kyung and Kim young Kwang did great portraying these two characters. Loved the emotions and lack of emotions they conveyed. Secondary characters are good supporting characters despite being less interesting.

3/ OST: Good without being special.

4/ REWATCH VALUE: Not sure I will rewatch it. It is very slow and it is not a roller coaster of emotions. It is more like an intimate experience.

5/OVERALL:

I loved watching this drama week in week out and I totally recommend it to the ones who are not afraid of slow paced drama and are ready to feed themselves with the words and emotions of the different characters.

Read More

Nice romance. Bad writing.

WHAT I LIKED:
- The leads : good chemistry. The actors are cute and they were good at conveying emotions. The girl was overacting a little from time to time.
- The romance: many cute and romantic moments and kisses. They love each other with no real rivals and the schemes of the second lead are annoying but couldn't make them doubt their feelings.
- The secondary couple : Yao Yao and Hao Ying Jun. The man was clumsy but funny overall. The girl was a bit annoying but a beautiful MILF. Their love story was intriguing. Sometimes I liked them more than the lead couple. I just had it difficult to accept the origin of the boy which was not plausible for me but I guess it happens in chinese dramas.
- The SML : The actor did a good job as the character was a real hypocritical weasel.
- The plotline: It's a romance but it also has a darker story to tell. I appreciated that story.

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE:
- Although the dark backstory was interesting, I though it was messy and poorly executed towards the end. The part with the leads as children is well done but the way the mystery is solved was convoluted and had several plot holes and Deus ex machina elements. In eps 22/23/24 the writers were clearly and uselessly leading the audience and this was annoying to the point I fast forwarded a little bit.

OVERALL:
I was not always hooked and struggled to watch to the end but overall, it is a cute romance to watch with happy ending but spoiled by bad writing in the last part of the drama.

Read More

A good and very unique drama

STORY: (full of spoilers)
The drama tells the story of two brothers who have to run away and move regularly to escape from a "Butterfly" who killed their mother. There are flashbacks to tell the youth of these two brothers. 20 years later, KT and ST meet a woman called MY. She is a strange woman with a strong quirky personality with family issues as her mother disappeared and she cut ties with her father who is in a psychiatric clinic with cancer. As she chases after KT because she wants him, the lives of these three people start to closely entangles. Then the truth is unveiled about the death of the mother of KT and ST. That she was killed by MY's mother and this mother who disappeared is in fact one of the nurse working in the clinic with KT. The nurse who revealed herself as the mother then tries to separate them.

The story was simple but told in a unique and mysterious manner using flashbacks and detailed hints and moments of contradicting semi revelations which allow us to have our own understanding and theory about what happened and who is the killer. This was subtly done with a good suspense and it kept me interested in the main plot. Then came the twist and the revelation. I have to say this twist looked a stunt for me. The drama which had a Tim Burtonesque atmosphere suddenly included a psycho killer completely hysterical. How could that lunatic who screams crazily for nothing have hiden her personality for 20 years in a psychiatric clinic? And if she managed to do it, what triggered her to change? I could accept she was alive, she was in hiding as a nurse, she wanted to watch her husband suffer... but why she went back to her black clothings and her crazy days to kill a poor patient in the clinic? Because he injured her daughter? Because she witnessed her daughter becoming "normal" and she could not stand it? Finally I just accepted this unclear reversal of matters and the return of the mother like a temporary stumbling block in the new life of our 3 main leads.

CHARACTERS/CAST:

The gallery of characters presented is the greatest part of this drama. The flashbacks gave a understanding of the personalities of the main leads and made them sympathetics. The sub plots with their own guest characters, events, outcome and lesson of life were very enjoyable and described great character developments.

- KT: The younger brother. His difficult childhood made the person he is : someone who suppressed himself to take care of his brother. He slowly learns to open himself, enjoy things and find a girl for himself. KSY was pretty decent in that role. Young KT and the kid actor were good also.
- ST : He is the older brother and for me he is the most interesting of the two. He has autism disorder and relies on his brother at first but he slowly develops autonomy and responsibility. He finally become a real older brother for both his younger brother and his new younger sister. He even leaves the house in the end to live his own life. OJS did a great job here.
- MY: I just loved her character and SYI nailed it as she portrayed that weird strong quirky woman perfectly. Even her clothes were meaning ful. One woman character who will become iconic in kdramaland. Amazing performance from SYJ and the little girl actress portraying MY was lovely too.
- Jae Su: Loved him for his loyalty and unwavering friendship for the two bother and his great dialogues with KT.
- Ju-Ri: I never hated her even at the beginning. She just looked a bit pathetic but she slowly showed her immature and cute side.
- See Sang In: I liked how loyal he was to MY. He is funny but also mature and reliable for the other people. He and Ju-Ri were cute in their own little almost romance
- Ju Ri's mom: the wise one and acting mother of the people in her house and for MY.
- Seung Jae : I pitied her for always being the victim of Sang In but she had her little vengeance in the end.
Plenty of charismatic, lovely or funny but always interesting characters: Dr Oh, his son, the two patients lovers, the mother who lost her daughter and of course KGD the son of the politician. It was good that the drama gave a nice closure to all of them.

MUSIC:
This drama has the best OST. Every song is nice to listen to. It contributed largely to the special atmosphere of the drama and to its success. Releasing some songs after they were aired in the drama was masterpiece.

REWATCH VALUE:
The story is a little bit too simple but I will gladly rewatch it for the numerous funny, cute, weird scenes with excellent dialogues and quotes.

OVERALL:
Having watched around 400 dramas I have to say this one is a very special drama. I would have called it perfect if the twist was slightly better explained. I totally recommend this drama for its weird, fun, quirky, heartwarming and very human characters and its many good lessons of life. I really loved the long journey of waiting and watching this every week end and also following and discussing this. Thanks to the actors and the crew who made this drama and to the fans. This drama has some flaws but overall it deserves a 10.

Read More

Disappointing modern love story inspired by a beautiful historical love story.

This drama is not the sequel of One and Only. It is another story with a new couple who is not the one from One and Only reincarnated. But it is good to have watched One and Only before. Because this drama makes a lot of references to the original story and it helps understanding the essence of drama and the state of mind of the two leads.

STORY:

A woman named Shi Yi created for herself a fantasized ideal man named Zhou Sheng Chen based on the main character of a movie she is working on and on historical informations she collected. She meets a Zhou Sheng Chen in real life who is not really like her fantasized one. She still falls for him trusting he is her destiny. The guy is a scientist very down to earth and logical and despite being from a rich family, he is not a typical heir of a conglomerate. He just wants to be a scientist.

I liked the first part where they are discovering each other and putting the cart before the horse. Because he has family pressure and because she is just head over heels for him. They looked very cute chasing each other from city to city and from China to Germany and back. There is also some kind of love triangles to spice it up. I liked that the FL is one to take initiative, be straightforward and send signals to the guy.

The second part when they are "official" is awkward. They have to discover the things they did not take the time to know beforehand. They really look good together but it is not sparkling chemistry. She is cute taking the time to make their relationship be the most normal one but he is so awkward that it is sometime cringe. These two in their everyday routine trying to get used to each other and to their life together, explaining things to each other, I thought is was lacklustre to the point I started losing interest.

They are also facing their respective families. Shi Yi's family is not complicated and it is rather fun. But ML's family is totally dysfunctional and even fckd up. It is clear that such a family does not exist in the modern world. They purposely took some crazy royal families you can see in historical cdrama and transposed to the modern world with no nuance at all. So the main couple meets the most opposition here from people who talk family but don't act like family.

In the last part, things take a fast pace as bad schemers are unveiled. It ends with an unexpected final showdown and our couple being "separated" for some time before the happy ending. I thought it was intense and emotional and a good final stretch with some action and a proper closure for most people good or not good. Our cute leads lives married happily ever after and the crown goes to the young crown prince.

CHARACTERS:
- Great ones: Shi Yi so lovely and patient with her bf/husband, the young crown prince
- Good ones: Zhou Sheng Chen the scientist who was a 30 something y.o. virgin, Driver (uncle Lin) MVP of the first part, Shi Yi typical loving Chinese parents, Grandmother typical nice grandmother who makes nice confusions and gives away secrets, the two distant cousins who look like lovers, Mei Dong Lin Mei Xing's dad.
- Silly ones: Mei Xing who did not know better, Zhou Wen Xing who did wrong thinking she was doing right, Tong Jia Ren who barked at the wrong trees and ended empty handed, Wang Man who loved a crow thinking he is a swan.
- Bad ones: Zhou Wen Chuan, Qin Wan the mother, the bad uncle.
- Underused: Xiao Yu Shi Yi best friend and Du Feng the cop. Their story should have been better developed.

OST:
Not so good. Repetitive with one style for one place of action and sound effects for the funny situation. I am really not fan of playing these songs at key moments. It is more disturbing the pace than helping the mood.

REWATCH VALUE:
Bai Lu and Allen Ren are not enough to save this drama. The cuteness of the main leads is not enough to make me rewatch (Also knowing that there is no real kiss) .

OVERALL: 7.5/10. I watched this as a part II and it is so so. I found it was cute but the family opposition and schemes from family members were quite badly told and silly. I don't get the demise of some characters when it was really not worth it and you have to put this on recklessness or crazyness. It also lacked entertaining situations. I will stick with the first Installment. In fact, this drama just managed to make me love One and Only more. Because it made its ending even more tragic and beautiful: There is no reincarnation. Love as much as you can when you still can.

Read More

Great if you are a fan of the lead couple. So so if not.

1/ WHAT I LIKED:

- Naksu / Cho Yeong / Jin Bu Yeon : We left Naksu as a petrified soul shifter at the end of part 1. We find her here as Bu Yeon with a new face and new powers. She will slowly regain her memories as Naksu forcing a struggle of souls which will determine the fate of our heroine. I thought the transitions were well made despite some conflicting theories. I enjoyed the character’s journey in this part 2. I did not want her to go back to her sword days. I was content of her evolution.
- Jang Uk: Dark Uk is pretty badass as a bounty hunter of soul shifters. Scheming Uk was quite ok when he counter schemed the bad guys' plans. His role became a bit messy in the middle part but he makes de last and decisive moves.
- Uk Yeong : I found Uk's relationship with Yeong sizzling at first, then rather fun and cute because of many magic moments they threw in the drama just for the sake of the two characters. I enjoyed these moments. The relationship has some back and forth a little bit annoying especially from Uk’s side, but then Naksu starts to find her memories back. It was a little underwhelming how they finally recognized each other but I liked that they did not make a huge thing of it. Instead, they made choices to address the challenges and issues they were in and accepted their fated encounter. I liked that quiet responsible approach.
- Jin Bu Yeon / Ji Seol Ran: The truth about the character explained and resolved the situation.
- Closure: The drama gave a proper ending to most of the characters.

2/ WHAT I DID NOT LIKE:

- The plot was thin and I felt it lacked consistency and smart writing. Jin Mu looked a weak villain and his demise was not even impressing. Rather funny. There are some twists about the royals and the mages and one character which were decent but a little too "easy" to be called "twists".
- Master Lee : Man became annoying suckling theories out of his thumb.
- Love triangle. Funny in part 1. Annoying in part 2. CP used to hit on Mudeok but it looked acceptable as a race for an unmarried woman. Here he hits on her new version knowing she is “married”. The confusing status of Bu Yeon and the sense of no propriety of the CP just for the sake of love triangle was upsetting for me. Yul 's trajectory was terrible. He made rash, out of character decisions that made him unlikeable at some point.
- Dang Gu was useless other than giving hints until the final fight.
- I wished they toned down Park Jin's funny new hobby but ok it has some good purpose at times.

3/ CHARACTERS - ACTORS:

- Need to praise the acting of Go Yoon Jung. I was skeptical. She bluffed me. I loved her in this drama. Great job composing a complex character who inherited different names and pasts.
- Lee Jae Wook was good. He created a very cold, powerful Uk with a sensitive touch in this part 2.
- Shin Seung Ho made the CP quite fun and likeable despite his flaws.
- Good acting from the rest of the main cast except for Yoo In Soo that I found a bit extreme in his expressions.

4/ OST: Very good. Loved it.

5/ REWATCHABLE VALUE: Yes for the cute leads and their fun emotional scenes and the action scenes.

6/ OVERALL: A proper part 2 for the ones who love Uk and Yeon and want to know their fate from being born to being master pupil then dead and revived to recognizing each other again… There are some draggy parts, some contradicting and confusing revelations and a lacking plot but overall, the story of these two is nice and entertaining. I enjoyed watching this drama week in week out and comment it with the fellow Alchemists. 8/10.

Read More

Cute leads in a cute romance to hide a wobbly thriller full of plot holes and wrong messages.

1/ STORY

1.1/ Thriller:
ML wants to find his long lost twin sister. Moves back to his childhood place and sets a new restaurant. But he does nothing. No investigation with pictures, places, suspects, links... on a huge board. He wanders from his place to the grocery store or the fish market with FL. Police does nothing but chit-chat and drinks in the evening. Suddenly in episode 15, the FL remembers something and the culprit is caught. Mystery solved.

First, the triller is an engaging dark comedy with plenty of people to suspect and dark humour in life and death situations but halfway it becomes a standard korean serial killer drama. Disappointing.

1.2/The romance:
ML spends the whole drama building his restaurant. The evening he cooks food with nice wine to comfort the FL because he feels her emotional mess. They get closer and closer to the point they kiss, date, break up, date, break up, kiss, break up because their lives are intertwined with sad past events. When the culprit is caught, everything stops and they become normal couple.

2/ CHARACTERS /ACTORS

2.1/ Good guys:
Let's say it, the two lead actors save this draggy romance and draggy thriller thanks to their chemistry and their cuteness which make them enjoyable to watch on screen. The other good point goes to the child characters and actors who are mostly cute, bring emotions and are at the core of the mystery.

- ML: A cry baby who tries to solve a mystery with the FL and enters a game of push and pull. When he is not lovey dovey with FL, he cooks, walks, cries or gets angry or beats people.
- FM: Poor girl trying to improve her life but she is victim of a stalker and has nightmares. She finds comfort with ML but stalker is not happy and tries to break their relationship. Flawed character but still likeable.
- ML's best friend Jin Hoo : Does one good thing to advance the plot then spends the drama loafing about in the restaurant.
- Eun Jung: Looks evil and scheming at first but quickly spends her time chatting with Jin Hoo in the restaurant.
- FL mom and grandma: a pair of ex con look alilke who behaves suspicious and funny but soon it becomes redundant as the story stalls.

2.2/ Bad guys:
- Stalker: crazy lunatic chasing FL but she prefers the cook so he tries to piss them off by unveiling a part of their past but only manages to trigger something he is not going to enjoy. Too much screen time for him.
- Other bad guys: Don't even know where they come from, why they did what they did. They just appear, act stupid, bad guy gets caught and voilà, the end for them.

2.3/ The police: (MAJOR SPOILERS)
A bunch of lazy asses who do nothing but drive round, chit-chat and drink and commit misdemeanors. In the end, they look at a video, start running and serve the people.

- Wontak: Stupid kid with anger management issues who rat on his dad as kid and now he is a cop who beats civilians and or threatens them and finally beats up his cop boss because he is so angry he left his dad suffer for years but he prefers blame others. Stupid brute should have ended in jail but the cops covered his misdemeanor. Bravo the police.
- Police officer Min Jo: ex lover of Wontak who does nothing but covering Wontak 's crimes and torts until the end when she save her ex lover's ass from being fired and goes back to be in couple with him. BS.
- Officer An Jung Ho: the worst of all. He does not remembers key events when he is sober but he does when he is drunk. And cherry on the pie, he committed a crime of hidding a murder and a misdemeanor of getting rid of a corpse. If he investigated that victim, everything would have been solved. And he has a happy ending anyway. Congratulations!
- Officer Young Wan suspects a guy who is not the right guy but police officer is not happy so he spends time harrassing him from time to time. Harrassing an innocent civilian when you are a cop. Bravo Mr police!
- Other officers: other stupid idiots.
The message saying the police members are good for nothing drunkards and criminals with a badge and people who do unlawfully but they can escape the Law because they were internally conflicted.. This is wrong.

2.4/ The "good" people:
Some rotten people who know a part of the truth but would not talk but they would lie and hide the truth in order to protect other and they get away with it. One character should be charged with failure to asssit a person in danger. One escapes murder and another escapes the crime of hidding a murder. They are not even bothered by the law. They all walk free. But ok, so many plot holes in this drama anyway.

3/ OST:
Honestly, the drama became so annoyingly draggy the main song they played just started to annoy me.

4/ REWATCH VALUE:
No

5/ OVERALL: If you like the two lead actors and want to watch a beautiful couple on screen who look cute and endearing no matter what, you can watch this drama. For the ones who look for a cute romance but also a consistent and well paced story with an original and intelligent thriller, you can pass. The romance is draggy and the thriller part is leading on and feeding the audience bit by bit with slow progress and nonsensical twists where villains and their actions are not even explained. Also in the end, the mystery of the ML feeling FL's emotions is not explained. 7.5/8 and avoidable.

Read More

Good title. It was Affection indeed. Not Love.

1/STORY

GOOD : The dramaturgy of the early episodes. Endearing leading teen actors. Cute first Love story. Nice twist of fate.
BAD: The palace schemes and action part only in the beginning and in the 2 last eps. The drama is 20eps but a long part of it is about a fake love story because it is rather Infatuation from his part and Affection from her part. It can't be called Love when it is plagued with lies and confusion and deception. The final part is rushed, messy and quite ridiculous.

2/ CHARACTERS:

- Dami/Lee Hwi:
GOOD: Dami was great. Lee Hwi was consistently written and well portrayed (kudos to Park Eun Bin and Choi Myung Bin). She was credible as a woman forced to live the life of another person and carry on the mascarade while trying to protect the ones she cared about.
NOT SO GOOD: Never understood why she kept living as CP and King just to avoid death. We all die sooner or later. Living just to avoid death means you are already dead. I was expecting her to live for something greater than herself as a woman, a person or a King. Nope. It was just about saving her butt.

- Ji-Un:
GOOD: Good kid who grew up to be a fun young man, talented, charming, a tease, dedicated to people and keen on justice.
NOT SO GOOD: He soon became a sorry character stucked in an unconditional puppy love and crawled back to his daddy to be a part of the props and be able to see the CP/King.

- Bad Grandpa: Never understood why the guy was so feared. He did not look so powerful. In the end he is a very weak vilain and his demise was a bit ridiculous and pathetic.

- Grandpa's dog: Ji Un's dad and a children killer. A man full of lame excuses for his terrible actions. No redemption for him. Straight to hell.

- Hyun: I did not like his obsession for the CP at first but he grew on me. A dedicated man, a good brother and a good friend who ends up on a high note.
- Ga-On: A man with a sword and his own agenda who achieved his goal and helped others at the same time. The real silent hero of the drama rewarded with a cute ending.
- Noh Ha Kyung and Shin So Eun: Two sad fates who are endearing enough to create empathy from me.
- Also I liked Commander Yoon good soldier and a man of duty.

OST:
I really started to hate the main song. Because it was played on every "romance" scene between the two leads and that "romance" was draggy and lopsided.

REWATCH VALUE:
Zero. Nada. 20 eps of that again? Surely not.

OVERALL:
A promising drama at first but ended draggy and disappointing with a thin palace plot and a draggy romance you can't buy because the FL and ML are on different agendas. It did not entertained me actually so I will not recommend it. 7/10 for it still has some qualities.

Read More

Started great then became convoluted and ended boring.

1/ WHAT I LIKED:
- The action, fights and killings in the first part. It was savage like in a good Jason Bourne movie.
- The set up of the story: From the events in the boat to South Korean and flash backs to China. It was intriguing, gripping and dark enough to keep me hooked until what happened to the FL.
- The secondary female lead and ML sidekick. She is the only one who keeps a sense of justice, duty, empathy and camaraderie all along the drama. She is the most endearing character for me.

2/ WHAT I DID NOT LIKE:
- The leading on the audience from the middle of the drama to the end with nonsense useless turnarounds.
- The ludicrous ideas to allow everything like cars driving alone, emp and even a ridiculous " Mission : Impossible " moment.
- The plot development which deviates from a good spy action drama to a political plot and ends up in a "lets all fight for the country" hymn drippling with nice "family" values.
- The gunfights towards the end were bad with horrendous muzzle flashes even when the gun is not shooting.
- The final showdown with the bad guy. Uselessly violent and made no sense considering who the guy is supposed to be. The dilemma looked so fake.

3/ CHARACTERS:
- ML: Namgoong Min was dedicated to his role and he did his best but the character was not very well written. His ruthlessness and the mystery about his quest in the beginning made him fun in a bournesque way. But he soon appears very stiff and expressionless. If his physical condition looks great in the first part, he soon looked squeezed in his black and white suit and his demarche looked weird. Most disappointing, he is often not in control of what is happening.
- FL: I don't even know why she is the FL. Because from chasing after men in her service and working with them to do things she is not proud of, she was just despicable always pressuring the ML.
- All the other characters from NIS are annoying because they don't behave like leaders but like kids arguing in the playround and they just work against each other's interests but call themselves an organization.
- Big Boss: Ridiculous story around him. It ends in a terrible hollywoodlike way. (Spoiler: WTF, the guy is sick actually. He is not responsible legally.)

4/ OST: Decent one.

5/ OVERALL: A disappointing drama which had plenty of materials and ideas to do well but the writer was too much leading on the audience trying to look smart. This made the drama annoying to follow and not entertaining at all. Even the end and the final speech is utmost disappointing. 7.5/10.

Read More