outstanding drama from beginning to end - A GEM

I had stopped writing reviews because I was binge-watching so many dramas from different countries and decided to watch fluffy dramas in between the historical ones that find. Thanks to MDL I saw a 10 rating for this drama from a previous reviewer and put it on my "binge-watch calendar."

The story - from episode 1 to episode 40 you are engaged and immersed in the story. Each episode I felt the writer was KNITTING. The writer did an excellent job and initially was weaving a story using different strands - without flashbacks his technique was perfect and the viewer becomes part of the strand that he is the weaver. The story is a mystery, romance, police investigation story with unique qualities. Only one warning - try to watch without comments from Viki -- viewers spoil some of the anticipations of storytelling halfway through.

The title: TO LOVE -- gosh -- I'm sappy. Everyone wants to be in love with that level of commitment. The writer hooks you again with this thread that makes you ask yourself - have I ever loved with trust or commitment? An element that is streamed throughout the 40 episodes.

The flow of Storytelling: Never a filler, never a drag - always moving forward and weaving the story without dropping or dragging or repeating. I gave this aspect an A+ because I hate filler episodes.

Actors: The writer used every actor to his/her fullest and within their talent range. The lead couple - outstanding (both impulsive and strong - which made them compatible) the secondary couple - outstanding. The violinist - convincing in his dual role. The police officers outstanding and convincing without diminishing the occupation of the police office or investigation.

OST: moving and good. Not overwhelming soundtrack distracting from the story but music to set the mood - and done appropriately, not distracting.

This is a guarantee WINNER and your viewing time will be rewarded with QUALITY!!!!. Highly recommend.

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An Outstanding Must See Action Movie with a Story

I have to confess I saw the 1954 Godzilla movie with Raymond Burr when I was a little girl and I fell in love with the whole idea of Godzilla, Mothra, and other monsters over time but as time went on the series faded into cliques and boring plots with this mechanical looking monster that did do roaring and fire breathing. So the interest faded. However, heard this movie had gotten the highest Rotten Tomatoes ratings and highest customer reviews ever, so I had to go see it. Was not disappointed - from beginning to end. There was everything you wanted in a drama, action movie. Great graphics, good character development, impeccable editing, and a screenwriter who did not compromise telling a story that was believable and so good that you even forget that 2 hours have passed because you are so engrossed in the story and its outcome. It is worth every dime of movie dollars to go see and it is beyond a masterpiece and brings the Godzilla franchise a new life if not exploited with cheap plots like the past 60-plus years.

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Inspiring and empowering drama about women

In this period of history, women were definitely little more than shoe horns to men. The rules and regulations they suffered through were so tragic and unjustified that the story writer must have cried through much of the recapping of this period of history. Nonetheless throughout the story telling women are the backbones of family life and even the changes in history that we all have experienced through even modern times. This drama is an "epic" drama that ends in various chapters, but begins in other chapters to maintain continuity and filling of any plot holes. The underlying thesis of "overcoming" is a theme that begins and ends to the point that the viewer must begin to channel his or her thoughts to compare the past versus current realities.

What is most enjoyable about this drama is not only the women - but the interactions they have with the men in their households, the men that control their destinies, and the men in power that they encounter. The most satisfying drama I have watched and definitely a hidden gem. It is now in my top 10 list of dramas that must be watched.

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This drama is unique in several aspects. It is a story well told, well written, it has clarity, it is original, the editing, directing and camera work was disciplined and highlighted the quality of acting that is award quality.

First the story. It is a patriotic masterpiece and as a viewer, I realized the energy for the drama comes from the "youth" of resistance. There were lessons to be taught in so many situations that I wondered whether the writer was a revolutionist in his/her youth. Often women are put in roles to portray men and it is so unbelievable the drama is a bust. In this drama the actress was a powerhouse -- man or woman - she could be masculine and feminine without question -- which added to the quality of the drama. The historical period was worth researching just for edification of the "times and circumstances" the Chinese were facing.

The romantic backstories and bantering backward and forwards added to the success of telling a story with a military background.

The use of enough extras to add to the story and move the story forward was extremely pleasing and made the 48 episodes addictive and worth binging throughout the night time hours.

The added emotional investment in the lives of the students, teachers and all of the main characters and their lives or deaths or romantic encounters was the icing on the cake.

Acting - flawless - main, support - no weak links - total professionalism and immersion into the character played. Xu Kia was pure eye candy throughout and you had to fall in love with him.

There was nothing I disliked, I did not fast forward one second, I didn't increase the speed of the drama playing, I rewound often if I missed a sentence. I savored all of the dialogue. I didn't get frustrated because there was an unnecessary filler killing time. There were no moments of saying "that was stupid". This was not a CGI type drama -- it felt so real that you will believe they are actually in 1911 or circa. The authenticity of costumes and cars and building and almost everything was carefully studied and again added to the "10" rating.

Music was appropriate and coordinated with the theme.
Rewatch -- a YES!! This drama shot up to one of my top 10 and will be one of my most memorable ones and one to recommend to others. Quality is rare in drama land and it is often overshadowed by compromises. I felt like there were no compromises made to tell this story. The spirit of justice and patriotism is a worthy winner.

Definitely WATCH!!!!

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I only watched this as a binge watch because of a drama mania recommendation for February 2018 listing 4 completed dramas you should watch (including Money Flower, Black Knight, Bad Guys and Bravo My Life). Since I don't have Netflix I decided to check out Bravo My Life. The good -- it was a good story initially - and had a unique perspective -- a drama using the filming of a drama as the backdrop. A drama within a drama type of scenario -- pretty cool. The ugly -- a lot of repetitive and illogical romantic attractions and outcomes. The bad - it was too long. It must have been extended -- so the stretching and pulling teeth to get to an inevitable conclusion became worse than going to a dentist without anaesthesia. If they had stuck to 50 episodes the rating would have been higher. The ending was poor (not rushed) just a sorry ending. I found myself screaming -- JUST DIE ALREADY!!!! That amazed me since I am really a sympathetic person and a major crybaby. All in all -- I wouldn't recommend it unless you are in fast forward mode. The directors wasted the talent of these actors and actresses with a subpar script that lacked substantial rating value.

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This was 2018 rewatch -- reminded of it after trying to watch the Seven Faced Man -- and comparing the story.   I could not get Ji Sung's incredible acting and the impact it made on me emotionally when I viewed it the first time in 2015.  Watching week by week you sometimes forget the incredible scenes and storyline.  However, marathoning this drama just reminded me of why I believe this will be my all-time top K drama.    Acting - children and adults -- over the top good;   Editing -- perfect;  Music -- exceptional -- I don't buy music at my age but I downloaded the song Hallucinations to play when I'm walking.   It is one of my all-time favorites.  The best part of this drama is the creativity of the story -- not a dull moment -- a full story from beginning to end.   A story with mixed emotions - you laugh out loud -- a lot,  and you cry buckets of tears along the way.     There were so many life's lessons shared in this drama that you almost need a notepad to keep track.  I am still trying to watch Seven Faced Man -- but like most remakes of outstanding dramas they will continually be compared and the bar was set to high with Ji Sung, Hwang Jung-Eum and Park Seo-Joon casts as lead actors.  A good rewatch for the New Year's weekend.

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A quirky romantic comedy that keeps you guessing through each and every episode. What makes this drama a winner is the exceptional acting of the female lead that immerses herself into the role of being a "male" and a "brother" to the male lead. However, as each episode progresses you see her as a female wolf in sheep clothing circling and capturing her prey. As a man she is an alpha female and you love the interactions between the two. Unfortunately the secondary leads are too weak to add to the enjoyment and pull down the rating. You also find yourself debating with yourself which is fun in itself.
The does he or doesn't he question is the fun of watching. I would definitely recommend with some fast forward moments and some skipping.

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The writers of this drama were extremely skillful. It is a "but for" drama that continues to weave tales that can be answered by the "but for" statement. Although extremely lengthy for a daily drama there were enough cliff hangers to keep the viewer interested and "hooked". Also the introduction of new characters and new life situations kept the drama from being redundant. The female lead was a poor choice for role but eventually she grows on you. The two male leads are extremely handsome and talented. What really kept me drawn to this drama was the mother who was mentally challenged. She played that role impeccably and so believably. Her performance was award winning. A drama to watch daily with multiple episodes to maintain interest -- otherwise you will become bored because there are 159 episodes and want to skip episodes. Good family drama.

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Watched again (saw in 2014) after watching DOTS. It kept coming up after every completed episode on VIki so I said -- why not. The intensity of this drama and the level of misunderstandings that can cause heartbreak can only be measured by the tears you shed watching. Love that both female leads are flawed to the core and the male leads are "macho" protectionist of these flawed women. Although the title is "Innocent" I find that a misnomer as the drama progresses. Each episode is addictive so you will watch and watch praying for positive outcomes in negative situations. What is most fascinating is how the drama ending. I found it to be a good ending --- for a K drama it is a very good ending comparatively. The actors are all good and the music is not overwhelming but drives the intensity and moods of each scene. Good drama.

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Not a Dry Eye In the House ( No spoilers - just reasons to watch

Many reviewers have described this drama as a masterpiece. It is a priceless drama that shoots to my top 3 of all time and I have been watching K dramas. Chinese dramas, Thai dramas, Japanese dramas since 2014. What makes this one that must be on your watched list is simply the storytelling and the unique way the writer has weaved a tragedy that is so common with young people today throughout the world into a treatise on cause and effect, depth of friendship, and family interactions. I found myself crying so much during the drama that I began to understand the writers were astute in layering common situations into everyone's emotional DNA. The story writer is a genius, and the screenwriter was able to take this story to the next level by making it a visual treat. My only complaint and why this must be watched and rewatched over and over again --- the English translation was not accurate (seemed to be google translation) but this does not stop the viewer from being absorbed into being a second skin or shadow for each character.

The reason to watch and rewatch -- the need to take notes and analyze the lessons being taught and the lesson learned about how we as humans respond to a variety of challenging situations and crises in our lives. Our parents, our friends, our boyfriends/girlfriends are intimately affected by all of our thoughts words, and deeds. Just living and bearing burdens to the point of being in a dead-end situation was so graphically and emotionally portrayed that there is a point that each of us has to reevaluate our own lives and the lives around us.

How much do we share with others we trust, how much do we hide that is painful, how much deception do we live in our own lives, how much do we pretend, how much do we value our partners and their aspirations and goals? These are only a few of the socially challenging questions that this drama achieved in only 12 episodes. A priceless lesson on living - you have to reflect and be introspective to really benefit from this drama.

Just watch and you will agree - a SOLID 10 -- and that is a rarity.

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This drama was so good - marathoning it night and day to get through 90 episodes --- but oops -- the drama ends in 62 episodes and I spend half a day trying to find 63-90 ( raw or subbed). After reading it was on Amazon Prime I went to Prime and yes it only has 62 episodes. All of the streaming websites lead the viewer to believe there are 90 episodes so you have to re-watch to accept the fact that ep 62 is the end. Nonetheless, I felt cheated because it was such a good storyline and it had so many secondary stories that needed to be told. I am assuming someone planned to do a second season but it never was made or still on someone's drawing board. This was my frustration.

Story - the story was so good and really needed to be told to its conclusion for viewer satisfaction.
Acting/Cast - chemistry over the top and the roles were cast perfectly throughout
Music - good - not epic but good
Rewatch - would only watch season 2 if ever made or rewatch as a refresher.
Overall - for many could be a waste of time ( if you like finality) but as a filler {in between searching for a good drama) it was satisfying.

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This was one of the slowest developing dramas I have watched completed in 16 episodes. I often complain about the 45 and 70 episode dragged out love stories because you usually can tell a truly romantic story within 24 episodes. What I disliked about this drama is the writer's attempt to keep a melancholy theme throughout. Dating was so unnatural for everyone involved in romantic encounters and I felt there was this weirdness feeling and not a feeling of reality that was evolving in an attempt to be artistic. The actors started out with strong lines and good material to deliver a challenging romantic story but in the middle of the story the writer began to scrape the barrel grating the viewers' nerves - many reported dropping the drama because it was so slow and never maturing to romance, only conflict. In the end, it was the feeling - well I've watched this far - might as well finish. When I finished it I asked myself - what did I just watch for 16 hours? The chemistry was "off" during the 2nd charm and we never saw the maturation of a third charm. I would not recommend this drama unless you just have nothing else to watch.

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I don't know where to start but I will give it a try.
ACTING -- Plastic, repetitive, unemotional, forced and just bad. Tedious repetition of same lines, same outcomes and impossible resolutions of problems. Acting was just merry-go-round pronunciation of the same or similar lines or facial expressions. The baby stretched out on the blanket was the best actor throughout.

STORY - I routinely watched this drama in the morning and the story was so unrealistic and condescending to human intelligence that I felt like an idiot watching this mess. They even extended it 23 more episodes which was a trigger to drop but after 60 hours - I just went into fast-forward mode to the end. A 26 mile marathon running with bad knees.
MUSIC -repetitive music every episode with singers at a cabaret. It was just plain annoying after a while.
REWATCH - not in my lifetime.

I have had bad luck watching daily dramas recently. They are becoming the worse of the worse with the dullest writers and actors. Simply they should try to write an outstanding 60 episode drama then divide it in half., timewise. What is happening is the substance of these daily dramas seem to fill up 30 episodes and they stretch and stretch until the viewers are hooked or frustrated trying to learn the ending which is always unrealistic or totally disappointing.

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I finished this drama not realizing it was the final episode. Period dramas are my favorite but this one seemed to be a see saw. It wanted to be a period drama and wanted to be 21st century at the same time. In the end it failed miserably on both ends. The actors did their best but you can only say the lines handed to you and act according to the script. I actually feel for them because the potential for a great drama was there but you are distracted by its endless attempts to have this epic storyline that just not worthy of telling or anyone believing. Attempts to have twists, turns and misunderstandings were missteps from my viewpoint [please don't take offense by my interpretation]. The lead actors are two of my favorites --- I just wish the director, writer and producers did a better job.

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