The story takes off sprinting and is instantly captivating. As each layer of the puzzle is peeled off, we get deeper into the intrigue and family secrets. I enjoyed the way the story was told, we're shown a man whose mind is playing tricks on him and controlling his life in a very real sense. The mental illness DID ( dissociative identity disorder) is shown in a compelling way.
This drama also has the issue of fate or destiny between the two main leads, they have an intertwined past and meet in the present in the right circumstances to enable them to solve the mystery of their childhood.
The love story is inevitable and I must say it didn't capture my interest too much, the chemistry was off in my opinion; Ji Sung and Hwang Jung Eum had much better chemistry in Secret.

The acting in this is very good. Hats off to Ji Sung for bringing his seven persona's to life in such an authentic and heart wrenching way, he is an amazingly intuitive actor.
Hwang Jung Emu held her own and provided some much needed levity in this story; I did feel at times that she was a bit shrill and didn't inject her character with enough nuance.
I also really enjoyed Park Seo Joon, he was wonderfully conflicted and I especially like the way he resolved his inner conflict unlike other second leads, he gave up on his unrealistic dream of being in love with his stepsister and instead became a strong support for both her and her new love.
Kim Yoo Ri's role is negligible, why was she even there? It was a waste of a decent actress, they could have fleshed out her character a bit more, the same goes for Oh Min Suk, his character fell flat and there ultimately wasn't much to him.

I think this drama should have just had the standard 16 episodes because it began to drag in the later episodes, I found myself wanting it to end, and the incessant flashbacks didn't help matters either.

I loved a few tunes in the OST especially "Auditory Hallucination" it's a great song

I gave this drama an overall score of 8, and I am unlikely to rewatch it, but I did enjoy it enough while I watched it.

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This drama is just very well done from start to finish, it never drags and is well paced. Plot exposition, progression and resolution are excellently executed and move seamlessly from one point to the next. My only negative comment regarding plot progression is that the passage of time is not clearly delineated, it's not clear how much time passes throughout the drama especially in the final two episodes I wanted to know how much time passed between the time Jo Min Hyuk went to Armenia and the end of the drama. This doesn't take anything away from the drama, it's just something that niggled at me.

The story is intriguing and very engaging, there's never a dull moment. There are so many aspects to this story:
1. the relationship between Kang Yoo Jung and Ahn Do Hoon which is the foundational plot point;
2. the relationship between Jo Min Hyuk and his pregnant girlfriend;
3. the Ahn family dynamic which is actually the breeding ground of Ahn Do Hoon's selfish, non accountable nature;
4. the dynamic of Kang Yoo Jun and her single father;
5. The dynamic of the Jo family which is multi - layered with suppressed resentments;
6. the hate to love relationship of Jo Min Hyuk and Kang Yoo Jung, a relationship whose progress is beautiful and swoon worthy;
7. The dynamic between Shin Seo Yeon and Jo Min Hyuk;
8. the dynamic between Shin Seo Yeon and Ahn Do Hoon;
8. The prison dynamic;
9. the prosecutor's office dynamic;
10. the corporate shenanigans;

I understand that this was a first script for the writer, it's unbelievable how well this story is constructed especially for a first time script writer. I will definitely look into other dramas from this writer.

I could add a few more plot points but these are the essentials, It seems like a lot but when you're watching it's not, it adds to the excitement and pace of the story.

The acting is excellent. Special mention must go to Bae Soo Bin, he played the reprehensible character of Ahn Do Hoon to perfection, his intensity and progression from a man who wants to do well in life to a man who will do anything to save himself is fascinating to see, like a trainwreck in slow motion.

Special mention must also go to the male lead Ji Sung playing Jo Min Hyuk, he delivered some swoon worthy bars to the female lead with such heartfelt sincerity that I was blown away; this is the first time I've watched a Ji Sung drama and I will definitely put his dramas on my ptw list.

The female lead's story played by Hwang Jung Eum is a tear jerker but ultimately hopeful and good; she is able to showcase the character's essential selflessness and goodness while still injecting some badass no nonsense when its required, I appreciated that she stood up for herself when it was necessary but didn't lose her inner core of gentle goodness in the process. I initially questioned her decision to handle the hit and run the way she did, but ultimately her character was consistent and this became the story the writer wanted to share.

The character of Shin Seo Yeon played by Lee Da Hee is sufficiently annoying and one dimensional, the character is not fleshed out enough for us to care about her motivations.

The rest of the supporting cast is great, especially Ahn Do Hoon mother, there's many a time I wished I could shake some sense into that woman!

The music is excellent and perfectly suited to the scenes where it is applied.

Overall rating 10 because it is so well scripted and acted, with minor to no plot holes.

Rewatch value is 10, I rarely rewatch dramas with suspense in them, but this one has such a wonderful OTP and supporting cast I will definitely revisit it at some point in the future.

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I enjoyed this one, it's very well written, it has no uncessarry angst or comedy, it's just right.

The story is good, of course this is a remake of a Taiwanese drama which also has a Korean remake. In my opinion this version has the most concise story and picks the best aspects of the previous two dramas. For example I found the Taiwanese version too long winded with a tad too much slapstick comedy, it also has low production value. The Korean version has two amazing leads, the most wonderful OST ( which I still listen to to this day) and is a real tear jerker.

However, I found the Thai one avoids most of the negative aspects of the other two and is tightly scripted and acted, the two leads are amazing together and I enjoyed their interactions, their relationship comes across as very true to life and is not stylised ( something I struggle with in many Kdramas)

Production value is high and I really appreciate the way the lead actress is not dowdily styled, she is very chic and still manages to portray her character well both before and after the break up.

The music is a bit of a let down, but in my opinion it doesn't take anything away from the story.

I marathoned this drama and enjoyed it immensely.
Overall 9.

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A story about the redemptive power of love

This drama elicits strong opinions from viewers, whether positive or negative. I fall into the positive opinion camp.

I love how well the story is written, it is tightly scripted and out of the few lakorns I've watched, it is the best written so far, it even beats some kdramas and cdramas that I've watched in that the intention of the show is fully realised by the end of the story, the story doesn't meander here and there, it's just straightforward and clean, this is so rare in drama writing.

The story itself, the disconcerting and uncomfortable aspects of it, were written in a way to illustrate the end goal of the story which is that love is an action, it needs to be demonstrated, it's selfless and it has the power to transform a person's life and literally heal their heart. Love is redemptive.
The show did a pretty good job of showing this from start to finish. I don't like to enter into debates about social issues, abuse, evil deeds etc, I take what a drama is trying to communicate to me and if the story is told effectively then good, if not I drop it, simple. Sawan Biang is a story very well told.

Another reason why this drama succeeded in communicating its story so well is the acting. The acting is phenomenal!
Ken Theeradeth as Kawee is so amazingly nuanced, his facial expressions, his body language, the tone of his voice are all communication tools that he uses to great effect, sometimes he didn't even need to say anything and you could see that he was hurting, conflicted, crying out for some affection and attention. Ken's portrayal of Kawee is so good that even though he does such hateful and hurtful things to the people around him and especially to Narin, as a viewer I harboured inordinate amounts of sympathy for him, I got where he was coming from and why he was lashing out, I may not agree with his methods of lashing out but I got him, and that's what the writers are communicating: cause and effect.

Anne Thongprasom's rendition of Narin is so poignant and heartfelt, I felt all her emotions, from innocent carefree confidence to fear, bewilderment, pain, disbelief, hate and love. Her acting had a self assured realism that just grabbed you and wouldn't let go. The combination of Anne and Ken is what made this drama even halfway watchable, in the hands of lesser actors this storyline and premise would have been a complete disaster.

Other notable cast mentions are the actor who played Kid, (Kawee's father) and the actress who played Leela (Narin's sister and Kid's wife)
Kid appeared to be so clueless in the beginning to the extent that I despised him for the way he raised his son, but in the end his character self actualised and came full circle, his steady character was a perfect foil to the more volatile Leela and Kawee.
The role of Leela was expertly portrayed, I found that Leela was suitably complex in that she had an old wound that never healed, a hurt and pain that she never resolved, as a result she seemed all over the place and was vindictive and spiteful. In the end though she also came full circle and realised the unhealthy part she played in the awful events that took place between Kawee and Narin.

The other supporting cast was good and helped the story along, they weren't just annoying nuisances as you will find in many Lakorns.

Overall this drama set out to tell a story about a damaged, childish, spoilt and destructive man who during the course of his destructive behaviour fell in love, dug deep and resolved to humble himself and make penance for his wrongdoing, and this story was well told.

Overall score 9

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It took me until episode 6 to get into this drama and even then I wasn't fully engaged.

The story is nothing special, just your usual chaebol prince who falls in love beneath his station. The twist is that he and the female lead have a past connection dating back to their childhood and they kind of promised to marry each other when they grow up ...... and so it goes.

I enjoyed the two leads together, they were so cute with each other and their love story is portrayed in a mature manner, especially their interactions, this aspect of the drama is absolute gold. The male lead had good character development, he was first portrayed as an arrogant and cold person however as the story progresses the true nobility of his character is revealed and he turns out to be so sweet, selfless and loyal, I loved that about how he was written.
Secretary Kim on the other hand, I found her character the same throughout, she never changed and remained constant, this can be seen as a good thing that shows how reliable and genuine she is, but I must admit to finding her boring towards the end. Park Min Young is a great actress but maybe they could have written Mi So with a bit more growth at the end, she just remained the same, I don't know........

The supporting cast was entertaining and sufficient attention was given to their stories without taking away from the leads, this supporting cast actually helped me to enjoy the drama more.
The older brother of the male lead was just flat, any friction and angst he should have brought to the table quickly fizzled out and he just remains an annoyance, why was even there?

I think this drama would have done well at 12 episodes, the story wrapped up around episode 11 so five more episodes with no dramatic tension was overkill, I mean it was cute but I got bored and wished it would end. The final episode was very well done, with all that build up they had to give us a grand wedding right?

Music was great and the ballad is super romantic.

Personally, although I can see the charm of this show, ultimately it failed to engage me as other dramas have so I give it overall a 7 out of 10.

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the power of gratitude

I'm not even going to say too much about this drama, it is simply beautiful and demands to be watched and appreciated.
This drama is about the redemptive power of simple gratitude, how the words 'thank you' have the ability to change your outlook and ultimately your life's path, no matter what your circumstances are.

The cast as a whole is superb, there are no stars here, just a well rounded ensemble of gifted storytellers, such is the power of this story that stars like Gong Hyo Jin and Jang Hyuk, although they delivered wonderful performances, they still managed to blend in with the other relatively unknown cast seamlessly.

I do. however have to give special mention to Seo Shin Ae and Shin Goo; Seo Shin Ae's precocious portrayal of Bom is stellar and amazing, she elicited tears and laughter in equal measure and was an absolute joy to watch.
Shin Goo's portrayal of Mr Lee or grandfather was awe inspiring, he injected such pathos into his character that I was completely engaged whenever he was on screen.

This drama is amazing and is definitely worth watching, you will not regret it. It reminds me of why I watch Kdramas in the first place, it is so full of HEART.

I give it 10 out of 10 in all categories. SIMPLY SPLENDID!!!!!

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Revenge has never looked so good

This drama is amazingly good.
I don't really want to write this review because I might not do it justice; how do I express the wonder and elegance that is Money Flower? I'll try
Money Flower has some classic 'makjang' elements, chief among them being revenge and multiple birth secrets. I hope you won't be alarmed by my use of the word 'makjang' no need for you to imagine over the top plot twists or crazy hairpin bend plot development; no, not at all. Money Flower is so elegant, sophisticated, intellectual, watching it is like listening to a concerto, there are many lulling mellifluous moments where the plot is humming along beautifully until it comes to a crescendo which will leave you awestruck and marvelling at the wonderful storytelling.
This script is so tightly woven there is absolutely no room for you as a viewer to lose interest, when you're not riveted by the plot, you'll find yourself admiring the setting, the scenery, the camera work, the lighting, the beautiful people and costumes, there is an incredible attention to detail that was exercised in the making of this drama.

The story of revenge is handled in an intellectual manner, like a chess game it's methodical and well thought out, moves are calculated well in advance, there is very little room for error. The messed up family dynamic is shown to the viewer by the progression of the story and in flashbacks, you never feel as though the drama is telling you something, it simply shows you people's actions and the consequences of those actions.
The overriding theme in this drama is the love of money being the root of evil, as well as revenge and its consequences.

The cast is all excellent and well matched to their roles.
Jang Hyuk carries this show to such levels of acting excellence that I'm inspired to watch ALL his work. I've always been a fan but now I'll probably become a stalker, he's that good. He literally had no expression on his face most of the time and yet you knew exactly what he was feeling at any given moment, his eyes are so expressive, and the minor, barely perceptible shifts in expression were equivalent to a huge grin or frown in their impact. just wow.
The conclusion of his story is cathartic and you can feel his relief and the twenty year old burden being lifted off his shoulders.

Lee Mi Sook perfectly portrayed the power hungry yet fundamentally insecure Mal Ran, she is the perfect example of someone who has all their priorities mixed up.

Park Se Young is good as Mo Hyun, she didn't need to be epic so her quiet, simple straightforward demeanour was just perfect for the role.

Jang Seung Jo is wonderful in his role of Bu Cheon. Next to Jang Hyuk this is the performance and storyline that hit a chord with me. Bu Cheon is so pitiful in that the deck is stacked against him even before he is born, his mother's machinations make it impossible for him to chose his own path in life and ultimately to be happy. Jang Seung Jo managed to convey a sad cheerfulness that broke my heart every time, his acting is really great in this drama.

Finally we come to the root of all the evil in the Jang family: Lee Soon Jae as Chairman Jang. This man is diabolical and will stop at absolutely nothing to get what he wants which is to create a lasting legacy of himself into perpetuity, he is so narcissistic. He uses his company that he founded to manipulate his children and grandchildren, holding the presidency as a carrot stick to keep everyone in line, he employs some very heartless tactics, and is overall an extremely ODIOUS man!

The music is beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

Overall 10 out of 10. A splendid piece of entertainment.

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Actions speak louder than words

And boy do they ever in this show! the main characters say next to nothing, I think the female lead screams once and says " I love you" that's it ( and it's not in the same scene). The male lead says nothing at all. This story is told in actions, small, nuanced ordinary actions which take on profound meaning as the story progresses.

This is the story of an unconventional life, the male lead has carved out a strange, transitory existence of going from empty house to empty house and living a miniaturised life in the space of one night or so, before moving on to the next empty house until he meets a woman in a not so empty house and they embark on his journey together.

This story evoked feelings of sadness in me, I felt sad for the male lead living this kind of life, I'm not gonna
lie I really felt that he was living a reckless life; I felt this especially when he hit the golf ball and it went through someone's windscreen and injured them, and he didn't take responsibility.
When he went to jail, I got the sense that he was mentally unstable; ultimately he was practising to become invisible so that he could live with the woman he loves and her husband without the husband's knowledge.

The love story is heartwarming as there's a sense of two lonely and despairing people meeting and bringing happiness to each other.

The acting was good seeing as they had to rely on facial expressions and actions.

I liked the music, especially the song which sounded like it had Indian influences, that was wonderfully evocative.

I TRULY appreciate how good this movie is, It's so artistic and unusual; however ultimately it's not really my cup of tea, personally speaking.

Overall score 8

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This drama manages to earn the name "drama", there's a lot of dramatic tension in this. I enjoyed the way the show mixed elements of a fairytale romance, military war games, political power struggles, arms dealers and the actual threat of an outright war. This expert mingling of plot lines kept the show very entertaining as there was never a shortage of storyline. The love story is well developed as the two leads are a couple for the majority of the drama, their angst and separations always had a political cause not personal, this was a shift from the usual plot devices in romantic dramas. I didn't detect any noble idiocy in this drama, the two leads thought out every problem and made well informed decisions.

SPOILER ALERT: What I particularly didn't like about the plot was the killing of Eun shi gyeong, was it necessary to kill him? I found his death particularly annoying because it didn't actually result in the definitive capture of the villain, his death felt pointless and a waste of a good character especially after show developed a love line with shi gyeong and the princess, had this romance been fully realised, it would have nicely rounded off the bromance between the king and shi gyeong; this bromance was so well depicted only to have it cut short with his death. END SPOILER

Overall this drama is about the making of a good king and this story was well told. Lee Jae Ha started off as a bratty, irresponsible, playboy prince, and ended up a strong, resolute and mature king, I liked that he retained his sense of fun to the end.

The casting and acting was spot on (except for the foreign English speaking actors, these were horrendous and had too many lines in my opinion ), there were no weak links in the central cast. I absolutely disliked Ha Ji Won in Secret Garden (to the point that I vowed never to watch her again), but I loved her in this role, she embodied Kim Hang Ah's badass toughness and soft femininity perfectly.
This was my first time watching Lee Seung Gi, he was very good and damn near stole the show, but not quite in my opinion because of Ha Ji Won, Jo Jung Suk, the queen dowager and Hang Ah's dad. The acting is superb in this drama.

The music is ok, I liked the ballad but was not a fan of the dramatic orchestral music as I found it a bit overdramatic; the story was engaging enough to not focus on the music.
The cinematography is fantastic though, this is one beautifully shot drama.

I'm not a great rewatches, but I'll give this an 8 rewatch value, I've rarely seen a drama as polished as this one.

My overall score is 9.5

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This is my first Lakorn review and the third Lakorn I've watched. I really enjoyed watching this, it was fast paced, with amazing dialogue and interactions between characters, it never got boring or draggy and that's a huge plus for me.
Thanks to this Lakorn I've discovered Weir, what an emotive, charismatic and overall charming actor he is! I'm so impressed.

The story is nothing special, your run of the mill angsty "ahjussi" romance with a liberal sprinkling of noble idiocy (OMG the female lead was on another level!!) a serious lack of communication between our OTP and crazy, shrill, obsessive women who can't live without the male lead. Despite it's unoriginal premise, this story is immersive and all encompassing, there were no weak links; this is especially true if you watch it at face value and take the story as it's being portrayed without adding your own opinions and social norms to it, that's usually how I like to approach a drama, and I've realised that with Lakorns especially if I get hung up on issues such as women being treated poorly for example, I will never be able to watch them. So I take everything with a pinch of salt always keeping in mind that it's not real life.

The story had a solid progression and showed the main couple falling in love in a believable way, there was good character development especially for the male lead, and the female lead's family members. All the villains got what they deserved and that was very satisfying.
The most deplorable character in my opinion was Khun Burut, the female lead's father, his actions were cowardly and self serving, and I found it particularly galling that his family welcomed him back with open arms and total forgiveness, I mean??????

The acting and cast was good. The standout performance for me was of course Weir, the male lead. His portrayal of Sayomphu was wonderfully done, he came across as damaged, proud, arrogant, confident, sweet, caring and vulnerable all wrapped up in the most manly and aesthetically pleasing package, he was in a word "amazing"
The female lead for me was a problematic character, I found her "goodness" self-defeating to the extent that she was harmed so many times when she could have stood up for herself. I also didn't like the way she refused to fight for her man, she just let him do all the work and took too long to take his hand and walk with him, her prejudice ran very deep I suppose. In the end her love was very steadfast, I just wasn't crazy about her lack of passion in all things.

The supporting characters did their job admirably. Wantanee and Vi were especially tedious and pathetic, with their entitled one sided love, it was quite ridiculous to behold.
P'Saard was played exceptionally well, I just have a small criticism that it took her so long to become a mature and helpful mother and stepmother.
Special mention to King!!! the most loyal sidekick that ever was, I cried when he died.
Vi was kind of admirable for a villain, but technically she wasn't even a woman scorned, so I found it difficult to understand her motivation, except to conclude she was just plain delusional; Wantanee had more basis for her bad behaviour because she was actually Sayomphu's mistress.

Music is great, Weir and Preaw each recorded a song for the drama and they're both quite good. Of course there is the ever present urgent and insistent instrumental music which seems to be a hallmark of Lakorns and I don't particularly care for it.

Overall I give this drama a 9, I normally would have given it an 8 but I was so thoroughly entertained and completed it in very short order and this counts for a lot. There are some very highly rated dramas which I struggle to complete even though I know it's an excepitionally made piece of work, so ultimately it comes down to a purely subjective feel and connection that I have for a particular drama.
It's still early days in my Lakorn journey however this is well worth a watch.

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Revenge always has unintended consequences

If you enjoy tortured and angsty love/hate stories then this is the drama for you. Before and whilst watching this drama, I read a lot of blog posts, reviews and comments about it and fully expected to hate it because the common consensus was that it was distastefully rapey with an incredibly unsatisfying ending. I actually concede both points with the exception that although the ending is unsatisfying (who doesn't want to see a happily ever after all tied up with a huge cheerful bow?) it was entirely suitable for the story, it was a logical conclusion to the trajectory of the drama.
The story of Shao Qian and Tong Xue is very complicated and quite uncomfortable to watch especially in the first half. It's quite easy to find Shao Qian repulsive ( as much as Hawick Lau can appear repulsive) at first, but in my opinion as the story unfolded I understood him better and was able to see his motivation and where he was coming from; this in no way excuses his methods of avenging his father but illustrates how he coped with the grief in his personal capacity. I believe that dramas tell us a story and we should't really try to translate such scenarios into real life situations because clearly there's an element of fantasy, make believe, entertainment and general "acting" in a drama; we should rather learn the lessons or take away any useful nuggets of wisdom that are highlighted. In this regard I took away the following life lessons:
1. Don't hurt another person in order to assuage your own pain, this will inevitably backfire
2. You can't make a person love you merely by willing it so
3. You can't manipulate someone into loving you, if they're not inclined to do so
4. You can't really decide who to fall in love with, it just happens
5. Revenge is ultimately a cold and unappetising dish period.

The acting was very good. Hawick Lau as Mo Shao Qian was sublime, he embodied the role being fierce yet vulnerable, unfeeling yet yearning, ruthless yet compassionate; he was such a complicated paradox, a very well written and very well acted role.
Ying Er as Tong Xue was suitably naive, vulnerable and a bit dim at times; flailing helplessly in the fiery pit which is Shao Qian's world; in the end though she became braver as she realised that she actually loves Shao Qian, it was special to observe the little nuances of her burgeoning love for him, all the more significant because in this drama the main couple never actually openly profess their love for each other, it's all done with subtle gestures and actions, this made it so poignant for me.
Mu Yong Fei was diabolical, the very definition of an obsessed lover, except her love story with Mo Shao Qian was one sided from day one, she is the saddest character as she exhibits no growth throughout the drama.
Her brother Zhen Fei was such a darling, so rational and fair it was mind boggling to see the family he came from. he is the peacemaker the one person who actually saw the situation from everybody's point of view and attributed accurate rationale for everyone's actions.

The music was wonderfully evocative, Hawick Lau's "a thousand mountains" is beautiful and there's some great piano pieces which were employed at just the right moments. Although there aren't a lot of musical pieces in this drama, the ones which are there are used very well; so music is a 10.

Overall rating 8.5. I think the criticism of this drama is in my opinion exaggerated, the scriptwriter achieved a well balanced story, it's definitely not a fairy tale so the ending is appropriate. There's an analogy that Shao Qian' mother tells him about hyacinths, that in order for them to come up with new blooms you have to cut off the old bloom. this explains the relationship between Shao Qian and Tong Xue perfectly; in order for them to have any hope for a future together, they first have to cut off their connection because it was founded on anger and hatred, they have to reboot and hopefully come together in the future to start afresh; this is a very hopeful ending indeed.

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The little show that could

This drama shouldn't be called Miss Korea, it should be called simply "Heart", because it is overflowing with pure heart.
This is the little drama that could, at the time of its airing it was up against You from Another Star so it's understandable that it may have fallen through the cracks; However, from my research and what I've observed almost everyone who's taken the time to watch this drama has praised it and recommended it to other viewers, and that's how I found it.

The story appears simple at first, a woman enters a beauty pageant as the underdog of all underdogs; therein lies the little gems scattered throughout this drama. For example in episode 4 when Oh Ji Young is on stage at the Seoul preliminaries dancing with a broken heel, this is when I really started to care for our leading lady. Or the moment where it's revealed that even back in high school she picked Hyung Joon out of all the guys who were after her, and she still picks him ten years later, this is so heartwarming and adds an interesting layer to our female lead's character.
I especially love the way the drama unfolds small bittersweet moments without fanfare, no swelling music, no slow motion, just life in action.
The drama is a slice of life, focusing on how people take on life's challenges from day to day, triumphing over adversity.
It also shows the importance of loyalty, in family, romantic and business relationships.

The cast is just perfect for this drama. Each actor was perfectly cast for their role. Lee Yun Jee shines in her role as Oh Ji Young, she embodies the sweet, straightforward resilience of her character effortlessly., she was such a joy to watch, once she makes up her mind about something she is unwavering.
Lee Sun Kyun as Kim Hyung Joon is good , he portrayed the character's quiet pride and affable determination very well.
Director Ma Ae Ri was a standout performance by Lee Mi Sook, she is absolutely brilliant in this role. Director Ma is at once cold, calculating, kind, considerate, generous and morally upright. Lee Mis Sook played this character with amazing nuance.
Director Jang is a hoot! I would say she is the comic relief in the show, she's just earnest but misguided, very entertaining to watch.
Teacher Jung is played with a quiet, steady passion, for a thug he turned out to be very considered and multi-dimensional, I saw great character development with this role.
Oh Ji Young's family of mothering men and the rest of the Vivi team round of this amazing cast.

The music is atypical of a Kdrama, I enjoyed it because it sounded fresh, edgy and modern, which is kinda strange because the story is set in 1997. The music is spot on and I give it a full 10 out of 10.

Rewatch value for me is 8, simply because show had a scattering of beautiful moments which I would love to rewatch, the interactions between the characters are absolute gold.

Overall score is a 9, a wonderful drama, deserving of a whole lot more love and attention.

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This drama has a fresh, intriguing story; it's not just your ordinary rom com, it also has elements of melodrama, thriller and sci fi. The mix of genres was done expertly. As I watched this I got distinct echoes of Goblin here and there, and this was certainly not unpleasant.
The story was executed very well, the love story is exquisite, the way it begins and progresses is all very satisfying, the ending is very well done too. I must point out though that there were certain plot elements such as the mechanism of Do Min Joon's ability to return to earth that were not explained satisfactorily, also the fact that kissing made him ill, that was never explained enough and we're never told whether it was resolved in the end, and for that matter how will they have kids if he can't even kiss her without falling ill? anyway I mean to say that these plot holes were slightly irritating but I was able to suspend logic and enjoyed the show very much.

The casting and acting in this show is excellent, I believe that's it's main advantage even more than the story itself. the main leads are spot on, Kim Soo Hyun was suitably grave and stuffy with flashes of childish pettiness here and there which is absolutely fitting for a 400 year old alien who has had very few human relationships and no romantic ones.
Jun Ji Hyun for me was the star of this show, why isn't she in more dramas? She is absolutely perfect in this role, I'll even venture to say that Cheon Song Yi gives my all time favourite kdrama female lead Kim Sam Soon a very serious run for her money. I enjoyed her acting so much, her vulnerability, her maniacal egotism which reminded me of Dokko Jin was hilarious to watch; I enjoyed all the little monologues she had whether internal or external, I especially loved the way Cheon Song Yi had many moments where she displayed a great depth of feeling, when she expressed how much she loves Do Min Joon either to himself or to other people, she manages to transcend her goofiness and articulates her feelings in the most mature, insightful and heartfelt manner.

The second leads are also very good, I find Yoo In Na almost the same in every role she plays, she's a good actress but I don't see a lot of range in her abilities, maybe that's why she's usually the second lead.
Park Hae Jin on the other hand is a revelation, I've never seen him in anything else so I was very pleased to discover him here. His portrayal of Lee Hui Kyung is very good, for once the second male lead serves to drive the story forward and not to put spanners in the works just because.
His evil older brother was also well acted and was suitably villainish.
The supporting cast was great, Song Yi's family is well portrayed, the detectives are good, and Se Mi's mother also adds a nice touch to the story by providing a contrast to Song Yi's mother.
Overall the casting is a 10 for me.

The music is not prolific, there's just one song that stands out, but that doesn't affect anything for me because my attention was always focused on the story.

Rewatch value is 8, I'm not big on rewatching shows so this is very high coming from me.

Overall is 9, this is a great drama and I only regret that I didn't watch it sooner.

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The story is thought provoking as it deals with mental illness in its various forms, it also highlights the interactions that mentally ill people have with their romantic partners, family members and doctors/therapists. Jae Yeol and his family's story is heartbreaking, but the show always maintains an undercurrent of hope and triumph over adversity so that even as you're watching just how heartbreaking his youth was, you know he'll come out ok on the other end. The main character's romantic relationship is treated with great sensitivity so that you're able to fully appreciate how these two vulnerable and emotionally scarred individuals find their tentative way into each other's heart.
The family storylines are also highlighted to show how these relationships have affected our OTP and the redemptive quality of both these families journeys is heartwarming and rewarding to observe.

The cast is very well picked. I enjoyed the vibe between Hye Soo, Jae Yeol and their housemates, it was a truly unconditionally supportive environment, and their interactions were great to watch as they also provided some comic relief to a sometimes angsty storyline.
I especially enjoyed Jo In Sung's performance from start to finish, he embodied Jang Jae Yeol and his portrayal of him was at times vulnerable, other times poignant and always courageous and believable. I always understood his struggles, his every action added a rich layer to his character, his brave battle with his life's journey culminated to present us with a fully developed, vulnerable yet strong and hopeful man who is aware of his flaws and is conscious of how hard he has to work to maintain his happiness. Bravo to Jo In Sung
Gong Hyo Jin was competent as usual but I found Hae Soo to be an irritating character on more than one occasion, she has selfish tendencies and even though she is a caring individual, her relationship with her mother was very telling in showing her selfishness, especially when we're presented with the full story. It appears she really had no reason to condemn her mother's affair since at one point she advocated for it for her own selfish reasons. Even in her relationship with Jae Yeol there are times when she should have put his mental well being before anything else, but she shows too much concern about how certain things will affect her; for example when she goes to visit him while he's still recovering, and again when she's unwilling to leave for her sabbatical, not realising that he probably needs time to adjust to his new situation and look after himself by himself for a while.
Despite all this their relationship was beautiful to watch.
Jae Yeol's mother and brother were also very well acted and presented, this family's struggle felt so real and poignant, I was desperately sorry for them and cheered them on as they worked through their problems.

The music was spot on, I loved the soundtrack, every song was present but never in the way, music for me is a 10.

I'm not one for rewatching shows, so usually I give low rewatch values. I give this one a 5

Overall I give this show an 8. A very solid offering, well worth your time.

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Ok, so I went into this drama with quite low expectations, why? you might ask; because even though it has an overall rating of 8, I had read some reviews and comments beforehand and they kind of put me off. Moral of the story: try not to read reviews before watching a show because it will definitely colour your experience.

I'm so glad I went ahead and watched this anyway. This drama's plot has the potential to be a complete disaster, what with the fantasy and supernatural elements, the arranged marriage, a family curse, a ghost, reincarnation, people literally losing their mind, attempted murder, attempted suicide, secrets, you name the trope, it is probably there.
This drama does something unique with this mixed bag of themes, it weaves them into this wonderful story about finding love, fated love, good overcoming evil, good being rewarded and evil being punished, past mistakes and sins being addressed in the present day, and true, genuine love being the overriding key to peace and real happiness.
The story also has a strong female perspective as all the plot drivers good or evil are female.

I have a small criticism about the ending of the drama, I don't like the way they handled the baby issue; while Doo Rim is away, it is implied that she and Kang Ju are still 'together' spiritually and emotionally if not physically, so why then would she not tell him that she's having his baby? ( this is a game and life changing event for goodness sake!!!) and then for him to have no visible reaction to the discovery that he has a baby? this was weird and unrealistic.

The cast is very good and well placed, special mention must go to Yang Jin Sung who plays the roles of Na Doo Rim and Jang Yi Kyung to perfection, she is super believable as both characters.
Lee Hong Ki also does a most credible job, at first I thought his baby face wouldn't work with the character but he managed to pull it off very well. The two of them make a cute and very grounded OTP, I was very impressed.
The supporting cast is excellent, the two scheming mothers were initially teeth grindingly annoying, but later on there is sufficient character evolution characterised by remorse and mental anguish.
The second male lead is a bit meh, but is necessary to the plot.
Ghost lady is very entertaining and serves a narrative and guiding purpose in the whole story.
I must also mention that this is the first time I've seen such a good relationship between a chaebol prince and his father, Kang Ju's dad is simply adorable.

The music is good, there are some catchy songs, which do a great job of setting the right mood.

I'm not one for rewatching dramas like this one simply because it was rather suspenseful, so once I know the answers to the mystery I don't really need to watch again.

Overall score is 8.5
It is a good, solid and unique drama which is skilfully directed.

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