Disappointing

Likes: Kim Yoo Jung's tough character. Kim Sun Young as the mom

Dislikes: pretty much everything else

Dropped this at ep10. This drama just didn't gel together. I think the main problem of this drama is that I don't really feel anything for any of the characters. I'm not sure why, but none of them are that likeable to me. I liked that KYJ is a tough character, because we don't have enough tough female characters in kdramaland, but at the same time, I wasn't really rooting for her or anyone for that matter.

Which brings me to Ji Chang Wook...it hurts me to say this because I'm a big fan, but I've been pretty disappointed with his acting after he got back from the army. He keeps acting in the same way, same style...that now, I don't see the character...all I see is JCW's mannerisms. I hope he will pick better projects and challenge himself more to show his versatility.

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Likes: Lee Seung gi. Seung gi as an action hero. Seung gi’s flashback mullet hair. Production Value. Fast paced editing.

Dislikes: There is not one instance where I believed Suzy was a NIS agent. Sorry, but no.

You can tell that they shelled out the big bucks on this kdrama because the production value was high. With lots of fast paced action scenes, this kdrama reminded me of a cross between Jason Bourne and Homeland.

There were some definite glaring flaws (secret government missions…pffffft…yeah, not so secret. Apparently you can reveal classified info to regular citizens as long as you are on the “good side”). And some of the acting (ahem, Suzy) will require some overlooking, but overall the suspense and action made this an enjoyable watch. Seung gi really gave his all to the action scenes and to the emotional scenes as well. I can’t remember any other kdrama that has done action scenes to this degree so it was a nice change.

There wasn’t too much romance in this drama and the chemistry wasn’t the sizzling kind, but Suzy and Seung gi worked well together so it wasn’t too much of a bummer. The ending will make you wonder if there will be a season 2?

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SO BORING. Bummed because I was really looking forward to this...

I'm sorry, this drama is so boring. I'm so disappointed because I was really looking forward to it because I love Kim Seon Ho and his deadpan humor and I really like Nam Joo Hyuk as well. I think a big chunk of the problem is because of Suzy. I'm sorry, but they need to stop giving her lead roles. I think she is so pretty and I was a fan of her during her Miss A days, but as an actress, she never makes me feel anything. She's got blank eyes. And because she doesn't emote any feelings, I can't connect or root for her character so I just wind up not caring. She also doesn't generate any chemistry with her co-stars with the exception of Dream High. If there's no chemi, then it gets boring which results with me dropping the drama. I keep hoping she'll improve, but keep getting disappointed. I don't know if this drama could have been saved with a better actress, but I feel like it would have been a lot better if there was chemistry.

I know other people feel differently, but this is just my opinion.

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Gorgeous ML + Cute FL + romcom cliches = average but cute youth drama

Likes: I could stare at Aaron Deng all day...broad shoulders, long lashes, tall and handsome...yes, please.

Dislikes: But his acting needs major work. He's a rookie so I give some leeway, but man, is he awkward and stiff. Also, is it me, or did the neck herding look a bit rough and unromantic?

This is a light hearted average college drama with a bright tone that was really easy to watch because there were no useless side stories or characters that no one cares about. The side BFFs are actually funny and enjoyable to watch and always revolve around the central leads so I really liked how I didn't have to skip through any scenes to get back to the OTP. The FL is tiny and adorable and I thought she acted pretty well. The ML as I said is gorgeous, but I found his acting so forced and awkward. He would give a stiff smile at the strangest times. It was really puzzling and I kept wondering why the director didn't help coach him in a better direction, but he did manage to pull off the chemistry with the FL which is the only reason why I continued until the end. When they did get together though, I soon found the story got boring and a bit draggy.

Overall I found it a light, bright, easy watch, but if you can't stomach the rookie acting, then it might not be for you.

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Made my heart flutter

Likes: From the playful teasing to hurtful outbursts to the stolen sweet glances to the realization of love, this drama gave me major feels. I couldn't get enough of Mark Prin as the bad boy. Seriously. Not. Enough.

Dislikes: Ok, so maybe at times the ML was too much of a bad boy and there were scenes that slightly crossed the line into questionable territory that could potentially make viewers uncomfortable, so those parts, I wished the director handled a bit better.

Overall though, I really enjoyed this drama! I'm not gonna lie though, a lot of that has to do with me crushin hard on the ML. I've never watched a Thai drama before and didn't know who Mark Prin was, but now, believe me, I've taken notice! His boyish good looks and natural ease around women makes him perfect as the bad boy Thien. I loved that they didn't shy away from showing real affection in this drama. I'm so tired of the cliche skinship moments so I was thrilled that the skinship in this drama felt like an after thought. Your body just moves instinctively when you want to be close to someone (manner hands be damned!). The kisses though were a bit too toned down.

The FL was good too. A lot of 2nd hand embarrassment in the beginning, but those moments also made me laugh. I could have used a little less love stricken expressions though. The push/pull dynamic between the OTP was addicting, but there were definite times where I couldn't follow the emotional progression of the characters. I'm not sure if that's because the subs were bad, but there were times where things progressed and then suddenly regressed without a good reason. And it didn't make sense why some misunderstandings weren't cleared up, but I didn't mind too much as it lead to more push/pulling. I would totally watch this again as I just loved the chemistry between the leads.

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Disappointing older woman/younger man romance

Likes: Li Hong Yi's handsome face and sort of carefree acting. Kira Shi's natural acting as the older woman esp when she's annoyed. It's like a real annoyed face and not a forced cutesy annoyed face.

Dislikes: I found the second half super boring. Sometimes the FL seemed like a mom compared to the ML. The kisses were too chaste. A lot of the story doesn't add up. Oh and there's Hong Yi's awful hairstyle.

I liked the first half of this as it was light, funny, and centered on the build up of the relationship between the leads. Even though the FL sometimes seemed more like a mom than the love interest, I never felt the age gap on the ML's side. I still felt enough chemistry to ship these two together.
However, the second half dragged and no real satisfying outcome came out of the build up. It was such a let down. I found myself fast forwarding a ton which may explain why I don't really understand why Kira had time traveled back 10 years or why that element was even necessary for the story. I probably skipped that part, but I feel like you could have eliminated the whole time travel aspect and just had flashbacks or something. I dunno...I just wasn't into that part.
Also, the young FL vs the old FL was a bit of a stretch. The FL looks too old to pull off a fresh young 20s and the drastic personality change just seemed so unbelievable, And that whole aspect just lead to more questions that I don't feel the drama really answered (but again, I could have skipped that part).

Anyway, if Hong Yi wasn't in this, I probably would have dropped this.

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Weird, but funny and fast paced

This movie is really different. It's an alien apocalypse meets old school wire martial arts film meets magic and mages with some comedy and action thrown in.

Likes: It's creative and fresh. The off kilter comedy works. I didn't know Ryu Jun Yeol could be so funny. The stellar cast. The action and acting was good. It's fast paced so you don't notice how long the movie is.

Dislikes: The movie is just plain weird, but in a stylish sort of way. But it was so out there that I actually thought I would drop this a few times. It was the bits of comedy that reeled me back in. The mashup of genres took some getting used to. The CGI could have been better. All the separate subplots that set up the story took too long and was confusing at first. Once the story started connecting the dots though, it got way better and interesting.

I would say that this movie is basically setting up everything for the 2nd movie. So just when it starts to get good, it ends with a cliffhanger for part 2 which I will watch because I want to know what happens. Very curious to see people's reactions to this movie. It's one of those movies that I think people will either love or hate.

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Started off fun, but dragged in latter half

Likes: The OTP laughing through their lines in the first half. Jerry's bathtub scene. DANG!

Dislikes: The 2nd half dragged. The recycling of the same outfits for Jerry. He's supposed to be this major fashion designer, yet he keeps wearing the same black shirt or same 3 outfits through out this long drama.

This started off fun and sparkling. When the OTP were together and teasing each other, they would constantly laugh through their lines as if this was an outtake which I really enjoyed. It's fun and made me smile and laugh along with them. I don't know why actors don't do this more often. When someone looks like they're laughing for real, it's contagious. I hardly saw the age gap because those scenes had chemistry.

Then somewhere in the middle, I kept being pulled out of the story. I couldn't ignore that Jerry kept wearing the same outfits. Certain locations were tied to the same outfit which is a continuity issue. Or there were times when Shen Yu would be really upset and then the next moment she's smiling brightly as if she hadn't just cried her eyes out. I couldn't adjust to the abrupt change in emotions. Or when there should have been a kiss because everything was leading up to it, but it was avoided for no reason which again, took me out of the story.

I don't know. I just feel like it became a mess the more I watched. I couldn't stick it out anymore and finally dropped at e29.

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Doesn't hold a candle to Steel Troop (Iron Squad)

Riding the coattails of Steel Troop's success, THE SOLDIERS launched with a similar feel of military competitions and drills, but with a slightly different concept. Bring in foreign leaders, pick your members, and compete for a chance to represent Korea in a national competition. Unfortunately, the show failed to delivered what made Steel Troops shine in my eyes...the sense of unity and heart.

I'm not sure if I would have felt differently if I saw Soldiers first, but I just found it pretty boring. Others I've spoken to felt the same way. I think it's because you don't really get to know the members that well. With Steel Troops, there were no given leaders but that was the fun part...you get to see which members step into that role. You get to see their personalities and their growth. Whereas in the Soldiers, you are chosen by a foreign leader who knows nothing of Korean culture or the language and all the members have to rely on them. You don't see the members grow. You just see their frustrations of not being able to communicate. The foreign leaders were unprepared imo for the intensity of the Korean competitive spirit and games. I felt like they thought they were there to teach their ways and how to safely complete the drills, when everyone else was just there to win. They started to get it later, but I felt like it was too late. I thought that gave an unfair advantage to the Korean leader who not only has the advantage of knowing the language, but also being familiar with these types of games.

Also I didn't really feel like each team had a bond. In Steel Troop, because each team was comprised of the unit they served...they already felt a connection and pride of belonging to the same unit. In Soldiers, because each person had to compete to get into a team, it was like everyone was just out for themselves in the beginning.

Also Steel Troop had MC panelists who contributed to the overall entertainment. This show did not which made it more boring in my eyes. If you haven't seen Steel Troop, then maybe without having that comparison, you may enjoy this. But for me, I can't help but compare and without having anyone to root for, I lost interest pretty quickly.

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