RouteVenus
As many reviewers pointed out before me: the title of this show is really misleading. This is most definitely NOT a Cinderella story and the difference in social status plays no significant role in the story. The story itself is interesting and complex and all four main characters go through a real development during the series. It's really refreshing to see a story about an intelligent, career-driven woman who (usually) has no problem balancing her work and personal life. Also, she is a scientist (a lab worker of some kind) which is a field not often enough associated with women.
I only wish they would give more space to the character of Yoko. That's my only regret.
ACTING/CAST 10/10
Flawless, but I would expect nothing less from this cast. Oguri Shun is especially hilarious as socially awkward, short-tempered Hyuga Toru and he has great chemistry with adorable Ishihara Satomi who makes her character extremely relatable.
MUSIC 7.5/10
OST is nothing extra special, though several tracks are great. I usually don't like when one song is 'overused' in the show, but I didn't mind with 'Hikari E' . It's an amazing, catchy song that goes well with the mood of the show.
REWATCH VALUE 10/10
I've already rewatched all my favorite parts...oh so many times and I suspect I will rewatch the whole show in the future (also many times).
OVERALL 10/10
WHAT KIND OF FEELS THIS SHOW GAVE ME
This show made me literally giddy with joy. And I mean all the episodes, not just the ending. Despite the fact that some plot points were quite predictible, it never bore me. The Special was superb and it gave a great closure to the series (which is kinda rare in the world of dramas...). I admit I am not praying for the second season. Second seasons are usually worse than the first ones and I am afraid they would ruin this perfect show.
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I'll be honest: I didn't enjoy this drama as much as I hoped I would. Make no mistake: I believe that the drama's high rating is well-deserved, but ultimately, it just wasn't my cup of tea.
I think there were two main reasons for that: first, the pace was relatively slow and not much happened in terms of plot, and second, it had a bit too much realistic feel to it for me to love it, I prefer dramas that provide escapism from grey reality of life and this drama just wasn't it - but this is just my personal bias and I won't hesitate to recommend this drama to anyone who prefers a more realistic take on a romantic comedy.
I do admire how this drama cleverly subverts trope expectations and over-used cliches and focuses on real issues of a diverse group of relatable characters. Other highlights include:
+ believable character development
+ no love triangle
+ the characters listen to and help each other, there are no misunderstandings that would lead to some extreme unnecessary hate/angst, the characters communicate, they are honest about their feelings
+ I appreciated that women in this show are diverse in terms of age and family situation (there is a 49-year-old carrier driven woman, a freshly divorced single mother, a middle-aged housewife...) and they are nothing but supportive of each other. They even discuss traditional gender roles and how social expectations influence their lives. How often do you see that addressed in dramas?
+ there was no antagonist
+ LGBT+ characters who are (from my point of view) portrayed in a realistic, non-offensive way and not just as a source of cheap jokes
+ funny dream sequences in which the main heroine pretends to be a part of some well-known reality show or imagines to be questioned on camera about things she's going through at the moment - hilarious concept!
ACTING/CAST 8
Great performances from everyone! No complaints in this department - but I also cannot say that I became an instant obsessive fan of any of them. I will be happy to see them in other shows when the time comes though.
MUSIC 7.5/10
I admit I remember next to nothing about the background music itself, but I've got to give points to the catchy opening and ending songs. Actually, I believe that the series' ending ("Koi" by Hoshino Gen) with its hilarious dance sequence might be the most entertaining ending theme since Hana Kimi's "Peach".
REWATCH VALUE 6/10
Fairly low for me, as I found the drama's pace too slow. But I will likely rewatch my favourite parts!
OVERALL 7.5/10
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This drama looked SO promising but in the end it didn't fulfill my expectations at all and I have to admit that I was bored most of the time - and that's saying something considering that the series has only 10 episodes.
STORY 4/10
What story? From 5 to 9 is many things, but plot-driven is not one of them. First couple of episodes is spent on Hoshikawa being a total creep and when you think you're finally getting to something interesting, all you get is one pathetic grandmother who is being a bully and a younger brother with an "evil" smile and childhood complexes that are never explored in a satisfactory way (btw it's also never explained how he could think he could do what he wanted with the temple since he had no money and no rights over it...).
Both the temple and the school could provide an unlimited number of great side stories, but the writers never even try to do anything interesting with the settings.
CAST AND CHARACTERS 7.5/10
Both Ishihara Satomi and Yamashita Tomohisa probably do their best but their options are limited due to the bad, unimaginative writing. Hoshikawa-san is creepy and cold for most of his screentime and Junko lacks agency - she doesn't really move the plot forward and I felt really sorry for her most of the time (I was like "Show some backbone and tell them to go f*ck themselves!" most of the time). Furukawa Yuki's character, Mishima, is kind of ambiguous, especially at the beginning, it was like the writers didn't really know what to do with him. My favorite characters were probably Arthur, Momoe and Masako (she was cute). I was very sorry that potentionally interesting characters like Kaori and Amane ended up being very two dimensional.
Kaga Mariko probably enjoyed playing the evil grandmother character but again, unlike a similar character she famously portrayed in Hana Yori Dango, her character here lacked depth.
MUSIC 6.5/10
Catchy main tune and main song! Otherwise from that, it was only okay.
REWATCH VALUE 3/10
For me personally, extremely low, since this drama bored me to tears and I couldn't connect with the main characters.
REDEEMING FACTORS
There were some funny moments! Not many of them but they were there! I liked the scenes with Hoshikawa that took place in the classroom and his rivalry with Mishima during the English lessons were truly hilarious. Aside from that, I liked ArthurXMomoe scenes.
OVERALL 5.5/10 (and I am being generous here)
All in all, in spite of the high rating here, this drama has many issues concerning romanticised stalking and abuse, several sexual assaults (I am speaking about Junko and Kaori both here), misrepresented LGBT character etc. - all of these together with the lack of plot and character depth make From 5 to 9 barely watchable.
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STORY 7/10
This show is a crazy comedy with occassional serious moments. It has a romantic subplot (several of them actually) but in my opinion, the romance isn't particularly well-explored/well-developed here. Which is not a necessarily a bad thing, since it's a show about friendship among schoolboys, just be warned that if you expect a typical rom-com, you should probably look elsewhere.
I could go on and on about superlatives here, but I feel I should at least briefly address some of the problematic aspects of the show. There is an ever-present homophobia, despite the fact that the show has (at least) 2 canonically gay characters. On the one hand, there is Nakao with his crush on Nanba-senpai, which is more-or-less ignored by the other boys. On the other hand, there are scenes (like the one in the Special) where the boys are openly disgusted with the idea of two of them being in romantic/sexual relationship (one of the boys even says that he would lose all respect for Sano and Ashiya if they were in a homosexual relationship).
This goes hand-in-hand with bi-erasure - nobody ever in this show acknowledges the fact that it's possible to like more than one gender. If someone shows affection for a person of the same gender, he is immediately labeled as 'homo'. Not cool.
Sexual harassment is another issue. Nakao constantly harasses and stalks Nanba. Doctor Umeda, otherwise sympathetic character, often sexually harasses people he meets. And he himself is constantly harassed by his 'nemesis', photographer Akiha. It is even suggested that she forced herself on him (in other words, raped him) the only night they spent together. And all of this is played off as a joke. Ugh.
ACTING/CAST 10/10
The cast is outstanding and hilarious, especially Ikuta Toma as Nakatsu who practically steals the show for himself. His inner monologues are legendary and they make Hana Kimi a true gem among dramas.
MUSIC 10/10
I admit that the Hana Kimi soundtrack is probably one of my favorite J-drama soundtracks. Maybe its melodies are not as 'powerful' - as HYD main theme for instance - but the whole OST has such a happy, energetic feel that it never fails to cheer me up (and it's a great background music for cleaning up). The opening and ending songs are both great and the music in general is definitely one of the strongest points of the show.
REWATCH VALUE 9/10
The rewatch value is really high for this one thanks to the fast pacing, unforgettable moments and the hilarity in general.
OVERALL 9/10
WHAT KIND OF FEELS THIS SHOW GAVE ME
Hana Kimi never fails to make me laugh. It's hilarious, happy and optimistic and one of the top comedy J-dramas out there. I only wish the ending was more satisfactory in the terms of romance, but I guess it could be a lot worse too.
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STORY 7/10The story is kinda cliché and uses all well-known tropes. But it caught my attention from the beginning and it made me finish the show in one day. I was just so worried for the characters that I couldn't stop watching this.
There were like three things I didn't like about the story. The first is that Nao's parents, while presented as loving, emotionally blackmailed her, had little regard to her feelings and this 'communication problem' was never really resolved. The second is that I would like to see more of the protagonists' character development. The third is that the ending felt rushed and I would appreaciate if we saw more of the characters' future.
ACTING/CAST 9/10
They were all good. I loved seeing Toda Erika in the sympathetic role of the heroine's best friend. I wish the screenplay gave more space to Kamenashi Kazuya at least in the final two episodes, I really wanted to see more emotion from him.
MUSIC 6/10
Seriously...there was like one main theme that played over and over again. It was a good and memorable one but aside from that, I cannot say I remember any score pieces from this show (and I just finished the show!).
REWATCH VALUE 5/10
I wonder about this one...maybe if the mood was right, I would consider watching this again, but I don't think it'll happen anytime soon. Except maybe rewatching my favorite scenes of course :).
OVERALL 7/10
WHAT KIND OF FEELS THIS SHOW GAVE ME
Melancholic and happy-ish, mostly. Episode 7 broke my heart and when I was watching episode 9 I was like 'where the f*ck are they going with this?'. Several scenes made me laugh, two made me cry and my heart did beat really fast very often because I was so worried for the main couple. I hope it's not a big spoiler when I say that the ending was happy and almost satisfying.
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While a bit old school and cliché, Boss & Me is an enjoyable show with a great FL (Zhao Li Ying)
Is Boss & Me/Shan Shan Comes to Eat (2014) for you?It's a feel-good show with a very simple plot and no big bumps or surprises on the way towards the main couple's HEA. However, the drama's tropes and the production quality feel kind of old-school from today's point of view.
If you are only starting with c-dramas, you might want to try something more recent, with faster pacing and more innovative approach to clichés (e.g. recent Gu Man's work "You Are My Glory"), while the more experienced among us will take it for what it is: a pioneer of low angst romantic comedies with minimal conflicts.
THE GOOD: NO BIG CONFLICTS AND ZHAO LI YING
+ This drama was such a surprisingly pleasant watch. While I did use fast forward button for some of the 2nd leads' scenes, I didn't have to abuse it too much otherwise. Even with limited plot, the show remained fun and engaging til the end.
+ If you are looking for a show with minimal angst and conflicts, this might be your cup of tea. True, the SFL stirs some trouble, but I wouldn't call it too dramatic and while she never grew on me, she mostly redeemed herself in the final third of the show. Other than that, families and friends of both leads are supportive of their relationship, although they are doubtful that it will last.
+ Instead of nonsensical misunderstandings or trouble stirring antagonists, the main couple faces rather realistic obstacles that mostly stem from the FL's insecurities and inability to communicate her wants and worries to the ML. On the other hand, the ML is someone who is very used to having his own way and doesn't realize that his cold and matter-of-factly demeanor might come off as uncaring. As their relationship progresses, they both become more comfortable around each other and get better at communication. (So no, I would not consider it a toxic relationship.)
+ From the first day when the leads get together, they hold hands, touch and kiss, they are not awkward about physical contact like in some other shows where adults in a serious relationship behave like a pair of shy teenagers (I am looking at you, Touch Your Heart!)
+ For me, Zhao Li Ying is truly the main star of this drama in every sense of the word. She carries this drama mostly on her shoulders and she manages to make Shan Shan shine like a star and never leaves you in doubt why the other characters like her so much. Her expressions are always on point and the FL's inner monologues are delivered with sincerity and make you relate to her instead of feeling annoyed. While Shan Shan is a bit naive, insecure and inexperienced, she is also reasonable, hard-working and down to earth, not to mention cute and funny. If you are worried that the show consists of a string of the FL's embarassing moments, I can assure you it's not the case.
+ Shan Shan's development is also very significant: at first she tries to improve her skills and education to become a better match for her boyfriend (not that he ever asked her to), but slowly she realizes she wants to evolve and learn as a person for herself and grows into a professionally succesful and confident young woman.
+ Pretty nice soundtrack and some memorable songs. The opening song "Wind's Promise" captures the mood of the show perfectly and I love the upbeat "Roll the Dice" insert song.
THE BAD: UNDERDEVELOPED ML AND ANNOYING BETA COUPLE
- Feng Teng basically embodies a cold, robotic type of the ML, whose hard life of a rich CEO has been suddenly brightened by the presence of a cheerful and naive FL. He is somewhat manipulative (makes the FL eat her lunches in his office, later rents her an apartment without her knowing it belongs to him) and emotionally distant. If it was real life, I would be vary of some of his actions, but in the world of dramas, he's a pretty decent ML.
- The problem with Feng Teng is, that since the story is so much concentrated on Shan Shan's POV, he doesn't get any development or real depth. It would be nice to see him go through some crisis and out of his comfort zone, to see how Shan Shan succeeds where he fails (unlike him, she is easy-going and likeable) or she could take care of him when he's injured/sick/depressed – but no such scenario ever happens in the show.
Alas, aside from his short monologue regarding death of his parents, he never really opens up; in the final episodes he is still the seemingly perfect robotic CEO he was at the start, so don't hold your breath for any big changes.
Compared to more recent rom-coms that tend to develop characters of both leads equally, Boss & Me is very much a Shan Shan centric show.
- I mentioned the antagonistic SFL before. Truthfully, Li Shu is not a badly written character. She is a woman originally from average background who has grown up priviliged due to her family's connection to the Fengs. Since she feels insecure about her own background, she takes it on Shan Shan. It's nasty, it's bitchy and the ML calls her out on her behaviour; but I thought it was pretty realistic that he tried to deal with her privately without Shan Shan knowing, as Li Shu is still a part of his small family circle AND his sister's best friend. She does somewhat redeems herself later, but she failed to get my sympathies. Maybe it's partially the actresses's fault, I don't know.
- In a way, I have a bigger problem with the SML: Feng Teng's friend Zheng Qi who is in love with Li Shu. I disliked that he never called Li Shu on her behaviour even though he knew she was actively sabotaging his best friend's relationship with a perfectly nice girl. That's just not what friends should be like and even as Li Shu's soul mate, I don't think it's right for him to ignore her moral failings just because he has feelings for her.
- The SFL and SML have a sidestory involving a fake relationship that develops into love (on her side), but honestly, they are just not likeable enough to pull it off and I didn't feel chemistry between them. I pretty much started skipping their scenes and have no regrets.
- The side characters are mostly treated as props...they are nice, but they have no depth or interesting stories going on. My favorite was Shan Shan's friend Lu Shuang Yi, who writes romances for living. For some reason, she disappears from the last portion of the show without explanation.
To sum up: as of 2021, Boss & Me still holds up as a very good romantic comedy, perfect for long winter nights when you just want to cuddle with your blanket and with something delicious to eat (which is a must for watching this drama! there's a lot of great food in it!) and you want to watch something comforting, uncomplicated and sweet.
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I will not say it's overrated, because it's always nice to see a mellow, sweet drama with minimal conflict to be rated high. After all, the ratings are always subjective, that is the point, and I am sure that each one of us can name plenty of dramas that we consider either overrated or underrated; it all boils down to personal preference. And feel-good shows need their spot in the sun too!
"Hidden Love" is a heartwarming series and I understand how people relate to this and find solace in this simple yet touching story. Not to mention the leads are great here!
Personally, I didn't mind the slower pace or the lack of confict. I only felt that it became a bit repetitive towards the end and that the main couple at some point stopped really talking to each other. I mean, they did interact, but it felt superficial to me. It almost reminded me of "Intense Love" in that respect: pretty people being cute but somehow never talking about their likes and dislikes, hobbies, work, friends or even their future in detail....I just like my OTPs talking about stuff and going through things together, you know? :D
I am not sure if I will rewatch this in the future, but if I'll ever want a sugar sweet balm to calm my poor nerves, I know where to look :).
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Up until episode 13, I was determined to give Protect the Boss a strong 8, as it was a highly enjoyable (if predictable) ride. But as other reviewers mentioned before me, the final 5 episodes (that could be easily reduced into 2) effectively assassinated the plot (and some of the characters). It's not that the series couldn't last for 18 episodes. It could. There was definitely enough material to work with. The problem was that the writing in the final episodes was all over the place, it concentrated on the wrong stuff and did very little for character development; it was like the writers suddenly forgot that some of the characters exist (Eun Seol's father appeared and disappeared in a blink of an eye; the grandmother became strangely passive during some major moments), forgot what their relationships are ("Gangster Chairman" Cha suddenly doesn't approve of the heroine why again??? it didn't make sense), or that the characters were going to say something (Eun Seol promised Ji Heon to definitely tell him why she did what she did next time they talk....I was really waiting for it...it never happened); or that they have valid issues that need to be addressed (it would be nice if Ji Heon was shown to be as supportive of Eun Seol as she is of him).
That being said, Protect the Boss IS a good drama, one that defies many cliches and offers many hilarious moments, not to mention that:
+ the male lead acknowledges that the heroine is much more awesome than him, there is never the typical arrogant male lead moment "she is such a loser why do I have to like her?"
+ family dynamics of the rich family is unusual and entertaining
+ the antagonists are more pitiful and funny than villainous
+ the second female lead is really a precious cinnamon roll and she eventually befriends the heroine
Negatives:
- as mentioned, the last third of the show was poorly written and boring
- the main couple was nice and their chemistry was decent...but lacking, somewhat. I don't know why, maybe it only seemed to me that way because Choi Kang Hee who played the heroine looked like she could be Ji Sung's older sister (not that she wasn't pretty, she was!), they just weren't convincing as a pair - they were cute, but not the OTP of the century
ACTING/CAST 9/10
I've never ever heard before about this Ji Sung guy, but he was amazing, he made his character truly three-dimensional and believable, and I definitely became his instant fan. He was adorable! The rest of the cast was great as well.
MUSIC 7.5/10
Some catchy songs but nothing to write home about.
REWATCH VALUE 6/10
Big yes to rewatching my favorite moments, but I don't think I'll be able to get through episodes 14-18 as a whole ever again.
OVERALL 7.5/10
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STORY 6/10Since it took me so long to actually finish this series, I wouldn't recommend it if you're new to K-dramas or if you're choosing your first historical. The show is relatively slow-paced, mostly episodic and the important storylines tend to be...well, illogical at times, and some are left unresolved. Due to its episodic nature and some over-the-top comedic moments, Sungkyunkwan Scandal is actually much closer to Hana Kimi than to more mature Coffee Prince in the realm of cross-dressing dramas. I strongly feel that it was a shame that so much time was spent on long gazes (especially between the main couple), way too long dialogues between villains (their scheming was mostly pointless anyway), antics of the villain's sister and the villain's stupid sidekicks, or flashbacks (so many of them!). Instead, I would appreciate better developed relationships between other people than the two leads: Goo Yong Ha and Moon Jae Shin, Cho Sun and Ha In Soo or Kim Yoon Hee and (the real) Kim Yoon Shik...the list goes on.
There is another matter that strongly impacted my evaluation and that is the ending. (I will try to be as vague and spoiler-free as possible.) Honestly the last 2-3 episodes were a mess. First, it doesn't really make sense that the characters who served as wise mentors to our young heroes were incapable of doing some basic investigation and needed a help of students to solve a 10-year-old mystery.
Second, it never felt like the stakes were high enough – especially regarding Kim Yoon Hee's situation. A much needed emotional climax just never came and the matter was resolved too quickly and too smoothly to my liking. Yoon Hee is also uncharacteristically passive (and mostly silent) in her (potentially great) dialogue scenes with some big players in the last episode.
Third, way too many loose ends. Starting with the heroine's fate (regarding which we are left with way too many questions), through unresolved side-stories of several key players (e.g. Cho Sun and Ha In Soo) to the lack of epilogue regarding the political situation in the country (not all of us have knowledge of Joseon's history)...the list goes on.
Simply said, from all the K-dramas I've finished so far, Sungkyunkwan Scandal had the least satisfying - albeit cute - ending.
ACTING/CAST 9/10
While the two leads (Park Yoo Chun as Lee Sun Joon and Park Min Young as Kim Yoon Hee) were nice, they were ultimately rather boring and predictable, especially in comparison with the duo we were all rooting for: Song Joong Ki as Goo Yong Ha and Yoo Ah In as Moon Jae Shin, who were amazing, both character-wise and acting-wise. This was actually the first drama during which I experienced the infamous "second lead syndrome": they actually made Moon Jae Shin so perfect, that I can't understand why they didn't pair him up with the heroine (or with Goo Yong Ha for that matter).
MUSIC 7.5/10
Nice score, not something I'd need to buy a CD for, but several definitely memorable tracks and songs. Extra points for the main song ("Found You" by JYJ) that I can't get out of my head ;).
REWATCH VALUE 7.5/10
I'd say that the rewatch value is quite high because once you know what to expect, it's actually a really well-acted and cheerful – if somewhat cheesy – drama to revisit.
OVERALL 7.5/10
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STORY 7/10
Simple and straightforward yet surprisingly entertaining. There were some obvious parallels with Hana Kimi (the shows share some of the crew and cast members) but it still brings something new and fresh. In comparison with Hana Kimi: it is probably not as crazy, it has a bit more of a 'fairytale' feel to it and the relationships between the characters are developed better, in my opinion. I wouldn't mind if this show was a 2-3 episodes longer and gave more of a closure to the romantic subplot (which, by the way, was better than the Hana Kimi one).
ACTING/CAST 10/10
You can't go wrong with Horikita Maki as your lead and people like Mukai Osamu, Yamamoto Yusuke or Okada Yoshinori (remember him from Hana Kimi? he played Mizuki's brother! what a difference!) in your cast. Great chemistry and everything. Loved them.
MUSIC 8/10
Catchy main track and main song, the whole score is highly enjoyable to listen to!
REWATCH VALUE 9/10
For me, the rewatch value of great crazy comedies is always high and Atashinchi no Danshi is no exception!
OVERALL 9/10
Highly enjoyable crazy comedy that I actually loved even better than the hyper-popular Hana Kimi.
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STORY 8/10
The show consists of some popular rom-com tropes (girl disguised as a boy, love triangle/square, wealthyXpoor background, parents disapproving of a relationship etc.) but somehow it all feels new and genuine. I was surprised by the 'mature' feel of the series, the characters are in their 20's/30's and their actions are (mostly) very reasonable . There weren't many moments when I would feel embarassed for the characters (a welcome change if you're tired of J-drama characters' antics).
For me, the biggest flaw of this series was its pacing. Really, the first couple of episodes are ok but the second third of the show is seriously boring - I almost abandoned it altogether. Luckily, the last third of the series suddenly becomes fast and entertaining again and the ending is great.
I wish the coffee making and the actual running of the coffee shop were more prominent in the series. And I wouldn't be mad if the three 'princes' had more space than the beta couple (with their endless communication issues).
ACTING/CAST 10/10
They were all very good but the main couple - Gong Yoo as Choi Han Gyul and Yoon Eun Hye as Go Eun Chan - stands out for me. They were both flawless.
MUSIC 7/10
A lot was said about the music score in the other reviews and in the comments. For me, this soundtrack will not become my top favorite or anything, but I would recognize its main themes anytime.
REWATCH VALUE 5/10
Due to the slow second part of the series (ca. episodes 5-10), the rewatch value is quite low (I don't think I would get through that again). Though I will definitely rewatch my favorite scenes in the future.
OVERALL 7.5/10
WHAT KIND OF FEELS THIS SHOW GAVE ME
Happy and dying-of-all-the-cuteness feelz :). The ending was especially awesome - not many dramas have such a satisfactory ending.
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review from 2019:
Fun and easy ride with great chemistry between the two leads. Highlights include a magical time-traveling car, refreshingly rude heroine (yes, I loved her!), some sympathetic side characters and several very hot kisses.
Crazy comedy in the first half of the show was awesome, the second half with melodrama and some extremely illogical or straight down stupid twists was more on an annoying side (e.g. how information travels unnaturally fast in medieval Korea, but the main characters are failing at some basic communication).
Made me happy, will rewatch favorite scenes in the future! 8 well-deserved stars!
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Watched in March/April 2019, finished on 8th April 2019. review from 2019:
A lovely slice-of-life show with a great ensemble of characters.
I loved the first half, but I felt that the second half was messy and concentrated on the wrong things... Solid romance built on a life-long friendship was a highlight of the show and Ae Ra was a blast to watch as a character. Needless to say that the whole cast was amazing, especially the two leads.
However, some scenes/aspects made me really uncomfortable (how the community treated Ae Ra's mom) or downright disgusted (how Ae Ra's dad beat up Dong Man with a hanger, I hate that this kind of physical violence is played for laughs in k-dramas). 8 solid stars!
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Fluffy and extremely superficial with no character or plot development.
THE BAD: NO DEPTH OR DEVELOPMENT, EVER- The first episode sets up the scene quite nicely: the ML and FL have been engaged by their mothers since they were children, but never took the engagement seriously and both failed to show up at their betrothal dinner, citing work reasons. The FL is a celebrity actress, beautiful and kind, the ML is a successful doctor, cold and perfect, you know the types. By the twist of fate, the FL ends up wounded in the hospital in the ML’s care. They realize each other’s identities and due to their opposite personalities, they argue (a little). Nevertheless, it’s clear that they fell in love at first sight, even if they don’t realize it at first.
- Could be fun, right? But then they just sort of accept the engagement without talking about it and go into a full girlfriend/boyfriend mode by episode 4 with no preface or development that would lead to it. They have no “getting to know each other” phase, they don’t really talk about themselves, they are just a cold doctor and bubbly actress and that's it. What you see is what you get, there is no depth or development that would make them interesting or compelling or at the very least: fun.
- They don’t seem to have any hobbies or interests, they don’t have any close friends (the 2nd leads are technically their best friends but their storyline is strangely detached from the main couple), they don’t even seem to work that much, they have no doubts about their future, they don’t talk about their living arrangements or whether they want kids… In short: they don’t develop as characters or as a couple and definitely don’t help each other to become better people. What e.g. “You Are My Glory” did so well with the mains supporting each other and talking about life stuff, “Intense Love” skips completely so what’s left are two beautiful people in cute situations and as a viewer, I feel no satisfaction because I just wonder how the hell did they get there.
- The second couple (the FL’s agent/BFF and the ML’s colleague/friend) have a separate storyline involving very random tropes (misdiagnosed terminal illness wtf?) that writers must have pulled from their hats or something. They also have zero chemistry and as a viewer, I saw no reason why these two should be together.
- There is a third couple (sort of) that involves the ML’s younger sister and the FL’s younger colleague. It had some potential but they only meet halfway through the drama and again, their relationship is so superficial and detached from other characters (the FL and ML never even find out about this relationship!) that I had no reason to care.
- There is no big bad or evil mastermind. The FL’s colleague is jealous of her success and happiness, so she makes some trouble for her, but it never gets too serious and it always backfires on her. The ML’s little sister stirs some trouble for the FL as well, but they become friends several episodes later after which the little sister’s storyline branches out from the main one.
- The editing of this show is all over the place. Look, I get that it’s a low budget drama (empty hospital with one huge office occupied by only the ML speaks for itself) but the scenes often just don’t tie coherently. Many motifs are brought up and then promptly forgotten (like the ML's sickly elder brother pressuring the ML into quitting being a doctor and taking over a family business in episode 2, which is NEVER brought up again)
THE GOOD: THE MINDLESS FLUFF
+ Look, sometimes we just need to turn off our brains and watch something pretty. And Intense Love delivers! Beautiful settings, real kisses, lots of snuggling on the coach.
+ The leads arguably do their best with the little the script permits them to do. Not much chemistry to speak of but...they tried.
+ A shout out to the ML's little sister played by Lin Xin Yi – I thought that the actress did a very good job both as an annoying minor antagonist and as a cute fangirl who slowly matures – and she had the most visible character development (and hairstyle development) of all characters.
Hmmm, that's about it. Great drama if you just want to kill time and nothing more, but even in the genre of fluffy rom-coms, I believe there are much better choices (e.g. You Are My Glory, Falling Into Your Smile, My Little Happiness...).
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This review may contain spoilers
Great chemistry between the OTP but inconsistent plot and formulaic characters
Is The Love by Hypnotic for you?If you need to fill your spare time with some good chemistry and kisses between the two leads AND you don't mind the lack of substance in plot and character departments, go for it! Prepare to spam the fast forward button though!
THE BAD: AKA WHAT AM I EVEN WATCHING?
- The overall mood of the drama constantly oscillates between lighthearted romance and serious melodrama. The issue is that for romantic comedy, this drama is simply not funny enough, and for serious DRAMATIC drama, its plot and characters are just too ridiculous.
- The plot is nearly non-existent and what is there, doesn't make much sense. Most of the seriously meant scenes come out unintentionally as nearly parodic and not even efforts of the cast can salvage them.
Just to list all the inconsistencies would take forever, so let's just say that most of the plot devices, be it ML's mom's death or even the titular hypnosis, are only brought up when it's convenient for the writers and then they get forgotten again by all characters for X episodes. Some plotlines don't even get resolved at all, like the love fate of the female musician who helps the FL in several episodes.
IS IT A CHARACTER-DRIVEN DRAMA THEN?
- I wish! All characters are EXTREMELY generic and lack depth. I fast forwarded through most of the villains' scenes because they were just repeating the generic bad guys lines that we heard hundred times before in other dramas.
(poor Zhou Zi Xin is playing a jealous/homicidal SFL yet AGAIN)
- It's nice to see that there is a group of friends around the OTP, so our leads can talk about sex, I mean love, with them, but again, these sympathetic characters have barely any substance and the side romances (FL's maid Tanli + ML's bodyguard Diwu...Princess Kangle + ML's friend Jinyu) are just hinted at.
- The FL is frequently described as "wild" during the drama. But while her love for fighting and hunting is mentioned several times at the beginning, it's quickly forgotten and her being "wild" then becomes...being messy, liking to sleep and eat and being bad at reading/studying. In other words, she suddenly becomes a stereotypical shoujo heroine She didn't seem annoying or unlikeable to me, just bland.
- The ML is harder to like, especially in the first 10 or so episodes. While he accepts his arranged marriage, he is unnecessarily mean to his wife, for no good reason. Yes, he saves her from time to time but usually he then proceeds to be super cold to her again and blaming her for...getting nearly assassinated. I didn't even mind when the FL hypnotized him without his permission because he was such an ass to her all the time!
Fortunately, he comes to his senses, and after he gets together with the FL, he is ride or die for her. His adoration of the FL salvaged the character for me, although he won't rank among my favorite heroes.
THE GOOD: THE OTP'S CHEMISTRY AND KISSING SCENES
- That's what you signed for, right? And The Love by Hypnotic delivers! Despite all my criticism, it's a show that features a solid OTP with pretty great chemistry and lots of skinship and kissing scenes between them. Once they get together (episode 18), they finally start a real relationship that is sweet and genuine. And while their bond still feels somewhat superficial (I would appreciate more meaningful dialogues between them), at least you can actually see them trying to work out their differences and work towards a common goal. (the scene in which they pretend to be on the verge of divorce is *chef's kiss*)
- The show also mostly avoids big misunderstandings and noble idiocy and what is there gets resolved within one episode or so. There is no break-up arc either, which is a relief.
- I cannot forget to praise the actors in the main roles: Alen Fang and Ling Mei Shi, they truly squeezed the maximum from their respective formulaic roles. I can't believe this drama was Ling Mei Shi's debut because she carried most of its first half on her shoulders and did such a good job at it!
- The music was surprisingly decent too and the opening theme was very well done, although it might suit a more serious drama better.
Overall, I wish I could go higher with my rating, but the truth is, that this drama left no deep impression on me and I have no motivation to rewatch it; aside from some cute OTP scenes.
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