YellowTofuBlock
Canada
Before watching this, I would consider a drama on how good it is based on how addicted I was, but even if I wasn't super addicted to Answer Me 1997(maybe part of it is that I didn't watch it while it was airing so I wasn't left hanging every week), everything in the drama was full of meaning and everything just fit together perfectly.
I applaud the writer and director for making such a work of art altogether, I must say.
This drama was different from others, in the aspect that it wasn't the typical cliff hanger every episode and there wasn't really a FIXED storyline, if you know what I mean. It was the story-telling of two first loves that succeeded and their growth together. From high school to adulthood, it was just lovely seeing all the characters grow.
It was full of sweet moments and what I like about this drama is that there isn't some annoying, cockblocking antagonist that was only put there to have a base conflict. The conflict in the drama was more personal, realistic, and relatable which made this drama just seem more "real" I guess. Even if I wasn't into kpop in that time exactly, I still felt the nostalgia and warm fuzzy feeling when they play a 90's or early 2000's song in the background. This drama always got me all emotional all the time haha. The writing was also amazing and even I learned a few lessons watching this drama :)
THE CAST AND ACTING WAS PERFECT. Everyone was so natural and even if Shiwon was a delusional fan girl, I still loved her character. Yoon jae was just sooo.. soo.. dreamy at times. You can see his emotions through his eyes and his intense gaze that's only for Shiwon. When he cries I just cry with him, because it seems so genuine and the pain is visible through his crying. Again, I loved the fact that there was no crazy ass villain in the drama.
The music they played seemed to fit so well with every scene and even if j didn't even know some(most) of the 90's Korean songs I still felt nostalgic. I'm currently looking for all the songs used in this drama because it's that good.
I would highly recommend this drama to anyone who is a sucker for sweet and 'fuzzy' love stories as well as people who are just looking for a drama that's not too heavy. This will take you down memory lane as the beepers and cell phones with antennas are re-introduced. I mean, who DOESN'T love the feeling of nostalgia? Well this drama will definitely give you that feeling.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS DRAMA!
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So if you are a curious fellow reading reviews to see whether it's worth a watch, yes it definitely is, don't be discouraged by the ones who didn't like the ending. It's WAY MORE than just who Na Jung ends up with. It's a story about life in your 20's in a realistic way. The passion of youth.
It had the same homey feeling as its predecessor, Answer Me 1997, and I really felt like i was part of the Shinchon Boarding house by the time the drama ended. In terms of character development, AM1994 is better than AM1997 because all the characters are a lot more complex and go through a series of change throughout the drama. The characters are not flat, and each character has their own story arc, which I found really charming.
THE CAST WAS PERFECT! The acting was superb, and Go Ara really really exceeded my expectations. Everyone's acting was perfect in portraying their character, and every emotion and feeling can be felt by the viewers as well. and Jung Woo was AMAAAZING at being Ssureki Trash Oppa. You will not hate a character in this drama because all of them are portrayed so well. And the parents once again are soo crazy and even funnier in this drama.
I also think that while you are watching the drama, you should pay close attention to the songs being played in certain scenes because the directors specifically and intentionally put these songs in to suit certain scenes. The music was really good again, like in AM1997 except this time they got their whole cast to sing for the OST haha :)
Overall, i give this drama around a 8.88/10. Although there were some holes, they do not affect the story as a whole and these little holes don't change the meaning of the story. My advice to those who are looking to watch this drama is also to not overthink and overanalyze the drama because it might ruin it for you like how i have seen it get ruined for others. It's a GREAT show that will really get you emotionally entangled with it and shouldn't be overshadowed by the husband mystery. I'm sorry i had to reiterate the part about not focusing too much on "who's the husband" because it's such a waste that a great drama is being clouded by this. It's a realistic portrayal of how life can be like for those in their 20's and is once again a heartwarming story which will, without a doubt, have you **laughing **and **crying** with each character of the series.
Recommend this to those who liked AM1997. Great writing just like AM1997 and was not a mere prequel or sequel that doesn't make sense like Dream High 2. Cable ratings reached over 10% which is a record-breaker so that is saying something :)
It was really a beautiful series.
oh, and there were a lot more passionate scenes, so i was quite satisfied with that too LOL. Go Ara opened her mouth man.
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First of all, the story was not fast paced as many drama watchers would expect it to be because, well, this drama is actually quite realistic in the way that it portrays the relationship of two best friends. In real life, when you are best friends with the opposite sex, it does take time to finally realize that you two should hit it off, because the risk of going from a 'friendship' to a romantic relationship is indeed quite hard and risky. The progression of You Qing and Da Ren's relationship is very realistic because i know people who are actually in this situation, so it's a lot easier to relate to and engage with the characters of the drama. Both characters also actually had a life outside of each other, with their own family and friends, which is also something rare to see in dramas. Both of them were so well written, and their beautiful flaws were what made them seem so real. Though frustrating at times because all of us are just screaming JUST GET IT ON ALREADY!!!!!
the ending is very much worth it and everyone should give it a try because this is one of the most fulfilling dramas ever.
Overall, this drama touched my heart in many ways because it talks about realistic themes about love in this modern age. It's not all about fluff and rainbows, and it requires two people that deeply care about and understand each other. It has very valuable lessons for those who are single and withering away, wondering if love will ever come to them. In Time With You is also written very well (actually one of the most well-written dramas i have watched), and crafted very well in terms of timing and the little symbols/motifs here and there you might not notice at first. Ariel Lin and Chen Bo Lin's chemistry was amazing and their acting will really touch your heart because it is so, so sincere. Better than Ariel and Joe in my opinion. This is a VERY meaningful drama and i would really recommend it. I could not stop watching this drama, i marathoned it within 2-3 days and it was amazing and worth it even if i was having finals week.
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This drama had a very intricate story and I gave it a 9/10 because that missing 1 point is from the confusions it occasionally gave me. There are a few things that I am still not sure of about the story, even after I watched it. Asides from that, it was really great and refreshing, not to mention romantic. I admit that i am a hopeless romantic and this drama was just overflowing of OTP sweet moments that made my tummy feel all fuzzy and warm :)
(those kiss scenes are just UGH killer)
The cast and acting were all really wonderful because te feelings involved were so real. Providing the fact that Ji Hyun Woo and Yoo In Na are a couple in real life makes all the emotions and acting seem even more real. JHW and YIN really executed those emotional and passionate scenes really really well, even in the crying scenes.The only thing is that I felt there were too many flat/static characters with no development probably because the drama focuses so much on the two leading stars.
Overall I really liked this drama because, well, it was overwhelmingly sweet and romantic which can be a good or bad thing. You decide :)
I also liked that each episode was only around 45 minutes because it never really dragged and it also kept me at the edge of my seat. I really felt all the emotions going through in this drama as well, making it a factor as to why I liked this drama. The fact that are are no cliché makjang aspects and that it's not a ''Cinderella' story made me even more fond of Queen In Hyun's Man. It is surprisingly an unpredictable drama as well, making it different from the other rom coms out there.
I recommend this to all those hopeless romantics out there, and those wanting to just watch a sweet and light drama. Even if I consider this drama to be light, it definitely had depth to it. For those finding dramas that don't have awkward, motionless girl love scenes, this is definitely for you.
PS if you have watched Rooftop Prince and are looking to watch this drama, try not to compare it back and forth because both are really different and you would enjoy it to the fullest if you don't compare both while watching this drama :)
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(but failed)
This drama had SO much potential. I remember looking forward to this drama so much because I was a huge fan of Dream High. I watched the first one like three times and I just loved it so much. But Dream High 2? It disappointed me.
I watched Dream High 2 putting all flaws aside because of my bias towards Dream High up until probably episode 8 or 9. The story was fine prior to those episodes because the script was SUDDENLY 'revised' and changed the love lines and changed the emphasis on certain characters.
The casting of Jinwoon was great and he was supposedly the leading man, but heck who knows what the writer pd was thinking and changed it to JB. He can sing, he can dance, but acting is just something he cannot do. His facial expressions look awkward and the same all the time and I can't stand it. With Kang Sora, she annoyed the hell out of me and I honestly think JB and Kang Sora have no chemistry. JB and Jiyeon matched so much better. Only if the writer didn't change up the script halfway I would have enjoyed it so much more.
Out of the main characters(Haesung, JB, Yujin, Rian) I liked Rian and Yujin's acting the most. I loved Jiyeon and Jr. in here though, they knew what they were doing and despite Jr. being a rookie, he did well and was natural. Jiyeon was just so cool and she was able to portray Rian's more complex character. Haesung was so annoying it got to the point where I laughed every time she cried because she made all these sea lion noises.
The story, again, had so much potential. this could have been a GREAT drama only if the writer stuck to the original plan, and not to the request of the viewers. What good can the drama be when you scrap everything halfway and start a new story. It's stupid. It disappointed me so much I didn't even watch the last episode because I was wondering why I was even still watching it.
Overall, the only parts I enjoyed in this drama are the music, and Rian(Jiyeon) because she is just so cool and Haesung annoys me and she looks like a creepy pedonoona with JB. I really like Jr. too. JYP, you ruined JB's image for me and when they debuted I still feel awkward when I see JB in his mv.
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Anyways, i think that this drama overall is one of the better ones in 2012, and it was drowned out with bad luck, because well, about 10 other dramas with the same genre came out that year. But Rooftop Prince was the first one of 2012 to come up with a time-travelling comedy-romance-mystery genre. The writing was fairly good and unique, with all the ancient riddles and things like that.
Rooftop Prince is also HILARIOUS. I mean if you put a bunch of saeguk palace men into the year 2012, the comedy and totally hilarious moments are just expected. The characters were all so lovable (at least the protagonists) but on the other hand, the antagonists are the exact opposite 180 degrees like, oh man. Though the antagonists can be freaking crazy bitches do not be discouraged because trust me, the drama really satisfies the audience. The drama has a balance of funny and serious, which is one thing i really like about this drama.
I like that there is no bad and stiff acting because that's what i hate the most. All the characters are portrayed very well and it's a nice transformation for Yoochun from Sungkyunkwan Scandal to this. He was so cute and his three other followers were adorkable as well :3
Han Ji Min(Park Ha) pulled it off pretty well too, her acting was definitely not bad, but not extremely amazing. The main bad bitch on the other hand(Sena), i have to give it up for her she was amazing even if i hated her so much (probably the most i've ever hated an antagonist in a drama)
The music is pretty fulfilling, because i'm assuming that a lot of kdrama watchers like kpop, and Jay Park sings an OST here that is used a lot. Baek Ji Young also sang a really nice song for the OST and i wish Yoochun did a male version of it too haha
If you are looking for a drama that is romantic, cute, and extremely hilarious, then i recommend this to you. It even has a mystery added onto it that will keep you at the edge of your toes :o Mind that this drama has a makjang side to it i personally don't mind it, but others do. This drama gets REALLY addicting. I warned you.
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I think that the casting was PERFECT! Though sometimes I don't know if the acting should be that bizarre or is just exaggerated for some of the characters, everything just seemed to fit together. Nakatsu was adorable and he was portrayed very successfully, as he could be funny most of the time but when he's serious or feeling down, you can really feel it and it makes me just want to cry with him :(
The acting of Ashiya was okay, it wasn't bad, but if I were in that drama I would totally know that 'he' is a girl. Shun Oguri as Sano I think fit perfectly but he could have showed more emotion at times. And I noticed that he's so skinny, probably too skinny to look like a pro high jumper.
None of the characters/actors felt awkward or out of place which I find rare and this drama has impressed me with that
I haven't read the manga, but people said that the taiwanese version followed it more accurately. Whether this one followed it or not, it was great and it had a good balance of funny and romance. While some parts of the storyline are so random(like random dorm competitions) I think that that's probably what it's supposed to be and that's what sets the mood of the drama, light-hearted, warm, and funny. It never failed to make me laugh during funny parts and I was never bored.
there should have been more intimate scenes >.<
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