This review may contain spoilers
Love it!
I have a huge issue with Chinese dramas: the fact that they use Automated Dialogue Replacement (ADR) - this always throws me off and I hate that I can't watch something that seems interesting and could've been good. This drama, however, caught my eye because it revolved around driving cars, which I love, so I gave it a go, and in doing so, it was a relief to see that most of the time they either didn't use ADR, or you couldn't tell they did.The cinematography is mesmerising, and so are the views.
Everyone in this drama is a great actor, especially Esther Yu, who had to cry a lot the entire drama, and He Yu, who was able to convey a lot of emotions and could only smile towards the end - they really make you believe they're those characters, well done to them!
San Lai was also an amazing character, and I absolutely loved Jin Zhao and Lin Sui's bromance - I just wish Jin Zhao hadn't been so mean to him, lol.
I really loved the way the writers wrote He Zhang as well!
As for what I didn't like, I'll have to say the fact that we could hear their thoughts - it didn't happen too many times, but only a few of them made sense and weren't cringe-worthy; I'll definitely skip the times when the thoughts are cringey when I rewatch this drama.
[Warning: Spoilers ahead!]
I also didn't like the way Jin Zhao disappeared from Jiang Mu's life out of nowhere - as someone who's done something similar to what he did, I have the moral high ground to say it's wrong because nothing gives you the right to decide for someone else, especially when Jiang Mu was so worried and sad the entire time she didn't know what was happening with him, and also the fact that he used her ideas, kept their dog and didn't tell her... If you find this sweet, you're just wrong. He should've told her, full stop. Communication and honesty above everything, always. And I don't want to hear "But he didn't want her to have a hard life, blablabla" - what he and all the people who think like this fail to realise is that when you like someone, your life will be much worse if you're away from them, and that's exactly what makes it difficult, not being with them even if it comes with a lot of challenges.
[End of spoilers]
I know some people will find the story a cliché, but I could relate a lot to it, there were many things they went through and said that were the exact same as what I've been through, thought and said, so this drama will always be special to me and I plan on watching it from time to time - it truly became one of my favourites.
The OST is awesome as well!
Well done to everyone involved and thank you all SO much for this drama!
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This review may contain spoilers
Don't waste your time
I had such high expectations for this, and I couldn't have been more disappointed.I can't write this review without telling you who wins in the end, but you won't regret reading this before watching.
If you want to see psychopaths winning in life, then by all means go ahead, but that is not what I signed up for - and it's not even about being realistic, it's about the evil characters getting away with anything and everything when the good characters could've won but didn't because they decided to be stupid. I was rooting for them, but it got to a point where they were SO ridiculous that I just couldn't be on their side anymore.
This drama should also come with a serious trigger warning because what happened towards the end actually traumatised me - I couldn't stop thinking about it for a really long time, and I'll never be able to forget what I saw.
Absolutely perfect acting - I just wish the actors had been given a better story.
Do as you wish, but I wouldn't waste my time if I were you.
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Definition of mixed feelings
I want to start by saying I really appreciate that this was filmed in Jeju-do and showed a lot of real-life struggles, although I wish it had gone more into the history of the island because there are aspects worth mentioning.This drama is full of amazing actors, and although the story is good, I could never rewatch it because it's just too painful - my heart broke for the main couple and their little children; Aesun had her stupid moments, though - I didn't appreciate the way she acted towards Gwanshik sometimes. Geummyeong as a teen / young adult, on the other hand, irritated me a lot because she was really ungrateful and rude to her parents. Also, speaking of a broken heart, Yeongbeom deserved SO much better...
[Warning: Spoiler ahead!]
I just can't get over the fact that Geummyeong and Yeongbeom didn't end up together - their chemistry was insane, and you could tell Yeongbeom really liked her; it would've been much better if the writers had made them stand up against his mother. Geummyeong and Cheongseop, however, had zero chemistry and their relationship just felt weird.
[End of spoiler]
In my opinion, the drama could have been better executed, but even then I'd have to skip the extremely sad parts if I rewatched it - I'm giving the rewatch value an 8/10 because I feel bad, but in reality I won't rewatch it.
Thank you to everyone involved for your hard work!
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Could've been perfect
All the actors in this were outstanding, but Ji Changwook, Jihyun and Dong-ha really stole the show! I can't elaborate on this without spoiling it for you, so you'll just have to see for yourself. A few characters that deserve a special mention are Byun Young-hee, Bang and Park Youngsoon, who were the sweetest!My favourite thing about this was the plot twist, it really made the drama worth rewatching infinite times - as long as I skip the cringey parts, such as when they keep replaying couple moments (even watching many of them once was cringe-worthy, let alone watching them several times). Beyond cringey, replaying those moments was boring and a waste of time.
I also wish the writers had made Bok-ja consistent - it makes no sense that they made her so nice and at the same time made her have a superiority complex.
[Warning: Spoilers ahead!]
Speaking of inconsistent characters, what were the writers thinking when they were writing Eunhyuk, Yoojung and Jihae?! Just because Eunhyuk and Yoojung didn't get physical, it doesn't mean it wasn't cheating - it would've made a lot more sense if Eunhyuk had told Yoojung the truth and had started something with her if she had broken up with Jiwook, and same thing for Yoojung: she should've broken up with Jiwook and then started something with Eunhyuk; the writers shouldn't have made her say some of the nasty things she said, either. As for Jihae, she was an awful character for so long, and all of a sudden she was nice?! Seriously, have the writers heard of consistency?!
Also, I couldn't stand the fact that there was no reason for the main couple to be apart, but they just had to make the female lead act stupid.
[End of spoilers]
On another note, if you've never watched anything with Choi Taejoon, I highly recommend watching this before 'Missing 9' so that you have this image of him in mind - I wish I had done that, but unfortunately, I always think of him in that drama; don't get me wrong, he played that role perfectly, but that's the problem, because he played a psychopath, and his eyes looked extremely scary most of the time, haha.
Thank you to everyone involved in this project!
Don't miss out on this drama, the story really stays with you!
Bonus points for being perfect in length at 20 episodes and duration at 1H.
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One of the funniest things you'll ever see
This drama is honestly so, so, SO funny! And the special effects are great as well! I love Kim Wonhae in everything he does, but his work in this drama is hilarious - without giving you a spoiler, every time I think of him, I think of a scene from this drama, haha. Don't get me wrong, though, he plays a lot of extremely funny characters in other dramas (as well as serious, memorable ones)!What I hated about this drama was how terrible the main character and her mother were - her father and Minmin deserved better. If it weren't for this aspect, the drama would've been perfect.
Minmin and Gyeongshim were my favourite characters - they were walking green flags, the sweetest people there could ever be, and I'm glad Hyungshik and Bomi were the ones who played them because I LOVE them! And bonus points for the fact that they made Bomi use Busan Satoori!
Also, judge me, but I would easily be one of the killer's victims because he was just so handsome, lol.
All of the actors in this are amazing!
On another note, Hyungshik's song, 'Because of You', is perfect!
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Great acting
This had the potential to be effortlessly perfect, but the writers just had to mess a few things up - why were Mari and Seongu such inconsistent characters? I seriously hate the way a lot of writers create terrible characters and then want to make it seem like they're actually good people and it's as if their serious actions are no big deal - that's not the way it works, either create a terrible character or a good character with personality issues, but have the emotional intelligence to make the difference between the two!To add to that, there were a few things that made no sense, such as the fact that Louis's fingerprints weren't in the system, or the way he was in his own building several times and never saw his loved ones, or the way the old lady and the delinquent schoolgirls won against everyone they met - that was so unrealistic, it was simply ridiculous.
Louis's story was very sad, but the writers shouldn't have made him so irritating while he lived with Bokshil - he meant well, but she should've imposed limits and taught him what to do. At the same time, Inguk was just cuteness overload in this, haha. Bokshil seemed to be the best character, until the writers decided to make her do what she did towards the end.
Everyone is an amazing actor and most characters are great - special mention to Hojoon, Insung and the detectives, especially Joohyuk, because they were such nice characters, but I really loved everyone! It's also a plus that I got to see my favourite, Semi!
On another note, the special effects were perfect - everything looked so real!
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My favourite Taiwanese drama
The story isn't innovative, but it's well-written and well-executed. I'll always come back to this drama because the actors are amazing, the characters are great, the couples are sweet and there's a lot of comedy! Special mention to Chris and Jake because Tang Yi and Shao Fei were great characters!If you watch this and don't get hooked, I only have one question: HOW?!
My only complaint is that the episodes were too short.
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Great acting & story
This drama is full of amazing actors, but Seojoon stole the show - Dongman and Donghui's story was so sad, and it really stays with you, especially because of the way it affects Dongman's relationship with his father.The children were amazing actors and so cute! Most characters were awesome as well, I really can't choose between them because I loved them all so much, but I feel like Jang-ho deserves a mention because he was the sweetest!
I loved the comedy in this drama as well!
Be ready to get angry at many of the secondary characters because they will make you lose your mind, haha - well done to the actors for portraying them so well!
I think something everyone appreciates is the fact that this drama showcases real-life struggles.
Thank you to everyone involved in this project!
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Great acting
This had the potential to be perfect, but the writers just had to go ahead and make Ji-ah wilfully stupid - she kept lying to Minkyu and I hated that; it was painful to watch him being fooled when she could've just told the truth.Seungho was definitely the star of the show - outstanding performance!
Minkyu's disease was a great idea, I loved it! Perfect portrayal of it, too - I suspect 'Clean with Passion for Now' drew inspiration from this, but they failed to pay attention to detail the way this drama did.
I love that there are so many funny scenes in this drama, and I love the scientists, but hate the fact they made Baekkyun date Ji-ah - to the writers: did you even think about what you were doing? He's old enough to be her father - I don't care that they're both adults, it's still weird. On top of that, he had an odd obsession with her - it was creepy. It makes me frustrated because he could've been a perfect character.
Yoochul, on the other hand, was an amazing character!
Great acting, which didn't come as a surprise because they're all great actors - special mention to Geonhan because I love him, he's one of my favourites!
Awesome OST as well!
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Great acting
This had the potential to be perfect, but the writers just had to go ahead and make Ohsol wilfully stupid - she kept lying to everyone who loved her and I hated that.I also don't agree with the way the writers wrote CEO Cha because they made him completely inconsistent, it made no sense.
We never really got to know more about Cha Maehwa's story, so we can't even tell whether she's inconsistent or not.
The worst part, though, was how they made Choi Ha-in be interested in Ohsol when he was an adult and she was a minor - to the writers: do you realise you created an ephebophile? That makes absolutely no sense because everything about Ha-in told us he was a green flag, not a disgusting, sick guy.
On another note, I love that this story explored mysophobia - I suspect this drama drew inspiration from 'I'm Not a Robot', but I was sad that they didn't pay enough attention to detail as 'I'm Not a Robot' did, because there's no way Sungyeol would do certain things if he suffered from the disease as severely as he was supposed to; in 'I'm Not a Robot', on the other hand, there was a perfect portrayal of Minkyu's disease.
Great acting, which didn't come as a surprise because they're all great actors!
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This review may contain spoilers
My favourite drama ever
It really hurts me that I'm forced to rate my favourite drama a 9/10 just because of the OST... There are so many moments where the sadness is building up and just when it's supposed to make you cry, the song starts with the singer saying so many words and it completely ruins the mood. I don't understand why they didn't choose an instrumental-only part of the song for those moments, like they did for so many others.I also wish we had got a few more episodes to explore Intouch's friendships and his friends' lives after he died.
This drama is so extremely sad, but also so extremely beautiful. I could relate a lot to it, there were many things they went through that were the exact same as what I've been through.
[Warning: Spoiler ahead!]
I wanted Intouch's father to be alive, and I wanted his friends to have met his reincarnated self.
[End of spoiler]
The story was perfect and the acting was perfect - it's so weird to me to see Fluke, Ohm, Earth and Kao in an on-screen relationship with other people after this... Fortunately, Boun and Prem have remained together.
Thank you so, so much to everyone involved in this project!
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Great acting
Jongsuk really was the star of the show - outstanding performance! The story was so sad - it made me cry a few times. Seongmu deserved better, and Kang Chul and everyone from his world deserved better as well. Don't get me wrong, though, there are a lot of extremely funny moments too! And the special effects look SO real! Don't miss out on this drama!Was this review helpful to you?
Do yourself a favour and watch this!
Watch this if you want to laugh the entire time! Maybe you'll cry a little bit too, haha.The only reason I'm not giving this a 10/10 is because of how stupid the way they made Yuna act at a certain point was, but that's it, that was literally the only flaw. Everyone is an amazing actor and all the characters were great as well. I'd rewatch this millions of times if I could! The story is THAT good, and so is the song.
Donggu was everything, and Joonki was awesome too. I love how there are so many lines from this drama that stay with you!
Bonus points for being perfect in length at 20 episodes and duration at 1H.
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This review may contain spoilers
Trust me on this: only watch the parts that include Song Jaerim
To be honest, I never thought this drama would be so bad. I can't write a review without spoilers, but if you ask me, you won't regret reading this before watching.There was zero chemistry between Yiyoung and Dohun, it never even felt like they were a couple, and honestly it would've been a lot better if they had been just friends, because what were the writers thinking making Dohun date someone he thought had dated and maybe killed his brother?! Seriously, who even wrote this?! There were so many things that didn't make sense, it seemed like someone wrote the script in five minutes without thinking about what they were doing.
Shiwon's performance was terrible, she had literally one facial expression and everything sounded and looked fake - she was actually the right person to play Yiyoung's cousin, because Sejeong's acting is almost the exact same, except Sejeong's is even worse; let's say I'd rate Shiwon's acting a 2/10, and Sejeong's a 1/10, because, yes, they're that terrible, and it's honestly ironic how the story included a character that was going to get into a University to study music without being talented, while these two actresses were in this drama. This was insulting to all the great actors who had to work with them. I'm rating the acting a 4/10 because I had to rate it and didn't know what to choose, since I didn't want to be unfair to the good actors who were in this (several of whom I already knew and admired), but at the same time I didn't want to choose too high of a rating because the bad actresses don't deserve to benefit from it. Sejeong is a great singer and a great dancer, she should stick to that.
If the story had been properly written, I would've liked to see Jaerim and Seunghee as the main characters / couple - Seunghee is a great actress and I was sad we rarely got to see her in this drama, but then again, the way this was written, it wouldn't have made a big difference.
Everything was predictable, boring because it felt like nothing was happening almost 100% of the time, and the drama was full of cringey clichés, such as Yiyoung tripping and falling into Dohun's arms a million times - even once would've been a cliché, let alone several times.
Song Jaerim carried this drama on his back, the only parts I'd rewatch and recommend watching to first time watchers are the ones that include his character - do that and you'll be able to put up with this without rolling your eyes.
On another note, all the songs were absolutely amazing - definitely one of the best, if not the best, drama OSTs I've heard, so I highly recommend listening to it, especially '눈부신 날' by Song Jieun!
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This review may contain spoilers
Outstanding actors
I already knew a few of the actors, so as soon as I saw them, I got high expectations... I got to say that this drama gets better as it progresses, but it could've been better executed - they shouldn't have made Bomi such a bad person, because it was just impossible to like her, which was sad because her character development would've been perfect if they'd made her a good person with personality issues; this is where the writers failed, because since they made her a bad person, her character development didn't mean much. As for Yoori, the actress who played her, she couldn't have been more perfect - I was SO impressed! I don't think people realise how hard it is to cry uncontrollably while filming a comedy scene, and she did it so, so, so well! I absolutely loved her performance! She definitely made a fan out of me. Bom, on the other hand, was one of the sweetest characters I've ever seen, and Jiwon's performance was amazing as well. The same can be said for Hyungseok - OMG, I LOVED that character! He was everything and more! All the actors were outstanding.I really appreciate the fact that some of the characters were adopted, and it was especially important to include Bom-il in this story to represent all the Korean children who were adopted into other countries and had their identities erased.
Something that made absolutely no sense was the fact that they switched actual bodies rather than minds, but the way they switched faces was so well-done, it looked so real!
I loved the 'Secret Garden' reference, thank you so much for that!
[Warning: Spoiler ahead!]
I kept waiting for Lee Bom and Hyungseok to be together, but when the drama ended I was extremely disappointed - their story was honestly the best part of the plot, and Jiwon and Jonghyuk had so much chemistry!
[End of spoiler]
To summarise, watch this drama for the acting and for the comedy, and don't expect too much - this isn't so bad that I'd consider it a 5/10, but it's also not extremely good, although it had the potential to be. I'd rewatch it for those reasons as well, but it's definitely not a drama that I'd rewatch many times.
Just a side note that the song is very fun, I liked it a lot.
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