allyson
San Antonio, TX
So, after watching Shin Min Ah and Joo Ji Hoon getting it on, I was really looking forward to more passionate scenes. What I got was kind of lukewarm instead. Of course, it's a love triangle, and Min Ah's character was married to her childhood friend, so there are complications in the way. But what could have been a really amazing movie about a woman growing was just kind of a weird tale of people who were super blase about cheating until it became clear the feelings still lingered.
Ji Hoon remained rather adorable throughout, until he was confronted by the husband and then he seemed kind of petulant. I wasn't a fan of the ending, either, though I don't want to spoil why. It just felt like the easy way out to end it that way.
Anyway, if you are a fan of Joo Ji Hoon, then this is a must watch. Or at least, the first 15 minutes are a must watch, that is. Though, you might be more satisfied by just googling the one sexy scene, if that's what you are looking for. I gave this such a high rewatch score simply because of that one :p
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This movie was pretty funny, the lead guy made me laugh quite a few times. There were a lot of familiar faces in this drama, too. The lead from Vineyard Man, the president from City Hunter, the lawyer ex from Lie To Me. It was fun waiting to see who would pop up next.
Storyline-wise, this movie was slow and a little dull. I really didn't care about the lead actress's first love at all, and they spent way, way too much time on it, instead of developing the relationship between the two leads. I get that it was about her trying to find her first love, but for some reason it felt like they spent too much time on it, since the guy gets only 30 seconds of screen time. It was neat how they used the lead guy to stand in his as the first love in all of the memory sequences, I will admit.
All in all, this movie wasn't horrible, had some laughable moments and a cute kiss scene. But it lacked chemistry so it wasn't really serviceable as a romance, and wasn't really all that funny enough to be considered a comedy. If it were a book, I'd call it general fiction. If you are just looking for something to kill some time and only have Netflix as an option, I would recommend it. If you have other options, you might take a pass.
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My addiction and love of this show does not mean that it is perfect, though I did give it a 10. This is one of those dramas where I think the cute will have to wear out before I bump it down to its more rightful 9 rating.
The story was different in some ways, but really just more of the same drama tropes and characters. The more dramas I watch, the more confident I am in what I will like, and Flower Boy Next Door completely hit that for me. First, you have the eye candy. All of the main characters in this drama were beyond beautiful to look at. Second, you have a damsel in distress, and I am a SUCKER for a good damsel in distress. Not a whiny, can't do anything for herself kind of damsel, but the kind with a past who just needs a little nudge in the right direction kind of damsel. Third, a knight in shining armor to come in and rescue the day and realize he needed just as much rescuing himself.
That's what made this drama shine so much. It wasn't just Dok Mi who was in need of help, but all of the characters started this drama looking for something, and even better all of them found it! this is just one serious feel-good drama, if you're tired of all of the melodramas and angst in the world, pick this one up. I promise it will make you smile like crazy.
Now because I feel like I might be too adamant with my love for this show, I do want to mention a couple of things that irked me just a bit. First off, Seo Young was such an irritating character. She was so selfish and brash, it left me wondering what Enrique ever could have seen in her. Also, I never really fully understood her relationship with Enrique's cousin, or really even Enrique's relationship with him. It was all just so weird, and quickly gotten rid of with little to no explanation. I mean, it is a little nice to not have prior love interests hanging around messing things up, but it was so abrupt how they dropped that storyline. Also, I feel like they didn't really go into Jin Rak's relationship with his family as much as I would have liked. I am sitting here trying to think of other things that bugged me, but that's all I've got! I guess I did love this one a little too much.
TL;DR? Watch this drama ASAP. You need Enrique in your life. Promise!
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Story: The story is a mix of insanely unbelievable coincidences, overly used cliches with a heaping dash of wonderful thrown in. Even when they were completely disregarding the intelligence of the viewers by not only having her father being helped by one love interest but as well as having the lost brother being helped by the other love interest, this show was still a really great watch. Just be prepared to suspend disbelief in more ways than one.
Acting/Cast: This drama was way, way too long though. I didn't even like it all that much for the first 13 or 14 episodes, I persisted only so that I could finally start Flower Boy Next Door. But then Lee Seung Gi's character stops being such a self-centered jerk and starts to grow and mature and I was hooked. What new catastrophe would the evil witch and her daughter create next? Would Jun Se ever stop being the absolute perfect guy? Would the witch and her mother ever realize there was just zero way to win with the absurdity of the lies they spouted? These questions needed answers!
Music: I honestly can't remember a single song! Except for one that my friend pointed out sounded like a song from Full House. Which only made me realize how much the lead girl looks like Song Hye Kyo sometimes!
Rewatch Value: I rewatch, A LOT. There are very few dramas that I have seen that I can say I would never go back and rewatch my favorite scenes from. But I don't see myself ever going back and watching anything over again from this one. Too much sad and ridiculousness. I loved it, of course, but I don't think there is anything I want to go back for.
Overall: This drama is worth watching, even if you end up skimming a lot of it, like I was tempted to do. And did do for a couple of scenes, like everything to do with Jun Se's dad. This drama isn't an overly happy one, in fact for the most part it's pretty angst-filled. So be ready to shed a few tears if you decide to start it!
PS. Moon Chae Won is an AMAZING actress! I have never seen an actor or actress cry as naturally as she does, and even in midst of my deep hatred for Seung Mi, she was able to spark sympathy in me.
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The actors were fair to middlin' as my nana would say. There wasn't really anything spectacular here, nothing extraordinary. In fact, as I am writing this, I can't think of a single scene that really blew me away or left me dying for more. I did finish all but the last part of episode 32 in two days, so that's not say that this drama isn't somewhat compelling.
I think my main point of contention with this drama was just how many dropped story points there were. There were so many people and situations introduced that we just never heard from again. And even with the main characters, it was like they were only used when it was convenient for the storyline. During the whole basement period where no one knew where Kang Hwi was, it was like he had never existed with any of the characters other than Man Ok. And why do we never find out what happened to Tae Ik's parents? Or more of what happened with Kang Hwi's? Though, we did get more of Kang Hwi's than Tae Ik's at least. And the whole consequences of the gambling thing are never brought up again either after that one episode.
The whole thing ended up feeling a little schizophrenic and all over the place. I was extremely disappointed in the lack of friendship between Kang Hwi and Tae Ik. We are supposed to believe that these people were best friends, to the point that Se Ryung was jealous she tried to destroy it. But that's what I don't get. If it was that strong a relationship, how was it that all she had to do was kiss him and it was irrevocably destroyed? I just refuse to believe that a friendship that is supposedly so strong could be destroyed so easily and so permanently and that Tae Ik would never stop and think that maybe he was misunderstanding his very best friend.
As for villains, LJ was just a ridiculous one. I have a really hard time believing someone in his position woul continuously make as many poor choices as he did. If there was a wrong or dumb move to make, he was going to make it. It didn't come across as evil, just as if the writers expected their viewers to not care that all of it was just dumb.
All in all, it was just poorly executed. The first Full House was my very first Asian drama, but even so I came into this with low expectations. I just feel really sad that with as low as they were, they still couldn't be met. I would say if you have free time and nothing else to watch, then give this a shot. Otherwise there are much better love triangle dramas, and way way better kpop dramas out there. I mean, seriously, you are going to make a drama about a kpop duo and only give them ONEFREAKINGSONG to sing and dance on stage? I can understand it may be difficult to write your own songs for a show, I don't really know what goes into something like that. But if you know you only have ONE SONG, why oh why do you make them perform at least once every little half episode for the first 10 parts? You can touch, be my girl, you can fly, let me love love you tonight. It will never get out of my head!
As an aside, seriously, I think these boys were absolutely insane for hiring anyone with hair that awful and who dressed that poorly as their stylist. She wore a shirt with a collar made of stuffed cats for Christ's sake. My brain just kepy repeating "Did that really just happen?" over and over again.
I'd really like to come up with a list of positive things about this show to explain why I actually liked it. But honestly, I think I liked it because I just have really awful taste! And I'm OK with that :p
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Logically, there were a lot of flaws and inconsistencies in the storyline. There was stuff that didn't make sense and stuff that was too ludicrous to believe, even accepting that it's a fantasy world. And sometimes the characters were just so dumb, you just wanted to shake them! But even with all of that, this drama was still amazing.
In a vague way, this drama reminded me a lot of Queen In Hyun's Man. The plot lines aren't really similar, but the feeling of love you got from Dae Woong is really similar to what I get from Boong Du.
The cast just did an amazing job, even the supporting roles. I adore the grandfather to pieces, he was just so adorable, always trying to do what's right for this daughter and grandson. And though the relationship with the director and Min Sook was absolutely ridiculous, it was fun as heck to watch.
I will admit, I did get bored towards the end of the drama, episode 15 being a completely waste of time. I mean, I understand why it was necessary, I just didn't enjoy it. And then episode 16 came along and I cried buckets.
In all seriousness, if you haven't added this drama to your list already, it needs to happen ASAP. This is not a drama that any person who loves love stories should miss.
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The acting was pretty amazing, especially by Park Shi Hoo. He was just a delight to watch for the majority of the show. Moon Geun Young was not bad either, and the supporting cast did a fairly good job as well. This isn't your average boy meets girl story, and it will have you questioning what makes a good person and what it means to love someone. Storyline wise, there were some stumbles and the pacing was a little funny at times. But all in all, it was a good drama, and I don't feel like I wasted my time watching it.
Now, for the subjective part. I HATE books, stories, movies,dramas that involve a major lie. They make me extremely uncomfortable, like I am just constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. The synopsis I read forever ago when they had first announced the drama made no mention that it was about a girl lying her way into the upperclass or I don't think I'd have started it.
If I were to break down the thought process I had for the episodes:
1 and 2 - Why is everyone crying all of the time? Is this a romcom or melodrama?
3 - So it IS a romcom. Park Shi Hoo, I need to have your babies.
4 through 7 - Seriously, Park Shi hoo, can I have your babies?? Also, Han Se Kyung stop being such a b***h.
8 through 13 - Why does everyone make such bad choices???
14 through 16 - I am ready for this drama to be done already.
I think the problem was that I hated Se Kyung too much to really get into this drama. Seung Jo was like a lost little puppy, and all along I felt like she was just kicking him over and over again, even if he didn't know about it yet. I understand her motives, I cann appreciate her gumption. But Seung Jo was such a good-hearted guy, I hated her.
All in all, it is definitely a watchable drama, just be prepared for a crap ton of lying and worrying about when the truth will finally come out. And if nothing else, at least watch this drama for Seung Jo's dance scene in episode 3 :p
Side note: Not that this drama had a love triangle in it at all, but will Kim Ji Suk ever get a drama where he gets the girl in the end??
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The storyline is one that I am sure many drama addicts have come across, at least the part where a girl discovers herself in a position where she must pretend to be a man. What makes this story rise above the other undercover girl shows is the cast of characters. If you look up the word 'bromance' in the dictionary, there would be a picture of Yeorim, Geol Oh, Ga Rang and Big Shot to describe it. Not really though, since bromance isn't really a word, but the point remains that the relationship between these four characters was just compelling and made you want to be one of them. The love the four had for each other, the willingness to put their lives on the line for the safety and well being of their friends is just incredible to watch. Not to mention how ridiculously hilarious (and good looking!) the four of them were together.
The romance angle was definitely not lacking either. But it also remains my contention of why this show doesn't warrant a 10, at least not from me. Sungkyunkwan Scandal excells when it is light and frothy, the fun and joking being the best part of the show. Whenever the show gets bogged down in court intrigue and other women and jealousy it really suffers, though not irreparably so. Even in the midst of all of the angst, there is still someone doing something that will make you smile!
If you are like me and you are hesitating to start this drama because of the historical aspect, stop! It's exceedingly easy to overcome that within the very first episode, and all you will want is more :) Definitely give this a shot and if after the first few episodes, if you still aren't digging it, you won't have lost much. But I promise, once you start it, you just won't be able to stop :)
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That perfection lays heavily on all of the actors in it. There wasn't a single actor who wasn't phenomenal, the kid actors especially. And while I seriously worry about the hydration needs of the actors, their ability to have me crying right along with them every single time was just amazing. Even the supporting cast was superb, especially Jung Woo's partner/wife and Soo Yeon's mother. Her scenes were some of the most emotional and the actress deserves extreme props for pulling it off the way she did.
This story is definitely not all puppies and rainbows, it gets amazingly sad and intense and you will want to shake the characters back into their senses on more than one occasion. I wanted so much to hate Harry, especially after the incident with the can, but my heart just broke for him over and over again. As it did for so many of the other characters.
Your heart will feel like it's been put throug a wringer by the time you finish it, but it's an emotional roller coaster you seriously don't want to miss. And for all of the sadness and heartbreak, there is a lot of happy and cute moments. It's a group of people that you just want everything in the world to go right for them, but people and situations just keep getting in the way.
If you want something that will keep you on the edge of your seat and truly make you fall in love with fictional characters, then I definitely recommend you pick this one up ASAP. You won't regret it!
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Full of cliches and ridiculous plot lines, I can see why some people would be turned off by it. But if you have ever found yourself wishing at the end of the drama that they would have spent a little more episode time at the end showing the happy couple doing happy lovey dovey things, then this drama is for you! That's not to say this drama is also roses and being happy, but they definitely do have a lot of couple stuff that most dramas miss out on because of all of the angst.
Though, there was plenty of angst for those who like an ample dash of it in their dramas. I personally hated the entire Yoon Joo storyline, and seriously, why even make Sang Hee a character if you are just going to forget he exists after episode 8? And yes, it's true the last episode did seem a little pointless since by that point you knew how it was going to end. But when it's all said and done, this drama was a lot of fun to watch them try and work their way through the lies, and then try and figure out how to make it work once it wasn't a lie.
And, seriously. That coke kiss scene is so incredibly hot in context. I've seen the clip before and I have to say, it's not nearly as hot unless you have the episode before that with the karaoke kiss to compare it to that it becomes ridiculously hot :p Ki Joon was such a great leading male, I loved watching him. I can't believe how much I went from disliking his hair in the first episode (that man does not look good with bangs!) and hating his voice to loving him as much as I do now at the end. He was one romantic dude!
Anyway, before I make this even more unbearably long, I just want to say to give this drama a shot! You might just find out that it was worth the few days it takes to watch it :)
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Now that I have seen true chemistry between leads, I can understand that the chemistry between Jan Di and Jun Pyo was just nonexistent. I can still remember right after I finished I was searching the web for more information, and was irritated by how many people were trashing the actress who played Jan Di for doing a horrible job, and it's taken me a year to agree with them. Jan Di's character was harsh and grating 75% of the time. To the point where I look back and wonder exactly what Jun Pyo found so alluring about her.
My love for Lee Min Ho is as great as it was a year ago, but now I can see that his acting in BBF is not anything like his acting ability in any of his subsequent dramas. Jun Pyo was over the top and ridiculous. But to be honest, that's why he was so lovable.
Three of the four F4 members are given pretty solid storylines, though So Yi Jung's didn't really show up til they needed to give Jan Di's friend a love interest. There is one scene where all of a sudden the writer's decided to try and give the fourth member Song Woo Bin a bit of a storyline involving his complaints about his mafia family and how F4 was his only family now, and it was just awkward. I felt bad for him that they never made a real effort to incorporate him into the storyline more than just the muscle.
I still love BBF and it will always have a special spot in my heart and I still find myself going back to some of my favorite scenes. If you want something that has a pretty ridiculous storyline and tons of drama, drama, drama and ridiculously good looking boys then Boys Before Flowers is exactly what you need!
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First, could Jung Gyu Woon be any more adorable? I mean, seriously, that is one good looking guy. Even Kim Min Joon (whose MDL picture just does NOT do him justice!) is ridiculously cute in this show. I felt like they could have done more with both characters, especially Kim Min Joon's. His character was just kind of thrown in whenever it was convenient for the writers, and his storyline felt incomplete.
I also did like the lead actress quite a bit too, though the script did not really do her justice. All in all, it was an interesting look into humanity, and how money can change a person's morality and make them do things they never would have before coming into a large sum of money. But what that has to do with a town of romance, I can't tell you. I did like the relationship between the maids, and how they were all so willing to fight for each other. Well, at least til the money got involved, in which case they just wanted to fight with each other.
When everything is said and done, this drama is not wholly irredeemable, but it definitely could have been cut in half and been a much more watchable experience. 20 episodes just seemed to drag on and on and on and on and...well you get the point.
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This review may contain spoilers
A friend of mine recently said that sometimes a drama can just creep up on you. Never has that been more true than with The Vineyard Man. I struggled so much trying to watch this drama, I dropped it twice without being able to get through the first episode. I honestly couldn't imagine that I would ever enjoy it, even as I was watching it. But as with Secret Garden, I am so glad I was willing to give this show a third chance. This show is far from perfect, some episodes drag, and they definitely took their sweet time advancing the romantic story line. They spent way WAY too much time on the love triangle aspect of the show. As you get into the second half, it's like they just can't stop beating the dead horse as they tried too hard to extract every bit of drama and frustration that a love triangle can bring.
The characters were all pretty phenomenal, especially Jang Taek Gi. Seriously, he may have taken the spot as my number one drama hero fantasy boyfriend :p He was so incredibly sweet and caring, even if he could be dense at times. Lee Ji Hyun was so stinking irritating in the first 8 or 9 episodes, she is what made this drama so hard to get through! She was just a spoiled brat, and I hated listening to her whine. I know that that was the point, she is supposed to undergo a transformation, but she was just so unlikable in the beginning, it was grating. The secondary characters were a joy to watch, too. The villagers were all funny, I especially loved Taek Gi's best friend. His voice cracked me up. The only character I wasn't too fond of was the granduncle, which is weird because I have loved that actor in everything else I have seen him in.
I, of course, don't want to get too spoilery, but I will say the last episode was the best of the whole series, hands down. There wasn't too much romance by way of kissing or any other kind of PDA, but there was plenty of sweet scenes to keep you going :)
Bottom line, there are some things I would have changed, but all in all this was well worth the effort of slogging through the parts that dragged on. If you find yourself getting bored in the first few episodes, I would really recommend reading some recaps to get you through them. If you are looking for something fun, sweet, and pretty funny then this is what you are looking for! If you can make it through the boring, you will definitely be rewarded by the sweet and irresistible!
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Now, can I just say, I am in LOVE with Mukai Osama! He is ridiuclously cute, and a pretty decent actor! He even has me considering checking out some more Jdramas just to watch him!
The storyline was a little bizarre, and the comedy a little too slapstick. One of the pitfalls of having such short episodes in time as well as the number of episodes, means that you lose a lot of character development, and this drama was a bit lacking in that area. Chisato was a cute character, and the actress who played her did a very good job portraying her. The rest of the reverse harem also was done fairly well, though I will say that Takeru was a little grating at times.
All in all, this was a pretty good drama, a great way to waste away my Sunday. If you are looking for something fun and silly, something to waste time on, this is your drama! The characters will have you rooting for them to succeed at every turn, and maybe wish you had a reverse harem of your own :p
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This was my first "historical", and I use the word loosely because I understand that this is by no means a real historical, in that there is time travel and magic. The time travel aspect isn't really unique, especially with the recent crop of dramas this year utilizing it. However, the magic was a first for me, though I wish they had handled it better, or maybe utilized an explanation a little bit more. No one in the present seemed to be aware that magic ever existed, even when Eui Seon seemed to know a lot about Choi Young from her history books. You'd think that he could control lightning magic would have been a prominent focus.
The cast in this show was just amazing, seriously. Though, as it is my goal to someday have Lee Min Ho's babies, I may be a little biased. I had never even heard of Kim Hee Sun before this, and her acting in Faith has me interested in looking up her past dramas. I can't believe it's been 6 years since she has acted! The supporting cast was also a delight to watch, especially Dae Man, who I am glad we finally got a bit of his backstory later on in the drama. I kept wishing they'd tell us how he came to find Choi Young! I loved Lee Philip in Secret Garden, and I wish he had a bigger role in this drama, though I understand his eye surgery issues may have had a part in that. My main complaint on the cast probably lies more with the script than the actor himself. The King was just so whiny! I understand the idea that Kings are humans too, and I get how they tried to humanize him, but sometimes I just wanted to hit him over the head and tell him to man up already!
I make myself wait a day after finishing something before writing a review, because sometimes, you're just too close to it to accurately describe how you are feeling. And usually by that time, I have forgotten all about the music. But this show had such great music, it stuck with me. It really fit the tone of each scene remarkably well.
If you want something with lots of action, a sweet romance story (with next to zero PDA), and lots of kidnapping, murder, attempted murder, poisoning, subterfuge and court intrigue, then this is the drama for you! The romance remains the key plot point for the drama, so you have to like love stories or I think you might be rather bored by all of the posturing and pursuit of Eui Seon's heart.
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