allyson
San Antonio, TX
Dokko Jin was oft-times ridiculous, irritating, and childish. Despite all of that, he was also sexy, sweet, romantic and adorable. His character was nothing new in terms of kdrama heroes, but he was still such a great leading man, even if you wanted to punch him in the face occasionally for so being so completely oblivious at times. His naivete was adorable, and his crazy laugh was somehow endearing.
I wasn't really that impressed with Gu Ae Jung. Her character was kind of bland, and a little unbelievable because she was the "forever good" kind of character, who never even has a mean thought about someone, or so it would seem. I really felt like they could have made her character a little more multidimensional and not have lost out on how completely Dokko fell in love with her.
The supporting characters were, for the most part, a complete pleasure to watch. Ding Dong was adorable, Se Ri was a good evil foil, without being to irredeemable, and the Pil Ju was so beyond sexy, there should be a new word made up to describe. I was totally rooting for Dokko and Ae Jung, but I can't help it if I also want to jump on the Pil-line!!
The storyline wasn't anything new or revolutionary, and that's just the way I like it, I think! It's a good rom-com that will make you hurt for all of the characters at some point in time, and root for everyone to have a happy ending! And Dokko and Pil Ju will have you smiling like a fool at least once an episode.
If you are looking for a new romantic comedy, that is really cute at times and a lot of fun to watch, then this is what you should watch!! The love story in this one is definitely not something that romance fan should miss :)
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Of course, that still doesn't mean there is anything exceptional about this drama. The storyline is unbelievable and the characters over the top. The twist are more like straight lines and the "villains" aren't really deserving of the title. A good punch in the face, maybe, but not really evil necessarily.
What makes this drama worth the 16+ hours is post-accident Nam Hae. His character is so...adorable? It's hard to find the right adjective! His feelings for So Ra were cute and it was fun to watch them try and sort stuff out. And her and her hands, always sticking them out to help a scared, lost man who has nothing was really touching. Their romance is worth the watch!
The uncles at times were both hilarious and aggravating. I loved how much they loved So Ra and her father, and I really loved So Ra's dad. His character probably had me bustin' out laughing the most.
I really liked most of the music, though the beach/ukulele/Hawaiian-esque instrumental that they played at the end of most episodes and during the "sexy" parts was a mood killer! Nothing worse than fangirling over a kiss to have that music bash you over the head.
If you want something fun, easy and non-life altering, give this a shot! Though, I wouldn't blame you if you fast forwarded through a lot of the first 5-6 episodes!
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Then they turned Pan Da into this annoying caricature of a woman, and started trying to throw in twists that were obvious from a mile away. I know there is a Korean term for it, but for me, this show just kept jumping the shark!
But enough negativity, since there really are some good things about this show that make it worth watching. Firstly, Won Yi. She made this show worth watching, she was so ridiculously adorable and over the top, I swear I have a minor crush on her! Also, Hedgehog's character was so fun to watch, even when the crap hit the proverbial fan. He was like the Energizer Bunny, not stopping for anything. His "1, 2, 3 Go!" was just adorable and watching his feelings develop (very quickly, I might add) for Pan Da just made you love him all the more.
The cast of supporting characters also really helped in making this a fun drama to watch. I will admit, I cried pretty hard towards the end, and I wouldn't have if it weren't for the amazing job the cast did with a sometimes ridiculous script.
If you are looking for something cute, fluffy and no where near groundbreaking or deep, then this is what you want!
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It's hard to figure out what I didn't like about the show. It simultaneously moved way too fast, and way too slow in varying aspects to where the timing felt messy. And the music was horrible. I understand that Bong Sun was suffering from a deep depression and Jae Hee's life wasn't a walk in the park. Happy, carefree music would have been inappropriate. But the music they used went back and forth between sounding like the background music to an erotic film, and something out of Deep Space 9. I was not a fan.
I was a fan, however, of Bong Sun and Dr. Park's interactions. I really liked how he just understood her, and tried to guide her through the tough time she was having without pushing her too hard for the most part. And his dealings with Jae Hee also showed a level of understanding on Dr. Park's part that made me wish they hadn't given him a sad backstory as well. Though, to be fair, if he hadn't gone through his own demons, he would probably not be capable of helping others with theirs.
I think that was the main reason I ended up not loving this drama. Every character had a sad or dark backstory, and happiness for each character was so hard won. Any time something good happened, I had this dread in my stomach that something or someone (namely, Hwa Young) was going to come along and ruin it.
This is definitely not a bad drama. If you are looking for a romance that isn't as bright and cheery as a romcom, but still manages to throw in a couple laughs every now and then along with all of the drama, then this is what you should watch! The acting is extremely well done, and Lee Ki Kwang, the chef from My Princess was adorable to watch. He was the shining light in all of the darkness.
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That being said, I know a lot of people say this pales in comparison to its Japanese forefather. Maybe that's true, but for me that's pretty hard to believe. I had said that You're Beautiful is as close to perfect as Kdramas get, and I think this one falls right in that same category.
Tae Joon and Jae Hee were just adorable characters. I love how Tae Joon starts out as a bit hapless, always falling behind everyone else in doing sweet things for Jae Hee. In that aspect, it was nice to see him grow and start to take control and realize how much Jae Hee meant to him. As for Jae Hee, her character was almost a little too good, always wanting to do what's right for other people to the extent that you just wanted to shake her sometimes!
But for me, the real star of the show was Eun Gyul! He was goofy, ridiculous, and handsome and his smile was addictive. His inner turmoil over liking what he thought was a man was very well done and extremely believable, moreso than I feel K-Pop TUA did with Woo Hyun. I think this show would have failed horribly if it weren't for Eun Gyul, and more specifically Lee Hyun Woo who played him. He is definitely someone I will keep a close eye on from now on :)
To The Beautiful You makes my drama list up to 24 dramas since November 2011 and I am fairly good now at picking out dramas that I personally will adore. That being said, I could not have anticipated how happy this drama would make me feel. Every single episode was just a smile-fest for me, and the characters seriously brightened up the room when they were on my TV. I found myself stopping mid-episode, trying to prolong my enjoyment of the show and I NEVER do that!
All of that being said, I will admit there were faults in the show. The situation with Tae Joon's dad seemed a little forced, and the ending really made me mad. Not because of how it ended, but because it was so rushed! I felt like they could have taken the last 10 minutes and made it in to two more episodes, or one more at the very least.
Long story short, if you are looking for something fun to watch, something that will make you laugh out loud and cringe in embarrassment for the characters at time, definitely watch this! Hilarious, touching, sad, amazing, maddening, romantic, cute. Pick an adjective and chances are it will fit this show :)
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I will say why Flower Boy failed in trying to emulate Secret Garden. One reason being, the love triangle. Of course in Secret Garden there is the hint of a love triangle. No one more than I wanted the director and Ra I'm to lock lips at least once! I felt the same way in this show about and Eun Bin and one of her suitors. But for entirely different reasons. He and Eun Bi had a pretty hot connection! Where I just felt bad that the director had this unrequited love, Eun Bi's secondary suitor was smoking hot and definitely deserving of a good make out scene. They also dragged the love triangle out way, way too long. In SG, a love triangle was so minor, it's laughable, but it mainly focused on a different external obstacle towards their love. Flower Boy tried to work the love triangle til the end, and then, as an afterthought, throw in some obstacles once the decision was made. It was totally jumping the shark.
The cast was pretty well done, I thought. Especially the sidekicks, they were adorable most of the time. I thought Kang Hyuk was remarkably well acted, the best of the three leads. I just wanted to hug him all of the time! If I ha met Cha Chi Soo in real life though, much like The lead in SG, he'd have been missing some teeth by the time I was done with him.
All in all, it's not a bad drama, but definitely nothing to go out of your way to watch. The romance was mediocre, the comedy amusing, so if you have time to kill you might pick this up. But honestly, if you haven't watched Secret Garden yet, I'd watch that before spending time on this one!
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Can I just say, the chemistry between Ra Im and Joo Won was absolutely insane. Joo Won was a total jerk (and if you were hoping for a reformed bad boy by the end, you might not want to hold your breath!). Some of the things he said to her, if I were in her place, he'd have been missing a few teeth by the end of the show. All of that being said, Gil Ra Im completely holds her own against him, and it ends up being a lot of fun to watch them bicker.
I think this show made me cry the most times out of all of the dramas I have seen, and definitely laugh the most times. It knows how to burrow itself deep down and tug those heartstrings at the drop of a hat, so definitely be prepared with a box of tissues! If you are looking for a really, really good romance with a heavy dose of comedy thrown in, and some dramatic roadblocks thrown in the way of the couple along the way, then this is what you want to watch. Seriously. Go watch it right now!
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Objectively, this show is not good. I guess that's why I have to remind myself how awful my taste is at times, because even with all of the problems this show had (and there are plenty!!), I still liked it quite a bit.
Woo Hyun is absolutely adorable. Even from the beginning when he was in jerk mode i loved him. Watching him grapple with his feelings for what he believes is a man is actually interesting, where it very easily could have been uncomfortable. If it weren't for Woo Hyun's character, this would easily have been unwatchable. It is unfortunate, however, that both he and Seung Yeon fell victim the Korean brick wall of kissing. Not once did they have a kiss that would make you feel anything.
None of the other characters ever get a chance to shine. I think this is why I avoid shows with such large casts. There is not enough time to try and let the viewer connect with each character, and this show particularly failed at that. This show also fails at providing a villain to hate. The villains it offered were never given clear motives, so it was hard to understand why they acted the way they did. Why did Team
leader Han feel the need to throw herself behind Woo Hyun so fervently? Why did In Young's character make absolutely no sense to the story line? There were a lot of mistakes made throughout the series; gaping plot holes, dropped strory lines, etc. Even the "love triangle" utterly failed to tug at the heart strings.
All of that being said, the show is not wholly irredeemable. The relationship between Seung Yeon and Woo Hyun was adorable, and a lot of fun to watch in the later half of the season. I'm telling you, Woo Hyun's smile will absolutely melt your heart! If you are looking for something to waste time on, that won't make you cry or really feel too much of anything, then this is for you! Just be prepared, the ending is left open to a lot of interpretation, so if you like a pretty bow on top of all of your answered questions, then I would not suggest you watch this drama.
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When the show starts, Pal Kang is a frivolous, irritating young woman who doesn't care about anything other than landing the lawyer as her husband. This show does an amazing job of show casing her growth as a person and as a mother. My only complaint is the sheer number of times she felt the need to say that when she cut her hair in the bath house, that was when she stopped being a woman. There are some episodes where she felt the need to point that out 3 or more times! As for her male counterpart, his growth was also very interesting to watch. I definitely enjoyed just how much room the writers gave these characters to grow together.
As for the remaining cast, the nephew was hilarious, if a little too much at times. His love for Pal Kang was a welcome comedic relief though. And the three children's devotion to each of Pal Kang's potential husbands was also something that was really fun to watch. I never did end up liking the brother, Joon Ha, though. He always came off as kind of slimy, even when he was trying his hardest to be a sincere knight in shining armor. Ugh, and don't even get me started on Jae Yong. Her strict adherence to the idea that Kang Ha had to marry her absolutely, no matter what, was irritating, cause it's never given a clear motive of why. It doesn't make sense, the lengths she goes to to force Kang Ha into a relationship with her.
And this is definitely a show that ends up jumping the shark in the last episode. Majorly. Without spoiling it, let's just say, the last episode felt as if the writers were giving a big middle finger to the audience's intelligence, I have to say. Maybe if they had spent a little more time developing hte storyline they threw in in the last episode, it might have made more sense.
All in all, this show is a cute, easy watch. Nothing ground breaking or earth shattering, but fun and cute, even if you do end up wanting to punch several characters straight in the face at times.
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The other members of the WOC add drama and comedic relief to a show that can be really tense. For this only being Jo Jung Suk's second drama, I was shocked by how incredible he was, and that he wasn't snatched up for dramas a long time ago. As for the villain, Bong Goo is far from terror-inspiring, and tends to drag the show down a little bit because he is never really given a clear motive for why he wants to bring the royal family down, or why he hates Lee Jae Ha so much to want to completely destroy any bit of happiness he has ever had. Or why he is so obsessed with really stupid magic tricks! That being said, he eventually does seem to pick up a bit of rhythym that makes him a worthy adversary for Jae Ha.
Also fascinating, the relations between the North and South. I can't claim a wealth of knowledge about the North, so I don't know how accurate any of their depictions are, but it definitely was an interesting look into the tense relations in the country, and how easily a war can be sparked. All in all, if you enjoy a big dose of drama, kidnappings, murder and attempted murder along with your romance, then King2Hearts is the drama for you! Just be prepared! It will make you cry like a little baby at times :p
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This review may contain spoilers
Honestly, I really liked the first several episodes of this show. I thought Jae Hee was seriously cute, and even though the chemistry between him and Yoon So Yi wasn't that great, it was fun to watch him and his ridiculously adorable smile. Not to mention Shim Ji Ho is just amazingly good looking! But then the jealousy just got out of control and the situations between the characters became more and more implausible. It got to the point where it became painful to watch! I will admit, I mostly pressed fast forward through the last 5 or 6 episodes, just cause I wanted to know who Byun So Ra chose in the end. So as not to get spoilery, I will just say that the ending was so contrived and forced. By episode 20, it was really difficult to care about any of the characters at all. Throughout, Shim Ji Ho is the only thing that made this drama even kind of watchable! Was this review helpful to you?
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