Zogitt

Standard watchable youth drama with a bit of a twist

I don't think anyone who has watched a decent number of j-drama would be surprised by this movie. Fairly standard set up with an over protective brother who is secretly in love with his sister. The sister was confused about her feelings both because of the brother's love-hate behaviour as well as the taboo nature if she was attracted to him. Obviously, the drama can only go for the sad ending or a happy ending so I won't spoil it for you.
The acting was fine. A bit of overacting was to be expected. Music was un-intrusive. The OTP chemistry was quite good and they look cute together. More so than the FL/2ML pairing. Rewatch value is good.

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The show failed to capitalise on a good beginning

Many reviews have already mentioned the big age gap between the FL and the ML. I don't have a problem with that as long as the older ML, being in a power position did not pressure or trick the younger FL into a relationship. So long as they fall in love organically (within the rules of dramaland) then it is what it is.
I did like this drama, especially the beginning 10ish episodes. It was tropey with the boss/employee plot but it was done with a lot of energy and cuteness. There was also a lot of heart in the familial/friend relationships. I was wondering where the show would take us.
What I did find disappointing was that as the show progressed, it got more and more tropey and clichéd. The second half of the show just felt predictable and flat. Yes, lots happened, domineering mother, meddling 2FL, poor communications, sick grandfather, spunky half bro and more. Not that the tropes were not staple of such dramas but in this case, they felt computer generated. They served to generate a bit of angst or more likely, a bit of awkwardness but you never felt that the show was going to surprise you. I understand the show wanted to be angst lite but there were a lot of weak sub plots when a stronger focus on a couple of meatier plots would have been more impactful.
The plot became a bit rudderless once they became a couple. It just hopped from one event to the next until near the end. Promising storyline like the FL being a top chef hit a wall. A more engaging plot line would challenge the FL further as a chef and the ML supporting her through thick and thin. The awesome food porn also faded away by that stage.
The 2OTP was actually not bad, their romance was more grounded but still cute. OST was fine and pleasant. The support cast did a good job.
The tone got dark around episode 20/21 when they introduced a big revenge plot that was unnecessary to the storyline and if anything, showed most involved in a poor light. It just felt staged and cliché. After all the kerfuffle, the ML undid the whole thing and just handed back everything he won in the last episode. Yes, it paved the way for the happy ending but it also made the previous two episodes fairly pointless.
The ending was all rainbows and unicorns but a bit rushed. We are talking multiple pairings including pairs that came out of left field (the uncle's pairing?) and every wish was granted.
To be honest, the show was sustained by the OTP's awesome chemistry and their cute, sweet moments. Good amount of skinship without awkwardness was a bonus. If you are happy to watch the show for the romance alone then it would go down a treat but the rest of the fluff was a bit tedious for me.

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A sweet little modern day fairy tale

Let us be totally honest, this show is about a fantasy. There is also hint of "Ode to hard work" buried in the romantic theme. Don't get me wrong, I totally enjoyed the show and it was a short and a fun watch. The ML is just too perfect. Sure, he was/is a workaholic himself but he certainly enables the FL and supports her (hard) work ethnics 120%. It was never really explained why he fell so hard for the FL but ask no questions and you are given no lies. Not exactly realistic but this is dramaland where they love to throw improbable scenarios at viewer. Other than that, it is low angst, sweet rom-com with a nice amount of skinship. It is even rewatchable as it is so short.

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Help! Is there a script doctor in the house?!

The drama started off promisingly. The FL was on a revenge mission and she had to dress as a man to become a royal doctor and hence enter the household of THE army commander. So far so good, the first few episodes was played like a farce and there were funny moments. The meet-cute between the F/ML was good but I don't really like the power dynamics between the OTP for a good portion of the show. There was so much master/slave role play and grovelling. I was just about to type "then the show began to drag" but I had to stop myself because technically, it didn't drag, well, not yet. It just played with the same ideas over and over with some embellishments. There was progress on the side but the main theme went on for too long without resolution. All this time, the smartest dude in the city, aka the ML, just kept missing all the signs that the FL is actually a she. He got really confused about his feelings for her and pull the noble idiot trick by sending her away as he can't have romantic feelings for a man, heaven forbid!
This actually reminded me of Coffee Prince which had the ML all tied in knots with his feels towards the FL (which was also cross-dressed as a man) but the k-drama was far superior to this but I digress.
Where were we . . . . ? While the first half of this show was muddling its way through some rom-com shenanigan, it all suddenly turned very dark when the commander played the noble idiot card. There were evil plots, tortures, murders, etc. Even when the ML rescued the FL from certain death, you would think "hooray, big reveal, happy times!!", the writer(s) actually doubled down on the gender bending plot and injected more angst and more misunderstandings. Honestly, the first half of the show was built upon one big lie but the second half was basically rounds of misunderstandings compounded by more lies and misguided good intentions. It was a frustrating watch to say the least. This type of tonal inconsistency was quite evident in the second half.
At about the 2/3 mark, the ML finally discovered the FL's gender (but not her true identity), he did a happy dance and swept her off her feet and did all the sweet things that should have taken 3-4 episodes to do but covered them in a few scenes. The good times only lasted a couple of episodes anyway and the show went full melodrama on us. It was not even good melo. Just more angst, more deceits and things kind of went full circle.
Why I said the show went full circle was that a lot of things hinted at the beginning came back to haunt us. When you consider there were literally a handful of key characters, the circle was quite small. Annoying characters that were banished returned. Love triangle that was resolved, revived. The sad part was that the 2ML would have won the Noble Second Lead Syndrome hands down had his personality changed so that he became despicable (he was redeemed at the end). The whole 2FL plot basically went nowhere. I mean nowhere.
A lot of the last third of the show served only to push a few emotional buttons and extended the story. The so called evil mastermind plot was weak and served only to tie a few threads together.
It was no surprised that we ended up with a cliché happy ending. It was nice but not very satisfying. The lady that was the root cause of all the misdeeds didn't really pay for her crimes. She just went and became a nun. A standard out in a historical context but not a very satisfactory from a modern viewer's perspective.

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An ode to Chinese cooking with a side order of romance

Setting a drama in a restaurant or café is nothing new, nor is the main character being a chef or kitchenhand. What was new in this case was how important was the food and all its elements in this drama. Not only was eating a key part (did they eat a lot of food!) but every stage of its creation, mise en place, the cooking and plating were all front and centre. Where most drama would show the kitchen as a busy back drop and chefs running around then the food would magically appear, this is like a full-on cooking show. It was so important that the cooking segments actually had its own theme music! Not that I'm complaining as they were beautifully shot and presented. The only minor negative is that it was obvious the FL can't cook this well so the actual cooking were done by professional chefs and some of the footage had a man's hand doing the cooking. Slightly jarring but you get used to it. Also in that vein, the setting was ancient China but some of the dishes were more like fusion cuisine with modern touches.
Needless to say, this was not suppose to be a cooking show so there has to be a story. Honestly, you have to suspend your disbelieve a bit as the (young) FL just appeared from nowhere and had the ability to cook just about anything and to the highest (we are talking Michelin stars) standard. Once you accept that, the rest of the story is not bad. It is the typical rag to riches type of trope. The FL had to work hard to make it big. She still had time to find love though!
The OTP had good chemistry, there were a bit of skinship but not over the top. The ML was a nice change from the usual period drama ML who can look a touch effeminate. He was a man's man, a skilled martial artist with strong features and a tough demeanour but has a soft spot for the FL. They did make a very good team and he helped her a lot in her journey.
While I said that the story was fairly typical, I have to qualify that by saying it was better than the usual trope as the pacing was smooth and plot twists were handled deftly. Nothing was left to fester. Evil plots are foiled in a timely manner because of the OTP's insightfulness, cleverness and diligence. It was also good to see that the OTP were surrounded by good people that were their true supporters and helpers. Unsurprisingly, the show was angst light but it was not like nothing bad happened, it was just that the OTP handled them well and we moved on. The show was full of positive vibes. Some might consider it too sweet.
Now for the not so good bits. Whilst the show managed to weave food into every aspect of the show, it did make the central plot a bit weak. They had to bring out every possible plot devices involving food (and recycled a few as the show progressed). Some worked but some just felt like inconsequential fillers.
Finally, I actually think this show has a high re-watch value as I wanted to watch the cooking again to steal some ideas and the story was nice and sweet enough that you'd go away feeling warm and fuzzy.
BTW, the FL had a busy year. She was also the FL in the General's Lady which I also enjoyed very much.

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A good rom-com with an engaging story to back up the cute

The promise of this show is not new but it was executed well. Acting was good and the story engaging. The interesting thing about the plot is that the love line is integral to the story but it doesn't drive it. It is the decade old friendship and e-sport world that forms the core of this drama. Because of that, the romance was fairly straightforward. There was a little bit of angst but no more than a few bumps. However, I don't quite understand why they introduce the senior as a competitor for the ML as it was quite obvious from the start (that is why I don't consider this as a spoiler) that he doesn't stand a chance with the FL. If anything, the writer took it too far and he would have been better served if he just come to his senses and bow out gracefully. What we ended up with a sad and broken man for little gain to the drama.
What is also interesting is the patriotic angle. Thankfully, it is not too jingoistic (except towards the end) and some may argue that it is more about making dreams come true for the younger generation. Whichever way you want to see it, it is not a hard sell and the drama is light and warm-hearted in most parts.
Back to the romance, there are several romantic plots in play, some front and centre and some were hinted at and stayed unanswered in the end. It was nice that there was not a lot of angst with the love lines and what there were was resolved fairly timely so that the OTP (and others) can spend more time being lovey-dovey and cute. Speaking of cute, the FL really knows how to do aegyo. Other FL can learn a thing or two from her. These romance sub plots were used well to space out the tense e-sport dramas and friendship angst and some of the funniest moments are generated by the interactions of the OTP.

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Good girl wins it all!

What a sweet love story. It might start off with the usual hate-hate relationship but when they fell in love (organically) they were in deep. Whilst I dislike the usual breakup trope used in most k/c-dramas, I didn't mind it too much here. It was still hard to watch the sadness and angst but it really served to prove to the world just how much they loved each other and you just can't break that bond. There is also a fair bit of skinship and it was done with feeling and maturity. No plastic or fish lips kisses here. OBTW, the show can also be titled "good girl wins it all". Enjoy!

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Trope heavy, standard fare that went on for too long

The show started as a typical office romance rom-com. It moved along steadily for a number of episodes and there were some funny moments and a bit of cute here and there. The story line is the standard cool/aloof boss, bubbly girl pairing. I won't say that there was great chemistry but enough to sustain the plot. There are a decent amount of skinship in the last 1/3. It really took a turn for the worse when they introduced the ex GF trope about 1/3 way into the run. No problem with that as it is so common in dramaland but some bad writing really gave me pause. Not only was the ex manipulative (given), a bit evil (also given) but the story had the ML and 2nd ML doing nothing to spare the FL all the pain and suffering at the hands of the ex even though she was caught red handed in the backstabbing act. She was allowed to keep working in the same office and in a management role no less. I suppose so that she can keep harassing the FL for many, many episodes for our "entertainment". When you consider the ML brought all this on from the beginning and kept digging a deeper and deeper hole is depressing. Complete failure to communicate is not a good plot device. It is just annoying in my book. The saving grace is Dean (2nd ML), he is a true and loyal friend, smart, handsome and protector of the FL. Which only makes the ML look worse by comparison. When you consider the ML final confessed to the FL at the 2/3 mark, I would have given the show a higher marks if they wrapped it up there and then (with a final happy ending episode) but the show went on for another 8+ hours! This means Just about every trope got an airing. It went from a rom-com to melo to farce! Nobody is ever punished for any misdeeds and EVERYONE gets a happy ending, serious?! It got to the point that I was skipping scenes in the middle episodes because it was so annoying and predictable. The needy ex GL served no purpose other than to generate angst and extend the show for way too long. Use that trope by all means but please don't labour it. Finally, don't be fooled by the episode count on Viki. They are double length episodes. On Netflix, it is 39 episodes about 42 mins each. It is not a short nor a quick watch.

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Stop the angst train!

At the end of Flourish Peony, things are looking up. Business is booming, their fake marriage could become real with one kiss. While it didn't exactly end on a high, it was full of promise. I was genuinely looking forward to the continuation of their story.

The start of S2 dashed my hopes. It was disaster after disaster. I can even accept the pain if the love line moves forward. The leads are obviously in love, but they kept dancing around each other. It went nowhere for 11 eps. The final straw is when the ML played the all-mighty Noble Idiot Card™! I was ready to rage quit.

Ye gods, I haven't felt like this for a long time. The show is still great. I can't fault the acting nor the production, they are S tier (as you would expect). It just feels like the show is mocking me. The drama kept teasing me and giving me false hopes. Yet it delivers naught. Consider we waited patiently for 6 months for this, it felt like a gut punch.

I have no doubt this drama was caught in the middle of the rule change regarding drama length. The production company chopped the show in two with scant consideration of how the halves will work after a 6-month hiatus.

As it stands, 2/3 of this new "chapter" feels jarring. We are dropped into a world of hurt. The OTP made scant progress with their relationship but faced setbacks after setbacks. It is literally all pain and no gain.

We finally hit paydirt in EP.17. This is the equivalent of 49 eps and 6+ months in real time before our leads are finally official! So much teasing, meaningful gazes and pining at the moon. Thankfully, the skinship quota went from 0 to 100 in 3 seconds. So much penned up passion on display! We give thanks for any fan service we are about to receive. Amen.

Will you be surprised if I told you the writer then hit us with the weaponised kitchen sink PLUS dishwasher combo? Ep.19/20 are the crème de la crème of angsty twists. Thankfully, the plot armour or maybe the Force is strong with our leads.

This is where I think the show is too focused on the palace intrigue. It sucks all the oxygen from the OTP's storyline. Granted, the antagonist's endless scheming is a ready source of angst, but it is so transparent. There are no subtleties with their machinations.

I rated Flourish Peony 9/10. This part is an 8 only because the last few eps bring home the bacon, otherwise, it would be a 7.5. If it was one 60 eps run, it would have worked better. The forced break in the middle did the show no favour.

It is done and dusted. Peace.

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A cheap wine is not always bad, but a drama can leave a bad taste in your mouth

First of all, do not confuse this with the 2015 k-drama with a similar name.

The premise of the Show is based on the rich guy/poor girl trope. The one key change is the ML has a "rare" genetic disease that cause him to grow younger every day and the FL is the cure. When we first meet the ML, he appears to be around 18-20yo. This allows the Show to turn this into an idol drama. There is nothing new about a young handsome CEO in this genre but it is more problematic here. The issue is that the ML is supposed to be in his thirties, a high profile businessman and a man of the world.

I did try to meld the two characters together but it only serves to break my immersion far too often. I’d do a double take between scenes when I’m trying to realign my bearings. Am I watching the ML being himself or an older man acting out of character? Neither options are a good fit for the Show.

Let's just say it out loud, our young ML just don’t have the acting chops to pull this off. He looks, dresses and acts like an idol. He doesn't possess the gravitas nor the maturity to pull off heavy duty scenes and when he is with the FL, he is just a young gun in love. The script has to share some of the blame because it did little to hide his shortcomings.

On top of that, this Show’s plots are both transparent and predictable. That is a fatal combo in my book. You really don’t need a crystal ball to foretell the future here. Most of the trials and tribulations are piled on in set pieces instigated by cookie cutter antagonists. Some are even self-inflicted.

The antagonists' motivations are crystal clear and their schemes are rudimentary to say the least. To paraphrase a famous movie quote, “of all the trouble spots in all the towns in all the world, the FL walks into every one of them.” Inexperience and naivety can only paper over so much before you start to facepalm as the next pain point approaches like clockwork.

I accept that C-dramas and tropes are two peas in a pod. I can put up with cliché characters and tropey plots as long as the show is enjoyable. Fourth wall/immersion breaking can be fun and an effective tool of the trade but when this is a regular yet haphazard side effect of the plot then it has the opposite effect.

One final thought. With so many c-dramas being produced, new setting and themes are hard to come by. Gaming is popular, so are the medical and business worlds. However, this is a double-edged sword. Some shows do well with the help of learned consultants and industry involvements. You can see and appreciate the effort they've put in. Others resort to a jumble of jargons and make-believe scenarios that are more sleight of hand than creditable. Thus it is brave of the Show to choose the local wine industry as the setting.

It started decent enough, While the narrative is skewed, it is mostly harmless. However, the longer it goes, the more fanciful it becomes. This feeds into the immersion issue I mentioned before. When the plot and acting are good, you can ignore minor issues. In this case, you just can’t unsee/unhear some of the crazy stuff them put up as truism of the whole wine culture. It might sound ok to people who knows nothing about wine but for anyone else, it can be laughable if not downright grating.

Acting wise, I've said enough about the ML. The FL turns in a passable performance but this is essentially a bread-and-butter role for her cadre. The support cast are not doing much better. Their roles are one dimensional and the bar is set fairly low. Nobody is rushing to set a PB.

So, after 13 episodes, I have decided to drop this Show. It is not unwatchable (I have seen worst) but I have lost all interest. I could shelved it indefinitely but why bother to pretend. Maybe quaffing a bottle of vino like they do in the Show would help but my bottles are my Little Precious so I'll take a raincheck instead. Peace out. ;)

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Will they? Won’t they? Do I care?

This is not a bad show, but it never reaches any real heights nor offered anything fresh. It is not exactly draggy, but it lacks a certain spark. It is happy to amble down a well-trodden path at its own pace.

To wit, the A-plot is the classic trope of a hard working FL falling in love with a chaebol heir. The slight twist in this case is that rather than rejecting the offered bribe to leave the ML, the FL accepts it and set a deadline to break up with him.

That is a little unexpected but promises an interesting twist. It came as no surprise then that she found this an impossible task as she discovers how much she truly loves him. Ditto, the ML was initially hurt by the sudden change of heart, but he clings to her like a lovesick limpet. There are cute and swoon-y moments and the pair looks good together. However, 10 hours is a lot of empty space to fill when your A-plot is one sentence long. Half the show is just their slow dance around each other.


Needless to say, to fill the hours, we have the token SM/FL who didn't contribute much. There is a little bit of angst from that quarter but there are no real antagonists. Rivals become friends, evil mum becomes fairy godmother, and everyone gets their fairytale endings. The older brother and his "estranged" wife actually provided some much needed sweet diversions. Their journey of falling in love long after their arranged marriage is a proven trope but a nice counterpoint nevertheless.

On the flipside are the FL’s coworkers. Ye drama gods! They are caricatures of the worst kind, so cringey.

In the end, the show is delivered with workmanlike efficiency but little imagination. I think It would have work better as a fast-paced movie romp or even a mini series with a bit more depth but its current length is just a bridge too far. A decent filler with all due respect.

If you are looking for a superior example of this genre, check out Something About 1%.

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What is better than one swoon worthy CP? Two, of course!

I was reading a review of a movie and the reviewer made a salient point, a movie is supposed to make you feel something and by extension, dramas should do the same. This pretty much summed up why this show is so good. The writer-nims really know how we want to feel when we watch a rom-com and they delivered in spades.

There is no point is pretending that this show has no clichés or tropey plotlines. In its defence, it was done in such a way that it piqued our interest, pulled us through the door and then threw away the key. It conditions us with little swoon worthy and feel good moments. Angsty bits are fleeting, and it is always followed up by a bit more sugar. We are addicted and want more.

This is aided and abetted by the CP's deep love for each other and they were largely unshakable. This core tenet is what gave the Show an edge over others. We have all seen this before, romance dramas go through the sundry meet-cute and feed us a large dose of artificial sweetener before expending a lot of negative energy to pull them apart. It can be so wearing that we find it hard to ship the CP. We don’t have that problem here. Most viewers should be able to ship the two leading CP’s and ship them hard!

Speaking of the CP's, we have two primary couples (Tae Moo/Ha Ri and Sung Hoon/Young Seo) and a secondary pair (Eui Ju/Kevin). The primary pairings are great with oodles of chemistry and matching good looks. In all honesty, the 2OTP was almost as interesting as the 1OTP and should have equal billing. The 3OTP was ok but I do wish they'd tone down their overacting a bit, especially the 3ML.

Is the Show perfect? If you had asked me before the end of episode 11, I’d have said yes but it did stumble towards the end. The intimate scene of the 1OTP was oddly lacking. It was a long time coming, the stars were aligned but it just felt clunky. Compared that to the intimate scene of the 2OTP much earlier, it was night and day.

The next slip up is the forced separation of the OTP. Simply put, it was a waste of time. The FL was doing fine winning the granddad over and they could have kept going along that line. The 1 year time skip took up precious time and the show lost momentum. I would much prefer they give us a wedding scene (or two!). Maybe even the honeymoons.

It felt like the writer-nims phoned in the last 15mins of the Show from a beach on Jeju-do. The granddad's illness has little emotional impact nor their separation. Why bother at all?

The ending is as sweet and happy as you’d expect but it could have been much more of a fan service. Our two beloved couples were left with just a promise of eternal love. It would be much more rewarding if they followed the webtoon a little closer and gave us the key milestone moments. :P

OST was good. Rewatch value is high.

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Masterfully produced drama with the odd chinks in the armour

I deliberately waited for the hype to die down before I watched this but seeing season 2 is in the pipeline I thought I'd better get a move on. By the way, when I wrote this, there is already 12 pages of reviews so I don't expect mine to stand out but seeing that I binged the show in 2.5 days, I thought I should at least leave a few words for prosperity. :)
No doubt many of the reviews have highlighted the skilful story telling, the direction. the stellar cast, friendship, the feels, etc, etc. I totally agree with the bulk of the sentiments and it was an ode to the doctors, nurses and allied health professionals (standing ovation). However, I did find a few chinks in their shiny armour.
First of all, the show started very confusingly. The size of the cast and the physical setting was just too big. This drama had five central characters plus each had his/her staff and then you have administrators, other doctors (both senior and junior) and nurses in at least five departments (not counting ER). The hospital was also huge physically. You just don't feel like you know how the place worked. You were bounced from people to people, location to location. This did get better after a few episodes when you start to recognise faces and group them into cliques (this is from a non-Korean point of view).
Some reviewers have commented on this show being realistic. I am not going to argue every case but I found a lot of the time, surgeries were carried out on patients who literally had a consult the day before. That level of availability would be the envy of the whole world.
Finally, I wished the drama would deep dive into some of the issue de jour. From migrant worker health care to child abuse to injury/death by overworking (and more) were touched upon but almost all of them came and gone within a few scenes and not always with a resolution.
Otherwise, the show was designed to hit you with the feels and they definitely delivered. You would expect no less from the team that brought us so many top notch hit dramas.
BTW, it begs the question, was it a medical drama with a strong romance undertone or a rom-com set in a hospital?
Acting - fantastic.
Production value - excellent.
OST - loved it! You gotta laugh at the joke they played on the FL.
Rewatch - absolutely (maybe not every episodes)
One final thought, the last episode was extra long and I appreciated that they gave all the characters time and space to tidy up their own story arcs but while some questions were answered, more were left hanging so please bring on season 2! Ppalli ppalli!

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A tale of love and healing told in a masterful way

When I write a review, I usually have some key points and highlight in mind so that it was a fairly straightforward list of likes and dislikes or particular problem with the plot/acting. I find it a lot harder to write about this show, the odd thing is that nothing super dramatic actually happened (other than the accident). Now, don't get me wrong. This is not a meaningless fluff. If anything, it was the exact opposite, it was a masterclass in storytelling. There is just so much to talk about.
The core of this drama were healing, growth and regrets. Healing of wounds made by guilt, shame, envy, lost love and others. Growth in maturity, growth in acceptance, understanding and more. This was all done with consummate skill and dexterity. There were no dramatic set pieces, no shock revelations, no cliché breakups nor even a true villain! Yes, mistakes were made by a number of people but they were not evil.  Regrets was a constant undertow and it was a powerful, yet invisible force that shaped so many character's behaviours and their lives.
In terms of acting, the M/FL were superb. Shin Hae Sun was great in Mr Queen and she was every bit as good here but in a more nuanced way. ML was a tortured soul whom you want to soothe and cheer for. The 2ML was so sweet, earnest and innocent. You'd cry and laugh at his antics. Your heart ached for him when you see how much he wanted to grow up but this would only bring heartaches. The support cast was a true ensemble. Jennifer(Lee Yoo Jung) was a standout both with her unique character, her heartbreaking backstory and ultimately her strength. 2ML's band of rowing bros were so much more than comic reliefs as they were the bedrock that he could anchor on when he was feeling adrift. The younger version of the 2 leads were fantastic and pulled their own weight.
The script and direction were superb. It will make you happy and sad in equal parts. There are so much love between the "family members" that you can feel the warmth through the screen. The show had many themes and motifs which was used time and time again in clever ways but always consistently. Symbolisms were the backbone to the narrative which allowed the show to remain grounded and not become overly sentimental and tropey. Even flashbacks that felt overused and tired in other shows were welcomed here.
The show was a journey. Akin to a designated path through an art gallery. We need to take our time to appreciate the curator's skill and be moved by the art. When we (and the show's characters) are ready then the show will let you move on in measured steps. The pacing was spot on.
It also had one of the best ending have seen in any drama. Time was taken to give every significant subplots and threads their dues. It was heart-warming and uplifting at the same time but countered by a tinch of sadness. I have re-watched the last hour twice already just to savour the feels.
Ultimately, the show made us think and appreciate how we have a choice. We can choose to be shaped by our memories and negative emotions or we can see beyond that and do what is right for us today and tomorrow. To grow and seek happiness bravely.
Don't Think! Fil!
Oh yes, the OST was very good and used well. Rewatch value is very high.
Please watch it and enjoy this beautiful journey.

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Rainbows and unicorns!

This is a rom-com that was big on romance. We are talking about the sweetest, purest type, not puppy love or confused feelings (that took 40 episodes to sort out) but undying love between mature, intelligent adults. Yes, it was tropey and had lots of cliché moments but love stories are the oldest stories ever told (well, shortly after "how I single-handedly killed the mammoth" one). The problem for modern audiences is that we are fed too many romantic shows that are trying too hard to be relevant. OTP going strong? We'll add the psycho ex-BF. Life too sweet? We'll add the evil Mother-in-Law. Drama for drama sake is a curse nowadays.
This is why this show worked for me. It stayed focused on the main plot and added spices to make it interesting and developed the plot but never to the point where you facepalmed. It is dramaland after all so there were unrequited love and love triangles but they were dealt with sensibly and maturely. Peoples' feelings were hurt but they took it in their strides and moved on. Misunderstanding and jealousy were just islands in a sea of sweet love rather than the other way around.
It helped that the main actors were so good and they were playing roles appropriate to their age and style. Initially, I thought the ML was going to be the tropey cool, aloof male god type but I was so wrong. Before the end of the first episode he transformed into the most adorable love sick puppy and he stayed in character for the whole show!
I'm particularly happy with Fei Xing, I watched her in "Put your head on my shoulder" and she was a naïve college student back then and did well (not as good as this show). She was a trainee lawyer in this show and she had definitely matured and grew. This I'm so happy to see as I have seen other actors being type casted in the high school/college student roles and can't ever grow up. She looked beautiful in most scenes and both the chemistry and skinship with the ML were great and believable. Swoon!
The 2OTP were interesting too. Definitely had a more complicated relationship compared to the leads but it was good to see that they weren't standard pairing of the best friends just to park them somewhere while the OTP was put through hell and back. They had their significant moments and you could ship them easily. It was a bit of a shame that their storyline seemed to ran out of steam once they got together. Not that they didn't have more cute moments but I felt they had peaked.
All the support casts were good. They helped to move the plot along and give us the feels when it was warranted. Some of their banters were great and helped to bring us into their world.
OST was very good. Nice happy tunes and love songs to match the tone of the show. Rewatch is mandatory if you liked this show in the first place.
This was a sweet, warm and uplifting show. It never pretended to be a slice of real life. This was 100% fluff but what glorious fluff! There are positive messages but not preachy or straight out propaganda. Anyone who wanted angsts, break-ups, forced separations, evil plots should watch something else. Just leave me to binge this while eating a tub of chocolate ice cream. Bliss!

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