crystalhydra
This review may contain spoilers
It's not entirely good and not entirely bad. I personally enjoyed it.
I better start from good points before I will shiver from the WORKPLACE FLASHBACKS. Important, I started watching this drama without reading synopsis or watching anything, so there were moments fo surprise.
• Acting
Let's admit, acting is not bad. On the contrary I found it prety good. If you feel good about main leads and feel their chemistry (especially in small things I find their chemistry is insane) and if you feel like you want to crush the head of the main villain sister or you want to smash faces of all those who step on the heads of the underpayed and underappreciated workers, then I think actors did a great job. No mater how cliche it sounds or looks, at least I wanted to slap few faces, I bet you'd like to join. Tbh I really liked the chemistry of Junho and YoonAh, we're skipping all the standard rom-com falling into the hero's embrace, being protected etc. stories are full of these, deal with it, yet I truly felt good about the two and it lasted till the end. The play of Ahn SeHa is remarkable as a support to me, steady stream of humor. The same goes for the friends.
• Music
I liked the soundtrack, especially those two songs, confess to you and is it love? Although in dramas it is inevitable that same songs will be used countless times, if I was a weekly viewer and not binging maybe I wouldn't mind that much, but otherwise.
• Storyline
Ok, hear me out, it was hysterical to me, because before that I watched Secretary Kim and Business Proposal and you can guess it, all three dramas have a male lead with a trauma. I know it should be sad, but I laughed. As for the storyline tbh to me it was a bit sporadic and sometimes unexpected, doesn't mean in a good way, maybe the flow would not be so disrupted if not the PP and also because it doesn't entirely concetrate on romance or the heir fight or anything else, small bits and pieces. I was very surprised that at the very beginning our heroes get separated by several years, one is studying and the other one is working and years later he comes back, after all he is the chairman's son and she is no longer a newbie. The way they got acquainted I found weird, after all two men, even wearing same t-shirt, don't look the same. But whatever. Although I find the toilet humor not the best, but the situation of her searching for a free bathroom felt real. Yet imagine, since they will surely get together, imagine them having kids and kids ask - mom, where you and dad met? What should mom say then? As time progresses the main storyline of two opposite sides fighting for the right to be a heir takes form. Junho's side is inconvenient, since he did not come back for years, while his half-sister was ruling, but at least he did what he thought was right and humane, unlike his sister who only saw wealth and power and never minded stepping on corpses of the employees, while placing her cronies. Though from my experience, the sister type survives more in the business world, it's hard to do many things with conscience. Along with the main fight for the rights storyline, the romantic line develops, yet we also have a glimpse at the lives of YoonAh's friends, which is not all sunshine.
• Product Placement
Really disrupted the flow of the story many times for me, since you can't watch with a blank mind, all those close up shots got in the way of watching. In earlier years (and I don't mean Kdramas exclusively) PP was more sohisticated, somewhere in the background. Thus the joyride, the morning routine etc. are nothing more but Audi or skin care ads.
• Workplace FLASHBACKS
Nothing more but a horror of everyday life, especially if you have managers like in this drama. And don't think it's exaggerated. Maybe sometimes, but in general there's enough b*tches like that in rl. I have a story like that too. We had the manager being changed and when I arrived after vocation I knew, I'm working my last days here. Why? Because the new manager wanted to bring his own cronies to this workplace. In the end three people did part of my job. He also was thinking too highly of himself, although the company was working for some times and was on the right track, so all this was not done by him, but he had to collect us all every morning and mainly repeated same shit. Because those are factory premises we had a small office within, he chased us all out and the next day I got sick, it was winter and this part of the building always faces north. He also cut half my salary just because. Heh, don't think I didn't do anything in return, just remember, small person is not afraid of wearing small shoes. This is why I truly felt cringe when it was time for Pyung Hwa or Da Eul to come in. In many cases what we see is nothing more than cronyism or corruption. In Pyung Hwa's case she wasn't promoted for the longest of times. Why? Mainly because the one above didn't like her and openly accepted gifts or help by a junior. In my eyes this is nothing but bribes. But I suppose there are people who like their asses to be kissed so hard and thoroughly, so they would shine like a mirror. In case of Da Eul again it's nothing more than a head manager who does nothing, but points fingers, if something isn't right then it's the fault of people below, she is also the crony of half-sister, so I'm not that surprised. This is why sometimes I ask myself, if at least partially what they show is what happens, because often times it's baffling how toxic the working place is in Korea.
• Friends
I had my blood boiling at some scenes, but this is only because our cultures are either different or they overdramatise it. First of all Pyung Hwa, she is supposed to be a divorced woman, but honestly I partially understand that the badness comes from her being a flight attendant (although who cares who is divorced or not imo). But in life we have a completely different outlook on divorced people and being divorced = bad thing is outdated. A lot of youngsters here get married and get divorced, so it's not a big thing to me. What was disgusting is how their pilot was basically harassing her and except for one person everyone is selectvely blind. As for Da Eul..well, here it would be embarrassing for parents to mooch off their children and point fingers. So the entire filial piety is very strange to me. It's not that we don't understand hospitality, but it's almost outrageous to act like Da Eul husband's family. First of all it's shameful to live with your parents (unless it's a force majeure) and even parents should call their children to know if their children are available to accept their visit. Hospitality is present, but no one tells you what to cook, unless your children ask what would you like to eat specifically. If that aunt who went through Da Eul's wardrobe did the same thing here, the wife would go all ballista on her, no one would say - you should share - because what she did was nothing more than being a thief, the same with leaving her child without asking. I haven't finished watching, but if Da Eul goes nuts I will support her for 100%. At least for me, although it wasn't that much, but the story of SaRang's friends brought something. They're simple people, their life isn't going to be a tale of a Cinderella, but it's good when friends stay friends for years.
• Small thoughts
It was my first time seeing a female lead having natural brows :'D okay, I know they have make-up, but it's very light and not overdrawn to death.. not that I watched many dramas though.
Other find it cringe, but to me it's hysterical how stereotypical male leads are (childhood trauma, never tried basic food etc.).
Why does YoonAh give me warm housewife feel I don't know, but she does.
Junho feels like a pro of kissing scenes ahaha, but the overall intimacy was great, both didn't feel awkward during them being close, it was cute.
Why everyone has chapped lips I wonder.
Actually children of wealthy usually don't look that good, unfortunately, Junho looks really handsome, while average wealthy kid looks like IT programmer with a wife and a 1-year old kid.
Although I may not re-watch, but I can't say like others that it was unbearable, especially if you watch it in good humor and specifically chose it for it being a rom-com. Because when your expectation are low, the viewing experience will be much more enjoyable. After all I don't really understand people who blame tropes and routines. Hello? Those are everywhere, especially in such genre. I laugh when I see those routines on the screen, after all I'm here to have a light watch and don't have unrealistic dreams that every drama will be impeccable.
• Acting
Let's admit, acting is not bad. On the contrary I found it prety good. If you feel good about main leads and feel their chemistry (especially in small things I find their chemistry is insane) and if you feel like you want to crush the head of the main villain sister or you want to smash faces of all those who step on the heads of the underpayed and underappreciated workers, then I think actors did a great job. No mater how cliche it sounds or looks, at least I wanted to slap few faces, I bet you'd like to join. Tbh I really liked the chemistry of Junho and YoonAh, we're skipping all the standard rom-com falling into the hero's embrace, being protected etc. stories are full of these, deal with it, yet I truly felt good about the two and it lasted till the end. The play of Ahn SeHa is remarkable as a support to me, steady stream of humor. The same goes for the friends.
• Music
I liked the soundtrack, especially those two songs, confess to you and is it love? Although in dramas it is inevitable that same songs will be used countless times, if I was a weekly viewer and not binging maybe I wouldn't mind that much, but otherwise.
• Storyline
Ok, hear me out, it was hysterical to me, because before that I watched Secretary Kim and Business Proposal and you can guess it, all three dramas have a male lead with a trauma. I know it should be sad, but I laughed. As for the storyline tbh to me it was a bit sporadic and sometimes unexpected, doesn't mean in a good way, maybe the flow would not be so disrupted if not the PP and also because it doesn't entirely concetrate on romance or the heir fight or anything else, small bits and pieces. I was very surprised that at the very beginning our heroes get separated by several years, one is studying and the other one is working and years later he comes back, after all he is the chairman's son and she is no longer a newbie. The way they got acquainted I found weird, after all two men, even wearing same t-shirt, don't look the same. But whatever. Although I find the toilet humor not the best, but the situation of her searching for a free bathroom felt real. Yet imagine, since they will surely get together, imagine them having kids and kids ask - mom, where you and dad met? What should mom say then? As time progresses the main storyline of two opposite sides fighting for the right to be a heir takes form. Junho's side is inconvenient, since he did not come back for years, while his half-sister was ruling, but at least he did what he thought was right and humane, unlike his sister who only saw wealth and power and never minded stepping on corpses of the employees, while placing her cronies. Though from my experience, the sister type survives more in the business world, it's hard to do many things with conscience. Along with the main fight for the rights storyline, the romantic line develops, yet we also have a glimpse at the lives of YoonAh's friends, which is not all sunshine.
• Product Placement
Really disrupted the flow of the story many times for me, since you can't watch with a blank mind, all those close up shots got in the way of watching. In earlier years (and I don't mean Kdramas exclusively) PP was more sohisticated, somewhere in the background. Thus the joyride, the morning routine etc. are nothing more but Audi or skin care ads.
• Workplace FLASHBACKS
Nothing more but a horror of everyday life, especially if you have managers like in this drama. And don't think it's exaggerated. Maybe sometimes, but in general there's enough b*tches like that in rl. I have a story like that too. We had the manager being changed and when I arrived after vocation I knew, I'm working my last days here. Why? Because the new manager wanted to bring his own cronies to this workplace. In the end three people did part of my job. He also was thinking too highly of himself, although the company was working for some times and was on the right track, so all this was not done by him, but he had to collect us all every morning and mainly repeated same shit. Because those are factory premises we had a small office within, he chased us all out and the next day I got sick, it was winter and this part of the building always faces north. He also cut half my salary just because. Heh, don't think I didn't do anything in return, just remember, small person is not afraid of wearing small shoes. This is why I truly felt cringe when it was time for Pyung Hwa or Da Eul to come in. In many cases what we see is nothing more than cronyism or corruption. In Pyung Hwa's case she wasn't promoted for the longest of times. Why? Mainly because the one above didn't like her and openly accepted gifts or help by a junior. In my eyes this is nothing but bribes. But I suppose there are people who like their asses to be kissed so hard and thoroughly, so they would shine like a mirror. In case of Da Eul again it's nothing more than a head manager who does nothing, but points fingers, if something isn't right then it's the fault of people below, she is also the crony of half-sister, so I'm not that surprised. This is why sometimes I ask myself, if at least partially what they show is what happens, because often times it's baffling how toxic the working place is in Korea.
• Friends
I had my blood boiling at some scenes, but this is only because our cultures are either different or they overdramatise it. First of all Pyung Hwa, she is supposed to be a divorced woman, but honestly I partially understand that the badness comes from her being a flight attendant (although who cares who is divorced or not imo). But in life we have a completely different outlook on divorced people and being divorced = bad thing is outdated. A lot of youngsters here get married and get divorced, so it's not a big thing to me. What was disgusting is how their pilot was basically harassing her and except for one person everyone is selectvely blind. As for Da Eul..well, here it would be embarrassing for parents to mooch off their children and point fingers. So the entire filial piety is very strange to me. It's not that we don't understand hospitality, but it's almost outrageous to act like Da Eul husband's family. First of all it's shameful to live with your parents (unless it's a force majeure) and even parents should call their children to know if their children are available to accept their visit. Hospitality is present, but no one tells you what to cook, unless your children ask what would you like to eat specifically. If that aunt who went through Da Eul's wardrobe did the same thing here, the wife would go all ballista on her, no one would say - you should share - because what she did was nothing more than being a thief, the same with leaving her child without asking. I haven't finished watching, but if Da Eul goes nuts I will support her for 100%. At least for me, although it wasn't that much, but the story of SaRang's friends brought something. They're simple people, their life isn't going to be a tale of a Cinderella, but it's good when friends stay friends for years.
• Small thoughts
It was my first time seeing a female lead having natural brows :'D okay, I know they have make-up, but it's very light and not overdrawn to death.. not that I watched many dramas though.
Other find it cringe, but to me it's hysterical how stereotypical male leads are (childhood trauma, never tried basic food etc.).
Why does YoonAh give me warm housewife feel I don't know, but she does.
Junho feels like a pro of kissing scenes ahaha, but the overall intimacy was great, both didn't feel awkward during them being close, it was cute.
Why everyone has chapped lips I wonder.
Actually children of wealthy usually don't look that good, unfortunately, Junho looks really handsome, while average wealthy kid looks like IT programmer with a wife and a 1-year old kid.
Although I may not re-watch, but I can't say like others that it was unbearable, especially if you watch it in good humor and specifically chose it for it being a rom-com. Because when your expectation are low, the viewing experience will be much more enjoyable. After all I don't really understand people who blame tropes and routines. Hello? Those are everywhere, especially in such genre. I laugh when I see those routines on the screen, after all I'm here to have a light watch and don't have unrealistic dreams that every drama will be impeccable.
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