#thismeanssomethingtome
this being a movie about- female friendships
- platonic connection
- soulmates = your best friend
i thought this movie did a great job of putting the girls and their relationship at the forefront. ik alot of people were annoyed because it was about a female friendship that got shaken up by a man but i actually loved that they included him. it didn't actually end up being about him or about his relationship with either lead, it was about their friendship at the end of the day. a movie about female friendship, decentering relationships, and that your soulmate can be someone you have a platonic but insane emotional connection to is sosososo beautiful to me
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really good but still wished it could have been better
the casting is great, the plot setup is great, but i still feel like there was something missing. generally with this kinda mystery/horror vibe i wish it could have had me a bit more hooked throughout. it had the foundation for it but narrative structure was weak in development. they could have let us learn more about a handful of characters instead of introducing so many as also important characters in the plot. idk i'm bad at wording this i just know it could have made me much more interested throughout, like the folklore bit could have been used more, i wish production techniques could have also been used more outside of the "horror" scenes (which were actually really good)i love taeri
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pretty lacking but still a somewhat worthwhile watch
HII so after rejecting watching this show after however long this has been on netflix for i finally did full binge LOL here are my thoughts i'm not into long lengthy well worded essay reviews so here are some pros and conscons:
- there was no plot. like im realizing now it was just the first ep's happenings and then just the general aftermath/effects of that. i wish samdal's worklife was explored more throughout the show and not just at the end for a bit again cuz i LOVEEE her as her cool boss self lol
- imo, the main leads' romance was stressful and straining. messy, less communicated breakups, unrequited love, decade long "soulmate" type crushes, parent disapproval, these all are just... a lot and have a lot of plot holes and me personally i actually didn't like or care for their relationship. i actually liked everything else abt the show
- and what made it worse was this romance was majority of the plot idk i hated it
- other lead couples were much more enjoyable. i wish the youngest sister's relationship wasn't just a bunch of extra little scenes and an actual plotline. i also wish jindal's ex husband situation was made a bit more serious at the end just so it could wrap up well
- the antagonist should've been more present throughout the plot. there was no change in personality, no development. she was very one dimensional and tbh samdal was a very flawed person at the start and so i think the writers could've come up with a way of creating an antagonist that had some reason because of the fl to become the way she did. the ex bf was just stupid too
- idk how to explain this other than based on my previous points, esp the last 2, the show was almost too focused on samdal. she was way too main character syndrome. sometimes this is fun when the plot is actually good but it didn't work here
- this isn't an issue w the show but also why i didn't enjoy it as much and why i took forever to watch this was casting. nothing wrong w ljw i just don't think he's an actor i enjoy in dramas. idk just not within my preference. i never seem to care for any of his roles. love hyesun tho
pros:
- i like samdal's personality she's very raw aka like a good mix of cool and confident but also became very open ab her emotions
- the mija sisters episode was the best part
- loved her development as a photographer
- glad she went back to seoul lol i stopped caring for the small town vibes
- idk but overall enjoyed this more than i thought. it is very flawed but i almost can't believe i have sm negative to say cuz it was still a very good watch
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This review may contain spoilers
really fun watch
honestly don't know why i ignored this drama when it was airing. i regret not watching it sooner but am glad i decided to pick it up. first watch of 2025 was great thanks to bad and crazythe first 3 eps were a bit slow for me. i found a lack of hook and while alot of it was just major buildup for everything idk i was bored i almost dropped it. but luckily i didn't. it got good fast. i thought the investigative side of the plot was done well. and i'm also glad they didn't totally introduce the whole childhood thing right away. idk overall plot was well made and layered i'm too lazy to give an in depth review but lee dongwook is truly a legend in his craft
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This review may contain spoilers
funsies kdrama def recommend
family by choice is a fun drama centered around the relationships of haejun, juwon, and sanha who have a sibling-like bond but have no blood relation to one another.what this drama does great:
- gives us a multifaceted view of all the main characters. we're able to see life/the timeline of the drama from all 3 of them which i thought was great! getting to know each character felt so personal.
- haejun and juwon's dad had some of the most sob-worthy scenes ever. their relationship was so heartwarming. haejun's healing journey was so great to watch and also to see dal and him help each other through hardships throughout their lives.
- their take on familial troubles wasn't shallow and actually felt very realistic.
- every episode while all having pretty sad moments at times always felt really giddy it's just a really fun watch overall it makes you wish you could be there too
- NO love triangle thank the lords
what could've been done better:
- while sanha's 14 year long or however many year long crush on sanha was well drawn out, we never got that from juwon. it was just her being flustered by sanha's confession(s) and then dating him. i wish they could've either added scenes where maybe in their younger years she thought of him that way too or have done like flashback scenes idk it just. for a childhood friends to lovers trope was not a very deep romantic relationship
- haejun's america storyline was idk all over the place and needed better integration to the plot. also similar to my issue w juwon he should've had a gradual liking to dal while im happy they got together at the end he literally said in that ep that they aren't good together and then later asked her out
overall lovedddd this show chaeyeon is such an amazing actress
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it was decent but maybe not for me
the leads def have chemistry but something abt their interactions leading up to becoming a couple and as one just felt either awkward to me. i've never really enjoyed wu lei in the romance genre and i just don't think hes to my taste in terms of acting which is fine lol also wang xing yue is too distracting for me to care abt anything else idk the couple just was a bit mid same w the plotWas this review helpful to you?
it's a good drama overall but everyone's missing the point of it, + why there was lost potential
before i get into my review i need to explain why i think everyone's just completely missed the intention of the drama. it's not meant to be like previous KBS school series. it's not plot heavy and intense but that's the POINT. they don't want a crazy drama they just want a cute, simple one that highlights the characters, their interactions, and their personalities; hence why there are SO many common kdrama tropes in here. if you're watching this focusing on the plot you don't know what' really going on. i loved this show. it's right up my alley of trope-y dramas with the VERY basic second lead (which is never overdone because it really doesn't get old) and the whole best friend dead and blaming each other (this is not a spoiler. this will not change anything for you dw) and then the poor second fl who's mean who becomes nicer etc etc. i also love dramas abt school corruption lol it's just an interesting concept. again, this show was about the characters themselves and NOT the plot. the cast overall was good but i felt the girl who played jiwon needs some work but i still realyl liked it :D the entire cast is gorgeous and the school n all that all look very satisfying i liked the concept of nulji high alot. kijoon's grandpa was one of the best too :Dokay this part is going to include spoilers:
i feel like there was just soo much lost potential with this drama, if they focused a little more on the students rather than the teachers. like how jaehee wanted to make friends and did everything she could to show that she's not the bad person she used to be known for and that she's not for the corruption she benefits from. also the whole divorced teachers thing. it was an interesting concept but they didn't really finish it off well. also jiwon was extremely boring? this entire show i feel like kijoon youngjoo and seoyoung are the only leads with any sort of character development and a sort of "history" we know nothing abt jiwon. also her pouty personality definitely gets boring but it definitely gives me reason to not have wanted her to end up with youngjoo it wouldve been so awkward. i love the childhood friends to lovers concept but i think youngjoo and seoyoung's trope works even better. both with a traumatizing past of losing loved ones, he met her at seoyoungs orphanage and she fell in love immediately. its just so cute dude i like it and how they always got flustered in ep 15 i love them together sooo much they bounce off each other so well truly,
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WELL YES
this drama was a great way to start 2025!great plot setup, great leads and side chars. jiyun is like my ideal fl character lol i love her she’s smart and that ceo archetype but without the terrible grasp of emotions. peak maturity!! ntm the perfection that is the ml as well. :”) only major criticism i have is i felt the plot w the “antagonists” was very loose. did not even feel like much happened there but it’s fine cuz the process of eunho and jiyun meeting and falling in love was so enjoyableWas this review helpful to you?
