What an incredibly adorable drama. I LOVED everything about this.
I loved Miss Kim's fiesty, can-do attitude, Moo Yeol's sweet, warm, good-natured personality, the quirky landlord family, smart but academic Bong Gyu and the softie gangster I loved their endless money making attempts. I loved the love lorn gangster's tragicomic plotline I loved the chemistry and the relationship between the leads - the romance is of true companionship, support and trust, not empty gestures. Eun Jae's emotional anchor was Moo Yeeol - she just didnt know it. Performance wise the FL overdoes it a bit in places but you still end up laughing and rooting for her. I have only seen Jin Hee in melos - but he does comedy so well! He is so cute as Moo Yeol - lovely performance.
Ah, this drama epitomises the true charm of old style kdramas - it has its faultsbut has so much heart, you end up loving the experience. A definite rewatch!
This was a wonderful watch - layered, solid plotting, nice leads' chemistry, lovely bonds of friendship/companionship and interesting characters. I loved that the FL is written to be true to her initial characterisation as a smart, independent woman till the end, not turning into an ineffective character as the drama goes on.
What a weird mix of rom-com and makjang. Initially its your trope filled contract marriage vibes which is somewhat…
The matter of the FL spending a night with another man at a hotel was brushed aside - I could accept that the ML being understanding given its a set up, but lets talk about the main issue thats left untouched: Togo feels betrayed by Ayaka saying to Kamiyama-kun that she trusts him. Togo clearly says her trusting Kamiyama-kun so much was worse than Ayaka sleeping with him. But we get no convo resolving this key conflict - Togo calls Ayaka, & its back to filming cutesy vids. Such poor writing.
Similarly, the last episode made little sense. We are given to understand that Togo fears for the safety of both Ayaka and her family/the business - but that gets resolved by simply Ayaka saying we'll just talk to Mother and then him telling his mother a pretty speech that he isnt abandoning her? Huh? I mean this could have been done 10 months ago no? So with just that speech the Mother lets him go & also accepts Arata? Rather silly writing. I anyway didnt understand why the Mother was so fixated on Togo and why Togo hated her (was it only cos she said that rather hideous thing about his mother?) Plus you'd think there'd be children of her own in the marriage - wonder why that is never addressed.
What a weird mix of rom-com and makjang. Initially its your trope filled contract marriage vibes which is somewhat cute and fun but then we start getting kdrama style makjang elements added thanks to an evil MIL who conspires in different ways to separate the two.
The problem is that while the drama introduces these melodramatic twists, given the episode count,it resolves these conflicts & complications with such ease that I as a watcher felt annoyed. This happens again and again, making the 2nd half very superficial and half baked. Very uneven writing, more under spoilers.
Overall a meh watch. Lots of skinship for such a jdrama, though cant say the chemistry worked for me.
This turned out to be a way more wonderful drama than the first episode indicated.
I loved the romance here - the leads fall in love naturally and they both get character growth thanks to each other. Matsushima learns to not be so self righteous and rigid, while Narumi learns to be kinder and more considerate of others. Them getting together somehow felt right despite their opposing personalities. Loved the ending as well.
Sato Ryuta does a fine job of expressing Matsushima's upright character without making him annoying. Fukada Kyoko has a limited range and she does fine within that - she does falter in the more emotional scenes unfortunately.
This turned out to be surprisingly good. It manages to portray a realistic-ish view of a woman on the journey to end her marriage after realising its gone wrong. The FL is genuinely written to be strong, intelligent and smart. She is conscious of the price her son will pay for breaking up the marriage yet chooses herself because she realises staying in such a marriage not only harms her but also her son.
I loved that the show has psychological manipulation on both side. The FL does not take the ML's shit lying down. She never leans on the SML instead takes help from her BFF to come up with counters.
The main leads both do an excellent job - the ML is fantastic in showing his innate narc tendencies; be warned, you will be enraged as you watch his unreasonable tantrums. The FL does a fine job showing her emotional turmoil as well as her determination her re-claim her life. Both get character growth - the ML's character gets karma in every way!
The SML and FML dont have much to do but are fine.
A light crime show, this turned out to be a mixed experience. The first half is actually pretty good - we get interesting crime cases (related naturally to some sort of disfigurement), the build up for the main plot arc is pretty intriguing and we have a complicated ML-FL relationship.
I was quite interested in seeing how it would all resolve, but the 2nd half was a kind of let down. Unfortunately Lee Min Ki and HanJi Hyeon dont have any chemistry. Doesnt help that the writing never get them together to work. The antagonist gets obvious quite quickly and the denoument was simultaneously predictable yet OTT.
Passable watch for those looking for a no-nonsense non-romance drama.
S1 was atmospheric but slow in its pacing; S2 makes up for it from the word Go in Episode 1.
The show runners dont hold back in anyway. Relentless in grimness, gore, action and tension, the pacing is fast, slowing only briefly in the middle when we get backstories. Dark thriller lovers will be rapt.
The production felt lavish and the team seemed to have gone all out whether props, settings or cinematography. While you feel immersed in the world thanks to all of this, I have to admit the drama felt like it was wallowing a bit in its darkness and sickness of mind. The last episode will make you look away multiple times.
Performances wise, every one was awesome. I loved Daigo's loose cannon characterisation - he manages to blitz his way out of any situation however dire. Yagira-san does full justice to the role.
But Keisuke was the character that got to me. Kasamatsu-san does a wonderful job showing the complex shades of Keisuke. A special word for Tsunematsu-san who played sinister young Gin with great aplomb.
A product of its times, Purity will test the patience of today's viewer. The pacing is verrrry slow and the characterizations,…
The forbidden love - siblings turned lovers plot ended up being a nothingburger - the writing was truly iffy there, everything spinning this way or that on the mother's word.
A product of its times, Purity will test the patience of today's viewer. The pacing is verrrry slow and the characterizations, particularly the FL's are rather humdrum. The leads are "good" people which means - spinless, colorless and indecisive.
The second leads are the ones to who are written to be interesting - they are spirited, decisive and dynamic. I particularly liked the SFL who was so clearheaded and grounded as compared to the FL who can barely speak up for herself.
I suppose the plotline would only work with such lead characters as the SLs would have sorted it out in a jiffy! Perhaps the writer also wanted to contrast the two sets, each face challenges in their relationships that are hard for them to tackle. For the main leads, it is external, while for the SLs its internal.
Anyway, I watched it raw to practice my Korean comprehension, and because apparently it got over 30% ratings. I however wouldnt recommend it.
What an unexpectedly charming drama this turned out to be. I thought it blended quite smartly and smoothly comedy, mystery and action with a dash of sweet romance, and even a bit of saguek. The plotting may be nothing surprising but the writing never drags, and manages to weave in multiple plotlines quite well.
Park Have Jin and Jin Ki Joo leads are sparkling together - their romance is not the prime focus but is real cute. CCW's confession scene was adorable. The "employee ghosts" of the show are a riot and were my favourite part of the drama.
The cast chemistry is its strong point, with good writing of course backing it up. If I had to nitpick, just one point of the final resolution didn't really click for me immediately - i had to convince myself!
Performance wise: All great. PHJ no doubt does a fab job. As does Jung Joon Ho who plays the guardian ghost. Couldn't believe that he is the same guy in SKYCastle.
Overall: it a fantastic pick for those looking for a light show - you'll need to leave logic at the door but may have lots of fun.
The premise seemed fraught and I wondered if the drama would be able to do justice to it. I am glad to say it…
The two leads do their best to break away from each other but having found peace with each other it proved impossible for them. The FL leaving behind the world for him felt earned. But we barely get over this then we get the next blow. The amneisa trope is only way a kdrama writer could make the ML and FL be together - a bittersweet ending. Poor Jin Yeong.
The premise seemed fraught and I wondered if the drama would be able to do justice to it. I am glad to say it does.
It is fairly well-written and well acted espe the first half so it takes the viewer along the roller coaster of emotions. The romance between Chae Joon and Jin Yeong feels believable and real. Both actors do a fantastic job of showcasing the complex emotions that necessarily underlie such a relationship.
As an old-world melodrama there is a lot of angst in the 2nd half and at times I felt the drama wallowed in it but still I found it bearable. More underneath spoiler.
I quite enjoyed the performance of the 2ML Lee Jong Hyuk - a well-written character he is somewhat obsessed but restrains himself (mostly). I could sense his deep love, his pain and his despair.
The ending was as expected of such melos and I thought it was fitting.
I am wary of noona romances as they are rarely well developed. This one suffered from the same issue but the romance…
The set up is classic one of opposites- we have a timid FL sheltered all her life by her overprotective parents who has retreated from life after suffering a debilitating blow, and a brash ML who has fended for himself from a young age thanks to a neglectful mother.
The first few episodes show us the clash of ML & FL's personalities and how they warm to each other.
Manami's sincerity and unfailing conviction in supporting Kaoru gets through to him and its easy to see why he falls for her. She is never not a woman to him - in the first episode itself he teases her asking if she wants him to "entertain" her. So when Manami stands up for him incl. in front of everyone repeatedly he is struck deeply by her as a person and not a teacher. Him developing feelings for her I understand. But my issue as always is with the older woman - as one myself it is hard for me to shift gears and see a young man as a romantic prospect esp one who's your student. I get that Manami comes to appreciate his flamboyant approach to life/living and his lack of malice/cunning but love? that's harder to happen esp when you are nearly middle aged imo - the drama does not make a case for her falling for him.
We just get Kaoru declaring at the start of Ep 5 that they both like each other and Manami glosses over this, saying they'll not speak of it again. I couldn't buy Manami being in love so quickly.
Still as I said, the romance itself works. Why? Well, because Manami & Kaoru, as characters, fulfil each other, and that is shown well in the drama.
Manami learns to loosen up from Kaoru, to take risks again, to become her own person, to step out of her prison, her comfort zone. Kaoru finally finds someone who genuinely, unconditionally cares for him-his true unvarnished self, supports him, without needing anything back from him.
Performances: I found Raul to be a little too overly in-your-face in his acting early on (the clumsy walking, the big awkward gestures etc) but he grew on me. Raul did a wonderful job showing the shame, the vulnerability, the discouraging struggle of being learning challenged as well as Kaoru's childlike joy which brings Manami out of her shell. They are playful together, she revels in his sweet antics...he enables her to enjoy being unrestricted, not following rules of being a "good girl".
Both Fumino and Raul are fantastic in showing the yearning, the intense feelings and the angst they feel while separated. I thought the troubles they face were very realistic.
But - what I didnt REALLY like was the kdrama style break up and reunion in the last episode. I appreciate the writer showing that Kaoru resetting his life was not something done easily - I could make sense of him breaking up. But then why the random reunion. I wish we'd gotten some insight into why Kaoru changes his mind.
Last note on Kawahara - I ended up enjoying the 2nd ML and the fab character growth he gets very much. He starts off a cowardly character who learns to be honest and stronger thanks to his feelings for Manami. His showdown with Manami's dad was superb. Great job by the actor - I couldn't believe he's Sadamu in Gannibal 2
I am wary of noona romances as they are rarely well developed. This one suffered from the same issue but the romance in itself managed to win me over. Let me expand.
A peaceful no fuss drama with a kinda of anthology vibe as there are several side-by-side plotlines.
These many plots do mean that we get some unevenness in storytelling but since the drama's focus was on exploring varying facets of relationships , rather than specific characters - you just gotta deal with it.
The "main lead pair/stars" Elvis & Joe actually had the weakest arc (& performances) - no chemistry, no emotional punch...boring all the way, though they look awfully good together. I skipped much of their scenes as well as the racing scenes.
The Jun Le and Mai You Ge arc was the main reason I kept watching this drama.
Both of them were so charming, so real that it didnt feel like acting. You could see them falling in love. I really loved the discussions they had on living life vs work. I only wish we saw more of them towards the end - we totally lose them in the last few eps. Plus I would have liked to hear how Mai You ge changed her mind. The time-skip was ~1 yr so I guess she took that time to think over & chose to come back to Jun Le. And who wouldnt?!
Jun Le's parents - This was another reason that kept me watching - again, didnt feel like they were acting, very natural and realistic detailing of a loving elderly couple dealing with changes that comes with aging. If I were to nitpick, the retirement party thing felt rushed (esp odd to have Joe/Casey/Mai attending). Jun le just started training and he's in charge in weeks' time?
Casey & Frank plot was the unusual one - but I liked watching how two lonely people regardless of age bond & find support in each other . Joe tells Casey to treat Frank as an adult and that''s what Casey does to create a somewhat oddly equal but sweet bond with Frank.
The In-laws family plotline's introduction was a bit too sudden but strangely I did get drawn it. The professor realising that he needs to appreciate & commit to what he has in his life while battling lingering feelings towards his ex-wife was interesting to see. I wonder though how long his new-found realisation would last.
Last word on the setting: The cinematography is gorgeous with Macau being a worthy subject - its like a sepia-tinged love letter from the director/cinematographer to the beauty & charm of Macau! Propaganda, yes but done way better than what I have seen in Chinese dramas. The eclectic BGM adds to the vibe.
All in all, if you are looking for a slow, relationship focused human drama/slice of life style drama then this may be to your taste.
What a lovely drama. It manages the tricky task of showing us how out of touch and naive Kahoko is without making…
The plotting remains realistic re: Kahoko's rude awakening to the adult world as well, which is hard and slow (as much as JDorama timelines allow). She does not miraculously change but we see her slowly becoming mature, bit by bit.
Hajime-kun is the most interesting character of the drama. I thought initially that the romance seemed too unlikely to work, but it actually made sense - though like all Jdorama, things moved way to fast(again to fit the 10 ep timeline).
He puts reality in front of her with his straight-talking, kept hidden from her so far, while she gives him unwavering love which was denied to him. I can see why Hajime-kun folds first, after their break up. After all receiving such love is rare.
What i had trouble with were the last two episodes. The resolution of Ito-chan's rebellion and Tamak/Mamurou break up were too glib, in an effort to make Kahoko the natural successor to her grandma. Though I did like the solution of Kyoko's issue, and thereby Kahoko's employment. It also made sense her Mama does not change much, - she'll likely remain disapproving of Hajime-kun all her life!
What a lovely drama. It manages the tricky task of showing us how out of touch and naive Kahoko is without making her a caricature. All kudos to Takahata Mitsuki of course for her delicate performance. More thoughts under spoiler
I loved Miss Kim's fiesty, can-do attitude, Moo Yeol's sweet, warm, good-natured personality, the quirky landlord family, smart but academic Bong Gyu and the softie gangster
I loved their endless money making attempts.
I loved the love lorn gangster's tragicomic plotline
I loved the chemistry and the relationship between the leads - the romance is of true companionship, support and trust, not empty gestures. Eun Jae's emotional anchor was Moo Yeeol - she just didnt know it.
Performance wise the FL overdoes it a bit in places but you still end up laughing and rooting for her. I have only seen Jin Hee in melos - but he does comedy so well! He is so cute as Moo Yeol - lovely performance.
Ah, this drama epitomises the true charm of old style kdramas - it has its faultsbut has so much heart, you end up loving the experience. A definite rewatch!
I loved that the FL is written to be true to her initial characterisation as a smart, independent woman till the end, not turning into an ineffective character as the drama goes on.
Similarly, the last episode made little sense. We are given to understand that Togo fears for the safety of both Ayaka and her family/the business - but that gets resolved by simply Ayaka saying we'll just talk to Mother and then him telling his mother a pretty speech that he isnt abandoning her? Huh? I mean this could have been done 10 months ago no? So with just that speech the Mother lets him go & also accepts Arata? Rather silly writing.
I anyway didnt understand why the Mother was so fixated on Togo and why Togo hated her (was it only cos she said that rather hideous thing about his mother?) Plus you'd think there'd be children of her own in the marriage - wonder why that is never addressed.
The problem is that while the drama introduces these melodramatic twists, given the episode count,it resolves these conflicts & complications with such ease that I as a watcher felt annoyed. This happens again and again, making the 2nd half very superficial and half baked. Very uneven writing, more under spoilers.
Overall a meh watch. Lots of skinship for such a jdrama, though cant say the chemistry worked for me.
I loved the romance here - the leads fall in love naturally and they both get character growth thanks to each other. Matsushima learns to not be so self righteous and rigid, while Narumi learns to be kinder and more considerate of others. Them getting together somehow felt right despite their opposing personalities. Loved the ending as well.
Sato Ryuta does a fine job of expressing Matsushima's upright character without making him annoying. Fukada Kyoko has a limited range and she does fine within that - she does falter in the more emotional scenes unfortunately.
I loved that the show has psychological manipulation on both side. The FL does not take the ML's shit lying down. She never leans on the SML instead takes help from her BFF to come up with counters.
The main leads both do an excellent job - the ML is fantastic in showing his innate narc tendencies; be warned, you will be enraged as you watch his unreasonable tantrums. The FL does a fine job showing her emotional turmoil as well as her determination her re-claim her life. Both get character growth - the ML's character gets karma in every way!
The SML and FML dont have much to do but are fine.
I was quite interested in seeing how it would all resolve, but the 2nd half was a kind of let down. Unfortunately Lee Min Ki and HanJi Hyeon dont have any chemistry. Doesnt help that the writing never get them together to work. The antagonist gets obvious quite quickly and the denoument was simultaneously predictable yet OTT.
Passable watch for those looking for a no-nonsense non-romance drama.
The show runners dont hold back in anyway. Relentless in grimness, gore, action and tension, the pacing is fast, slowing only briefly in the middle when we get backstories. Dark thriller lovers will be rapt.
The production felt lavish and the team seemed to have gone all out whether props, settings or cinematography. While you feel immersed in the world thanks to all of this, I have to admit the drama felt like it was wallowing a bit in its darkness and sickness of mind. The last episode will make you look away multiple times.
Performances wise, every one was awesome. I loved Daigo's loose cannon characterisation - he manages to blitz his way out of any situation however dire. Yagira-san does full justice to the role.
But Keisuke was the character that got to me. Kasamatsu-san does a wonderful job showing the complex shades of Keisuke. A special word for Tsunematsu-san who played sinister young Gin with great aplomb.
The second leads are the ones to who are written to be interesting - they are spirited, decisive and dynamic. I particularly liked the SFL who was so clearheaded and grounded as compared to the FL who can barely speak up for herself.
I suppose the plotline would only work with such lead characters as the SLs would have sorted it out in a jiffy! Perhaps the writer also wanted to contrast the two sets, each face challenges in their relationships that are hard for them to tackle. For the main leads, it is external, while for the SLs its internal.
Anyway, I watched it raw to practice my Korean comprehension, and because apparently it got over 30% ratings. I however wouldnt recommend it.
The plotting may be nothing surprising but the writing never drags, and manages to weave in multiple plotlines quite well.
Park Have Jin and Jin Ki Joo leads are sparkling together - their romance is not the prime focus but is real cute. CCW's confession scene was adorable. The "employee ghosts" of the show are a riot and were my favourite part of the drama.
The cast chemistry is its strong point, with good writing of course backing it up. If I had to nitpick, just one point of the final resolution didn't really click for me immediately - i had to convince myself!
Performance wise: All great. PHJ no doubt does a fab job. As does Jung Joon Ho who plays the guardian ghost. Couldn't believe that he is the same guy in SKYCastle.
Overall: it a fantastic pick for those looking for a light show - you'll need to leave logic at the door but may have lots of fun.
It is fairly well-written and well acted espe the first half so it takes the viewer along the roller coaster of emotions. The romance between Chae Joon and Jin Yeong feels believable and real. Both actors do a fantastic job of showcasing the complex emotions that necessarily underlie such a relationship.
As an old-world melodrama there is a lot of angst in the 2nd half and at times I felt the drama wallowed in it but still I found it bearable. More underneath spoiler.
I quite enjoyed the performance of the 2ML Lee Jong Hyuk - a well-written character he is somewhat obsessed but restrains himself (mostly). I could sense his deep love, his pain and his despair.
The ending was as expected of such melos and I thought it was fitting.
The first few episodes show us the clash of ML & FL's personalities and how they warm to each other.
Manami's sincerity and unfailing conviction in supporting Kaoru gets through to him and its easy to see why he falls for her. She is never not a woman to him - in the first episode itself he teases her asking if she wants him to "entertain" her. So when Manami stands up for him incl. in front of everyone repeatedly he is struck deeply by her as a person and not a teacher. Him developing feelings for her I understand. But my issue as always is with the older woman - as one myself it is hard for me to shift gears and see a young man as a romantic prospect esp one who's your student. I get that Manami comes to appreciate his flamboyant approach to life/living and his lack of malice/cunning but love? that's harder to happen esp when you are nearly middle aged imo - the drama does not make a case for her falling for him.
We just get Kaoru declaring at the start of Ep 5 that they both like each other and Manami glosses over this, saying they'll not speak of it again. I couldn't buy Manami being in love so quickly.
Still as I said, the romance itself works. Why? Well, because Manami & Kaoru, as characters, fulfil each other, and that is shown well in the drama.
Manami learns to loosen up from Kaoru, to take risks again, to become her own person, to step out of her prison, her comfort zone. Kaoru finally finds someone who genuinely, unconditionally cares for him-his true unvarnished self, supports him, without needing anything back from him.
Performances:
I found Raul to be a little too overly in-your-face in his acting early on (the clumsy walking, the big awkward gestures etc) but he grew on me. Raul did a wonderful job showing the shame, the vulnerability, the discouraging struggle of being learning challenged as well as Kaoru's childlike joy which brings Manami out of her shell. They are playful together, she revels in his sweet antics...he enables her to enjoy being unrestricted, not following rules of being a "good girl".
Both Fumino and Raul are fantastic in showing the yearning, the intense feelings and the angst they feel while separated. I thought the troubles they face were very realistic.
But - what I didnt REALLY like was the kdrama style break up and reunion in the last episode. I appreciate the writer showing that Kaoru resetting his life was not something done easily - I could make sense of him breaking up. But then why the random reunion. I wish we'd gotten some insight into why Kaoru changes his mind.
Last note on Kawahara - I ended up enjoying the 2nd ML and the fab character growth he gets very much. He starts off a cowardly character who learns to be honest and stronger thanks to his feelings for Manami. His showdown with Manami's dad was superb. Great job by the actor - I couldn't believe he's Sadamu in Gannibal 2
These many plots do mean that we get some unevenness in storytelling but since the drama's focus was on exploring varying facets of relationships , rather than specific characters - you just gotta deal with it.
The "main lead pair/stars" Elvis & Joe actually had the weakest arc (& performances) - no chemistry, no emotional punch...boring all the way, though they look awfully good together. I skipped much of their scenes as well as the racing scenes.
The Jun Le and Mai You Ge arc was the main reason I kept watching this drama.
Both of them were so charming, so real that it didnt feel like acting. You could see them falling in love. I really loved the discussions they had on living life vs work. I only wish we saw more of them towards the end - we totally lose them in the last few eps. Plus I would have liked to hear how Mai You ge changed her mind. The time-skip was ~1 yr so I guess she took that time to think over & chose to come back to Jun Le. And who wouldnt?!
Jun Le's parents - This was another reason that kept me watching - again, didnt feel like they were acting, very natural and realistic detailing of a loving elderly couple dealing with changes that comes with aging. If I were to nitpick, the retirement party thing felt rushed (esp odd to have Joe/Casey/Mai attending). Jun le just started training and he's in charge in weeks' time?
Casey & Frank plot was the unusual one - but I liked watching how two lonely people regardless of age bond & find support in each other . Joe tells Casey to treat Frank as an adult and that''s what Casey does to create a somewhat oddly equal but sweet bond with Frank.
The In-laws family plotline's introduction was a bit too sudden but strangely I did get drawn it. The professor realising that he needs to appreciate & commit to what he has in his life while battling lingering feelings towards his ex-wife was interesting to see. I wonder though how long his new-found realisation would last.
Last word on the setting: The cinematography is gorgeous with Macau being a worthy subject - its like a sepia-tinged love letter from the director/cinematographer to the beauty & charm of Macau! Propaganda, yes but done way better than what I have seen in Chinese dramas. The eclectic BGM adds to the vibe.
All in all, if you are looking for a slow, relationship focused human drama/slice of life style drama then this may be to your taste.
Hajime-kun is the most interesting character of the drama. I thought initially that the romance seemed too unlikely to work, but it actually made sense - though like all Jdorama, things moved way to fast(again to fit the 10 ep timeline).
He puts reality in front of her with his straight-talking, kept hidden from her so far, while she gives him unwavering love which was denied to him. I can see why Hajime-kun folds first, after their break up. After all receiving such love is rare.
What i had trouble with were the last two episodes. The resolution of Ito-chan's rebellion and Tamak/Mamurou break up were too glib, in an effort to make Kahoko the natural successor to her grandma. Though I did like the solution of Kyoko's issue, and thereby Kahoko's employment. It also made sense her Mama does not change much, - she'll likely remain disapproving of Hajime-kun all her life!
More thoughts under spoiler