This is a drama that only works for people that look for romance above anything else, and there isn't much conflict besides the somewhat usual memory loss and childhood sadness.

I felt like this drama depicted a few different sides of being a fan of someone's work. The lead character, played by Min Young, has a successful career and, although she genuinely cares about her idol, she puts her life and responsibilities before any fansite work or other type of fangirling. Her best friend, whom she met through a common idol, has put fangirling aside in order to take care of her business and family. There is a slightly judgmental husband, who ultimately does support his wife having idols, a "brother" who is pretty much the same, and a boyfriend who is completely sold on the idea of his girlfriend appreciating art and showing her support by being an active fan.

The twists and turns of the childhood connection between the leads requires you to completely suspend your disbelief, but that is a common trope for kdramas so I have a hard time complaining. The acting in the most dramatic moments helped, too, and it's difficult not to feel sorry for the characters even in their extraordinary circumstances.

I think the main characteristic of this show is that every character is beyond likable. They are endearing, funny and have well developed personalities. This is a story that's fun to watch, even if it could potentially make you cry toward the end. It has a lot of fluff, the soundtrack has the cutest pop songs of any other drama I've seen, and it will be difficult to finish this without looking forward to seeing all of the cast again.

Read More

I'd rewatch this one for comfort!

I thought the premise of this drama was a little odd when I first started watching it, but it's so well produced/acted that it ended up not making me cringe.

All in all, I'd say this drama is mostly funny and cute. There isn't really a big villain, or fighting sequences and explosions, but there are many funny interactions among the characters, or based on the fact that the lead is so sure the girl truly is a robot. I'd recommend it to anyone that enjoys a bit of a cliche, some romance and a light storyline. I'll probably rewatch it when I need some comfy entertainment after a long day.

Read More

This movie is great and Yoo Ah In is simply BRILLIANT. If you've seen him in anything else, you will surely be impressed at how completely different he is in this - and that's without some of the most common aids such as different hairstyle, facial hair, different clothes. He looks normal, but like someone else entirely.

The lead character, played by Yoo Ah In, is an introvert. He isn't seen interacting on a close level with anyone in the movie besides the lead girl, for which he develops feelings for after only a couple of encounters.

What I found specially interesting about this movie was that there aren't many lines in it. The characters don't need to say a lot, and you still understand how they are feeling because the storytelling is so intelligent. It is also paced in a way that doesn't get boring.

Read More

I wish I could forget all of "Healer" just so I could watch it again without knowing what happens next. This is the best action AND romance drama I've seen so far, and no other compares.

The backstory of the lead characters is amazing. It is interesting, well developed and not cliche at all, which sets this drama apart from the rest. There is no love triangle, but a very loving relationship between a couple and someone who takes care of them as an older brother. There also isn't any meaningless conflict just to set the leads apart - everything that happens in the story is well explained, doesn't seem forced and doesn't compromise the personalities of the characters. There is a lot of dialogue in "Healer", which doesn't allow for misunderstandings that would stall the plot.

I loved that Young Shin, played by Park Min Young, is such a strong character in her own way. In contrast to Jeong Hoo, who was physically strong and socially awkward, she was endearing and brave, even with a condition that makes her vulnerable during violent encounters. She has a few damsel in distress moments, but they are important to establish her personality and position within the story, and not just the male lead's. Their relationship is also the best I've seen in any drama so far - even with a somewhat dodgy beginning and some lies, they look for intent in every action rather than being hurt over something that just seems upsetting. There is clear respect and an insane amount of chemistry between the Ming Young and Chang Wook.

I think this drama is a must see, and it deserves every praise it gets.

Read More

It picked up the pace towards the end

I found the acting to be quite good in this show, and the overall storyline was okay. But, to be honest, the plot about saving the company was a bit boring, so anything beyond the problems that affected the characters personally couldn't hold my interest for very long. As a result, I ended up taking quite a while to finish this show.

I decided to make a final push once I reached episode 12, to finally be done with it, and got excited about the character development and conflicts in the final episodes. So I'd say I really enjoyed the final 1/3 of the drama, while the rest was a bit lukewarm (slow, I guess). Not bad by any means, just not my cup of tea. Stellar cast, though, and I was specially impressed with Hyungsik and how convincing he was in this role.

Read More

Sweet, but quite boring

I like the actors, and the premise was sweet. But, to be honest, I spent most of the time thinking nothing was actually happening with the characters. It was just... boring. Not funny and no real build up to the romance, which I suppose should have been expected considering it's 4 episodes long.

I think the lack of build up also made me believe there wasn't much chemistry between the two leads, and there wasn't any conflict in the story. I'd recommend this for the fans of the actors because it's fairly cute and doesn't take much time to finish, but that's pretty much it.

Read More

Not as childish as I had expected, but often too forced

I didn't have high expectations about this, as I had already read the synopsis and figured it was a common bullying story. I had no idea the lead guy was an idol and also wasn't aware that the lead girl was much older until I started watching it - and, to be honest, I could tell she wasn't in her early 20s like her character, which seemed too forced for me at times. The actress herself looks young, and she is talented, but I could just... tell that she was older somehow, and it took away some of the possible enjoyment I would have had while watching it.

When it comes to the lead actor, it seemed to me that they went a little overboard with the "serious, cold guy" trope. He didn't smile at all until the 15th episode (or something like that), and watching his scenes became such a bore. It annoyed me even more when I finally saw him smile, because he seems like such a cute and likeable guy. His character had zero charisma to me, and I didn't see any chemistry between him and the lead girl (probably just because both had the personalities of a door).

The 2nd female lead was surprisingly interesting to me, as I initially assumed she was just a classic Regina George. I felt that the drama did a good job with the pace in which they revealed what she was doing, as well as what her intentions and motivations were. Her acting was simple, and I thought it was really good and believable (even if in a cartoon-ish way, since she was still very much the popular, pretty girl that didn't like the main character).

Also, the supporting characters, which were mostly students at their university, had different/recognizable personalities, which I thought was well done. Many of them came across as people I could have befriended in university, and their interactions made sense, too. The first few episodes after they all met and started to hang out together felt realistic in a way.

I might recommend this to people that want a drama that's somewhat light to watch (although they keep bringing up bullying in this, none of the scenes were overly dramatic, and many more of them were humorous). Plus, it's a school drama with a tone that's more fun than sad, regardless of the backstory.

Read More

I'm honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed watching this drama, given the extremely dark plot.

I should start by saying this should have several trigger warnings. It contains multiple types of abuse, and the 2nd lead is manipulative throughout. That being said, the way this story was developed was so touching to me. The two lead characters had a beautiful beginning, and some of the drama's best scenes are right in the start, with Kim So Hyun and Yeo Jin Goo. They did a magnificent job at getting you hooked to their relationship, and their dramatic scenes just destroyed me. So, so, so much talent.

Yoon Eun Hye and Park Yoo Chun were also brilliant to me. They didn't have an easy job following the young leads, and they had so many difficult scenes, but they excelled at all of them. The supporting characters were so endearing, too, specially Jung Woo's work BFF, his boss and his young sister.

If you can get through the dark parts of the story, there are many light moments. I was suprised at the amount of lovely scenes the two leads ended up having, while dealing with all the tragedy. You'll probably cry a lot with this drama, but you can definitely expect romance and giggles, too!

Read More

I was afraid of starting this one because of the episode count, but not once did the story or the characters become boring.

The story of this drama felt a little cliche in the beginning, but I was pleasantly surprised at how it was developed. Nearly every character in this is a criminal of sorts, and you can't help by like them more and more as the story progresses. Their interactions were heartwarming and often funny, and the acting was superb all around. If you don't know that Kim Jaejoong is mainly a singer before you start watching Triangle, you won't guess it by watching him act. He is a gifted actor for sure.

I really recommend this drama if you enjoy slowburn romance - one that is more focused on cute glances and hand holding rather than anything more intense, a little action, suspense and family drama. The pace was nice, it was the right amount of frustrating and, even if you can sort of guess how the ending is going to be, the way the characters get there might still surprise you a bit.

Read More

This is the first drama I watched in the half an hour format, and I felt it contributed to the repetitiveness of the story. The plot itself didn't seem to have enough for 40/20 episodes, and because they were only half an hour long, you could expect a rewind in the beginning of each. There were also A LOT flashbacks. It took me nearly a month to finish this drama, when I can easily get through them within a week.

I am a big Ji Chang Wook fan, and I didn't know any of the other actors in this, but they're good. I felt like the main female lead was a bit annoying, in the sense that she became completely dependent on the male lead through most of the story (in a financial, emotional and career related way). The romance was weak to me. It started off strong, but it became almost meaningless as the story progressed... which, in a way, was actually good, because the conflict was dragged for so long it would have been maddening if I had been anxiously waiting for those two to be together.

The two second leads were very likable, too, and I look forward to seeing them in other projects. I also enjoyed the soundtrack very much - the main theme isn't for me, but the love ballads in this are very beautiful.

Overall, this wasn't a bad drama, it just didn't really hold my interest.

Read More

I usually love high school romances, as well as love/hate stories and damsels in distress, but I had such a hard time getting through this drama - and I fast forwarded a lot. I probably would have abandoned it after a few episodes if I didn't love Lee Min Ho.

There are so many ridiculous and repetitive twists and turns in this story, and I believe they only got away with making 25 episodes because they had such an endearing cast. I don't think every young actor in this was great, but they were all lovable regardless.

I think my initial problem was the lead female character. I eventually understood how she fell for Ji Hoo and Joon Pyo, but it's hard to fathom why those two fell for her. I didn't feel I was given enough significant moments that showed her nice personality until about halfway through. Also, there was way too much random shouting from her and it annoyed me. It wasn't as bad as in She Was Pretty, but it was pretty awful.

Read More

This is the first drama I'm watching with my mom, and the first Korean show/film she's ever seen. We're both enjoying it a lot!

We found it a little difficult to follow the story at first - I believe mostly because of the amount of characters and the fact that we have a hard time learning everyone's names. But once we understood what was going on and why, we became pretty addicted. She's been going to bed later than usual every night so that we can watch at least a full episode.

The acting in this is phenomenal - it's my 3rd drama with Song Joong Ki and my 4th with Kim Ji Won, and they continue to impress me. And the supporting cast is just as good, too!

Read More

Intense and anxiety-inducing

I'll preface this by saying I'm not generally into cop shows, but the trailer had me intrigued and I gave it a shot.

This drama was very well produced and acted. Nothing about it seemed cheap - the sets, uniforms, and locations were all believable, and the actors delivered every time. The fight sequences were excellent, and so were the very dramatic ones. There aren't really any light or humorous moments.

I did feel like the story was dragged a bit and didn't need to go on for 32 episodes, and so was relieved when it finally ended. The ending itself annoyed me, but I won't spoil it here. That being said, I think this is a good show, particularly for people that appreciate the genre. It's not too difficult to follow, and the story does hold you all the way to the end.

Read More