girl_on_fire
A rainy city
Ok I'm going to try to make this short...
So plot wise this story was a very heavy melodrama but for me it wasn't overpowering like most melodramas. It had a different feeling to me. A bittersweet feeling. It always felt as though even during the happy moments there were hard ones.
Yes this drama is painful to watch. It's a story of a forbidden love filled with heartbreak. What can you expect? I loved every single second of it though.
All of the cast gave of this real and raw energy. The emotions that they expressed just felt so real...
Park Shin Hye was only 16 at the time when she filmed this drama but she was able to portray a adult and someone who was being abused with ease. I was impressed not very many 16 year olds would be able to do what she did.
Lee Wan who I had never heard of before was great. He didn't speak for a large part of the drama but was able to express himself without talking. That's when you know their good actors.
I tried listening to the OST after finishing the drama but I kept on visualizing what had happened. The OST was astounding but I recommend waiting a few days before you start listening to it again.
I gave this a low re-watch value because for me it would be to hard watching this drama again..while knowing what happens.
I would say to everyone go and watch this drama! I highly recommend but do it when you are feeling happy and are in a good place.
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There is 0 romance in this drama. So if you're at the moment looking for romance, I suggest you look elsewhere because this drama doesn't have that ok. Ok?
Now, the second thing you should know is that I actually surprisingly did not go into this drama as a fan of Lee Jun Ki. I know shocking. So everything that I say here is not me being biased it is me being pleasantly surprised.
Ok, now to the review:
The story- the story was like a roller coaster ride. You never knew what would happen next. You were kept on the edge of your seat till the very end. Even when it seemed like everything was ok, you would still wonder if someone was going to pop out of nowhere and ruin everything.
The Acting- Perfect. As I said above, I did not go into this drama as a fan of Lee Jun Ki, but I sure did come out as a fan. The emotions in the drama felt raw and real. Every cast member played their role perfectly and when I say perfectly, I mean as though the character felt real.
Even with the villains, there were times when I could understand why they did what they did which is unusual for a Korean drama. Usually you hate the villains, but for some reason, there where a few evil characters which I just couldn't get myself to hate. Such as "Glue Stick" who you will find out about later..
Music- The music just fit with the drama. It matched well with all the action scenes and the adorable scenes with his daughter.
Re-watch-Would I re-watch this drama? I think that I would maybe later. It's hard to forget this drama so I would wait a little while.
Overall- I found this drama quite enjoyable. I would recommend this drama to anyone who likes suspense, thrillers filled with action or if your a fan of Lee Jun Ki.
I'm not saying this drama is for everyone but I would say if you liked "City Hunter" or "The time between dog and wolf". I would say watch this drama! You will enjoy it!!
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There are two different responses which came about after this drama aired and that is this (1) It's terrible. Way too melodramatic and the directing and writing was a mess and (2) It's unique, crazy, and fun. It doesn't follow the guidelines of your typical Romance drama.
Because of this, I feel it is very hard to review this drama. but I thought I would give it a try anyway.
So here I go....
As I said above, most people who have seen this drama either LOVE it or HATE it. It's one of the things which comes with the territory of completing a very unusual drama. You're either going to think "What is this?!" or "Wow, interesting!"
So I decided for this review I would give two different standpoints. (1) The negative aspects and (2) The positive aspects. Both will contradict each other at points siince it depends on the person themselves viewing the show. Some people may see a scene from this drama as not being well put together, while others might applaud how it fit well with the crazy story itself.
Story-
(1) (Negatives)
-The main couple is stressful to watch a times. You could even call them a "Bi-polar" type of couple.
-The stories pacing is always up in the air. At times everything is going really fast and at other times everything is going very slooooow.
-Some scenes don't always work well together. The directing isn't always there.
-At times you could consider the story melodramatic when it doesn't need to be.
(2) (Positives)
-The main couple doesn't live by your usual Korean drama couple. They shout at each other, and they fight each other You can always see them as real.
-The pacing is all over the place because the people themselves in this drama are all over the place.
-You won't expect what will happen next in a scene because you can't always expect how someone with "mental issues" will react.
-The story can be sad at times because we are following the daily lives of people with "mental issues"and life isn't always happy when you don't fit societies "normal person".
Acting/Cast-
This may be my own biased view on things, but I don't see any reason to dislike the cast. All of them played each role to the best of their ability.
The only reason why you may not like an actor or actress in this drama is if you went in not being a big fan of them already.
Music-
I didn't hear or feel any complaints about the OST. Personally, I loved it! One thing they definitely did well was the music.
Overall-
This drama is really all about your perception on thing and how you see things in your life. It can either be relatable or out of this world crazy!
It's not your usual Korean drama. So I suggest giving it a try. If you aren't really enjoying the drama midway then you probably won't enjoy the rest of drama.
Views on this drama definitely vary and I would say your view will vary too if you complete it. My rating mainly is how I felt about the drama.
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Story-The story is a dark melodrama about when passion spins out of control. It discusses adultery, unrequited love, and (what I would call) abuse. You already know from the very beginning that things will go really wrong with the affair(s). The plot moves from the past to the present which what makes this show exciting.
Acting- I feel that Lee Dong Wook's best role is here. I know a lot of people who have enjoyed My Girl and say that was his best role, but I disagree. I believe his best role was in Bittersweet Life. In this role, he went from adorable and happy, to scary and creepy like that. That made the show even more enjoyable because you would not know how he would react next.
Park Si Yeon did a great job at being a mistress that you don't want to have around. In this drama, her character comes off as money obsessed and annoying. It isn't a great combo, but still I don't think it was her fault for coming off that way. I just think that was the writer trying to make her as dislikable as possible....which honestly isn't hard.
Jung Bo Suk (aka the husband)- succeeds in being a man you love to hate. His character is a control freak who doesn't really care about anybody. He did a great job at making people want to punch the screen.
Oh Yun Soo- Wow. Just wow. She was great! I don't know if it was the writers doing or her own doing, but I felt the character's resentment in a way I can't describe.
Music- The music was wonderful. It was exciting and thrilling and fit well with every scene.
Overall- I highly recommend! Definitely not a drama for kids though.
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Seung Yoon's acting was bland. She plays a girl who has fallen in love with a co-worker who doesn't believe in love. I felt bad for Jong Hyeon (He plays her co-worker she falls in love with.) you could see he was trying to make the drama more exciting and more interesting acting wise but it just didn't work out.
Jong Hyeon and Seung Yoon were a very awkward lead couple. During some scenes I couldn't help but cringe. I don't know why it was like that...maybe it was because Seung Yoon had the same type of expression throughout almost the whole drama? I don't know.
Now on to the plot. Hmmmmmm....how can I really put it into words? Well I felt it lacked something. The whole plot was basically about there romance and the only thing which kept the story going was there trust issues with each other. Even till the last episode they still were worried the other person was getting involved with someone else (That's never a good sign in any relationship).
The ending was cute. I will say that.
Do I recommend watching this mini drama?
Not really. I would say there are a lot better mini dramas out there.
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It is also deeply underrated and I believe deserves more recognition.
In this drama the female lead is obsessed with money and is hoping to marry a man who is very wealthy and is going to die very soon.
The male lead has just come into a large sum of money....you can already see were this story is going.
What really made me like this drama were the characters. They were different from anything I had seen in a K-drama and were to me believable.
This drama captures your attention right from the get-go.
The last thing I have to say is go and watch this drama!! Its a great drama!
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For me Doctor Stranger was a drama which began strong but, then suddenly got messed as episodes went by. I don't blame the director. I don't blame the actors. I blame the writer.
There is only one way to explain why I'm thinking the way I do today.
My episode guide on how I felt through each episode:
EP1: Excited! I was even reminded a little bit of City Hunter. 10/10
EP2: This is fast-past! So much happening all at once. Loving this so far!! 10/10
EP3: So much fun! Every character...especially Park Hoon is so enjoyable to watch! 10/10
EP4: This keeps engrossing me the entire time...every second. 10/10
EP5: "I don't get it! What does she/insert character name here want?" 9.5/10
EP6: I still don't understand. 0_0 9/10
EP7: This episode was very mellow....no climax. 8.5/10
Pause for a second reader. Do you notice something? Ok well let's continue on.
EP8: "What are you doing Park Hoon!?" "What are you doing!" 8.5/10
EP9: First half of episode: Intense. Second half of episode: Boring. These characters are confusing me but I don't want to drop it because of the first four episodes. 7/10
EP10: "Is this even the same show anymore?" "I'm really disappointed..." 5/10
This was the part were I put the show on-hold and waited.
Yep. It took a long time and a lot of convincing to make me come back but I did.
By this point I was two weeks behind in watching Doctor Stranger. So I skip-watched and I am not afraid to say it.
EP11: Ok. It was ok but that's it. 6/10
EP12: "Yea!!! Jae Joon!" I had found one character that I actually respected and liked. 7/10
EP13: The show is trying to get back on it's feet. Good. 7/10
EP14: Thank god for the medical excitement...or I would never have been able to make it through this episode. 6/10
EP15: This love triangle is annoying. I want more action. 6/10
I'm going to skip some of the episodes because really they aren't worth explaining.
EP19: 5/10
EP20: Honestly by episode 20 it didn't matter what the ending would be. I wasn't going to like it. Why you may ask? It's because I knew the story was already ruined and the only way the writer could fix the mess he made was having a ending which wouldn't make sense. I know it's a he because I looked up who wrote this rubbish. Just for everyone to know. His name is: PARK JIN-WOO. Remember the name because he is the one to blame. 1/10.
Just a heads up. You may want a coffee break or something because this is a long review. You may also want to watch other dramas or maybe get some lunch. ^^
So here is the big question of the day. Do you want to watch it? Do you? I mean your probably thinking LJS was so great in "I Hear your Voice" so this should definitely be worth it or Kang So Ra was the best in "Ugly Alert" and she probably will be awesome here too. DO NOT LOOK AT THE CAST. IT'S A GREAT CAST BUT THE WRITER CAN NOT BE TRUSTED. This drama will ruin how you feel about the cast.
The lower your expectations are the more you will enjoy it and that's a fact.
That might be a good reason why the reviews are so different.
Ok enough about that. On to what everyone wants to know. How is the music?! Doesn't everyone like a good OST? Well your in luck! Here is one of my favorite OST's from it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QusjP1V7qo
This was basically all I listened to for about two weeks. "Saraghae. Saranghae.....I'm just a stranger without you, my love....Ohhhhhhmmmmm."
Ok. Finally.
Should you watch it?
If you want to. I'm not going to say don't watch it because that's pointless. I mean you really want my opinion? No. Don't.
To those who may disagree with me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6QA3m58DQw
Sorry!
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The story begins were we meet your typical playboy aka Chris Wu although he does not like to refer to himself as that (No one does) that is what he is. He enjoys "targeting" women and philandering with them as much as possible.
We also meet Li Yi Hua a hardworking,32 year old women who dreams of having a monogamous marriage (Having one partner for life.)...she becomes the target of the Chris Wu character.
It becomes a battle of wits between the two of them. Both trying to prove the other is wrong.
In the end I really enjoyed this drama. The first two episodes are hard to get into but if you are patient and wait until the third episode you will see all of the fun within this show.
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Now, don't get me wrong. This is one of the better long family dramas out there, but you just knew what was going to happen next.
The Characters:
Lee Bo Young's character reminded me a lot of her character in "I Hear Your Voice". She played a strong confident woman, and I loved that. Although in this drama, she is less mean then in I Hear Your Voice (At least to me.)
The little girl, Da Reum- was one of the cutest characters in the whole drama. Her story with her dad and ajumma was what kept the drama light and fluffy.
Lee Tae Sung who never plays the lead, played the lead in this drama. I had only known Lee Tae Sung from his character in Rooftop Prince, but after seeing this drama, I finally was able to see a different side of him (A fun side.).
Jin Yi Han played a jerk husband. What can I say? I hated him with all my heart. He rubbed me the wrong way in every way possible. In the end, though I feel he redeemed himself which is unusual in k-dramas.
Han Yeo Reum/mistress - Oh god. She was hard to tak,e but then again she was playing the role of a mistress so.....it makes sense. There were a few moments when I sympathized with her because of what happened to he,r but other then that I just felt she just was another typical Korean drama mistress (I know what your thinking. Typical Korean drama mistress? Is that even possible?) It's possible. Maybe I have seen enough Korean dramas with affairs to already know what her next move is. Maybe that.s it. I don't know. All that I know is I'm not impressed.
Kim Soo Mi/The Grandmother/Mother- She was hilarious! Even when she did a few hurtful things in this drama, I still loved her because of her feisty spirit. I could connect right off the bat. It's probably because I am a little feisty myself.
Chun Ho Jin/The father/Husband/Nice guy-I felt really bad for his character. I know in the drama that at the beginning, he did some wrong things. but towards the ending, I just wish the other characters would give him a break.
Byun Jung Soo/The wife who is a shopaholic- At first, I really liked her character, but after a little while in the drama, she became the target of the writer who made her appear to be entirely mean. Yes, she changes in the end, but because of the character changes, there were MAJOR setbacks in the drama.
Bae Jong Ok/The other wife with a heart of gold-She is another character that I felt deserved better in the beginning. I don't have much to say about her character because she was perfect in the drama.
Music/Rewatch Value/Overall
The music wasn't anything different. It was a happy, bubbly soundtrack and that fit with most of the drama. However, it wasn't that memorable.
Would I rewatch this drama? Maybe in the near future I will go and look at a few clips. but other then that no.
Overall....I would give this drama a 7. It was a bit longer then it needed to be and sometimes I felt like fast forwarding during some over dramatic parts, but other then that I enjoyed it. It's not an amazing drama. but it's not a bad one either .
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Because of this, each of them begin to go their own way and try to make do with what they have.
The genres for this are mainly Makjang, Melodrama, Family, and yes, Romance.
You won't find any Comedy in this but, you certainly will find some lovey-dovey couples.
Acting/Cast - With the romance piece, we get to meet one of the best characters ever created in the history of Makjang: Cheon Woon Tak. You can't define this character by good or bad.
He's complex/complicated/loving/evil/indescribable?
His personality has polar opposite, rapid changes back and forth. You always end up thinking you understand him and than the writer does a full 180 with the character and you're oh so, wrong.
Of course, you wouldn't be able to have such a weird, cool character if there wasn't an actor who fit the bill. Bae Su Bin was the miracle worker here. I've always been a long time fan of Bae Su Bin but, this time around, he really made me do a double take. For that alone, I gave the acting a solid 10.
Jang Shin Young was marvelous too. Although, her character had a simple view on life and she sometimes was overshadowed by the character of Cheon Woon Tak, we always ended up cheering her on at the end of the day.
Lee Tae Im had to leave the show more than half-way through because of health issues or that scandal? Anyway, one of the two but, it didn't make that much of a difference. Personally, I felt her character to be very bland or as I would say, salty. You keep eating salt; you start yearning for water.
Nam Bo Ra was a cutie. I hope to see more of this actress very soon. When she played her younger role she kinda annoyed me but, when she gets older, she seems to mature as an actress and get comfortable in her role.
Lee Pil Mo has always been good. I've loved the fellow since "Emergency Couple"
The man needs a lead role. Simple as that.
The rest of the cast were amazing. No complaints whatsoever! A special shout-out to Ha Jae Sook. Who used the most out of her screen-time and managed to steal the audiences heart if only for a quick second.
Music - Nothing special. You won't be searching for the OST and it's just not memorable.
Rewatch - It's one of those watch it once and that's it type of dramas. It's worthy of a watch, just not a rewatch.
Overall - Good melodrama. It kept being cut shorter and shorter so it kinda was cursed with a short ending. They made the most of it though and I don't regret watching it. It can be far-fetched sometimes but, it is entertaining and very binge-worthy.
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They said it themselves. You who casts A-list K-actors and K-actresses and make a plot full of rubbish must endure the criticism. Hand grabbing,back hugs,intense stares,abusive parents,and bad acting. That is this show to the core. I'm not going to sugarcoat it.
I went into Heirs as a #1 fan of Lee Min Ho. I watched this drama and I was stunned. Stunned by gorgeous Lee Min Ho....NO. Stunned by how bad his acting was. I couldn't even look at times because I felt I had been cheated into watching Lee Min Ho look like a fool but no it was all him. The guy may look like a million bucks but he sure can't ACT. Being a actor you have to know how to act right? If anyone is saying no right now. I know just the drama for you Boys Before Flowers. Wait what is the difference between BOF and Heirs?? Nothing really.....Same plot,same lead actor....you see were I am going with this.
Park Shin Hye..............god.....her acting also...just no.....not good at all. I don't really even want to describe it....her character in this story has no sense of herself. Also she gets pushed around like a rag doll....no one can like a character like that.
Kim Woo Bin at least he can act. I'm sorry but it's true at least he can! What would we have done without him in this drama....honestly I don't know...because it seemed like he was the only one really ACTING in this drama. His character also wasn't the best but he did the best he could...considering the writer made the character a creepy,stalker,bully.
Why do we watch dramas? To see a good plot, full of well developed characters...maybe something fun. I don't watch the drama if the people CAN'T ACT. As simple as that.
Those who enjoyed this show did not enjoy the plot but the viewing of their favorite A list K-celeb.
The few things which held this show in place were disregarded throughout the series (Kim Woo Bin) which made this show even harder to watch.
The k-pop idol actors I could care less about.....
What I'm trying to say is if you want to see your favorite k-celeb look like a fool go ahead if you don't want that DO NOT WATCH THIS DRAMA.
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This movie was very distressing even though it did have an important message behind it. You become breathless after watching all these terrible things happen to Eun Young.
Although, the possibility of having all of those incidents happen to her after being a victim of rape is highly unlikely.That part took some realism out of the story.
The reactions of the friends and Police made South Korea look like there a country full of psychopath's. I think the writing may have been a problem with that matter...
Other then that I could see what they were getting at. In the end, it wasn't about beauty hurting people but people hurting people.
The cast was amazing but you barely remember them because the concept is so captivating.
The music fit the movie very well. From beginning to end, you had a bittersweet feeling.
Just from the music alone...you can sense a tragedy in the making.
Overall, I recommend watching this movie if you want something with a very strong message about beauty or if you are in the mood for a tragedy. Also...double check....no triple check if you feel up for this because this movie certainly isn't for everyone.
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