Took me 3 months to finish watching this drama

Overall a very funny drama. The jokes and antics are extremely dumb but still really funny. There's absolutely no plot though. I couldn't even really bring myself to watch this while waiting for new episodes of ongoing dramas. However, the cast and acting were pretty good, with Lee Yi-kyung being the star of the show. Other than that, yeah... Nothing interesting, really. I think I only started to be more excited to finish the drama after the 15th episode. It was otherwise a very painful journey from episode 1 to 14.

In summary:
What i liked - Lee Yi-kyung, Baby Sol, humour
What i disliked - the lack of a plot

Star of the show: Lee Joon-ki, played by Lee Yi Kyung
Rating: 4.5/10
Watch if you enjoy watching dramas that require you to shut down your brain

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Yuck!

I'll admit that I initially really enjoyed this drama. However, after watching it the second time, I thought it was way too cheesy to be enjoyable. The relationship dynamics between Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo in the drama, much like in real life, were too convoluted and I honestly thought that it was quite a toxic relationship. No communication, just petty tantrums here and there. Like why the heck are you getting mad at someone who's risking his life to save your ass? On the other hand, I much preferred Jin Goo and Kim Ji-won's relationship dynamics as it just seemed to be a more accurate portrayal of a relationship.

In terms of the story, I guess it was okay. But I didn't like the way Song Hye-kyo's character was portrayed. To me, her character just seemed dense, reckless, ungrateful, and toxic. It's like the directors were pushing for a strong female lead but it just completely fell through. If anything, Kim Ji-won's character was way more likeable.

The only redeeming thing about this drama was that the OSTs are pretty nice and well-placed throughout the drama.

In summary:
What i liked - Onew
What i disliked - Song Hye-kyo

Star of the show: ?

Rating: 6/10
Watch if you like toxic relationship dynamics

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Hellbound? More like what the hell did I just watch?

I was very interested in this drama when I saw it on the "upcoming" section on Netflix. I watched the trailer and was very intrigued by it. Even after the first 2-3 episodes, the entire concept still seemed very interesting and my eyes were glued to the screen. The idea of having a small shift in the main character of the drama was rather interesting as well. However, after I finished the drama, I realised that everything made no sense. There was no explanation whatsoever - I mean, why did Yoo Ah-in even coax the girl to kill the man who killed her mother? What was the point of that? And what happened to that girl's father? Literally, what the hell is going on?

This drama had great ideas that were just poorly executed. Perhaps it's because they were only limited to those few episodes. I heard there'd be a season 2, but what's the point in splitting it into two seasons if that meant ending the first season extremely poorly? Was it really worth it, Netflix?

In summary:
What i liked - cgi, concept
What i disliked - incomprehensible plot

Star of the show: ???

Rating: 5/10
Watch if you like to be confused

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Quite nice

I wasn't really dying to watch this drama, but decided to give it a shot since I like Kang Daniel & Chae Soo-bin. I also wanted to see more of Lee Sin-young's acting since he didn't play much of a role in Crash Landing on You.

I generally enjoy watching light-hearted dramas, and Rookie Cops was no exception. The storyline was well-developed in my opinion. It wasn't too draggy and did not pass by too quickly. I thought the acting was pretty nice, but nothing spectacular.

This drama kind of reminded me of Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo, but with some crime/mini-thriller elements to it. The plot was nice but I wish they touched a bit more on the 2 leads' romance. I also think it was a bit unrealistic that the kids would throw themselves into danger so recklessly, which is why I gave a lower score for the story. Overall, a pretty nice drama with nice OSTs.

In summary:
What i liked - it's a feel-good & light-hearted drama
What i disliked - sometimes unrealistic

Star of the show: I don't think anyone was really "star quality" but honourable mentions are Park Sang-hoon (empty package boy Lee Se-hyun) and Kim Kwon (Jo Han-sol).

Rating: 7.5/10

Watch if you like light-hearted dramas.

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Wow...

I've watched this drama so many times. It portrays friendship and family dynamics in the most heartwarming way possible. I don't think I will ever watch another k-drama better than this. The plot was fantastic and covered so much, more than I could ask for.

I LOVE the cast and their chemistry. I really don't have any complaints about this show, other than the fact that I just want more and more.

The OSTs are extremely iconic and catchy, and "Hyehwadong" (sung by Park Bo-ram) really just epitomises nostalgia and childhood. So many variety shows have used that track to encapsulate nostalgia and it really just makes me feel very warm. I miss my childhood. Outstanding show and an outstanding performance by the cast. Best k-drama ever in my opinion.

In summary:
What i liked - everything
What i disliked - i want more

Star of the show: Hyeri, Lee Dong-hwi, Ra Mi-ran, Kim Sung-kyun

Rating: 11/10
Watch if you want to cry

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Brilliant!

Sung Shi-won is no Sung Deok-sun, but I still really enjoyed watching this drama. Although I thought it was quite obvious who the future husband would be based on the casting, I still really enjoyed the suspense. The OSTs were extremely nostalgic and while I am not from South Korea, some items and aesthetics of the set reminded me of my childhood.

Indeed, while Reply 1997 is not as good as Reply 1988, I still think that this relatively old drama is worth watching. Props to Director Shin for being able to capture the emotions of the audience so effectively. There were so many heart-wrenching moments because of how relatable the drama is, and even if I did not personally encounter those moments in real life, I could still feel the raw emotions that the director wanted to convey. The quirky moments were also quite funny and I wonder if "Daddy Long Legs" in Hospital Playlist was a reference to this drama.

My only 'complaint' would be that I hoped to see more on their families instead of just the main couple, but perhaps I wouldn't think this way if I had watched this before Reply 1988. Overall, still a fantastic drama. The Reply series will always hold a special place in my heart.

In summary:
What i liked - set, concept, cast, story, OSTs
What i disliked - could have covered more ground

Star of the show: Yoon-jae (the puppy), Joon-hee (played by Hoya)

Rating: 9.5/10
Watch if you want to cry

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Surprisingly good

I've seen my fair share of psychological crime TV shows in my life and I don't think that this was anything special, but I still enjoyed it. There were a couple of plot twists which I thought to be quite predictable, but it was still quite thrilling to watch. I think that this is one of Park Bo-gum's better works. His acting was fantastic and could convey so much emotion with just his eyes. Also, I personally don't think most idols make good actors, but D.O.'s performance was outstanding. The main cast also did a fantastic job.

Cha Ji-an's backstory seemed a little unnecessary to me, though I guess they had to write it as such in order to introduce the two characters together. I think something else should have led to their meeting instead. I really liked the Lee Joon Young's backstory though. I think it perfectly encapsulates childhood trauma and neglect can do to a young mind. The concept of the "critical period" was very well executed in the drama, which is why I still enjoyed the drama a lot even though the plot was nothing special. I think "You" (American Netflix show) or "Partners for Justice" (K-drama) might have done a better job as psychological thriller dramas but this one really isn't all that bad.

Nothing special about the OSTs, I don't remember disliking or loving it in particular. Overall, a pretty good crime drama (though nothing special) with some quirks here and there.

In summary:
What i liked - Cast, acting, some aspects of the plot were quite interesting
What i disliked - Cha Ji-an's backstory

Star of the show: Park Bo-gum, Seo In-guk, Do Kyung-soo

Rating: 8.5/10
Watch if you enjoy psychological dramas or have some understanding of socialisation and developmental psychology

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Brilliant!

This is one of the best Korean dramas I've ever watched. I think forensics dramas tend to be quite rare in the K-drama industry, but they were extremely popular in early Hong Kong dramas. I loved the entire concept of the show, the cases were extremely interesting and thrilling. I thought thatSeason 2 was even better than the first.

This drama is really quite underrated and I think that it's a hidden gem that you all should recommend to your friends. My only complaint is that the female lead is a little annoying at the start.

In summary:
What i liked - story, concept
What i disliked - annoying female lead

Star of the show: Baek Beom, played by Jung Jae-Young (season 1), Jang Cheol, played by No Min-Woo (season 2)

Rating: 9.5/10
Watch to be amazed

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What a shame this got overshadowed by Squid Game

I think the whole concept for this drama was extremely interesting and unique to the k-drama scene. Instead of the typical soldiers that we see in blockbuster dramas like DOTS and CLOY, D.P. was based on an entirely different unit, one that isn't really depicted in dramas and movies all over the world.

This drama also had a good message and shed light on important issues that may or may not have been ongoing in South Korea's military. The OSTs weren't exactly memorable. I'm not sure if there were even any OSTs, but the background music that played during certain scenes throughout the drama were aptly placed.

I enjoyed the dynamics and chemistry among the three main characters. There was also a good balance between the two leads in terms of their characters' personalities and I felt that they complemented each other very well.

If I had to nitpick, the plot fillers eventually did get a bit repetitive, but I guess that's just because of the nature of the drama. I still enjoyed this thoroughly. It's a shame that this came out slightly before Squid Game and was completely overshadowed by it (not to discredit Squid Game).

In summary:
What i liked - cast chemistry, Jung Hae-in, plot, cameos
What i disliked - N.A.

Star of the show: An Jun-ho, played by Jung Hae-in

Rating: 8/10
Watch if you want to watch an unconventional style/genre of k-drama, or if you like Jung Hae-in

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Waterworks

Cried many times watching this drama. Loved the chemistry between the male lead and the female lead, and even amongst the soldiers. Some scenes were excessively lovey-dovey and borderline cringey but I think the development of the story made up for that, in a sense that it was really quite interesting. The whole family saga seems unnecessary in my opinion, though, hence the 7.5 for story.

What I really loved about this drama was the OSTs. I absolutely love the OSTs and they are extremely memorable. I think they blended in really well with the drama and especially in certain scenes to evoke different types of feelings in the audience. However, rewatch value is low because I don't think you'd experience the same kind of joy/anger/laughter etc. in subsequent watches.

In summary:
What i liked - set, cast, plot, OSTs
What i disliked - family drama

Star of the show: Pyo Chi-su, played by Yang Kyung-won


Rating: 8/10
Watch if you like Hyun Bin and dramatic rom-coms.

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Could've been great

I am not a fan of historical dramas, but this one certainly caught my eye. In the earlier episodes of the first part, I was immediately drawn to the backstory but after a while, everything just seemed incredibly draggy. I kept waiting for something to happen but the story never really progressed even by the end of the third part.

This drama truly had the potential to be great. The set was amazing, the whole idea of the different tribes and the fantasy aspect was really interesting, the casting seemed very well thought out as well, but the drama had way too many pointless fillers. When I finished this drama, I literally said "wait, that's it?" out loud when I finished everything. I felt that it was a complete waste of my time. The OSTs weren't even memorable enough...

In summary:
What i liked - set, cgi, concept, cast
What i disliked (and i really disliked this) - the way the story was unfolded to us viewers

Star of the show: Eunseom/Saya, played by Song Joong-ki

Rating: 4.5/10
Watch if you like disappointment.

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Watch One Spring Night instead

I enjoy watching Jung Hae-in's works and I think he excels in melodramas. Similarly, I think Son Ye-jin is a fantastic actress who has the ability to create very strong chemistry with the people she acts with. The concept of the drama seemed very interesting and refreshing, as with the director's other work, "One Spring Night", which I enjoyed a lot more.

The front half of the drama, as many would say, was extremely enjoyable, but I also thought that the drama went downhill after maybe ep 10? What kind of 40 year old does not have the capability to stand up for herself, yet is rather emotionally manipulative towards her significant other? And they communicated well at the start, yet threw everything out of the window when times got tough (reminds me of Record of Youth). And the mother is the most overbearing parent I've ever seen, including in real life. I think I spent more time wondering why no one has slapped her and yelled at her instead of actually watching the drama. The office sexual harassment plot seemed to take up too much of the plot as well, though I think it is an important issue that the writers and directors tried to incorporate.

As for the OST, I don't understand why people are complaining that it's an all-English OST or that it's repetitive. However, I think the OSTs were just okay. They weren't bad, but it was nothing spectacular either. I preferred the waltz/jazz/mellow sounding OSTs in One Spring Night.

Overall, I think this would have been better as a 2hr movie than a 16 episode drama, or maybe a 10-12 ep drama. I have no idea why I finished watching this drama.

In summary:
What I liked - cast, chemistry between JHI and SYJ
What I disliked - SYJ's mother in the drama

Star of the show: JHI and SYJ's chemistry

Rating: 6/10
Watch if you like to be angry (or watch the front part for some JHI fan service)

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Worth watching amidst the controversy

I think that while the set of the drama seems rather limited, I think that it was beautifully done up. I loved the aesthetics and the vibes of the setting and really liked the attention to detail. Each episode is brilliant in its own way and is also very exciting. I also think that the storyline is quite interesting, though I do understand that it is a distortion of history. I would like to make a disclaimer that I watched this drama solely as a fictional show.

Aside from the plot, I love the OSTs. I don't mind that some of them are in English and I think that they are brilliantly written and produced to suit the waltz/slow dancing vibes. However, while I am quite fond of slow-paced dramas, I don't think I can sit through 16 episodes of this again. I hoped to see more of other scenes that depict what it was like in South Korea in the 1980s to 1990s, as I did in other dramas, such as the Reply series, Signal, etc. Overall, I still really enjoyed the drama.

My deepest condolences to the friends and family of Kim Mi-soo.

In summary:
What i liked - set, concept, cast, story, OSTs
What i disliked - limited set (they've been at the school for way too long)

Star of the show: I don't think there was anyone who stood out in particular. I think everyone did a great job.

Rating: 9/10
Watch if you like the aesthetics of the 1980s/early 1990s and Jung Hae-in (and possibly if you're into Stockholm Syndrome)

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