???

i'm genuinely not averse to tonal shifts or meshing seeming unalike genres together, i'm really not, but this show and the ppl behind it i'm convinced had no idea wtf they were doing or where they were going with this show. so much doesn't work from the comedy to the pacing to the relationship building. (why is there a love triangle when it effectively forgets about it and the secondary love interest isn't really a convincing threat by episode like four? why is this show involving a serial abductor and wannabe killer when it could just singularly focus on the inept mafia members, which fit better tonally with what it's kinda going for? what IS this going for? i don't know! do you?) there are glimmers of potential and occasionally the cast, particularly the leads, push through to sell a scene but nothing can rely on a single, inconsistent element for long.

the core problem, the more i examine it, is and was the decision to make this a romcom and serial killer thriller when...this does not have the range, i'm sorry. it does not compliment nor work with any of the themes it does establish, which are paper thin, no the comic-y feel it exudes almost constantly. it should have, frankly, been something more akin to a slice-of-life with a heroine who is clark kenting it to the best of her abilities and branch from the hijinx that can entail from that.

instead we get a drama that's only thing it chiefly knows about itself is to be homophobic. it's such a shame because there is potential and a number of things to work with here.

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i was in high school, relying on livejournal communities for torrents to watch dramas when i watched YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL for the first time. i am now almost 30. rewatching this on a whim has been such a trip down memory lane. in a lot of ways this drama holds up, though i do think there are a number of cracks that are more apparent than i initially perceived (i mean, obviously, i was like 14 when i watched this for the first time). while not the worst offender considering the time this was airing, shin-woo's behavior in this bordered on creepy at times and full on Nice Guy (he improves but, like, kinda just want my secondary romantic interest to be a normal dude who catches Intense But Unfortunately Unrequited Feelings). it was a little jarring! it's also incredibly tropey in a way that, like, i absolutely see where people can or would turn away from this. the lead is absolutely, absurdly unintelligent--i mean, the cast is composed of not the brightest, in true hong sisters fashion--but naive, sweet, and sincere. park shin hye really shines in selling this and she is truly such a fantastic comedic actress. the romance builds and while it has its bumps, it sucks you in and....genuinely......i'm almost 30 & my hearts still fluttering from the Feels. a straight shot of serotonin, honestly.

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