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manicmuse
NYC!
It was definitely the two leads that kept me watching. Jun Ji Hyun & Kim Soo Hyun played off of each other very well. Do Min Joon, though stoic most of the time, was a character with some unexpected depth. Chun Song Yi was the epitome of the spoiled Hallyu star on the surface, but was surprisingly likable, relatable, and hilarious! I had so many literal lol moments during the drama because of Jun Ji Hyun's performance. I was also impressed by Kim Soo Hyun's ability to pull off playing a character with so much maturity considering how much younger he is. To me, the best parts of the drama were when they were together, although I didn't cry once for them (and I can be a big crybaby). I was much more amused by them than really emotionally invested.
The supporting cast was also very good, but the other storylines just weren't as strong, and sometimes felt more like filler. The rest of the drama was pretty standard (devious villains, jealous friends, family greed, unrequited love, a crushable second lead...), and not as intriguing as the main couple. Still, I was entertained the whole time while watching, even during slower parts during the last few episodes. I also had no idea what the ending would be, and really liked what it turned out to be, even though it was slightly unsatisfying. The story does end with some questions left unanswered (like who in the world were they talking to? lol.), but I think the writers answered most of the ones that really counted.
Overall I really liked this drama for what it was and enjoyed watching it, but It never gave me that 'can't wait for the next episode feeling'. It's certainly not the best drama I've seen, yet there are aspects of this drama that I liked more than most. I'm not sure If I would rewatch more than a few select clips, but It's possible that I might watch it again one day, although I'm honestly not sure if I could handle listening to "You ARE my destiny..." anymore.
If you're generally a fan of romances about 2 people reluctantly falling in love, then I definitely recommend this one. Just think of the alien thing as a bonus.
***update*** I recently rewatched it and I was still very entertained so I bumped up my initial rating a little. Yes, "You ARE my destiny" is still annoying!
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I will start with what I loved, which was the plot. The story is definitely one of the most original ones I've ever seen in a drama. It's creative. It's suspenseful. I never could anticipate what would happen next. In the beginning I was completely in awe! There was romance, mystery, action, and humor. I almost gave the story a perfect score, but there were too many minor holes, odd changes in direction, and confusing elements, that stopped me from doing that. There was also the fact that the drama started to lose it's charm as time went on, but I'm not convinced that was because of the plot.
This story revolves around Kang Chul, and I think Lee Jong Suk did a good job of bringing that character to life (see what I did there?), but there was something lacking for me. He had the charm down, he's easy on the eyes, and the action scenes were pretty good too, but the emotional scenes were lacking. That didn't make me dislike his performance, it just made me not feel as emotionally invested as I should have been. I know it's a webtoon, but he went through a lot, A WHOLE LOT, and he seemed to be way too cool throughout. That sorta worked because he is literally playing a 2 dimensional character, so I forgive him. Who I can't forgive as much is his costar.
Don't get me wrong, Han Hyo Joo is cute and likable as Yeon Joo. She looks great with the leading man, and the chemistry in their early scenes together are some of the highlights of the show. The problem is when the show goes from partial rom com to full on suspense thriller. Suddenly their romance goes from 1 to 1000, and the chemistry is replaced with overdramatic declarations of undying love. As cute as they were together, their romance doesn't make the most sense, and that's when her acting let me down. Every time she cried I felt nothing. Every time she was surprised I felt nothing. I felt a little bit of the longing when she missed him, but not that much. I liked the character, but I just couldn't connect to her emotions. I think this is why this drama failed to meet my expectations. I am a cry baby, and this story called for lots of tears, and I shed not a single one. It looked cool, and they looked cool together, but I wish I felt more emotionally tied to the characters.
My favorite character was actually the writer Oh Sung Moo. I think his story was the most interesting part of the whole drama. He was complicated, he was interesting, and he came the closest to making me feel any emotions. Kim Eui Seong was excellent, and the stand out! The rest of the supporting characters were great, and there were no real weak links. I loved the assistant artist so much - he was a hilarious sidekick. I also liked the reoccurring jokes with Yeon Joo's boss. I can't say that the acting was bad at all, but I just wished the emotional scenes were more believable. It takes more than tears to make emotions seem real.
The other thing about this show that impressed me were the visual effects. They were perfect when switching between the two worlds. Yes, it totally reminded me of the 80's music video "Take On Me", which is a classic, but I liked how seamless the cartoon world mixed with the real world - it was just the right amount of cheesy yet realistic.
How about that soundtrack? Umm... I can't remember a single song or melody, and I literally just finished watching it.
Would I watch it again? Sure. I wonder if a second viewing would make things clearer in certain parts. The suspense would be gone, but there are still enough entertaining parts to keep me engaged.
Overall, I think the creativity involved alone would make me recommend this drama to anyone, even though I feel like it didn't reach it's full potential. I blame that more on the leads than the plot, which was ambitious, but I've seen plots that made much less sense, and yet they still had a stronger emotional impact on me because of the actors. From beginning to end I was very intrigued, and I think the ending was great, but part of me is recasting in my head... Song Joong Ki or Jung Il Woo as Kang Chul? Kim Seul Gi as Yeon Joo? This is why I'm torn. Part of me liked it a lot, and part of me wants a do-over!
It's like I'm... torn between two worlds (See what I did there?) lol.
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The story is extremely basic as far as romances go. There's nothing new about a pretty girl pretending to be her supposedly less attractive and insecure friend. There's nothing new about a second lead who has no chance with the main girl. There's definitely nothing new about a makeover, that you know is inevitable from the title alone. Dramas use clichés because they work. The romantic plot is far from original, but the love story is still very sweet.
What was unexpected is that the romantic chemistry is not the main thing that kept me watching. Hye Jin & Seong Jun make a cute couple, but I didn't like them much in the beginning. Seong Jun's abrasive personality, and borderline Asperger's social skills, were a bit of a turn off. He is a jerk so often that it was sometimes hard to actually like him. Hye Jin is the exact opposite. She is nice to a fault, and for the majority of the show she overreacts to any and everything wide eyed and very LOUDLY! She easily says "ottoke" well over a thousand times during this drama, which was becoming annoying, not endearing. Their chemistry, and backstory, does make up for it, but starts to get really extra cheesy in the last few episodes. If The romance alone carried the show It would have gotten old very quickly for me (even with the kissing scenes).
The relationships I actually loved more than the main romance were the friendships with the two supporting leads. Ha Ri and Hye Jin's friendship was so great to see. It felt good to see two friends love and support each other that much. Their friendship is what made watching the love triangle so engaging. I was more concerned with their friendship than with which girl would get the guy.
Then of course there is Si Won. I already read about him stealing the show in reviews before watching, but didn't really think much of his character at first, because he was so silly. After a while it was clear that he was not only the true star of this drama, but also hands down my favorite character. His scenes made me laugh (the "Jackson" thing was so funny to me) and broke my heart (had me literally tearing up). Soon I was more invested in his friendship with Hye Jin than the main couple. Whenever he wasn't on screen he was missed (Ironically I felt the exact opposite way about him in "The King of Dramas")
The rest of the cast was good, and I did like the staff at THE Most (especially the ridiculous Kim Ra Ra, who was consistently doing "the most"), so the scenes regarding the magazine were entertaining. The magazine plot does start to take up most (pun intended) of the show's time in later episodes, but there wasn't much to that story either. It was clear throughout this drama that they were trying their best to stretch the story out to fit 16 episodes - which of course means plenty of flashbacks, frustrating coincidences, and scenes meant to sell you a particular Nikon camera lol.
It's also been a while since I liked a soundtrack, and I liked this one. They even threw in the song from "A Tale of Two Sisters", for dramatic effect, which is one of my favorites. I'm also a fan of the Carpenters.
I don't know if I would rewatch anything more than specific scenes. There were just too many filler moments to make me want to watch the entire drama again. However, I did end up marathoning through it in 3 days (so it wasn't too boring), and I really did love the ending. Not only did I love the way they wrapped up what happened with all the characters, but the overall moral (about being supporting characters vs leads in our own life stories) really touched me.
Overall, As rom coms go, I was not disappointed. The plot is far from perfect, but characters were the driving force in this drama, not the story. Being predictable didn't stop me from wanting to watch it all happen anyway. If you watched "Kill Me, Heal Me" and wondered "what if..." then you may get a kick out of just seeing Hwang Jung Eum and Park Seo Joon together again. If you even slightly like Si Won, you should definitely watch him in his element. I hesitate to recommend "She was pretty" in general, because there's nothing extraordinary about it, but it still delivered what I expected it to in an entertaining way. Sometimes a simple love story, with some laughs, is all the drama you need.
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If I had to choose one saving grace in this whole film then I would say Jung Jin Young did a really good job with the role he was given, but his performance couldn't save the bad writing. The plot is completely unbelievable and super predictable so you have to really like Jin Young to like this one. The rest of the cast, besides Ra Mi Ran, is very forgettable. Even some actors I usually like didn't make any impression.
Overall you have to have a super high corny tolerance to enjoy this, or just love rewatching body switching shows no matter how overdone. It seems to be for younger less jaded audiences anyway, who get to see bullies get what they deserve and are a little more forgiving about plots that defy basic logic. There are just too many better body-switching stories out there for me to ever recommend this one.
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First, Ji Sung is awesome, and perfectly cast as determined and righteous Prosecutor Park. If you are a fan of his, this is an automatic must see, because watching him go through all these revenge stages is the perfect showcase for his talent. His rival is Uhm Ki Joon who is also perfectly cast, and so extremely different from his Doctor character in "Scent of a Woman", that I was extra impressed. That's all I will say about his acting, because part of the fun for me was watching it all unfold knowing nothing. I think together they make this epic rivalry work extremely well.
So I don't think it's a spoiler at all to say that obviously Ji Sung ends up in prison, and equally impressive are his cell mates. Each character was interesting, entertaining, and made me really care about them, and their own stories. The bromance levels are pretty epic. The support they had for each other made me laugh and brought me to tears. I have no complaints about the cast at all, the wives, the kid, the mom in law, the brother in law... everyone is great, but the prisoners in the story were the definite highlight for me.
The story is hard to comment on without giving away more than I want to, but this is a straight up revenge based crime thriller. There are comedy elements because of the characters and situations, but the story is all crime based... murder, betrayal, retaliation, conspiracies, emotional torture, sociopaths, and obligatory amnesia... so if you are looking for something lighthearted or romantic this is definitely NOT the drama you want.
My story score is a little lower than others, not because the story is bad, but it isn't necessarily original. Like most revenge thrillers, most of the story is based on waiting to see if the villain(s) will get their due. This story is pretty standard in that respect, and some parts of the plot take a while to be revealed, so I was not as excited by the story as others who are less used to these types of shows. I was hoping for some unique and unexpected elements to be revealed, maybe some romance, or anything to make the story a little less standard. It doesn't quite drag, but there's something very basic about the plot that kept me from loving the show more.
Would I watch this again? Maybe. Certainly the cast is entertaining, and the story is meticulous enough to maybe catch something I missed in a second viewing. However, without extreme excitement during the first viewing, I don't know how likely that would be.
The music is basically dominated by "You're just to good to be true" basically becoming one of the character's theme song, which was a nice touch. The rest of it was pretty standard, but works.
Overall, If you are interested in a straight crime drama, this is extremely well done, and highly recommended. The cliffhanger aspect makes binge watching awesome! The end is satisfying, and doesn't feel rushed, dragged out, or contrived. Ji Sung is an easy actor to root for, so fans of his will no doubt enjoy him in this role. So, while it's not my favorite in the universal prison escape drama pantheon, or even among my favorite dramas, I would agree that it's a must watch for this genre.
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This review may contain spoilers
Queen of Ambition made me feel so many feelings... mostly frustration and anger... and I loved every minute of it!First off, I love villains! I find them fascinating, which makes this the perfect drama for me. I'm also a sucker for a good revenge story. Based on the title alone, I had a feeling about what I should expect, and I still was not at all prepared for all the twists and turns! The lead character goes waaaay beyond normal ambition, and the situations in this drama caused me to yell and curse at the screen so many times. This is a MAKJANG in all caps, and a super addictive one. It caught my interest from the very beginning, and as the story progressed it just kept topping itself. It's part love story, part revenge thriller, and part one woman "House of Cards"! Of course reality police could pick apart every unrealistic moment, but when it comes to melodrama, it doesn't matter if it's unrealistic, it only matters that it works, and everything in this drama works! A large part of the credit for making it all work so well should go to the cast.
I will start with Kwon Sang Woo, who won me over with his lisp, and his admirable back muscles, but most of all made me fall in complete love with Ha Ryu. His heartbreaking character goes through so much during the course of the show, and I believed every moment of it. He did initially seem too old to be college aged in the beginning, but he was such a good actor that I didn't care. He handled romance, tears, action, sweetness, comedy, and tragedy effortlessly. I definitely will check out more of his dramas in the future. I also thought he was a good match for Soo Ae, and it's hard to have a convincing love story with someone so unlikeable.
Now, Just to be clear, this drama's main character is a sociopath. I am not saying that as a spoiler, but as a warning for viewers who may not realize what they are getting into. Soo Ae plays the notorious Joo Da Hae, a name I won't be able to forget for a long time. I can almost guarantee that you will not like her, and I have to give Soo Ae credit for making her so good at being bad. I do have some problems with her performance. I can barely recognize her as the girl from "9 End 2 Outs", which I loved, but that could be because it was a different genre. Her character is closer to her role in "Mask" (same genre) in which she mostly looks zoned out and depressed. I think the depressed stare works for this character too, I mean she is a sociopath, but she would also do this wide eyed deer-caught-in-headlights look constantly throughout the show that would literally drive me insane. I know that part of this type of drama is a small element of over acting, but the rest of the cast managed to be pretty realistic. The entire supporting cast was awesome (including super cute Go Joon Hee, and super hot Lee Jae Yoon), so her bad acting moments stuck out. I also think she missed a lot of opportunities to make her character sympathetic due to her acting, because the writers definitely tried on their part.
The story definitely gets a 10. It starts with a suspenseful moment, and for 23 unpredictable episodes tells you the backstory that lead to that moment, without any real plot holes, and without boring me even a little bit. It's also not all anger and tears, there are funny and touching moments as well, for much needed balance. Then the final episode packs in a lot, without feeling rushed, and without leaving me feeling cheated. The ending also made me ugly cry. I can see how some people may have been disappointed, but I thought it ended things beautifully.
Would I rewatch this? Without the suspense element, the show would lose some of it's appeal, but watching each unbelievable moment again would be entertaining enough.
I would recommend this drama highly, especially to revenge thriller fans, but with a disclaimer. This drama is the complete opposite of happy escapism. This is the kind of love story that will make you want to avoid love like the plague. This is the drama equivalent of driving slowly past an tragic accident, when you know what your are seeing is horribly tragic, but still you can't look away. A good alternative title might be "Oh No She Didn't", or "WTF". If you're ok with this, and can kinda appreciate it when bad guys win, put this drama on the top of your "to watch" queue. The score on MDL definitely doesn't do it justice. Seriously, the 24 episodes will fly by! It's probably best to watch it with someone else, so you can curse at the screen together!
I will definitely have to watch something happier next. The good thing is, most dramas will be much happier in comparison. I was looking for a drama to scratch my melodrama itch, and this definitely did, and more! It will be a nice dark addition to my favorites list.
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The cast really was amazing... mostly. The chemistry between all the characters kept me engaged, even when the plot was a little wtf. There were some moments when the acting was so over the top that it was comical, which probably has a lot to do with the style of drama, so that's the only reason I didn't give the acting/cast a 10.
Hwang Jung Eum's spunk in other dramas makes sense to me now. Even though Kill Me, Heal Me is one of my drama favorites, this is definitely a close second for my favorite role I've seen her in. Honestly, her perky personality can be a little annoying, but it was perfect for portraying Woo Ri. Then there's Kim Jae Won, with that cute smile - the kind of smile that makes me smile involuntarily. I adored the way he played Dong Joo without milking the role for sympathy. I also have to applaud the writers for making him a strong character, and not just a victim. In fact, neither were victims, which was refreshing. I couldn't get enough of their chemistry too. They had so many instant rewind-worthy cute scenes. They really were a great, and believable, match.
It would take too long to sing the whole cast's praises, but honorable mentions to Nam Gung Min as moody Ma Roo, Lee Hye Young as "Mommy Dearest" Tae Hyun Sook, forever friendzoned Lee Kyu Han as Seung Chul (will he ever get the girl?), Yoon Yeo Jeong as potty mouth halmeoni, and the perfectly cast younger versions... The only cast member I didn't like was Kang Moon Young, who's face was honestly distracting, and her character Shin Ae was one note until the very end. The True MVP of the cast is Jeong Bo Seok as Bong Young Kyu. I wasn't sure what to make of the character at first, but by the end he was the character that made me cry, and laugh, and showed unexpected depth. I would rate his acting well above a 10.
The writers did a great job keeping the show entertaining from start to finish. The drama itself is part love story and part corporate family drama. The love story, from the very beginning, had me hooked because it was so sweet. It had the obvious obstacles that happen in most kdrama romances, but the real focus was on their connection, and support for each other, which made me love their relationship more. The corporate drama, which normally I start to zone out on, actually kept me engaged too, because of Cha Dong Joo and Jang Joon Ha's bromance. Backstabbing, jealousy, and revenge can get pretty boring when the characters are shallow, but because the relationships were so strong, I was totally engaged. That's why I gave this drama a high rewatch value. I could definitely see myself watching this again.
I will also give music a 10 because it plays such a huge part in the story. Music brings Dong Joo and Woo Ri together. Music is how the family gets through hard times. It's not that the soundtrack is exceptional as much as how much the music connected me more to the drama. One scene where Dong Joo sings is a perfect example of how a song doesn't have to be beautiful to convey a beautiful moment.
Overall, the theme of this drama is family, the kind of family that goes far beyond blood relationships. It conveys that in beautiful, touching, and bizarre ways (Kim Yeo Jin, I'm looking at you). With that theme in mind, there were no lost moments in this drama for me, and even the ridiculous started to make sense. The final episode is where the theme really hit home for me, and the ending was absolutely perfect.
This drama is probably not for everyone, and is a pretty big commitment, but I would recommend people giving it a try. I know I am now no longer going to avoid a drama based simply on episode count, because time flies when you're having fun (even when "fun" means crying your eyes out, or yelling at the screen).
This is the kind of drama that you can't enjoy if you watch it with a logical brain, you have to watch it with an open heart to really enjoy it.
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Song Joong Ki is now one of my favorite actors. I loved him in Sungkyunkwan Scandal, and I am shocked by how different he is in this drama. I loved seeing him go from innocent optimist to master manipulator as Kang Ma Roo. I liked never quite knowing his character's intentions, yet he always stayed true to character. He was well matched with Moon Chae-won, who had an equally challenging character to portray. This is the 3rd drama I've seen her in, yet she was unrecognizable at first. I think that is the sign of a truly great actress. They played off of each other well, though one shouldn't expect too much cute chemistry. The romance in this is very heavy, which brings me to Park Si-yeon's role. She does a good job as the easy to hate Han Jae Hee, without making her character too one-note. The characters have enough flaws and redeeming qualities to make their love triangle intense.
The supporting cast is great as well. Lee Kwang Soo & Lee Yoo Bi, as Jae Gil & Choko, had the tough job of bringing some light moments to this intense drama. I also liked Lee Sang Yeob, who was great, but more subtle in his role as Lawyer Park.
My opinion about the music is mixed. I thought it complimented the story well, but one of the main songs sounded a little to close to one of the songs from "Secret Garden". The music wasn't original enough to get higher than a good rating from me.
Overall, I was very entertained by this drama. I can't agree that it's one of the best, but I can't think of many flaws. The only glaring issue I had with this drama was the overuse of flashbacks. Every episode seemed to rely on multiple flashbacks. Sometimes they even flashed back to the previous scene... and more than once. I had to take a story point away for that. After a while it seemed like time filler, not a storytelling device.
I don't think I would watch this again, only because much of the excitement for me was about guessing what would happen next. This drama kept me guessing until the very last moment, and no, I was not disappointed with the ending. I think the slight change in style made sense in the context of what was going on. I was also satisfied with the closure given to the main characters. I'll even forgive Eun Gi for being so ridiculously blind!!! I'll blame that on the accident. lol.
If I do eventually watch it again it will be for Song Joong Ki's performance.
This is an intense, emotional, romantic, melodrama, though I didn't cry at all. For fans of that style, this is a must see. I'd also recommend it to anyone bored by dramas being too predictable. "Innocent Man" won't disappoint you.
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A haunted house real estate expert is pretty genius.
"Sell Your Haunted House" is a supernatural thriller with a strong female lead, which for me is the perfect setup for a new drama favorite, but even though I did enjoy watching every episode of this drama I was also slightly disappointed. I loved the whole exorcism world and Jang Na Ra's character being like an angsty superhero. What I didn't love was the anti-climactic relationship between the leads. This drama definitely tells a great and emotional story while still leaving room for humor, but when it comes to the leads this drama seemed to play with my emotions. It does make some sense according to the lore of the show to not have an actual romance fully develop, but I would have enjoyed it more if it did, since it was constantly implied. This is one of the main reasons why, for me, "Sell Your Haunted House" felt like a season one drama. Like an origin story.Jang Na Ra as bad@ss Hong Ji Ah and Jung Yong Hwa as psychic fraud Oh In Beom definitely work well together in a dynamic duo way. Ji Ah is a psychic Batman, and In Beom is her Robin, and although there is some flirting chemistry, mainly they are there to balance each other out. I did really like the non-traditional gender dynamic with Ji Ah taking the kind of role usually reserved for male leads. She's strong, she's intimidating, she's guarded, but also vulnerable, and as usual Jang Na Ra gives an amazing performance. She rarely disappoints, and I think this is my favorite role I've seen her play. On the other hand, Jung Yong Hwa is an actor I've been pretty indifferent to in spite of liking many dramas he's in. Matching him with such an established older lead could have easily faded him into the background but he holds his own in the story. He also has some fun scenes where he gets to play with variety. I won't overlook him again after this.
For me, the true star of this drama is the story. Yes, It's part melodrama, so there is a haunted by the past element (literally lol) that could have been very cliché but I thought it was extremely suspenseful and interesting. If you've ever lost someone in an unexpected death it'll be hard not to empathize with the storylines, especially the main one, and the themes of guilt and wanting to hold on. The realty angle is also a nice twist on the whole lady ghostbuster theme. The writers really do a good job of marrying suspense with some over-the-top campy moments and characters. The main villian was a little too extreme sometimes but it was also fun to have a character you could absolutely despise 100 percent. It helps that the entire cast is great, although some of the sillier characters made me lower my cast rating. I do have to mention Kang Hong Suk and Kang Mal Geum who help complete the main team, and I really liked them both.
The director was also exceptional and really made this ghost world feel fun like a comic book but still realistic and extremely cool. I'm curious to see what drama he does next.
Would I watch this again? Sure. It would be a little less exciting the second time around, knowing the full story, but it was fun, visually exciting, and touching enough to still be entertaining. I'm more curious about whether or not there will be a season two, which seems very possible by the ending, but I was very satisfied with the ending as is too... aside from the platonic leads.
Overall this is a great supernatural drama that isn't too scary or too silly. It stars such a clever and unique main character and that's enough for me to recommend this drama! Romance fans will probably feel a little disappointed but there are a few cute moments so it's not totally romance-free. It also got me a few times in the feels without being too heavy, although some parts of the story really broke my heart. I can see this show's format having so many possibilities for continuing the story, so if there is a "Sell Your Haunted House: Season 2" I'm Sold!
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This drama is primarily a crime thriller. It claims to be adapted from "Memories of Murder", but I saw that movie, and the two only seem to relate on a surface level. What this show really focuses on are unsolved cold cases, and it uses a mysterious partnership between an ambitious cop from the past and a cynical cop from the present to attempt to solve them. The idea of manipulating the past to change the future is not new in KDramaland, but it is hard to do well, and this show manages to do it very well.
Much of the show's appeal comes from the 3 main characters, and the actors who play them. Jo Jin Woong as Lee Jae Han is the ultimate everyman hero. His determination is inspiring, and frustrating to watch. He brought a humanity to the idea of what it takes to be an effective cop. Then there is Lee Je Hoon as Park Hae Yeong, another character with a lot of depth. I loved watching him go from being a cynical know-it-all to going above and beyond. I think his character was so well written, and liked that the more I learned about his backstory, the more I connected to his choices and actions. Then lastly there's Kim Hye Soo as Cha Soo Hyun. I love that she is a total bad@ss. I will admit that I was definitely more of a fan of her in present day, although I understand showing her transformation from how she started out. Watching their frustration, eagerness, regret, stubbornness, impetuousness, tears... made me have so much empathy for their characters, even though I didn't cry even once (and I am a cry baby).
The supporting cast is good, really good, even when their characters aren't the most likable. The cases themselves were also all interesting, which means I was never bored.
Although there are romantic aspects to the plot, it's the partnership chemistry that drives the show, so reviews that call this a "romance" aren't really accurate. I will admit that I was more into the chemistry between Cha Soo Hyun and Park Hae Yeong, than her chemistry with Lee Jae Han. Some of the scenes when she was a rookie made her seem a little like an emo-stalker, which didn't seem as cute to me as it was meant to seem. I think their past was the only weak part in the plot for me, and although I understand why it was written that way, it made it seem like she was always overreacting when it came to her senior. Meanwhile, I wonder if I was the only one who sensed some kind of unspoken attraction between her and Hae Yeong. Fine, Was it just me? Wishful thinking? lol. Either way, I thought they worked really well together.
I saw that some people complained about plot holes, which you will always find if you look hard enough. I thought this show did an excellent job of tying up loose ends, avoiding useless scenes, and answering questions. It may be confusing in the beginning, but it soon starts to make perfect sense. There are a few things that are left open ended, or without explanation, but I think keeping a little bit of mystery added to the story. The fact that the story is so cohesive is why I gave it such a high rewatch rating. I think it would be cool to see the whole thing again, now that I know whats's going on, and my guess is that I will see things differently than I did the first time, which is my favorite reason to rewatch anything.
It's also not all depressing, or gruesome. They actually manage to find places to add some comedy, without it being glaringly inappropriate (well, there are the obligatory fart jokes... )
I should mention too that the OST fit the show very well, complimenting the atmosphere, but it's not something I feel compelled to listen to on it's own.
Overall, this is a must see for any thriller fan, but still has enough appeal to convert fans of other genres. I don't agree that it's the greatest drama ever, or the most original ( I saw "Frequency"), but the fact that it has so many fans makes complete sense. This is one of those shows that it's really difficult to find fault with. From the very first episode I was sucked in, and I had to keep watching 3 more episodes just to see what happened next. This is the kind of drama that can make you lose sleep, because once one thing is resolved, a new equally/more interesting scenario begins. It's that way up to the very last episode, so I understand people being excited about a possible season 2. I know I would watch!
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So, what do I hate that "Mask" did so well? We all know in KDramaland that ridiculous coincidences will most likely happen. People often meet in the exact right spot, or miss each other by seconds, or just happen to overhear something they needed to know, or have the exact right thing for the exact right moment... This drama's plot is 99% coincidences. Even how the doppelgänger scenario is introduced is way too coincidental. This usually drives me crazy, because it makes everything so unrealistic, but in Mask's case it didn't matter to me. The more random the coincidence, the more frustrated I got, and the more addicted to the plot I became. Maybe because it adds an element of literally anything might/could happen. The 20 episodes flew by because I was so addicted to finding out what was going to happen next.
The second thing that drives me insane are dumb leads. I spent much of this drama wanting to reach through the screen and slap characters, or shake some sense into them. This usually turns me off to a drama, but in this case I had to keep watching. I will admit that I liked the villains more than the leads. Don't get me wrong, I liked Min Woo and the wife known as Eun Ha's chemistry, and love story, but I still preferred the bad guys, even if I didn't want them to win.
I think the cast did a great job. Soo Ae was good at looking tortured by guilt, or being overcome with grief, while also shining a killer smile once in a while. Be warned that the smiles are not often. She looks depressed for the majority of the show, but with what happens, how can you blame her? Then there's the equally straight-faced Joo Ji Hoon, the obligatory socially awkward rich guy with a short fuse, and issues from childhood. Of course he is still totally crushable and sympathetic as the show progresses. I had totally forgotten what dramas I had seen the two of them in before (he in "Goong" ,and her in "9 end 2 Outs") because they are so much more mature now. Their matter of fact romantic banter was cute, but I did wish there were more romantic moments that weren't so stiff (there are maybe 3 I can think of total). And why did they insist on going to sleep in full outfits? Dude was wearing a sweater??!!! *sigh*... Instead they do a lot of staring, which felt like such a tease. It is still a very touching love story, but there are more emotionally touching moments than butterfly moments.
Now about those villains... I did love to hate the loan shark, but the true power couple from hell is Mi Yeon and Seok Hoon. Yoo In Young plays the most man thirsty woman in the history of KDrama. I just finished watching her be the jealous beyotch in "Oh My Venus", but this jealous beyotch character suited her much better. She was also the one character, in all of this drama's madness, that actually made me cry at all. Then there's Yeon Jung Hoon, the true MVP of evil. I kept rooting for his evil plans, because even though he is basically a sociopath, I respected his intelligence and commitment to revenge. He was my favorite of the cast, so I guess it's about time I check out "Vampire Prosecutor"
Now, would I watch this again? Doubtful. Most of the excitement of this drama was guessing what would happen next. I do recommend it though, especially if you are looking for something extremely melodramatic! There were times when I laughed inappropriately when I should have been sad, or concerned, or times when I cursed loudly at the screen, but there was not one single moment when I was bored. It's a 20 episode drama that I marathoned through faster than some shorter dramas. I'm not sure I would have been able to handle the stress of watching it live and waiting for episodes.
This is a lose sleep kind of drama. Even the last episode threw in some new twists, while still making sure everything was resolved in the end. I'm glad my early misgivings about KDrama tropes didn't make me stop watching. "Mask" really was more addictively entertaining than I ever would have expected.
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Ahn Jae Hyeon plays the vampire doc Park Ji Sang, and he does a good job coming across as cold, and wise, yet eternally youthful ... which makes him a good pick for a vampire I guess. His costar Goo Hye Sun plays his rival turned love interest, and I thought she was pretty good playing the arrogant Yoo Ri Ta. I actually thought they both did a fine job bringing their characters to life, though neither was particularly charming (even with his occasional smirk). The major problem for me was their complete lack of any chemistry whatsoever. Zero. Nada. If they kissed, which I think they did, I totally forgot it, because that's how much I cared. I wanted to see two cold characters warm up to each other and eventually heat up the screen. Instead I saw two actors sometimes hug, and suddenly I'm supposed to believe they are in love. Well, I didn't, which ruins the epic fairytale romance idea that a lot of the story was counting on. As a romance, this failed miserably for me.
As for the rest of the cast, one of my favorite characters was Jung Hae In, who I would have liked to see have more screen time (even if that meant seeing more of the stupid robot). He should have been a way more important character to the story overall, but instead he's comic relief until those few moments when he briefly explains something, or he's used for bait. His backstory even seemed like it was thrown in at the last minute. Plus his romance was much more believable than the main couple, and more fun to watch. How poorly they treated his story line is my main reason for turning on this drama completely, but I'll try to focus on a few more positives before I trash the show completely.
The show's real star is Ji Jin Hee. He's complicated, awesome to watch, kept me in suspense, and is the main reason I kept watching. I also felt similarly about Son Soo Hyeon. She even has better chemistry with the leading man than Goo Hye Sun does. I won't go into details about either character, because I don't want to spoil the best part of the show in my opinion. Some of the patient stories were entertaining, but I'll say that without these two actors I would have dropped Blood a long time ago.
The rest of the cast was fine, did their best with what was written, and made the sloppiest parts of the story at least watchable. I gave the story 5 out of 10 because although it was a great idea, what was written was disjointed, overly complicated, and at some points completely ridiculous. The over the top music did not help either. During the last few episodes smart characters suddenly did the stupidest things, secrets seemed to be revealed just for shock value, and none of the complicated concepts introduced were ever explained or resolved in a way that made any sense. Several times the story aims to make the audience cry - like use a whole tissue box cry - but instead I literally watched those episodes with a dry eyed blank stare, and the entire last episode with a confused look. This is one of the worst KDrama endings I've seen in a while, and so much suspense was built up in the first half, and well, that by the time I got to the last episodes I was majorly disappointed.
Overall this drama starts off interesting, peeks your interest enough to keep you watching, but goes completely down hill and off the track by the end. I know some people like the idea that a drama may come back with a second season, but I would have preferred a satisfying ending, or at least one that made sense.
As for whether or not you should watch Blood... I say skip it. I know I wouldn't watch it again. It's not terrible, but it's not good. It fails as a romance. It's not well conceived as a suspense story. It gets kinda boring for a hospital drama too... in fact it's like they forgot all bout the hospital at the end which makes no sense since about 90% of the drama takes place there. Maybe this would have been better as a movie, and stretching the story to 20 episodes is what made it so bad. There are way too many vampire stories out there to waste time on a bad one, and this one definitely... (wait for it) ...sucked!
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The first thing that stuck out to me is the fact that the main character, Jang Hye Sung, is not a very likable person, yet she's a completely relatable character. I realized early on that these characters wouldn't be so cliché, which really peaked my interest. Interesting characters in an interesting story is the perfect recipe for a really great/memorable drama. I Hear Your Voice was mostly that... yes, I said mostly. There were a few things that stopped me from agreeing with the mostly 10 rating reviews, but I believe the good in this drama heavily outweighs the bad.
The whole cast was great. Lee Jong Suk and Lee Bo Young worked well as a couple, in spite of the huge gap in age. Lee Jong Suk was totally believable as the wise beyond his years Park Soo Ha (though sometimes more emotionally flat than cool). It's pretty similar attitude-wise to his role in Secret Garden, but this time he gets to shine as the leading man, while Yoon Sang Hyun takes a back seat.
Yoon Sang Hyun's Cha Kwan Woo on the other hand is the antithesis of his role as Oska. Cha Kwan Woo is super idealistic and a bit of a doormat, and his dynamic with the sometimes bullying and pessimistic Jang Hye Sung was kind of a refreshing change from the K-Drama norm. It was like the typical K-Drama gender stereotypes were reversed (he's even the one to get the makeover lol).
The three of them made an entertaining love triangle, though the love story did start to drag after a while. I loved the initial chemistry between Park Soo Ha and Jang Hye Sung, but I will admit that towards the end I became less interested in them as a couple. The characters remained strong, and interesting in spite of this. I don't blame the characters, it's more the fault of the somewhat repetitive romance plot.
Jang Hye Sung and Seo Do Yeon's rivalry was just as engaging as the love triangle, sometimes more so. Both characters were strong willed to the extreme, which made their vulnerable moments even more heartbreaking. I really enjoyed their anti-bff storyline.
My two favorite characters however were not any of the leads. Although I loved the leads, and the whole supporting cast, there were two cast members that were the true stars in my opinion.
Jung Woong In was such an amazingly sinister villain. As Min Joon Kook he really scared the crap out of me (which is pretty hard to do), and unlike the average cartoony K-Drama villain, his character had depth which made him even creepier.
The other stand out to me was Kim Hae Sook, who played Jang Hye Sung's mother. I loved the dynamic between mother and daughter, and one scene of hers in particular left me completely devastated. After watching her in this she has officially earned a spot in my top K-Drama actresses list (also see her in Cain & Abel, and definitely in Hotel King).
I gave the story a lower score than most, because I did completely drop this drama at one point. There's a point in the story where is takes a completely different turn, which I guess is better than being predictable, but I started to completely lose interest. After a while I decided to give it a second chance, and the reason I gave this a higher rewatch score is that I watched it again from the beginning and was completely sucked back into the story. I'm glad I made that decision because the story goes in so many interesting directions.
Like most dramas, the story started to drag a little at the end, but not enough to make me stop watching a second time. The writers also deserve a lot of credit for not leaving annoying loose ends in such a complicated story. The beginning was much stronger to me, but In the end I was not disappointed.
Oh, and the music. So many of the OST songs annoyed me. The songs in general are probably not as bad as my score, but hearing them over and over again was borderline torture.
I know I mentioned Secret Garden a lot in this review, but It was cool to see Yoon Sang Hyun & Lee Jong Suk in another drama together (since SG is one of my all time favorite dramas). Both I Hear your Voice and Secret Garden are also similar in how they successfully weave the supernatural elements into the story. I think a fan of one may also like the other.
Overall this is one of those dramas that has a little something for every K-Drama fan. There's the increasingly popular older woman younger man couple craze for romance fans (shout out to all the cradle robbing Ajummas!), There are plot twists for fans of suspense, There are cry worthy moments for drama fans, There's a bit of a tragic super hero story, There are court cases for those interested in the Korean legal system, There's some epic revenge for thriller fans... I Hear Your Voice really does attempt to take on a lot of genres!
I really would recommend giving this drama a try, and if you do watch, and find yourself ready to drop it halfway, I strongly recommend hanging in there a little longer. It may not live up to all the review hype, but I think the fact that it has so many enthusiastic fans makes total sense. At the very least, it's not just more of the same, which already puts it ahead of many dramas.
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Unlike the majority of reviewers, I cannot call this drama the best of the year. In my opinion it was good, but not great.
I didn't really like the direction. I found the split screens to be distracting. It did work well during some of the final scenes, but it mostly felt heavy handed. To me, it was a gimmick that was overused.
As far as the story is concerned, I think it was well written. There will always be holes that you can nitpick about in time travel stories (like how did he always manage to steal clothes that fit him perfectly???), but this drama does a good job of making a farfetched premise believable. Queen In Hyun's Man also spends a pretty even amount of time in both the past and the present, and balances romcom with historical drama fairly well. I was initially bored by the Joseon scenes, but they eventually drew me in as it focussed less on politics and more on time travel. Most of the Joseon characters were not very memorable, including the Queen herself, but the talisman story had some excitement, and suspense to it. The modern day romance is what hooked me in, and kept me watching, yet the rest of the modern day plot was too silly for my taste. Any scene that was non related to the main couple was easily skip-able for me.
I wonder if I would have liked the Queen In Hyun's Man more, if I liked some of the supporting cast more.
If I could separate the rating for the main characters from the supporting cast, the acting for the supporting cast would have gotten a much lower score from me. I found Kim Jin-Woo & Ga Deuk-Hi's roles to be equally annoying as the ex-boyfriend costar & the bff manager. Ga Deuk-Hi had some cute banter with Ji Hyun-Woo, but her constant whining made her character hard for me to bare. I did not find Kim Jin-Woo charming enough to make being so childish entertaining. Jin Ye-Sol played the only supporting character that I had any real interest in, and I think I would have been more effected by her role if she had more screen time.
Now, as much as I can rave about Yoo In Na & Ji Hyun Woo's romantic chemistry, I still had a few problems with their performances. I loved how impulsive Choi Hee Jin was, and that she wasn't romantically passive like most rom-com female leads. I even found her sometimes ditzy behavior sweet, and her antics charming, but for some reason her tears had no effect on me. Sometimes it felt more like sulking than really emotional based tears, but even when she seemed to be crying her heart out I was dry eyed. Meanwhile, Ji Hyun Woo played Kim Boong Do completely deadpan. He has a sexy smirk, and I liked that he was self assured, but something felt like it was missing from his performance. I get that his character was an intellectual, and not necessarily emotional, but his reactions were just too casual in my opinion. In contrast, the rare moments when he did breakdown, should have had a strong emotional effect on me, but they didn't. The story has some seriously heartbreaking moments so It's amazing to me that I didn't cry once.
What the leads do extremely well is romance. There were so many hot, cute, flirty, and sweet scenes between them. Honestly, what got me into this drama, was wanting to watch them flirt. The plot became more and more intriguing as it went on, but I was always secretly waiting for the next flirty scene. The ending also avoided being too corny, and I was satisfied with it (improbable or not), but my favorite part of the end had very little dialogue. ; )
I have no problem with a voice of dissent when it comes to reviews. I know my opinion of Queen In Hyun's Man is not a popular one on MDL, and that is why I feel compelled to say it. Having super high expectations can sometimes ruin a drama for me. Overall I've seen much worse, and much better. I was never super excited to watch the next episode, but I wasn't disappointed by any episodes either. I've already rewatched some of the moments that I liked, but probably wouldn't rewatch the whole thing again. At the very least, this drama deserves praise for feeling a little different than your average kdrama romcom.
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Too fun to be this short : (
"A Business Proposal" is a classic addictive RomCom. Yes, It's filled with tropes galore, but it's also self-aware, which I loved, including a drama within a drama that reminds the viewer to not take the cheesy plot too seriously. Nothing in this drama is original. As the title suggests, It's the cliché Rich Boss Poor Employee cliché complete with a contractual relationship that starts getting real. What feels different about this drama is that it doesn't waste a lot of time on repetitive obstacles, and most of the time is spent instead on the amazing chemistry between the leads.It stars Kim Se Jeong as Shin Ha Ri. A quirky-klutzy but smart and hardworking employee who I loved! She's hilarious and ridiculous but still felt real and relatable and was thankfully not a passive doormat. This was my first time seeing her in a drama and I'm an instant fan. Seriously, she's so good that I will definitely watch whatever she is in next. I already started watching "The Uncanny Counter" to kill time waiting for the next episodes of this each week, and I love her in that too, but she's a perfect rom-com leading lady. She is matched with Ahn Hyo Seop as Kang Tae Moo, the typical cold and arrogant boss leading man. He plays that role really well and was a great straight man for Ha Ri's antics, but it was his vulnerability when he starts letting down his guard that really got me. I was immediately sucked into their rom-com banter. Even watching them just look at each other I could feel butterflies, and I am definitely adding them to my list of favorite Kdrama couples. Their story is everything I've already seen in a million KDramas before and I was still excited, that's how good they were together. I also liked how the love story escalated without wasting too much time (Tae Moo's favorite saying) but then again, I didn't realize there were only 12 episodes. I feel gypped. I wasn't ready to let this go!
Another great thing about this drama is that it almost felt like getting 2 romcoms for the price of one. Each lead had a BFF and they had their own cute love story with amazing chemistry. I also really loved the friendship between Young Seo and Ha Ri and between Sung Hoon and Ta Moo. Special shout out to Kim Min Gue's dimple who deserves its own credit for being a valuable part of the cast. There's a great underlying theme about the family you create beyond the one you're born into. I also liked that even the rich and privileged lead characters were given some depth and not just reduced to what you would normally expect from a typical sheltered heir/chaebol character.
The supporting cast was fun too. Some characters are extra over the top and borderline annoying (OMG Young Seo's cousin's voice was so excruciating), but the silliest moments still usually make me laugh. One of my favorite characters of all was Lee Deok Hwa as Ta Moo's drama-addicted matchmaking Grandpa. He looked like he was having fun too, playing a sillier spin on the kind of role he's played so many times before. The only characters who were a buzz kill were the Chef and his petty Girlfriend. They weren't bad, they were just... "meh". I'm glad their screen time was limited.
Would I watch this again? Definitely. I already rewatched many of the episodes while waiting for the next episode. There's something comforting about a lite drama like this that's so easy to binge and is still fun to watch even with such a basic plot. Next time I'm in the mood to watch attractive couples with great chemistry I'll queue this up! I will be tempted to fast forward to my favorite moments and skip the filler, but even the filler is pretty funny.
Overall, after being disappointed by so many recent dramas, and not being in the mood to watch something deep or gutwrenching, this drama exceeded all of my expectations. I watched knowing nothing about the webtoon, so I can't compare them. Is the plot logical? Absolutely not. Will that matter while watching? I doubt it. Sometimes it felt like I was watching "What's Wrong With Secretary Kim" Jr but take that as a compliment. There's a reason so many of these tropes are in so many dramas again and again, and "A Business Proposal" embraces that unapologetically, and with cute animation to help set that mood. I am genuinely going to miss this drama. I wasn't prepared for it to end but I'm so glad it ended with me still enjoying it and didn't drag on and become stale and disappointing. This drama stays consistently silly and sweet from beginning to end but also has heart and its own original flavor thanks to the cast. There's also mild food porn, so I wouldn't attempt to watch while hungry. I'm hoping to find another drama this cute, since real life has been too heavy lately to appreciate a heavy drama, and this was the perfect escapism.
This is 100% a guilty pleasure drama, but I feel no shame that I enjoyed every episode.
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