Jeuhaen
Europe
Sweet show, mostly feelgood
This is a really sweet show around growing up, friendship, family, and love.A bit slowpaced, without big conflicts or "villains", mostly feelgood.
There are some very heartwarming scenes, like between Guang Feng (?) and his grandma, and the small gestures from Rangrang showing us how he cares about her.
The ML's role is kind of similar to that in "You are desire" and the same of his friend (Gu Ran). I like both of their acting - suitable roles.
FL is very sweet, although I do find the female characters in Cdramas often to be a bit overly childish.
I can see myself recommending this as something to watch for a mum (/parents) and teenage (daughter) together.
Was this review helpful to you?
Gripping story and strong acting. Recommended (with a warning).
This is one of the dramas that have left a very strong impression on me, together with shows like My Dearest and Mr Sunshine.Oh, how I cried ...!
Weeks after finishing this show I still got emotional thinking about it. This series will sit with me for a long, long time.
Brilliant performances - the emotions portrayed, whether frustration, anger, love, sadness or joy, was just exeptional.
Costumes, for someone like me with no specific knowledge about this, seemed fine.
Locations and filmography were good too.
Note: After I originally wrote this review I learned the series is based on historical persons.
It also felt more "realistic" than most of the other historical dramas I've seen. Not "over-the-top" with clichés and such (as I remember).
The only thing I guess is holding me back from giving a full score, is that I felt the story skipped a bit much in the end.
Was this review helpful to you?
Healthy relationships
A good balance between workplace drama, slice-of-life, family and romance.The relationships portrayed, both family, friends and coworkers, are realistic and develops well, supporting the storyarchs and pace of the drama.
Acting was strong from pretty much everyone. Dylan Wang mastered the portrayal of a young person with sincere feelings well, and I must say the actress playing FL’s mum impressed me.
The “opposite age difference” is shown in a very realistic way, and I particularly liked how they addressed the concerns and obstacles through the views of different people around them.
The supporting characters’ stories did develop on their own archs, without being too dominating. They could have dropped some of it and made the drama shorter, as they were not really essential to the story, but those scenes didn’t feel like a total waste of time either.
All in all, this is a good drama to watch if you like more mature, healthy relationships.
Was this review helpful to you?
Could've been shorter
Main reason I watched this despite its age, is because I like Hyun Bin as an actor and was curious about one of his roles from a bit further back.I saw some mixed reviews, and although my opinion differ from those giving very poor reviews, I can't give it top score either.
I like the acting: I think Hyun Bin plays out his double role well. I am a bit more mixed about Han Ja-Min; I felt she "overacted" the sadness/weariness a bit at times.
As for the storyline, it got a bit too plot-heavy. I felt it could have been rounded off nicely at 12 episodes; I kind of expected it to be near an end in episode 10.
But: I must admit I got emotional (last 2 episodes).
Was this review helpful to you?
Sweet, easy watch
I would say this is a rather “innocent” story: it is sweet and uncomplicated, without any big ups and downs and dramatic plots.It contains a lot of the familiar tropes, but they are kept at a “calmer level”.
The cast is ok; the two main leads portray their characters’ personalities rather well, although their chemistry could have been stronger.
The screenplay also stays focused on the main characters. Yes, the supporting characters also have a story, but it is not elaborated too much.
Don’t expect any big surprises, but if you want an easy, feel good sweet romance with some funny elements, this is worth watching.
I liked how they approached the part that led to his “night time online study” ?
Was this review helpful to you?
Familiar tropes, but entertaining
Don't expect original plots – this script contains a lot of the familiar ones, but it is still rather entertaining. It also covers some more serious topics, like harassment in the workplace, but it isn't a serious, heavy drama. You have to watch it on the right premise; I kind of remember it as a hybrid of a romcom and a drama.The kid is an absolute charmer, and he almost makes this worth the watch on his own, lightening up the show with funny scenes and "adorableness".
I like that the FL is strong and independent with a career in what some might think of as a more male dominated area.
The cast is quite good, and the two main leads interactions are often spot on.
Was this review helpful to you?
Charming and feelgood, although not very original
This was a lot better than I expected after reading the synopsis.Although the storyline itself contains a lot of the familiar tropes from Cdramas, the charm, the small lighthearted humorous moments, and the acting resulted in a feelgood viewing experience for me.
Some of the common plots are also kept at the "less dramatic" level, keeping it more realistic.
The soundtrack is not intruding, but well chosen, adding to the mood and vibe in the different scenes.
Grandad was excellent – the actor portraying this character did a fabolous job. I kind of wished we saw more of him!
I liked Xu Ruo Han (FL) in “Forbidden flower” and thought this role suited her quite well.
Even if kind of typecasted, Wei Zhe Ming (ML) is also an actor I like, and he nailed this role quite well. I can't really remember if I have seen him in many humoristic scenes before, and even if these were just small lighthearted moments I found his timing and execution to be spot on.
This is a C-drama I can see myself rewatching when in the mood for something not too heavy, not too melodrama.
Was this review helpful to you?
Female main character was just too much sometimes, although I guess some of my dissatisfaction is partly due cultural differences.
Still watched all episodes, mainly because of ML.
This is one of the weaker dramas I have seen within the "first responder" theme.
It is mainly the female character that didn't sit right with me, and their interactions. She didn't seem worth it, to be honest!
Was this review helpful to you?
Beautiful story about overcoming life challenges and personal growth
Great cast and class acting, good script, filmography and music. Emotional (you might cry) and a bit inspirational.I guess one could say the script depicts feminism (probably not the best choice of words, but I can't describe it better in English).
The script actually raised quite a lot of what I guess are stigmas and societal/cultural challenges, like divorce, remarriage, gender equality, traumas and more (without spoiling too much), and it did so rather elegantly. And with that I mean it didn’t really feel too “preachy”/ moralistic, as some other shows I have seen have been.
If anything bugged me I guess it is that especially Rose didn’t really age visually. I don’t mind her looking youthful at the end, but then again - maybe it was to show she kind of found herself again?
I spotted one very obvious blooper (brand new car model spotted in Paris-scene).
One of the things stopping me from giving full score:
Some lengthy scenes and flashbacks could have been shortened, and it was VERY obvious what car brand put their marketing budget to use here (so much so that I found it a bit annoying ?).
A show I definitely will recommend if you like quite realistic dramas without big intrigues and plots.
Was this review helpful to you?
Don't watch in public (but do watch it!)
I often watch Kdramas on my commute. This drama is one I recommend you watch in a comfortable place, with easy access to tissues, as it gets quite emotional and will most likely tug hard at your heart strings.Don't be fooled with the "chaebol cold guy, sympathetic poor girl" synopsis, as this story is so much more than that. Or, should I say - it adds a whole new layer to this kind of plot. You still have the typical characters of controling parent, love rival and so, and although kind of cliché, it adds to the main story revolving around the FL and ML.
Main reason to watch is the performances of the two main leads.
Especially the FL does an exceptional job I think, in portraying and displaying all kinds of emotions; despair, wishfullnes, disbelief, resolutness, love ...
ML is also delivering a strong performance. I like this character's development, and also how he handles it; we can see the changes he goes through in his expressions and body language.
To be honest I don't really remember the soundtrack. It kind of makes sense the music took a backseat in this, but at the same time I have watched other series where the soundtrack still can evoke emotions, so they might have missed an opportunity here as well.
When I had watched around half of the episodes I ended up binging the rest, as I wanted to finish it before my vacation was over.
Was this review helpful to you?
A bit dated, but a classic
After finally watching this, I understand why it is consideres a "must see"/classic.So many other C- and K-dramas have obviously been influenced by this.
If anything, I recommend watching this as an insight into this type of dramas.
I happened to watch the Chinese adaption (Meteor garden) of this before this Korean version. Not sure which one I like the most, to be honest.
Even though the script had some questionable logic here and there, the story itself contains "it all": rich and poor, love rivalry, disapproving parents ...
Was this review helpful to you?
Strong start, then the need for schemes took over
I got hooked, and really enjoyed the first 6 episodes.The story was strong, and the acting was superb.
Then, the crazy plots kind of took over, and what could have been a really good, gripping drama became a more “run of the mill melodrama” with mischevious people and one plot after the other.
The acting of both the FL and the 1st ML did impress me, which was one of the main reasons why I didn’t drop this. The other reason was that I was curious what kind of ending they would give the story.
Was this review helpful to you?
Realistic and charming, challenging stigmas
What sets this apart from a lot of other Cdramas for me:- That it challenges what I assume are stigmas towards some groups (certain careers and disabilities) in a very natural way (not overly "preachy" or "propaganda-ist").
- The locations: I love that the majority of the story is unfolding in their hometown, not in Shanghai. It is charming and creates a very natural atmosphere. At the same time, the Shanghai-scenes are important parts of the story.
- The character gallery, their individual progressions and developments.
In addition, I think they nailed the casting, and pretty much all of the actors delivered strong performances.
All in all, this is a series I would recommend, and one I can see myself watch again some time.
Was this review helpful to you?
Good acting, unexpected development
I hadn’t read any reviews before watching this, so for me, the story development came as a surprise.Writing this without trying to give away spoilers, but if you really don’t want any hints or clues, then stop reading as it is difficult.
####
The synopsis on Netflix is really short, and I didn’t really remember if I watched the trailer back when I added it to my watchlist. So, for me, this kind of hit me right in the heart.
Maybe I was expecting a bit more lighthearted banter, and not something that was quite emotional (I cried).
It felt shorter than what it is; I actually felt they could have let some of the story play out in a little more detail.
The two main actors were great; not boisterous taking up a lot of attention, but low-key strong presence.
The ending kind of left me wanting more.
Was this review helpful to you?
A love-hate story that gets a bit fluffy
Some scenes you could almost feel the tension and the sparks of both attraction and hatred flying between the FL and ML. And then you have some rather dull scenes.I feel it could have been possible to cut out some of the side stories and “fluff” without loosing much - a few less episodes wouldn’t have hurt the story much.
Mei Lin, the highly trained assassin, sometimes became a bit passive.
Murong Jing He’s character went through an emotional growth-journey. I kind of liked how we witnessed first the more indirect signs, and then his unashamed declarations of love.
As for the other love stories, Luo Mei’s didn’t really feel that it fit her character. As for concubine Zi Gu, they could have kept it at the emotional level and let her fate end in a different way.
For me, the common message from the love stories here was how love can make people take difficult choices, and willingness to make sacrifices.
I must admit I cried as I watched the last episodes in the middle of the night.
All in all, this had some good acting, the story was mostly ok but could’ve been a bit shorter. There were some scenes where the effects were so-so (I especially noticed in the later episodes), and I mostly enjoyed the music.
Was this review helpful to you?
