michelleoc

Too drawn out and boring for me

This drama just went on and on. I fast-forwarded through A LOT of this show, just so I could finish it. The main couple didn't even get together until episode 24 and there wasn't much progression with them up to that point. They didn't like each other, until they did. The dubbing bothered me (especially the voices of the children), the subtitles were not well done (the name of the team kept changing), and I didn't really find the actions/behaviors of a lot of the people realistic. For example, one of the multiple girls that likes the ML gives up her skating dreams just so she can stay close to the ML. Then there are the rest of the girls on the skating team. They were complete bullies throughout so much of the drama, and the amount of disrespect/insubordination they displayed to the coach absolutely would not have been tolerated.

The only reason I even rated it as high as I did was the main couple. When they were together, they were just precious. They had a number of meaningful conversations that lent themselves to the two actually growing fond of one another. They were supportive of one another, and them watching other couples to learn how to date? Cute!

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Typical rom-com

I watched this a couple of years ago and decided to give it another go so I could review it. Loved the cast, loved the house, and there were numerous moments of cuteness. However, the second female lead going back and forth between the two men, the main lead watching out for her, I had a hard time knowing if he liked her or not. I wish they had written the ML with stronger feelings. Him constantly running to help the second female, really made it hard solidify the relationship between the leads.

The development of the relationship between the men was interesting to watch. They went from hating one another to having each other's backs, and they weren't even aware of it. There is a scene of the three men at the hospital sitting together that is really cute.

The second to last episode was absolutely the best, but as seems to be normal, for Korean dramas, the ending was rushed/minimal.

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You'll love Chief Kim!

Now THAT’S what I’m talking about! I had seen scenes of this show and I’ve read a few of the reviews. I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to like this show because 1) it’s not a romance; 2) I don’t care for over-the-top or slapstick comedy; 3) I don’t like when shows have a ton of villains. Since I’ve not recently had terrific luck with finding a fabulous romance, I thought I’d give it a try. This show was a pure joy from beginning to end. It had me laughing out loud one moment and in tears the next.

WRITING/STORY: Extremely well-written. For me, there were no draggy parts (hard to find in K-dramas, unfortunately) and there was no “throw away” dialogue. Every word spoken had a purpose, which might be confusing at the moment, but it would be explained in later scenes. I loved how they used flashbacks – something would happen that didn’t make sense, and they would go back and show what had happened behind the scenes to lead up to that point. It’s hard to find a show, especially one with a cast this large, that has fully fleshed out characters, from the main leads, all the way through the supporting characters. I have to like the characters to really be invested in them and I was worried about the character of Chief Kim, because he was a con man and his facial expressions often seemed cartoon-ish. His character development was fun to watch. Watching him grow as a person, but also seeing how much he helped everyone that he worked with, how his co-workers gained strength from what they learned from him…it was so special. The writers did a great job of letting us delve deeply into each character, get to know them better, and then you can’t help but root for them. They were very three dimensional and completely developed. The humor was often very exaggerated, but it fit in very well with the story. There was A LOT going on in this show – multiple villains, and lots of accounting stuff – I have arithmophobia so that was kind of painful, but the journey was just so much fun.

ACTING: Everyone in this show was absolutely amazing, but I have to call out a few that were complete stand-outs for me. Most of the other actors I’ve seen in other shows, and they were so good in this. It was fun to see Kim Seon Ho and his dimples, as a bespectacled nerd, which was a change!
Namkoong Min as Chief Kim – I was so impressed with him. He completely owned the part of Chief Kim. He was funny, playful, eccentric, and yes, a little bit crazy. He would pull these faces that would have me laughing out loud. He had to display such a wide array of emotions, and when he wasn’t being goofy, his intenseness was spot-on. You could feel his confusion as he started to leave his old life behind and actually let others into his life. There’s a line early in the show about him “fake crying” because what he feels isn’t real. Later on, when he cried, it just about broke my heart.
Lee Jun Ho as Yool – now, here is a villain you love to hate! I’ll start by saying that he’s just so beautiful, I got a little lost in him every time he was on screen. I was hoping that he would redeem himself, and the way the writers handled his storyline was excellent. I loved watching how he reacted to the female lead – a hint of a romance that is never actually addressed. (If you haven’t seen him in Just Between Lovers, he’s excellent in that as well!)
Kim Won Hae as General Manager Choo. This is an actor that is normally used for comic relief. He was extremely funny in this, but we got to see so much vulnerability and caring from his character. I especially loved his scenes with Chief Kim.

MUSIC: At the beginning, the romantic songs just didn’t fit with what was going on, but later on they made more sense. I absolutely LOVED hearing the Descendants of the Sun music when one couple met for the first time, so funny!

REWATCH VALUE: There aren’t a lot of shows that I would re-watch, but I think I’ll watch this again in a couple of weeks. It might be fun to watch it, already knowing the end.

So, I can wholeheartedly recommend this show. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll love the characters, and you’ll be glad you watched.

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Worth watching for the four main characters

Let me start by saying that I could watch and listen to Woo Do Hwan read the telephone book and be perfectly content. He is exquisitely attractive and he has a wonderful, deep voice. There are certain actors/actresses that you just feel drawn to, for whatever reason, and for me, he is one of them. This show is the Korean version of Dangerous Liaisons/Cruel Intentions, which almost kept me from watching it. I do not like to watch people being mean to others, especially without reason. I was pleasantly surprised by the triad friendship of Kwan Shi-Hyun (Woo Do Hwan), Choi Soo-Ji (Moon Ga Young) and Lee Se Joo (Kim Min Jae). To say they were each dysfunctional would be an understatement. There were a lot of very amusing scenes with the three of them interacting. These were scarred people that grew together as friends, to protect each other and build each other up. When the three of them were in scenes together, I felt sometimes like I was getting ready to watch a traffic accident - I didn't want to watch the way that they were behaving, but I just couldn't help myself. And when Shi-Hyun gets involved with Eun Tae-hee (Joy), their chemistry was smoldering. They were wonderful to watch. Woo Do Hwan's transition from cold and calculating to being in love was intense, and there were a few scenes of him trying to be "cool" that were funny. At the beginning, he's pretty emotionless (as a character, not the actor), but once he falls for Eun Tae-hee his smiles just light up the screen. I even thought the way he said her name was special. Joy reminded me a lot of Kim Go-eun from Goblin, and I found that a little distracting. I have to admit I was fascinated by the relationship of these four people, and I could have cared less about their families, and found myself fast forwarding through the family stuff. I'm not giving anything away to say there is a happy (though too rushed and short) ending, along with the obligatory separation for years. Seriously, why do they only give us four minutes for the ending?!?!?! And how many years have gone by? She says that she's made the same wish every year. They were such a lovely couple, I really wish they would have devoted more time to the ending.

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Just my opinion

I know that a lot of people liked this show, but I couldn't, for the life of me, forgive the mess that I was watching. I was very disappointed in the writing, not the acting. Lee Jong Suk and Park Hae Jin were both wonderful in this mess of a drama. I'm all for suspending disbelief, but this show, in the first place, didn't seem to know in which direction it wanted to go. Baddies that don't die no matter what happens to them, a change in the focus of the show (N. Korea was a good starting place, but went horribly awry), things happening in a hospital that have absolutely no foundation in reality, name/identity changes (who can keep up with the names?), and it seemed like the inmates were running the asylum! The ending was very disappointing and caused an even further suspension of disbelief - the main characters disappear for a year - did no one look for them? Ugh!

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I can see what all the hype is about, but...

Should you try it, I'd say yes. Chinese dramas, especially historicals, are absolutely not my favorites, save a couple of exceptions. I liked this one well enough, but I didn't love it. Please remember that this is my personal opinion.

The good:
Gorgeous lead couple.
Excellent enemies to lovers, with a slow progression as they get to know one another.
A strong female lead that remains strong throughout. She had a sharp mind, was kind, and stood her ground.
Cute side love story.
Beautifully filmed.
Costuming and the sets were good.
Happy ending.

My issues:
FL reminded me so much of Zhao Lusi without her charisma. I kept waiting for more wit from her.
Why do people have to have multiple names? Keeping everyone straight was a nightmare for me!
Entirely too long, with long periods of nothing happening. I had to FF too much.
I can't forgive them killing off my favorite character.
Boring, abrupt and lazy ending.

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Title should have been ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER

I have never been so misled by clips like I was for this one. I was looking for a romance. I have enjoyed both lead actors in other things, and I couldn't pass up Xu Kai in something contemporary. But the clips that I watched were the total of their interaction throughout the entire drama! I did enjoy watching the ML go from cold and ruthless, to someone who actually cares about others and basically inherits a family. I could never actually tell when the FL started to like him, but they were cute together. However, all of their scenes would have taken up two episodes (and I'm being generous. The romance tag should be removed or moved to the end of the list and changed to "slight romance".

The focus of this drama (80-90%) was about the FL's mother. She was a toxic, loud, disrespectful, overbearing, money-grabbing, immature, domineering mother. I know that respect for parents in Asian cultures is important, but there is a certain point in time when a husband needs to step in to try to curtail the behavior, or the child will deliver an ultimatum. I was determined to finish this drama, hoping for redemption, but it was too little, too late.

Spoiler examples:
1- the mother worked with the FL's ex-boyfriend's sister and organized a huge engagement party. Huge affair, balloons, flowers, ballroom, friends and family. The FL was sent on some fake premise, and when she opened the ballroom door, she saw all this. The couple had already broken up (of which the mother was well aware), but the mother was trying to force her hand.
2- the mother takes her obnoxious relatives to the high-end hotel that the FL is the new general manager and asks the staff for the best rooms and the best treatment, and discounts. The daughter arranges all of that and says that she'll pay for it out of her own money.
3- the daughter SPECIFICALLY told the mother not to come to her workplace. The mother shows up with lunch while the FL is holding a staff meeting, trying to cement her job as boss. The mother interrupts the whole thing and tells the daughter to send everyone to lunch because she (the FL) needs to eat.
4- they are staying in a home that turns out to be the ML's inheritance. He brings his stuff to move in and she refuses to leave. Husband and FL both try to convince her, with the FL saying she'll buy them an apartment, and still she refuses. ML says that the house is big enough for all of them, but she won't give up the master bedroom, the other rooms are for when her kids come home, so he ends up sleeping in the attic.
5- ML pays for both FL's parents to get a complete health screening. There is something abnormal in her tests and they want to do more testing. Instead, she roams around pouting and being all dramatic, then packs a suitcase and leaves home without telling anyone where she went. The whole family is out searching frantically for her (because, of course, she has turned her phone off), only to find her in the town they lived in years ago that she always complained about. The whole family shows up and she refuses to leave. Days of begging and pleading go by, and she finally agrees to the testing, to which she finds out everything is fine.

I have never hated a character or the way it was written more than this. Unless you are a glutton for punishment, I'd suggest you run away from this drama.

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I blame the writer.

The best thing about this was the bad guy. Namkoong Min was chilling and brilliant in this role.

I also liked the humor of the cops, sometimes they weren't very bright, but ultimately, they worked well together and solved the crime.

This drama felt very drawn out to me.
-It took forever for the crime to finally be solved (he was caught, he escaped, his body wasn't found, they closed the case, what?!)
-If the characters would just talk to each other, things would have been figured out much sooner.
-She knows that someone is after her, yet she's wandering around on her own.
-Her sense of smell is thwarted by rain. They were close to finding an entrance, and didn't bother to look around, just stood around trying to come up with a solution.
-She knew someone was after her but never bothered to lock her front door.
-They are getting married and she still called him Detective Choi.

As for the actors. I really liked the ML.
The FL, she cried in almost every scene. She had mannerisms quite often like she was blind. Blank stares, not looking at who she's talking to, etc.
Some of the actors with smaller parts were overacting.

So, overall, I guess it was okay, but the most positive thing I can say is I finally get to remove it from my "to be watched" list.

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Brilliant cameos!

This is a light and sweet story. I felt that the actors all did a good job, except for Ji Soo in her crying scene toward the end. Granted, it might be played for laughs.

The idea of escaping reality for a man that loves you regardless (one of the characters said the "HAVE TO" love you) was interesting. The alternate reality scenes were beautifully filmed.

Ji Soo's character was getting on my nerves, being unable to start a real relationship, because she was afraid for the end of it. Has she not heard "It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?"

My favorite episode was 7, when we got to hear the ML's thoughts and how he came to like her.

Seo In Guk never disappoints. Him playing two parts was bonus for me.

Sure, there were things that made absolutely no sense - how was the fake boyfriend able to send mail and call?

But if you want a break from heavier dramas, this is a great palate cleanser.

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Spoilers, Spoilers, Spoilers

I tend to be very specific in my reviews, just so I can remember what I watched. I put off watching this one, because so many people didn't like it, but, since I like Kim Young Dae, I decided to give it a try. And I can say that I am so glad that I did! Lots of spoilers in this, so if you don't want to know what happens, all you need to know is that I recommend you give this one a try for yourself.

What I liked:
The story. I do have to say that their past life was more well-developed. Their current lives focused more on other people. I have the attention span of a goldfish, so for me to not have to fast forward at all says a lot. I thought it was very engaging, though sometimes suspending disbelief was more difficult than at other times. I did feel that they spent too much time in showing us that they loved each other, rather than letting us feel their love.
Kim Young Dae. I loved him in Sh**ting Stars. I thought it was unfortunate that he was cast as yet another celebrity, but that's a minor quibble. My only real complaint was he was often too emotionless, but I also have to say that he has the most expressive eyes. I could see them change as he looked at her. Minor complaint - that one lock of hair in the middle of his forehead that was longer than the rest that hung over his nose - did someone just forget to cut that piece?
Pyo Ye Jin. I wasn't sure if she could carry a lead role, but I was very impressed. There was something about her that I can't quite explain why I think she was perfectly cast. She's not beautiful in the typical K-drama sense. Sometimes she would look very pretty, other times just like the girl next door. Her carriage and bearing in the past life were perfect for her role as someone from a powerful family forced to be a slave, but she wasn't about to be anyone's doormat.
Jung Woong In. He was the best villain I've seen in a long time. He was so charismatic, he commanded every scene he was in. And on the creepiness scale, for me he was off the charts!

What I didn't like so much:
Dead fish kisses. I think this was the fault of Pyo Ye Jin. She just looked really uncomfortable. Can the director not see how bad a kiss looks? I think sometimes that no kiss at all is better than bad kisses.

What I hated:
The ending!!! MAJOR SPOILER ALERT. So, this guy has been a ghost following her for 1500 years, in love with her all that time, never wants to be without her, but he disappears when the bad guy dies. The body that the ML had inhabited died. But he disappeared while the funeral was going on? He kept thinking of her name all the time, wanted to meet with her to talk about it. The bottom line? He has no memory of her or the love he had for her!! I'm sorry, to me, that just diminishes their love story. What made it especially sad was, since he was famous, for her whole life she'd see him in projects that he's done, and throughout her whole life she'll miss him and be sad. I know one of them said they'd be together in their next life, and we got three minutes of that next life, when she almost falls and he catches her (is that the most overused trope ever?!?) They said a couple of inconsequential things to each other and stood far apart, staring at each other. THE END. I'm sorry, if I can believe that the guy came back to life, I could certainly believe that he'd remember her somehow. It really made me mad and I dropped the rating a bit because of it. How hard is it to give us a lengthy, happy ending after keeping them apart the whole time!?!?!

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Thank goodness it was relatively short

I will begin this review by saying that I normally don't watch historicals, especially Chinese, because they always seem so unrealistic, too much satin, and ridiculous hairstyles. That said, if this is a genre you usually watch, give it a try, because there was a lot of cuteness, but I just judge harshly.

What I liked:
-FL is gorgeous, and I mean gorgeous. She lit up the screen.
-Though I wasn't enamored with the ML, they were really cute together.
-A nice mother-in-law.

What I didn't care for:
-Dubbing. Just why!?!?!
-The translation was so bad. Not just mixing up him/her, but there were so many times I had NO IDEA what was going on, because the words had nothing to do with anything.
-Choppy editing.
-Too much internal dialogue, sometimes it seemed that they could hear each other's thoughts, sometimes not.
-The fight scenes were laughably bad.
-was that supposed to be music in the background, or a sound effect or what?

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