michelleoc

My eyes got a ton of exercise - rolling them at the ridiculousness of this drama

Liked:
-the cola scene
-Jeju
-the FL finally making friends with her long-time adversary.

Disliked:
-The FL in the first few episodes was working my last nerve. I didn't find it funny; I found her irritating and pitiful.
-Typical rich man/poor girl story, done much better elsewhere.
-This may seem random, but her clomping all over Seoul and Jeju in 4-inch heels was just so unbelievable, since during so many scenes she was running. Get this girl a pair of tennis shoes.
-Whenever the ML got mad and was yelling, very over-acted.
-"Oppa" girl - it's hard for me to watch someone that has no self-respect and tries to hold on for the sake of holding on.
-ML's brother - always gets feelings for the woman his brother likes. What happened to him, anyway? Suddenly just disappeared.
-Too much back and forth - "yes, we are going to be together" "oh never mind, we aren't going to be together". This drama would have definitely benefitted from fewer episodes.
-the last two episodes. Did they get a new writer? They were FINALLY together and then the FL decided she "lost something" and moved to Jeju to work, didn't know if she wanted to get married. Isn't it a natural progression when you supposedly love someone so much? He gave her specific instructions - when you come back, if you are wearing the necklace, I'll know you are ready to think about getting married. But did she follow those instructions? No, she sent the jewelry box back to him with a note in it. You know immediately that he isn't going to open the box, why should he? Then his secretary sees the note and mentions it? Oh, and through all this, she's wondering why he isn't calling her! I really hated the FL in the last two episodes. The ending was abrupt and unsatisfying.
-The show is old and it didn't age well.

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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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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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Suffers by comparison

This is my personal opinion. If you are wondering if you should watch Family by Choice, I would say yes, because I realize I'm in the minority here.

Yes, I watched Go Ahead first. No, I didn't love it. I felt it was entirely too long. However, Family by Choice, left out most of the episodes that had heart and, for me, wasn't able to recreate the bond of the found family.

What I liked:
-The acting was good.
-They didn't have both male leads fall in love with the FL.
-Ju Won's friend Dal. Loved her storyline with Hae Jun.
-Ju Won's dad.

Not so much:
-A lot of bad kisses. Not feeling the chemistry. Actually, I didn't believe the romance. It could have been left out.
-The actors looked exactly the same from high school to 10 years later.
-San Ha's dad. He was just there for the food and alcohol.
-I wasn't really able to feel the strong bond between the siblings, because we didn't have enough of what they went through as children to stand together against the rest of the world.
-Ju Won's dad was a lovely character for the most part; however, he seemed to love the boys more than her!
-an ode to terrible mothers. Every mother in this show was a nightmare.
-bad mother shout out - Hae Jun's mom. So, you leave and don't come back for 20 years. The reasoning was extremely weak, and she was being such a martyr. Then, moving close so she can see him from afar. Then, they have one conversation and all is forgiven.
-storyline for Ju Won's dad and Hae Jun's mom - came out of nowhere and ran at lightning speed.

My biggest complaint:
-San Ha's storyline. I had so many problems with it.
-First, both parents were gone when his sister died. Did Child Protective Services not get involved?
-San Ha saying he wants his mother to keep thinking his sister's death was his fault. Why?
-This storyline overshadowed every other. It was extremely toxic. The actress did an excellent job, I hated her so much.
-Why would he go and take care of her? It might have made sense if he was underage and had no choice, but he was an adult. Respect for an adult/parent is one thing, but to suffer abuse from your mom for over 10 years? Plus, he was in med school - even a bystander could see that she needed psychiatric help. She should have been committed.
-I completely lost respect for him when he went to see her and got on his knees at her bedroom door. What the heck!?!?!?
-This storyline, for me, seemed to overshadow all the others, which really drove my enjoyment down.

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The scenes in Korea saved it for me

The good:
when they were in Korea (meant more to me because I just returned from my first visit there).
The not good:
-The acting. With some of the actors, you could actually almost hear what was going on in their minds, "Now I walk to the door, stop, turn." Wooden or over the top acting by all.
-The makeup for the FL. The pink, pink cheeks and the pink lipstick. Learn to blend the makeup, people!
-The storyline. I've seen this story 100 times done better.
-Costuming. The women all dressed so skimpily and sleazily. Are shorts, midriffs and high heels a thing in the workplace? Not a good look for anyone.
-No chemistry between leads, partially because I felt like I was watching them "act".

My rating is only what it is because of the Korea shots, otherwise it would have been even lower.

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