FINALLY, a strong female lead!

I would have to say that my favorite part of this drama was that the writers took a different direction than they normally take and made the FL smart and strong, without making her a total witch. Sadly, the preponderance of FLs seem to be doormats and/or not very smart. The ML was very supportive, but you didn't feel like the FL needed to be "saved", because she could take care of herself.

I watched this on YouTube and there was only one episode where the sound was wonky.

The ML and FL were cute. I always like when a man has liked a woman for a long time, and this was sweet.

I do have to say that the 2FL's acting was pretty bad.

As usual, the voice dubbing, especially for the 2FL was awful. Why do they always have to use the high, shrill voices?

This was good to watch while trying to pick my next drama.

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Could have been much better at only 12 episodes

I'll start this review by saying this is only my personal opinion, so I would appreciate if people would refrain from being ugly. This review is also full of spoilers, so if you don't want to know them, don't read past the portion about what I liked about the show.

What I liked:
1) Rowoon - visually and professionally. I felt that his portrayal of Shin Yu was very understated, yet he put his emotions out there when it mattered. The episode where they FINALLY explain the back story fully (maybe episode 12?) was wonderful. You could feel his love and despair. When he was uptight and self-centered, he was funny in a non-over the top way. Once he and the FL got together, I loved their chemistry and the cuteness factor. And the costumers did an awesome job with his wardrobe.
2) Bromance between ML and 2ML - they were antagonistic, but their encounters with one another were always amusing.
3) Chemistry between ML and FL - yup.
4) The CONCEPT of the script. The idea felt original and interesting when reading the synopsis and watching the trailers.
5) I like how they resolved the "curse".
6) The fireworks scenes, just beautiful. The costuming in the historical part of the drama. The cinematography in the snow (the spreading of the blood) in the historical part was beautiful.

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

What I didn't like:
1) The EXECUTION of the script. The whole thing felt very repetitive. The storylines ran on too long. Especially the stalker storyline. How many different scenarios did they come up with for him to get away, be on the loose, and terrorize her? I mean, how many times did she really need to break up with him "for his own good"? This would have been more compelling if the script had been tightened up.
2) FL's character. I love Bo Ah as an actress. This character was working my last nerve. So many drunk scenes, and that was the only time she spoke up. She was just a pitiful doormat of a person, letting everyone walk all over her. Her trying to be cute when she was around someone she liked, changing her voice and her mannerisms. Then she moved WAY into stupid territory - which ended up making me angry, like yelling at the tv angry. There is a stalker out to kill her, yet she's alone in the park, alone at the hospital, alone in the neighborhood. He's tried numerous times to kill her, but by all means, open the door when he rings the doorbell! Then, when she finds Shin Yu bleeding in the stairway, she just spends an inordinate amount of time saying his name. Maybe you should call EMS? There was another time that she managed to drag his dead weight to the car (when she's half his size) to drive him to the hospital - wow, that's strong. Then the bleeding in the stairwell scene - not a character problem, but he'd have been dead if he'd lost that much blood.
Her constantly saying that she wasn't going to see him anymore for "his own good". Then, who drags someone all the way to the snow to break up with them??!?! That would have been an amazingly uncomfortable ride back to town.
3) Crazy gf, and I mean crazy!! I know that, for him, it was an arranged relationship, but she apparently didn't get the memo. That her behaviors were allowed to continue on through all 16 episodes was painful to watch.
4) Her coworkers. Oh my gosh!! They were awful! They were mean, loud, and entirely too over the top. Eventually I skipped their scenes, they were so intolerable. Also, there was no need to use up as much time as they did with the office romance of the bosses - no one cares.
5) His family - his mom was portrayed as an airhead, and his dad was just downright verbally abusive. In fact, there were an inordinate number of unlikeable characters in this show.
6) Costuming for the women - what is with the short shorts as work outfits? Then, add boots. Just not a good look.
7) The character of Shin Yu at times. I really didn't like how he kept breaking up with the GF but then kept meeting with her. He didn't say anything when a wedding date was sent. He knows that the gf is pretty much terrorizing Hong Jo, but doesn't really address it. Also, the way he allowed everyone, including his family, treat Hong Jo. I know that respect is valued in Asian cultures, but, to me, respect needs to go both ways. There were so many times that I was waiting for him to "man up", but he never did.
8) The relationship between the leads was very messy, I thought. Was he affected by the potion, was he not? Her becoming attracted to him - that didn't totally make sense either. Then they went from push and pull to not being able to be without one another and crazy in love. It didn't really flow well, I didn't think. That said, I loved their chemistry was lovely.

Should you watch it? Again, it's personal taste, but I found a lot to be lacking. But if you are all about Rowoon and can put up with a frustrating script, go for it!

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Oh the humanity!!

This will be a complete spoiler rant, so if you don't want to know what happens in this show, stop reading. It's been a long time since I have been so frustrated and angry while watching a drama.
1) First and foremost, I hated the FL character. This woman was actually stupid. I mean, how many times are you gonna stand in the street and wait to be hit by a car?! Why would you meet up with your cheating, scumbag of an immature ex-boyfriend? Why would you let the girl that slept with your boyfriend boss you around? You're interested in a guy, and he tells you that he's approached you because he thinks you killed his brother, and you don't get mad? Not only that, you tell him over and over again that you like him, knowing that he just thinks you're a killer? You find out who one of the killers is, and you continue to hang around him? AND, you accuse him to his face?!?! You go wandering around at night, by yourself, to find information on the killing, you run into one of the killers, yet you continue to wander by yourself? Then, there is the total lack of work ethic and the fact that she seems unable to do the simplest jobs correctly.
2) I didn't particularly care for anyone in this drama. The ML, the looks he was always giving made me think that he was not the best guy in the world, either. Were we supposed to think that? Why?
3) Too many episodes. The red herrings were flying fast and furiously and there were almost complete episodes that I fast forwarded through because the flashbacks were completely repetitive, and they kept trying to make us think things that weren't true. This can work well, but in this case, I felt like the writers were writing the script on the fly and had no idea where they were going to take the characters.
4) Lack of chemistry between lead characters. They actually seemed to be uncomfortable with each other. It was painful to watch.
5) Once I finally found out what actually happened, it was such a letdown. Again, I felt like the writers boxed themselves into a corner and wrote and ending that no one would care about after all this time.
6) Time Jump - I know, it's obligatory in K-drama world. He left without speaking to her, leaving her a note. Comes back a year later like nothing had happened and she just forgave him?!?! I'm not one for playing games in relationships, but I don't think anyone in their right mind would forgive and forget that easily. Plus the fact that the chemistry was still lacking. This was the first time I've watched a drama where I would have been perfectly happy if he never came back.

The music was the highlight of this drama.

I would not watch this drama again, even if someone offered to pay me to do so.

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She's a surgeon!??!

I REALLY struggled with this one. First, the female was so self-absorbed it wasn't even funny. She only cared about herself and furthering her career. She was not a likeable character, and everything she did smacked of self-interest in trying to save her own skin. Because everything she did was to benefit herself, I didn't buy the relationship until the very end, and even then, I was unable to point to when she started to like him. This also left me with the feeling that everything she did was a lie.

The male lead, however, was a man stuck in his grief, and the actor did an excellent job. I really enjoyed watching him coming out of that grief, yet he was really able to capture that survivor's guilt. I probably would have rated this even lower, if not for him.

I also took issue with a lot of the medical things. First, there is no way they would let her be a surgeon with the medical condition she had, especially since it's often brought on by stress. Then, the whole thing with the patient in the hospital that this story revolves around (don't want to give anything away) - there is no way the hospital could have or would have let that situation play out that way, and for that extended period of time.

To sum up, worth watching for the male lead actor/character. Thankfully it was a movie and not an episodic drama.

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Excellent acting

Acting: Kim Jung Hyun as Hyun Tae Woon was really, really good. He's got an interesting look about him. He's kind of rough around the edges and isn't the typical Asian "pretty" actor. He does serious, he does funny, and I totally believed him in this role. I also enjoyed Kim Se Jeong as Ra Eun Ho, but what I enjoyed most was their chemistry. The hate to love didn't go on too terribly long, and they had an actual healthy relationship, based on mutual respect and support, with both of them having a good sense of humor, which, let's face it, is important in a relationship!

Story: The plot started out okay, but got bogged down. There were the obligatory evil teachers, administrators and parents (did we really need so many?!?!). There was the one teacher that stood up for the kids - I enjoyed his character. However, ultimately it was less about good and evil, but more about how much the school sucked. I did enjoy the friendships in this drama.

I would have to say that my favorite parts of this show were watching the main couple together.

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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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Nothing new here

**If you tend to always adore Chinese dramas, especially those about kids in school, pass by this review. Upon looking back at my other reviews, apparently, I don't care much for Chinese high school dramas. None of them has been a stand-out for me. I don't think I'm terribly picky, but they've all seemed pretty immature to me, and I didn't feel that this one was any different. I tend to really like the friendships that develop, but the romance never works for me.

This show had a somewhat good premise with the idea of the "brains vs. brawn", but I didn't really feel that the way that they portrayed either group was very realistic. The cast was very large and quite a few people weren't used to their full potential. There were MANY places that the acting it was so bad it was cringe-worthy, and don't get me started on the voices that they use to dub the dialogue. I didn't feel the chemistry between the leads, and the development of their relationship didn't capture my interest. There was quite a bit that I fast forwarded through, because I just wanted to finish it.

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Cute story

I enjoyed this show for what it was. The Japanese dramas that I've seen tend to be simple and straightforward, which I appreciate. This show fell into that category. I rated it a little lower because this one was a little TOO simple. Add to the fact that even with a limited number of episodes, there were scenes that I felt were repetitive.
STORY/WRITING: I enjoyed the dynamics between the female lead and her siblings. There was a lot of mutual love and respect between them and they were enjoyable to watch. The female lead was a little too-good-to-be-true, and the mystery of the reason for the male lead living a lonely existence didn't quite ring true. However, the emotions displayed by the male lead were very good. There was a longing there, to be able to live a normal and happy life. I also enjoyed the work scenes, though these could have been cut back some to delve more into the main characters.
CINEMATOGRAPHY: The scenes where the co-worker was in the bar and thinking, the camera work was bad. They could have done something different to show internal dialogue.
CHEMISTRY: The main couple was very cute together. There was some hand-holding, one kiss.
MUSIC: I don't remember it.
REWATCH VALUE: In order to re-watch a show, there has to be something extra (amazing chemistry, humor, believable storyline, or a show that just makes me feel good when I watch it). This show doesn't fall into that category, especially since there are a ton of shows out there to watch. I would, however, say that if you want an easy, cute watch, this one might be for you.

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Not enough meat to the story

I'm usually a fan of movies, rather than a series, if it is well-done. Chinese series, in particular, tend to be very drawn out with a lot of filler that I can do without. Unfortunately, this movie seemed to be all about the filler and no meat. We never got to really delve into the personalities and the motivations of the characters. The acting was okay, given what they had to work with, but there wasn't enough good writing to let us care about them and what happened to them. I have enjoyed the actors in other shows, but the lack of chemistry here was very disappointing. Add to that a very unsatisfactory ending and I just got the feeling that I had wasted my time in watching this.

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So much to love, but...

I'll start by saying that if you want a slow-paced drama, this is one that has a lot going for it. My overall impressions -
OST - exquisite. The music is perfect, blending the beauty of classical piano with the sadness of a cello, and some beautiful songs that flow effortlessly throughout the show. The music was excellent at pulling emotion out when the script itself wasn't able to accomplish it.
Cinematography - I think this is the most beautifully filmed K-drama that I've seen. The camera filters that give so many scenes the filmy/artsy look. The play of light and shadow was brilliant. Some very good slow motion work, and I loved how most of the show was dressed up in pastels, nothing bright and jarring, save an occasional pop from a red sweater. Him walking through the woods near his childhood home was gorgeous, and the snow scenes were amazing. So, actually, I'd have to say that most of my love for this show vacillated between the OST and the cinematography. In my mind, while I was watching, I kept saying, "pretty!"
Costuming - nothing too attention-getting here, but I had to mention the trench coat that Jung Hae In wore in ep 11 with the leather collar and accents. It was just beautiful and it conveyed power and anger in the scene that he was doing at that time.
Acting - excellent. Jung Hae In as Ha Won was very understated and had wounds from his past, though I didn't really feel sorry for him because of the reasoning (to be discussed in storyline). Chae Soo Bin as Seo Woo - she is really lovely. She has those sad eyes but a perkiness about her that is so endearing. She ran a lot in this show, and it was so cute, her running down the alleyways from place to place. The rest of the cast was very good - I loved Lee Jung Eun as Min-Jung, the grieving mother.
Chemistry - the main couple was cute together, but no off the chart chemistry. This was a "comfortable" relationship (kind of like an old pair of shoes), they spent time together, supporting one another and learning more about one another, but I didn't feel any progression of their relationship. There was one kiss.
Storyline - Overall, this was a story of healing. Healing from loss, healing from loneliness, healing from aspirations unachieved, and healing from secrets coming out too late. Each person in the story dealt with their losses in a different way, and I really liked how the writers delved into ways of healing - opening up to friendships, being brave to put yourself out there to someone you like, turning loose of old hurts. I especially loved the scenes in the boarding house, where the boarders would sit on the floor in the kitchen and drink and talk and laugh. They were each getting something special from this bonding. Again, Lee Jung Eun was wonderful as a mom that feels guilt and despair and has closed herself off from emotional contacts. Watching her open up was a treat.
SPOILERS BELOW:
Writing - here's where my problem came in. First, I'm sure others have mentioned it, but the fact that this show was shortened from 16 to 12 episodes because of low ratings is telling. There was a subtle shift in the pacing of the last couple of episodes as they tried to tie up all loose ends. Ha Won and his 10-year unrequited love for someone that went and married someone else was just pathetic (and why did she, anyway?). A lot of the scenes between Ha won and Seo Woo didn't ring true, because he'd been in love with an ideal for a decade, and then after a few conversations with Seo Woo he's moved on? Plus, I felt that Seo Woo was kind of a doormat. I know she was supposed to be understanding of his dilemma, but really, anyone in real life would say "snap out of it!" And the AI aspect was not believable and just kind of creepy. The ending was very abrupt and unsatisfying.

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What a letdown!

This show was well-acted, and there was really a lot going on, but I didn't find the relationships believable. You've been with a guy for years, but suddenly have an interest in someone else, but then you're kind of "meh" about him as well. Maybe I was most disappointed in this show because it was more of a "discovery of who I am as a person" compared with a romance. The last episode had a tastefully and beautifully filmed scene with the main leads, but the ending was so bland I really didn't feel that they would have a future together. Or maybe they would, but by this time I just didn't care.

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Not earthshattering, but very enjoyable

The Veronica Park character, very annoying - but she really redeemed herself and was so amusing. The storyline, initially not too interesting. Once the storyline really got started, lots of twists! The main characters? Great chemistry and they were both lovely to watch. I found myself smiling, a lot, they were just so cute together. He did a wonderful job of portraying loneliness in his life. He also had the cutest pout. And yes, I did some crying, oh, and laughing too! I don’t like when there aren’t consequences for evil (uncle). Mistaken identity went on longer than I would have liked, but overall this show gave me all the feels. Lovely happy ending.

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What endearing characters!

This show reminded me of a rich, sweet dessert. It was so delicious, but I wanted to take small bites in order to savor it and enjoy every bit of it. This is a show about the families we are born into, and the families we create for ourselves. There were so many sweet moments when I found myself smiling like a lunatic, as well as the heartbreaking moments where I kept reaching for tissues. All of the actors did a terrific job with a wonderful script. I didn't feel that there was anything extraneous in this show, nothing that felt like filler just to have more episodes. Each character had strengths on their own merit. Woo Seo Ri has been in a coma for 13 years. There are so many ways the writers could have gone wrong with this - by turning it slapstick/silly, by making her behave in an immature way throughout - thankfully they didn't do that. She suffered, sure, but she had a strength of character that allowed her to keep forging forward. She had a lovely, positive attitude. Gong Woo Gin had a tragedy in his past that changed him - he cut himself off from human contact. Yang Se Jong, who played him, was exceptional. Watching him unfold like a flower, opening up to those around him was such a special thing to watch. And when something happened and he started to close up around himself again, my heart broke. I also loved Mr. Gong's nephew and his friends, and Jennifer? She was astounding! How someone can convey so much emotion while being emotionless is amazing. I thought they were going to use one of the standard (overused) ideas for the ending, and I was so happy when they didn't! The chemistry between all the cast was just wonderful. I feel like I don't want to move on to something else yet, and start this whole thing over again tomorrow. I put off watching this for a long time because I thought it was going to be filled with cliches, but the writers took the high road and turned this into something unique and wonderful.

I also have to say that I LOVED that there wasn't the evil love rival in this. Jung Eugene as win Joo's boss was terrific, and it was a joy to see a strong woman in her own right, being friends with a man for years. They, too, had sort of a familial relationship. I felt that each relationship was so special, and because of this, I have enjoyed watching this drama numerous times.

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Serious melodrama

This review is based upon my reaction ONLY to the show. I'm a romance/happy ending kind of girl, and this was WAAAYYY on the other end of the spectrum. This is a serious melodrama.

If you want to see some awesome acting by Seo In Guk, watch this. He was amazing. Here he plays completely opposite to anything we've seen him in to date. I had a hard time seeing him as anything other than the hero of a show, but he was chillingly believable.

I felt that the female lead's character was severely lacking in self esteem and came across as needy. This was a woman that should not be let to make her own choices, because she chooses wrong every time.

The music was perfect and carried the mood well.

I have to say that I was depressed after watching this show. Too much angst, too much deception, too much melodrama.

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