michelleoc

Extremely unlikeable FL

There are a lot of shows that you watch that start out with an unlikeable character. This show adds the fact that she makes stupid mistakes, is insubordinate, doesn't go to the ML for help but the 2ML, and she isn't even very nice. The way this character was written is very unfortunate. I have dropped very few shows, but I just couldn't watch this anymore. She didn't appear to be growing or progressing as a person, and I would have really been mad if I got to the end, and she hadn't learned from her mistakes. And how do you expect me to believe that there is supposed to be a relationship between the ML and FL when she never turns to him. Not the beginning of a healthy relationship, that's for sure.

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I thought I would binge it, yet savored it instead

It's been a while since I cried so much watching a drama. For me, it had the perfect balance between heartbreaking and heartwarming. There was such a juxtaposition between ML's life and FL's life, you would think that these two could never make a relationship work. ML is from a loving and happy home, and it seemed like life was just handing him everything he wanted without effort. On the flip side, FL's home life consisted of being foisted off on one relative after another. No one wanted her, and no one loved her. I think this made her emotionally stunted, always trying to protect herself from being abused/left again.

I loved the mix of high school and current times. The writer did a good job of slowly revealing more and more of the ML and FL history. When their high school breakup is initially shown, it didn't make much sense to me, and I thought the FL was unnecessarily cold. However, as the drama went on, we saw how she was trying to protect herself when she had no one else to protect her.

I absolutely loved discovering how he loved her, in the many ways he tried to protect her, and all the efforts he took to just see her in her world, a world that he was not a part of. I thought initially he was being awfully cocky toward her, making it sound like he thought she was chasing him, but I think he thought (and rightly so) that she was very skittish and he didn't want to scare her off by coming on too strong. He always seemed to be looking only at her, yet she had difficulty making eye contact with him. It felt like self-protection.

I thought the writer making her leave him seemed out of place, but again, we saw the difference between her being in the sunlight with him and being in the dark alone.

Her entire family was a complete nightmare. It made sense that her character was emotionally withdrawn. She just wanted to keep her head down, remain unnoticed, and get through life the best way she could. Kudos to the writers for not putting in a redemption arc for her family, that would have made me mad.

I loved their scenes together, as teens and as adults. They made each other better versions of themselves. I thought their chemistry was on point. Some very good kisses.

For me, C-dramas tend to be too long and drawn out. My fast forward button got a complete rest while watching this. A lot of people might find this drama to be unrealistic in the romance department. But for the romantic in me, it ticked all the boxes.

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Cute enough...

If you want an easy to watch, low angst romcom, you might enjoy this. You can turn off your brain and just watch for entertainment's sake. The entire cast was good. The main couple was very cute to watch, and we got to see the progression of the relationship, as opposed to quickly moving from I hate you to I love you. I also liked the growth of the relationships between the leads and the staff of the school. It shows that people can quickly believe something based on how someone looks, but by taking the time to get to know them, the come to like the person inside, just not how they perceived them.

The teenage couple was cute enough, but honestly, I have no idea why he liked her, she was just not a nice person. However, they ultimately kind of grew on me.

I wouldn't say the main couple had amazing chemistry, but there were some good kisses.

This is a show that can definitely be called a romcom and it sticks with the genre. May be too simplistic for some, but I enjoyed it for what it was.

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WAY too many episodes!!

Just my own personal opinion, but this show was hard for me to finish. The writer should get some kind of award for making a show with the most unlikeable characters in it. I understand that there need to be some people that we don't like in order to provide some tension and move the story along - but when that includes the lead characters, it's a problem. I couldn't root for the leads. I couldn't care about what happened to anyone. There was too much backstabbing, too much hate, too many antagonists.

The story line itself was a meandering mess. It moved one way, then it went in another direction, then decided to go into a yet another direction. Was it a mystery? A revenge story? A comedy? The body swap was messily done, and much too often. I didn't feel that the actors were able to differentiate enough when they were inhabited by the other person. To me, there is a difference between a strong FL and a B****. She definitely fell in the latter category. Once she changed a little, it was too little too late.

As for the romantic relationship, I will say that the kisses were technically well done, but I didn't feel chemistry between them. They were too cold to each other for entirely too long. Bring in the revenge factor and that makes it even worse.

One more thing, since the writing didn't work for me, I found myself inordinately focused on the wardrobe. So many short, short skirts, which seemed odd since they were always on that giant stairway. People were always looking up at the people on the stairs or the people standing on the second floor - short skirts don't work in this instance. They put the FL in a number of strange outfits. I hated the boxy, oversized, mannish suits they had her wear, as well as the patterned sweaters, belts, multilayers she wore when she was inhabited by the ML. Lomon in a suit, however, can never be a bad thing. Then, the final thing we see is him walking toward her in the most ridiculous shirt/jacket I think I've ever seen.

Not that it was ALL bad -
1) Again, technically good kisses.
2) Shirtless Lomon in episode 8.
3) The team that worked in the basement was somewhat entertaining.
4) Lomon in a well-tailored suit.

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It's great to watch if you like not much happening

I found this show to be amazingly slow. Do the games have anything to do with the mysteries? The teams switch up each episode, which I couldn't decide was a good thing or bad thing. I think the thing that bothered me the most was the constant replay of scenes so you could see each person's reaction. It really messed with the flow. Lots of running around, which used up a lot of time.

I did like how they filled the apartments with things from the time period that they were investigating...a blast from the past.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed Jennie. She was pretty charismatic and quite a good spy.

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Bottom line...WATCH IT!

Oh my! What a beautiful story! This is one of those rare dramas that made me forego life in order to watch the whole thing in one day. I cared about each person, wanted to know more about them, and join them on their journey. The struggles, the accomplishments, etc. At the outset, I was worried that this was going to be full of family members that I hate, but we got to see why they were the way they were, as well as their growth. It was heartwarming and heart breaking, and I was sorry when it ended.

The acting was spot on, as far as I was concerned. Park In Hwan as Deok Chul - the 70-year-old that wants to learn ballet was an absolute joy to watch. First, I want him to be my grandpa. Warm, caring, supportive of his family. What a beautiful smile! I don't want to give too much away, but his facial expressions were perfect as you get further into the drama. The changes that come over him. We often tend to ignore and denigrate our elders. Deok Chul changed everyone he encountered for the better, he had such an impact on everyone he came into contact with.

Song Kang as Chae Rok - tall, slim, yet muscular, befitting of a ballerino. He did a great job of portraying an individual that was selfish and driven. I really sensed that he was going through the motions with dance until he met Deok Chul. There was a stillness about him, this may sound strange, but it made me think of a flower just before it begins to bloom. The interactions between Chae Rok and Deok Chul were wonderful. I loved watching the maturation of Chae Rok, becoming less selfish and caring so much about someone else.

Kim Kwon as Yang Hoe Beom - I don't like bullies, so, as intended, I hated this character at the beginning. I don't know if it was just the blond hair, but I couldn't look away when he was on screen. I loved that they developed this character, that he was changed by Deok Chul as well. This actor was able to convey so much emotion with just his eyes. I'm going to go and see what else he's been in.

Then there was the surprise cameo of Seo In Guk. We also got to see Cha Sung Je in episode 11. He was the cute North Korean thief/beggar child from Crash Landing on You, a couple of years older here. Still so cute.

I also loved that they didn't turn the granddaughter and Chae Rok into a romance. I'm a romance junkie, so for me to say that is saying a lot. This drama didn't need it.

I have so many thoughts running around in my head, vying for attention, to explain how I felt about this drama. At the end of the day, what I say doesn't matter. I may never fully understand all the reasons I loved this show, I'll just have to say, it is definitely more than worth your time.

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Why what his drama split in two?

I reviewed the first half of the drama, and it was for the entirety of the drama. So, here, I'll give the Cliff's Notes version of my thoughts.

My recommendation would be watch it and decide for yourself, since everyone seems to have loved this drama. My rating is based on my feelings and does not reflect the actual quality of the drama.

Excellent cast. If you've been watching Korean dramas for any period of time, these faces will be familiar to you. I would have liked for some of the stories to have been more in depth, to develop the characters a little better. This drama was a Who's Who in drama land.

The concept was interesting. Some people had a problem that it seemed to be an anti-suicide PSA, but to me it was more about how choices we make affect others.

My biggest problem with this drama was the overabundance of violence. Many of the characters were not well developed, because of the number of bodies that he inhabited in eight short episodes.

But again, I will say, this is all just my personal opinion. Watch it, you'll probably like it.

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So much filler

What I liked:
-Both actors in the lead. I've liked them in other projects.
-You gave us a wedding at the end!!! Thank you so much, it almost makes all the time I spent watching this worth it.
-Cute, low angst, supportive mom, no triangles
-The lead couple were cute together, but I didn't feel a romance vibe from them. More like best friends.
-Happy ending.

Not so much:
-multiple really bad kisses.
-Lack of "couple" chemistry.
-I didn't care for the secondary storyline.
-2ML. Either it was written poorly or acted poorly, I don't know which.
-This could have been condensed down by quite a few episodes, in my opinion.

I will just acknowledge that I seem to be in the minority on this. Please don't come at me with hate, it's my own personal opinion. Maybe I'm jaded, maybe I'm impatient, maybe it's ADD, but I fast forwarded through most of this and STILL felt it went on too long.

But don't listen to my opinion, if you like low angst, fluffy romances, you will probably like this, it just didn't have enough to hold my interest.

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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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Rating number is based solely on my lack of enjoyment

Up front I'll say that this show is a slow, slice-of-life comedy/drama. Wonderful cast. I loved the idea that they all grew up together and lived in the same alley. We got to see their day-to-day lives. I LOVED the scene where they kept taking side dishes to the others in the alley and it became a seemingly never-ending travel from house to house with side dishes. They knew each other so well; they didn't knock before entering the houses of others. That's the kind of closeness that's developed over the years, creating comfort for all involved. Every character had their flaws, but they also had redeeming qualities (except perhaps the FL's sister, she just wasn't a nice person). I can totally see why the rating for this is so high, and why people liked it, but I didn't care for it.

I loved the character of Jung Hwan. He was fascinating to watch. Still waters run deep. This character was like watching a cautionary tale of what happens if you play it safe all the time, if fear or insecurity drives you, relationship-wise.

What I didn't care for:
The FL - I felt that she played the character over the top a lot, with a lot of shrieking, screaming, crying. This actress has a very expressive face, but it just felt like too much to me. She liked one person, then another, then another.
The romance storyline. None of it felt natural to me. I wasn't seeing/feeling chemistry. And I definitely didn't agree with who the FL ended up with, that's all I'm going to say.
SO MUCH yelling and hitting between all of the characters. Parents hitting kids, sisters hitting sisters, friends hitting friends. And in the midst of all the hitting was all the yelling.
WHAT was with the goat sounds. That was SO overused!
The "grown" FL and ML. To me, they were too different than the characters we'd been watching.

If you like slice-of-life, give it a try. It might also be enjoyed more if you don't binge watch it, but savor each episode.

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Soothing but somewhat lacking

I watched this movie on a long-haul flight last night. It was a slow and peaceful watch, but it didn't wring any emotions from me.

They liked each other in high school but have been apart for 10 years. This was problematic for me from the standpoint that he could get training in cello pretty much anywhere, and she had the type of job that could be done anywhere, so the distance for that long period of time didn't make sense. There were a couple of phone calls, but that's it.

I did like the flashbacks, though neither one of them looked much different, just in hairstyle.

Since the whole of the movie was of them apart, trying to realize their own dreams, I couldn't feel their love. I honestly thought it would end differently than it did. It was a cute ending, but again, nothing tugging at my emotions.

The ML did say something to one of his orchestra friends about the FL that was very swoony, but again, didn't he think he should share this information with the FL?

The filming was kind of sepia toned, which I thought was interesting. Basically, for me, it was something to pass the time.

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