Quick watch

This is a short web drama that you can binge in no time. It's short, pretty fluffy and not angsty at all. There were numerous things to like about this drama:

1. Lots of internal dialogue, which was pretty unique. There was a lot NOT being said. I found that Si Woo had the most swoony thoughts. His thoughts were more full/complete and made a lot more sense. Sometimes the internal dialog of the girls came off as trying to be somewhat esoteric, which I didn't think worked that well.
2. Less bullying than a lot of high school dramas - thank you very much!
3. Some surprising twists.
4. Good friendships.
5. The couples just kind of happened naturally and there wasn't the typical evil girl trying to steal the guy and doing whatever necessary to make that happen.

I certainly wouldn't say it's the best thing I've ever seen, but it was an easy watch while trying to figure out what I should watch next.

Read More

A food-lover's drama

This was a very good show. Loved the main characters together. Loved all the cooking/food. LOVED the restaurant manager!!! The restaurant manager added a lot of comedy to the show, and he really felt like someone you would want to be friends with. Kissing scenes - wow! Though the big breakup and the reason behind it was very weak, it was powerful to watch, they both did a really good job. She was awfully slow to confess, (which they tend to do a lot in Asian dramas. Why? Just to make it last longer and have more episodes?) and I thought she relied on her guy friend too much, especially since she HAD to know how he felt...

Read More

Middle-of-the-road for me

Overall, I found this to be a cute show, but I don't feel like I would have missed anything if I hadn't watched it.

Story: I struggled with the character of Misaki through the first few episodes. She was very flighty and obsessed about getting kissed. She liked Chiaki and told everyone that would listen, but she could hardly talk to him. Then she liked Kanata. When that started and how that happened is kind of a mystery - he's a complete jerk. If I was Kanata, I don't know that I would be able to trust her feelings. I do have to say that the relationship between Misaki and Kanata was pretty organic. They spent a lot of time together, originally antagonistic, then becoming friends. Their chemistry was excellent. There were some side stories that made no sense and went nowhere. Plus, there was an older, creepy landowner guy that kept showing up and that storyline just disappeared. As usual with Asian dramas, I was pretty disappointed in the ending, it was pretty boring.

Cast: The actor and actress that played Kanata and Misaki were both good. The actor playing Chiaki was okay as well, though there wasn't much for him to do other than be handsome. I felt like the actor that played the youngest brother overacted quite a lot, which took me out of the story, which is unfortunate, because he had a good storyline.

I really enjoyed the cooking scenes, and the dishes were a treat for the eyes.

Read More

Short show full of silly, LOL moments

This show is a good one to watch between heavier shows, because there really isn't any thinking required. Just sit back, relax, and get ready for some laughs. It was campy and over-the-top, silly and cute. The fact that it was short made the comedy work, if it had been a show of regular length, the silliness would have been irritating.

The acting was good. Kim You Jung is always a treat to watch. And I loved seeing Kim Woo Bin and Baek Sung Hyun after just watching them in White Christmas. There were numerous other actors that I've seen elsewhere.

I'll be honest, I don't remember the music, so, apparently, I wasn't impressed.

Re-watch value: I don't think I'll need to re-watch it again. It's one of those short, palate cleansing shows that you watch before you move on to your next drama.

So, in conclusion, if you need some cheering up, want a few crazy things to laugh at, give this show a try.

Read More

So impactful!

Let me start by saying I don't care for psychological dramas, crime dramas, and I don't like watching things about mental illness. This story brings forth the question, is someone born to evil or do they learn it? So many reviews talk about how they binge-watched this show. I could only watch one episode a day because it stressed me out so much!

I thought the story was very original, even though this isn't a genre I normally watch, I could tell that I was watching something that you rarely see. It was very Lord of the Rings. Who can say what you would do when your life is on the line? Does your true self come out?

The acting was phenomenal by everyone. I've seen most of these actors in other projects, and their work here was top-notch. At times their behaviors were very frenetic, but only when called for. For the most part, their acting was very understated, a lot being displayed in just facial expressions.

The camera work/cinematography/location really gave a feeling of darkness and fear. Each character was fleshed out very well, and you got more of a feel for them and their behaviors as you progressed to the next episode.

Without giving anything away, I had to deduct for the total implausibility of a few things that happened, in an otherwise believable (though terrifying) situation.

The music was not your typical music - it ranged from hard rock to opera, and it all fit in very well.

Rewatch value is low, only because, once you know what's going on, it doesn't hold the same impact.

I can highly recommend this drama.

Read More

They threw everything at the poor female lead!

Love LMH, but hated his character and his hair! He was just weak, and gave in to his mother. She was evil personified and I didn't like how there were no consequences to all the evil things she did. Gu Jun Pyo never grew. He was a bully, then a weakling for not standing up for Jan Di. Gum Jan Di was just darling. Very spunky. I loved how all the guys really grew to love her and want to take care of her. I loved her family. I hated the ending, I felt it really fell flat (again, if you're in love, you just disappear for years and then come back?), and I feel very strongly that she ended up with the wrong guy. Given the choice between Gu Jun Pyo and Ji Hoo, who in their right mind would choose Gu Jun Pyo?!?!?! I know a lot of women are drawn to "bad boys" but he was not a very nice person overall. And their relationship consisted of them fighting all the time. Not a healthy relationship. There were also too many episodes and every tragedy that could befall Jan Di did - attempted rape, EXTREME bullying, kidnapping, injury that ended her swimming career while trying to save the ML, malnutrition, nosebleeds, exhaustion, parents forced to move away to find work due to his evil mother, public embarrassment by his mother, forced to work as a servant, having your house torn down, ML engaged to another girl and having to help the girl plan the wedding, and having the ML not remember you due to amnesia. There were a few sweet scenes between ML and FL, but MANY, MANY more between FL and 2ML.

I do have so say that I have re-watched parts of this many times, mostly the scenes between the FL and 2ML. Theirs was just such a wonderful pairing.

Read More

Fun movie

This was a fun, easy to watch, movie. It was silly and campy, perfect for an hour or so of mindless entertainment. The actors all did a good job. The premise was good and there were a couple of things that actually surprised me. I would have to say that I especially loved the familial relationships - the relationship between the husband and wife, and their love for their daughter. Then, the comedy - what fun. The running gags throughout: the guy that slept through the whole thing, the man that everyone sat on, etc. I'm not usually one for slapstick comedy, but it worked here because it was in smaller doses, interspersed with some action.

Read More

Lots going for it

I'll start by saying that if you like to watch a drama about friendship, this is a good one to watch.

This show had a lot going for it. This drama did an EXCELLENT job with the main characters, for the most part. The two male leads, from the beginning, were obnoxious and unlikeable, each in their own way. I really appreciated them learning to work together and the friendship that they developed. Their characters grew pretty early on, so then it got easier to watch them. As for the female leads, I loved how they didn't make them romantic rivals with all the backstabbing that entails, but made them good friends. Seo Yea Ji as Shim Soon Duk, after the first couple of episodes, became the type of female lead that I really enjoy - smart, caring, a little quirky. In the first couple of episodes her reactions were very over-the-top and jarring. Thankfully that didn't last long. I just love her voice, as well. I almost didn't recognize her, since this drama is a few years old, but her voice gave her away. As for the romance, I didn't quite get why the male characters liked who they did, it just happened right away without any buildup.

My main problem with this drama was the production quality. I'm showing my age here, but it reminded me of when I used to watch Dark Shadows when I was a teen. The graininess of the film and the cheapness of the sets really bothered me. And did they run out of money to hire extras? Were there really only about 10 people at the school? It seemed like they tried to find at least a short backstory for each of the people, which at times made the script very clunky, because nothing was developed fully.

So, for me, the drama was good, not great, but I loved the friendships.

Read More

A good, short drama with some missed opportunities

I kind of enjoyed this show, for what it was. I realize that, with the limited number of episodes they had that they couldn't go into too much, but there were missing pieces for me. The biggest missing piece for me - why was he the only one going through this? I did enjoy the reincarnation/fate aspect of it, but there seemed to be so much left unexplained.

The acting wasn't the best I've seen. Each person seemed to have a struggle of some sort. I don't know if it's actual acting ability or more due to the script, but reactions and interactions often felt forced.

I loved the music. The songs were lovely and heart-felt.

I must say that the ending was very rushed and unsatisfying for me. I was thankful, at that point, that I hadn't invested more time in this drama.

Read More

Not much happened throughout the whole show

The show was cute, but there just wasn't anything happening. Each episode brought more of the same. I don't like a lot of angst in the shows that I watch, but there has to be some kind of drama to drive the episodes forward. This did not have that. You could literally come in on any episode and not feel like you have missed anything.

I thought the highlight of this drama was the architecture. The house on the rocks was really cool. The office where he worked, surrounded by walls of books was nice too.

Acting - Zhao Yi Qin as Su Mu was the typical cold, emotionless man that we've seen countless times in countless other dramas. I do have to say that he is VERY attractive, and once he warmed up a little he was a joy to watch. Ding Yi Yi as Tian Tian De...hmmm, I don't know if it was because of the writing or her acting, but I just wasn't impressed. She is a beautiful young lady, and they made a cute couple, but she spend an inordinate amount of time being "cute".

The dubbing in Chinese dramas is always problematic for me. WHY in the world do they use the same woman with the same whiny voice in so many of these?! Then there are the open-eyed, still-as-a-statue kisses. Please, if you want me to believe that they like each other, there needs to be some kind of emotion!

I'm not giving a spoiler to say that I REALLY loved the scene with the ear buds. That was an extremely cute and sweet scene, but not enough so to make up for the rest of the show. I'd say that if you want to watch something sweet, with no drama, and you don't want to get invested in the characters at all, give this show a try.

Read More

Good acting

I really like Park Shin Hye and Lee Jong Suk. The whole Pinocchio thing seemed to have been put on the back burner for the last half of the series -it was so front-and-center at the beginning, and then suddenly, they moved on. I think Lee Jong Suk cries better than any other Korean actor, and he did a lot of it in this series. I really liked the second male lead and how he wanted her happiness over everything. So many times the people are only interested in themselves which makes them very selfish and not someone you'd want to love anyway. Good storyline, happy ending.

Read More

Dysfunctional people need love too

First, the synopsis is not correct. The character of Na Ji Young is not a "rugged individualist". She suffered from depression, antisocial personality disorder, and probably a couple of other disorders. She was a mess, and she wasn't a nice person at all. Then you have Park Byeok Soo, who had problems of his own - he couldn't stand to be alone. So you've got her that can't love, and him that loves too much. This was a difficult watch for me because I wasn't able to relate to their personalities.
However, thankfully it was only two episodes so it didn't get mired down in filler that is so prevalent in Asian dramas.
The acting was good, and once they got together and opened up a little it became more enjoyable. This drama emphasized the damage that people that are supposed to love you can do. It also brought to light - is it better to have loved and lost or never to have loved at all? She didn't want to let anyone in because she was terrified of being hurt, yet her transition of putting herself out their to her co-workers reaped positive results. The photo montage toward the end of the show gave us a glimpse into their future lives. One amazingly hot kiss was a treat to see.
I felt that the woman playing the psychiatrist did a poor acting job. She was entirely too flippant to be dealing with other people's psyche. She could so some serious damage.
I can't totally recommend this drama, but due to the fact that it was short, I was glad I watched it.

Read More