WATCH THIS SHOW, NOW!

Dali and the Cocky Prince was an absolute treat from start to finish. I don’t give 10’s easily, but this show grabbed me almost from the first moment and took me along on a journey that was special and, frankly, just almost more fun than I could stand. I found myself smiling through most of this, but there was also enough mystery and drama to balance it out. Overall, it’s a light, bubbly, sunshine-y show, juxtaposed with the seedy underbelly of greed and corruption. I’m not going to retell what the show is about, you can read the synopsis for that. I can’t say that the story is completely original, but the way it was handled was very original. The storyline was always interesting, with no lag, and the writers/director were clever in the way that they used flashbacks to reveal missing scenes that tied everything together.

ACTING: Everyone was excellent. The woman playing Moo Hak’s stepmom was very over-the-top, but I believe that’s the way she was supposed to be portrayed. She brought a lot of humor to her character. I won’t bore you with my thoughts on the whole cast, but I would like to address three of the actors/characters.
Park Gyu Young as Kim Da Li – she was wonderful. First, she had an ethereal kind of beauty, and her character was very, umm, “contained” for lack of a better word. Her voice was quiet and well-modulated. She didn’t often show a lot of emotion, but you could tell that she was honestly a nice person. A retro flapper-like haircut, with pin curls surrounding her face, was something you don’t see in Asian dramas and was a brilliant call. Her beauty, along with her demeaner could lead you to believe that she was a pushover, but that belief was eradicated right away. She was no one’s fool. Her character, at the beginning, had so much, but she was such a lovely person you couldn’t be jealous of her, then when things started to go bad for her, it was heartbreaking to watch.
Kim Min Jae as Jin Moo Hak - I’ve seen him in some other dramas and have always enjoyed him, but the character he portrays in this show was so special! First, Moo Hak doesn’t appear to be the sharpest knife in the drawer. He knows business, but completely messes up phrases and is always saying the wrong things. He starts out being ONLY about money, and he’s not apologetic at all about that fact. He’s loud, tacky and uncouth. As time goes along, we get to see his priorities change. His facial expressions were spot-on here, from cold businessman, to wonder when he first sees Da Li, to love, to happiness. He has dimples that you could literally land a plane in, so when he smiles, you’ve got that treat to enjoy.
Hwang Bo Ra as Moo Hak’s secretary – This character was fabulous. Men usually have male secretaries in Asian dramas, so it was a treat to see a woman in this role. They put her in boxy, oversized suits with dress shirts and ties and her hair was short and slicked back, almost as if to make her androgenous. Bo Ra, in the other shows I’ve seen her in, tends to play a wacky character, with exaggerated facial expressions (think Lucille Ball), playing strictly for laughs. She did provide a lot of comedic relief here, as well, but there were times that she just faded into the background of the story, not taking us away from the main storyline. I loved the respect that Moo Hak had for his secretary and their working relationship.
CHEMISTRY: I’d like to address the powerful chemistry between Gyu Young and Min Jae. They played so well off of one another throughout the whole show. Min Jae’s character fell before Gyu Young did, and that was wonderful to watch. There were times when he was looking at her that his gaze was so intense, I felt kind of like a voyeur. The first kiss was, unfortunately, very awkward, but we were treated to many more opportunities for skinship that were way up there on the hotness scale. The relationship between the characters was so lovely. There was sweetness, protection, as well as a good amount of playfulness, which, unfortunately, doesn’t normally get included in dramas. They spent time laughing together, and I loved that they didn’t continue to call one another by their last names throughout the whole show. We actually got to be with them as they got to know one another, and I could totally understand why they started liking one another.
I also loved the chemistry between Moo Hak, Da Li, and her cop friend, Won Tak. I was watching a behind-the-scenes about this show and Min Jae came up with the idea to call him “Our Won Tak”, so we got to see Moo Hak be jealous every time Da Li called him Our Won Tak. But Moo Hak even called him that! I loved the direction the writers took with the character of Won Tak and the fact that they didn’t try to make him be competition for Moo Hak.
MUSIC: Oh, my goodness, the music was exceptional. There was a song that sounded like something you would dance the Charleston to, it was fun, peppy and upbeat. There were multiple other songs that I enjoyed as well. My favorite, however, was them weaving classical music into the soundtrack. Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major/Memories was used, and Carmen’s Habanera, especially when it was used during tense scenes, with no instruments, only using whistling, was so clever. The music fit in so well with the feeling of the museum and the world of art.
CINEMATOGRAPHY/COSTUMING/SET DESIGN: Exemplary. Buildings painted in bright colors, with Da Li riding her bike. The beautiful artwork in the museum. The clothing everyone wore. There were a few instances where I especially appreciated the camera work: 1) Side-by-side shots of Moo Hak and Da Li when they were sitting across from one another at a table. In one instance, they were both wearing white and I loved being able to see the interplay of their emotions happening “in real time” as opposed to cutting back and forth. There was also a scene in the museum where both Moo Hak and Da Li were in their own worlds, walking through fog and laser lights, lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling, and when they got close to each light bulb, there was a scene from earlier in the show, reviewing all of their interactions with one another. The scene at the museum at the end with artwork full of color and movement. This show was definitely a treat for the senses.
RE-WATCH VALUE: Absolutely! It’s one of those shows that, now that I know what is going to happen, I want to go back and re-visit, watching for clues and nuances that I missed the first time around.

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Sure cure for insomnia!

Oh my gosh, what an absolute waste of time!!

SCRIPT: The dialogue is stilted, there is nothing happening throughout the whole show, there are numerous unlikeable characters (including the two leads, unfortunately), I didn't care if they were breaking up because I don't know why they were together in the first place, the "villain" just made no sense and I felt that they put her in there because every show has to have a villain, doesn't it? And the ending made me want to throw something at the tv. I LITERALLY said, "That's time I'll never get back!" The way the main characters were written was really bad. I was looking forward to seeing Jang Ki Yong - they did put some great clothes on him, but he was a very unlikeable (borderline creepy) character. Call me crazy, but falling in love with your dead brother's girlfriend is just not right. There was something kind of obsessive about him. And her? Just so many things. You're a complete witch to this guy, going on and on about how important your career is, and you let people walk all over you? You have a one-night stand with a random guy and when he approaches you later, you're mad at him?

ACTING: Jang Ki Yong. I loved him in My Roommate is a Gumiho, and his acting in Born Again was amazing. In this show he had no expression throughout most of the show. I kind of felt that he even knew the script was bad, and wasn't making much of an effort. Song Hye Kyo - is she the same in absolutely everything she is in? Speaking of no expression - her face always had the same expression, as did her voice. When I watch her, I always think that maybe she doesn't smile because she doesn't want to wrinkle or something. I think the lack of emotion she displays when she acts contributes to you not liking the characters she portrays. I've never watched a show where there is so much staring going on. Staring into space, staring at each other, staring at a door.

CHEMISTRY: None.

REWATCH VALUE: Not on a dare!

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Full of unlikable characters

I get that a lot of people praised this show for its originality, but for me it didn't work. The documentary style just took me out of the story too much. I didn't care much for any of the characters in this show, but especially the main couple. I think the actors did okay with what they had to work with, but the way these people were written was lacking. The male lead spent the entire show going on and on about how much he loved this woman, to the detriment of everything and everyone else. Why? Why was he so obsessed with her? She was NOT a nice person! Their relationship seemed toxic to me. A romance needs to make sense to me, I need to be able to empathize with the feelings of SOMEONE in the show that I am watching, and I wasn't able to do so with this show. And the ending was just very abrupt and strange.

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Don't go by my review

I'm apparently the only person in existence that didn't love this drama. This review is not intended to change anyone's mind, it's to remind me that I've seen the show and didn't like it. This show kind of creeped me out. A high schooler with an adult woman. Not just a young adult woman, but one that's old enough to have become an attorney! She was very immature and he was immature as well, but again, he was a high schooler! I loved the cast of this drama, and normally I'm tolerant of age disparity, but I couldn't get past it in this one. Because, in addition to the fact that there was such an age different, she was completely immature, which I found very irritating. I really have to be able to relate to certain characters in some fashion to get invested in a drama, and I wasn't able to do that with this show.

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Loved a lot about it but pick a genre!!

My disclaimer - this is only my opinion! I have to admit that there was something that bothered me while watching the show - the humor was more on the slapstick side of life and then it would suddenly turn into a mystery, then slice of life, then healing. It never stuck with one thing for long, so I found myself not being able to totally be invested in the show. But the things I liked:
1) My number one favorite thing about this show was Yoon Park. When he first appears, you think he's just going to be an obnoxious character, but he quickly became my favorite. Warm, caring, nerdy, out of his element - he went through so much and I was all in whenever he was involved.
2) Park Hyung Sik has the PERFECT facial expressions and body movements for this type of comedy. His comedy timing is spot on.
3) Main couple - very cute. When they initially got together, their immaturity relationship-wise was so cute, but that wore out for me pretty quickly. I understand their actions initially because they'd never been in a relationship. However, I've read this word in a lot of people's reviews, and I never quite got it, but now I do "cringe".
4) FL's family toward the end. 3/4 of the way through I found them very over-the-top, and the mom constantly hitting and kicking her brother bothered me. But how they assimilated the ML into their family (his parents were the worst!) was just lovely.
5) The scenery and architecture were good.

Things I didn't care for:
1) The drinking. Oh, my gosh, I think there were only two conversations in the whole show that didn't involve drinking! This was especially problematic for me because a) she was depressed (alcohol is a central nervous system depressant); b) she was taking psychiatric medications (any responsible doctor would have told her not to drink while on psych meds). They went to drink when they had a bad day, they went to drink when they had a good day. Messy drunks are not funny to me at all. And, if someone has drugged your drink at some point in the past, I think I'd at least to try to keep some sense about me.
2) Park Shin Hye. She is absolutely beautiful, but to me she is the same in every show she is in. And I can't stand that loud crying she does. To her credit, someone has been working with her on how to do a kissing scene.
3) The wardrobe. It sounds strange, but everything was so "match-y match-y". It was like the characters discussed what they were going to wear every day and dressed in similar colors/styles. Lots of beige and brown. Boxy, oversized jackets.
4) Do they not have a medical consultant when there are people supposedly in the medical field?! Putting a bandage on a wound that hasn't been completely cleaned. After her accident, the doctor said she had heart rupture, but that happens after heart attacks. And the worst, was when they were talking about removing part of her lung, "but don't worry it will grow back to its original size". WRONG! Lungs do not regrow or regenerate like the liver does.
6) The mystery aspects. One mystery is solved, we have part of an episode of happiness and then we have a new mystery. It felt like a ploy to make more episodes. Granted, they were related, but very confusing and unnecessary.
7) The character of Nurse Doh. Was it the character or the acting? She never seemed to be looking a whoever was talking, her expression never changed, and it seemed like she was TRYING to look like a robot.
8) Let's be honest, they looked exactly the same in their teenage years and they didn't mature emotionally over the years.
9) The depression aspect could have been handled so much better. Her deciding on her own to stop taking her meds, the psychiatrist saying basically that she was cured. She was fine because everything was suddenly rosy, but I wasn't convinced that she had learned how to deal with problems.
10) There is no way the ML's new clinic toward the end is in that rundown building.
11) So much eavesdropping. A large percentage of issues started because someone overheard something and felt they needed to share the information.
12) I am getting so tired of the Kopiko product placement!

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what did it want to be?

I'll preface my review by stating the obvious, in the hopes that no one gets hateful, this is just my personal opinion. Please take it or leave it alone, agree or disagree, but please respect the opinions of others (and I'm kind of irritated that I even have to say this).

There was a lot to like about this show:
Acting. Everyone was really good. Park Eun Bin as Mok Ha was wonderful. I think there were certain mannerisms that we saw that she displayed in Extraordinary Attorney Woo and I think are just part of her DNA, because I've seen them in other shows of hers. However, they absolutely worked here. She was charming and likeable, driven, yet devoted to those she loved. All of the other actors were excellent as well. I especially loved the younger actors, they were the standouts for me. Also, Kim Joo Heon playing a morally gray character, and both Lee Seung Joon as Ki Ho's father and Lee Yoo Joon as Mok Ha's father were surprising. We are so used to seeing them in the role of good guys, their transformations were amazing.

Music. As you'd expect, the OST was wonderful. Eun Bin's voice is sublime. I could literally listen to her all day.

My problem came in with the writing and the way the story was put together. On the surface, or maybe because of the trailers, this was an original premise, with strong possibilities of feeling all the feels. My struggle was this drama couldn't decide if it wanted to be a romance, a drama, a comedy, light or dark. For me, the extremes were too great. I wasn't expecting it to be fluffy, but the darkness was too dark for the rest of the drama, and the flipping back and forth wasn't allowing me to flow with the story. I didn't feel that there was enough of her on the island (a whole episode would have been nice) and the whole thing just seemed too implausible - she was that close to civilization all that time? Then, her reintegration was just too easy. First of all, the voice is a muscle. She would have needed to get used to using her voice again. Add to that, her early life was just trauma. So, she's traumatized as a child and then has the trauma of having been on an island by herself for 15 years, but she comes home and there appear to be no after-effects, just that she's glad to be back home and she immediately gets back on the track of wanting to meet her idol. It would have been so much better if we'd been able to see/feel her struggles with reassimilating into society -- that would have really improved the flow and made it more realistic.

I'd say, if you've actually read this far and are wondering whether to give this show a try, you should, definitely. Just because I'm one of the few outlier people that didn't fall in love with it, you may (and probably will) have a different reaction to it.

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Maybe I'm jaded?

For me, this was one of the worst shows ever. One of those dramas that at the end I'm mad at, because I'll never get the time I wasted back. Perhaps I might have felt differently if I had watched it when it was first released, and I was new to K-dramas. However, after having seen dramas done very well, this was hard for me to watch. I have to cut it a little slack because it is old - the production value was seriously lacking, and I think there have been developments in film value, etc.

I thought this drama was extremely slow and drawn out. The overused "misunderstanding" trope went on entirely too long. Romance was lacking, seriously. And can someone please slap whoever was in charge of the costuming? The worst.

I'll give my usual disclaimer, since I appear to seriously be in the minority. These opinions are just mine and you might enjoy it, but you will really have to get past the fact that it hasn't aged well.

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Too much going on, but really ultimately, not much is completely fleshed out

I’ll start with what I liked:
The acting, in general was very good.
Jung Hyung Ho as Chi Yeol, the man knows how to play quirky but still vulnerable.
Oh Eui Shik as Hae Woo, Haeng Seon’s brother. Eui Shik tends to play kind of over-the-top characters and I thought he did a wonderful job reigning himself in for this role. I found it very believable.
Shin Jae Ha as Ji Dong Hee, Chi Yeol’s secretary. Wow, he had a fantastic character arc.
The teen’s story line – slight romance, triangle, developing friendships.
The show was pretty good until about episode 10-11. Nothing fantastic, but somewhat enjoyable.
What I didn’t like:
SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!
Terrible name for the show. I’m sorry, if the words “Romance” or “Love” are in the title, that should be where the focus is. It was not the case at all here.
Jeon Do Yeen as Haeng Seon. This actress was very poorly cast for the age she was supposed to represent. She was MUCH older than they talked about her being at the beginning of the show, and I just laughed when multiple people said she looked too young to have a teenage daughter. She looked a lot older than all the other moms.
Why did they dress her like a grandmother?!? She had the most awful wardrobe I’ve seen in a while and everything made her look even older.
Lack of chemistry between the leads. Why did they like each other? The writers told us they were supposed to like each other, but I certainly didn’t feel it at all.
Then there was the over-abundance of story lines-
Despicable, power hungry, gossiping moms – every one of them, other than Haeng Seon. I guess that was to make her look good, but how many terrible moms do you need in one place?
The pressure on the kids to excel. I understand that’s a thing, but though it was pretty much a main focus of the drama, there was no positive resolution in sight. Then to have the teachers blame everything on the fact that the kids are drinking power drinks and eating sugar.
Student Suh Ah. I get that her mother pretty much made her the way she was, but she was over the edge, having hallucinations, anger issues, etc. and seriously needed counseling, and then suddenly at the end of the show she’s going to med school!?!?!
Ji Dong Hee’s storyline – I loved his portrayal but was so disappointed in the direction they took him and the total cop-out with the suicide. I was also disappointed in the fact that they didn’t address the trauma that Chi Yeol MUST have experienced to be betrayed like that. He had an eating disorder because of prior trauma, but this whole thing was just glossed over. They could have done a good job of addressing this without all the extra people showing up.
Haeng Seon’s niece’s kidnapping – again a traumatic experience that was just glossed over.
Haeng Seon’s brother and her best friend – just no. It was thrown in at the end like they needed to fill some time. It was off-putting and fake.
The real mom coming back – again, filler. She was a terrible person and we already suffered through a bunch of episodes with OTHER terrible people! She left a bad taste in my mouth (which was probably the writer’s intention, but it was pointless)
I didn’t really feel that the mom’s learned much through what they put everyone through, especially the lawyer mom. She was a liar, a cheater, she treated her kids terrible and then made her son sound like a nutjob to get him out of jail, when she actually thought he was guilty.
Then there was an ex that showed up for three minutes in the last episode, just long enough to start rampant rumors.
Two-year time jump. PLEASE, this is used all the time, but it got on my nerves here, a lot. Haeng Seon has tried multiple times to get her physical fitness certification and failed. What’s the deal, does she not study, are the writers intimating that she’s stupid? I don’t know. Then, I hated the lack of closure/end for the teen couple. He asked her over two years ago if she would go out with him. He’s waited all this time and then she just gives him a peck on the cheek and walks off?!?!?

I realize that a lot of people enjoyed this show, but for me it was over-scheduled and under-developed.

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Thank you writers!

Chinese dramas aren't usually my "go to" because of their length. For me, most of the 20-40 episode dramas are mostly filler. This one was right up my alley! It was the perfect length, and the story didn't suffer from the brevity at all. I'm not normally a fan of noona romance, but this one was cute, and there were some good comedic moments associated with it.

So much to like:
Destiny trope - I'm a sucker for it, I'll be honest. What he said about waiting five years, that really got to me.
No triangles.
No evil SFL (I've noticed it's almost always SFL as opposed to SML)
No evil parents trying to split them up (loved her dad!)
The dubbing was toned town and not nearly as irritating as usual.
Strong FL - Lu Yan Qi as Rong Rong was so refreshing. I'd say she was assertive rather than aggressive. She was a powerful business woman but not a b*tch. She displayed a lot of vulnerability. Yan Qi is seriously beautiful, and she has the perfect lips for all the times she's asking him to kiss her.
Wonderful ML - loved Yang Ze as Cong Bei. Handsome and youthful, which played into the noona aspect of the drama. He had a lot of good micro-expressions that displayed how he was feeling. I do, however, wonder what he was going to do with his life. That wasn't really addressed.
No big misunderstandings. There were a couple of places where things went awry in their lives, but they talked about things and resolved them. I really liked how they believed in one another, when others were feeding them lies.
2ML - normally I'm not a big fan of facial hair on Asian men, it can often look so sparse, like they are trying too hard for a beard. I loved his beard and his long hair. SPOILER!!!! This is the first time I think I've ever felt sympathetic toward an antagonist. I actually loved this character (especially with Jing Jing) and was so sorry that they couldn't make that guy that was hanging around him the villain so the 2ML could get a happy ending. END OF SPOILER.
2FL - Guo Jiu Yu as Jing Jing - here is where most of the comedy relief came in. She was such a sweet character but was an accident waiting to happen whenever she was in the 2ML's sphere. The two of them were cute together.
No time skip at the end!

My biggest hope, upon watching this drama, is that C-drama writers will start to see that the shows can deliver the same feels, yet be tighter and more concise, without all the unnecessary filler.

I really enjoyed Destined to Meet You.

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I was a nervous wreck watching this!

I came for Gong Yoo, I'll be honest. I do have to say that this movie was very well done. I hated the ending, but, for me, if it's not a totally happy ending, I'm never satisfied. I do understand why it ended the way it did, and it was effective, but it was disappointing for me.

We got to see just enough of everyone's back story to develop opinions and/or feelings about each character. You have the heroes that step up in a pinch, as well as those that, in a life-threatening situation, become even more selfish, caring only about their own safety. You also get to see some people come to the realization about that is important in life, albeit too late.

The zombies were different than in other shows/movies I've seen about zombies. In the first place, these things were freaking fast! That dialed up the tension level considerably, then you'd see a zombie running along with his body all out of alignment, with his arm broken behind his head or something, and you just have to laugh - good way to release some of that pent up tension.

The special effects were very good. I'm not expert, but there weren't any times that something was completely fake looking (okay, zombies, I know, aren't real - but they COULD be!)

Music - to be honest, I don't remember hearing any music, just lots of grunting and screaming.

Rewatch value - I don't think I'd need to watch this again, it wouldn't have the same shock/fear factor. One time was enough, but it was a heck of a ride!

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Well worth your time!

Are you looking for a sweet romance that is well-written, there aren't random misunderstandings, and that you will find yourself smiling like a fool? If so, this is right up your alley. Full disclosure here, I'm all about the romance. The people getting to know one another, the build-up, being able to see why the couple likes each other, good kisses (no open-eye, fish kisses, thank you very much!). This show had all of this, plus the advantage of multiple couples, each of them cute in their own way, and each character was so likeable. Actually, now that I think about it, this show was full of extremely likeable characters, which is one of the reasons it was so much fun. There were even a couple of characters that were played a little over-the-top and I liked them as well. While watching this, I found myself thinking about how much fun I was having. Seriously.

The only downside for me, was the sudden turn into melodrama-land, with multiple melodrama storylines. That's what I scored down for, it really ruined the flow. I think the subject matter of a couple of the storylines was timely, and probably a good storyline to delve into more fully, but here it just felt like it was all thrown in to make up the obligatory 16 episodes. They would have been better served to cut it down to 12 and have it be a straight, well-written rom-com.

I really enjoyed each of the actors, but I need to call out the mains.
Lee Sung Kyung as Oh Han Byul - LOVE her! I've seen her in multiple things, and I've always enjoyed her. To be perfectly honest, I didn't realize it was her until I recognized her voice, she looks so different. She played the characters of Han Byul as likeable, driven, and really good at a thankless job. That had the potential to make her look like she was perfect, but really you just want to be friends with her.
Kim Young Dae as Gong Tae Sung. I thought he was wonderful in this. He's got a very expressive face which was perfect for so much of the comedy that was going on. There were many, many times that I went back and re-watched scenes because his expressions/mannerisms were so good. He had his moments where I worried that he was a complete jerk, but he quickly redeemed himself. I LOVE when a man has liked a woman for a long time, and this show really shone a spotlight on that. It also showed how he never grew out of his "dunk her braid in the inkwell because you like her" phase. The things he did to try and get her attention just cracked me up. His love and care for Han Byul was lovely to watch, and if a man said some of the things to me that he said to her, I would melt into a puddle in the middle of the floor. It was very romantic. For example, he asked all of her friends for information about her, shoe size, MTBI, favorite foods, etc. He compiled a book with all this information, but yet when he talked to her about it, he just told her everything he had noticed about her on his own - her work ethic, how she supports others, etc. And when he called her "My Han Byeol", wow! Watching him be jealous was so funny, but his softened demeanor around her (his actions, his voice, the way he cared for her) was what grabbed me by the heart and wouldn't let go.

I also liked the friendships in this show. His manager, Jeong Yeol (what was with the haircut?) was supportive, and oh so helpful in trying to get the two leads together. The sismances were fun, and I absolutely loved the bromance between Tae Sung and his love rival, the lawyer (they became latte friends).

Finally, Kim Young Dae in beige linen pants toward the end of the show - yikes! Don't judge me, just watch it and you'll see what I'm talking about!!

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This show was fighting to find its direction

I re-watched this show for two reasons. I hadn't written a review previously, and I was hoping that upon second glance it would improve for me. Sadly that did not happen. This drama, for me, struggled to find a genre home - is it a rom-com? A drama? Slapstick? A Mystery? Since it didn't know what it wanted to be, I was having a hard time enjoying it. I certainly didn't feel it was a waste of time, by any means, but my enjoyment fell into "middle of the road" territory.

What I liked:
1) The kisses. The two main characters know how a kiss should look! And the kiss in the shower...my oh my.
2) The male lead. I love the way he was portrayed and I could relate to his struggles and feel empathy for him. There was definite growth in him as the show progressed.
3) The Silent Monster employees - quirky and funny, they also grew throughout the show, though at times it did seem forced, like the writers realized they were in episode and the characters were supposed to be acting a certain way.
4) Sweetness. There were quite a few really sweet scenes - the times the employees spent with the orphans, the male lead going to the barber shop all the time, the male lead dropping off plants at her house, and the ending scene was cute as well.

What I didn't particularly like:
1) Male lead's sister - get into some counseling, that's all I'll say.
2) Music - 3 songs repeated over and over, telling us when to feel what emotion.
3) "This is why we can't be together" - this was repeated so many times, each time a part of the mystery was revealed. Just when I thought that the issue had been resolved, they'd say that and then another part of the mystery was revealed. The mystery overall kind of bothered me. I felt like the plot was full of red herrings, and it was frustrating because it put a roadblock to the romance.
4) The makeup - this REALLY bothered me in this show! The skin tones for the two main leads seemed to change quite often, and in one kissing scene in particular, their coloring was so different that's all I could focus on. The lipstick was pronounced and obvious for the female lead, and for the other females, they failed to use lipstick on their whole lips...they just didn't paint the top part of their lips. Were they trying to make their lips look smaller? It was so strange, because their lip outline was so obvious! The two fathers - their makeup made them look like corpses - very white, pasty, shiny and plastic looking.

I felt that it was an okay show to watch if you are interested in a workplace romance, but I've seen it done better.

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Bucolic small town life

What I loved:
1) When the writing was shining a light on the ensemble cast, it was right on point. It did a wonderful job of developing the characters, allowing us to get to know and care about them. There was so much heart and humor in letting us feel what it's like to live in a small town, with its quirky characters, warts and all. To live in a place where everyone is all up in your business, but they've also got your back, made me long to be a part of their lives.
2) Overall cinematography. In general, beautifully filmed. The colors of the buildings, the boats in the harbor, long shots of the small town in the distance, combined to pull you into the drama.
3) Couple chemistry. So, I'm now going to have to call Kim Seon Ho and Shin Min Ah the Dimple Duo!! Theirs was a sweet relationship of growth and development. The relationship made sense and they were so flipping cute together. Their smiles just lit up the screen.
4) Kim Seon Ho as Hong Doo Shik. What a wonderful character, beautifully portrayed by Kim. His happiness was almost palpable, as was his despair. The love he had for his friends and neighbors was a joy to watch.
5) Kim Young Ok as Kim Gam Ri. I want her to be my grandma! I've loved her in everything I've seen her in. She was so sweet, but she had twinkle in her eye that said she was up to something.
6) Non-triangle love triangle. I love when there is a potential triangle and the secondary person actually wants their love interest to be happy - that's love rather than obsession.

What I didn't love:
1) The character of Yoon Hye-Jin. Shin Min Ah did an excellent job, but I didn't care for this character much at all. I hated her at the beginning, so much that I debated whether I was going to be able to continue the show. Thankfully, I stuck it out and her hard edges softened somewhat. I understand the reasoning for the way she was, but there still needs to be something at least a little likeable about a main character or what's the point? Later on, when she softened up a bit, she was better, but then she started acting all aegyo and that worked my last nerve.
2) Some jarring camera angles. There were a few times when the camera angle completely took me out of the story. I think they were trying to be clever, but it was unsuccessful.
3) The idol storyline. It was done strictly to bring in more characters and then not much was done with it.

I ended up rating this show a little higher than I thought I would, based on the last couple of episodes. I felt that the last episodes really showed the heart of the show. The importance of family and friends, and the impact they have on us. On forgiveness, for others and for ourselves.

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Good chemistry

Jang Hyuk and Jang Nara had really good chemistry together. I loved how playful they were with each other. I felt that his acting was, unfortunately, over the top a lot of times, and that laugh, ugh! I also either wanted to go at his hair with a pair of clippers or loan him a barrette, his hair was ridiculous. My favorite scene with him was in ep 18 during the press conference. He was understated and you could really see his fear and hope and love shining through in his acting without all the antics. I did NOT like the drugging aspect of the show, and there was an awful long time for them to be apart, after the obligatory three-year separation. When he was pretending to be someone else and they were texting one another, that was very cleverly done, and gave us more opportunity to see them together. I also loved the storyline of him taking the female lead's mom as his mom. Very touching. Choi Jin Hyuk as the second male lead was excellent, and his deep voice...yum. The ending was very cute and you get to see a wedding and what happens in their lives after that, which I always like after spending all this time watching a show

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