i am always extremely suspicious [on MDL] of claims by commenters that the FL is a bad actress whilst at the same…
You're being randomly attacked by a third wave feminist, these things happen sometimes on MDL. They want to fight about sexism, but they chase off everyone they meet because they don't know how to hold a respectful, intellectually honest conversation with anyone without engaging in strawman arguments. So then they have to resort to bullying strangers online because there's nothing left for them in their poor husk of a life. Ah, another gender studies tuition fund well spent.
Honestly, when I see a bunch of these harpy shrews in the comments section of a drama taking about it being "problematic"... I click 'plan to watch'. Basically not even joking.
What I find humorous about this, is if you look at amaginons watchlist, they gave 'Mask' a 9.5, lollll have you seen it? Its like some of the WORST fl acting I've ever seen.
I gave this an 8. I have a feeling a lot of low raters were people who didn't like Wuthering Heights or didn't ever read it, so didn't know what kind of story they were getting themselves into.
The ost, production quality, aesthetics, every technical aspect of it was outstanding. ML/FL/2ML are all amazing actors giving amazing performances.
Heathcliff's younger years, they get right. His past, upbringing, his feelings... all were spot on. In WH, when Heathcliff is later denied by Catherine, he becomes a monster of a human being, way off the charts in a way I dont think a k-drama could handle... and in a way that would make a "happy ending" drama impossible because his character is irredeemable. I love how the writers sidestepped all that by giving him a second incarnation as a "psychopath" who has no feelings. Super imaginative, very awesome.
The problem is simply this: The entire story hinges on the fact that Heathcliff and Catherine's chemistry and love for one another is PASSIONATE. Really really fiery and hot. In WH, it is this passion that frightens Catherine and makes her run away and deny her feelings. Without this passionate love as the undercurrent of the entire story, the story doesn't make sense.
The reason Catherine runs away from Heathcliff is that she is young and childish, and she can't integrate her feelings for Heathcliff into her character. Her own deep intense love for him scares her, and she doesn't have the strength to stand up to society and marry someone of such low status as Heathcliff. She's too immature. Catherine chooses Edgar because he represents safety to her, he enables her to run away from her own true self. Because he doesn't challenge her, she considers it love.
In WH, your'e supposed to both identify with Catherine's plight, and at the same time despise her because she has spurned her only true deep feelings, and become shallow and cruel. Catherine was never written as this perfect angel, the way the FL role is portrayed. The self-consciousness she felt at Heathcliffs low status could easily have been written into the story but was instead missing... when in WH, it was a big driving factor behind why her feelings for Heathcliff were too much for her to handle... he overwhelmed her. There should have been more than just tenderness and pity in the love the FL feels for the ML in her first incarnation. We should have been able to sense that heat and fire that lit up between them. After all, Heathcliff wasn't some obsessed stalker. He was in love with her, and he knew she was in love with him, that's WHY he tormented her all the time and couldn't let her go... because he knew she felt the same thing deep down, and wanted to force her to face her feelings for him and stop denying that they shared something real. This aspect of their dynamic is totally missing from Born Again, and this is why I couldn't give it a 10, even though I wanted to.
I love that they wanted to give Heathcliff a second chance at love, and that's what this drama is all about. I think its touching, creative and beautiful. I see a lot of genius in the way the plot is written, and I appreciated it. There just should have been A) way more fire in the ML/FL's relationship B) acknowledgement of the status difference between them in the first incarnation and how that plays into their issues being together, and C) more of a "dangerous" vibe to the second incarnation of the ML. Sometimes they gave you flashes of it, but I think they could have done more.
Okay I came back to it, and just finished. This is a steaming pile of you know what. The ONLY good thing about…
oh rockin, check out my recent review of Well Intended Love in the comments, wherein I literally watch the drama on mute and listen to "Love You To Death" by Type O Negative 500 times, rather than be subjected to the most horrible dubbing and soundtrack I've ever heard in my life.
he's so versatile that you'd never notice how good he is, but I saw something where he plays the 2ML in a romantic relationship with the 2FL, and he was so HOTTTTTT, wew lad! Who knew he was holding that back in most of his roles. Since then, I've been craving the idea of him as a romantic ML.
IDK if it'll ever happen, but if it does I will weep tears of joy.
Finally, on the third try, I finished this drama, and it is brilliant. It is brilliant because the ML character Soonkki created is brilliant. PJH's acting was very good. The producers/writers/directors tried to ruin it, and somewhat succeeded. For one, they gave the ML a really bad hairstyle. This messed up a lot of the vibe. They tried to give him the exact same hair he has in the manhwa, but that doesn't flatter PJH's looks, so they should have gone for a style that made him look dark and sexy. They didn't stay true to the 2ML's hairstyle from the manhwa, so why did they feel they had to stay with it for the ML?
Secondly, they took way too much focus off of the ML. What makes this drama a classic, and what makes it worthwhile, is the enigmatic ML. They should not have let that focus drift. They also didn't give enough chemistry to the ML/FL. I do not think that was the FL's fault, they can only act the script they are given. The script gave them no room to have any chemistry. The sexual feelings between them were sanitized as if they were trying to create a G-rated romance.
Is it worth watching? Yes, because Soonkki created a truly genius and novel character in Jung, and a solid FL character that's unique unto herself. It's been over 5 years since this aired, and people still talk about it, and consistently have it at the top of their watchlists. Not everybody likes it. But whether you like it or not, you should decide for yourself after seeing it, because at this point it's a classic. Much like What Happened In Bali, Kakafukaka, Hana Yori Dango... you should watch them basically because "everybody's seen it" and they are so unique that nothing else compares to them.
This is the story of an ML who has some strong antisocial traits. He is not portrayed as a straight sociopath/psychopath though. It is this strange blend of traits he possesses that fascinates people and keeps them coming back to this story over and over. His personality and how it expresses itself, is what leaves the FL in an emotional predicament that anyone could understand. The FL is relatable.
I ended up giving it a 7.5... but I'd still consider it a 'must watch'.
ok, i was hoping to find someone who read the manhwa and saw the drama because I have some questions...I watched…
tysssm, just finished it. Now I get what everyone was bitching about! Do you know kind of where in the webtoon the drama leaves off? Like the halfway mark, or farther...?
ok, i was hoping to find someone who read the manhwa and saw the drama because I have some questions...I watched…
TYSM! This helped me just enough to get hooked on the show, and now I'm binging it. I just finished ep 12 where ML and 2ML fight on the playground and then ML opens up to FL about why he acts the way he does. And I cried like the best cry I've ever cried over a k-drama and was so blown away by how beautifully this story is crafted and how well it's being acted by the cast. I can't believe how good this story is.
Now I just wonder if the ending is true to the manhwa, or if I should be prepared for some bullcrap at the end. Based on other feedback, I should be prepared to have my heart broken by this story being ruined and bastardized from the original creator's vision, all because of some mysterious behind the scenes drama no one will really get into about Park Jae Hin.
I really wanted to like this drama. The ML was it's ONLY saving grace, and he tried so hard to pull the show together, but he just couldn't do it on his own. Everything was against him: The plot developments, the scriptwriting, the terrible terrible performance by the FL, and the entire supporting cast being so lackluster (with the exception of Lee Pil Mo), the unsatisfying ending...
As a romance, this was AWFUL. There is no skinship, there is no courtship phase, no romance, no good kiss scenes... the only thing sexy about this show was the smoldering performance by the ML. This drama has very melo/makjang feel like "Secret", and the ML/FL are constantly abused and harassed by the "bad" characters, but the final episodes of the drama do not make you feel like the bad characters got what they truly deserved considering everything they put ML/FL through for 23 episodes straight.
FL's acting was some of the worst I've ever seen in a k-drama, she is emotionless, wooden, punctuated by the occasional moment of BAD overacting. Her character was written in a very open way to give her leeway to act and bring her own POV to the performance, but she did not take that opportunity. The ML was acting his ass off and she couldn't play against that energy. They were purposely not written any steamy romantic scenes, and you just don't feel any bond between them or any fire, there's nothing holding them together.
All in all, a very garbagey show. Completely awful. ML did a great job though.
Whoa, how can anyone even make it past episode 1. I started this because I go for the "toxic love" and "obsessive ML" dramas, but this was totally over the line for me, no thanks I'm out. ML is so not in any way handsome, FL looks like a chubby bird, and apparently their "relationship" started with r*pe. I honestly don't give a crap what happens to either one of them. Dropped like a hot potato.
This is absolutely akin to those trashy Wattpad bodice-ripper type stories. If you like those trope-filled, anything-goes…
you should spoiler-tag all that stuff... cuz youre spoiling the plot for anyone who might want to actually discover the plot twists by watching the drama, and not by reading your comment.
All anyone would have to do is check the top rated in my watchlist to see that I have a soft spot for "batshit crazy love" dramas. So of course I have no problem with the famous plot twist in this drama, in fact for me it was part of what made me want to watch it in the first place.
I have noticed that there are some c-dramas that the dubbing and soundtrack/ost is SO BAD that the drama is better off watched with the sound OFF. That way you can see how the ACTORS really acted, and watch the drama the way they had intended when they were acting out the scenes on set. This is one of those dramas. When I do this occasionally with a c-drama, I usually play some music instead.
So this might sound totally crazy... but this drama gets a LOT better if you do what I did, mute it and listen to Type O Negative "Love You To Death" on repeat through all 20 episodes.
Even with the help of the mighty Pete Steele (may he rest in peace), this drama fades after about the halfway or 2/3 mark of the show. However. The first half of this drama was SEXY AF. Like, whoa. The ML's acting is FIRE. And the FL was a good actress and very pretty.
I don't even know how to rate this drama. It's absolutely terrible. The aesthetics are once again, tragic like nearly every modern-day setting c-drama i've ever seen. The plot is twisted, insane, and towards the end it gets worse... you think it can't get worse but then it does. The "sound" (dubbing, soundtrack, and ost) is so bad, I'd rather listen to Pete Steele sing the same song literally 500 times in a row than have to listen to this drama.
And yet.... that ML is just so fire. The first half of the drama -when the sound is muted- is absolutely LOADED with kilig moments. Way more than most dramas.
So I considered giving it a 2... but in the end i gave it a 7.5
Finally, the spotlight thief gets the full spotlight. Recently I watched 'Doom at your Service' and didn't drop…
He upstages nearly everybody he has a scene with. His FL - whoever and whenever that may be - will have her work cut out for her. I hope he gets cast with someone who can actually act.
Just got done with this, and the entire thing from start to finish felt like torture because the FL is so gross and plastic-ey to me, ughh. She is everything wrong with beauty standards, she looks like an exaggerated version of a female. There's nothing real about this character whatsoever. I wish I hadn't wasted the time.
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Honestly, when I see a bunch of these harpy shrews in the comments section of a drama taking about it being "problematic"... I click 'plan to watch'. Basically not even joking.
What I find humorous about this, is if you look at amaginons watchlist, they gave 'Mask' a 9.5, lollll have you seen it? Its like some of the WORST fl acting I've ever seen.
The ost, production quality, aesthetics, every technical aspect of it was outstanding. ML/FL/2ML are all amazing actors giving amazing performances.
Heathcliff's younger years, they get right. His past, upbringing, his feelings... all were spot on. In WH, when Heathcliff is later denied by Catherine, he becomes a monster of a human being, way off the charts in a way I dont think a k-drama could handle... and in a way that would make a "happy ending" drama impossible because his character is irredeemable. I love how the writers sidestepped all that by giving him a second incarnation as a "psychopath" who has no feelings. Super imaginative, very awesome.
The problem is simply this: The entire story hinges on the fact that Heathcliff and Catherine's chemistry and love for one another is PASSIONATE. Really really fiery and hot. In WH, it is this passion that frightens Catherine and makes her run away and deny her feelings. Without this passionate love as the undercurrent of the entire story, the story doesn't make sense.
The reason Catherine runs away from Heathcliff is that she is young and childish, and she can't integrate her feelings for Heathcliff into her character. Her own deep intense love for him scares her, and she doesn't have the strength to stand up to society and marry someone of such low status as Heathcliff. She's too immature. Catherine chooses Edgar because he represents safety to her, he enables her to run away from her own true self. Because he doesn't challenge her, she considers it love.
In WH, your'e supposed to both identify with Catherine's plight, and at the same time despise her because she has spurned her only true deep feelings, and become shallow and cruel. Catherine was never written as this perfect angel, the way the FL role is portrayed. The self-consciousness she felt at Heathcliffs low status could easily have been written into the story but was instead missing... when in WH, it was a big driving factor behind why her feelings for Heathcliff were too much for her to handle... he overwhelmed her. There should have been more than just tenderness and pity in the love the FL feels for the ML in her first incarnation. We should have been able to sense that heat and fire that lit up between them. After all, Heathcliff wasn't some obsessed stalker. He was in love with her, and he knew she was in love with him, that's WHY he tormented her all the time and couldn't let her go... because he knew she felt the same thing deep down, and wanted to force her to face her feelings for him and stop denying that they shared something real. This aspect of their dynamic is totally missing from Born Again, and this is why I couldn't give it a 10, even though I wanted to.
I love that they wanted to give Heathcliff a second chance at love, and that's what this drama is all about. I think its touching, creative and beautiful. I see a lot of genius in the way the plot is written, and I appreciated it. There just should have been A) way more fire in the ML/FL's relationship B) acknowledgement of the status difference between them in the first incarnation and how that plays into their issues being together, and C) more of a "dangerous" vibe to the second incarnation of the ML. Sometimes they gave you flashes of it, but I think they could have done more.
IDK if it'll ever happen, but if it does I will weep tears of joy.
This messed up a lot of the vibe. They tried to give him the exact same hair he has in the manhwa, but that doesn't flatter PJH's looks, so they should have gone for a style that made him look dark and sexy. They didn't stay true to the 2ML's hairstyle from the manhwa, so why did they feel they had to stay with it for the ML?
Secondly, they took way too much focus off of the ML. What makes this drama a classic, and what makes it worthwhile, is the enigmatic ML. They should not have let that focus drift. They also didn't give enough chemistry to the ML/FL. I do not think that was the FL's fault, they can only act the script they are given. The script gave them no room to have any chemistry. The sexual feelings between them were sanitized as if they were trying to create a G-rated romance.
Is it worth watching? Yes, because Soonkki created a truly genius and novel character in Jung, and a solid FL character that's unique unto herself. It's been over 5 years since this aired, and people still talk about it, and consistently have it at the top of their watchlists. Not everybody likes it. But whether you like it or not, you should decide for yourself after seeing it, because at this point it's a classic. Much like What Happened In Bali, Kakafukaka, Hana Yori Dango... you should watch them basically because "everybody's seen it" and they are so unique that nothing else compares to them.
This is the story of an ML who has some strong antisocial traits. He is not portrayed as a straight sociopath/psychopath though. It is this strange blend of traits he possesses that fascinates people and keeps them coming back to this story over and over. His personality and how it expresses itself, is what leaves the FL in an emotional predicament that anyone could understand. The FL is relatable.
I ended up giving it a 7.5... but I'd still consider it a 'must watch'.
Now I just wonder if the ending is true to the manhwa, or if I should be prepared for some bullcrap at the end. Based on other feedback, I should be prepared to have my heart broken by this story being ruined and bastardized from the original creator's vision, all because of some mysterious behind the scenes drama no one will really get into about Park Jae Hin.
As a romance, this was AWFUL. There is no skinship, there is no courtship phase, no romance, no good kiss scenes... the only thing sexy about this show was the smoldering performance by the ML. This drama has very melo/makjang feel like "Secret", and the ML/FL are constantly abused and harassed by the "bad" characters, but the final episodes of the drama do not make you feel like the bad characters got what they truly deserved considering everything they put ML/FL through for 23 episodes straight.
FL's acting was some of the worst I've ever seen in a k-drama, she is emotionless, wooden, punctuated by the occasional moment of BAD overacting. Her character was written in a very open way to give her leeway to act and bring her own POV to the performance, but she did not take that opportunity. The ML was acting his ass off and she couldn't play against that energy. They were purposely not written any steamy romantic scenes, and you just don't feel any bond between them or any fire, there's nothing holding them together.
All in all, a very garbagey show. Completely awful. ML did a great job though.
I have noticed that there are some c-dramas that the dubbing and soundtrack/ost is SO BAD that the drama is better off watched with the sound OFF. That way you can see how the ACTORS really acted, and watch the drama the way they had intended when they were acting out the scenes on set. This is one of those dramas. When I do this occasionally with a c-drama, I usually play some music instead.
So this might sound totally crazy... but this drama gets a LOT better if you do what I did, mute it and listen to Type O Negative "Love You To Death" on repeat through all 20 episodes.
Even with the help of the mighty Pete Steele (may he rest in peace), this drama fades after about the halfway or 2/3 mark of the show. However. The first half of this drama was SEXY AF. Like, whoa. The ML's acting is FIRE. And the FL was a good actress and very pretty.
I don't even know how to rate this drama. It's absolutely terrible. The aesthetics are once again, tragic like nearly every modern-day setting c-drama i've ever seen. The plot is twisted, insane, and towards the end it gets worse... you think it can't get worse but then it does. The "sound" (dubbing, soundtrack, and ost) is so bad, I'd rather listen to Pete Steele sing the same song literally 500 times in a row than have to listen to this drama.
And yet.... that ML is just so fire. The first half of the drama -when the sound is muted- is absolutely LOADED with kilig moments. Way more than most dramas.
So I considered giving it a 2... but in the end i gave it a 7.5