Sweetness with genuine feelings.

Saying it was adorable would be understatement. It’s a perfect BL for everyone who is tired of overdramatized plotlines, stiff chemistry, bad acting and problematic leads. Our Dating Sim is the purest form of romantic comedy put in a refreshing frame of a dating game.

One of the strongest good points about this show was the well paced and smart storytelling. Just enough opening ambiguity about the main leads relationship in the past and the present was enough to set up a solid opening stage for the rest of this story to unfold. And from that point, it was a full fluff fest with just a tiny bit of angst so we don’t get diabetes. The angst you can enjoy, because you know it's just a tiny momentary feeling that will end well.

I am pretty sure we all fell in love with Gi Tae. It’s amazing to see a character who is confident, but not overbearing. He truly radiates positive energy and presents a perfect level of playful teasing.

Honestly speaking, while I enjoyed Lee Wan’s character, I found it hard to describe him. A little bit passive, truly hardworking with spontaneous outburst of courage with flight reaction that follows. Compared to Gi Tae, who was more stationary in terms of development, Lee Wan presents a subtle journey to self-discovery and bravery to stick with the things he find important, instead of running away from them.

Lee Seung Gyu and Lee Jong Hyuk had an amazing and natural chemistry that put a smile on my face during every episode. Acting wise, they both delivered believable performances. While many people praised Lee Seung Gyu (for solid reasons, I rewatched quite a few scenes simply because I enjoyed his performance so much), I also want to compliment Lee Jong Hyuk for his take on Lee Wan’s character, especially with scenes presenting concern, worry or confusion.

For such a short drama, the production value was perfect. I loved the dating game framing and the game stages scenes at the end of each episode presenting additional small doses of sweetness between the main characters.

Overall, while it feels like 8.5 for me, my brain actually wants to give it 9. Often such simple and short stories feel empty, dull, cringe, but Our Dating Sim could not be described by any of these adjectives. While it might be a classic story with well known tropes, the execution makes it an entertaining watch that many will enjoy.

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Rough path with some sweetness and the ending that lost focus…

A Shoulder to Cry On delivered quite a few good messages that would resonate with teens and young adults, and even a few lessons that can change the perspective of the adults, as long as they are willing to think about these topics after the episodes end. A nice step into a different direction in a well known high school set up.

That said, is this truly the deep and complex psychological story as some people claim it to be? Depends on what you compare it to. It’s not as sweet and silly as many high school and university BLs, and there is an attempt to add layers to the characters, especially on Tae Hyun’s side. So compared to other K-BLs, one could see it as something more. If you look at it in a broader manner, sadly it’s just another enemy to lovers trope with trauma as a cherry on top.

Yes, it does tackle some serious and important topics like childhood trauma, lack of emotional support, repressed feelings, guilt, resentment, forgiveness. Yet, all on surface level. It’s like a weather talk - just a starter for the conversation.

I think the biggest disappointment for me comes from how black and white they tried to present really complex situations and how fast they moved away from them without truly putting time and effort to give a proper resolution, which was especially obvious in the last two episodes. How to put it… it lacked nuance. It made me feel like the production team does not trust the audience to handle difficult topics so they made them as approachable and simple as possible. God forbid someone finishes an episode with conflicted feelings about the characters.

Personally, my favorite part of the plot was Da Yeol’s doubts about his path. It’s an issue most young people resonate with and many adults still struggle with. It was best written, paced and concluded part of the story and I wish the drama focused on it a little bit more.

Then we have the acting, which was fine during the teen daily life scenes, and questionable at best during the emotional scenes. There were a few moments I could see Shin Ye Chan tried to convey strong emotions, but it just did not translate on screen. Similar issues happened with more “heart wrenching” scenes from Kim Jae Han. Realistically speaking, for debut roles, these were quite challenging, so I’m; not exactly surprised by the end product.

Undoubtedly the production was a massive improvement compared to other short k-bls. Longer episodes allowed the story to have a more even pacing without too many things being painfully rushed (putting aside the final conclusions). While it still lacks in comparison to mainstream dramas, it’s on par with other web dramas, which is far better than what we’ve got until this point from Korean BLs.

Improvement from makeup artists needed though.

Overall, it’s great to see a longer format and I’m glad it was given to a story with an actual plot that at least attempted something more than “sweet teen romance”.

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Gold medal for underdeveloping… everything.

What happened? Someone explain, because I am confused. What started as a loveable cliche mess, ended as just a mess. Around half way through I could sense it - no development, no quality of writing, no details to the storytelling, no real stakes…

Personally, I just think there were too many characters and plots for that many episodes. We did not need the stupid siblings duo - truly brought nothing to the table. The side romance was cute, but also unnecessary. The writers should have picked either a tragic mysterious past or the power struggle in the company and focus on developing it more. Random ex to show up 3 times to cause a little bit of trouble that led to nowhere? Why?

I was watching the second half with constant thought - so much is happening, but why does it feel like nothing is happening? Maybe because the plot seemed more like a brainstorm on a whiteboard rather than a full narration with detailed setup and development… The way almost nothing got a proper closure…

What carried the show for me were the characters of Ah Jung, Ji Han and one and only unproblematic powerful queen Chae Won. These three were fun, entertaining, dynamic. Their scenes always left a smile on my face. These three also had an amazing chemistry.

On the other hand, every character other than these three was boring or frustrating, with little to no redeeming qualities.

What’s more, the quality of acting was on average mediocre - either because the characters were too poorly written for the actors to make it work, or because the actors just could not connect to the emotions they were supposed to present.

Overall, what a waste of time. Another case of a great first half and disappointing finish.

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“It’s not about getting better. The next stage just comes...

Then comes another stage, followed by more stages to go”.

I don’t think I have ever watched a show that introduces so many interesting topics to think about in such a light and heartwarming manner. The episodes might have been only 24 minutes long, but the impact lasted for hours, making me reflect on my opinions, thoughts and behaviors.

From the opening till the end - it felt both realistic and strangely eccentric and dream-like. Following Ha Jyung on the trips allowed me to take a moment to just relax and enjoy the views and the scenery. The straightforward and honest personality of our female lead added to the charm. I also appreciated how real her character was - a normal person in normal circumstances, taking a break from the busy and overstimulated world.

The wide range of topics tackled in the show included, but was not limited to: reflecting on our past goals and dreams, the role of an educator, adults' involvement in creating certain paths for children, focusing on their future rather than the current happiness, the disagreements and different perceptions generations have, where we always villainize the other side, not seeing the flaws in our own thinking and behavior.

We were faced with questions like: is striving for success correct, or should we just focus on doing what we love, even if it does not bear fruits? Why is it so hard to show interest towards another person and since when saying “I love you” or even “I like you” becomes so hard, that we found new ways to convey exactly the same emotions?

This is not all, and I’m sure each and every person would focus on different aspects, different scenes and different lines - seeing their own unique version of what’s presented in the drama.

Lee Na Young was such a perfect casting choice to portrayal Ha Kyung. On one hand her character was truly relatable, on the other hand she had her own charms and quirks that not many people possess. Creating a character that is both unique, but also relatable is not an easy job.

The production was stellar. All episodes were filmed, directed and edited in a similar fashion, but at the same time, all had specific tricks that enhanced whatever story was told in each episode. Be it adding more blur and slightly distorted shots to create these dream-like sequences, or using first person perspective to make viewers connect to the scene and potential feelings the characters are experiencing. The soundtrack was the cherry on top, making me want to drop whatever I was doing and set on a trip myself.

Overall, I feel like no matter how much time I would spend on writing this review, it would be impossible for me to truly convey how much I love One Day Off. It's a rare clean 10 for me.

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Uncanny, but in a fluffy way with some important lessons.

First of all, I have to say this had some of the best castings I’ve seen. Lee Jae Bin and Kim Seong Hyuk both embodied the animals they were acting as. Especially Seong Hyuk. He was acting more like a cat than my actual cat does.

That said, I think they did so well with showcasing the traits said animals have, it was actually hard for me to get into the romance side of it. Especially with Choco - he was both acting too much like a dog, and was treated too much like a dog for me to ship him with anyone. It just did not sit right with me… The casting was so good, I think it was too good, however weird it might sound. Still, they were able to charm me by the end, I left my brain outside of my room as I was watching, and just enjoyed the sweet moments.

Plot wise, I enjoyed it a lot. That’s a story on crack for sure. I had to stop myself from thinking about my animals being human, because the cringe was too strong. I appreciated this fluffy way of dealing with the topic of loss and acceptance of it. How different characters showed different ways of dealing with it - be it acceptance, denial or a hopeful outlook or just postponing it a little bit to enjoy the company for as long as possible. Not to mention the importance of chasing after things that bring you happiness.

Acting was good. Lee Jae Bin and Kim Seong Hyuk for sure did the best job. I bought everything they sold and have no complaints.

Production wise, initially I did have one complaint - the show felt empty. Few people pointed out how there was never anyone in the café in the beginning episodes. Small things like that take away from the show, as the story does not feel real. Luckily, that “emptiness” became a part of the plot the moment characters addressed it, so the issue was solved in my eyes. Except for that, it was a really good production for a short show like this.

Overall, it was enjoyable. Probably better as a binge watch, like many shorter dramas - would be a good movie. Waiting for that last episode was truly painful.

Milk was my favorite and I wanted to see more of him. Give him a nice short spin-off pretty please!

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The best kind of normalcy.

Adults playing adults, no over the top childish miscommunications, realistic (though underdeveloped) problems one can face in the workplace, great natural chemistry and likable female characters - all that made me happy.

Not gonna lie, Kim Jong Chan was the star of the story. I’m so done with cold and emotionless bosses, as if you cannot be professional and dedicated to your work and have personality. Luckily, Jong Chan does not follow the stereotype we usually get. He might be direct and focused, strict with people who work in his team, but he also has a really warm and fun persona outside of the workplace.

Woo Seung Hyun was a great character to watch, but I wished they set up the fact he was a “late bloomer” more, and explain what it means. For me, it was obvious, but I can also understand if people started to complain he was too childish and naive for his age.

Personally, I enjoyed his story. Not quite knowing yourself, your goals, what you are good at and what kind of job would be best fit for you in your late 20’ is not exactly uncommon, and I think many could relate to Seung Hyun in that aspect.

Storytelling wise, I do think they did a decent job with presenting all the different plotlines. Sure, some kind of died without much exploration or closure, some got a rushed conclusion - but for 7 episodes, the show had a good flow and pacing.

Cast did great. Kwon Hyuk fits both the strict boss at work, and sweet boyfriend after, and Moon Ji Yong made Seung Hyun seem like a believable character as this innocent and hardworking intern. I also cannot stop myself from hyping Ye Ji Won being part of the cast, because we have not seen such a big name in K-BLs yet - maybe this is the first step to make the genre more mainstream.

Production was great. It did have this web series on the lower budget vibe for just a few shots, but overall - no complaints.

Overall, I’m just happy we got to see a normal relationship in BL. Yes, I do enjoy the exaggerated plots too, they are entertaining, but this wholesome mundane take is something I truly crave in the romance genre, and The New Employee delivered.

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oof… where to begin. The premise of the show is borderline offensive. The scene where a guy pretending to be gay lectures, actual gay man on gay rights and coming out made me want to dig a hole and bury myself alive.
It’s obviously a straight story, but they were pushing the “gay love line” so bad. The scenes between ML and SL were more romantic and shot in a more “typical for romance” way than the ones between the actual main couple. As if they wanted brownie points for being “progressive”, but they were not willing to actually give us a gay couple, just bait us with stuff like we had here.

So, let’s talk about the characters, because there is quite a lot to unpack.

Park Jin Sung is a disaster of a character. I love me some flawed ones, but he had no redeeming qualities. While I can empathize with his initial decision to join the pilot episode of the show to get money for his dad’s surgery, the fact he kept going with this lie later on was laughable. Why? His reasoning for not dropping the show was: it will hurt my crush. What was in the brain of that dude? He became so amazingly preachy, I wanted to teleport myself into a drama and slap him at least a few times. This whole mess happened, because he did not think about anyone else except what Ah Jin thought and felt. What’s even more frustrating? He didn’t really lose anything in the end. He got his happy ending and we didn't see that much backlash happen directed at him. None of the characters were even that angry with him. Karma ain’t real here ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Kim Ah Jin… well. I like to think there are two types of naive female leads - nice naive and dumb naive. She is the latter one. When people questioned her on the reasons for the “gay chef” show, she had no real answer. She said she wanted to show how gay people are normal and not different than others, but that’s dumb, since the main focus of the show and it’s promotion was that it’s a GAY chef as if this was the most important description of him as a human being. She had NO IDEA what she was producing. It shows when she gets so amazingly shocked about these 3 people protesting and asking for the cancellation of the show. “Their eyes were full of hatred” YES HONEY, THERE ARE HOMOPHOBIC PEOPLE.

As someone who was willing to make a whole show focused on the fact your host is gay, you should do some research to know what you are getting yourself and said person into. So you can prepare. So when homophobes show up, no one needs to protect you and make you feel better. It’s you who should stand strong and defend your host and the program you are creating. Her whole character was so amazingly useless and no true development happened.

Luckily we were graced with Kang Tae Wan, the true star of the show. First, I want to say Lee Hak Joo is an amazing actor and I believed every line he delivered. When he was happy, I was giggling like an idiot, when he was sad I wanted to fight whomever made him sad. Thanks to that awesome performance I was able to engage in his part of the story more. I also appreciate that they avoided going with stereotypes and making the gay character “less manly” with over exaggerated movements, way of speaking and fashion. Tae Wan was none of that. I loved to watch his emotional journey and how he slowly learned how to smile and get close to people around him. I loved the closure he was given and his scene with the dad in the last episode.

The plot had so much potential and could have offered us so much, but for some strange reason they decided to not do it. Why did they give us the typical side couple? They could use that time to explore Park Jin Woo’s character more. Deliver more scenes of Park Jin Sung cooking while they film the show, with some nice messages and calming mood. Dive deep into the struggles of LGBT community. Let Jin Sung taste it a bit, so when he finds out Tae Wan is actually gay, it would truly hit him how much of a bullshit what he did was. Truth to be told, the whole 12 episodes felt like a beginning of the drama, just an introduction. What happened to the characters’ development? We only got Tae Wan opening to people a bit and Gyu Jang being slightly less of an asshole. That’s it.

Not to mention the random journalist which was used in the show two times, when the plot needed it. They should simply incorporate him more into the plot. Otherwise, him being so invested when we saw him only twice makes no sense. Then there is the last episode. They legit got the main couple to break up 20 minutes before the ending, then we jumped to the future and the last scene they met again… wow. hOw oRiGiNaL! In the last scene, I was hoping we will get all three main characters live their lives and move on, taking different paths and not seeing each other anymore. With that I would consider giving it 7.

That said, I might have disliked the story, but I truly liked the directing. How at times the camera focused on smaller details and not the faces of the actors as they were talking about emotional topics. Or when the screen turned to black as the important lines were delivered. This allowed me to truly focus on what was being said and how it was being said. How the whole drama was not overly produced and had this cozy feel to it. Not to mention that bop of ost. Need it all on my laptop asap.

Overall, I would truly not recommend watching. Sure, Tae Wan was amazing, but the amount of frustration I had to deal with as I was watching the rest of the characters was unimaginable. If you decide to watch it, don’t get invested in any character in hopes of seeing them improve and have some nice development - it ain’t gonna happen.

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The best level of pining one can imagine.

I’m willing to call it a perfect binge watch material. It’s easy to digest, has amazing chemistry and loveable characters. There is not much unnecessary drama and over the top events. It’s not a groundbreaking story, but it’s a nice and believable youth romance.

Not gonna like Cake was the main reason I loved it so much - both with how the character was written and how Santa portrayed him. Funny, charming, entertaining, loyal, but at the same time caring and mature. I am surprised how understanding he was, when his initial introduction was a chaos impersonation. Santa’s acting too, I could see the hearts in his eyes even before he was aware of them. Damn, this boy makes your heart flutter like crazy.

Then we have Seeiw - THE cinnamon roll. Even though more proper and organized, I would say he was acting more his teenage age compared to Cake - especially with more challenging and emotional moments. Which was nice to see - teens acting their age. I do believe his crying got a bit frustrating a few times, but I blame the writer. Sadly Earth’s delivery in that aspect was also not that good, at least in some scenes. Sometimes I watched his scenes and was not sure if he was crying or laughing…

For everyone who enjoys mutual pining - this is THE show for you. The feels were amazing. It’s so obvious to everyone they like each other, but these two teens were painfully blind to it. And I loved every second of it.

Production value was high, especially for the BL. I did not have many issues with directing. The pacing got a bit fast by the end. Not to mention, in my opinion the last two episodes should not even exist - the whole last minute plot addition was unnecessary and did not fit the show.

One of the side couples also made me question reality. I don’t have issues with age gaps, but there are some lines that should not be crossed, and I have a weird feeling that if the genders were swapped, more people would complain.

Overall, I enjoyed it a lot. I appreciated a lot how it was more grounded in reality and not the typical “everyone is gay and the only homophobic people are jealous exes” and no one is afraid of coming out, or even worse - no one is really gay, they just love this one specific person of the same gender.

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Ever changing layers of happiness and sadness, pain and survival.

I went into this drama with a lot of trust and hope. Hwang Jin Young amazed me once with Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People, and I was ready to be amazed again - and she did not disappoint.

Set around the year 1636 during the Qing invasion of Joseon, the story centers around the themes of social structures and expectations put on different social classes, inequality of genders, women solidarity, the role of the royal family, all mixed with a beautiful, well paced romance that keeps breaking your heart and mending it back together - the sweetness and the angst perfectly balanced.

The story opens with what one could describe as open ended closure - showing us the future, but just a direction of where it all went, vague frame of the characters’ fates, while leaving enough uncertainty to keep you curious and striving to make your own interpretations and theories.

The core of the show are its characters. Yoo Gil Chae is exactly what I always wanted to see from a strong female lead - realistic depiction of pure survival based on wits and determination instead of unrealistic superhero like skills. She is introduced as a naive, egocentric and slightly delusional young woman, who thinks the whole world centers around her. Her bold attitude and cunning nature is truly refreshing, even if at times cheesy.

As the drama progresses, she shows an enormous amount of emotional strength and wits. The same cunning nature she used to seduce men, she then used to keep others alive. Even though her whole behavior and demeanor changes in a matter of days, it feels organic, believable and right - all the development happens on top of already existing traits she had.

And then we have Lee Jang Hyun introduced as a resourceful casanova dressed in a veil of mystery, surprising everyone with his skills, insightful understanding of politics and unconventional takes on matters of loyalty, patriotism, marriage and love. A man who seems too perfect to ever exist. A man who can make viewers' hearts flutter with sweet teasing and playful flirting, but also sincere confessions and yearning gazes he gives Gil Chae. A man who is willing to try to stop the war for the woman he cherishes.

Compared to Gil Chae and Jang Hyun, who present this opposition to accepted social norms and values, we have Nam Yeon Jun and Kyung Eun Ae, whom I would describe as prisoners of their upbringing and expectations put on them.

Yeon Jun, the loyal subject with an idealistic idea of protecting the royal family when needed. Eun Ae, the perfect pure woman who protects her chastity. His worth lies in his devotion to the king, her worth lies in her purity that should be given only to her husband. Both characters were truly sad to watch and fascinating to analyze.

What more has the drama to offer? First of all, the amazing, and at times painful to watch social commentary, often presented in the format of contrasting scenes intertwined with each other. Patriotic moments put against complete defeat, happy celebration in contrast to upcoming invaders, inconvenience of the royal family opposed to dying subjects. Sometimes just seconds, passing moments that stay with you long after you finish watching.

What adds to the gripping storytelling is the more realistic depiction of war and how gruesome it can truly be for commoners. All the scenes of the invaders attacking villages, killing all the men, the horrifying fate of the women, struggles of the slaves and pain of the ones thought to be the enemies of the Qing. People trying to survive, people trying to get back to normal, even if the peace was not fully obtained.

Everything created ever changing layers of happiness and sadness, pain and survival. How the tragedy hits us harder thanks to the happiness we previously witnessed, and how we appreciate the joyful moments, remembering the pain the characters went through.

All that emotional impact was possible thanks to the phenomenal performances from the cast. While watching Namgoong Min in this drama, I accepted that I will stay single for the rest of my life. My standards in men reached unobtainable levels all thanks to his portrayal of Jang Hyun. You wish to be in mortal danger so he can save you, while also making you want to protect him. The perfect balance of confidence and vulnerability, playful nature and sincere love, bravery against the enemy and the fear of losing people he cares about.

Ahn Eun Jin was the perfect choice for Yoo Gil Chae. An actress skilled enough to present the pure innocence, cunning nature and mature strength in a way that it never felt contradictory. I ended up adoring the character’s little schemes, feeling the pain she was feeling and rooting for her with all my heart in times of hardships and danger.

Lee Hak Joo and Lee Da In had an extremely hard job of presenting characters whose usually praised traits became their flaws. A delivery that at times makes you feel a whole ra(n)ge of emotions. Love them or hate them, but you for sure will not be indifferent.

From the production standpoint, I cannot describe how happy I was with the styling of the characters during the turbulent times. The raw perfection of the imperfections. No porcelain like white skin. The blemishes, imperfections, dirt and sweat - all adding to the realism of the story.

And then we have the touching soundtrack. Only With Heart full of feelings of hope, the innocence of pure love hidden in Road To You, The Painted On The Moonlight filled with longing and the desperation in Unforgettable Love.

Realistically speaking, words cannot describe how much I love this drama. It took complete possession of my brain, heart and soul. It gives you sweet moments that will make you grin from ear to ear and scream into the pillow. It breaks your heart times and times again, and yet you will feel grateful for every tear it made you shed. It introduces uncomfortable topics and scenarios that will make you contemplate your own beliefs and ideas. It served me everything and I could not ask for more.

Is the show flawless? No show is. But if you ask me to name any flaws, I would struggle, because all the tiny issues I might have had seem so miniscule and insignificant it would truly feel like looking for something to criticize just for the sake of finding any negativity. One thing that bothered me slightly in the later episodes: there were some unclear time passage issues, the contextual hints of how much time passed were not always clear and it affected the understanding of the characters, their motivations and emotions. It was not extremely hard to figure out, but it did require a bit more analysis and thinking.

(Some additional analysis and thoughts about the ending of part 1 in comment below under spoiler).

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Thoughts left the room, all that is left is me simping for the oppa.

Not gonna lie, this show made me feel pathetic - reminded of my young teen self getting obsessed over the rich entitled oppas. It’s been ages since an oppa oppaing so hard evoked so many emotions in me. He served us nothing, but served so much. The never changing face, monotone line delivery, 2-dimensional writing spiced up with all the possible cliches - all that to deliver the truest oppa ever. How shallow of me to open the review with that statement.

Surprisingly enough, no matter how ridiculous, unrealistic and over the top the drama might have been (which, by the way, were all the reasons I loved it so much), it actually had some thought-provoking scenes and moments. Social commentary dressed as fancy makjang? That might be an overstatement, but I’d be lying if I said it did not present even one aspect worth reflecting on. Basing your worth on your popularity, addiction to attention, seeing people around you as tools to be used and discarded when they stop being useful, how far can one go to achieve success, differences in how people perceive reality depending on their socioeconomic status and more. Bits and pieces of potential, all overshadowed by the entertainment.

And I’m not even mad about it. This is such a stress-reliever brainless entertainment I’m actually grateful it exists. Once you start watching, it’s hard to stop. There are awful and selfish characters to bitch about, a female lead that’s worth rooting for, a few characters you end up loving (even if the reasons are painfully shallow), twists and turns that come out of nowhere and make you question the reality that already makes no sense. And then there is the glamor and fashion that’s just so pretty you can’t turn your eyes away from it.

How’s the acting? On average mediocre. Some performances were good (looking at you Lee Chung Ah), some were fine (I love you Park Gyu Young, but not all of your scenes were to my liking), some were either barely existing or yet again typecasted (Kang Min Hyuk serving nothing but hot looks and Lee Dong Jeon playing the same character he did for the past few projects). Did it bother me? No. I have no idea why. I have no idea why all the things that usually make my blood boil just did not bother me here at all.

Overall, I finished the online exam in 15 minutes just so I can continue watching this drama as soon as possible - that will tell you how addicting it is. The pacing was fast, there was no time for chill and breaks, the characters were either unrealistically great or comically awful. Han Joon Kyung was the most oppa of all oppas. Whoever the casting director was - they need a raise.

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U-turn on expectations and clichés.

Not gonna lie - I dropped the show after the first two episodes. They were fine, but did not grab my attention. Next week I felt like watching a rom-com, so I picked it up again, and from that moment I just enjoyed the silly ride it took me for. They really played into, and at the same time broke all the cliches of kdrama rom-coms, and it was so much fun to watch

The story is something we have seen countless times - a fake relationship leads to a real one. Rich guy falls for a poor girl, yet few twists made it much more compelling and interesting. The female lead was not a damsel in distress - she is competent, friendly, strong. The male lead was not a cold lead - he is a cute and soft potato. The father was not evil, rather funny and a bit childish. The best friend second lead deal is dealt with in a realistic manner.

While the conflicts and issues between the main couple come from their different backgrounds, the second couple’s issues come from the differences of their personalities. Thanks to that we see a variety of interesting situations that kept me entertained.

That said, there was one side plot situation that had quite an impact on the characters and their behavior, but then was gone and never mentioned, simply because the current plot progression did not need it anymore. I wished we had some kind of closure or explanation for it.

The characters were all quite fun to follow. Except for the main cast that delivered a good performance, I want to talk about Seo Hye Won who played Jo Yoo Jung Young Seo's cousin. The girl was hilarious. Her random English lines with cartoonish subtitles on screen were some of the best scenes. She was extremely over the top, but it worked perfectly in the context of the show and overall tone.

While I have no huge complaints about any of the performances, I was slightly disappointed with Kim Min Gue. His character lacked expression. I get that he was this well mannered, stoic, logic driven guy, but I was just not completely convinced by his delivery.

It’s an over the top romantic comedy - funny sounds, funny animations, funny subtitles on the screen, but all of that was rather fitting and elevated the scenes - be it making them more funny, cute, sometimes cringe. I mean, the whole show is cringe, but I appreciate how they embraced that. Sometimes it’s the way to go - don’t take yourself too seriously, so people can enjoy it for what it is.

I don’t really have much to say about the soundtrack. All the songs were nice, cute and matching the drama, but the only one that truly caught my attention was Han Seung Yoon’s Whatever You Want.

Overall, if you are in the mood for romance, I don’t think you will find any better production from the past few years. It was cute, entertaining, did not have any over the top problematic plot lines, no random murder mystery we sometimes see in Korean rom-coms. Sometimes all one needs is good looking people falling in love with each other and all the cringe and sweet butterflies that come with it.

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Dating show with k-drama plot quality.

The show was weirdly addicting, even though it was far softer compared to western dating shows. The focus on the feelings and not just sexual attraction made the stakes higher, even though I knew it’s all over the top behavior. They knew each other for 8 days, how much in love can they truly be?

The aspect that was for me as interesting as the show itself was the audience reaction. The double standards we had were strong, and it has been just hilarious to watch. JiA playing all the guys? Queen. Jin Taek showing interest in someone else, because he was not sure about the feelings for his first pick? Trash. So Yeon being true to her feelings and saying what she wants to say: honest and caring. Se Hoon being true to his feelings and saying what he wants to say: egoistic and selfish. And the same story happened with a lot of male and female contestants.

Truth is, the female contestants are not unproblematic queens that deserve better. They were all just normal people, who barely knew each other and had no obligation to stay loyal to anyone just because they picked them once. They guys were not trash, there were no red flags, we are all just hypersensitive about the most basic and normal behavior.

As entertaining as the show was, I had few complaints. First, it was way too short. I would say adding at least 2 more episodes would be better. Keep the 8 days format, but getting 2 episodes per day would be ideal. It would make it easier to understand the relations between contestants and understand their choices. I feel like sometimes we just missed the context, because it was never shown on screen.

Another thing was adding new contestants so late. If they decided to stir the pot, they should have added them after the first date - long term it would create more tension that they wanted, and not last minute cheap “twists”. Not to mention the idiocy of casting Cha Hyun Seung, when he knew few contestants, which goes against everything these shows are about (and the “not knowing each other's age and profession).

Overall, I had a lot of fun. My favorite person was An Ye Wow - the only one who took the show for what it was: a little bit of fun adventure. Everyone was so serious, as if they were about to get married the moment the program ended, while she was just having fun meeting new people and enjoying herself. The best chemistry for me was between Hyun Joong, So Yeon and Se Hoon - these three were such an underrated comedic trio who radiated best friends vibe, I wish we could just watch them chilling and joking around a bit more. Best thing was: I did not really feel bad for anyone. Picking extremely good looking, popular, successful people makes me take their love hardships less seriously. “Oh no, this hot dude in his mid 20’ just got rejected for the first time in his life, what a tragedy”.

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Fluff sprinkled with emotional dread - best combination.

Probably the most surprising and refreshing concept and execution of it we have seen in any k-bl so far. The seamless transition between the cute romance and borderline psychological horror was masterfully crafted, making me crave for a longer and more developed version of the same story.

Not gonna lie, the show peaked during episode 6, and the ending fell a little bit short of my expectations, but even with that. I am quite satisfied with the overall progression. Yes, it does face the usual issues as a result of a short drama limitations, like underdeveloped side characters, less detailed world building, lack of side plots to make the story seem more full.

But the good was so good, you kind of don’t care about the rest.

First of all, Tae Myung Ha was a surprisingly complex character forced into an unusual situation that made him face both internal and external struggles, leading to well executed character development. And honestly? He was also simply extremely fun. His cheeky one-liners and confidence of an adult in a teen “drama” was a blast to watch. Lee Tae Vin’s performance just made the character so much better. Easily one of the best performances from k-bls, especially when the actual emotional stakes start to make their entrance.

Cha Yeo Woon was adorable. I do think this character had less to offer compared to Myung Ha (to be fair, it also might be the result of me focuing more on Myung Ha compared to Yeo Woon), but it was also impossible not to care for him with his surprisingly well balanced mix of cat and puppy energy, which Cha Joo Wan aced in his delivery.

Still, out of all the characters, Chun Sang Won was the one that stole my heart. What an iconic character, one that deserves a spotlight and his own drama for sure - especially since we’ve been hinted about his own personal struggles. Fun, driven, confident, but also compassionate and perceptive. Oh Min Su better get his main role project soon, or I will riot.

While the drama is for sure not character driven, and you won’t get any elaborate commentary on social and personal issues, it still torches some topics close to many people's hearts, being a good opener for personal reflections: What happiness means to you? How to open your heart to others? How to allow others to help you, care for you? How to well balance your own needs and the needs of people you care about?

All that said, I think the biggest highlight for me was the execution of the concept with a “nice” twist. Instead of going full silly rom-com, they used the game scenario to add some depth to the characters and some painful thrills. Undoubtedly the director had a clear vision of what and how they wanted to present and thanks to that thoughtful approach, the contrasting atmospheres fitted well together. You think you know how the show will progress, but then you get a massive error and all your expectations fall apart.

What’s more, using the game scenario also allowed the director to deal with the usual issue of “time skips” and not enough screen time to showcase the whole time progression. I need to appreciate when directors and writers use their own set up to their advantage when dealing with potential issues and shortcomings. All the confusion and the feeling of “randomness” was clearly intentional, and for me, matched perfectly with the story.

Overall, extremely enjoyable, well produced, beautifully directed, perfectly acted (especially Lee Tae Vin), with nice and cute chemistry, fun jokes and less fun, but just as enticing stakes.

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I blame my high expectations…

And writers who cannot grasp the idea they do not need to pair up all the characters in their dramas. It’s fine to leave some as single by the end. You do not have time to develop so many relationships and make them worth watching. Be smart, pick two and focus the story around them.

How great did this show start? How happy I was with some more realistic representation of trauma and mental health issues. How happy I was with them showing how it can truly impact one’s life and it was not just used to make the romance more “angsty”. And then… it went away. After all the talks and so many great and important scenes… the topic just stopped existing and it yet again seemed like a borderline case of love can cure you.

Here’s the thing - this romance had such great potential, because all the conflicts could have been based in the internal struggles the leads had, without adding any external over the top drama. So what did the writers do? Added external bullshit drama in the last few episodes. As if there was not a lot to unpack even without it and little to no time to make it happen in a proper way and give a decent closure.

Both Bai Lang and Jin Xun An were amazingly complex and flawed characters. It was interesting to watch them on screen try to figure out each other’s feelings, but also how they themselves come to terms with this new relationship.

The side characters were also well crafted, even if some of their stories were underdeveloped. I appreciated Bai Qing and even if I did not agree with her overprotectiveness of her brother, I still understood where it came from, and it’s all I could ask from a drama. RJ and Alex were adorable and it’s a crime they did not have more screen time. I also wished they were more clear about RJ’s home situation.

Production wise it was great. Quite a few screenshot worthy scenes. Same goes for acting - great. Especially Andy Wu, damn he delivered every line, every movement and every facial expression!

Overall, great first half, good 3rd quarter, pain of the last 2 episodes.

Also, just a small, but awfully painful complaint from me: how could they NOT give a reference later of Pink Lady? How could they set it up in such a perfect way, and then not deliver?

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“I had to be flawless not to be looked down on.”

One’s in love and one is clueless - probably my second favorite trope right after enemies to lovers. Both create many opportunities for funny scenes and interesting interactions with the proper amount of angst to spice things up without breaking my heart.

The plot is rather simple, giving a nice slice of life sentiment, tackling various issues young people might face, while also telling a compelling love story of two interesting characters with wildly different backgrounds, pasts, personalities and behaviors.

Cha Si Won was a deeply insecure boy who needed a lot of external validation. From the start we get a good glimpse into who he is - craving the attention, enjoying people praising his looks. He takes appropriate steps to make people look in his direction. He feels anxious when there is someone equally attractive as he is - feeling the need to work even harder to stay at the top of that social ladder.

On the other hand Hyeong Da Un seems to be born with good looks and does not need to work hard to get the attention Si Won wants so much. That said, from the start I could clearly sense loneliness and sadness about him. That emo vibes creeping in. We did not get to understand who he is from the start, but the writer dropped hints that his life might not be as sweet and perfect as Si Won assumed, for example when his smile dropped after hearing the door from his house opening. To quote Shrek - Da Un is like an onion and the writer was slowly peeling off the layers of his personality and struggles as the drama progressed, showing who he is as a character and making me cry the tears of pain in the process.

So how did their relationship start? Cha Si Won just had no idea how to act around Da Un. He wanted to make sure Da Un knows he is this confident guy, but it turned rather awkward, and the small lie he told to create that persona was exposed rather quickly and concluded with one simple “맛있게 먹고”.

At the same time Da Un tried to get close to Si Won, joking around and showing real interest in him - which was at first taken as teasing and a sign of him acting superior. Poor boy, to be this misunderstood by your crush, when he just wanted to spend time with him and get to know him better.

Si Won’s whole drunk monologue in episode 2 was a new level of 2nd hand embarrassment, and yet Da Un thought it was endearing and funny. Si Won was literally trashing him saying there was something fishy about him, and Da un was just smiling about it - he was already gone into the love land by that time.

Si Won’s insecurities led to misunderstandings, but thanks to the god of kdramas, these two boys were forced to work on different assignments together, which created many opportunities for Si Won to see how his initial judgment might have been just a misconception. And the sweet love story slowly developed.

The plot line that got me extremely interested was the contest and the aftermath of it. From the start Si Won was not confident in his writing and the script, not to mention the work was autobiographical which would mean being vulnerable about your past in front of many people.

He feared it’s not strong enough to be picked, so even though he was tempted by the opportunity, he alone wouldn't take it. After his sister did it for him, resulting in him winning the first place he felt conflicted. From the start he believed the rumors that he only won thanks to Da Un’s involvement, but at the end he decided to believe in Da Un’s denying it. His words of assurance that the scenario was good and worth the award gave Si Won the confidence to share it with the class…

…and then he found out it was all a lie - the fear of not being good enough became a reality. At that point though, his priority and what he cared about changed. He loved Da Un, he was more angry about him not being honest than the actual contest.

It’s also interesting from Da Un’s perfective. From the start he had an instinct of taking care of, helping and protecting Si Won. From serving him food on the night out with other students, taking him home when he was drunk, going after him after he ran away from the book cafe. His priority was making sure Si Won is fine. Hence when he found out Si Won submitted his work for the contest, he feared not winning would hurt his confidence even more - he wanted to protect him from that disappointment. His good intentions led to misguided actions and awful aftermath. He feared Si Won would be disappointed in himself after losing, but at the end he led to Si Won being disappointed in him.

Except for the personal internal issues the male leads have and their relationship, the drama does quite a good job at showing how bad parenting can hurt the child - be it putting too many expectations on them, or neglecting them assuming they will do well on their own. Both can create trauma and scars that are hard to heal and can carry to adulthood. Both leads struggled because of their family relations and it influenced how they behave now - one feeling the constant need to prove himself, and the other struggling with truly opening to others.

Presentation wise, I loved how Si Won’s family issues were often present in the background - we could hear his mother badmouth their father to Si Yeong, questioning if she likes her father, guilt tripping her into admitting she does not.

Another interesting side plot was Yun Jeong and how she had to deal with the sexist senior - from inconsiderate remarks about her looks to situations where she truly felt uncomfortable and even threatened.

It would be a crime not to mention Si Won’s sister Si Yeong and her adorable crush on Yun Jeong. The cuteness that the character radiated was just amazing.

The acting? Really good. Jo Hyuk Joon just broke my heart with his sad puppy emo eyes, and Kang Eun Bin made me want to die from embarrassment quite a few time with his perfectly delivered lines based on his misconceptions and misunderstandings of people and situations - he was so confident about all the things he was wrong about. At the same time he managed to deliver the more emotional scenes. The scene that impressed me the most was his argument with the mother and them crying in each other's arms - the pain was real.

Production quality for such a small show was great. I also liked the directing that emphasized the characters current situation. For example, how they showed Da Un sitting with his back to the camera when his family was mentioned. It gave an even stronger impression how lonely he is, how he is unable to show his pain to others and he deals with it alone. And then, to add by the end of the show a shot of his and Si Won’s back, sitting next to each other telling us, he is not alone anymore.

Another great example would be how in episode 5 during one of the classes the lecturer talks about the magic/golden hour in photography “This magic hour is called the time between dog and wolf. When seeing a man walking toward you at that time of a day, you’re not sure if it’s a dog by your side or the wolf of your enemy”. Then in episode 6, after Si Won asks Do Un if his parents had anything to do with him winning, we can see a shot of Do Un filmed in that “magic hour” which could be seen as foreshadowing his involvement in the contest behind Si Won’s back. And then later, the whole episode 10 was titled “The time between dog and wolf” when the truth came to light. I appreciated how some references were coming back in different forms and times to tell the story.

Was the production perfect? No. Some scenes were dubbed (if the characters were sitting or walking far away), but it was still clearly visible the sound did not match what the actors were saying. Sometimes some shots seemed blurred and the colors were not sharp enough compared to the previous scene, but honestly, all of these things I only noticed while rewatching the drama.

Surprisingly, this show gets better on the second viewing. Some lines just hit differently when you know the whole story and context. For example Si Won telling Da Un “you were born with everything at the tip of your hands and loved by your parents so much” in episode 2, which could not be further from the truth with how he grew up emotionally neglected, receiving close to no love and attention from his parents who were always busy with work.

Overall, not sure why this show feels so special to me, but it does. The second viewing made me love and appreciate it even more. I would recommend it to everyone, as it delivers nicely written characters that are easy to sympathize with and relate to, soft commentary on some personal issues we might face in our lives and a truly sweet romance with great chemistry that will make you feel lonely like never before.

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