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Completed
A Gentleman's Dignity
1 people found this review helpful
Nov 15, 2014
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 9.5
Kim Eun Sook dramas and I have a love-hate relationship. I hate how they all seem to have the same conflicts about two-thirds of the way in and I hate how her dramas wind up repetitive near the end. But I do love her particular brand of humor and wit, not to mention the fact that all of her dramas have serious eye candy. So the reason I wanted to watch AGD pretty much boils down to the latter.
Story: To be completely honest, there is no story. The problem with making a drama about adults in the real world and not confining them to just a professional setting is that there is no conflict. The characters here were pretty much all between the ages of 30-40, and therefore didn't deal with the same emotional range that teenagers would have. And since AGD didn't confine the characters to just their careers or professional life, there wasn't much plot development. Pretty much all that happened in every episode is that the guys did something stupid, the audience laughs, they do something stupid again, we laugh and some random romantic development between one of the couples, and maybe a dash of family drama. That isn't to say "A Gentleman's Dignity" wasn't entertaining- because it was. This drama was uproariously funny and ridiculous when it wanted to be, and the bromance itself would have made the drama a success. The romantic pairings were about half-and-half for me, depending on how much I liked the personalities of the female counterparts (that fluctuated as the show went on), but more emphasis was placed on the bromance than the romance, so that wasn't a huge factor in my enjoyment of the show. The only romantic pairing I enjoyed all the way through the show was between the characters of Lee Jung Rok and Park Min Sook, who take the cake for best (or worst?) marriage ever. Min Sook was everything a girl wants to be when they grow older- whip-smart, rich and in control- and Jung Rok was a ridiculous pseudo-playboy who, for all his posturing, couldn't win over his wife. I liked the main couple in the beginning but grew to dislike them when all that happened by the end was stupid mind games and I didn't like the other two couples at any point.
Acting: Every single one of the actors in the F44 was perfect. They made their immature characters lovable no matter how stupid they acted. My issues came with their female counter-parts, who just couldn't act with the same intensity as the guys. Kim Ha Neul rubbed me the wrong way and I just couldn't find it in myself to like her. Yoon Se Ah's character was a total bitch and was completely off-putting, Yoon Jin-Yi's acting was more of the screechy and immature sort- complete with really high-pitched crying (which made me hate her as an actress for the longest time). The only actress here that I really truly loved was Kim Jung Nan, because she was just plain awesome. As far as the younger cast goes, Kim Woo Bin was flawless (as usual) and Jong Hyun acted like pretty much every other idol actor out there. Not bad, but needs to work on his emoting.
Music: Light and cute for the most part. Nothing amazing on my end.
Rewatch Value: Yes for the funnier scenes and the bromance. I loved the cold opens, and all the scenes where the guys were just messing around together, so I'll rewatch those. I wouldn't recommend watching the entire thing through, because the lack of plot becomes glaringly obvious the more you sit through it and eventually you'll just become disenchanted with the drama as a whole.
Overall: When "A Gentleman's Dignity" wanted to be, it was entertaining and humorous, with the type of humor that never really gets old. But at the end of the day, all it is comes down to a bunch of guys who won't stop acting like teenagers going around in a world where the consequences aren't as dire. As long as you don't overthink it. AGD is a charming drama and an easy watch.

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Completed
Another Parting
16 people found this review helpful
Mar 10, 2014
5 of 5 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
In a word, "Another Parting" was weird. A good type of weird, but still weird. In fact, that's pretty much the only way I can describe "Another Parting".
Story: I felt like this could have been longer- if there was more plot and back-story involved "Another Parting" could have definitely been a normal 16 episode drama. AP felt too short and choppy- there wasn't enough reasoning behind certain events and actions, and it felt like I was being jerked around. The overall effect was entertaining, but the whole thing gave me whiplash. The story itself was original and new, with surprising bits of comic relief thrown in.
Acting: No surprises as far as Seo In Guk was concerned- I already knew he could act. I've never seen Wang Ji Won before, but she had nice chemistry with him and carried her character well. The other characters had so little screen time they were practically nonexistent, so I don't think I need to comment there.
Music: Since this drama was less than an hour long, total, the music wasn't really a huge part of it. I can vaguely recall some ballads, but that's about all I can remember.
Rewatch Value: As of now, I don't really have much reason to, but I definitely do want to skim over it again in the future.
Overall: A bit strange and choppy, but still interesting enough. I'd recommend "Another Parting" if you have some spare time or really love the cast.

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Completed
Aftermath
12 people found this review helpful
Feb 28, 2014
5 of 5 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
When I first saw an article about "Aftermath" on allkpop, my immediate reaction was that I wanted to watch it. The idea intrested me, and I'll admit I have a bit of a Dongjun bias. I felt a little disappointed when I couldn't find it subbed anywhere, but it gradually slipped my mind. A few days ago I checked on dramafever and saw that they had the whole series, so I just marathoned it all in one go.
Story: The thing about "Aftermath" is that the premise sets up the drama like it's entirely about Dae Young's ability, when in reality that part only makes up about 50% of the actual drama. The show deals more with the aftermath *pun intended* of his ability's uses, and how it affects everyone around him. "Aftermath" also spends a fairly large chunk of its time on it's love story; which is cute and all but not exactly what I was expecting. I still adored this webdrama, though. It had an interesting blend of suspense and high-school life that felt a bit choppy, but worked overall.
Acting: Dongjun is one of the better idol actors, and I'm glad he got this opportunity to develop his acting skills. I think he has a lot of potential. Here, he was pretty good- not amazing, but better than expected. Kim Min Suk has always been adorable, Joo Ah Seon was nice and I can see her going places, and Kim Geun Hyung was brilliant. Seriously, he stole the show. I'm keeping my eyes out for him in the future.
Music: A lot of random Ze:A because, why not? Not that I'm complaining, of course. Other than that, there's a few ballads chucked in there because that's a drama staple.
Rewatch Value: Since this whole thing took a little more than two hours to watch, I'd say there's a decent chance at that.
Overall: Great story, good actors and really creative directing, "Aftermath" really took me by surprise. I really wasn't sure what I was expecting when I started, but I'm glad I did. 9/10.

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Completed
A Thousand Kisses
5 people found this review helpful
Feb 25, 2014
50 of 50 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
Typically, I don't watch weekend dramas. They get too makjang, too quickly and I don't like the whiplash that comes with the random plot twists. I watched this mostly because I wanted a nice filler-drama I could skim through and still laugh at, and I don't think I was *too* disappointed, but "A Thousand Kisses" still fell a bit short.
Story: Up till about the 26th episode, this drama was pitch-perfect rom-com. The meddling second-leads' presence was overshadowed by the leads, both main couples had cute stories, the laughs were abundant and the angst was minimal. After that, the whole show went off its rockers. Suddenly the angst and the second leads were everywhere, and the laughs were gone. Oh, and that title? "A Thousand Kisses"? Total misnomer. We got a grand total of maybe five and most were from the secondary couple. Not that I'm complaining- I was only in it for Ryu Jin and Kim So Eun. Their story really stole the show- but it honestly wasn't anything new. In fact, nothing in this drama was original. It was just a hodgepodge of random drama cliches thrown together and we wound up with something that could have gotten maybe a 8/10 had the writer not suffered a sudden lobotomy in the second half and the story got out of control. It randomly shifted gears in the second half from focusing on the two couples to focusing on Cha Hwa Yun's character. The random plot change came out of the left field and really killed my love for ATK.
Acting: I love Ji Hyun Woo. In the right role, he really shines. Here, however, I kind of wanted to shake him by the shoulders and tell him to get his act together. His performance was decidedly sub-par and could have been a lot better. Seo Young Hee was great, Kim So Eun was bubbly and bright, and Ryu Jin put his all into his performance. I was surprised by the chemistry Ryu Jin and Kim So Eun had, considering their real life 20 year gap. Surprisingly, they pulled it off. Ji Hyun Woo's and Seo Young Hee's chemistry was fine, but I really felt nothing from that couple. Their relationship made sense on paper, but when I watched them together they seemed more like friends? I don't know, that was just my impression. Other viewers probably feel different.
Music: Random ballads and maybe a cute pop song thrown in? Nothing remarkable.
Rewatch Value: Certain scenes from the first half, definitely. Not touching the second half with a twenty-foot pole.
Overall: I really wish this had been better. That's all I can say.

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Completed
Special Affairs Team TEN
5 people found this review helpful
Feb 2, 2014
9 of 9 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
When "Ten" started airing on OCN, it became a surprise hit. Despite it's late-night air time, the ratings were pretty high, considering it was on a cable channel. Even so, I wasn't all that excited to watch this drama. I used to have a *really* strong obsession with CSI, but at some point crime shows just got boring to me. It seemed like the same thing over and over again- team sees the murder scene, team solves the case, murderer is put behind bars. End of story. I was a little disappointed that "Ten" didn't really deviate from that plot, but it did provide a brilliant set-up for season 2.
Story: To be completely honest, "Ten" just seemed like it was exposition for something else. In fact, it was barely that. The story placed some focus on the team members, but paid more attention to it's case of the week. The team dynamic was interesting, but again not much emphasis was placed on it. The characters, however, were very interesting and layered, so I'm hoping the second season can focus more on them. There was an over-arching plot, but it was only hinted at this season.
Acting: The acting was really good, as far as I could tell. The characters were layered and complex, and the main cast pulled them off wonderfully.
Music: The music was gorgeous- especially Mad Soul Child's "Breath". The OST itself had a very dark vibe to it, which made it perfect for this drama.
Rewatch Value: Most of this drama's time was spent on solving the cases, and once you know who the murderer is, it's not much fun.
Overall: "Ten" was dark and gripping, but at the same time it felt like it was just paving the way for something bigger. I have high expectations for season 2, though.

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Completed
Twenty Years Old
11 people found this review helpful
Jan 18, 2014
4 of 4 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
When "20's" was first announced, I remember just skimming over the information. The only reason I paid any attention to it at first was because Kikwang was in here- otherwise the news would have slipped my mind. Then there was an article about this drama on my favorite blog- and then Viki kept on advertising it, so how could I resist?
Story: "Twenty Years Old" touts itself as a bit of coming-of-age story, but at barely two episodes long, this is less of a growing-up story and more of a fluffy romance- the type of cute you wanted from all the drams you watched, but never got due to random plot mechanisms. If I had to guess, about 60% of this story is random cute, and the other 40% makes a valiant effort at the aforementioned growing up. The lack of actual substance would annoy me- if it wasn't for the fact that Lee Da In and Kikwang are absolutely *adorable* together. Seriously. They're ridiculously cute. The supporting characters- like Ga Young and Hye Rim's schoolmates, were charming and interesting to watch- even if their screen time was next to nothing.
Something that kind of irked me was the story format. The director really overused the reverse-time format here, so if you don't keep up with the time in the first two episodes, it's *really* easy to get lost. I'm going to let it slide because this was a mobile drama, so experimenting with the format is a given. Other than that, the directing was actually really great- full of really interesting camera shots and gorgeous cinematography.
Acting: While I wouldn't say Kikwang and Lee Da In are amazing off the bat, they do have a lot of potential. If they work on their acting, they could definitely go places. Kim Hye Ji was also really nice in her role- again, not amazing, but she can get there. Hye Rim's school sunbaes were also portrayed by good actors, so I can't say that there was any bad actors.
Music: There really wasn't all that much music in here- except for a few random BEAST songs or an instrumental or two.
Rewatch Value: I guess it depends. I would probably rewatch "20's" after being horribly burned by some other drama's main couple, but I don't really see myself rewatching "Twenty Years Old" just for the heck of it. Maybe I will?
Overall: Ridiculously cute, but I find it hard to remember anything beyond that. Maybe you will like it better than I did?

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Completed
Secretly Greatly
16 people found this review helpful
Jan 3, 2014
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
The plot of "Secretly, Greatly" is- in no uncertain terms- a hot mess. It starts out as sort of a funny action movie (Like the "Rush Hour" franchise) and then sort of turns into some high stakes action movie and finally ends up as a really sad melodrama. By the end, I felt a little like I had watched 3 different movies instead of the one. The transitions are a bit rough, but overall I found "Secretly, Greatly" to be pretty enjoyable.
Story: Like I said, the story is a bit rough around the edges. I figure the only reason it got so much box office recognition was because of Kim Soo Hyun, otherwise this movie probably wouldn't have made so much money. I have mixed feelings about the writing, but I still loved the overall product- warts and all. I especially loved Park Ki Woong's character- seriously one of the best supporting characters I have seen anywhere. Can he please have his own movie? Also, the bromance between the three boys was adorable, as well as the relationship Dong Gu created with the people in his neighborhood. And what about Lee Hyun Woo's character? Can I buy someone exactly like him? Please? T_T
I didn't really "dislike" any part of the movie, but there were things I found really confusing- like the random tone shifts in the last half and the fact that CG had a *lot* of plot holes and plot threads that were never tied up.
Acting: The cast was pretty solid, with Kim Soo Hyun leading the pack and Park Ki Woong stealing scenes left and right and Lee Hyun Woo being adorable. Special shoutout to Kim Sung Kyun, who played his completely one-dimensional character with a lot of heart.
Music: Nothing special, in my opinion.
Rewatch Value: Maybe? Not the *whole* thing, but parts of it? As of right now, I'm not too sure.
Overall: Not the best movie ever, but I still loved it. "Covertly, Greatly" might not work for you, but it's still pretty enjoyable.

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Completed
Confession of Murder
12 people found this review helpful
Dec 29, 2013
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
I wasn't really sure what to expect before I started watching "Confession of Murder". The story had all the right elements for an awesome action-suspense movie, but at the same time the story had all the wrong elements. CoM could have gone either way- it could have been really really good, or it could have been really really bad. I'm glad to say that even though it might not be narratively perfect- it is suspenseful, action-packed and very smartly written.
Story: The premise is ripe with conflict and possibilities, but all those possibilities mean that there is a pretty high chance that a story like this could go wrong. Of course, CoM might not work for some people- in fact, in the beginning I was more than a little skeptical- but as I continued watching the movie I became more and more invested in all the characters. I found it really interesting how as the movie went on, my loyalties to different characters shifted. You might wind up liking some characters at first, and then hating them later, or vise-versa. The story is also very... thought provoking? It walks a very fine line between being completely unrealistic and being *too* realistic. The public's reaction to the Confession of Murder comes across as a bit much, but as the movie progresses, it's not difficult to see that happening in real life. Also,since I have absolutely no idea how the police or law works in Korea, I can't say either way if "Confession of Murder" did that realistically, but it seemed okay to me. The psychological aspect was dialed down, but there was a lot of action and mystery. The directing here was pretty awesome, and the chase scenes were nail-biting.
Acting: Let me just start out by saying that Park Shi Hoo was perfect for his role. I haven't really seen him in too many roles, but I've noticed that he can pull off the slightly crazed type pretty well. However, Jung Jae Young stole the show here. It helped that his character was so layered, of course.
Music: I can't really remember if there was an actual song to go with this movie, but there was a really awesome instrumental that was used once or twice. The music here was really important in setting the scene and creating the mood.
Rewatch Value: Half the awesomeness of this movie comes from it's suspense. If you already know what's going to happen next, you're not really going to be as in to it.
Overall: Wow. "Confession of Murder" was brilliant. If you're looking for a high-stakes action movie, then this is it. I wouldn't exactly recommend CoM to you if you were looking for something psychological or a straight-up Sherlock Holmes-esque mystery, though.

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Completed
You Are the Best!
19 people found this review helpful
Dec 24, 2013
50 of 50 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 7.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
The idea for "You're the Best, Lee Soon Shin" sounded right up my alley on paper- an underdog story with a heartwarming family dynamic at the center. Of course, the fact that it would have Jo Jung Suk in in was a pretty big plus. I honestly wasn't expecting much, however. I just wanted a drama that would entertain me for it's [incredibly] long run. I guess that was a bit too much to ask for?
Story: The story is hit-and-miss for me. The hits being the sisters and their adorable romances, the misses being the crazy mothers involved. It's actually kind of frustrating when you think of how much MORE time was spent on the mom's instead of the sisters. Really, if the drama had paid more attention to Lee Soon Shin, Yoo Shin and Hye Shin, then I probably would have given this a higher score. Instead, we got buckets full of frustrating mama-drama. Plus, Hye Shin and Jin Wook's story had so much ignored potential. In fact, a whole lot of side stories had ignored potential. It felt like the writer was just making this up as she went along without the foggiest idea of how much time she wanted to spend on story arcs.
Acting: So. Much. Wasted. Talent. Seriously. Jo Jung Suk was perfect here, but his character felt sorely underused. IU had a pretty decent break-out role, and I'm glad this drama was so popular, otherwise Jung Woo would have flown under everyone's radar for his awesome turn as Jin Wook.
Music: Like this drama, it was cute. But when the *same* song repeats the *same* word fifty thousand times at the end of *every* episode, I start to bang my head against the wall.
Rewatch Value: There were a lot of cute scenes in here that I'd like to rewatch, but I will never *ever* rewatch the entire thing. It just won't happen. I don't want to deal with premature hypertension.
Overall: My recommendation is that you have your finger on the fast-forward button while watching this. Otherwise, you're going to lose a lot of hair in the process.

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Completed
Looking Forward to Romance
5 people found this review helpful
Dec 22, 2013
2 of 2 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
I was pretty surprised at how much I loved this little drama. "Expect Dating" was a little over 2 hours long total, but it was so deftly written that I fell head over heels for it. "Expect Dating" isn't perfect- but for it's length it's a nice watch in between dramas or when you have a few hours to spare.
Story: The premise sounded like a light, breezy rom-com, so that's what I expected. On one hand you have the girl who's bad at dating and a "dating master" who's really bad at following his own advice- or at least, that's what this drama was touted as. In reality, it's a little different. BoA's character wasn't clueless or "bad" at dating- she was bad at *love*, and I think that's a pretty important thing to know the difference between. Her story was so endearing because it was so realistic, and the same goes for Daniel's character. I loved their scenes "together" and I loved their scenes apart. I loved how this drama didn't define it's characters by their relationships and let them stand by themselves, and I especially loved the little ways "Expect Dating" showed the audience if two people were able to be in a long-lasting relationship. The ending itself was bittersweet, but it made sense and the show managed to stay true to it's original message.
Acting: BoA's debut was surprisingly refreshing. Even though her acting came across as a little forced sometimes, it was pretty obvious she had put a lot of hard work into her performance. I'm not quite sure if she'll be back in dramaland any time soon, but if she does I'll definitely check it out. Daniel Choi played his character well, adding his own charm to the role. The supporting cast of Siwan and Kim Ji Won also did well. I'm not sure if everyone did their best, or if everyone worked hard, but they did good all the same.
Music: Because this was a drama special, there was very little music involved. However, I do remember that it was well used to highlight the emotions of the scenes. I wouldn't exactly say that the music was amazing, or that it was used to the best of it's ability.
Rewatch Value: Definitely. Considering the length, it isn't unreasonable for me to rewatch it in it's entirety. It helps that "Expect Dating" was an enjoyable watch, as well.
Overall: I'm not really sure if you'll like this as much as I did, but I don't think you'll hate it either. "Expect Dating" hit all my sweet spots- a cute, organic romance, an imperfect second male lead, awesome leads and a realistic story.

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Completed
Le Jun Kai
14 people found this review helpful
Oct 26, 2013
9 of 9 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 3.0
Story 3.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 4.0
This review may contain spoilers
At some point while "Le Jun Kai" was airing, I accidentally started watching this on Viki when I clicked on "Le Jun Kai" instead of something else. I had never seen a Chinese drama before, and I figured that it could be decent. ((Spoiler: It sucked))
Story: Let me just start out by saying that none of the characters in this drama should be allowed to reproduce- ever. Please do us all a favor and *don't* contaminate our gene pool with your stupidity. What sort of idiot kid just goes with some creepy guy as soon as his mother's name is thrown out into the air? What sort of messed up wife would still love her husband after he raped and abused her? What the heck is wrong with all these characters?
I just. I can't even begin to describe all the ways these characters made me lose my faith in humanity- and let's not even talk about the titular character, Le Jun Kai. How many flavors of cray-cray can one guy be? You're rich, right? Get a good therapist.
Other than that, there were a grand total of TWO smart, kind decent characters, and between them they got a grand total of two minutes of screen time. In fact, most of the show was taken up by the mom or some other character (but mostly the mom) saying "Tian Tian!". Needless to say, I don't think I'll be forgetting the name any time soon.
Acting: Okay, Jeanine and Peter are amazing actors. They have great chemistry and adding an extra layer to their characters but, unfortunately, could not save the cesspool of suck that was this drama. The kid needs a ton of improvement, and everyone else was decent.
Music: I loved the opening music- it was epic and intriguing. In fact, the opening music was probably the best part of this drama.
Rewatch Value: No. Nein. Never ever. Just no.
Overall: The only reason this ewas even remotely entertaining was because it was so ridiculous. However, the amount of brain-cells I lost head-desking does not and will never make up for the low entertainment value. I feel like I've wasted the 2 hours it took to watch this stuff.

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Completed
Monstar
6 people found this review helpful
Sep 20, 2013
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
When I first heard the name, "Monstar", I wasn't really sure to applaud the pun or to bang my head against the wall because it was one of the worst plays on the English language I had ever heard. That being said, I would have watched "Monstar" simply so I could make fun of the name. But then I heard about the premise and got a lot more interested.
Story: I'll admit, I don't have any specific love towards high school dramas. Maybe because I haven't seen that many, but I feel like high school dramas walk a thin line between coming off as whiny with too much angst or being well done and capturing the feelings of that age. The surprising thing about "Monstar", though, is that it does enough of the latter to merit it a *good* drama, but not enough so that it'll be a *great* drama. If you're a casual viewer, like me, then you really wouldn't care much for "Monstar". On the surface level it's full of fabulous cinematography and interesting characters, but it's plot seems slow. Now if you were the type of viewer who prefers deep and nuanced dramas- the type of drama where every single action means something- then you'll probably adore "Monstar". The quieter moments in this drama made it shine, making it seem very real and natural. But the thing is most people don't watch dramas because they want to see something realistic. The first half of this drama was everything you wanted from a high school drama, but the latter half dragged a bit.
Acting: I'm blown away by all the actors here. Ha Yeon Soo was perfect to play Se Yi, because she conveyed Se Yi's internal struggles and emotions with enough grounded-ness to make the character come to life. I adored Da Hee and Kang Ui Sik, and wish them all the best as their careers go on, because their characters were so nuanced and layered and they managed to make them real. All the other actors were good too, but the real star of the show was this drama's "Monstar", Jun Hyung. He's an idol who has a promising career ahead of him, whether it be singing, producing music or even acting if he chooses. Seol Chan's "I'm a star!" line takes the cake as best comeback of 2013. Plus Seol Chan was the main character. Even though he and co-star Ha Yeon Soo had the same amount of screen time, Seol Chan always felt like the main character. He was the character we got to see change the most, and he was the one I was rooting for the whole time.
Music: Music in dramas are hit-or-miss for me, and even though I adore music dramas, "Monstar" was more of a miss. The songs were good enough, but I just couldn't bring myself to love it. It just wasn't my type of music. It was, however, well used and great for conveying the emotions of the show.
Rewatch Value: Looking back, "Monstar" really did hit the highs and lows of being young. The thing is, the *big* moments like that were few and far between and the smaller moments like that were easy to glance over. Maybe if I feel like thoroughly analyzing a drama? Probably not.
Overall: "Monstar" started out with great potential. It wasn't that "Monstar" lost it's potential, but rather changed its direction. What could have been a great, loud and energetic high school drama petered off into a soft, understated story that just didn't appeal to me like the former would have.

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Completed
City Hunter
7 people found this review helpful
Sep 17, 2013
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
I'll be honest. One of the main reasons I was so hesitant to watch "City Hunter" was because of all the hype. I've tried watching other "hit dramas" before (Secret Garden, Boys Over Flowers), and I've learned pretty quickly that I don't really agree with the general public when it comes to dramas. But I finished "Heartless City" and fell into a drama slump, so I reached for "City Hunter" because the premise seemed very similar.
Story: I didn't really like "City Hunter" until about episode 8, because before that point it was as if the writer had no idea what genre she was trying to write. She would have a rom-com scene, exchange it with some badass fighting and then have another rom-com scene. Needless to say, I think I suffered some whiplash. The thing is, I doubt she could have made the transition smoother, because there wasn't really a way for her to do so in the expository episodes. Once she did get the genres to blend together, I fell hard for "City Hunter".
It's not perfect. In fact, it's pretty far from perfect. But the writer knew what she was doing. She knew what story she wanted to tell from the start and didn't try to change rails suddenly. Another thing was that the writer put in so much heart into her story that it just resonated so well in most of the viewers. You couldn't help but root for Yoon Sung and his journey.
Plus the... resourcefulness of Yoon Sung. Like the water-bottle fight scene. Or the spoon fight scene. Or pretty much every fight scene he had.
Acting: I think I'm one of those people who can *see* why Lee Min-ho is popular, but just doesn't *understand*. Yes, he's pretty. Yes, he's a good actor. But beyond that, he doesn't really come off as all that obsession-worthy. I think I saw more of why he's popular, but I'm still not his biggest fan. "City Hunter" definitely played to his strengths, showcasing his wide emotional range and amazing chemistry with co-star Park Min Young. Park Min Young was also pretty good here. She was sweet and likable and knew how to hold her own against our sometimes-douchebaggy lead. Lee Joon Hyuk was a bit emotionally walled off, but still good and I just couldn't connect with Hwang Sun Hee.
But the one who stole the show was definitely Kim Sang Joong. He switched between the hardass father and a man broken over his comrades' deaths with equal intensity.
Music: I'm not a big fan of ballads, which sucks because guess what most drama OSTs are mostly composed of? That being said, ballads are great when you want people to be sad. But what about happier songs? What about those songs for when something fist-pumpingly awesome happens? I might be mistaken, but I don't remember if "City Hunter" had an actual somewhat-happy song in there.
Rewatch Value: Definitely. I loved this drama, faults and all. It just hit all the right notes in me, mostly due to the assured writing and the awesome directing.
Overall: I guess the main reason I loved "City Hunter" so much is the fact that it brings back old childhood stories. Stories where the hero might be a little worse for the wear, but gets his happy ending and goes off to save the world again.

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Completed
Heartstrings
3 people found this review helpful
Aug 12, 2013
15 of 15 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
After I watched "You're Beautiful", someone told me that there was a drama with Park Shin Hye and Younghwa where they actually got together. When I read the premise, I actually laughed. It kind of sounded like since Shin Woo couldn't get the girl there, he decided to change his personality to get the girl here. I expected "Heartstrings" to be different from my expectations so as to distance itself from YB, but I got similar vibes from both.
Story: Park Shin Hye's character here is very similar to her character in "You're Beautiful". Both are lovable, but frustrating at times. The frustrations stem mainly from the fact that (in the beginning), she never does anything she wants and just gets dragged around by everyone. Of course, she matures later on, but in the end she's still the same character who lets other people take her spotlight. While I was watching all this, I began to wonder *why* I was rooting for her. Younghwa's character was your typical jerk with a heart of gold, which I typically find insufferable but here I managed to deal with because both sides of the character were shown equally. Their relationship was really cute, but there was barely any conflict between them. Same goes for the story, since all the conflicts were easily resolved.
Acting: Let me just get this out of the way: Younghwa can't act.
At all.
I'm pretty sure a cardboard box can emote better. It's actually pretty sad, because if he took some (okay, a LOT) of acting lessons, he could be better. His acting was balanced out by the amazing Song Chang Ui, who was absolutely brilliant here. So Yi Hyun had difficulty emoting, but I can see her getting better somewhere down the line. As for Park Shin Hye, she's good in the role but I have no particular love for her or her character.
Music: Since this is a music drama, obviously music is a pretty big thing. The classical music was... interesting? I wasn't really a fan of it. The modern music was pretty good though.
Rewatch Value: "Heartstrings" is cute enough, but there's not enough conflict or plot to make me rewatch all of it.

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Completed
I Hear Your Voice
14 people found this review helpful
Aug 3, 2013
18 of 18 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers
"I Hear Your Voice" is a really hard drama for me to review, since it's one of those dramas you really can't describe. So I'm just going to go right on ahead.
Story: The writer also wrote "Dream High", which was definitely well written but the actors weren't all that great. A few episodes in, it was really obvious that the writer was the same because- while the plot was completely different- the story was told with a ton of heart. The writer very obviously loved each and every character here and really fleshed them all out. I also feel like the writer has improved from her "Dream High" days, because the character arcs weren't so drastic here like they were in DH. The characters here moved along their little paths in subtle ways, becoming better people but still retaining their original selves. I especially loved Do Yeon's character arc because it really hit you in the heart. She started out a bitchy, arrogant girl and finally became a character you could love and respect. To be completely honest, by the end of the drama there really weren't any characters you actively hated. There were some you found pitiful, but everyone had their reasons for doing with they did and they all suffered the consequences of their actions. I kind of wish that Kwan Woo and Soo Ha had more scenes together, because they could have had an awesome bromance, but I did love the relationship they already had with each other. Another thing that I loved about this drama was the relationship between Kwan Woo and Hye Sung. Kwan Woo inspired Hye Sung to become a better lawyer and start trusting in her defendants, and they're the textbook example of a "what could have been" couple. As far as shortcomings go, they're all pretty much related to the courtroom stuff. For instance, there's only three lawyers, one judge and two prosecutors throughout this entire drama. The courtroom scenes were unrealistic and if I were a lawyer/ someone in the field, I would probably hate how that world is portrayed in this drama.
Acting: Lee Bo Young was really good and had cute chemistry with Lee Jong Suk despite their huge age gap. Yoon Sang Hyun was great and I adored Choi Sung Joon. Everyone worked well within their roles.
Music: 2013 seems to be the year of great drama OSTs for me. I loved "Echo" to bits and pieces. All the other songs were used well and really fit the overall themes of this drama.
Rewatch Value: Of course, the second time you watch it won't be the same, but there are some parts that are worth the rewatch.
Overall: I know this is a bit last-minute, but I really have to commend "I Hear Your Voice" for coming up with such a clever title. The titular "voice" is different for each and every character. For Soo Ha, it's people's thoughts, for Hye Sung it's hearing and believing in her defendant's words and I don't want to give away Kwon Woo's because it's such a spoiler. Unlike other dramas, the title isn't just there on a surface level, but it really touches each and every facet of the drama, which just shows how much thought was put into it.

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