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Saikou no Rikon
35 persone hanno trovato utile questa recensione
nov 17, 2013
11 di 11 episodi visti
Completo 0
Generale 8.0
Storia 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Musica 8.0
Valutazione del Rewatch 7.0
"Saikou" refers to the "greatest" or "best" of something. So with the title referencing a "Great Divorce" how does everything measure up? While divorce itself isn't all that great, this is a great divorce drama.

Though sometimes one may see it advertised as such, Saikou no Rikon cannot be called a true "romantic comedy". It watches more like a slice-of-life, centering around two couples (whose respective relationships may or may not be crumbling). The comedic aspect hits as often as it misses, despite passable delivery from involved actors and actresses. Emotionally rich and intense scenes outweigh these in sheer remarkability; in fact, the levity issues are approached with at times (such as the occasion divorce is brought up for one of the couples) actually leaves the whole product feeling a little inconsistent. Am I watching a zany Japanese relationship lark or this heavy treatise? Because some elements did not wholly jive (at least for me), those thoughts popped up frequently over the course of the series.

Where the drama excels must be dialogue, which is razor-sharp and surprisingly natural. These characters speak like real people, even showing pop cultural awareness. An engaging way speech is used is also in the way characters loose their frustrations to others; they tend to tell strangers and service-providers in these long-winded monologues, unable to vent to anyone closer. What it lacks in stunning backdrops and visual candy, Saikou no Rikon makes up for in thoughtful camera work. With a sharp focus on the inner workings of married life in mind, shots often adopt voyeuristic qualities. For instance, we might see an argument from a fly-on-the-wall perspective in the kitchen, overlooking the entirety of a small apartment made for two.

Eita headlines a solid cast, swinging all his powerful versatility behind the (initially) repellent Hamasaki Mitsuo. This is a character that embodies everything wrong in a husband, from his incredible pettiness to the selfish way he views most everything. The first time he tells his wife something between them was her "personal problem," even threw me back into some bad memories of my own. However, Hamasaki exhibits incredible personal growth throughout Saikou no Rikon (with Eita totally inhabiting the role). Ono Machiko, as his polar opposite and somehow wife Yuka, has a fantastic showing also. Whenever Yuka showed weakness or had something big to say, Ono-san knocked it out of the park. Her role, despite early episodes showing her through her husband's perspective, is lovable and sympathetic; women will definitely identify with her best.

Ayano Go and Maki Yoko portray strange duo Ryo and Akari, whose tale most interests at first glance yet slowly is overcome by that of the main couple. Both are fine actors and do beautifully in their scenes. Unfortunately, paired with the "that's just how things are" attitude the characters take to one another and themselves, the too-fast wrap to their story leaves the entire relationship a little hard to watch and slightly unsatisfying to finish (unlike that of the main couple).

If Saikou no Rikon is a hero wielding dialogue as its best weapon, music will be its Achilles Heel. Having just come down from a marathon of the series, I can scarcely remember any specific tracks. There was at least one quirky instrumental number, but the only truly memorable song is ending theme "Yin Yang" provided by the amazing Kuwata Keisuke. Despite not being a song to my taste, it suits the drama exceedingly well. And that wild ending sequence that accompanies it? Positively awesome.

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Queen of the Game
31 persone hanno trovato utile questa recensione
da Rourou
giu 29, 2012
20 di 20 episodi visti
Completo 0
Generale 8.0
Storia 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Musica 7.0
Valutazione del Rewatch 6.0
1) The reason I watched this:

I was in "drama mood" so in that period U wasn't picky at all. I just read the synopsis then I decided to watch this drama without expecting anything from it.

2) Storyline/Plot:

The general story wasn't very special but it can't be considered as a one of K-dramas usual plots. However, it wasn't outstanding.

Positive Points:

*The storyline had a great dramatical depth which can make you tagged to its events.

*Main Genres:

--->Romance: This is a romantic story with all the meanings that the word "Romance" refer to; it was well written in order to make developments go deeper and deeper after each episode.
The romance here is the "mature" type, not like those childish romantic stories that we see everywhere but it's not very serious that would make you get bothered since they added moments to cheer the audience and keep boring moments out; i believe it was a smart move in order to maintain the great romance.
One more point, romance was a play of fate, a play of reality to show how true love can survive no matter what kind obstacles it faces; I know it's a little dreamy but it was cool in the drama.

--->Drama: I consider this drama as a dramatical romance, it's not the rom-com type so the dramatical side was heavily present and well done in some points.
It can be devided to several parts since the storyline was devided, the middle dramatical part was the best then there's some good parts at the beginning.

Negative Points:

*The romance is good but only the main leads romance existed; no side romantic stories that can change the mood a little. Yes, there was the usual Korean triangle but the side romantic stories were absent.
*The dramatical parts in the end were really annoying because it took a wrong turn after the 15th or the 16th episode; I had high hopes for that part and even though, it didn't end up badly but I wasn't satisfied.

Story: 8/10

3) Acting/Cast:

*Joo Jin Mo:

I have a great respect for him as an actor, I loved his previous roles and I really liked his role here, it wasn't an intense role but the way he handled things was really well done.
The character was a very strong at first, you can feel the hartred and pain in Lee Shin Jun's eyes then as the drama went on, many changes occurred, many dramatic moments were held by his character, it was intEresting to to follow his character developments but at the end, I noticed some unsatisfying changes in the character's personality but it's all up to the story's changes above.

*Lee Bo Young:

I don't know her as an actress which means that I am not familiar with her acting skills, here she was acceptable and moving in some points because the role was portrayed in a satisfying way.
The character, let's see, I wasn't fully taken by kang Eun seol's character and I never sympathized with her. The character was off sometimes, cheerful some other times, cool most of the time and what I clearly remember that it was really annoying starting from the 15th or the 16th episode.

*Other Cast: I am only familiar with some of them but I think their roles were nicely done, except some annoying characters, the supporting roles were okay.

Relationships:

--->Romance: The chemistry was good, like I said earlier it's one of the greatest romantic stories that I've ever seen plus the leads made it enjoyable "most" of the time.

--->The triangle: Most of the time they were really annoying to watch, I skipped those parts often, I tried to watch but they weren't any close to the sweet triangles that we usually know but I have to appreciate Kim Pil Seo's character since it was "mature"

--->The leads relationship with Lee Shin Jun's mother: It was really well done at first but when it took the obvious turns near the ending, I became uninterested.

Cast: 7/10
Acting: 8.5/10

4) The ending:

I liked the final obstacle, it was somehow unexpected and cool to watch. Nice closure but it doesn't deny that it was one of K-dramas classical endings.

The ending: 8/10

5) My impression (How did it affect me):

*I was really interested in this drama and that's the main reason I finished it fast.
*I wasn't bored but I have to admit that I skipped several parts in order to make my watching time equilibrated plus there were scenes that I didn't like.

*Is this drama memorable: Yes, I am keeping this drama in my mind as one of the greatest romantic dramas but not as one of the greatest dramas that I've ever seen.

My impression: 8.5/10

6) Overall:

*If you like romantic stories than this for you.
*If you're into romantic comedies, I don't think that this drama would suit your taste.
*Watch this if you're looking for a great male lead.

Overall: 8/10.

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My Journey to You
166 persone hanno trovato utile questa recensione
set 16, 2023
24 di 24 episodi visti
Completo 24
Generale 6.5
Storia 6.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Musica 6.5
Valutazione del Rewatch 3.0
Questa recensione può contenere spoiler

My Journey to…Nowhere?

Let me start with the positive marks. This drama is seriously gorgeous when it comes to visuals, with the attention to cinematographic detail you see in movies more than TV shows. You could even put the drama on mute and still enjoy it just for how gorgeous so many shots are. This is clearly where the director’s talents lie and was my favorite part of the experience.

The second thing I can applaud is the cast, who all performed their roles to the best they could as the characters are written. I have to give special mention to Ryan Cheng who was so perfect in his role as Gong Shang Jue that unfortunately the others, even though they were good, were eclipsed by his performance. But really it is on a scale of “pretty good” to “excellent” with no major weak points in acting.

The story starts off exciting in its first episodes with a great focus on Yun Wei Shan being sent on her mission amongst the potential brides, but is soon dragged down to an extremely slow pace it suffers from until the end of the drama. Most episodes follow the same formula of going around in circles, with too much exposition and endless conversations (that were so whispered it was sometimes hard to hear over the background tracks) only to finish up on a cliffhanger to keep you hooked in, and then do the same the next episode. The show often gets lost in flashbacks and forgets to move forward in the present timeline leading to a feeling of “is anything actually happening?” throughout the middle of the drama.

As for the characters, some arcs are better than others. Many have complained about the frustrating arc of the ML character Gong Ziyu who takes a very long time to catch up to speed with the plot, appearing not just trusting and naive but oblivious to a degree that strains belief, only to develop very abruptly in a way that wasn’t convincing. But even worse is the characterization of the FL as Yun Wei Shan, who gets overshadowed by the Gong men family drama and rarely feels like the lead of the show she is supposed to be. For many episodes she plays the role of sidekick to accompany ML on his three trials, so he can grow into his position as Sword Wielder. By the end it feels her character and the Wufeng side of the story got a background seat to the story of uniting the Gong men against a common enemy. Despite being lead it feels as though Yu Shu Xin is not given her time to shine.

As for the plot, instead of presenting a focused mystery that builds with suspense and ends on a satisfactory note, the story gets tangled in its own web of its too many suspects and possibilities, leaving the audience to overcompensate and come up with theories that had way more depth than the show provided, such as the theory that Zi Yu was playing a big long con, or that Gong Zi Shang had more sinister involvement beyond her over-the-top comic relief role. The writer relies too hard on cliffhangers for his own good, so much so that he can’t stop himself from including one even at the last minute. An open ending works for some dramas but here it leaves a bad taste. Aside from the Gong men coming together and Ziyu becoming sword wielder, nothing has really changed and it seems implied the terrible cycles we started with will only continue…YWS’s potential sacrifices didn’t amount to much and in the end the writer lets her fate become another unsatisfying mystery.

To sum it up, this is a beautiful but slow watching experience that lacked focus and didn't end up having the depth I hoped. I doubt a Season 2 would happen but if it did I can't say for sure I'd be interested in watching.

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Secret Garden
141 persone hanno trovato utile questa recensione
apr 18, 2012
20 di 20 episodi visti
Completo 2
Generale 10
Storia 10
Acting/Cast 10
Musica 10
Valutazione del Rewatch 10
I watched Secret Garden about a year ago.. But sometimes I rewatch and still feel great..
Honestly, my consideration for watching Secret Garden was the two main characters Ha Ji Won and Hyun Bin..
But after that I found the story was amazing..
I was hooked and finished this only in 2 days.. until my eyes being swollen at that time..
It makes me laughed and cried at the same time.. The storyline made me curios to watch this until the end..
Both Ha Ji Won and Hyun Bin plays the role very well.. Especially when their bodies switched.. The chemistry between them looks so real..
The music also very good.. the placement for the ost at every scene can play our emotion..
For me, it’s one of the best K-drama.. Love it so much!!!

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Cinderella and the Four Knights
203 persone hanno trovato utile questa recensione
da Wednes
apr 17, 2017
16 di 16 episodi visti
Completo 6
Generale 4.0
Storia 3.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Musica 7.0
Valutazione del Rewatch 1.0
Questa recensione può contenere spoiler
I pushed my way through the entire series because there were some sweet moments that made it really worth watching, yet I still feel like I'm writing this review to criticize more than compliment.

But let's start with a compliment:

I enjoyed the lead female character. This kind of nice, independent, no-nonsense lead female character has been a rare item in the Korean drama industry. I'm saying she's strong as in not TOO comically strong or bratty as well. Eun Hawon character is really likable, and it's the only part that makes sense why this kind of reverse harem plot works. The boys in the house genuinely like her, and I accept it. Most of the Korean dramas that go for either this generic reverse harem plot or the strong lead girl plot usually fail to deliver them naturally. I grew fond of her the most and her character made me stick around.

Another good point that somehow kept me around was the sweet moments and the chemistry between the lead characters. I could feel that they really care for each other. Nothing was forced. The love story wasn't rushed. I enjoyed it. Sometimes the sub plots dragged on for too long and their sweet moments would restore my faith for this show.

Now onto the bad part:

From the title: Cinderella and Four Knights, there are no four knights at all. They're trying to sell that this is a reverse harem kind of story, with one lead girl and four lead guys and such, but it only lasted probably up to the first few episodes. The first few episodes promised you a love triangle which was cliche but still entertaining.

From somewhere early in the series, however, out of *four* knights: 1) one of them loses complete interest in the lead female and goes back to the second lead female he ditched long ago for unexplained reasons, 2) one of them grows to like the lead female yet takes care of the second lead female to an unreasonable extent, 3) one of them likes the lead female genuinely but, of course, the plot won't allow them to even meet and talk properly, 4) and the last one of them leaves the *knight* title ever so quickly and branches out to his own super cliche sub plot although he has so much potential in everything from acting to his looks to his chemistry with the lead female.

It felt so much like the writers lured us into such F4 - Boys Over Flowers kind of settings, then ditched us to an extremely cliche plot that revolved more around the second lead female – who I have to use the word "annoyingly boring" to describe. I like Son Naeun as a member of A Pink, but I believe her acting is very bad – or this character does not shine a light on her as an actress at all. Her character is an "I-only-look-at-you" kind of pitiful(?) girl, but somehow the story (or her acting) made her evil. I thought she was going to grow into a likable second female lead because she was one of a few second leads that don't act evil towards the lead female character. However, her damsel-in-distress situations only turned her into a "I don't care if I look evil, I just want to own one of these rich guys" kind of character.

She has the looks and she's from a well-raised background. She was also incredibly stubborn for (literally) unsaid reasons while she could just go out and have a happy life while forgetting these main guys. Plus, her interest in fashion design seemed useless. It played no part in the plot, and I wish writers would stop stereotyping fashion design major as a "high class" thing. Beautiful barbie-like female characters don't need to like fashion to look sophisticated. Try harder.

Likewise, I didn't enjoy the stereotypes in this story at all. Jung Ilwoo's character (Kang Jiwoon) was built around a quiet, rebellious guy with a troubled past, so they gave him a street-racer persona while in the story it was just him fidgeting with his toy cars from time to time. It didn't look cool and rebellious. It looked pathetic.

Ahn Jaehyun's character (Kang Hyunmin) – the playboy successor of Haneul Group – can he be even more cliche than this? I mean, playboy chaebols are fun to have in a story, but this characteristic of him progressed to nowhere. He was out with random girls for only 2 or 3 episodes at the beginning. At the same time, he's a supposed successor of their family business, but I see him lazing around inside the mansion the *entire* series. In fact, he doesn't seem very aloof. He has a heart, but they didn't make use of it at all.

Lee Jungshin's character (Kang Seowoo) is a musician. Why? There's no back story to his characteristics. He's popular and is a good singer and he's very nice. Rich and romantic, yet he seemed the most unattached to the entire chaebol family. Again, there's nothing bad about this, I just feel like this musician character is very stereotypical. And again, for a chaebol grandson who's *finally* nice and decent, he's out of the picture from the first half of the series. He likes the main girl alone, feels sad alone, and lets her go alone. His music plays almost no part in putting his character together with the main girl or other guys, and despite that, there's no explanation in why he fails to convey his love to the main girl at all. (Oh, wait, why? Because the writer doesn't want that. Then WHY did they even make his character up at all?)

I still forced my way through the end purely because of the lead female character. She was the only decent one in the entire series. The "missions" and "part-time job" that put her in these guys' mansion made me cringe though. And although she's naturally kindhearted, genuinely wanting the boys to reunite as a family was a bit odd, given that she hasn't been raised in a warm *family* as well.

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Reset
66 persone hanno trovato utile questa recensione
mar 11, 2022
15 di 15 episodi visti
Completo 2
Generale 10
Storia 10
Acting/Cast 10
Musica 9.0
Valutazione del Rewatch 8.0

An intense binge worthy drama!


I am so in love with this drama. I saw everyone praising it so I casually started it out of curiosity. I was just thinking about giving it a try for the hype. But now I am actually joining the crowd. I feel like praising everything about this drama.

Reset is an intense story that revolves around a few characters binded by a time loop. What I am happy about is that despite it being a time loop drama where certain things will keep on repeating it was executed in such a nice way that I couldn't even think of skipping anything. No matter how many times they repeat it, a right balance of new things came out that was interesting.

So the story starts with a university student named Li Shiqing (Zhao Jin Mai). She was on a bus and on her way to somewhere when the bus gets into an accident and she dies. But she wakes up the next second and just considers it as a bad dream but woah! this is the best part. Things seem to get repeated and she seems to die because of the same accident again and again. Once she realizes about this horrible time loop, her first instinct is to escape, she uses a boy sitting beside her who is Xiao Heyun (Bai Jing Ting), a game developer to get out of the bus but unexpectedly he enters into the same time loop with her. Oh my god! Just the first episode and I was hooked up. I couldn't wait to see how they would continue this story.

Afterwards there are just crazy things happening. They both try struggling in all ways possible to change this destinied accident. Not even a single second is irrelevant or like filler in the drama. Everything is there for a reason. Even the expressions of each actor and how should they react in a particular scene is so perfect.

Their bond. Like two people who are in a mess of time, fighting together and just like two teammates going through life and death together. You can observe how slowly and reasonably their bond develops. Romance is not the visible center of the drama but it's just present through those little moments between them. You can see the care in their eyes and just the will to accompany her/him in the trouble till the end.

I love how almost every character has their own story and stuff. It's short like 15 episodes of 45 minutes each but they do justice to every character present.

Favorite line — "Human is iron and rice is steel. You can only save the world when you are full"

So, in the end, I recommend this to everyone. To even those viewers who are like me and who hesitate to watch time loops… this was a great watch. A well organized plot, high quality production with actors who know their characters well. It's amazingly set with an interesting story which kept me on the edge of my seat and I was like always looking forward to watch more and more. Meanwhile I will be off to dig up some good behind the scenes videos to enjoy more of this :D

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Silent
66 persone hanno trovato utile questa recensione
dic 23, 2022
11 di 11 episodi visti
Completo 2
Generale 9.5
Storia 10
Acting/Cast 10
Musica 9.0
Valutazione del Rewatch 10

The drama that felt like the most beautiful poem!

Was it the plot that caught my eye? was it the acting? was it the ost? Well none of these. While browsing through reels I found a reel of this drama of the first episode when Sou and Tsumugi meet again. Without even knowing the context, I cried. Later, I searched for the synopsis of this drama and boy, did my heart wrench! I decided to wait for more episodes but after sometime this drama still found itself in my reels. I binge watched the available 7episodes and those 7 hours I cried 14 times. But honestly, it was not the tragic element that moved me but how beautifully the drama was written. Sometimes, when you find something beautiful that makes you think so much and calms you down, you cry.
There was not any stress element but I liked the conversations between every character. I felt myself to be in the pov of every character. Every small detail of the drama holds a beautiful meaning and when you will reach the last episode you will see a loop of beautiful and brightening elements. However, to bind such a precious creation needs comprehension from the actors' part and indeed every character justified their roles, its emotions and every part of it.
A memorable drama that taught me so much and maybe when I will watch it again, I will learn more.

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I Need Romance 3
66 persone hanno trovato utile questa recensione
apr 1, 2014
16 di 16 episodi visti
Completo 0
Generale 8.0
Storia 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Musica 7.0
Valutazione del Rewatch 8.0
This is one of those feel good dramas that just make you feel dreamy and on cloud nine.

I marathoned it straight for first 12 hours, and man, I was in love.

I am not a critic and am sure this is not a perfect drama in any means, but my heart loved it!

Maybe it was because of my mood or whatever it maybe, I just kept swooning.

Hungry for a rom-com after long while, just wanna see something that makes you smile and your heart go aw, pick it up :)
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Reply 1994
66 persone hanno trovato utile questa recensione
apr 5, 2014
21 di 21 episodi visti
Completo 2
Generale 8.0
Storia 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Musica 9.0
Valutazione del Rewatch 5.0
I am glad that I watched this drama but more glad that I was able to finish it (phew!). I think Reply 1994 is a good drama on its own, whether or not I compare it to its mega popular and one of my all-time favourites predecessor. Being the second season, not comparing the two was impossible for me no matter how much I tried.

There are both pros and cons in this drama. I prefer the love triangle in 94 much, much more than the one in 97. Overall, the characters in this drama were almost equally as good as in 97 (or in some cases- even better).

For starters, Na Jeong was quite funny and likable. According to me, it's hard to beat Sung Shi Won played by Eun Ji in 97 but nonetheless, Go Ah Ra did a great job of playing the main character. The rest of them were great in their roles too but the character of Chilbong stands out a bit more for me. I didn't feel like the writer fully utilized his character. Yoo Yeon Seok however did a splendid job with the way he played Chilbong. Applause to him for making me love him so much and making his character feel so real! Then there's Jung Woo who played Trash oppa. I failed to fully connect to his character, maybe due to the way it was written or due to the lack of acting skills of the actor. I don't know who to blame here. I honestly felt like Trash's character had more depth to him than was delivered- which is just sad.

I now understand why this drama had countless shipper wars. My biggest complaint with the love triangle was why drag it out so much when one guy didn't even stand a proper chance from the beginning? Na Jeong clearly loved one and one only from the start. I did like both guys but the outcome was too predictable. Of course, the writer tried to 'confuse' the viewers but I could easily sense the direction it was going in. Better luck next time, writer-nim!

The thing that makes this drama stand out is the band of realistic characters, their unbreakable bonds, unforgettable friendships and love for each other. Mixed in with the nostalgia of the 90's this was surely a recipe for success. I must say it delivered exceedingly well on this front.

Its other great strength lies in its deeply likable cast where there wasn't a single annoying person! Its OST is pretty good too and is sure to keep me listening for days.

Btw I HAVE to mention the cameos of the cast of Reply 97! They were so hilarious that I wanted to kick out the 94 part and let them stay instead. :D This came as a plus to me because they entered the drama right when the plot started becoming stale.

In spite of the many moments that made this drama super likable, there were an equal number of scenes during which I found myself hitting the fast forward button. Why, writer-nim could you not make this drama shorter? What made Reply 1997 work was its shorter length and ability to not drag out as much as regular dramas tend to do. This drama's duration of each of the 21 episodes made watching a tedious task. The downside of having a drama stretch more than it can eventually tires out the viewer thereby decreasing the overall enjoyment.

Had it been shorter and not as repetitive, I would have said that this drama was better than Reply 1997 in a lot of ways. It probably is. Being the same kind of story, by the end it managed to touch me and thus left me with the happy and warm feeling that it sought out to do. :)

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Fake It Till You Make It
66 persone hanno trovato utile questa recensione
set 7, 2023
14 di 14 episodi visti
Completo 10
Generale 9.0
Storia 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Musica 9.0
Valutazione del Rewatch 9.0

When Elvis Met Elvira

Can anything good come out of MangoTV? Occasionally perhaps and this gem seems to be one of them. I don’t think it is hyperbolic to say that this is perhaps the best rom com I've seen in a long time... in the vein of When Harry Met Sally but more grounded in real world issues. Both leads are upwardly mobile hardworking outstanding professionals in their respective workplaces but circumstances are such that they are stretched to their limits. They live precariously on the precipice as they maneuver the snake pits of corporate culture as "slaves" to their masters' bidding due to the necessity of holding on to their jobs where nothing is ever a guarantee. It's highly realistic in the way it depicts the dog-eat-dog work environment that's all too familiar to struggling wage earners in the East Asian context. In reaction to this global phenomenon there’s been plenty of talk about the Great Resignation or quiet quitting in the past few years. Gone are the days where a person remains in the same job, profession, industry for their entire working life. This drama reflects that harsh reality of a competitive labour market in the everchanging contemporary economic landscape and the need for adaptability. While it satirizes the milieu that it explores, it is at its core a sympathetic exploration of the men and women who live in the coalface of workplace grind.

Elvis Han and Elvira Cai headline this office drama where romance is assumed to play an integral part of the work-life realities that afflict many overworked employees today. So how do people find time for courting and wooing in this day and age where men and women work long hours, barely have time for meals, are exploited by the employers competing with other employers for contracts and clients? It's a battleground out there and many are not past dirty tricks to gain the upperhand. A fact that inevitably spills into relationships with significant others.

Elvis Han's Xu Ziquan is an investment banker and for him, a rising star in the industry, it's the neverending chase for that next big deal that's giving him sleepless nights. He looks genuinely exhausted. (I suspect Elvis Han was nursing a cold for most of the shoot) If he can't clinch it, it's reallocations and retrenchments for his team. He meets Tang Ying (Elvira Cai) onboard a plane for the first time and the sparks are ignited. She's a corporate lawyer at the bottom of the food chain barely keeping her head above the water with a demanding supervisor on her back 24/7. She piques his curiosity during their brief exchange and apparently the feeling is mutual but neither expects to see the other again. Of course they do first through her sister then later they work together on a crucial M & A project. The two first decide that they are best suited to be friends and drinking partners in part because she has heard of his (overblown) reputation with women and in part because he is a bit of a commitment phobe. As they start to spend more time together, they begin to rethink their "friendship". Indeed can their "friendship" transition into a "dating relationship"? Not without a few bumps and wake-up calls along the way.

The push and pull is rather well done here and never goes overboard to the point of frustration. Work does get in the way. The leads are busy putting out fires on the one hand while rubbing shoulders with a whole host of potential obstacles to true love — acquaintances, colleagues, and clients. There are plenty of opportunities for them to look elsewhere and keep their options open till kingdom come but in the end they keep finding their way to each other regardless of admirers and ridiculous schedules. There are troublemakers strewn along the path of true love but once the main pairing make their minds up, they are a team in the making. Nonetheless what the series does even better is the way it deals with accommodation. With all the different kinds of relationships on display the narrative acknowledges that seeking companionship and making families is not only a human impulse but clearly constant negotiation is necessary to solidifying long-term relationships. The leads may tease and make jibes at one another but their conversation also have depth and thoughtfulness that show their commitment to each other.

There’s an important side story with Tang Ying’s sister Xinzi who is in search of the perfect mate that will check all the right boxes. It’s a long hard road for the spoilt princess type but through her experiences with a few men she comes to conclude a few home truths on her own.

The best thing about this is the script although it’s undeniable that the chemistry between the leads is fabulous and the direction is classy. The tension, the UST, the build-up is great. The dialogue more than anything else just sparkles especially during the banter between the leads. I find myself grinning from ear to ear as I watch their antics. Of course it’s even better in the Chinese. In a romantic comedy the repartee is almost everything. More than that however is the way the leads and their arcs are written. Tang Ying and Xu Ziquan are relatable people dealing with all the same kinds of issues that the rest of us know only too well. He’s no prince and she’s no Cinderella. They just want in on their piece of the pie. To make their mark in a complex world where they’ve been fed lies about their real priorities. They have their strengths and their flaws. Because they are decent people they try their best to get on with everyone even their bitterest rivals and sometimes it means they can’t say no. Sometimes it means that people who can’t take no for an answer take advantage of their good will.

All in all, it’s a wonderful 14-episode drama that isn’t driven (or hampered) by the usual incoherent adherence to romance tropes that plague a lot of rom coms in recent times. Moreover the length of the drama speaks volumes as to why this one is a cut above the rest.

And the OST... is outstanding. Just like When Harry Met Sally.

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What's Up?
97 persone hanno trovato utile questa recensione
mar 24, 2012
20 di 20 episodi visti
Completo 1
Generale 9.0
Storia 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Musica 10
Valutazione del Rewatch 9.0
If you like romantic drama, this is not the best one.
If you like comedy drama, this is quite funny, but there are more dramas out there that can make you laugh louder.
If you like happily-ever-after-ending drama, this will let you down, don't expect too much.
If you like sad drama, this is not enough to make your tears come out
If you like action drama, you're not supposed to end up here reading the review :p

But,

If you look for different taste of Kdrama,
If you look for great performances,
If you look for beautiful soundtracks,
This is the one that worth to watch!!

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Hello, The Sharpshooter
41 persone hanno trovato utile questa recensione
da Jilly
mar 13, 2022
40 di 40 episodi visti
Completo 0
Generale 9.0
Storia 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Musica 8.0
Valutazione del Rewatch 8.5

The chemistry between the leads and the story

I'm on episode 20 and I'm still getting butterflies because of the ML and FL chemistry and interactions, they're soo cute together, even with their issues, just seeing FL try and the patience of ML is satisfying to me. Tbh i like the story and I'm looking forward to their past being revealed, and how they overcome their current issues. I'm happy with the pace as well, never have I felt so far that it should be done already, I'm enjoying it, there is still half way to go so we'll see what the second half will bring. It seems in the comment section I guess I'm the only one who's happy it didn't end yet?! 😂. Also I've binge watched 20 episodes in a day 😁😍.. I'm happy I decided to watch this.

It's all about personal taste, so far i have no issues with the show, I've seen a good bit of the FL shows and a few of the ML, and tbh she has more chemistry with this this ML than some other shows I've seen her in, but that's just me. I'm also watching this like i never read any of the comments so i can judge it for myself.

There is a few draggy episodes, after a particular incident, i did skip a little but it was side characters not the main couple, about 80% of the shows I watched have some draggy parts, this is nothing new. Also.... I really really really hate the character of the rival shooting team captain, using all sorts of foolish tricks, why can't he just use his own talent.. it's soo upsetting at this point!!!

I really loved the pace of the romance, personally i think it was great that it wasn't rushed, because none of them were mentally prepared to be for a full committed relationship, but they just gradually get closer and get through their issues, up until the very end.

Completed the drama, and I enjoyed it very much... idk about the comments, but i really did enjoy the journey with the FL and the ML, to the point where i wish there were another episode with more of there life after.. don't want to spoil anything. but either way, i definitely loved this drama, i love the chemistry between the leads, i liked the ost and i like the story very much, the story ha various issues both physical and mental, I loved the whole healing process of the Leads as well. I'll give it at least an 9/10 because i left feeling happy.

If you find something you want to watch, try it out on your own, you may love it, like it or hate it but once its your own decision then that's what matters. I am personally happy i didn't follow the comments, but this is solely based on my preference, it's up to you to decide from checking it out if it's for you or not.

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Be A Meal
41 persone hanno trovato utile questa recensione
da T0P
lug 1, 2021
120 di 120 episodi visti
Completo 1
Generale 1.0
Storia 2.5
Acting/Cast 4.5
Musica 5.0
Valutazione del Rewatch 1.0
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Never, ever watch this drama, ever

This is maybe the WORST daily drama I have ever watched. I have never written a review before, but I just had to for this drama, For me, daily dramas are cathartic. You know that the good people will get a happy ending and the bad people will get punished. Yes, some daily dramas go off script and the ending can be less than satisfying, but this is the first drama I found enraging. The worst character of the entire series, the one that caused the most heartache and literally had someone murdered, doesn’t go to jail or receive any punishment. She is forgiven, for murder!!! And, the most selfless person in the entire show gets terminal cancer. The romantic plot line was all over the place. First the female lead looks like she is interested in a childhood friend, even though he is a selfish cold prick, IMO. Then, she gets over the friend and is interested in her guardian, the man that raised her since she was six. Okay, that was gross and weird, but I tried to look past it. But then, she doesn’t even end up with him because again, he dies at the end of the drama of cancer. So, the female lead marries the childhood best friend, who she doesn’t even love, to make her pseudo father happy. What???? The whole series was terrible from start to finish and I only finished it because I wanted to see how this train wreck would end. Ultimately, this was the least satisfying daily drama I have ever watched and I would never recommend anyone else watch it.

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The King of Dramas
41 persone hanno trovato utile questa recensione
da TheJ
gen 8, 2013
18 di 18 episodi visti
Completo 0
Generale 10
Storia 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Musica 10
Valutazione del Rewatch 8.0
Story: The story, for me, was totally refreshing. It gives you a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes when dramas are being made, and it was nice to see. Like most dramas, it obviously had it's cliche obstacles for the main characters to pass so they could move on (I find it hard to believe making a drama is THAT troublesome), but it was never really anything that lasted more than one or two episodes.

It moved along at a nice speed for me. It seemed to slow up a little bit when they got their extension from 16 to 18 episodes, and all of the added flashbacks made it a tad boring at times, but nothing that I couldn't ignore.

Acting/Cast: Loved them. Loved all of them. This would definitely be one of my favorite casts in a drama.

I'd never seen anything with Kim Myung Min before, and this drama definitely made me regret it. He played his bad-boy-the-gets-nicer role perfectly. He always had this air of total confidence, and it was just really awesome to watch in action.

This was the second time I'd watched anything with Jung Ryeo Won in it, and while I wasn't really a fan of her in that, I loved her in this.

Siwon though. That man just made this drama for me. Whenever he was on the screen, I could always count on laughing. Always. He was hilarious, he was adorable, and he was hilarious (yep, I'm saying that twice). And he had this laugh that was completely infectious. If you could watch this, listen to him laugh, and not find yourself smiling, I'd be shocked.

This was also a first for Oh Ji Eun for me. She didn't make her entrance into the show until almost the halfway mark, but that didn't stop me from loving her all the same.

When they were all together, for me, the chemistry was undeniable. Even the actors in the smaller roles of this show were amazing for me.

Music: I loved the OST for this show. That's really all I can say about that.

Rewatch Value: With the cast and the story being different than a lot of other dramas out there, I could definitely see myself watching this more than once in the future. Hell, I could see myself rewatching it multiple times just for Siwon's laugh.

Overall: Overall, I gave the show a 10. Like I said, it had some cliche obstacles, but it was fun (for me) to watch the main characters trample over them when they happened.

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My Girl
41 persone hanno trovato utile questa recensione
lug 17, 2020
24 di 24 episodi visti
Completo 1
Generale 8.0
Storia 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Musica 8.0
Valutazione del Rewatch 6.0
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Better than expected

I'm on a modern Chinese drama run and they're all flawed in their own way. This did remind of me Kill Me Heal Me. However the split personality aspect is really weird. How that single incident where a boy accidentally scarred a little girl, left such a traumatic impression on 3 individual is kinda far fetched. Not only that, the way her split personality work is kinda weird....she essentially manifest personality every time she's stress...on the spot. He goes out of his way to deal help the FL lead every time she changed personality is also pretty weird. I mean, at one point, he essentially let her run his company...lol...a person with no experience running any company. Oh yes...the FL is very Mary Sue ish btw. She just excel in everything she does despite have no prior experience in this field. Also for him, the way he almost essentially threw away a girl he love when he thought the girl he had injured was another woman...was just weird. Even if you find someone you'd wrong and want to make up for it...how is that supposed to affect your current love life? Oh yes, so the ML is supposed to be a genius heir of a conglomerate that excel in a lot of investment beside his make up company. He sure acts like an idiot at times. He's a miser to a fault and acts more like a kid than a successful businessman. So the point is...people here in this drama operates in extremely weird logics. Also, one of the biggest plot point was her scar. A scar, in which she had successfully concealed with makeup...so how is that such a big issue is weird. I'm telling you...this drama operates in wacky logic.

But if you suspend all of the bad logic in the story, and its true of a lot of these Chinese drama, it's a rather enjoyable experience. I do like the FL's character and personality. The ML's is in his way quirky and cute. The doctor has a really good bromance with the ML. Lots of feel good, cute, and funny moments.

Pros:
- Fun cute romance with lots of cute scene.
- Do enjoy some of main couple.
- Do like the secondary couple with the ML's assistant and the FL's friend/therapist.
- The doctor and the ML's ex coupling is alright but never cared for that pairing. I prefer the bromance between the doctor and the ML.
- The ML's parent...though initially disapprove of their relationship are surprisingly supportive of them later on. Even going along with one of her personality change.

Cons
-As mention terrible logic everywhere. Every time she changes personality, people around her help her by trying to find a way to fulfill her desire. It's an interestingly plot device but the extent they're willing to go along with this...is...just weird if you think about. And EVERYONE plays along.
- Antagonist is alway bad: main one is the obsessive co-ceo of his makeup company I guess. Initally it was the ML's ex but she became her bff after she sacrifice her chance to fix her scar so she can fix her nose.


Despite how much I rant on this drama, I actually enjoyed it quite of bit. And one of the main reason is that they find ways to keep things interesting despite how far-fetch a lot of this scenario is . And they probably played a major role on how much I enjoyed this drama. It's not boring and they main leads are a like-able couple.

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