Reviews

I began watching this drama for two reasons; I read on a blog that this was actually written quite well and I had just watched Prosecutor Princess and wanted to see more of Park Shi Hoo. At the time it was the first drama I attempted with episodes over 16 to 24. I wasn't disappointed in the least!

Queen of Reversals is one of the best melodramas I've watched. It tells the mature story of a marriage between two people who are struggling to make it work or having to decide to let go. The cast of actors all do a wonderful job. Kim Nam Joo and Park Shi Hoo are stand outs. Kim Nam Joo is wonderful as Hwang Tae Hee. The evolution of her character is a lot fun to watch. Park Shi Hoo is such a scene stealer. He has a great quality and screen presence.

The supporting cast was also well chosen. This was a melodrama but I loved that there were no birth secrets, no one had a deadly disease, no one loved someone they thought might be their sister. It was actually a pretty nice and refreshing change to watch something more real. The plot unfolded very nicely for 31 episodes and there were some real surprises along the way. This also has the funniest bromance between Goo Yong Shik and his secretary...Hilarious.

I ended up loving this show and giving it a 9. A few months later I stand by that rating. If you are looking for a great story about a woman really finding her strength you'll love Queen of Reversals.

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Positive Family dynamics portrayed well

The suggested score MDL gives me for this is 9. But I choose to give it 10. I do that because the show has the beautiful element of NO TOXIC CHARACTERS.
If you enjoy drama brought on by crazy exes and horrible mothers-in-law and power hungry individuals…you would hate this one.
This is a simple story about enjoying life in the moment.
About how family is not only through bloodlines.
About how parents are not always right and children are not always right either
A story about familial forgiveness and acceptance but also responsibilities. But we still get enough romance and a ML who is just wonderful. There are many other characters to love though.
The cast has a lot of experienced actors and that shows In the quality of their delivery.
The ended as they started. A chaotic family that loves each other but always has some drama going in their life.

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The ending ruined it.

All in all the production is very simple. I have watched many very thrilling bl's this year so I appreciated the change of pace. It was slow and progressed meaningfully. I was able to understand the characters, not necessarily their backstories, but their motivations.

I don't write long reviews but what I will say is that I am disappointed. After completing all the episodes I can say that the story is incomplete in many ways.

There is an aggressive scene in the last episode that, is slightly problematic and I did not like it. More importantly, they abandoned the stories of other characters in the end. Yes, the main characters are the focus but they introduced and developed stories of other characters and just left them in the end. I was not sure if it was the actually ending or perhaps setting up for a season two, but it definitely doesn't seem complete.

The acting was acceptable, no complaints there. Music and SFX was a bit off at times but not enough to ruin the viewing experience.

Ultimately, is it worth the watch? This may seem contradictory but yes. I enjoyed it, all but the last episode. The story is actually good.
Would I watch it again? Absolutely not. Once is more than enough.

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Visiting this page seeing such a low overall score you'll probably gonna be put off by it from the very beginning. Then you'll look at the cast and think how bad can it actually be with such a talented cast. Well, let me assure you, it's not bad at all, it is just different and not for everyone.

Entourage isn't your average kdrama, it has none of the usual tropes, love triangles, crazy 2nd leads, misunderstandings, absurd coinsidences, scheming, melodrama ect. It actually feels a lot like a western tv show -which shouldn't come as a surprise since it is a remake of an american tv show, and i am happy they didn't try to korean-ize it too much. For all these reasons entourage is a breath of fresh air in the dramaland for me, but it is not a drama for everyone for the exact same reasons.

Story
Welcome to the entertainment industry. The main lead of the drama is an up and coming fictional actor who just had his first movie breakthrough, got mixed reviews but also got immensely popular and we watch him as he tries to find his next project, balancing his personal life and work life in the best (or worst) way he can. At the same time we see his 3 best friends as well as his agency's CEO. All of his friends have something to do with the entertainment industry; the drama's exploring different sides of it through them.

The show focuses on the hardships of the industry, putting it in the spotlight in a rather realistic and even negative -if i may say- way. It targets issues about the entertainment industry like: how difficult it is to find a potential hit movie/drama project, how actors are placed in the public eye and have little to no privacy, the way the agencies try to control them work-wise and personal life-wise, how difficult it is to actually get casted and breakthrough in this industry, the severe importance of appearance ect. Simultaneously, the relationships between actors, actor-manager, actor-agency, actor-significant other ect. Moreover, it puts the actors and agencies on the spot as well, showing both negative and positive aspects of their life and the way they act, as well as very realistic repercussions of their actions (this was probably the most interesting thing this drama had to offer for me).

All that being said, i think it is very obvious that this drama is not the average rom-com one would expect. There is no romance here. There is a love-line plot, but there is no actual romance, this plot line serves a purpose to explain how difficult it is to maintain a relationship being a celebrity and nothing else. The comedy is present, but i would safely dub it as elitist. It's not your usual slapstip kdrama comedy, it is heavily based on sexual comments, and a lot of the jokes involve other idols or actors and i am not sure if they can get across to an average kdrama watcher. What's more, there is no melodrama at all, or overdramatic situations evolving emotional conversations, stares ect.

Lastly, i would like to stress how i totally understand why someone would find this boring. If you're looking for a sweet romance story with comedy, you won't like this. If you're into heavy melodramatic situations this isn't your cup of it either. The drama is a light comedy about the entertainment industry, everything revolves around that. Concluding, the drama is told completely from a male perspective, so there will be a lot of pants dropping, creepy sex jokes, men desperate to have sex, clubs, silly, immature situations ect. If the drama lacked something was a proper female touch, but then again, this is why this drama was fresh and different.

Acting
The acting left a lot to be desired, but it wasn't a problem.
Seo Kang Joon was great, but not really memorable; Lee Dong Hwi, the same. Lee Kwang Soo was adorable and hilarious and performed impeccably as expected, however none of those 3 characters were well-enough written to leave a strong impression.

On the contrary, the most memorable actors were Jo Jin Woong, who portrayed a caring ceo -almost a father figure- with anger management and attitude issues immaculately and also my personal favourite Park Jung Min who might not have been the best acting wise, but the role was a perfect fit and was completely relateable and absolutely delightful!

I would like to emphasise how i wouldn't -not in any way- stick with this drama because of the good cast or because of the countless guests.

As for the supporting cast, amber had the most promiment role of the females, and i loved her. The role was a perfect fit. Ahn So hee needs to work on her acting more and i would like to see Kim Hye In more in the future. However, none of the supporting actresses had the time to build up as characters or show something of substance.

The guests were there for a split second, said a line, waved and that was it. Don't expect much.

Rewatch/Recommend
This drama is an elitist drama, but it's not bad; it's just different. If you are into classic kdramas, ignore this one, you aren't missing out. If you want to watch something different, and have an interest in the korean acting industry, then do try it. I also believe this drama is adressed to male viewers because of the nature of the comments and issues it depicts. I wouldn't rewatch this though.

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A wasted premise

[UPDATED] As a Jang Seung-jo fan, I was desperate for "Strangers Again" to work. I ignored all the misfires and the lapses in logic and stayed with it until the 12th episode. But when the ending rolled in, I realized that there was a basic flaw in the character development of the leads.

I don't mind flawed characters. I especially love flawed characters who grow stronger in the broken places. The male lead started out well enough as a divorced divorce lawyer whose life is a mess. His ex-wife is also a divorce lawyer who seems to have come out feistier and richer. All the ironies were in place.

But no, after laying a solid foundation for what could have been a smart commentary on life, love and career, "Strangers Again" proceeds to self-destruct.

Jang Seung-jo's Eun-beom is so badly drawn, I suspect he was written as a plot device for Ha-ra's journey. His characterization is utterly illogical: a formidable intellect in court, he doesn't make sense in everyday life. He loves Ha-ra but concocts a hare-brained scheme to break-up his marriage, sets up his ex with his best friend so he stops paying alimony, never told her about his childhood traumas while she was his wife, and turns out to be a serial relationship killer. His redemption is a short footnote in the last episode via a Google search and a trip to the therapist's office. The writer was not interested in his evolution – only the havoc he creates.

Kang So-ra's character Ha-ra is better fleshed-out and is obviously the real center of the series: she may be cut-throat in court but she's not unscrupulous, she genuinely wants to help her clients, and in turn learns life's valuable lessons from them. She not only gets the best lines in terms of self-discovery, she also gets the best meltdowns.

The second leads' story trajectory is hands down the better romance in this series. From irritating characters, the liberated noona and the political conservative blossom into relatable characters as they learn to own up to their mistakes, communicate, and compromise.

Hyperrealism is no excuse for bad storytelling. I want characters with depth whose motivations are well-established. I want a plot that makes sense, even if it is imitating life.

Law practice, love, and divorce are potent ingredients that could've given us an unforgettable series – that's the wasted premise. I was expecting a Matryoshka doll with layers of meanings. Instead I got Barbie and Ken in power suits who are trapped in their own drama.

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What a disappointment....

Can a good actor save a bad script? NO.

But can a good actor make the drama bearable to watch? YES.

But does this drama have good actors? HELL NO.

Before starting the review, I just wanna say it’s more like a rant than a review.

Let’s start with the title first. It’s “Now, We Are Breaking Up,” but more like “Fate”? I’ve been watching K-dramas for a long time now—literally, every drama has the fate/destiny aspect in it, which is not exactly my problem. But for this drama, the plot is built on fate/destiny/coincidences. Everything is so connected, which feels like nothing but forced.

This is supposedly a “Melodrama” (Melodrama: A genre that focuses on a dramatic plot, which is typically sensational and designed to appeal strongly to emotions). Is the plot dramatic? YES. But can I feel the emotions of the main characters (HYE & JK)? Freaking NO. They have no expressions throughout the whole drama. They just had cold, wooden faces and robotic dialogue deliveries. It felt so boring to even look at them that I genuinely fell asleep.

They are the main characters, so they have the largest screen time, but imagine their story being the most boring of all? Can you possibly sit through it? At least I couldn’t. I’m gonna be really honest—I watched this at 2x speed because the pace of the show is as slow as a snail. As I said, the plot was dramatic but also somewhat problematic. The writer screwed up the main leads’ story, and their bland expressions made it even worse.

Since this was Song Hye Kyo’s comeback and Jang Ki Yong’s last drama before his military enlistment, I gave it a shot. But I’m utterly disappointed with both of them. There was literally no heart-fluttering chemistry between them; they just endlessly kept staring at each other.

I mainly watched this for the SL couple, and yeah, they could act, so they had more chemistry than the lead couple. Some supporting characters are unreasonably crazy and wicked. My only favorite supporting character was Jeon Mi Seok.

As a fashion-based drama, neither the FL’s clothes nor the ones she designed impressed me. Hotel Del Luna or It’s Okay to Not Be Okay had way better-styled clothes, and those dramas aren’t even about fashion. :/

The OST doesn’t suit the vibe of the drama. It’s something sophisticated, which the drama is definitely not.

Re-watch: Never in my whole life am I gonna re-watch this show. I had to give a rating of 1 because there’s no option for 0.

The drama is basically a dud—no chemistry, bad acting, and problematic af main leads. I personally recommend skipping this one. The premise of the story was interesting, but the execution and main characters failed to portray emotions badly, which made this show really shallow.

END
Thank you for reading my review ^^

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*Spoilers are only in the last paragraph, regarding the ending*

I enjoyed I Hear You up until episode 17, as a lighthearted drama without any elements that made me angry or annoyed (which feels pretty rare with Chinese modern dramas). I personally enjoy the 'pretend couple becomes real' trope. From episode 17 onward, I felt like the plot lost momentum and then finally, several elements of the final two episodes really bothered me.

Ye Shu Wei (Riley Wang) is a successful and talented violin maker who doesn't like other people, and he grows a lot throughout the show as he begins to care about Bei Er Duo (Zhao Lusi). Bei Er Duo is kind and determined; she has a dream of becoming a voice actress and her goal is to study abroad in Japan. I loved that she was always studying, working hard to improve herself, and wanted to rely on her talent not connections. Ye Shu Wei and Bei Er Duo slowly grow to care for each other, and since they are both inexperienced in love, they feel like an even-leveled match despite him being rich and successful. But to be honest, their relationship is pretty boring. There were some cute moments and some cringey moments but nothing memorable. I actually felt like Shu Wei put much more effort and heart into their relationship, in trying to understand her, encourage her, and prepare surprises for her. (But Riley Wang's stony-faced acting bored me.)

Shu Wei and Er Duo agreeing to be on a couples competition show seemed like a far-fetched premise but the characters Yu Sheng and Tang Li help make it a little believable since they are the producers(?) for the show. Tang Li's character arc is fantastic and is the one great thing in this show. I loved that she faced her feelings head on, stuck to her principles, and worked hard to find her own happiness. Her storyline wasn't what I expected, but she articulated it well when she explained her decisions to Er Duo. The maturity of her character was such a sharp contrast to Er Duo's childish behavior.

*SPOILERS BELOW*
As for the last two episodes... I hated the two phone calls that Er Duo receives. Why did other people feel like they had the right to blame Er Duo for Shu Wei's choices? I liked that Er Duo sat down with him at the beach and talked about it honestly but why did Shu Wei not respond? Even though Er Duo returned the ring, it felt so inconclusive. (Also, if he really wanted to give up violin making/didn't care about that major violin order, I can respect his choice.) The last straw for me was how Er Duo chose to separate from Shu Wei. They had checked in their luggage and he was being paged for the flight so it just made no sense on so many levels. At the very least she could have sent him a text message after clearing security. The last scene was so strange and inconclusive. I wish that instead she had said at the beach, hey don't come to Japan with me, don't give up your work and let's date long distance for now and see how it goes...

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This is one of my favourite dramas ever and believe me when I say I have seen quite a few..it was also my first, so slightly biased. In all fairness it is a slow start, but once you get into the thick of things it is one of those compeling, addictive dramas.I lost alot of sleep over this one..just couldn't stop watching. It is funny , dramatic(duh), has a bit of suspense and romatic. Not just romantic for romance sake, but that sweet organic, naturally occuring, out of nowhere, this is amazing kind of romance, with some heartwarming swoon worthy moments.

The characters, at first may seem a bit tiresome, but they have this uncanny knack of growing on you, until you genuinely care for them and wish to see them happy, successful or in some cases burn in hell. It will make you laugh and cry, which is what all good dramas should invoke. Throw into the mix a nice, non annoying soundtrack and some pretty good cinematography and you get a seriously a good watch. Strong recommended, not just for viewing but repeated viewings as well.

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It's like a car crash...

... painful to watch but hard to look away.

You should watch this show if you like:
- Plot holes
- Questions that get answered by even more questions.
- Dialogue that doesn't make sense.
- A supposedly steamy couple without any chemistry.
- A mafia boss whose entire self is an insult to every mafia person ever.

Sadly enough, there is a lot wrong with this show.
From actors who don't seem very into their role to questionable directing and simply strange editing/use of music. "Unforgotten night" seems to have it all.
They could have done so much more with KamolKim yet every episode is packed with stuff that you might get a whiplash from the quick changing between scenes. Events that should have been cleared up, explained or maybe just talked about get forgotten and in my opinion this doesn't do the plot any justice.

Still I find myself looking forward to the next episode every week. Be it because of interest in the story or just hope that the next episode will be better. And of course it isn't all bad. Don't get me wrong, there are some good things to see as well. I just expected a lot more from this show. If you are going to watch it, I suggest not to take it very seriously. Sit back, relax and enjoy yourself.
EDIT: The last episode was by far the best and made a lot better.

My Wednesday evening will surely be a little more empty after the last episode but I fear that, despite it's title, "Unforgotten Night" will be quickly forgotten.

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This is a great drama with very strong characters.

To be honest I only started watching it because I read that the story would revolve a lot around the eldest son, who is in a gay relationship. I found this fascinating, seeing as it's a korean drama. The writers did a great job on that part, depicting the family's perspective and the couples perspective and how they each deal with this issue.

It was also interesting to see the interactions between the different generations of this huge family who all live together in one house.

What kept me watching was the great acting (especially song chang ui who plays the eldest son and kim hae sook who plays his stepmom)the amazing story, and also the amazing surroundings (jeju island).
Because it's quite a long drama you get to know each of the family members very well and you really feel the amazing bond that's between them.

I cried a lot, but I laughed too and watching it was an overall heartwarming experience!

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Skip the Series and Just Watch the Special Edit Version!!!

•❅✧❅✦ What's the Difference?!!! •❅✧❅✦

It's hard to point out all of them since I just watched it in theaters today in Japan, but I will write a few off the top of my head.

1. Hira/Kiyoi's narration - A lot of the narration is cut or altered because the film is now in a movie format and there's no need to fill in the audience with what happened in the past. Also, some of the narrations are placed on different scenes or have different timing from the series.

2. The music/bgm - A lot of the bgm that was playing behind a lot of the scenes were cut and replaced with ambient sound. Also because the film isn't episodic the scenes that were affected by the opening/closing themes had more ambience or a different bgm giving more impact to the scenes.

3. Lack of flashbacks - This really helped the story because when I rewatched the series after viewing the film, I got really annoyed with the flashbacks. The lack of flashbacks made the audience was more invested in the scenes.

4. Cut Scenes - They also cut a few scenes out (like the cell phone in the water scene) which really helped the film flow more smoothly. Nothing too noticeable though.

5. Extended/New scenes - While this film advertises "brand new scenes" it actually means extended scenes. Some of the scenes are extended to make easier transitions, while there are a few that are extended to help the story flow better. The extended scenes also hint that Kiyoi was into Hira from way before the kiss scene. The extended scenes (and narrations) also present Koyama as a better option for Hira rather than Kiyoi.

Some of the extended scenes are:
• Hira and Kiyoi walking to the shrine after Hira discovers Kiyoi's dance lessons.
• Kiyoi turning around to look at the person following him after he loses the competition.
• The time skip to Hira being in college and Koyama's introduction.
• Hira calling Kiyoi to tell him that it might not be a good idea to come to practice at his place after Koyama gets sick, but Kiyoi doesn't answer.


Honestly, the biggest difference is the narration and music/bgm. I think this is what makes the film flow more smoothly than the series. A lot of the bgm was replaced by ambient sounds and it felt more real. Also all of the scenes that had the ending theme playing over it felt like they had more impact due to the lack of music during the scenes. For example, when I watched Koyama's confession to Hira in the series, the ending theme was playing and I felt like I want to skip to the next episode to find out what happens next for Hira. But when he confessed in the special edit, I felt so bad for him. He was presented as a better option for Hira (even Hira himself admitted it), but Hira still chose Kiyoi.


•❅✧❅✦ My Thoughts on the Special Edit Version •❅✧❅✦

Overall, this special edit version was so much better than the series. Maybe because the series itself is short, the movie format fit the story much better. There wasn't any dramatic cliff hangers and because of that the story seemed to flow more smoothly. The emotions the characters were feeling felt more real since we the ending theme wasn't interrupting any crucial moments.

I really recommend watching this special edit version if you can because it made me love the series even more than before.

Also if you haven't watched the series yet, don't worry about watching it and just watch this special edit version. You're not missing anything and you're getting more.



•❅──────✧❅✦ Utsukushii Kare Review & Book Comparision ✦❅✧──────❅•

Utsukushii Kare is the best Japanese BL of 2021!
It constantly pulls at your heartstrings and keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time.
A rare gem in the Japanese BL.

•❅✧❅✦ STORY •❅✧❅✦

Hira suffers from severe stuttering when he is nervous. This has caused him to be ostracized from his classmates throughout his entire school career. During his final year of high school he meets Kiyoi, the resident "king" of the school, who saves him from class introductions by walking into class late. Hira is instantly smitten by Kiyoi. Even though Hira tries to keep his distance, the foul mouthed Kiyoi always seems to pull him back into his world. When Hira accidentally reveals his love for Kiyoi, and despite being quite open about his love and admiration for him thereafter, Kiyoi calls Hira disgusting, but doesn't outright ignore him after. The two unknowingly form a bond that's not quite friendship, but become closer than friends.

After a very eventful graduation, Hira and Kiyoi lose contact with each other until they are accidentally reunited in college. Hira finally has a friend, while Kiyoi is trying to make it big in the entertainment world. Hira still idolizes and loves Kiyoi, but Kiyoi is confused and can't express himself well.

Honestly, the plot and story isn't very original, however, what makes Utsukushii Kare different from the others is the characters. The characters are all very vulnerable and have their flaws. Hira is quite obviously the sympathetic lead, but King Kiyoi also has his doubts and is very relatable. He's not the invincible princely with a foul mouth that the usual troupes would have. Also, because we get two sides of the story, Hira and Kiyoi's, we sympathize with both Hira and Kiyoi. We also get annoyed with both Hira and Kiyoi too. Kiyoi is too tsundere for Hira, and Hira is as dense as a rock.

Aside from the characters, the plot, despite it's unoriginality, Ustukushii Kare didn't try to cover too many storylines. The entire series was focused on how Hira and Kiyoi got together. There was no extra storylines for side characters, no extra stories from after they got together. Most importantly, there was no obnoxiously long backstory for an character, nor was there any attempt to gain sympathy from the backstory either. The entire series was focused on how they got together and what they were feeling as they got together. Due to the focus on the characters and their feelings, everything felt real, raw, and amazing.

With the character driven storyline, Utsukushii Kare had it's work cut out, but I'm glad they found outstanding actors to fill in the roles. If the actors had performed poorly, I doubt Utsukushii Kare would have been a great series. Hira's actor was very good at playing that naive, yet dense character, while Kiyoi's actor was perfect with his tough, yet vulnerable, tsundere character. At first I hated Kiyoi for being so hot and cold to Hira, but as the story shifted from Hira's point of view to Kiyoi's, I fell in love with Kiyoi. His actor's performance when he had to portray Kiyoi's vulnerable side made me cry so hard. I've never seen an actor switch between hot and cold as great as Kiyoi's.

Kiyoi & Hira

At a glance, Kiyoi is a terrible person to befriend. He's mean to Hira and calls him names. You could even say he takes advantage of Hira, but it's not until the later half of the series, when you hear Kiyoi's side of the story, that you finally understand Kiyoi. Kiyoi's clumsy with his feelings and can't express himself well. He's also trying to navigate his feelings for Hira, who isn't exactly normal. Meanwhile, Hira's obsessed with Kiyoi to the point it's a bit stalkerish. The audience is made to sympathize with Hira, but Kiyoi does have a point, Hira's behavior is stalkerish.

That being said, Hirai and Kiyoi balance each other out perfectly. Around Kiyoi, Hira is able to express his emotions openly, while Kiyoi isn't very comfortable with expressing himself. Hira's not bothered by Kiyoi's insults because he knows Kiyoi is a tsundere, who doesn't mean what he says.

My personal favorite thing about his couple is that the seme and uke are not who you would expect them to be. I was presently surprised when we got a glimpse of it.

•❅✧❅✦ Book/Drama CD/Manga vs This Series •❅✧❅✦

If you haven't read the book or manga, or even listened to the drama CD you need to do so now! You'll get a different experience of the same story each time. . . and it's amazing! Each version of Utsukushii Kare is just different enough to keep you interested in each version.

Book - The book is the original and it is amazing.

Drama CD - The drama CD is my favorite because of how amazing Kiyoi's voice actor is. I really love this version of Kiyoi. Vulnerable Kiyoi is my favorite. Anyways, some of the scenes are changed to make it easier to listen to, but nothing too major. However, it's their voice acting that will give you the chills. Hira's V.A. sounds a little too deep to be a high schooler, but if you can get past that this drama CD is amazing. You'll really see a different side of Kiyoi that no other version can replicate.

Manga - Volume 2 was just released in Japan, so I haven't been able to read it yet, but Vol 1 was nice. So far it's not as memorable as the Drama CD, but it still allows us to visually see everything that we couldn't in the book. Because of the visuals, I found myself more drawn to the manga than the book, but it's still not complete so I won't say more.

Live Action Series - The producers were probably not expecting to be such a hit because they made a lot changes to the story. In the series we don't see Kiyoi and Hira hang out together as "friends" as much as they do in the other version. In the other versions we already get hint that Kiyoi might be interested in Hira from before Kiyoi's competition, but in this series it's a little vague until after the competition. Also, because the series chose not to have Hira move houses from his parent's place to his cousin's place, Hira offering and looking for a place for Kiyoi to practice his acting loses it's meaning in this adaptation. It's very important in the other versions, and it shows not only Hira's dedication to Kiyoi, but also shows how much Kiyoi loves Hira. Not having Kiyoi practically living with Hira and acting as his "boyfriend" during their fight in which Kiyoi "confesses" his love to Hira really had the live action series lose out on how much Kiyoi actually loves Hira.

The series is still amazing, but it's definitely a watered down version of Kiyoi. Does that mean it's bad? No. Kiyoi is still amazing and his actor did an amazing job with such a complex character, but it's still a shame that we can't see just how obsessed Kiyoi is about Hira. He's honestly just as obsessed with Hira as Hira is of him. Not as psychotic as Hira, but he's still thinking of Hira 24/7 in the other version. Here Kiyoi's just an average ikemen in love with his weirdo.

Anyways, there's nothing really bad to say about any of the variations of the story, so I definitely recommend checking out all version of Utsukushii Kare. It will fill in all of the details and background that each version misses out on. It will also make you more obsessed with the series.


•❅✧❅✦ OVERALL •❅✧❅✦

I really enjoyed Utsukushii Kare. It's a great series that's so unpredictable that you are at the edge of your seat trying to figure out what happens next. The actors were also amazing to the point I actually cried when Kiyoi got emotional.

Words can't describe how amazing this series is, so don't sleep on it and watch it now!

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Once again I've confirmed my endless love for music. This drama was a true proof to that. I was blown away by the brilliance of this drama from the very first moment I saw the first episode. The great combination of amazing acting especially from Yoo Ah In, portrayal of their passion, and the most important the fantastic choice of classical music got me hooked right away.
Just to be clear about something, I'm not a fan of love affairs, actually I don't like them at all and usually do not watch dramas with concept like that but this one I chose because of the music theme and the main actor. And I'm glad I did that 'cause I fell in love with this drama so deeply with no cure for healing. For the record this drama and story aren't affair at all as all of us think what affair actually is and you could see that from the very start and the relationship between the married couple, they were more like business partners. Yoo Ah In and Kim Hee Ae have done the job brilliant in portraying the two people who met and simply, slowly fell in love through the piano playing, music sheets, Mozart, Liszt, Tchaikovsky, and many other classical geniuses. I was hypnotized and mesmerized with their conversations, with their playing, with their passionate chemistry, I can't remember when I've reacted like this to some couple and chemistry in drama, since MARS I haven't felt like this.
This is not some average bubbly romance drama; it's dark, complex, passionate, bittersweet, and sometimes even torturous. It's a true emotional, mature and adult romance drama where we'll cheer as hard as we can for love to win against all odds. It’s a story to show how love can change one for the best or the worst. I loved very much how they concentrate simply on development of the main characters, their constant battle inside them, their pain, their hope and most of all their passion. It had been a very long time that I had felt such complex emotions with such intensity. It was almost like I was one of them. Of course there are boring parts, for example the part about business and all those irritating female characters who were so evil, bad and gossiping around, I really hate that. But except that everything else was a masterpiece for real. Yoo Ah In as a young piano prodigy was magnificent, he once again proved to me why he's one of my favourite actors in the whole world. When he’s onscreen with Kim, they make beautiful music together, both literally and figuratively. The love story generates plenty of heat, and feels genuine and quite moving. As long as the two leads are playing duets together or sharing bowls of noodles, everything else was in the shadow, only them and their fantastic chemistry.
Unlike in the most of average dramas, the music actually added meaning and depth to the drama. They played so many beautiful pieces from so many great composers and anyone who has any appreciation for classical music is going to enjoy this drama enormously. This drama is a bit slow, but it didn't bother me at all. I loved that I could see and feel their every gaze, touch, and emotion. I was able to synchronize my emotions with them, to understand and feel how they fell for one another.

For me this drama has a deep meaning and definitely left me with so many great and honest emotions. If you're like me a person who loves a true pure romance dramas with adult and mature thinking with endless love for music in your daily life, then this drama is for you.

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A SECRET GEM!!! A COMEDIC MASTERPIECE!!! 11/10 ✨???

This is the first review I write after having watched almost 300 K-Dramas and 100+ movies. And I'm doing it because "Seoul Busters" is worth every type of PRAISE!!! 👏👌🤌🏆This rightfully took a place in my top 20 BEST KOREAN DRAMAS ever!!! 🔝And here's why:

1) THE CAST. 🔥Every single member of this cast did a stellar job.✨They delivered amazing performances, in both comedic and dramatic moments. They had such wonderful chemistry with each other, they clicked perfectly. 💯I couldn't see any other actor/actress in their places. They're literally the PERFECT combination. 🤌
2) Sometimes you need a good laugh, not complicated things, just something to brighten up your day. 🌞And boy, does this drama provide you with endless laughs. 😝I haven't laughed this much with a piece of cinema or TV before and I'm not referring to just Asian content. "Seoul Busters" made me CRY tears of laughter, so much, my belly hurt from laughing.🤣 I watched all episodes with my mom and we made sure to watch them in a time during the day where we could laugh loudly without waking up any neighbors!!!😜I looked forward to the new episodes each week because they lifted my spirit and even during bad days they never failed to put a smile on my face. ☺️It's not easy to make that happen but these characters, these super talented actors made it happen.❤️
3) You think it's only humor?? You're WRONG. Despite its obvious comedic tone, the drama has plenty of touching, even tragic moments that will break your heart. 🥺Especially the second half of the drama will definitely make you shed some tears. 💔But it's all perfectly executed and ties in with the plot well.
4) And what about the cases of the week?? 🚓So many cases, so many suspects, so many plot twists. 🧐Each case intriguing and different than the other. And also, very good guest stars making things even more interesting. 👍
5) The action??💥 PLS!!! They were all so badass, I loved the fight scenes and their planning, and going undercover.🔥 Each member of our Violent Crimes Team at had something unique to offer and put their skills to good use.👌
6) Rewatch value??? Trust me, I'll be having all 20 episodes on repeat for a long time. 💯It just makes me feel so good watching and hearing these guys, they won such a special place in my heart, I'm so grateful for the good times they gave me!!!😊✨
7) SEASON 2, PLEASE, I'M BEGGING!!! 😭This drama wrapped things up very well but it left the window open with a perfect opportunity to continue for a second season. 😁I have never had such a passionate desire for a K-drama to be renewed for a second season before!!! ✌️Where do I sign the petition for S2 to be announced ASAP???? I don't want to say a final goodbye to my favorite characters just yet!!!🥺

To sum up, "Seoul Busters" is a K-Drama I would recommend to EVERYONE, it would be such a shame to lose such a gem!!!✨ It's perfectly balanced in every aspect and has a wonderful group of actors who bring unique, unforgettable characters to life.✌️ I'm so glad I decided to watch it, it didn't disappoint or bore me for one second!!! I'll treasure it forever ❤️😊

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I am a guy and at first I thought this might be a girly show so I didn't want to watch it, but after hearing some good reviews I decided to try it out. I'm so glad that I did because it was great!!! I really loved it. The story was great, the comedy was great, the romance was great, the life lessons were great, the acting was great, and the little kids were great. Almost every episode had 1. something that made me laugh, 2. Something that broke my heart, and 3. Something that touched me. This show managed to get my heart burning/breaking/soaring a few times. Teared up a few times too, but I didn't cry because you know, I'm a guy. Anyways, Zenkai Girl is definitely worth your time.

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