Reviews

Let me ask you a question.

Are you sure you want to watch this drama? Chongmalyo?

Kure.

Then you need a few things: a mind that understands, a heart that feels and loads upon loads of tissue paper.

As any Korean drama, Scent of a Woman starts of with the cliches: an indifferent chaebol (Kang Ji Wook) falls for a poor spinster (Lee Yeon Jae--who looks like she's in desperate need of a make-over) who turns out to have a terminal illness. The supporting male lead (Dr. Cha Eun Suk) has eyes for the heroine but could not confess his feelings, and there's the secondary female lead (Im Sae Kyung) who is a b*tchy daughter of a rich businessman and is arranged to marry the chaebol.
However what makes this drama special is how it successfully weaved its exceptional story to the growth of the characters episode by episode.

Yeon Jae develops a determined outlook in life to fulfill the things she had only dreamed of as a lowly desk employee of a touring agency and starts a bucket list of 20 things she wants to accomplish before she dies of gall bladder cancer. From her meek and docile character she learns how to appreciate herself and live life in search of her happiness. She develops a romantic relationship with Ji Wook and tries to stay away to prevent him from heartache in the future, but soon realizes that his love runs deep.

Kang Ji Wook, for his part, was painted as a mature and understanding person. From the meaningless and routinary life that he led, Ji Wook learns to appreciate life and to live life diligently. For all his worth, Ji Wook became Yeon Jae's pillar of strength and the most stable source of love she is able to draw from.

Secondary contradictions and side-stories also developed well in the drama--this makes for an air-tight storyline, with each side-story supporting the main one. Best parts are Hee Joo and her mom (this convinces Yeon Jae to confess to her mom), Ji Wook and his dad (he fights for his love and the right to be with Yeon Jae), Dr. Cha Eun Suk's character development (from a cold, detached doctor to a person who feels), Yeon Jae's mom and seongsangnim Kim Dong Min (she says sorry and lets her mom re-marry).

Prepare to cry your eyes out by the latter episodes from heartaches. However these heartaches are necessary to drive at resolutions at the end. I found the heaviest part when Yeon Jae finally confesses to her mom of her condition. Her mother's wail, tears and 'Eottoke' lines delivered like she was going crazy drove ME crazy. Interestingly, I felt this was the climax, not scenes with Ji Wook as their reconciliation was resolved earlier.

I could not have asked for a better ending. Like many others I was cringing at the end because I knew from the start that it was a tragedy and death was inevitable. And yet, Scent of a Woman chose not to end with a tragic note. It provided closure to unresolved relations, uplifts us and leaves us with a strong desire to do the same with life. Fighting and living it to the fullest.

Great writing, great cast, awesome soundtrack although I can't say I'd like to watch and go through this pain all over again.

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Soooo boring

Honestly, I've seen slower paced shows than this one, without being this bored.

Throughout the entire show, all I remember is constantly checking which episode I was on and thinking "How is it only episode 8??" or "How am I supposed to make it through another 20 of these?!"

The cast was good, the music was okay, the plot seemed interesting. All the ingredients were there. And then you start watching and you don't really care about the FL, and you get tired of all the marriage talks, and you're no longer sure whether the characters have chemistry or not, and the only interesting person ends up being the CEO.

And then that ending. That stupid ass ending. What's the point of deciding to never get married if you're going to exchange the couple rings. And then hold the ceremony where you exchange promises to each other. And proclaim your love and announce your life plans to your entire extended circle of friends and family. That's exactly what weddings are, dammit!!

Just. Skip this.

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Nunbal just wrecked me out. It was a powerful movie that left me with a heavy heart.

The story contained a lot of lessons, which are realistic, and it was not only focused with the two young student, who happened to get to know each other unexpectedly. I like how the ending left a strong impact to its viewers and somehow it successfully made me feel how weary and guilty the characters are.

The theme of the story was truly melodramatic which was given justice by the cinematography, music, dialogues and even the characters. Everything just fits well, great enough to make me feel what the director and actors were trying to portrait. Probably the reason why I was deeply affected and bruised at the end, so a great kudos for that!

The story was meaningful and realistic to this generation specially to the young ones. Romance was just right, enough to make the viewers feel the connection behind the Minsik and Yejoo. I'm glad it wasn't overly done like a typical romantic movie to attract most of the viewers taste. Like I said, romance was just right for the story plot.

The acting was great! I guess I wouldn't feel as wrecked as this if the actors/actress did not give justice to their characters. Yejoo's character was on point. An isolated girl, who only wanted an acquaintance and comfort. She was only being tough to everyone but she's really a soft and kind hearted. I love to see her smiling at most parts. And, I really like the way she opened up with Minsik. I felt relieved somehow. Minsik's character was also on point. Although, it's somewhat hard for me to describe his personality, I personally think he was locked with his own self, which caused him to restraint his actions, making him like a coward. Most of the viewers will probably hate him, and I did because he just triggered my every nerve! But I honestly felt bad at him more than how I felt bad at Yejoo. The ending was impactful to the viewers and it was strongly addressed to Minsik...


I think the story wanted us to step forward and act ourselves because no one will act for us. Guilt will forever serve us if we acted too late. Also, it tells us that attending Church meetings wouldn't cleanse our souls if we do not act and think accordingly to what was being preached there.

I don't know what else I am missing but this story is too meaningful!

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Girl Who Got Loved In A Painful Way

This was a very unique, creative and well acted black comedy psychological thriller series. There are three departments where i absolutely adored the show.


Firstly, the production quality is visual stunning and stellar. Starting from cinematography, background music, editing, lighting, color grading, styling, set pieces to locations. Everything was refreshing and eye pleasing.


Secondly, the acting here is award winning, amazing and heartwrenching. Each and every character be it positive or negative has left a mark of their acting chops on me. I personally loved everybody's performance. Yes it was damm amazing to watch such a star studded show.


Thirdly, the storytelling is very unique and engaging. The X factor about this show is that each character here be it positive or negative is always a protagonist of their own story. The characters are extremely complex and the narration shows that very well through giving equal screenspace to every character.


Every episode shows different kind of drama. There is office drama, school drama, prison drama, sex drama, family drama. Each episode tells a different story keeping one protagonist in constant but with 3 different faces. So i would like to applaud the webtoon writer for being so creative and Mask Girl team for being so unique with their visualization that they presented such a highly dark and gritty psychological story through elements of adult and black comedy.


Overall i simply loved and enjoyed. For me this is a sheer masterpiece. I only wish this had more episodes so i could have enjoyed it a little more.

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This drama is so intense and dark... it’s way darker than voice 1. The story outline is so tight and detailed... maybe that’s why it took 2 season to finish this arc.

The brutal scene and music that can make you cringe and hold your breath for a few seconds.

I didn’t even expect the cannibalism part... that was so unexpected.

For the ending... it’s the most suitable and realistic. Try to understand that it’s not easy to fight his demon... let’s give him a break and hold your idealistic happy ending.

There’s a post credit. Hoping for next season.

If you haven’t watch this... then give it a go and prepare yourselves.

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Story: Having seen the Japanese version, it was nice to see this version change things up slightly. I really enjoyed these changes and really liked the ending!

Acting: 10/10!! I number of times I cried watching this. The Kids were amazing!! The chemistry between the maknae and the housekeeper just make me emotional, they were the best! All of the actors were fit for role! I have no faults! If you must, just watch it for the maknae :')

Music: Beautiful/emotional songs like Lim Kim-I'm Asking You with the emotional/tense scenes just turned me into an emotional mess. It was perfect! Gah

Overall: I would highly recommend this. It is a bit long and I asked myself at episode 9 "What are they going to do for the rest of the episodes?'! It could have easily ended at episode 18 but I'm glad for the last two episodes, as we got a clear ending which wasn't rushed.

Gah I can't get over how well the kids acted. I loved watching them so much!

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An overrated drama that's worth a watch

I was eagerly waiting for this drama's subs ever since it came out. I saw some clips posted on Instagram which looked cute and the people couldn't stop raving about it. However I am coming out with a disappointment - maybe my expectations out of this were too high. It was also a struggle watching this drama with very subpar subtitles but I'd like to thank the subber who gave us the subs out of their goodwill.

STORY + CHARACTERS:
It's a run of the mill contract marriage story. However the professor and student twist was something new and for once the girl isn't treated badly by the male lead. The leads have decent chemistry and are quite natural with each other, which is hands down the highlight of this drama. The supporting characters were all nice and cute but the spark was missing for me. I cannot pinpoint to what was missing but this drama didn't leave me satisfied by the end. The slow burn between the leads was nice but Yun Shu was a very average character. Her sister was annoying at first and I couldn't care less about her romance with the actor dude. I think I rather preferred the storyline of her best friends. Sadly I am not the biggest fan of the male character either - he was a typical tsundere but albeit a little less likable. For example- he reminded me of the male lead from Intense Love who was far more lovable and cute. Zhang Shinan's character and childhood were cliches. I did appreciate the relationship he (and Yunshu; later) shared with the grandfather.

ACTING:
The biggest issue for me with this drama was the main actress. I understand this is her debut drama and she is very, very pretty but she just fell absolutely flat for me. Miles was alright- he had some cute moments but sadly his character was very cliche. The supporting cast was also just ok- nothing that great as is the case with most C-dramas. Maybe if the casting was better this drama would have been upped in quality as the writer at least tried to make it a bit different.

REWATCH VALUE:
Won't be rewatching this. No parts were that memorable for me. The kisses were sweet and became better towards the end.

OVERALL:
Meh. Like I said - it's cute but terribly missing out on a lot. I think good thing is that there aren't overbearingly annoying second leads. They back off rather quickly. There was also nothing too sad in this drama so it retains its airy atmosphere till the end. Even the ending is full of hope and positivity with the grandfather which I liked.

I can recommend to the people who are looking for something where they wish to turn off their brains and enjoy the romance. Romance is quite alright and the male lead is getting quite popular from what I understand. I'd tell people to give it a try although I'm in the minority who didn't really enjoy this one much. Time to move to the next drama.

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So I never saw the first season (billed actors didn’t attract me enough and I don’t like dramas that are associated with “Sex and the City). However the fact that Lee Jin Wook (I keep tabs on him) was back in first lead role status definitely put the second season on my radar even if I didn’t like the main female lead actress( hated her in Que Sera Sera)…

Story: I loved the idea that the 2 main leads had a history for a really long time before they broke up. I didn’t think it could be romantic watching their journey back to each other but man did I eat all that angst up. I also enjoyed the romances of the main female character’s 2 friends.The plot is really simple though but if you love romance than this is a drama for you! The ending though is a bit unrealistic but i dont care cause im a sucker for happy/cheesy endings=)

Acting/Cast: Like I said I didn’t like Jung Yu Mi in Q.S.S but have seen a movie she was in and I’ll admit she is a pretty good actress. She definitely changed my opinion of her as she made her character in this drama really likable. I wouldn’t mind seeing other things she does in the future. When it comes to our first male lead Lee Jin Wook, I thought he was perfectly casted as he made his sometimes jerky character human and just very likable. I was soo obsessed with them being together because their chemistry felt so intense but I liked that it didn’t seem forced. As for the second male lead Kim Ji Suk, I'm just going to say it now; I didn’t like him! I don’t know if its his acting style or his character(came off really obsessive/too eager) but yeah lets just say I wasn’t rooting for him at all to get the girl. When it comes to the supporting cast, I didn’t know the actresses who played the female lead’s friends but I loved their characters and also the actors that played their loved interests. Everyone had chemistry as far as friendships and romances goes.

Music: I wasn’t expecting to get an OST that I could put on my ipod out of this but I just really enjoyed the songs (gave off an indie vibe).

Rewatch: The drama feels short and since I had a lot of fun watching the first time I wouldn’t mind watching this every year.

Overall I Need Romance 2 is a very easy breezy watch with realistic characters.

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Shades of history mingle with Shakespeare in this exquisite drama depicting the final days of Gorguryeo. Knife and Flower may not be for everyone, judging by low ratings and apparent lack of online buzz. But for those who love divine cinematography, tremendous acting, or stories made beautiful by the telling, don't miss out. This is a sageuk wholly unique from others in its genre. Be forewarned the first episode is shockingly bad; everything in this drama seems experimental in one way or another, but the initial offering equates to the lab exploding just before the scientist achieves unexpected success.

What makes Knife and Flower most alluring will be cinematography. Only full length films can compare with the high quality and artistic direction which can be seen in this drama. Occasionally I tilted my head at an edit, but these moments can be counted on one hand. The world looks deep and authentic, though colors dictate mood and atmosphere. And how about the action scenes, you ask? More than impressive, since most of the actors appear trained and capable.

Like the introduction implies, Knife and Flower marries literary archetypes to elements of reality. Many characters actually existed and several events portrayed actually took place (albeit embellished for dramatic effect). The historical backdrop imparts solid atmosphere, bolstering weaknesses with varying potency. I loved how brutality and unrest, definitive of the times, was neither gratuitous nor shied from; the elegance of the story shines because of the deep tragedy marking it. Some problems exist, admittedly. As in Romeo and Juliet, the love line begins dubiously due to chemistry. The entirety of the "Golden Flower Agency" felt underdeveloped, despite its necessity to plot motion. Execution of the time skip initially had me frowning. In the end, everything comes to maturation with surprising clarity and beauty. The viewer will doubtlessly be bitten and drawn in before they even realize.

Performances in Knife and Flower are incredible, many perhaps even award worthy. Choi Min Soo, in his turn as infamous Yun Gae So Mun, hits the master class. He is mysterious, compelling, and intimidating; if a glance could kill, the entire region would drop dead. But the nuance Choi brings to the role could make even the real thing proud. Uhm Tae Woong and Kim Ok Bin are masters of speaking with the eyes. Reserved silence is required of them, but what isn't said is almost as powerful as the implicit. Others of note include No Min Woo (Nam Sang, of beautiful appearance and withered heart) and Ohn Joo Wan (Bo Jang, a more sympathetic echo of Hamlet).

Music must enhance, not get in the way. After the quirked eyebrow misses of the first episode, the soundtrack honestly excels at this. Orchestrations hit the right notes, especially those tied to suspenseful or moving scenes. Wax provides the tearful anthem "Dear Love," and with lyrics so lovely, whether or not it played meant the difference between dry and wet eyes.

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One of my personal favourites but might not be yours

My humble apologies as this review is not in my normal style. I did start to write the typical review but after several paragraphs, I had to stop. I was doing my usual breakdown of the plot, discussing certain scenes and review the acting when I realised that I'm not making sense why I like this show so much. So let's try something different . . .

On paper, this is a mid budget, college romance with no big name actors. AKA a B-grade c-drama that is turned out by the dozen every year to feed the programme scheduling beast. I would go as far as saying that it is better than a typical idol drama but still hardly a top tier show.

Now that we have laid the cards on the table, please indulge me with a bit of subjective rambling. ;)

As a college romance, my expectations are quite low. I’d be happy with a decent filler while I wait for the next blockbuster release. What I didn't expect is to binge watch all 24 episodes with barely a pause. I still can't quite quantify the reason why I liked it so much but it just clicks with me. May be a lot has to do with the script resonating with me. I was fully invested in their lovelines. Even the little acts of love and kindness feel just right to me and spark joy. I actually watch with anticipation which is rare these days. Meet Yourself was the last show that touched me in a similar way but that show is S class.

Similarly, the acting of the leads resonated with me. Yes, their characters are cliches. The usual feisty FL and ice king ML but there is depth to their characters. Both have damaged psyches due to their upbringing and the breakup of their family unit. They have a fear of abandonment and while the FL hides behind a facade of exaggerated cheerfulness, the ML learns to show no emotions as a way to survive living with his demanding and abusive mum.

While many shows have used the fate card to tie the leads together which usually involves some form of childhood entanglement or accidental encounters that are nothing more than contrivance, this show actually sticks the landing. The leads' childhood friendship is quite poignant and has a long lasting effect on both of them. How they resolve their historical misunderstanding is beautifully done. Once again, this is a very subjective point. Some might see it as dribble and a blatant act to tug at our heartstrings. That is a fair call and I can only say that it works for me.

I am also surprised that the 2CP is good as well. They are not the lazy pairing of the typical BFF's just to fill the quota and use up some screen time. Their romantic journey is heartfelt and I can ship them wholeheartedly.

Both CP’s have great chemistry and a decent amount of skinship. Once again, they just appeal to me. I like how they complemented each other. They're provide each other with what their SO is longing for.

Of course it can’t be all rainbows and unicorns. There are some narrative issues. For instance, while the show is angst lite, it is not all smooth sailing. Although none of the protagonists are really evil, their actions still have a significant impact on the leads and their friends. Yet they are readily forgiven and everyone just carries on as if nothing has happened. That doesn’t sit comfortably with me. Some of the side plots are meaningless and some of the support roles are straight out of central casting. I don't mind them in the bigger scheme of things but others might take umbrage.

I can see the good and the bad of this show. They are not dissimilar to other shows. Yet, it hits me in the feels like few others. So my score for this show is more subjective than usual. You might have a different opinion and I respect that.

I am happy to recommend this show but your mileage may differ.

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Brain turned out to be far from what I was expecting. From what I'd heard about the drama, I was expecting a romance emerging against the backdrop of a hospital setting. For better or for worse, this is far from what Brain actually is.

At the beginning of the series, Lee Kang Hoon, the main character, is presented as a typical male lead. Cold and cruel, I was expecting that with the influence of Ji Hye, the female lead, his coldness would 'melt' as he fell in love. This usual formula for k-drama that I've grown so accustomed to turned out not to be the case in Brain. Rather than a romance of any description, the way I see this drama is that it's more of a character study of Kang Hoon, a deeply troubled and, quite bluntly, deeply unpleasant man than anything else. He's portrayed to absolute perfection by Shin Ha Kyun, who executes the many layers to his character flawlessly, yet I wouldn't say at any point his character becomes likeable. There are elements of pity and sympathy evoked by his character, but on the whole his character works to be so memorable and defining in this drama by how unswervingly calculating, vindictive and petty he is. This is actually one of the things I most admired overall. It's a bold move to have a lead character who simply isn't a 'good', kind person that's easy for an audience to root for. It sets Brain apart from a more typical series to have it lead by the kind of character who would be cast as an antagonist in most dramas.

With such a strong lead character as Kang Hoon, there's not a lot of room left for a convincing romance to be built up. As I've said, I was expecting this drama to orbit around the romance between Kang Hoon and Ji Hye, but this really wasn't the case at all. Their romance felt much more like an after dinner chocolate at the end of a meal than anything substantial. I'd have perhaps liked it to have had more resonance in the series as a whole (I'm so used to k-dramas being love and nothing else that I was disorientated...) especially in shaping Kang Hoon's character. The synopsis hints at this but it never really happened to any marked degree in my eyes.

I would say the driving plot behind this drama is the politics of the hospital and the battling of egos amongst the surgeons. This is part way facilitated by how Kang Hoon's unchanging motivation is to be recognized as the best neurosurgeon, regardless of who he has to step on to get there. While I found this whole theme fairly interesting from a character development point of view, it did get tiresome when other plot threads were overlooked in favour of yet another scene of arguments over who was going to get to do the next complex (and therefore prestigious) operation.

As I've hinted at, there are a large number of sub-plots to this drama, many of which had the potential to take this drama from being just good to really excellent. Unfortunately, I felt a lot of them weren't really filled out as far as they could have been. Some, for example the whole role of Seo Joon Suk in the dynamics of the drama, felt like they just fizzled out and I was left wondering why they'd even been introduced at all. It was as if the writers realized they'd added in too much for a span of only twenty episodes only after they'd piled the drama too high with potential plot threads. I wouldn't say this was a major hindrance, as the main plot remained strong as it was and didn't need a lot of back-up, but I still came away feeling a little disappointed that other elements hadn't really received much of a resolution.

With this drama, I think almost inarguably its strength lay in the quality of the cast. Superb performances all-round. This isn't just the main cast, but also the secondary characters who played an important role in giving colour and a sense of warmth to the hospital setting. I especially enjoyed the little romances hinted at and forming in the background throughout the whole drama, which were not a focus but were adorable nonetheless.

Overall, I was addicted to Brain while I was watching it, and got through it back-to-back over three days. Although it wasn't everything I hoped and thought it would be, it definitely had that je ne sais quoi that kept me watching fanatically, compelled to know what happens next. I'd definitely recommend people give it a try. If you're trying to find something a bit different from the usual formulaic Korean rom-com, this might be just what you're looking for.

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Boys are in love... and they actually "talk" talk!

This drama was peak serotonin for me. A sweet, high school coming-of-age romcom, full of puppy love and fluff with no melodrama or forced angst. Also, this is an example of what happens when actual teenagers play teenagers. It added a layer of authenticity that helped me root for the characters.

What really stood out to me is how all the couples handled communication. Misunderstandings happen, but here they were not milked for the drama and dragged on forever. They actually talked, listened and sorted it out with no unnecessary angst, no soap opera twists, but just a bunch of teenagers who accepted and acknowledged their flaws and moved on happily.

Our two main couples :

Shane & Kit were giving the textbook opposites Attract. Shane was more of a dependable, observant and academically driven type who always had a plan in his head for his future. While Kit was spontaneous, flirty and more emotionally transparent than Shane.
They both balanced each other. Kit taught Shane to loosen up a bit and Kit discovers the comfort of being seen. They did argue and stumble but that is what made their dynamics feel real. It was just two flawed people trying to figure each other out and meet in the messy middle. These two absolutely have my heart! <3

Kim & Mon, on the other hand, felt like they were cut from the same cloth and got along well from the start. The romance between them felt sweet, soft and very gentle. Kim was such a spark with his earnestness and openness and while Mon, though initially a little reserved, gradually let down his guard. They were more fluffy and fairytale-ish compared to Kit and Shane.

All four of them have their own insecurities as they should and I think the drama did a good job of expressing that. It might not be the most mature way to handle things when I view it through an adult lens, but as teenagers, their small disagreements and emotional responses made sense.

While the drama gets a lot right, it’s not without flaws. Some of the conflict especially toward the later episodes started to feel a bit repetitive and recycled.  They did quickly resolve the issues but it was always the same. If I had to give an example, it would be how Kim struggled to express his feelings or communicate his thoughts to Mon, which ended up causing tension and misunderstandings between them. If they wanted to me to root for them, I needed more.

Another issue I had was that we didn't need a fourth couple here. Tar and Per looked absolutely forced to me on the romantic front. I always saw them as best friends who teased and irritated each other but at no point did I look at them and think, “Ah yes, romance is brewing". It felt like the writers just threw them in like, “Why not? Everyone gets a love line!”

While I wasn't too sure about the teacher's romance, but they completely grew on me. They were surprisingly wholesome together. With Tan's awkwardness and Nat's understanding, their bond felt very sweet and you could see they respected each other a lot.

Acting-wise, I feel everyone did a good job across the board. The younger cast members in particular, were impressive and I really hope they’re given more substantial roles in the future to fully showcase their talents.

Overall, this was much better than I expected. It was like a sweet blueprint of teens navigating their life with love, dreams and changes around. While the script is nothing out of the ordinary and it does feel like it plays a little safe but the charm here is that it never loses its tone or tries to be something it's not.
I would definitely recommend it if you are looking for something angst-free and fluffy.

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Watch Lighter and Princess first!

Listen to me. Have you seen Lighter and Princess? No? Watch that first. You’ve seen L&P already? Then be prepared for a downgrade when watching this. These two shows are quite comparable. The setups are the same (a college romance in the beginning) and the basic structures are similar. Both include a breakup at the midpoint with a timeskip (not a spoiler), with a significant business focus sprinkled in between while ML desperately attempts to salvage whatever love they have for each other. It’s difficult not to compare them.

The first 14 episodes or so are fairly standard. Nothing to write home about. A college romance. He’s a sneaker designer starting his own business, while she’s a struggling college student entering the world of business finance to support her mother. Slowly but surely, a romance develops, only for the show to break them up in the latter half of the story. Sound familiar? I told you it’s similar to Lighter and Princess. This is where the writing truly begins to test your patience.

I wouldn’t call it toxic per se but the “will they, won’t they” shtick was really annoying. The pushing each other away in order to protect the other person had my eyes rolling numerous times. ML is particularly guilty of this, and his decisions led to significant consequences.

There is a second couple, but many would find a professor-student relationship pairing weird, but I didn't think much of it. Their storyline was not particularly interesting by the end anyway.

For me the best thing about this show was the opening duet performed by Arthur Chen and Sabrina Zhuang. Really good.

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