Reviews

Wait what? This show is already over, but nothing really happened.

Level Up is unfortunately an entirely forgettable kdrama, at best a show to leave on the background. There is nothing offensive to turn you away from the drama, and there is also an equal amount of positives to draw you in. At first glance, it seems to have a trendy setting in the modern world of mobile game development, but the story actually falls back to bland kdrama cliches and tropes.

A quick glance at my watchlist shows that I’m stingy on ranking dramas highly but also lowly. Ultimately, a large group of people came together to produce this show, and I, ultimately, watched all 12 episodes. So, it is difficult to give any rating lower than a 5. I would only recommend watching this drama for seasoned Korean drama viewers who have already seen the vast majority of romcoms in the kdrama sphere and need something to kill the time.

Story:
The plot of Level Up is a very basic office romcom, secondary leads interfering with the mains and plot-convenient office SNAFUs. In my opinion, there are two ways Level Up could have tried to be different. One, overload on the comedy. The few outrageous scenes were quite funny, though it may not be to everyone’s taste. Two, deliver meaningful commentary on actual modern gaming issues, like mobile gaming/gambling addictions. Instead, we get a very middle-of-the-road kdrama, where an experienced viewer will be able to predict the majority of the plot just based on the premise.

The romance also comes off quite bland. The two main leads seem more like 2 close friends or 2 close colleagues, but somehow the viewers are supposed to see them as a romantic couple. This show is a classic example of forcing mains together.

Acting:
I’ll only cover the 2 leads to minimize the length of this review. I first saw Sung Hoon in Oh My Venus and enjoyed his character in that drama. Based on the online community, I see that he has since been typecast into the character we find in Level Up. I find that unfortunate as I contemplated watching “I Picked Up a Star on the Road”. I can see why viewers are disappointed by his performance in Level Up, but I want to attribute it to the plain writing. For example, he is quite popular as a cast member of I Live Alone, if you watch (or want to watch) Korean variety shows, so he has more to offer than the cool, cold persona.

Similarly, I found Han Bo Reum to be quite funny in Go Back Couple. Her character in Level Up also shines during its comedic moments, but the emotional/romance scenes do demonstrate her weakness as a main lead. Sung Hoon will get more acting roles based on his popularity, but I also hope Han Bo Reum gets a chance to demonstrate her growth as an actress in the future.

Music:
There is very limited English information on the OST for this drama. Based on MNET, there are 3 songs on the OST, 3 ballads. They are all fairly vanilla and do not stand out from the over-saturated kballad genre. I found them enjoyable nonetheless. As a side note, I am not sure if you will be able to easily find English translation for the lyrics.

Rewatch Value:
Given there are easily 50 other dramas to watch before watching this one even once, it would be impossible to rate the rewatch value any higher. I hope I didn’t sound overly harsh throughout this review as, again, I did watch each episode as it aired.

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Cliffhangers galore

Probably the one thing that I hated and loved from the first season the episode cliffhangers, especially now as I wait for the finale. Really love this series it gets its hooks in you and won't leave, you'll dream about this show and the things that aren't quite explored. Love all the cast, they are all wonderful the collection of characters, yay and hugs to those writers they need accolades galore. This will move you and have you on the edge, definitely binge worthy series every episode you won't want to sleep because each mini cliffhanger will drive you insane. I really hope there's a third season I think there's plenty of material to expand upon. Praise to the actors and the crew, well done another brilliant season.

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Stop glorifying problematic behaviour as love

The male lead is problematic. Everything about him is red flags. He is not cute, loving, devoted or whatever...

This show was popping up all over my feed and i got lured in by all my friends going ga ga about it. The production is gorgeous. The music is wonderful. Acting ranges from good to average.

But God the male lead is an ass. The first kiss is just urghhh... He grabs her by the jaw and literally smashes his lips with hers. What does not help is that the girl is tiny so it looks like he is almost assaulting her.

The first time they sleep together he bribes the hotel owner to say that there is only one room. In 2020 when we are speaking about consent more than ever, this does not come off as cute or naughty bit creepy.

He is possessive to the extent that he dictates how long the girl can meet her childhood friend, she can't touch him, can't laugh, maintain x amount of distance... Like wtf!... And then proceeds to sit at another table in the restaurant and watch over her. Towards the last episode the friend asks her to lunch for celebrating or something (don't remember) and she flatly refuses and says that her boyfriend will not like it.

This show sends out such a wrong message to young girls. I'm reading YouTube comments and young girls are going on about how will they ever find a boyfriend like him. I hope that they don't. This is not love. This is not an equal relationship. This is not cute.

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Reminds me of Brewing love, but better

I have been waiting for this one for a while now. It's finally here and I couldn't wait to start.

At first it seemed too much like Brewing love, which I only finished because of Chanhwi. There's no fantasy element, there's potatoes instead of beer but other than that it's very similar. The first episode wasn't very good but I gave it a chance because it's the introduction we have tonget tonknow our carachters before the fun begins.

Episode two took of and I could not stop laughing, This show is absolutely ridiculous, full of clichés and absurdity. The male lead is so unlikeable the female lead is so loud and over the top but it just works. It's not to be taken seriously just sit down and have a laugh. It's dumb fun and I will continue to enjoy it as such.

A little update after watching 6 episodes it's becoming sillier and sillier, episode 5 made me laugh so hard my belly ached.

I understand why people aren't liking it it's just a dumb shutdown your brain and watch kind of drama and the humor is very stupid which is not for everyone and it's OK.

I finished the whole thing today and it was Ok overall, it just kept getting dumber and dumber as the story progressed with the last scene being so stupid it was cringy.

There wer some minor hiccups here and there, Like Park Kise should've been ground up and used as potato fertilizer but it's fine it's not that kind of drama. (I'll just imagine it happened).

While The younger brother and the best friend might have been the funniest duo I didn't quite like them together, I don't know why. He's so freaking adorable and she's crazy and so funny but as a couple I didn't like them much but it's probably just a me problem.

I will be generous and keep the 8.0 rating, this series is inoffensive, give it a chance if you like silly and you'll have a good time.

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romance at its core

Overall: I gave this a 9 because even with plot holes/nonsense stuff the romance remained strong throughout and I enjoyed the series. 12 episodes about 40 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala in: US, UK, Germany, Australia https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4709/kidnap-2024-e01 ; Netflix Asia http://www.netflix.com/us/title/81927 ; YouTube in some countries https://youtu.be/KhSyfKC06J4

Content Warnings: murder, attempted murder, blackmail, violence, kidnapping, mental health struggles/trauma, past death, blood

What I Liked
- an engaging intro that for once wasn't a flashback or a flash forward
- clear and unique premise
- subverted meet cute
- tension
- supportive sibling/sibling relationship
- sweet/caring moments
- characters were aware of their own and other characters' feelings
- ongoing physical intimacy
- a character went to therapy and their partner was extremely supportive
- that the villain had consequences (though I would have preferred it had happened differently)

Room For Improvement
- the beginning scene needed a little more light
- why did the guitar have to make an appearance in episode 1
- a ton of nonsense stuff (ie had all the lights on when going to sleep, being in the rain led to colds, doing villainy in broad daylight, talking about illegal plans in a public place, a character didn't run away with another character in the past, and a lot more)
- "comedy" sound effects like the quack noise didn't make things funny
- the trailer made it seem more of an action series when it's mostly a romcom

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"The poor lacks much, but the greedy lacks more."

It's true that humanity survives on greed and as they state, there is no greater calamity than greed. A man's greed is like a snake that wants to swallow an elephant. From the synopsis, this drama might look like a survival game to you, but it's much more than that. Somehow, despite it's message the drama is just mediocre. Watch it with a major TRIGGER WARNING, if you are sensitive to gore and dark elements.

Squid game (Ojingeo) is an age old Korean game meant for kids where you have to play within marked boundaries with certain designated titles. You have to secure your title by hoping on one leg first and if you reach a certian point, you become the "Royal Inspector" who can use it's both legs. Now you have to just defense the opponent by any means and reach the peak to win. The drama uses this game as the main objective through a flashback in the beginning which is also the destination of the story journeying through sets of several games.

Ki Hoon (Lee Jung Jae), an unemployed and divorced man in his 40s lives with his mother working as a chauffeur and huge sum of money oweing to loansharks. Sang Woo (Park Hae Soo), is an SNU graduate who lost his money through invested stocks, eventually turning into a conman. Both of them are childhood friends who loved playing squid game with others kids. Both of them come across some kind of agents who trick them into a game where they can win a huge sum of money. Not knowing what exactly the game is, both of them choose to give it a try and land up in an unsual environment with 454 others among whom Ki Hoon is the last, i.e. 456.

Lee Jung Jae and Park Hae Soo are master actors in the industry which everyone is aware of. Other than them there are plenty of familiar faces as well; Jung Ho Yun, Wi Ha Joon, Heo Sung Tae, Kim Joo Ryung, Oh Young Soo are those prominent actors. There is an Indian actor Anupam Tripathi in the main character too.

Other than that there are 2 very big shots in the drama with 2-3 scenes so we can call that guest roles but trust me, they are 2 of the key characters in here. You won't find them in the cast list, just to be surprised watching the drama. So go ahead, haha.

The games are quite intriguing if you have not watched likes of it (Liar Games, Alice on the Borderland, etc). I wonder why the screenwriter cum director Hwang Dong Hyuk took 10 years to complete this story. I mean this drama is nothing sort of very wow or anything. Judging from all the aspects, it's just mediocre. The drama fails to provide proper side stories for the main roles in order to back their characters well.

Cinematography, which is very important for dark thrillers like this, was pretty beguile, hence keeping the viewer attached. The sound ending was apt for the mood and very suitable to the scenarios. The story progression is okay but becomes out of order or inconsistent at many points, especially the last 3 episodes. Some scenes were very firm and eye-catching but still......

I think all the hype about this drama lies on the fact that people here die like mere insects and as we know violence and bloodlust are what people love the most, lol. The twists are pretty predictable, particularly when you're an avid Kdrama fan, it's pretty much easier to guess the major plots of it.


The finale is very lousy. The games end in the beginning of the episode and becomes slow. The lame setup towards the ending, indicating for an another season, annoyed the shit outta me. The writer-director did a very poor job in that regard as well.

Soooo....overally, SQUID GAME is an average one time watch. The ending is not exactly an open one, like we can just assume on our own but in another way you might expect one in case the production hints at it. Otherwise, there is no particular and firm necessity of another season. Sure there are few questions that they left unanswered but I can't be certain about another season.

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Slow-burn stories are usually hit or miss for me. But ''Find Me In Your Memory'' is an exception - it was average, not the biggest hit but definitely not a miss. It has a heart-warming main storyline, beautiful romance and soothing atmosphere, but at the same time too many filler scenes and overused tropes.

There's no use of mentioning that the idea is far from original, the amnesia trope has been used so many times already and even though I'm totally sick of it, here it wasn't that bothering because it was part of the main concept of the show. The ''thriller'' elements though... they could have done a better job with the plot twist, I just couldn't care less about the stalker. I mean, I know it's not OCN so I shouldn't have expected the most shocking twist, but still, it wasn't even a 'twist'.

I'd hever thought that a romance between Kim Dong Wook and Moon Ga Young would actually work but it did quite nicely. Lee Jung Hoon and Ha Jin were imperfectly perfect for each other and their relationship developed very well. Dong Wook and Ga Young's chemistry was shockingly amazing and, ladies and gentlemen, we witnessed real kisses! God bless!

The second couple was cute, but I wish the controversy hadn't happened. Well, I hope Lee Jin Hyuk will be more careful from now on. Your whole career can be ruined for a second, dude, don't make stupid mistakes.

The acting was good overall. Moon Ga Young completely owns my heart. She devlivered such a subtle and brilliant performance and was perfect as Yeo Ha Jin. This role was made for her.

Overall, I would recommend Find Me In Your Memory if you're in a mood for a slow-burn romance melodrama. I don't think I would have managed to finish it if I didn't watch it while it was airing, it's a very slow-paced show and two episodes a week were more than enough for me not to get sick of the story.

It's not something special, but it's nice. I would even rewatch some scenes with the main leads, I simply loved them together!

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Cliches & cliches… And I can still smell cliches!

Good Acting but nothing else…


You can go through the sypnosis given in MDL, it's how this story starts… The same repitative Poor FL-Rich ML trope… & that also with a cold arrogant male lead who's actually a big hot-shot CEO as if there's nothing else in the world except him. The CEO offers her a deal (actually tricks her into signing it) and she willingly sells herself off to act as some WIFE.

Things that convinced me to give a lower rating ~
☠ What's new? there's accidental kisses (too many of them), wrist grabs with long pause, constantly looking at each other moments (and me be like "Let's skip 30 sec" the same thing is still going on "Oh no! Let's skip more………" ) and ta-da this is how they fell in love, a bitch yet Beautiful looking 2nd female lead who plans obstacles, then ML saving FL like some superhero, the good 2nd male lead (who will never get the girl **actually sad for him** )… again what's new!?

☠ the villain here or 2nd female lead ~ doesn't gives a damn about her own life, has no self respect & just wants ML anyhow so she keeps pestering him even after he rejects her with insults… she is evil af… I wanted to shout at her. "Girl, wake up. He is married. He jumps around with his wife, praising her & what not. So please open your eyes. Move on. You are pretty, rich & talented. You deserve better." Oh! but she wants to be villain after all…

☠ The 2nd couple which is often like a life saver in a drama didn't stand out much here… like I didn't get half of their story & they were just not acceptable… how did they fall in love, where is the passion coming from…
☠ again, female lead is too helpless. Either male lead or second male lead backs her up for every development…
☠ They talk about fashion here & there but there's actually not much variety in clothing visible… actors had been repeating clothes constantly…

☠ Male lead is a stalker. Like let her be independent please…
☠ Female lead was taking advantage of SML till the end… like Girl he confessed to you already yet you keep talking to him as if nothing happened and even accepting extra helps from him…

Things that saved the drama some rating ~
☘ Sichen's mom
☘ The acting by Wang Zi Qi, Ian Yi, Zhong li li and others…
☘ Even though there were loopholes with the story yet the chemistry between Main leads felt real in some scenes… I guess it's their acting…
☘ Second male lead… not evil or selfish… he was ready to become just a friend & silently help her … I really pity him… T_T
☘ Fei'ang (Sichen's Assistant)


[ CAST ]

✦ Yin Sichen ( played by Wang Zi Qi ) — what a drastic change from Prince An/Xiao Jinyu in imperial coroner to Yin Sichen here. He looks good with modern outfits lol. But this alone was not good enough to carry out this drama. He was also good at making that wicked side smile lol… Nevertheless, I think he tried his best on the acting part.
✦ Gu Xixi ( played by Uvin Wang ) — Not having much to say about her. I think the way her role is… she didn't stand out much in the drama. She didn't impress me or disappoint me.

✦ Ran Xiwei ( Zhong Li li ) — Her outfits were on another level. I would like to have some of them in my wardrobe ;)…… well She acts nicely. Infact, great. After all, it's never easy to act an annoying character…
✦ Mo Zixian ( Ian Yi ) — I hope they gave him a different suit lol. He was literally repeating the same suit in the whole drama. He had a good role here & his acting compliments it. I wish to see him in a lead role someday…

✦ Mu Ruona ( Yang Yue ) …&… ✦ Shang Ke ( Li Jun Chen) form the 2nd lead couple here. They tried to form a decent story yet it wasn't interesting for me at all. I don't know it's the concept or the acting but it just felt weird between them and I can't help but skip their already less scenes…

[ MUSIC ]

❥♪I really like u♪ — Clairo Guo
❥♪Because of love♪ — Dou Zhiwen ~ it's the ending theme
❥♪Identify♪ — Zhao Wei Er ~ it's the opening theme.
❥♪Love is coming♪ — Zhao Bei Er
Tbh, I didn't liked any out of these…

[ REWATCH VALUE ]

Nah… has zero chances of rewatch cause there was nothing new or special. If you've watched other Contact-marriage or Fake relationship kind of C-dramas, you must have watched the same trope with different faces…

[ OVERALL ]

Give it a go if you're too bored or wanna watch cliches. It has all kinds of repitative cliches. A cheesy Romance drama including a bickering turned over-sweet couple and nothing else… a watchable drama for fluff lovers too… & I am warning you already, don't look forward to logics here lol

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I really tried

I really tried to enjoy this drama. I can enjoy cheesy, I like romantic, good chemistry, protective, decisive and caring ML, not complicated plots, I find all this great but, grown up women acting worse than 5 years old was unbearable and I ended up skipping a lot of the show just stopping in the rare moments the FL had a bit more depth. I guess that doesn't bother most part of viewers because of the general high ratings. I was actually more drawn to the support ML relationship development with the young sister of the first ML but after getting some good amount of screen time they are cut off and show later on in random scenes without a real follow up.

Positive: Beautiful buildings and homes. I din't give 1 out of respect to the ML who was quite good and able to convey love and emotions in spite of the FL character role.

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The Sweet Taste of Pie

"Cutie Pie" has baked itself into a scrumptious treat. With masterful cinematography, a stirring soundtrack, and impressive performances from its male leads, it serves up a feast for both the eyes and the heart

The chemistry between the male leads is electric, a bond so strong that from the very first episode, one can't help but root for them to end up together. In the emotionally-charged episode 9, as the male leads profess their love and vow to belong to each other, the moment becomes more than a simple exchange of affection. It's a powerful statement of love's power to triumph over adversity and unite two individuals of the same sex

The icing on this already delectable dessert is its commentary on the issue of marriage equality. Gay couples deserve recognition and protection under the law, and this is a message that will resonate long after the credits roll

The drama's imperfections, like a slightly burnt crust or uneven filling, are the blemishes that mark a pie and add to its character and depth. They give it its greatest flavor

For those reading the mixed reviews, I urge you to give "Cutie Pie" a chance. Taste the pie with your own palate, and let it work its magic on you. "Cutie Pie" should be savored by anyone with a sweet tooth and an open mind

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A promising start learning to no where

A drama that got me hooked from the very start. I literally went to what I was 2 years ago, impatiently waiting for the new episodes. But it came out quite a surprise how, the creators can ruin their own creations. I literally have no problem with baekedo not ending together, but they way the drama was messed in the second part, and it began hitting the rock bottom.

Nam jio hyuk has improved a lot as an actor,and Kim tae ri was phenomenal as usual, osts and BG scores were top notch.

This drama destroyed all of my brain cells. But I do not deny the first half was awesome, the youth phase was incredibly relatable.

WATCH THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

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I see the potential but it just never got there

This was an exhausting watch. I suppose you'd expect that given the heightened world of social media but wow did things drag. Idk why i kept watching tbh.

I mainly watched for the social commentary but that felt very flat. Rather than adding something new to the social media/consumerism conversation the same points were repeated and got stale. It’s a shame bc these things should be talked about but the script just didn’t deliver. I was confused about exactly what Ah Ri was trying to accomplish. She wasn’t like the other influencers yet she turned into a hypocrite by imitating the actions of people she claimed she wasn’t like.

The actors were all ok. Nobody was outstanding, just ok. This is the second Park Gyu Young drama I’ve seen where she’s the FL, and I didn't like either of them a whole lot. She suits a side character much better, and personally I think she lacks the charisma it takes to be a FL. Kang Min Hyuk was so mf fine here but I’m afraid that's all he was. Why people are saying the leads had such good chemistry, I don't know. Chae Hee was a CHILD. Shi Hyun was supposed to be the opposite of the two extremes I suppose, but she wasn’t giving me anything to work with. She wasn’t annoying so that’s good. The other influencers were forgettable.

This drama obviously had a lot of effort put into the production. You could feel the weight of the materialism through the screen. It still ended up missing the mark in terms of what it was trying to accomplish. Rather than12 eps this could've easily been 10. Hopefully in the future another drama with this subject matter and bettwr execution will come along.

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Not worth 6 months of wait

Starting off it was still better till I assume episode 7. After that oh lord. The leads had no chemistry AT ALL and I don’t think there’s been a single episode where both of them ACTUALLY willingly loved eachother.

I see a lot of people who had issues with the ai intro but that wasn’t even important considering how bad the plot got.

I felt like I was watching a vertical drama with unnecessary drama. Ep 15ish till the end was really boring to a point I felt— “What even is happening in this?”

The ending was the cherry on top– It was so messy. I was hoping for a resolution, maybe it’s a sad ending or maybe it’s a happy one, but unfortunately it seemed as if the ending was hurried with no proper ending.

I mean you had 7 episodes till 40 episodes and you still give us a horrid ending?

In my opinion, it was not worth the wait AT ALL. I had so much expectations from this considering how well it was promoted but the direction was horrible, plot wasn’t well written and somehow the acting was cringe at some points too.

The only reason I’m giving rewatch value a 1 is because I apparently can’t leave it at 0 😓

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