Reviews

This is really so bad. I wasn't expecting it to be so bad because I had seen the rating here plus it's on so many lists on youtube. But gosh, this is just terrible.
The plot is mediocre. Best friends get drunk and sleep together. One of them has a girlfriend which makes things more complicated. Surprise, surprise the girlfriend is a bitch.
First of all, I would like to mention how much I hate Knock. Even when Korn and Knock slept together, Knock kept acting like Korn raped him or something, dude it was consensual sex, you are to be blamed as much as him, why the fuck are you acting this way? You dumb sorry excuse of a grown ass man. And later on, he doesn't do anything to redeem himself. He remains indecisive, keeps playing with Korn's feelings, and is forever a big of a slut. One would imagine him being nicer to Korn after hearing about how Korn's ex-boyfriend cheated on Korn but noooooooo, he two times and gives him false hope and once even goes as far as to say that he chose his bitch girlfriend but would like their relationship to be the same. Lol fuck off, Knock does not deserve this piece of shit and I stand by my opinion.

The only complain I have with Korn's character is that instead of showing him as a person, we see him more as a person in love. Idk what his personality is.

Yihwa, my girl is the star of this shitty show and the reason why I watched the entire damn thing. Fai is a cutie too.

The doctor is fucking disgusting and Farm is really dumb oh lord.

My head hurt watching this. Proceed with caution.

Leggi di Più

Extremely boring

I don't have much to say about this short series aside from the fact that I'm extremely underwhelmed. I had high expectations. Since there was only 4 episodes I figured they had to get things going fast. I also really liked the cast. I'm a fan of both Park Hyung Shik and Han So Hee; so finding out that they were starring together made me excited.

That excitement sadly fizzled out pretty quickly. There is nothing wrong with this drama per se. It's just that nothing much happens. It would be odd to say that a drama that only has 4 episodes was dragged out. But that's how I feel. This should have been a movie. Or better yet. Not have existed at all.

I can't point at any specific thing and say that's bad. In fact, there were several scenes that I actually enjoyed, But there was maybe 1 or 2 such scenes in every episode. Which left about 35-40 minutes each episode that felt wasted. Those 35-40 minutes felt like fillers.

So much of this drama felt unnecessary. This could have easily been wrapped up in 1 episode, and still have been boring.

Now to the acting. I like both Park Hyung Shik and Han So Hee's acting. They are both fantastic actors. Seperately. Together, they just don't have any chemistry. I can barely believe these two are friends, let alone lovers. I think they both would have benefited from a more dynamic drama.

Oh well. That's 176 minutes wasted.

If you are fan of slow dramas, where nothing much happens. This might work for you. But if you're like me and actually want something to happen. You would be wasting your time with this.

Leggi di Più

Ugh (ft. slow and boring)

Cheating dramas are problematic. Without genuine reasons of cheating, it would be difficult to convince viewers to stay. This show gives silly reasons for why men cheat their good & hardworking wives and why women would yearn for company of married men.

Without the revenge track, it would be difficult to soothe the fewer viewers who had somehow managed to stay. That's not gonna happen in this one. Nah nah, not in this season, I don't give a rodent's posterior about the revenge, if at all, that happens in next season, if at all, that manages to air.

This show wastes time in talking about random things like golf, oriental medicine, dogs blah blah, in the first half of episodes and glorifying whatever "love"/lust emotions cheaters were feeling in the second half. By the time, it reaches the point of actual cheating, already 10 or 12 episodes are gone. Even good and realistic dialogues are made to lose their charm by saying again and again. Episodes after 5 or 6 can be finished in 15 minutes.

There were one or two things I liked. One, the kids of 50yr couple and 40yr couple. Their words and actions were so mature than their dads' (lol!). Two, the radio station scenes and the ladies' work dinners along with Seo Ban. Both the scenes had interesting dialogues especially Seo Ban's snarky replies.

I can only conclude that the writer has taken her audience for dummies, spoon feeding them; telling them in nagging dialogues instead of showing them with subtlety. She could have written a tighter screenplay excluding all irrelevant scenes. It could have been tiny bit interesting had she not made the mistresses so generic, so predictable.

In final episode, the hurried afterthought of adding new character and "new" links between characters was badly executed cliffhanger. By then, the drama is already an overkill. Although my curiosity is piqued, life is too short and I would rather spend my time watching something amazing.

It's a pity that this was well produced drama oozing extravagance. It's a pity that the music and OST was so good especially, Dead Inside and Memory. It's a pity it had good actors.

Leggi di Più

Glorifies dysfunction, abuse, and harassment.

This was the most dysfunctional, twisted, depressing “romance” that I’ve ever had the displeasure of watching. I should have dropped it but I kept holding out hope that it would improve. It didn’t.

I know I’m in the vast minority but I honestly don’t care. The more I watched this, the more depressed and angry I became. Not a single couple in here had true love. Every single one is going to continue in their dysfunction. The “happy endings” are an illusion. None of those couples are going to stay happy or stay together. It’s impossible given their immense character flaws.

Characters should have flaws, and they can even have horrible ones, but they should improve over the course of the story and none of these characters did. They were all either abusive or abused and fully intended to stay that way. Not one of them knew how to respect the other’s wishes or accept “no” for an answer.

CHARACTERS

Eun Chan
She was immature and selfish. Yes, she worked hard, but she also quit the moment it got emotionally difficult. She got angry over the stupidest “offenses,” and demanded respect that she hadn’t earned. She had no thought for how she made the people around her feel. That’s not carefree - it’s thoughtless and disrespectful.

Childish and child-like are not the same thing. Childish is thinking and behaving like a child. It’s not something an adult should do. She had no filter. That’s childish. She threw tantrums and couldn’t control her emotions. That’s childish. Those are not admirable qualities in an adult. Her perpetual optimism, her innocence, and her ability to take joy from the small things in life - that’s childlike and those are good qualities.

I was fine with gender bending at first but she took it way too far for entirely selfish reasons, but at least the show acknowledged that. I give it points for that. What she did was not okay. But I won’t harp on this since it’s the one thing they got right in the show.

Then she was happy that Han Gyul gave up his dream for her but she was unwilling to return the favor. This sort of reverse sexism is not okay either. There’s absolutely no reason she couldn’t study and become a barista while also getting married. There’s nothing bad about relying on someone else, especially in today’s economy. No, she shouldn’t become a princess and sit back and let him do and pay for everything, but she doesn’t have to be completely independent either. She only wanted to be independent for herself, for her own selfish reasons. It wasn’t because she didn’t want to be a burden to him, it was because she wanted the security of being self-sufficient. She didn’t want to feel scared or guilty again like she did after her father died. Being independent for those reasons wouldn’t be bad except that she did it with no regard for Han Gyul’s feelings.

Her complete cluelessness about sexuality and the sexual desires of men is, unfortunately, a common theme in Asian dramas. Are Asian women really that clueless? Do they really have no idea what they’re doing to men when they refuse a man’s advances so vehemently? Do they really feel no sexual desire themselves? I can’t believe that’s true and I really hate that women are depicted that way in nearly every drama. I can forgive it in the historical dramas but not the modern ones.

Han Gyul
He was abusive - physically and verbally. Only fourth-graders tease and belittle their crushes. Emotionally mature adults don’t. It’s completely inexcusable that he verbally abused her in front of other employees and customers. Not only was it disrespectful toward her, it was a poor example for his employees, and thoughtless toward the customers and how it might make them feel hearing that.

It’s commendable that he was willing to love Eun Chan despite the fact that he thought she was a guy, but if he’s not genuinely gay, then that probably would have lasted only until the clothes came off. Sexuality isn’t something you change just because you decide to. Making it seem like he could is belittling to homosexuals who genuinely struggle with being unable to change their sexuality even if they want to.

That he kept hitting on a girl who was a) taken, and b) had sort of made her feelings clear, was not okay. It was another instance of a character not taking “no” for an answer.

I give him props for not giving into his grandmother’s unreasonable demand that he break up with Eun Chan. I also like that he didn’t act like a typical rich brat-prince. He didn’t understand the value of money to those who don’t have it, but he also didn’t flaunt his wealth or act like poor people were lesser beings. He was clueless about the personal lives of his employees but this is a flaw that he did seem to correct over time. He worked hard at the cafe and didn’t sit back doing nothing just because he was the rich owner.

He probably grew more than any other character in the show.

Yoo Joo
Ugh, what a hot mess. She couldn’t decide wtf she wanted. She walked in the gray with Han Gyul, knowingly toying with both Han Gyul’s and Han Sung’s feelings, and unwittingly with Eun Chan’s. She had left Han Sung for DK, then left DK for Han Sung, but stayed friends with DK despite the obvious insecurity this caused Han Sung. She did only what she wanted with no regard for others’ feelings whatsoever.

She was materialistic and admittedly selfish. She was also childish and annoying. But, she was kind to Eun Chan most of the time, even after Han Sung “cheated” on her with Eun Chan, which was admirable.

But, she stayed confused throughout the entire series. When it seemed she’d figured herself out and proposed to Han Sung, then she started resenting the restrictions of the relationship and the pregnancy, and went on an all-night binge with her friends, again, with no regard for Han Sung’s feelings or the welfare of her unborn child. She made no progress as a character whatsoever.

Han Sung
He was as much a hot mess as his girlfriend and only changed because he was forced to. He didn’t really get over Eun Chan. She rejected him. Threatened with losing Yoo Joo on the heels of losing Eun Chan was too much for him. It wasn’t that he loved Yoo Joo that much, but more than he just couldn’t handle being alone. He couldn’t fully accept Yoo Joo as she was, but couldn’t live without her. That’s not love. That’s codependence.

Min Yeop
He was a doormat that couldn’t take “no” for an answer. He was also manipulative, but that’s because Ha Rim taught him to be that way. “Angel” treated Min Yeop like sh*t and while he stood up for himself briefly, it was only to get her back and then he went back to putting up with her crap.

I don’t like to disparage other cultures but the trend of playing hard-to-get in Asian cultures is detrimental and dangerous. “Angel” made it very clear that Min Yeop’s advances were unwanted but he didn’t stop. Having him succeed in getting her through such methods only perpetuates this harmful trend. Because of this, men don’t know when “no” really means “no.”

Sun Gi
Hot af and I loved that he spoke Japanese when he was angry, but he also didn’t know how to take “no” for an answer to such a stalker degree that he drove his ex into hiding. Twice! That’s restraining order level of harassment. It is not okay.

“Angel”
She was a straight up bratty b*tch and everyone let her be that way. She cared for absolutely no one but herself and saw others for only what they could do for her. She “fell for” Min Yeop only after he stopped pursuing her and once she wrapped him around her finger again, she proceeded to continue to treat him like sh*t. She was a despicable human being.

Grandmother
One of the only characters to have a redemption arc. She started out as a horrible person, despising Eun Chan because of her social status and her appearance. Thankfully, she was able to eventually see past that and respect and like Eun Chan for who she really was.

Eun Chan’s Mother
By far, the most grounded and balanced of the characters. She knew her flaws and worked to fix them. She knew her limitations and stayed with them. She knew her responsibilities and performed them. She kept her priorities straight.

STORY
This is a true slice-of-life series. There was no plot or throughline whatsoever. All the tension came from petty arguments between the characters. It was depressing and infuriating.

OVERALL
Yes, it had a happy ending but it was anticlimactic and for me, unrealistic. Or rather, too realistic. All of these relationships are ones that we often encounter in real life and maybe that’s what most people like about it but it’s precisely what I hate about it. If I wanted the crap of real life, I’d walk out my front door. When I engage in fiction, I want something better than real life. It doesn’t have to be Disney perfect but this was just a futile story. Like I said at the beginning - all of these couples are going to continue to have problems. They’re not going to be happy.

I did not enjoy watching this. I don’t recommend it. It glorifies dysfunction, abuse, and harassment.

Leggi di Più

This drama started so wholesome then it turned bitter and heartbreaking. I was very interested in the main couple in the beginning, as episodes went by the domestic abuse storyline grew and overshadowed the main plot.
Patriarchy played a huge role in the way the abuse and the reaction (or lack of) to it was shown. Nobody seems to truly step back and say: you don't deserve to go to jail, you're both victims, his actions were inexcusable, and neither of you were responsible for the situation he created. Instead, it's played as if their intelligence and arrogance as intelligent, beautiful women is partially to blame for the situation.
Both sisters lived their lives as shells, not recovering and basically never speaking about it. They tried to punish themselves in their own ways, hurting Hae Won in the process. Essentially making her the third victim of her father, which I’m sure she would have been if he stayed alive long enough.
I feel like the show gives the abuser (a sort of) free pass, trying to present him as a ‘good’ father and socially likable, as if that makes what he did more okay? I needed a scene where he was vocally called out and branded as he was – a manipulator and an abuser, that scene never happened.
I wish I could end the review with a positive note, but I cannot. Society plays a crucial role (along with the law system) in situations like these. Women should be able to speak up and be heard, not blamed. Society as a whole needs to open the topic of domestic abuse and not bury its head in the sand.

Leggi di Più

Makes as much sense and is about as entertaining as an 80's song medley

This may start off as a youth romance but pretty fast takes a turn to the kids acting like adults, with adult gangster problems... or is it corruption, murder CEO problems?

Though the drama does have some fluff and a whole lot of cliches, what strikes me the most is the dim beige/grey lighting that ads a slightly depressing filter to the drama... And even though they spend a lot of time at the beach I feel like I keep missing the sun.

The acting could be better, there are some sweet well preformed moments here and there but neither of the leads are very good with facial expressions and emotions. That said both are pretty good at delivering physical scenes as well as action and tension. However the moment they are supposed to feel something it just becomes cringey be it sadness, love (not lust though), anger... It just feels off....

If I were to play a drinking game about finding lines from 80s song, show of abs or the words I will always love you, I would need to get my stomach pumped by the 9th episode or so as the "always", and love confessions come as often as (I will let you use your imagination), only to be disproved over and over again... I love you, I will now leave you, I will always love you... I will run away and if you love me you will not look for me... over and over again or at least that is what it feels like...

That said it is an ok watch, mostly entertaining and fun to watch just make sure to turn off your brain before you start watching it as nothing is consistent, nothing makes sense and the lack of scars as well as the healing power of those young men can put Connect (the drama/webtoon starring Jung Hae In) to shame.

Leggi di Più

Imugi and I deserved better.

I went in thinking I’d love it — and honestly, I kind of did. At least in the beginning. But by the end? I don’t even know where to start.

There are five things I really like:
Strawberries.
Climbing walls ( I want to be like Janja Garnbret)
Playing in the sea all day like an overcaffeinated dolphin
Angel Fruity Fair by Mugler (smells like happy)
Ghost stories
This is how little I need to be happy.
I like romance movies. I love stupid and fluffy romance movies that make me have teary eyes or even bawling my eyes (The notebook) out and rom coms are also Okey.
So by all logic, I should’ve adored this series.
But… yeah. About that.

The Short Version:
Overall, it wasn’t bad — there’s definitely an interesting story here — but I’m still a bit disappointed. The pacing dragged. It felt boring — unnecessarily stretched — and could’ve wrapped up in 10 episodes without losing anything important. I sound like a hater but I was really enjoying it at first the premise was nice and I liked the ghost and shamanic aspect but the execution was a bit weak and sadly there was just something missing — maybe the pull that connects you with the world and characters.


The Long Version:
It watching like your typical run-of-the-mill romance, but with fantasy elements as Imugi and ghosts. Reading the summary, I honestly thought this was going to be fantasy adventure with a shaman, magic, dragons etc. And honestly? The series had me in a chokehold during the first half. I was completely captivated by the setting and the characters. It was imaginative, fun, and pulled me in right away. I loved how we got to learn their backstories — it gave the world more depth and made it feel alive. I especially enjoyed the dynamic between the two leads — it had that "reluctant allies to lovers" vibe, which I’m always a sucker for.
But then… the second half happened.
The pacing slowed a lot (like… snail-on-vacation levels of slow), and the events started to feel repetitive.
Unfortunately, encounters with ghosts—one of the story's selling points—didn’t live up to expectations. They lacked tension which made them feel like a chore to get through a trial began, I found myself wishing it would end quickly. It’s a shame because they had so much potential to bring excitement to the story. It wasn't scary, it wasn't exciting, and it wasn't worrying. Worse than that though, the plot took a predictable turn—the exact one I hoped it wouldn’t—which made the final twist feel underwhelming and, honestly, pretty eye roll worthy. Lots of eye rolling.
Okay.
That didn't work out as long as I wanted. Anyways.
I cannot deny that it is beautifully filmed, and this is perhaps why I stayed with it for as long as I did despite feeling a bored by it. I was seduced by the cinematography. I think if the plot had been tightened, and so wasn't quite so long, it could have really worked better for me.

Leggi di Più

Mirror of the Witch is a mediocre drama. The story line is interesting and different, but it is written in circles. Some of the story is riveting, while other parts I felt were just more of the same. The production and cinematography is appealing. Also, the age difference between the leads didn't mean a thing. I probably would not have rated it as high if the lead female character was not awesome. She is written so well as smart and strong which is great to see. Although I get why it ended the way it did because it makes since for her character, it was still bitter sweet. I felt like it was a waste considering how much struggle the other characters put into keeping that from happening. I guess I would have rated it higher if the ending had been different also.

The acting is good. Kim Sae Ron is a great little actress and I hope that she can keep that skill into adult hood. I enjoyed her portrayal of Yeon Hee with both vulnerability and strength. Yoon Shi Yoon also did a good job as Heo Jun. He had the most character development and he was a cool character. The other actors were ok also.

The music is good.

I won't rewatch this.

If you like supernatural historical dramas or a Yoon Shi Yoon fan, then this isn't a bad watch.

Leggi di Più

Listening Snow Tower is an interesting story with a plethora of well-performed martial arts moves, giving vibes of Legend of Fuyao. Somehow it seems virtually impossible to go through the drama without mentally imprinting Wuji on Yi Qing and Fuyao on Jing Rong and this is where memory lane goes incredibly right to some viewers or incredibly wrong to others, puffed out from the strenuous exercise of going backwards and forwards between the dramas.

For those that have watched and enjoyed Fuyao, Listening Snow Tower is a good drama to pick up to maintain momentum as it can postpone the sad drama withdrawal. Denial isn’t good but the dramas actually are.

For those that have watched but either dropped or immensely disliked Fuyao, then stay away. This is not nor will it be a favourite flavour of tea.

For those that have absolutely no idea who Fuyao is, Listening Snow Tower is a great drama to watch and then once finished, a binge on Fuyao is a good idea. Keep in mind though that Listening Snow Tower has a faster pace, not really suitable for those that enjoy slow-paced dramas with draggy unnecessary scenes.

This drama as the title so aptly explains in three short words is about Listening Snow Tower and one should really listen. The pugilistic world is a mess, with the out-of-favour and out-of-power Snow Tower due to a rift of internal struggles. Betrayal is never done by an enemy and the cliché is proven right once again as if, it actually mattered to the story’s development.

Yi Qing is the heir of Snow Tower that takes over from his deceased father. As a first task, rebuild and restore Snow Tower’s reputation to its former glory asap. The thing is Yi Qing is ill. He has been ill with an incurable disease since childhood which mind you is not a hindrance to his state-of-the-art marital arts skills and his strategic thinking. His illness does not control his life nor does it run it. Yi Qing loves Jing Rong, the orphan daughter of the Blood Demon who also returns his feelings.

Fuyao again. Like Wuiji protects Fuyao, helping her achieve her full potential, Yi Qing protects Jin Rong, helping her become stronger so that she can fight the Moon Sect bent on destroying Snow Tower alongside him.

Jin Rong is filled with guilt when she finds out that her life is fated to bring others misfortune. Fuyao all over again. Then there are the battles for power amidst the sects, nothing out of the ordinary or remotely original but well accomplished.

The performances do not have the star power of Fuyao however the leads and remaing of the characters are well-matched and performed. Nothing exceptional but nothing to be critical about either. Indeed the drama might all appear a bit bland but bland is better than having a salty meal.

Visually Listening Snow Tower is good, not going over the top with weird-looking bright-pallet coloured costumes which have dragged many a good drama down with its fruit salad look. There’s contrast, white, red, black and it works wonderfully for those who like a more manga/comic book look in a drama with a small number of colour variations.

Overall, is a good enjoyable fast-paced drama, a bit hard to stop watching, a bit hard not to binge on it once one gets into it. Rating: 9.5 out of 10.

Should one watch it? Definitely but forget about Fuyao if possible and enjoy the series for what is worth!

Leggi di Più

A ''product life cycle graph" drama -_-

So basically this kind of graph picks up a lil low but suddenly rises up, goes on stably for a lil while and then again suddenly declines to it's lowest point just to keep up at the same level until the data is over.

The first and foremost reason I came to ONE THE WOMAN was Lee Ha Nee. I have loved her acting for a long time and the plot saying the drama is a female centric got me even more excited. I don't watch anything ongoing so what got my attention later was the overwhelming response to this show in Korea for an internationally less talked Kdrama. But I came here to only be disappointed and frustrated.

Lee Ha Nee got a double role character in here playing both Prosecutor Cho Yeon Ju and a conglomerate DIL Kang Mi Na of Hanju, who are lookalikes. Mi Na suddenly disappears from an event on an usual day but in her stead Yeon Ju was found severely injured at the same venue. She loses her memory due to amnesia and everyone takes her as Mi Na. Confused by everything happening around her, Yeon Ju tries to adjust into the completely new environment but unable to control her rough & outspoken behaviour. Han Seung Wook (Lee Sang Yoon), Mi Na's in-law cousin and heir to the largest share at Yumin, comes forward to Mina and tries to protect her bcs she was her first love. Together, they try to resolve the issues in both Yumin & Hanju and also dig into the mysteries of both past & present while unveiling astonishing truths about themselves.

There are in fact many familiar faces in here which is another reason to look forward to this drama though it failed to a great extent. Kim Chang Wan ahjussi as Noh Hak Tae, Hanju's legal head yet great supporters of lead couple, Kim Won Hae as Ryu Seung Duk, the chief prosecutor at Seoul Central District Prosecution, Jun Gook Hwan as Han Young Sik, Hanju's chairman and Mina's FIL, Ye Soo Jung as Dir. Kim, the house manager for Han family, Lee Won Keun as Ahn Yu Jun, Yeon Ju's only friend at prosecution and Mina's older SIL are some major roles. Sorry couldn't help but mention all these names bcs in fact they're good actors.

In other minor characters were, Jung In Ki as Kang Myung Guk, Yeon Ju's father ,Na Young Hee as Seo Young Won, Mina's annoying MIL, Song Won Suk as Han Seung Woon, Mina's husband, Jin Seo Yun as Han Sung Hye, Song Seung Ha as Han Sung Mi, Mina's younger SIL. The 1st 2 are very good but are minor roles here. I am particularly disappointed with Song Won Suk's acting though his outfits were all aesthetically beautiful.

It's visible that the writer is a rookie. I mean there are few jakka who at least deliver a good piece without much to complain about but there are some others who fail from many angels, that's the case here. Even for the most major character of Lee Ha Nee turns one dimensional after first few episodes and started exaggerating her role . She would have been doing more while bearing 2 identities at the same time but rather she sticked to one thing and absurdly ignored the other in an entire sense tsk tsk tsk. I will never complain about the ML's passive character because I always think both ML and FL should have the same essence in a story, but I don't think Lee Sang Yoon's character wasn't at all futile. They made fun of neuroscience in many ways and not to forget, of psychiatric and psychological treatment methods. The middle portion was infact full of illogical elements which can be laughed upon.

The basic plotline isn't anything new; it felt like the writer took inspiration from 80s-2010s Indian movies bcs the storyline is exactly the same as many Indian movies with a taste of Kdramas to it. The plot development is extremely awful in the 2nd half of the show. The first 2 introductory episodes were a bit uninteresting tbh but I hoped they'll do better, which actually happened. The show picked up the perfect acceleration from ep3 and made me look forward to the next. However, it again became slow & boring from the 2nd half of the 7th episode. I was hoping that'd be temporary but it stayed the same till the very end. Now read my first paragraph and you'll realize what I wanted to explain. Well, I got very bored from 8th episode but forced myself into it till 11th and then fast forwarded it at 2x till the end.

There's no consistency in setting up the scenarios in the drama either; the director did a poor job in that regard despite their experience. For first 7 episode it was full of family drama (not on the makjang level tho) then till 11th it was an investigative melo and for last 5 episodes it became a power trip between the chaebols. I would have been a lil more pleased if it were evenly distributed throughout.

The best thing about this drama was the comedy elements and 1st-7th episode is full of that only; may be that's why I wanted to continue with the drama despite the 'not at all new' storyline. Especially, it was Ha Nee and her responses & expressions, my goodness; I enjoyed it so so much, like she could carry the entire drama on her own. I wish it could last till the very end, but alas. In fact Kim Chang Wan ahjussi and his annoyed self was soooo cute plus funny. The family melodrama scenes had me laughing crazy, I swear.

The romance storyline for the drama started off really well. It was interesting and the revelations, tho cliché, were well executed. The gradual development ended somewhere around the interval and I as expecting something nice but it wasn't of any use, other than momentary tease party and kisses. Somehow, it can be an unique way if you see but for a drama meant for entertainment I couldn't find anything out of it.

One thing I can't deny is that the last part issue of revealing all the truth behind the 14yo incident involving all the major characters, were quite well written though the execution could have been better.

Overally, One The Woman can be either a n one time watch with fast forwarding the 2nd half or used for trash watch. I wonder why it was breaking records in Korea but it's not even anywhere near the average ratings for cable dramas, i.e. 7-8% (?). Thankfully there isn't much hype among the international fans and I am not gonna recommend this to anyone. I didn't have much expectation or whatever but given that the possible potential was wasted collectively by thw cast & crew, I have to express my utter disappointment.

Leggi di Più

Korean television rarely does science fiction, so Circle has novelty in its favor. Unfortunately it tries to cram the entire genre into a mere twelve episodes. It dashes from alien encounters to mad scientists to dystopian utopias to cyberpunk hackers to clones without ever stopping to flesh out a single theme or develop a unique voice and production style. It raises some interesting questions about the role memory plays in identity and whether trauma is an important part of our humanity or an impediment to happiness, but it never digs into its ideas in a meaty, revelatory way. Plot points are introduced to provide “twists” and then discarded when they’re no longer useful. Characters often behave in unbelievable ways, and perfunctory directing leads to visual inconsistencies and hackneyed acting choices. Yeo Jin Goo is talented enough to be riveting anyway, but the rest of the cast suffers. The final result is a show that feels more like a sketch than a finished product. It’s fast paced enough to hold viewers’ attention but it doesn’t give either of its worlds or timelines the care and attention they deserve.

Leggi di Più

I really love this drama, I always re-watch it. Please, reply if there will be a season 2, I am really hoping for season 2

The Episode 30 is so cool but kinda short for me, please give us the season 2

SEASON 2
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*Warning, this review has very vague spoilers.....but I thought I'd warn regardless.*

I decided to watch this drama because I absolutely adore Shin Min Ah and So Ji Sub. They are two of my very favorite Korean actors--I'd watch anything that includes them. Even though this drama wasn't really my cup of tea (for reasons I'll get to in a second), that still stands true. I'll watch them in anything--they're great.

Before I get to my problems with the show, I'll first touch on what I liked:

1. A slightly unique k-drama ending. Without giving anything away, the drama pretty much wraps itself up by episode 14. Cue the horror I felt that the next two episodes were just going to be one angst ride of a cliche after another (just to fill the quota of 16 episodes). It builds up to a point where you think it will go in a normal kdrama cliche, but instead veers to a sharp left, avoiding it. It was surprising and appreciated. It made the next two episodes more fun, sweet (ie a certain scarf scene), and cute. I really felt that was needed (because of the previous episodes). So definitely a kudos on that aspect.

2. The mementos and theme. While normally the idea of keeping a band-aid REALLY grosses me out, I thought it was an endearing touch on the theme of 'injured people need time to heal wounds that are sometimes really hard to see.' That theme is brought up often, especially as a personality trait that the main-lead has a weakness for in others. Various people in this show are injured in some way or another and I liked seeing how the show dealt with them overcoming that. Having a band-aid be kind of the OTP's 'thing' was nice, especially with how it all tied in at the end.

3. More realistic(ish) kisses and an actual sexual relationship. It's pretty common place that in a k-drama you're going to get those dead fish kisses (which this drama is not devoid of) and just no mention of sex at all. That's just Korean dramas for you. So whenever a drama breaks that mold, like this one does (slightly) it's a big deal in my book. The side characters got some REAL actual kisses and the show made it clear that the OTP had sex (and there were even some scenes that were really playful with this concept). So that DEFINITELY gets a huge thumbs up for me.

Now onto the problems/things I didn't like about this drama:

1. The BIGGEST problem was the family dynamics across the board. Family dynamics were underutilized and not played to their full potential. They were also SUPER confusing. Especially So Ji Sub's family. He rarely interacted with his father or grandmother--so it was super hard to connect with them or get their impact on what the story was supposed to be. He only interacted with his half-brother ONCE (the end episode)! I also just didn't understand his relationship with his uncle or step-mother--they just never interacted. I just didn't understand why....there was huge potential missed there. You barely get a feel for Shin Min Ah's mother and certainly not her brother, nor do you truly understand the pain she had of losing her father. I just....I don't know, felt hugely let-down by the family dynamics, they just didn't play a role in this drama and I felt that left gaping holes in the plot, storyline, and cohesion/flow of the story. It was sooooo confusing, to the point where at various points it HURT my brain trying to figure out why the writers were purposefully skirting around all the normal issues that would involve family scenes. It was almost as if they were working hard trying to prevent any family scenes from taking place, it was weird. Everything felt really disconnected in that regard.

2. Maybe this is just my own weird thing, but.....I thought all the fat jokes/cliches were, ugh...annoying. They continued, right up to the end. Sure, they were trying to make it a "Oh, being healthy (also on the inside) is a good thing, not just losing weight!" But it was essentially just a story of a girl losing weight and gaining a guy. Sometimes I felt like they went a little overboard to the point where it got a little cheesy and cliched (not to mention annoying). But again, that may just be a preference thing. At least this drama only had one instance of weird K-drama bathroom humor. So I'll count my blessings with that.

3. The convoluted angst. It's true that for the most part, this drama is pretty bubbly and comedic. BUT when it does do angst (particularly the antics that break up the OTP) it did not work for me, at all. This may be a slight spoiler, so *WARNING* but at one point, the So Ji Sub leaves her (for in my opinion, a dumb reason).....and for some reason won't allow her to see him, at all. Also, no texting/calling....nothing. Just a complete up and leaves with no trace. He's supposedly supposed to come back to her at some point, but I just felt it was stupid. I didn't understand why it was so important that he had to cut her off, it made no sense. It felt like they were creating angst for no reason and brought me out of the story. It was just dumb. Also, anything angsty like that, just wasn't handled very well. It didn't flow with the story well.

4. Overuse of flashbacks. When a drama is using enough flashbacks to the point where you say to yourself: "Dang, that's a lot of flashbacks." It's overused. It became a crutch and a pointless time-filler. It was fairly annoying, because these flashbacks weren't just of the far past of these characters (which is fine), but things that happened JUST barely. It became really apparent that they were using it to fill time for episodes, which made it just seem sloppy and overused. It to be honest was a little off-putting.

So overall, just not my cup of tea. Not completely horrible. There are some good reasons to watch this drama, but I fear it's a little overrated because of the actors in it. Just be prepared for some confusion and a little bit of frustration if you decide to watch this drama. I hope your experience will be better than mine was.

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