Reviews

Exactly the kind of drama I love! It was funny from the very first moment, till the very end. Ji Sung has officially become my favorite character of all time. In the beginning (say 15 minutes. 20 tops) I found him really weird. I mean, what's with the retro haircut and the bag-pack? But after that, ahahahahahaha. It was awesome. Eun Seol was kickass. JaeJoong was the ultimate eye candy. I loved Ms Wrestler and Ice-cream! And, OH MY GOSH, the elevator scenes. EPIIC. xD

And thanks to this show stopped hating In Hee (from Personal Taste). If you have the same problem, this show is HIGHLY recommended! :D

Special Credits to the Odd Jobs President Cha did during his community service. Lol. Everytime, he said he was busy, and I thought he was talking about some hi-fi President Wallstreet-ish work and all he ended up doing was making children cross roads or scrape out chewing gums or gossiping with ajummas x). And the 'Whoo Whoo' song!

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Romance done right

Finally a romance that had most of the cliches done right by giving you tons of butterflies. So, so many of my previous issues on how I envision an adult romantic relationship be, were resolved. Even though the number of episodes appear to be long but the relationship and story moved at a very enjoyable pace.
Both the ML and FL where gorgeous, nice and caring, intelligent and could really emote well making this drama to go to top of my rewatch list. The chemistry was through the roof and the skin ship ticked all the boxes for me, was super exciting and organically done. The humor was so adorable.
I guess one of my favorite cliche is a strong, intelligent, working woman who is fully supported in her dreams and is super nice and reasonable in spite of being successful. Not only that she appreciates the individuality of others and support them as well and tries to understand by being flexible enough to try out their choices. The ML is not stoic at all and while being quite knowledgeable in the dating game is still innocent in his own way.
Although I am not a fan of a noona romance with a big age gap, but it can be overlooked easily. Many of other positive points of the drama included closure and support of the secondary male and female leads who loved the primary leads but were able to move on by supporting each other. The dressing of both male and female leads, their makeup, their personalities even most romantic background musical score were on point.
This drama has made me so happy that I'm going around with a stupid smile on my face. Strongly recommended for destressing, relaxing, and being satisfied at the end of it all.

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This is a genuinely funny, must see, romantic comedy. I knew I would love this movie from the hilarious way that the two main characters first meet. Cha Tae Hyun, & Jun Ji Hyun, play each crazy moment so well, and I loved watching their odd relationship develop. The unpredictable (borderline abusive) behavior of the "sassy girl" is what drives the story, but watching Gyun Woo mature is equally entertaining. Most of the scenes are played for laughs, but there's also a good balance between their funny, and touching moments. I couldn't help but root for their bizarre relationship.

The story is smartly told from beginning to end. It's based on a (supposedly true) blog, so each scene is a highlight marking their time together. Focusing on the highlights helps to fit this pretty long story into a concise film, though some of the leaps in time felt a little too sudden. Though fated love is a familiar theme, this story doesn't take the predictable route. I especially loved the ending, which I never expected, because it tied the whole story together perfectly.

I agree that My Sassy Girl is a classic. An american remake exists, but it's barely worth mentioning. This is definitely the type of movie you can watch over, and over again. I saw this for the 1st time years ago, and it's still just as good rewatching it now. I definitely recommend putting it high up on your Plan to Watch list.

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Hardcore Rainbow Taxi member

S2 celebrates the kinship among the Rainbow taxi members. They are the core of the entire season. Its also where it shines brightest and helps you oversee the flaw and some holes in the story.

Where it pales to Season1:
Not as gritty. Season1 was drippling with suspense and often at the edge of your seat thriller. Season1 tiltering between black white and grey had this intensity that couldnt be reciprocated in Season2.

Where it's better in Season2:
Camaderie among the taxi driver members. Their rapport and always having each others back. Their loyalty and love is just really sweet.
The individual cases are much more fleshed out and the variety and scope of the cases were really good.

Highlights
The linking cases and big bad boss. The audacity of the moves Do Gi and the team makes. The subtle flirting between Do Gi and Go Eun. The cameo from Nam Goong Min and Kim So Yeon (very well used imo). The character of Oh Ha Jun who initially irked me and yet evoked sympathy later.

Issues
Some of the infiltration was orchestrated alittle too easily. It feels like you have to defy belief to just roll with it. And Do Gi's been protrayed like superhuman and Go eun a superhacker. There are also glaring plotholes here and there. Theres also alot of product placements that you and I may not care for.

Why I rate it higher than S1
The same reason why I tune in to watch. Ive formed an attachment to Taxi driver the series and its characters. Its almost like watching your child graduate from highschool and enter university. A new chapter, stronger kinship but different experience. S1 was alittle too gory and often I debated in dropping it as I couldnt agree with the punishment Do Gi belted out against the wrong doers. He almost seem like a grim reaper. Here S2 is a fairer vigilante. Most of their methods of punishment is less cruel, not as violent and non fatal.

S3 I pray they dont harm this series and the love I have for each of the cast. Plus it wouldnt feel the same if we are missing any of the core members.

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Hate all the office politics and second lead stories in your romance dramas?

Then this is drama for you. People in the comments are always like, where can I find the whole drama, the episodes are so short.
This drama is pure fluff, this is cotton candy and nothing else.
The episodes are short like some of those "summary of a drama" videos on Youtube. It feels like meeting your divorced friend and asking her what's up lately, and she is like, "Sooo I have this hot younger co-worker..." and you sit there like :flushed: . It is detailed enough, and delivers the dopamine on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

The acting is okay, it's clearly low budget, but supercute.

P.S.: I used this to practice my Mandarin, and it's good for that. Pronounciation is clear and you don't miss much of the story if you don't understand something.

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How Would You Rate Me Out Of 10?

The Actors:
Ha Ji Won's tears: 10/10
Ju Ji Hoon's angry eyes: 9/10
Nana's beauty: 10/10
Nana's underacting: 3/10
Cha Joo Young's beauty: 20/10
Cha Joo Young's overacting: -5/10

The Plot:
ML not having a military backstory (unexpected): 6/10
Using revenge porn not once, but twice as a plot point (without legal consequences ever brought up): -99/10
Killing off through murder the three (I'm counting the movie) WLW relationships (is this some kind of subliminal): -100/10
Pretending sexual assault emotionally only affects women (because apparently men are fine being subject to it if it can advance their career): -50/10
Not ever uttering the word gay or lesbian as if that wasn't a whole dimension of the drama and pretending a full on lesbian movie featuring one of the most prominent actresses as lead in a NSFW sex scene would even see the light of day in SK: 7/10 (added points for the positive wishful thinking)
Encouraging sympathy for the ML when he: sexually assaulted his wife, created and used revenge porn for personal gain, manipulated a poor woman into doing his dirty work and knowgingly let TWO innocent men go to prison: 1/10 (male mediocrity forgiveness in kdrama is getting tiring)

The Music:
Playing the OST everytime anything dramatic ever happens (every 10 minutes): 3/10

The Re-Watch Value:
I'm not even sure there is a watch value there: 0/10


TLDR; If the endless twists and turns of human evil scheming, the unprobable lack of legal consequences for public criminal activity and the tears of pretty women are for you, then watch any thriller kdrama. No, you are not special, Climax.

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Only the cast, costumes, and food earn this drama 5.5 out of 10. Otherwise, a waste of time!

Royal Feast was one of the most anticipated dramas of 2022, mainly because of its star-studded cast. I believe the majority of the "Yanxi Palace victims" have come to see this to heal their broken hearts. I, too, came with high expectations, only to be disappointed by the poor screenplay and writers.

From my point of view, the entire show was about some people cooking and delivering food, jealousy, plotting, stupid cooking competitions, characters being stupid, and so on. To be honest, this drama doesn't deserve to be classified as a romance because the leads had so little screen time together. Most of the time, one would be resisting the other's love, and when they finally get together, they would either quarrel or become sassy. They don't understand each other, and I'm not sure how they fell in love!

Let's move to the characters. The character of the FL, Yao Zi Jin, irritated me the most. She's far too nice for her own good. She got herself into trouble most of the time because of her annoyingly forgiving nature. I sometimes wonder why she did this or why she did that. I agree that this is most likely due to the fact that this drama is based on true events and real people, which cannot be changed at will, but I couldn't stand her.

When it came to the ML, he was more tolerable. But,  I got annoyed with him from time to time because of his lack of tact and his treatment of his cocubines. When his father became Emperor, I burst out laughing. How could a king behave in such a way? He was a complete moron.

Except for Meng Shang Shi, most people in the food bureau were annoying as well. I believe she and the ML's grandfather were the only two rational characters in the entire show. Su Ye Hua and Yin Zi Ping were complete idiots, constantly quarrelling, plotting, and gossiping behind each other's backs.

In short, this drama is full of idiotic, annoying, and stupid characters.

Of course, the acting was superb. The performances of Xu Kai and Wu Jin Yan, as well as the supporting cast, were outstanding. However, believe me when I say that this drama plot does not deserve their acting abilities. What a waste of talent!

The only things that I believe the production team put a lot of effort into were the costumes and the food. I'm sure the actors ate well while they were filming. The food items looked delicious, and I think I was drooling over the food they were eating. (I'm not sure because I was sleepy most of the time.) The costumes were stunning. I particularly liked the war costume that ML wore in the final episodes.

This appears to be a large-budget drama. It's a shame it goes to waste. I think I would have liked this drama a lot more if the writers hadn't been so confused most of the time. I'm giving this drama a 5.5 just for the cast, costumes, OSTs, and, of course, the food. This drama is nothing more than pleasing to the eyes and stomach. If you like any of the actors, this could be a good drama, but if you came here for the plot, don't waste your time.

P.S. I think this is the first time I'm using this much 'annoyed's, 'stupid's and 'moron's in a review.

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A romance drama with pretty people - but that's about it

Overall, I rate this drama a 3/5, ★★★☆☆, a pass. I got into this drama because I loved Ding Yu Xi in the Romance of Tiger and Rose. But I was a bit disappointed.

Let's take a closer look at Intense Love based on my seven criteria (see below for a detailed explanation of the criteria - Intense Love is my first trial to use these criteria).

1. Emotional rollercoaster: 3/5 ★★★☆☆: Intense Love is a simple, almost superficial, romance drama targeting young female audience. The drama has countless tooth-aching sweet scenes between the leads, but I did not feel a lot of emotions because of the lack of chemistry between the leads. The start was compelling at the start, with the female lead being very bold, creative, and a bit cunning, but this soon faded. Her personality became kind, some times even naive, well-behaved, and just helpless in love with the main lead. Dr. Zhou's character is even more boring and only a fraction as interesting as Han Shuo's character in The Romance of Tiger and Rose. This is also reflected in his acting (not sure if I need to blame his role or the fact he was less experienced at that time), which is a shame cause he is such a talented actor. The only watchpoint was these sweet loving romantic scenes between two beautifully looking people; some are beautifully shot (e.g., coffee shower?!).

2. Fantasization: 3/5 ★★★☆☆: I adore Ding Yu Xi, but I didn't feel much of a chemistry between him and Zhang Yu Xi. This might be the reason because both main leads have almost perfect personalities. Zhou Shi Yun: doctor, perfect-looking, kind most of the time, but takes charge when he needs to, can cook well... Bei Bei: actress, beautiful, soft-hearted, but has a cute temper! Like where in the world do you find these people? Why would these two already be engaged since birth and fall in love almost right away? I also find ZYX's acting a bit over.

3. Sleepless night: 1/5 ★☆☆☆☆: the story was never particularly dramatic at any point or particularly sorrowful at any point. I enjoyed watching it, but there was never an urge to want to know what's next.

4. Natural and intelligent Storytelling: 3/5 ★★★☆☆: The story was told fluently without many question marks. I guess the only problem I have with the drama was the setting. Except for some misunderstanding and roadblocks from female rival 2, it was smooth most of the time. To create some drama, the writer created a bit of out-of-character behavior misunderstanding between the main leads towards the end. This was a bit annoying but nothing to be too be angry about given the fluffy setting.

5. Loveable supporting Roles: 2/5 ★★☆☆☆: The best friend couple Wu Di and Xiao Yuan Song were the opposite of the "perfect main lead couple" - down to earth, real and funny. I really like them, yet, their story was not that interesting. I don't understand why XYS has fallen head over heels in love with Wu Di after spending just one night with her. I also don't comprehend why Wu Di would reject him this much. The main critic that their story seems to be just a parallel love story next to that of the main leads, as it has almost nothing to do with the main storyline. Supporting roles need to have a "supporting" function (that's why they are called this way!), yet this was not executed. If you are very strict, you could see them as fillers, a different type of couple to romanticize with.

6. Proper Pacing: 4/5 ★★★★☆: drama has only 24 episodes, just enough episodes to tell the story. There is some-slowing down in the middle, but I did not feel like pressing the fast-forward bottom.

7. Solid Finale": 4/5 ★★★★☆: I was satisfied with the ending. It was a predictable finale given the type of drama it was and the type of audience it was targeting. On the other hand, there was also no forced turn or artificial creation of dramatic, which would have been redundant. There is a 30min extra of this drama, which showed a parallel world in which the two main leads switched roles, jobs, and even personalities (the last one was not very clear). I found it quite refreshing a great add-on to this drama. I wish they could have made a few more episodes.

Overall, if you like pure romance drama, with not much thinking and plenty of pretty looking scenes with two beautiful people, this is the drama for you. Otherwise, I would suggest you spend your time elsewhere.

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Kotori's drama review seven criteria definition:

After having watched many dramas and also written several reviews. I have detected that I rate dramas based on specific patterns. I formulated those into seven criteria.

1. "Emotional Rollercoaster": the degree of how much my heart was moving from the acting, scenes, and story development (e.g., in pain, pounding, fluster etc.)
2. "Fantasization": the degree of how much I care about the fate of the main leads, how often I have to think about them in my everyday life, how much I wish the characters are part of my real life: I call this
3. "Sleepless Nights.": how much I have the urge to binge-watch this drama.
4. "Natural and intelligent Storytelling.": how logically the story was able to proceed and the roles are acting within their characters. I don't have a thousand question marks when watching the drama. The feeling that the makers are taking us viewers seriously and that we do not always think that this looks fake.
5. "Loveable supporting Roles.": how much I love and care about supporting characters. They are not merely tools to support the main characters but are 3-dimensional and have proper motivations behind their actions.
6. "Proper Pacing.": how well the drama is pacing and not watered down to fill the number of episodes.
7. "Solid Finale": how properly the drama builds dramatic and finishes with a satisfactory ending. I have just watched too many dramas that starts to lose its grip around half or 2/3rd of its way.

Obviously, many other criteria could be important as well, such as unique story setup, visual elements, camera work, music, costumes, etc. Some of the points are indirectly included in the criteria, and others are not this important for me.

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Disappointing

This has all the issues I see with Netflix produced kdramas. Unnecessary sex scenes, female nudity (it’s always women), and really bad dialogue. I came to understand Netflix subtitles don’t translate exactly what’s said, but what they translated made it sound as if the script used swear words the way a twelve year old would if they just discovered them. In addition, I didn’t think any female character was written well or treated all that well development wise. It was a huge bummer because the premise interested me. I can’t help but wonder what this would’ve been like produced by another network.

Anyway, I don’t have complaints about the acting of the MLs. Some of the cinematography was interesting.

Sometimes I can ignore some bad spots if the story is intriguing enough but I found this drama also dragged a lot. Disappointing.

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This was a struggle to watch...

Despite all the rave reviews, I REALLY struggled to watch this drama. The meet cute of love at first sight is not my favorite trope, but it can be good if done right (DOTS, Strong Woman, Go Go Squid. Etc…). Here it seemed unreasonable and forced. There is absolutely no build up of why the ML falls in love with her.

I was not fond of the FL either. She lacked depth, and her expression remained the same throughout which makes it hard to become engaged. Also, I just would have liked to have seen the ML paired with someone who could have matched his intensity, at least a little bit. I think Leo Wu’s infatuated stare works best with FLs with a little more energy and reciprocation.

Let’s face it, with his longing looks, Leo Wu could make a tree fall in love with him. I might have preferred a tree opposite him in this. At least it wouldn’t have kept dodging him every time he tried to get close. I just felt the ML was dragging the FL through most of the scenes.

The slow pace is also an issue for me. While I do appreciate these types of dramas, and I do like them sometimes, I have to be in the right mood and patience to watch them.

I do think if you're looking for something that is very low angst, a lot of eating, sleeping and minimal dialogue or Hallmark Channel-isk (skin deep love vs bone deep love), then you might really like this.

For the record, because of the hype, I tried to watch this several times, but after numerous attempts, I had to let it go. Summed up: This series is like hating tomatoes (LAFS trope, FL, slow pacing), knowing you hate tomatoes, but having everyone tell you to just try it, you’re going to love it, but in the end, you not only still hate tomatoes, you’re mad.

2 Stars. 1 for Effort. 1 for Leo Wu.

Note: The above review is based solely on my opinion which I feel is important to express. It is not meant to offend anyone who is infatuated with this series.

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Everyone Hates the Ending But I Don't

SPOILER ALERT: The K-Drama has an "open" ending to a sad, though intensely moving and involving, story. The main characters may or may not get together after the story ends--one isn't sure. I too would like to see a translation of the book to read its ending but, according to ChatGPT, "Understanding Love" has not been translated into English. We are told that the book indicates they do not reunite, but I think the writers of the K-drama intended a more uncertain ending.

I find the English title of the K-drama, "The Interest of Love," to be odd. It's not a good translation of the book title, "Understanding Love." I'm not sure what it means. At first I thought it was a playful reference to the bank workplace setting of the series, because banks pay interest on deposits, although in that case it should be "The Interest on Love." Perhaps it refers to our fascination with love, and should be "The Interest in Love." The question is not an idle one, because at a crucial point in the series the leading characters, looking back, ask themselves if they were once in love, or merely overcome by the "interest of love".

As for the ambiguous ending, I agree with those who find strong hints in the finale that Su-Yeong (the woman) and Sang-Su (the man) will finally get together, or at least give their relationship one more try. (After all, they have never even properly "dated".)
I was touched by Su-Yeong's remark during the walk which ends the story that she had ghosted Ha Sang-Su because their relationship left "nothing more to give or receive." By this I take her to mean that their love had reached perfection, however briefly, in the Tongyeong "Guest House". The question is whether Ha Sang-Su can convince Su-Yeong that love is not continuous perfection, but rather "two people living day to day life together". One hopes he will. Otherwise she faces years of loneliness.

Sang-Su and Su-Yeong end the story as they silently approach the end of their walk up the collegiate "hill of oblivion," with their backs to us. They are not (alas) arm in arm, or even hand in hand. One of the series' haunting soundtrack songs ("Wonder Why") is reprised. In it the singer asks why his departed lover persists indelibly in his memory, why the dream of her cannot be erased (just as Sang-Su tells Su-Yeong he has forgotten nothing). In context the song is an ambiguous close to the series. The film ends before the song reaches a line from in its earlier appearances: "I don't want to love you like I used to." Is the omission a deliberate hint, or just the result of how long the credits ran? It's ambiguous, like this whole series and the relationship it depicts.

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A lot of clichés, a lot of forced drama and not really the vibe of the early 2000...

I could not get into this series from the start... I did not feel the connection with the characters and for me it was just a standard BL with a cliché story. I expected it to be much more difficult for any gay couple to get together in the early 2000, it felt too easy and ordinary.

Of course we needed also drama in the finale with an attempted murder which made no sense for me. Was it done just to make them come together sooner and stir an emotional reaction in the viewers? Was it really necessary? Could it not have done any other way? I don't like such extremes in any series.

So for me, it was on ok show, but nothing which could spark any enthusiasm in me. For a chinese production it felt disappointing for me, at least when I compare it to recent productions which are all way way more interesting. If you want to watch it, you can, but if you don't it's nothing you would miss.

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I dont write reviews normally. But for this drama, I had to :D ! Probably one of the best I have watched till date. The writer keeps you on hook until the end. Twistception at its finest. You wont be able to predict anything, trust me ! Not to mention, each of the characters have a special spot in my heart now. Of course, this is only due to the spectacular acting by the stellar cast. Seo In Guk and Ma Dong Seok stole the show :) With shows like these though, re-watch might not be as great an experience as when you watched it the first time. So with a very heavy heart, I say goodbye to these wonderful characters but with the hope that one day I would have forgotten the story enough to return back to it again.

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