Reviews

Love Story Between a Scorpio and an Aquarius

Wow, what an ending!!! At the beginning of this episode (last episode) I thought this was going to be another amnesia trope but in this case it really worked (also made this entire drama make sense). This is going to put up a serious fight against Crash Landing On You as my favorite drama for the year. I have to say this show surprised me so much. Unlike Crash Landing On You, I came in with normal expectations. One, because I have never watched a show with Lee Joon Gi before despite having watched hundreds of dramas (I know, I know. I have always respected him and admired him but somehow just never watched a k-drama with him in it). On the other hand, I really like Moon Chae Won as an actress. She has never disappointed in any of the dramas she was in. She neve disappointed me in Innocent Man, never disappointed me in Princess Man, never disappointed me in Good Doctor, and has not even disappointed me in Goodbye Mr. Black (yes, that show was a disaster but her acting is spectacular). She has took it to a different level in this drama. Everything just hit so hard in this show and I have never once felt that her character was not insincere or she was acting.

And Lee Joon Gi was phenomenal. As a dude, I always thought all of the other k-drama fans (mostly women) have liked him not just because he was a good actor but also handsome. But he killed it in this show. He portrayed a complicated character so well it is unbelievable. This character has showed and experienced every emotion possible to a human being (betrayal, shock, love, guilt, anger, happiness, sadness, jealousness), everything. To show every single emotion without even acting out all of the scenes is just beyong amazing (of course the writing and directing were phenomenal).

This show also reminds me an article I read half an hour ago about horology (I know this is not related but it kind of is). It was an article about Scorpios and Aquarius. What really stood out was how the two signs have so many obstacles in the way but strangely match up so well. It really seemed to describe this couple.

Do Hyun Su (the Scorpio in this case) does not have a lot of friends. He does not trust people easily. He comes off as off-putting and such a huge jerk. He is hated by everyone as well as society. People do not understand him, they think he is psychopathic. However, as a Scorpio (I am just going to assume his character is a Scorpio-type personality) he can read people easily. Hence why he often manipulated people (he feels emotions but manipulated people simply because he could and it legitimately made sense in his situation). He can read his friend Moo Jin and he can read his Noona. He can certainly read Cha Ji Won as well (the aquarius in this case). Moreover, he cares a lot about the people he loves: his Dad, his Mom, his Sister, his friend, and last but least his wife (also loves his adopted family hence why he was able to be set up by them despite himself being extremely careful and observant, he just loved them too much). He is very family-centric (misses his mom, still loves his dad and even cares about his adoptive family) and loyal (hates betrayals, hence why he wanted to kill the nephew in his mind). However, despite still trusting the people around him, he still cannot trust anyone completely, not even his wife (aggravated by the fact that she is a cop and he is a fugitive). Hence, why he fooled her for so long. However, this drama really pushed him to change (Scorpios don't change easily) to really take a leap of faith and trust his wife completely which he eventually did (however, somewhere he did not know why he trusted her and even doubted his feelings a bit both before the accident and after the accident).

Ok, now back to Cha Ji Won (the aquarius). She is extremely popular with people, is very creative and idealistic. She has a lot of friends but enjoys having her own space. She seems to have a lot of friends but none of them seem to be able to read through her. However, Do Hyun Soo can. Do Hyun Soo finds her creativity and playfulness enjoyable and extremely captivating but he does not know why he likes her (mysterious attraction). He tries extremely hard to figure out everything about her (all of the notes he wrote trying to figure out why she likes something, and all of his effort trying to get her know better). I know it is hypocritical to want to know about someone but hide yourself but Do Hyun Soo is very insecure deep inside (once again aggravated by his complicated past, his fugitive status, and his wife's job). In the end, he seemingly succeeds. But deep inside, he is not only not truly confident that his wife loves him, but not even sure that he likes her (since he does not know why). Cha Ji Won (the aquarius) is also extremely attracted to Do Hyun Soo but she is not 100 percent sure why either. From her point of view, she keeps on expressing her interest (right before they started dating and after the memory loss) but she is getting no response. She is extremely tired but just cannot seem to give up. At the end of this episode, she seemingly gave up but still had some hope somewhere (Hyun Soo could not really go to her in both cases before he was certain that he really liked her).

This all ties back to the final analogy which made everything make sense to me. Hyun Soo, the Greek God who is misunderstood by everyone likes to hang out in his own comfortable space. However, he always has his wife on his mind (Cha Ji Won). He finally realized that just like the Greek God, there was only one person he truly loved and trusted, and that was Cha Ji won.

All right, one more thing. I thought Eun Ha loved her Dad irrationally too much before this episode but it makes sense to me now. She is a shadow of her mom. She is too similar to her mom. WIth the exact same personality and half of her genes, it is easy to see why she loves him. Do Hyun Soo loves her as well which is another parallel to the relationship betwen him and his wife.

TL;DR: Do Hyun Soo and Cha Ji Won seem like they might not be a great fit because of their tumultous relationship but in reality it is all within the process of finding true love. This drama shows that true love is possible and marriage is certainly not the end product of love, not even a child (in fact, it is more likely a new beginning).

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Shameless exploitation of BL audience to promote a music career.

It's a good thing Pete can sing, because if he had to fall back on his acting skills he'd starve to death. He doesn't really act at all. He does appear to have memorized his lines, though, so there's that. Tonliew is adorable as Yoshi, and that's largely why I stayed with this.

The plot is stock - a standoffish star ends up as the temporary charge of our main character, who has to navigate his star through a maze of ill-wishers including the usual malicious ladyboy, which is becoming such an offensive stereotype that I'm going to start boycotting series with characters like this, and also a cartoonishly evil rival actor - you may not be able to spot him. (Hint: he's the one wearing all black at a Thai beach resort).

I can't recommend this, but it's so short that it won't hurt you to watch it.

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ATTENTION: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS!

ATTENTION: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS!

Please do not read if you don’t want to be spoiled!!!


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A simple but effective drama: a murder, a suspect, and a solid story. On the other hand, we have a woman with a very special ability she can detect lies (which would be really useful for us in real life too lol).

Overall, I thought the story was well developed: from their first meeting on the bus, to him becoming her neighbor, the discovery of his identity, the moment she finds out he’s been accused of murder, and how lost she feels because of it. Then the way the story unfolds you’re genuinely surprised by who actually caused the tragedy, even if it’s a bit predictable. From the very beginning, without knowing the plot, I suspected her friend was the culprit. Still, the story stays really cool.The acting is good overall. Not surprising coming from the actress she always delivers. I didn’t know the actor before, so he was a pleasant discovery.

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Could have been more better, expected alot

The Eternal Fragrance feels like it's lacking in many areas, partly because of the choppy editing and the fact that it's a drama that was completed around three years ago, making some aspects feel dated. While ju jingyi is doing okay with her acting, there's still room for improvement, especially when it comes to delivering more emotional depth and natural expressions. The cultivation genre itself has become quite repetitive, and this drama follows many familiar tropes, making it feel generic rather than refreshing. On top of that, its visual aesthetics and overall fantasy vibe are very reminiscent of, which makes it harder for it to establish a unique identity.

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I enjoyed watching the series. It captivated me. I was intrigued. I watched it especially for Cheng Yi. Let me tell you, this series wouldn't exist without him. It wouldn't have achieved the ratings. You wouldn't have gotten the score you were hoping for. It was given an 8, which I think is normal, but it would have received a lower score. Let me say that from the outset.

The story is twisted. In my opinion. If you ask why, it doesn't follow a single plot. It gets very complicated. They've taken all the characters from the martial arts world. There are fight scenes with all of them. They're all presented separately, and they've united to form the Power Gang. This gang is initially portrayed as evil, but later we see that it's a very good gang. It works for the national good. So, can such a gang even exist? At least not a gang. He also poisons the men he employs. If he doesn't give them the pills, they die. He keeps his men under his control. So, you figure out the rest.

The real important thing is the relationships between the four siblings. The eldest brother is the heir, the second brother is neutral, the third brother is the daughter and stepbrother, but they're harmonious and affectionate, and they also have a medical background. The fourth character is the most intelligent and beloved. He's his mother's favorite. His father's secret favorite. His father and mother are murdered. This is how the conflict begins.

Now, the dominant character is the older brother; he takes responsibility, saying he knows everything and can do it. He's uncompromising and very narrow-minded, a naive character who can be easily deceived and convinced. He's a very honest person, but he can't stand anyone putting him in his place. The second brother constantly flatters him and says he's on his side. The female character tries to find a middle ground. The younger brother says he'll do it. He says, "Trust me." They don't listen to him, especially the older brother. They act like they're the younger ones, "How can we trust him?"

I tried to establish the characters here. To me, the second son seems implacable, naive, uninformed, and uncouth, far inferior to his brother in martial arts, yet uncertain in comparison. That's what we're shown. However, later, this character transforms into someone who rules the country. I didn't think it was appropriate for someone so naive, uninformed, uncouth, and ineffective in martial arts to be portrayed at this level. Let's say he took on certain things through a mask. Is he taking on the character as well? Is he taking on the mindset? While they're conveying martial arts, are they also conveying the mind? I didn't understand that. I couldn't make sense of it. There were many things I couldn't make sense of, but I'm saying it's clear.

Another issue I'm having trouble with is the Emperor poisoning the Power Gang Leader. Then he asks, "Where is this guy? Let's reward him. Call him. They say he's dead." He's surprised. I don't understand that at all. What's the point of meeting a man he poisoned himself with such shock and sadness? Did I misunderstand? I don't know. It was absurd. Why would the Emperor have his own country crushed and conquered? These were meaningless things. I couldn't understand those things at all. I couldn't grasp them. It didn't work.
Another incident involved the meaningless crowd around Cheng Yi, whom everyone agrees on. They don't contribute to the game. In other words, the casting choices were also flawed. I didn't like them. There could have been much better characters and actors suited to him. Some were simple, some were meaningless. We were torn between laughing and crying while watching. For me, the emotional scenes—the scenes of the mother and father's death, the brother's death, and the sister's death—were incredibly moving. Cheng Yi, with his red eyes, truly did justice to these scenes, crying. Some people wondered why he was crying, but even I was moved by the scenes. Beautifully shot, well-shot, good fight scenes, good production and direction. Good costumes. I liked it.
Cheng Yi carried the series single-handedly. Well done. A great performance. I found it successful. It makes you watch. I'm curious and looking forward to watching his next series. Why did Gulnezar Bextiyar, whom I found meaningless, appear in this series? She seemed to have no role. She was a meaningless character. This actress was unnecessary. I'm talking about Gulnezar. I wouldn't have played her. I liked Elenor Lee. A good performance. Xu Zen Xuan performed very well. Well done. Liu Meng Rui performed very well. Well done. I really liked Ding Xiao Ying. She suits the role very well. Well done. Johnny Zhang put in a lot of effort. He did justice to his role. Well done. Edward Zhang started badly but ended well. He made us feel the villain. He made us feel bad. Besides them, Xiao Yan, Ding Yong Dai, Hu Ke, Lu Yong, Zhang Yi Ge, and Julian Cheung were the actors who stood out to me. I was expecting a much better series. It didn't end well. Everyone died. Would I watch it again? No. Would I watch it if there was a sequel? Maybe.

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If you've read as much BL manga as I have, you know that a big cliche of the genre is noncon, i.e., the romanticization of sexual assault between partners. I was disappointed to find it in Addicted, which is otherwise a great slice-of-life romance. For Americans raised on a very different set of sexual customs, these scenes of apparent non-con will be surprising or disturbing. I say "apparent" non-con, because I know that in some Asian cultures female partners are expected to put on a show of resistance to sex. This is a seriously problematic custom, and caused endless confusion for an American man I know when he was dating in Japan. But it's how I explain to myself the occasional "assault" scenes in "Addicted." I strongly believe that No means No, but I also get the sense these guys have never heard that.

The low budget, simple settings and slightly eccentric pacing give this show the feeling of real life. The characterizations are top-notch. Much of the tension comes from just how stubborn both of the main characters are. That they're able to rely on each other anyway is sweet, and makes them an interesting and memorable BL pairing. But the writer also portrayed a great father-son relationship and gave a humorous insight into the differences between China's poor and nouveau riche. The music is also good, and I often don't notice music. (The "It's Okay That's Love" shout-out in one of the musical selections made me very happy.)

The greatest flaw in this series is also the thing that makes it most interesting: the censorship of many scenes and the fact that China banned gay content before the series could be finished. The romance never feels fully developed because censors eliminated not only sex but kissing. The end result is a show where the guys talk about sex frankly (okay, Guo Bai talks about it, gotta love that cheeky bugger), but we never even see an affectionate kiss between them. And the story ends abruptly with a cliffhanger and a ton of emotional issues unresolved between the guys.

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Cute!!

Loved it till 18th episode and then it felt like it was dragging on. Finished the last couple of episodes in 1.5x. The sibling dynamics were a treat to watch and the cast acted well. I just liked "When I Fly towards you" better because I was watching them parallelly and the general lack of misunderstanding and cliches in When I fly made it a better watch than Hidden Love. One thing that I did like about HL is that female lead was not a damsel in distress and could take a stand and not just for herself - but for the male lead as well. All the female characters written by this author are strong and know their mind - I truly appreciate the fact that these characters are unlike the naive/weak/gullible ones usually found in dramas,.

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Not for the Faint of Heart; Drama You Won't Soon Forget

this drama will always have a special place in my heart. i've finished it hours ago and went to sleep exhausted from all the crying. even now, i keep thinking of it and tears up again which prompted me to write a review, as someone who have been watching countless c-dramas for years and never write a review ever before but this time i feel so empty and need to vent my thoughts. SO PLEASE BARE WITH ME!! this drama will forever live in my head rent-free and piercing through my heart. A TRUE MASTERPIECE IT IS. i respect those who don't like it because this is not everyone's cup of tea. it is so HEAVY and DEEP at the same time that explores themes of mental illness and the impact of war so WATCH WITH YOUR OWN RISK!!

first of all, this drama has broadened my ENTIRE perspective on how the current world is going through right now, causing them to live in fear and anxiety every seconds, not knowing if today is their last day or if tomorrow will come, while we're here with abundant resources and still not satisfied with our own lives. i wanted to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude to all the soldiers out there who endure the hardships of war, facing danger and making immense sacrifices to protect their nation and lives of their citizens. i am so proud of you all.

what left a big scar on my heart is that both main leads have gone through so much. they portrayed their roles SOO WELL. THEY NAILED IT!! EVERYONE IN THE DRAMA!!*applauses* the male lead who desperately wants to help those suffering from war and longs for peace in the world, tragically experiences a deeply traumatic event that leaves him irreparably broken. he was utterly destroyed, haunted by the past. watching him was like reliving the trauma with him, explain how his acting was SUPERB. on the other hand, the female lead also went through a great lengths of pain, highlighting how hard it is for those with mental illness to open up and their fear of being perceived as weak or a disappointment to others. i wish i could give everyone in the world who struggles with mental illness a big tight hug. you all deserve love and support.

back to their love story, this drama really represents a saying goes 'love conquers all' or perhaps more accurately, 'love endures through life and death'. i deeply admire their love story, witnessing how they love each other so profoundly that they would willingly sacrifice themselves for the other. last few episodes show how love meant for them in a way they can't live without each other. if one were to leave, they believe there would be no point in continuing. they went through ups and downs together and always have each other's back. even when one struggles with PTSD and the other with depression, they find solace and comfort in each other's presence. i was MOVED TO TEARS every single times they tried to put a smile on their faces to comfort each others during their shared suffering. it might seem weird to say, but i finally understand that love is not merely about being together. it's a quiet strength that holds u tgt during storm, the selfless act of putting another's needs before our owns, and the unwavering belief that u have in each other. love is so pure yet can make us blind.

as for the OSTs, i have no words. the way they seamlessly blends with the visuals and enhances the storytelling is truly masterful. it's like a hidden layer of meaning, adding depth and emotion to the overall experience. just hearing the music can bring me to tears. ik i might seem overly emotional lol but the OSTs are truly exceptional.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, i would like to say that after watching countless dramas for several years, THIS IS MY NUMBER ONE drama hands-down. it took me on an emotional rollercoaster throughout all 38 episodes, making me experience a wide range of feelings, from joy and laughter to sorrow and grief. i felt deeply connected to the characters and their journeys. HOWEVER, it also destroyed me emotionally. im so traumatized to the point im still processing the trauma of some of the heavier plot points. BUT EVEN SO, i hope to recover and rewatch it someday.

MY ADVICE FOR THOSE WHO HESITATE TO WATCH: dont let all the reviews weigh u down from picking it up. LISTEN TO UR GUTS. give it a try. if u dont like it, then drop it. dont force urself to love it because this is not everyone's cup of tea. although, i truly hope this drama receives high ratings because it deserves all the attention it gets.
Thanks for sticking with me to the end! i appreciated it.

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D.O.A.

The flaws of “Now We Are Breaking Up” are so numerous and comprehensive that evaluating it feels more like issuing an autopsy report than a typical review. In the event any reader requires a synopsis, a successful fashion photographer (Jang Ki Yong’s Jae Guk) and a clothing designer (Song Hye Kyo’s Young Eun) romance each other while attempting to overcome the many obstacles that seek to disrupt their relationship. There’s more but it’s not necessary to delve into beyond that one sentence.

If the production early on seemed to have one viable strength, it was the pairing of Kim Joo Heon’s PR firm CEO Do Hoon and Choi Hee Seo’s mercurial Chi Sook. That they were the most colorful personalities on this drama should be considered a scientifically proven fact. That they would wind up as the secondary romantic couple was obvious from early on. That the entertainment value would noticeably increase each time they were together on screen (for a while) was plain. And then once they were together, Do Hoon insisted that Chi Sook drink tea instead of wine. He declined any physical contact. He basically seemed bent on discontinuing anything she did for fun. The actors shouldn’t carry the blame here as both from the drop portrayed the characters as vibrant and warm. The writing, sadly, for this subplot was determined to take this drama’s most engaging characters and bleach them with a concentrated boredom solution.

Although it was never a prominent arc, one of the welcome diversions through the first half of its run was the antagonistic but flirty banter between Oh He Sun’s layabout rich boy Chi Hyung and Yura’s no-nonsense Hye Rin. The opposites attract relationship trope is popular because it’s like the equivalent of a layup in basketball - anyone with any basic skill can accomplish it. But after regular, albeit intermittent, screen time after Chi Hyung’s introduction for the next few episodes, this narrative essentially vanishes.

That’s not all the subplots though. Several episodes in, Young Eun’s father retires from his school principal position which then launches her mother’s seemingly long-planned scheme to pursue divorce and independence. It would seem that she long held a grudge for being left managing the household and felt unappreciated. How this manifested were scenes where the father would discover that daily tasks around the house were more difficult that he imagined, became angry, demanded help from the mother who would then mock his inability and refuse to help him. The entire storyline was unnecessary and meant less time for what might have been (hypothetically) more compelling viewing. It was made worse by repeating in near verbatim form the scene with one household activity after another - breakfast, cleaning, laundry, etc.

And there’s still another secondary storyline. Park Hyo Joo’s Mi Suk had been a runway model but her glory days are long behind her. Her husband is hitting on a younger woman at work. Her two best friends are living the glamorous single life. Her mother-in-law is a monster. And then she gets a terminal cancer diagnosis. What follows is one of the few times that “Now We Are Breaking Up” manages to connect a measurable sequence with consistent emotional resonance. She faces the grim diagnosis head on. She strengthens her friendships with Young Eun and Chi Sook. She shines as Jae Guk photographs her. And she makes an out-of-retirement victory lap appearance as a model. Had the storyline ended here, this would have been a solitary bright spot but instead, her character elects to befriend the husband’s admirer and recruit her as her replacement and it’s given an almost matter-of-fact treatment as if a terminally ill woman would ordinarily dismiss the anger and feelings of betrayal to reach out to her husband’s mistress with friendly gestures. It’s such an exotically bizarre turn to take that even the would-be-mistress is flummoxed by the sequence. But does any party take notice of the obvious madly waving red flag? Nope.

As for the primary arc of the romance between Young Eun and Jae Guk, it earns a place on the podium of most bland and passionless couples to see the screen in recent memory. Jae Guk is primarily a one dimensional character except for the rare scene where he is actively working as a photographer. His conversations with friends, family and, in particular, with Young Eun are a cycle of lifeless expressions, monotone delivery and rehashed subject matter. The central conflict propped up against our romance is that Jae Guk’s older brother, now deceased, had a relationship with Young Eun while engaged to another woman. It is somewhat of a provincial, old-fashioned conflict which doesn’t translate particularly well to an audience that isn’t always steeped in longstanding Korean cultural norms. Still, even if it was a compelling dilemma for Jae Guk, the exposition of it by interactions with his adoptive mother (Cha Hwa Yeon’s wealthy socialite Hye Ok) and his brother’s ex-fiancee (Yoon Jung Hee’s department store exec Yoo Jung) should be filled with unrestrained emotional outbursts of anger, resentment, jealousy, blame and grief. Instead, it’s three characters, each of them in an endlessly mechanical and mundane manner, sleepwalking through generic dialogue.

Relatively more positive thanks to a steady diet of work crises, Young Eun has some depth as a character, both individually and in her relationships with her friends, family and colleagues. The portrayal of Young Eun, disappointingly, is irrefutably bad. Song Hye Kyoo did not earn her A List Status by accident. She has a long and accomplished resume’. And she may not be a naturally dynamic actor, but her performance here is unrecognizable against her previous work. Whether Song Hye Kyo was following an editorial decision for Young Eun to be an expressionless automaton or she was left to her own devices to interpret the character in such a manner, it is a colossal bomb. The character has many admirable qualities - perseverance with her work and loyalty for her friends among others - but none of them connect to a viewer through Song Hye Kyo’s wooden performance. What would be a compelling drama (or documentary) is one that follows how Song Hye Kyo terminates her current representation and finds a new agency that can keep her away from an insufferable dud like this going forward.

“Now We Are Breaking Up” is a bad show; a really, really bad show with a long list of unnecessary subplots and superfluous characters, a bleak desert in place of a primary narrative and scant redeeming qualities of any kind to speak of. Anyone that was central to its creation should be considered potentially contagious with lousy judgment and possible cosmic-level curses and avoided at the longest distances possible.

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Cute story

I never write reviews and wasn't gonna write one but I saw a negative review so here's a positive one 😂
here's my opinion on the drama:
The main leads acting are great and the supports acting were all good too and I think only like one of the support character had like not that good acting skills.
The main ost played only like 3 times, I think the song was like 喜欢上你 I'm not really sure i skipped the front and ending but the song 喜欢上你 is good.
The story is not that complicated, it's pretty simple and even though Main Guy Lead seemed like a 小奶狗, like weak and soft and stuff, he's actually not at all, everyone thinks he's dumb but man actually has like a bunch of degrees (idk i don't remember 😂), he's just smart aight :D Female Lead also gives you the impression that she's strong and has no weakness and is a queen and all but she actually has a backstory and a lot of weaknesses and needs protection 🥺 She knows how to deal with stuff herself but there are also parts where he helps her out 🥺 not like those girls who needs a hero to save at every minute dramas. He is also not weak like he can deal with his own stuff too. He's not that mature though and he trusts people too much which led to 😔 (watch the drama if you wanna know 😉) The second couple was super cute too and honestly all the characters fit in the drama very well like idk how to explain but :D This drama is indeed super business based but you can definitely see how much the two of them love each other 🥺 I actually really liked the business parts, even though it's sort of a bit dramatic, business people won't really get on that many hot searches. and yea that's it idk wut else to say 😂

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Marriage Contract is a drama that I can see why people gave it high reviews, but I just can't do the same. Don't let the classic romcom marriage contract between a rich chaebol and a broke girl plot fool you, this is a bonafide tearjerker. Did this drama make me cry and cry again? Absolutely, because the main cast is amazing. What's my problem with Marriage Contract then? Well, read the title and the synopsis and you basically know everything about this drama. Yup, That's it for all 16 episodes. The story is so basic that this drama is definitely saved by the acting!

Uee and Lee Seo Jin took super cliché characters and made them feel real. I'm not a Uee fan, but I was super impressed. Her character goes through so much, and she nailed every moment. I think she's missing some of the charm that other actresses have, so she often comes across as too cold for me (even when she's being sweet), but she gave a very believable performance. Lee Seo Jin gave a great performance too, that proved he's more than just dimples. My only complaint is that some of his really big smiles looked more creepy than genuine. His tears however were extra heartbreaking. Watching their bittersweet relationship is the heart of this drama, and why it worked at all for me.

I admit that in the beginning I didn't like any of the characters. For the first few episodes no one was likable, not even the cute kid. Uee was the most sympathetic in the beginning, but she was also so pathetic that I was frustrated watching her. Then, around episode 4, things finally started to shift for me. Suddenly I was binge watching, barely able to stop myself from watching what happened next. Han Ji Hoon became more charming, Kang Hye Soo became more admirable, and their chemistry started to develop into something engaging. Shin Rin Ah as Eun Sung was also such a strong character that I think she deserves a main character status. She gave a performance that showed she was just as talented as her adult cast members. If she's that good now, I can only imagine how good she can be in the future,

The rest of the supporting cast was excellent as well, even really minor characters, except for one. Kim Young Pil was really bad, like REALLY bad. I almost removed a whole acting point for how bad he was. I'm not sure it was all his fault, because the character was written as being petty and ridiculous, but he just seemed too over the top and fake evil, even for a melodrama. Honestly, all of the characters are pretty one note, and don't have much depth, but the actors managed to insert depth into their performances. Like bad dad Kim Yong Gun, who was text book evil, but he was such a believably unbelievable character who's outrageous actions cured a lot of my boredom with the rest of the plot.

I think the writer is the problem for me. The plot is predictable, it's full of everything you've already seen in a drama. So many of the female characters seemed to be irrationally obsessed with men (husbands, exes, sons) that I often had a hard time empathizing with them. Some of the episodes felt repetitive. There were about five episodes where the literal plot was cry, plan to divorce, cry again. Some other episodes rely heavily on flashbacks, which was annoying. I became invested in the characters and their relationships, so I could never bring myself to stop watching, but I definitely had to push my way through to the end. It did pick up momentum again in the last episodes, and I did like the ending (though it was nothing original), but I just didn't fall in love with this drama the way others did.

This is similar to the problems I had with "Secret", which has the same writer. Weak characters, a predictable plot, skippable scenes, a pathetic lead character always in tears, dragging episodes...

I did like the direction, the same guy who directed "Kill Me, Heal Me". That, and the cast may be what made me like this drama much more than "Secret". My one complaint is that the blatant product placements were pretty hilarious.

I thought the music was not great either. Some of the music chosen seemed so out of place. I did appreciate that Ji Hoon's ringtone was mo' better blues, which gave some insight in how important music was to the character. Too bad they never incorporated a real musical storyline in the actual script.
That could have helped me understand why he struggled so much to join the company.

Would I watch this again? Only if I am feeling apathetic and want to cry my eyes out to prove I still have feelings.

Overall, I would only recommend this drama to fans of super sad melodramas like "49 Days" (which had too much cloud of impending doom for me), "Scent of a Woman" (which I loved, and had similar themes), or "Secret" (which proved to me I do have a melodrama limit). Romance fans will be able to appreciate the love story, and some of the family themes are heart warming, but this is a drama you have to buy a jumbo tissue box for and then just embrace the chronic eye wetness.

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Ok, so where do I start on this train wreck? The weak plot? The bad cgi effects or the terrible acting by both leads....especially the female lead, I'm on a drama binge and I've literally watched 5 of her dramas just in this month and her acting does not improve,her chemistry with her co-stars is all but none existent. But anyway back to the matter at hand.

This drama was a mess, loved the cute little annimals and the fantasy theme but I had to grit my teeth and force myself through the whole thing. If you're a huge fan of the actors then maybe you'll enjoy it more but as for myself, I can't say I'd recommend this to anyone.

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To be honest, I see a lot of people that are not pleased with this drama, but I totally loved it!
It wasn't anything WOW and it wasn't anything Ew, it was a really good drama! just that!

The story for me was amazing^^. I love these kind of plots that have to do with Music.

The acting was pretty good, nothing is wrong with it, just some times maybe, they were overreacting with their facial expressions I think. but it wasn't bad. it wasn't done a lot. very few times.

The soundtracks were supreme! i loved every single OST , especially "I am OK" which was kinda the "main" ost from what I understood!


The rewatch value goes to Zero, cause I only find dramas rewatchable when they got some kind of action inside, Well this drama of course doesn't have action xD. so I find it pointless to rewatch it.

Maybe some of you may thing that my score is "TOO GOOD" but, I don't find anything weird with the drama. That's why, and its all personal preferences of course so #peace!

Reasons i watched this? Hyped with the Gfriend Cover at the beginning xD.

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Se a vida te der tangerinas

Eu não tenho palavras pra descrever todos os sentimentos que tive ao ver esse kdrama. Eu sabia desde o primeiro trailer que ele iria me conquistar profundamente. As produções asiáticas sobre a vida tendem a ser as mais marcantes.

O que me deixa mais feliz é saber que o alcance desse kdrama foi absurdo. Não acho que outra produção em 2025 consiga fazer o que fizeram em Se a Vida Te Der Tangerinas. Lembro que quando saiu o pôster, a sinopse e até o trailer, muitos disseram que não iam assistir porque achavam o casal sem graça ou a história muito simples.

Pensei que esse ia ser daqueles meus doramas confortos com mais 5 fãs, já que realmente as produções originais da netflix que mais estouram a bolha são comédias românticas bobinhas, com exceção de round 6. Mas aí tive uma linda surpresa ao ver o quanto o streaming acertou nos 4 atos e essa história cativou um público maior.

Primeiramente, que elenco incrível. Desde a escolha dos mais novos até os adultos. A essência da Aesun e do Gwansik não se perdeu em nenhuma estação do ano e muito menos nas diferentes épocas. É lindo e raro ver o crescimento de personagens diante dos seus olhos. Geralmente é estranho ver a troca de atores - senti isso, por exemplo, em reply 1988 com a versão adulta dos protagonistas sendo completamente nada a ver com eles mais jovens - mas no kdrama das tangerinas os atores principais apenas se tornaram mais maduros, mas o olhar, o jeito de falar, entre tantos outros detalhes permaneceram ali.

A escolha da IU para ser a Aesun e também a sua filha foi um dos tantos acertos nesse dorama. Mesmo sendo interpretada pela mesma pessoa e possuindo semelhanças hereditárias na genialidade, você conseguia sentir a diferença entre as duas. Principalmente pela questão geracional, pela criação e por se tratarem realmente de indivíduos diferentes.

Um dorama sobre a vida que mostrou a camada de como pais e filhos são parecidos e diferentes ao mesmo tempo. A realidade escancarada de uma família pobre que quer sempre o melhor pros seus filhos.

Vi na Aesun a minha mãe e a minha avó. Pensei nelas porque a Aesun é o retrato de todas as mães que um dia foram filhas, órfãs e mães. O detalhe mais lindo do processo de desenvolvimento do enredo foi mostrar que o tempo todo era sobre a Aesun. A história que estava sendo contada, as dificuldades, as perdas, os diálogos, às mudanças de estação, todas tinham uma protagonista em destaque: Aesun.

Foi emocionante acompanhar a jornada dessa mulher, mais lindo ainda ver a relação que ela tinha com a mãe e o papel que ela desempenhou pelo bem dos filhos e o fato de ter sido a frente do seu tempo, mas que, infelizmente pela realidade vivida não pôde alcançar vôos mais altos enquanto ainda era jovem e queria muito isso. Mas ainda com as limitações de ser pobre e de ser mulher, a Aesun nunca perdeu a sua essência, nunca parou de sorrir e também nunca ficou parada no mesmo lugar. Ela foi tudo o que podia ser.

E que marido é esse? O Gwansik não era apenas um green flag, ele era aquele campo de flores inteiro. Aquele campo bonito em Jeju onde dois jovens partilharam seus sentimentos de maneira tão apaixonada e emotiva. Eu amei demais o Gwansik e o ótimo marido que ele foi pra Aesun, e o pai batalhador pros seus filhos. Firme e forte, o coração de ferro. Mas que ainda assim, era gentil e sensível, mais derretido que uma manteiga e um doce de pessoa.

Se a Vida Te Der Tangerinas entrou para o meu top 3 de doramas favoritos da vida, foi lindo e emocionante acompanhar todas as estações.

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