Though sometimes one may see it advertised as such, Saikou no Rikon cannot be called a true "romantic comedy". It watches more like a slice-of-life, centering around two couples (whose respective relationships may or may not be crumbling). The comedic aspect hits as often as it misses, despite passable delivery from involved actors and actresses. Emotionally rich and intense scenes outweigh these in sheer remarkability; in fact, the levity issues are approached with at times (such as the occasion divorce is brought up for one of the couples) actually leaves the whole product feeling a little inconsistent. Am I watching a zany Japanese relationship lark or this heavy treatise? Because some elements did not wholly jive (at least for me), those thoughts popped up frequently over the course of the series.
Where the drama excels must be dialogue, which is razor-sharp and surprisingly natural. These characters speak like real people, even showing pop cultural awareness. An engaging way speech is used is also in the way characters loose their frustrations to others; they tend to tell strangers and service-providers in these long-winded monologues, unable to vent to anyone closer. What it lacks in stunning backdrops and visual candy, Saikou no Rikon makes up for in thoughtful camera work. With a sharp focus on the inner workings of married life in mind, shots often adopt voyeuristic qualities. For instance, we might see an argument from a fly-on-the-wall perspective in the kitchen, overlooking the entirety of a small apartment made for two.
Eita headlines a solid cast, swinging all his powerful versatility behind the (initially) repellent Hamasaki Mitsuo. This is a character that embodies everything wrong in a husband, from his incredible pettiness to the selfish way he views most everything. The first time he tells his wife something between them was her "personal problem," even threw me back into some bad memories of my own. However, Hamasaki exhibits incredible personal growth throughout Saikou no Rikon (with Eita totally inhabiting the role). Ono Machiko, as his polar opposite and somehow wife Yuka, has a fantastic showing also. Whenever Yuka showed weakness or had something big to say, Ono-san knocked it out of the park. Her role, despite early episodes showing her through her husband's perspective, is lovable and sympathetic; women will definitely identify with her best.
Ayano Go and Maki Yoko portray strange duo Ryo and Akari, whose tale most interests at first glance yet slowly is overcome by that of the main couple. Both are fine actors and do beautifully in their scenes. Unfortunately, paired with the "that's just how things are" attitude the characters take to one another and themselves, the too-fast wrap to their story leaves the entire relationship a little hard to watch and slightly unsatisfying to finish (unlike that of the main couple).
If Saikou no Rikon is a hero wielding dialogue as its best weapon, music will be its Achilles Heel. Having just come down from a marathon of the series, I can scarcely remember any specific tracks. There was at least one quirky instrumental number, but the only truly memorable song is ending theme "Yin Yang" provided by the amazing Kuwata Keisuke. Despite not being a song to my taste, it suits the drama exceedingly well. And that wild ending sequence that accompanies it? Positively awesome.
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I was in "drama mood" so in that period U wasn't picky at all. I just read the synopsis then I decided to watch this drama without expecting anything from it.
2) Storyline/Plot:
The general story wasn't very special but it can't be considered as a one of K-dramas usual plots. However, it wasn't outstanding.
Positive Points:
*The storyline had a great dramatical depth which can make you tagged to its events.
*Main Genres:
--->Romance: This is a romantic story with all the meanings that the word "Romance" refer to; it was well written in order to make developments go deeper and deeper after each episode.
The romance here is the "mature" type, not like those childish romantic stories that we see everywhere but it's not very serious that would make you get bothered since they added moments to cheer the audience and keep boring moments out; i believe it was a smart move in order to maintain the great romance.
One more point, romance was a play of fate, a play of reality to show how true love can survive no matter what kind obstacles it faces; I know it's a little dreamy but it was cool in the drama.
--->Drama: I consider this drama as a dramatical romance, it's not the rom-com type so the dramatical side was heavily present and well done in some points.
It can be devided to several parts since the storyline was devided, the middle dramatical part was the best then there's some good parts at the beginning.
Negative Points:
*The romance is good but only the main leads romance existed; no side romantic stories that can change the mood a little. Yes, there was the usual Korean triangle but the side romantic stories were absent.
*The dramatical parts in the end were really annoying because it took a wrong turn after the 15th or the 16th episode; I had high hopes for that part and even though, it didn't end up badly but I wasn't satisfied.
Story: 8/10
3) Acting/Cast:
*Joo Jin Mo:
I have a great respect for him as an actor, I loved his previous roles and I really liked his role here, it wasn't an intense role but the way he handled things was really well done.
The character was a very strong at first, you can feel the hartred and pain in Lee Shin Jun's eyes then as the drama went on, many changes occurred, many dramatic moments were held by his character, it was intEresting to to follow his character developments but at the end, I noticed some unsatisfying changes in the character's personality but it's all up to the story's changes above.
*Lee Bo Young:
I don't know her as an actress which means that I am not familiar with her acting skills, here she was acceptable and moving in some points because the role was portrayed in a satisfying way.
The character, let's see, I wasn't fully taken by kang Eun seol's character and I never sympathized with her. The character was off sometimes, cheerful some other times, cool most of the time and what I clearly remember that it was really annoying starting from the 15th or the 16th episode.
*Other Cast: I am only familiar with some of them but I think their roles were nicely done, except some annoying characters, the supporting roles were okay.
Relationships:
--->Romance: The chemistry was good, like I said earlier it's one of the greatest romantic stories that I've ever seen plus the leads made it enjoyable "most" of the time.
--->The triangle: Most of the time they were really annoying to watch, I skipped those parts often, I tried to watch but they weren't any close to the sweet triangles that we usually know but I have to appreciate Kim Pil Seo's character since it was "mature"
--->The leads relationship with Lee Shin Jun's mother: It was really well done at first but when it took the obvious turns near the ending, I became uninterested.
Cast: 7/10
Acting: 8.5/10
4) The ending:
I liked the final obstacle, it was somehow unexpected and cool to watch. Nice closure but it doesn't deny that it was one of K-dramas classical endings.
The ending: 8/10
5) My impression (How did it affect me):
*I was really interested in this drama and that's the main reason I finished it fast.
*I wasn't bored but I have to admit that I skipped several parts in order to make my watching time equilibrated plus there were scenes that I didn't like.
*Is this drama memorable: Yes, I am keeping this drama in my mind as one of the greatest romantic dramas but not as one of the greatest dramas that I've ever seen.
My impression: 8.5/10
6) Overall:
*If you like romantic stories than this for you.
*If you're into romantic comedies, I don't think that this drama would suit your taste.
*Watch this if you're looking for a great male lead.
Overall: 8/10.
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Honestly, my consideration for watching Secret Garden was the two main characters Ha Ji Won and Hyun Bin..
But after that I found the story was amazing..
I was hooked and finished this only in 2 days.. until my eyes being swollen at that time..
It makes me laughed and cried at the same time.. The storyline made me curios to watch this until the end..
Both Ha Ji Won and Hyun Bin plays the role very well.. Especially when their bodies switched.. The chemistry between them looks so real..
The music also very good.. the placement for the ost at every scene can play our emotion..
For me, it’s one of the best K-drama.. Love it so much!!!
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Cinderela e os Quatro Cavaleiros
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I pushed my way through the entire series because there were some sweet moments that made it really worth watching, yet I still feel like I'm writing this review to criticize more than compliment.But let's start with a compliment:
I enjoyed the lead female character. This kind of nice, independent, no-nonsense lead female character has been a rare item in the Korean drama industry. I'm saying she's strong as in not TOO comically strong or bratty as well. Eun Hawon character is really likable, and it's the only part that makes sense why this kind of reverse harem plot works. The boys in the house genuinely like her, and I accept it. Most of the Korean dramas that go for either this generic reverse harem plot or the strong lead girl plot usually fail to deliver them naturally. I grew fond of her the most and her character made me stick around.
Another good point that somehow kept me around was the sweet moments and the chemistry between the lead characters. I could feel that they really care for each other. Nothing was forced. The love story wasn't rushed. I enjoyed it. Sometimes the sub plots dragged on for too long and their sweet moments would restore my faith for this show.
Now onto the bad part:
From the title: Cinderella and Four Knights, there are no four knights at all. They're trying to sell that this is a reverse harem kind of story, with one lead girl and four lead guys and such, but it only lasted probably up to the first few episodes. The first few episodes promised you a love triangle which was cliche but still entertaining.
From somewhere early in the series, however, out of *four* knights: 1) one of them loses complete interest in the lead female and goes back to the second lead female he ditched long ago for unexplained reasons, 2) one of them grows to like the lead female yet takes care of the second lead female to an unreasonable extent, 3) one of them likes the lead female genuinely but, of course, the plot won't allow them to even meet and talk properly, 4) and the last one of them leaves the *knight* title ever so quickly and branches out to his own super cliche sub plot although he has so much potential in everything from acting to his looks to his chemistry with the lead female.
It felt so much like the writers lured us into such F4 - Boys Over Flowers kind of settings, then ditched us to an extremely cliche plot that revolved more around the second lead female – who I have to use the word "annoyingly boring" to describe. I like Son Naeun as a member of A Pink, but I believe her acting is very bad – or this character does not shine a light on her as an actress at all. Her character is an "I-only-look-at-you" kind of pitiful(?) girl, but somehow the story (or her acting) made her evil. I thought she was going to grow into a likable second female lead because she was one of a few second leads that don't act evil towards the lead female character. However, her damsel-in-distress situations only turned her into a "I don't care if I look evil, I just want to own one of these rich guys" kind of character.
She has the looks and she's from a well-raised background. She was also incredibly stubborn for (literally) unsaid reasons while she could just go out and have a happy life while forgetting these main guys. Plus, her interest in fashion design seemed useless. It played no part in the plot, and I wish writers would stop stereotyping fashion design major as a "high class" thing. Beautiful barbie-like female characters don't need to like fashion to look sophisticated. Try harder.
Likewise, I didn't enjoy the stereotypes in this story at all. Jung Ilwoo's character (Kang Jiwoon) was built around a quiet, rebellious guy with a troubled past, so they gave him a street-racer persona while in the story it was just him fidgeting with his toy cars from time to time. It didn't look cool and rebellious. It looked pathetic.
Ahn Jaehyun's character (Kang Hyunmin) – the playboy successor of Haneul Group – can he be even more cliche than this? I mean, playboy chaebols are fun to have in a story, but this characteristic of him progressed to nowhere. He was out with random girls for only 2 or 3 episodes at the beginning. At the same time, he's a supposed successor of their family business, but I see him lazing around inside the mansion the *entire* series. In fact, he doesn't seem very aloof. He has a heart, but they didn't make use of it at all.
Lee Jungshin's character (Kang Seowoo) is a musician. Why? There's no back story to his characteristics. He's popular and is a good singer and he's very nice. Rich and romantic, yet he seemed the most unattached to the entire chaebol family. Again, there's nothing bad about this, I just feel like this musician character is very stereotypical. And again, for a chaebol grandson who's *finally* nice and decent, he's out of the picture from the first half of the series. He likes the main girl alone, feels sad alone, and lets her go alone. His music plays almost no part in putting his character together with the main girl or other guys, and despite that, there's no explanation in why he fails to convey his love to the main girl at all. (Oh, wait, why? Because the writer doesn't want that. Then WHY did they even make his character up at all?)
I still forced my way through the end purely because of the lead female character. She was the only decent one in the entire series. The "missions" and "part-time job" that put her in these guys' mansion made me cringe though. And although she's naturally kindhearted, genuinely wanting the boys to reunite as a family was a bit odd, given that she hasn't been raised in a warm *family* as well.
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Really good series but why it isn’t that popular – an analysis!
I want to be clear from the start so I am going to tell you that Tae Darvid is my ultimate Thai person, so I will try to be as objective as I can. However, if you feel that I am playing favourites with him please let me know! Now, let me take you on a journey. I am going to review the series and point out some mistakes that didn’t help the series to be more popular and have more people talking about it. But before that, we must acknowledge the elephant in the room, and sorry for the following microaggression, but…Can we all agree that the so-called rooster was a fuc***g CHICKEN? Like wtf? Do I not know animals? Is this an intended joke? Why didn’t they use a rooster? Plz help me… Don’t get me wrong I love Teriyaki (the chicken-rooster) but it must have an identity crisis. Here is what I think Teriyaki is thinking 24/7:
«Phap says that I am a rooster that knows how to have a slow-life and crows at 10 in the morning to wake everyone up”, Teriyaki thought. “But at the same time, they are eating the eggs that I lay”, Teriyaki continued his thinking and started to question its own existence. «Am I a rooster, or am I a chicken? »
CHARACTERS
Our main couple is Maze and Phap. Maze is the president of his company, is a money motivated person, and mainly uses his head to make choices. As his social status suggests, he has an extravagant lifestyle, wearing expensive clothes, living in a luxurious apartment, and driving a costly car. In addition to other rich BL characters (from other BL series), he is greedy with money and will do anything to have a bigger profit. He doesn’t carelessly spend money, and most importantly he will take advantage of every situation in order to gain anything. On the other hand, Phap is a carefree artist that specializes to abstract paintings. He is the exact opposite of Maze and uses his heart to make decisions. He is not rich, he believes in himself and his capabilities, and he loves nature and animals. He loves animals so much that he has three animals’ pals, Poco – a lizard, Steven – a cockroach (yeah, you read that correctly), and Teriyaki – a chicken-rooster with identity crisis.
The second lead couple is Nueng and Tharn. Tharn is an actor and Maze’s best friend (along with Nae). He cares for his friend’s emotions and is rather mature, soft spoken, and kind-hearted person. He is the balance between Maze and Nae. While Nueng is… Is it too soon to make this spoiler? Well, I am not going to tell you who is Nueng right now because it’s a massive spoiler, and you might not want to know that. However, if you keep reading my review you will eventually learn who he is. YOU WERE WARNED! Anyway, for now I will tell you that Nueng is a handsome actor, with a calm aura that everyone is jealous of.
The other supporting characters are the “As You Wish” gang, the employees in Maze’s company. The leader of the pack is Nae, Maze’s and Tharn’s best friend. She is not a company’s employee, but she is sth like an investor – or vice president, according to her – who helped the company when they were in need. Next, we have Noona, the mother of the gang; she has a colourful personality and is loud (“I am soooo confuseeeed”); Ruj, the workaholic one, who is complaining that has too much work, but always delivers on time; Kuea, the talkative one, and Elle, the quiet one, who becomes talkative when drunk.
Last but not least, we have the managers. Phueak is Nueng’s manager, and Pookky is Tharn’s manager. Between these two a “hate” relationship exists, as both do their best to promote their talent. However, Pookky uses “dirty” ways to get Tharn more famous. I loved and laughed with every scene with the managers.
PLOT
In the series we follow the storyline between our main and secondary couple. After a weird event sequence, Phap (played by Tae), the carefree artist, ends up being in debt to Maze (played by Singto), and to pay back his debt he is hired in the company. However, their polar opposite personalities and lifestyles, make their everyday friction difficult… at first! The aversion for each other could be seen, as they don’t address each other by their name, and they don’t use the honorifics “P” or “Nong”. Instead, they mainly use the informal way of saying “You” in Thai.
In the series we get to see how Phap is the first one to open up to Maze and how he does everything that he can to get the other person’s attention. Maze and Phap throughout the series learn more about and from each other. The artist teaches the young boss that relaxing is mandatory, that relying on other people is not that bad, and that living in the moment is important. However, the most crucial thing that Phap helps Maze with, is Nueng (more for that on “My opinion” section).
ACTING
I would like to start with Singto. To be honest, I don’t follow Singto that much. I have only watched SOTUS and SOTUS S with him (fun fact SOTUS was my first Thai BL series). In SOTUS, I was fascinated by his ability to use his facial expressions, and boy was I not disappointed in Paint with Love. For me, this series bring out the best of Singto and with the combination of funny scenes we have an amazing result. I know that I might not be in the position to say this because this is only the third series that I have watched with Singto, but this is my favourite series with him. He was sassy, angry, confused, mad, sad, and desperate when he needed to be, and trust me when I tell you that I believed him in every scene.
Moving on with Tae, I know that I said that he is my ultimate Thai person, but dude I am not a royal fan. The only series that I have watched with Tae is 2moons the series. DON’T CALL ME A HYPOCRITE! I really like his personality in real life that is why he is my ultimate. I was really happy when I learned that he would finally have a lead role, and I was not disappointed. In the series he plays a character that is quite different from him in real life, and I must admit that I really enjoyed his acting here. He portraits a handsome, goofy, confident, and a straightforward character, in a comedic way, which I loved. However, there were a few scenes in which his character was sad, and I was like “TELL ME WHO HURT YOU BABY!!!!”.
Regarding the second lead actors, everyone did an amazing job. Yoon and Yacht were able to captivate me in their story and you could see them grow together, be more open about their true feelings, and try to distinguish their work and personal life. You could see and feel Tharn’s (Yacht) internal dilemma on whether he should be honest to Maze about his feelings for Nueng, but not wanting to hurt his friend… Yacht did an amazing job there!!! As for Yoon, he was able to share his worries, concerns, and feelings for both Maze and Tharn. To be honest, I felt that everyone had a great chemistry with each other in the series, which is amazing! I think that my favourite for the other cast was Maengmum. Honestly, I love her! Her acting skills are off the roof, and she deserves every award ever! PLEASE GIVE HER A SERIES ALREADY!
MY OPINION AND THE MISTAKES THAT KEPT THIS SERIES FROM POPULARITY!
As an overall, I have a positive opinion for this series. The first thing that I really liked (beside the casting), was the fact that the story wasn’t developed in a university. I don’t understand why the majority of Thai BLs need to be in university, but I really enjoyed the change of environment. Now the second thing that I really liked, was the fact that even though Maze was rich, he was actually greedy and didn’t belittle the value of money, in addition to other series where usually the rich person doesn’t care about money at all. While another thing that I really liked was the lack of product placements! You don’t understand how much I despise straightforward product placements in series; however, here we have none of it, which I loveeeeeed!!!!
Another thing that I really liked, was the real interaction between the main couple. You know, something that I disliked in the other BLs is that they present false expectations on how two people flirt. The other series portray the couples in a cool way, and they only show us the handsome, jealous, confident, side of the characters, while in reality this is not true. In addition, in Paint with Love, we get to see how an emotional and touching scene could be “changed” by one of the characters. For instance, there is a scene in which Phap and Maze are talking about squids, and you hear Phap saying something deep regarding catching squid and how he does not enjoy doing that. For a moment you can see Maze softening up to Phap and looking at him with puppy eyes, but when Maze gets to say something to Phap, the later eats a squid and destroys the moment and atmosphere between them. Don’t get me wrong, but I love it. I feel that this behaviour is closer to reality, and I love it when it is shown in series. Take your always right, and correct behavioured characters, I will stay with the truer moments. Furthermore, you could see the dilemma that Maze had. He really liked Phap but he believed that the artist was someone lame, who wasn’t at the same social status as him. That is why he couldn’t openly say that he liked Phap and that he wanted to be him. Occasionally, he would bring up a wall between them and making more difficult for Phap to bring down that wall. In my opinion, Singto’s acting was on point in every scene. You could see his emotions through his eyes. He is an exceptional actor. Well done!
As for something that I didn’t like, was the story changes. I must admit that I haven’t read the whole novel, because I couldn’t find it anywhere with an English translation, but I must say that there is a huge difference in the novel and the series storyline. Before I elaborate more on the difference between these two, let me make the huge SPOILER right now. Nueng and Maze are stepbrothers since they were young boys, after Maze’s father married Nueng’s mother. That was the spoiler. Honestly, at first, when I was only watching the series, I thought that Nueng and Maze were ex-lovers, but I was wrong.
Now, let me go back to the main difference in the novel and the series. In the series, the two brothers fight with each other at an older age (when Nueng is trying to apply to university), while in the novel the brothers fight at a younger age, when Nueng was in Junior High School, after his mother’s death, for which he blamed Maze for. I feel that they should had followed the original approach and show us the true fight between the brothers, because this would explain Maze’s acting in front of Nueng in their adult years. In the novel it was stated that the two brothers were very close, and they cared for each other. Especially Maze, he adored Nueng, and he loved spending time with him; so, when Nueng blamed him for his mother death (whom Maze loved like his real mother), he is devastated and due to his really young age he cannot entirely understand what happens.
As someone with an older sister, I can tell you that I understand Maze’s actions in his adulthood. He is awkward, goofy, and trying too hard to be liked and acknowledged by Nueng. His true feelings come to surface when he is drunk, and he asks for Nueng’s approval and attention. Those are true actions. I remember when I was younger, I was doing the same thing and I was trying desperately to get my older sister’s attention. That is why I feel that they should have kept the original fight reason between them.
Now the second thing that I didn’t like was the lack of accessibility to the series. Actually, in my humble opinion, I feel that this reason was the root cause of why this series wasn’t that popular. You could only watch the series in GagaOOLala, by having a subscription, or in illegal websites where the episodes were uploaded in a few hours. However, there were cases in which an episode could take up to 4 days to be uploaded in any site with English subtitles. All of you know for which episode I am talking about! Episode 6…. It took approximately 5 days for the episode to be uploaded in Dram***ol. That didn’t help the series to build a momentum and have a loyal fanbase. Now, don’t get me wrong, but when I learned that the series are only available to a subscribed website, I knew that it wouldn’t be popular. I don’t want to use other Networks or Companies names, but it is important to look at what your competitors are doing in order to create your business and strategic plan. I believe that in this case this step wasn’t implemented. The majority of BL series that are currently on air, are offered for free on the official Youtube channel of the company that created the series (e.g. Bad Buddy was available with English subtitles, every Friday, on GMMTV’s youtube channel); while Paint with Love required a subscription. That was mistake No. 1.
Mistake No.2 was the lack of promotion. Pffffff… This series could have so much potential! The company could have created a promotion campaign to make this series more popular and to have fans to anticipate for it. They could use social media on their advantage, and arrange live streams with the actors and interact with the fans, or they could create funny compilations with behind the scenes videos (at first they did upload a few behind the film videos but they were too short), or they could have the actors appear to multiple shows (TV shows, radio shows, or social media shows) to make the series more known to the public.
Lastly, mistake No.3 was the inconsistency in the English translation. Before judging me and telling me that I should be grateful that we even have translation for the series, I will tell you that I know, and I am grateful for that. But please don’t underestimate the power that international fans hold. If I don’t perform research on the target audience on the BL series, I won’t be able to know for sure where the watchers are coming from; but from small research in the comment section of different BL series that are posted on youtube, the majority of watchers seems to be international fans. While watching Paint with Love, I felt that there were many scenes that didn’t make any scene, due to the poorly translation, and that kept me from fully understanding a point. I am not sure if I am the only one who had this issue with the English translation, but again something was not feeling right.
BONUS MISTAKE: I am not sure if any of you felt that way, but there were some scenes that didn’t make any sense because there was no built up. I just felt like they said, “Okay this is what we wanted to say in this scene, now cut!”. For example, in the business trip were Nueng was injured, we see that Phap was also injured but he didn’t say anything to anyone. And that’s it... There was no outcome from this incident. Why didn’t he say anything to Maze? Why was he so sad that day? He was the one who helped Maze make it up with Nueng. Did eventually Maze learn about his injury? WE DON’T KNOW!!!! And that’s bothering me! Another example is when Phap took a bunch of bananas to the office, and he handed them to Nae. THAT’S IT!!! NOBODY ADDRESSED THE BANANAS EVER AGAIN! WAS IT IMPORTANT FOR THE PLOT? WE DON’T KNOW! DID THEY EAT THE BANANAS? WE DON’T KNOW! For me a scene should have a purpose; an introduction, a climax, and a connection to future scenes! Anyway…
That’s it! Please let me know if I missed something, or if you disagree with my review! It is a shame, but this series could have been more popular than any other BL series that were aired at the same time!
P.S. GIVE THE STYLIST A RAISE!!!! EVERYONE’S OUTFITS WERE ON POINT AND I LOVED EVERYTHING! THANK YOU P’STYLIST!!!
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I marathoned it straight for first 12 hours, and man, I was in love.
I am not a critic and am sure this is not a perfect drama in any means, but my heart loved it!
Maybe it was because of my mood or whatever it maybe, I just kept swooning.
Hungry for a rom-com after long while, just wanna see something that makes you smile and your heart go aw, pick it up :)
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There are both pros and cons in this drama. I prefer the love triangle in 94 much, much more than the one in 97. Overall, the characters in this drama were almost equally as good as in 97 (or in some cases- even better).
For starters, Na Jeong was quite funny and likable. According to me, it's hard to beat Sung Shi Won played by Eun Ji in 97 but nonetheless, Go Ah Ra did a great job of playing the main character. The rest of them were great in their roles too but the character of Chilbong stands out a bit more for me. I didn't feel like the writer fully utilized his character. Yoo Yeon Seok however did a splendid job with the way he played Chilbong. Applause to him for making me love him so much and making his character feel so real! Then there's Jung Woo who played Trash oppa. I failed to fully connect to his character, maybe due to the way it was written or due to the lack of acting skills of the actor. I don't know who to blame here. I honestly felt like Trash's character had more depth to him than was delivered- which is just sad.
I now understand why this drama had countless shipper wars. My biggest complaint with the love triangle was why drag it out so much when one guy didn't even stand a proper chance from the beginning? Na Jeong clearly loved one and one only from the start. I did like both guys but the outcome was too predictable. Of course, the writer tried to 'confuse' the viewers but I could easily sense the direction it was going in. Better luck next time, writer-nim!
The thing that makes this drama stand out is the band of realistic characters, their unbreakable bonds, unforgettable friendships and love for each other. Mixed in with the nostalgia of the 90's this was surely a recipe for success. I must say it delivered exceedingly well on this front.
Its other great strength lies in its deeply likable cast where there wasn't a single annoying person! Its OST is pretty good too and is sure to keep me listening for days.
Btw I HAVE to mention the cameos of the cast of Reply 97! They were so hilarious that I wanted to kick out the 94 part and let them stay instead. :D This came as a plus to me because they entered the drama right when the plot started becoming stale.
In spite of the many moments that made this drama super likable, there were an equal number of scenes during which I found myself hitting the fast forward button. Why, writer-nim could you not make this drama shorter? What made Reply 1997 work was its shorter length and ability to not drag out as much as regular dramas tend to do. This drama's duration of each of the 21 episodes made watching a tedious task. The downside of having a drama stretch more than it can eventually tires out the viewer thereby decreasing the overall enjoyment.
Had it been shorter and not as repetitive, I would have said that this drama was better than Reply 1997 in a lot of ways. It probably is. Being the same kind of story, by the end it managed to touch me and thus left me with the happy and warm feeling that it sought out to do. :)
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A drama about Healing & Character Growth - not Fangirling or Crime Investigation
Subjective Gut Rating: 8.25To fully enjoy “Idol I”, it’s important to set your expectations and know what type of drama this is. Otherwise, you might be disappointed.
What type of drama is “Idol I”?
** To me, it’s a drama about character growth and development, healing and closure for our main leads.
What “Idol I” is not -
- Murder mystery or Crime investigation drama
- Law drama
- Idol or Fangirling drama
These elements are presented in the drama, but they serve as a plot device for us to get to know our leads and to follow their journey to happiness.
What I Like:
1. Do Ra Ik (ML) - It’s nice to see male lead who is not afraid to show his emotions (the good, bad, and ugly). Oftentimes, softer MLs are depicted as naive and innocent and just weak. But Do Ik isn’t like that. He just can’t hide his feelings. Once he’s off the stage, he will show his emotions honestly to everyone. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s played by the very handsome and charismatic Kim Jae Yeong. His acting is fabulous and when he’s suffering, I felt his pain. He might have cried a little too much in the first few episodes, but for good reasons.
2. Acting - Not only is Kim Jae Yeong breaking my heart and making me smile, Choi Soo Young performed equally well. Without their excellent performance, I probably would not have rated this drama as high. The supporting cast is just as impressive. I wanted to see more of Jung Jae Kwang (Prosecutor Kwak) and Choi Hee Jin also did well as the ex-gf. Of course, we have veterans such as Kim Won Hae who never disappoint.
3. Romance - The romance might not be front and center, and there aren’t many cute and fluffy scenes compared to a normal rom-com, but the chemistry is evident. Even though romance doesn’t start till later, there are plenty of scenes of the leads together for them to get to know each other. The romance feels naturally developed and though few, the kisses are fabulous. I won’t lie, I wish there are more hot kisses and a few more cute scenes. But I am satisfied.
4. OST - I love all the songs in the drama. I don’t really have much to say, but whenever a song played, I thought to myself, “this song is lovely”. I’m happy to see that Kim Jae Young actually sang the song “It’s Me”. It has a very Japanese feel to it and his voice is nice. I also like the title song “Echoes of You”. It’s the perfect song to be sung in concerts with fans singing along. It’s a happy, fangirling song. There are a few slower, beautiful ballads as well, such as “Stay Closely”.
What I have Mixed Feelings:
1. Plot - Despite liking the healing and character growth of the drama, I can’t help but feel a little disappointed that the law/crime investigation storylines are not integrated well into the drama. I wanted to see more bickering and trash talking between the two attorneys, FL and Prosecutor Kwak. I was hoping for some court scenes and see them fight, because they have really good chemistry with the few scenes together. The drama also didn’t do much in the crime investigation either. The last episode is unable to really tie all the loose ends. The drama tries, but it feels rushed and incomplete, especially in regards to the real murderer, the management company and ML’s mother.
2. Murderer - On the one hand, I was surprised to find out who the murderer is. So, that’s a positive for me. Unfortunately, the real reason for the murder is very anti-climatic. The aftermath was glossed over because it has nothing to do with ML anymore. With such a big part focusing on the death of the team member, this feels like a let down.
3. Re-trial - The pursuit of the re-trial is going to happen, and I have no doubt about. That is a big part of FL’s story. However, how it was presented and executed did not make it seem important at all. I would have liked to see the drama slowly integrate elements of FL’s father story, instead of just a few flashbacks of him claiming innocence. Maybe I was asking for too much, since as I said, the focus of the drama is not crime investigation.
Despite my criticisms, I had a great time binging the drama. I really enjoy watching the leads growth story and healing of each other. I like their acting, their characters and their journeys. This is the primary reason why I am rating it an 8.25 and not less than 8.0. If I am a serious investigation/crime fanatic, this would be an absolute disappointment.
Completed: 2/6/2026 Review #665
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If you like comedy drama, this is quite funny, but there are more dramas out there that can make you laugh louder.
If you like happily-ever-after-ending drama, this will let you down, don't expect too much.
If you like sad drama, this is not enough to make your tears come out
If you like action drama, you're not supposed to end up here reading the review :p
But,
If you look for different taste of Kdrama,
If you look for great performances,
If you look for beautiful soundtracks,
This is the one that worth to watch!!
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The chemistry between the leads and the story
I'm on episode 20 and I'm still getting butterflies because of the ML and FL chemistry and interactions, they're soo cute together, even with their issues, just seeing FL try and the patience of ML is satisfying to me. Tbh i like the story and I'm looking forward to their past being revealed, and how they overcome their current issues. I'm happy with the pace as well, never have I felt so far that it should be done already, I'm enjoying it, there is still half way to go so we'll see what the second half will bring. It seems in the comment section I guess I'm the only one who's happy it didn't end yet?! 😂. Also I've binge watched 20 episodes in a day 😁😍.. I'm happy I decided to watch this.It's all about personal taste, so far i have no issues with the show, I've seen a good bit of the FL shows and a few of the ML, and tbh she has more chemistry with this this ML than some other shows I've seen her in, but that's just me. I'm also watching this like i never read any of the comments so i can judge it for myself.
There is a few draggy episodes, after a particular incident, i did skip a little but it was side characters not the main couple, about 80% of the shows I watched have some draggy parts, this is nothing new. Also.... I really really really hate the character of the rival shooting team captain, using all sorts of foolish tricks, why can't he just use his own talent.. it's soo upsetting at this point!!!
I really loved the pace of the romance, personally i think it was great that it wasn't rushed, because none of them were mentally prepared to be for a full committed relationship, but they just gradually get closer and get through their issues, up until the very end.
Completed the drama, and I enjoyed it very much... idk about the comments, but i really did enjoy the journey with the FL and the ML, to the point where i wish there were another episode with more of there life after.. don't want to spoil anything. but either way, i definitely loved this drama, i love the chemistry between the leads, i liked the ost and i like the story very much, the story ha various issues both physical and mental, I loved the whole healing process of the Leads as well. I'll give it at least an 9/10 because i left feeling happy.
If you find something you want to watch, try it out on your own, you may love it, like it or hate it but once its your own decision then that's what matters. I am personally happy i didn't follow the comments, but this is solely based on my preference, it's up to you to decide from checking it out if it's for you or not.
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Never, ever watch this drama, ever
This is maybe the WORST daily drama I have ever watched. I have never written a review before, but I just had to for this drama, For me, daily dramas are cathartic. You know that the good people will get a happy ending and the bad people will get punished. Yes, some daily dramas go off script and the ending can be less than satisfying, but this is the first drama I found enraging. The worst character of the entire series, the one that caused the most heartache and literally had someone murdered, doesn’t go to jail or receive any punishment. She is forgiven, for murder!!! And, the most selfless person in the entire show gets terminal cancer. The romantic plot line was all over the place. First the female lead looks like she is interested in a childhood friend, even though he is a selfish cold prick, IMO. Then, she gets over the friend and is interested in her guardian, the man that raised her since she was six. Okay, that was gross and weird, but I tried to look past it. But then, she doesn’t even end up with him because again, he dies at the end of the drama of cancer. So, the female lead marries the childhood best friend, who she doesn’t even love, to make her pseudo father happy. What???? The whole series was terrible from start to finish and I only finished it because I wanted to see how this train wreck would end. Ultimately, this was the least satisfying daily drama I have ever watched and I would never recommend anyone else watch it.Esta resenha foi útil para você?
It moved along at a nice speed for me. It seemed to slow up a little bit when they got their extension from 16 to 18 episodes, and all of the added flashbacks made it a tad boring at times, but nothing that I couldn't ignore.
Acting/Cast: Loved them. Loved all of them. This would definitely be one of my favorite casts in a drama.
I'd never seen anything with Kim Myung Min before, and this drama definitely made me regret it. He played his bad-boy-the-gets-nicer role perfectly. He always had this air of total confidence, and it was just really awesome to watch in action.
This was the second time I'd watched anything with Jung Ryeo Won in it, and while I wasn't really a fan of her in that, I loved her in this.
Siwon though. That man just made this drama for me. Whenever he was on the screen, I could always count on laughing. Always. He was hilarious, he was adorable, and he was hilarious (yep, I'm saying that twice). And he had this laugh that was completely infectious. If you could watch this, listen to him laugh, and not find yourself smiling, I'd be shocked.
This was also a first for Oh Ji Eun for me. She didn't make her entrance into the show until almost the halfway mark, but that didn't stop me from loving her all the same.
When they were all together, for me, the chemistry was undeniable. Even the actors in the smaller roles of this show were amazing for me.
Music: I loved the OST for this show. That's really all I can say about that.
Rewatch Value: With the cast and the story being different than a lot of other dramas out there, I could definitely see myself watching this more than once in the future. Hell, I could see myself rewatching it multiple times just for Siwon's laugh.
Overall: Overall, I gave the show a 10. Like I said, it had some cliche obstacles, but it was fun (for me) to watch the main characters trample over them when they happened.
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Better than expected
I'm on a modern Chinese drama run and they're all flawed in their own way. This did remind of me Kill Me Heal Me. However the split personality aspect is really weird. How that single incident where a boy accidentally scarred a little girl, left such a traumatic impression on 3 individual is kinda far fetched. Not only that, the way her split personality work is kinda weird....she essentially manifest personality every time she's stress...on the spot. He goes out of his way to deal help the FL lead every time she changed personality is also pretty weird. I mean, at one point, he essentially let her run his company...lol...a person with no experience running any company. Oh yes...the FL is very Mary Sue ish btw. She just excel in everything she does despite have no prior experience in this field. Also for him, the way he almost essentially threw away a girl he love when he thought the girl he had injured was another woman...was just weird. Even if you find someone you'd wrong and want to make up for it...how is that supposed to affect your current love life? Oh yes, so the ML is supposed to be a genius heir of a conglomerate that excel in a lot of investment beside his make up company. He sure acts like an idiot at times. He's a miser to a fault and acts more like a kid than a successful businessman. So the point is...people here in this drama operates in extremely weird logics. Also, one of the biggest plot point was her scar. A scar, in which she had successfully concealed with makeup...so how is that such a big issue is weird. I'm telling you...this drama operates in wacky logic.But if you suspend all of the bad logic in the story, and its true of a lot of these Chinese drama, it's a rather enjoyable experience. I do like the FL's character and personality. The ML's is in his way quirky and cute. The doctor has a really good bromance with the ML. Lots of feel good, cute, and funny moments.
Pros:
- Fun cute romance with lots of cute scene.
- Do enjoy some of main couple.
- Do like the secondary couple with the ML's assistant and the FL's friend/therapist.
- The doctor and the ML's ex coupling is alright but never cared for that pairing. I prefer the bromance between the doctor and the ML.
- The ML's parent...though initially disapprove of their relationship are surprisingly supportive of them later on. Even going along with one of her personality change.
Cons
-As mention terrible logic everywhere. Every time she changes personality, people around her help her by trying to find a way to fulfill her desire. It's an interestingly plot device but the extent they're willing to go along with this...is...just weird if you think about. And EVERYONE plays along.
- Antagonist is alway bad: main one is the obsessive co-ceo of his makeup company I guess. Initally it was the ML's ex but she became her bff after she sacrifice her chance to fix her scar so she can fix her nose.
Despite how much I rant on this drama, I actually enjoyed it quite of bit. And one of the main reason is that they find ways to keep things interesting despite how far-fetch a lot of this scenario is . And they probably played a major role on how much I enjoyed this drama. It's not boring and they main leads are a like-able couple.
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Novel transmigration with cute romance and reverse gender roles
Don’t let the negative comments about the ending stop you from watching this! I really loved everything about this drama except the censored ending. But thankfully we have the secret clip from douyin that wraps up the story (link below).This drama is about the female lead who is transported from the modern world to a historical novel. In the novel, the Peacock City is run by women and women have the same rights as men. The female lead drops from the sky and is appointed as the Peacock Holy Envoy. The male lead is the Minister of Rites who seemingly befriends her but has secret schemes.
POSITIVE:
- Bad boy with a good heart male lead.
- Cute romance and kiss scenes.
- Great chemistry between the leads.
- Frenemies to lovers trope (push and pull dynamic).
- Mix of political intrigue, investigations and revenge.
- Reverse gender roles.
- Smart and quirky female lead who uses her science knowledge to bypass the plot.
- Mostly light-hearted with great comedy moments + a bit of angst towards the end.
- Similar vibes (not plot) to The Romance of Tiger and Rose.
- Prophetic dreams (I loved that bit).
NEGATIVE:
- Censored ending. However there is a secret clip on douyin that wraps up the story. So the drama is still worth watching. Scroll below for spoilers and link.
- Some small parts lack logic but it’s part of the charm and comedy for me.
- Female lead is a bit of a baby sometimes (not a lot).
OVERALL:
If you want a light-hearted transmigration story with reverse gender roles and cute romance, watch this drama.
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It’s a shame that this got zero promotion. I’m going to guess and say it’s because the male lead had issues with the government and had to leave the industry. So they not only censored the drama by giving us an odd ending but also cut it to appear as a short drama (perhaps short dramas pass easier?). I’m pretty sure this was originally done as a typical full length drama (each episode is 20 minutes, that’s around 20 full episodes if it’s 40 minutes each).
SECRET CLIP:
1. Douyin (provided by @Suzette Ser):
https://www.douyin.com/user/MS4wLjABAAAA8Gft2z08CjrLcEI3BGbNk6CLkePD5pUTxQbD0haYQBF7uU0hiAy4KW651lRC_yAL?modal_id=7360304476701396239
2. Twitter:
https://x.com/Fatum____Tempus/status/1782076978369061012
BONUS: BTS of the modern world scenes
https://x.com/Fatum____Tempus/status/1786669698790367614
ENDING SPOILER:
In the finale episode, the female lead dies and is transported back to the modern world. She reads the novel, the story is now changed and doesn’t include her (which we see that play out on screen). There are ambiguous details to suggest the male lead is aware of the book change. END of drama. NOW, thanks to the secret clip uploaded on douyin, we can see the male lead (sports jacket) is reading the same novel in the modern world. The female lead calls his name and he turns around to face her. So they end up meeting each other in the modern world too.
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GOT7 is a musical group, so obviously their acting skills are not superb, but I think they did a great job despite the fact that they're singers. JB obviously has experience, but still.
The music was pretty much just all of GOT7's hits and a few others, so I already knew most of them. It was nice to have their songs playing in the background though, made it more enjoyable.
I don't really rewatch dramas/movies/etc, but since this was such a short and sweet series I'll probably watch it again if I have free time.
Although it seemed like I had nothing to say, I enjoyed the this mini-series. The only reason I gave it a 7.5 is because if I gave it a 8+ it would be like comparing it to big shot dramas out there like MLFTS, Healer, Kill Me Heal Me, Pinocchio, etc etc. Don't hate me. If you're bored and there's nothing to watch, this cute mini series will be perfect for you. :)
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