Reviews

Ms. Dentist should have brought more friends from Seoul

The show is part small-town ensemble comedy and part romance between leads attempting to overcome difficult childhoods. The foundation is there for a successful show. There’s some terrific actors in the supporting roles. Jo Han Chul, Lee Bong Ryun and and Cha Chung Hwa are excellent performers. It’s not uniformly great up and down the roster (In Gyo Jin as the district head and Lee Bong Ryun’s ex-husband flops badly), but it’s a serviceable group. Several of the supporting cast appear to function as comedic relief (Jo Han Chul’s Oh Yoon and Cha Chung Hwa’s Nam Sook particularly). The comedy, unfortunately, rarely connects. A great deal of it doesn't land because it relies on crudely portraying the locals as a group of hillbillies that has no fashion sense, no sophistication, can't solve basic problems, can barely operate modern technology and is semi-literate. Punching down isn't a good strategy to generate laughs and even if it were, the characters and cast used to attempt it here execute it poorly.

There's other issues too. Early, it appears that there’s some special connection between Chief Hong and Kim Young Ok’s Gam Ri, but her presence fades until there is a throw-in backstory moment near the end. There’s not merely one secondary romance, but a handful of relationships between supporting characters. None of them, however, get enough screen time investment to pay off. While Lee Bong Ryun’s Hwa Jeong is a strong character and gets enough screen time to develop an entertaining arc, the rest of this crew are not much more than one dimensional characters that only very intermittently entertain. Overall, the ensemble just never develops as it has too many characters, not enough character in those characters and a poor job of weaving the supporting arcs to the overarching narrative.

Which leaves it up to the leads to carry the show. And the leads are more than capable hands. Shin Min Ah is marvelous as the centerpiece character - a driven dentist with an inner warmth that isn’t visible through a normally prickly exterior. The character is far from perfect and frustratingly stubborn as she consistently finds ways to damage the tenuous relationships in her new seaside neighborhood. But the blemishes make her charms shine brighter as she begins to connect and find her way.

As for Kim Seon Ho, this is the most Kim Seon Ho style role ever. It is distilled, purest Kim Seon Ho and for viewers that are looking for what he's done in previous work only with more of it and taken to an even more natural, laid-back, "aw shucks" style, this role will probably never be surpassed. For viewers looking for something that would expand his range or show a new type of character, search elsewhere. But he works extremely well with Shin Min Ah and whether it was written with this intent or simply this actor found the right balance, his Chief Hong is the only resident character that doesn't end up being pigeonholed as a backwards simpleton.

Were it not for some missteps with the narrative setting up the conclusion, Ms. Dentist and Chief Hong would probably contend for best romantic lead couple of any drama this year. But the long-awaited unveiling of Chief Hong’s back story is teeming with cliches and reveals that should surprise exactly zero viewers. There’s also some uninspired dialogue in what should be a big emotional moment. It’s exactly when things should be building up to a grand conclusion that it deflates instead. To confound matters more, there's an explosion of crying and product placement in the final two episodes. Frankly, the last three episodes are a massive disappointment. While a less than stellar conclusion shouldn't completely negate what had been a worthy production up to that point, "Hometown Cha Cha Cha" nosedives badly. Badly enough that it does cast a shadow on the show as a whole.

Recommended but barely.

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The best part for me: the comedy and the chemistry

Set in the small village in 1989, Byung Tae, who was formerly bullied, transfers to a new school. He is somehow mistaken as the school's best fighter, White Tiger. He happily takes on this identity, as he is determined not to be bullied again. However, when the real White Tiger moves to this school, can he handles his daily life with him, bullies, all while he start developing crushes?

It's a unique premise regarding mistaken identity. The retro set was very well designed as it looks charming and vibrant. The first half of the series is just full of ridiculous goodness, slap-sticky comical action scenes that reminds me of watching those old Jackie Chan classics. It’s a coming of age story, with many day-to-day schoolboys activities at school and after school. There is a romance subplot with a sparkling chemistry and it’s the most memorable part for me. However, it gets heavy on the bullying main story towards the ending and the twist towards that turn felt jarring and kind of nasty, personally. Although I get that it gives a decent arc for Byung Tae.

I enjoyed the fun cast interacting together. Obviously, I love Im Si Wan as Byung Tae. Not only he's excellent at being dorky, when he falls in love, his expressions are priceless. He has played a lot of different roles and always nails it.

-Dec 2023, Yovita
Find me on Instagram: @kdramajudge

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it's a fine line between unique, weird and confusing

It's refreshing in a way, as it lacks not only many typical tropes but also the overall set up (road trip / being always on the go/ no fixed workplace) leaves you with little room for getting accustomed to certain surroundings, nor does it have many supporting roles as the story goes on. It's very much the story of the FL and her life's story turned into a manuscript, while the ML is a too-good-for-his-own-good new on the job guy, that is tasked with getting said manuscript but Wang Pu Tao instead asks him to take a road trip and so the story unfolds.

The first 10 episodes contain stories that come to life, the later part of the drama is focused on the leads (mostly the FL) and figuring out the meaning behind the stories of her new manuscript as well as confronting your past and seeing the present for what it is.

Review/Characters/Romance:

Now, while it certainly is unique and given the short duration of each episode, an easy watch, it's also a little undercooked. Maybe that's on purpose as the drama wants to remain slightly mysterious and give it that vibe, but for me it was a bit confusing at times. There is also a definitive cut between the storytelling part of the drama and the present reality, which contains the romantic aspect of the drama. I liked the ML, he was cute and his good heart but very realistic, utter confusion at the FL sometimes was funny. But I do think he deserved better communication, most of the time he was was trying to figure out what she's thinking or what she wants.
Many of the listed supporting roles only appear in select episodes and you don't get to know them all too well but everyone has their purpose and I felt like it was quite a realistic approach, since IRL most interactions are only fleeting conversations and you don't have to always know about everyone's business.

Circling back tho, the drama is like the FL, a little weird, unique but deep down her story is not that different from other dramas leads, it's just that they took a very different approach in telling the story - I can appreciate that.

Worth the watch if you want something quirky but not bubbly (at all), an imperfect and seemingly mysterious FL that is wrapped up in her creative mind and a ML that tries to get his job done but in the process gets more and more curious about who the FL really is.
Although it's about publishing a book/getting a new manuscript there are actually almost no office scenes, it's a very summer-y beach vibey drama. And it's not cringy or fluffly. The acting and production is above average, I also liked the music. Like everything in this drama it's a bit different than the usual OST.

To end this review: I'm still unsure if I like the drama or if I am confused since it's different in all aspects not just one, BUT it has many unique selling points and it's not like anything I watched before. The ending was like a movie ending, it fitted the drama very well and won't leave you hanging.
It's a fine line between unique, weird and confusing and this drama manages to balance on that line.

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Should have stuck to one plotline...

I saw so many people hyping this show up and I wanted so badly to like it but I just found that it felt like two different plots/worlds smashed together into one with no real link between them. I'm not trying to be a hater - the fight scenes were great, the effects were good, and the storyline was interesting, but I just could not like it as much as I wanted to.

Tharn and Phaya are training to become part of the special forces detective team, and the training is intense, to say the least. It seems as though Tharn has some kind of innate sense if Phaya is in danger, and this sense is rooted in visions that allow him to see the danger that Phaya is in. The two of them become closer throughout their training, and even closer after it's completed and they're initiated into the force. However, there is an evil lurking. While trying to catch a rich and powerful drug cartel, secrets of the Naga sea monster threaten their safety more than the cartel does.

My main issue here is that we have this drug smuggling investigation going on with a team of detectives we've grown to love, and also the plot of the Naga, which seems to be totally unrelated except for the fact that Tharn is involved. If this was a fantasy/supernatural story, where Phaya and Tharn are dealing with the issue of the Naga, I'd have no problems with it. Or, if this was a story about becoming detectives and investigating this elaborate case, I would love it. However, combining these two things took away from the show, in my opinion. It felt like the Naga was added on too late in the show to be really important, and also it felt like it took away from the detective aspect of it and didn't give us a chance to see the investigation fully play out. I found myself getting distracted while watching it, waiting for the (well done) action scenes and case developments.

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The most toxic of romances . . .

This drama's addictive qualities, and thrilling action scenes, do not matter, because the main romance is unbelievably toxic and romanticizes the most dangerous of red flags. It's as if the script writers went down the list of 'high risk factors' for murder suicide relationships :

1) Suicide threats and knives: Xie Wie takes a knife puts it into Ning'er-'s hand and invites her to stab him. This you, or I , or both of us attitude where the abuser takes a knife and points it at the other person, then at themselves, then starts screaming 'fine just do it, kill me, kill us' is usually the last step before the end. The show portrays this as showing intense love instead of an intense nihilism.

2) Strangulation and grabbing by the throat: Xie Wie repeatedly grabs Ning'er by the throat in order to force her to do something she doesn't want to do - including grabbing her by the throat and then kissing her. Strangulation and choking threats are huge red flags, mainly because it is a very vulnerable area to attack and often leads to brain injury. Strangulation/choking/non consensual breath play to initiate or coerce sex is often a sign of the same intense nihilism.

3) Drug use: Xie Wie has been using a highly damaging performance enhancing drug to make up for health issues stemming from his trauma. His friends have been trying to get him to stop, but they and Xie Wie insist that only Ning'er's love can and will get him to stop. Usually drug addiction/misuse cannot be 'solved' through a romance, and this belief causes many people to stay in toxic relationships enabled by the drug users family and friends who want someone else to bear the responsibility.

4) Untreated mental health: Xie Wie has episodes of extreme violence and paranoia due to past trauma. Ning'er and other innocent people are exposed to this dangerous behaviour repeatedly. Yet, there is no explanation on how this could be miraculously cured.

5) Romeo and Juliet sense of 'no one understands us': Xie Wie repeatedly claims to Ning'er that only they can understand each other - no one else can. That they are both meant to be forged through trauma and hardship, willing to go to lengths that other people cannot understand. Xie Wie repeatedly snears at Ning'er s love for Zhang Zhe - claiming that he's too simplistic and good for one such as her.

6) Obsessed with revenge, excellent at power games, petty to a fault: If Xie Wie only had this capacity of revenge for political wrongs, this wouldn't be such a red flag, but Xie Wie also shows a pettiness and jealousy towards the other family and friends in Ning'er's life and an inappropriate level of condescension towards Ning'er 's father.

7) Power imbalance in the relationship: Xie Wie is Ning'er's teacher and mentor at various points, and Ning'er s father and others treat him as one generation senior to Ning'er. Xie Wie often orders Ning'er around whether or not she is 'officially' his teacher at various points. Ning'er for various reasons begs him or kneels to him about various things throughout the show, but Xie Wie never puts himself in the humble position. Even when he's backed into a corner, he dramatically and violently seizes the power back.

There's probably a lot more. This is all to say in this modern age, there's no reason to teach people that these red flags are evidence of intense love - they are not. If you ever encounter anyone like this in real life - beware. That intensity is often simply a stalker like obsession and a strong desire for power and control over you.

It's one thing to portray a toxic individual who is NOT toxic towards the main love interest and is inspired by her to change (as unrealistic and problematic as that storyline is), but it's a whole 'nother thing to be directly harmful and toxic towards the main love interest.

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This is one of the best time travel dramas I watched so far!^^ It's like a fairytale drama. ^^ This drama blow me off with kisses, from the sweet to passionate kisses.
I marathoned it for 4 days. I was so happy to heard that they are couple in a real life. They really suit each other.

The story is about Kim Boong Do who travels 300 years into the future in modern Seoul where he meets Choi Hee Jin not so popular actress and they fall in love. I loved every second of it and I liked how their romance and feelings devolps as the story goes on.

At the beggining Yoo In Na's acting was so-so, but then at the middle of a drama her acting becomes better. I feeled her sadness and crying through me. Ji Hyun Woo did an amazing job as always.

Music is very well combined witht the old and modern time.

I'll always rewatch this drama. It was so sweet and heartwarming.

Overall I gave it a 10 :D So, when you have nothing to watch or you're in a mood to watch something sweet and heartwarming this is a drama!^^

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The male actor is hot! Has gr8 screen presence...
This is one of those dramas were everything that thai lakorns are about - slap kiss/ violence/ kidnapping is there...but the heroiene is equally badass and returns a bite for a bite...
There is force but not force rape scenes despite thm getting intimate...so that was somethin diff!
Except for the last epi which felt like how did this happen and the first epi where u want to kill the bitcy villian...this lakorn is really nice to watch. The chemistry between the leads is good and I am so go na watch more of this guys shows????

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Basically a light watch to take a break from your overly sweet romance doses

Well, if you are here for a sweet fluffy romance, this drama won't be your cup of tea. I would rather label it as drama which you should watch without holding any expectations, then you would certainly enjoy it. Apparently I watched this in my drama slump era, so yeah it was an enjoyable watch for me

The story basically starts with FL who has a crush on ML in irl, and ML who has crush on FL in online platform. First 6 episodes starts with your same old average cliche lovelorn FL who is literally throwing off all her dignity cover to chase after the ml. But the hard hit rejection in episode 6 serves as an wakeup call inducing her cool, sassy and slaying comeback personality.

✔️
- the pacing of the plot was quite good. They introduced problems (complicatedly speaking arcs) and solved them within 2-3 episodes. So 24 episodes was actually good number of episodes and nicely executed.
- The dynamics and bickering between the leads were quite enjoyable.
- Slow burn romance which is one my fav subgenre in romance
- Yue Qianliang and her slaying comebacks were well served throughout the series ( tbh, I would say, ZY's execution of this character was one of the major reasons I got through this drama, especially considering the fact that I easily drop modern dramas in their airing phase)
- A rather light watch with no typical love triangles, sweet and happy side characters and overall certain enjoyable elements.

❌
- same old cliche plot with not much of change.
- You wont really find yourself having any extreme emotion be it sad, happy, ang le, excited or whatever ( well this could be a good as well as a bad point, at least it's not stress inducing)
- I would suggest viewers to not drop this in first 6 episodes, if your major turns out to be major reason for dropping, cause episode 7 onwards is a good turnback for her character.
- Romance didn't really seem to be the main element. Their dynamic from rejection phase to wife chasing phase was probably the 'looking forward to' part when we talk about their chemistry. So if you are watching this for some sweet kiss and hug scenes, umm well, you won't be that well served, especially considering the fact that they had their first kiss in near end episodes. ( It was a plus point for me cause I am not really fan of too many hugs, kiss scenes)
- There are lots of scenes you could watch in 2× especially if you don't really understand these gaming discussion.
( This is to say once again romance wasn't main element, it was basically an mix of romance, work and dreams, well actually this isn't a negative point about the drama, but still anyways)

Overall it was an light watch with well integration of love, life, work, dreams and little bit of struggle elements! So recommended! Do check it out :)

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This drama is NOT for everyone!!!

I have read so many bad reviews. If you hate and don't see the beauty of this drama then you are either immature, love cheesy and unrealistic love story or don't like slow dramas which its okay considering everyone has their opinion and preferences. Yes it has its flaws like every other drama. I cannot emphasis enough on how the drama is not for everyone, it is EXTREMELY slow paced and people complain about that. I believe that's how the story was intended to be, with the slow burn we get to see how the connection developed between the characters and it happened so naturally. The Irony is that you would expect the female lead to be mature considering her age but we all know who the real adult in their relationship was.

Jin ah's (FL) mother is a hated character, she did the most to break them apart. For me that made it more realistic because some parents are very traditional, closed minded and want what they think is best for their children, (thus they can go to any extent to see that happen as we also see in the show) I could personally relate to this. If you are looking for something that would uplift your mood then this is not it.

Although I think it would have been better if it had been a movie or a mini series than having 16 episodes, not a huge problem though. Also I enjoyed the ost at first but then it got very repetitive and some scenes really did not match the songs. Nevertheless the songs are very calming (has a little vintage vibe to it) I still play it. It's the first kdrama I have seen with all english ost.

A lot of people complain about the ending but what more could have seriously happened, happy endings are not always guaranteed. After the mother begged for forgiveness, One can say that Jin ah did not need her mothers approval any longer and she can finally be with the person she loves without getting judged. It hurts me that the drama is underrated, it deserves more attention but what can I say the underrated ones are sometimes the best ones. If you hate this drama then it was personally not your cup of tea not that anything was wrong with it. I totally recommend this If you are looking for a very serious, mature and reflecting story. If not please pass rather than coming to degrade a remarkable drama.

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When you first get into Kdramas there are a group of popular dramas that everyone is familiar with and that show up on multiple favorites lists. I have slowly made my way through this list but have always found myself putting off Lie to Me due to the mixed reviews. Lie to Me is a drama that people seem to love or hate and I'm afraid that I fall into the latter category. Lie to Me is a popular drama used in countless Asian drama clip videos on youtube due to the kiss scenes, which I readily admit are pretty great. Unfortunately they turned out to be the only great thing in this drama. I found the lead characters to be uninteresting as well as a bit bipolar and inconsistent. The story also dragged for most of the second half, leading to a boring and messy conclusion.

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After watching The Musical I swore to myself I would never watch another drama Koo Hye Sun starred in. Well once TCOUC was announced I thought the premise was something I haven’t seen before and it was also on SBS (have been cranking out pretty awesome dramas lately) so I figured why not give the first episode a try to see if it’s any good. If the plot is any good I might be able to get past Koo Hye Sun’s one note acting…

Story- I was shocked from the very first episode! Some things happen that involve a few of our lead characters, which sets the course for the rest of the show. The first half of the episodes deal with KHS’s character learning to be a co pilot and our main pilot guy trying to tolerate her. In between there are a ton of guest characters who have arcs of their own written into the plot that make the episodes go by fast. Now once the half way mark comes around that’s when we start to see some romantic feelings develop. Next half of the series is lighter but towards the last few eps its gets pretty angsty and frustrating. The last episode ties up all the lose ends nicely=)

Acting/Cast- I really thought the acting by everyone except… Koo Hye Sun was perfect. They really played their roles well and made their characters seem real. There were villains and they made you hate them. I liked the guest characters and I enjoyed seeing their stories. Now Koo Hye Sun really didn’t do as awful as she did in The Musical but I think its kind of sad when 1. your leading man outshines you and 2. The secondary & third female lead outshines you. I also think the chemistry between the 2 leads wasn’t that strong.

Music- Good songs that fit the scenes well but nothing I’m interested in listening to outside the show.

Rewatch- I personally couldn’t watch this again just because I like watching dramas where the leads have a strong romantic chemistry. I’m sure someone else might find this rewatchable though.

Overall TCOUC is good for a one-time watch but I think it would’ve been more enjoyable if a different actress that I could take seriously would have been casted as the female lead.

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Most amazing drama ??

This drama is very amazing for me. It is not a typical love stories that you watch. It is more of the chess game. Who is the master of the game. This drama is the game of mind. Best strategy to win the game. You have to win your battle with the most strategic way. I love the Emperor so much. He plays like a weaker one and you think he will lose the game. But it turns out he is the most strategic one. Like what he said he is the master of the game. So you know that in the end He will win this battle. I love the acting of each actors. They played their roles very well. Especially Cheng Yi ❤️ I always admire him. He is the best actor for me. I love everything about him. And of course everyone in this cast and production! I love the OST -high above the sky and the one that Cheng Yi sang. I love everything about this drama. ❤️❤️❤️

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Meh (tbh)

I think if yall read some of the more honest, unbiased and lower rating reviews, yall can get a fair idea of some of my disappointments with BBS coz they explained almost all of them very well. So I’m not going to discuss those in detail. I’ll talk about some of my other experiences with this series.

I struggle to get invested in Thai BLs and here too was the same case for reasons that can extend from weak storyline to quirky-cringey sound effects. But I still struggled through the first episodes only to be really invested by ep 4 which only peaked at ep 5 with that kiss. Omg... that kiss was everything. I was watching ep 5 at midnight and I almost woke up my entire neighbourhood. I was caught so off guard and wasn’t expecting such lip action when many of them have a history of pecking each other like fishes.

So I was obsessed after that episode and then came ep 9. That ep 8 cliffhanger was one of the most anxiety inducing scene I’ve ever seen tbh. So I was waiting for what should’ve been ep 9 but was completely thrown off by a half baked ass “redemption” episode. I hate that episode from the bottom of my heart. Wai outed his best friend in front of everyone and it is Pran who is following wai asking for his forgiveness. The irony is revolting. But suddenly it all makes sense since BB doesn’t have homophobia as it is an utopian world so there’s also no outing. And wai also has a background story to justify his actions— I couldn’t cringe my teeth any harder tbh when BBS stans or the director or writers puts forward these kinds of reasons as an excuse for such terrible writing. I combusted when wai was joking and smiling on video call with patpran after doing the bare minimum of finding a cctv footage overlooked by the lazy cops. This episode couldn’t have gone more wrong.

The show just took a major dip for me after that horrendous episode 9 and I again went back to struggling to get through each later episode. I just muted many BBS stans on Twitter coz the level of overyanalyzation of the show and fetishisation of ohmnanon was unbearable. They were writing big ass posts overanalysing every detail and scene about a show that literally has an unoriginal plot with cliches and was carried entirely by the actors and their chemistry. BBS would’ve been way nicer if these stans would’ve just let it be what it actually is-simple and sweet.

The episodes after episode 9 were Meh overall. It failed to bring back the charm of the holy trinity episodes of the show- 4,5 and 6.

Then came episodes 10 and 11 which were angsty and somewhat disconnected. The scholarship issue was reasonable and also unreasonable. The entire western culture vs eastern culture discourse that ep 11 sparked and all the gatekeeping that was being done against western fans couldn’t have been more disgusting. I am Asian and I am aware of the importance of family and education. But that doesn’t give my parents any right to stomp on my happiness and what I want in life. Children’s happiness shouldn’t come between the family, rather parents should find a way to find happiness in their children’s happiness. Children should be allowed to take their own decisions in life. People were acting like patpran weren’t grown ass men who didn’t know their priorities right. Children shouldn’t also fully give in to controlling toxic parents coz even if children love their family and will do everything for them, children should have it in them to stand up for what’s right and call out what’s wrong. Coz if parents are so adamant on their thinking, it isn’t right for the children to be adjusting. By giving into such toxic family dynamic, its going to be everyone who are going to suffer directly or indirectly. Rather than giving in, children should try to have deep talks with parents about whatever issue it is and explain to them patiently and wait for them to come around. Realistic isn’t always correct.

People were putting toxic controlling parents on such a pedestal on social media over that episode and being emotional and sharing their stories which is great. But- So when in ep 12, it was revealed that patpran actually never broke up and had been straight up lying to everyone all this while, all those stans had suddenly become silent. They were coming after western fans and gatekeeping BBS from western fans for what? This was all so dumb.

At last, All I’m going to say is BBS is indeed a good series and has a lot of plus points which yall will find in any other 10 rating review here. But I said what my experience with this series was and it was love-hate. This series peaked in the middle and ended on a meh. Ohmnanon are great actors but again the bar is that low when it comes to BLs. It was certainly not worth all the hype but it’s still a good series. I was obsessed too until a certain point so I get it why people are so invested in it but yeah... if I go on to tweet an unpopular opinion about BBS, suddenly an entire army of BBS stans would start attacking me. I’ve seen many getting attacked like that. It’s the stans who are just making this simple series into such a big thing and calling it end all and be all of BL. “Bad buddy wasn’t perfect” an there’s so much room for growth and better BLs that could come in the future.

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