This was never on my PTW list. It's just that seeing it got through to the final listing of MDL best Jdrama 2018 award, made me a bit curious about it and so here I am writing a review for the first time ever. I'm sorry if by any means my writing hurts anyone who loves this drama feeling.
The overall story is cliche. I mean we have seen this back in time to correct mistakes plot over and over aren't we? The only saviour for this type of plot is when you have a heartwarming story alongside it. Normally family/relationship related stuff is used by the screenwriter. Think JIN, Ryuusei Wagon, Suteki na Sen Taxi, ProDai.
Similar for Todome no Kiss, but the "alongside" story was kind of half-ass IMO. At the beginning, it appeared as a revenge plot in disguised by "desire to become rich" of the ML. While everyone who's watching the drama knows how the characters are related to each other, and could roughly predict on it's direction, the screenwriter made a plot twist (not making sense one) by making the ML clueless about it until half way of the series. Even so, he did not seem like taking revenge after knowing the truth and chose to become rich instead.
There was also plot hole in the writing, for example a major time-travel inconsistency on episode 3. Apart from that the characterization of the ML doesn't written properly too. At times he was portrayed as someone who's smart and sly (and because of that the screenwriter need to remind the viewer by making each female character to say KUZU in each episode), and at some other time he looks much stupid than elementary school student.
The cinematography was nothing spectacular as well. It's as good as you could see in other standard Japanese dramas out there.
However, there are also few good things to mention. Especially Suda Masaki's acting throughout the drama. He has small role and few screen time, but leaves a greater impact with his warm presence. Other than that, the last episode was good IMO even without having to watch episode 10 of "Parallel" (which I also watched BTW).
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Never ending staring contest
As much I love the actress (she's in Bloody Romance) and as much as I enjoyed the first Go Go Squid this was a struggle for me to continue. I'll probably play on the side and eventually finish it.Boring start and really not romantic if you think through:
1. Love at first sight feeling <-- ML liked her for 7 years prior to meeting her. Meets her instantly reaffirming he only wants to be with her (w/o any deeper understanding) but I guess that's "romantic" to some? He goes away boom ! another 3 years pass by and that's a total of 10 years already!!! They meet again the story continues.
4 ep in and already lots of staring ............... w/o words ............ just staring with some drama blinks.
14 ep in still not together but lots lots lots eye meets eye w/o words .... frozen in ep.
2. Supporting couple: the sister & Grunt <--- again immediate like w/o no interaction? He hijacks her drink, hoovers over her while she just stares at his hotness and that's how they met. Ep later in the bar she asks him while drunk "Do you like me?" and makes you wonder did you miss all the interaction in between?
First kiss ------------- kissing a drunk girl 1/2 conscious ? yeah NOT romantic
Story so boring compared to Go Go Squid 1 but there are quite a few fine looking faces if that can hold your interest.
**Update** Amazing I finished it at 2x speed because I am not a quitter. But nothing happened. Plot stayed boring as ever.
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BEST HIGH SCHOOL DRAMA OF 2020
As many people before me have already said, this is not your typical high school drama. This is not the typical love triangle or rich-poor story, (the only other high school dramas I’ve seen are ‘Extraordinary You’ which had the whole comic world concept which made it exciting and maybe ‘Cinderella and the Four Knights’ can be considered high school too. I wanted to watch the ‘School’ series but then it seemed kinda boring and repetitive and I was scared to drop it, which I hate doing). This drama shows the darker and more dangerous side of the high school experience which includes themes such as smoking, and bullying which are relatable to almost everyone who went to high school and some that are less relatable such as sex trafficking and gangs. A good, exciting and educational break from the cute but at times unrealistic and annoying love lines that happen in a Kim So Hyun drama, for example (I don’t hate her, she’s the one that I can think of at the moment if I think of romance-high school drama). All being said, I don’t hate high school dramas or love triangles in general, I’m just expressing my preferences as someone who usually avoids high school dramas.Going back to Extracurricular, I started watching it as soon as it came out because it was showing on my Netflix. I knew it was coming but as the main leads were high school students I thought that maybe I was not going to like it but then the illegal activity after school mentioned in the synopsis made me curious. I stopped it for a couple of days in between and went to finish Sky Castle with my sister and then Kim Dong-hee made me wanna finish it. He is a high school student in both these dramas but the difference in the two characters is astronomical. Like Ji-soo, woah, what in the world are you doing!? And Park Joo-hyun was so good too, I loved her. We’ve seen many female characters in dramas that are unhappy with their parents and hate their life but she took action and did something about it, even though what she did was illegal. She portrayed her character so strongly, showing all the emotions and making Gyu-ri a real person not just a character in a story. All the actors did such a good job. I was feeling all the emotions while watching it.
As for the ending, wow again. I’m not going to say much as I don’t want to spoil but I wanted a season 2 at first, as I always do, I don’t want to let them go if you get what I mean, I just want the story to keep on going (only if the drama is really good though). But now I think that season two is not needed. What are they even going to show? Even though how they left the ending is just too much to decide on our own as viewers, I feel like maybe another season is not necessary. But if they decide to make it, I wouldn’t mind.
One of the most exciting high school dramas ever ⭐️
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Yet another terrible Netflix kdrama (HEAVY SPOILERS)
I disliked the first season but decided to watch the second one hoping it will be slightly better (just like, in my opinion, My First First Love). I honestly don't know what was I thinking.I will start with an arguably best thing about the drama, namely its setting. I am not exaggerating when I say that the concept behind the drama is fantastic. Social media addiction has entered a new level due to a Love Alarm – an app, which rings every time someone who has a crush on you gets close to your phone. However, soon after its creation, the app becomes troublesome to many. The idea of finding true love is now turning into yet another social media competition for likes. Couples no longer trust each other, and people are overwhelmed with loneliness, which leads to new class divisions, protests and mass suicides. The antiutopian world the drama shows is incredibly thought-provoking. Sadly, as it usually happens, what could have been a great story was ruined by poor screenwriting.
The plot seems a bit complicated, but if you think about it, it's just yet another modern version of Cinderella but with a typical second male lead love story and a slight twist in the end. The ML, Sunoh, is a spoiled child of a politician and an actress who are literal sociopaths. The FL, Jojo, is an orphan who lives with her aunt and cousin, working numerous shifts to pay her dead parents' debt. The main characters attend the same high school, fall in love, and everyone is mad at them for numerous reasons. So, pressured by Sunoh's family, Jojo decides to break up. To do so, she installs a shield for her Love Alarm app, so she can lie that her feelings have changed, yada yada yada.
Now, in season 2, we are in college years. Jojo is now dating a second male lead, Hyeyoung, who was best friends with the ML and had a crush on the FL throughout the first season. By accident, the big trio reconnects, and it turns out that – surprise surprise – Sunoh is still in love with Jojo. But because Jojo's Love Alarm still has a shield on, we don't really know who Jojo loves. So now Jojo not only has to make a choice, but she also has to come clean about this whole lying-about-her-feelings thing. And then she does and chooses Hyeyoung. That's it. That's the story.
I don't even know where to start. First of all, the characters - literally everyone has a personality of a rock. I'm aware that the drama was probably meant to show how the love confessing app would change the way people express their feelings, but for the love of God, not a single one of the characters is able to resolve anything humanely. It's incredible how the FL had not one, not two, but three boyfriends throughout the drama and yet showed no signs of charisma or empathy. Even the tragic backstory doesn't help her case – she is one of the blandest characters I have ever seen in a kdrama. Moreover, she hides the truth from everyone and has literally no good reason to do so? For most of the series, she refuses to explain the ML why she was forced to end their relationship, even though this big secret has no relevance anymore and only causes further problems. Similarly, she has no reason to not tell the SL why her Love Alarm does not ring for him. Jojo is the one full of lies and yet somehow manages to make it all about herself, as she wasn't the most problematic one.
To tell you the truth, the ML and the SL are as unlikeable as the FL. Their only personality trait is being obsessed with Jojo. And let me remind you once again. For Sunoh, Jojo is a high school girlfriend who was with him for a month or two four years ago. And for Hyeyoung, Jojo is a girlfriend who doesn't love him back, cheats on him and basically treats him like a doormat. Besides that, I would maybe have some sympathy for ML and SL if not the fact that they are literal stalkers who do not take "no" for an answer. Out of everyone, the only character I felt bad for was the ML's girlfriend, Yuju (because yes, the ML is so loveable that in season 2 he had a girlfriend he didn't even like). It's ridiculous how the screenwriters attempted to portray her as vain and silly when she was, in fact, the most caring and, in a way, expressive character out of all. I'm sad she had to end up with that jerk.
Secondly, the plot. This story could have been an email. The whole drama it's the good old circle of miscommunication. Almost all of the problems would not have happened or could have been resolved by talking. I hate it how the characters could not talk it out even when given the perfect opportunity. Moreover, the screenwriters ran out of ideas at some point, and it shows. The drama had some really interesting subplots. One of them revolved around Love Alarm's original creator, Dukgoo, who programmed the app in order to confess to his crush, Jojo's cousin Gulmi. Dukgoo's story was quite complicated and linked to many crucial events in the drama. He created the app, sent Jojo mods and even had a link to protests and suicides caused by Love Alarm. As I mentioned before, this futuristic theme was way more interesting than the love story, and thus the subplot had a great potential to develop in the second season. However, it seems like the screenwriters just gave up on it, giving Dukgoo an illogical ending that doesn't explain a thing.
Overall, I would not recommend watching Love Alarm. It's one of the top positions of my "how the hell did I even get through all of the episodes" list. The plot is boring, and the characters are even worse. And if you like the idea of technology messing up with people's feelings, then go watch Black Mirror instead.
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Simply put, I got bored and tired of the drama between characters. Things were moving at a decent pace in the beginning but the last 6 episodes were really drawn out and made everything drag. For example, the back stories of the characters were not revealed until the last 4 episodes and they weren't very well developed at all which was very disappointing and frustrating.
My biggest issue with this drama is that the characters are written illogically with no qualities that drew me in or made me want to know how they turn out. While I recognize that characters need to be written with room for growth and those are the intended areas of growth throughout the series, the negative qualities/choices of these characters weren't things I found interesting or worth investing my emotions or time into.
By the end, I didn't like any of the characters or their stories and I wasn't happy or proud for any of them because what happened along the way were things I don't feel people should feel proud of. And due to the lack of back stories for each character, I was unable to sympathize and empathize with how each character was as a person, which then made it difficult for me to appreciate their dynamics with other characters.
The OST and actors were pretty decent, but due to the poor character writing, I would not recommend this drama. I know that my review is a very unpopular opinion, but I personally look for much more depth in my slice of life dramas.
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Four episodes in and:
(1) I wasn't caring much for the characters,
(2) I feel like I could even drop this drama.
But of course I had to finish it, after all how could I just let go of such a wonderful ensemble cast. As for my weird reasoning, I fully realized why in the end.
This isn't the type of drama that I'd marathon, more like an enjoyable filler that I can watch at leisure pace. I feel like it's too lengthy for its kind of story. It could have been kept at 16-episodes, or alternatively, it could have explored and given more scenes to the four men who were truly awesome when they're together, but apart, each of their storyline provides not much impact, and it was only thanks to these great actors who brought it to life in a splendid fashion.
Besides the foursome buddies, the only couple with glowing chemistry is Yoon & Me Ahri. I attribute this to the underlying issues in their relationship which they had to overcome, and both actors came through for it. As to why I couldn't say the same for the main couple, it may be due to the overall direction and tone the drama took, which is just too much fluffiness. Should I even add, I couldn't connect much with the main couple and on the other hand, if Tae San & Yi Soo, who exudes more chemistry, had more developments then it might have improved my take on this drama.
I understand that the goal was to showcase the male buddy system, different male personalities, how a man react to different situations in their life and relationships. It's great for what it's worth and I had too may LOL moments to not be positive about it plus to top it off, it gives you perfect pitch music that compliments everything from upbeat, funny, romantic, soulful, or sentimental.
Because of these, I say it's worth re-watching just to recapture those laugh-out-loud moments. But, I'm not too thrilled of watching another 20-episodes of it again, so probably a lot will be skipped.
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psychotic roller coaster !!
Continuing to watch till S3 was not a bad idea after all! This drama will forever remain in my heart. I never have hated and loved the same person so much in my life other than Penthouse Characters.The Pecanpie: War in life (this title makes more sense)
This drama game me a new experience which I never had with any other drama. Rage, Anger, Tears @ 2am, Butterflies in my belly, Anxiety, Anger issues, Incomplete assignments, you name it. It gave me all. But most importantly, I felt like I've undergone this entire journey of penthouse. As a viewer who started watching when S1E1 aired, I can tell that I felt like I was a character inside this drama. Watching all the actors grow, I truly feel like I was a part of everything!!!
If you are watching for a plot, don't watch it.
Thankyou Penthouse for this amazing journey!! I cried, I got angry over the plot, I laughed, I cringed, I smiled, experienced second hand embarrassment from characters here :P My point is do give it a try.
Dr.Ha, I love you and i'm sorry.<3
SPOILERS: (do not need to read)
EPISODE 1: (7/10)
The plot is very messy by far. Many things are so out of hand already in the 1st ep. I was hoping for a friendship between Rona and Seokyung. I can't predict what's gonna happen next. I am disappointed on Seokkyung. I loved her character and somewhat understood her till S2 but rn, she is nothing but a possessive brat. Seokyung's character development is all over the place.
And by far, the person with Logan seems innocent to me. Idk why. I have a feeling that LOGAN isn't dead or idk maybe im clowning myself. The jail scene of the Hera Palace ladies gave me satisfaction. I'm sure there's something between Jenny's dad, JDT and Min Hyuk. . I honestly don't ship Rona and Seokhoon anymore. After they got close, BBR has lost her bold character. She is dependent on JSH now. I trust nobody except SSR at the moment.
EPISODE 2: (4/10)
I was so excited for S3 but at this point, its just comedy and absurd nonsense. Like seriously? What the heck is going on? I'm dissapointed! On the directors, on the plot. Bringing out yet another twin seriously? couldn't the makers think about something better? And i hate how everything is going. I really wished to see the three FL work together but now it seems like OYH and SSR are gonna be each others rivals as well. Seokyung brat deserves nothing! Not even her mom and brother!
EPISODE 3: (9/10)
Finally the penthouse 3 is BACKKKK. Ok this episode was pretty good, I feel satisfied. This is the best episode yet in season 3. I even thought of stopping watching this, but now it looks like it's coming back on track to the real 'Penthouse' vibes. And I see a possibility of one more twin? Of Seol ah? Please no.
EPISODE 4: (7.5/10)
There are just too many plottwists that makes it plotless. These plot twists were really fun, but now it's just too much. I only hope Yoon -Hee is not dead. And all the blood relation and all makes it so annoying. THIS IS GETTING BORING SINCE JOO DAN TAE IS ALWAYS WINNING.
EPISODE 5: (4/10)
Again, plot twists. I'm just sick of it but i' living for this cringe. Yet another main character dies? And yet another mysterious guy is there tf. In the preview of next episode Na Ae Gyo is back. If it happens, i'm gonna pack my stuff and leave. Although this is a drama, i really wished the writers would make it atleast practical. But still, the revenge and hatred game is on!!
EPISODE 6: (5/10)
One word for this episode : A mess
There are no characters that I can consistently support in this drama. Not even SSR at this point. This drama is making me lose all my braincells yet I'm still watching it.
EPISODE 7-12: (6/10)
No words, just complications
EPISODE 13-14: (7/10)
Continuing to watch was not a bad idea after all!!
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this was the first legit political drama i've ever watched, and to say it has set a high bar is a grand understatement. i loved so much of the drama - the story + mystery, how well paced it was, how each scene was filled to the brim with tension even though it was just a few characters talking. but what really set this drama apart was the character work.
we're taken along on park mu jin's (ji jin hee's) journey from low ranked cabinet member to the president of korea, and we get the privilege to watch him navigate the world of politics while trying to maintain his dignity and morals. i learned so much along with him and appreciated being able to see some of the humanity behind the politicians (but also was taken aback by much of the cruelty) of people in authority.
what i loved as much as president park - honestly probably more - was the supporting cast. son seok koo as secretary cha was magnetic. i couldn't stand him in the beginning, and truly believed him to just be another political shark. then the layers were slowly peeled away and what's revealed is a passionate young man with ambitious political dreams of changing his country, his government, for the better. even though his exterior makes him seem like a seasoned politician, always acting in the most opportunistic way to get the poll numbers up, at his core he has clung onto an honestly childlike dream throughout it all. he is probably my favorite character of the show, and i'm so on the secretary cha/jung ship!!!!!
the rest of the presidential core staff was a delight. from the speaker of the house (lee moo saeng) to the president aid (? i don't know the labels very well), each character had their own little moments to shine and gave us closer looks into their characters. although we couldn't spend as much time with each as i would have liked - honestly i would happily watch 50 episodes of them - each actor imbued their character with enough nuance that they all felt fleshed out and real.
i can't end this without talking about kang han na as han na kyung, the tenacious, whip-smart NIS agent. what a badass. what a babe. i adore her. i wish we had more female characters like her on the screen! she's written so well. every action she did felt real and grounded in her character, and kang han na portrayed her wonderfully.
truly an amazing show. this was the best kind of surprise for me - went in expecting so little, and came out completely blown away. will there be a season 2? i partly hope so...but at the same time, i don't want this perfection tarnished.
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What a Series to End 2023!
Well peeps its been a long time since I have written a Review, so here goes nothing, ^_^Story: Starts with a bang, great plot, rhythm and flow is completely in sync. The fact this story is not adapted from somewhere shows how much the script writer and director have genuinely put in the time of day to actually give us a story that is worth watching and repeat in watching.
Acting: Both the ML/FL have a very unique and bonding chemistry which I believe is absolutely phenomenal. I am aware some hate the ML but I do not care not only is he a great singer but I believe he's an amazing Actor as well and I am very glad finally he gets to be a ML in a Wuxia series, suits him well. FL lead is not someone that releases lots of series or movies in a year, certainly not a mainstream Actress according to profile. having said this she's amazing in her own right. What's the saying,. "less is more". Her prowless and the way she controls the forum in every episode makes me want to watch her past series and movies. As for the supporting cast, their chemistry is on par and in sync with the whole team, from companionship to villains, cannot complain about any aspect so far.
Music: Subjective to everyone, however to me the music nails it on certain points where its needed and I love the opening song as well.
Rewatch Value: Absolutely there, 10/10 for a reason and I personally have re-watched every episode approx 2-3 times now, some episodes I have watched over 6 times, however that is because I do not speak Mandarin as native tongue and relying on subs, the series is this good I actually want to make sure I am not missing any important details in the plot and what the actors/actresses are saying, its that good
Overall: For me Best Series of 2023, I just pray there will be a decent ending to this amazing series to set us into 2024. Cannot wait to see and hear one day the ML/FL reprise again in another future series together, they genuinely look good together and adapt very well making the audience feel they have an amazing connection
Updated 19/12/23: After concluding this series, I can say this has been one of the most amazing series's of 2023. I will not lie as I am very fortunate to have watched the whole series before it was due to be fully released by end of this week. However I am also very upset about how this has concluded. Be prepared for tissues, I was really hoping this series will end in a more positive note! Once again another Wuxia cdrama that cannot have a good ending, however I will say the acting and story up to episode 35-36, has been absolute phenomenal. Sorry for the small spoiler all, I could not help it but to at least write it somewhere!
Cheers all, ^_^
Shing
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Entirely different to most dramas and brings in a sense of nostalgia to those who grew up during the 90's. I could relate to the characters as I could see my friends in them. I remembered getting told off by my father when I watched TV and sang instead of studying.
Initially, I kept getting confused as to what was happening and then figured out how the episodes were laid out. It was crafted beautifully without missing the story.
What I loved the most was how realistic the drama was. The audience would have gone through a few or more of the depicted events in real life. Best of all it didn't have the 'near misses', the annoying misunderstanding which gets cleared only god knows when, the frustrating promises of 'I can't tell you because I made a promise to this evil friend of mine who is sabotaging our relationship'.
All in all well worth the watch! I'm going to miss watching this drama and afraid I'm not going to get to watch a good one in a long time :(
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Si buscas un drama súper meloso, llegaste al lugar correcto!
No tengo palabras para describir lo que este drama me hizo sentir!Estoy impresionada, ver como cada vez hay más hombres escritos por mujeres, nunca te decepciona!
Esta historia te llega al corazón, te identificas con el personaje femenino, es dulce y simpática pero no al punto de ser molesta. Y del personaje masculino no puedo decir más que: Él es el estandar, green flag andante, llevava mucho tiempo sin ver un personaje que realmente te haga pensar: ¿porqué no hay más hombres así en el mundo real? (se imaginan, sería todo un sueño), este tipo de romance te hace elevar tus expectativas!
Pensé que iba a ser aburrido ya que no hay muchos giros en la trama, pero ver el proceso de enamoramiento de ambos fue muy agradable, nada forzado, es muy llevadero, te hace querer saber que va a pasar y les deseas lo mejor a cada uno. Simplemente encantador!
Y los personajes secundarios 10/10.
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The central plot was not really developed but we are able to get the gist of the story. As for characters, I think Kim Woo Bin is the only actor that stood out for me and I believe he successfully portrayed his character well. He truly gave me SLS, and character growth was excellent as well. In fact, I would say that the sole reason I managed to finish this rather bland drama was due to Young Do (KWB's character). Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye were OK, cute moments were fluffy but nothing made me swoon. Acting was generally okay, just that, like I said, character development was lacking.
At the end of the drama there weren't satisfying resolutions for most of its characters, which I believe is due to the fact that there are so many characters. Hence, at the end of the day, this drama delivers cute moments, your typical high school drama and solutions that were not really meaningful in resolving the major plot issues.
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Perhaps it was the timing of watching this drama that actually made me like it a lot. It was totally cliche'. The only things it really has to recommend it are the chemistry of the leads, the eye candy, the hilarious dynamic of the three Uncles and the fact that I watched it at the same time I was watching darker dramas. But getting serious:
The writing is just okay. The plot is pretty standard but there are little touches here and there that kept me watching and deviated tonally even from some other dramas I've seen. There were some plot twists I didn't see coming but on the whole, I knew what I was in for and I got exactly what I expected. This ain't no Secret Garden but hey...It's fun.
The acting was fine. The chemistry between the leads and the funny Uncles are what make this show watchable. There were a few characters that got on my last nerve so I concentrated on the main story line and tolerated the rest. This is more of a writing issue slash personal preference. No one did a bad job playing their parts.
I loved Kim Kang Woo in this drama. He was a darling Lead. Funny and so sweet to his girl once he fell. The thing that stands out about him isn't exactly the eye candy (which is nice). It was watching him play a total goofball after his mind bending turn as a sociopath in "A Man's Story" ~ Two utterly different characters and I recommend you check him out in that drama.
The music wasn't anything I was clamoring for outside of the show. Unlike some other dramas I've watched, I am not actively seeking songs to add to my playlist.
The rewatch value is a 3. I probably won't watch this again but I truly did enjoy watching the first time.
This is not a perfect drama. But it is a cute one. I would recommend this for a drama slump, a rainy day or as great filler when you have too many heavy dramas on your watching plate.
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WHY didn't I drop this sooner?
I was so excited to watch this show back when it was announced because of the cast, because Seo Hyun Jin and Hwang In Yeop are brilliant, so the show must be great as well! Well, turns out I was wrong. This was sooo boring and cringeworth, it felt like a telenovela that came straight out from Kwai.The cast is good, and they acted good, I won't deny it. the reason I didn't drop this kdrama was mainly because I'm a huge fan of HIY, and I like Seo Hyun Jin too. She acted well as Oh Soo Jae, but poor HIY couldn't shine as much as he deserved, this is the first kdrama where he finally got to act as the main lead, it's a pity that things ended up like this. He is an awesome actor, I watched pretty much all of his kdramas except for Tale of Nokdu, and I can guarantee that he slayed on all the dramas he acted until now. His facial expressions are incredible, that's how he managed to shine even on his support roles like in 18 Again, and managed to steal everyone's hearts in True Beauty even tho he wasn't the main lead. But here, he was just... Plain. Boring. Blank. It didn't feel like Gong Chan was a main character, instead it felt more like he was Oh Soo Jae's loyal dog or whatever, everything he did was about Soo Jae, it was like he had no life of his own to care about. They mentioned his story with his half sister every now and then, but his focus was mainly on Soo Jae, it was kinda disappointing actually. It felt like the only reason for him to be on the show was to show up and save Soo Jae every now and then, run after her, and maybe, sometimes, think about his sister. While she was worried about her daughter stuff, her past, her present, her future, TK Law firm, the contracts, Choi Tae Guk, Ju Wan, and her other thousand problems that she had, Gong Chan was solely focused on her problems, and her. He was shallow, that's how I felt about his character. He could've been so much more. They could've had their development together on the story, but it seems like the only developments were given all to Soo Jae. That way, HIY didn't even have opportunities to show people his amazing acting skills, which is such a pity, what a loss. Some people met HIY for the first time on this kdrama, and I've seen people saying that he is a bad actor, that he is boring and etc, but that's just the character's fault, too bad that this is staining the actor's image.
About the romance. Gong Chan was solely focused on Soo Jae the entire series, but she seemed so distant from him tho. While she was on her own world, he seemed to be fully in love with her, in an obssessive way even, I'd say. But she didn't give that much attention to him, she kissed him once, they went out together a couple of times, and that was it. No chemistry at all. I could almost say that there was no romance at all there. The second male lead sucked as well, if he wasn't present on the kdrama it wouldn't even make a difference, honestly. Choi Yoon Sang tried to ruin things between Gong Chan and Soo Jae, and it didn't even bother me, he was such a weak character. Besides, why did he try to ruin things between Soo Jae and Gong Chan when there wasn't even anything to ruin from the start? Their love was cold as ice, idk what Yoon Sang tried to finish ruining there. Then he tried joining his father, which made no sense, then he betrayed his father, which was weird as well. Anyways, he was the most boring character there. He and Soo Jae barely had any interactions, I could even say that he didn't feel like a second male lead.
The rest of the characters were boring as well. Everybody's lives revolved around Soo Jae, it was like nobody had anything else to care about. The whole team of students were like Soo Jae servants. She was the perfect definition of a Mary Sue for me.
Some of the other things that bothered me on the story:
-Jae Yi's death. She barely had any screen time, we barely got to know her, and barely had time to find out that she was Soo Jae's daughter, then she suddenly died in a dramatic scene with flowers flying everywhere, and Soo Jae hugging her corpse later. We didn't have enough time to feel connected to Jae Yi and her story, so, I'm sorry but I couldn't feel so sad about her death. Not as sad as they wanted me to be at least.
-Soo Jae's heart disease. Why was it even mentioned there? It didn't make much of a difference in the story, except for some hurt/comfort scenes, which weren't even necessary. Her fever scene didn't make sense as well, and I'm a fan of whump scenes.
-Choi Tae Guk saying to Soo Jae on his last minutes that she didn't win the game, that something more was about to come, that this wasn't the end, and actually YES, this was the end because everybody had an happy ever after when he died. I was expecting something more when he said that. A final trap, maybe? Something vile, like his character was on the entire series? Idk. I was just disappointed.
-The rise and fall of Choi Tae Guk. He made hell out of Soo Jae's life in the entire show, right? The bigger they come, the harder they fall, I was expecting something UGLY on his defeat. But it was also... disappointing. He just heard everything everybody had to say and killed himself. That's all folks. Gone. He didn't even try to kill someone along with him, just, killed himself. Boring.
-Everybody decided to become good guys on the last episode. The guy who killed Na Jung apologized to Chan, turned himself in, the corrupt guys were caught, everybody decided to follow the laws, to live life happily later, and suddenly everything was good again. What the eff. I know this is a work of fiction, and it isn't supposed to be like in real life, but honestly, it was cringe to see everybody suddenly being good and lawful.
-Choi Ju Wan judging his father. He raped that girl, he thought he had killed Na Jung, he did a lot of atrocities throughout the show, but when he found out that his father killed the girl he was like NO WAYYY. That made no sense.
-Baek Jin Ki's planned revenge failed. After planning it for years and years. That was just.. disappointing. Then they solved everything in a whole other way, which made his former plannings pointless.
Anyways, I had my hopes that the show would get better maybe. It didn't happen. Before anyone says "maybe you just don't like melodramas", I DO like melodramas, I like mexican soap operas, the thing is that THIS ONE was so poorly written I can't stand it.
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This review may contain spoilers
Production-wise, it is a very well done drama. I liked the use of illustrations to show battles and fires and flood.... I was expecting more use of it because it was unique.The script wasn't very good imo. It was trying too hard to sell the audience that the characters **ehemChanggeehem** were smart. In almost every episode someone was saying "you are so smart". Huh, where? Changge is making a bad decision in almost every episode, puts people in danger (better said, made them killed); she is also supposed to be a smart strategist, and all she said was "let's put this group to the right and this to the left" and the other party was "wow Changge, you are so smart, be my right-hand commander". It didn't help at all that at the same time I was watching another drama where the smart MC is actually smart, and the script is actually good, so I was like, She is supposed to be SMART ???
First episode, Changge is this intelligent, tomboy girl who knows how to fight, physically and mentally. Second episode, Changge swears to take revenge. 40 episodes later and all Changge did was saying a few blah-blah and oh, she was the smartest; as for the battles, where was the girl so agile who could fight? She was constantly saved by others; the forever damsel in distress. I was expecting Sun to save her every time she messed up, and yup, here comes the hero. I don't mind damsels in distress, but I do mind when the plot is trying to sell me this brave, strong female character that isn't. Yueyan was stronger imo.
Unfortunately I didn't fall in love with Yueyan/Hao Du as I was hoping. She has a lovely character development (she actually overcomes them ON HER OWN, unlike Changge) but the romance was... ehhh, she loves Shuyu for 40 episodes, gets her heart broken and in the same episode realizes Hao Du is the one. Ehhh.
OST is excellent. Performed by the King an Queen of CDramas OST.
This drama was 10 episodes too long; should have ended around 40 at least.
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