Reviews

An underrated gem, one of the best rom-coms out there

A year and many kdramas later I finally got to write a review about this drama - imho, it's still one of the best rom-com kdramas out there, very underrated. It flew under the radar when it aired due to lack of proper promotion and because there were other overhyped and frankly overrated dramas airing at around that time, like A Business Proposal, for example.

Yes, on the surface it has your typical boss and secretary premise, but the plot itself is far from being generic, it's actually quite unpredictable. The first giveaway is in the premise itself - FL learns that she doesn't have much time left to live and ML is in danger of being murdered by somebody (don't worry about it being scary sounding though, nobody's actually going to die and it has a very happy ending). As the episodes unfold, this drama breaks away from the stereotypes and cliches you'd expect, and turns them on their heads in a creative and hilarious fashion.
This drama doesn't rush character exposition, but doses it expertly throughout the episodes. It has a rather slow start to give time for characters introduction and to show the crux of their problems. So after the first few heavy episodes you can't really say anything definitive as to where this is going. But after everything is established and the plot starts moving in full swing you'll see that this is a rom-com at its finest, with lots of unpredictable situations and funny moments that are very entertaining to watch. And while it's not some brainy mystery thriller that the audience has to solve, there are elements of that here as well. This drama mixes familiar tropes in a rather unpredictable and surprisingly balanced way, and doesn't falter or fall off until the very end. The narrative is strong and well thought out. And it rewards viewers who paid attention by meaningfully referencing and shedding new light on earlier events and dialogues in later episodes.

The two biggest points of this drama are:
- a strong overall message of redemption and forgiveness;
- an absolutely fantastic character development.

ML initially comes off as cold hearted, arrogant jerk with nasty temper and terrifying boss aura, who bullies his secretaries for nothing (for which FL makes him pay for later). But later it turns out that he's just a lonely, miserable guy who was backstabbed and abandoned too many times throughout his whole life. With such bad attitude and due to complicated past with some of the characters, ML becomes a target of ire of many antagonists, who gang up on ML to ruin and even kill him. And there were a lot of them for various reasons - revenge, competitor elimination, jealousy, financial problems, etc. Some were justified, but as the plot unfolds it is revealed that mostly he was made a scapegoat for other people's problems. This drama's doing well at showcasing that people generally are flawed, selfish, egotistic and like to put the blame on someone else, instead of themselves, because it's easier. But it was all done on purpose for ML's and their character development, as most of these characters in the end will come to realize that they were in the wrong and will make amends. So even though ML comes off first as a real cold bastard, the drama does a good job at portraying the why of it and his eventual path to redemption.

FL initially comes off as unassuming, timid, hard working girl, with presence that of a wind in ML's company. But after she learns the dire news of her imminent death due to health issues, she decides to put the blame on ML for being a giant stress generator source for her for over a year, which reasonably could have exacerbated her illness. With nothing to lose, she decides to go out with a bang and to take revenge on ML before she dies. To help FL with this endeavor fate conviniently throws her a great opportunity, enabled by one big mistake made by ML. While being hospitalized after an attempt on his life was made on a fateful day X, ML decides to fake his amnesia to expose the suspects. FL uses this to her advantage and pretends to be his fiancee to gain full access to his body, so to speak. And from here on out hilarity ensues as she starts implementing her revenge in an unfazed, zany fashion and ML has no choice but to suffer through all of it, lest his cover is blown.

The first half of the drama is focused more on FL and her inner turmoil. I really liked FL's somber, self-reflecting scenes in the first seven episodes, as well as ML's gradual shift of attitude towards her starting from around episode 6, as they start spending a lot of time together. And though the later part of the drama is focused more on ML's redemption arc, the writers didn't forget about FL in later episodes either. Though her main problem is effectively resolved in the first half of the show and she turns back to her kind and nice self, she gains a newfound courage and profound realization how she should be living her life from now on, and starts pursuing her dreams in earnest. This all helps immensely to resolve ML's problems in the second part, as she's there to support him and lead him in the right direction. This plot division seems very deliberate, as one plot point leads to the resolution of another. It couldn't have happened in parallel if FL was still dealing with her problem till the very end and continued having crazy bouts with ML, however hilarious they were.

Once the leads clear their misunderstandings, stop hating each other and find themselves falling for each other, they are all in for one another. No dumb break-ups, time skips or LDR. It is very sweet.
That this drama basically has no love triangles is a big plus for me as well. The leads have eyes only for each other here. ML's delulu ex, with zero second chances given, ends up being just another one of the antagonists.

So all in all, I liked how the show gradually showed their character growth and how competently all the plot points led to a satisfying conclusion, with a moral to the story even. Not every drama out there can boast the same.
Maybe the list of people having a grudge against ML could have been shorter, especially considering that most of them were not out there to get him for his nasty demeanor, but for their own selfish reasons. But I think it was done deliberately for that explosive dramatic culmination in the later episodes.

So, a great drama overall, definitely worth the watch. Starts a bit slow in the first few episodes, but gets really good later and doesn't let go until the very end. Nothing is rushed, for once, and the ending is very satisfying. The first half of the show where the leads were at each other's throats was absolutely hilarious, with pinnacle pillow fight being simply iconic. And the second half of the show was full of surprising revelations and sweet moments.
I think ML's actor did a formidable job here at playing a competent, but terrifying boss on the outside and lonely, betrayed guy on the inside. I absolutely loved his performance. In many rom-coms of this type actors can't pull off a proper boss role, they often turn up either too soft or too dumb to be convincing. But here he practically had that aura about him.
One might say that everything that happened to ML in this drama was accumulated bad karma, but he came out of it a better man in the end. And it's funny that it was the timid and introverted FL of all people, who mustered her courage due to her life changing circumstance and stopped putting up with his scumbaggery, that was the catalyst of ML's change for the better. I wasn't a fan of FL's actress before, but she really grew on me here.

Not giving this drama a perfect score only because some side characters in this drama were pretty useless/underutilized and more often than not were wasting screen time. For example, the gossiping ex-secretary club or goofy FL's brother and girl friend couple. And also, be prepared for good old staple of all contemporary kdramas - PPLs in your face.

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This was a very sweet, realistic and unique series. What I enjoy most about this series is that it was not cliché in any sense, the relationship that was developed was realist and genuine. There were no supremely crazy ex-girlfriend’s or relatives. There was no ridiculous triangle. It was simply Sweet. Of course we have the arrogant male in the beginning but that behavior didn’t last longer than an episode. It was quickly turned into something more sweet and real. I loved the female lead. She was determined, hard working, honest and loyal. The chemistry between the leads was great. The ending was great. The family relationship was great. So glad the writers didn’t mess this up with stupid complications. Loved it.

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At least I discovered the amazing Lee Jong Suk so all is not lost

In a drama where the writers undermine their own characters and the characters are forced to conform to a stereotype, the viewer will either willfully ignore such machinations or they’ll nitpick it to death. Sadly, I’m in the latter.

Firstly, I had to suspend disbelief that Choi In Ha wasn’t a perpetual teenager because no 27-year-old fully grown adult acts or reasons as she was portrayed which perhaps could be attributed to the actress being 22 at the time of filming. Admittedly actors act so it’s not farfetched to have such disparate ages between the character and the actor, however, that would require a fully immersive portrayal which is a skill not easily attained as evinced by Park Shin Hye's overacting.
Ultimately, and because In Ha lacked her own agency, the character became a convenient joystick utilized to create opportunities for the other characters to advance while she herself languished in the background, playing an eager daughter who craved her mother’s elusive attention and love, a path that only led to a curious lack of self-respect. Gradually, In Ha’s screen presence became irrelevant and at times even bothersome, particularly in episode 11 where she fell asleep in a public place after getting flat-out drunk then the next morning she tells her father that other kids her age were doing worse things. I mean, in what world is a 27 yr old a kid? On a separate note, can I just say that I find Korean women insufferable and unlikeable just based on how they're depicted in their dramas.

Meanwhile, Dal Po was perched on a pedestal of arrogance and self-importance with his annoying monochromatic perspective. His biggest flaw was in making assumptions based on nothing. Also, the writers gaffed when the brothers eventually met after a 13-year separation. Am I to believe that Dal Po actually chose to not tell his brother who he was? I beg your pardon but that’s a whole lot of Bollocks.

Similarly, the supposed romantic relationship between In Ha and Dal Po was ill-conceived and unbearable. How did two 27 yr old adults cohabit for years without either expressing their feelings or even having significant relationships with other people? Did they exist in stasis? Am I to believe In Ha didn’t have a boyfriend in college or that DP had no male or female friends? These seemingly good-looking adults just existed without external relationships other than the father and fake grandfather? I call bollocks.

Having said all these, commendations must be made to Lee Jung Suk and Yoon Kyun Sang who played the Ki brothers as well as Jin Kyung who played In Ha’s mother. They at least knew their assignment and were the ones who commanded my attention the most.

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My Very First BL

I have to admit when my friend suggested let’s watch a BL together, I was skeptical it was something I would enjoy watching. So she suggested I Told The Sunset About You and let me tell you this series got me hooked. I have since watched a total of 40 BL dramas, and this one will always be one of my favorites. The acting was superb. Teh’s character was very complex and realistic. I absolutely loved oh-aew. If he cried, I cried. Never has a character stuck so close to my heart. This is one of the best coming of age stories ever written. It is also the first series that I watched twice. If anyone is on the fence about watching this series, I would say definitely do. This one will touch your soul.

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In love with the whole story but some parts are rlly dissapointing.

There are still many questions left unanswered and I feel like there's more potential to the character storyline of Ah Qi. Where did he come from? Did he know it was Muyan? Where did he go? I still wanna know where Muyan went. Also, how the problem got solved so easily just with Female lead offing herself and male lead giving his powers to her to save her which is rlly disappointing. It seems like they completely forgot what Muyan said about the Qians. Like half of the court hates Qis but everything ended so easily without even a word from them?? I was expecting the whole storyline to be grand because of the number of episodes but they spent it solving meaningless cases barely related to main story and the villain didn't even do much and left so queitly. I'll be honest, I loved the main couple throughout the story but during the last 2 episodes, I can't even express how much I dislike them. Also, the whole storyline, countless couples, why was the main couple the only ones who got a happy ending? Think abt it. The fl's mom, the chef, Keyuncha and Si luqing, Muyan and the general, Princess Xian, Jun, and even that painter guy, none of them got to be with their lover and most of them are dead. So why did the main couple get to be so happy? The weak and useless girl even became strong. They're both alive and healthy and got to live how they want. Jun even though the person he loves is alive, he has to shoulder the responsibily of the crown prince and won't even get married. It's hard to tell if anyone else if as happy as they are. It also would've appreciated if they explained more on the story of Fl's dad, muyan and the original prince. It would've been alot more interesting. Other than all that, I loved the story and acting was great.

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Dreams are meant to be fulfilled!

Rebelling against loved ones and age itself, a group of 17 elderly motorcycle riders (average age 81) banded together to drive the 1178km / 732 miles around the outer edge of Taiwan in thirteen days. Short on sentiment but long on spirit, Go Grandriders was an engaging documentary of fulfilling one's dreams.

The Grandriders included retired military, civil servants, policemen, a pastor, and a housewife (who had to pass her driver's exam to join). They were all in average shape for octogenarians with a fair percentage suffering from hypertension, diabetes, or cancer. They all had their own reasons for taking the trek, most often boiling down to---if not now...when? Despite family members and loved ones trying to dissuade them, they stayed the course to show that just because they were old didn't mean they wanted a life without something to do and look forward to and those things were worth the risk.

The Hongdad Senior Citizens Welfare Foundation provided resources for the trip, including a bus for riders to rest on when they needed to, medical assistance and providing places to stay along the way. As the director said, in our 20's and 30's people are marrying and raising families. When people finally have time to do the things they want they are told not to leaving many elderly alone and lacking purpose. The documentary showed how people find that life isn't much fun being left alone without something to look forward to and this trip was the spark and rejuvenator some needed.

Taiwan's roads provided challenging situations with dangerous traffic, falling rocks and washed out roads from a previous typhoon. Police escorts joined them on various legs of the journey to give a measure of safety.

Grandriders didn't delve into sentimentality when allowing the men and woman of the trip to talk about their lives and reasons for undertaking the difficult journey. Men on different sides of different wars shared a moment of peace and unity as soldiers. A kamikaze trainer's tale of training young men to die was particularly moving as was a husband's story of taking his wife for "one more ride, honey" with her picture on his handlebars.

The shots of riders on harrowing roads could become monotonous, broken up by shots of sunsets on the water or mountains. Trips to nursing homes with the bikers sharing cheer with the residents or children on the sides of the road cheering them on were heartwarming.

Go Grandriders could have benefited from a more deft hand with the photography and traveling shots so that we could experience the ride along with them more. The heart of the of the story though came from the courageous and adventurous senior citizens reminding us that they were still capable and energetic and that one's dreams give us motivation and reason for living at any age.





8/4/22

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Another Search: WWW

This is one of the better dramas I’ve seen in a long, long time. The acting was superb and the storyline was just so darn good. I related as a professional woman with all she went through in her career. It brought back my own pursuit of a man whom so many women were attracted to. I loved the chase and the dance between two people meant for each other. Elvis acted to perfection the part of a man who any woman would be attracted to. The game they played with each other kept me completely entertained, counting the days until the next episode. 10 stars! Her sister was also so real and so interesting a character. No cliches here. It was just a good story about life. Watch this one.

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Yes, break my heart one more time Korea -.-

Guys, I am writing this as I sob. Not joking. It's been an hour since I finished it and the tears keep coming out. I might die of dehydration while writing this review and I apologise in advance for the typos.

It's the first time in a long time that I watch something without looking at my phone (didn't even realise I had left it in the bathroom) or without skipping forward. I am a sucker for sweet high school stories that take place in the past, but the way this movie was filmed, the nostalgia factor (present even in the filter they chose), the lovable characters and simplicity of the plot just did it for me. This is exactly what I want from a high school drama; not being a high schooler anymore myself there is always that longing feeling towards the past and this movie definitely shoved it in my face in a very beautiful way. The actors did an amazing job at not making it sound cringy or over the top. And that ending will stay with me for a long time, I am sure of that.
I love stories like this: simple yet effective. It might not be all that to other viewers but I do have a tendency to love high school stories (especially if they take place in the 90's or early 2000's) so that probably contributes to my rating. After so many years of watching K-Dramas, it is refreshing to find something that still makes my heart beat fast and makes me feel SOMETHING. I am not a movie person as they often leave me traumatises (lol, this one kinda did too) but I am so glad I watched this movie. I feel like it took something off my chest? Like I really needed to cry and this movie allowed me to do it haha

Oh well, don't expect anything incredibly revolutionary from this story when going into it but I am sure you will at least have a good time with the characters (even in the end).

Am I still a human with feelings and capable of crying like a baby? Yes, I am. Thank you 20th century girl for the confirmation.




SPOILER!!!!!!!!!!












HE WANTED TO SEE 21ST CENTURY BORA GUYS I AM SOBBING UNCONTROLLABLY IN A FETAL POSITION YOU GUYS DONT UNDERSTAND HE WAS SO SWEET AND HAD SUCH A WARM VOICE AND HEART AND HE WAS SO CUTE WITH HIS BROTHER WHY WHY WHY THE HELL BUT AT THE SAME TIME IT MAKES THE MOVIE MEMORABLE AND EVEN MORE NOSTALGIC BUT GUYS WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW-

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Light rom-com to bring a smile to your face

This show is the distilled essence of a rom-com packaged in neat bite size instalments. It doesn't have a convoluted plot but a reasonably fleshed out story. It covered most rom-com tropes but the fast pace doesn't allow the tropes to linger and turn sour. Twelve 15-16 minutes episodes doesn't give you a lot of time to present a story and it is light weight fluff but it never pretended to be serious drama in the first place. The story moved along at pace and the editing is tight. Not much time is wasted. The OTP has awesome chemistry, both are lovely on screen. Their confession will bring you joy, their romantic scenes are swoon worthy. Support actors are good, they did their job to move the plot along. You don't need to wear rose coloured glasses but it is pointless to compare it to a masterpiece. Judge it for what it is. All in all, totally rewatchable and it will only take you a lazy afternoon to binge the whole show. Highly recommended!

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When you find yourself laughing like a maniac while watching a show that is described as melodrama, then you know you’re in for a wild ride and some good entertainment. Good in a bad way.

I started this show not knowing that it is, in fact, a full blown makjang with all its tropey glory and infamy. The overdramatics of it all was amusing enough for me to totally enjoy the first half of this drama. We had manslaughter, injustice, betrayal, revenge, rich heiress, poor man, terminal illness, greed and jealousy. It was ridiculous, engaging and surprisingly fun, but oh so outdated at the same time. And quite frankly one’s patience must be enormous to be able to put up with it for the course of 20 episodes. Especially after the halfway mark when things starts to get progressively more frustrating. Because what was missing in that perfect recipe for a succesfull pre 2015 korean melodrama? A M N E S I A. Not only once, but twice!

To be fair the premise of this story was not that bad Not innovative? Yes, but still it could be a solid melodrama for those who are into this type of stories. But to be good, or even just decent, it requires the existence of characters with rich personality and plot that doesn’t rely on cliches/tropes too much. Unfortunately this drama went overboard with the latter to the point of absurdity which made the whole thing look shallow and ridiculous. Too many cliches, handed too forcefully. I know it's a base of all makjangs, but at some point it felt like writers were beating the ground because the horse was no longer there.

I appreciate the fact the writers took a time to write quite complex characters and avoided the typical binary division of good vs evil. It goes deep into the psyche of the main characters, shows all sides of their nature and psychology behind their actions. They are deeply flawed, cosumed by their human desires and emotions that they cannot control as much as they would like to. I especially enjoyed the main antagonist, Han Jee He, because she was not evil for the sake being evil, her motivation was understandable considering her position, experiences and ambitions, so the reasoning behind her actions was crystal clear to me. Same goes to Kang Ma Ru, the protagonist of the story. Again, I don't condone what he did, but I was able to understand why he behaved like he did and why he went so far for his revenge. I can't say the same about Seo Eun Gi, the final element of this convoluted triangle, because I truly feel like she was just a plot device. Her character didn't have any kind of real development nor profoundness. She was just there for Ma Ru to reconsider his path and for Jee He to finally give up.
So why am I not satisfied with the characters here as well? Because it all went to shit after couple of episodes.
I feel like Eun Gi's amnesia was the turning point of this show. Not only cliches started popping out from left and right and absorbed the story completely, but character's behaviour stopped making any sense. All of their previous ambitions and motivations disappeared and the show focused solely on character's mad thirst for pathologically twisted need of owning someone that was clearly mistaken for love. Like they were completely different people and their personalities were switched. On top of that none of these relationships were sane, as they were built on lies, possessiveness, abuse and manipulation. And it could have been an actually good addition to the psychological portait of our main characters, but came out as contradictory, sometimes highly irrational and - combined with gazillion tropes - overdramatic and not convining at all.

Acting was suitable for this type of stale production. Overally decent, but theatrical, overdone or completely wooden in more challenging scenes. I truly loved the music though, especially the intro with accordion, that's the kind of dramatics I expect from shows like this.

With that said, I am happy that I've watched this now, because it truly made me appreciate the progress kdramas have made with the quality of storytelling, directing and acting as well. I'm also happy that modern makjangs are more self-aware and writers are more open use the concepts of this genre for artistic purposes.

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The story and characters take a backseat to the mind-boggling camera work and some innovative visuals which are the real stars of this movie.

The story is a bit surreal and non-linear and the characters are pretty flat. You don’t even see the lead characters face very often. (Mostly it’s the back of his head or in profile.) The characters and relating to the characters just aren’t that vital to the movie.

However, the writer/director loves doing long takes to really set a mood with lots of details and textures. The nearly hour long 3D sequence is (practically?) one long take which is beautiful and astounding. Some really interesting filmcraft here.

So if you are a film buff, there’s lots to admire and analyze here. If you want an involving story, this probably isn’t your best bet.

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captivating

I have watched a lot of those type of documentary-style stories and this one is a very good one. How they lead the story is made really good and intersting.

How was Korea economically doing at that time and how has it effected the society?
They use the society's and economic's situation to lead the story and to tell the very story of Yoo Young Chul.

To hear from all the people involved in this case, such as police officers, profilers, laywers, and indirect victims was very interesting and also suspenseful and sad. You can see and feel their emotions when they were talking about it.
The interviews, reenactments and real footages are well portioned. What I also like was how they addressed the impact, that this whole case has on the society, the national police system, for example. And the title is also well chosen.

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Highly anticipated and had high expectations, but in the end, it's a flop.

It's a fairly good story, but not excellent. In acting, both Perth and Chimon did a very good job. But it would have been better if the writers had done their job well. Since school and youth are the most common topics in BLs, they would have to change the scenes, like when the best friend is being bullied, the protagonist is going to save the BF and become the hero, and the bully has fallen in love with the protagonist because no one has ever meddled with him like that before.
Another reason is that character development is somewhat complicated. Specifically with Kanghan. At the very beginning, he is bullying Sailom, but then he's head over heels for Sailom. But in the open house, Kanghan is in love with Pimfah. And when Sailom confessed his love again, Kanghan fell in love with him. It feels like Kanghan has acute amnesia or something. Then, when his father was shot, he gave Sailom a cold shoulder. And yes, that is understandable, but then he confesses that it's the only way that he can protect him. And it feels like Kanghan has bipolar disorder. The other thing was these stupid primary-level shooting scenes. When Kanghan was shot in the final episode, it was like a firecracker exploded. Is that the danger that they mentioned in the title? When you read the title, it was about toxic relationships or similar concepts. But where is the danger in the story? I couldn't find any danger.

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First and foremost I would have to say, The story of this drama alone deserves an A+. It was a very heavy themed and an extremely serious topic, that needs to be seen but something that people would rather avoid talking. I gave the story 9.5 coz it deserves an applause. It has shown the terrible impact of social media, the cruel reality and how it 'Effects' the life of people involved. But i couldn't give it full score as the length of the series was too short. I wish they had more episodes and delved a bit more into Keng's personal trouble and what made him lose his mind, or the development of shin and Keng's relationship, or the development of Shin, Bright and Pramote's frdship (their frdship has to be the brightest point in the entire series), Bright and Pramote's relationship, Shin's ordeal and his recovery etc. I was really shocked to know there was only 3 episodes esp with a drama so intense. I really felt upset that such an "IMPORTANT" drama which delivers such an important message was ended so abruptly.

ACTING
Hands down, i loved the acting of Oat. Oat as this guy who is craving for true love and care (having been neglected by his parents and friends only using him for benefits), has gone off his rockers after misinterpreting Shin's good intentions, was very convincing. It is really tough to act out a character who isn't lovable and is the target for hatred. I absolutely respect Oat for braving this role.
James, Yatch and the actor playing Pramote(sorry i dunno his name, but he acted WOW) did a great job too. Esp James who as the victim of all this effect has very strongly and very convincingly showed the nightmare that he has to go through and rightly conveyed the horror of all this. N the frdship between these three boys was very heart warming. Yet again m very upset it was only 3 eps.

MUSIC
The music was right. The bacground score rightfully conveyed the creepiness of when the pictures were clicked, as well as during the budding frdship of Keng and shin, the sweet romantic score was beautiful. I like the music but at times it would be unreasonably high pitched and placed at wrong time.

REWATCH VALUE
Though, the story is amazing and the actor's acted brilliantly, unfortunately, such heavy themed drama u can't watch again and again. As it is pretty depressing and hard to digest. Though, if the drama had more episodes i might have

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