Completed
Playful Kiss
214 people found this review helpful
Apr 7, 2011
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 13
Overall 3.0
Story 3.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 3.0
As with Boys Over Flowers, I am almost afraid to review this for fear of flames. I did not like this drama. The reasons?

1) I do not like it when a woman blindly and stupidly follows a man that mostly could care less and treats her like crap on a regular basis.

2) I do not like it when a teenage girl is portrayed as completely without sense and is kind of a stalker.

3) Even worse when she is encouraged by said boy's mother! The mother helps her stalk her own son! I liked the actress, I did but that's just too much for me to wrap my mind around.

Maybe I am too old for this one. I did not like the message it sends. I am all for going with a story. I can forgive a lot because I have a ridiculous romantic side to me but this one left me wanting to yell at that girl and shake her out of her blind stupidity.

Here is what I did like: The boy kind of redeems himself toward the end and she wakes up at the last minute...kind of. ..but not enough.

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Completed
Falling into Your Smile
58 people found this review helpful
Jul 17, 2021
31 of 31 episodes seen
Completed 9
Overall 4.5
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 5.5
Music 4.0
Rewatch Value 3.0
This review may contain spoilers

A Sugar-y Mess of a Drama

This drama was more about gaming scandals than the actual love of the game. I've never seen such an obsession with gaming players as if they are idols. It genuinely felt ridiculous but getting past that, this drama's focus is on the ML and FL. So with regards to that, this is where the drama survives and dies at the same time. The female lead character is so freaking stiff, unmoving, and non-expressive which really wastes the male lead's effort. She is completely reactionary without even showing a reaction. The production team should have found an actress instead of an idol to play the role. But it almost seems to me that this drama was supposed to be a self-interest thing anyway. However, to be fair, the Chinese web novel it is based on that vibe but the female lead character is a bit more active compared. Go figure, another drama where they strip the female lead character of autonomy and complex character.

As for the the male lead character, he is what keeps audiences interested half the time with his swoon-worthy moves. He is almost spot on to the novel character with the exception of the more "horny boy" moments that were obviously cut out to make this more cookie cutter.

The gaming parts of this drama had cooling effects but boring ultimately. I skipped over most of them because it felt like a waste of time.

The side characters with the exception of Jin Yang, Ai Jai, and Jian Yang were very one-note. Jin Yang and Ai Jai relationship felt more honest to the realities of dating a pro gramer and not being interested in the game. Jian Yang was pouring emotions as the second lead that made you wonder WHY the hell the female lead didn't give him a second chance. The flashbacks of the two also showed a more natural couple compared to the FL/ML interactions which were so stiff.

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Completed
Mr. Plankton
33 people found this review helpful
Nov 12, 2024
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 3.5
Rewatch Value 5.5

Cliche but good

Sincerely, I started to watch this K-drama because I was bored, thinking it would be another average love story and that I'd ditch it halfway as soon as the "bad boy" wout get his cute girl to fall in love with him. I couldn't have been more wrong, I thought, after laughing for five episodes straight-actually, this is not that bad. Even though it was a totally fictional plot, the connection with the characters amazed me with how real they were. My heart started to feel heavy and squeezed by emotions throughout the whole journey. It was a total rollercoaster of character relationships and emotions-their acts, sometimes selfish, sometimes absurd, sometimes pitiful, made them so human. But everything they did was to seek one thing: love.

People are so foolish for searching love where they aren't needed, forgetting to look around and see those who love us no matter what. People who aren't related to us by DNA but who gather with us throughout the journey of life. The main characters did a beautiful job portraying this feeling. Sometimes when I try to explain love to my friends, I imagine this down-to-earth, realistic, but still such a powerful, unimaginable feeling that I cannot explain.

Other than love in its many forms, we felt loss, forgiveness, redemption, letting go, rebirth, and the meaning of self and so much more.

I just want to say thank you and hope others can take a piece of the story with them, just as I did.

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Completed
Absolute Value of Romance
33 people found this review helpful
Apr 24, 2026
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 4
Overall 9.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.5
This review may contain spoilers

HAHAAHAHAHAHAH

FIRST OF ALL SHUT UP EVERYONE WHO HATES ON HER HAIR. I FREAKING LOVE THE HELL OUT OF IT. ITS SO CUTE AND MATCHES HER GOOFY CHARACTER.
So by the summary we all understand how the story is going to be, this is my first time writing a review so early on the story, but i felt this one deserves a one. The actors, the fl is so good and her acting is so nice, same goes to the other actors. Coming to to the plot, its very unique for a kdrama, i like how the writers tried something new apart from the old school, the plot although nothing fetish( which is good) but seems pretty realistic on the teen writer part, coming from the same shoes i can say its true that imagination sometimes run wild, but thats the charm of this drama. Haha. I really like how the ml (maths guy) was baffled by her scoring 4 marks in exam, and got obsessed into making her an ace. Hehe, i loved how she was the director who scolded her sir's character in her novel cause in real life he was an ass (not really but in a funny way) , but i must say he(the ml actor) got good acting skills like by how he portrayed his eyes getting soft whenever she was crying(or pretending to be) . Mainly i love this chaotic dynamics hehe. Now coming to the concerns, i hope its a non romance drama or if its so please let her be an graduate student then they must start really getting in that sector. Also i hope they don't ruin it by the last episodes by speeding the pace or something shit, let it be in this flow, perfect. Things i wish i could see as an possible ending, her being a famous novelist and her getting good results in her subject with the help of her maths teacher, and a affectionate smile from him being proud at the end (the best ending it could get) or something normal. Please no ones parents are dead or suicidal in this drama (already seen this shit) and let her be a successful writer please dont let the maths teacher ruin her novel. And mainly why does the korean literature teacher and P.E teacher have so much chemistry, wahh same goes for the ml and the korean literature teacher, (the korean literature teacher is a softieeee, love himmm😘), anyways till now very good AND IT MUST GO ON TILL THE END OR THE DIRECTOR BETTER START COUNTING YOUR DAYS.!...

UPDATE:
soo first of all to the director THANK YOU for not killing anyone or adding some unnecessary plotline to it and sticking with the original genre.
Secondly DAMNNNNN ITS SOO GOOD LIKE I LOVE ITTT. Mr Ga?! Jess the man you are so supportive of your students.. And to the other actors and actresses all of you did such a nice job, especially the actress of Euiju, no one could have pulled off the character more than herrr. Love herrr.
Coming about the novel plot its cringe but sooo funnily good. Love the actors of the teachers. ANDD LOVE EUIJU'S GROUP, HER FRIENDS, JENNY AND JENNY'S SEATMATE. Coming towards the ending, it was very much suited up to the drama genre. People who are not satisfied should know that even if it would have ended with both of them together it would have been very unethical, like the teacher student relationship. Um yeah about the other possibility yes it would have been good too with her graduating and then relationship but the raw emotion would not have been there, i like that part about this drama the open ending of it gives us a creative freedom to imagine further more. Do we need a second season? No. Its very much would not work in this case cause the whole season would have to be exaggerated in terms of it to happen so and the drama would loss its individuality but if done correctly there might be a chance. One thing we can surly ask for is to have Cha hakyoon and kim hyangi to act in another comedy romance drama cause yess THEIR CHEMISTRY IS TOO GOOD TO WASTE. So thats it, i loved it i hope you do too!

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Completed
My Princess
33 people found this review helpful
Nov 6, 2012
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 4.0
I wasn't going to write a review on this, neither was I going to complete this drama. It took me forever to complete it because it was a snooze fest for most parts. But this is the absolutely only drama that I gave second, third and so on chances to because of the two main lead actors.

As for the story, it is a plain one about a girl who finds out she is a princess. There wasn't much original in the plot and all the Imperial family politics bored me. I was lazy to complete this drama because I wasn't invested in the second leads either. By the way, I generally don't like judging actors by their looks but Park Ye Jin looked absolutely hideous in her hairstyle and annoyed the hell out of me.

After watching this, Kim Tae Hee is hands down the most easily likable actress in the Korean industry for me. I don't remember the last time I was so impressed with an actress playing an ordinary character in midst of a boring story. Also, Song Seung Hoon was equally good as Park Hae Young and complimented Tae Hee's character well. Plus, their awesome chemistry made me want more. Their scenes are all fluffy and cute. At least these two people didn't bore me.

Because this drama is a victim of poor writing, Lee Seol's character was also nothing special. But Tae Hee's amazing acting skills made her entertaining. Generally, I have a record of hating female characters which cry a lot or behave immaturely. But Tae Hee makes even this funny and enjoyable to watch. The drama had nothing but to rely on Tae Hee and Seung Hoon's talent to make it to the end.

Overall, it is an easily forgettable drama. But because it is light and has great lead actors I could tell you try it once. Recommended for fans of Kim Tae Hee and Seung Hoon!

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Completed
The Eighth Sense
33 people found this review helpful
May 1, 2023
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 7
Overall 7.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 7.0

I have fallen in love with the story and characters, so I am personally offended by the execution.

My title came off a little strong, so here’s the short answer: this drama is definitely amazing for a gay romance coming out of Korea, but has really poor editing that was consistently jarring and some loose ends.

Now here comes the long answer (starting with the good of course!):
I really do appreciate this drama because it made an effort to tell a genuine gay love story, and I would say they succeeded. I especially appreciated this effort because the homophobia of Korean society tends to encroach on the acting and direction of some other BL series I’ve seen.

From the script alone we already have a good starting point, but the actors definitely took this drama to the next level. Im Ji Sub and Oh Jun Taek were stellar lead actors. You could always tell how their characters felt just through an expression or exchange. The chemistry and tension between them was on point. You could always feel a tangible mutual romantic curiosity between the two of them. It never felt stiff or awkward, or like they were forcing themselves to ā€œact gay.ā€ The effort and care put in the acting and direction gave the romance an authentic feel.
The setting and story were both quite nice. The school setting felt realistic, and the surfing aspect worked with the story surprisingly well.

The main characters themselves were both interesting. I liked to learn more about them, and see them grow and change throughout the series. I wasn’t a fan of Eun Ji or her writing. It wouldn’t have hurt anyone if they put a little more effort into making her a little less of a one-dimensional villain archetype, but in the end she served her purpose.

Now for my main complaint, and the achilles heel of this entire show: the editing.

I wish I was being dramatic when I said the editing made me die a little on the inside. As someone in visual arts who has experience with video editing, I genuinely started to wonder about the vision from the director and editing team, or if there was an editing team and if they got paid. Possibly they were held at gunpoint to make some of the most questionable editing choices of all time. The look of the first two episodes was alright, but the editing lost its way at episode 3 and barely managed to find its way back by episode 8. The coloring and filters were too exaggerated and varied. It very rarely did anything to add to the mood or tone of the show. At worst it was very distracting and at best it was tumblr-esque and outdated.
To be fair, there were a handful of shots I thought looked lovely.

Now if you're someone who doesn’t care about the aesthetics of a show, there is still a reason to care about the quality of the editing. The transitions. This was where the editing really started to hinder the storytelling. It made the story convoluted and hard to follow. I often had to skip back to see if I missed something, only to realize I hadn’t missed anything at all. The transitions are really just that jarring. It didn’t help that they would often throw in random scenes without context and then move on with very little explanation.

Overall, I would still recommend this show and I think it is a step in a great direction for Korean BL dramas. The integrity of the story and characters holds up, even if the transitions and editing made me want to pull out my hair.
The story also leaves me wondering about the character’s futures. I felt that we missed out on some of the development of Jae Won that the story was hinting at. I’d like to know more about our main character’s families and backgrounds, which are still partially unexplained. I would definitely tune in for a season 2. I may even rewatch it eventually now that I’ve come to terms with the horrendous editing.

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Completed
My Journey to You
33 people found this review helpful
Sep 16, 2023
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 5
Overall 8.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 8.5
This review may contain spoilers

I wanted this to be my favorite cdrama of 2023

today i completed my journey to you and i will start off by saying this is one of the best cdramas for me of this year — cinematography, performances from the actors, musically, and visual wise. it simply took my breath away from the start. the intensity of the episodes, each one ending with a cliffhanger that left you wanting to know more and what would happen next. i loved this drama so much i’d look forward to getting up every morning and watching the next episode!

onto the characters — my favorites were the main couple. many people were saying they weren’t feeling the romance between the leads, and while i do agree with the lack of screen time between yun weishan and gong ziyu, every moment they shared together was incredibly sweet and made my heart ache from ziyu’s lovely words towards his bride to weishan always being on ziyu’s side despite him not knowing. my journey to you is a drama about an undercover spy on a mission — ā€œif a spy falls in love with her target, she’ll face a tragic ending.ā€ a romance that could end in tragedy, but it still lit a light in my heart that just made the drama simply perfect for me. i especially loved gong ziyu’s character because he is a character with a gentle, warm, and pure heart who saw the good side in everything. he treated his lover with so much care and love it moved me to watch them together. she was willing to give herself up for his sake, and he was willing to let her go so she could achieve the freedom she has been searching for the majority of her life. they were such a sweet couple every scene of theirs felt like a precious gem that needed to be preserved and cherished. as for the secondary characters i will say that i have a strong dislike for the gong brothers — many viewers enjoyed their scenes but i found them to be annoying, always plotting and scheming against ziyu. they always had an agenda hidden up their sleeve.

despite my utter enjoyment of the plot, the characters, and the beautiful visuals of this drama the ending was an absolute disappointment. too many questions were left unanswered; i would have been okay with a sad ending, anything that would give some sense of closure but so many holes in the plot were created and it could have all been fixed with some extra episodes. who is the mastermind behind all of this? what happened to SGQ after she left the gong mansion? did weishan disappear, or die? why did she disappear? why did they reveal weishan’s twin so late into the drama and what has she been up to? so many questions arise and were left unanswered, the ending being an open one just leaves much to be desired. im so disappointed with how they ended the show. they didn’t give the main leads enough screen time and didn’t even explain what happened to them. weishan just disappeared and that’s how it ended which left me very confused and upset. everything about this drama was perfect for me but the ending was a total botch of a drama with so much potential, but with many missed opportunities.

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Completed
Ai Long Nhai
33 people found this review helpful
Dec 16, 2022
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 3
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

Im glad I don’t pay attention…

To negative comments, I watch for myself and decide. Many of you want to nitpick and tear a series apart just because you did not get material to fantasize about. This series did not have all the angst and negative behaviors that most of you feed off of, no abuse, no rape? How dare they! Rate a series on the music, really? Its cute light hearted and enjoyable series, I have already watched it twice. I for one, skipping many series because they are focusing on extreme behaviors with couples and we are suppose to ship them as a loving couple, yea, no!! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen in comments watchers are trying to rationalize all the negative behaviors. ā€œIt happens in real lifeā€ is one of my favorites. Come on! Im glad to see some writers/directors steer away from all the negative BS because they are realizing they are losing viewers. Ive a small circle of friends that got me into BLs and not one of us are regular viewers since KP. The average age of a viewer watching BLs are 14-early 20’s and they want us to fantasize about falling in love with an abuser? Smh. Give this series a try and have no worries that someone is going to get hurt in a menacing way. The only thing I have to mention is there were a lot of loose threads, but my gut tells me there is a reason. Maybe S2? I also wanted to see more of Porsche and Arm!! Next time? My last comment.. with all the haters this series still rates a close 8 out 10. Not bad, uh? Enjoy and have a few giggles.

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Completed
Bloody Monday
33 people found this review helpful
Aug 3, 2011
11 of 11 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 4.0
This drama really had been on the edge of my sit till the very end. It's one of those dramas where the producers throw you a twist in every episode, and for that reason I really liked it. The storyline was something I enjoyed pretty well, and the cast did a great job in making that happen. The music was great as i still listen to the songs sometimes. The rewatch value is pretty low since for dramas that are based off of twists and turns, once you already know what's going to happen, it loses the wow factor. Overall though, I'm giving this an 8, since this is really a top tier drama.

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Completed
Moonlight Chicken
33 people found this review helpful
by jpny01
Mar 5, 2023
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 8.0
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 5.0

Beautiful, yet something is missing.

This is a beautifully shot series, with a color palette of contrasting but complimentary colors, which I took as a metaphor for the main characters - burnt orange and silver blue. Other people took these to represent chicken and midnight, but when you say it out loud if comes off a bit prosaic.

The story is also well-written, with complex characters who actually have arcs (with one exception), which is a welcome change.

But there is something missing, and it's the main couple, who are miscast in this role. This is the problem with eternal ships. The magic is usually in their initial outing for which they were specifically cast and well-suited. When you just drop them in another story, the fit is usually not as good, and that's the case here. I don't buy into the "Earth is stiff" narrative - he's excellent and his acting is subtle and masculine - stoic and repressed with emotions displayed with subtlety. I think that's much harder than shouting and crying, but I recognize that's what BL audiences want and like.

But the problem is that Earth and Mix do not contrast in this at all. they are of similar age and disposition - laid back and reserved. Jim is supposed to be entering middle age - on what planet I don't know. I'm entering middle age (reality check: I'm there. F@#$.) and I'm blessed with my mother's good skin, but even at 40 I didn't have Earth's porcelain skin and zero body fat. It's ridiculous and takes you out of the story. He was 27 when this was filmed. Come on. An excellent fit for the role would have been Nike from 180 Degrees. Earth and Mix just don't have any chemistry in this. Their interaction was appropriate in the first couple of episodes - it's clear Jim was badly burned in a past relationship, and the final revelation of what happened is brilliant writing - unexpected and yet explained everything perfectly. But this wasn't a corrective to the stagnation and dullness of their relationship - and surprising lack of chemisty. Mix isn't bad at adoring stares, yet the fire is missing from his glances - it feels like acting. Contrast that with Fourth (covered below).

Average lifespan in Thailand: 77. Average lifespan of BL mothers: 35. It used to be 34, but this one made it all the way to 49 so she pulled up the average. Enough already. It wasn't necessary to the plot and it's getting to be a beyond tiresome cliche. There are two sources of drama in BL - jealousy, and dead parents. Let's move on, shall we? Also, what is it about Thai crowds that prevents them from doing anything helpful in a crisis? Are you trying to tell me nobody thought to call an ambulence? Come on.

Again we live in a homophobia-free universe - normally this isn't an issue for me in BL, which is escapist fantasy. But this strives toward realism, and there's no chance Heart's parents would have been OK with it, which is the one mar in the otherwise perfect side storyline.

So far this sounds like I hate the series, but there is an extremely powerful countervailing positive - the secondary couple, played by Fourth and Gemini (from My School President, although this was filmed first). These two are the exception to the shipping rule I posited above - I could watch them together for the rest of my life and die happy.

Fourth is so good that there is never once a false note from him. He is in every repsects a teenager, moody and alienated, rebelling against authority (in the form og his uncle Jim), and experiencing first love with the deaf and lonely boy Heart. This story is so beautiful and perfect that I don't think I spent any of of their entire story not at least on the verge of tears. Everything about their performances conveys their attraction to each other and their growing emotional tie - the way they lean into each other, the way they find ways to touch each other, the innocent yet heated glances - it's so f@#$ing perfect that it hurts. It's been so long for me, yet I was right back to that age, feeling it all again. Just absolute magic.

Khaotung puts in his best performance ever in this as chicken salesman Gaipa, whose relationship with his mother is lovely and wholly authentic. Mark Pakin puts in a wonderful performance as the rakish and sexy Saleng (the legs on this boy...) and Jack Kittisak is memorable as the unspeakably sexy Gong, Wen's friend.

So do I recommend this? Without hesitation. Jim & Wen are a 6, but Li Ming and Heart are a 15. If this had been their story, I would have rated this a hard 10 - but unfortunately, it's not their story.


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Completed
My Liberation Notes
33 people found this review helpful
Jun 4, 2022
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers

A promising drama about finding happiness and moving forward pulled back by awful tropes

Finding joys in life and learning to enjoy the many details in things is difficult, and that struggle is amazingly captured in this drama. Three siblings find themselves in a hopeless rut, commuting, working, and barely living. What ensues are antics, attempts, and pledges to live better, more fulfilling lives.

Unfortunately, this drama is plagued by some of the most common tropes in Kdramas. A mysterious character (Mr. Gu) is actually running from mafia-themed problems. This kind of random action genre isn't needed in a drama like this, and is often jarring in terms of pacing and storytelling. Not every mysterious character needs a dramatic backstory like this, and in my opinion he would have been a better character without it.

However, the sisters' arcs are the bigger issue. How can two main female characters have their story arc be resolved by relying on a man in 2022? Yeom Mi Jeong finds solace in having Mr. Gu worship her, and slowly gains confidence from them being acquainted. Her older sister, Yeom Gi Jeong, is worried about finding a relationship, and how to deal with all the emotions she has when she eventually gets into one. Both sisters are built up by their relationships in the end, learning to take life one step at a time. But do we really need both of them to learn this by seeking a man? Yes, you will need to rely on others and their support to get you through tough times. No, you do not need to explicitly have a relationship with those people for that to happen. Frankly, it's just unacceptable for two female leads to still require romance arcs in 2022 to actually learn or do anything.

Overall, the drama is well-acted, and it's pacing is excellent but can be too slow for some. The inclusion of bad tropes though is a huge negative for what this drama could have been. The drama does not live up to the potential it has, and I think it would be more well-received if it kept with the slow-burn slice of life genre throughout the entire show.

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Completed
My Mister
33 people found this review helpful
May 18, 2018
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
Hands down the best drama I've ever watched. Even my all time faves Signal, Punch, and Secret Forest can't make me feel the way I feel watching this drama. I think it's better if people go into this drama knowing as little as possible. The title, the summary, it can be misleading and I know it deterred some people away from watching it, but TRUST. This is the most well made drama in all of my 12-13 years of watching dramas. Every character serves a purpose, and every character has a story that won't be abandoned by the writer. The writing, directing, acting, just everything is beautiful, realistic, and compelling. And oddly enough, no matter how dark, how quiet, how melo it can get, it's never boring. This drama makes walking home from work it's freaking runway. I can confidently say that this drama has changed my outlook on life and humanity. I want to be a better person because of it, and I think this story will resonate with a lot of people who are going through rough times in life and comfort them. IU and Lee Sun Kyun were exceptional in this drama, and their chemistry together... WOW. Not only were there sparks, but those sparks ignited into a blazing flame. If you told me 2.5 months ago that IU and Lee Sun Kyun would have such amazing chemistry together, I'd scoff at the thought. These two have SO much compassion and understanding for another in such an undefinable, profound way. There's no romance between the leads but there is LOVE. My heart literally aches thinking about it. Anyone who is hesitating to start this drama, don't hesitate and jump right into it. It's practically an injustice to describe this drama in words. It must be seen and it must be heard. Most people get hooked around ep 3/4 and from there on there's no coming back. Also, don't skip parts! The attention to detail is really important, even down to the sounds. So crank up your volume and discover why My Mister is an all time favourite.

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Completed
F4 Thailand: Boys over Flowers
32 people found this review helpful
Feb 7, 2022
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

WHY THE THAI VERSION ;)

Starting on a casual note, I've never had a good experience with Thai dramas, idk why but never did any drama hit THE SPOT until F4 Thailand. I'm seriously a drama activist and enjoy watching dramas but my eye always goes towards the technicalities. Putting the issue forward, for me Thai dramas always meant boring and cringey, with bad cinematography (maybe I came across bad dramas only) but F4T changed it.

At first I was a little hesitant towards watching F4T since I am in love with Boys Over Flowers saga. I've literally seen every version from the old ones and the manga to now watching F4T. But when I was watching Meteor Garden (Chinese Adaptation), I felt it lost all the feels and tried to add innovation but took away the essence of the original story. Obviously, when it is an adaptation it doesn't necessarily have to be the exact copy but if you are taking away the originality of the actual story than do not call it an adaptation - which is why I was hesitant towards watching the Thai adaptation.

Now when I watched the Thai version, I was stunned. LIKE LITERALLY! BOOM!
I can't believe I'm saying this, but I found it better than all the versions. Some people close to me are saying that I think this way because the Korean Boys Over Flowers was old and this is new. NO!
The way I can relate with the characters is unbelievable. For a person like me, who can't watch a thing that she just watched again, I've completed the ongoing drama 3 times now.

Q: Why do I feel like this?
Answer: Unlike many other Thai dramas, and watching the interviews of the cast and director of F4T as well as watching the drama I come to a conclusion that everyone has done their homework on the drama, not only did they bring innovation to it while keeping the originality of Boys Over Flowers, watching the drama feels like I won't know what's gonna happen next when I already know. NEVER FELT THAT BEFORE.
The casting, the setting, the characterization is spot on.

Thyme's Character:
This character is the main attraction for me, and not as Bright but as Thyme.
Originally, I found Junpyo best in this character. Imagine you have a danger meter, Lee Minho hit the red line but Bright, he hit the bright red (get it 'bright' red ;p), the fiercest line. While keeping the essence of the character, Bright played Thyme excellently; Thyme is childish and cute to the extreme level but he is also vulnerable, possessive and aggressive to the other extreme end and at the same time, he is mature unlike other first male lead characters in the other version. Can you believe having all these traits in one character in such a way that these traits don't overpower or overshadow the others? There's a perfect balance and this balance added icing to the cake and plus Bright's looks were just finishing the touches but here, I would like to appreciate him so much more than just looks. I came to this drama, thinking he doesn't suit the character, let alone look handsome, and now I'm leaving saying that this person is complete from every sphere and no one else could have played this role better than him.

Plus hat's off to the rest of the cast and the director as well as GMMTV for putting variety of issues in this drama that happen in real life. GMMTV, I'll be checking more of your dramas that will air in the future, I've seen the trailers and seem very interesting, though I won't be watching the older ones since I researched and they don't fit my taste but the upcoming ones are surely my treat. Please give me good recommendations though :).
GOODLUCK TO THE CAST AND DRAMA.
AND FOR THOSE WHO ARE PLANNING TO WATCH IT, DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME READING THIS REVIEW, GO WATCH IT.

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Completed
My Girl
33 people found this review helpful
by Rourou
Apr 27, 2012
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
1-The reason I watched this : I just read the synopsis then I unconsciously started to watch and finished it in three days dramathon

2-Storyline/Plot : Totally loved the story, it was well done plus the events passed by so smoothly without any blanks or slow moments.
The start was really awesome,I really enjoyed the hilarious moments at the beginning. The rest was good too although I still prefer the beginning of the drama.

3-Acting/Cast : Lee Da Hae has done her role in a perfect way; I haven't noticed any mistakes in her performance although her character fell into the usual dumb lead Korean female in some point but I really liked the way she lied; it was very believable and super hilarious.
Lee Dong Wook and Lee Jun Ki were my special eye candy in this drama, I am really sorry for saying this but when I see them on screen all I was thinking about were shallow feelings for those two actors looks so I really can't talk about their acting skills but I can say that they had usual characters as a lead male and a second lead male.
Other cast weren't that bad but they weren't that great either. However, I will say this: Park Si Yeon was really annoying as a character and as an actress.

4-Music : It was the same song played all along the drama but it was good enough to hear over and over again.

5-Rewatch value : I don't think that it could be fully rewatched but there's some moments that deserves repeating them.

6-The ending : A nice cute ending not that special but I totally loved the two guests who showed up in the last episode.

7-Overall : This is the type of drama that's highly recommended to romantic comedies lovers.

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Completed
HIStory3: Make Our Days Count
33 people found this review helpful
by Dae
Dec 18, 2019
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 3
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers
Now, I know that right after the airing of the last 2 episodes (19 and 20; or just 10th) most people are not happy with how the series ended and I could agree on it for sure.

STORY (?):
I'm one of those people who doesn't mind a sad ending if it fits the storyline (i.e. Trapped or Call me By Your Name) and it is a good ending even if sad. But my problem with MODC is that the ending just seems absurd and rushed like they wanted to make it different from other HIStories, in the end fucking up the whole ending. This story, in my opinion, really DID deserve a much happier ending than this one (perhaps that why at the start it was called "Miracle" could have been a happy one).

Yes I cried my eyes out and was so sad that I was not even able to enjoy Zhi Gang and Bo Xiang's happy ending. So it's a big minus :( I have the so called "second lead syndrome" and it did play a part here too but it was a rare case where I REALLY liked the main couple as well so how they ended their story really did sadden me.

Don't get me wrong though, as you can see, I have given this series a 10 in all categories because everything really was great except the ending. BUT BUT BUT!!!!! But even with an ending like this, there's still a lesson to learn and it explains the title too. We have to make every day count because we may never know what little thing may change our lives forever. We shouldn't waste time on arguing or being stubborn, we should just DO IT because what if there won't be an other chance later and we are just wasting the time that would could have had? This is what I actually do like about the ending and to give a 10 was my first instinct right after watching. I started to doubt it only after reading what other people have to say.

A lot of people are saying that they watch these type of dramas to escape the reality and there's nothing wrong with it but I just hate it when they use it as an excuse to hate on the show. I, on the other hand, try to find shows that DO represent reality cause it feels more believable and it doesn't give false hope for the future. There are 2 good sayings: " "ŠœŠµŃ‡Ń‚Š°Ń‚ŃŒ не вреГно" (dreaming isn't unhealthy) and "CerÄ«ba ir muļķa pēdējais mierinājums" (hope is the idiots last solace). I stand by these 2 and that's why I like it when there is some reality( and the harsher one) in the series. Also the fact that there are so many people who just read the comments and automatically say that they won't be watching the ending is just sad. Who knows, maybe you'll like t in the end.

EDIT: After writing this review I found out that the story might be a plagiarism of an older BL Japanese manga series so I really don't know what to say about why the scriptwriter chose to do something like that without mentioning it.

CAST:
I can only say way too many things about the cast so I'm not gonna rant. They all are great. The chemistry is magnificent. Overall a great cast.

MUSIC:
Now I have some good damn songs added to my playlist. As well as there was a sneaky appearance of a sad song from Trapped at the very end. Hit me pretty hard cause I just love that song.

RV:
I probably would but after some time. I would love to pay more attention to those "making it count" moments and not just the lust. But I do need some time to calm down after the ending though.

OVERALL: As always, HIStory is just great and even here I 100% enjoyed 90% of the whole show so I can't say that it's shit just because the ending was not what I wanted. This is more of a realistic one so be prepared.

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