Extremely boring
I don't have much to say about this short series aside from the fact that I'm extremely underwhelmed. I had high expectations. Since there was only 4 episodes I figured they had to get things going fast. I also really liked the cast. I'm a fan of both Park Hyung Shik and Han So Hee; so finding out that they were starring together made me excited.That excitement sadly fizzled out pretty quickly. There is nothing wrong with this drama per se. It's just that nothing much happens. It would be odd to say that a drama that only has 4 episodes was dragged out. But that's how I feel. This should have been a movie. Or better yet. Not have existed at all.
I can't point at any specific thing and say that's bad. In fact, there were several scenes that I actually enjoyed, But there was maybe 1 or 2 such scenes in every episode. Which left about 35-40 minutes each episode that felt wasted. Those 35-40 minutes felt like fillers.
So much of this drama felt unnecessary. This could have easily been wrapped up in 1 episode, and still have been boring.
Now to the acting. I like both Park Hyung Shik and Han So Hee's acting. They are both fantastic actors. Seperately. Together, they just don't have any chemistry. I can barely believe these two are friends, let alone lovers. I think they both would have benefited from a more dynamic drama.
Oh well. That's 176 minutes wasted.
If you are fan of slow dramas, where nothing much happens. This might work for you. But if you're like me and actually want something to happen. You would be wasting your time with this.
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Ugh (ft. slow and boring)
Cheating dramas are problematic. Without genuine reasons of cheating, it would be difficult to convince viewers to stay. This show gives silly reasons for why men cheat their good & hardworking wives and why women would yearn for company of married men.Without the revenge track, it would be difficult to soothe the fewer viewers who had somehow managed to stay. That's not gonna happen in this one. Nah nah, not in this season, I don't give a rodent's posterior about the revenge, if at all, that happens in next season, if at all, that manages to air.
This show wastes time in talking about random things like golf, oriental medicine, dogs blah blah, in the first half of episodes and glorifying whatever "love"/lust emotions cheaters were feeling in the second half. By the time, it reaches the point of actual cheating, already 10 or 12 episodes are gone. Even good and realistic dialogues are made to lose their charm by saying again and again. Episodes after 5 or 6 can be finished in 15 minutes.
There were one or two things I liked. One, the kids of 50yr couple and 40yr couple. Their words and actions were so mature than their dads' (lol!). Two, the radio station scenes and the ladies' work dinners along with Seo Ban. Both the scenes had interesting dialogues especially Seo Ban's snarky replies.
I can only conclude that the writer has taken her audience for dummies, spoon feeding them; telling them in nagging dialogues instead of showing them with subtlety. She could have written a tighter screenplay excluding all irrelevant scenes. It could have been tiny bit interesting had she not made the mistresses so generic, so predictable.
In final episode, the hurried afterthought of adding new character and "new" links between characters was badly executed cliffhanger. By then, the drama is already an overkill. Although my curiosity is piqued, life is too short and I would rather spend my time watching something amazing.
It's a pity that this was well produced drama oozing extravagance. It's a pity that the music and OST was so good especially, Dead Inside and Memory. It's a pity it had good actors.
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Worthless Drama
Drama so boring, leads chemistry not match. Its rating is 8.3, but I think it actually deserves around 6.7. I tried to watch it for the female lead, but the male lead was so amateurish that I couldn’t stand it. He acted with the same tone of voice and expressions throughout all 12 episodes. Honestly, I couldn’t even bear to watch it properly. I only forced myself to finish it. My advice to you is to watch better productions or go back to old K-dramas. I truly regret wasting 12 hours on this.Was this review helpful to you?
A healing and chill drama to watch.
As someone who usually who watches thriller and crime dramas, I was quite hesitant watching this drama. However I just love the dynamic of the four main characters, it felt healing and I really admired their sense of comradery. I think they compliment each other well and the cast defiantly have good chemistry. As for the storyline without giving away spoilers, I appreciated that it did not drag on unnecessarily whilst still having character development. I felt like a lot of consideration was put into the scene, so I highly recommend people watch ‘The Fabulous’.Was this review helpful to you?
Makes as much sense and is about as entertaining as an 80's song medley
This may start off as a youth romance but pretty fast takes a turn to the kids acting like adults, with adult gangster problems... or is it corruption, murder CEO problems?Though the drama does have some fluff and a whole lot of cliches, what strikes me the most is the dim beige/grey lighting that ads a slightly depressing filter to the drama... And even though they spend a lot of time at the beach I feel like I keep missing the sun.
The acting could be better, there are some sweet well preformed moments here and there but neither of the leads are very good with facial expressions and emotions. That said both are pretty good at delivering physical scenes as well as action and tension. However the moment they are supposed to feel something it just becomes cringey be it sadness, love (not lust though), anger... It just feels off....
If I were to play a drinking game about finding lines from 80s song, show of abs or the words I will always love you, I would need to get my stomach pumped by the 9th episode or so as the "always", and love confessions come as often as (I will let you use your imagination), only to be disproved over and over again... I love you, I will now leave you, I will always love you... I will run away and if you love me you will not look for me... over and over again or at least that is what it feels like...
That said it is an ok watch, mostly entertaining and fun to watch just make sure to turn off your brain before you start watching it as nothing is consistent, nothing makes sense and the lack of scars as well as the healing power of those young men can put Connect (the drama/webtoon starring Jung Hae In) to shame.
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The acting is good. Kim Sae Ron is a great little actress and I hope that she can keep that skill into adult hood. I enjoyed her portrayal of Yeon Hee with both vulnerability and strength. Yoon Shi Yoon also did a good job as Heo Jun. He had the most character development and he was a cool character. The other actors were ok also.
The music is good.
I won't rewatch this.
If you like supernatural historical dramas or a Yoon Shi Yoon fan, then this isn't a bad watch.
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This review may contain spoilers
Listening Snow Tower is an interesting story with a plethora of well-performed martial arts moves, giving vibes of Legend of Fuyao. Somehow it seems virtually impossible to go through the drama without mentally imprinting Wuji on Yi Qing and Fuyao on Jing Rong and this is where memory lane goes incredibly right to some viewers or incredibly wrong to others, puffed out from the strenuous exercise of going backwards and forwards between the dramas.For those that have watched and enjoyed Fuyao, Listening Snow Tower is a good drama to pick up to maintain momentum as it can postpone the sad drama withdrawal. Denial isn’t good but the dramas actually are.
For those that have watched but either dropped or immensely disliked Fuyao, then stay away. This is not nor will it be a favourite flavour of tea.
For those that have absolutely no idea who Fuyao is, Listening Snow Tower is a great drama to watch and then once finished, a binge on Fuyao is a good idea. Keep in mind though that Listening Snow Tower has a faster pace, not really suitable for those that enjoy slow-paced dramas with draggy unnecessary scenes.
This drama as the title so aptly explains in three short words is about Listening Snow Tower and one should really listen. The pugilistic world is a mess, with the out-of-favour and out-of-power Snow Tower due to a rift of internal struggles. Betrayal is never done by an enemy and the cliché is proven right once again as if, it actually mattered to the story’s development.
Yi Qing is the heir of Snow Tower that takes over from his deceased father. As a first task, rebuild and restore Snow Tower’s reputation to its former glory asap. The thing is Yi Qing is ill. He has been ill with an incurable disease since childhood which mind you is not a hindrance to his state-of-the-art marital arts skills and his strategic thinking. His illness does not control his life nor does it run it. Yi Qing loves Jing Rong, the orphan daughter of the Blood Demon who also returns his feelings.
Fuyao again. Like Wuiji protects Fuyao, helping her achieve her full potential, Yi Qing protects Jin Rong, helping her become stronger so that she can fight the Moon Sect bent on destroying Snow Tower alongside him.
Jin Rong is filled with guilt when she finds out that her life is fated to bring others misfortune. Fuyao all over again. Then there are the battles for power amidst the sects, nothing out of the ordinary or remotely original but well accomplished.
The performances do not have the star power of Fuyao however the leads and remaing of the characters are well-matched and performed. Nothing exceptional but nothing to be critical about either. Indeed the drama might all appear a bit bland but bland is better than having a salty meal.
Visually Listening Snow Tower is good, not going over the top with weird-looking bright-pallet coloured costumes which have dragged many a good drama down with its fruit salad look. There’s contrast, white, red, black and it works wonderfully for those who like a more manga/comic book look in a drama with a small number of colour variations.
Overall, is a good enjoyable fast-paced drama, a bit hard to stop watching, a bit hard not to binge on it once one gets into it. Rating: 9.5 out of 10.
Should one watch it? Definitely but forget about Fuyao if possible and enjoy the series for what is worth!
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A ''product life cycle graph" drama -_-
So basically this kind of graph picks up a lil low but suddenly rises up, goes on stably for a lil while and then again suddenly declines to it's lowest point just to keep up at the same level until the data is over.The first and foremost reason I came to ONE THE WOMAN was Lee Ha Nee. I have loved her acting for a long time and the plot saying the drama is a female centric got me even more excited. I don't watch anything ongoing so what got my attention later was the overwhelming response to this show in Korea for an internationally less talked Kdrama. But I came here to only be disappointed and frustrated.
Lee Ha Nee got a double role character in here playing both Prosecutor Cho Yeon Ju and a conglomerate DIL Kang Mi Na of Hanju, who are lookalikes. Mi Na suddenly disappears from an event on an usual day but in her stead Yeon Ju was found severely injured at the same venue. She loses her memory due to amnesia and everyone takes her as Mi Na. Confused by everything happening around her, Yeon Ju tries to adjust into the completely new environment but unable to control her rough & outspoken behaviour. Han Seung Wook (Lee Sang Yoon), Mi Na's in-law cousin and heir to the largest share at Yumin, comes forward to Mina and tries to protect her bcs she was her first love. Together, they try to resolve the issues in both Yumin & Hanju and also dig into the mysteries of both past & present while unveiling astonishing truths about themselves.
There are in fact many familiar faces in here which is another reason to look forward to this drama though it failed to a great extent. Kim Chang Wan ahjussi as Noh Hak Tae, Hanju's legal head yet great supporters of lead couple, Kim Won Hae as Ryu Seung Duk, the chief prosecutor at Seoul Central District Prosecution, Jun Gook Hwan as Han Young Sik, Hanju's chairman and Mina's FIL, Ye Soo Jung as Dir. Kim, the house manager for Han family, Lee Won Keun as Ahn Yu Jun, Yeon Ju's only friend at prosecution and Mina's older SIL are some major roles. Sorry couldn't help but mention all these names bcs in fact they're good actors.
In other minor characters were, Jung In Ki as Kang Myung Guk, Yeon Ju's father ,Na Young Hee as Seo Young Won, Mina's annoying MIL, Song Won Suk as Han Seung Woon, Mina's husband, Jin Seo Yun as Han Sung Hye, Song Seung Ha as Han Sung Mi, Mina's younger SIL. The 1st 2 are very good but are minor roles here. I am particularly disappointed with Song Won Suk's acting though his outfits were all aesthetically beautiful.
It's visible that the writer is a rookie. I mean there are few jakka who at least deliver a good piece without much to complain about but there are some others who fail from many angels, that's the case here. Even for the most major character of Lee Ha Nee turns one dimensional after first few episodes and started exaggerating her role . She would have been doing more while bearing 2 identities at the same time but rather she sticked to one thing and absurdly ignored the other in an entire sense tsk tsk tsk. I will never complain about the ML's passive character because I always think both ML and FL should have the same essence in a story, but I don't think Lee Sang Yoon's character wasn't at all futile. They made fun of neuroscience in many ways and not to forget, of psychiatric and psychological treatment methods. The middle portion was infact full of illogical elements which can be laughed upon.
The basic plotline isn't anything new; it felt like the writer took inspiration from 80s-2010s Indian movies bcs the storyline is exactly the same as many Indian movies with a taste of Kdramas to it. The plot development is extremely awful in the 2nd half of the show. The first 2 introductory episodes were a bit uninteresting tbh but I hoped they'll do better, which actually happened. The show picked up the perfect acceleration from ep3 and made me look forward to the next. However, it again became slow & boring from the 2nd half of the 7th episode. I was hoping that'd be temporary but it stayed the same till the very end. Now read my first paragraph and you'll realize what I wanted to explain. Well, I got very bored from 8th episode but forced myself into it till 11th and then fast forwarded it at 2x till the end.
There's no consistency in setting up the scenarios in the drama either; the director did a poor job in that regard despite their experience. For first 7 episode it was full of family drama (not on the makjang level tho) then till 11th it was an investigative melo and for last 5 episodes it became a power trip between the chaebols. I would have been a lil more pleased if it were evenly distributed throughout.
The best thing about this drama was the comedy elements and 1st-7th episode is full of that only; may be that's why I wanted to continue with the drama despite the 'not at all new' storyline. Especially, it was Ha Nee and her responses & expressions, my goodness; I enjoyed it so so much, like she could carry the entire drama on her own. I wish it could last till the very end, but alas. In fact Kim Chang Wan ahjussi and his annoyed self was soooo cute plus funny. The family melodrama scenes had me laughing crazy, I swear.
The romance storyline for the drama started off really well. It was interesting and the revelations, tho cliché, were well executed. The gradual development ended somewhere around the interval and I as expecting something nice but it wasn't of any use, other than momentary tease party and kisses. Somehow, it can be an unique way if you see but for a drama meant for entertainment I couldn't find anything out of it.
One thing I can't deny is that the last part issue of revealing all the truth behind the 14yo incident involving all the major characters, were quite well written though the execution could have been better.
Overally, One The Woman can be either a n one time watch with fast forwarding the 2nd half or used for trash watch. I wonder why it was breaking records in Korea but it's not even anywhere near the average ratings for cable dramas, i.e. 7-8% (?). Thankfully there isn't much hype among the international fans and I am not gonna recommend this to anyone. I didn't have much expectation or whatever but given that the possible potential was wasted collectively by thw cast & crew, I have to express my utter disappointment.
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This review may contain spoilers
When I think of Descendants of the Sun, the first thing that comes to mind is cheese! This show is extra cheesy, and honestly I love cheese! Unfortunately, I am also kinda lactose intolerant, so after eating a certain amount of cheese I am left with regrets, and a stomach ache. That's exactly how I felt after watching the last episode. *Cue the rage of a thousand fans* I think the biggest problem I had with this show is that it tried to mix in three genres without a coherent plot to bring it all together. It's part rom-com, part military drama, and part hospital sitcom. The love story is probably what makes most people excited about the show, the military scenes are a cool action bonus, and the hospital sitcom keeps things from getting too heavy and depressing. Unfortunately, because the script is so weak, I was too disconnected to keep caring about the show, and it started to become very boring. I kept watching for one reason only Song Joong Ki.
Song Joong Ki is oddly cast in a lot of ways. He has a super baby face, and boyish charm, but still managed to be a believable bad@ss soldier. I would easily rate his character/acting 10. Not only did I develop a 16 episode crush on him, but I really cared about his assignments. The show would have been a million times more enjoyable for me if they just let his story be the center, or rather, the bromance between Shi Jin, and Dae Yeong. Their relationship was my favorite part of the show. Their characters didn't have much depth individually, but their bromance was solid.
There is also great chemistry between Song Joong Ki, and Song Hye Kyo, but not much to their overall story. Every moment with them is exactly the same - they flirt, they separate, she gets mad, he's extra charming, they flirt again. Early on, I really started to dislike Dr. Kang Mo Yeon, which made it hard to sympathize with her anger at him. Eventually I started to like her a little more, but no matter how cute their flirty scenes, or how strangely amusing their brink of death dating was, their story is still repetitive, which gets old quick.
The 2nd leads also had a romance, that had a few more obstacles thrown their way (parents, distance, almost dying), but was just as repetitive - fight, confess, spontaneous affection, fight. It's like each story just filled in the same blanks for each episode. It was actually the older minor characters who had the most interesting love story. I thought Seo Jeong Yeon and Lee Seung Jun were really cute, and deserve an honorable mention.
The supporting cast was pretty good. Some were much better than others, and some were almost completely useless (the head of the hospital... that ditzy doctor... ugh). I had to bring the acting down to an 8 because of that, but the cast is really the only good thing this show has going for it.
What was the point of this drama? At first it seemed like a way to show how hard it can be to date a soldier, but because the show didn't take itself seriously, it was hard for me to take that too seriously, even with that emotionally manipulative 15th episode. The conflicts at the hospital were ridiculous, and mostly filler. The best episodes took place when the medical staff went overseas to Urk, but once that was over, the show seemed to have no clue what to do. Did they run out of travel budget, so they decided to just wing it for the last episodes? Even in Urk, the plot was super predictable, and totally unrealistic, but it was still very entertaining (yummy Cheese!!!). When they returned, my feelings about the show went downhill, and I was no longer excited about watching the next episode. Then suddenly things got very serious out of nowhere, only to end with the silliest (and worst) last episode I've ever seen in any drama (yes THE worst!). I wonder if episode 15 was the original ending, and then it was changed last minute to avoid a backlash. That's the only thing I can think of as an explanation for why it was so bad.
The music? meh. The scenery? epic. The english spoken? decent. The shirtless men running? Daebak.
Would I rewatch? Not unless someone makes an edited version of only scenes with Song Joong Ki.
Overall It's like they rolled a kdrama dice and just threw stuff in at random to get people hooked, then they just focused on all the ways they can successfully incorporate product placement. Maybe that was the real point, to see how many ads they could sneak into a drama.
Even though there were moments I really enjoyed, I can't recommend this drama, especially after sitting through that ending. I wish they cut it down to 10 episodes, removing all the unnecessary fluff, and sneaky ads (subway, hyundai, make up, coffee, snacks, hiking equipments, travel apps... umm... except for the self driving car, because that scene was actually cool ) then maybe it would be a drama worthy of all the hype.
Or maybe you can treat my review like lactaid. Now that you know what to expect, maybe you can better digest all the cheese this show has to offer.
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This review may contain spoilers
It was ok
The setup with ML tormented over a friends death and FL appearance were basically pointless as soon enough this settles into standard fair.1. Pedestrian/Car accident despite all the time in the world to avoid? check
2. Love triangle where center (FL in this one) is oblivious? check
3. Mean mom suddenly overcome with grief when learning of child's hardships years too late and suddenly all is forgiven? check
5. Character disappears overseas for an extended time and returns with no advance word. check
6. Pointless breakup? check
7. Hospital visit due to gastrointestinal issue? check
8. Third wheel heroically gives up and helps main leads get back together after being annoying the entire show? check
10. Best friend betrayal to return later to allow lead to forgive to show how wonderful lead is? check
It's like there's a list that must be checked off at all costs to the story and characters. Still as formulaic as it is, it's not offensively bad.
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Can't stop smilling
Finally, there is a Korean drama with a rom-com genre that makes you can't stop smiling without thinking too hard. After watching the first episode, you can't wait to continue watching the next one until it's suddenly the last one.It tells the story of an actor named Nam Kang-Ho who has trauma from his past and thinks women are manipulative creatures. But all his opinions change when he meets a lawyer named Yeo Mi-ran. Because of a scandal, they agree to become contract partners and eventually fall in love with each other.
An adult love story with an on-point storyline it's not boring at all to watch, we want more!! 10 episodes are not enough.
Highly recommended for those who need a light drama on weekends because this drama is a distraction amid Korean dramas lately whose stories are heavy.
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The Episode 30 is so cool but kinda short for me, please give us the season 2
SEASON 2
SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!SEASON 2!
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This review may contain spoilers
*Warning, this review has very vague spoilers.....but I thought I'd warn regardless.*I decided to watch this drama because I absolutely adore Shin Min Ah and So Ji Sub. They are two of my very favorite Korean actors--I'd watch anything that includes them. Even though this drama wasn't really my cup of tea (for reasons I'll get to in a second), that still stands true. I'll watch them in anything--they're great.
Before I get to my problems with the show, I'll first touch on what I liked:
1. A slightly unique k-drama ending. Without giving anything away, the drama pretty much wraps itself up by episode 14. Cue the horror I felt that the next two episodes were just going to be one angst ride of a cliche after another (just to fill the quota of 16 episodes). It builds up to a point where you think it will go in a normal kdrama cliche, but instead veers to a sharp left, avoiding it. It was surprising and appreciated. It made the next two episodes more fun, sweet (ie a certain scarf scene), and cute. I really felt that was needed (because of the previous episodes). So definitely a kudos on that aspect.
2. The mementos and theme. While normally the idea of keeping a band-aid REALLY grosses me out, I thought it was an endearing touch on the theme of 'injured people need time to heal wounds that are sometimes really hard to see.' That theme is brought up often, especially as a personality trait that the main-lead has a weakness for in others. Various people in this show are injured in some way or another and I liked seeing how the show dealt with them overcoming that. Having a band-aid be kind of the OTP's 'thing' was nice, especially with how it all tied in at the end.
3. More realistic(ish) kisses and an actual sexual relationship. It's pretty common place that in a k-drama you're going to get those dead fish kisses (which this drama is not devoid of) and just no mention of sex at all. That's just Korean dramas for you. So whenever a drama breaks that mold, like this one does (slightly) it's a big deal in my book. The side characters got some REAL actual kisses and the show made it clear that the OTP had sex (and there were even some scenes that were really playful with this concept). So that DEFINITELY gets a huge thumbs up for me.
Now onto the problems/things I didn't like about this drama:
1. The BIGGEST problem was the family dynamics across the board. Family dynamics were underutilized and not played to their full potential. They were also SUPER confusing. Especially So Ji Sub's family. He rarely interacted with his father or grandmother--so it was super hard to connect with them or get their impact on what the story was supposed to be. He only interacted with his half-brother ONCE (the end episode)! I also just didn't understand his relationship with his uncle or step-mother--they just never interacted. I just didn't understand why....there was huge potential missed there. You barely get a feel for Shin Min Ah's mother and certainly not her brother, nor do you truly understand the pain she had of losing her father. I just....I don't know, felt hugely let-down by the family dynamics, they just didn't play a role in this drama and I felt that left gaping holes in the plot, storyline, and cohesion/flow of the story. It was sooooo confusing, to the point where at various points it HURT my brain trying to figure out why the writers were purposefully skirting around all the normal issues that would involve family scenes. It was almost as if they were working hard trying to prevent any family scenes from taking place, it was weird. Everything felt really disconnected in that regard.
2. Maybe this is just my own weird thing, but.....I thought all the fat jokes/cliches were, ugh...annoying. They continued, right up to the end. Sure, they were trying to make it a "Oh, being healthy (also on the inside) is a good thing, not just losing weight!" But it was essentially just a story of a girl losing weight and gaining a guy. Sometimes I felt like they went a little overboard to the point where it got a little cheesy and cliched (not to mention annoying). But again, that may just be a preference thing. At least this drama only had one instance of weird K-drama bathroom humor. So I'll count my blessings with that.
3. The convoluted angst. It's true that for the most part, this drama is pretty bubbly and comedic. BUT when it does do angst (particularly the antics that break up the OTP) it did not work for me, at all. This may be a slight spoiler, so *WARNING* but at one point, the So Ji Sub leaves her (for in my opinion, a dumb reason).....and for some reason won't allow her to see him, at all. Also, no texting/calling....nothing. Just a complete up and leaves with no trace. He's supposedly supposed to come back to her at some point, but I just felt it was stupid. I didn't understand why it was so important that he had to cut her off, it made no sense. It felt like they were creating angst for no reason and brought me out of the story. It was just dumb. Also, anything angsty like that, just wasn't handled very well. It didn't flow with the story well.
4. Overuse of flashbacks. When a drama is using enough flashbacks to the point where you say to yourself: "Dang, that's a lot of flashbacks." It's overused. It became a crutch and a pointless time-filler. It was fairly annoying, because these flashbacks weren't just of the far past of these characters (which is fine), but things that happened JUST barely. It became really apparent that they were using it to fill time for episodes, which made it just seem sloppy and overused. It to be honest was a little off-putting.
So overall, just not my cup of tea. Not completely horrible. There are some good reasons to watch this drama, but I fear it's a little overrated because of the actors in it. Just be prepared for some confusion and a little bit of frustration if you decide to watch this drama. I hope your experience will be better than mine was.
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This review may contain spoilers
17 Steps Ahead of King Schemey McSteamy
This series surprised the heck out of me because I never even intended on watching it. When it was postponed I never really thought twice. Then I saw ZLH in MJTY and was intrigued plus at the time I hadn't seen BL in anything nor any of the other leads though the supporting cast I was somewhat familiar with. I'm not a fan of palace politics but this series got me curious from all of the excitement it generated once the drop date was announced. I nearly gave it a perfect 10 if it wasn't for the very few cons, I couldn't get past. But it really was the 17 steps ahead of King Schemey McSteamy.Pros: It should be very obvious who the favorite character is; ZLH's acting has improved leaps and bounds. This was his first morally gray protagonist and he absolutely nailed it. He was like a mad scientist in every way. I have no idea how XW's brain worked. It was like he was psychic and planned things as he foresaw them. The story originally started more on the FL's side and she too just knocked her role out of the park. It was her redemption/rebirth story plus reverse harem so our ML had to be the 3rd wheel for a while, something that with his absolutely insane jealousy streak was heart pounding and hysterical at the same time.
YL was Spider-Man; dude had supernatural abilities when fighting in that heavy ass armor that the actor even said was really hard to move in. What made this series really worth watching is that other then our cast which were all absolutely amazing; I can't say anyone screwed up their parts, was that the plot was always rolling along. You kept waiting for what's next. You never had to ffw or you'd miss something vital. Furthermore, the cast filmed during peak summer months and in extreme heat, they were constantly on the verge of heat stroke. I loved every member of the cast the ones mentioned above, ZZ, the princess, JXH, the hilarious and yet awesome guards of XW, fake DF, and everyone else, even the villains sans Lord Pinghead as I think he was used as more of a plot device to get the leads together. I'll speak more about him below.
The leads chemistry especially Ep. 36; people should know what I'm talking about. King McSteamy was born! I was actually surprised how much made it in. Usually after a passionate kiss, it's cut to spotlight and curtains or next scene. Here we saw more and it was great! And so glad that the kisses were real and XW was an absolute panther. I could probably write a whole review on just his love and lust plus jealousy alone. From what I wrote in the comments: That whole “JXN: I want you” bit? Woof! And then of course…Duke asswipe is all “I’m gonna rule the world.” Our boy goes “Hold my Qin. Back up dog, emperor and I got this on lock before I even left!” Who saw that coming?!?
XW, uncle, cousin reveal actually brought a tear to my eyes. It was a brief but beautiful moment. Plus XW's jealousy of his own son liking ZZ was too funny and a totally face-palm moment. JXN needs to nip that in the bud before the son starts picking up dad's negative traits lol. Daughter was too cute too. There were so many great moments in this drama; even the villains did what they had to do and for the most part were intelligent so it wasn't like some trope or cliche.
Costumes, sets, fights, OSTs, were great! I probably will come back to write something I missed or forgot lol. Just too much goodness.
Cons: Very little of these, but the .5 was knocked off for several reasons. Though I wish the modern day wasn't returned to, I understand it was done so because of censorship; I really would have preferred the 7 minute wedding to be in the last episode instead of an extra one plus do it before the scene with kids, instead of her dreaming of XW killing himself per lifetime number one. We're past that, no need to go back. Furthermore, Lord Pinghead's whole arc towards the end felt off to me because, he's supposed to be this murderous insane villain who killed children and destroyed a city but it looked more like just a ploy to get the leads officially together. He really wasn't much of anything. Just a paranoid killer. Duke asswipe had mountains more on him in terms of evil.
Wish they kept ZZ's rebirth arc because otherwise even to the almost end, it seemed he was still pining for her and it felt incomplete. He should have been given his own proper ending. Should have killed loser Xue son as per the novel too. Why was Duke asswipe allowed to stab XW with so many guards around him just because he was staring at JXN? The poor guy was already pin cushioned 6 ways to Sunday. YL and DQ should have finished the job before he even launched himself off the ground. Lastly and this felt the most unnecessary, was the death of FY. They could have killed ZYZ as is, he held her captive and tortured her. Why did she have to grab hold of him and he stab her? He could have just kicked her away and run; he would have been caught regardless and JXN should have delivered the death blow herself like "You think I can't kill you? Watch this, bitch!" FY's death was completely pointless. I don't understand this portion at all.
Would I recommend it? 100% would. It was a gem that I didn't expect to fall in love with but did. The pros way outweighed the cons. The plot was very well handled even the portions that deviated from the book. This is how dramas should be written and done with proper endings. Must watch y'all!
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