This review may contain spoilers
If you like the american tv series 911 you will like this!
Just as i said in the title, if you loved the american tv series 911 or 911 lonestar you will absolutely love this!As a huge fan of the american series 911 I without a doubt had to watch this and i am so glad i did, it was fantastic, i loved the mix of Fire Fighters, Ambos and Police!, the stories were so bloody good and had me on the edge of my seat every episode, the characters were so loveable, besides the bad guys i didnt dislike any of the main characters! The drama felt way too short with only 12 episodes, i just didnt want to stop watching it, i was already hooked but the last few episodes made it so i couldnt look away!
SMALL SPOILER!
The end of episode 12 was a really bad cliffhanger and the only reason im okay with it ( as hard as it is waiting ) is because its already been confirmed for a season 2!
END OF SPOILER!
Seriously dont even think about it, just go and watch it, you wont regret it!
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A stress-free story with the theme of sincerity.
Whether it's romance, family, or career; the series shows us that if do things with sincerity, it will not go unnoticed. Not everyone will be moved by it, but there will always be people who will see and feel it. The story is simple, nothing ambitious or unique. However, the chemistry, the heartfelt moments, and honest interactions between characters made this series very memorable for me.-------------------------------------------
● SHORT REVIEW
-------------------------------------------
[ --LIKES-- ]
✔ Very likable leads and a mature relationship. Loved the chemistry. A very capable female character and a very green-flag and sincere male lead.
✔ Good communications between the lead. Very drama-free relationship
✔ Lots of cute moments
[ --DISLIKES-- ]
✖ While I loved Ro Woon with Pyung Hwa, his inclusion in the Sibling Six or whatever they called themselves felt rushed. Would've loved to see more development and him building relationship with the others.
✖ The resolution for both Pyung Hwa's and Da Eul's felt too easy given the time we spent seeing their struggle.
✖ Sa Rang's exile to the tourist hotel seemed pointless to me since she was easily brought back to King The Land. Just felt like a nice vacation to me.
-------------------------------------------
● IN-DEPTH REVIEW
-------------------------------------------
[ --STORY/PLOT-- ]
The story around the workplace politic and the power struggle between the brother and sister wasn't something I was super interested in. I can't even say that it was the journey of their love that kept me interested as they got together relatively quick. What truly captivated me about the series were the characters themselves and the sincere interactions between them, whether it be cute, funny, heart fluttering, or just pure honesty.
Gu Won is our main male lead. Initially, he was just some chaebol who hated pretentious smiles and could not care less about his family's hotel business. However, he became more interested in the hotel when he meets Sa Rang, whom he falls for. What I absolutely loved about his pursuit of her is was his sincerity and willingness to learn how to be in a relationship. He got to know her bestest friends and her grandma, and they all had advice for him. The core advice was honesty and clarity. Showing how we feel with actions is great, but saying how we feel and what we're thinking helps avoid drama and miscommunication. It's also very romantic to me. Consent is also very sexy. Loved that he asked permission before kissing her during their date. Also, Gu Won's dad was a very likable parent for me. He never really forced his son (mostly since he knew he couldn't) and there were lots of nice father-son moments where he was understanding. The only thing I disliked was when he sent Sa Rang to the tourist hotel. I don't even know what the point was since Won easily just brought her back.
Sa Rang is our beautiful female lead. She is a very capable and hard working girl. She doesn't needs much saving for the most part and was able to take care of herself. The employees of King The Land did not like her at first but her sincere attitude won them over eventually. Sa Rang's growth in this series has less to do with her character development, but more a realization on what she truly wanted to do as her dream career. I wished we had spent more time earlier in the series to build up to the idea of Sa Rang wanting to start her own hotel. Maybe they did sprinkle the idea that she was not happy doing what she was doing subtly and I missed it, but it felt sudden to me. I'm happy though that she found what she wanted to do at the end. I also absolutely loved Sa Rang's grandma. Most memorable for me with her was where she was helping Won set up a savings account, it really touched me.
They pair was great at talking to each other. There was a lot of honesty between the characters and I'm thinking that's what I like so much. Even the interaction between the villain and her brother was for the most part very honest. And the characterizations of the characters were honest in that we knew who to root for and who not to.
[ --ACTING/CAST-- ]
I can't lie, 2PM was the first KPOP ground that I really got to know so the members hold a special place in my heart, even if they aren't my favorite group. With that said, I think this the first series with Junho that I was interested in seeing. I might go watch some of his previous stuff later but they're not super high priority. Watching King The Land, however, did leave a good impression on me with his acting. And I loved his chemistry with Im Yoon Ah. She's so pretty. I need to dive deeper in Girls' Generations. I think everyone did a group job, I felt the feels when I needed to feel them. Special shoutout to Kim Sun Young who play Won's sister. Great antagonist!
[ --MUSIC/OST-- ]
"Yellow Light" from Gaho and "Confess To You" from Kim Ye Yim both stood out to me as my favorites, but all the OST were great! Need to relisten to some of them and see which ones I need for my playlists, but they're all great songs. Not much else to say in that regard.
[ --REWATCH VALUE-- ]
I can't say I will watch this in its entirety but there were so many cute, romantic, and funny scenes that I adored. So I wouldn't watch it again for the plot, but I would rewatch clips just to feel the butterflies.
[ --FINAL THOUGHTS-- ]
So my overall impressions was that this was a very light, fluffy cute series where I didn't need to stress about the villain, overthink anything, or even get overly frustrated by anyone. Very stress-free watch for me. It was funny and it was romantic. Checks both the boxes for a romcom for me. Also, lots of scenic scenes. Loved Thailand. Loved the forest vibe of the tourist hotel. Loved the cityscape shots. Yeah, this was an easy watch and very enjoyable watch. I've watch so much kdramas so one would think it would be boring and stale for me, but it wasn't. This series has a lot of charm due the characters and I definitely recommend watching it at least once.
-------------------------------------------
● NOTE
-------------------------------------------
I'll always conclude my review by saying that ratings and reviews is not really a indicator of whether you may enjoy something. We all have different criteria and standards. Don't let a bad rating, review, or comment discourage you from watching something. My advice will always be to give something a chance if the premise interests you, and only use the ratings/reviews to determine priority if you have a list, or if you're deciding if you want to continue it due to time limitations.
♥ Thanks for reading my review! Feel free to comment or hit me up if you want to discuss anything ♥
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
how a painful past affects relationships
Overall: I was very impressed with the first two episodes that had a slice of life/serious vibe; however, many plot elements, the shifting characterization and editing has brought my initial 9.5 rating down. 8 episodes about 35 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala for Southeast Asia and most of Europe (not UK or Spain) https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4854/let-free-the-curse-of-taekwondo-2024 and iQIYI for I'd assume the countries not covered by GagaOOLala https://www.iq.com/play/1713h09ez2k?lang=en_us&sh_pltf=4 Watch after the initial credits of episode 1 for an extra scene.Content Warnings: child abuse, violence, beaten up, death, trauma, dub con kiss, fraud
Watch Suggestions (to get rid of angst between the leads and the love rival)
- watch episodes 1 & 2
- watch episode 3 up to 25 min
- skip episode 4
- watch episode 5 21-23
- watch episode 6 11-14:35 and 32:45-end
- watch episode 7 beginning to 4:45 and 27 to the end
- watch episode 8 6:12-8:10, 19-19:45 and 21-36:45
What I Liked
- chemistry
- caring/sweet moments especially in episode 3
- realistic nervousness/awkwardness
- good kissing
- production value (except the confusing editing)
Room For Improvement
- ominous voice overs
- wish they had established the year in episode 1 (was established as 2004 at the beginning of episode 2)
- the cut to black after a certain moment/not showing the reaction
- plot elements were not well explained, there would be a brief flash or 1 sentence about major events that the viewers didn't get to see
- the plot element at the end of ep 3/beg of 4 was too long and not seeing something very important was cliche
- flashbacks/flash forwards made things unnecessarily confusing
- love rival and other side plots (student, drawing) instead of fully developing the main storyline
- I didn't ship the 2 characters romantically, felt like the cliche 'love heals all trauma'
- the very ending of episode 8 was anticlimactic
Was this review helpful to you?
Aye rolling 12 step I mean episode cringe
The leads are kind of sweet and so are the friendships and people around them but the humour is low, the acting varies and the amount of times I rolled my eyes made me slightly worried they would get stuck there...The second hand embarrassment in this is enough fill the glasses in a korean after work gathering.
The plot was so predictable one could smell most of the twists from Buchan to Seoul.
And the yelling, oh so much chasing and yelling, and chasing and ylling, gossip and yelling, and gossip, and cliche, and yelling, nd boohoo its all my fault... Im a terrible (insert family status)....
The leads over all character are kind of cool, dare I say bad ass, just not when they interact with their family. The romance between the leads was cringe, oh so cringe... Still loved the couple for some unexplainable reason making me stick with this eye rolling awful drama.. Through our male leads saviour complex, through the monologs....
The second couple feel a bit like a puddle left after Something in the Rain (the drama), They had their moments but I kept getting de ja vu and not in a good way.
No one could read the room and I kept wondering why oh why do they treat grown ups like you (should probably not )treat small kids. That said almost each character had its moment of bad ass, sweet, shiny lovable, but also have their moments of wtf... oh come on get over yourself... Can a person be this stupid and still function as an adult? The only person who was pretty decent to watch from start to finish was probably the married mechanic best friend.
To be honest it felt like a 12 episode anti drinking campaign...one minute, hour, day, week, month at a time people...
So do I recommend this?
NO
Was this review helpful to you?
This drama has such a good start. The chemistry between the leads was perfection. Watching Noh Ji Wook get drawn into always aiding the helpless Eun Bong Hee was so endearing. As this couple is forced to live and work together, their relationship drives the drama forward.
So it shouldn't be surprising that when the relationship between Ji Wook and Bong Hee hit the breaks so does the momentum of the show. During the last third of the show, the noble idiocy runs rampant. As always this is supposed to show depth and character development, but it just kinda falls flat. I just wanted to see my OTP back together again.
The suspense portion of the story could have offered more. Throughout the drama, there is a main murder mystery that weaves its way in and out of the story. Dong Ha does a very good job as the main antagonist. His interaction with Ji Chang Wook is very compelling. It seemed like whenever the tensions were high between these two, viewer ratings saw a spike. This arc is supplemented by short one to two episode vignettes that do little for the overall story. Personally, I think these one off cases, distract from the main story and delude the tightness of the plot. The time taken to spend of these little cases took time away from answering questions about the main story.
This drama's best selling point is its cast. Ji Chang Wook and Nam Ji Hyun do amazing jobs portraying the main leads. In addition, the dynamic of the supporting characters was so entertaining and funny. Noh Ji Wook's firm consisting of Bong Hee, Eun Hyuk, Chief Bang and CEO Byun kept me in stitches. Their regular office banter was a highlight of the show.
Overall, I really enjoyed this drama. I do feel that there is a lot of untapped potential, but the characters are too endearing to pass up. This show is a pretty light and breezy watch. I did enjoy the 30 minute episode framework. It made this show very watchable. If you do hit a bit of snag in the last third, I recommend you stick with it, since the ending is very cute.
Was this review helpful to you?
Worth your time if you get past the controversial premise
This series starts with a very controversial premise, FL got drugged by a 'friend' and was 'sold' to the ML who mistook her for a prostitute (not putting spoiler tags here as this is basically on the first 10mins of the drama). If you in any way cannot stomach this, then DO NOT CONTINUE WATCHING as this drama (similar to other lakorn) has many other questionable scenes and it will only for sure upset you and it is not fair to give it a very low rating because of this. Lakorns are their own kind and shouldn't be compared to Kdramas and real life. If you know you are being served chicken, you should not expect it to taste like pork.If you are able to get pass Episode 1 and willing to open your mind and just be entertained then this Lakorn is WORTH YOUR TIME.
Now rating this as a lakorn, I would say I enjoyed it a lot and perhaps it is the best this year.
-it is surprisingly fast-paced with no annoying filler or secondary plot (I remember even in KluenCheewit which I like, I tend to skip scenes that are not with the maincouple as I find them tedious)
-on the first 5 episodes the ML is basically an obnoxious caveman, grabbing, force kissing, verbally abusing, literally harassing the FL. He seems non redeemable, but things actually gets better episode 6 onwards.
-this lakorn has the best second couple, usually I don't care so much about second couple but in this one I really enjoy seeing Chen and Na. Their relationship was the most natural, normal and comedic. I love this combination of the spoiled rich boy and the tomboyish no non-sense bff of the FL. Na's character is definitely one of the best, she's super chill and the voice of reason on this drama.
-the ending wasn't rushed. They took 3 episodes to start wrapping it up. Unlike other lakorns where you only get like 5 minutes of happy moments, in this drama it is satisfying to see how it ended for each character. It is also refreshing to see that the antagonist are not as evil or ridiculous as in usual Lakorn. By the end of the drama, they were able to humanize the characters.
-there are many eyerolling moments, but this is lakorn so just roll with it HAHA. It kept me watching and entertained the whole time so not much complaint there.
-The editing is also good, the story itself as mentioned is questionable at certain point, but the flow was good. I remember watching Husband in Law and the editing and cuts made by the director is so confusing.
-The script could have also been improved to justify the character's behaviors, specially on the controversial scenes mentioned. It would probably lessen the hate directed at the ML if he got a better script explaining why he did what he did.
-The actors seems to be rookies but overall okay. Kem's acting (ML) is no way near the level of Mark Prin or even Mik Thongraya but he did pretty well for a beginner. He is also handsome but I would say it's obvious he's still very young, there are angles where he looks kinda chubby with his baby cheeks. He could work out a bit to get more chiseled. Mookda (FL) is also okay, nothing spectacular but she delivered. Her makeup sometimes looks off though, the orange lips doesn't suit her and she looks prettier with her hair down. The person in charge of the clothing also seemed to think throwing in as much designer stuff into an outfit will make the characters classy, but sometimes it just looks tacky.
Was this review helpful to you?
Story - 6.5
The FL is a rich spoilt brat and the ML is the most caring and forgiving person to ever exist in dramaland. Though the FL gets involved with the ML as a game but the ML is always sincere towards her. I cant really comment much without being spoilerish - but the story would have been better if they had improved the FL’s character a little. Overall, the message I got from the story is that no two relationships should be judged on the same parameters - just because two people started right doesn’t mean they can’t be wrong and just because two people started wrong, does not mean they can’t be right. Also, stop being arrogant and over-dramatic in life, Nai don’t exist for real.
Acting/Cast - Great acting by everyone. Jirayu has now become my favourite Thai actor (Sorry, Push). My favourite character was the Mom. She was clearheaded and no-bullshit and no - drama person. She did not ever let anyone get to her or destroy her awesomeness. I loved Nai’s character as well except that being so nice and forgiving is unrealistic. I cannot even imagine.
Music/Rewatch - Average.
If you’re a lakorn person, do try.
Was this review helpful to you?
The acting is pretty good, but as the story gets a bit more ridiculous, it sometimes seems strained (not the body switching part, but more like when she gives in at some points I won't go into detail for to avoid spoiling). The music was actually pretty good. Now let's get down to the story.
It had an interesting premise. Cool edgy chick who isn't down for injustice. Does her own stunts. Huh interesting, woah there's body switching that's cool? It was very cool. Very very cool. But there's one problem. The romance. The romantic line ruined pretty much everything for me. The story without the romance was super interesting. But... well... the romantic story line was sometimes just disturbing, gross, and creepy to be honest. There were some points where I was concerned that the main actress should get a restraining order. I literally could not see how she could come to like someone who was obsessed with her. It wasn't like it was cute like first stage of falling in love with someone, no it was straight up obsession and it was creepy. Like he was affecting her life and sometimes it was borderline rapey. I honestly cannot understand the romanticizing of it. Sometimes, I expected to hear some dramatic "danger" music but instead got the "omg love love" music and I was like, what? Are you seriously saying I'm supposed to think this is romantic?
Also, Gil Rah Im's character development was such trash. Like it seemed like her character development was secondary to his, like they could disregard what makes sense for her to do as long as it continued the story in a way in which was favorable to his. So glad I finally proved to myself that I wasn't missing out on anything and it was as bad as I thought it was.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
This Drama Is Actively Gaslighting Me... and Somehow I'm Still Watching??
Okay... my thoughts are all over the place with this one, so bear with me because I'm genuinely trying to figure out how I feel about it while writing this. 😂Right off the bat, the drama starts very randomly. You're thrown into the story with little explanation, left to figure out who's who and what's going on as you go. Even the leads' first meeting in the present timeline feels abrupt, like I accidentally skipped an episode.
I've seen people complain that the drama looks dated since it was filmed in 2023. Sure, I noticed it, but it never took me out of the story. If that's enough to make someone skip it, fair enough - especially with how stacked this summer's lineup is - but I do think it's a bit unfair to judge the project mainly on that.
Despite all that... I found myself genuinely entertained.
I really liked the FL in the beginning. She has a clear goal from the start - finding her master and senior brother - and she sticks to it. I also loved the little friend group that formed, and the academy sect might honestly be the first genuinely decent cultivation sect I've ever seen. That's rarer than gold in this genre.
What surprised me most is that I actually liked both leads more as individual characters than as a couple. The ML was genuinely enjoyable at first - but somewhere along the way he turned into a lovesick kicked puppy. It makes sense narratively, but I couldn't help feeling like he lost some of the qualities that made him interesting. Ironically, I still liked the FL on her own, yet together... something just doesn't click. I like him. I like her. I'm just not sure I like them.
The plot itself is familiar: reincarnations, fate refusing to mind its own business, and two people destined to find - and potentially destroy - each other in every lifetime. What did surprise me was how casually the drama handled some pretty massive reveals. The ML regains memories of his previous life... and basically shrugs. Eventually the FL finds out too, and everyone treats it like they remembered they forgot to buy milk. I honestly couldn't tell whether that was an intentional writing choice or another casualty of the editing.
Speaking of editing... yeah, you can definitely feel those missing seven episodes. Some transitions are so disconnected that I felt like I was constantly filling in blanks the drama forgot to include. Normally I enjoy piecing things together, but here it sometimes feels like someone handed me a puzzle with half the pieces from a completely different box. Before I've even processed one confusing sequence, the next one starts asking me to connect another set of dots that don't seem to exist.
Which brings me to my biggest issue:
I feel like something is missing... and I genuinely cannot identify what it is.
The chemistry isn't bad. The acting isn't bad. The visuals are nice. The story is perfectly watchable.
And yet...
The dynamic between the leads feels oddly... miserable for most of the drama. The ML's devotion feels both abrupt and somehow understandable at the same time. The FL is noticeably harsher toward him than almost everyone else, which I also understand given the circumstances. Individually, these choices make sense. Together? I don't know. The emotional payoff just isn't fully landing for me.
At this point, I'm not even sure I ship them romantically. Honestly... they both look like they'd have a more peaceful life if they simply minded their own business and stayed in separate realms. 💀
I'm enjoying myself. I'm entertained. I keep clicking "Next Episode." But somehow, the further the story progresses, the messier and more confusing it becomes, and I feel like I'm experiencing the plot through mild spiritual enlightenment mixed with sleep deprivation.
I've still got six episodes left, so maybe everything will suddenly click and I'll come back looking like a clown for doubting the process.
Final verdict pending... because, at this point, I'm just as confused as the script seems to be.
✨Final thoughts after finishing the last 6 episodes✨
Uf... I finished it. And my first thought was: finally, this is over!😂
The last quarter of this drama really went off the rails. Not that the drama was ever the most stable train on the tracks, but the final arc basically looked at whatever little structure was left and said: "Yeah, we're done pretending."
I'm still baffled by how they managed to cut 7 episodes, mess up the continuity, leave the audience connecting random dots... and somehow STILL make the story feel dragged out. The bigger mystery, honestly, is how I managed to finish it. That might be the real plot twist of the drama. 💀
One thing I did appreciate, though, is that the leads actually got to spend a decade together as a married couple before the final ark went down. That gave their relationship a bit more weight and made their ending feel more satisfying than I expected.
The SML, however... oh boy. As expected, he became a walking source of frustration. Every second he was on screen tested my patience. And honestly? I did not feel sorry for him. The warning signs were there, everyone ignored them, and then everyone acted surprised when things went exactly the way they did. Sorry, not sorry. 😂
Looking back, this was definitely a drama of two halves. The first half was genuinely enjoyable and had a lot of charm.
The second half, unfortunately, started sliding downhill very quickly. Everyone annoyed me at least a little, the plot became increasingly messy, and I have to admit... I still don't think I really liked the leads together romantically. I liked them individually, but their relationship never fully clicked for me until the last 2-3 episodes.
That being said, the ending wasn't completely disappointing. The leads got their happy ending, Gelin and Senior Lu got theirs as well, and a bunch of other characters.
Final verdict: a chaotic journey that I don't regret taking, but probably won't be recommending anyone else to embark on. 😂
Was this review helpful to you?
Groundbreaking Bl drama ( 1st Omegaverse)
I was shocked at the budget foremost, amazing. The story is amazing and did not expect an omegaverse to ever be adapted.This drama drama is pioneering a new era like Tharntype did in 2019, the budget is amazingly high, music, characters, storyline, everything is amazing. This is a drama where months from now everyone will start producing omegaverse, but will not meet the quality and will probably start mass producing to copy. I wish I had started it sooner, only at episode 4 while everyone else is 10 episodes in. The characters are very handsome and alluring as well.
Was this review helpful to you?
This film deals with family relationships, how they resolve their problems and their misfortune, how to hide their abnormals from the media and outsiders but most of all, it was about how to protect each other in front of many obstacles while following their dreams.
A three generations relationship with the most unusual story is what made me watch this and unexpectedly liking it.
You may want to give it a try as well.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
It's everything you'd want in a 5-episode special; a mix of romance & comedy
Before I get into the specifics, you have to remember that this is a 5 episode special, and can't be interpreted in the same manner as a second season might've been.*note: for the reason that this is a continuation of "2gether" it will be hard not to refer to it.*
Story: Rather than an actual sequel, "Still 2gether" is more of a chance to re-witness Sarawat, Tine & all of the other 2gether characters that were missed from the show. In regards to that, I think it lived up to it's expectations. It served its purpose as a romantic, sweet & comedic continuation, and I don't feel the need to over-analyze the story. Once again, critiquing the show as a stand-alone is quite hard, but in terms of the story & plot, it's quite sweet & cute :) It's not meant to be much of a brain-racker, and I don't think expecting a full-on 'plot dynamic' from solely 5 episodes would be doing it much justice.
But from I've seen, they executed this sooo nicely! There were so many nostalgic "2gether" moments in the first few episodes of "Still 2gether", and as the show progressed, the better it became! The finale was a perfect wrap to the tale of Sarawat & Tine - and everything weaved together no nicely in the end.
[a little cute spoiler: for anyone waiting for a kiss scene, you needn't to worry ;) ]
Acting/Cast: I think all the actors did a pretty spectacular job. What I loved about 'Still 2gether" is that the cast have definitely improved their acting :) They've embraced their character's roles and stick by it quite well. Considering the fact that this is Win's first role as an actor, he did a great job as playing his role as Tine! In my opinion, Bright who plays Sarawat's character did a really good job too! [despite knowing the other conflicting opinions on this matter]. Sarawat & Tine's chemistry has improved by a tenfold & they're so natural with one another. And I loved the supporting characters so much! I'm so glad Gunsmile is getting more recognition; and I loved his comedic character, Boss (who else is on board with the BossPear ship like me?) Mike & Toptap (Mantype), PhukongMil (FrankDrake), Gun (Green), Guy (Dim), Fong (Khaotung), JJ (Ohm) and all cast & crew members did a great job in doing all their characters justice.
Music: I'm not much of a music fanatic, but you can never go wrong with Scrubb's songs or the "Still 2gether" OST in that manner. It's so beautiful!
Overall: I'm giving this a 9 overall because it deserves to. Both "2gether" and "Still 2gether" have been such a fresh breath of air, and because this series aired during the pandemic - I'd say that it's been a sort of comfort; worldwide! It's gained such a large international fan base, and rightfully so. It's a sweet and cute continuation - and all I hope for is another opportunity to witness these characters *wink*
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I'm going to be completely honest here; if anyone is trying to convince you that "Love Me If You Dare" is a compelling, mysterious, cat and mouse suspenseful detective drama, that will keep you guessing- they are lying. It's as simple as that. As someone who has seen her fair share of crime/mystery/detective shows, I can testify that there was not a single unpredictable twist in LMIYD. Simon, even though he is supposed to be this genius mastermind is, frankly speaking, extremely over-hyped in the show. The clues that he finds and the mysteries that he solves could easily be the work of a rookie detective and more often than not, his discoveries would be so obvious that I'd solve the whole thing before Simon even began to work his mojo.
For being Sherlock, his intellect was not very impressive, and when the show climaxed, the real culprit was unmasked and it was supposed to be this "wow, wow super wow" moment, all I could do was yawn, because I had already made the seemingly mind blowing revelation about four episodes ago.
Let's not forget that the main heroine is literally there as a pretty face and nothing else. She's so irrelevant to the plot, that it's actually funny. She has no role in anything and is there just to showcase and shine a different light on Simon's personality. Her character has been used merely as a superficial prop to revolve around Simon and I find it a little bit offensive as a woman, that for someone who is supposedly smart and who showed a lot of promise in the beginning, she remained nothing but a cliched damsel in distress till the end. Like for goodness sake, as much as I love Asian dramas, I am really not a fan of the wholly patriarchal society they mostly seem to portray.
So all in all now, I'm going to tell you the real reason why LMIYD, is in all its entirety so freaking famous. Why people are giving it great ratings left and right. Why they would claim that it is probably the best drama ever written. The answer lies in One Name. Two Words. One Person: Wallace Huo.
First of all, nobody can deny the fact that Wallace Huo is the epitome of beauty. He's gorgeous; plain and simple. I can watch a thousand of brainless plot-less episodes, if it meant I could stare at his face for hours. And stare at his face I did. I ogled him so much that I was afraid my eyes would pop out and I would drown in my own drool. Because, not only does he have a very pretty face, he's also an excellent actor. His dialogue delivery is entrancing, his expressions are spot-on, his walk is elegance incarnated and everything he does, he does with utter grace. If Wallace was to spout complete gibberish, the onlookers would still be starstruck because he'd relay that gibberish in such a way that it would seem nothing short of Shakespearean. This is a one man show. He's the king here and he commands it with his charisma, allure and masterful acting skills.
In short, LMIYD would have been nothing but a superficial drama with outwardly beautiful people if Wallace didn't give it soul. And to be honest, there's this one scene towards the end, that makes watching all the "meh" typa episodes that led to it worth it.
*Spoiler*
It's that scene where Simon has to pretend to kill the woman he loves in order to best his enemy. I'm not going to lie, I watched that scene about 15 times and my nose bled every single time, so much so, that I thought there was an imminent danger of death by blood loss. You can't help but fangirl like a lunatic when you see Simon display so many different emotions. That scene is purely iconic and is the reason why I gave this show a solid 7.
So, if anyone tries to tell you otherwise and claims that they aren't shallow and are all like "oh but, it had so many other great things than the male lead", know that they are frontin' for Wallace is the only thing great about this show.
Was this review helpful to you?
Just Lame...Unfortunately
My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.It's so disappointing every time I witness a drama self destructing...
Acting/Cast: Just okay. The female lead's acting started off strong in the first episode or two, but it quickly dive-bombed off a cliff. What her acting regressed in to reminded me of the female lead's acting in the beginning of Perfect Marriage Revenge. Except, in Perfect Marriage Revenge, her acting improved as the drama progressed. It was like she was trying to imitate the female lead in The Glory, but only at random moments, so she just seemed like she had a split personality for no reason. Then, that split personality acting turned into cookie-cutter basic female lead personality (which is an absence of personality). The best acting is probably from the second female lead and maybe some side characters. The male lead is boring too. If you're going to have no personality, at least have good chemistry with the female lead... 2/10
Writing: Literally the same plot as Perfect Marriage Revenge. I was hoping that this drama would at least be an improved version. Unfortunately, I ended up giving them the same overall score, but for different reasons. The leads weren't as likeable and didn't have as much chemistry in this drama. However, the villains were a lot better and the entertainment value was a bit higher. This drama also has some entertaining side characters as opposed to Perfect Marriage Revenge. The drama really goes downhill when the character Oh Yoo Ra is introduced in episode 11. The original villains were good enough - I don't know why they felt the need to add in another villain towards the end of the drama. Oh and you know how in every single romance drama there's a point about 2/3 into the drama where the leads "break up"? Well...simply the introduction of this new character is the catalyst for it here...and it's such a dumb reason. I started hating the female lead. I described her as being "self-righteous" (a very unattractive trait in my opinion). Also, the male lead does some ridiculous sacrificial lamb BS that was so cheesy and lame. I couldn't believe the drama had devolved into this stupidity. On a positive note, I liked the added complexity to the "rules" of fate and the detail of the female lead's father being involved in her second chance. 3.5/10
Direction/SFX/Music: The direction got drunk and wouldn't go home... I'm not a fan of the OST. And the intro...I usually don't mention intros because they really don't matter at all, but in any case, it's terrible. It doesn't fit the drama, but whatever. I can say that the beginning of this drama was well directed. The female lead's reaction to waking up ten years in the past, face-to-face with her abusive ex that had just murdered her was on point. It was so realistic...seriously, it was the highlight of the drama. Too bad the writers couldn't maintain that same energy for the rest of the drama. 4.5/10
Entertainment Value: Very entertaining through the first half of the drama. It takes a turn for the worst when an additional character is suddenly introduced in episode 11. The female lead started to really piss me off and her acting became a mess. The drama started getting cheesy. This wasn't supposed to be a Makjang right? It felt like more of a Makjang than Perfect Marriage Revenge did...and not a good one. 5/10
Overall, I gave this drama a 4/10. Highly disappointing, but it did get some things right.
Was this review helpful to you?
I've said it before but potentially my favourite part of this drama was the dynamic between the two leads. Two very contrasting but equally unusual and fascinating characters coming together in a strange situation.
Eight is a playboy who doesn't believe in love, he is selfish and seduces woman for money and to get ahead in life. In contrast, Saiko is an extreme introvert - her awkward nature often makes her seem eccentric or strange - oh, not to mention her kiss kills you and takes you back 7 days to the past.
All in all I really enjoyed it! I kind of discovered this drama out of the blue and didn't expect to like it so much, a pleasant surprise.
Was this review helpful to you?
