Will This Drama Win Your ‘ Affection’ ?
Screenwriter Han Hee Jung and director Song Hyun Wook’s ‘ The King’s Affection’ attempted to offer viewers the best of two worlds; a Sageuk ( historical drama) and an arguably more “ modern” love story. However against its more intriguing setup ‘ The King’s Affection’ found itself shoehorned into a slow-paced trope extravaganza by the second-half.Han Hee Jung’s facilitated writing techniques in the first-half of the series seemed to indicate towards foundational world-building and characters- rough around the edges with mystique driving forward many of the characters, but still establishing an intriguing storyline. However whilst Han Hee Jung’s first-part soared with potentiality the actuality of the latter-half gradually began to descend into a cataclysmic attempt to keep the plot interesting- uninspiring “ plot twists” led little time to truly develop more intriguing characters whilst seemingly paramount plot lineups were given an anticlimactic or loose-end outcome.
Of course a director or screenwriter choosing to convey modern twists or themes in a historical drama isn’t always necessarily a “ bad thing”. It can give opportunities to highlight or echo current issues, themes which are still present in today’s world and present different takes on the past through the director/ screenwriter’s objectives. However whilst it was easy to understand ‘ The King’s Affection’ desired depiction of different forms of love, it often felt as though the series would rarely touch upon more prominent issues of the time and today ( e.g. gender expectations, political division in society, social status and prejudice) in more depth. This often resulted in the second-half of the series feeling like a composed accumulation of romantic tropes and cliches against a gradually decadent plot-drive by the final episodes .
Main actress Park Eun Bin undeniably offered one of the strongest performances of the series; adding an air of charm to her onscreen counterpart. The female lead Dami was undeniably the epitome of the “ inserted” and frequently-used cross-dressing trope by having to play the role of her brother l the Crowned Prince Lee throughout most of the events of the series . Whilst with plot context it was necessary for driving the storyline, there were a lot of loose threads considering other story points including exactly why her grandfather ordered her to be killed ( aside from merely just being an “ unnecessary girl”), as well as one evident fact; the female lead’s feminine features and vocal intonations are evident even as her male counterpart . Admittedly whilst this may have just been passed off by members of the royal court it did hit a point blank in plot logic when many scenes and close-ups easily giving away Park Eun Bin’s softer features. Later episodes did little to truly allow Dami to come to terms with these cut-out subplots surrounding her storyline, ultimately reducing her seemingly intriguing character-drive to the equivalent of cannon fodder by the latter-half.
Costarring alongside Park Eun Bin is idol-actor Rowoon. Rowoon’s performance as main lead Jung Ji Woon did undeniably see some surprisingly bittersweet performance moments as his onscreen persona comes to terms with his sexuality and growing feelings for the Prince, as well as his initial motives for entering the palace. However Ji Woon’s initial establishment as the “ mysterious tutor” is subverted in later episodes to the “ lovelorn sweetheart”; pledging his own life to “ protecting” Hwi ( despite his initial reasons early on in the series) and benignly chasing after the female
lead’s affections in a dragged-out and anticlimactic love story. This often resulted in a test of patience for viewers as Ji Woon and Hwi’s sense of gradual chemistry and growth was shoehorned into a lacklustre onscreen relationship despite dominant screen time.
As a consequence of lacking development time potentially intriguing characters such as Lee Hyun-Hwi’s protective cousin ( Nam Yoon Su), the Prince’s mysterious bodyguard ( Choi Byung Chan), Shin So Eun - the daughter of the Minister of Interior ( Bae Yoon Kyung) and Noh Ha-Kyung; the youngest daughter of the Minister of War ( Jung Chae Yeon) were often enforced into staid plot setups and cliches with their character arcs and drives often being cut short.
The cinematography and OST of the series could admittedly vary from scene to scene. Whilst there were some admittedly beautiful shots and powerful soundtracks combined with scenes of the palace and period outfits presented by director Song Hyun Wook, more subtle emotions and scenes could often feel lacklustre from poorly-placed camera angles and song choices onscreen.
So what is left to say about ‘ The King’s Affection’? Is it worth watching or is it a waste of time? The ‘ King’s Affection’ is the epitome of a “ hot mess” series - stunning outfits, an intriguing premise, a fairly good cast lineup and an especially dynamic performance from main actress Park Eun Bin undeniably remained the drama’s greatest takeaways. However the twenty-episode formula applied to a storyline which was written better for no more than sixteen- episodes, created a slow-moving and disengaging second-half for viewers with intriguing subplots and characters left in the background in order to make way for a lacklustre romance which gradually dwindled to an unsurprisingly anticlimactic resolution. Overall whilst the 20-episode drama whilst not unwatchable and certainly decent enough if you are willing to watch out of sheer boredom, it does admittedly lack a more definitive spark of feeling well-rounded also.
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A forgotten gem
I am actually surprised that this series was not blown up. The acting, the music, the plot... I like pretty much everything. You guys should really give this a try, it's like a whole updated level of OhmFluke.To me, it's a gem among BL series considering, like every other period, we are swamped with school-theme BL. Ohm acting shows a lot of progress. Fluke acting is versatile, as always. The side couple is very cute too. The story is nowhere near predictable and the series is a perfect blend between funny moments and serious, sad ones.
Really think I will rewatch this later :)))
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A drama definitely not for binge-watching.
I started watching this drama with high expectations because of all the comments, hype, and high rating. That’s where I made the mistake; from the first episode, it started feeling unsatisfactory. But yet, it was intriguing and baiting enough to watch more.The acting and cast was all very well chosen and performed. It’s the only thing I do not have any comments about. They executed their roles, expressions, behaviors in quite an admirable manner.
On the other side, the characteristics/personalities of the characters were also well initially built except for that of the FL, I can say. In general, for all the characters, I didn’t see development, they really were walking around in circles. I felt especially frustrated with the FL and how much she kept going back and forth about her trust and belief. It’s as if she is the one that doesn’t love her husband, and is ready to give him up for a given reason. They tried to push the idea that she only believes what she sees in front of her, but it doesn’t justify anything. She cannot just base her judgement on what she saw at that moment, and forget the past 10 years. Even if he had lied to her about his identity, she should know how he was at first, and all the change he went through. She must know that he was being himself and not hiding his “true nature”.
Another aspect that I found problematic is the plot. In fact, to me it was the most problematic. From small incidents, to the bigger events, everything felt awfully coincidental, exaggerated and too pushed. Not just that, but very predictable also (starting from around episode 6). I somehow was not surprised by anything. The writer just somehow cannot step out of (successful) examples in drama history, and they only make the incidents in an advantageous way, in a way to continue to the story as planned, not in a rational or consistent manner at all. It is a big jumble of all what makes a drama mainstream.
To give an example, the first episode, after the ML had the reporter locked up in the basement. The scene where our man was serving breakfast, setting up the table. The wife comes, she tries to help but no she isn’t good enough. She tries to take care of her daughter, but the daughter preferred the father. That was already a lot to see, but to make the thriller meter go up and worry us all, she very randomly and spontaneously chose to go downstairs to clean. She goes into the room with no tools, with no plan, just starts walking aimlessly and looking around until she finds the piece of ceramic from the broken pot. They did not even bring it up again later, so it was an unnecessary incident. She was soon taken up again by her husband because the fact is, the breakfast is served and the there are zero reasons why she should be cleaning the workshop at that moment.
That was what first scene that bothered me, and at the end, they couldn’t avoid the overly used trope of partial or selective memory loss. Once again, I find it very unnecessary. FL was looking for the same person, and even the ML himself said he wants to look for the same person again, so what are we left with? No change. He could’ve changed slightly anyways after all they went through, it would be more realistic after he felt the huge amount of emotions upon learning of her death. They built up so much, they made them go through cruel circumstances, so why delete it all? Why destroy that and make them begin again in an awkward state?
Along with these points, I felt like slow motion in the cinematography or the physical slow motion, long-ass stares and silent moments of pondering were excessive. Before anything slightly important happens, there is a lost minute (that I would skip skip skip). If all the reactions are unrealistic, the mind cannot accept it.
With all these thoughts, I believe my high expectations could have made the drama fall short, but the points I pointed out surely made it boring. It would’ve been more digestible to watch one episode a week.
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an underwhelming and confusing result
all i knew before watching this movie was that it had an incredible cast and iffy plot. i had no idea how they were planning to make a man cheating on his girlfriend watchable entertainment.lo and behold, the entire time we were simply watching a guy thats on the borderline of cheating on his girlfriend, with a plot twist that didnt make anything better. the script didnt evoke any emotions, the characters werent well developed, the plot was cliche, and the ending tied this all into a lopsided bow. i dont know who looked at the sweet and sour proposal and said "yes, this is so good it needs to be made into a movie."
it was minimally interesting to see the relationship between ML and FL being paralleled with ML and SML. the only other positive i can think of is the incredible team of actors. they tried to make the plot and characters relatable but i never felt any emotions except annoyance for the ML and the plot never reached peak satisfaction. i think its because they focused too much on building up for the ending, but the ending was the weakest part of the movie and a different ending mightve made it a more watchable, relatable, slowburn romance.
i especially disliked how the directors set the narrative on ML to make him appear more internally conflicted and less of a shitty cheater. i couldnt tell if they wanted us to sympathize with ML or hate him, which was probably done to help the ending flow better. unfortunately, 7 minutes of explaining and backtracking isnt enough time to "fix" or settle anything. the plot twist doesnt help the movie either, it kind of just leaves us off on an unsatisfied note, like "what just happened?". it makes me feel like i should rewatch the movie to understand it, but the movie wasnt good enough for me to want to rewatch it.
all in all, the writing and plot werent strong enough to do what the director/writer intended for it to do. the actors were great but absolutely wasted on this mediocre and confusing movie. even though i had no expectations, im still disappointed.
if you read the description and expect the "refreshing romantic comedy" it claims to be, youll be even more disappointed than i was.
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One of best Asian drama to come out this year!
I am usually reluctant to Chinese dramas. As rarely any good series in terms of content, writing and acting comes out these days. Plus, their overdramatic love triangles and unnecessary misunderstanding among leads has had me hesitant to touch a series of forty plus episodes.But what should I say about, Go Ahead, I mean I can criticise on so many things but my heart doesn't allow it because this series touches your heart before it does anything else.
Three young souls, broken deep from their painful pasts comes together to create a new home, new life, and new happiness. Love is the only thing that binds them together. From their loving and caring dads to their evil moms, each harbors a story only they can tell.
Having lived in China, seeing their culture closely, I was stunned by their level of understanding, bonding and the love they showed in this series. Who loved who, who suffered how much and who endured the most pain, is meaningless, as what was important to those three people was their presence for each other and warmth of love they churn in togetherness, and in separation, that keep giving them hope in their cold and dark days.
From ZQ cute face to LX serious expressions and JJ innocent soul, they were never three, they were always one. Their dad, LHC and LHP, gave everything they could to raise those 3 champs, who turned out to be best of the best human beings. It was a first lengthy episodic length drama, I never got bored from. I just loved their bickering, sweet and cozy moments, to their sweet adolescent and matured years.
After every fall, they never hesitated to embrace each other, I guess thats what a family is. You hold the fallen ones and keep them close, not because you won't let them fall, but you will always be there to pick them up, after every fall.
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don't watch this show
This show is too cruel, how can you ask the participants to dance non-stop and only get a 30 second break, that's what's so disgusting,and I really hate this show, especially the judge on this show whose name is Lee Seung Gi, he is too stupid, and only chooses participants based on their appearance, honestly I want to ask Who is he who tells the participants to continue dancing, is he an idol, no, isn't he an actor/singer, not an idol, and the idols there are the judges for the event why them alone, i really hate the participants, this show is really disgusting, i hope lee seung gi can be replaced with someone else, he doesn't deserve to be a judge on an idol show is he not ashamed of doing this, it's really disgusting, lee seung gi is an idiot, THIS SHOW TORTURES THE PARTICIPANTS, THIS SHOW IS VERY DISGUSTING ESPECIALLY LEE SEUNG GIWas this review helpful to you?
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messy and noisy plot
I was excited when I learned that Woo Do Hwan and Lee Yu Mi were the main leads. I enjoyed their acting in previous projects, and I thought they matched well—Woo Do Hwan has a sharp, intense look, while Lee Yu Mi gives off a bubbly vibe.However, the plot just didn’t work for me. I found it messy. The story tried to pack in too much information, but I didn’t care for the side plots—for instance, the whole bloodline thing and the gang’s revenge. I was more interested in the main leads’ relationship and the male lead’s journey to find his biological father, especially since we knew he was sick. All of the side plots made the series feel too noisy, in my opinion. About halfway through, I also started getting annoyed with Lee Yu Mi’s character because she screamed a lot, which kinda ruined the mood.
I wanted to like this series. In fact, I had high expectations since I like both main leads, and the premise had so much potentials. But sadly, this one is not for me.
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I think that the wide collection of diverse characters and their individual stories is what drives the drama straight to the top. Each character feels well balanced and adds something to the story that another character couldn't. And all the intertwining relationships and background stories added to the overall enjoyment of this series.
All of the actors did an incredible job with their parts, creating dynamic and believable characters that not only tugged on my heartstrings, but also made my stomach turn with disgust and anger. Even the characters that were part of the side investigations (that didn't really have anything to do with the main plot, but rather bringing the main cast together) were particularly dynamic and brought incredible emotions to the table for the short time they were on screen.
The plot was just as amazing. When you thought the drama was going to turn right, it made a left. There was so much tension and heart in the side investigations alone, but the main stories were even more incredible and satisfying.
The setting, the music, costuming, etc. was also pretty good. Definitely one of the more visually pleasing dramas I've seen in a while.
Although this drama was pretty amazing, it's not without it's faults. The last few episodes did feel like a bit of a drag. It's regrettable, because I feel that it had to do with the main plot line (which, sadly, began to fall in excitement and love-abilty at about episode 16). Thankfully it picked up again on episode 19 and everything went back to the exciting nature of the drama.
Overall this was a completely satisfying and particularly amazing drama, one of the best I've seen all year. I will probably end up watching it again sometime in the future. I recommend this drama for anyone, even if you don't like cop dramas you should still give it a try (don't knock something before you try it, or you might miss out on this fantastic drama).
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So dumb, yet so entertaining.
Deep has a negative brain cell energy and I live for it. It's a pure brainless entertainment: the writer has no brain, the characters have no brain, and by the end of the movie, you will also have no brain.All the build up tension and clock ticking to the tune of death are hilarious when you know there is a ridiculously easy solution to the dilemma the characters are facing. I was watching the movie laughing, face palming and asking “why y'all making it so difficult when it’s not?”.
I mean, I knew they were all dumb when female lead asked about money and not side effects at the beginning of the movie, even though she is a medical student ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
That said, the characters being so stupid, which leads to the plot being so stupid, was exactly what I liked about it. It’s supposed to be a thriller, but damn, I thought it was some dark comedy on crack.
Production wise it’s cool. Love the soundtrack, and I found it truly fitting. The effect used when showcasing the messed up perception after sleepless nights of the main cast were well done. I had some issues with the directing in terms of pacing… felt a bit jarring.
The plot twist was there… and I was like OH! But then I went into Oh? Wait… what? And then I had to remind myself that no one is using their brain in the movie, so for them the actions might make sense.
Overall, not smart, not groundbreaking, but truly fun to watch. The cast had amazing chemistry and sold the story through their acting. I love the bond, I love the friendship, even if they all shared one brain cell. Stupidity entertaining till the end. It’s the first time I truly adored such a bunch of idiots, and just for that this movie deserves a medal.
That said, Deep left me with one question: How easy is it to study medicine in Thailand if these 4 idiots not only got in, but also passed at least a few semesters?
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SUPERFICIAL IDOL PLOT
If you've read mangas and seen various anime or even some J-dramas, this plot wouldn't be anything new for you.It's your typical ' A depressing broken Idol lost singing plot where the most normal/bland MC appears, blooms her life and she goes back to her routine life. That's it. '
Now where this drama loses is, Suzy's character lacks depth.
All she did was make a sad face and smoke cigarettes for 80% of her screen time.
Perhaps that's why they cast her, she fulfilled her character's personality. xD
Everyone else was good.
It was a one-time watch
Oh, I still think the manhwa writer stole this plot from a Japanese manga, usually, Koreans don't write/draw in such a setup.
This was definitely a Japanese idol theme rather than Korean.
For someone who's read and seen numerous J plots such as these, you can easily tell.
They even had a dating simulation scenario till episode 5, which was fun to explore.
You root for one girl and the writer, in the end, tricks us, after all the drama is named ' Doona '
The theme had various elements similar to ' A Star Is Born ' as well.
The SFML was the best character in this drama, played by Ha Young. (The girl is really talented)
She's worth looking forward to, the manhwa writer has focused on her in 2 episodes particularly, and she outshines the FML.
Apart from her, in the end, this drama felt superficial.
Now if you want to drown yourself in melancholy for no reason, and be sad, then you might find this drama a bit to your liking.
But that's superficial, there are many more better plots than these.
My suggestion is to avoid watching this sh8t .
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Not the KBS School series I know of.
It's good but it also bad; it'd pretty average. I have things to complain and I got things to praise about. To sum it up, the cons of this drama outweigh the pros and I couldn't avoid to notice them. Let's go.School 2021 is the latest drama of the KBS School franchise which was meant to be School 2020 but covid19 caused the production to delay and they had to postpone. Although there were uncertainties about starting it in 2021 even but thankfully, they aired it, even so it now ends in 2022.
There is no solid plotline. It's simply is a mixture of many subplotsz keeping the romance plot at the center. Corruption reveal, friendship, bromance line, love triangle, family relationship, etc. are a part of the story. They probably wanted to make the highschool corruption the central plot but it was inconsistent and didn't work at all.
The key difference between previous dramas of the KBS School series and this one is that, the school isn't an ordinary one, rather a specialized skill-based school where students are trained in particular vocational curriculum. It actually could have been a better show if they had made a script about different aspects of such schools, but duh! The thing is, this script could have been any other highschool drama but it didn't fit the concept of the KBS franchise, it didn't have anything that we see in the School series.
Again, no solid plot and hence no steady development; the mixture of different element, makes the overall story messy. The first 2 episodes didn't make any impact as introductory pieces, it wasn't bad but not something to keep you on it. The next few episodes were smooth and gave off an impression of an average show, and I, somehow, wanted the show to retain the same quality till the end but even that was inconsistent. I admit, I somehow got myself emotionally attached till 6th just to get myself disappointed after that. I pushed myself to finish till the end, only because I am bad at giving up , otherwise I could not find a single reason to motivate me to keep watching. It went downhill in the 2nd half and the blame goes to the writers for getting lost within their own script.
Gong Ki Joon (Kim Yo Han) is basically a looser but got character development and his acting improves with episode though it stayed pretty average till the end. Jin Ji Won (Jo Yi Hyun) is a determined and hardworking girl but very typical and outdated of a classical Kdrama FL though her acting is up to par. Jung Young Joo (Choo Young Woo) is a terrible actor and he never improves, adding to it, his character in the drama was such needless and stupid one; he deserves minor roles and not SML.
Special mention to the SFL Kang Seo Young (Hwang Bo Reum Byul) who despite the least experience did the best among the younger cast. Not just her character was was a potential strong FL, she did a splendid role in playing it.
Ji Ho Sung (Kim Kang Min) and Go Eun Bi (Seo Hee Sun) are the 3rd couple with shoddy backgrounds and stupid plots.
Lee Kang Hoon, Park In Hwan, Kim Gyu Sun, Lee Ji Ha, Kim Min Sang, Jo Seung Yun, Kim Soo Jin... are some of the very good actors in this drama but it's such a waste of their talent and time as they didn't have the scope to showcase their skills. The overall acting department, hence, is a big turn off and another reason to drop this.
Kim Min Tae PD a comparatively lesser experienced director but the only 2 dramas he produced before this were actually moderately good shows, Idk what went wrong with the direction here. The screenplay and it's organization were one of the major disadvantages. The pacing is equally messed; both unnecessarily slow and fast at times. I didn't know about Dong Hee Sun jakkanim and I can't really judge from her previous work since I haven't seen any of the 3 movies created by her. But judging the script of this drama, I am sure she had a difficult time writing a drama script, which is a lot different from a movie script.
There are plots of many types which needed a lot better execution but those rather ended up being puzzled. The distribution of plots and elements should have been fairly distributed but they're rather dispersed unmannerly. They either concentrate one subplot too much or forget about that completely. Same goes for the characters, who, in fact, have no solid dynamics to back their personalities. There is no impressive character development either. Simply put, so many unnecessary subplots and so many unnecessary characters.
OSTs are moderately good but not really memorable. I liked "Way to you" by Rosanna the most of all, followed by "Recently" by uri Yohan. "Dream on" by Na Go Eun is the only track that matched the drama, others are mostly romantic songs, and very unrelated to the drama. "Absently" by SWAN and "Can't help loving you" by OMG Mimi are tracks with the vibes of classic Kdrama OSTs.
Things I liked...
# The 2nd Female lead's acting... She was the only one among the younger cast who could act and not just acted, but did very well. In fact her character was the only one with amazingly painted arches; the only reason I went through the ending.
# The love triangle here isn't a mess. It doesn't last long, or turn into a toxic pull and push game between the main cast.
# The first Male lead wasn't very flashy unlike other highschool Kdramas where the FFL is some sorta genius who can do everything; the one here was a loser and we saw a character development for him with each episode though it wasn't really impressive.
Things I disliked...
I have a long list :3
# the 1st Female lead needed more exposure bcs she was supposed to lead the show. I didn't completely dislike the character but it needed some background and a character development method.
# There were relatively less school scenes for a "School" series drama and that too the school scenes were very unappealing.
# There are way too many characters than needed. Not just in School series, also in almost all highschool dramas, there are many students in the supporting characters, but here, there were less than 10 students directly involved whereas others were absolute fillers with 0 contribution to the story.
# Honestly, no romance could have been okay given the genre but I don't really complain about it's existence. The thing that made me off was the overal plot of both the couples. In terms of chemistry, the 2nd lead couples were better but neither of them were really good.
# The mixture of lots of plotlines was a bad decision and in the end, they were missing out on the development of each of the plots on a great deal.
# The not so cool "boys let's punch and make it up" kinda bromance did cut off some points.
#The stupid and entirely unnecessary plot for the 3rd lead couple s, which absurdly funny and could have been avoided.
I came here for Yohan as he's a sweetheart to me. Plus I was excited to watch a drama of School series after 3 (4) years. Another reason that had my anticipations up was the fact that it was delayed a lot. But all my expectations have been crushed and I am left disappointed by the results. I don't at all mind average dramas and okay with a drama not having typical stuffs but it should be a decent watch, which School 2021 wasn't. Even if you don't compare it to previous dramas of the series, this one as a light drama by itself is a failure. I have seen better light themed shows to give this a pass.
Overally, it's pretty average, in fact below average in terms of production values, acting and more importantly, the the entire outcome. I wonder why this show was even made. They should have skipped the entire script or made another highschool drama bcs KBS School franchise is a different thing in whole together and it's a shame this drama let the essence down. I am disappointed and I will suggest you to drop it without even starting.
P. S. Gave it 6.0 only because it's not very bad and I think I am being generous.
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Glorifies dysfunction, abuse, and harassment.
This was the most dysfunctional, twisted, depressing “romance” that I’ve ever had the displeasure of watching. I should have dropped it but I kept holding out hope that it would improve. It didn’t.I know I’m in the vast minority but I honestly don’t care. The more I watched this, the more depressed and angry I became. Not a single couple in here had true love. Every single one is going to continue in their dysfunction. The “happy endings” are an illusion. None of those couples are going to stay happy or stay together. It’s impossible given their immense character flaws.
Characters should have flaws, and they can even have horrible ones, but they should improve over the course of the story and none of these characters did. They were all either abusive or abused and fully intended to stay that way. Not one of them knew how to respect the other’s wishes or accept “no” for an answer.
CHARACTERS
Eun Chan
She was immature and selfish. Yes, she worked hard, but she also quit the moment it got emotionally difficult. She got angry over the stupidest “offenses,” and demanded respect that she hadn’t earned. She had no thought for how she made the people around her feel. That’s not carefree - it’s thoughtless and disrespectful.
Childish and child-like are not the same thing. Childish is thinking and behaving like a child. It’s not something an adult should do. She had no filter. That’s childish. She threw tantrums and couldn’t control her emotions. That’s childish. Those are not admirable qualities in an adult. Her perpetual optimism, her innocence, and her ability to take joy from the small things in life - that’s childlike and those are good qualities.
I was fine with gender bending at first but she took it way too far for entirely selfish reasons, but at least the show acknowledged that. I give it points for that. What she did was not okay. But I won’t harp on this since it’s the one thing they got right in the show.
Then she was happy that Han Gyul gave up his dream for her but she was unwilling to return the favor. This sort of reverse sexism is not okay either. There’s absolutely no reason she couldn’t study and become a barista while also getting married. There’s nothing bad about relying on someone else, especially in today’s economy. No, she shouldn’t become a princess and sit back and let him do and pay for everything, but she doesn’t have to be completely independent either. She only wanted to be independent for herself, for her own selfish reasons. It wasn’t because she didn’t want to be a burden to him, it was because she wanted the security of being self-sufficient. She didn’t want to feel scared or guilty again like she did after her father died. Being independent for those reasons wouldn’t be bad except that she did it with no regard for Han Gyul’s feelings.
Her complete cluelessness about sexuality and the sexual desires of men is, unfortunately, a common theme in Asian dramas. Are Asian women really that clueless? Do they really have no idea what they’re doing to men when they refuse a man’s advances so vehemently? Do they really feel no sexual desire themselves? I can’t believe that’s true and I really hate that women are depicted that way in nearly every drama. I can forgive it in the historical dramas but not the modern ones.
Han Gyul
He was abusive - physically and verbally. Only fourth-graders tease and belittle their crushes. Emotionally mature adults don’t. It’s completely inexcusable that he verbally abused her in front of other employees and customers. Not only was it disrespectful toward her, it was a poor example for his employees, and thoughtless toward the customers and how it might make them feel hearing that.
It’s commendable that he was willing to love Eun Chan despite the fact that he thought she was a guy, but if he’s not genuinely gay, then that probably would have lasted only until the clothes came off. Sexuality isn’t something you change just because you decide to. Making it seem like he could is belittling to homosexuals who genuinely struggle with being unable to change their sexuality even if they want to.
That he kept hitting on a girl who was a) taken, and b) had sort of made her feelings clear, was not okay. It was another instance of a character not taking “no” for an answer.
I give him props for not giving into his grandmother’s unreasonable demand that he break up with Eun Chan. I also like that he didn’t act like a typical rich brat-prince. He didn’t understand the value of money to those who don’t have it, but he also didn’t flaunt his wealth or act like poor people were lesser beings. He was clueless about the personal lives of his employees but this is a flaw that he did seem to correct over time. He worked hard at the cafe and didn’t sit back doing nothing just because he was the rich owner.
He probably grew more than any other character in the show.
Yoo Joo
Ugh, what a hot mess. She couldn’t decide wtf she wanted. She walked in the gray with Han Gyul, knowingly toying with both Han Gyul’s and Han Sung’s feelings, and unwittingly with Eun Chan’s. She had left Han Sung for DK, then left DK for Han Sung, but stayed friends with DK despite the obvious insecurity this caused Han Sung. She did only what she wanted with no regard for others’ feelings whatsoever.
She was materialistic and admittedly selfish. She was also childish and annoying. But, she was kind to Eun Chan most of the time, even after Han Sung “cheated” on her with Eun Chan, which was admirable.
But, she stayed confused throughout the entire series. When it seemed she’d figured herself out and proposed to Han Sung, then she started resenting the restrictions of the relationship and the pregnancy, and went on an all-night binge with her friends, again, with no regard for Han Sung’s feelings or the welfare of her unborn child. She made no progress as a character whatsoever.
Han Sung
He was as much a hot mess as his girlfriend and only changed because he was forced to. He didn’t really get over Eun Chan. She rejected him. Threatened with losing Yoo Joo on the heels of losing Eun Chan was too much for him. It wasn’t that he loved Yoo Joo that much, but more than he just couldn’t handle being alone. He couldn’t fully accept Yoo Joo as she was, but couldn’t live without her. That’s not love. That’s codependence.
Min Yeop
He was a doormat that couldn’t take “no” for an answer. He was also manipulative, but that’s because Ha Rim taught him to be that way. “Angel” treated Min Yeop like sh*t and while he stood up for himself briefly, it was only to get her back and then he went back to putting up with her crap.
I don’t like to disparage other cultures but the trend of playing hard-to-get in Asian cultures is detrimental and dangerous. “Angel” made it very clear that Min Yeop’s advances were unwanted but he didn’t stop. Having him succeed in getting her through such methods only perpetuates this harmful trend. Because of this, men don’t know when “no” really means “no.”
Sun Gi
Hot af and I loved that he spoke Japanese when he was angry, but he also didn’t know how to take “no” for an answer to such a stalker degree that he drove his ex into hiding. Twice! That’s restraining order level of harassment. It is not okay.
“Angel”
She was a straight up bratty b*tch and everyone let her be that way. She cared for absolutely no one but herself and saw others for only what they could do for her. She “fell for” Min Yeop only after he stopped pursuing her and once she wrapped him around her finger again, she proceeded to continue to treat him like sh*t. She was a despicable human being.
Grandmother
One of the only characters to have a redemption arc. She started out as a horrible person, despising Eun Chan because of her social status and her appearance. Thankfully, she was able to eventually see past that and respect and like Eun Chan for who she really was.
Eun Chan’s Mother
By far, the most grounded and balanced of the characters. She knew her flaws and worked to fix them. She knew her limitations and stayed with them. She knew her responsibilities and performed them. She kept her priorities straight.
STORY
This is a true slice-of-life series. There was no plot or throughline whatsoever. All the tension came from petty arguments between the characters. It was depressing and infuriating.
OVERALL
Yes, it had a happy ending but it was anticlimactic and for me, unrealistic. Or rather, too realistic. All of these relationships are ones that we often encounter in real life and maybe that’s what most people like about it but it’s precisely what I hate about it. If I wanted the crap of real life, I’d walk out my front door. When I engage in fiction, I want something better than real life. It doesn’t have to be Disney perfect but this was just a futile story. Like I said at the beginning - all of these couples are going to continue to have problems. They’re not going to be happy.
I did not enjoy watching this. I don’t recommend it. It glorifies dysfunction, abuse, and harassment.
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1Do you really know the person you're in love with?
A fast paced, bite your nails, clutch your pearls, sleep with the monster under your bed kinda crime love story that will have you hooked from start to finish.Cha Ji Won is an excellent cop and a very lucky woman. She has an adorable daughter, a gorgeous husband who cooks, cleans, gives great kisses and is a skilled craftsman. They have a pretty little house and life's pretty good. Except... that her gorgeous husband might actually be a serial killer in the past. Oops.
Flower of evil keeps you on the very edge right from the start. The drama goes to great lengths to write brilliant characters and explore their personalities and relationships with each other and it succeeds for the most part.
Lee Joon Gi (Do Hyun Soo) was phenomenal here. God, his acting often left me speechless. The control he has over his microexpressions is crazy. His acting is so nuanced that it captures you throughout and makes you one with his character. The way Do Hyun Soo flits from this charismatic, doting, loving husband and father to this scary sonovabitch with madness in his eyes and the potential to murder always hit me like whiplash.
Do Hyun Soo is an unreliable protagonist. You're never quite sure of his motivations in the start. He is smart, cunning and manipulative and gives up major red flags. He seems incapable of emotion and you never know whether he is really able to care for anyone or not. But boy, when he comes through, he comes THROUGH. And you can't help but fall in love with him.
I am really proud of Moon Chae Won (Cha Ji Won) for doing this drama. I have disliked some of her work in the past for mostly playing roles that present her as an accessory to the male lead but she really stood on her own here. Her acting was excellent as she portrayed this hard hitting, ball buster cop who is as strong as she is vulnerable.
The drama did a good job with developing a myriad of characters so that all of them feel important. Cha Ji won's police squad, Hyun Soo's sister, the couple's daughter and parents and reporter Moo Jin who is a fan favourite.
This drama is part crime thriller and part romance. On the murder mystery front, I don't think you guys will find anything that's all that new. Yes, the real killer is very deliciously psychotic and smart enough to give our good guys a hard time. Yes, things really frustrate you as we go forward one step to catching the true culprit and are pushed three steps back. But overall the whole investigation and the way things pan out are very kdrama-ish, equipped with predictable plot devices and definitely not unique.
The highlight of the show was for sure the romance. It was just so good. There was no angst and cutesy stuff that comes with new couples. No stupidity or 'he loves me, loves me not' bullshit. They've been married for 14 years and love each other like crazy. It breaks your heart when problems out of their control time and time again stand beetween their relationship and test the trust and love they have for each other. But make no mistake, they are both each other's world and always have the other's back. It's so natural, intense, mature and believable. They have great chemistry and understanding and I loved everything about them. It was amazing for me to see the way they react, deal and feel when they come to certain realizations about each other. It made the show a treat to watch.
However, I definitely have some complaints. I went into the show thinking it will absolutely wreck me. I thought there was no way it will end happily and that it will break my heart. But halfway through, you realize the show is pretty vanilla. And staying true to that, they really cushioned a lot of blows and pulled their punches in the second half.
As a viewer, I was half relieved that my feelings were spared but half unsatisfied because I wasn't hit in my feels as hard as I could have been.
There were also some very cheesy bits and some cliche ridiculousness in the second half as they pulled out the good ol' theatrics. A couple of things were a sob fest that I kept laughing at, instead of taking seriously 'cause of how over the top they went with their crying scenes. I'd go as far as to say that our main leads may have over acted a bit in the last couple of episodes. It was in sheer contrast with the crisply written, full of underlying tension and subtle gravity of the first half.
But overall, it surely kept me invested throughout. I swooned, got teary eyed, impatient, was frustrated, excited and anxious so the feelings were definitely there, to the point that it got me replaying many scenes.
There were plenty of warm moments to compliment the dark ones, steamy kisses and scenes you laugh at- sometimes because it's genuinely funny and sometimes 'cause you find some dark humor in them.
The sound track was great, the pacing was smooth and the acting was excellent across the board.
All in all, a must watch. So what are you waiting for? Go watch it!
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