I started this hoping for action and serious topics. I wanted plot and not romantic shenanigans. The drama starts off being pretty much all about a cop looking for his kidnapped daughter. This guy, however, is far from likable, and I found it difficult to sympathize with him in his plight. Why? Because he was, to put it simply, crazy, violent, and screaming. Lots of screaming. Lots of swearing. Lots of beating up suspects without evidence, heavy police brutality. This dude cared for nothing and no one but his daughter and wouldn't hesitate to brutally assault anyone he perceived to be in his way.
That's where Clone #1, Sung Joon, comes in. Don't worry, I won't spoil anything. He has no memory of who he is, but Chief Jang decides poor Sung Joon is the key to finding his daughter. When these two meet, this is when the story really kicks off. I hated the detective for the first 2 episodes, but he does become more tolerable thanks to Sung Joon, who is kind and warm and patient where Chief Jang is crass, rude, and prone to fits of random rage.
So for the first part of the drama, I watched because I was invested in the development between Jang and Sung Joon. I thought they were a great pair and really balanced each other nicely, and I'm a sucker for any kind of non-romance relationship focus. Chief Jang treated Sung Joon like a tool at first and didn't see him as a human being at all, and I wanted to see that change. There was some mystery and plenty of action for the first 6 episodes, but then it slows down and becomes mostly just drama and mystery with action sprinkled in.
Eventually, the plot moves away from the father-daughter focus and we realize that ultimately this is a story about two clones. It's a sad story. Don't watch this if you don't want a ride on the rollercoaster of emotions. One clone is "evil," selfish and out for revenge and the other is kind, selfless and willing to put his life on the line to help near-strangers. But the characters are not simple, and evil clone is not actually just an "evil clone," but is a deep, complex character that will remain in my mind pretty much forever.
What is the story really about? It's about clones learning to be human. It's about a father and his daughter. There's also an evil dude who wants to cure his illness and there's his evil spawn who aren't really worth mentioning but the story isn't really about them. No romance, just friendships and family relationships. Yay!
Without Yang Se Jong, this drama would be nothing. His portrayal of three characters is something you really have to see for yourself. But let's say I had to keep reminding myself that it was the same actor. He brought the clones to life in a way that made me feel like I personally knew them. The other actors are good too. And JJY is so much more tolerable when he's not screaming his head off.
It's not a perfect story, and there are aspects I wish had been different (more interactions between the clones, more father-son bonding with Jang and Sung Joon, less of the secondary cop characters), but these factors don't change my love for this drama. I can't stop thinking about it and have already rewatched most of it 2-3 times.
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I think this drama started off strong, but lost steam as it went along. The ending episode was meandering and pointless, honestly. It had a happy ending, but was lackluster and bland. I think that if they had cut this show to 16/32 episodes instead of 20/40, they could have written a tighter story. There were some things that got lost in the story, some things that were never explained, and some things that dragged on way too long. The romance sizzled in the beginning and then flickered and died, and then when it rekindled, it was barely an ember. One thing that some people liked, but kind of annoyed me was the lighting in the show. Every time the main characters were about to have a real kiss - there was always this bright light shining between them. I guess it was supposed to be artistic? Once would have been plenty for that and it might have been ok, but it happened at least 3 or 4 times. Most of the actors did a good job. Ji Chang Wook and Nam Ji Hyun are both fantastic actors and I love to watch the play of emotions on JCW's face. NJH is so earnest and sincere in her acting. Choi Tae Joon as Eun Hyuk was such a cutie pie and his awkwardness and his boyish charm and enthusiasm were fun to watch (this was my first show with him.) I wasn't really impressed with Nara or her character. She was bland and we didn't learn much about her. I thought Kim Ye Won was a scene stealer though! KYW as Ji Hye started off as an unlikable bully and a cheater, but she quickly became one of my favorite supporting actors in this show, and I kind of wished she had been the second female lead instead. I loved her snarky comebacks to Yoo Jung - she made me laugh a lot. And Dong Ha, as the villain Hyun Soo, did an amazing job. It's the first time I've seen him in anything that I recall, but he nailed his role.
The music was decent, nothing stand out, but appropriate.
I won't re-watch this. It was ok, but not one of the best I've seen. I think the longer run time severely hurt the pacing.
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A Drama for Philosophers and Deep Thinkers
(I tried to not write spoilers, but to leave little cues that might also make your viewing experience more enjoyable if you read the review before you watch it.)So, for me this a drama with so many layers, I don't even know where to start.
At the beginning all I could do was just go with the feelings it created. I think the cinematography and storytelling is so well done, you can just float by on the feelings it creates if you let yourself. Turn off the logical brain and just let yourself be there with these people, living and knowing they will soon die. The pain of it, and the twisted turns the human heart takes to the point of relief.
And that is the second layer. People do start acting weird when they hear the clock ticking, the existential dread causing people to go through all the stages of grief.
Denial
Anger
Bargaining
Depression/Grief
Acceptance
This can be seen in all the "restarts" the drama takes. Understandably this was boring for some, but it made a lot of sense to me. I don't want to get too spoilery, but if you have watched it, you can see these stages clearly.
Having had cancer-scare (it was something else, thank deity) myself this year, I understood Dong-Kyungs every emotion and reaction right of the bat. Pretending like it was nothing, getting angry, getting sad, worrying about the people you leave behind, getting upset by the injustice of it and even wishing they would forget about you.
Another layer was Myul Mang and Dong Kyungs journeys to leading fulfilled lives.Both are depressed and wish the world could just end, so they would not have to suffer ever again.
Both felt lonely and out of place, both processing their negative feelings about suffering in different ways, one by being apathetic and resentful and the other by being people pleasing and internalising pain to an unhealthy degree.
One needed to learn how to love, even when faced with the inevitable ending and the other needed how to be selfish, even when faced with the inevitable ending. To truly live means to grow, and to grow means to accept suffering and joy all the same.
What can be more poetic than having to learn to love Doom in order to surive?
Another layer to me was the religious aspects, of having two deitys, one the creator, one the destroyer and both have been made by and for man to explain the randomness of suffering. This is part of many religions. But especially Buddhism has this ethos of having to go through the same suffering in different ways until you accept fate and learn the lesson in this life and grow. Here again, the frequent repetition of their old patterns is explained. Especially the part in the middle where they can both can see what they would have been had they not grown through their pain and their joy in each other.
A whole other layer is hidden in the many symbolisms, the flower, the strange dialogues, pictures and books mentioned in the show. Admittedly, I had to watch every episode twice to really catch them, having been taken up with the emotion of it in the first run. I knew I was missing something, even though I am a philosophy nerd, but one of the more obvious ones was the Pinocchio reference (from puppet to man) and the butterfly metaphor (creeping, metamorphosis, which is basically dying and being rebuilt, and then flying). What I was missing, was that a lot of the dialogue and scenes are based on Nietzsches book "Thus spoke Zarathustra", because I haven't read it, duh. If you want to know more about this, I recommend this blog: https://mindmeltonabun-blog.tumblr.com/tagged/doom-at-your-service
Btw, I am not one to care about OSTs much, unless they are extraordinary, but here I really noticed how well it was cut together with what was happening in the scene.
And no, I don't want to talk about Ep.15. I never rate dramas on their wrap up episodes, because let's admit it, most of them are a mess.
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A refreshing journey that won't fail to bring a smile to your face.
What a journey it has been! it initially started with 0 expectations but ended up being one of the most memorable rides. And it actually raised my standards much for fluffy rom-com now, as it has nothing which I truly despair or get annoyed by, but lots of sweet moments and cute fluff that will give you absolute pleasure.. and pain in the muscle of cheeks.If I talk about the plot or the theme of the drama. It's quite simple without any complexity. Bit or I'll say a lot unrealistic coz of the number of coincidences it has.. or should I call 'Fate' that brought our leads together.. not just together but living under the same roof hehe. Having a bit cliche story I actually liked its pace and the direction with perfect execution from character personality development to the story progression. Being 36 episode drama plus rom-com it had the most chances to become draggy or have unnecessary parts but actually, nothing happened like that, it never left its track consistent till the end. So the story is really cleverly written and stick to its main concept until the last moment.
Now let's talk about the soul of the show its characters. Wow, what can I say about them? I liked the characters more than the story itself. Having three-dimensional human-like characters (Which many writers forget almost all the time) who act like humans, can do mistakes, and not fit in the mold of 'Perfection.' Chu Li at first glance you might feel ah another naive, innocent FL are we getting here? I mean drama doesn't have a 'Strong Female Lead' tag not to forget she is such a cutie pie and adorable, but being badass, rude/arrogant, having power, or physically strong doesn't make strong female leads for me. Hardworking, passionate about their work, strong-willed, having their own goals, principles for life and actually working on them this defines a strong character in my opinion and Chu Li nailed it with being cute and having that bubbliness in her what a balance it was!
Zhou Chuan no I'll say, Mr. Fox, okay I love him.. not him his character lol. Mr. Fox was such a sweetheart and MOOD. I mean there wasn't any moment or scene of him that I didn't enjoy or had good laugh at. He just brightens every moment. He can be a jerk for everyone totally arrogant dude but when it comes to his loved ones he becomes a sweetheart lol...His awkwardness, not able to express what he feels in the starting was felt so natural. The writer did a great job in case of portraying his character as a 'Writer'.. like his stubbornness his passion for his work all things were dealt with in the right way realistically.
So when Mr. Fox and Monkey come together it's a perfect match.. they have quite different personalities but they compliment each other. Their bickering, fights, the development in the relationship with being each other's first love it's quite enjoyable to watch. The chemistry rocks, and how can I forget how much they trust each other and form such a strong bond together... Surely the best aspect of the drama.
Talking about second leads... I'm the type of person who actually doesn't care about second leads at all most of the time I'm not even interested, but honestly, I was invested in the plot of the second lead's story too! they had great chemistry having their own interesting plotline which actually doesn't try to overlap with the main concept of the story.. so yeah I enjoyed their screentime too!
How can I forget the sizzling chemistry between our Mr. Fox and Jiang Yu Cheng... I never craved for the screentime of ML and SML together but I actually did here.
In the acting, they did a really good job portraying all characters I don't think I can imagine this different cast.. and yeah another fact I was glad that dubbing was with the original voice of actors.
So I was engaged to the story from the start to end more than that I was much invested in our main leads who never disappointed me or let me down... for me, it was an amazing drama which I loved thoroughly... I don't rate any rom-com 9.5.. actually never lol, but it was worth it!
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This review may contain spoilers
If you're sick of the typical tropes in Taiwanese romance novels or in Taiwanese/Korean/Japanese romance dramas, then this one is for you.Kind of like Extraordinary You and W: Two Worlds in that main characters travel between a fictional literary world and a "real world," but more focused on the love line and hilarious references to other works in Taiwan, Japan, and Korea.
The leads are all eye candy and the dialogue is friggin' hilarious. If you have been watching Korean drama in recent years you would understand some of the references a little more -- they paid homage to Crash Landing On You, Secret Garden, Goblin, Descendants of the Sun, and more. The way the main characters describe drama tropes is A+ and if you regularly consume rom coms you'd understand -- "oh, shower scene again?!" "how do people kiss in the morning? did they even brush their teeth?"
Unfortunately, while the story spends so much effort making fun of tropes, it later on becomes tropey in itself and thus slightly hypocritical, with a nasty second female lead and unexplained attraction between male and female leads. It's almost as if the leads are in love because "the writer wants them to be," so that was disappointing :( (especially since the female lead is a regular consumer of romance novels and would understand the power of warm second male leads! Why she falls in love with the first male lead is ???? to me, though I see why it's necessary for plot development LOL.
I would also appreciate it more if Qing Feng could make a greater comeback in later episodes -- as the real world writer, for example.
Still would recommend for the comedy factor, and if you like to ship leads -- the second male lead here is superb. I love his character so much and the script didn't do him enough justice :(
The rewatch value goes to the many joke scenes, like the certain kdrama remakes :0)
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STORY
The drama is equivalent to all the dramas that center women, namely Sex and the City, Mistresses, Gossip Girl, Girls, I Need Romance ect. The show revolves around a pack of 4 girlfriends, depicting their lives, the problems, the difficulties and implications of dating and other relationships for people in their 30s. The main premise of the show is that everyone, no matter what has happened in their lives or what mistakes they have done, deserve a happy ending, and if they fight hard enough, they will get it! Secondly, the show presents a very realistic -if you ask me- image of the dating scene nowadays -not only in Korea per se-, how unrealistically high people's standards are, and how picky they are, being materialistic, searching for, money, visuals, other than character in their potential partner.
We get to see the life of each woman, and each story makes a point about relationships. Even if all the characters are in their early/mid 30s, i think it is safe to say that everyone can somehow relate to the problems they depict as they are universal.
Story 1: A divorcee who is afraid that she will end up forever alone, kind of scared to let herself be free and enter a relationship, and deep inside feels she doesn't deserve to be happy because of her divorce. This story is the main story of the drama, like 70% of it. It features a love triagle, that you will hate, believe me, but in the very end, it was the most essential love triangle i have ever watched in a kdrama. It wasn't introduced just for the ships, but it depicted serious realistic facts like love vs friendship, which love is valid and which isn't ect. At the same time this story presents several realistic questions a person in a new relationship may have, they can be stupid like 'why doesn't he/she want to kiss me - Is he/she the right person for me?', or more important like 'does he/she have money issues? Does he/she want to scam me?'.
Story 2: Forever single. A girl in her mid 30s having been single in like... forever. I believe many people could relate to her, she was introduced as the 'funny' one of the quartet. We get to see all her struggles to find true love, along with several questions (and reminders) that i could sum up in this proverb 'Whatever shines, isn't gold!'- and vice versa.
Story 3: The more serious, borderline melo, sub-story. A married woman who goes through a divorce and faces serious health issues. Her story is touching, and moving and could have been a great stand-along/spin off show. Her story poses ideas like 'Don't give up on yourself, on your marriage and generally on happiness. Problems are there, pain will always be there, but we have people around to rely on, don't give up on them or yourself, pain will pass!'
Story 4: The (Wanna-be) femme fatale of the quartet. She was also supposed to be funny along with story 2. A woman with attachement issues, but what happens when she meets her match? This story was left on the sidelines, but yet it managed to make some worthy points like 'no relationship will work without trust and letting your guard down. You should know which person is worthy for you to do that, and you should take on the responsibility of getting hurt and of hurting that person'. This story had the potential to hit issues like career problems for people in their 30s, but it didn't which was a waste.
I, generally, don't have any drawbacks to point out, other than the fact that the drama spent too much of its time overanalyzing the first story, hence the rest of the stories being somewhat underdeveloped/underapprecciated. It is arguable to say that stories 2-3-4 were more interesting than the main one.
ACTING
Exquisite acting, as expected by such a talented ensemble cast!
Jang Nara was a worthy leading actress, her character was superficial and fluffy, maybe too much at some points. I loved her more emotional scenes and i wished she had more, she has more to offer than this.
Yoo In Na, was lovely and adorable, expressing the mindset complexity of such a person perfectly. Yet she was cute and only a teeny tiny bit stupid and just too good of a person for her own good. Great acting, for a character and a side story that needed more screen time.
Yoo Da In. My personal favourite, as a melo lover, her story moved and touched me. She expressed difficult and unique feelings perfectly, she was luscious and easy to understand and relate even when she didn't have as much screen time as she deserved.
Seo In Young. Her story was pushed to the sidelines, it comes, therefore, as no surpise how her character was kind of forgettable as well. She was good and i have nothing bad to say, other than she was kind of overshadowed by Yoo In Na, as they were both the 'funny' characters.
Kwon Yool, was very good, his acting could be described as emotionless or/and cold, but i do believe it was his character being like that. I cannot say i loved him, but i had no problems with his acting.
Jung Kyung Ho. And we finally get to the king of the show. You know what is amazing? How he managed, in a show that focuses on women, and had 4(!) female leads, to rise above everyone and have the most important, interesting, touching, funny and adorable character of everyone. His acting could have been as forgettable as KY's but he managed to own the show! True king!
RECOMMEND/REWATCH
Many people argued how this was boring, i disagree, this actually had so much more to offer than other soulless rom coms, it actually had something to say other than just cheesy romance or insignificant comedy. However, this is not a show for everyone. People who know and like the shows that i mentioned above, or/and like rom coms in general, will, probably, like this one. Other people don't spend your time meaninglessly, move on. As for me, someone who generally dislikes rom coms, i loved this one, i don't know if this says something about me or the show...
I loved it, but would i rewatch it? Not really, it was great for the 16 hours i spent on this, and i will savour it for what it was.
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Cute!!!
This is such a cute drama, the kid alone makes it enjoyable to watch. The mains chemistry is great, their interactions are adorable. They are also quite natural with their roles. It is quite cliché but whatever, you will find yourself grinning. Extremely fluffy to say the least.The editing is crap tbh, the characters are not realistic at all. Such as the things they do concerning their occupation is beyond questionable. I'll just say that the Aunt is pain! I find it frustrating to watch couples break up after confessing, makes the ending feel rushed and unnecessary plot device. There are inconsistencies but other than that, it is a good watch. I suggest switching off your brain cells tho.
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Superb!!! The story revolves around the 2 families which under unfortunate circumstances had to try to get along with each other. Through fights and more fights they were eventually drawn closer as one real big happy family. Each family member has his/her own story to tell and you will love everyone of them. Romantic relations were comically and beautifully grown amidst the chaos in the family. The chemistry between the main couple was awesome, it felt real and not just acting. All the characters were so funny that you will burst into laughter every second of the episodes. But its not just about being funny it also has a huge amount of crying moments, laughing and crying with only minutes of interval. I even found myself laughing and crying at the same time, it was like a roller coaster ride watching this drama.
Overall I give this a rate of 10 :)
This is my favorite drama so far..
Don’t hesitate, WATCH IT! You wont have any regrets..
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This review may contain spoilers
I am upset about how Jojo never considered Sunoh's feelings.
First of all, let me say that I never really write reviews, but this time I got so baffled I had to.The story evolved around 3 characters where one(Sunoh) got completely walked over because he wanted to get his happiness back, second(Jojo) stayed as messy as ever, not even bothering about how her actions would affect Sunoh. And third(Hyeyeong) got the girl just because he somehow became a certain option but we don't know why it was never made clear why Jojo couldn't choose Sunoh anymore when she swore that she'd never love anyone more than him. Yet she kept running away from him, not even trying to give him an explanation. She just pierced his heart with her words and left. I really wanted her to become more mature as the years passed, but she stayed as a victim and never came out of that state
And above all the "Love Alarm". The app remained in their daily lives even after everything.
If we think that this whole drama was about not trusting an app for choosing a loved one but our own hearts, then why did JJ go to such lengths to get the "spear"?! The application was not destroyed, nor ever used by main leads. They still relayed on the app and who rang whose alarm Although that couldn't be trusted. As Sunoh's mother said her husband still rings her alarm even tho he's cheating on her. Or we could think that this drama was about the pain of unfulfilled first love and moving on but they failed to deliver that message.
Furthermore, I knew SO & JJ had no chance(it kinda become more clear when teasers came out), I hoped they'd clear out their misunderstandings as grown-ups should. but oh boy.
I am upset about what they did to the characters and how they pushed Sunoh away. He had so much potential to emerge from a broken teen to an accomplished adult, to grow and learn self-love, but writers ruined his character. They destroyed him and then gave him a "happy ending" I'm sorry what?! he isn't even being himself around Yukjoo. He had to heal first and then get back with her. However, at least she treats him right, and really loves him so I hope she'll make him happier.
Jojo never returned the smile she stole from Sunoh. She made him cry and walked away after saying "I'm sorry" but never solving for what.
Despite being painful as hell, I really loved the last meeting scene of JJ & SO. That scene carried so much pain and nostalgia, their thoughts of what it could've been or what will never be. I wish she told him the truth behind everything right there, the entire dialogue they shared lacked honesty, and that meeting had to make them let go of each other. (mostly SO) but of course, the writers had to make Sunoh accept the confusion instead without any clarifications.
On the other hand, Gulmi had more character development than I expected, watching her chasing hearts was rather entertaining. even tho she was faking it she was learning to treat others better. (hopefully)
I don't know why nobody said anything about Dukgu, his appearance was rather short.
I must admit actors did a great job portraying their characters with what was given to them. The cinematography was wonderful, the scenes were shot beautifully, and the brightness was a bit off but it was still fine.
Edit: For those who think I disliked the ending because JJxHY was endgame let me tell you that it's not like that. Since I knew that would be the ending from a long time ago. My main concern was what they'd do to characters and how they'd end up developing them. what would happen to the love alarm & if they'd stopped using it?
JJ returning a smile to Sunoh didn't imply her dating him. All I meant was for her to give him any clue of what happened because at least he deserved it. The best she could do for a person that still makes her emotional was to give him proper answers, so he could move on. That would be a humane thing to do. (from my point of view obviously)
My (and the majority of comments) main complaint here is still the execution of characters and not giving them decent conclusions.
SO basically became the wasted character for the convenience of a writer to write the JJxHY arc, he was used as a plot device for the ending. he was portrayed as a pitiful person who tried to hold on to what made him happy in season one and in season 2 they still continued using him as just that.
the writers didn't even bother to give him proper closure at the end of the season, we see him still holding on to his feelings, but right before it ends he lets go. The writers were so bet on pulling that "it's all fine" card that they somehow thought that ending him up with someone he doesn't even love (for now) was a solid idea.
The only reason why I watched this till the end is Song Kang who is one of my fav actors. He keeps getting better and better, turning into a prominent actor. Can't wait to see his upcoming projects.
As for If I recommend this or not, watch it if you can deal with heartbreak. Season 2 has a whole different vibe from Season 1.
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This review may contain spoilers
MLSHR is among a small number of k-dramas that have left a deep impression on me, yet it's also a drama I'd hesitate to recommend to people at large. There are a couple of reasons:(1) The extent to which you'll enjoy this drama depends on whether you value IDEAS or EXECUTION. If you're the second kind of viewer, this show may drive you mad. The general consensus is that Scarlet Heart: Ryeo had a great story that was screwed up by messy editing/directing/pacing etc. and not enough space to tell it (20 episodes compared to the original 35-ep C-drama). I'm very sympathetic to this assessment.
However, I'm also the kind of viewer who will forgive a lot of flubbed execution for a really good idea, which this drama has in spades.
Scarlet Heart Ryeo is above all an *ambitious* drama, probably excessively so. The upshot is that it has possibly the most uneven execution and post-production editing ever committed... but at the same time some of the most complex and compelling character arcs I've come across in kdrama. It's not for nothing that the show has drawn such an unusual amount of discussion and fannish activity, especially internationally. (MLSHR was poorly received in Korea, but it is/was a certified international sensation, the first ever kdrama to make Tumblr trends, etc.)
(2) My other "disclaimer" for MLSHR is that it has a deeply cynical and subversive approach to romance. If you're looking for a fairytale where love conquers all, this is not the show for you. If you're looking for a classic tale of star-crossed lovers foiled by evil external forces... this is still not the show for you.
If, on the other hand, you're the sort to appreciate tragic missed opportunities of love driven by bad timing and fatal ***character flaws***, then Scarlet Heart: Ryeo is the Greek tragedy of your dreams (and/or nightmares). In a market saturated with wannabe Pride & Prejudices, Scarlet Heart Ryeo is out here being a totally unapologetic Wuthering Heights, which is pretty gutsy for a YA reverse-harem premise. (To be fair, they were working off of the Chinese novel, but they *could* have made it more public-friendly.)
Here's the bottom line: This drama is an acquired taste. If you're not a fan of tragedy or bloodbaths, if you need your female characters to be ~empowered~ and save the day, if you prefer people in love to be functional and communicate well — look elsewhere.
However, if you enjoy nonstop political scheming and backstabbing, majority-villain ensembles (including both male leads, arguably), and romantic narratives that reject relationship = identity myths, Scarlet Heart Ryeo is probably up your dark and twisted alley.
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I've seen 400+ dramas, and this is the only drama I've ever given a 10.
I am a vampire freak, who loves romances when they are dark, slow-burn, supernatural, obsessive, angsty and passionate. I love stories with an ML who is red-flag, possessive, controlling, antihero, badass, or morally gray. I like stories about demons, devils, gumihos, legendary beings... you get the idea.This drama isn't about vampires at all. But it's so close it might as well be. He looks, talks, acts, and thinks just like a vampire. All that's missing is the fangs and the superhuman abilities. And it's funny that a drama that is in no way about vampires, is the best vampire romance I've ever come across. It just satisfies my vamp-cravings so perfectly.
SoKP is deliciously slow burn. The best slow burn I know of besides Charlotte Bronte's 'Jane Eyre'. An unbelievable amount of patience is required to get to the payoff. But what a payoff. The fire that finally sets off is so hot that it permanently scarred my brain.
Aesthetics and color palate, styling and makeup and costumes... everyone in this drama was made to look incredible. Even the tertiary characters. I'm not saying everyone was stunningly model-hot. I'm saying they brought out each actor's best. This is true on an acting level as well. The directors and producers cared about each actor and actress, about their inner beauty and their natural talent shining through. The execution of this story was almost completely flawless. The casting was perfect in every way. Ling He is so excruciatingly gorgeous, and Bai Lu is beautiful beyond compare in her role here. Supporting cast was incredible and perfectly suited to their individual roles.
The political/intrigue part of the story was interesting, immersive, sufficiently complex to hold your attention, but not overly complex to make you feel muddled and mentally taxed as you watch.
I cannot recc this drama enough. HOWEVER. You will not like this drama if you fall into one of the following categories:
Looking for a green-flag ML---> this ML is morally gray, controlling, manipulative, forceful. There is some throat-grabbing and forced kisses as well.
Like to watch "boring stuff" on 2x and FFW'd during dramas regularly when your attention isn't engaged ---> this story requires your full attention, immersion, and patience in order to experience the full effect of the romance. It will not hold up to someone who is skipping or 2x-ing through parts, because you'll kill the pacing and atmosphere that needs to be established. You can skip some parts in episode 1 to get you going, but after that, I'd strongly advise against it.
This is a very special drama. You can never watch it for the first time twice. So, if you do decide to give this a chance, savor your first watch-through. Watch it on a dark, rainy weekend when you can binge it fully. with the lights out and some candles going or something, and let yourself get really into it. Happy viewing <3
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'Finding Happiness Again'
The New Beginning.Not having some great story, relatively some or to be honest many plot holes doesn't mean that drama wasn't good, there's nothing like perfection. Having some cons is a good thing from my perspective. So now let's talk about drama. Fluffy, comedy, sweet, light with mild romance (Don't expect too much even romance is in main genres) ... it's the full package fluff drama but it also gives some messages which make us think about ourselves our life and the decision we made.
The story wasn't perfect but the execution was done well, kind of predictable still a fun and interesting journey. Really like the character development wasn't just about only one character but about every... the journey of learning something and it was for everyone that at the end you can see not phenomenal but at least a good change indeed!
Talking about the cast and acting... for me everyone was perfect for their respective roles and characters really liked Bahn Ha-Ni's both version the younger and the present one it's always great to see two different sides of the same character though I can't say they both are same haha.. the ML was definitely chocolate boy, adorable, liked the chemistry between them but still I won't say we get much romance here.
So overall it was a good show indeed won't say very good, coz I didn't get answers for some of my questions and had some plot holes but it's really good and light show indeed!
“We all do things we desperately wish we could undo. Those regrets just become part of who we are, along with everything else. To spend time trying to change that, well, it's like chasing clouds.”
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#Letsgetdrunk!
Perfect in every single way.I went into this drama absolutely blind - i saw Eun Ji (who i love since R97) and “female friends drinking alcohol” and i thought to myself: this might be nice. And it was not JUST nice. It was perfect. In a span of 12 unusually short episodes, this drama managed to fulfill each and every single of my drama desires/needs.
STORY - the concept of 3 friends vs. the world is not unique. We’ve all seen at least 5 dramas with such theme. But why WLDN feels so good and refreshing?! Most of the issues the main leads go through are not new but the way our main leads carry though the mishaps is so much fun. The writer wasnt afraid to explore harder topics (though oftentimes only marginally or very nonverbally) like depression, lgbt, sex, harassment, patriarchy… this might seem like an explosive/too stacked mix but it was executed quite well in my opinion. And the dialogues were so good!
The drama started with very hilarious and bizarre comedy (imo on par with Chief Kim and Pegasus Market) and then it suddenly slipped into drama with very serious topics. The transition felt almost seamless.
CHARACTERS - at first, the main leads seemed very one-dimensional - weirdo Ji Goo, beauty Ji Yeon, worcoholic So Hee, creep Kang PD. But oh boy, do they all have LAYERS. And such beautiful and interesting layers to boot!
Ji Yeon is one of the most interesting and funny characters i've seen in a drama these days. So unapologetically feminine and over the top. So Hee and her endless inner (and outer) battle with her feelings. And jI Goo - seemingly so strong on the outside but in fact very vulnerable, too. Despite some of their character traits being overexaggerated for entertainment purposes, all of them feel like real complex women who are able to be both strong and weak, emotional, rational and irrational... And their friendship is something so beautifully written and perfectly acted by all 3 main leads!
OTHER ASPECTS - visually, this drama was so much fun - be it cute outfits for all main leads, nice coloring of the scene/shot, or the food/alcohol aspect of the drama. I am no expert in the field of camera technique, but i quite enjoyed the camera movement. idk…i didnt pay much attention to ost (cause the drama was stacked in other departments) but all the main leads sang a song for this drama and the songs are pretty good!
CONCLUSION - i love this drama so much. I found the finale a little … lacking but i suppose they are hoping for season 2. The rewatch value is high for this drama - especially early episodes when the characters are only showing their layers and the comedy is just perfect. With this drama i cried both - happy and sad tears (I actually shed so many different types of tears!) so it seems like it will be perfect for a rewatch during the time when one needs to unwind so many emotions. I had a really great time watching WLDN and it gave me all sorts of warm and fluffy feelings!
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