Reviews

???? Not quite sure what I just watched

Soooooo looking at the host of other 10/10 reviews here I'm not quite sure if we've watched the same show. Because what I've watched was a disjointed, complicated, outrageously unbelievable mess of a show that definitely is not worthy of 10/10.

First of all, WHAT ON EARTH is this plot like what even??? High schoolers performing SURGERY. MULTIPLE TIMES. It was the most ludicrous part of the story and I took off points for this. The whole school being full of pill poppers was actually more believable than whatever the hell the surgery scenes were supposed to be. With such a short run time of only 30 mins per ep, I don't see why there was a need to introduce so many random ass side plots and plot complications that could not be resolved adequately. It was confusing as hell to watch. This was especially evident in the last 2 episodes where the pacing was all over the place and show was jumping from scene to scene almost randomly. I thought I was watching fan edits on Tiktok with those hastily spliced scenes.

Secondly, is this supposed to be a GL or what????? Maybe I'm blind or being deliberately obtuse but other than that makeout dream scene in ep 4, I'm not really feeling the supposed GL aspect. Sure, Jaeyi is oddly fixated on Seulgi the moment she lays eyes on her and goes out of the way to help her, but this could be explained by Jaeyi wanting to find out what their fathers are up to. Seulgi kind of just mopes around sadly with her backpack but probably wouldn't have given Jaeyi the time of the day if Jaeyi hadn't forced herself into Seulgi's life at the start. I guess on some level they DO care for each other, perhaps on a level sliggghttttlyyyy higher than a platonic relationship but because there isn't any confirmation of it right till the end, there is still that degree of plausible deniability. Comparing it to Jeongnyeon, which was also similarly marketed as a GL - I felt like it had stronger GL undertones despite not having any overt displays of affection between Jeongnyeon and Jooran. Of course, the rushed and nonsensical pacing here did this show no favours in trying to convey any subtleties in the feelings between Jaeyi and Seulgi. I've seen another review call this queerbaiting and yeah, it does kind of feel this way. If you remove that kiss scene, it would have just been a regular ass high school drama. The writer/director could have at least given viewers a scene of them confessing their true feelings or even ANYTHING but the only thing we got was Jaeyi and Seulgi passing notes to each other very UNDISCREETLY in class (as if her father wouldn't have found out??). They never had a proper conversation till the end, and it's honestly sad.

Lastly, I'm not entirely convinced on the director's/writer's casting choices for basically all the high schoolers in the show. I'm going to get mad hate for this but cmon, Hyeri does not look 18. Neither does Hyewon, even though she's the youngest in real life. Oh Woori who plays Choi Kyung looks the most like a high schooler probably because her dressing in the show is the least mature out of the 4 leads. But Hyeri is pushing 31 and while she looks youthful, she doesn't look young. Don't get me wrong, the acting is phenomenal and probably the best part of the show but for a show that is set in a high school, it's kind of important that the actors look the part. Even the extras are not convincing as high schoolers. It's like the "hello fellow kids" meme with adult actors essentially cosplaying as high schoolers. After a while, I kind of got used to it, and it was easier to look past it when they were in the school uniforms but holy shit in those scenes at the club - the immersion is totally gone.

If you've made it this far it might seem like I hate this show, but trust me I do not. It's actually a pretty compelling watch, thanks to those 10000000 mind-bending and confusing twists. The cinematography and music are actually pretty good too, even though the plot suffers. The acting is great too - Chung Su Bin and Oh Woori shine as relative newcomers to the acting scene.

In short - give this a shot but don't go in expecting a real GL romance or a plot that makes sense.

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The Hand that Sunk a Thousand Ships

First off, I would like to thank the community that formed over the weeks of the live airing. The resiliency and maturity that these men and women showed in the face of such great adversity is enough to make one ignore the stifling heat of burning ships, the blaring horns of hypocrisy, and the sharp needles of mediocrity.

Sorry in advance this is a long read...

When a show leaves itself vulnerable to multiple strong fan made theories and analysis. This means only one of two things: Either the show was written really smartly, and the writer in effect, created a world filled with multiple exciting possibilities. OR, lazy, lukewarm, and predictable writing has left so many large plot holes filled with nonsensical plot points, and poor characterization, that fans are forced to shore up the shows many weakness with well constructed fan theories and analysis to plug up the holes. After episode 6, it is clear that the latter happened.

The show does a great job of producing and writing the first few episodes, to the point where a majority of the audience set their emotional expectation high for what is to come. Unfortunately, all these first few episodes manages to accomplish is to set the bar so high, that the remaining episodes look so poor in comparison, and make the fall much farther and more painful for the audience. As viewers continue to watch the show, they journey through a harsh and arid desert, where they will continuously see mirages of depth and complexity that never materializes as anything more than repetitive clichés and negative stereotypes devoid of any creativity.

Prior to watching this show, I have never heard of these actors or actresses, nor have I seen any shows made by this particular writer. At the beginning, a lot of hype followed the drama, with two A-Listers, an apparently popular writer, and an interesting synopsis. With these things in mind, I sailed my tiny vessel past the gilded French doors into what I hope would be a smooth maiden voyage for my first foray into watching a Park Hye Run drama. Little did I know that what awaited me past these gilded doors, would be a tiring journey full of infinite frustrations. As my boat continually capsized in the weak waters of Park Hye Run's writing, what kept me going was the shining light of Han Ji Pyeong's character, which the writer gifted to us in the first episode.

What kept me going was HJP's shining white light, illuminating a drab, boring, and colorless plot. Wherever he shone his light, the plot sparkled, whichever character he shared the light with gained color and depth. But the minute his light left, we are reminded of how dull and boring the world Park Hye Run created really was. Under HJP's warm light, metaphors started to grow, towers of theories began to rise, and the flowers of hope started to bloom. The writer may have known this, and used HJP's light selfishly to extend a love triangle way past its expiry date, in hopes of reeling in hopeless romantics who believe being a "Good Boy" deserves a happy ending. With each passing episode though, the metaphors started to lose meaning, the towers of theories began to crumble, and the flowers of hope began to wither.

In Kdrama, the characterization of second leads tends to be selfless, self sacrificing, and overall a good guy. So to prevent strong SLS in the Kdrama, they normally present a slightly weaker ML (or sometimes someone equally strong) who may start at a lower position initially compared to the second lead, but through PROPER character growth, is able to eventually take residence in the FL's heart. PHR did not get this memo. What we get instead is a severely weak characterization of the ML who takes almost the entire 16 episodes run to exhibit any character growth, that by the time the audience realizes he has grown, it is already too late, and no amount of force feeding by the plot is enough for the audience to accept the ML for anything more than a privileged and spoiled person.

The writer falls into the trap of making the ML too powerful, too quick, robbing audience of the satisfaction of the journey. When the ML first encounters an issue, we feel the suspense and nervousness of what may lie ahead. But after he effortlessly navigates each and every one of these hurdles, the excited and nervous emotions start fading away. So when the next hurdle comes, and we see the SST boys panic like headless chickens, all the audience can do is roll their eyes as the ML comes to save the day, and effortlessly surpass another hurdle. I feel disappointed that Kdrama writers continually makes their ML's too perfect. The flaws that the ML is suppose to have, is noticed by none of the cast, as his flaws are either ignored, or only show up when no one is around.

The FL, who is initially shown to have such depth and complexity through the letters that she writes, eventually succumbs to the "Damsel in Distress" disease of which has plagued Kdrama for years. The cure for weak FL's (Independence) have been available to Kdrama writers for years now, and yet some archaic writers refuses to give their FL this medicine. So it's no surprise, after such a strong start for the FL, she eventually succumbs to this disease. Her new persona, which is as shallow as a puddle, fastidiously focuses on "Big Hands" as the source of her emotional growth. Although "Big Hands" is meant to have some deeper meaning (which the show does a poor job showing!), the ridiculousness of how something intangible like love and emotions, can be measured so easily by comparing hand sizes, makes one laugh out of pity.

The other female characters which started out as interesting, complex, and powerful in the beginning never reach their potential. Instead they are treated as fashion accessories to make the dull Male lead's lackluster characterization pop out more. In fact the whole show felt much like the Male leads personal cheering squad. And yet, with the tsunami of support from both the other characters and the writer, the Male lead fails to take advantage of any of it, instead wallowing in the insecurities that has seeped from the writer's pen.

It was hard to feel the chemistry from both FL and ML, as the FL shared the same doe-eyed Bambi look whenever she saw the ML or the SL. The ML on the other hand felt like he was trying too hard to nail the look of an angsty, cool, and tough teenage who can cry at the drop of the hat. In most Kdrama I always place an emphasis on micro-expressions as the high production values, and numerous close up shots gives the actors/actresses the perfect platform to convey so much emotions with simple subtle twitches of their faces. Thus I was quite disappointed to see the main couple not take advantage of this, and instead produce misplaced or invisible micro-expressions that failed to convey the gravity of the situation, and missed the harmonic emotions the amazing OST produced.

The gap of acting between the "adults" in the show versus the "kids" was huge, to the point where the reduced screen time of the better actors and actress are felt strongly and visibly dropped the quality of certain episodes. And in the acting, the insecurity of the writing once again rears its ugly head, as the show tried it's best to throw in every single Kdrama romantic trope in the book to justify the non-existent chemistry of Suzy and NJH. The show was so insecure of the growing SLS among viewers, that they limited HJP any happiness, as if they felt that any ounce of happiness on HJP's side would overshadow the weak main couple. As if every HJP smile, would make an already lackluster main couple, even more dull in comparison. Such was the insecurity of the showrunners.

The writer ATTEMPTS to craft a story about a young group of underdogs who start from the bottom and work their way to the top thru hard work and determination. What we get instead are people, who have the deck stacked FOR them, who bemoan how tough life is. Not only does this not illicit the intended reaction from the mature and smart audiences, but the preposterousness of seeing people who have it all, complain about not having it all, induced many doctors visit among audiences who could not stop rolling their eyes. Nay, instead of getting a story about loveable underdogs like "Dodgeball", what we get instead is the Korean version of the Breakfast Club, where YOU WANT the kids to stay in detention for the rest of the show. These characters, once they achieve their success never exhibit the humility that comes from self-directed success, but rather the arrogance and superiority complex that come from people who did not properly earn their prestige.

The show missed the great opportunity to show a true or semi-true depiction of startups in the tech world. In fact, what could have potentially been a great medium to showcase Korea's burgeoning position in the tech world, instead decided to focus 70% of the plot on a love triangle that went longer than it needed to. And the foundation of the love triangle is a dangerous moral lesson. The lesson being that dreaming without a plan is the way to achieve success, and only when you throw caution to the wind, and don't bother with the technicalities of reaching your dream will you achieve success. It's a very naïve and narrow view of a world where the sharks outweigh the sheep. The little bit of business aspect that the show provides, can be replicated by reading the first paragraph of what a start up is on Wikipedia. The shows attempt to sound smart about it's poorly researched show, just gets a incredulous reactions from people who are actually in the industry.

If you start watching the show expecting a mature story showing realistic situations, this is not that show. Instead we are "treated" to a show about kids vs adults, and the cool kids versus the squares. Where we, mature audiences, are expected to root for the clueless kids who are basically attacking principles that we adults hold dear. In fact the central theme of the show is about how experience and wisdom is no match for the power of hopes and dreams. How being a dreamer is always better than being a pragmatist. How being safe, having a back plan, and being patient are for failures. All dangerous imagery for anyone knowledgeable about business. In fact the show is so in love with their own hubris, that they make this message a one sided one, where the adults are not only humbled by the children, but humiliated. There is too much romanticization for an industry and process that at times cause people to hurt themselves.

Some of the characters who started as adults in the show, quickly lose their maturity card, as they begin to exhibit symptoms of early childhood. The short attention span, the incessant crying, and terrible tantrums. In fact a good portion of the episodes felt like adults babysitting the children until they can learn to walk. And once the children learn to walk, they ignore the adults who helped them.

Since most of the people watching this show are over the age of 20, seeing a group of "struggling" characters succeed beyond a doubt without any regards for both an exit plan or a plan B, and throw tantrums and cry when they reach artificial, invisible impasses, felt very contrived and laughable. In fact, just like children, they expect the adults to take care of the invisible impasses for them, and to make the scary monsters go away. Because of all these immature themes within the main group of characters in SST it becomes hard to relate to any of these character who are not experiencing any real difficulties. And it becomes increasingly frustrating that none of these mistakes are properly punished but instead weirdly rewarded. As mature audience, we find it difficult to mirror anything happening in the show. What is supposed to be thematically realistic, often comes out as fantasy instead. Although Kdrama is meant as escapism, there is a limit to how much fantasy the audience can tolerate; Start Up's motto of "Sailing Without A Map", went so far pass the audiences' limit of fantasy, that it became hard for audience to relate, revel, and enjoy SST's many successes.

The writer, in her hubris, has taken the audience for granted. She continually mocks and ridicules the tenets that a mature audience holds dear. In her imaginations, the audience are but sheep who will accept whatever swill she decides to feed us. But due to the many negative feedback, I am happy to see that the Kdrama audience have matured pass the cages that these arrogant writers choose to impose on us. And as the criticism mount, so does the insecurity of the show.

There is a disconnect between the show and the audiences. Because just like the audience in a theatrical play, only we are privy to the actual good and bad acts the various characters do. And just like in a play the other character are oblivious to the manipulations and ulterior motives of the supposedly pure white characters. The frustrations mount when the showboating, privileged main characters expect a parade for every good deed he does, while the silently helpful supporting characters are unsung heroes. If fact the endless praise seeking of the main characters can be distilled into the narcissistic line "What do you like about me?".

During the latter half of the show, you might as well have started a new Kdrama, as the characterizations of the different characters are destroyed, then reconstructed without proper instructions; and the show basically erases all the plot points of the previous episodes. As the show trudges along a predictable and boring road, the audience keeps hoping that somehow the writing will get smarter, but instead the audience are indurated by stupidity after stupidity. And in the world of Start Up, stupidity is equated to intelligence.

Lastly, one of my biggest gripe with the show, has been it's portrayal of parents as ATM machines, and as disposable diapers. The unhealthy relationship of the ML and his parents is very conflicting towards Asian societies and the parenting that comes from it. In fact, what is normally seen as normal in current society is vilified in the show. But instead of addressing any of the inconsistencies in the family dynamic, the show instead decides to sweep all the issues under the rug, almost like slapping a tiny band-aid on a festering wound. The show chooses to focus on what mistake the parents to do the children, but never on the mistakes the children did to their parents. As someone who values family, I was a little disappointed that Start Up chose to romanticize and normalize this type of family relationship. The closest thing to a healthy family relationship on the show actually comes from the two people who are not related by blood, HJP and Halmoni. A lovely relationship that took it's bruises and scars from the writers incessant insecurities over her ML cloying need to be loved by everyone.

I would say, one of the best thing to come out from this show has been the amazing OST. I absolutely loved the music of the show, and already have them on repeat on my playlist. Also, the saving glory of this has been the presence of KSH. I won't talk too much about this, as others have written a lot about him already :)

All in all, a below average Kdrama that isn't worth watching. But I implore you to find a supercut or montage of all of HJP and Grandma's scene if you want to experience a good cry!

Hopefully everyone enjoyed reading this as I did writing it! >.<

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Save yourself from this mother-daughter melodrama

This drama was way more mother-centric than romance, so anyone here for romance mainly will be disappointed. I don’t mind if it’s a family drama but the decisions made by the mother from start to finish will rile you up. Not to mention that there are constantly annoying, good-for-nothing characters with no redeeming qualities popping in one after the next. There are some good moments but the ratio of melodrama to fun moments tips the scale too much. I only stuck around for the main couple, their relationship was good to watch. Otherwise, definitely wouldn’t recommend this - it’s too stressful and brings a lot of unnecessary negative emotions and melodramatic moments.

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Awesome series,worth watching,actors did great job

This needs to be recognised,actors earth and santha did a amazing job ,the storyline is good and i suggest everyone to watch this, light weight, feel good series.i would give 10/10 for such an amazing series,i would re-watch again once i complete this ,earth is my all time favourite actor,his acting took this drama to another level ,it really needs a huge recognition.i have watched 8 episodes so far can't wait for further episodes,i really goona miss this series once i complete,you can watch this series in you tube ..earth is such an cute actor❤️.. didn't expect this drama would make me fall in love with this

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Could have been better but it lacks chemistry so badly...

I'm not the biggest fan of a love triangle but I'm even less a fan if the chemistry does not match the story.
While we all know this is a low budget effort, they should have at least tried to have at least good chemistry to elevate the story. But they failed miserable.

It felt all detached and shallow and for me neither Doha nor Woohyun gave me the vibe that they long for each other. For me they felt steril and they could not convince me at all. I don't care about a high polished production but even in the worst thai productions at least the chemistry between the couples comes through even when everything else fails. First Woohyu loves his teacher and when he get rejected (of course), he seems to turn to Doha. But never ever I had the feeling this was the pivotal moment when his feeling changed. It just happens because the script said so. And of course they are together even when they are 8000km apart... yeah for sure.

In this series they fail with everything. While not cringe or stupid, it's just boring.and unbelievable. Cute/handsome actors can't make up for the story if there is no chemistry at all. I expected more from a South Korean series, but not every series can deliver. So this is the first big disappointment in 2025 and if you have skipped it, you don't miss a thing.

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This so lacked a lot!

Lame movie!

So much missing and so chopped up! They left out so much important info. It was so confusing at times. Like.. how did he know it was her and visa versa? One minute they are watching a tree being chopped down and then you see them in a restaurant. She really has nothing to say and acts all mad at him. And why? Oh ya... They finally explain (mind you it was a very short explanation) it at the end when she refuses treatment and chooses to die!🙄 She gives up on life when there are so many people who show her their love. And who did she marry? I am guessing the “rich” guy? Because we see the “brother” walking alone at the end? Did she die? Did she decide to get treatment? Grrrrr!!! So many frustrating questions and no answers!

Sheesh! At least make a show straight forward! Make it flow smoothly from one scene to the next. Don’t leave us hanging and don’t leave important parts out. That is why I Hate the series “Cheese in a Trap” but love the movie. The series leaves you unsatisfied at the ends but the movie gives a good ending. Personally I prefer the series because it had all the important info in it and it was really well done, but the movie lacked all the important stuff. But at least it had a good ending unlike this movie. That show is honestly a toss up for me. 🙄😂

The story would have been beautiful if it was written and executed right.

The cast I think did the best they could with how it was probably written.

I love the main actress. She is really good and I have watched a lot of her shows. I can honestly say this one did not impress me.

Rewatch? Nope! If I did it would be because of the actress. Nothing else.

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I have never wanted a Kdrama to end so bad.

This has to be the worst Korean drama I have seen so far. The story started off okay but then it majorly flopped. The plot and the romance was at all not convincing, it was just too weak and felt like a child had written it. I just could not sympathize with none of the leads. The worst part they overemphasized the kidnapping case and I did nothing but skip the scene or roll my eyes since I couldn't feel bad for the leads considering the premise of the whole story was so poor. You couldn't really point out an antagonist, I just viewed the brother to be confused. As to the lady who kidnapped them, It would have been better if she was properly introduced and a little story as to who she was and why she did what she did. I hated the leads, it felt like the FL was a robot programmed to be flawless as for the ML he was narcissistic through out the whole drama.

The conflict was resolved in episode 12 which the show should have ended there, all Kdramas should not have to have 16 episodes. I was happy the conflict ended fast because I just could not buy the plot and I wanted the whole drama to end SO BAD. After episode 12, the drama got EXTREMELY boring, boring is an understatement. The only reason I kept watching was because of the supporting characters, I found them quite entertaining and funny, they really carried the show. You would enjoy this drama if you are a sucker for romcoms and do not care about plots. Overall this was a huge disappointment.

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Not sure if I believe in magic, but I do believe in the reality this show sets us in

This drama regrettably leaves viewers with many unanswered questions by the end of the last episode. Too many plot holes and too much craziness that probably can't be fixed. Ever.

But the show's beauty lies in the fact that none of the above bothered me by the end of it. I genuinely enjoyed the glitch this show put me through and the heartstrings it managed to pull in me. The darkness of the plot is tamed by the sweetness of the relationships in it, and I can watch the actors play their roles so well all day. Probably not all will find this show to be sane or worthy of a serious watch, but if you are missing this, you might as well have lost a chance to learn the meaning of true magic.

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I'll really miss this!!!! this is the ideal cliche romcom! the fluffiest of the fluffs!! a really well balanced cliche that had it's own "flavor" and interpretation of the usual cliches.
I loved all of the characters and their relationships!
Do Min Ik is the sweetest most adorable playful male lead, Jung Gal Hee is the ONLY acceptable cute female lead, Veronica Park is legendary, Ki Dae Joo had the cutest smiles, Gal Hee's mom and brother were great support and comedic relief, doctor Goo Seok Chan and the 3 secretaries..
to give a critical non biased opinion other than "fluff"... this had a weak plot that was carried solely by the actors, and yet it was able to pull itself together and wrap things up perfectly?

I don't want this to end! I demand a 2nd season! the adventures of my secretary's married life? I want more....


my rewatch values are either a 1 or a 10, and I'll love to watch this again~

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How Much Comedy Is Too Much??

The brief clash in the rain and the final fight were the only decent moments in this drama.. Everything else felt cringe riddled with forced comedy and unnecessary scenes.. Its frustrating to see such a talented cast wasted on this kind of material..

The villain is probably the dumbest.. How can he be fooled so easily by everyone?? Hong Sik is not like the usual villains.. He is dangerous but dumb.. He was even tricked by the arms dealer.. Bit disappointed how it ended.. He was too easy to defeat.. Honestly we were robbed of a satisyfing climax.. And seriously.. Who checks their phone in the middle of a fight??
What was with that random plane door falling??? It felt like a scene straight out of a B-Grade drama..

Kim Nam Gil’s screen presence is truly unmatched.. He is in a league of his own..I think he solely elevated even the weaker moments of the drama..

The camera work throughout was brilliant.. With some truly stunning visuals.. The fight in the rain and the post credits scene fight in the snow were just visually stunning..

Overall this season wasn't as impressive as the first season but i still enjoyed most of it.. I would love to watch another season of them being silly and their absurd adventures but with a better script..

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Slice of Life medical drama with funny moments

Likes: The great ensemble cast and their easy chemistry. The funny moments

Dislikes: It was a bit forgettable.

I usually don't like medical dramas, but this one was easy to watch because of Director Shin Won ho's distinct style of using an ensemble cast and creating a nostalgic vibe with bits of humor. Just like with his previous works in the Reply series and Prison Playbook, there's a sort of subdued tone to his dramas that focuses on community rather than plot.

The ensemble cast was great particularly Jo Jung Suk who again shows that he's capable of great comedic and dramatic acting and Shin Hyun-bin who does such a great job making the aloof expressionless chief resident so likeable. The chemistry between the cast felt so organic that it was fun watching the banter and the friendships play out.

There were plenty of moments that made me laugh, but there were also many moments where I was bored. While I found the drama overall an enjoyable watch, it was also one that was forgettable. I wasn't dying to watch the next episode...more like there was nothing else to watch, but if you enjoy these types of dramas then I think it won't disappoint.

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Ha! I'm gonna get shot for this but I loved the remake just as much as the original, if not more! I watched both right while they were airing, and personally, I just loved the remake a lot. I think much of that was due to my love for the cast even prior to the drama beginning (knowing many of the guys from Tenimyu and whatnot), but just overall, I feel like it was made really well.


First off, I never liked Maki as Mizuki. She was far too girly and din't play the role well enough. I thought Acchan captured the boyish character way better. Her hair, her appearance, her voice, and just how she portrayed Mizuki was much more like the manga! Yes, I am kind of biased though because I am an AKB fangirl.

Next though, Nakamura Aoi was a far better Sano than Shun was. Although I love Oguri Shun, his Sano had no emotion. Nakamura Aoi's acting had far greater depth of character, which showed that he was a caring person but just unwilling to reveal that side. Shun's, on the other hand, was just completely emotionless. And having read the manga, Aoi definitely was much more like the original manga Sano.

Anyways, I'm going to cut off the comparisons there are just focus on why I liked it now. First, SAITO TAKUMI. Okay I remember when I heard they were making a remake, I immediately thought "OMG if anyone could live up to Kamikawa Takaya's legacy as doctor, it HAS to be Saito Takumi. And I was right. I mean, who else but Takumix could portray a gay guy that well?! This guy is the KING of BL movies!! He was absolutely perfect.

Shohei was sooo funny!!! Of course, Toma will always be everyone's favorite Nakatsu~ But c'mon! Shohei was just as ridiculously hilarious~ Plus, his and Acchan's connection was cute. Honestly, Acchan's connection with ALL the cast was great! But the part that made Shohei's Nakatsu THE BEST? His interactions with Tomo!!!! Okay like actually SHOMO

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Kill Me, Heal Me lives up to the hype. I went into this drama expecting something and came out getting something very different. However what it delivers was SO good that I can't really complain.

I think this story was simply genius. It was flawed but the way it was executed and the way they tied up everything made perfect sense. This is why the story gets a full 10. I love the broken and complex characters and the leads really put the screen on fire while playing their roles. I think Ji Sung especially outdid himself and now I'm really hoping he does similar projects in the future as well. Hwang Jung Eum is a good actress but for me she was kind of annoying in the beginning. Both her character and acting didn't really kick in till the very end.

I was surprised by how the story managed to get me hooked after its initial episodes. The story seemed to go nowhere for a while and I had my doubts but the writer- wow. Slowly everything was thrown in the basement! Like, literally lol. I liked the thrill of watching this drama the first time. It's like your very first Kdrama- the thrill to know what happens next is omnipresent.

The music of the drama wasn't my most favourite. I liked only one song and the rest were meh to me.

What sets this drama apart is its continuous twists and turns. Something happens in every episode. Usually dramas run out by the end but even the last episode was as important and eventful as the rest. The ending and the premise was all tied up together really well.

Watch this drama if you're in for something different and if you are bored of the usual cliched dramas. I think one should not pass this up.

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I am well aware my numbers for this show are all over the place. That's because I'm trying to be fair and at the same time true to myself. I'm not sure I am succeeding.



In order to be fair, I have to give this drama what is its due. Script, acting, direction, music are VERY good. The script is downright brilliant, with many lines worth of being quoted. Kim Sun Ah is fantastic: self-ironic, convincing, funny and determined. Hyun Bin has to portray a distasteful character, and does so with a seemingly effortless performance. All the side characters are wonderfully characterized and likable.

The music is perfectly chosen too, with just the right mixture of irony and pathos-building required by the story.



But I also have to be honest. And to do so I have to admit I didn't like this drama. I spent more time cringing and shivering in embarrassment than laughing or falling in love.

Each character is unique and wonderfully portrayed, but for the duration of 16 episodes I kept on asking myself: why? Why should these two like each other?

When I watch a drama and instead of rooting for the main couple I concentrate on the scenery, the cake, the old mother or the child it means something is wrong, at least for me. And when the first kiss doesn't make me smile in delight, something is even more wrong.

I could never feel sympathy for Sam Soon & Jin Heon. Not as a couple. By the middle I was terribly annoyed by both: by him because he couldn't be a man and decide; by her because she slowly morphed from the anti-conventional woman she used to be into a sort of human ivy, spying on her "man", shouting too much, crying too much, asking for rings, declarations and all the most conventional paraphernalia attached to your usual relationship. Had I been the man in the situation, I would have flown to Mars in order to escape the torture.



Possibly, the acting is too good: had the characters been more wooden or less expressive, I would have felt nothing for them and had had no reason to cringe. How ironic is this?



To summarize: I believe a review has to be fair. When confronted with a good show/movie/book/painting one has to be objective and recognize its value. This is why I gave it an overall 8 when, on a mere emotional and personal level, I would barely have given it a 6.

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Worst Season 2 of a BL EVER

To say I'm disappointed in this season 2 would be a serious understatement. This is the WORST season 2 of a BL I've ever seen. There's no way the writers thought this show had good writing. So many plot holes, inconsistencies, and overall things that just didn't make sense. Don't get me started on how irritating and annoying the new characters are. I could go on forever how terrible of a character Willy was. To have a character assault Babe MULTIPLE times and get away with it with just a pat on the back is INSULTING. No way the writers thought that was appropriate not only for the show but just in general to be shown. How sorry I feel for the victims of assault for having their trauma being portrayed as a mere plotline thrown in there for shock value. I could go on forever about Willy, but I want to speak on other things.

The side couples were written so poorly and even the main couple at that. NorthSonic isn't even considered a couple in my eyes. They've been dragged out for way too long and their writing wasn't even worth seeing in the show. Sonic is an annoying brat that needs everything done for him which makes being in a relationship with him extremely tiring. He annoyed me the whole season and frankly didn't need to be with North. North deserved better. I couldn't imagine having to wait for the person you're literally in love with for that long and then that person being the brattiest person. In the end, their story and relationship were not worth it this time around. PeteChris did not interest me enough to watch their scenes for more than a few seconds. I skipped most of their scenes. Pete is so delusional and it's cringy to look at. I wasn't shocked that they didn't become a couple till the end. Their screentime could've gone to more important things. KimKenta were wasted potential. I didn't like them like that but even I know that their whole relationship was wasted. This couple just seems like something the fans wanted so the writers wrote something for them. I didn't even envision them as a couple. Also, why did Kenta have to rely on other characters so heavily? He was either a part of KimKenta or being Tony's prisoner. His character deserved so much better.

CharlieBabe and AlanJeff need their own paragraph. I'll start with CharlieBabe. Them being the main couple and characters did not stop the writers from writing them horribly. Them constantly breaking up and lying to each other was too much and didn't even make sense. Them in season 1 would have never had that much of miscommunication. The writers got incredibly lazy. The whole WillyBabe thing left a bad taste in my mouth. Everything about that was dumb and unnecessary. Babe in season 1 would have never thought to cheat or do anything along the lines of cheating to Charlie. I have the same thoughts on AlanJeff. The lying that Alan did to Jeff was truly out of character. Alan's character seemed completely rewritten by someone. They did not understand him in season 1. Jeff was better than me for staying and wanting to marry someone who lied to him. Overall, the main couples were done dirty by the writing.

Winner was so annoying and pathetic that he got himself a paragraph too. Never in my life have I seen a character more pathetic in my life. Truly can't understand why he got away after all the things he did. With this type of writing, I don't expect any realism or things that make sense. In the end, I didn't care for him at all, and I don't feel bad.

Dean was a character that tried to prove himself multiple times and was shut down at every time. He was a character that didn't even feel like he was in the show since he was in a coma half the show it felt like. Another character that was done dirty by the writers. I was glad at the end that he was forgiven.

Tony is the last character that I'm going to talk about before I say the conclusion. PATHETIC. That's the only word I could use to describe him. I don't know why he thought that singing the same song was going to work. In the end, nothing he did worked, and he died knowing that Babe did not care about him.

Overall, the show was below average. How it's not the worst thing I've ever seen is fascinating. The actors and their acting were the only thing that saved this awful show. I hope the actors get better work in the future that doesn't have this bad of writing. The story felt flat and there is nothing much worthy of watching this show. This show was just a way to show off Willy and that is the reason why this shouldn't even be called Pit Babe. Not worth it.

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