Reviews

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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Let's stop the bullshit

Initial reception ep 1-8

I binged 8 episodes this show in one day. 10 hours chewing a piece of gum with a bottle of water
at my side as i digested the show, I sometimes would watch some scenes more than once just to be clarified on some things to make sure i wasnt seeing things wrong.
I was genuinely intrigued with the premise. A villian that lives as a villian, breathes as a villian, she plots, she schemes, she's wicked and selfish. No remorse. The acting was okay


Her actions as a result of years of betrayal and abuse , That first scene of her in the rain over her mother was cinematic. The visuals were striking and it'd built a good foundation for te story
And as she cut down her adviseries in high school and later in adulthood. I realized she was shaping up to be formidable. But unfortunately the more i watched the more i noticed a key issue.

*cue the violins* -the sympathetic edit
I noticed the way the show was going by episodes 4-5, made it seem like we were supposed to feel sorry for her. Oh poor girl. Gone through so much. Had no choice because life made her this way. PEOPLE made her this way. So we must understand that she's playing the hand she was dealt with...and is doing exactly what she needs to. To survive. Cut the cameras . Lets be deadass fr

THIS IS WHERE I DISAGREE
she is the architect of her own doom. Every action she has taken has what led her to this point. Every time she retailiates the consequences of her actions come back and bites her in the ass. Everytime. Her actions seemingly justified to her are the same actions that have led her to this precipice and she must pay. You can't control the actions of people but you can regulate your reactions. Any fallout from your reactions are your burdens to bear. Your fault.

And this is where the weaknesses of the story show forth. How does a person that feels they're perpetually a victim seek salvation or contentment? If there is a refusal to hold her accoutable for her actions. How is it rationable to blame others for her actions but not blame her for the consequences of her actions on others?

I remembered watching the glory. Lim ji yeon's character was nasty work. Evil to the core. That chain smoking bitch...I crowed when she got hers. But during the show we watched the dynamics with her mother and how her upbringing played a part in her behaviour. Did you people care? Hell naw . BURN THE WITCH. she did evil things because she was evil and must be punished.
Did ah jin physically bully her classmates ? No but was she the architect of doom for 3 characters? yes. So what makes her more sympathetic?....Because she's the protagonist of this show and yall have been hypnotised. WAKE THE FUVK UP.


I will only feel rest once she gets what's coming to her and that is why i will tune in everyweek to pray for her downfall.

Update: Spoilers ahead
i enjoyed her downfall but let's be serious the writers and producers were never really going to punish her. She doesn't feel guilt so her slinking off to the countryside Like an evil spirit permeating the air and crying in the night is as good as we gon get it.

Final reception ep 9-12
The only thing I felt watching this was...men are dumb . But I did have time to ruminate on the story at the end
I've been watching kdramas since 2011. And I'm genuinely amused at the reception to the ending . Any person paying attention had to have known already that this was the way it was always supposed to end. She's never going to be punished
Not really


Jun seo was ready to throw his life away when she was arrested for her father's murder. He's always put her wellbeing over his life. Time and time again . So why we shocked that he felt the only way to sto p her was with his life. But here's the core issue. He's aware she's a sociopath. He's aware she had no human sympathy or kindness so him holding on to her with his last breath is his problem. Frankly I would have done the same...tf after trying to kill her. Did she give you consent that she wanted to visit hellfire with you? Are you mad?

I genuinely enjoyed her husband playing mind games with her. I have no complaints. But I knew the writers were going to
...gasp save her in expense of someone's life. Which continues her cycle of doing bad things. Dodging her consequences and somebody dead or ruined to push her out from issues. Accountability is the real bitch

Lemme rant a bit idgaf
When in gang died and the longstar ceo was after her. She could have left. She hadn't wanted to be an actress in the first place. She signed a contract with moon joo hyuk willingly but still jae oh had to die so she could leave the contract she happily signed. After she ghosted him to marry that hot chaebol. Look at her strutting round his house. Doing All that only for his death to mean nothing in the end.

So in conclusion...men are dumb. They will be willing to do anything for you once you gaslight and manipulate them into falling in love with you and making sure they never have you. Know this and gaslight a dumbass man to achieve your dreams today
Goodnight.

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Sae Bom & Yi Hyun's fight for Happiness

or should I say — "watching them together is our Happiness"

This drama brings out many versions of humans. It shows how layered this society is… I met a mix variety of people here, those who will help others selflessly, those who may save themselves first selfishly, those who think money is God & everything can be bought even in case of emergency… There are those few confused characters too who are in a great dilemma that if they should help or not…

The drama also depicts that Class discrimination between people from upper & lower class can survive even in such chaos… so the more I started to love the leads, the more HATE I had in my mind for those extra mean characters… by hate I mean I wanted them to just die... If you want to watch this, you need enough patience for annoying side characters.

Han Hyo Joo (as ~ Yoon Sae Bom) is an anti-terrorism trainer & someone who is selfless & fearless. She is kinda reckless at times but she is straightforward. I loved the way she kicks, I was like "Oh my God, that was so smooth!" Definitely a very good Strong female lead. But she doesn't falls under the category of Smart female leads for me cause her decisions were all hasty, without consideration.

Park Hyung Sik (as ~ Jung Yi Hyun) is a detective & a former baseball player who has courage and knows when to use his cop & sportsman skills. He is righteous & strong. PHS has definitely got good action skills. That car slide scene is something I saw repeatedly again and again. He is good at no matter what role he plays. Happiness as Hyung Sik's comeback drama is perfect.

The chemistry of the leads is like so pure. They understand & support each other. They are like one team. No forced romantic moments considering a total action-thriller drama. So, No exaggeration of romance. Just a simple couple who pretended to be a couple but actually love each other a lot deep in heart. Their bond is just precious. I wish these two get more chances of cooperation cause look at them, they look so good together…!! And I'll stop fangirling now haha.

Jo Woo Jim (as ~ Han Tae Seok) is a military informant who wants to help everyone. He plays the hard cold guy role in front of everyone but is actually very caring at heart. There has to be someone who takes the tough decisions & be bad, he chose himself for that. There's one scene when I just screamed that "Oh God, HE IS SO COOL"…… well, there's PHS Oppa in this drama so shouldn't I just cheer up for him more but No, Character-wise, I loved Han Tae Seok more…

Keeping us hooked up… This isn't draggy at all… just a simple zombie drama that goes "little" in-depth with the characters but from the enjoyment point of view, I was personally enjoying watching it. It wasn't very scary in terms of visuals but it did make me nervous about what is going to happen next.

I think I am gonna miss the rooftop of this drama, I just feel very attached to it, I wonder what's so special about that place… then, my only complain here was that I wish they gave more background story for the characters first so that we can connect to them…

Overall, I loved this drama and just that it's thriller and I basically know all the facts now, so I won't rewatch this but what a nice ride this was… Give it a try if it suits your drama taste…

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Rebel Without a Cause.

This is one of those magnificent, high budget productions that starts so strongly that I kept shushing that  inner voice that whispered "masterpiece" for fear of jinxing it too early. Sixty-eight episodes later, I am sad to say that despite some excellent arcs and moments, this drama falls far short of its breathtaking early promise.

*** Be warned that there are mild spoilers in my review - I will avoid major spoilers. ***

Wang Xuan or A'wu, the titular character is a fictional only daughter of Prime Minister Wang Lin, head of the Langya Wang clan whose formidable political influence straddled several early dynasties since Eastern Jin. Their hold onto power is secured via an incestuous (and icky) pact with the imperial Ma family whereby for twelve successive generations, the Wang clan heiress is chosen as empress. Wang Xuan's legacy 王氏之女 母仪天下 literally means the Wang clan daughter is the "mother of the world" or the empress. Thus he who attains Wang Xuan, attains the world. This is not just a prophecy; she comes with the power and influence of the Wang clan who are kingmakers. The drama dumbs this down to be just about lovesick men after her ravishing and incomparable beauty. That is just icing on the cake and not the only aspect of her appeal to ambitious men who cannot otherwise legitimately claim the throne. This is with the exception of the the weak and foolish Zidan, a character who exist only to love A'wu. In this context, A'wu's expectation of a love match is unrealistic and not possible for any of the noble elite; marriages are political alliances where the best one can hope for is some affection that may or may not quite be love.

A'wu's first and most significant act of rebellion is against her destiny as empress and in doing so, she goes against her father and by extension her clan. This upsets the balance of power between the imperial Ma family and the Wang and Xie clans and sets an intense power struggle in motion. While her motives are naive, this is the first of many decisions she makes that undermines her clan's extraordinary grip on power. In fact, she protects the imperial family's birthright without questioning their worthiness. In this matter, she is indeed a rebel but one that lacks a just cause because excessive in-breeding has made each of the Ma heirs some combination of stupid, unfit and unworthy. That said, I saw character growth and could understand and largely empathize with her decisions until the arc that sees her return to the capital with Xiao Qi just past mid-way through the drama. Until then, the plot was well paced, suspenseful and the motives of the main antagonists layered and interesting enough to make this worthy of a 9.5/10.0. Unfortunately the drama peaks there and after that, the plot falls flat and becomes overwhelmed by tropey two dimensional villains with repetitive and boring motives.  Wang Xuan's character regresses and she makes very questionable decisions, the worst of which culminates in a very shady mating dance that I cannot un-see no matter how many times I rinse out my eyeballs.

Xiao Qi and Wang Xuan's relationship is the best thing about this drama. Even though he didn't get enough screen time to do his character justice, Zhou Yi Wei 's Xiao Qi stole the show. It is so nice to see an actor looks and fits the part of a battle scarred, undefeated general in the role rather than some scrawny idol actor with baby smooth skin. Much more so than Wang Xuan, Xiao Qi is thecharacter that I really root for in this drama. He has riveting chemistry with Zhang Ziyi that compels me to keep re-watching the way their romance unfolds and progresses. It is freshly written and their natural and intimate interactions manage to avoid common drama relationship cliches. Both actors communicate deep and complex emotions with few words and tiny, nuanced changes in expression. Their relationship is not perfect - they have their share of challenges and conflicts. It is disappointing we don't get to see how they navigate their greatest relationship challenge as Wang Xuan is caught between protecting her first love and Xiao Qi's quest for justice.

What is super annoying is that Zidan could have been written to be a much more interesting character rather than one that is frankly a complete waste of screen time. He got such an absurd amount of time he was constantly popping up like a bad tart when all I wanted to see was Xiao Qi. It is understandable for Wang Xuan to have some lingering regret and affection for him but that is not well flushed out. The fact is she married Xiao Qi to save Zidan and at the end, she still rescues him while turning a blind eye to his crimes. It makes me wonder if he was indeed her one true love after all.

The crux of the problem is that Zhang Ziyi's portrayal of Wang Xuan lacks complexity. Her A'wu stopped becoming interesting the moment she grew up to be the more politically astute Wang Xuan. She becomes a suffocating paragon of virtue and forgiveness 母仪天下; the mother of her country and and inexplicably staunch defender of the (worthless) imperial family's absolute right to rule. She wears a perpetually aloof and haughty expression and does not let anyone forget that she belongs to nobility; that she has familial obligations and ties that a commoner and an orphan such as Xiao Qi could not possibly understand or relate to. While she is entitled to forgive her enemies for wrongs they committed against her personally, it is absolutely not her place to broadly dispense justice as she sees fit. She casually makes decisions of great weight and consequence as without any appearance of inner conflict or overarching ideology or sense of justice. If this makes her a rebel, she is one without a cause. I like Zhang Ziyi but this is not a role that she shines in. Despite not looking the part, I had no issue with her portrayal of the young A'wu. It is her Wang Xuan that ultimately fails me. I abandoned the novel because I disliked how narcissistic the character was written to be there. But in the novel ,at least she is very conscious of her beauty and charisma and wields it ruthlessly to accomplish her goals. I never imagined disliking her hypocrisy and sense of entitlement even more in the drama. It does not help that Zhang Ziyi's portrayal is so humorless she even takes the joy out of getting drunk off her ass. At least Wang Su is a fun and uninhibited lush, the kind of drunkard anyone can relate to.

My favorite character and the one that shores up the drama is Yu He Wei's Wang Lin. He is the only truly complex character that is smart without being infallible, unabashedly ambitious, cynical and unrepentant. I love how he gleefully, insightfully analyses situations and peels away the layers of righteousness and hypocrisy around him. There were many times I could empathize with and even support his cause.His plotting against emperor Ma is the drama's best arc. Wang Xuan is actually remarkably like him in terms of her innate arrogance and sense of entitlement as well as her ability to make bold decisions on important affairs of state. As he exits, she steps into his role as the silent force behind the throne with Xiao Qi as the military power that anchors her influence. She is truly her father's daughter in more ways than would make her comfortable if she could see herself. This does not come across clearly because Zhang Ziyi whitewashes Wang Xuan's character and does not dare to embrace her dark side. Everything comes to a full circle when father and daughter discuss love and marriage and she more or less admits that her relationship with Xiao Qi is not too dissimilar to that of Wang Lin's with her mother. It is convenient that she loves him but their marriage serves a purpose that is far grander and more encompassing than love.

While the ending is acceptable, it is in too many important aspects disappointing. Given that regime change is not a viable way to end this kind of drama, it should not have been written to make such a compelling case for it. ZIdan did not have to have been written to be such a jidan (鸡蛋) or a zero. It is obvious many important parts of the ending episodes were edited out which is such a sloppy thing to do when they could have substantially edited down the most insipid Wang Qian/Helan Zhen arc instead. As a result, there is no justice for the Neem Yu Shan massacre and we don't even get to see how this atrocious outcome was negotiated between Xiao Qi and Wang Xuan. Both characters but especially Xiao Qi, disappoint me greatly in this. Thus at the end of the day it does not look like anything substantive has changed or that the kingdom is in a better place or in the hands of more competent rulers. I really want to give this a 9.0 but with that ending, it is at best an 8.0. That said, it is still a very entertaining drama with a distinctly memorable OTP that you should watch. Just don't get fooled by the strong start into expecting a masterpiece.

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The Title is What the Story is About

Like the title, this show is pretty much a record of a youth story.
Why would I say that? Because it is really like a video clip that records some ordinary life story that tells a person who had hardships while pursuing his dream, how he overcome it, how he fall in love, maintain friendships, deal with family conflicts. Even the love story between two main leads are very very realistic. It isn't the normal "love drama" where two people have to go through a lot of misunderstanding, realising they fall in love and go through tragic fates. NO, this show doesn't have any of these, they meet, feel great towards each other and just eventually get together. The way they are dating is so realistic like what a normal dating couple will do. Even to the end, the story between the couple is quite realistic too.

Hence, to be objective, this story is quite boring. The whole series has no climax and I was actually going to drop it but I wasn't watching much show so I decided to go on. So you shouldn't be having high expectation on this, but if you just enjoy watching Park Bo Gum or Park So Dam, then go ahead and watch it. Basically it is like a documentary of someone's life, but a very ordinary one.

Well, not to mention, Park Bo Gum's acting is as good as always:) Even a small detailed expression or action, he portrays it real good, I'm impressed! Good luck for PBG's enlistment and hope he stay safe and get good drama when he's out! :)

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Smile Code had a fresh take on romance as it paired a standup comedian with a man who has alexithymia.. Which means he struggles to express or even feel emotions.. It’s refreshing and honestly that’s what made me start the drama.. It’s not your typical romance and I was curious to see how these two completely different people would connect..

The storyline does a great job of mixing comedy with drama.. I really liked the friendship and their chemistry with each other.. While the story does get a bit melodramatic at times the actors and the story keeps you interested or atleast in the first half..

Shen Yue was genuinely and effortlessly funny.. Lin Yi as a person with alexithymia was really good.. Their chemistry is what really drives the show and it evolves so naturally.. But he really had some psychological issues.. Kudos to the FL for holding on to him for so long as it was not easy..

The first half of the series was really strong but the second half felt pretty poorly executed.. It dragged on way too much and just felt stretched.. One thing that really bothered me was how they made her look in that breakup scene.. Seriously did they need to make it so over the top?? The missing tooth made it feel more awkward than emotional..

About halfway through the drama just lost its spark.. It became a bit of a snoozefest for me.. Honestly the second half really dragged the whole show down and kind of ruined the experience..

I really didn’t like the scene where the SML proposes to her only for it to be abruptly cut off by the ML before she even had a chance to respond.. She didn’t reject him so the SML still didn’t get a clear answer and that was just a really poor way to handle the scene.. It felt unfair to his character.. Even after that she led him on.. Not giving him a firm rejection or any kind of clear answer.. It took another two episodes and yet another proposal for her to finally give him an answer and I don’t know, it just didn’t sit well with me..

When the ML came back for her the way she treated him was honestly pretty harsh.. I get why she acted that way but it still felt awful.. The guy really deserved another chance after everything he had been through..

What made it worse was the final few episodes.. After everything, she rejected his proposal in front of everyone.. That was like a slap in the face.. When she proposed to him in the last episode I honestly kind of hoped he would reject her.. Just for the sake of it..

Overall Smile Code is definitely just a one time watch.. But it’s worth it for its unique premise and the excellent performances by the main leads..

P.S. I was so confused when I saw the reviews for this drama in MDL.. Everyone was rating it a 10.. But if you check their profiles it's just accounts that were created to rate this one drama.. There are so many such accounts in the review section and it's honestly kind of sad to see how far people are willing to go..

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(For a spoilerful review, I wrote a separate, much more in-depth version here: https://dramavixen.tumblr.com/post/177526794854/)

Was I expecting a trainwreck when I first started watching? Perhaps. Actually, yes; unquestionably so. Thus, even if I call this show a trainwreck, it wouldn’t be accurate to say that Meteor Garden was "below expectations."

Meteor Garden was possibly one of the most anticipated Chinese dramas of the season, rousing the nostalgic instincts of those of us who have long been attached to this story. Of course, that’s a great burden on the cast and crew. This is especially true in China, where viewers tend to prefer the “original” version of everything—novels, dramas, movies; you name it. Any kind of remake or adaptation is asking for trouble; and Meteor Garden fared the worst that I've seen, with a whopping rating of 2.8/10 when the first episode aired.

We can say that viewers in China are being overly judgmental, but the one thing they’re right about is that choosing to remake this was a shaky decision to begin with. At its core, Meteor Garden overflows with cliche after cliche; all the ones that make us roll our eyes whenever we see them: the poor girl-rich guy combo, the trash male lead/nice second male lead dynamic, the meddling mother-in-law; the list just writes itself. This isn’t to say that cliche usage equates to a bad drama, but historically, Meteor Garden has never elevated these elements to anything past mediocrity.

This adaptation still uses all of these tropes: without improvement. We can argue all day about how the writers toned down the bullying that existed in the previous versions; how Dao Ming Si isn’t as bad of a guy as he used to be. That doesn’t change the fact that this story is incredibly weak.

The conflicts between the main couple start off making sense because they have a lot of moral disagreements. Meteor Garden intends to show the evolution of a relationship as it progresses between two enemies to two people in love. However, with 48 episodes worth of problem after problem solely for the sake of dramatics, the instability of their relationship quickly becomes less heartbreaking and more obnoxious. All the side plots involving the other characters are also either boring or mindnumblingly frustrating—or (if your goddess of luck has abandoned you) both!

How do the characters play into the plot? In a word, badly. The sheer level of bullcrapery that is injected into the script makes it impossible for anyone to truly develop or interact with each other like normal human beings. Each character does have their good and bad points, which I appreciate. But more often than not, we don’t get to see them act as people; they’re just used as paper dolls for the sake of toddling through whatever conflict the writers feel like putting into the episode. It’s a real shame, especially since the actors all have so much potential to do better.

In all honesty, I’m surprised that I finished this show. Well, I guess I could be more surprised; from the very beginning, I wanted to see this ordeal to the end so that I could be as thorough in my roasting as possible without any false pretenses. So here, I have to say that Meteor Garden is but a pile of burnt potatoes. And just like there're a lot of better things to eat than burnt potatoes, there’re a lot of better things to watch than this.

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Lovestruck in the City is simply not for everybody who only loves watching KDRAMA.

You have to be open-minded on how the writers wrote those (flawed) characters and scenarios because if you’re not, it’ll much harder for you to understand how the story built. And if you know Park Shin Woo as a director, he is not someone to please viewers.

It’s actually weird to see that half of the internet world(twitter), people hyping this up but on the other side(mydramalist & tumblr), dropping this. Ha!

If you review this drama based on the storyline and characters, please state your age and who resonates with you most. If you review this based on mockumentary type and how it delivers the story, please watch until episode 8.

Let me say this again, THIS DRAMA IS NOT FOR EVERYBODY, it’s for the people out there who know what love can do on and for them.

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LA that sit on same table as AOT LA and Drangon Ball LA

I’m SCREAMING. WTF is this?! It'd like the director read half the source material, said “nah,” and decided to yeet the soul of sNs masterpiece into the void. They changed SO MUCH, and I’m not okay! Kim Dokja deserves better, and this mess is sitting at the same cursed table as the Attack on Titan and Dragon Ball Evolution LA!! Let’s talk about how they fumbled this bag and why it’s giving the same vibes as those other disasters.First off, WHY THE HELL are they giving everyone GUNS?! Like, are you kidding me? They’re out here handing Hee Won daggers like she’s in an Avengers flick and giving Lee Hyeon-seong some high-tech gauntlet nonsense. And don’t get me started on Yoo Joonghyuk’s sword looking like it was forged in a sci-fi lab. This ain’t the apocalyptic struggle we signed up for! It’s like they saw the Attack on Titan live-action films and thought Let’s copy their homework and make it flashy but soulless. This is not My ORV!!!!!

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Well written romance with questionable friendships.

One of the most wholesome friends to enemies to friends to lovers scenario I have seen. I believed in everything that happened between Pran and Pat. The chemistry might not have been sizzling from the start, but it was undeniable and extremely natural as the plot progressed. Both Nanon and Ohm did an amazing job portraying actual emotions and love, instead of simple attraction.

That said, almost everything that surrounded the romance was mediocre at best, and bad at worst. The friend groups were ridiculous. It was not just teens disliking each other - we had harassment and abuse that could not be explained by them being young. The parents were just as immature and selfish, which led to a number of problems for the main duo.

Luckily, a lot of scenes were saved thanks to the female characters Pa and Ink, who seemed to be the only people with some brain cells and willing to use them.

Bad Buddy was carried on Nanon and Ohm’s backs, and if it was not for their stellar performance, it would not get half of the love from the audience. Me, and many others were willing to ignore quite a number of flaws, because what these two actors did not screen was worth it.

Another great aspect of the show was the OST. Not only were all the songs perfectly fitted for the scenes, but also… they are simply great songs that I wanted to listen to even outside of the drama.

The production value was definitely good. I loved the set design, the filming and editing. Sadly, I feel like all the focus and hard work directing and writing wise were put into making the romance storyline, forgetting that all the supporting characters are also what make the show. The pacing of all the side plots was not great and some conflicts had a Disney type of resolution.

Overall, worth the watch for the main couple. Truly amazed by the skills of Nanon and Ohm. Even with at times questionable writing, they made me enjoy the show and giggle more than once from both the comedy and the romance.

Bad Buddy was a bit like taking a walk in a beautiful mountain, but then seeing trash here and there, that’s just slightly ruining the view. Then you get to the top, but it's a restricted area… that sums up how I feel about the ending.

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