-This is an intense story about a boy who is able to overcome the hardships in his family.
-It shows how not every kid has to go the wrong way, even though the life is obviously being a bitch to him.
-Its a beautiful story, I would really recommend it to you :)
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When i first saw the promos, read the title and the plot, i was like „Hm, okay, another drama about a restaurant/cooking/food…” Not my favourite theme (actually one of the last i like to watch), so it didn’t moved me at all.
And one day, when i was out of new episodes,and this drama was in its middle, i decided to give it a try… and I didn’t regret my choice at all.
1)... STORY ................................
This drama is fresh and crunchy like a really good salad. :)
If you (like me) expect a quite boring story with a lot of delicious food - you are half right. Because THERE ARE a lot of delicious food. :D
But the story was not boring for me at all. It was probably thanks to the kind of mysterious crime-plot, because the producers made it very interesting and it keeps your curiosity from episode to episode.
Okay, now let’s talk about the eating scenes, because OH HOLY GOD OF ALL DIETS… these are perfect crimes.
Are you not hungry when you start to watch it? You will.
Are not there any food near to you while watching it? There will be.
Are you not the truly fan od korean dishes now? You will.
Be prepared, i awared you. :)
The only "bad point" for this drama (from me) is the "almost nothing" romance, which is evolving really slowly and when it's finally bloomed it is nothing special. In my opinion they didn't made the best of the couple(s). Also i couldn't feel too much chemistry between the leads.
2)... ACTING/CAST ................................
To be honest, there are a lot of new faces, whom i've never seen acting before. For example the four leads, so i didn't expect anything special, but i have to say that, i am quite amazed.
The main leads did a very good job, and played their character really well, especially the male ones.
I see a lot of potential at Yoon Doo Joon's acting skills, but favourite was Shim Hyung Tak (as Attorney Kim), he and his character made laughing and sad through the drama, and the progress of his character was noticeable and well acted.
There was something loveable in every character, so everybody find their favourite.
3)... MUSIC ........................................
Nothing memorable, but the music during the eating scenes can't be better. :)
4)... REWATCH ........................................
I am not the type of rewatcher, so probably i won't, but i will show some FOODPORN scenes to my friends from it.
5)... OVERALL .......................................
All in all, okay, this drama probably isn't a masterpiece, and it hasn't got really deep message, or something.
BUT, if you like the delightful ones, or just need some enjoyable, funny and delicious moments with a little of romantic seasoning, this drama is definitely for you and YOU WILL EAT IT WELL! :)
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Is it Worth Investing Time in ” Hospital Playlist”?
Yes, I am late to the party with only just having completed screenwriter Lee Woo Jung ( Reply series, Prison Playbook ) ‘s drama “ Hospital Playlist”. However with ”Hospital Playlist 2” now ( at the time of writing) being released on Netflix streaming services , I decided it was a good time to give the critically acclaimed and hit series a go.Of course“ Hospital Playlist” isn’t without its more nuanced flaws. At times ” Hospital Playlist” struggled to step away from the medical show fusion genre scenario with the mundane setup of high drama, lighthearted comedy, “life vs death” consequences, and not every patient makes it through in order to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. (Additionally this provoked the evident problem of tedious pacing in the show also.) However, there’s a more poignant element similar to Friends in the mix, as the quintet are revealed to have a deep-rooted friendship with one another for more than two decades.
Whilst the first couple of episodes invest time within “ getting to know” our ensemble and present the fairly dynamic performances of our main cast, the following episodes explore an oddly balanced investment into the quintet jamming out in their band during their free time, backstories and the current ups and downs of life at the hospital also.
Arguably one of the major roles to talk about in the drama was the role of Jo Jung Suk as Ik Joon. As a single dad, Ik Joon could have easily been stereotyped as the cliched “ estranged father” or having a “ bitter” relationship with his son Woo Joo (Kim Jun) due to the bitter nature of his divorce from his wife , however, Ik Joon is refreshingly nothing but a kindhearted goofy dad, with a charm that easily wins over even his most stubborn of patients in the hospital . Arguably the potential “ love story” element in consideration to his unrequited feelings for Song Hwa ( without decisive spoilers) may leave viewers a little on edge by the unnecessary setup, however, surprisingly the later decisions of Ik Joon felt surprisingly natural for his character.
Following on from Ik Joon is evidently Jung Kyung Ho as Kim Jun Wan.
Despite his tough shell in front of the trainees and his peers , actor Kyung Ho seemed to pretty much nail Jun Wan’s archetype as the “ grizzly bear with a marshmallow heart”. Jun Wan is a harsh teacher at times, but a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon and truly cares for his patients ( even if it means making tough calls). In one particularly heartfelt scene of the series, Jun Wan adorns a terrible suit from Jae Hak (Jung Moon Sung), and attending the wedding of his patient’s daughter as his patient is unable to attend. His love story with Ik Soon ( Ik Joon’s sister) did undeniably start on a bit of an eccentric and uncomfortable setup but did become enjoyable ( especially with Jun Wan’s grouchiness at times) as the series progressed.
As the only female friend of the quintet and a single woman in her 40s Chae Song Hwa could’ve easily done down the more stereotypical route of being “ bitter” or “ pitiful”. However Song Hwa is refreshingly anything but these labels. A Charismatic, compassionate, intellectual and elegant character , its easy to see why actors Jo Jung Suk and Yoo Yeon Seok recommended theatre actress Jeon Mi Do for the role.Arguably whilst season two has given a potential opportunity to explore the landscape of Song Hwa’s mixed feelings for her respected love interests, season one undeniably often failed to truly sketch - out Song Hwa’s more profound complexity in her love life. (However room for a second season will hopefully delve into this issue more.)
Nevertheless arguably one of the most surprisingly heartwarming characters in the series was Kim Dae Myung’s role as Seok Hyung. Seemingly starting off the drama as the cliched and spoilt “ mama’s boy”, Dae Myung’s performance added surprising layers to Seok Kyung as a character with his complicated past and rationale as a medical professional . His potential love story with coworker Min Ah could’ve easily gone down several mundane routes, but his overall development and reactions rarely felt out of character.
On a weaker note, the final member of our quintet was Yoo Yeon Suk as Jeong Won. This isn’t to say that Yoo Yeon Suk’s performance was bad in any way. In fact the actor truly animated his onscreen persona to life with many endearing and likeable qualities. However Jeong Won was sadly a little less well-rounded. Whilst he had an intriguing storyline and a more complicated backstory than a lot of the other characters, but his later motives and personality assets often felt less profound. In addition to this whilst the show did seem to go down the evident route of his potential love story with Gyeo Wool in snippets, it often lacked the same charisma as the rest of the ensemble.
So is “ Hospital Playlist” worth watching? The show doesn’t entirely step upon new ground with its concept with certain characters and storylines felt slightly undeveloped ( although a sequel season will hopefully dismiss these issues) and snail pacing in parts also. On the other hand “ Hospital Playlist” has surprisingly profound and bittersweet themes with backstories and life in the hospital, as characters are often faced with realistically challenging issues which helped to provide food for thought. If you are willing to invest some time into this show, then you’ll absolutely love “ Hospital Playlist”.
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Simple, mature yet cute romance
Completed - 7/4/2022"Old Fashion Cupcake" is worthy of all its praises. What a delight to see a simple, realistic, mature romance blossoming in front of my eyes. We have a 29-year old who was inspired and encouraged to live life to the fullness and to love oneself so that there will be no regrets in his life. On the other hand, we have a 39-year who is so comfortable with everything in his life that he's afraid of changes, both personal or professional. Through the very delicious and "seductive" anti-aging process, the two got to hang out and get to know each other. Their interactions and conversations are comfortable and cute at the same time. It's quite refreshing to see two men having boys talk casually and openly.
The acting is good and not cringey. The two feel so natural together, as if they're made for each other. I can see the comparison to "Cherry Magic" as both are office BL romance. But I might actually like this romance more, as it feels more mature and honest in a way. I also prefer the dynamic between Nozue and Togawa, as it feels they are both on equal footing in this relationship. Togawa's emotional scene in episode 4 was well acted and the chemistry between the leads in the alley was sizzling. I was eagerly waiting for a passionate kiss!
There are no plot twists in this drama but that doesn't mean it's boring. Though "Old Fashion Cupcake" is really short, I am satisfied with these 5 episodes. Only Japanese dramas could have such good pacing without draggy unnecessary scenes.
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Give the credit where it's due
I have been seeing many comments about the prolonged misunderstanding which continued to be drawled all through out the drama and how tiresome it is. But what they fail to understand is that there are many relationships which broke up bcz of just these misunderstandings.To some the story seems to be shallow but in my pov, it is fully drawn put and complete. The way this series depicts the miscommunication and the struggle to overcome it is insanely good. Tho I'm bummed with just 6 eps cz this SERIES DESERVES AT LEAST A STANDARD 8 !!!!!!!
The cinematography is excellent. Though the acting in the initial ep seems to be quite awkward but the main characters pulled it off in the next eps with their eye-catching and heartpulling chemistry.
Also, let me tell y'all, THIS IS THE KOREAN BL WHICH GAVE US THE BEST JUICY SCENES. My goodness, all the kisses and the nc scenes, mind-blowing. It's a 10 out of 10 from me. *Clapping all the way to moon*
So, if you're into a painful, loving short story for your free time, this series is for you. Furthermore, the rating is not giving justice to it. It should be atleast an 8 for minimum!!!!!
Lastly, the special episode came out recently and all I can say is that I'm so in love with the characters and the actors who played their part. This series is the best for me among Korean BLs till now.
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Ok well now let me get down to bizness. I loved this story more than I did the 1st 1. This made more sense of how the characters came together. I really enjoyed watching the characters develop & the relationships. There was some good rock music that was played at different times throughout this drama. I might watch this again but it is not on my high priority list of rewatchable dramas. Even though this drama is slow to move through the story at times, it will keep u interested & wanting to know what is going to happen next. I think this is a drama that others will either just love or just hate, but u have to watch it to find out which group u will be in.
I personally think this would have been a much better drama if it was like a continuation of the 1st season. I think I would have understood the story a little more if the parents of the Dukes had been the cousins from the previous season, but it was still good the way it was.
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The Strong Man of Asia
Huo Yuanjia is a true blue real life martial arts hero right up there with Wong Fei-Hung, Fong Sai-yuk, Ip Man, Bruce Lee... they would all be top picks for my fantasy Shaolin soccer team! It is impossible to grow up without watching boat loads of kungfu shows about them. Even before I started this, I knew I must have already seen some permutation of it at least a gazillion times. And yet I still ate it all up like it was the first time; hovering anxiously for it to air every night and thrilled to my toes at every hair rising fight.Like most other accounts of this iconic and legendary figure's life, this drama clearly takes creative license with the truth in many places but overall, it still rhymes with the main figures and events that shaped Huo Yuanjia's life. Beyond all the typical martial world values and morality, this drama asks the question of whether standing up for one's beliefs and values is worth the heavy price and whether it is fair that family and friends become collateral damage. As a concession to the controversy surrounding his portrayal in Jet Li's Fearless, this drama emphasizes that Hua Yuanjia valued human life and did not kill indiscriminately which is more consistent with the philosophy underlying his famous Chin Woo Athletic Association that martial arts is practiced for keeping fit.
It goes without saying that this drama is extremely action intensive. And it is the kind of close up hand to hand combat that I really love with intense acrobatics and high impact flying kicks and punches aimed with devastating cruelty at internal organs. I don't have to sing praises for Zhao Wenxzhuo; nobody could better play this kind of intense action oriented martial arts role. I am a much bigger fan of his Wong Fei-hung than Jet Li's. There are lots of villains in this fast paced drama as Yuanjia's fame attracts as many enemies as friends. But the nasty Qing Mandarin Ying Si is just simply the most vile, fantastically dangerous villain I have seen in a long time and so convincingly acted that I loved to hate him.
As a life story, this is told chronologically and the action unavoidably climaxes in the middle and predictably builds to another peak at the end that underscores the message that Chinese can stand up against mismatched physical odds and show and the world not to underestimate the strong man of Asia. I have seen that David vs Goliath moment so many times and yet every time I am so satisfied I feel like belching loudly and thumping my chest.
What I love most about this drama is Huo Yuanjia's wife - Madam Wang whose given name is unknown (imagine they had five kids and no one even remembers her name!). She must be almost entirely fictionalized but nonetheless they made her completely awesome. She can't fight but she is so brave, loyal, gracious, forward looking and so clever she saves them multiple times. I also like that this Huo Yuanjia is far from perfect - he can be chauvinistic, patriotic, inflexible and overly conservative. How these flaws impact his relationship with his family, friends and disciples and how he experiences growth as he comes to understand and accept other points of views is very well articulated.
This is more than just another extremely well choreographed gratuitous martial arts action drama. It all gets wrapped into a story about an amazing life journey with many cherished companions, some who sadly are lost along the way. Even though it definitely feels very familiar and is at times even predictable, it is only in the best of ways. So if you are in the mood for some intense action and a trip down memory lane, this is a good choice, I give it a solid 8.0
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Very poorly developed storyline
Honestly, I don't have much to say about this series. I knew some of the actors, so I decided to give it a chance. I will only expose my opinion, but I want to make it clear, that I really respect the personal opinion of each person, and also respect their tastes and preferences, regardless of the genre of the series, being BL or not.This particular drama, I did not find interesting, even the issues addressed, in fact, is like any other BL series, it's more like they copied a scene from each series and made an adaptation, and see, I watched very few. The story had nothing different or innovative, and was even confusing in some moments.
Chemistry? There were indeed moments when Fighter and Tutor showed chemistry by their reactions, however, their relationship seemed to have more lust than love. I believe, that they should do more work on this storyline, and honestly, the pandemic is not an excuse for a failed storyline. The second main couple may be considered cute, but there is nothing interesting in their story.
In this Drama, there was absolutely nothing that hooked me.
As I am fair with my evaluations, from my opinion, it is worth pointing out that Zee was expressive in his character and Saint's acting, improved a little, he acted better as Tutor than as Pete, but he still has a long way to go, his acting is good, but not great, maybe because the characters he plays have some similar characteristics. The moments that he stood out for acting with a different characteristic, were in the Hot scenes and only! But for me, sex scenes are irrelevant, I consider the content more. Even if they have many hot scenes between the characters, it's not a problem, the main issue is when they emphasize too much these intimate moments between the characters, than to show how their relationship develops, for me the chemistry between FighterTutor only came down to sexual desire, and only this is not enough.
The second main couple, I can't tell, but in many moments they seem like beginners to me.
Regarding the rest of the cast, what is the need to adapt many couples? There is no point in having a great cast and good actors, if in the end, the story of none is well worked out. This storyline failed miserably!
An interesting point that I have observed following the comments, and the reviews, is that a great part of the public, are not totally fair in their evaluations.
Particularly, I can honestly say, that the BL industry is successful only with fanservice, ships and hot scenes, because it seems that many consider the chemistry between the characters only in these moments, and do not consider the plot itself, because most BL Dramas, can be considered toxic, there are only a few that really have a good story and are worth it.
I believe that the overall rating should be considered for the overall performance, taking into consideration the plot, and the acting of the entire cast, not just your favorite actors. I confess, if I were to consider only my favorite actors, my feedback would be much more positive and my ratings would be much higher. But actually, from my observation, considering the ratings, people only support ships and their favorite actors.
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This review may contain spoilers
When I first heard about this upcoming drama I hesitant to watch because there was a lot of hype surrounding the cast, mainly the star Park Seo Joon. I've watched a lot of his work so I didn't understand what the fuss was about. The show had not even begun and I thought it's probably overrated. And it turned out to be true.
I like to highlight all the good points of a drama first least I be accused of bias (which I am half the time) but it's really to acknowledge someone's hard work. A lot of times we dislike dramas and then fall into a rant and I myself am guilty of this on numerous occasions but someone gave their best effort and it might not reach everyone the way they expect but good on them for doing what others could not.
That said what drew me to the show initially was the fact that it was a webtoon turned drama. I'm a big fan of these as they offer more range of expressions for the characters. You get to see them as more. For this drama the acting was top notch, with a special shout out to Kim Da Mi, she gave a phenomenal performance. Park Seo Joon continues to showcase his range and talent.
Another blast is the diversity of the cast. I loved it.
The first 6 episodes were very attention grabbing and I thought maybe I was wrong, the was definitely living up to hype but then it fell into the standard kdrama mold. The storyline was not strong to begin with but if it was told well I wouldn't have minded. It started strong then dragged in the middle then had a sloppy happily ever after ending that made me regret starting the show in the first place.
Park Sae Ro Yi (love the name) character showed almost no growth. He was practically the same from the beginning of the story to the end. The show was a span of fifteen years and it was only after an accident he resolved his feelings about his father and his love interest in a dream. In a show about David fighting goliath, that is how he reached personal growth? Doesn't count in my book.
Next pet peeve was the so called romance. The show wasn't focused on it at all and it should have remained so. It would have been better off without it instead of trying to shove a bunch of intimate scenes in the last three episodes. By this point I didn't care about any of the coupledomes. I was heavily invested in Park Sae Ro Yi's revenge. I wanted him to get his revenge and witness the ensuing fall out but none of that happened.
My Opinion
Sometimes I think the art of storytelling is dying but I know it's just being pressured under the weight of ratings and popularity which is sad. A lot of the dramas today have strong starts or interesting premises but get derailed by trying to win people over and marketing. But i keep patient because every once in a while I strike gold. This wasn't it but it was ok.
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This review may contain spoilers
5 brilliant episodes
The good:-this is a drama with an important topic and for about 5 episodes it was more than brilliant. Lee You-mi's performance alone was so outstanding as victim of heavy domestic abuse, I really hope she gets every award possible for the role.
-for the first half, the drama managed to capture the fear and emotional extreme situation of victims of domestic violence - and for a change (which was good!) it showed that domestic violence is not only happening in low income, low background areas (how it is depicted most often) but also in high society, where abusers use their power and money to cover up their crimes easily.
-some things were shown very realistically- for example that Cho Eun-su, herself traumatised by a violent father figure in her childhood, could do any sort of artificial self-defence training as much as she wants, when the actual real danger situation occurs with a very violent real attacker, who is much stronger than her, she has no chance to fight him for many reasons. That's an important lesson for women if you want to learn how you might really have a chance defending yourself against a real attack - and it's none of the artificial fight sport trainings, as they are that - artificial, with opponents who only do a certain set of artificial attacks and moves, and stop when it starts hurting.
the bad:
- from episode 5 on many things didn't make any logical sense anymore and logic was thrown out the window for the sake of creating cliffhanger situations and thriller elements by the writers.
-it didn't make any sense that Jang Gang looked exactly ( as in more a clone than a twin) like No Jin Pyo - and on top, he is in the very same area of Seoul AND for a very strange resaon to start with Cho Eun-Su sees this very identical person while trying to retrieve a stolen luxury watch. Propabilities for this are simply zero. As for the character of Jang Gang, they could at least have worked with small prostetics, like changing his (veeeery distinctive!) ear shape and giving him false teeth. A character like Jang Gang with his background does certainly NOT have super white, straight perfect clean Hollywood teeth. As he is shown as a heavy smoker and with a criminal street past, he would not have these perfect teeth at this age in any universe.
-While, as always, Jang Seung-jo delivered an excellent performance in both roles, the figure of Jang Gang didn't make any realistic sense to me. The switch from being a submissive, quiet, stuttering low job worker to full blown, crazy laughing psycho? (And this crazy laughter was stolen from 'my name' genius psycho role Do Kang-jae by the way) Nah, sorry. If that guy had been that kind of uncontrolled psychopath, he wouldn't have worked for a long time for Jin So-beak before and he wouldn't have stayed hidden and low profile in general. Also he really did have a family (wife and child) in Shanghai as can be seen in the airport footage shown, so he comes back to threaten Hui-su and his whole demeanor changed? Nah, someone like that, if he would go back to blackmail her for more money, he would act at least normal to stay low and get the money - like he did before. To act out like a crazy person in the middle of the city doesn't make sense and was just written like that to create a fear and danger situation for the two women.
-Also factual mistakes began to show - when Jang-Gang comes back to threaten Hui-su, while he does have the dead man's phone, why would he suddenly have the door passcode to the appartment? If so, he would also have the pass code to the safe. So again, this situation of Hui-su hearing the beeping code of the door and a man just entering her place was just written to create horror and fear, but without brain, as the guy wouldn't have had the pass code.
-While Jin So-beak was a fantastic character for himself, his connection and will to risk his own life, business, everything for the two women didn't make sense either? Why would he do that? Was he attracted to Eun-su from the start? Well, after a while, honestly, nothing came of it, so in reality, a guy like him would simply have lost interest in her and her situation. The drama never explains his motivation to any degree that would make sense of his actions. The fact that 20 years ago he lost his son (something he and Hui-su have kind of in common but he finds out very late anyways) was not a motivation for all he did then.
-the police sister of the villain - didn't make sense in many situations either. So what position did she actually have as an officer? How is it possible she can spend almost all her work time alone (and not with at least one colleague) doing all the things she does? That wasn't realistic at all.
- my biggest problem comes in the end: so, to give this ( as it is a Netflix production after all) a forced moral message, they ruined the end for me. Both women admit to their crime, give apologetic and 'wise' statements in court - and don't even tell the truth? The truth was, yes, they had PLANNED to kill a man, but, (which was realistic) he found out about that plan, and what actually happened was that HE attacked both women brutally and was about to actually kill Eun-su, when Hui-su, in actual SELF-DEFENSE! - killed him to prevent him from killing her friend. In every normal universe, a defense lawyer would have brought this up and followed on it to reach a not guilty-verdict - and it would have been the truth! Instead they create this Kindergarten-morality, and Hui-su saying she killed her husband?
-And it gets worse! Eun-so has her turn too to tell the jury how 'guilty' she is - and says something I find highly problematic. She actually blames herself in retrospective, as in when she was a very small child and had to endure her violent father beating and abusing her mother- and she says and implies that little children are at fault for reacting with ignoring such situations when they are over? NO! Little children NEVER have ANY fault in howEVER they react to such super traumatic situations! It is a very wrong, and dangerous message to tell any victim of also former domestic abuse, that it was in any way their fault when they were just small children.
Result:
Stellar acting performances, especially by Lee-You-mi, a good start of a storyline with a very important topic.
Sadly for the sake of creating thriller and tension elements, the writers threw logic out of the window in many scenes from episode 5 on.
While this would have had great potential for important messaging to try to enable and encourage victims of domestic abuse to at least try and get help, they ruin this message in the end by letting the two women repent like sinners and give off messaging that is the opposite of encouragement.
And yes, I get it, they can't end such a story on the note that the women get away completely unbothered because they would probably get legal trouble concering encouraging people to kill their violent spouses.
But they would have had a chance to show that even IF the women get to court, they CAN get a good defense lawyer who, in such crass cases of abuse and a killing in self-defense, (maybe even adding temporary insanity due to not only her own life being in acute danger, but also her having to watch her abuser killing her best friend and life anchor) could have reached an acquittal instead of a prison sentence.
Acting and idea 10 - storyline decline and very questionable messaging 3. - I'd still give it a 6 because of the partly very good acting performances.
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I had to watch this over the span of two months because from the fifth episode on it just wasn't interesting enough; the plot was dragged and all over the place, most of the character actions didn't make any logical sense and the fact that they took a different setting just to force the typical couple dynamic of hot and then cold jerk and understanding and annoyingly forgiving woman just makes all of this feel like you're watching the same old thing all over again.
With these things in mind, I suggest completely letting your logic and reason fall asleep and then settling down to watch this because this isn't a show that can really be taken seriously...otherwise it would get offensive.
The story brings absolutely nothing new to the table except for the appearance of the third male lead. That's it; we have the cool-headed, cold-hearted male psychiatrist who doesn't believe in love and decides to use that in his actual work in an experiment that frankly insults the profession of a psychologist. Enter the main female who has some super powers given to her by the late Austrian queen (not the historical version of course, because that wouldn't be romantic and in the dipshit Korean drama heroine fashion, she needs to be ignorant), and uses them to help people overcome their hurdles in life. There were times when you could glimpse at how smart her character could've been but somewhere around the middle of the show that was all thrown to the wind and consistently dragged out so as to get to the 16 episodes cap.
The supporting characters very quite funny and entertaining to watch, especially the scenes of the other two ships but there was also problematic writing that made some genuinely lovable characters insensitive and dumb. The plot is also intertwined with a few cases that were there to announce that it's a psychology drama but all of that disappeared in the second half where I could see many commenters on Viki asking 'What happened to [insert character name]' because both the story and the writing were quite frustrating and lost at that point.
In regards to acting, I think everyone did a pretty good job. It's only due to reusing the same old K-drama type of characters which made the entire cast unbalanced at times and the script generally had an issue with character development.
The musical background was neat, I don't recall songs being out of sync with the overall feeling of the scenes but neither was there a particularly memorable tune.
I personally won't rewatch this drama, the draggy plot is simply not worth it.
There was a great chemistry between the leads in the kissing scenes (quite hot at that), but it fell short in the other ones; as much as they have tried to carry across this 'sizzling' romance. That is, of course, to be blamed on badly timed scenes coupled with immature ones. Sung Joon did some incredible acting but his character is built on layers upon layers of mistrust, deceit and lies, while on the other side, Go Hye Rim is gullible to the point of stupid which makes for a lot of lovely episodes that will make your blood boil. I also feel that a lot of key points of the plot were rushed or simply passed over as if nothing happened, they crammed a few cliches near the end and some characters who were important were never heard from again.
Truthfully, there is so much wrong with this drama that it would take a long time to summarize and I don't think it's worth it to take it so seriously. This is neither 'Kill me, heal me' nor is it 'It's okay, that's love' and I think it shouldn't be taken that way at all. With a lighthearted approach, this can be watched as a cute albeit cliched drama with a few steamier kissing scenes. Anything other than that is just pulling at the leg.
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I will start with the acting. I initially was reluctant with watching this drama because of PMY. She is not a particularly great actress, but she wasn't bad at all in this drama and she has improved quite a bit since her City Hunter days. Still not anything exceptional but passable.
Ji Chang Wook is a whole different ball park. He is the prime example of inconsistent. When he was good he was so good. There were moments where I was amazed by his ability to transition through his multiple characters in seconds. Although some of his typical reactions, that the main three characters seemed to be victim too, of ridiculously widening their eyes to express shock just had me cringing. JCW biggest failing was his dramatic scenes. He has a tendency to overact and it completely pulled me out of the diegetic space due to the sheer ridiculousness of it.
That being said the supporting actors were amazing in this drama. So damn good. Ajumma, Kim Moon Shik, Myeong Hee, Secretary Oh. Perhaps the best performance for me was the young Moon Shik. Both actors managed to portray the nuances of such a multifaceted character so well.
The storyline was decent but at times unengaging, confusing and boring. It wasn't until the link between Jung Hoo's and the 1981'ers was made that I become truly interested in the overarching plot. I spent a lot of the drama confused about what was actually happening. Why Jung Hoo after a lifetime of not caring about anyone suddenly become interested in his father's past and clearing his name and some sense of newly found moral code because of some girl just didn't cut it. He had been dormant for too long. There was no natural progression. It was arbitrary and random it was much later on in the drama after him and CYS actually getting into a relationship that made it make sense. Heck I didn't even know Kim Moon Shik was part of the broadcast crew until reading the dramabeans review. Perhaps it was my own inattentiveness but there were too many instances where things were glossed over. The focus of the first half of the story just disappeared to never make a reappearance, albeit being linked to the latter half. One minute were talking about red lead the next about live bacteria. We never got a full explanation of what happened with Moon Shik, Omega Holdings. There was too much form- links-in-our-own-mind rather than explicitly showing, that I did not like about this story.
The romance tonally was inconsistent. I expected a lot more maturity for a action drama but sometimes it felt really immature. Especially initial chase of the relationship. Jung Hoo widening his eyes and being shocked because CYS grabbed his hand. I just don't get it. I agree with one part the lack of petty love triangles made this romance all the more enjoyable. Their understanding and trust for each other really made them a great couple (plus the cuddling /dies/). Ep 15 was amazing, rewatch worthy. Overall the romance was good, but could have been executed much better.
Finally the one thing that was consistent and amazing throughout the drama, was the action. The missions Healer went on, his action scenes, his lithe ability to navigate himself in any situation. It had me captivated throughout the drama. The action aspect of this drama was the highlight of it easily. The small subplots were much more interesting than the overall one.
Overall, a good drama, but definitely not worth the hype. Did not have me awed like City Hunter but worth a watch.
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too long too little plot
it was just visuals, FL most times look like she was lost in thought or spacing out, ML was like a creep at the beginning. the ex boyfriend arc was way too lacking it makes no sense, he was selfish and his parents don’t like her but he was okay all of a sudden he became self centred. then he ghosted her and came back acting as if nothing happened. the second couple could have been given a storyline that would have made a great filler for the drama as they were just there as props for the Fl. sadWas this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
That awkward quality I kind of liked.
I don’t know how to verbalize my feelings about this show. It’s not good - it’s drowning in awkwardness. The set design at times looks awkward, the acting seems awkward, the writing is awkward and so is the directing. Somehow, that awkwardness was strangely charming? I feel like I enjoyed it for all the wrong reasons.For a short show like that, it tries to tackle a bit too many issues and ideas. Stalking, unreciprocated feelings, coming out. I appreciate the more serious takes - it’s hard to be a female, because there will always be a creep with weird ideas. Gossips about your sexuality can be harmful and scary, especially if you are still figuring things out. All that was there, but just surface level type of a deal. Still, with a lot of, if now most BLs being “everyone if either gay or loves gays”, this show being just slightly less pink colored glasses view was nice, even if barely explored.
The thing I like the most about this show is how dramatic and over the top about the most basic things RoA was. Him being all “you have no right to worry about Ji Woo” when talking to Yu Na. Damn boy, she is his friend, she has the right. Or when he did not even let Ji Woo confess his feelings with his “you might never get another chance of someone you like confessing their feelings to you”... what, is he going to die the next day? Does he have one chance in life to be in a relationship, and if he passes it, that’s a done deal - he stays single till the end of his days? Where was the logic? Why so dramatic? They did not set up ANY reason for him to reject Ji Woo… it just came out of nowhere.
When he dropped the “He had to suffer like that. It’s all because of me” I turned into a question mark. What the heck is this child talking about? What suffering? How were you the cause of said non-existing, completely made up by your imagination suffering? People gossiped for like two days, long term no one cared. Not one person. And then he went “He’s in pain because of me” SURE HE IS, BECAUSE YOU REJECTED HIM! The poor boy has a broken heart. I literally cried from laughing when he started to say Ji Woo’s feelings for him are just an illusion. My dude, you are the one creating issues and problems for yourself that have no place in reality and never happened. That whole scene was just a gold unintentional comedy.
Not to mention how he left school all dramatic, last month before the semester ends, when he literally had just that semester left to graduate. What an emo kid move, I have to appreciate it.
The side romance between the student and the teacher got me wheezing. It’s not like it’s wrong - she is an adult after all, he is her teacher for just one class for one semester. It was just so painfully awkward, because this guy here teaches about relationships, love, romance, family, and yet he can’t handle one female student having a crush on him, looking so awkward. Especially in the last episode, I died a little bit during their scene.
It’s hard to talk about acting. Some scenes were truly natural. The double date scene was so fun and cute. The four actors have an amazing and natural chemistry. Then more dramatic and emotional scenes happened and sadly, the quality dropped. Delivering a realistic crying scene is not easy, I get that, but none of the sad scenes in this made me feel sad.
Production and directing wise, it felt like a project of a student with amazing potential, but not yet polished skills. Some shots were truly nicely done, well planned camera angles and lighting. Some… were shaky - both literally and in quality.
Overall, my brain told me to drop it, yet my body was clicking to watch the next episode at the same time. I just cannot explain it. I had a lot of fun, even though it made little sense. Maybe that’s why I enjoyed it? All the things I ranted about in the review were actually the reasons why I liked the watch.
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