Don't afraid of number of episodes it's totally worth it!
Whoa! What a drama it was my first family drama I was hesitating before watching it becauseof the number of episodes but its totally worth the all time..I was smiling all the way it was like full package comedy, romance, melodrama. I really enjoyed it a lot I love the characterdevelopment there are none villainin this drama and even you don't like somecharacter before but eventually you will like it. It was amazing and totally worth of time. I highly recommend you this drama I'll guarantee you that there will be smile on your face after you watched it and you will be fully satisfied!!Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Good chemistry can fill in for where the story is lacking
Bad Buddy has taught us two things. First is that a great chemistry between the actors can bring out the emotions of the viewers no matter how good the story is and second is that the standard for BL dramas is tragically low.And by neither of those points do I mean to say that the story of this drama was awfully constructed, but am simply pointing out how the plot itself isn't anything note-worthy compared to the real strong points of the series.
STORY:
With the exclusion of the romance we aren't left with much. The main point of the story is that the guys were forced to become rivals due to the pressure from their parents, but even if the reason for the hatred between the two families is explained and they eventually let their sons interact with each other, we've never really found out why the two families decided to live next to each other if they've been in a conflict since high school.
The story is introduced by a fight breaking out, but we still don't know why Pat and Pran ended up getting involved with the "gangs" in the first place or why their faculties had such a deep rivalry to the point when they were willing to beat each other up.
Everyone seemed to start secluding Pat and Pran after having found out about their relationship, but when Pat went to give Pran the USB and was asked to shout out his love for Pran, nobody had expressed a disagreement with it.
There was a build up to Wai being a fake best friend who was guilt tripping Pran and using him when it was convenient, but then he did a complete 360 and suddenly came around to help Pat and start being friends with them after only one favour.
I think a lot of these points are related to how the story of the novel was changed in order to introduce a happier ending, but this had unfortunately fragmented the plot into serious and dark parts followed by easy solutions and light-hearted moments with happy conclusions which made me feel like there wasn't a very consistent flow of the overall plot.
HOWEVER, the romance part and the way the drama revealed its plotwists was the more significant and majority part of the story.
We were introduced to Pran and Pat being faculty rivals who had nothing in common, but the impression was progressively broken as the two began revealing their closeness, common history and their long-term pinning for each other. The reveals had the power to make people invested in their story and want to know more about the characters' true feelings and further developments. The build-up was done at just the right pacing, we watched Pran realise his feelings while Pat was out there subtly flirting for 5 episodes straight. The first kiss was completely unexpected, yet hadn't brought a conclusion to their story, instead opening space for even more difficulties and the flirting game which ended with Pat finally indirectly confessing his feelings brought quite an exciting development with a satisfying end. And even after they'd started dating, their relationship dynamic was fun and sweet enough to keep people interested no matter what the non-romance part of the plot was focusing on. Episode 11 felt like a promise of them staying together no matter what the rest of the world thinks or how conflicting their opinions were and episode 12 had absolutely delivered and diligently stuck to this mindset.
Each of the episodes ended in a way which made the viewers highly anticipate and theorise about the next progress of the story no matter at what point their relationship was.
Lastly, let me talk about the low standards for BL dramas now.
I have this opinion partially because of the non-relationship part of the story and mainly because of all the harmful stereotypes Bad Buddy has managed to avoid.
One of the two reasons this drama is so highly praised is the healthy relationship development between both of the main couples. The dialogues have not only omitted any uncomfortable BL tropes, but also outright mocked them. We had the whole "it'd be ridiculous if I said I was straight and you were my only exception" conversation, no mentions of wives or girlfriends in regards to Pran and Pat's relationship and even when Pat was roleplaying as Pran's girlfriend in episode 3, he'd purposely exaggerated his behaviour to seem as a guy who was jokingly acting like a girl instead of portraying himself. The dynamic between Pat and Pran never felt one-sided, they both respected each other as partners, neither of them was overpowering over the other and they talked out their conflict with each of them being allowed to equally express his opinions.
The relationship between the girls was portrayed so refreshingly too, they didn't have any long-lasting conflicts, it was just pure love that started out of a coincidental meeting and their dynamic was fit to be that of a side couple. There is such an underrepresentation of GLs that it made me overjoyed to see this kind of relationship in a popular drama of its neighbouring "genre".
Neither of the couples were sexualised, there was no bottom/top talk, none of the kisses and touches happened without consent or while under the influence of alcohol.
And a really thoughtful detail was shown at the end when Wai with Korn openly "flirted" as a part of their bromance despite both being in a stable relationship. It proved how people can be great friends while still flirting and jokingly acting as a couple, as long as they have that kind of trust with their partner.
And that's why I think it's a huge shame such a bare minimum has to be celebrated when this should be the norm for all BL/GL dramas. Imagine how good a drama of these "genres" could be if it had more than a basic plot while still focusing on this the relationship dynamic in this way and to this extent. Obviously, we're still at a point when we need to up-bring the healthy gay relationships in order to increase the quality of these "genres" and make them more realistic instead of settling for anything we're offered. So hopefully Bad Buddy can be the motivation for directors and writers to do better and not ignore the voices for the actual LGBTQ+ viewers.
ACTING:
This brings me to the second reason of why this drama was such a success.
Ohm and Nanon's amazing chemistry has seeped into the characters they were playing and further served to improve the relationship parts of the story. The bus stop designing scene from episode 3 probably would've been quite awkward if actors who weren't as close had to portray it. All the expressions of affection felt very natural since they'd put effort into practising even those kinds of things off camera. They'd always managed to express the right amount of affection and adoration during the scenes and dialogues.
All the main side actors were great, but the OhmNanon chemistry is definitely the main highlight of it all.
MUSIC:
Pran's two songs were well composed, catchy and memorable and their incorporation into the plot also made them stand out. They complimented the atmosphere and despite having quite cheesy lyrics, it worked well with the pair.
What I personally minded was the rest of the soundtrack. Some songs felt too overpowering to the point when they seemed to be interfering with the scene instead of setting the atmosphere. There were scenes with rapid changes of mood where the strong changes between background music wasn't very pleasant and felt too dramatic and unnecessary to me.
OVERALL:
Despite its minor flaws, Bad Buddy absolutely has to be one of the best BLs to have ever been produced in East Asia. This drama has finally reached the standards which should be considered the norm and aimed to be achieved by other BL dramas in the future.
I'm just really hoping the fans of this "genre" can also improve their mindsets together with the dramas and learn to do their part by ceasing to ship the actors, making a clear divide between the character and its actor and stop obsessing over the top/bottom debate (it's just as harmful as thinking gay relationship need to have the traditional labels of the husband and wife roles). I believe that if these kinds of opinions stop being so normalised in the BL community, we have a higher chance of seeing the quality of future dramas improve.
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Story: I knew from reading the synopsis it would be an interesting story but I had no idea all the unexpected things that were going to happen. Bae Doona’s character had more than enough of her shared tragedy I’ll tell you that. There was some subtle comedy but it really can be classified as a family melodrama. Now there were some things that I didn’t like about it though. First, the romance was written in a way that had me confused. In the beginning you think she is going to end up with one guy but close to the end you still don’t know which guy she will end up with till the very end. Another thing I didn’t like was the birth secret really didn’t have the closure I was expecting. It gets drawn out to the every end without anything really being solved. As for the ending it was okay but could have been better.
Acting/Cast: I already know Bae Doona is an excellent actress (have seen quite a few of her past works) but she was really perfect as Eun Hee. Now as for her character, she can come off as borderline crazy and sometimes off putting but when you get past all that you will see her as a tough, hardworking family girl that you can root for. The actress that played her Unni was good (not as good as Doona) but I hated her character. I didn’t feel sympathetic for her character in the end and it pisses me off she gets to keep her cushiony life after all the evil things she did to her own sister. As for the guys, they were just okay not really impressive as the girls but they both had chemistry with the ladies. I think the writers screwed up when writing their characters though. At times they were both unlikable and I just didn’t understand some of their decisions. The actress that played the mom was brilliant and although she can be seen as evil, you will feel sympathetic for her character.
Music: Not memorable but I do like that it wasn’t in your face. I hardly remember what was used.
Rewatch: Really liked the story but the characters (except for Eun Hee) wasn’t memorable so I cant say whether id rewatch this or not. It’s a possibility though.
Overall Country Princess is one of the better older dramas I’ve seen, that I would recommend.
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It is however ...different.
Even though it was made as an parody the story line has nothing to do with it - except the time traveling and the leads being rich.
It starts off really well and I thought it will something different then what it originally became. After episode 2 the story just went haywire.
I kept watching because I actually wanted to know what the hell will they do at the end. And it was funny.
The acting wasn't bad, per se but it wan't good either. It was some where in between 'what the hell' and 'okay?'
Zon Yang looked really pretty.
The only thing that I actually enjoyed in this drama is the opening song. It was amazing. It was sung by the male lead Wen Zhang. This song was the reason why I continued to watch it.
It was a funny thing to enjoy if you are looking for something different and out of the ordinary. Just don't expect much of it.
PS : A lot of people were asking where they can watch this. So I watched this (in English of course) in ViKi.Com - it's a website. You guys can find it there.
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This review may contain spoilers
Writing so good it made me actually hate the characters
I almost stopped watching after the first two episodes but persisted. What followed was just some of the best story writing, even if at points it genuinely made me angry. As a man I absolutely cannot fathom any of the female leads decisions. I understand the 'salting the earth' strategy but of course with a male mind trying to see from the ML's perspective I was screaming for him to stay with the 2FL. Of course the message then is that the mind cannot control the heart, and his love for the FL withstood any of the sabotage that she threw his way.The cast and acting are superb, and really portray how desperate people can be for love. Outside of the 4 main leads I also enjoyed the ML's friend Gyeong-Pil's character and performance.
This drama is in a category I haven't quite worked out yet but is there with the likes of One Spring Night, Something in the Rain and The Midnight Romance in Hagwon. More real world romance situations rather than a lot of the perfect romance dramas we are used to, so I would recommend those to anyone who has enjoyed this drama.
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First of all, the retro one, when the characters were young, was almost made to perfection. From the poetic cinematography, to the nostalgic feeling, to the presentation of that era, everything was perfect. The timeline did get a bit confusing at times, but that was mainly due to the focus on the present story. Still, the chemistry was over the moon, the love story was sweet, dramatic and moving, and the whole college life along with the family drama were all interesting and nicely managed.
However, the present story was a bit boring. There was a spark between the couple at the beginning, but that kind of died out, as they kept repeating scenes and events, the drama of the business and family matters took over, and the characters were thrown into stereotypical types that had nothing to do with their old selves. I mean, sure they were bound to change, but they still would have kept some traits of themselves, wouldn't they?
Finally, the performances were really good from everyone, but there has to be given a special shout out to the younger actors and the kids of the cast.
So, overall, 6.5 out of 10, because the past story was really enjoyable but the present was boring and predictable.
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This review may contain spoilers
argh, so heartwarming <3
ZSC = Zhou Sheng Chen || SY = Shi Yi"Beauty both inside out is something that rarely exists. One can be beautiful inside, but might not be beautiful outside. One can be beautiful outside, but terrible on the inside. Most people in the world have shallow eyes, they only see the outside and not the inside.","美人骨，世间罕见。有骨者，而未有皮，有皮者，而未有骨。世人大多眼孔浅显，只见皮相，未见骨相"
well, this is the second part of One and Only. It brings both ZSC and SY back together again in the modern world after their heartwrenching love in the past. Unfortunately, the show is only 10% linked to the previous season. Mostly, the show is prefacing how they make up for the love they couldn't have in the past. SY in the last life said "ZSC, if there's a next life, you must marry me first" and in this life, he did. There are many easter eggs in this show and a lot of flashbacks which hurts mi little heart :<
Now let's just talk about the story. The story is about ZSC and SY reuniting in this life again with lots of ups and downs, family's rejections, mismatch of timings etc. This show I would say is a little less 'thrilling' than the previous. Or at least near the end of the show where things spice up and your emotions really gets wrecked over.
The chemistry/love between the two characters are lovely, sometimes awkward because of how ZSC is like
but off-screen, the two actors are the total opposite of what their characters are, so it is very alarming and impressive that they could act totally different personalities of characters!
As for OST, most of them are reused but these 3 are my total FAVS!! Zhang Bi Chen - As it is, Cheng Xiang - Shi Guang Hong Liu, Mao Bu Yi - Give You Give Me
I ended up buying the actual novel and I will be reading it once it arrives!
PS. Check out my review on One and Only! keke
//EASTER EGGS! SPOILER
- Shi Yi is surnamed Shi and named Yi, because before she jumped, she begs to be removed from the Cui family tree and to drop her surname as she felt that she has disgraced the family.
- In some episodes [specifically the first few eps], the scenes at ShiYi's office, there are chalk drawings of CUI ShiYi touching ZSC nose bridge in the first season!
- Hong Xiao Yu [different Chinese characters but spells out the same name!] is still Shi Yi's best friend across the two lives!
-Mei Xing is actually ZiXing from the past life[the evil prince in the first season] and now he is ZSC best buddy!
- SY had a speaking disorder in her first life so she became a voice actor in her second life <3
- This is pretty obvious, but in both lives, the couple wrote the poem[上林武] together in the library
- Modern life SY hates RED, and loves PALE GREEN! Why? In her past life, she wore pale green to worship her master [ZSC] and wore red during her last moments.
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The story was perfectly solid, although there was nothing remarkable, and it had some weak points overall.
The main plot is simple enough: Are they going to save the restaurant in the end, or not? Then there's also the question of how they're going to learn to get along with the new head chef Ezaki (Eguchi Yosuke). I’ve recently read a book about group dynamics and leadership and some things in this drama sort of illustrate really well the things I’ve read about. It could be argued that the story is predictable in both respects, but that wasn't a problem for me as I felt that it was always interesting, and there was character growth and development in the way the characters related to each other.
The characters in this drama are easy to like. They all have flaws and personal issues, but there are no annoying characters in Dinner! Most of the supporting characters got to be the main focus of an episode, and I liked that as it made me get to know everybody and care about them all. I felt that the story was very good for a drama in this genre - it's about people and the food they love to eat and cook.
There wasn't any romance in the main story arch of this drama but Tatsumi Saori (Kurashina Kana), the manager of the restaurant is sort of the cute princess to Ezaki's knight in shining armor. He’s grumpy, and a no-nonsense kind of person. He's very strict and extremely serious about food, a perfectionist, and doesn’t care if people think he’s scary as long as they do their work well. But he’s not mean, prejudiced or vain, he’s a really good guy under a rough surface. Ezaki's passion for food boils down to the fact that he loves to make people happy with his cooking. That makes him happy, and it motivates him to keep growing as a professional. This makes a lot of sense to me and personally I find this kind of character appealing.
What I liked less was that it felt like the story was dragging a bit with some of the episodes. It wasn't always interesting, so this drama was a bit uneven and not quite as amazing as the first few episodes led me to believe. Still, it was far from disappointing; I consider this my favourite of the dramas I watched during the late autumn of this year! (I didn't watch it while it aired.)
Also, while it's super cute, the enthusiastic "Let's all do our best and smile because we're like one happy family!" attitude can be a little bit tiring sometimes.
The acting was convincing overall, but I found it to be a little bit over the top at times. I really liked Eguchi Yosuke most of the time, but when he became too wild-eyed with excitement, I felt that the drama was bordering on cartoon-ish, which felt out of place.
Most of the time, this drama was well-balanced between humour and serious themes, but although definitely enjoyable, this drama was not as perfectly composed as one of Ezaki's dishes. Oh, and speaking of Ezaki's dishes - the cooking scenes in this drama were good. I wouldn't have minded even more closeups on the food, but I'm not disappointed with what I got. This is not a drama about people who just happen to work at a restaurant, the drama is about the restaurant, so food is definitely an important part of it.
In the comments, some people have mentioned the ending. Well, in my opinion, nothing else would have made sense to wrap up this story in a good way, and that's that. I liked it.
I never have a lot to say about music in my reviews, and this time is no different. I really liked the ending song, and the music overall was nice... but I don't feel that this has any significance for my overall rating of the drama.
While I enjoyed this drama a lot, I don't think I would rewatch it. I've never rewatched any drama so far, and there are very few that I could see myself rewatching in the future.
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The best version of Boys Over Flowers
I usually don't write reviews but I had to this time. I have watched all the versions of BOF and for me, this Thailand version is the best. I loved how the story was modernized and effortless. Compared to the other versions I liked how the ML was humanized in this version. I also loved the pace of the story and how well it progressed. The chemistry between Thyme and Gorya was amazing. The friendship between F4 members was strong and we could feel a strong connection between them which I felt was lacking in other versions. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this version and also its amazing OST's.Was this review helpful to you?
The love in this drama between each of the characters especially my baby Ha Seon was so sincere that I never got tired of the situation life threw at each of them. The best thing about this drama was it made me laugh or warmed my heart through each episode. The chemistry was there for each of the characters even though the show was not like your regular romcom because it didn't focus on sexual desire but pure love. Also the male actors were so handsome that I wish I was Eugene throughout the show. I definetly recommended it for all to watch.
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This review may contain spoilers
I was excited to see another Bai Lu drama, but to me this drama didn't meet my expectation. Was hoping it would be a cute story but this drama just packed too much. I got a little lost watching it at the end. I felt this drama was kinda choppy in it's plot development... Let me try to summarize it.... Male lead is from the Upper Jiu Liu ( aka upper class person) He has a clothing business.
Female lead is of the lower Jiu liu ( from the lower class) where she is the leader in the Dragon Bamboo sect. Two people from two classes come together to solve a case of missing gold thread from the male lead 's store/factory. ( Many episodes were about this case , which i didn't find particularly interesting). The female lead gets to stay at the store to unravel what has happen .Beside the Dragon bamboo clan there is a snake clan , who does evil and try to inflate the silkworm. They were also behind the missing golden thread. After the case is solve, the female lead is there in the shop as a designer, and help design different thing likes bras and pillows to sell to the public. In their shop there is the second female lead who has an evil father. The evil father basically tries to kill the male and female lead because they know of his evil and deceptive ways. He gets saved because , he actually has another identity, he's a crown prince. Just like that the story turns and he moves Chang An.
There is also a mystery behind the female lead's identity, but the big reveal was just kinda confusing and like wth ? it took way too long for her to solve the case/find out why someone killed her master. she goes into the royal palace and tries to find more , but she doesnt really find much information.
Also the female lead is suppose to be a leader of the dragon bamboo clan , but i didnt find that she had the characteristic traits that fit. I mean she is a little loud, rough , brave and can drink but she doesnt know martial arts , so she cant protect herself, while on the other hand the male lead who is from the upper class and is much more tamer knows martial arts and kicks butt!!!
The female and male lead pairing didnt work. I didnt feel like they had chemistry at all. Like it took so long for the female lead to figure out she liked the male lead. The male lead was a little too stone cold face lol, but he was cute when he smiled. I felt she had more chemstry with the second male lead. They didnt have enough screen time to build that relationship up, maybe one incident, but afterwards nothing so it was left to dry lol ( dont know if you know what i mean) So if you are looking for romance, this is not the drama for you !
I think they gave a little too much time in showing the relationship between the second male and female lead. I didnt like the fact that he turned evil, but at the end had such a wth ending.... ( dont wanna ruin it all) Also the evil father has an evil daughter.... Didn't like her either, a lu cha biao!! green tea b....
What i liked was the relationship between the female and male lead's servants. Their story was pretty cute!! They ended up falling for each other.
I mean this drama is bearable, watch at your own warning! hehe
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Started out SO good, but left me disappointed in the end
Final edit now that I finished the show.A couple things ruined it for me:
- The moment Nan Chu became famous. It changed the whole show, I didn't like it, and I felt like her character changed all of a sudden. We knew her as a rational, level-headed girl, and suddenly she was oh so willing to go against everyone's advice to enjoy her dating life. What do you mean you didn't expect the papps to follow you to the funeral, girly you're a star now (though even that felt weird)
- Da Gang's death?? It felt unnecessary and weird, I don't know why they added that
- The ambiguous ending. You can try to reason with me all you want, but unfortunately, and against my own best wishes, I also believe that the male lead died, and I HATE it. Don't watch the last 15 minutes, they're confusing lol.
Overall, the show was good, although the last 14 episodes felt like a completely different story to be honest. Some episodes felt tedious to finish, and I felt weirdly disconnected to it, which is a shame because I loved the first 26 episodes. Certain plots were either brought back (the annoying senior actor and the starlet), or introduced (Nan Chu's parent's love story) that I simply didn't care for. I found myself skipping half episodes to get to the point simply because they felt like fillers. From the beginning, I was "eh" about the 40 episodes total, and after finishing the show I can say that it dragged in the last episodes. It did not need that many, and I would have preferred a clearer ending. Either he is dead, or not. Not something that can be both or just the one, based on your own interpretation, especially in a show like this where it's literally between either life or death. A clear cut would have been better.
I was about to give the show 7/7.5 stars to be honest because of the things I didn't like that ruined it for me. Sudden stardom and a weird character development, unnecessary plotlines and the ending just kinda left me disappointed. The actors did such a good job, and I will definitely pick up another Huang Jing Yu drama because his acting was especially great in emotional scenes. The romance was perfect for me when Nan Chu and Lin Lu Xiao just started getting to know each other and slowly developed a mature relationship. I also really liked the comradeship between the firefighters, they really felt like family. The last two episodes and the episode with the banquet fire (30, I believe) sort of made me give the drama very weak 8/10 stars - it did manage to pull my heartstrings one final time.
(edit: changed the rating to 9/10 because I am in L O V E).
(edit updated to episode 26: I still love everything about the leads and their relationship. It's mature and sweet, both are very confident in their partner and support each other wonderfully (be it emotionally or regarding their careers). This has to be one of my favorite romances in a while, it brings me so much joy to watch Nan Chu and Lin Lu Xiao together, the way he softens when she's around him is just absolute madness! Now, we have gotten a lot of conflict within the station in the last couple of episodes, and I'm excited to see where this will be going, and how this will be resolved, since we have 15 episodes left. Overall, this show makes me incredibly happy, and waiting for new episodes is both exciting and excruciating. I'll be going away for a little while, can't wait to find weird ways to download the episodes so that I can still catch up with everyone because reading your comments is really fun! 🥹👍🏻 AnywhO, I hope those who abandoned the show too early, or who were unsure whether or not they should start it, give it a second thought. Under all the firefighting (propaganda), you do get a mature romance and nice bromance and relationships between the characters; it's a very heartwarming show so far!).
I'm giving this an 8/10 for now but I am in love with this show. The first episode was already extremely impressive for me, the cinematography did not disappoint. I don't quite know how they filmed these burning buildings etc., but it looks so real!
I already love the female lead and male lead; their chemistry is so good despite them not having too many scenes with each other just yet. I like how they are both very mature and serious without being boring. You can see in the female lead that she is a strong-willed and hardworking young woman, and I love the actress so much for that. She was already really great in >Lighter and Princess<, and she proves herself as a capable actress again. Zhang Jing Yi is such a natural actress, she becomes the character with ease and makes me believe every single word she says! Huang Jing Yu plays his character very well as well. The way he is able to have a gentle, dreamy expression when he looks at the female lead (not always, but sometimes homeboy is entranced by her, can't blame him!) compared to the other two actresses (within the show, actresses playing actresses ha!) is just *chef's kiss*. But then, he is also the capable firefighter, who saves lives and lectures his disciples! Yet you can see that he cares deeply about his people and job.
I like the music a lot too, it's very fitting in every scene and emphasizes the emotions of the characters very well.
So far, the romance is very little, but very good. We get sweet little moments between the leads that got me kicking my feet and giggling, but I'm excited to see it develop into something more serious and solidified.
Now, this is a firefighter drama, so it does feel like propaganda.... but they kinda got me here. The comradeship and bromances between the firemen are actually really cute lowkey lmao.
I'm excited to continue the show, but for now it's a yes and thumbs up for me🥹👍🏻
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This drama was so disappointing I'm writing my first review (spoilers ahead).First of all, it didn't hook me in like most other dramas do, I couldn't watch more than one episode at a time (which is saying something). The first half was decent, but then I got really impatient and would watch half an episode and finish the next day because I got bored (and slightly annoyed at the lead's breathing, feels like he breathes more than he talks - yes, it can be effective, but it was over used).
Cast is fine, acting on the whole is pretty good, music is fantastic (have yet to watch a drama with bad music). The story has an interesting premise, but it lacks/fails in the delivery.
(Spoilers!)
I have issues with the premise that people who commit suicide never make it to heaven (which could just be the 'religion' of the show but that stems from very real stigma) and dissipate. And if that means they never get reborn, how is Kang Pil Sung meeting Hong Seo Jung at the end? (Cheesy.) I thought the souls Hwang Dae Du absorbed wouldn't go to heaven either? Did that change?
Hwang Dae Du apparently has OCD because it's convenient to the story line (except when it's not). If he truly had OCD, you would see his "compulsions [as] repetitive behaviors that [he] feel[s] driven to perform." But you don't. He's kind of 'obsessed' with Kang Pil Sung, and the answer as to why in the last episode is pretty unsatisfying/lame. His whole 'theory' he's out to prove that demons are made, not born, isn't showing at all. He taunts Kang Pil Sung "look at what you've become" and I just "???" I don't see it, until the last episode (briefly), which is too little too late.
There's no telling how or why Hwang Dae Du attains the powers that he does. Yes he swallows a few souls at the beginning (yes the shaman has powers), but after that? On top of getting a few psychic glimpses he can now move & break things? Immobilize & control people? Huh?? There's no explanation for any of his powers, they just show up, 'cause I guess that's cool?
Not to mention, if the whole world is going to hell (because the door is open), how the hell is that not sensed from the island? I can accept Hong Seo Jung doesn't feel Hwang Dae Du because of salt or whatever, but HELL itself? Engulfing the world? A few episodes ago it was made clear the effects were worldwide, so why would this tiny island be exempt??
Towards the end... well, I was surprised (at first) when people got killed, but when new characters were introduced I had an idea of what would happen, and then it did, no surprise. Was there a point to all the deaths? Meh. Later, the girl's rushed to the hospital, "any later and she could've died" from WHAT? Being knocked out? Poisoned? We'll never know! And to top it off, Kang Pil Sung is the suspect of SEVEN murders?? HOW? They literally have video of the other dude TWICE? Details, I guess, but as a writer, I can't let those slide. I don't mind dark/bittersweet/unhappy endings but they have to be done well, and it wasn't. :|
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This review may contain spoilers
No One Would Have Cared if the Secret Got Out.
A promising premise with perfect chemistry between the leads and solid support from the side characters. It’s clear the cast gave it their all, despite having very little material to work with. I mean, you can only stretch a half-baked love story so far, right?The story kicked off with some crazy ideas—an instant marriage proposal and everyone being cool with it? Wild. But seriously, if both families are basically one big happy family, why didn’t they just get married right away? They could’ve saved all of us a lot of time! Instead, the leads kept dragging things out, giving me emotional whiplash. The female lead couldn’t make up her mind, while the male lead carried the show like a champ, doing what male leads do best—keeping us hooked with charm and consistency.
But here’s where things went off the rails: one minute, they act married; the next, they’re back to awkward strangers. And let’s not forget the unnecessary secrecy—at work and at home. It’s like, why are you sneaking around when both families basically live together anyway? I know the male lead became her boss, but keeping their relationship a secret for that reason is so contrived it made my brain hurt. And again, the show is called “You Are My Secret”—but what was the secret? That they’re both wasting everyone’s time?
This is my eternal gripe with both Chinese and Korean dramas—long stretches where nothing happens. Either trim the episode count or give us more character development! Is it too much to ask to just watch the leads’ love blossom naturally? Instead, they gave us secrecy, unnecessary drama, and long scenes of... basically nothing. It felt like the leads were allergic to marriage and just burning through runtime doing absolutely nada.
Ultimately, the leads had potential, but the story squandered it by being repetitive and indecisive. I just wish they committed to the romance early on and let us enjoy the ride instead of dragging us through endless filler. If you ever feel tempted to watch this drama, prepare yourself—because the real secret? The only thing hidden is a sense of urgency.
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