This review may contain spoilers
shut up, dont think about it and GO WATCH
it has been a hot minute since im done with the dramaTHIS. THIS IS BETTER THAN AT LEAST 40% OF K DRAMAS AND THE BEST C DRAMA IVE EVER WATCHED
1. GET YOU ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT
2. THERES ROMANCE
3. ITS JUST SO GOOD
the synopsis helps explain everything without much spoilers and i tell you, no synopsis will do true justice to the drama. its just 15 episodes, 45 minutes each, even if you dont think its good at the end which i dont know why you would think that way, at least not much of your time is 'wasted'
OST not my type
chemistry is RIGHT THERE
super heartwarming. every character in the bus has a story behind, except for the internet celeb and the macho guy who was honestly useless :/
i just wish wang meng meng was able to tell her parents a thing or two in a way or another. i wished that her truth would have come out earlier so all these ordeal wouldnt happen. but legit a 100/10 drama, i will surely rewatch it. this drama is the first drama to make me scream and shout out of thrill and suspense. real good. im buying the novel like RIGHT NOW
fyi i watched without eng subs because chinese is my mother tongue, i dont think english subs would do that much of justice to the show as well. BTW there are like SHIT SHIT ton of easter eggs in the show! leave a comment on this review and i will perhaps share more that i know.
one that everyone should know is that wang meng meng and the FL are almost identical
1. they are wearing blue tops/outfits
2. have almost identical if not the same bag with the same keychains and pins
3. they both go to the same school
4. wang meng meng's mother taught at FL's high school
there are more similarities i just cant remember!
please go watch the show, it made me cried out of suspense and relief, no show has ever done that!
<3
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This review may contain spoilers
LMAO They Left Atom’s Arse In Phuket
The side characters in this drama were as interesting as chalk. Also, Atom. Child. You touch people with that hand!!That being said. HAHAHAKKJSHFN That ending bedroom scene was just foul!! How you gon’ do that in broad-daylight with your grandmother sitting right there?? The poor woman had to listen to her grandchild getting eaten for two days while making dessert. Yikes.
Also, for a show trying to be ‘gangster’ they sure forgot that random bathtub gangster real quick. Mfer got killed and I was like ‘Oh, so what happened with that gangster group?’ and the writers were like ‘Whomst? We don’t know them. They don’t go here. '
ACTING:
Listen, I sometimes think most bl actors take their acting lessons from a block of cheese, or from like one of those red bricks, but I'd be the first to admit that MeenPing has improved. Sure, I still went ‘Child, what are you doing with your eyebrows? And it's your arms supposed to be doing that?’ more times than I can count, but their acting did not distract me as much as it did in their first two dramas. So yaaay for improvement. Love that for them.
What distracted me though was Ryu’s parent situation. Like, it’s Meen ever going to play a role where he has loving parents? In their first drama, his mother took half his kidney and ditch him at the corner of like a soup shop, he ended up a lonely gangster in the second one, and his mother here made him sleep in the dumpster because he liked to play basketball. I’m curious what his next parents are gonna bring to the table.
CHARACTERS
Like I said, the characters in this show were as interesting as a pineapple. Literally, except for Chogun, I have no idea what anyone’s name on the team was. I think two of them became a couple because the other one collected parking lot tickets or something? Whatever, I guess every show needs background noise.
I liked Ryu and Zen, sure Ryu came with a lot of baggages, that one gangster friend? and his mother, and Zen had his sick granny, but I like how supportive they were of each other. I enjoyed watching them together, they didn’t annoyed me so much and MeenPing had great chemistry. My fav part was when they were mature enough to let the other follow their own dream. Finally, there was no unrealistic love gestures like 'I'll move to Phuket with you' and I cheered.
That being said, did Ryu leave his fancy mansion to become a hobo, where he gets beaten every 2-to-3-business-days because his mama won't let him play basketball??
Zen came off as a pushover and at times I wanted to throw sticks into his hair for being a dumbass. Literally, he had so many chances to push Atom into that damn pool but instead he ended up in his bed. It seemed like he was afraid of setting boundaries. Be firm boy, no you don't want to go watch no darn movie!
And Atom. Oh ATOM. Antony my boy. Why? Homeboy just won’t give up and leave. Am I the only one who was like ‘aww poor Atom, such a nice guy, he deserves better’ in the beginning but somewhere along the way every time he showed up went, ‘My friend go sit somewhere, that’s enough of you.’ No really, Atom’s first coach must have told him the meaning of rebound, and homeboy decided to make it his entire personality, cuz why the eff did he keep coming back knowing full well he had negative 2.0 chance with Zen?
And what the eff was up with all the nonsense romantic gesture he made for Zen?
Listen, Romantic gestures are supposed to make you swoon and go ‘awww’ You know, like in the episode where Zen got on his tiny bike and rushed after Ryu when he was kidnap for the how-many-times-can-one-person-be-kidnap-and-beaten-until-it-gets-boring time? like:
ZEN: Ryu, wait for me, I’m coming to save you. I have no plan, no fighting skills. I in no way told anyone where I was going and of course I did not bring anything pointy or sharp. But, I love you sooo much and I am coming to rescue you. *in-love noises*
Me, slowly chewing my popcorn while Zen was being thrown around like a piñata.
ME: Dumbass nooo... they beaten your arse…yous is bleeding…but awww you came to save him. *cries in stupid love* #sosad
So yeah, stupid arse romantic gestures are supposed to make us swoon. So tell me why every time Atom made some sort of romantic gestures I wanted to snitch to his dad about it like: ‘Atom’s dad, come collect your boy, he’s out here making unnecessary romantic gestures and embarrassing his ancestors.’
Literally, nonsense stuff Atom did that no one asked him to do.
- Confronting his team alone: His arse got beaten and all he got from Zen was sympathy.
- Given up his scholarship: Sure, there’s nothing wrong with being in love with a guy you met under the public pool one time, but given up your future because the boy you have a crush on’s boyfriend got beaten is wild. Like was that supposed to make Zen fall for him?
- His arse getting left in Phuket. LMAO, what, he thought getting Zen that scholarship was going to make him love him? Boo-boo.
His character was created to be the second lead that never got the guy, so he didn't bring a whole lot to the table. Sure the writers tried to make him mysterious, and interesting with whatever the hell was up with him and his dad, and sure he quit his future for a guy he met at the bottom of the pool one time, but like he was a very nice fella in the beginning.
And, yes, he was born with a hand and knew how to use the pictures on his phone to you know—do stuff, but like, he was still such a nice fella until he got on my nerve for always inserting himself in their business, like dude, read the room, you are the elephant.
Side note: Atom sure knew how to use that photo galley on his phone huh?? ^^I don’t understand why he want a boyfriend when clearly, he and himself can have a good time all on their own. See how quickly the whole thing lasted, his hand must work wonders.
Anywho, I wanted to know what happened to him in the end, but I guess I can be satisfied with his arse getting left in Phuket.
LIN LIN LIN.
What was the reason Lin fell in love with Ryu? It felt like she woke up one random Thursday and went. ‘Let’s see, what’s on my to-do-list today?’:
1. Pretend not the see my dad’s drinking problem
2. Ruin the school’s basketball team cuz im nosy
3. Fell in love with that guy I saw through the fence one time
4. If there’s time, put my nose in Ryu’s family problems, cuz, yolo right?
No, Lin having a crush on Ryu made no sense to me? Atom’s crush I understood. He met a cute boy while sitting under the public pool that one Tuesday. So he fell for his rescuer, but what was the reason Lin had a crush on Ryu? Was it because she saw him through that fence one time on the basketball court?
Whatever, her nosy arse was so annoying, getting in everyone and their mama’s business but ignoring her own. Child your father is a drinking away your collage fund, hows about we focus on that, huh? Good luck to that one dude who confused to her, now he has to deal with her and her drunkard dad.
PLOT
i actually found myself watching most of the game, instead of fasting forward. Good camera angles and I was intrigued. That being said, there was not much of a plot going on here. The gangster plot went nowhere. That one bathtub dude died in a black scene, and these children who just witness so many deaths went home and took a nap.
Zen’s grandmother being sick got annoying, because what’s with parents figure hiding their sickness? It vexes me every time it happens. Do they think them suddenly dying and leaving their loved ones alone without any closure, and feeling guilty for not noticing their sickness will be the better option?? Arrggg.
And was Ryu’s mother allergic to basketball or something? homegirl was doing too much. Like, go take a nap.
Also, why the hell did the writers expect me to cheer for that coach? He’s an alcoholic who deserved to be fired. He caused the death of his wife, and still keeps drinking, even at school, and what does his daughter do, give him more. And even when he was in trouble for it, he was still drinking it in front of the students. The way I rolled my eyes when the board voted for him to stay. Talkng about ‘I wanna keep coaching’ how about you coach yourself some rehab first!! Nonsense. And did his hair keep getting blonder?
FINALE
The ending was rushed. We didn’t get to see why the school board change their mind, how it was in Phuket, and what became of Atom, but I guess this half baked conclusion is better than waiting for a season two, no?
I was so happy when the team lost, cuz Zen is such a dumbass. Who the hell tells his team and bf his moving to Phuket seconds before a big game? Literally, he couldn’t have waited?
And also was the other team waiting for them while they were having their moment in the middle of the game? You know, cuz now it’s the time to hug and take a breather. ‘Yes, you moving to Phuket. So what do you want, a medal?’ Thank God they lost, I’d have riot if they won.
HJAJAHAHHA LMAO. They forgot that gangster friend who found him in the dumpster, only to bring him in the finale and have him literally disappear after he said like two lines. Then they proceeded to show us he turned into some hooded stalker, with a montage of his and Ryu’s time together, and I’m just rolling my eyes going. ‘Move it along, I literally don’t care about this person.’
With all that being said, y’all lying if you say you didn’t want that throuple during that awkward bed scene. Hush your face, you know you wanted it. But like, that scene made me laugh so hard—poor Zen, if only his pushover arse knew how to say 'no'.
Oh and, that theme song was dope!!!
Anyway, if you like basketball and MeenPing give this a watch, it’s good for passing the time, and I recommend it.
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This review may contain spoilers
I rarely ever write reviews of shows but I gotta write for this one. Why? Because I saw a lot of poor reviews and it made me postpone watching this.
Let's get down to business now shall we?
This is a show for the patient ones. Those that are not seeking steamy fast paced romance. Those that want all the healing they could get. This show is the definition of forgiveness and healing. It balances out every emotion you could think of. Anger, sadness, pain, happiness, loneliness and just gives you general warmth.
Is this Romance?: Hell Yes. There's tons of romance in this. Beware though, it is not a romantic drama. This is a slice of life.
Why should I watch this?: The scenery, the ost's, the production, the actors, the story, EVERYTHING.
To All those that said this show is slow, I won't say it's not, but what I will say is, the pacing is perfect for the gem it is.
SPOILERS:
While watching this show, when Hae Won found out about the truth behind her fathers death, I discovered a lot of people called her selfish for leaving and going back to Seoul and for disregarding her family's feelings.
I saw it as the opposite. I saw a woman who was hurt by her family. A woman who went through so much hurt that could have been avoided if only her family communicated. A woman who needed time to accept that her family was messed up. To me Hae Won's reaction was spot on. I would leave too. I would be mad at everyone including myself. I would need space to reevaluate everything just as she did. Remember she had a hard childhood because her mum was a "criminal." Something she didn't have to go through. That being said, I commend her for leaving to sort out her feelings.
As for Eun Seob....I've never been a Seo Kang Joon fan, until now. I fell in love with Eun Seob as a character and Seo Kang Joon depicted the character so beautifully. A hurt child who never expresses himself but always wants too.
As for the supporting characters, I ABSOLUTELY ADORED IM HUI AND JANG WU. They were real comic relief.
THE OSTS: Beautiful
OVERALL? Watch this and decide by yourself. Don't follow any one's review. I personally will be re-watching this sometime later.
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Frustrating and Wholesome
Fantastic, give me 14 of them right now.As an eternal single/introverted and awkward person in my 20s myself, I absolutely adored this show and related so hard to most of the cast. I need to be these girls’ friend. Cried so many times especially for Yido and Jiyeon.
I like how the makeovers in the beginning were not focused only on visuals but on what they personally wanted to work on and be better at, and I think for the most part every had there own coming of age story. Also I appreciate that the main message seems to be that everyone is deserving and capable of love.
My main and only complaint/things I think can be improved on next time if they do a second season, is for everyone to get the chance to have a one on one date with everyone (lowering the chance that they all like the same person), and that the mentors should be able to talk and help them throughout the week.
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‘Tomorrow’; Death Meets Satire In Rowoon’s Latest Fantasy Series…
Mortality is never an easy subject to tackle in dramas. Based upon the eponymous webcomic (‘ 내일’) by Llama, fantasy series ‘Tomorrow’ decided to bring forth the topic of death in a powerful smorgasbord of social issues and topics. Instead of reimbursing the old cliché of grim reapers being harbingers of doom and death, ‘Tomorrow’ rebrands its morbid psychopomps as fashionably suave members of the Crisis Management Team, attempting to save certain unfortunate souls from suicide.
The series focuses upon an alumnus from a prestigious university, Choi Jun-Woong (SF9’s Rowoon-‘Extraordinary You’, ‘She Would Never Know’ and ‘ The King’s Affection’). Struggling to land himself on the job market, Jun-Woong’s life is changed forever when he ends up encountering angels of death Goo-Ryeon (Kim Hee-sun-‘My Fair Lady’, ‘Angry Mom’ and ‘ Alice’) and Lim Rung-Gu (Yoon Ji-on-‘Dear My Room’, ‘Be Melodramatic’ and ‘Jirisan’ ).
Waking up outside of his corporal body after an accident, Jun-Woong discovers that he has been physically rendered in a comatose state. He is given the choice by Director, Jade Hwang (Kim Hae-sook- ‘Precious Family’, ‘My Father Is Strange’ and ‘Inspector Koo’): he can choose to be trapped in his unresponsive body for three years, or he can work with them in a ‘’half- dead’’ state, reducing his comatose state to six months and then landing any job he wants after he wakes up.
Woong is assigned to the Crisis Management Team alongside Goo-Ryeon and(, by default of being her protégé,) Rung-Gu. As the unlikely trio attempt to work together as a team, Jun-woong soon discovers that his new position is far from being a walk in the park.
Adapted to the small screen by novice screenwriters Park Ran, Park Ja Kyung and Kim Yu Jin, ‘Tomorrow’ places heavy emphasis upon prominent social messages and themes.( Including sensitive issues such as suicide, the trauma of war, inequality, bullying, the generational trauma of South-Korean comfort women, depression, peer pressure and eating disorders.)
Without a doubt, ‘Tomorrow’ is a varied accumulation of satire, provocative angst and mirthful wit. Although the series was often tactful within its approach to various subject areas and themes (in particular helping to offer light-hearted respite in-between heavy-hearted points of the narrative), the screenplay could admittedly feel somewhat out of place at times with its attempts to balance between hard-hitting messages and comic relief.
Of course this is not necessarily to say that the comedy shouldn’t have existed at times. Certain issues tackled in ‘Tomorrow’ were certainly supposed to be heavy-hitting and the requirement for an interim of slapstick comedy or comical exchanges was certainly necessary. (In particular, this was shown at times by Park Ran, Park Ja-Kyung and Kim Yu Jin being able to strike a surprisingly harmonious balance for most of the series through the kaleidoscopic array of themes and contrasting tones for their audience.)
However despite certain commendation certainly having to be given to the trio of screenwriters for their consistently provocative themes and tones, ‘Tomorrow’ could sometimes feel as though it disengaged between its plot and themes. To explain this further it is important to reiterate that comic relief was often quintessential within the screenplay in order to offer respite from darker themes and subject areas.
On the other hand, it did become noticeable at times that the series would often fall victim to divulging deeply into comic exchanges. This would often divert attention away from building-up the narrative events and characters, or alternatively struggling with the opposite problem by failing to allow a necessary brake or moment of light-hearted respite for audiences to grapple with events or characters. ( This seemed to flare at times later in the show in episodes such as ‘’Someday, Because Of You’’. Although the episode tackled a heartfelt subject area and was surprisingly bittersweet , it often felt as though the prominent meanings behind the messages in the episodes weren’t as reinforced as they could’ve been.)
Of course, this is not to make out that the entirety of the writing for ‘Tomorrow’ was inadequate or unwatchable in any way. Although perhaps certain issues ( in particular mental health and eating disorders) were perhaps
not fully explored by the screenplay or given speedy outcomes , ‘ Tomorrow’ often placed a certain level of open finesse with addressing issues and helping the audience and the characters coming to terms with them.( In one of the later episodes of the series entitled ‘’Spring’’, the audience were supposed to be particularly hit home with an onslaught of emotions with the controversial and historical subject area of Comfort Women, focusing on a dark chapter in South-Korean history.)
Naturally this brings up the discussion surrounding character-writing within the adapted screenplay for ‘Tomorrow’, as well as the performances by the main cast. Perhaps one of the most notable roles in the drama is given to main male lead Choi Jun-Woong, played by idol-actor Rowoon.
Rowoon has often been the subject of intrigue and debate with his previous career trajectory as the ‘’ leading man’’. Nevertheless, Rowoon offered a fairly consistent onscreen performance as the main male lead and it is fair to say that for many viewers, this could easily be seen as one of Rowoon’s best performances yet. As the main character of the narrative and storyline, Jun-Woong embodies what many would probably classify as the ‘’everyman’’ trope.Of course, this wasn’t a bad approach per say. It is sometimes common in fiction to see a main character become a medium for the audience, especially with a character being uprooted from their mundane, everyday life and being placed in an unfamiliar world or setup.
For main lead Jun-Woong, this was evident through being caught between two worlds: the afterlife and then the everyday mortal world. ( This was also shown arguably through Woong being conflicted in initial problems with common problems of interview and job struggles and then again with attempting to navigate his new role as a member of the Crisis Management Team .)
However, this also brings up an intriguing debate with regards to Jun-Woong’s character-arc. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Jun-Woong is purposefully supposed to be flawed at times. Naturally this did not always enforce Woong to be placed as ’ heroic’’ figure at all times within the series.
He had his evident flaws and ‘ Tomorrow’ placed heavy emphasis upon some of Woong’s values feeding into an evident critique of social conformity by South-Korean society vs developing subjective morality and beliefs. ( In particular the screenplay would sometimes bring this idea up in early episodes with Woong’s shared social views on issues such as bullying, before contrasting this in later episodes with the main lead developing his own values and standpoints.)
Although it certainly allowed Woong to act as an embodiment of social views, it is noticeable that this often forced Woong into playing “ certain roles” in order to propel the storyline. Again, this isn’t always a bad writing decision but it did often feel as though there were some poorly tied loose ends such as Woong’s own personal struggles with his situation, his backstory and personal goals were often disregarded until the ending of the series.
In addition to the casting choice of Rowoon, it is hard to ignore Kim Hee Sun’s performance as grim reaper Goo-Ryeon. Hee Sun’s acting career has been eclectic and while respectfully her acting performances have varied, the actress’ pink dye job certainly helped Kim Hee Sun to embrace her suavely mysterious onscreen persona as the female lead. Alongside fellow costar Yoon Ji-On who played her laidback mentee Rung-Gu, audiences will likely find themselves tearing up and laughing at the antics of the two characters’ interactions and appearances onscreen.
As an onscreen character, Goo-Ryeon is arguably one of the most enigmatic and intriguing characters in the series. She is often fairly detached from overtly emotional displays like Woong but she is impassioned by her cause to help others. Initially viewers are supposed to remain uncertain of Ryeon’s onscreen presence. In particular, her unconventional acts of tough love towards the main lead and those she is seemingly supposed to save will bring about topics of intriguing debate for viewers.
However as the series soon reveals, Ryeon’s root cause for her actions are sourced from genuine sincerity for her position as a member of the Crisis Management Team, especially as a result of her complicated backstory. Naturally as a consequence of this writing point, ‘ Tomorrow’ placed heavy emphasis upon her mysterious backstory in the latter half of the series, similarly echoed to a lesser extent with side character Rung-Gu also.
Despite both characters having their fair share of traumatic and difficult backstories, it often felt as though Ryeon’s character arc felt a little rushed in particular. . Of course while audiences certainly did see a few hints of foreshadowing at times earlier on in the series ( in particular with Ji-On’s trauma), it certainly felt as though some of these backstory revelations and plot twists could’ve been developed or built up. There was a lot for viewers to digest with regards to Ryeon’s past and her important connections to other characters but due to an anticlimactic buildup, the momentum of these events rarely felt as though that they had reached their entirety even by the finale.
Aside from the main characters, it is also important to mention about some of the reoccurring characters of ‘Tomorrow’ also. Model-actor Lee Soo-hyuk ( ‘ Vampire Idol’, ‘The Scholar Who Walks The Night’ and ‘ Doom At Your Service’) starred as Park Joong-Gil, the straight-laced head of the Humanitarian Management Team who shares a complicated past with Ji-On, as well as Kim Hae-Sook playing the role of the Jade Hwang, the head director of the afterlife and the bureau of grim reapers. The supporting characters certainly had their necessary roles to play in the events of the narrative. In particular during the later events of the series, viewers are given several surprising backstory revelations but admittedly these side characters felt as though they deserved more screen time or interactions with the main cast in order to build up their character arcs slightly more.
Then of course there is the discussion surrounding the execution of the series. Perhaps it is important that ‘Tomorrow’ decided to offer viewers with a fairly systematic approach; introducing viewers to main lead Woong’s predicament and his unlikely alliance with the main leads, the new dilemma or issued faced in the episode, the reactions and causes of debate for the characters and viewers, the dilemma reaching its climax and then helping to resolve or bring a conclusion to the events of the episode.
This approach by the trio of screenwriters certainly allowed the screenplay to tackle a wide array of issues and problems. However, it certainly did not come without its problems either. A lot of the storyline’s early plot objectives were rarely sketched out aside from the “ mission of the team”, leading seemingly important events or obstacles for the main leads being disregarded at times and then being given half-baked conclusions by the ending of the series. As a consequence, the ending of ‘ Tomorrow’ will likely leave viewers with mixed-feelings; bittersweet and certainly offering a denouement to the events of the storyline but rarely tying off all loose ends or bringing a complete feeling of satisfaction for viewers also.
Stylistically under the leadership of directors Kim Tae Yoon (‘Another Family’, ‘New Trial’) and Sung Chi Wook ( ‘Special Labor Inspector Jo’,‘ Kairos’), ‘Tomorrow’ was often caught up in an impressive onslaught of aesthetic shots and glossy gradients, with mood lighting and tones helping to add emotional turbulence and significance for characters and viewers in certain scenes. Perhaps one slight nag with the cinematography came through a lack of consistency. Rather than attempting to stick to a particular consistent form of filming or shots and tying these scenes and moments with the worldbuilding and lore of ‘Tomorrow’, the extravaganza of surrealist scenes and panned shots heavily influenced by big-budget movies felt somewhat disengaging from the screenwriting and world building at times. Nevertheless it is fair to say that ‘ Tomorrow’ did boast an impressively stunning array of imagery and scenes.
The OST for ‘Tomorrow’ was comprised mainly of a collection of modern pop tracks, varying somewhat dependent on personal tastes. Perhaps there may be certain songs such as the surprisingly upbeat rap song ‘’Red Light’’ by J.don and the morosely lovelorn ballad ‘’My Loneliness Calls You’’ (‘’나의 외로움이 널 부를 때’’) by Suran which will appeal across the board for viewers.
The sixteen-episode webcomic adaptation will offer viewers with a surprisingly heart-wrenching mixture of social commentaries, traumatic character backstories and comic relief. At times, ‘Tomorrow’ often struggled slightly with maintaining a harmonious balance between its writing and messaging. ( This often lead to parts of the storyline feeling rushed or lacking a sense of completion such as the ending or certain character arcs.) However for those looking to indulge in a fantasy series beyond the surface level with some prominently current social and critical commentaries with a touch of traditional Korean folklore and mythological beliefs in the modern world , then ‘Tomorrow’ will certainly offer viewers with a good watch.
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A fine series with an emotionally charged MDL rating
Let me start by saying that if the low rating for this series is putting you off from watching, be aware that the MDL score has been severely skewed by viewer distaste for the studio that produced it. This distaste has also affected the way many MDLers have responded to the storyline and performances by the actors. (If you're at all skeptical about this, just peruse the other reviews here.)Given that the MDL community has seen to rate this series on a curve, for a more accurate score you should probably add 20% to whatever you see when you visit its MDL page. As I write this review that puts the number at 8.28, which rounds down to 8, and this seems to me to be a fairer appraisal of what you get here.
What I came to appreciate most about 2MTA is how the main couple's relationship is depicted. Once Tatch and Lom get together, their approach to one another becomes a model of how two people with mutual love and respect should communicate and work together to overcome any issues that arise. Misunderstandings between them are promptly cleared up and have the impact of only making their relationship stronger.
Another endearing aspect of their pairing is how Tatch's determined pursuit of Lom has the effect of transforming Lom from someone with a victim mentality into a man who is confident and trusting, and willing to smile. (At the outset Lom spends a lot of time frowning... lol) It seems to me that the moment when Lom finally becomes brave enough to take a chance on Tatch is in Episode 4, when Tatch sings a karaoke love song to him -- a song that actor Danny Disatharit sings live on-set as the scene is filmed rather than have the soundtrack patched in later, as many other series would do. This adds to the intimacy, as Danny's singing is sweet and charming. Within the context of the story its sincerity seems to finally allow Lom to see Tatch the way Tatch himself has been striving to be seen.
It is also refreshing to see that between the two guys the charismatic one, Tatch, is the pursuer. In casting Tatch the production found an actor who is, frankly, gorgeous -- tall and strikingly handsome, with an athletic build. To emphasize the differences between the Tatch and Lom characters it does seem that Mark Vachara Promma, who plays Lom, was given a "make-under" to heighten the contrast, resulting in him looking a little mousy and plain. When viewing promotional material for the series and Mark's Instagram I was surprised by how good-looking, even glamorous, he is in real life.
There are several NC scenes, which (granted) are not a must for every viewer, but what I like is how they're a welcome acknowledgement of real life, where when a couple first gets together they usually have a hard time keeping their hands off each other. This contrasts with the "one and done" approach that many other series take, as though the intimate content is something to check off the list and get over with. That's certainly not the case here, where the main leads get together several times, and in a variety of ways. ;) I should add that their excellent manner of communicating with each other is an aspect of those scenes as well. Again, a nice change of pace from the usual.
As for the six original "2 Moons" characters, who were recast for a second time for this series, I came away less impressed with their storylines, which give us so many of those things that the Tatch-Lom relationship avoids: mainly jealousy and long drawn-out misunderstandings. Ironically, these three couples are supposed to have more mature relationships than Tatch and Lom, having been together for a couple of years, but what we get from them becomes tiresome to watch.
One other nitpick is the introduction of a silly kidnapping storyline as the series nears its end.
And what about the writing, acting and production? Well, I could easily name four or five series from 2022 that have a poorer storyline, worse acting, and crappier production values than 2MTA, but have been given higher ratings despite it. While the performances here were at times awkward I generally found them to be quite good, especially for a bunch of newcomers. It certainly didn't detract from my own enjoyment.
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Why romance when we have bromance !!!
Am a big fan of medical dramas and love seeing all the surgeries and doctor-patient interactions. But this drama is just shot in the hospital premise and has a little medical aspect, it's more of the ghost world. with ghost and doctor helping each other to fulfill their needs to survive the cruelty of the world proving the title GHOST DOCTOR so apt.●PLOT VIEW
Having seen a lot of K-drama, I had known that the secrets are meant to be known by villains, benevolent, and some family members. Wherein some try to use this secret and some protect you, the same happens in this drama too. The secret of ghosts in the body getting exposed in layers is done geniously. This drama while maintaining its ghost essence manages to cover today's society of greed. But it highly disappoints in the romance section, because it seemed very unnecessary in this drama. The Ghost Cha Young Min who is an ace cardiothoracic surgeon goes into a coma. And he somehow enters the new resident Ko Seung Tak who is not skilled. CYM is rude but seeing KST struggle, he needs to enter his body to save the patients. CYM's body gets better when they both do good, so KST helps him to wake up soon.
Also, I didn’t like the senior doctors who want to transfer the patient just because they don’t have one genius doctor. Why are they even there if they cant treat the patients properly? I mean the interns are shown running around every time for emergency and surgery both. And seniors don’t even give the basic treatment to the emergency patient.
●ACTING/CAST
I loved the entire main cast of this drama, but KIM BUM's character is so amazing. He is a man of exception. His witty nature and Ghost impolite character were done exceptionally well. I have been a big fan of him and seeing his various character it's hard, to not be one.
RAIN was good, I never get impressed by him but he is good. His angst and rudeness are pretty good to watch. His struggles of being a ghost are hilarious.
UEE is such a good actress but this role didn’t utilize her. She didn’t have a big part in the story and just felt like a supporting character.
SON NA EUN was a friend and keeper. I wanted to see more of her chemistry with KIM BUM.
The three ghosts and their head Tess had also made a good part of the story.
●MUSIC
The music was mediocre. “I can Fly Away” is the only OST that gives the vibe of ghost doctors which I enjoyed.
●REWATCH
Overall I liked this drama a lot. As I can acknowledge the flaws It's not going to make my favorites list, but it's certainly one of the good dramas I've seen in a while.
●RECOMMENDATION
It's a good watch, The story was pretty decent but got a bit draggy near the end, tho it was tolerable because of the bromance storyline. The chemistry between the male leads is undeniable.
●FAV SCENE
When the three ghosts show CYM how to be a better ghost.
●QUOTES
A doctor can wait for the patient, but the patient can't wait for the doctor - Ko Seung Tak
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A Breathtaking Start to an Epic BL Fantasy which Started as a Masterpiece but Collapsed by the End
Rated a 10 out of 10 at the start but now an 8 out of 10.The Cursed Love started as an absolutely epic series. The opening was everything I hoped for and more. From the very first scene, it pulls you in with its powerful atmosphere, striking visuals, and a sense of mystery that lingers long after. The forest and mountain scenery are breathtaking. Lush, cinematic, and completely immersive. Every shot feels intentional, from the vibrant greens of nature to the magical aura layered throughout the landscape.
The action scenes in the early episodes are sharp and intense, blending fantasy elements with emotional weight. The production quality is genuinely impressive. The costumes, the lighting, the music. Everything comes together to create a believable and hauntingly magical world. The flashbacks add depth and tease a rich backstory that felt exciting to explore.
This was my first time seeing Au and Ongsa on screen and they were incredible. Their chemistry is so natural. The way they look at each other and that quiet overnight moment were soft, intimate, and genuinely moving. Their connection felt fated and promised something deeper than a typical romance. The entire vibe even reminded me of The Sign with its blend of mystery, fantasy, and aching emotion.
But as the series continued, the issues started piling up. The plot became messy and confusing with too many threads and not enough clarity. The romance between the main leads almost disappeared, leaving very little emotional progression. The villains kept shooting nonstop and it felt like characters were dying just for the sake of it. The GL couple and the second couple had no real development and their kiss at the end felt forced. The fighting scenes and stunt work became weaker over time and the product placement advertisements were distracting. Worst of all was the ending. It was rushed, incomplete, and filled with missing pieces, leaving the story feeling unfinished.
Overall, the scenery is stunning and the wind, fire, and water magic is a highlight, but the messy plot and wasted potential of such a strong cast turned what began as a perfect ten into a disappointing eight.
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Rant review
Hi, this is my personal review so you guys are welcome to disagree. No hate, please. I am going to go over the good and bad aspects of this drama.THE GOOD:
1. The story is quite unique. On paper, this story is perfect for a blockbuster series. You get three lifetimes of our main character where they will live differently each time. A perfect pitch for a great drama.
2. The chemistry of the main lead was off the chart. Bai Lu and Luo Yunxi have great chemistry together. As we saw from their previous drama "Love is Sweet". So there was no doubt that they will be great together opposite each other.
3. Music is somewhat good. Nothing unique though.
4. The fight scenes, where they fought instead of jump cuts and wire work, were actually good.
5. VFX in some parts was awesome. It would have been nice if it was consistent. You can actually see the potential of the VFX team in some parts of the drama.
THE BAD:
1. Execution of this drama was so bad. The whole drama repeated the same things over and over again. This drama was all over the place. The repetition of the same story made it boring. The three life showed the same old sappy drama, crying, and betrayal. You guys got three lifetimes, could have tried to do something different.
2. 0 character development of the female lead. Throughout the whole drama, the male lead tries to prove himself multiple times that he is a good person. Whenever there is some development between the main leads something happens and they are back to square one. If you actually love someone love like you mean it. The things that the female lead does was actually harsh and I get that was the main point of this drama. However, after living as Mingye and Sangjiu, there needed to have some significant development in their character and perception of each other.
3. Everything was way too rushed. At one point they were doing something, and in the next, they were doing another thing. Especially after the first 15-20 episodes everything happened in a blink. The characters didn't have any space to breathe. It was like the drama was in a fast mode and they needed to show the three lifetimes quickly.
4. Choppy editing. I don't want to judge the editors but man please do a better job next time. Apart from the jump cut, your drama needs to have some flow. Don't cut out important moments just because you are in a time restraint.
5. The second lead relational developments were so bad that it makes me want to cry at the wasted potential. Some of the character choices were also bad and unnecessary.
6. The costumes were so ridiculous that even the actors made fun of them in their BTS. Come on it's 2023 and we seriously need an upgrade from the typical costumes and color palate. "Sangjiu and Ye Xiwu's wedding dress was cool though."
7. Make-up was all over the place. In some scenes it was good and in some scenes, they just did the actors dirty. Stop whitewashing your actors. they look like dead people, especially Luo. In some cases, I get it was a creative decision but it shouldn't have been the case for most of the scenes.
8. Whoever thought that blood spitting is a great idea is clearly a sadist. When a character spits blood it conveys a message to the audience that something bad is happening or they are in danger. However, if you do it in every scene it just becomes nasty. At one point I was counting splatters on the actors' faces from the blood spits instead of focusing on the story.
Final Thoughts:
This drama needed to be divided into two seasons. In that way, the characters would have had the space to breathe and develop. The story would have also had the substance that it desperately needed. The only reason I finished this drama was because of the main leads. However, the initial excitement I felt at the beginning of the drama died out at the midpoint. The ending was super disappointing, could have done better. Hopefully, we will be able to see Bai Lu and Luo Yunxi together again in another drama. They are a super cute couple.
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Lost the potential of adapting a classic original romance story.
I have watched every Boy over flower adaptation: Meteor garden(2001/2018), Hana Yori Dango(2005), Boys over flower(2009) and have re-read the manga too many times to count. I'm trash for this franchise, so when I heard a Thai version was announced, I was super excited to see how it would go! I loved the first half of the drama, but unfortunately, after finishing the second half, it lost a lot of potential by having an unsatisfying execution of the boys over flower storyline. If you are a fan of the boys over flower franchise or want to know what the fuss is about, I'd still recommend this drama; just don't expect a lot of screentime for the main couple's romance in this drama remake. It's not the best Boys over flower adaptation for everyone, but it's entertaining most of the time.SPOILERS
Story:
Rating for first 8-9 episodes: 9/10-9.5/10
I absolutely fell in love with this adaptation for the first half of the story; as a college student too stressed to take a break, the only highlight of my weekend was catching a new episode of F4 Thailand! It started with a bang! The Japanese version(Hana yori dango) is my absolute favorite franchise adaptation. I was so thrilled to see that the Thai adaptation followed a similar storyline in the drama's first half. It did a great job to set up how Gorya started to fall for Thyme; I hated the whole Betrayal scene at the beach with a burning passion in the manga/meteor garden/BOF. I'm glad the Thai version also omitted that scene, similar to how HYD did. So things I liked OVERALL in the series
F4 friendship- it was a good amount of screentime to show how close and strong their friendship is and they had their bromance moments. Kavin and MJ were a funny pair! You can see how close the F4 are super close to each other.
Ren was the best version of Rui. I was never a huge fan of Ren's characters and never got second lead syndrome from him or the drama other version. I would either think he was pretty bland or feel bad for him since he always remained alone at the end of the story. The Thai version is the only one where I looked forward to seeing Ren! Ren falls in the list of characters in the story who didn't get the screen time they deserved! Still, given that only 16 episodes, I liked Ren! He supported Gorya whenever he could. There isn't a lot of screentime for Ren after episode 7, so maybe the writers just didn't have time to add Ren pursuing Gorya more, which I honestly didn't mind since I'm not a huge fan of the love triangle in the story anyway, lol.
Amnesia arc- It definitely should NOT have been that fast pace BUT since it was super short, the writers didn't have to add the bitch character who tries to steal the Thyme from the Gorya due to memory lose( I strongly dislike that whole arc in every adaptation/manga haha)
The chemistry between the leads - I like it! Despite the lack of many potential romance scenes, the casting choice was well done.I don't know why many people have a problem with Bright's acting; he was able to portray Domyouji(Thyme)'s character pretty well by pulling of a variety of wild emotions from acting angry, sad, confused dork, and love he gives Gorya takes a lot of energy to pull of this character. Thyme is not my best version of Domyouji for me cause Matsumoto Jun will always be my all-time favorite to pull the lovable dork off; however, I really liked Thyme and was always rooting for him whenever shit was getting bad; so well done, Bright! Even though I'm not a huge fan of Gorya's character development, but Tu completely nailed her acting for whatever the script told her to do. She's definitely a monster rookie actress; I still can't believe we're the same age! She's got a great acting career ahead of her! Bright and Tu have great chemistry, and it's a shame they weren't promoted as much as a pair due to their company; I'm hoping they can be a couple again in another drama someday!
Cinematography- I don't think it's the most important thing in a drama since the story is most important. However, it does add a nice extra layer, such as the directing shots/ locations chosen and camera angles that made the drama look pretty to watch.
Rating last half for episodes 10-16: 6/10-7/10
Pretty much the downfall of the series. Too many story arcs were being squeezed into one episode, resulting in Thyme and Gorya's love story being poorly executed since it was so rushed. There was soo much lack of romance between Thyme and Gorya; it was completely frustrating. Hana yori dango is a ROMANCE story between a rich guy and poor girl being the main center of the plot, but F4 Thailand made me question if I'm watching a coming of age/drama/comedy instead and having the romance be a filler. Based on the original Hana Yori dango series, the main leads have a very strong, passionate, and emotional love toward each other because they spent so much time in a relationship. But Thyme and Gorya's love was more like puppy love; it was not strongly developed as it should be since there was already a lack of romance in the second part of the story. Gorya and Thyme BARELY spent time as a couple. So when they had their rain breakup, it was so underwhelming, I didn't feel emotionally super sad about it cause they didn't spend so much time developing a deep, strong love relationship. Suddenly there was a 1-year time skip yet, after which felt strange. And I always felt like Thyme loved Gorya WAY more than Gorya loving Thyme equally back. They should equally love each other; if only they had more time to be a couple at least it would have shown. The drama tried to make up more of Goya's affections for Thyme in the last episode, but it wasn't enough to convince me they both strongly equaling loved each other.
Here are the many issues I had in the story:
Lack of screen time for some supporting characters that I grew to appreciate and enjoy in the original storyline and relationships built, which could have been improved if they had done 20 episodes rather than 16 potentially.
Thyme's sister
Gorya's funny dynamic family
Thyme's maid- The original story she was such a huge support to get the main leads getting together in the maid arc!! Where the hell did she go? She even had her own bittersweet backstory with helping Thyme in the original plot.
Thyme and Gorya's brother: I thought the writers would bring them even closer like how the Japanese version did. That would have been nice to see.
Kaning and Gorya's friendship- I absolutely loved Makino and Yuki's friendship in the manga! Yuki(Kaning)was such a good best friend; she was very important in the story for Makino(Gorya) to bounce her feelings to whenever she was confused about what to do with her relationship with Tsukusa(Thyme). Yuki's character was well done in all the other drama adaptations. However, I'm very disappointed with how the Thai version did to Kaning. I think she had the potential to be better from episodes 1-4, but afterward, I barely felt her existence in her characters.
Kaning and Kavin's relationship was not very development and underwhelming: second lead's relationship in this adaptation feels like a complete joke! It's so sad cause I liked the relationship built in the manga and other drama versions, but here, the Thai version doesn't care about them and gives a poor wrap of their relationship in one episode. Sometimes I forget they were even dating until the last episode.
Talay's (kidnapper) story was too long and unnecessary, I honestly couldn't care less about how close and special his backstory was with his friend which Thyme beated up. Instead, the drama should have focused and included more screentime to see how Thyme is not fighting back and getting beat up for Gorya since she could get hurt by the kidnappers. This was supposed to be a sad romantic scene between the leads, but oh well….
Thyme should have given Gorya the necklace AFTER ending with relationship with Lita, it was felt odd and concerning for him to completely forget that he is still in a relationship wit Lita when he did that.
Gorya's downfall: I like Gorya but sometimes I didn't because she was violent with Thyme. It was okay, I guess, back when she didn't like him and still felt Thyme was a bully; however, even after she came to love Thyme, she was still abusive by punching him on the balls, like wtf. How is this comedy? I might have let this pass if I was still in middle school; however, I'm in my early 20's now, and this is just wrong to see. It makes Gorya unlikable and hard to root for her to be in a relationship with Thyme:( Also, not trusting Thyme by blindly believing the Talay about the red card completely messed up all the buildup she had with her relationship with Thyme after episode 7. I know Makino(Gorya) is way too ridiculously naive in the manga at times and believes and forgives a lot of characters that she should not have done; however, I don't think Gorya should have been portrayed this extremely naive. Also, what are Gorya's goals in life?! We don't even know what she wants to do? At least in Hana Yori dango ,meteor garden and boys over flower, we know that Makino wants to be a lawyer, Shancai wants to be a chef and Jandi became a doctor. But Gorya doesn't even have any ambitions besides yelling all the time lol. Another reason why 16 episodes is not enough.
Thyme's mom redemption- so rushed at the last episode by squeezing it with the amnesia arc drama in just 20-25 minutes lol. The Thai version made the mom probably the cruelest and most evil out of all the adaptations, including the manga! The mom lied about having an illness to Gorya and not giving Thyme his medication to regain his memories until the very last 20 MINUTES of the drama. Last-minute, she finally lets Thyme and Gorya be together after all that so fast?! it just feels too rushed for her redemption. It could have been done in 2 episodes and slowly have her change and think things differently about Thyme and Gorya's relationship instead since she was so cruel from the beginning anyway. Suppose the drama was going to do their way. In that case, they should have cut the whole amnesia arc drama and just focused on ONLY the mom's redemption arc in the final episode, similar to how t Meteor garden 2001 handled it.
It's like the series lost its sense of direction of what made it so good in the first half of the series; maybe the writers were rushed when they had to make it 16 episodes cause the drama had so much potential to be better than what it became, it could have been 20 episodes max to improve on a lot of issues like deepening Thyme and Gorya's relationship, but unfortunately, a lot of things felt flat, rushed and underwhelming when the characters overcame to their challenges :( Maybe I would have enjoyed the drama more if I binged it like I was normally planning to, but waiting every week for a new episode made me very critical and reflected on each episode during that time.
I did like the final 10 minutes of the drama; glad they included the odd memorable F4 dance that happens in almost every drama adaptation! I was just bummed out Thyme and Gorya didn't get engaged; I was anticipating so much for a proposal, similar to how Hana Yori Dango did lol.
Anyway, I'm glad the drama is finally over with Thyme and Gorya having their happy ending.
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OFFGUN IN THE KITCHEN HITS SWEETLY DIFFERENT
I must say that people are being just too paranoid about this. After Not Me, Senior Secret Love Puppy Honey, Theory of Love. Everything about Offgun makes these guys undoubtedly one of the best and most successful onscreen couples in Thai BL. While of course each of these shows portrays them as relatively mature characters, I guess Cooking crush has given me something different.We've seen these guys act cute before, I mean there was I'M TEE ME TO but that was literally like a pure bromance, Cooking Crush on the other hand has given me a chance to appreciate these guys as a pair of naive Campus kids and the Comedy in this story feels right.
First and foremost, I feel it's worth noting that for me, seeing these two in a rom-com kind of plot after a full year is quite good, I have seen funny shows like VENUS IN THE SKY but on Screen I have never seen a couple that makes it seem that they are so meant to be like Offgun.
The Offgun Chemistry never dies out as I feel each of the actors are comfortable in their roles. Besides, I feel that they have got a more sincere progression in their onscreen Cooking Crush relationship than in pretty much any of those other shows that make the actors look like hungry sex addicts that I do not want to mention.
On top of that, a rom-com like trope is one you'll hardly expect to see Off and Gun executing very well but Cooking Crush will surpass your expectations. Trust me, the storyline feels simple, and we have seen how very many so called "simple and complicated storylines" have ended up this year, but Cooking Crush is nothing like that.
Is the show worth it? Yes. Cooking Crush will most likely drop in my top 10 BLS of 2024 because it has a catchy opening theme, it is a well paced narrative and shows you that even something simple doesn't need a lot of effort to become beautiful as long as it is sincere. Besides for Offgun fans, I dunno about most of ue but for me, this show hits just right.
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God bless you TV network and may you always entertain us with such dramas that I consider jewels. I can't possibly think of a any better way to say goodbye to year 2015 and welcome year 2016 than watching this beautiful masterpiece. I'm not the best writer and I'm not english native speaker, I don't have much vocabularies to support my reviews or to say the least about this drama so I really thought this over and over and decided to write one even though I'm sure it won't be good enough (that's how much I loved this drama).
I never had feelings for any show the way I have for this one, as soon as I open my eyes in the morning and as soon as I close them at night this drama never left my mind all day long. How long has it been for me to think about a drama during my daily life, and recall scenes and smile by myself just from recalling flashbacks? To be honest I don't think it ever went to that extent with dramas that I've seen, I don't think I got attached this deep before. I'm definitely going to have hard time letting go of this one and hard time getting back on track with other dramas.
Story
Taken from life, there is nothing new here everything you've seen and watched and might even have experienced. Two childhood best friends, never relaised their feelings for each other because of certain circumstances. Their friendship is so beautiful you'd wish you had someone like that next to you. I've seen friends turn into lovers but I've never seen it or felt the way I felt with this one. I love how simple yet deep this story is. As I'm writing this review now I find myself smiling...The story had so much depth had so much feelings to share. I find it hard to relate on the emotional and mental level when I'm watching dramas or shows because at the end of the day I'm very much aware that all this is created even if it's presenting real life it isn't real and those are actors.
However Bubblegum has managed to connect with me in every level possible I can't express enough how happy I am with this and how long I've waited for such a drama. To some of you this might be seen as a slow based story because unlike other dramas this drama does not have side stories, pretty much no events happening therefore it is taken as it's going no where and dull. I don't know how can I explain that this is not the case at all I really wish I can and I will try to. This is not a dull not a slow based story this is actually the THE ONLY drama that I've seen so far has something new each ep. In every ep the story has new feelings to share and new development of feelings. I never watched drama with a smile on my face all the time, I never cried in a happy scene in my life. In fact, of all the dramas that I've seen I cried in only two of them and they were sad scenes, I never thought that I would tear up for a happy scene. I guess I have completely forgotten that this is a drama I'm watching and those people aren't real, I felt for them I was supporting them I cheered for them I got hurt for them I felt their pain and finally I felt their happiness. Nothing was taken for granted in this story including their love it wasn't taken for granted and it wasn't easy to make it happen.
Acting
Lee Dong Wook as Ri Hwan: I love this guy, I respect him as an actor he never disappointed me even if his drama did. I was feeling sad for him because he's such a great actor yet his past dramas after Scent of a Woman were all flops. Everyone was telling him to take on a cable drama and I'm so glad he did!! I can never imagine Ri Hwan being anyone but LDW. This is when the character is written well enough which gives a great actor a chance to prove his worth and show his acting skills. Ri Hwan as a character is someone you will definitely be thinking "Can I have a friend like him" He is so sweet so kind and so caring, he chose to be traditional medicine doctor in consideration for those who fear hospitals (as his best friend did). I could't help but feel envious towards Haeng Ah for having such a friend. Ri Hwan's "Believe in me, if we are together we will be Happy".
Jung Ryeo Won as Haeng Ah: She is such a wonderful actress with a great smile, I always admired her which surprised me how come I have only seen few of her dramas!! This will change as I'm definitely going to be watching everything I missed on. I can't imagine anyone else as Hang Ah other than JRW she took in a simple yet deep character and gave it life and more depth I really believed that she is Haeng Ah and when I searched it turned out that she felt the character was very close to her personality (no wonder why it felt so natural). Haeng Ah is simple kind girl, she's very caring and sweet to everyone but not weak. Her character just like all the characters in this show felt real, not over the top not angels or devils but simply normal human beings with flaws. Haeng Ah's "The Happy Child is the meaning of my name, and I want to be happy".
Park Hee Bon as Yi Seul: One of the drama's strongest points, she portrays a very rich girl but how was it presented in this drama? very much different than all that I've seen so far, she is not skinny (which in korea means fat thick huge... you name it), her face is very much natural (I find it pretty) but according to their standards Big = Ugly, she doesn't dress up like all the rich female characters in every other drama, she is down to earth the most modest the simplest girl I've ever seen in drama and the most natural one. Korean dramas finally presented someone who I could see as normal and could be the girl next door, the girl I can see in my real daily life. Even though her self-esteem is broken because of her mother (which is also a character that is taken from real life as I know some mothers are like that) she still stands up for herself and makes a point without disrespecting her mother. She continues to be herself refusing to change anything she believes that is her true identity, yet she is still the obedient daughter who would listen to all her mother's demands as long as it does not involve her changing herself.
Kim Ri Na as Tae Hee: I love this character very much I love the kind of female character she is presenting. Tae Hee is a very straightforward woman, she speaks up her mind without the slightest of hesitation. Her spirit is strong, her personality is strong, she is open up with her feelings and is very comfortable to talk about them. She would go straight up on a guy and tell him that she likes him, she doesn't waste her time playing around with words or worrying how strange people would think about her. She may seem cold on surface because she's very honest but deep down she's very caring person and always looks out for the ones she love. I really admire her character and I wish to be as strong as her.
I would love to write about each and every character is this drama because I loved them all but because I loved all of them that's too many which would make review even longer. I love every single character, I love ALL the female characters (this never happened before). Every character was essential I wouldn't imagine it any other way.
Music
Beautiful!! I loved two OSTs
Because I by Lasse Lindh: This is my favourite, it's so beautiful that even my friends who haven't watched the drama loved the song so much they will watch the drama.
My Time Towards You by Alex: My 2nd favourite, I don't know how were they able to make such fitting OSTs 10/10 doesn't even begin to say it.
Rewatch
Are you kidding me? I'm rewatching this as soon as I submit my review. I have it saved on my computer.
Overall
When I talked about this drama I'm not just talking about the main couple's story, it's not just their happiness or their love story. It was about every single one of them every character got to share his/her story and love and their pursuit of happiness. This drama has different feel to it, so it may not appeal to some of you, I think it takes much more than reason of "entertainment" to watch this. I do hope that there are people who enjoy, love and appreciate it the way I do. All I can say is that I do very much from the bottom of my heart recommend this drama.
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Extremely Strong 1st Half Which Slightly Fizzles Out in its 2nd Half...
This was my first K-drama that I watch while it was currently airing. To be honest, I've never heard of this K-drama before. I was just randomly browsing through Netflix, saw the notification bubble, clicked it out of curiosity and the title "It's Okay To Not Be Okay" piqued my interest. So, I clicked on it, read the synopsis and watched the trailer. It seemed interesting so I gave it a try and BOY, am I glad that I did! The production was stunning! The animated opening was beautiful! The cinematography was interesting and caught my eye for being adventurous. By the middle of the first episode, I was hooked! With her stories, Go Moon Young is like a female Tim Burton, who I was completely in awe of back in the day when I was in high school. She also reminded me of Jo Yi Seo from Itaewon Class with her antisocial behaviour though I do prefer Go Moon Young more. Moon Kang Tae is extremely attractive and the most attractive male lead of a K-drama that I've seen thus far no doubt. The chemistry between Kim Soo Hyun and Seo Ye Ji is electric! The acting is all-around top notch! The story is intriguing and engaging! I loved how this is a drama with a mystery in its background about the unsolved deaths of the two leads' parents and the reason for the mental illness in each family. Without a doubt, the best drama that I am currently watching at the moment! Hopefully, the drama is able to maintain its momentum throughout the rest of its episodes!Upon watching Episodes 3, I continue to be impressed! Everything is just so good! The story. The acting. The production. The visuals. The costumes. Ugh. The back-and-forth banter between the two leads is just perfect! And I love how they can help each other to grow to become more fully themselves. And that last scene at the end where Kwon Gi Do is on stage having his voice heard whilst avoiding his father's campaign workers while Gang-Tae looks on longingly at his freedom and utter joy. STUNNING! To stop being so repressed and to just let go. To be free and have fun. I can only wish...
On a side note, I'm having a hard time trying to put my feelings of this drama into words. Everything is just so good! It's easier for me to criticize than to praise as I can point out plot points or story elements that don't make sense. However, if everything is consistently good from episode to episode, I don't really need to point out anything.
Upon watching Episodes 5 and 6, I felt that Gang-Tae's transition from being nervous and suppressed around Moon Young to being happy and loving seems a bit rushed. Same with Moon Young being cold and calculating to being warm and affectionate to Gang-Tae.
Watching Episodes 7 and 8, I kinda felt like this series is losing steam as it was pedal to the metal in the beginning but was unable to keep that momentum, which is understandably hard to do. The episodes are still entertaining, but I wouldn't say that they're compelling unlike the first few episodes.
Upon watching Episodes 9 and 10, I realized that the horror-fantasy elements that were present in the first few episodes kinda disappeared for some reason and the series became just a standard drama, though still a good one at that.
Episodes 11 and 12 were quite riveting as the mystery surrounding Gang-Tae and Sang-Tae's murder gets revealed and the romance between GT and MY is shown to be ill-fated. I hope that GT is realizes that it is not MY's fault that her mother killed his mother. We can't blame the actions of one's parents on them. And it looks from the preview of the next episodes that he doesn't blame MY. I truly hope that MY's mother will be caught and that MY and GT will have a happy ending... I'm so sad that there is only 2 weeks (4 episodes) left. I'm going to miss waking up late on the weekend and watching this drama right after I eat lunch :'(
Episode 13 was very slow and a bit dull to be honest. Only the last scene was interesting as it was shown that the nurse was the mother, not the patient. What an unexpected twist! I've always thought that the nurse was kinda weird and a bit off. But if I remember correctly, the nurse never interacted with MY. For someone who is willing to kill another to keep her daughter, the fact that she is able to distance herself from her daughter whenever MY visits the hospital doesn't make much sense. Either way, I'm hyped for the next few episodes! We're in the home stretch now...
Episode 14 was also quite slow and dull to be honest. I felt that there was a lot of filler as they drag out the confrontation with the mother. Also, there were a few questionable plot points, such as why GT decided to leave ST unprotected at the house instead of stay with him and MY at the cursed castle where he could protect them both. Also, why wasn't there any police at the cursed castle or any protecting MY, GT or ST? There weren't any police even looking for the mother, which didn't make any sense. And why didn't GT call the police after the mother kidnapped ST? Anyways, there's only two more episodes to go. I'm still interested in seeing how this series ends.
Episode 15 was underwhelming with quite a few plot points that don't make sense. The mother is angry that MY doesn't listen to her because of GT but MY thinks that her mother is dead. So, how can she listen to her mother when her mother is literally hiding underneath a different face? That doesn't make any sense. The mother's reason for killing GT's mother makes no sense either. All GT's mother did was suggest that MY go get help. She didn't try to take her daughter away or try to report to the authorities. There must have been teachers or other adults who saw MY's antisocial behaviour and talked to her mother about getting her help. If MY's mother is triggered that easily, she must have killed several people before which she hasn't. So, it doesn't make any sense. And anyways, I'm pretty sure that MY would be completely fine with GT killing her mother since her mother did kill his mother and she actually wanted to kill her anyways. But no, save the mother so that the mother could kill MY or GT. And anyways, how did MY get there so quickly without a car? The climax where GT and MY truffle with MY's mother was also quite underwhelming. Hopefully, the season finale will be better.
Episode 16, the season finale, was good. It wrapped up all the plot lines in a nice way and showed ST seeking independence from GT, allowing him to live for himself.
All in all, this Kdrama was entertaining. The cinematography and production design were excellent. The characters were well-developed. The acting was all-around good, especially Oh Jung Se who portrayed the autistic ST perfectly! His performance was Oscar-worthy! The story however was lacking. The first half of the series was strong! It was unique, interesting and fascinating. There was a fantasy/horror edge to it. However, the series delved into a standard melodrama in its second half and all that potential was wasted. The drama was good, but nowhere near what it could've been if it leaned into its macabre, fantastical element which would have differentiated it from the other Kdramas out there. Crash Landing on You, the first Kdrama that I watched, still remains as my favorite K-drama so far...
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