Completed
The Haunted Palace
25 people found this review helpful
Jun 8, 2025
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 3.0
Story 3.0
Acting/Cast 3.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

A huge disappointment for me...

I was really looking forward to this one — the cast is full of actors I love, and a fantasy storyline (which is rare and one of my favorite genres) had so much potential. But honestly, it ended up being a big miss for me. The plot just kept going in circles, only to focus on a romance I didn’t care about at all. Even the acting wasn’t that great most of the time. Overall, super disappointing — whether it was the story, the acting, or just the vibe. Maybe it’s just me, but yeah... big disappointment. The enemies-to-lovers was done really badly, like it already felt off from the start, and the main character didn’t work for me at all. I was looking forward the return of the real Yoon Gap and it was badly done for me so...

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Completed
Coffee Prince
25 people found this review helpful
Jul 4, 2015
17 of 17 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
Coffee Prince was okay, possibly even decent, but I didn't like it. For a drama that is lauded as being thoughtful, fresh, romantic and cheeky it came across as being disappointingly stale, languid and excessively long.

I'll give it to the writer of Coffee Prince for being able to deal with the topic of homsexuality in such a refreshing manner - especially when one considers how touchy Koreans are about the topic. Choi Han Gyul's struggle was believable and was dealt with much tact. The free and relaxed intimacy between the couples was commendable as well. However, there wasn't much going for the drama plot and execution wise.

The acting was hit or miss. It started off pretty decent, but even Gong Yoo's performance seemed lacklustre by the end of the whole parade. Yoon Eun Hye was clearly worse than she was in Goong, and asides from her crying scenes, she came across as incredibly concious of everything. I generally preferred watching the supporting cast as their performances were small doses of natural entertainment.

As with all shows about females who disguise themselves as males, one has to suspend an element of disbelief and just go with the flow when it comes to believing that Yoon Eun Hye could actually pass for a 24 year old male (she looked more like a pre-pubesecent elementary school boy if you ask me). So, I'm not going to criticise Coffee Prince for such a far-fetched premise; although, I would have much preferred for the big reveal to happen earlier rather than as late as it did, but more on that later.

My primary problem with the show was how the relationship and feelings between the leads developed and progressed. It was clear that Choi Han Gyul was totally, madly, selflessly in love with Go Eun Chan, but I never got the same vibe from Eun Chan herself. I understand that it is difficult to tell someone "Oh, hey, by the way I'm a girl" when they've thought you were a guy for several months, but Eun Chan's refusal to tell Han Gyul she was a girl went on for too long and her reasoning behind not telling him was selfish and self-serving. Her behaviour was unreasonably deceptive and she did nothing to ease Han Gyul's distress, everything she did was for herself and for no one else. It was difficult to believe that she actually loved Han Gyul when she continued to behave in a selfish manner after they were going steady. I get that she's poor and wants to prove her independence, but she never actually gave anything to the relationship and kept leaving Han Gyul hanging. The same thing goes for the other couple in this drama.

The second major flaw of the drama was how easily the men could be reduced to puddles of absolutely worthless misery. ALL of them were incapictated and emsaculated by the women who had them wrapped around their little fingers. Not one of them ever had a relatioship of mutual understanding with the woman that they loved. It was unbearable to watch such an unrealistic and exaggerated portrayal of male love.

Thirdly, the drama was meaninglessly long. I came to love for the fast-forward button on my remote control during the last 6 episodes. Needless exposition, supporting character story arcs that never developed and repetitive scenes where a change in scenery was the only difference all led up to an essentially fruitless finale. What was the point in having a two year time skip if the characters remained in exactly the same position as they had before? (Save for a few.)

I know that many people - especially women - will love this drama, and I can understand why it's considered a K-Drama classic because it has the makings of one (cliché + cliché + timeskip = classic), but I didn't like it as much as I liked other classics such as Goong. In my opinion, Coffee Prince is totally worth skipping. If you want a cross-dressing, reverse harem drama that is a whole lot of fun go you're better off watching Sungkyunkwan Scandal.

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Completed
Secret Relationships
25 people found this review helpful
Mar 20, 2025
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 7
Overall 9.5
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

Emerging from Darkness

From this drama's intro, the tone was set. This wasn't going to be some simple romance with a love square.

It was an intricately tangled, suffocating spider's web with Da On at the center of it all, fighting to free himself, all the while twisting into it more and more.

His all-consuming fear, confusion, indecision, heartbreak, anger, strength, and hope were portrayed as such visceral and vivid emotions I felt I was right there frozen, shaking, crying, screaming, and smiling with him.

With nothing more than the look in their eyes, I understood every character's motivation.

The attention to detail in this was striking.

And it dared to be more.

It unapologetically dove into physical and emotional abuse, manipulation, trauma, codependency, and self-blame. It framed the toxicity and harm our main ML experienced/was experiencing as horrifying as it is in reality. While others in the drama pointed accusing fingers at Da On, Secret Relationships didn't.

We heard his story from his perspective and got to see him slowly find it within himself to save and value himself and go after his own happiness.

It is a thoroughly engaging but not generally pleasant watch. If you are in a good place, I more than recommend it.

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Completed
Happiness
25 people found this review helpful
Dec 20, 2021
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 7.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 7.0

Just a watchable drama

One of the most anticipated kdrama of the year just for the come back of actress Han hye joo, and in the end it's finished with pretty decent watchable drama with nothing in particular. Ongoing watching experience is always different comparing to a binge watch so i don't know how you will feel if you watch now. But even for the ongoing time this drama failed in many factors even though they had all the liberty to bring out an outstanding show.

A zombie drama always sound interesting, but here the situation they were facing was not a serious problem at all. Also the screenplay was not so well written it includes many dragging moments and most of them were unwanted. The first episode was very promising but it never continued that promise, after 9 th episode the gear shifted slightly faster but still the dragging feel you boring.

Everything completely scattered, no proper characterisation, no intense situation, they must create a do or die situation inorder to keep the audience on the edge. But it failed. Still it's not a bad drama, it's a watchable drama, there were some thrills also the background score played a big part to minimise the demerits.

Try it if u interested :-)

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Completed
Celebrity
25 people found this review helpful
Jul 1, 2023
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 4.0
Story 4.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 4.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

A boring and dissatisfying reveal

Celebrity follows the rise and fall in popularity of a celeb with humble beginnings. What really piques my interest is the mystery behind our female lead's statement that she is actually dead.

With a stellar cast and a promising trailer... I was anticipating a lot from this drama. Also, it's directed by Kim Chul Gyu who also directed Flower of Evil, which is one of my faves of all time). I would say the pacing is great: the writers are doing a really good job at dropping breadcrumbs for multiple different storylines. The camerawork is also very creative and I want to praise it as it enhances all the emotions going on.

But my overall impression is not positive. After I watched half of Celebrity, the story didn't build enough tension for me. The depictions of wealth and glamour were quite enjoyable, but they're visual fluff that just doesn't really appeal to me. I was getting whiplash with one episode that would be so painfully boring, and then the next episode I saw the glimmer of potential conflict, but it never like reached the point of solid storytelling. Also, I don't personally feel as connected with the lead character. She lacks the charm for me to feel sympathy or buy her motivation. I feel like there's a lot about her that I don't know. So I didn't get invested in her relationships with other characters as well.

The last two episodes of this show were quite a drag for me to get through. Even though the episodes are short (20-30 mins), I watch them like in 10-minute chunks. I found the ending so dissatisfying. I wasn't shocked by any of the reveals. I wasn't happy. I wasn't sad. I was pretty emotionless because I could see that the show was ending and I just didn't care.

-July 2023, Yovita
Find me on Instagram: @kdramajudge

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Completed
Love to Hate You
51 people found this review helpful
Feb 12, 2023
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

Reminded me of old rom-coms

It's been so long since I watched a good K-Romcom, this reminded me of how this genre used to feel. Delightful from beginning to end, with charismatic characters, super cute and sexy moments, and the right amount of angst. I laughed and clapped through it the way I used to. 10 points.
I didn't know the cast and was blown away by the ML, hoping he gets more main roles as he knocked it out of the park (plus he has younger Hyun Bin vibes all over, which got me double excited). This proves we don't need huge productions with well-known names, but good storylines filled with chemistry.

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Completed
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha
51 people found this review helpful
by Sban
Oct 18, 2021
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 10
Overall 4.0
Story 3.5
Acting/Cast 6.5
Music 3.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

Weak writing and surface-level characterizations

I enjoy deep, meaningful slice of life interactions such as those in When The Camellia Blooms, Hospital Playlist, and Because This Is My First Life. In comparison, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha was a failed attempt. The script was written without the use of metaphors or stories, only direct, curt lines that are delivered as if spoken by an immature teen. There is zero wit, description, or complexity, which is the whole point of character-driven dramas. The only breath of fresh air was the backdrop of the beautiful seaside town of Pohang, which provided a light, airy feeling to each camera shot.

The directing and writing suffers from flawed execution. Either the cheese factor is overdone and cringey, or an unnatural indifference washes over the characters. For instance, when someone is in tears and pain, the other character just watches them in silence for five seconds before any kind of touch happens and even then, it's the type of pat you give someone who dropped their ice cream, not when there is actual trauma. Characters respond with trivial lines that sound something like, "It will be OK," and that's it. There are no further connections, words of wisdom, or stories shared in those meaningful moments. Characters are robbed of the chance to show how they are feeling, how they have grown, or how they are affected by what is going on. We are left to wonder what else they are thinking in their heads.

The lack of characterization also affects the story itself. The plot challenges in the first 3/4 of the show feel trivial because of the lack of follow-through on character growth and reflection. Even serious issues are glossed over and cut short. It isn't until the last few episodes that the writer suddenly decides to explore dramatic back stories and character development. The time in the first part of the show is wasted.

The actors try hard, but I bet even they were cringing at the script. Shin Min Ah plays Hye Jin as your classic cool-but-conceited woman, which could have worked had we actually been shown her inner thoughts and transformations. However, I like that in this role and others, she plays a smart person as opposed to a damsel in distress. Kim Seon Ho as Doo Shik comes across as overly breezy, hollow, and idealistic for far too much of the story, until the end bits. When we finally learn about his past, the weak script and characterization lets us down once again with more meaningless, "It will be OK,"*pat*pat* lines. I enjoyed Lee Sang Yi as the TV producer. He brought charisma and energy to his flat character. I liked that both male leads were good people. Finally, a shout-out goes to supporting actors In Gyo Jin as the bumbling District Head, and his strong, kind ex-wife played by Lee Bong Ryun. Of all the characters, they had the greatest number of heartfelt, meaningful interactions. The rest of the townspeople were one dimensional or just plain annoying. What a shame that this was the case.

In the end, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha paints with hollow, cringey, sepia-sweet colors to create nothing more than a postcard with no message. Although the actors tried to deliver, the writing, directing, and lack of characterization ruined its potential.

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Completed
Captivating the King
196 people found this review helpful
Mar 5, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 14
Overall 5.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 5.5
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

DISAPPOINTING AT BEST, INSUFFERABLE AT WORST.

***DISCLAIMER: THIS IS JUST MY OPINION. YOU DON'T HAVE TO AGREE AND I'M NOT HERE TO ARGUE WITH ANYONE.***

To sum everything up in simple terms:

- Disappointing storyline, plot and flow of events.
- I lost interest at episode 9 and forced myself to watch the rest.
- Watching became a chore and it felt like the biggest waste of time.
- Female MC was badly written (I hate her character and I wish she died)
- If not for the ML (Jo Jong Suk) most people wouldn’t think of rating this drama kindly.
- This drama totally missed the mark for me and to be honest it was boring.
- I definitely would not recommend, you’re better off watching any other ongoing drama or critically acclaimed historical drama.
- I didn't even find the political schemes interesting because it seemed like child's play and was not very engaging. I felt like they were going around in circles for the entirety of the drama. ML did not have anyone on his side and they were all trying to undermine and sabotage him in some way / shape or form. The worst part is the woman he loved tried to kill him even though he tried being very honest with her.
- The whole narrative of being captivated and how they tied it in was bs. If you watched from the beginning you could easily see see that the FL falling for ML would be her downfall and she was the one who would end up captivated.
- The chemistry between the leads were lacking and their love / kissing scenes sucked. In the last episode especially it was painful to watch them interact because it seemed so forced. Their love was not believable at all and the FL looked very uncomfortable. I wish I could erase their scenes from my mind bc they just gave me the ick.
- The drama pissed me off, especially due to the fact that they were sleeping together and he didn’t even figure out her name or demand to know it until the last episode. They’re just so irksome. FL especially she is so trifling ughhh.
- I believe FL should try another career. She's pretty so she can model or do brand deals instead. I feel like I have given her enough chances to redeem herself but she is still the same as she was in Black Knight. She has the same expression (looking like a damn deer in the headlights) throughout the entire series and was almost always crying.
- If you want to watch this drama for the romance I advise you not to. You will be disappointed. If however you still want to give this drama a chance because you love Jo Jong Suk and political schemes (which imo were cliche) then by all means be my guest. I however, would not put myself through that again because I believe that one person should not be expected to carry the weight of the entire drama on their back.
- With all that said, I give this shit show / mess of a drama a 5/10

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Completed
The Eternal Love
38 people found this review helpful
by steph
Aug 2, 2017
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 4
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers
After watching a disappointing Princess Agent I was skeptical about this drama because the main characters are not that good looking but after reading postive reviews about this drama I thought I would give it a try. And wow am I blown away it's completely hilarious and very light hearted. The last time I have laughed this hard was go princess go! The female main characters double personality is hilarious and she pulls it off so well. It's very believable and hilarious. The love between the 2 main characters are so sweet and keeps me completely interested in the series. Everything else is mediocre and repetitive in storyline about palace drama. I also have never seen any Chinese drama focus ofnmental illness too. This is a first time that a mental illness like dissociative identity disorder had been used in such a big part of a Chinese drama. Great job!

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Completed
Rich Man, Poor Woman
38 people found this review helpful
Oct 2, 2012
11 of 11 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 4.0
It's clear I'm treading on dangerous ground here, with a review which won't be generally agreed upon. Not that it has to be, but the fact that so many among the people I value the opinion of, found this drama very good, makes me ponder over my taste and choices. I've read and re-read every review, I've thought the whole drama over and I have tried to find it charming but I failed.
No matter how hard I tried, I didn't like it and I don't know why it encountered such a success.

I have problems with the plot, the characters and the ultimate meaning of this drama.

I found the plot highly un-original. Change a couple of names and the setting, and you're left with a déjà-vu: arrogant successful man is changed by simple, goodhearted woman, there's a second female who enters the picture, the hero's got some unresolved issues with his personal life, a lot of running around the city - for lack of any transport, I suppose - and there's the ever-present shilly-shally which goes on till the very end (accompanied by my yawning).

Fine, a plot doesn't need to be original to be well told. More often than not, the lack of suspense is successfully replaced by a strong characterization. And here comes the true sore spot for me: the characters.

Toru Hyuga is quite the obnoxious "genius", a pity he doesn't compensate his bad temper with any particularly charming trait. He changes, inasmuch as he becomes a little humbler towards the end, but I fail to be attracted to him even by a little.

Which makes it even harder for me to empathize with Makoto, who seems to be bewitched by his creativity and his success-driven nature more than anything related to him as a man. The result, in my eyes, is a badly matched couple of disagreeable people with no love chemistry at all.
What bugged me the most is the way Makoto's character is depicted. By what absurd criteria can a young woman who is good at her studies, has a formidable memory, can compile the income tax return of a little business in one night be called "stupid"? Yes, she isn't a computer genius, so what? Are our IQ defined by how good we are at computer programming? Instead of creating a character who could truly complement Toru's glaring shortcomings with her own talent, they gave us a woman who either laughs hysterically when embarrassed and blurts out the first thing that comes to her mind, or apologizes for... being stupid, of all things! As for character development: none whatsoever.

Asahina? One episode he's black, the next he's blue. Disquieting.
The only consistent, pleasing character is Yoko, but we all know from minute one what her role in this story will be.

On the good side of the charts are acting and music. They all acted their part very well and did their best with what they were given. I'm also ready to grant the drama a couple of intense, heartfelt moments, which manage to raise the overall score by a little.

Needless to say, I'm not going to re-watch this. I'm sure there's more to say about it, but I'm honestly tired of thinking this thing over when in fact I should simply borrow a good MDL friend's definition, call this drama "harmless" and forget about it.

°°°°
Edit: someone rightly pointed out my wrong use of the word shizoid. I apologize and edited to correct the mistake. :)

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Completed
The Devil’s Plan Death Room
38 people found this review helpful
by Aurora
May 20, 2025
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 6
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 3.0
This review may contain spoilers

When Charisma Gets Replaced by Scheming

Can we say… kinda? I mean, in the first season, the winner was way ahead of all the other contestants. You could see their superiority from the very first episodes. They won purely through the power of their charisma and intelligence.

The new winner… how can I put it… ended up winning because his BFF dropped out at the last minute. He used her all the way through to the end. Maybe he's more in line with the theme of the show, but honestly, I would’ve preferred a winner who made it to the finale thanks to actual skills, not tricks and manipulation. Sorry not sorry.

I hope the next season focuses more on individual play. I know drama always works, but this season had way too many alliances that ruined the chances of some really interesting potential finalists.

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Completed
Pin Anong
38 people found this review helpful
by Ginger
Aug 10, 2014
22 of 22 episodes seen
Completed 12
Overall 8.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 5.0
At the beginning this felt like the modern version of Beauty and The Beast...
Yai the lost son of Khun Baisan comes back to his farm to get his inheritance and revenges his father's death from his stepmother...he appears as cave man with non-modernized behavior...scares everyone and pretends to be a gangster...he enjoys tormenting the beautiful young maid Pin...and forces her to be his wife...but he turns out to be a loving prince charming!
A very interesting plot...with one crazy villain...nice supporting characters...a mixture of Action, Drama, Romance, humor...that kept me hooked throughout the long 22 eps...it was smartly written that there was always something going on...no place for speed watching...I expected it to drag a lot but surprisingly it didn't...it also has many cliffhangers that will make you keep watching and it was filmed during airing which somehow made the drama quality even better!
The male lead character was smart, strong, dependable, playful, and very warm...a real prince charming...and Weir played this character perfectly...it's hard to imagine any other actor in his place...
But the female lead character was quit annoying - too good to be true - she was also very naive (he even used to call her stupid child) but she wised up a little at the end!
The N'ek and P'ek chemistry was very good...their scenes would always make me smile!
The music puts you in good mode...and I'm glad the main songs were sang by our leads!
I don't usually re-watch dramas but maybe in a couple of years when I forget it enough!
In short if you guys want a well-written Lakorn with lots of twists and turns with a cast that has a good chemistry and a refreshingly charming male lead character...I highly recommend this one!

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Completed
I Told Sunset about You
38 people found this review helpful
Nov 19, 2020
5 of 5 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

All I Can Say Is WOW!!!

This is DEFINITELY one of my top BL shows of the year alongside Cherry Magic!!! This is such a beautiful masterpiece of a show!!! I remember when the preview trailer first came out… I was already hooked!!! I was on the lookout for it and it did not disappoint me one bit when it finally started. I looked forward to seeing it every week. It made me feel all of the emotions. I was up here sitting in my room crying over everything. I don’t think any other BL has made me this emotional before in my life.

First, I would like to start off with the casting and characters. Billkin as Teh did a wonderful job. His character was a smart but confused individual. Given this being a coming of age type of story, I feel like his actions throughout the show were justified because he was learning to navigate who he was as a person like how most people do around that age. Coming into your sexuality can be a mix of conflicting emotions. I understand that it takes much time and reflection. I know some people were annoyed by his character but I think he portrayed it very well. (Side note: I know he had to be drained in between takes from all that crying he did lol It was almost giving me Third vibes from Theory of Love lol I just thought it was kind of funny but they both still had me feeling all emotional and tearing up so you know they were doing something right!!!). PP Krit as Oh-aew also did a wonderful job. To me, Oh-aew I feel was more secure in who he was as a person and of his sexuality than Teh so it was hard for me to see him be so distraught at how Teh kept on backing off from truly moving forward. Pining over someone who won’t REALLY reciprocate can be one of the worst feelings in the world. So, I truly felt his pain through it all. All in all, the two lead actors really DELIVERED!!! I could feel every single stare, every single body movement, and every single touch. You could cut the TENSION with a knife!!! No one couldn’t tell me that there wasn’t a magnetic true love between these two. I know this sounds cliche but it's like they were destined to be together. Also, I would love to see them in future projects!!!

Shoutout to Tan and Bas as well for sticking by Teh and Oh-aew sides and being true friends through it all even though they had to give up the possibility of a romantic relationship with the guys. They are the real MVP’s of this show!!!

The writing and directing on this show was impeccable to me!!! No cringy dialogue and every single line served its purpose well. This is movie grade writing. I saw some behind the scenes videos of certain scenes, like the hotel scene where there under the staircase, being directed and I loved seeing how meticulous the director was. He did a great job directing all of the scenes so you can truly see and get the meaning of everything.

I also wanted to quickly just say that I loved the attention and callback to details throughout like with the tutoring book that Teh made for Oh-aew that was left empty by the end of episode 4, the flower that was supposed to be colored the same as Tan’s garment but Teh colored it red because he was thinking of Oh-aew, the rubbing of Oh-aew’s back when he sniffles, the references to Teh’s favorite actor, and the use of Chinese phrases to get meaning across. I could go on and on but wow I just loved how they really connected all of the details throughout.

Also, the cinematography in this show is TOP FREAKIN NOTCH!!! Every single scene is just so beautifully shot. The cinematography alone makes me want to cry lol I saw somewhere that someone said the filming of the show reminded them of an indie film and I totally agree!!! They came with the high budget for this series and I live for it!!! The music throughout the episodes is beautiful as well. The OST Skyline performed by Billkin made me emotional as well. Billkin’s voice is just so pleasant sounding.

This show was a rollercoaster of emotions and it was one of the most sincere shows I have ever watched!!! I was worried it wasn’t going to end well considering all that went on in episode 4 especially but I am glad that it had a happy ending. When Teh asked Oh-aew to be his boyfriend... I SCREAMED in excitement!!! I can’t wait for Season 2!!! Also, it’s so beautiful how this community really came together to discuss and support this amazing show!!!

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Completed
Crazy Love
38 people found this review helpful
Apr 26, 2022
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 7.0

Don't judge a book by its cover.

My first impression of this show wasn't really good; I didn't assume it'd turn out bad but I thought it'd be a basic average story, full of Kdrama romcom clichés. To my surprise, it decimated ( destroying large proportion) my prenotions, it proved to be a competent romcom of the current trend, and stood out in terms of using atypical elements. (using the term "decimate" because it wasn't complete finished off)

Produced by Arc Media and broadcasted on KBS, "Crazy Love (크레이지 러브) [2022] is basically a romantic comedy Kdrama along with elements of melodrama and mystery. Written by Kim Bo-gyeom and directed by Kim Jung-hyun, the show was also distributed by Disney+ Korea.

The story follows the build up of office romance between a Private Education Academy CEO and his secretary, equally emphasizing the fight for power within the company and mystery of conspiracies.

Noh Go Jin (Lee Jae Wook) is the CEO of GO-TOP Education and top math instructor, who despite of his educational qualification, has created and made the company No.1, with his knowledge and capabilities. Being as popular as a star, he is loved by the public but known to be a selfish & narcissist by his employees. Lee Shin Ah (Krystal Jung) is an introverted lady with sedulous & responsible personality who has managed to keep up with his notorious boss, with the cost of her degrading mental health. With the dream of becoming an instructor, she contributes her best to accomplish her task and strives to make her ends meet. The story begins with Gojin getting into a threat, as Shin Ah gets entangled with his life, and furthers with the consequences.

Oh Se Gi (Ha Joon) is the Dep. CEO of GOTOP, the dearest to Gojin and Baek Soo Young (Yoo In Young) is the budding educationist and Park Yang Tae (Im Won Hee) is the CEO of Ilpum Edu. Other familiar faces in the drama are: Go Gyu Pil, Park Han Sol, Yoon San Ha, Lee Si Eon, Kim Ki Nam, Lee Mi Young, Kim Hak Seon, etc.

I have mixed feelings about the plot development, more than "mixed" it's like particular moods for particular portions of the entire show. As said earlier, for the pilot episodes, I was not really interested, but then it improved and finally sored to another level and made me wish hard for it to retain it's quality. It started going downhill, right from the beginning of 11th episode, I can't say how, but I think most of you can guessz since it's a romcom drama that has to result in unison of the lead couple. Anyways, enjoy it till the fun lasts, it's extremely funny and rarely angsty and there is least amount of romance for the first 2/3rd of the show, though there is a definite buildup of chemistry between the ML & FL. You'll know when the actual romance starts and even so it comprises of clichés scenes, I guess we sometimes crave for it behind the curtains? Haha. I would have loved to see more of Ha Joon's sides and also a complexity to the mystery plot, which somehow got lost in the latter half. Anyways, the ending sequence with extreme conspiracies and power trip was interesting and the show ended on a good note.

Writer Kim Bo Gyeom debuts through the drama, and from his bio, it's apparent that he must have been a part of good script teams, led by prominent screenwriters. Provided his experience, I would say that it is a beyond decent delivery, no? The pilot ep might not be impressive, but the furtherance is amazing and the buildup is worth looking forward to, though the ending sequence isn't as nifty or crackerjack. Given the cult-classic genre with a basic story, it isn't something very difficult to plot and write, but surely implies his skill as a debutant.

Director Kim Jung Hyun with a well-known career graph, is the producer of several popular dramas of contemporary trend. The management, execution, screenplay setup, screen-editing is up to par. The urban romcom and office scenarios were of apt mode. Sound production is probably the best thing about the direction, in my opinion. It's actually that good to be particularly mentioned, for any comedy drama.

There are 6 OSTs in total and they're crazy good, I must say. "I'm Crazy" by the AB6IX duo Jeon Woong and Lee Dae Hwi is a endorphin-releasing song with lyrics that depict confession. "Stay Alive" by formis_9 is a high beat yet soulful track about warmth of love. "Bite!" by NU'EST Baekho is an enticing song meant for motivation and inspiration to climb up the ladder in your life. "Dive into you" by uri love JAY B is a heart-touching & romantic track, and his vocals makes you cry as always. "May be" by DAVII is again a track of pleasurable and fun-living love, his vocal is always a favourite. Lastly, "Wide Open" by Juniel is a softcore romantic song with the vibes of old romcom ones.

What I liked...

# The steady plot development is likable and engaging; though there is nothing outstanding, but provided the fact that the recent plain romcoms fail to retain their qualities, this is comparatively pretty satisfactory.

# The uncharacteristic plot elements and concepts used are what make the show stand out the most, in my opinion. I had assumed it will have all the Kdrama romcom tropes and still wanted to give it a try. Even though the pilot episode didn't interest me much, by the end of the 6th episode, I ended asking my friend, "Where are all my cliché scenes at?" This was the exact line.

# Noh Go Jin, the character is another factor that, in my opinion, is helpful to extents, to make the audience keep going, like a motivational force. His expressions, his reactions to things he's told, his dialogue delivery and even his way of walking, everything makes him a perfect self-obsessed plus funny male lead, which most of us tend to love, no?

# The romance build up is fresh, yes, because modern urban romcoms tend to follow the old plots and there is zero sign of creativity. But, I am glad, even as a debutant, the writer has attempted to do something outta his zone; fortunately, the implementation was successful.

# The Comedy elements are the reasons, a viewer should look forward to and stick to the drama for the amazing ride, even so the initial episodes make you wanna drop.

# Sound editing is again particularly noticeable, especially, for the heavily funny scenes, and, particularly, involving Noh Go Jin. The unexpected violin notes and softbeat instrumentals during scenes where Go Jin is teased and made fun of, were so so so hilarious, I was very engaged to it.

What I didn't like...

# Once again, Krystal's acting was a turn off. I still don't understand whether it's her acting , that hasn't improved over years, despite her constantly doing dramas, or it is the characters sje play, i. e. Bbad choice of scripts? Nevertheless, she could be better and there always that ample amount of space for learning and improving herself.

# Limited screen share of Segi and other characters is what disappointed me a lot, specially in the later half and particularly from 11-16. Ha Joon is a good actor and despite his less experience, plus given the character's importance, he should have appeared more. Ok Hee & Soo Ho also should have been given more.

# The plot turning typical starting from 11th episode, made me go mad, though the cliché romance elements were insignificant & inconsistent. Won't complain much but I would have loved if they had retained their original way of development.

# Extending the previous point, the mystery plot, involving conspiracies and counteraction, was forgotten in the later half; sometimes it was completely gone. It would definitely affect the quality of the drama and reflected in the ratings, as well.

Final Remarks... "Crazy Love" which starts as a basic random show, progressed to be an worthy ride with unexpected elements, though turned into a typical mess by the end. I honestly don't think it's something that will suffice everyone's taste but it's a fair one time watch. If you're a fan of old-styled romcoms and crave such plots, yet looking for new things in one, this is definitely for you. You might want to fast forward a little in the last 4 episodes, and that's very fine, but I suggest you don't give up on this soon. I mean, yeah! I was also proved wrong, judging it from only 2 episodes. Go ahead :)

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Dropped 16/16
Guardian: The Lonely and Great God
105 people found this review helpful
by Ivana
Mar 10, 2017
16 of 16 episodes seen
Dropped 4
Overall 3.0
Story 3.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
The most overrated drama ... (pls read the whole review)
The female lead made me cringe. there were moments that had to make her look mature but failed... The writers probably wanted her seem like strong person- bullied and neglected by a lot of people, but even with such a hard life she keeps being super kind and joyfull, tries her best in school and ect... ok, that is good... but the writer forgot about her behavior. They trully over did it. She acted like a 8 year old girl, she way too cozy in a strangers house . I dont know if the actress (she is good) is in the wrong or the writers. I really tried to force myself to watch this till the very end ... Maybe the drama should have been about the grim reaper, cause I always saw the goblin more as a father figure to the female lead. Its seems creepy and she doesnt help with acting kind of spoiled sometimes. The goblin legit acted like a creep sometime tho, how is that sweet or romantic? I hope that those that liked the drama wont feel bad if they read this~ XD
I just wanna add, that I have seen similar type of "relationship" in real life to the one in the drama. Thats why maybe I am a little triggered. He legit can get registered as an offender (done something or not), cause she is a minor in the start. So ya, think about that and other unwise things Eun Tak did though the drama. Then you will understand maybe why I kind of dislike it :(

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