Reviews

I hate open endings

I especially hate them if it brings in some supernatural bullshit that they just don't explain at all. I mean, what even happened? Did time get reset? I don't think that would solve the dying problem. Especially since the only reason Zhan Wang was in this town in the first place was that he was dying. Didn't Xu Yuan trade in all his lifespan and luck for Zhan Wang to live a long, healthy life as well? Wouldn't that trade one life for the other? Can I just pretend that the comet killed them both and this is just another timeline? Honestly, one is just as confusing as the other.

Also, why is there just suddenly a comet that is going to destroy the town? Good on the comet, though, because good riddance; this whole place could use a good reset. Most of the people are horrible. I live in a small farming town where gossiping is a pastime, and it's not even this bad.

Specking of horrible, the father isn't the worst I've seen, but there is still no redeeming him, especially with the half-assed effort they put into it.

The acting was alright. Yu Qi (Zhan Xu) was very stiff & his character had so little personality that I couldn't care less about him or Bian Ye. They didn't have good chemistry either. Same with the GL couple; it was there, but they could have removed it and it wouldn't have negatively impacted the story at all.

If Zhan Xu is the second brother, where is the first?

Zhan Wang and Xu Yuan had decent chemistry. I really liked their cuddles. To me, the kissing can be possible if a good cuddle is included. I also really loved that they gave each other couple tattoos. Did it make sense that not only did they know how to use a tattoo gun, but did so perfectly and made perfect matching tattoos? Not at all, but it's different. I've only seen it done a couple of times. For some reason, I also liked Xu Yuan wearing Zhan Wang's necklace. This isn't a new thing, but for some reason it hit a bit different with these two.

The series also had a few inconsistencies & just questionable moments, especially in the beginning. Like the classroom would be empty one second and full the next. A new kid gets introduced to the class, and for some reason the teacher lets them socialize like they didn't have a class to start. Our characters would be randomly walking in an area for no reason we are given, just to run into trouble. We also, for some reason, have an NC scene between two couples when shit was going on that 100% made it not the right moment for an NC scene. There are a few other things, but I think I've made my point. All of these little things don't seem like much at first, but they add up.

On a side note, were the front shot of the school, its landscape, and the sky transition shots made with AI? If they aren't, they look like it.

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Slightly disappointing show for me

First of all, the elephant in the room is the casting of Park Jihyun and it seems like the makers just decided to give it to her after the popularity her recent hit You and Everything Else. But she decided to not put on weight and doesn't even look normal let alone look like someone with body image issues which was a point so many webtoon readers related to. They also discarded her character struggling to keep up with gym schedule when the work load gets high and yoga on weekends at home to make up for the guilt. She was a breath of fresh air to countless women. Park Jihyun also struggles with certain expressions to me personally and it always comes off as being sick or tired. Seo In Guk is not even given much to work with. Webtoon siwoo had a charisma and flair that was unmatchable and was truly a boss not one wanted to mess with. Seo In Guk on the other hand is just plain stiff. It doesn't work for this character since there isn't much comedy to make up for the dramatic stiffness. They had their own flaws in webtoon but it was messy in a good way. Here it's messy in a dramatic way. There was no task force in the webtoon and nothing was this dramatic in fact it captured the slow life of office. Now after I have talked about writing and acting, the director has also introduced some weird cuts but what saves the scenes is some of the locations, the sets and the absolutely perfect music. I am not mad but it's a disappointment for sure overall.

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Great casting but a poor story.

The premise that was set up with this show initially was a solid idea, the first 10 episodes set up a good plot with great chemistry. However the problem started once the time skip happened it felt that we watched a jumble of plots come together, and then had to start caring about characters that didn’t feel important to the initial story. Also I think since the writers got so focused on the subplot of this whole “corrupted gang” we lost the storytelling in romance. Now I’m aware this so really wanted to market the whole “mature romance” “I love story you’ve never seen before” but truly I think it just failed in that whole department. I think the cast all delivered solid performances but the story itself makes it a skip. Don’t waste your time!

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This epilogue really made up for the fumbled finale of the drama

Once again, I'm wondering why the epilogue is not included into the main series instead of being splitted on a different page. For me, this is the real ending of the drama and does not warrant to be separated from it as it is a straightforward continuation of episode 9 of the show.

Having said that, I am super happy with this epilogue. After a "finale" that I found disappointing (even if it did not diminish my overall enjoyment of the series), this episode really made up for it. It showcased the best part of the main characters relationship perfectly and provided a very satisfying conclusion. The only thing that annoyed me a bit was the soundtrack, and despite my love for the opening song, I don't get the choice to repeat it ad nauseam...But at least sound was less disturbing than in episode 9.

I would strongly recommend this to people that have watched the "main" series. It is really the continuation of the drama and provide a proper conclusion to the series. It had no reason to be separated from it, so make sure to watch it to say a proper goodbye to the characters, as it round up beautifully their rivals-to-lovers story.

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Love isn't easy, isn't it? But it still beautiful, isn't it?

I'm craving romance and I'm curious about Zhou Keyu (I know him from the truth), and of course Baobao Bao Shangen. And it's unexpectedly worth it! KE YU I SEE YOU!!

Story,
I expected a lot of general premises about modern idol drama. I know I will find a lot of misunderstanding. In an easy way, I expected common, but I got extraordinary! This misunderstanding is actually quite a lot yet surprisingly enjoyable. Thank you director, screenwriter, and the actors for bringing this beautiful story to life.

Acting,
OMG CHEMISTRY IS CHEMISTRY! This is the first time I saw Keyu and Baobao acting, how come I never decided to see them? Should I watch their other dramas?
Their acting actually complements each other. From the small gesture to happy or depressed scenes actually made me get a rollercoaster mood in the middle of the dawn. Sometimes crying, sometimes laughing without noise, or even punching my shark and sheep doll (because my shark got his new sheep friend now).
Even the backburner, second and third couple, and the other actors are soo good!
And Ke Chun! HEY I CAN SEE YOU BOSSY CEO!! Watching you in long drama is actually quite nervous, but GOD YOU SLAY THAT CHARACTER! At some point people keep calling you and that main couple are actually not acting at all.

Music,
I decided to put all of the songs to my playlist. Yeah, the soundtrack was really good!

Overall and Rewatch Value,
If you are craving for fluffy romance that makes you feel the softness of the clouds, the warmth of spring sunlight, or even the coldest pole, you can watch this.

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I was probably not the right audience for it

This drama is a live adaptation from the manga of the same name from Oshimi Shuzo. His work has apparently been adapted several times but this is my first contact with his story. I had no prior knowledge on it and I can't say if it is a good adaptation or not, however it has for sure the feels of a manga, and it is pretty dark and disturbing. The hero of the story, Kasuga Takao, is a middle school teenager, feeling suffocated by the remote city he lives in, surrounded by moutains. He hates everything about it and build a quite disturbing relationship with Nakamura Sawa, a girl from his class, who shares the same feeling of rejection about the place they live in.

I overall quite liked some of the more psychological aspect of the story but there is also a big part of over-the-top fetishization, which can feel quite jarring. It is also funny how the male lead, seem to have such a strong appeal for the female characters he met along his journey. This might be the most unrealistic part of the story, very in line with the harem shounen manga, with the "hero" being quite a "looser" but attracting girls almost "in spite of him".

Regarding the acting, it was overall too over-the-top, with some scenes feeling very grotesque. The cast felt also a bit strange : they are supposedly playing middle schoolers but it definitely don't feel like it. The actor playing the hero might have been the best at it (despite certainly seeming much older than the role) but the actresses felt kind of awkward at time. On the positive, the production value was good with some impactful and memorable sequences which I imagine strikingly mirror the higher beats of the manga.

I would recommend this to people looking for an impactful thriller, featuring adolscent turmoil. Overall, I did find some aspects disturbing, some others quite fascinating as it explores darker psychological aspects of teens, rejecting society. But at the end, I don't think I ever enjoyed the story per se, every character feeling pretty unlikeable and unrelatable to me. Though I was not necesserally receptive to the main's characters journey, I can understand the appeal, as it is a big fuck off to societal norms and the need to free oneself from it.

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okay but like this was so good

I actually really loved this! I think Perth and Santa both did amazing! I know people were hoping for a serious series from Santa and didn’t like that he half played a child, but I think he was perfect for this role! I feel like it was fun and chaotic. I love the storyline it was fresh and captivating.

My favorite thing is that it starts with them as a couple already. While I love watching the couple meet and fall in love and get closer until they finally get together over time, I can’t help but love it when we’ve got a couple that’s already together. I love the flashbacks to their younger days as well. To me, this was a great series and I would definitely be down to rewatch this!

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While Promising Plot become Bogus

I was expected to get Ju Jihoon and Ha Jiwon on one drama and ends up being disappointed. The acting were quite good i have no complaint but the sole problem is execution of the story. The plot was quite promising about political figure married actress only to ends up hiding actress past about sexuality preference and cover the dark side of politic world

I quite like chemistry between the girl, Nana always gorgeous but they quite messing with the pace and it completely make me lose the way of watching this drama only forced my self since i love both of the leads and Nana.

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Successful Old Formula

Okay i was quite picky with K-drama and actually i make some draft of my review only to be deleted by system. So I made this review quite late. Personally I think Lim Jiyeon is sole key on this drama, her characters were quite remarkable for Shin Seori to Kang Dang Shim with completely different way of speaking and she always nailed since i watched her in High Society. The chemistry between Lim Jiyeon and Heo Namjun was quite okay for me even it not on the level with overload sparks and it feels minimal due the duration since they got 14 episodes. The emotion about Seori struggles are quite emotional.

Heo Namjun as Cha Segye are quite call for current Male Lead of k-drama. Yeah Segye was quite red-flag boss in real life (when he sad, employees need to suffer to) but somehow get interested with Seori. The Romantic Comedy in this drama was quite practical and some of his speech were quite witty. Cha Segye secretary were quite talented for making impromptu comedy and the banter were quite fun to watch.

My cons about this drama was the ending was quite rushed and feels anticlimax about Mundo action. Mo Tae Hui acting stills need to be refined since most of her part was quite stiff.

Still deserve to be rewatched.

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Is everybody blind or what?

Suggestions for the show:
Get better glasses
Sharpen your pencils
Make episodes longer
Take care of fire hazards

Mr. Coffee waited too long to confess to Eunwoo, and bro should've never brought Mr. Red Flag back. There were too many couples and whenever they got together, they ended the next episode like Ms. Tumor showed up and then left. Jae Won kept hitting the same disgusted face each episode and it got to the point where I started cringing. This Mr. Red Flag guy was partying with all the ladies and still decides to stick with Eunwoo, what kind of lazy writing was this writers? Legit the last episode when they were at the airport, Eunwoo was literally right in front of this guy and didn't even turn around to see him. I can't believe they didn't communicate for a whole year without any messages or calls. Then dude had to wait 1 year to confess and fly all the way back to her. Like how did he even find her walking in that same place from the older episode and what are the chances that they kissed on Wednesday at 3:30 PM? (get it) The other characters in this drama except for that nice couple that got together were all unimportant and weren't necessary. I hope I never see this cheating husband ever again because he is just a walking red flag and he doesn't deserve anything.

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finally some good food in the supernatural "horror" department

Didn't expect this to be good, but I ended up binge watching all the episodes in one night (currently it's 4am lol).

It's very entertaining and the acting is top-notch, literally stellar performances from everyone, especially the senior cast. The plot is constructed quite nicely for a supernatural horror (even if a bit predictable) and the special effects are pretty good, I even liked the stylistic choices (more roughed up costumes and realistic make-up, dirt and blood if needed in the scenes). The camera work also wasn't bad (used a few smart tricks to cover sensitive issues) even if the route they took to adjust the action/fights scenes was a bit questionable at times.

Have to say I loved the main characters and got invested in their gruff friendship immediately. I may be the odd one out, but I was glad there's was no romance, since I prefer them as platonic soulmates; their relationship was definitely build up on the trust and care they have for each other (but if you wanna ship them, the chemistry is there so dw).

Strongly recommend to give this drama a try if you like The Guest or Kingdom. Solid 8.5/10 for me.

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A Good Watch, But Not a Great One

Sold Out On You is good. Not necessarily great, but a fine watch. I've just completed the show, so here are my pros and cons.

Pros:
- I loved the beginning and middle. The whole plot with it being a little rom-com with some angst from her trauma, insomnia, and depression was fantastic. As I was first watching, the part that brought me in was the where the FL was over-using her prescriptions and the color was falling onto the screen. I wish the story was more of a rom-com with angst scenes instead of going into a serious show and removing the rom-com completely.

- Despite what many think, I did enjoy the main couple. Just because they weren't "omg my hearts pounding every second when they are screen" doesn't mean they were lacking. They were calm, and I really liked that change when it comes to couples in K-dramas because I don't see a lot of it. My heart didn't have to race when they were on screen together. It just felt calm, comfortable, and at peace when they were together which is something I want in a romantic relationship.

- I love Eric. Honestly, I wish he had his own show. But in this show, it was a relief he wasn't a villain because I was getting major creepy vibes from him, but he was just a genuinely good guy in the end. Also, I loved how every time Mecchori thought of Eric, French music would play. As someone who is French that is a real fact. Wherever we go, French music will play.

- Many hate how the FL was mean to her father but idolized her mother. I, however, found it VERY realistic. I have a few relatives who were without their mother. Although their other guardians cared for them, loved them, fed, & clothed them, they always had an idolization and longing of their mother despite her never being in their lives. Seeing the FL experience this felt very natural as someone who knows this happens. People tend to long for the parent or parents they never had.

- Mecchori's second-hand man finally got some love. I've watched a many K-dramas, and my mans is in more than most. Sadly, as he usually plays the second-hand man to the rich ceo guy like how he is with Mecchori and Mecchori's actor in Business Proposal, he NEVER gets love. I felt so happy seeing him finally get with someone.

- The little girl was the best character. She was so sweet even though she was suffering from a terrible skin condition. Even to the people who made the cream and promoted it, she was so kind to Mecchori and FL. I'm glad she got a happy end with her skin condition getting a bit better with the Noori cream. Also her relationship with Mecchori was the sweetest thing.

Cons:
- The main story with the creams and the villains was a bit boring. I even found myself skipping lots of portions in the last three-ish remaining episodes due to the blandness. I do like the idea of the cream plot, but it could've been better with some better writing.

- I wish they kept the FL's "sad" story for a bit longer. In my personal opinion, that was the best part of the show. However, they kind of swept it under the rug after a few episodes and didn't really mention her troubles again.

- I hated the little girl's older sister. She hated the FL for something she didn't do. Don't get me wrong, I would hate someone too if they promoted a product that was harmful, but that's not what I'm trying to get at here. She despised the FL but not Mecchori? Although there were a few scenes where she did show hatred for the man who literally MADE the product, but a second later she is like "omg Mecchori please help me." Hate for whoever wrote her to be like that.

- The writing could've been WAY better. I know many compare this show to Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, but after watching, this show is NOTHING like HCCC. However, I did wish it had writing of HCCC, so at least the story could have been portrayed better. Also, the writing for the twist could have been better. It was quite predictable who was bad or "would be" the villain.

- I did not care for how we need immediately who would end up with who. They played the stupid cheesy music a new couple would meet. Like we did not need that for some couples who were literally only mentioned in passing and didn't get screentime or any development.

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