Reviews

I'll be totally honest: I still enjoyed this show a lot and would definitely watch season 2.
The main reason I got curious about it was all the fuss around MewArt (that I adore so much, as a couple and singles too) and also because of the work of Lazy Subber whose commentary made me laugh like nothing else xD
I will recommend this series if you're into something romantic and intriguing, but at the same time funny and easy (nothing too serious).
Also, this is way more explicit than half of the BL Thai dramas I've seen so far, at least in terms of physical interaction.
The age focus is also different: all the characters are already working and out of school/university.


However...
- the acting is so so. It aches me to say, but some scenes are not believable at all. I love all the cast, but they could have done way better
- the reasoning behind some characters choices is simply stupid and even though I loved the easygoing feeling of the main couple (Pop-Oat), i didn't get some part at all... and it wasn't because of the translation or a cultural barrier... it was just absurd.
- my full and total love goes to some sexy scenes (kisses and stuff), but I agree with some other opinions: it may seems fake. For me it wasn't the case, cause i was really involved and totally enjoying it xD (I sound like a pervert)
- I wish they spent more time on preeBo, analyzing Rambo's behaviour and Pree's one sided love for Pop better (they just threw facts at us, not giving any clear explanation or character analysis)
- I skipped many parts out of boredom (conversations between Pop and Mo)
- I hate Pent so much. I know he's a funny character, but I can't stand it... especially when he's with Rambo.


I must say I loved the bickering between Oat and Pop, and their story is very cute. It made me feel warm and cozy.
I'll not miss season 2, because I really hope the characters would grow and I'm so curious about the 2 couples.

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In the first episode, we witness a river worship ceremony taking place. This is done by the people of Tientsin, especially those that making a living from the river in order to give thanks but also to appease the river god who protects the people from "river monsters". In this case, "river monsters" can take the form of natural disasters and flooding, real threats since Tientsin is a coastal city. The ceremony is cut short when two bodies are discovered in the water. Seemingly unrelated at first, the characters find themselves deep down the rabbit hole as they get further and further in their investigation for the truth.

What I liked about this drama was how Tientsin itself feels like a character and this is a credit to the attention to detail in regards to the production/set design. Just as the characters may be of afraid of what dangers may be lurking in the water, there are also dangers hiding in the shadows of Tientsin. Throughout the drama, we are taken to seedy areas such as a brothel, prison and even a literal black market. It is assumed that since Tientsin is a coastal city, it is isolated from the outside world. As a result, they have developed their own customs, culture, traditions and superstitions that they strongly believe in that are free from any outside influence. However, in more recent times, with the development of ports and canal system, outside/foreign influences are starting to seep in. It was certainly interesting to see how characters that never left Tientsin and those that were educated abroad/experience with the outside world collided and came together in solving the mystery.

Speaking of the characters, Tientsin Mystic has assembled an interesting group of them. I briefly read up on Taoism (Read: skimmed the Wikipedia page) and learned that women shamans play an important part in Taoism. I think the reaction to Gu Ying may be mixed, some may find her annoying but I liked what her character brought to the drama. We're given the reason as to why she constantly follows around Guo De You but she also plays a role beyond merely being a love interest for his character. It was interesting to see the rituals/practices that Gu Ying and her mother engaged in. More than that, I really enjoyed the character of Xiao Lan Lan and the similarities she shared with Dao Ming. Both have prominent family backgrounds but are trying to break free from the roles prescribed to them. The drama also deals with cults and brainwashing. Xiao Lan Lan works as a newspaper reporter and even though her father is the Secretary-General with influence over Tientsin which includes the newspaper (manipulating the information so as to not cause panic amongst the people), Xiao Lan Lan remains committed to finding the truth.

Beyond all that, the drama is just a lot of fun despite dealing with some dark subject matter at times. The drama mixes a variety of elements such as: supernatural/mysticism, action (there are some great setpieces that take place in the hospital/prison), romance, comedy, mystery all with its own distinct touch. Fair warning, the drama does end on a cliffhanger but unlike other Chinese dramas that have done the same, this one does have a confirmed second season. Credit and admiration goes to the production team for rendering Tientsin and this world so vividly, a world that I would be happy to return to.

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This movie is a total perfect 10! I was pretty excited for this because I’m a huge fan of Tao, but I didn't think it would be THIS good! The synopsis and poster just don't do this fantastic movie justice! This movie takes a little while to get going, but then it really “takes off” (flying puns galore) and you'll never feel bored. I was smiling and laughing the whole way through!

I had no real expectations for the story, but was a little hesitant about the genre. I’m not really into sports themed movies because I often find they’re way too bogged down with cheesy tropes. If you’re like me, never fear! This movie strikes a perfect balance between sports and story, and I was completely glued to the screen near the end, holding my breath with excitement. Human-powered aircraft is actually really cool and the movie makes it look very thrilling!

The best thing about this movie is definitely the electric chemistry between Yukina (Tsuchiya Tao) and Sakaba (Mamiya Shotaro). They’re both so hot-headed that it felt like a genuine love/hate relationship and I was laughing my head off at their crazy attempts to outdo each other. Their bickering and yelling contrasted so well with their quietly beautiful friendship. It’s not a romance movie, but you will fall in love this couple! Needless to say I definitely fell a little in love with Mamiya Shotaro. This movie brought a really hilarious ensemble cast together and they made everything work. The comedy is top notch!

The music was also awesome! The periodic use of “secret base" was hilarious. I love that song and they made it both a comedic choice and a more emotional choice. I loved it!

Rewatch value for this one is definitely high. I would probably rewatch it tonight! Definitely don’t miss this movie!!

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So, I've made it so far (12 episodes) and finally I convinced myself that it wasn't worth my time (plus way too many and more interesting dramas were out too). Radio Romance came out in a period when only few dramas were out and probably one or two of them worth watching. And with a cast full of stars, you kind of being forced to watch it. But, the first episode said it all. The pace too slow, the performances so so, the story boring, the romanct weak. When the background story kicked in, I told myself that this was it, the drama was taking off finally. Alas, that never happened. Turned out, that twist was boring too. Okay, the whole drama wasn't as terrible, but, for me, it's a drama that I wouldn't recommend.

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If someone told me that Tsuchiya Tao and Mamiya Shotaro would make such a good couple before seeing this movie, I wouldn't believe them. The characters they usually choose in dramas and movies are so different from each other, I couldn't even imagine them being in any way compatible. The description didn't hint at anything different, either; recycled, stereotypical J-love triangle with a female character that goes "ehhhhhhh~~" every 2 seconds. But what we got was so, so, so much better.

The first 15 or so minutes of the movie is nothing out the ordinary and is exactly as the synopsis says it is. Tsuchiya Tao so far, as Yukina, fits the cast of Every Japanese Shoujo Heroine™. The REAL fun of the movie starts when Yukina and Kei meet Sakaba (Mamiya Shotaro's character) and try convincing him to be a pilot in the club again. What ensues is a hilarious scream-off between Yukina and Sakaba, owing to their headstrong personalities and loud voices, which is both extremely cute and displays the incredible chemistry between the two characters that never goes away throughout the duration of the movie.

That said, don't watch this expecting a cute romance; there isn't one. One-sided, sure (I won't say who), but definitely nobody becomes a couple at the end of the movie. I was a little disappointed at first, naturally, but in figured that in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't really matter- it didn't matter to the two people involved, anyway. Yet, I hope there is a Part 2 so that my hopeful little heart is in peace.

Tl;dr: If you're a fan of cute comedy and amazing chemistry (that is only sometimes romantic- emphasis on SOMETIMES), you will love this movie just as much as I did.

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This well-written crime thriller with great performances is almost-universally considered the best kdrama of 2017 and possibly one of the best ever made. Underpinned by a strong friendship and with no romance plotline, all the episodes are devoted to plot and the pacing is perfect.

Bae Do Na and Jo Seung Woo are exceptional in their roles as a rare non-romantic buddy-cop partnership. While this show deals with familiar themes of corruption that kdrama viewers will find familiar, it is an interesting and gripping examination of the issue with a verisimilitude that borders at times on depressing.

Intelligent, fierce, uncompromising and stark, this is television at its finest.

10/10

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As always, my motivation to start watching this drama is Ku Hye Seon, she is pretty and cute oh yeah. (finally I found another pretty cute actress after Kim So Hyun and Park Bo Young)
At the beginning, the story seems boring. The plot was too fast as romance drama. But, I would keep watching.... Soo Wan, not the drama lol. Then I found the story went interesting when it reached episode 3. The plot conflicts are not complicated, still they are more complicated than JDrama, so you can feel the romance, and conflicts lol. For me, the plot gone as I wish. So, I can say this drama should have 8.5++ for the rating.
Story: +4. Somewhat, as romance, the plot gone too fast.
Ku Hye Seon is the main role actress: +2
Music: +2. I love the music, I think I'll sing and take my guitar haha. Anyway, finally I found english OST in Kdrama.
20 episodes, 1 hour each: +1
Yeah, for me, this drama should take 9.0

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I fished this out of the bin also known as my dropped list. I guess I was missing Jiro Wang's face. lol

So first things first, for the first 20 episodes I HATED the reporter and Mo Han. I hated the reporter because she was incredibly selfish. I hated Mo Han because she was whingy, clingy, and most of all childish. I noticed these two were all of these things especially when they were doing scenes with Xiao Dong but as soon as they were interacting with other characters they seemed watchable. I loved Peng Ze and Xiao Dong's friendship.

Another thing that I disliked about this drama was whilst it may have just been the lighting but Chris's hair colour constantly changing every other scene and Xiao Dong constantly disappearing and reappearing as if Jiro was not available for the last 8 episodes and had to replace him as lead using the other characters.

I loved the OST especially the one at the beginning and the story itself even with all the holes it had.

I loved the ending (well minus the last 2 mins lol) but I will not be rewatching this. EVER! Once was a huge struggle.

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Story/Plot
This Kdrama is definitely one for the books. If you want a plot that is really new, and different from all the dramas out there, this one is for you. Never have I seen a storyline this unique. I loved the story of Kang Chul and Oh Yeon Joo. A seemingly typical kdrama pairing of a rich-guy + charismatic-gal, except they are in different worlds. I really loved the concept of the two worlds here; I'm an avid reader of webtoons and the use of it in this drama was just phenomenal. Another thing I loved about the story is the concept for the villain. It was so unique as well! I would've given the story a score of 11/10 to be honest. That's how revolutionizing the plot of this drama is. (I would explain later why the score for story is 9.5)

Acting/Cast
This is the best on-screen coupe chemistry that I have seen. Never have I shipped two people as hard as this Lee Jong Suk-Han Hyo Joo pairing. Every emotion was on point; from stranger-meets-stranger to lovey-dovey cuddling to tear jerking scenarios, these 2 are perfect. The only reason I gave this a 9 is because the supporting cast was really lacking in terms of delivery and realness. I can think of two roles in particular that could've been given to different actors and it would've resulted to a much better outcome. I think Ji-Soo would've done a lot better in terms of being that stout, untalkative bestfriend of Kang Chul. I also think Park Soo-Bong could've been given to a different actor. They are the only ones that to me looked really awkward, but that doesn't mean that the others are of the hook. Overall, LJS and HHJ really carried the score for acting and cast, but all the others pulled them down, that's why the score for this is 9.

Music
OST could've been a bit better. Aside from the main theme song 'where are u', every other song wasn't exceptional. Fits the scenes well, but not good enough to be remembered outside of the show

Rewatch Value
The plot is so unique and original that regardless of the flaws of the show, coming back to it can always be considered a good idea. Keep watching it other directors and screenwriters. This is how you make a unique show.

Explanation
The reason I gave the story a score of 9.5 was because of 2 problems

1.) Stretched storyline after episode 11 ---- The danger of creating a really unique story was running out of ideas throughout the whole series, and it was kinda evident near the end. After episode 11, episodes 12-15 looked really similar in terms of structure, flow, and what's gonna happen at the end of the episode. Just because you end the episode on a cliffhanger, that doesn't mean the viewers can't tell what will come next. I felt like the right thing to do here was to drag the happy moments between Kang Chul and Oh Yeon Joo at the start so that the rising action and climax doesn't feel as streched out as what happened.

2.) Lacking ending --- One of the main criteria of a good drama for me is being able to give justice and closure to most of the characters of a show and the plot. An example is Descendants of the Sun (4th favorite drama of all time). They allotted a whole episode to give closure to almost all characters in the story as well as close the plot. With W, they were able to properly close the plot but they failed to give justice to the two main characters for me, giving a rather incomplete-feel to their ending. The main leads were put into so much action and drama throughout the series especially Han Hyo Joo's character, who was 80% tensed up in this drama because of all the things she had to do and think about. It would've been soothing for the viewers' eyes to see their happy ending moments by at least 30 minutes of screen time, but in this drama we were only given 5-10 minutes.

Overall
This is one for the books. This is a must watch. (Actually my 3rd all time favorite Kdrama)

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This drama starts out funny but… it’s not really a funny drama, it’s a heartwreck. These were the times, the beginning of 2000 was a golden era of sad dramas and this one was one of the best. If you are a Rain fan then you must definitely watch as this is easily one of his best dramas (way better than a Love to Kill and Full House). If you are not a great fan of Rain then watch it if the story line seems interesting and if you can handle old dramas looking old-fashioned. The main cast is outstanding and acting is great too, characters are lovable and they do grow as the show goes on. Chemistry between the main couple is good.

I do disagree with the ending though. It really did not have to be like that. I have to say I was really dumbstruck by it. It did seem kind of forced.

Screenwriter Lee Kyung Hee is easily my favorite screenwriter. Her shows are usually mellow and meaningful, they have this special atmosphere.

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Family dramas are not my cup of tea, but strangely enough I really enjoyed this drama. As you watch it episode by episode you will realize that it’s full of different themes. I won’t discuss them all in this review, but I must admit that I was really surprised by how they were handled. There was unwanted pregnancy, several parents-children conflicts, money vs happiness, soul searching, coming to age stories ja so much more. Many of these were handed in unconventional ways, it was like a fresh breeze. Some topics like abortion and parents-children relationships were handled like usual, with typical plot according to Korean norms. But there were many refreshing plot twists, like Jin An’s and Chou Do Kyung’s choice of paths in their lives. The most important message of this drama was, I think, that no matter what you do in life what matters the most is happiness.

When it comes to Korean audience, family dramas are on older generation’s watch list. I am sure they get to learn a lot from this drama, that is if they are willing. Money and fame is not everything in life and don’t guarantee happiness. If you force your children to live their lives according to your own wishes they will be unhappy and so will you.

All character were pretty realistic and human, even though they could have been portrayed on a deeper level. The character development was slow and a bit stagnant. There were many boring moments too. But I still like this drama, I think it was very refreshing. A bit of a cliché but not so much. Though, I must admit that the chemistry between most of the couples was kind of nonexistent and the only couple I actually rooted for never happened… But anyway, this was not a romance drama and love was just a side plot.

This is an excellent "background drama" to watch while you are doing house chores etc.

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It's so frustrating because this drama had so much potential to become an all time favorite.

Let's to the good parts first


Acting/Cast
Whenever you see Park Shin Hye's name in a drama, you know emotions will run wild and it did. She was brilliant, and made viewers love her badass with a brain character because it was so believable. Kim Rae Won was fantastic; I actually thought multiple times if he is a real doctor because all his habits and mannerisms in the show looked like a real doctor's. The supporting cast was also one for the books, they all portrayed different doctors with different personalities but they still made us feel some sense of realism.

Music
OST was excellent. Each scene was packed with the right tune to sooth our ears and hearts.

Rewatch value
Contrary to many, I do believe the drama is rewatchable if you can get over the really really really weak........ (see bad)


The BAD
STORY
The show actually started really well. Showing us a bitchy Park Shin Hye who was nothing but trouble being turned good by her grandmother. It also introduced to us Lee Sung Kyung (the real bitch) and Kim Rae Won as a music-loving should-be-doctor. However, after the solid start, the drama went sideways from there. The main conflict of the show, Park Shin Hye coming to a prestigious hospital just so she could prove that her grandmother was wrongfully killed in an operation can literally be covered in 2-3 episodes. Instead, the director streched it out up to episode 19. Until now, I feel really disappointed that such a great cast was ruined with a really uneventful plot with a really stupid conflict.

My advice, if you have yet to see this show and want to see the quality of this show, watch episodes 1-6. After that, you can straight up jump to episode 20. Trust me, you'd be missing nothing and you'll only remember the good parts. Win-win situation

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One way to describe Attention Love is like watching a drama in slow motion, and when I say slow motion, I mean like watching a snail travel across the longest highway. This drama's pacing is incredibly slow and that's because much of nothing happens with these characters. The relationship between the main pairing can never progress and that wouldn't be a problem if this drama's plot did not hinge on the couple itself. This is probably the reason why I'm not fond of love at first sight relationships because when we have this, we have to deal with the main pairing needlessly finding uncompelling reasons not to be together, rather than having gradual progression that you would see in other dramas (i.e. opposites attract, pretend relationships, different statuses) By the way, this is not to say that love at first sight relationships can't be handle well, but in particular, this drama handles it poorly.

The plot is very simple, as in, it's only just a bunch of misunderstandings between the leads and a male lead who refuses to confess. Two people are destined together at birth because their grandfather wanted them to be together and this makes them engaged to each other. Li Zheng lost his parents early on and he goes to live with Shao Xi and her parents. Technically, this is supposed to be a story about how opposites attract because Shao Xi and Li Zheng are so different, but I never felt that aspect of their relationship was interesting because it doesn't take long, not even a whole two full episodes before they both get along and understand each other. As I've wrote before, since this drama is only about their romance, it doesn't have much substance in plot. And since it doesn't have much substance at times, especially in the middle, we are going at a snail's pace. The relationship between the two leads refuse to progress and the situations around them that happen (plot?) are not interesting because they've all been done before in better dramas. Dramas can have plots without substance and still be good, but this is not one of them.

The cast all did an okay job with the exception of Joanne who did the best. She was the only one who felt like she gave a different element to her character besides what was written for her. Prince only seemed like a pretty face to me. I wouldn't have mind it, if his character wasn't the "sullen cold brooding" type. Though that type of character seems easy they're the most hardest to do. He couldn't add anything to the role and at times when he was supposed to seem thoughtful, he just seemed lost and boring.

The problem with these characters is that they lack depth and progression. They refuse to grow. Shao Xi is in love at first sight and remains in love with tunnel vision only looking at Li Zheng. Li Zheng refuses to acknowledge his feelings and we have to watch unnecessary problems stop them from confessing. Luckily, we have two second leads who are fun. The rest of the characters are throwaways.

The one good thing I took from this drama was the song Close to You (They Long To Be). I never heard of it before, but they played it so many times that it got stuck in my head.

As for rewatch value, I'll give it a zero. There is nothing in this drama that stuck out to me. Most of their cute moments together are done better in other dramas.

I recommend this to people who like watching romance filled with cutesy moments. Though I did not like the drama or relationship, I can see why other people would find it enjoyable. I will say get ready to press the skip button because there is a lot of nothing happening in this drama and 15 episodes will feel like 50.

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