Reviews

binge-watch worthy award.
it's ridiculous, corny, and technically not good - the very definition of a guilty pleasure
in spite of all this i enjoyed it a lot.
I came here straight from together with me the series (and enjoyed Bad Romance's supportive characters much more that the sequel's)
mainly for knock & korn, not gonna lie
well, THAT changed the moment Yiwah & Cho became leaders of the show - loved them together *.*
how she kept her self control in check and played the hard to get game till the end is beyond me tbh
but it was about time my girl got herself a man!
plot twist: i had an inkling about it, so that wasn't so much of a shock as it was a surprise
the end was very sweet... love comes from feelings, not gender!
can't wait for together with me: the next chapter.

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I bench watched this over the timespan of two days! I simply couldn't stop watching! This is one of those true-to-life dramas, which I truly admire. I loved the way that you get to see Yu Huai and Geng Geng develop through normal Chinese high school problems. This is not just a lovey-dovey drama, but a drama which you will have some kind of connection to society wise. It not only shows the teenage years but all the way to adulthood. And even though the lead couple had a remarkable chemistry, what got me mos emotional was the last episodes. It shows that you cannot have all of your future planned, there will always be obstacles - wether you create them yourself or not. WhyI didn't get the story part 10 stars, was because of the fact, that I felt the ending was a bit rushed. I would at least wanted five episodes more, to show how they developed without each other. But All in all, loved it! You get easily touched by it. So go watch it!

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My first ever experience of watching a "Currently Airing" drama. And it was worth it!I still remember the first time I read about this drama. Lee Seung Gi wasn't confirmed yet and all we really knew was that it would be a modern day adaptation of "Journey To The West". Oh boy, I was skeptical. Actually, I think everybody was. I remember commenting something among the lines of "This will be either loved or hated." And I have to shamelessly admit that I was right! Some hated it, others loved. I see some middle ground sometimes but the great marjority is one of those two extremes.I'm on the side that actually liked it, however I don't close my eyes for it's imperfections.I didn't read Journey To The West, but I had heard of it many times, and after beginning this watch I decided to do some research on the actual story. Turns out it's actually different but at the same time the Hong Sister's added some pretty clever references and similarities. The ggg for example (no, I don't really know how to spell the name and I'm too lazy to look for it), was very thoughtful since it actually opens an opportunity for romance to happen. And we all know that kdramas, no matter how non-romance focused, always try to push down our throats some kissy-kissy times.However I must admit that the consistence and overall pacing was a bit off for me. They decided to stick to the "Monster of the week" formula. Pretty similar to Master's Sun if you may ask me. But instead of compelling stories though, I felt they were...how should I put it...boring and paled to the main plot. There were some well done instances, but overall I ended don't really caring about anything at all.The romance aspect was something. Maybe the Hong sisters have a thing for emotional sadomasochism(or at least as far as I've seen on their dramas), and it either annoys or tortures the viewers. I found myself strangely curious about the relationship between Oh Gong and Sun Mi. It was like the relationship in the drama Secret, where you can't help but wonder how the f* will these two end up loving each other and to what extent? But they do in a rather twisted way that, admitedly, I don't really know how to feel about.What really shined on this drama were the characters. From the leads to the supporting cast, all of them were complex and multi-layered, with varying degrees of development. I didn't watch many LSG dramas, but here he delivers a pretty solid performance. His character is purely chaotic and you can sense that just by looking at his condescending smirk and that even reflects on his fashion. I've read a lot of complains about Oh Yeon Seo's character and performance, but honestly I thought she was actually pretty okay. Searching about the character that she was based on, their personalities (mostly the passivenes) were actually pretty similar. So yeah, kudos for faithfulness. Also, she had some pretty awesome and strong moments going for her, and her actual insecurities feel more than justified. Exaggerated maybe, but she still has things going for her.Talking about good performances, next we have Cha Seung Won. He was the perfect mixture of ridiculous over-the-top and someone you should actually fear. His extra behaviour was hilarious in some points, but you still didn't forget who he actually was and the lenghts he was willing to go to fulfill his goals. Actually, he was one of the most ambiguous characters because we are aware that he means "good", but only to reach what he really desires. And he didn't hesitate on changing temporary goals for that.And last but definitely not least I'd like to talk about the best scene stealer: Lee Se Young! After watching Hit The Top, I didn't think she was a good actress at all. She was bland and expressionless, and she lacked charisma. But here she's anything but bland, expressionless and definitely she has a LOT of charisma. Bu Ja was one of the cutest, most interesting characters I've seen in a while. I'm glad that LSY improved so much.The music was great. I loved almost all OSTs, and for me to say that is really rare. In my opinion, an epic dramas has to have good OSTs. The plot, acting, everything else can be great, but if the OST isn't at least memorable, I tend to take points off. Since I was betting so much in this drama (I don't usually watch currently airing ones), I was fearful that the music wouldn't be on pair with the greatness I was expecting. Luckily, it turned out to be good.The cinematography was also pretty good. It was beautiful, with dark tones but some light so that everything didn't turn so overly depressing. I also noticed the strong presence of strong colors like red, blue and yellow, which was an amazing addition to the more bleak atmosphere.Since it's such a recent drama, I don't know if I'll rewatch it, not on this year at least. I'm not one to rewatch dramas, but if one day I feel like it, maybe I'll pick this one to pass the time.All in all A Korean Odyssey isn't a perfect drama. But there was a reason for me, someone who never watches airing dramas, to turn back to this drama and wait for next week after next week: because in the end we don't really know why we like something. We just do. There are the pros and cons but in the end if someone asked me if I liked, if I enjoyed myself while watching, I would say yes without a second thought.

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I'd like to note that I have a harder time watching Thai dramas/lakorns because the romance does not appeal as much to me. I really enjoyed these two in their other drama (I Wanna Be a Sup'tar) so I decided to check this out.

Overall story started out promising. The female lead feels relatable (to me) as a single woman getting closer to the 'marriage appropriate age' barrier and not wanting to be pushed into a relationship. She keeps her character throughout the story, just slowly learns that the male lead might just fit into her life after all. For me, it had a little too much of the side-storylines which dragged the whole thing down in timing. Although there need to be side-stories to feed the main story, not all of these side-stories need to get as much screentime as they did.

HOWEVER; I enjoyed watching this drama a lot. Would rewatch again, although I'll probably skip the side-storylines the next time. The main couple's chemistry is what makes this story shine. I really love friends to lovers dramas, and this one felt like a healthy relationship (which, in my experience is not always the case with lakorns) so I can't say I didn't enjoy this.

Also sidenote: HER OUTFITS IN THIS ARE SO FREAKING AMAZING!! The stylist here did a stellar job.

SPOILERS BELOW
What I wanted to see here was them going from:
- Strangers to good friends: Check! Even talking about what's bothering them, feelings and general chitchat without implying the romance immediately. Enjoyed the set-up a lot.
- Friends to crushes: Check! Subtle hints of them starting to like each other more and more.
- Crushes to... Married couple? This is where they lost me. I felt like; With 26 episodes we should have gotten a lot more of the romance build-up towards this inevitable marriage question. Both, if not her a bit more, are un-eager to jump into marriage at the beginning and YET with family related circumstances changing, they rush into it.

This felt like it was a last hurdle created to have some sort of conflict at the end. But in reality, the fact that he wants to marry her and she's unsure is conflict in and of itself. I feel like the writers could have built on that premise and then shown her opening up to the idea over the course of a few episodes.

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Let me try to describe A Korean Odyssey in a few short words: It's like a fantasy movie in 20 episodes with a lot of cool and stunning scenes, some great and some crappy CGI and an awkward chemistry between the leads. But it's cool.

Story: The story is actually not as bad as some people say. I loved the story premise, it's different from what you usually get from Korean dramas. It has a lot of backstory but they managed to give it to you bit by bit and not make you bored or hate the overall story. Sure, sometimes the script wasn't the best but the story premise is great!

Acting/Cast/Characters: The acting was definitely great from all the actors and actresses. The chemistry between MaWang and Son Oh Gong, the "bromance", is really enjoyable and brings like 50% of the comedy in the show. Cha Seung Won shined in this drama with the many characteristics MaWang showed and I think it's a great comeback drama for Lee SeungGi. So big compliments to all the main and the supporting actors for showing us so many sides to their characters.

So now to the bad part: The chemistry between LSG and Oh Yeon Seo was well...not good...kinda cold and if this was a normal rom-com I would never have watched 20 episodes with them, definitely not. That's not the fault of OYS though, it was just that her character was really crappy...I mean there has to be a limit to how naive, self-centered and gullible a person can be?! Jin Seon Mi -the character- is the only reason I'm taking some points off here.

Music: The music fit the drama well and I looked up almost all of the songs.

Rewatch: Some scenes definitely but probably not the whole drama...

Overall: Overall this drama had like one main character, Lee Seung Gi and all the others were supporting characters. The drama has a great premise but while it starts off kind of unusual for a Kdrama it turns around at like halftime and goes right into dramaland, which makes it a little bit more boring in the end but bearable. The acting was amazing, character design awesome (except for one) and another thing: it's oh so detailed. I loved it and I would warmly recommend it but let me tell you, if you don't like it after 5-6 episodes drop it. Before that you won't get the right feeling for it and after that you're either into it or you're not.

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This is super cute and funny! Didn't realise this even existed until I read a comment about it.

This should've been included in the full drama as it gives a bit more insight of what their life was like afterwards - or at least a second season that focus more on the couple. It was nice to see Seung Jo being a lot gentler and nice to Ha Ni but I personally don't think she's suited to do nursing.

I did notice there was a portion in the preview which was cut out but I guess they decided not to go with it and also showing some interaction between Ha Ni and her father but I guess he wasn't available . I may rewatch if I'm looking for something ridiculously short and sweet to watch.

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It might have been titled WISE PRISON LIFE, but believe me when I say that the drama dabbled in more that just prison life.

Story/Plot: It's one of the best one's ever narrated and put to film to be honest. I love how each character was so unique and complex and flawed that it's easy to love everyone of them. Je Hyeok is the lead we all never knew we needed. He is kind and soft and fluff but he is also manipulative and resourceful as he has displayed multiple times in the drama. It breaks my heart to see Han Yang end up the way he did but it was realistic. Would have wanted to see how Captain Yoon's case go or how Min Cheol adjusted with living out of prison after 2 decades but that's that. There was never a dull moment in the drama. It was full of plot twist in every episode that I finished it in 1 sitting. That's how good it was.

Acting/Cast: The dynamic of the cast is amazing. I can't stress enough how perfectly fit or how amazingly portrayed every character is. Yes, even the Warden and the Deputy was on point. They were beautiful to watch interacting on screen. I feel like their acting spoke to me as a person.

Music: on point but not as exceptional as the story itself.

Rewatch Value: Definitely a must watch and if you're feeling down, or want a good laugh or two or just in the mood of binge watching anything, this should be your first choice.

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I know there's a LOT of negativity around this drama but I really enjoyed it. As always, I have NO EXPECTATIONS when watching dramas. I wasn't bored and I wanted to watch the episodes back to back.

It had everything I enjoy that comes with a drama: great cast, great OST, bromance, romance, fantasy and comedy. The story itself is a bit meh but I don't expect everything to be perfect. I will also say that the female lead was a little bland for my taste but there were other things happening that manage to make me not pay so much attention.

This drama did make me shed a few tears but it also made me laugh and I will definitely be rewatching this drama but not the final episode. First time I've broken the review rule but I felt like I needed to state my views on this drama.

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Story-wise, it had so much potential. Being an adaptation, there are plenty of material to go by. I have no problem with many sub-plots as long as the narration good and essence of the story is conveyed. That's not what happened here. The drama itself is convoluted with unnecessary sub-plots. Case in point, what was the dragon prince's purpose in all that? A sacrificial lamb so PK doesn't die? His existence in the drama itself is useless. Second, peddler and her grandson. I know the grandson is really Ma Wang's son, and then? I'd say having the GGG to make the great sage love Seon Mi is genius move but the gravity of it being relevant just sort of faded. And then there's Bu Ja and her entire story. After being possessed by Ah Sa Nyeo her existence just vanished. There were many redeeming points, the comedic strips, the love-line, but boy was that not enough to off-set every horrible thing going on in this drama.

Acting/Cast: As far as the actors go, this cast probably has the best performance and chemistry I've seen in a while. Many viewers (myself included) are kept from dropping the show solely to see an exceptional portrayal from the cast. But even then, the lousy story telling cannot be carried by great acting alone.

Music: The OST of this drama is great. As a music enthusiast myself, I'd put it up to my favorite OST's joining (Scarlet Heart, It's Okay That's Love, Cheese in The Trap, Just Between Lovers, to name a few). Song's where on point. I love it.

Rewatch Value: It's not a drama I'd go for a marathon for. I wont even recommend it to friends for first viewing. That's how bad it had been. After the emotional investment I had for this show, that sloppy ending and lazy story narration was a total slap in the fans faces. So, no rewatching for me.

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So this is the first time I've written a review so if it's not helpful I'm sorry.

I wanted to watch this drama because firstly because I'm a fan of crime/legal dramas and secondly, we never really see judges as a main character in dramas.
The cast was great. I am a very big fan of Dong Ha's acting ever since Suspicious Partner and he did an excellent job in portraying a Crazy Prosecutor interrogating his suspects or what not. Park Eun Bin was very cute in it and I really enjoyed her presence and Yeon Woo Jin was great in showing himself as a logical and intelligent man.
However, I felt that the way they introduced Park Eun Bin's character (Lee Jung Joo) was like a one-time thing. The summary mentioned a judge who cannot control the way she speaks and swears at her defendants but throughout the drama I've only seen her do that once (which was like the first episode or two).

The story had a lot of plot holes in my opinion. There are so many questions left unanswered and there are parts of the story in Lee Jung Joo's brother's case that is unclear. I felt like that it didn't do very well in concluding the case was a major con to this whole drama. There were some plot twists and parts of the story that I would've never thought would occur, however it may be confusing to some people.

The chemistry was really cute between the characters. Dong Ha's character (Do Han Joon) and Yeon Woo Jin's character (Sah Eui Hyun) showed some great love-hate friendship and it was adorable. Sah Eui Hyun is honestly a real tsundere if I should say.
The chemistry between our two main characters Lee Jung Joo and Sah Eui Hyun were cute as well. It's a little awkward and shy but in a good way. However there isn't a lot of romantic moments between them.
There are definitely some second lead moments that hit you right in the heart and I felt so bad for Do Han Joon throughout this whole drama and sometimes it breaks my heart a little.

Overall I probably won't watch this again. Just because I feel like I shouldn't rewatch crime/legal dramas if I already know who the killer is or what kind of plot twist is going to happen. But to those who haven't watched it yet, it always nice to give it a try.

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I have never been interested in this drama although I always see people recommending it. The reason for the sudden peak of interest is Yoon Doo Joon. I'm currently watching radio romance, which is another drama that he is in, and I was so intrigued by his character. He plays an actor there and he plays a historical drama. When I looked him up, I saw the poster for Splash Splash Love and then it all clicked.

I didn't have high expectations for this drama since it's only two episodes. I mean in my mind I was like, you can't inflict a lot of pain in a span of two episodes. And I was proven wrong by this series. It has managed to make me cry, swoon and I was actually sentimental about the characters. This is the drama that I really need since it filled a void in me that was left by Scarlet Heart and Love In the Moonlight. The plot was really amazing and I finally found the closure that I'm looking for in Scarlet Heart.The acting was spectacular. They have the certain chemistry and it's all cute and soft and my heart. I really want to see them more in other dramas.

This is definitely a drama that you should watch

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OMG !!
This is the best Korean drama I have watched yet !!
Acting, story music everything is just amazing but what is the most important in this drama is all the topics that story covers. For me ( for a girl ) it was very interesting to watch it as this show covers the topic about patriarchy in the family, at work and generally in society. Even if i haven't experienced it that much show was so good that it felt like I've been dealing with that problems instead characters. Normally Korean dramas are all about romance and important topics like that are not discussed, that's why i was not really waiting that much from the drama but it surprised me for the best.
Apart from sexism there are some more issues that were shown and I love to watch, like relationships in family and connection with parents, friendship, marriage, love, career, life and how hard it can be to achieve your dreams, economical struggles in life etc. But most fascinating thing is that even though we see love story of main leads, at the same time we experience love stories of 2 other couples which are absolutely different from each other, but quite realistic and interesting, with their issues and problems through their relationships.
Shortly, my Eng vocabulary won't be enough to describe all the positiveness of drama :D You need to watch it yourself !!

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Heart Blackened is one of those rare Korean movies out there with wonderful acting, the characters were well versed by the actors.
As the story starts, the plot seems to make sense but goes on to be more confusing. This movie might be a little hard for people who can't tolerate slow movies, but things speed up at the second half. The acting is super awesome.
Each character in the movie has a meaning which only some get, a rewatch is required to really understand the dark plot . The movie is not a hard brain exercise, because twists are to hard to predict, what at some point my feel like the end of the movie, is really isn't. What characters you make like will become what you hate at the end and also vice-versa.
Though the same message can be conveyed in a shorter time, the long ride isn't that much of a pain when you have lots off free time in your hand.
So, sit back and leave the rest to the Korea's top of the range actors.

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Hwayugi, a much-anticipated offering from The Hong Sisters, is an ambitious attempt at a prestige fantasy series with middling results. What begins as an intriguing—if fraught, production-wise—modern spin on the classic Journey to the West, ends as a jumbled mess with an identity crisis.

When a story lacks direction, it’s sure to suffer. What did this drama want to be? An idol drama with tons of romance? A monster-of-the-week romp, or an urban fantasy with cataclysmic consequences? The tone is erratic, especially in the beginning, whiplashing viewers between horror and comedy without prelude. In addition to the copious filler, the plot was pulled in so many directions that very little progress was actually made. Not even the romance between the leads received the attention it required to blossom satisfyingly—it just happens, for no rhyme or reason, and we’re expected to invest in it immediately. Overall, the story promises apocalyptic stakes yet delivers something haphazard and episodic, peppered with hollow romantic scenes (the exemplar of which is an early out-of-character, cat-themed aegyo from the female protagonist).

One of the main issues can be found in the massive cast, populated by multiple big names and actors of varying talent and skill. Despite a valiant effort by Lee Seung Gi as Son Oh Gong, the secondary cast steals the show. Lee Hong Ki (PK) and Lee Se Young (Bu Ja) are a delight in spite of frustrating plot developments, easily drawing focus away from the main storyline. The same goes for Lee El as the dog-demon assistant Ma Ji Yeong, Kim Sung Oh as hapless secretary Lee Han Joo, and Sang Hyuk as General Frost and his warm-hearted sister, with whom he shares a body. Cha Seung Won, however, is completely wasted in his role as Ma Wang, the demon king. The character gives him no room to stretch his dramatic legs, instead relying on the zany comedy he so excels at—but this gets old fast, and it’s frustrating to see him spin his wheels with such a flat character. This leads us to the weakest of the bunch—Oh Yeon Seo’s performance as Jin Sun Mi is uninspired, and I couldn’t tell you if her expression changed even once. Her scenes with Lee Seung Gi are sometimes almost uncomfortable to watch, given how dynamic he is in comparison.

That said, the OST is consistently good. Standouts include the absolute bop “Let Me Out” by NU’EST, the tender ballad “When I Saw You” by Bumkey, and the cheerful “I Will Be By Your Side” by MeloMance.

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The story of this drama is pretty cliche. I will resume it in my own words. This story is about a couple who meet and they had "something" that last just one night. They never see each other again until she starts working for him. The main girl has a lot of traumas and it's really immature for her age (28). She doesn't know how to forgive people. She is inmature because she is unable to address her problems and fix them, more than a mature character, for me she is just like a teenager. This is the same story as a lot of dramas, the rich guy, and the father who tries to control him all the time. This story is really really cliche. The only good thing about this drama is the CHEMISTRY AND THE MAIN LEAD ROMANCE. It's pretty good. There are kisses and a lot of chemistry, sexy scenes. But nothing more than that.
The acting was just fine, it wasnt bad but she could have done a better job.
The music is just fine. Overall, I do like this drama and I think its beautiful but they miss a lot of things, this drama could have been a masterpiece with those two main leads, but they just ruined it. Because the story has nothing special, it's repetitive EVERY single episode.

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