The heartwarming scenes are all forced too... I can't sympathize at all. I think this drama is overrated too much or just not for me.
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I think for many drama lovers the whole time travel plot is already getting old and overused. Longing Heart being no exception to the rule. However, even if unoriginal, LH deals with something we don't see that often: when past and present clash. That's maybe the only thing that dicerns this drama from many others with the same theme.
As a time travel drama, I wasn't convinced at all. The time issue was handled pretty messily, with many plot holes and certain issues I couldn't forget, for example I never really understood it's concept. It was like they ended up creating two timelines, but nothing was really explained or handled neatly. Also, how the characters reacted to all the time travel thing was...offputting to say the least. I don't think anybody would think something like: "Oh, I time traveled. How strange. Now let's get back to business".
However, the funny part about the whole thing is that the drama is, at times, self aware of it's own wackiness. Kudos for them to make some gags like that, but it doesn't totally excuse because the drama can't seem to either go into self parody territory nor a serious, heartwrenching plot.
As a romance, I was at the same time satisfied and slightly disappointed. Like I stated on the beginning of my review, it could've been shorter. Why? Because let's be honest. a lot of the real drama that happened only happened because two people couldn't get over themselves and talk about how they feel or have felt. Geez, actually while heartbreaking, it sometimes takes pathetic levels. I think some of the angst could be avoided, and the plot condensed a little bit.
But I will admit the drama has it's cute, fluffy and light parts. They tried to sell a friendship and they did. The group of friends is one of the most endearing parts of the drama. Their bond is believable, every character, althought not so well developed, had at least something that one could empathize and cheer for them. Not only that but their future counterparts adressed some pretty interesting topics that scare us while we grow up. Although the way some plots we simply solved, it was still good to have them addressed.
Also the side romances were cute too, each one ended with their destined one. A bit too fairy tale like for those more realistic, but an endearing add to the plot.
Another thing I liked was the chemistry between the MCs' past and current self. They could go from bash brothers to two dorks too pure for this world in a matter of seconds. I just wished there were more interactions between them. They had this strange father-son or older brother-younger one even though they were exactly the same person in different times.
Actually, if we think about it, this drama mixes and clashes pretty much many storylines: it has the good ol' boy-meets-girl love story, the student-teacher one, the past lovers one, and even shades of noona romance.
I must admit I didn't pay much attention to the soundtrack, for me it was forgetable to say the least, and I'm being generous on that.
If I would rewatch it? Well, if I have nothing to do, or nothing new and interesting to watch...then it may be an option. This drama, for me at least, is more of a "kill-time" drama.
Overall Longing Heart is VERY far from perfect, but it's still watchable and you'll find yourself liking it if you are one for romance. A good kill-time drama too, you can watch it without really worrying much about all the plot and just enjoy the ride.
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If you're looking for a comedy that for some reason has BL then here you go.
This is something better seen in manga form: http://www.mangago.me/read-manga/docchi_mo_docchi
This type of story-line requires a completely divergence fro reality, the entire premise is ridiculous in reality.
Two "tops" working in the same company but have never met, meet. Ozaki; handsome and cool, Tsuburaya; beautiful and smart. During their first meeting the boss of the company refers to them as the, "two tops of the company," this is the strangest use of the word top in either meaning, because there is always one top, which they both then argue.
(I do not believe they meant top as in Seme in this situation, because Tsuburaya stated that he has, "... no interest in men". In what context does he mean he is a "top" then?)
I was unsure what to put for the acting rating, because the acting is good considering what the original inspiration was. They are doing exactly as was done in the manga. The issue is, what is done in manga is considered overacting. Throughout the entire movie they are playing for the background and do things that do not make sense.
Ex. In many situation Ozaki does ??? to Tsuburaya (Kabe ? meaning Wall, Don ?? is the SFX used in manga when something hits something else) Kabedon is essentially the trope in anime/manga where the male protagonist hits the wall behind the girl he is trying to be romantic with. It would be fine if they did it, but only if it made sense. Ozaki does Kabedon to Tsuburaya even when Tsuburaya is not against a wall, on multiple occasions Ozaki just hits a random wall and Tsuburaya just decides to move to lay against that wall.
Again, acting for the back row 100%. But they are using inspiration from a manga...
I would not re-watch this, the cringe is really strong. This is something you watch for the meme of it all.
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At first you think, "Awww, what a cute furry little thing!" and then you realize what it really is, a stinker.
It sits there, invading your MDL Currently Watching list and leaves a big stink.
Skunks like boxes, this drama's plot is as dull as cardboard.
Skunks are black and white, so is this boring ass show.
Skunk odor stays forever and you smell it again and again, this drama has gone on longer.
Do yourself a favour and protect yourself from this horrid drama and watch something more exciting (like paint drying).
In all seriousness though, PLEASE DON'T WATCH THIS.
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Also the music is very well and have many beautiful ost.
I think being the latest to be filmed allowed the production crew to take the best from its predecessors and also add in some uniqueness of its own. The story takes you to some exotic locales, including New Caledonia in the South Pacific. The scenes were breath taking, but they also add richness to the story not seen in the previous BOF dramas. And who could resist seeing an auto race between some very hot Lotus sport cars? OK, a guys' point of view, maybe. =) But I think beneath all the flashy, super-wealthy extravagance lies a very classic fairy tale archetype. The Cinderella's transformation for the ball, rescue of the damsel in distress, and a knight on his fiery steed; all these are concepts that makes the story very accessible to the western audience. In fact, even with the subtitles turned off, I bet you would still laugh and cry and cheer along as you watch the series.
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First Story: It's about a guy who is a "night errand boy" - codename: Healer. He does all sorts of things for people as long as they pay him good money. He doesn't kill people though which makes him sympathetic from the start. In one of his cases he has to investigate a girl and soon he sees himself in the middle of all that is going on. He finds out that his and the girl's past are connected and while trying to hide that he is the "Healer" , he gets also confronted with people from his past (which he left behind) who recognize him. During this process of finding out the thruth he also starts to fall in love with the girl.
I loved the story a lot. It was a good balance of action, crime, romance and investigation, psychologically also very well made.
The characters were all fantastic and I have to say: I was a bit suspicious because I had seen Ji Chang Wook in some other dramas and somehow I had the feeling that it was sometimes a bit much acting - not here. I was really happy to see how he got into that role and made it his own.
I liked all characters - I can't say I didn't like anyone because they delivered a brilliant show which I wish had more episodes. The quirky female lead made this drama light and smooth although her past shocked me and made me cry :'(
I also loved the scenes with Kim Mi Kyung (Ajumma) because she was just this stone who pretends to not give a damn but in the end she actually does. A fun bonus was the fact that the Café Chae Yeong Shin lived at was a place for criminals her father took care of - it gave a completely new atmosphere to the scene :D
The music was beautiful - I have new songs to add to my playlist haha :D
If there would be some time, I would definitely rewatch this drama because it warms your heart.
10/10
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That was such a sweet little drama to watch. Even though there are some things that doesn't add up or weren't enough explained, I will forgive the story its flaws since it only had 3 hours to build up the whole thing, including the fast romance part.
Everything else was fluffy and funny. The female characters might have been stereotype, exaggerated and a little too childish but some of them still grew on me. Most of all the lead and the ghost. I was especially impressed with the leads acting and I'm excited to watch more with her. She has some real potential to pull of some awesome roles. Her transformation (also the visual one) throughout the drama, from someone who looks like a witch in training from Wicked, to a fangirl that almost faints at the sight of her idol to a girl who experiences her first love, was fun to watch, even though it might not be realistic.
Suho who plays the male lead... Well, he might not be the biggest actor of his generation (yet?) but he did well enough to make the story work and make me care for his love story. That he can sing is a given considering that he's EXO's leader (=frontman?). I'm wondering if he would be able to manage more difficult roles, too. So far his acting is not sticking out from the crowd.
I really liked the visual aspects, colors and cinematography, and the directing style which totally added to the fluff but also to the heartbreaking scenes. They even had some unexpected side twists at the end, I wouldn't have guessed at the beginning.
I totally liked the music. Not only the Korean song that were sang by the lead himself but the whole contributing part of songs that carried the mood. Instead of underlining the story with instrumental pieces or other Korean songs, they used well known English hits. I loved that. It was kinda different, and even though I usually don't like that in dramas, here it kind of gave me a nostalgic feeling due to the fact that I recognized them and my own fangirl period.
Of course, quite a generous rating from me again but I don't regret watching this. A short piece of fluff and lighthearted melo, but worth it if you don't mind minor flaws and remind yourself that this is nothing too deep.
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Watch this drama if you like romance with action, it will not disappoint!
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The idea itself was actually quite interesting and the first two to four episodes were strong. Even their first case made me quite excited. But after that the story became somewhat watery.
The idea of their dreams were inconsistent. Whatever the writer thought about it, she didn't think it through and therefore created some screaming plot-holes. The majority of the story rippled from episode to episode and never reached a real climax, even though some court scenes were entertaining.
I think the main leads were the biggest problem of the drama. Their acting felt kinda flat and didn't reach me. Sometimes Suzy's gaze even ruined some touching moments and made them less enjoyable. There was not much variety in her expressions and therefore felt very bland. I also don't like the way she is crying. It seemed way too forced. And what I missed the most was that she didn't made the role her own, something that would make her character memorable was missing altogether. I could have done without her scenes.
Lee Jong Suk was not at his best either. I really liked him in his other dramas but here... Whenever he smiled, it looked like some commercial input. I don't know why, maybe the way his character was written? I mean there was not even any similarity to his child version. Because it's still fresh I had to compare it to Money Flower and Jang Hyuk and his younger self were 10 times better than this here. Although I have to add that LJS got better in the last couple episodes. It reminded me a bit of Pinocchio what I loved. (And I will probably always love his eyebrows but that doesn't contribute to his acting, lol)
I admit that both of them had some funny scenes together, too, but those few didn't make up for everything else that failed to reach me while their cheesiness sometimes hit the border to "awful/cringe-worthy". Their childhood counterparts on the other hand need to be mentioned because they delivered their part perfectly.
What I really enjoyed in this drama were the sidekicks. Every single one of them were just lovable and every actor/actress contributed to the liveliness of the story. It was fun to watch their scenes, the comedy was well put in my eyes and their dynamics were well balanced. The prosecutor team, the news channel team, Woo Tak's partner in the police force and also Hong Joo's mom. She was great.
I also enjoyed both (or all three?) second male leads way more than Lee Jong Suk. Gawd, they pulled the story forward. If it weren't for them, this could have become one tiring journey. Whether it was Woo Tak, that cute police officer who totally won me over with his charm and his performance, or Jae Chan's little brother who was just as cute in his behavior. I loved his love story as well as his scenes with his brother. The third person to mention here would be Lee Sang Yeob. His performance was probably the best of them all, even his character was the best written one - and what was well transformed by the actor. His development throughout the drama was palpable and made the most sense to me.
The guest roles of each case... Even though not all of them (I didn't like the teacher), I think that most of them did a really good job with their short time given.
The ending was... Well, without telling too much, I was happy that they went the way I was hoping for because otherwise it would have concluded quite disappointing and as flat as the leads' acting. There was also an unnecessary event the drama could have done without, but I guess they wanted to "close the circle". On the other hand the last trial had some nice unexpected turns. The dialogues and some clever word twists entertained me quite a lot. And I also have to add that I was very happy about the fact that the drama didn't feature any corruption. Thumbs up, because that trope is so worn out, imo.
I did like some of the songs, but I didn't like all of it. There was too much happy go lucky theme for me.
Would I recommend it? Hard to tell... If you're a hardcore Lee Jong Suk fan, probably. If you can put up with a lot of plot holes or don't judge flaws too hard, probably. If you don't expect too much, probably. This is just one of those action-crime/comedy/romance dramas that pop up out of the ground like mushrooms. It doesn't hold any specialty or uniqueness.
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Story: 8 - The story is about two families who fall prey to a tragedy, and have their lives intertwined while they seek justice. The story is laid out well, and you cannot help but feel the warmth of a family as well as the plight of a victim. It invokes several emotions- respect for a parent, loath for the criminal, pity for the victim. It shows how the rich can use their power both for good and bad. It shows how strangers can be more trustworthy than friends. Most importantly, it shows personal growth in times of adversity.
I just hoped there were few more episodes for character development. Though the story was wrapped up well, I still hope there were atleast 20 episodes.
Acting/Cast:9 - Moon Chae Won and Choi Jin Hyuk - They did not surprise me, as I was expecting them to deliver strong performances. Donghae and Min Hyuk were adorable as ever. Who surprised me was - Im Kang Sung- He was really cute and I liked his acting (will have to stalk him)
Music/Rewatch: 6.5 - The background music was not bad, but was not memorable. As for rewatch value, though I thorougly enjoyed it, I am not sure if I can rewatch it anytime soon.
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