This is a drama that could have easily gotten a 10 from me.
Story
The story is one of the strongest aspects of this drama simply because it had a lot of unique ideas and original approaches to them, and second because the mixture of such different concepts was done perfectly and with a nice balance.
First, the main lead suffers from a disease highly uncommon for men to retract (breast cancer), and the drama focuses on his struggle to receive treatment under great pressure. That concept was by far the most original, full of surprises whether comical or dramatic.
The story also focuses in 2/3 of it on a love triangle, a concept constantly used by many romance Kdramas, but here they tried to spice it up by making the two males involved best friends, while the female had gotten over her crush on one and dating the other.
It is also part workplace drama, where all the main characters are working or somehow related to a broadcasting station (reporters, announcers, news casters, directors and sponsors). It gave a nice glimpse on the world of news creation, it was very entertaining and edifying.
But for me, what made the drama shine the most was the romance. It made my heart skip, made me swoon, made me shed tears, and made smile and laugh big time, it was simply PERFECT! Also other than the great chemistry between the OTP, the whole concept of switching places in one-sided crushes, whether through gestures done in secret or words expressed openly, gave a very fresh vibe to the love equation. In the past it was she who was head over heals for him, now it's the other way around.
The drama also featured a side story that involves a relatively large number of side characters. This particular sode plot had its cons and pros, among the pros was the fact that it featured a very fun combination, like two ex-s of the same man who recently passed away, rivals in life and work, both having the wish to bond with their (step)daughter, and even fighting for the same guy now. Where else can you find such a crazy couple! Also, how their characters and relationship evolves was certainly fun to watch, they may have started off as 2 annoying and noisy ajummas, but later they start to grow on you. As for the cons, the whole plot-line kind of developed totally separately from the main plot-line, so the more the main plot-line developed and gained steam, the more you get the urge to fast-forward their scenes. Not saying it was a necessarily boring plot, but while they brought a comedic and near the end a bit dramatic air to the drama, they sometimes kind of felt like a distraction. let me just say that most probably re-watching this drama will involve a lot of fast-forwarding, or at least that's how it was in my case.
Acting
Perfect!!!
Gong Hyo Jin-nim goes without saying shines here as usual. she was funny, lovable, cute, crazy, and sometimes frustrating. I could feel the wish to hug her, pat her on the shoulders, send he a "fighting" yell, and sometimes even slap her on the face, just like how she made her male partners feel at certain moments.
Jo Jung Suk won me over in this drama completely. He delivered a multi-layered character, with many sides to him, perfectly and with great ease. He was believable in every word, movement and action he took (maybe it helped that the writing for his character was one of the best in the drama)
Go Kyung Pyo, did a pretty well job here as well, but I have to be honest, his was not the toughest of characters to play. But he still made me feel for him, and sometimes respect him great time as a character.
Characterization
As I mentioned earlier I found the main lead Hwa Shin (JJS's character) by far the best.
He had his flawed traits of course, but they were all very relatable, and though his character showed seemingly contradicting moments, that in its own sense was the most believable part, he simply felt human, maybe the most in this drama, he felt like he was not just a character on paper but he could actually exist somewhere.
As for our other male lead and third angle of the triangle Go Jeong Wo, he was the perfect rich gentleman, that could have as well easily ended up as the common everyday KDrama chaebol (The guy born with a silver spoon, tsun-dere and hiding a lonely side to him + maybe family issues), but thanks to his friendship with Hwa Shin, this character was given much more deepness. He was a very understanding, kind and open-minded guy who cherishes his best friend above all, and despite the big gap in economic background between them, still makes him feel at home even after meeting in a long time. He simply made me wish I was his pal, for goodness sake.
Pyo Na Ri! Here is a character that most of the time I simply adored and cheered on, and some other times I nearly hated.
She's a strong, independent and hardworking Noona who takes care of her little-bro, and chases after her dreams with all she's got. She's a realistic person, who doesn't live in fantasies, and has a strong sense of her capabilities and aims, bold and always not afraid of expressing herself, whether through words or actions, while at the same time maintaining a strong sense of self-awareness of who she is and where she falls in her workplace. She's a lovable and relatable character through and through, and that's maybe why I couldn't bring myself to hate even when during a certain part of the drama (around episodes 14~20 to be more precise), her character kind of warped and the Pyo Na Ri who always knew how she felt, and never lost sight of what she wanted, her strong will and common sense, just flew out the window, and was replaced by an indecisive and selfish bi**h all of sudden, she was irritating at times, and other times downright obnoxious . It might have been a calculated move by the writer, but sometimes I just felt like screaming at her "Come on already Nari! that's just not so like you".
Writing
Very good script, and highly entertaining story, not to forget a beautiful ending. The pace here was mostly excellent during most of the drama but, I felt like the love traingle tug of war may have lasted a bit too long, it felt kind of draggy and was a source of frustration (thanks to Pyo Na Ri's sudden loss of self-awareness). This particular chunk of the story, I suppose served in giving more sense to the drama's title (other than the incarnate/Hwa Shin pun); because the two main male leads turned into two lumps of Jealousy childishly fighting over a woman, and the full grown-up woman acting dumb like a teenager experiencing her first romance! And though I admit this part had a ton of fun and even hilarious scenes, I nearly hated my favorite female lead! Don't get me wrong but I personally believe that this drama could have nicely fit in a 20 episode format.
Direction
Excellent camerawork and amazing props, but above all what left the most impression on me was something else.
A scene succeeds to be funny or sad thanks to a witty or heartfelt conversation, plus of course the right portrayal and acting from the actors involved, but here this director adds the +alpha factor. combining the right BGM or sound effects, and sometimes making use of signs on screen to express certain notions or feelings of the characters on screen, it was always fun to watch and gave a fresh vibe to the drama.
Music
Another OST full of favorite tracks, especially vocals. Fitting lyrics and scores, as usual (One of the things I really appreciate about KDramas)
So, final say.
Jealousy incarnate is an excellent Rom-Com, unique story and interesting characters with a witty script and full of memorable scenes. Not to forget perfect acting, and a very nice chemistry between the leads. It was by far one of the funniest Rom-Com dramas that I have watched, and would totally recommend. It will make you LOL, cringe, cover face in embarrassment, and make your heart melt and flutter constantly.
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Story (7/10):
In more ways than not, the premise is unconventional - not only by Chinese dramas standards, but in the realm of romance. If one is even slightly familiar with early Chinese history, then the idea of a forced relationship with a man whose ruthless tyranny is more infamous than his merits in unifying what is now China, has all the ingredients for an interesting romance. A romance tying into real historical characters and their famed personalities, leaves one curious to see how this equally unstable yet devoted ruler thaws his way into the heart of the object of his infatuation, after taking her away from the life she wanted and those she loves.
Throw in a second lead (Jing Ke) whose name is synonymous in history with balls rivaling the Great Wall for his assassination attempts on the emperor, and imaginations be running wild from all sorts of directions this story can go, and the immense potential it has. Sounds very ambitious, doesn't it?
And yet it fell flat. Over-saturated with unoriginal, predictable tropes that take away substantial momentum from the bigger picture, and in the end achieved nothing for plot and characterization. Despite active ingredients for what could have been good storytelling and real conflicts, poor characterization is probably what ruined the drama. Characters that garner neither sympathy nor respect, whose actions make no sense of the insensible, and mostly controlled by situations rather than in control of. Drama begins with a plot only to end with none (minus the part where they stuck to history). Seriously, will someone please think of the plot?!
And then there's flashbacks. The only thing more overused is good ol' flashbacks with the cheesy music, to cement itself as extremely lazy, poor writing at its finest. One flashback in particular has me thankful for helping me realize self restraint levels I never knew existed.
Because everytime it comes up the urge to shave myself bald before pulling my hair out from seeing it for the 100000th time is real. To paraphrase another user, the excessive flashbacks is "an insult to audiences as if the lot suffers from amnesia" couldn't be more accurate.
And ultimately, all is left are frustrating characters, unfulfilled potential and whole lot of disappointment.
Acting (6.5/10):
Not much to be said here. The cast does little to connect the audience, poor characterization aside on writers' part. Dilraba is wholly unimpressive as the leading lady , and proved herself as lacking depth to carry heavier roles like her character here. As for Zhang Bin Bin, he delivers as a mean guy with tender moments, but lacks the magnanimous charisma of a unstable frightening ruler that is Qing Shi Huang. Seriously just read up the guy on Wiki for those unfamiliar with Chinese history. Chemistry between the two however, might be the only saving grace for the drama, if ever is one.
Supporting characters played by actors for Han Shen and Li Zhong are more convincing than mains.
Music (7/10): The OST is good. And by OST I mean two songs for the entire 48 episodes. One in particular is the jack of all trades, used for happier moments to tragic ones, rain or shine, Li Er with Jing Ke, Ying Zheng, etc you name it. One can even guess when it cues and where. The producers of this drama tend to have a single favorite for everything, from music to flashbacks. Besides that, the OST reflects well the tragic theme of the drama, and is memorable. Though may be a function of being hounded into one's memory.
Rewatch: (5/10) only reason I can imagine anyone wanting to bother with this is for the leading pair during more romantic moments. One is better off finding those YouTube MVs for all those "swoonworthy" moments instead.
Am I being too harsh? Perhaps. However, as a frequent watcher of Chinese historicals, I can't help but feel unimpressed. Maybe a better writer, production team and leading cast would have brought out a better outcome. Went into this excited but came out with shattered expectations. Unfortunate because the cinematography, filming (minus choppy editing)and costumes are gorgeous, and despite the complaints, I wanted to like this so badly for parts I did enjoy. However redeeming aspects are largely overshadowed by what is not
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Saruman approved!
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Saruman approves!
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Saruman thrillingly approves!
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Story:
The story of the drama was nothing special. Even though the synopsis of it might seem intriguing and you would want to go watch, but beware, its a trap! As the drama progresses the story become utterly nonsensical and supremely boring and illogical. The production cost of this drama was the lowest and one could totally understand while watching it. The action scenes were badly choreographed and the whole Japanese v/s Chinese angle was highly underutilized.
Acting/Cast:
I was only familiar with the main characters of the drama as I've seen few drama on Joe Chen in the past and one movie of Xiao Ming. To be honest the weakest point of this drama was not the story but the acting. All the actors in the drama seemed to have given the worst performance ever. Joe Chen was still acceptable but Huang Xiao Ming was totally off the wall bad. His angsty performance seemed more like over acting and his over all get didn't help me to like his character at all. The only actor i really like in the drama Kimi. He seemed genuinely immersed in his character as a rich spoiled brat who still cannot forget his first love and can't seem to move on. Rest of the actors were equally bad on par with each other. I guess one the reason was that story and their characters were poorly written.
Music:
The opening theme was quite nice but the ending one was a bit lousy.
Re-watch:
NEVER. WATCHING. IT. AGAIN.
ATLEAST. NOT. IN. MY. RIGHT. MIND.
Overall:
It was bad people. It was really bad.
P.s. This is my own personal views about this drama. I hope i don't hurt anyone's sentiments with my harsh review. It is just my honest thoughts about this drama. No hate please. Peace.
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AOA's Yuna is too darn cute, and while her character is a bit annoying at times and some of her actions confused me, she portrayed the character well for 8 short episodes. Choi Min Hwan did a great job as the male lead, who was flawed too, but nonetheless, he and Yuna's chemistry was fun to watch on screen; when they were cute, they were REALLY cute. The ending was very rushed, however, as lots of web dramas are, but the very last few minutes of the drama exceeded my expectations. I wish the characters had a chance to be more fleshed out and I wish the writers had time to give us more background on each character, but alas, that is the struggle of the web drama.
I gave the drama an 7.5 mostly because I did walk in with such low expectations and was actually pleasantly surprised by the end result.
Also, I advise you not to watch the drama HUNGRY, because all the food made my stomach growl sooooo much; the burgers looked absolutely scrumptious. If you want to watch a short, mini drama that displays beautiful food and a cute couple, I recommend this one! It's not too deep and entertains quite well.
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Don't feel guilty about it
'Falling for Innocence' is typically the kind of drama that quickly starts as 'not bad' and end up quite enjoyable overall, even if far from perfection. While the story is not exactly the strong point of the drama, that's still a story worth following, considering the surprises to the viewers along the way. There's some kind of mix between clichés and 'not so clichés' scenes and situations there, that will keep up the greed and desire of the audience to the last episode. So that's already some kind of success for any drama, isn't it ?One thing to notice, as minor as it is, is that the female lead being a little older than the male main role seems to bring something a bit refreshing and challenging. As if the others characters around her have to keep up with her, doing their very best to stay on her path. I really liked it, although I'm not entirely sure as to why exactly.
And since the drama is done without too much technical issues (here and there, for example, forgiving a mic that comes into camera view for a few milliseconds ^^), that was quite an enjoyable show.
Then, this drama is an easy recommandation, especially if you're not expecting too much from it and if you miss the thrills of some other popular drama you've just finished before.
I think you will spend some good time, and if that's all you're wishing for, 'Falling for Innocence' could be the right thing to fall for.
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They didn't shy away from problems nor fell into terrible cliches. I usually get bored quickly with dramas over 20 episodes long but I sincerely wish this one had 200 more. The plot held me tight from start to finish with perfect pacing and beautiful writing. And the characters too were amazing and fit perfectly in the story. Each better than the other, I just couldn't chose a fave!!! They were perfectly cast but also realistically fleshed-out with great character development all of them. Ieven liked sunbae's parents in the end ffs! Doubt any other family soap opera will ever come close to the heartwarming perfection of my father is strange <3 I'll be re-watching it soon for sure <3
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this is just my opinion, yours may differ
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STORY:
The Good:
This film actually started really strong with a great steamy opening that slightly gave us what was promised in the trailer. The story follows the main character, Nack, who is in his last year of High School and on a journey of sexual self-discovery after an eye-opening event at the start of the film. I actually really enjoyed the first half of the film and I must give praise to the director for his artistic approach. Shots where there was not much communication between characters used a lot of symbolism which gave each scene a bit more depth. It's nothing groundbreaking or thought provoking, but it does add weight to the very simple dialog. For example, Nack's character's religion is christian and so Toy (his love interest) gifts him a religious pendant to wear as a gift. It's these little things and the reasoning behind them that give the story layers. A lot of the films strength is used in the films imagery and the deeper meanings behind the characters actions (ie. a hug, a stare, giving a git). It reminds us how even in real life, the little things can mean so much more when you think about the intention behind them. The interactions between Nack and Toy are also adorable and sincere as you see them get to know each other and go on cute dates.
The Bad:
The second half of this film really falls flat as it feels like a plot that's been done many times before. It makes this film feel like a remake of another Thai BL movie called 'The Love Of Siam', and even though I loved that movie, this just seems like a rehash of that plot to a tee. I also find that this movie spoils itself when trying to be too symbolic with it's dialog and making setups for predictable endings. The weak and predictable conflict of the film comes off as lazy writing to me and really overshadows the beauty and depth of the first half of the film. It also left me confused as to the motivations of Toy's character and whether his character was trying to be friendly or romantic. It's this confusion that creates a conflict of it's own between the two main characters and it just doesn't make much sense. There was also a huge lack of kissing scenes. I was just really confused at how the actors could rub crotches against each other and cuddle half-naked but not even give us a single smooch!
ACTING/CAST:
I actually thought the cast did an amazing Job with the script they were given and at giving these characters a great deal of personality with the minimal dialog they had to work with. Overall they were very convincing. My only complaint was the last scene between Nack and Toy by the pool. It just felt so dry and I wasn't feeling the emotions that the scene was supposed to convey. But I think that's mostly the script and directors fault more than the actors.
MUSIC:
The music was very nice and it fit the tone of the overall movie. I especially enjoyed the ending theme when the credits rolled up.
REWATCH VALUE:
Honestly I don't think this is an easy rewatch for me, unfortunately. The ending really put a damper on the whole movie and just negated all of the great things this film had to offer at the beginning. It was somewhat a disappointment
OVERALL:
This film had a great start with a lackluster ending. The cast did a great job in creating a believable, enthralling atmosphere and environment. The intimate scenes where nice, despite the lack of kissing scenes. I'd say this movie makes a good one time watch to fill the gap between seasons of other dramas. Other than that, I don't think this is a movie I will remember from years to come.
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I loved it, but it is my opinion yours may differ
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also ppl switched their affections like every other episode.
one thing I DID LOVE was the fact that it was a drama set in Goryeo period. Korean dramas are always set in Joseon period (which is fine and all) but I loved seeing a drama who's style was more that of Chinese since the Goryeo period was more heavily influenced from China.
ACTING : some actors (basically the princes {sans baekyun sorry}) did either a good acting job or a really good one, but none were amazing.
and no matter how much I love IU's voice, so did NOT deliver in this drama.
MUSIC : a 50/50 for me. there were some tracks that were perfect and others that were really bizarrely peppy and upbeat during sad moments that really threw you off and didn't fit the overall drama.
REWATCH VALUE : heck no.
it dragged and I couldn't wait for it to be over, but I'm a completionist so I had to finish even tho I almost died of boredom many times
OVERALL : 4.5/10 for me plot is the most important part of a story and that was the biggest flaw with this drama.
but I have to say that the costume designs and sets were all immaculate.
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My Re-watch value is low because I rarely re-watch samurai movies unless I am sharing with my friends, but I may buy the dvd to add to my collection to make sure I always have it to share.
This is just an opinion, yours may differ.
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