This kdrama was cute and thoroughly enjoyable. Light and fluffy, it's good for watching when you don't want to think too deeply (like after a long day at work). The premise is that Lee Yoo Mi (the straight-laced nutritionist daughter of a former "erotic" actress), played by Song Ji Eun, meets Cha Jin Wook (the chaebol heir/company CEO and known playboy), played by Sung Hoon, at the wedding for her mother's second marriage. Lee Yoo Mi is mortified by her mother's past, while her mother is not only not ashamed of it, but embraces it as an important part of her identity. Lee Yoo Mi and Cha Jin Wook end up having a one night stand (in his car, on the beach! Downright racy for a kdrama!) after which Lee Yoo Mi sneaks away before Cha Jin Wook wakes up. Cut to three years later and the renowned playboy has basically been celibate since that night because he's fallen in love with the mystery girl from the beach. Because it's dramaland, Lee Yoo Mi's new job is as the nutritionist for Cha Jin Wook's company's cafeteria. High-jinks ensue!
There is nothing really ground breaking in the story line here, and nothing is really going to be a huge mystery. It's a short series (only 13 episodes), and the pacing falters a little bit. Upcoming complications are telegraphed pretty obviously if you're familiar with kdramas, at least. The bromance chemistry between Sung Hoon and his character's secretary, Jang Woo Jin - played by Park Shin Woon - is gold every moment they are both on screen. Also, Sung Hoon is no slouch at kissing, even when his co-star is almost a foot shorter than him (manner legs almost certainly employed generously - either that, or Song Ji Eun got to stand on a lot of boxes).
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Yes, this drama was pretty painful to watch at times, but I did shamelessly enjoy it in parts hee hee! I probably wouldn't reccomend this drama ...
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The middle episodes were a bit better, but this was no great drama. It was still pretty cheesy, and the epilogues at the end of each episode were strange. They didn't add anything to the story at all. They were just basically little recaps. Episodes 11 and 12 could have been cut out almost completely. Episode 11 was basically all flashbacks and had zero plot movement. Episode 12 was a lot of the same. I'm not sure why they needed to stretch it out so far. Ten episodes could have wrapped this story up well. As for the romance, they didn't totally sell it to me as the characters were pretty shallowly developed. The two had a one night stand and didn't see each other again for three years, but yet he can't forget about her? She was a pretty weak lead honestly, and there wasn't anything so special about her that I bought that he was pining after her for three years. And the chemistry between the leads was only so-so.
The music was ok, also nothing special.
I wouldn't recommend this unless you were really hard up for rom-com. I fully admit that I only gave this show a second chance because I have a soft spot for Sung Hoon after his roles in Oh My Venus and Five Children. I was really hoping that he would have a great lead role in a rom-com, but this wasn't it. I feel bad for the actors of this. I think they could have done better if they had a better story and better production.
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Story:
The first 3 episodes are actually quite interesting and funny, the rest slowly turn into a pain to watch (with the exception of a few scenes, really). They keep introducing new issues, but the whole story has no depth - there is not much character development until the very last episode. This is a perfect example of lazy writing, you can't just leave gaps in the plot, trying to cover them with some emotional flashbacks all the time. I had some hope for the last episode, but it still felt quite rushed and shallow.
Acting:
This is hard to rate.. I am not overly impressed with the acting, but a big part of it is probably just because of how poorly the characters were written. Still, I saw some good acting from the supporting characters and also the main characters' kiss scenes are quite good and the viewer can actually believe that the characters are into each other. Overall the acting is tolerable.
Music:
The music is pretty OK, I guess. Nothing memorable, but at least there wasn't something that made a bad impression on me, so I say it's a win.
Rewatch Value:
I seriously don't think this drama is worth rewatching. There are a lot of flashbacks anyway. You can't really miss anything worth remembering.
Overall:
I give it a 5.5 - just a little above average, because I was still able to finish it. I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone though (maybe I recommend just watching the first 3-4 episodes and then just the intros of the rest of the episodes, and finally watching the last episode, idk).
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Piang Chai Khon Nee Mai Chai Poo Wised
20 people found this review helpful
Anusaniya ( Kimberley) is the rich girl, Sattawat is a doctor, his mother has got gambling problems, Anusaniya's uncle is in love with her, Sattawat's mother & Anusaniya's aunt in a way arranged them to marry, the dad agrees so they got married without love. As in any drama we do have distrubing characters. Somika was previously with Anusaniya's uncle but he breaks up from her for Anusaniya, this time she goes to Sattawat, she announces her love to him, but the doc has no feelings, Doc has a crush on Anusaniya since he saved her from drawning. It's for sure that Kimberley is a great actress but this type of characters sort of stick on her, she's always the rich, snob girl, though Doctor is not poor but not a chaebol.
They do have on screen chemistry with James. Just like on her previous drama we'll watch her development as she develops she'll realise that she loves Satawat.
Sonika is sometimes going overboard so her character was written excessive, she's a type of stalker
Keep pestering Sattawat. Annusya's bro pregnantes a girl, and she also hate her and she wants her baby to be the only heir of the family, that's what we know until later episodes. It's sort of like Brazilian Soap Operas.
Mirantee is a reporter but also Anusaniya's school friend, she had doubts that Anusaniya would ever recognise her, but yet she has not only recognised her and her name, she also recognised that she helped her when her heel was broken, after that incident Mirante started to help Anusiya.
Their bond got better. Mirante is also in love with the uncle. The actor who plays the uncle Pop Thagoon Karnthip is also quite handsome :))
When he had a accident Mirante was the one who was crying by his bedside. Sonika is the one who's responsible from all bad things happening to Annusiya's family and people around her, it is just jealousy turning into a mad hatter.
Anusaniya's brother's girlf also uses Sonika's addiction obsession on Satawat to hit Anusaniya, but Sonika is the idiot letting people to use her.
There's everything you are looking for, love, romance, action ( not that sort of action but still) kidnapping, cat fight..
At the end we see that uncle understands who he really loves :)
Our couple still pulling each other's hair, it's their way of showing love, aggressive couple. Doc is romantic soft hearted but our girl is bitchy.
Not only the uncle and doc is handsome here, the guy who plays the owner of the furniture company is also hot
Well doc have been doing wrong all the time, while he could silence his wife with a lovely kiss :D
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I am happy to admit that my secret romance is exactly like that. Starting it I had no expectations and I had braced myself for the impending, inevitable hard-drop! Even though, I can easily name this the cliché-est kdrama I’ve ever watched; the cheesiest, corniest, fluffiest shit I’ve ever put myself through, yet against all odds, I deeply loved it and honestly I stand here in awe of it. As a rom-com hater, how is that even possible? Well, looking back, I can name a few things.
Secret Romance, despite its heavy cliché-ridden self, had this exclusive, borderline inexplicable dosage of fresh air in it. Kinda contradicting isn’t it? Well, that is the main reason it was so good!
Starting off, the drama is characterized by its archetype characters. Cute female lead in need, shy, naive, with sad mommy issues in her backstory striving to survive and make a living y’know, usual stuff; paired with the uber classic chaebol hawt arrogant womanizer. Been there, done that. What secret romance did differently, ultimately breaking the mould of rom-coms in the best way possible is the realistic and natural expression of young adult sexuality. HELL TO THE YES PEOPLE! No more over-romantic, fake and unrealistic holding hands as the expression of ultimate love. It was ‘bout time drama gods!
More specifically, sexual jokes, innuendos and gestures, taboo job occupations, actual kissing, underwear clothing products and finally the acquittal of sex as a despicable act in kdramaland! There is nothing wrong with expressing sexuality people and it was about time we saw that in kdramas.
In all honesty, I have never witnessed a better romance development in a kdrama. The flirting felt real, the chemistry was exquisite and I enjoyed every moment they had building up their relationship. Nothing about it was really new, but it was the way that it happened that not only felt right but left extremely close to me as a person. The archetype characters strayed only a little bit away from their lanes just to make the drama that much more addicting.
Moreover, nothing about the romance was idealized here (finally); but rather, it was so fucked up that it ended up being relatable – expressing how we can hurt but also heal through an unexpected relationship, how easy it is to misunderstand and how easy it is to misinterpret. So relatable it felt too real! All in all, the best part of the drama for me, besides the lovely chemistry, was the natural expression of sexuality in its complete spectrum, while always keeping it real, cute and never filthy or awkward. I salute the writers for taking a chance here and actually making it work.
Having said all that, I cannot argue that secret romance was perfect. Critically assessing the drama, I have to admit that there were no substantial side characters or stories, most of them misused and underdeveloped. Simultaneously, while there was some basic effort to make the characters feel real giving them stories of their own to grow on, these backstories were barely ever elaborated on and were resolved abruptly at the end out of the blue.
I can safely say, the drama is not perfect and the more you think about it the more problems could be found. This is a drama to just smile and spend 13 fun hours doing nothing but letting your heart flutter. However, the fact that the drama did romance so well and touched upon -otherwise normal- stuff that are for some reason unheard of in kdramaland easily make me give this a well-deserved 8.5 just for that.
As far as the acting is concerned, no awards will be given here, but I don’t think anything was problematic.
I should mention at this point that Song Jieun is my 2nd ultimate bias in kpop (and my list is big, so I do love her) so I might be lenient and biased when I say that I absolutely loved her as Yoomi, she felt thoroughly real and behaved very accordingly to her role. She definitely had this role down and was a perfect match. Since her last project that I couldn’t help but drop, she was overwhelmingly improved and I can’t wait for her next drama.
I will not stay and talk about trite things like how unrealistically handsome Sung Hoon is, like everybody with a pair of eyes can see that. I will talk about how good he is, considering he’s a former athlete though. I am not entirely sure how flexible he is as an actor, and for a moment there I did believe that he won’t be able to act in any role other than the arrogant womanizer chaebol, but let’s not be quick to judge. I’d love to see him again, preferably in a different role next time.
Concluding, my secret romance is like a good pasta dish in a lovely restaurant. You know what it is, you’ve had it a thousand times but each time it is as good; and to top all that off, this plate of pasta has a very unique ingredient inside it to spice things up and leave a unique experience. Therefore, I would wholeheartedly recommend this drama to every rom com lover and honestly pretty much everyone who is looking for an easy watch.
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Even now, I feel wronged by my own decision to rate this drama quite high up there. I was actually quite disappointed that it didn't meet my high expectations. The story is predictable, not very unique but simply enjoyable enough for me. What I really disliked was the filming style. Now, I know what a low budget drama looks like. However, I mainly wanted to see Sung Hoon oppa's acting once again since I feel like he was born to play a prince charming/rich guy in a bubbly and cheesy romance drama.
To simply describe what this drama is like, I'd say it's "almost every romance Asian drama cliche jumbled up into a draggy but cute 13 episode cycle". Would I re-watch it? Probably not. Would I recommend it? Yes, if you are single and ready to watch a romantic story that you probably want to take part in someday.
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If you asked me to describe this show simply, I would probably liken it to a modern version of Nirvana In Fire, which sounds kind of ridiculous since the contents are so different. While the political intrigue is an integral part of both shows, neither forgets to insert some heart and some solid storytelling to weave its magic - and of course, both shows count on some amazing performances from a largely veteran cast.
Story:
The premise of this show is pretty simple - it's about exposing corrupt government officials, and the twisted web that they weave in a fictional city (and province) in modern China. (FYI - in recent years, with the rise of the new GS, the government's been really cracking down on corruption, especially within government officials, which is why they were okay with turning the novel into a drama).
While Prosecutor Hou Liang Ping is technically the main character, this is really a story about many different people, and how their lives are tied together. The main focus, of course, is telling the politics in a modern Chinese city works, and the scriptwriter does a phenomenal job of outlining many of the problems in Chinese society today without making it too black and white. Because too often, there isn't a clear cut answer, but just acknowledging and highlighting the issue is a major win for citizens.
In this same vein, the characters, even the ones who are exposed to be corrupt, are portrayed in an ambiguous light (and I mean that in the best way). One of the biggest issues with a lot of the shows about political intrigue is that the show is too eager to cast judgement on a character for the audience, but here, you can use your own judgement to decide what you think of a character and his or her actions. Almost all the characters are portrayed in a fairly complete light - so you'll have the full picture of what kind of person they are, what they have done, and why they have done it.
The pace is phenomenal - the first few episodes will leave you absolutely reeling as you're thrown right into a case that opens up the rest of the story - but then it slows down to allow us to catch our breath and to learn a little bit more about the situation and the characters. I think there were some unnecessary scenes, but there was obviously a big attempt to balance the dark and heavy with some light, slice of life moments, and I really did enjoy peeking into the lives of the characters.
Beware - there's a lot of low key and high key propaganda in here - I mean, it is a state-backed show - so it might be a little disconcerting if you aren't used to it, but I didn't find that it took too much away from the story, which was mostly very well thought out, as layers are unpeeled and you learn more and more about just how tangled the web really is.
Acting/Cast:
This show featured probably one of the phenomenal casts in recent history, with a slew of talented, well known veteran actors, who took the roles and absolutely made it their own. In particular, Wu Gang and Zhang Zhi Jian, as opposing politicians, gave amazing performances that gave their characters, who were already interesting, even more depth. Hats off to the other established actors as well (there's too many to name, honestly), in particular Hou Yong, who is probably the reason why a lot of people kept watching the show, as he guest starred in the first couple of episodes as a small town politician and gave an absolutely electrifying performance, and Bai Zhi Di as the elderly retired Chen Yan Shi, who was a cynical and jaded ex-prosecutor and totally reminded me of my own grandfather.
I also loved Ding Hai Feng as the playful police commissioner and Ke Lan, who was a smart, sassy, and hilarious female prosecutor - the two of them often stole the scenes that they were in. If someone ever wants to do a spinoff based on these two, I'm definitely in.
Zhang Feng Yi, who I love, was sadly wasted in his role - he did what he could with it, but it really wasn't an interesting character since Sha Rui Jin was probably the most straight laced character in the entire show (aka boring). He is such a talented actor and I really wanted to see him in a more riveting role.
Lu Yi has received a lot of criticism for his acting, some of which is valid, but a lot of it is a bit unfair given how talented his costars are. Lu Yi does more idol dramas than anything else - I mean, he's not going to be amazing. He was fine - not great, not bad - but serviceable. And considering his character really was just meant to be a foil to some of the other characters so there really wasn't much depth there, he didn't need to be amazing.
Ensemble casts are the best when everyone's performances are elevated, and that's how I felt here.
Overall:
I think you have to have some context of what modern Chinese society looks like to be able to really enjoy this show - even though a lot of the main characters are politicians, there's a relatability factor to it that really strikes a chord with the audience as the show touches on various social issues. I am pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this show to the point where I'm still discussing it with my parents. For those who dismiss this show as pure propaganda, I feel that's a bit unfair to a well thought out, well acted drama that does have a lot of fantastic social and political commentary. I would definitely recommend it!
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There are so many things that I love about this story. First of all is the idea in itself. They did a pretty good job with explaining the visions, making them convincing without making it look too much out of space. With the same pace Do Kyung was getting an idea of what was actually happening to him, it made me understand it step by step, too.
The way the romance was emerging. From the original setup to the new one. Well explained and real. I got a pretty good feel of how deep their emotions were growing and I liked the idea of "fate" here. I loved how that whole relationship was developing, even though they sometimes seemed a little foolish. But that's what love actually is, right? Acting against all logic and not getting bothered about other people's opinions. What makes you really happy and how do you want to spend that one life you got?
I was dying with pleasure seeing all that skinship. It felt comfortable and real and made me very, very happy. When it seemed like their pent up emotions were finally exploding, I felt the same. I'm a sucker for hugs and here are so many tight embraces that I wish I had someone near me who would hug me just at the same time, lol. And their kisses... Don't get me started with those. All these things are one big part of what made this romance so intense and beautiful.
The acting was very impressive. Eric blew me away. His character drew me in to a point where I couldn't stop but root for him all the way, no matter what he did. I saw his remorse, I felt his misery and I enjoyed his approach to slowly change himself and become happy, no matter the outcome. Same goes for Seo Hyun Jin. Her despair, her hunger for love and her feeling of betrayal of life itself were crushingly unfeigned.
There is some really strong writing in this drama. Some dialogues had a big impact on me and made my heart flutter all of a sudden so many times. The story did a pretty good job at riling up my emotions in every way possible.
I also loved the side stories. Interesting characters even though some of them were a little exaggerated. I enjoyed them nevertheless. Do Kyung's sister was one hell of a person. Her on/ff modes were hilarious but what I loved the most was that no matter what, she stuck to her family, supporting them in her own way whether blood-related or not and was always like a guardian. I also loved Hae Young's parents. Although her mother was really, REALLY stubborn towards the end, I enjoyed the time when she was silently giving in, showing that she truly loved her daughter and wanted her to be happy.
About the two second leads here...
Well, I didn't really care for their stories while watching the drama. Now, at the end... Well, of course they had their reasons for behaving the way they did. The other Oh Hay Young... as the story went on, her character became more palpable and explained some things, but it didn't change the fact that I couldn't care less. She had her chance, she blew it. End of story. Han Tae Jin... same goes for him and on top of that he was a petty loser. He couldn't accept the facts, acting all childish, throwing one tantrum after another. Do Kyung and him both did wrong. But at the point where Do Kyung realized his mistake, Tae Jin blamed others and continued his raving, staying blinded by his anger.
The ones I disliked till the end were Do Kyung's mom and Chairman Jang. No further explaining. Just stating that fact.
If there's one thing to complain about, it would be the dragging in the middle and until ep 16. I know that every scene and every moment were important for the story and can't be considered fillers. But I still think that they could have made some things a little shorter and not putting me in such agony >.< (although it makes you wonder if I would have gotten riled up about it with the same intensity, if they HAD made it shorter, right? Haha...)
In the end a very, very enjoyable roller-coaster with many memorial moments. Lots of emotions, lots of ups and downs and very satisfying in the end.
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Makes you reminisce without reducing the throwback time frame to simply trope.
The acting is excellent. The characters are silly without being annoying. It reminded me of my own secondary school experience. I rooted for the OTP with all my heart during this movie. I laughed and I cried. Darren Wang and Vivian Sung are absolutely perfect as Hsu Taiyu and Lin Truly. Plus, they have incredible chemistry.
You will find some drama cliches in here... There's some noble idiocy, there's some "girl falls for bad boy instead of the good boy she had liked before," and "boy saves girl's life." But it is presented with an unexpected freshness together with wonderful acting(and directing) which makes the events seem to be happening to real people. Their world somehow seems real.
Thoroughly enjoyed this movie.
I am giving it an 8.5, however, because I felt that the ending was not quite as satisfying as this story deserved.
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I cant tell you how much i love this story, i read countless manga's with this sort of theme and i enjoyed it immensely! i recommenced watching this if you enjoy a arrogant male lead and a (naive) not so innocent woman (; they are so much fun to watch. i think ill watch the highlights again right now ^_^
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