Reviews

A very good daily drama ^^ I loved that nothing was ever drug out forever but that everything flowed very naturally from one thing to another.

Story: About a mother who adopts a child who was abandoned and as she helps him pursue his dream of being an actor, she has to try and protect him from his selfish birth parents. And the man who is completely devoted to both her and her child.

Cast: My favorite thing was definitely the love shown by our male lead Gun Woo (Son Seung Won). *The perfect kind of man* This drama was even better because of him ;) The unconditional love, friendship, companionship and fathership he displayed in this drama should be every woman's dream for a man. This drama was really good to begin with but he made it even a hundred times better just b/c he was there. A man full of loyalty, devotion, steadfastness, honor, love, backbone, direction, and sacrifice. Completely self-less in all his actions. He showed true love and care for those around him. (I'm excited to see him in another Main lead role soon).
Eun Hee goes through so much in this drama, you'll feel terrible for her. She's a really nice sweet girl who loves her adoptive son as much as any mother would love their own biological child. She shows the meaning of true parenthood. Blood related or not - he was her child. It's a beautiful bond that was both sad and endearing. In the former half of the drama she struggles with her inferiority complex of being an orphan and tends to run away from her happiness. But that all changes short of midway through the drama where she realizes she needs to put her own feet in in order to be with people who make her happy. Basically, she takes charge of her life.
I also loved the bluntness of Myeong Sun and Eun Ah lol - they are quite like me in their way of thinking - I may appear to be more like Eun Hee but my thought process is definitely like the other two lol - My words can be harsh, blunt and to the point but my heart isn't as cruel as my words lol
So Jung was so annoying and irritating early on in the drama (obsessive towards her brother) we find out the reason later, but man it bothered me. Luckily she changes later b/c of circumstances and such and I started to really like her (also the actress gets replaced midway b/c the former one got sick).
Oh and Gwang Soo was so adorable! Kyaa! I loved how he was so attracted to the "charismatic" woman Myeong Sun ^^ He's a charmer and oh so cute! ;) Another actor I will be anticipating in another drama. ^^
The fathers were SO great! and I loved the "friend-in-law" thing they added to it ^_^ They are the exact type of father-in-law's and fathers you'd want to be blessed with. Very loving, very respectable and they walk their talk.
Ha Yoon (the main kid) is still a novice at acting, I could tell especially in a few of his crying scenes but overall he did pretty good. ^^
I cried and laughed a lot during this drama - besides tons of other emotions felt towards other characters.
The main bad lady will drive you nuts with her terrible treatment and "using" of Eun Hee. A woman who refuses to admit her own fault and only sees the fault in others. One who is completely absorbed in her own blood line and uses that to treat others like dirt. She thinks only her family is worthy of being praised but others in her eyes are worth nothing. She's extremely selfish and all of her actions and words prove it. The secondary lead couple will make you hate them early on but sympathize with them in the latter half - it's so weird. One minute you hate them the next you feel for them.

It's really really good, by episode 46 I could not stop watching (luckily I had delayed watching this drama when it was airing from that point on so I could marathon the rest of it) :)

One slight disappointment was you could definitely tell they dropped 2 episodes off in the end :'( I wish they would have left it at 120 episodes instead of making it 118 :/ I could tell this cut by the end of episode 115 - they started to cut the end/beginning scenes and not continue it from there :/ I would have liked those to have been as well paced as the rest but even so it wasn't too bad of a rush - still would have been better to have those last 2 episodes though.

Music:

I would definitely re-watch this drama at some point if only for Gun Woo ^^

For daily drama lovers - this is a good one! I recommend it :)

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I was so disappointed by this drama... honestly, it could have been so much more. basically, to me, they should've made the whole Jeoson bit into a VERY SHORT flashback (not 5 episodes), and then spent several episodes to cover everything that happens in the last one. That's what was interesting: the creation of the band, them dealing with the discrimination, and all that jazz...

The actors were beautiful and the music was good too, so the whole drama just felt like such a waste. wtf were the writers thinking, honestly. watch only if you have time to waste and want to look at beautiful people. because otherwise, it's really not worth it.

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The second movie of the commuting to school series has some of the characters of the first movie in as side stories, but the main story is all fresh and cute. The romance, a classic shool romance between two young students about to become adults, is nicely blended with some growing up and coming of age problems and anxieties, but those do not steal it's thunder. The love story is cute and sweet, though it gets a little cheesy in the end. But still, if you want to feel those butterflies on you belly, this is the movie for you (fair warning, do not expect too original scenario and too much of this movie. It's just a good one to spent your afternoon...)
Have to admit that I've watched this one first and then picked up the first one, so I was a bit confused about the relationships between the characters. So, word of advise, watch the first film first!! Plus, there are some spoilers on what will happen to the couple in the first movie, so this film will probably ruin it for you.
So, 6 out of 10.

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Cheese in the trap tells the story about a college student and her relationship with her senior who is not the guy he appears to be. Unlike other K dramas, the romance doesn't get all cheesy and cute, but stays within reasonable levels, most of the time anyway. Also the love triangle is well managed. The characters change throughout the series, and you grow to like them, then dislike them, then like them again. And that, I think, is the best part about this series and it makes it unique. Also, it keeps the interest high, as, unlike other dramas that the story concludes at about the 14th episode, cheese in the trap keeps it interesting till the end, with a nice final episode that doesn't stick with the patterns of tacky romance. And because of its originality, I think that Cheese in the trap is definitely one of the k dramas to watch.

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I wasn't sure whether I should watch this drama or not. From the plot summery, it seemed like yet another bubbly K drama, with the cute girl getting into all shorts of trouble, but finally getting the boy. But the main plot, along with the ghost's background story, proved to be much more than just a cute romance. There were some funny moments, though the romance wasn't that great, as you didn't know whether to like Na Bong or the ghost, but the whole mystery and the bad-guy-chase really gave something to this drama. Of course it all resolves to Park Bo Young's acting. She can swift from one character to the other with great easiness that you can distinguish the ghost from the real person quickly. The whole cooking theme was a great idea as well, as it gave a nice atmosphere to the drama. So 9 out of 10.

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One of the few dramas that score for me over 7! I don't know if it's because this is the second K drama I had ever watched and thus I feel quite fond of it or because this is the only drama I've found till now that debates on relationships so openly. Even so, this drama is one of the best for me and a must see, if you want to spend a quiet afternoon watching it. The main story is about an apartment building and it's residents, a newly wed couple, two roommates, an unmarried couple who lives together and a woman who's dating a younger man. Each episode is focused on different stories that, most of the times, end in one episode or two. I liked that this drama was so open about the relationships, as it was free of those taboos (there was even a gay couple). The humour was plenty, with the jokes very entertaining without being silly. And for me, that dirty- innocent humour is the main reason why I love this drama. Most of the dramas you can find are about one main story, but the lover is more about laughter, a true comedy rather than romance, even though you'll find yourselves routing for the couples. The performances must be considered for the success of the comedy part, as the actors were a delight. Now, the soundtrack wasn't the best, but good enough. So, 9 out of 10.

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It's okay, it's love, it's more than just a love story. Sure, it's not the tale of the greatest love ever, but the focus on mental health, and how to treat people that suffer from mental problems, are the main focus of this drama, that doesn't fail to capture the interest from the very first episode and keep it up till the end. The stories tangle up into this thrilling drama, that explores the issues of the mental illnesses. And the message that leaves us is loud and clear : people with mental illness have to be treated as equals. The background of each character is interesting and it's being explored throughout the series, till the last episode, which was more about the closure of the love story, than anything. But, still, the background stories are the ones that support this drama, along with the good performances. I may add that to the list of the issues that It's okay, it's love, handles the domestic violence, that is presented constantly. Now, for the love story, it's not that good, though the chemistry between the two characters isn't that bad. I think that it's just that they are not that comparable, the cold doctor and the play boy, though they do find common ground through their mental issues. Finally, the supporting stories are okay, but not that good. But the soundtrack was great, and it was just what the scene needed some times.

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I disagree with most comments on this season. For me, it was shocking that someone thinks the acting here is poor. I really loved the actors. Not only the new cast is good, but the old cast is better here than in the previous seasons. My favourite performances are Frung's (Oil) e Pea's (Boss). Their story and acting are really good and convincing. Boss introduces an important discussion about politics in Thai society, while Oil made me cry due to her desperate and destructive way of life. But besides them, I loved all stories, even though I hated Non and Pang and had the feeling that the lovely lesbian plot was out of place compared to the other plots.
Differently, from most people, I think the third season marks a come back to the good times of season 1. I loved the 'rebel' first season, but the second one seemed conservative and too concerned to please mommy and daddy. This season was more sensible and realistic when dealing with controversial issues, like AIDS and gay parents.
I liked as well the end of the season, I think they were more skilful to end the story than the second season. It was a wonderful ending for one of the best series I have ever watched. I wanted that other Thai series could be so realistic as this one. Tired of series with poor stories and bad acting like so many things I see around.

(Sorry for my poor English).

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PROPER MINDSET
What to expect: a festival of backstabbing.
Don't watch it if you despise convenient plot points, because almost every single twist and turn here is exactly this.
Imagine a storyboard, an intricate and tensed network of possible outcomes. As the story flows, it forces some lines to close down. Some chess pieces are bound on their positions, limiting the movement of others. Some are taken down (destroying evidence is a recurring theme of the first half or so - which, realistically speaking isn't a wisest move on a characters' part, but it's necessary for the plot to move forward; once a deal is finished, it's impossible to restore the former status (but hey, there's a twist on this too!)).
The first episode is a gateway of sorts, filtering out the viewers who aren't for this kind of story (the controversial part is even in the official trailer). A journalist gets killed, his friend framed for it, and a judge known for his integrity blackmailed to announce him guilty. Framed man's daughter seeks the judge's help, but feels betrayed in the end and sets him up, trying to create a pressure point on him. He ends ups tangled between Taebaek law firm's all-reaching influences and her blackmail, facing an impossible choice. Sprinkle with hints of latest political scandals from real life and you have a Taebaekgate of your own.

WORLDBUILDING
There are no right choices here. It's a bleak and ruthless world in which power overcomes truth and justice can be bought. Everyone important knows each other and sits in Taebaek pocket. The law firm serves as a symbol here: it recruits its employees from the elite lawyers, prosecutors and judges by orchestrating their downfall from behind and generously offering them a place to stay. Then it feeds on their former reputation and abilities.
Many people complained that a hero introducted as just and incorruptible breaks so easily and turns shattered and 'spineless' during first few eps, but that's the point. 'Whisper' suceeds in creating a sense of encirlement, hopelessness and inevitability.

CHESS PIECES
Characters' cunnery manifests in being in right places at right time with right people and smirking knowingly. They're smart enough to forsee one or more moves of the opponent ahead, but it doesn't mean they don't lower their guard from time to time. And yes, deadpan and smirk (and furrowed brows…) are dominant expressions, but first, I don't think it was actors choice, two, there's much more to it (a honourable mention for Hyung Mook, let's hope to see more of him in the dramas).
There's no clear, progressic character development, only people being poked from different angles and reacting accordingly. In a sense, it's not about Dong Joon and Yeong Joo substantially changing at all, because those two (especially she) were badass from the start, only their means were limited. For them, it's about achieving their goals. They come to their original point, only stronger and calmer. What changes the most is everyone around them losing their comfort, realising that the rotten world they know so well affects them too, that they too could also fall prey of a betrayal, not just stage it for others, and that people they trust and love won't always put their good first. All the sense of comradery in crime falls apart.

ROMANCE TAG
There's a love line and it stopped me for some time from even starting this. (Two, actually, but I don't want to completely rob you out of feeling smart and perceptive in a first few eps.) Its existence may or may not feel a little forced. It develops gradually and for the better part of the show consists mainly of male lead spacing out watching female lead being awesome, his gaze tinted with guilt. If you don't feel like watching a drama with a romance tag, you can safely ignore that for the first 12 episodes or so and pretend they're just partners with a hostile start, reaching an adorable intimacy later [here would be a gif of Dong Joon stealing a bite of Yeong Joo's salad from her plate].
However, the important part is: they both have agency during the show, can act separately and aren't overly protective. In the end, them developing feelings for each other serves as just another pressure point.
I could say there's a 'strong female lead' (and it applies to both to various extent), but the thing is, not a single character is gender-limited to begin with. They aren't forced to act or behave like males or females at all.
Also - the poster is right. It's not about main couple and their vengance only, all four characters are equally important. I'd even argue that the other two carry the story once the things between the former are roughly settled.
What it doesn't depicts, are four fathers. There's a rivalry and resentment between Choi Il Hwan and Kang Yoo Taek and it cast a shadow on their children. Lee Dong Joon has family issues too. But all of this is treated as a mean to a purpuse.

17 HOURS OF YOUR LIFE
I tend to avoid crime/law/suspense/mystery/… dramas longer than 10-12 episodes, because stretching it further calls for people running in circles like a headless chickens and creating misunderstandings that could have been easily avoided if they just stopped and used their brains for once. Not a case here. On the contrary, obstacles come from constant betrayals on every front and people trying to protect oneself on other's expense. The pacing is fine. It takes some time to dismantle stalemates within stalemates and get enough power to force the truth. When this drama does prolong some event or a threat, it does it in such a manner to close all exits but one. For example, you can see someone soon-to-be framed for something at the beginning of the episode, but it takes some preparations to make sure that person will have little to no possibility to get out, and if s/he was taken sooner, s/he could save him/herself much easier (enters a fire destoying what little evidence have left). It's logical and kinda mechanical.
Anyway. I didn't skip a scene, which is something to brag for me these days. There was a week-long break forced with the presidental election coverage, but it's not noticeable. Recaps and flashbacks are minimal if any during the better part of the show, but there's more towards the end, because it was originally written as a 16 episode drama.
It's not super realistic in details, but uncanny in essence. The story is cleared out of all the accidental clutter and wholly focuses on the main plot and connected subplots showcasing the main players. Don't expect much of legal cases or police investigation. They do work, but it mostly serves as a setting since they don't meet mundane problems or unrelated cases. If something comes up, it's used as an exposure point, to reveal something from the past or to create a new problem that can be used against someone. Characters have only skeletal backstories - and for me it works. For many it doesn't.
Generally speaking, if you don't feel an urge to cheer for your characters, but rather shake them, throw on an arena and see who'll last, you've found yourself something to watch.

MUSIC
Tolerable and sparsely used for a kdrama standards, mostly instrumentals and background noises (clock ticking etc). Main theme is a latin chorus (with a hint to an early plot point), but it's nowhere near as pretentious as say, K2.

VISUALS
That's the biggest forte for me. First, it's stylish, two, it's fitting. It heavily relies on contrasts. Taebaek resides in a fortress-like building, a huge grey cube with slot-like windows. (Of course it has an open roof for dramatic conversations in the wind, duh.) It's interior is all glass, chromium, highly polished marble and some rough stone on the walls. Tight, dimly lit corridor leading to the owner's office ends with an anti-chamber filled with a terra cotta army and two hostess taking away all electronic devices from the guests. It's an example, but there are many locations and they all match the common theme. Interior decorations items are used within the plot. People mostly wear elegantly matte fabrics and everyone is coordinated for the sake of coherent screencaps. Even PPL doesn't hurt the eyes that much. The lighting is cold, blueish and artificial and it bonds all the scenes for the scale I haven't seen before in a kdrama. It's on par with Cruel City's grittiness and darkness or W clear division between two worlds when it comes to a coherent worldbuilding.

HUMOUR SAMPLE
'My father is not here today, they are having a praying meeting in their community, so the embezzlement of the temple funds won't be found out.'

Pros:
- Highly motivated, flawed, charismatic characters
- Reasonably smart intrigue (forming alliances and shuttering it, finding weak points and exploiting it)
- Good acting
- Even pacing, engaging power struggles, focused storytelling, clear and somewhat elegant structure
- Visually pleasing (and it's an integral part of the worldbuilding)
- Comic relief isn't overused, neither is the story too dry and serious
- not makjang.

Neutrals/cons:
- Convenience everywhere. Some things that never have any business be written take tangible form.
- Music fits the mood and action, although it ranges from forgettable to 'dear lord, not K2 again'
- Romance feels forced an unneeded.
- Not very engaging on an emotional level (there's a lame attempt of holding the viewer hostage with making one character badly sick in the middle, but I still don't really care for anyone or anything). It brings out repulsion, pity maybe, a satisfaction from people meeting their end and justice triumphing, but that's it.

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I generally avoid romcoms of the J-drama variety because they so often follow the same formula. That being said, I wanted to give it a chance because there *are* romcoms out there in existence that can strike the perfect balance of light and feel-good yet clever and critical (a la 'Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu', or hell, even 'Otona Joshi' which follows a similar concept).

Unfortunately, after giving Tokyo Tarareba Musume a go, I can't bring myself to be generous. The point that it's making is there, and the conclusion they came to had a good message. I get what they're going for, but the execution was off. It was a little bit *too* on-the-nose when it came to the main characters and justifying their poor life choices. There's a fine line between writing flawed, complex heroines and writing characters who keep making the same exact mistake until the very end where they would finally "fix" things after having the same realisation for the fifth time.

The men in their lives (aside from Hayasaka) were all selfish and straight-up awful, including KEY. He redeemed himself a little bit in the last few episodes but I didn't find that his reason (a traumatic past, of course) was enough to justify being such a colossal dick for most of the series. The progress of his relationship with Rinko and their interactions felt inorganic and I know they live in the same neighbourhood or something, but there is no way they would bump into each other by coincidence *that* often. Most of all, the insights that they make and the social commentary was shallow, which wouldn't bother me if it weren't for the fact that the point of this drama was to "tackle" the issues haunting women around thirty.

Look, the end result was clear in what the writer's intentions were - the women did grow as did their outlooks, but the process in getting there was neither complex nor nuanced. The drama, with its premise and characters and situations, could've been good with better writing but unfortunately it missed the mark and landed smack into the realm of Infuriating Formulaic Romcom.

I also haaaate the bubblegum electropop soundtrack by Perfume. It cheapened the show imo.

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Kiriyama Renn is an enigmatic and super cool assassin named Mirage, in this almost Bond like thriller, with a unit called K13 in Japan who has the license to kill and clean up messy organizations and people. The police system seems corrupt and vile enough as always, and the villains are mysterious. The main antagonist listens to this recurring opera and each time you hear it, you know the villains are gaining an upper hand.
Watch this for the cool music, a very well choreographed set of fight scenes in each episode, and Kiriyama who has little speaking parts but lots of fast action, and a cool car. In fact, the action scenes are short and swift but that is what one looks forward to each episode. They are almost movie quality choreography and design, with each fight scene showing off Mirage's empty hand, or weaponed, or shooting prowess. Mirage is a mysterious killer who dispenses with his missions efficiently, stylishly, and without fail. Even though Kiriyama is not a martial artist, the fight scenes are quite convincing and intricate.
And if you can ever figure out who really are the good and bad guys in the Japanese government/police force, good luck...

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I went into this lakorn hoping for a badass female lead, although in the beginning she was bratty and obnoxious I had this little hope like "okay her character will began to redeem itself a little, hopefully?". But I was disappointed, her character was only weak, simple, and had her go-to trait a brat. We do see some bit of change around episode 6-7 but I felt that it wasn't sufficient.

I am not that in love with the male lead, he had those similar characteristics as what you'll see from other lakorn, he cares for the niang'ek, "helps" her from behind the scene, la-di-da-di-da but I did;t feel touch like I would with other lakorns. The lakorn did not do any justice of romance. I wouldn't blame the actors and actress, it's kind of like the storyline/the way it was directed, there was no sense/a drive to convey of a love connections between the two leading actors, and even if there was one I felt that it was weak and wasn't able to fully relay those feelings of love between the characters.

I tried to do as other comments said, to finished before reviewing, and I did finished, after skipping through a lot of parts because it frustrated me so much. I'm suppose to fall in love with the storyline, the lead characters, but what this drama left me was disappointment. 6 episodes into the drama and I felt that the true plot hasn't even happened, it was a real dragger. I felt no sympathy for the male lead, and I hated how weak the niang'ek was. No love connection could be felt at all that's why I didn't even have a sense of wanting to root for the two lead actors to end up together. It didn't create the feels I would usually expect when watching lakorns.

This is just my opinion I'm sorry if it was so long, but Dang IT! I just had to comment an opinion because this frustration at this LAKORN, ARGHHH!!! lol I was hoping for so much more but... the disappointment was real (not at the actors but more towards the storyline, i wanted a bigger development)

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