STORY: Two college guys who are very close friends come to love one another before tragedy strikes. This is a short BL story, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Happy ending.
ACTING/CAST: The guy playing Paul is just super cute. They did a fine job acting.
MUSIC: Uh, no idea. Too busy watching.
REWATCH VALUE: Yes. Such a neat short story. I hope to share it with friends.
OVERALL: A neat story, kinda like The Butterfly Effect. Hope you got 30 minutes to spare, it's worth it.
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This review may contain spoilers
I pushed my way through the entire series because there were some sweet moments that made it really worth watching, yet I still feel like I'm writing this review to criticize more than compliment.But let's start with a compliment:
I enjoyed the lead female character. This kind of nice, independent, no-nonsense lead female character has been a rare item in the Korean drama industry. I'm saying she's strong as in not TOO comically strong or bratty as well. Eun Hawon character is really likable, and it's the only part that makes sense why this kind of reverse harem plot works. The boys in the house genuinely like her, and I accept it. Most of the Korean dramas that go for either this generic reverse harem plot or the strong lead girl plot usually fail to deliver them naturally. I grew fond of her the most and her character made me stick around.
Another good point that somehow kept me around was the sweet moments and the chemistry between the lead characters. I could feel that they really care for each other. Nothing was forced. The love story wasn't rushed. I enjoyed it. Sometimes the sub plots dragged on for too long and their sweet moments would restore my faith for this show.
Now onto the bad part:
From the title: Cinderella and Four Knights, there are no four knights at all. They're trying to sell that this is a reverse harem kind of story, with one lead girl and four lead guys and such, but it only lasted probably up to the first few episodes. The first few episodes promised you a love triangle which was cliche but still entertaining.
From somewhere early in the series, however, out of *four* knights: 1) one of them loses complete interest in the lead female and goes back to the second lead female he ditched long ago for unexplained reasons, 2) one of them grows to like the lead female yet takes care of the second lead female to an unreasonable extent, 3) one of them likes the lead female genuinely but, of course, the plot won't allow them to even meet and talk properly, 4) and the last one of them leaves the *knight* title ever so quickly and branches out to his own super cliche sub plot although he has so much potential in everything from acting to his looks to his chemistry with the lead female.
It felt so much like the writers lured us into such F4 - Boys Over Flowers kind of settings, then ditched us to an extremely cliche plot that revolved more around the second lead female – who I have to use the word "annoyingly boring" to describe. I like Son Naeun as a member of A Pink, but I believe her acting is very bad – or this character does not shine a light on her as an actress at all. Her character is an "I-only-look-at-you" kind of pitiful(?) girl, but somehow the story (or her acting) made her evil. I thought she was going to grow into a likable second female lead because she was one of a few second leads that don't act evil towards the lead female character. However, her damsel-in-distress situations only turned her into a "I don't care if I look evil, I just want to own one of these rich guys" kind of character.
She has the looks and she's from a well-raised background. She was also incredibly stubborn for (literally) unsaid reasons while she could just go out and have a happy life while forgetting these main guys. Plus, her interest in fashion design seemed useless. It played no part in the plot, and I wish writers would stop stereotyping fashion design major as a "high class" thing. Beautiful barbie-like female characters don't need to like fashion to look sophisticated. Try harder.
Likewise, I didn't enjoy the stereotypes in this story at all. Jung Ilwoo's character (Kang Jiwoon) was built around a quiet, rebellious guy with a troubled past, so they gave him a street-racer persona while in the story it was just him fidgeting with his toy cars from time to time. It didn't look cool and rebellious. It looked pathetic.
Ahn Jaehyun's character (Kang Hyunmin) – the playboy successor of Haneul Group – can he be even more cliche than this? I mean, playboy chaebols are fun to have in a story, but this characteristic of him progressed to nowhere. He was out with random girls for only 2 or 3 episodes at the beginning. At the same time, he's a supposed successor of their family business, but I see him lazing around inside the mansion the *entire* series. In fact, he doesn't seem very aloof. He has a heart, but they didn't make use of it at all.
Lee Jungshin's character (Kang Seowoo) is a musician. Why? There's no back story to his characteristics. He's popular and is a good singer and he's very nice. Rich and romantic, yet he seemed the most unattached to the entire chaebol family. Again, there's nothing bad about this, I just feel like this musician character is very stereotypical. And again, for a chaebol grandson who's *finally* nice and decent, he's out of the picture from the first half of the series. He likes the main girl alone, feels sad alone, and lets her go alone. His music plays almost no part in putting his character together with the main girl or other guys, and despite that, there's no explanation in why he fails to convey his love to the main girl at all. (Oh, wait, why? Because the writer doesn't want that. Then WHY did they even make his character up at all?)
I still forced my way through the end purely because of the lead female character. She was the only decent one in the entire series. The "missions" and "part-time job" that put her in these guys' mansion made me cringe though. And although she's naturally kindhearted, genuinely wanting the boys to reunite as a family was a bit odd, given that she hasn't been raised in a warm *family* as well.
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This review may contain spoilers
One of the best romance drama ever!Definitely one of the best unique romance plot that I have came across.
1.) Unique characters. Instead of the story, I am more drawn towards the characters and personalities created by the writers. From uncommon jobs like sound directors to straightforward and sassy personalities, sparks really do fly between these characters.
2.) I need to talk about the character of normal Oh Hae Young. I find her so relatable (especially her voice-overs). People find her irritating but at the same time cannot help but sympathize her for the comparisons that she suffer. She is confident yet feel inferior when she is with the gold OHY.
3.) Gotta address the biggest illogical part of the story, which is the revenge part. Although the revenge on ex-girlfriend seems to be weird, I gotten over it really quickly as the main point of meeting another Oh Hae Young is more attention grabbing. Especially such a weird/special Oh Hae Young.
4.) The strange part of the story will be the psychic visions (no spoilers right, I am trying my best). Seemingly unnecessary, yet very important. There will be a lot of question marks and guessing throughout the drama, maybe even after it end. Then just let your (or netizens') creativity take over:)
I am really a super super big fan of Seo Hyun Jin right now!!! Totally captivated by her and Eric's chemistry. Not gonna talk about all the steamy kiss scenes that I have really enjoyed. You will definitely be laughing like crazy especially at the second couple, their chemistry is also no joke. So much fun and surprises.
Music is nice too. The OST "What is Love" is really addictive and sweet. Meanwhile I want to give credits to the unique cinematography, making it look a bit like a movie. Although sometimes I do find it irritating, I enjoyed it for most of the time especially during emotional scenes, it makes me immerse into the feeling/atmosphere.
Definitely a rewatch:) My favorite romance drama. Teaches me a lot about love, to be brave and to cherish what we have. And don't jump into conclusionssssss. GO WATCH IT RIGHT NOW!
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This review may contain spoilers
so i just finished this lakorn and i can say that this is the top1 out of the lakorn that i've watched so far.acting,cast, storyline were so good that i can't find a word to describe it.
i really enjoyed it.
but the only flaw of this lakorn is daniel being stupid, in episode 11 i really hated him.
*spoiler*
if he really love fahsai, then why he must marry kwan, just for that stupid responsibility:?! huh?
and force fahsai to love someone who she doesn't? tho i love chen ming. haha but well its still
so that's it. i highly recommend this lakorn to everyone. as for those saying that they didnt like the main couple lead, i think it really depends on u.
add; the feels of this lakorn is like those watty stories that i've read. i feel so empty right after i finished it.
AND AH JO DESERVES BETTER!!!!!
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-The romance was great. Who she ended up with, they were soooo cute together. The guy especially, I loved how he played his character. He is so cute when he's in love.
-I liked the dark, detective story. The criminal played his role well, he was so creepy.
-The comedy was great most of the time
-the bromance! Ah! So good!
-Music perfectly fit the show
-the acting was of course excellent
What I didn't like though that really brought down the score I gave:
-It tried to be too many things. If the show had stuck to one aspect like the comedy and bong soon trying to come to terms with her powers, I think it would've been better. I know why they had to have the criminal storyline but it was so contrastingly dark, it was jarring sometimes. I felt like the best parts about the show was the comedy and the bromance but They didn't touch on those as much. they should've come up with a different storyline to get her comfortable with her powers.
-I REALLY disliked two of the characters. That lead gangsters who was hospitalized forever in a body cast and the project team leader, omg, they were both sooo annoying. I didn't think they were funny at all. It really detracted from the show. They were both so useless and their characters were so over the top. No not good.
I still recommend people watch it. The beginnng was really strong. Towards the middle it got more involved in the crime genre. Each were good stories, i just thought it was too much together. It was overall, a really funny show and the romance was so cute! I just loved them. And seeing Bong Soon grow up and into her powers, seeing her believe in herself, it was a nice thing to watch.
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This is a short little drama centered on a family of four men (three brothers and their uncle) who are in their 9th years of their various decades (9, 19, 29, and 39). Apparently, according to the wikipedia page for the show, there is a common Korean belief that the ninth year of a decade will bring more hardships than usual. In this show, there are basically four couples - the uncle, Gu Kwang Su (played by Oh Jung Se), who is a television producer who was once dramatically denied during a marriage proposal ten years earlier. His love interest is Ju Da In, played by Yoo Da In, who was the woman who left him and is now a divorced single mother with a five year old daughter. The oldest brother is Kan Jin Gu, played by Kim Young Kwang, a travel agency employee who has been something of a playboy, and the woman who has been his best friend that he's now fallen in love with, Ma Se Young (played by Kyung Soo Jin). The middle brother is Kang Min Gu, played by Yook Sung Jae, who is a high school student and competative Judo athlete, who falls for an older girl, Han Su Ah (played by Park Cho Rong). The youngest brother is Kang Dong Gu, played by Choi Ro Woon, who is a child actor well known for a very popular role when he was younger, but who has found acting awkward as he's gotten older. There's a little girlfriend for him, as well, named Jang Baek Ji (played by Lee Chae Mi), but his story line is much more about his struggle with his acting than his relationship with her.
This is a very bitter sweet show, as well as being on the short side (it's only 14 episodes long). The love stories are nicely romantic and each one has it's own distinct flavor. Unfortunately, the pacing in this show is uneven, which makes it sometimes feel really draggy, which is surprising considering how much ground they have to cover with just 14 episodes to cover it. My favorite couple was probably Jin Gu and Se Yeong.
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First and foremost, this production is well-made, well-cast and well-acted. The leads are capable and play their roles with class and conviction. The villains, oh my, they made me grit my teeth and ball my fists throughout three-quarters of the show but it’s all thanks to the brilliance of Wu You as the contemptible Wu Xin and her dorky, shameless mother, Wang Ai Yu. The duo gets away with witchery, spinning lies over the course of 17 years.
Amidst this human sorcery, life goes on blissfully for Zhang Guo Guo, growing up not knowing her fate as the heiress to an esteemed embroidery powerhouse. But truth and destiny will prevail as the power of the plot and amazing acting tie every event together in a journey worth our patience.
Very much a melodrama, with all the angst and tears you’d expect from this genre, Guo Guo and Yun Kai’s sweet and uncomplicated love for each other is secondary only to the main storyline— Guo Guo returning to her roots. Also entwined in all the sub-plots is the enduring message of maternal and paternal love - biological or adoptive, it can be likewise powerful or destructive.
Stellar, stellar cast including little Le Tong. What an ensemble of perfection. Well worth the angst!
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I JUST FREAKING LOVED IT!
Im a big fan of jisoo and Park bo young and now an even bigger fan of Park hyung SIk, even tho it is my first drama watching with him in it. i just thought the way they all portrait their characters was off the charts. the chemistry between the main lead was something just truly amazing. i hadn't watched something so sweet which made my heart flutter in a while! I usually suffer then second male lead syndrome especially when it is jisoo lol coz i feel like he deserves better and actually deserves to get the girl but in this drama, i was strangely okay with him not getting her coz honestly i think they were perfect and no one could have done it any better.
the drama is absolutely hilarious although i do think that some scene were just over exaggerated and could have been cut out. some heartfelt moments, thrilling moments and some action. this is a must watch and i can't wait to see what they actors have more to offer. i hope to watch them all in other dramas as main leads and hopefully jisoo's next drama has him getting the girl lol
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Story:
When i first saw the plot of this drama and heard the title, i immediately thought of "Weightlifting fairy Kim Bok joo", and wasn't to excited about watching it. Now don't get me wrong, i looooved "Weightlifting fairy Kim Bok joo". I just thought it was unnecessary to make a new drama with the same plot, all over again. Especially since "Weightlifting fairy Kim Bok joo" just fininshed airing not too long ago.
But once "Strong Woman Do Bong soon" started airing, people started talking about it a lot and therefore, i had to watch it.
When i started watching it, i loved it right from the start.
Although it, in some ways, are similar to "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo", it wasn't as similar as i had feared. It's mostly just the fact that both of the female leads are strong and doesn't live up to the stereotypical "pretty-like-a-doll" girls that we are used to seeing in dramas, and the fact that both dramas are romantic comedies. In a way you could say that "Strong Woman Do Bong soon" is the "adult" version of "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok joo". "Strong Woman Do Bong Soon" is more "dark" i guess you could say.
You have the creepy kidnapper, and the adult jokes, that made it more "mature", while "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok joo" was more sweet and not as "dark".
(The reason for why i'm using ("") when i say "dark", is because "Strong Woman Do Bong Soon" wasn't really that dark either. It's mostly just an absolutely hilarious and sweet drama, but it's "darker" than "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo", if you get what i mean...why are both of those titles so long?").
Overall the story was great and entertaining all the way 'till the very end.
Acting:
I have officially added another actor and actress to my favourite-actors/actresses list. I have seen dramas with both before, and they both did well in those too,
it's just that i like to see actors act different types of roles before i make my mind up on wether i think they're good actors or not, and i can honestly say that Park Hyungshik and Park Bo young are great actors.
Their chemistry was great, they were such a cute couple and their bickering is the best thing i've seen this year, or the next best thing i've seen this year after the bromance.
Can we just take a minute to talk about how much i ship Hyungshik and Jisoo, like for real. I kinda hoped that this drama would take a turn and that Hyungshik's character actually was gay but...you can't always get what you want now can you?
Music:
The music was good, very fitting with the superhero theme that this drama has. I don't have much more to say.
It was good.
Rewatch value:
9/10, because i don't really rewatch dramas, but it's a drama i could've rewatched, if that makes any sense.
Overall:
All i have to say, is that i think "Strong Woman Do Bong Soon" is the best drama that has aired so far (of the once i've seen at least) this year! Loved it.
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I still don't understand what the title meant. I thought "Fabricated crime" would be an apt title as it describes the plot. Kim Sang Ho acted as a side villan here which surprised me becoz i only saw him in roles of comedian, kind person. I couldn't take seriously his actions becoz of his previous drama effect. I would have liked a little romance b/n the hacker girl and Wook but that's my opinion.
All in all its a good mve to watch on a summer evening worth 8.6/10.
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