This review may contain spoilers
This is your typical melodrama so be prepared haha.This is also very funny to watch after watching Golden Rainbow, since there's like 4 actors that are in both and they have varied roles from that drama.
Anyways, onto May Queen! It's a very long drama, but it's worth the watch. It has your typical tropes of birth secrets, revenge, love triangles, etc. etc. For the romantic portion, it was very sweet for once to see both male leads treat her with respect until, well, something happens to one of them (a typical kdrama trope, but I won't go into detail because that will be a spoiler). At times, Hae Joo is encouraging to watch, yet her naivety may annoy some at times. Many of the supporting characters, however, are quite lovable (Jung Woo, Bong Hee, etc.) and you'll appreciate them in times when the plot really tenses up.
I believe some of the best acting was during the childhood portion. Yoo Jung always does so well..and the man who was her father also did a great job. I can't say much about the others since I haven't seen them in other dramas. I would say that Geum Hee is very tiring to watch. It seems the only thing she does is cry, collapse, and hit whichever male figure is near here. Though she does play a crucial role later on, and she does change some, for the greater portion of the drama she's just...there. Crying probably. And Il Moon is just hopeless. Eugh.
I found the music beautiful and I wish I could find them somewhere to listen to online, and I mean the classical pieces--the actual OST was okay. Typical of any makjang drama.
And rewatch value is low because it's long! It took me roughly 40 hours in total to watch it all. But it's worth it. I was almost crying with joy when I finished it. It's a beautiful story, with tragedy mingled in.
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GWi Lee Soo Hyuk for me he's a perfect match for a Vampire, he is a perfect with for supernatural characters. He has a pretty unique face comparing LJG, Baekhyun, Changmin, Kang Ha Neul, Bo Gum, Lee Min Ho etc
Yes Yang Sun's ex lover as her reincarnated self gonna play an important role in the drama but I do not really ship them here.
Didn't really like the music but whoever is their stylist is s/he done a great job. I loved the outfits. Actually when YS first saw Choi Hye Ryung as her reincarnated self Lee Myung Hee the outfit she was wearing reminded me what Hae Soo was wearing in Scarlet Heart Ryeo in one of the episodes.
The drama could be less boring but more attractive - exciting to us as audience.
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I really liked the cast as such and the story, as well as how it developed. The chemistry between the actors was really great and I did believe them everything. Also the funny moments made me laugh really hard.
Sometimes it became a little tiring because of the back and forth between Kim Tan and Ch Eun Sang. I also would have loved to see some more kisses ;) But apart from that it was great!
I hope that there will be a second season sometime as there are so many story strings that can still be developed! Until then I will just rewatch it over and over again!
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Jo Jung Suk and Gong Hyo Jin are perfectly matched in this! She has basically paired with most of my favorite male leads at this point, and in some of my favorite dramas, but this match is definitely one of her best. Na Ri is quirky and likable, and frustrating, and definitely a memorable character. Parts of her personality would have easily made me hate her if she were played by a lesser actress, but she is so good that it works. Jo Jung Suk as Lee Hwa Shin however, is the key to what makes this couple so good. He's played lovably arrogant before, and extremely well, but he made me fall for him so much in this role, even though he is an absolute jerk. I don't want to give any of the story away, but it's certainly not your average love story set up. It also could have easily gone a much cheesier melodramatic route, which this story thankfully avoided. The plot stays true to the seriousness of the subject matter without losing any of the humor. What I never expected from these two was that they would have some EXTREMELY HOT moments, with an intense attraction that was addictive to watch. The relationship also felt real, with their personality flaws on full display, which made them super relatable.
Of course, I can't leave out Go Gyeong Pyo as Jeong Won. Not only is his bromance with Hwa Shin perfection, and an essential part of the story, but he completes my favorite kdrama love triangle, possibly of all time. These three actors had me excited about watching their shenanigans each week, and I could never quite guess what would happen next. I loved them so much that for the first time I was excited that a show was longer than I expected it to be. Gyeong Pyo is also the kind of character that the term "Second Lead Syndrome" was made for. His actions did start to annoy me after a while, but they never lost their charm as a trio, which was the best part of the show for me.
The rest of the cast is filled with memorable, and hilarious characters. It truly is a great ensemble, with entertaining stories of their own. I could spend all day writing about why I loved each supporting character, down to super cute Seol Woo Hyung, but I will just say it's a cast worthy of a perfect score. Again, I need to compliment the story for staying interesting, and not falling into the same old expected clichés. Although this is pretty much a romantic comedy, I not only laughed, but I cried, I also laughed while I cried, and got deeply invested in each story. It also made behind the scenes in the newsroom seem fun, interesting, and even intense at times. Usually, the "at the job" parts of the story just feel like filler to me in romcoms, but the cast and crew of SBC were entertaining on their own. I also feel the same way about the Chef, and the apartments at Rak Pasta, though it took me a little longer to get into that part of the story because it was initially kinda confusing (especially how related they all were without knowing it).
Would I watch this drama again? Absolutely. In fact, this is one of those dramas I was ready to watch again immediately after it was finished. I have the soundtrack, of course! The "step step" song will be stuck in my head for a long time! There are a lot of good songs and some that fit the mood of the story really well, like "Monday To Sunday"... which always played at the perfect time. Hilariously, "No No No" is maybe one of my low-key favorite OST songs of all time.
Overall, I knew this would be added to my favorite drama list halfway through, so of course I recommend it! By the end, I was totally satisfied and was never bored, and all the weirdness in the beginning made perfect sense... umm... except for the aliens... What's up with the aliens? Anyway, This is an absolute must for Gong Hyo Jin fans and Jo Jung Suk fans, and romcom fans in general. If you're not a fan of either, it's still worth giving it a shot. Prepare yourself to laugh, cry, and crave ramen while watching. This drama is definitely unique, so just go along with that "What the hell am I watching?" feeling that you will probably have in the beginning, and I don't think you will be disappointed. Personally, I miss the characters so much that I'm singing the OST to myself... "step, step, where do I go now?" :(
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Anyway, This city hunter show could be done better.. of course i know it was made 5 years ago.. so i understand it.
I really like kim na na, she is such a strong woman, she doesn't get sad and soapy even though she gets that kind of crappy treatment from Yoon Sung.I really really like her, she is one of the best female characters that i have seen in K-drama.
As much as I love Yoon Sung, but towards the middle of the drama, he is just not that cool anymore. He hurts Na Na and he is inconsistent. He seems to want nana but he keeps asking nana to forget him WTF. Sometimes he verbally abuse nana too. At first it was fun since he likes to tease nana, but in the middle of the show, he tried to control nana's feeling and told her what to do and i don't like that. If the writer didn't write yoon sung's character like that, this show is a 9 for me.. I think it's outdated u know to write that kind of man, a man who loves to hurt his woman and never really consider his woman's feeling, i understand he does not want nana to be involved in his situation but i think it shld not been done in that kind of way.
I really hope the writer to make nana as a source of strength for yoon sung and they team up to face their problems... and not wasting time for that unnecessary soapy scenes about the abuse, the changing mind that want and don't want the girlfriend, keep repeating that kind of soapy love drama, talking to forget him blah blah, it was boring at that part and i skip all those boring scenes haha.
The prosecutor is also weird to be everywhere and want to know everything, what??? He is kind of slow too, he is like keep telling everybody about what's in his mind, he is not clever at all, he ruined most of the plans bcoz of his big mouth and he does not seem to appreciate city hunter's work.
Ok, most of the plot is fine, I would give a 9 or 9.5 if those that i mentioned above are not there. It's unexpected towards the ending too.
The first few episodes was so addictive, i binge watching it until about episode 13-14 then i get bored after that, in eps 16, i really cannot continue so i skipped it then I watch the last episode.. hahaha so yeah, the last 2 episodes are unpredictable.. shocking and good..
As for the acting, lee min ho's acting is good, park min young acting is also good :)
If i need to compare this with healer, i choose healer head over heels.. Healer's character is daebak, i like the lead male's character and also like the second lead male character hahaha
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heart......heart......heart......
was there anybody who watched this over 10 times??????
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For sensitive people like me, prepare tissue box hahaha ;)
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One thing about watching old dramas is that it renews your love for watching dramas all over again. This drama was not the best drama, but it was not entirely bad. The story was interesting because you see the female lead playing the role that is usually given to the male lead. It was like a reverse-cinderella story even though it's not a rags-riches story.
It is about a star (A-list actress) and a regular guy (lecturer/writer) falling in love. I thought it was interesting how their lives intertwined. It started out so good, dragged through the middle 12-17 (so much annoying things happened that I was wondering if they were simply giving love too much value) but the drama begs the question: Is love worth its value? It was addicting and fun to watch.
You have a female lead that wants to be loved and a male lead that does not know how to love. It wowed me how such different characters could fall in love with each other. Their CHEMISTRY was always on point. The ex-girlfriend was so pathetic that it made no sense for her to continue to be in a situation that was hurting her own happiness, but did she care, NOPE! So many obstacles tried to disrupt the main couple relationship especially the overly obsessed manager.
Description of lead characters: The female lead character annoyed me through the drama, the only thing I liked about her was that she was a caring and honest-hearted individual. But she was also a selfish, immature, self centered, irresponsible, whiny person. She was used to getting what she wanted, so I can see why she was so spoiled, but I could never offer her my sympathy because she simply always behaved without considering the consequences.
Male lead- Smart, cold hearted, responsible. He was the rational one out of the two but sometimes I felt like he was too self-righteous.
The cast did an awesome job overall. But I did not have a preference towards any character.
Overall the plot was interesting, but the conflict was too redundant at times. I thought it could have been shorter. I tolerated and completed it because I wanted to know how the main leads life was going to play out. I recommend this drama if you want to hop on a dramatic rollercoaster with some talented, handsome and beautiful cast members.
I realized there was so many guest roles in this drama. Ji Jin hee was my favorite:)
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ACTING/CAST: Holy crap. There were many actors in this cast and I loved all of them to an extent. I did not hate a single person, even the villains. I will break it down person by person, but I am not going into all of them. Han Hyo Joo (Oh Yeon Joo) is the main female. The only other thing I had seen her in, before W, was Postman to Heaven. I loved her in that movie and I loved her in this show. Her acting fit the character so well, subtle cues that added to a character that could easily be flat. From her interactions with other cast members to portraying different emotions, she did it all in a fairly realistic manner you can connect to- considering the subject matter of the show. For me, she alone deserves a 9 or 10. Now, Lee Jong Suk. I want to say he had a stellar performance, but it was not the best thing ever. I do not think that was him so much as it was the role itself. Kang Chul is, in general, a bit too perfect, a bit too flat. He was not written with the depth I was hoping, but I think Lee Jong Suk put forth as much as he could into the character. I would give him, maybe, an 8 on his own? The romance between Kang Chul and Oh Yeon Joo was a bit too perfect, withstanding all the problems a little too easily, but it was by no means the worst romance I have seen. It was not 100% natural, but I thought it was pretty good. BUT we must talk about Kim Eui Seong. Kim Eui Seong plays Oh Sung Moo (Oh Yeon Joo's father) and I loved his performance. He by far was one of the most complex characters, and Kim Eui Seong's acting throughout the show, no matter what was demanded of him, was simply amazing. I quickly figured out he is an actor I would watch in anything. He is so good at portraying emotion and interacting with his fellow cast. I assume this comes from his being older and having more roles under his belt, but I think he was my favorite in this show. By far, the best performance in the show. He alone would receive a 10/10. The reason I give the overall cast an 8 is because not everyone was a stand out in this show, but I think that was less about the actors and more about the character roles written. They seemed awfully flat and you could tell they were only there because they were needed to push the story at times. Do Yoon (Chul's best friend and bodyguard) was fairly good and I think pushed his character as much as he could considering how it was written, and Soo Hee (Chul's friend and secretary) was not as great as I was hoping. She was a letdown, but again I think I blame the writing.
MUSIC: I really enjoyed this soundtrack. The songs used in the show are pretty recognizable and some get stuck in your head. It was not a soundtrack you end up hating, at least not for me. I actually saved up money and bought the entire soundtrack, which I have only done with a few shows. The best song for me was Without You by N of Vixx and Yeoeun of Melody Day. However, not all the songs are great or memorable, you realize that it was how they were cut and used in the show that made them better, but it is by no means a letdown. I must also mention, the placement and editing of the songs for the show were very well done. They simply added to the moments of the show and made things happier or more heartbreaking depending on the scene in action.
REWATCH: I actually have watched this show twice, once by myself, once all the way with my friends. I also enjoy it if I need a dose of romance or action for the background while doing homework. Many would probably rewatch this show, it definitely has the potential to be rewatched, and it has a bit of everything to appeal to different audiences. I have watched it on my own and with multiple friend groups - all the way and random episodes. But I do think it is a show you have to be in the mood for, It is not something I watched religiously but in binges. This is a very binge-worthy show. But I struggled to watch it week to week while it was airing.
OVERALL: I would give this show a 9/10. It has great acting and a good storyline, but it is not perfect. Many dramas are not perfect, so I have learned not to nitpick but I Think this show did a fairly good job and considering it was much anticipated I did not find it to be disappointing at all. I think many will like this show and should give it a try, especially those who are new to dramaland or want a high production show (think high production like City Hunter or Descendants of the Sun).
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I actually didn't even listen to EXO or even K-Pop in general when I first watched this series, so it was a bit confusing for me in the beginning; yet I still enjoyed every second watching it and thought it was super cute, and even fangirled at a group I wasn't even a fan of. That's how much I liked it.
Today I am super obsessed with K-Pop, especially EXO, and thought of rewatching the series. Of course, it was still as cute too me as it was before, and had me fangirl even more. I ABSOLUTELY recommend this drama for EXO and KPop fans, but also for those who aren't fans but like dramas with cute romance.
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I absolutely love and shipped Ahn Jae Hyon and Goo Hye Sun in this, they're character's connection is so strong that they even married IRL. c:
It may be a slow moving series, mostly because there are 20 1-hour episodes, but I was still truly satisfied with this series, and you will not be let down. That's all I'm gonna say. ;)
Let the sleepless nights begin... c;
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Ha Suk Jin and Jeon So Min are a great match. They not only play their roles well, but they have very realistic chemistry with each other. Watching them felt like eavesdropping on an actual couple, even with all the tropes. I especially loved the way he looked at her, and it's worth noting that their kissing moments are much hotter and realer than the kdrama norm. I've never seen either before, but they nailed it.
The only reason for lowering my cast score was that although I loved the leads, the best friend, and Jae In's lawyer, many of the supporting cast members seemed pretty useless. A lot of them didn't have enough screen time to make me care about them, or just had a ridiculous role like Seo Eun Chae as Han Joo Hee. I'm not sure if she or the role were the problem, maybe both, but although I can see how she added to their story, she was my least favorite part.
I also gave the story a lower score, because of the lack of originality, poorly fleshed out backstories, and a few "dramatic" moments that made no sense to me, but what they did well was trim a lot of fat from the episodes. I confess that I actually binge watched this whole drama while sick, and I was able to finish it in a day and a half! I was on episode 4 before I realized that the episodes were shorter than usual, and that's also when I finally gave up on waiting for a big dramatic story to happen. The episodes seemed to fly by as I watched Jae In and Dada become closer, and that was all the entertainment I needed.
Would I watch this again? Maybe. I liked the main characters enough for a possible rewatch, but I can't say the same about the rest of the plot.
Oh, and the OST. It's a great match for this drama, including a cute spinoff of the jackson 5's "I want you back", but I was pretty indifferent to Ji Soo's songs, and his storyline.
Overall, this is a good romcom, and definitely worth watching for fans of the genre. I think my score is lower than most because I tend to like more intriguing plots, but this simple story has a lot of charm. I also think making it shorter was very smart (I can't believe the original was so long), so there was no time to get bored with the story, and it took no time to get hooked. It's the perfect drama for weekend binge watching, while still leaving you with some time left for real life (If you're not sick like I was)! I'm glad I took a chance on this one.
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The fact that it is all based on gritty, hard fact adds a hefty weight to the already unsettling story. There’s a lot here that reflects upon corruption, in all its forms, ‘gifting’ the viewer with an insight into a darker time in history and the effects of a corrupted government. Despite the general breadth of its theme - that this insanity and moral degradation affects a whole kingdom - it still feels personal and real. No character is without its flaws, nor its scars, and at times I even found myself pitying the mad prince. There’s a lot of emotional intensity to see here, like everyone's just trying to survive.
It’s a well-paced film, as I never found myself bored. Though the acting wasn’t lacking however - especially not with Kim Kang Woo and Joo Ji Hoon! - I do think I could’ve been more emotionally-invested? Where the fault lies with that, I’m not certain, but that’s the main reason why I mark this film down: I didn’t FEEL enough as I believe I could’ve. That, and at times… clarity, I believe, wasn’t always there. Not regarding the major things, but more in the details of the characters and their histories. (A few things felt a bit skimped over and probably could’ve done with a tad more coverage, though overall the impact on the rest of the film isn’t a big deal at all.)
That aside, the costumes are brilliant. As are the sets. The music is above being ‘just good’ and I genuinely enjoyed these past two hours, with all my gasping and marvelling. It’s a dark yet interesting film that kept me watching to the end.
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