But at the same time, I feel that the stories were sometimes better than in more recent dramas.
That's what I felt watching Delightful girl, Choon Hyang.
I love Hong sisters storytelling style. It's fast, it's hilarious, it's full of references to Korean popular and traditional culture, sexual innuendos... DGCH's plot is actually a modern twist on a Korean folk tale. I loved all the comedic sketches at the end of every episode parodying sageuks scenes.
But above all I LOVED Jae Hee. He does a great, heartfelt job as Mong Ryong. Han Chae Young is not a great actress, but I liked the fact that she took a risk with a different role such as Choon Hyang's. And she has good chemistry with her partner.
Ahn Suk Hwan was also hilarious and endearing as Mong Ryong's father. And the couple who are friends with Choon Hyang and Mong Ryong were quite lovable as well, although she was a little irritating at times.
I like the fact that everything was not solved quickly in just 60 minutes in the last episode; instead, it took three or four episodes to close everything.
And I also like the fact that main female character is a strong independent woman, even though in the original story, her strenght is based on the fact that she can remain a virtuous woman -which was the female ideal type in Joseon era- before the constant harassing of a vicious nobleman.
What didn't I like? Well, I hated the second lead female character. She didn't contribute with anything to the main plot. She was just the ordinary second female lead you find in almost every romcom drama, the evil girl who interferes with the main couple's love story. And the resolution of her character felt too hasty in the end as well.
The soundtrack was a little irregular. But it's worth mentioning the main title song by Jiny, which sounds really cool and is so distinctive that it must have become a classic by now.
Anyways, I really enjoyed this drama and I really recommend it, and I have the feeling that it's sadly underrated.
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Story: it didn't feel like 51 episodes because the story can be divided into 3 parts i.e.before SN enters palace, in the palace then out then went back again. Both HJW and JCW' s character grew along the way. It has enough humor, touching moments , realistic power struggles ,comradeship and romance! I think this is one of those few saeguks that has so much romance and skinship. For me besides the struggle of empress ki , the other important story was the love that the emperor has for empress ki. Never once he deserts her despite many obstacles . Some people hate the ending but for me ,it was the best way to end- more realistic ,more impactful! Life is not always like a fairy tale .
Casting/acting: one of the best cast I have come across besides SFD - everyone's acting was great. Besides the three main leads, the veteran actor El Temur , evil Tanashiri, Empress dowager, Tangqishi ,all were outstanding. JJM did not have much to do with his character but his acting touched me. HJW was beyond spectacular - from the innocent feisty Sungnyang to the cold seeking vengeance consort then the loving mother and wife left me longing for more . However JCW was a revelation for me in this drama. I have only watched him in healer prior to this but acting as this poignant yet devoted to love emperor made me fall in love with him! Watching him cries just make me wanna jump into the screen and hug him LOL.
Music was good but as great as SFD
Rewatched value: definitely a yes for me!
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Ok if you have a lot of time on your hands, then go for it. Otherwise, it's your typical drama, drawn out over the years and unwinding ALL the misunderstandings and bad timing. It does get a little tiring after a while. But the story does a good job bringing in back stories and tying things up. There definitely wasn't too much UNNECESSARY plot but definitely a little too much.
Overall, it's about a girl and boy who met when they were younger. They meet up when they're older. There's a bit of a misunderstanding but they eventually know who each other are and they start a romance. But obviously the guy's (who's well off) family doesn't approve of the girl (working class) and refuse their togetherness. Other girl is jealous, creates drama.
It's really legit all the back stabbing and plotting you usually find. I mean it's good, (a few face slaps here and there), but it does drag on.
Acting: 7.5/10
They have good actors here, they really do. But some supporting actors were a TAD bit too dramatic for me. And I realized I get uncomfortable criers. Just saying. But overall the characters were very well thought out and the actors really got under their skin. The characters were also anything but static, they changed throughout the story and really built up the plot.
Music: 8.5/10
There was like one song that I remember pretty clearly, and it played during dramatic parts. But the rest was also pretty good.
I usually don't rewatch dramas, but if I was bored and had time to kill (LOL) I wouldn't just because it's so dang long.
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The drama set in an interesting time slice of Chinese history, blended fact with fiction to create a believable story. However I was put off by the acting by some of the cast. The comic interplay was long winded and definitely not funny.
Zheng Shuang gave a mostly two-note performance as the bubblyheaded Lin Xiang Xiang - excitable and giddy. Jing Boran was a credible Gong Ming who changed from a stoic conservative scholar to a a man in love. Chen Sean acted well as Wang Mang portraying the complexity of a man who wanted to do good but somehow ended being bad. Yi Niki as Shao Fei Yan was okay, I had not fast forwarded any of her scenes. The rest of the acting was forgettable.
Fighting scenes were quick and added to the excitement of the drama.
I had watched watched Queen In Hyun's Man and wanted more of the same type of drama but I was disappointed with this.
If you had not watched Queen In Hyun's Man, this is worth a watch but not worth rewatching.
If you are looking for a Queen In Hyun, I will recommend a miss, it will frustrate as this will lose out as you will compare the two dramas.
How I rate
---
5 = okay, but will never watch again
8 = good with rewatch value
>8 = good with rewatch value and must OWN!
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Story: 9.5/10
This is a rather real slice of life. Even though I didn't grow up in that environment, the stories I've heard matched with the show. The actors are real in their concerns and every day routine. The characters interact so well and really bring out that school time innocence. Their issues are actually so real and relatable that the episodes fly by while reality punches you in the face. Their story made me want to cherish high school, or what was left of it at the time, all the more. Because they were so eager to grow up when all they had to do was be kids.
Acting: 8.0/10
From what I know, these were relatively young/new actors and actresses. They're acting wasn't over the top or exaggerated. They worked well together. I really liked them (anyway).
OST: 7.0/10
Music was pretty decent. I don't remember much of it but I'm listening to the OST as I write and it brings back some pulled heartstrings so definitely memorable when prompted.
Rewatch: 8.5/10
When I'm feeling a little nostalgic I would definitely turn to this drama. But I usually don't rewatch dramas...so if I would...
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I got an amazing wonderful story that i havent seen before not a traditional kdrama i must say with all its cliches and stuff but instead it was absolutely new and different .
Dont get me wrong i thought it was fun and light hearted and also very funny but it was much more than that it was very interesting from the beginning till the end and as the drama continued it got more serious and dramatic (in good way).
there are some characters that i LOVED and some that i really HATED which makes it more real.
the chemistry is really great both of the actors were really good actually the whole cast was great.
i really recommend you watch if you havent already and rewatch it if you watched it and didnt like it give it a chance it definitely worth it.
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HOWEVER, all of this is depicted in quite a new way: the love rival is actually a nice person and isn't bitchy at all, the rich guy is not THAT rich - just normal - and his anti-social behaviour is totally believable and not over the top. The chaebol-mom isn't really one, but tries to be.
And there are many other aspects, that felt fresh: The main woman's parents, esp. the mom, were no minor roles and showed some hair-wrenching parts of family life. The horny attorny (yeah, you read that right) with the older sister and their wonderfull outlandishly behaviour.
The female and male leads were totally believable imo - I know the actors from interviews and I couldn't see them past their roles. I believed all of it, and even the falling-in-love happened so gradually, esp. for the man, that for once it was real.
The mystery of his visions was really interesting and they even tried to explain it.
The humour - oh, this was awesome. It was a really new kind of humour that I haven't encountered like this in any drama before. It was at the same time crazy but realistic.
The only time I was a bit unnerved was when the back-and-forth between the couple got a little bit too frequently. It was still believable, not artificially emotional as in many other dramas, but still. Thank God, that resolved rather quickly when the guy decided to do what has to be done.
I really think, that I will rewatch it, especially for the humour and this one freakishly awesome kiss-scene.... ^^
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Story: Without trying to repeat the plot summaries on this website, this story is essentially about the struggles within the Manpyo family and the themes of hope, love, determination and trust. Overall, it is a highly thought-provoking story containing many lessons and things all of us viewers can learn from.
Acting/Cast: This goes without saying, the cast + the acting was excellent. Kimura Takuya and Kitaoji Kinya were definitely the stars of this drama. I was also highly impressed with everyone else, each playing their role perfectly and causing us viewers to form connections with their characters - even at a personal level.
Music: Delicious yet not too cheesy and annoying. Perfect for this type of drama and the grandiose nature of it.
Rewatch Value: Definitely worth rewatching in the future.
I apologize if I haven't really revealed as much as I could have in this review, but the story and impact that this drama can have on you speaks much louder than my words.
I can safely recommend this drama to anyone. You will not regret it.
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The story - The plot was great and this drama was a great idea! But i have to be honest, that the writer and the director of this drama failed! I think everyone else did their job perfectly. The story itself is very good and i loved it ,but it was going more slowly than i expected ,so when the drama ended i was like "Wait it ended?". The story was more focused on the romance than anyting else which i didn't like. I was more interested in the movie making process.
Acting/Cast - The cast was a 10/10, some of the actors that appreared helped this drama becoming a succsess and not flopping. The main leads were perfect, and so were all the other actors. D.O was the reason i watched this drama because i was interested to see how he will do in a comedy-romance and i'm glad he did well it was funny to see him funny for once XD! I was suprised to see Lee Jong Suk's family in "W" being in this drama i recognized them when i saw who was playing the father lol!
Music- Was it just me or the music for this drama was so calming. I really liked the music but when i listened to it, i couldnt help but ask myself why didnt they make D.O sing some good songs for this drama, were they that short on money that they cant pay a good songwriter. If this drama really is for some kind of commercial for phones i can understand why they didnt invest as much as for a normal drama. So if that's true they did great...
Rewatch Value - I would watch it again of course! Why not! Considering soon i'm gonna be a university student - 8hours a day watching k drama's, like i do now?...impossible... so this drama is perfect for college or university students who cant afford to watch even 1 episode of k drama a day.
I strongly recommend this drama, i know i will watch it again.
Overall- This kind of plot is not for a short web drama. If it was 20 episodes the drama could have been better. But i liked it anyway. Its perfect for people who dont have the time to watch the 60 minute long episodes of regular drama's. I really hope the cast can act together again in some other drama because the chemistry and acting was great! If you are thinking of watching, it you should, because for a short drama its great!!!
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