Reviews

God knows I'm a die-hard Lee Joon Gi fan, and I would watch virtually anything he's in, and that's actually the main reason I watched SWWTN, even though I didn't have many expectations about it, to be honest. And I'm afraid I wasn't disappointed in my low expectations.
I'm not saying it was a terrible show, but I didn't enjoy it and at times I found it plain boring.

The love story was too lame and love scenes too cheesy for my taste. Vampires are supposed to be sexy. I know too much sexiness might be too much too ask for a prime time show in South Korean TV, but even so, I found it too lame.
I haven't read the manhwa either, so I don't know if there's the same campiness in it.

As for the performances, Lee Joon Gi was good, but I prefer other performances of him in other dramas.
I don't particularly like Lee Soo Hyuk and I've never understood the fuss about him, but I admit he was pretty good as the villain. And Lee Yoo Bi... well, she is a good actress, but her role was a little irritating at times.
In my opinion, the best acting in the show was by Kim So Eun -she had already caught my attention in Boys over flowers; she was in fact the only thing I liked about that show-, and Jang Hee In.
The role of the prince was an interesting one, but I'm not sure Max Changmin was the right choice for the part, although he did try hard...

Music and the atmosphere were quite good, but I have the feeling that the producers invested too much in this and in special effects to convey epicness, but they didn't seem to invest so much in the story.

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Overall, this drama was a six for me. I thought it was cute. I loved the premise of these three brothers coming together and growing into better men because of the relationships they find themselves in. Unfortunately, the drama had problems with development and balancing out the screen time between the three couples. Early on, the second brother and is love interest got most of the focus, for almost 30 eps. The other couples really dragged on during this time. As a result, some of the steps for the couples were rushed and the ending felt disjointed, but still satisfying.

I thought all three couple were cute, but the relationships with the youngest and oldest brother were my favorite. I felt Zhen Zhen and Kai Kai were a great example of how opposites attract and my struggle to come together, but still make for a great dynamic. The youngest sister with the oldest brother was a nice example of how difficult a May December romance can be. The writers did drop the ball a bit on them and rush things toward the end, but it was still a cute relationship. The supporting cast of family members were very nice as well.

The music for this drama is addictive! I love every track. This is not a must see, but if you're looking for a simple daily drama that's cute, a little more than decent, and you like the premise, try this.

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This is my first review for a drama, ever, that's how much I love this drama.
As many reviews have stated, the cover and description of the drama make it sound like a fun comedy, and while it has some comedic moments, it's very, very serious. To be honest, I was shying away from this drama because it didn't have romance, but I got interested when I heard all the rave reviews on KHS's acting. I started and then then marathoned it in 2 days.
Honestly, everything about this drama is amazing--tight, well-written plot with well-timed twists and turns, a-maz-ing cast with a-maz-ing chemistry, great music. What I love the most and what makes the heart of the drama (for me) is KHS's Jo Kang Ja. She is such an awesome, mature, cool, noble, compassionate, badass female lead. She stands up for what she believes in, she helps those in need and she knows how to throw a punch. I love, love, love her.
Along the same lines, I also LOVE how the drama takes the usual naive female lead and wordly male lead, and flips it around. I don't think I've seen any other drama do this, ever.

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This show took me really long to complete; it was one of those that I started and then stalled around episode 4, struggling to bring myself to continue watching the show.

Let me start with the negative points: 1) Hwang Jung Eum - you will love or hate her acting. I fall in the latter category. It is a known fact among seasoned K-drama watchers that her acting is so over-the-top, most of the time unnecessarily so. She was the main reason I found it so difficult to get through the show.
2) The central romance was not really convincing. It felt rooted in the childhood stories of our main characters, but it didn’t convince me that those childhood feelings translated into adult feelings of love.

For the positive points: 1) Siwon is hilarious in this role. It is just perfect for him and I think it gave him a chance to explore a character with a backstory and more emotional turmoil.
2) Park Seo Joon. I have yet to watch his other projects and I’m definitely looking forward to checking out his other dramas.
3) Notwithstanding a somewhat unconvincing central romance, due to the chemistry between Park Seo Joon and Hwang Jung Eum, there were still plenty of cute moments and fluff to make this a crowd-pleaser of a drama.

I would recommend the show for a fun, light and cute watch.

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Koe Koi is a bland and generic romantic comedy that has only one intriguing element, but doesn't use it well enough to keep the show fresh and different.

So here clumsy girl meets a boy with a paper bag on his head and falls in love with him, because of his beautiful voice and kind heart. That's mostly it. The story is pretty weak and characters don't really add anything to it. The female lead is completely one-dimensional and boring. I also have a problem with how "man with a bag" was treated in the show. There was not enough growth in his character and the reason of wearing the bag all these years (years!!!, not months) was pretty weak. So basically the finale doesn't feel all that rewarding.
What's more - did we really needed these pointless love triangles in this show? It's like they didn't even had any good ideas how to realize the main character and the idea behind him, so instead they went with stupid romantic plot full of usual genre cliches. And you don't even need to mention pointless subplot about romantic challenges of heroine's best friend.

Though I am glad that producers at least went with 20 min. episodes, but even in this case they couldn't manage without putting unnecessary flashbacks in there. So what's left are cuteness and fluffiness that you are going to get from this show, but it is certainly not enough to keep it relevant for whole twelve episodes. There is also not enough comedy in the show to at least make the ride fun.

I also think, that the show could've gone with more realistic approach, focusing on more serious school problems, like bullying, lack of tolerance and etc. They could've at least mention these problems instead of depicting some unrealistically perfect school environment where "man with the bag" is being treated friendly and where only after few days everyone is completely fine with his behavior.

Technical aspects of the show are those of your usual romantic comedy. Acting is bearable, music has basically one good tune that is used everywhere, and visuals are nothing special, but i can give additional points for Sakurai Takahiro and his voice acting for "man with a bag". That basically was a reason why i tried this show.

There are not enough worthy aspects to this drama for me to recommend it. It's cute and fun in the beginning with a bit of depth added to the main character "man with a bag". But that is not enough to lift show's boring rom-com story, unsatisfying finale and bland cast of characters.

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I'm going to put out this disclaimer that I do not usually write reviews. I could not stop myself this time. Signal delivered. I always feel ambivalent about watching such a highly rated drama because either it delivers or its extremely overrated and I end up disappointed. Signal is definitely and exception. Its just a down right good story. It's not just for one age group. Signal drew me in from the get go. It was funny, suspenseful, and heart wrenching all at the same time. I've never felt so vested in dramaland characters before. Although signal is pure fiction it was every bit "real." The actors were outstanding in their portrayals of "real" people. Sometimes dramas are cliché or unrealistic or at times can't be taken seriously. I tend to lean toward romantic dramas but this piece was so much more fulfilling than most of the dramas I've watched.

Story wise an absolute 10. There were many unanswered questions but not in a frustrating lose ends way but a your imagination is the limit way. And there is a certain beauty in that.

The music moved me again and again. Rewatch value is the only thing I can't give this a 10 in. I feel I watch it to much and come to know every twist and turn it will lose some of its appeal , plus I'm not sure my heart could handle it. But every so often most definitely. I would and will recommended this to anyone. And I will watch this again.

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It's quite disappointing with all the negative feedbacks for this drama, since this drama is quite underrated as it is one of the more interesting ones I've seen. The summary is simple....at first- two prosecutors who work together but battle head to head of their different views- however they are connected in a past murder as they learn to work together and that is where it gets more complicated.

The Good
I will have to admit, this drama is confusing- especially at the beginning where so many things are happening but you have no idea what is going on- it may discourage you and not want to watch it but trust me, it gets cleared up later on! And oh my lordy- for once, the secrets that both Kang Soo and Dong Chi have are told out loud and it doesn't drag on for the entire drama!

I really like the crime mysteries in this drama since it's not just a simple crime- the murders are hidden underneath layers and layers of complications which make it even more interesting as all the problems tie in together.

The actors are amazing- they portrayed their character really well- and I'm quite impressed with Dong Chi and Kang Soo and their bromance as they really nailed their characters and their emotions. They are quite well-rounded as it didn't just seem like they were reading their scripts, but actual people who are prosecutors and investigators in real life. Special mention: Chief Moon- oh man, how can a man suit a role more than him? He was one of the most interesting characters I found- as he always speaks and acts in riddles. Many people aren't fond of his psycho character, and I was a part of that group...at first. You would think that Chief moon is psychotic and bipolar at times and whether he is one of the bad guys or good guys, wondering what his goal really is under all the manipulation, as he is truly confusing- but his backstory and his actions are far more interesting later on as everything is revealed later on!

The instrumentals are one of the best ones I've heard as it really is a mood-setter. They have a good variety of sinister and emotional music- I applaud the artists who created the soundtracks as I am going to for surely download them!

The Bad
As much as I am used to watching the female leads usually being stubborn and far from rational at times, I should be used to it- but still, I can't help but become beyond irritated at the female lead. We all heard the story- something bad happened as a person becomes a prosecutor to find justice- however, the female lead is far from rational as her personal emotions interferes with justice- but thankfully that's just the first few episodes before she smartens up and takes her role seriously!

One thing that irritated me the most about her character was that her thought processes and actions of willing to do the 'wrong' thing just to help herself and the people around her follows the same methods of bad guys, so what made her better than the guys that she tries to capture if she's willing to hurt other people?

The only main other issue I had with this was the confusion. Oh boy- seriously, many things happen at once without a good explanation (until the end) makes this drama quite hard to follow at times as you wonder just what is going on. Because of this, many have dropped this drama- but please give it a try since it gets more interesting later on!

Overall?
With these dramas- you would think there would be an astounding amount of romance, but nope- don't expect too much of that. Yes there are moments where there is romance and endearing moments that make you squeal, but in comparison with other dramas, the main focus is about political corruptness, manipulation, good vs evil and what justice really means. If you're a good guy doing bad things for the sake of goodness, are the actions justified? Are wrongdoings for the sake of justice really considered good?

As much as it was totally confusing at first as it sent my brain on overdrive trying to figure out what was happening, this drama is underrated as it is one of the few mystery dramas that I actually like. Despite what other people say; I think you should give this drama a watch as it certainly deserves a watch!

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Fast moving and lots of Stylish superbly-constructed action sequences ... balanced w/ some romance ....Good story, and very well Edited .... ...
Peter Ho is magnetic .... Loved the "maniacal" Japanese Colonel Masaya played by Wilson Guo Mingxiang ....

... At the climax, although the action scenes are thrilling, I felt the plot got a bit weak.
.... The script felt like a compilation of one liners - mostly adages and aphorisms - mainly delivered by the veterans like Tony Leung's no-nonsense Mengzi or Mickey He's friendly Xiao Wu , and often repeated by Peter Ho's unworldly Liangfeng ... It offered up some comedic relief .....

Lots of thrilling fun visually! But , due to the lack of an equally thrilling plot at the end, and the lack of a better script ---> the film fails to make a psychological impact ... ...

The action deserves a rating of 8 or 9 at least...
I recommend it for action lovers ... and even for non-action lovers like myself (I was impressed).

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Even though I watched HERO for the first time this year, it gave me a nostalgic feeling that only jdramas give me. This drama was made in 2001, and it made me feel as if I was watching it that very same year.

What was/is it about this detective-type drama that makes the feeling of nostalgia resound so deep within me? The story is quite simple, yet chalk full of life lessons that you soon won't forget. That combined with a perfect OST (I can hear Utada Hikaru now) and Kimutaku (he is so charismatic I just cannot) made for a memorable drama full of charm and HEART (something I equate with jdramas in general). The rest of the cast was cool too, but I didn't really care for Matsu Takako that much.

So HERO is about this unconventional prosecutor named Kuryu Kohei who shakes things up and challenges the way cases are solved at a detective branch that he's been transferred to. His coworkers are not used to his unusual ways and are weary of him/ don't take his seriously (at first). And with each episode, Kohei tackles a new case, and each time it shows what an excellent prosecutor he is. Each case deals with some type of issue, and you can bet there will be a heartwarming life lesson at the end of it.

At the end of the day, this drama is not all that spectacular. BUT it left me with a good feeling in the end. There's a reason HERO was Kimutaku's highest rated drama. The combination of all the factors I mentioned earlier (simple story + OST + life lessons) was put together so perfectly the way only jdramas are. This was a solid 8 in my book. If you are a Kimutaku fan, I urge you to watch.

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Not a complete waste of time, though that's hardly a compliment...


Story 5.0/10:

The story had potential, but it left a lot of things unresolved while throwing in some tropes towards the end that just seemed try-hard. I'm getting a bit ahead of myself though. I think the show did a decent job of selling the Cinderella piece, Ha Won has been getting the short end of the stick most of her life, she's got the evil step fam, the whole poor status going on, but she's got that spunk, that will to not give up, and despite all of the BS thrown her way, manages to grow into a decent young lady! Unfortunately, I can't say too much more about my thoughts on this title without spoilers, but it was just a middle of the road drama. I honestly watched because there wasn't any other shows on during those days. It had enough to keep me watching until the end, but I did skip over quite a bit as well. It had the forced cohabitation trope, but somehow I still found myself disappointed. There were a couple of scenes that were squee worthy, but overall...meh.


Acting/Cast 6.5/10:

So starting with Jung Il Woo as Kang Ji Woon... I didn't really care for his character, there's the jerkish characters that have a good reason, and then there's just straight up jerks and I felt he leaned moreso in that direction. Not that there weren't good reasons for some of his angst and jerkish ways, but I was unclear about some of his motivations. As far as the acting piece, while I'm not a huge Jung II Woo fan, I feel he does some fine acting, and to be fair none of these characters other than Eun Ha Won seemed to have that much depth to them any way. I've only seen him a couple of other times. The first time I saw him was in "Flower Boy Ramen Shop" (2011), I loved the drama and he had some cool/romantic/squee moments, but really didn't like his character in that either. In "49 Days" (2011) (omg the tears felt like they lasted that long! lol), I think I liked his acting and character best, really top notched. I also saw him in "My Fair Lady" (2009), but again, such an annoying character, that's literally all I can remember thinking back on that dram (though to be fair it was a pretty sub-par drama anyhow. I hope that perhaps I can see him in another good role again soon, I know he can do it. I really need to see "The Moon that Embraces the Sun", I've only ever heard good things about it, I just haven't had the time to watch.


Park So Dam as Eun Ha Won. This was my first time seeing Park So Dam, and I really liked her acting, I always love spunky kiss ass female leads like Eun Ha Won that don't take any shit! I love how she stood up for herself and for others as well. It looks like she's been in a lot more movies than dramas so far, but I really want to make time to see "Beautiful Mind" as I love love love Jang Hyuk, and I'm interested to see her opposite a really good actor (sorry Jung II Woo, no offense!).


Ahn Jae Hyun as Kang Hyun Min. God this character was annoying as hell! Without giving any spoilers away his reasons for doing things....so dumb. I'll just leave it at that. I think I could've looked over the not so great acting if at least I could've liked the character, but alas... to be fair it looks like he's only been an active actor for a few years, but I've been pretty not impressed so far. I think he's okay as a supporting character, like Song Yi's younger brother in "My Love From Another Star" (2013), and Park Tae Il in "You're All Surrounded" (2014). I didn't see him in "Blood" (2015), but I'd heard nothing but terrible reviews and while I usually don't let that deter me from watching something (I do stand by making your own educated decision over just taking a reviewers words for it), but I think I was busy with other dramas and just never got around to it. I'm not sure I will since I'm also not a big fan of Gu Hye Seon (though apparently he is since he married her lol), I liked her in "Boys Over Flowers", and "Angel Eyes" wasn't too bad, but I shudder at the thought of "The Musical" lol. But I digress, I think this drama could've done without his character and would've been just fine.


Lee Jung Shin as Kang Seo Woo. I actually liked Seo Woo, but his character had no real purpose IMHO. He was just kinda there, and I did feel bad at one point for certain spoiler filled reasons, but honestly, his character was pretty weak and didn't grow or change in any substantial way as characters should in a story. This looks to be Lee Jung Shin's first main role, so I can forgive some of the stilted acting, but I feel he's got potential. It also rounded out CNBlue members in dramas lol I'd already seen the rest of the guys in one or two dramas a piece I feel like the circle is complete! lol I wouldn't mind seeing him in something else, hopefully something that's got some better writing.


Choi Min Sung as Lee Yoon Sung. I didn't realize until I looked up his filmography that I'd see him in a supporting role as lead waiter in "Pasta" (2010), Aw, he was so adorable! Unfortunately, I haven't caught anything else he's been in, though I hope to. As Lee Yoon Sung I felt he played the stoic character very well, and while I'm sure I'll be in the minority, I honestly had hoped after some early scenes in the show that he would be a romantic interest for our lead female (pls forgive this one spoiler?), but alas he wasn't which was saddening since of the Four Knights, I liked him the most. I also felt that he totally got screwed over for the latter half of the series, but I honestly can't say more without some spoilers...but ugh. I felt like he had some good chemistry with Park So Dam. I'm looking forward to seeing his next drama whatever that might be, and see if I can't find some time to catch him in his earlier roles.

Lastly, Son Na Eun as Park Hye Ji. I'll chalk up her stiff and not so great acting to just being young and early in her craft, with this being her first main role. I haven't seen any of her previous dramas which she was a supporting character in. Her character wasn't so bad in the beginning and I actually felt pretty bad for her, but unfortunately she became highly annoying and whiney and so my empathy and compassion went bye-bye. As a secondary female lead, Park Hye Ji was underwhelming at best. There unfortunately isn't much else to say about her.

With main roles out of the way, there is the supporting cast, but I don't have anything better to say unfortunately. While I rated the acting and casting highest in the categories, it was still pretty much middle of the road, it wasn't the worst I've seen, but wasn't anything to write home about either. I feel like any good actors could've been switched with those cast because there was no real depth to the characters, I'm sure the actors did the best they could. I often say that actors need to step up and it's possible even with poor writing a drama can be decent at the least, and this drama was just ok, but I think that's the best they could've hoped for. Again, so many plotlines were introduced but then dropped or forgotten. smh


Music 5.0/10:

I usually don't have much to say about music. This was nice, felt like it went with the drama, just middle of the road, pleasant, but nothing I felt I need to run to itunes for.


Rewatch Value 0/0:

1 since I can't seem to choose zero. While there were a few moments that were cute or even invoked a squee, it was all pretty forgettable... I couldn't even tel you what those moments were now lol


Overall 5.5/10:

I wouldn't tell someone not to watch it, but I wouldn't recommended it either... but if it was like a choice between this or Nail Shop Paris, then yes, most def watch this. :P

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Very well done short movie, it shows the gay-straight love triangle really well from the woman's point of view. For me Aono Miku (Kanako) steals the show from the delectable Saito Yasuka (Souta), while poor old Arai Yusuke (Doumoto) is definitely the villain of the piece! She gives a heartfelt performance. She's a lovely woman too. Now that I've seen both parts of Love Place (in the wrong order - but it doesn't make a whole lot of difference), I can see the irony between Parts 1 and 2 in how the impact of the love triangle affects one boy in the first and the other in the second part. Ravel's Bolero is a bonus. As is the catchy song at the end - although, as we say in England, you can have too much of a good thing (3 repeats?!).

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So why do I like this wretched show you ask well let me tell you
Khun Khed falls in love with Fah its love at first sight...So I understand the way his character worked. She is incredibly beautiful he would have to be a fool not be so jealous and possessive of her. Fah thinks she has finally met prince charming when they meet initially. She is basically a warped version of Cinderella who is sold to her prince who acts more like a beast.
When he knows that she is in debt as her step mom has taken a loan from him and sent her to work for him he basically thinks she has been sent to be his mistress and after seeing her talking to a few men is jealous beyond words. So he treats her like crap but on the other hand is incredibly scared of her disappearing or leaving him. he locks the doors at night when she sleeps. he spends most of his time watching her if she talks to another man he becomes incredibly insecure that she is going to run away or leave him. Khun Khed doesnt allow her to use her phone as he is scared she will phone someone to take her away nor does he allow her to leave his house except if he is with her. Fah at first is happy that her debter is khun Khed but soon is treated like crap and confused by his behavior she is torn between her duty as a good daughter to pay the debt for her father or run away. Part of me thinks that after first meeting Khed Fah fell in love with him then and puts up with his none sense or tells her self that she is just to be near him. Khed has a fiance and brother TOW AND OTM basically they play nice plot devices to show the incredibly strange way Khed is obsessed with Fah. When push comes to shove SPOILER SPOILER ALERT The day before Kheds wedding, Fah eventually decides she would rather leave than stay there and be his toy to chew...also she is kind of jealous...Khed kidnaps Fah and takes her to stay in a cabin in the woods. Basically where he is happiest as no one but him is around Fah.
When he misunderstands that she has run away...
Khed grows angry as his biggest fear loosing Fah has come to a head.
He rapes her basically making her his mia...
He then realizes that she is a virgin and his been accusing her 16 episodes straight for no reason and treats her like a princess.
But honestly His love is incredibly overbearing and passionate its the kind of Love that old Lakorns used to have, new lakorns have mis placed with all the comedy they insert into it.
Film and Koy have amazing chemistry.
Fah is strong in her own sense she is not a complete door mat to khed.
I really enjoyed this show. It is not for the light heartend

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Seeing the end of this movie, I've increased my rating. It seems initially just a gentle-paced, interesting story of some male hustlers. However the seemingly bizarre ending is a very clever twist indeed, making the lead character (Tatsuru) confront his own character and the life he's leading, which is based on suppressing his real feelings. There's also an interesting twist before that involving one of his former "clients". I can't say more or I'll give the plot away. But I will say that this movie will repay careful watching and thought. It's more than just a pleasant amusement with some pleasant faced actors. I have to disagree with the other reviewer. I think the slow pace and the talking are all part of the build up to what is a thought-provoking ending. I hope I'm right in thinking that it's a good ending in the sense that people can only grow when they get insight into themselves and how true to themselves they are being in the life they are leading. For me that's a good ending and a meaningful movie.

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