Reviews

Beautiful visuals with horrendous story writing

Oh man has this become a bore. I have hung on for 10 episodes expecting it to pick up once the plot got its momentum but it has not and I do not have it in me to keep trying anymore. This show is about an obsessed ghost that attached himself to one woman and followed all of her reincarnations until one was finally able to remember him and he can kill her as revenge for her having killed him in her past life. This gets a bit messy when he finds himself drawn to this woman that is so much like the version of her he fell in love with. We have seen this same premise done over and over again lately so this show brings nothing new to your screen.

First, the cinematography and production teams did a great job as this is a beautiful drama to watch and the main couple is stunning. But that does not make up for the unremarkable story. The reincarnated lovers is something that has been seen a lot lately, as well as enemies to lovers. I have no problem with either of those tropes if the story is told well and keeps me engaged but this just does not do that. The characters are boring, both in modern time and in the Joseon period, there is no chemistry between the two to make you believe they are lovers and no engrossing story to keep you interested in how they end up. The show keeps regurgitating the same past story over and over again as if you have the memory of a peanut and can't recall what was seen the previous episode. And the snippet they repeatedly show jumps around in time and isnt even interesting or complete so seeing it over and over again is fatiguing as the viewer. They flash back frequently to their past life but not in order of events so even three quarters into the show they have not actually given you any information beyond what you found out in the first episode.

Then you have modern times which started a bit more interesting but has no focus either. The female lead is an amazing firefighter but only for the first two episodes, then she becomes some weak damsel in distress. The male lead takes over the body of a famous actor who has landed an important part in a drama but then that plot is dropped as well. A rival actor tries to run down the female lead and then is killed in a car accident which is ruled as suicide because of a note with no investigation. The problematic second female lead is just there to be obnoxious and comes and goes as the writers seem to need her to push the plot. So many storylines that are picked up and then abandoned. It's just all a jumbled up mess with no clear or logical direction which most viewers could put up with if the main couple had amazing chemistry but they do not, even the kiss seemed like he was kissing a dead fish!

Even the acting is not great. I loved the male lead in Shooting Stars but here he is lifeless and dull. His actor alter ego was annoying but far more interesting and that unfortunately only lasted for about 15 minutes of screen time. The biggest issue however is the female lead. I don't know if it is the character or the actress that sinks this for me but either way she really tanks the show. Her reactions either feel far too much or far too little and she shows no affection toward the male lead at all. The main antagonist, whom really does not present himself until about episode 10 is easy to hate but there is not enough reasoning for me to believe that this person would hang around for 1500 years for revenge.

Do yourself a favor and skip this one.

edit: after having skimmed the last 4 episodes I am completely confident in my earlier review and highly recommend you skip this one

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Only from watching the first episode I knew I would love it!!!
It gives me LITA vibes but the plot has nothing in common. First of all, the story is unconventional, really interesting and kind of mysterious.
I can definitely say that this isn't a series for people who like "slow burn" but as I see it, the fact that it has a fast plot matches its thyme.
Moreover, many people believe that there should have been more information about each character's life but, in my opinion this would have destroyed the suspense of the episodes. Making scenarios and trying to understand the characters' feelings and motivations it's much more interesting than knowing every single detail about their lives. (And that's what it makes it different from the other bl series.)

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Did we watch the same thing?

I was reading other reviews after having finished this and am honestly wondering if I even watched the same thing as many of the other reviewers. I watched season one of Sweet Home a couple months ago so this show was newer to me than for those that watched it 3 years ago when it first came out, still I was excited when I saw a second season coming since the first left on a cliff hanger.

The first season was not shy about killing people off and I was actually frustrated that almost all my favorite characters had died while the ones I did not like; the selfish and useless ones, were the ones that survived. All the trailers for this season had Hyun Soo as the focus so I expected to find him as the main focus. But he was not, nor were any of the other survivors from season one. The show honestly did not have a main focus at all, it started so many subplots and answered not one by its conclusion making this this season only a prequel for the next season which is utterly frustrating. Kdramas are rarely given second seasons let alone third seasons mostly because they are able to complete full stories in the typical 16 episodes. SO having a second season that did absolutely nothing for the show feels odd.

The acting here was fine and the actors did great with the script they were given but from episodes 4-8 I found myself fast forwarding through more than half the episodes out of boredom. They decided to focus on new characters which would have been fine had they picked a couple but they jumped and skipped to what felt like irrelevant characters that you never had any time to build any attachment for so their scenes were just boring. The only two characters that seemed to stand out from the new bunch were Chan Young and Chief Ji, as well as the psycho doctor. But again, there was the beginning of a subplot with no follow through or conclusion so all you are left with is confusion and questions. I suppose that is what they want so you will pick up the next season but it does not make for a good show.

My advice would be to wait and watch this with season 3 when it comes out and you might find this more appealing but if you watch it now you'll be frustrated and annoyed. Characters you were attached to from last season are either sidelined or killed in ridiculous ways, the monsters go from being interesting and unique to carbon copies of each other that look like blobs of cement, and there is a one year time jump and nothing is explained about that year. Just wait to watch this when they decide to give you an actual story and not this weird in between.

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My Biggest Heartbreaking ?

Sebelum gue bisa move on, gue akan ngomongin drama ini keseluruh penjuru dunia ??? Coz i do really LOVE this drama, the acting and chemistry is amazing, and each episodes always keeps you anticipating karena dari posternya udah keliatan cuy mc nya kaga tatap-tatapan???? LIKE CMON, btw I love how they focused on the patriarchal society that existed in the time rather than focusing solely in the romance aspect. The characters are so well written ❣️this is my biggest heartbreaking kdrama setelah Moon Lover 💔 The soundtracks are beautiful to hear, salah satu favku Duk-im Bubbly Girl and im still listening to it now ☺️🤍 i hate to say it but i dont recommend to rewatch this bcause, THIS IS HURTING ME A LOT

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First Episode you made FL dislikable
she not only leave him, but also moved on from him dating random cheaters while he is still waiting, its just UNFAIR.
it not just leaving her boyfriend but looking down on him.
she would have never return to him if she wasn't catching abusing her own people
because she look down on others which make her most dislikable
Ji Chang Wook will portray very humble kind man while FL will be shown as someone who should not be with at all.
we all know that in the end girl who try to commit suicide will tell the world how Great this FL is and how she is wrong for getting bullied and look down upon by GREAT FL and then our Fl will get all her fame back like there is no other photographer in Korea to fulfil her left space.
JI CHANG WOOK why are you taking this kind of dumb roles, do you like playing Dumb roles because it takes no effort and will make easy Money ?

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Villainous behaviour

I've watched a few Chinese dramas and many were from this company.

I liked the female lead's portrayal as a blind person. I thought it was realistic - so well done. From some angles, the male lead looked like Ji Chang Wook and, initially, I wondered if he had a younger brother who was a star in China 🙄

All the actors were good - leads and supports.

What I liked - the story was convoluted in parts, but OK. The villainous fiancé was hilarious (don't think he was meant to be!) - he was a caricature of all the villainous boyfriends in all the over the top stories. The duplicitous best friend was a nice touch too. The scene where Lin Xin Tong went into the bedroom was well done.
What I didn't like: Lin Xin Tong's childishness in the beginning. Some of the final scenes were silly.

I would recommend watching it, as it's a nice story with a bit of mystery, romance and comeuppance.

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It wasn't what I was hoping for

I guess I should be blaming myself for this, but after watching the first two episodes of Twinkling Watermelon, I was VERY interested in what could happen to Eun Gyeol after traveling back to 1995. The premise of the story also made me wonder how would the plot unfold, and what would be the overall message and the ending. My problem with this drama is that, unfortunately, even now that I'm done watching all the episodes I'm still wondering what were they supposed to be.

The beginning of the story introduces us to Eun Gyeol and his life as a CODA: the way he had to grow up and be mature at a young age, the responsibilities and burdens he felt on his shoulders throughout his childhood and his teenage years, and the way he felt guilty whenever he tried to actually live his youth.
As he went back in time, I thought to myself: "okay, so I guess that this time-travel will teach him to actually live his own life and stop looking after others and sacrificing himself for them, right?"

...except that Eun Gyeol does the exact opposite for the entire drama. He looks after his parents, works as hard as possible to fix their problems and make them happy, even puts himself in danger for their sake. The theme of living his own life and letting others live theirs is barely hinted at until the very last episode, where it's exposed like some sort of lecture rather than something Eun Gyeol has actually internalized and made his own. It also goes against the entire plot, because Eun Gyeol changed the lives of both his parents for the better, which actually ended up influencing the future of many people for the better as well. It felt more like Eun Gyeol was truly supposed to take care of his parents after all.

I also wondered if this time-travel was about him learning that his parents had to struggle in life, and that he wasn't the only one who had to suffer, but I really hope not because that would be a horrible theme. His life as a CODA and the struggles he had to face in his youth are not magically erased just because he finds out that Yi Chan and Cheong Ah suffered as well. Especially with the ending, I felt like Eun Gyeol's hardships were just swept under the rug and there was no actual communication between him and his family, which was truly a shame.

Something else that I couldn't understand at all was On Eun Yu's presence in the story. I might be biased here since I didn't like her character at all (and as much as I like Seol In Ah, I don't believe she was a good casting choice for a teenage character), but I seriously believe her presence was useless for the sake of the main plot. Even her "plan" didn't make any logic sense and felt like a huge waste of time. The screentime spent for her story could have been used to better explore Yi Chan and Cheong Ah's characters, or even better: it could have been used to create a more complete and satisfying ending. It really felt like the writers wanted to give Eun Gyeol a love interest at all costs, which was frustrating to see.

I can't say that I hated the story. It has a very interesting premise, most of the characters are loveable and it's a drama that makes one want to binge-watch everything in a day. I laughed, giggled, kicked my feet, got angry and cried with the characters, which is always great. There were multiple plot holes, but for the most part they were easy to ignore. I just had bigger expectations from it.

The production overall seemed good to me, but I wish they showed the characters better when they spoke in sign language, and I also wish they didn't use voice-overs whenever someone signed. The acting was also great, I especially loved Shin Eun Soo's performance as Yoon Cheong Ah and Choi Hyun Wook as Ha Yi Chan (and their moments together! So adorable!). The pacing is perfect in the first 10 episodes or so, then it started to feel a little draggy, but it wasn't too bad overall. The music is pretty good, I really liked the song choices for the different performances both in the past and in the present.

Overall I can say I had fun, so maybe give it a try for yourself! I can recommend it if you're looking for something that is both fun and tear-jerking.

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Entertained at first but in overall disappointed by the scenario and pace of the story

This series is a sequel to Cutie Pie, focusing on the couple Yi x Khondiao, several years after the end of Cutie Pie 2. I enjoyed the first half of the drama: it had an outlandish and very soap premise as well as a lot of funny forced cohabitation scenes...Unfortunately, my interest strongly decreased in the second half as the pace of the story was getting worse and the plot become more and more ridiculous. I think it would have been better if the story had been told in a much more concise way and with less episodes.

The acting skills were kind of a mixed bag... I was happy to find back some of the actors and characters from the old series (mainly Nunew playing Kuea and Zee as Lian) and I really enjoyed the actor playing Yi's father, who was for me the MVP of the show. I also found the chemistry between the main leads Max and Nat very good and their hot scenes quite believable. Unfortunately they were less convincing to me in the more dramatic moments. I also found the main "villains" of the drama too caricatural and mediocre.

The production value was quite good with some questionable and over-the-top filmmaking choices. Some scenes are clearly filmed and edited to increase the dramatic / soap effect which make it quite entertaining and even goofy (which might not be the exact intended purpose). The moments with the dog were pretty cute and fun, while the CGI tiger made me cringe. The soundtrack did not leave a memorable impression on me and pale in comparison to Cutie Pie/Cutie Pie 2 ones.

I would not recommend this to people. It is a very over-the-top BL story with a cute dog, a questionable CGI tiger and wonky scenario: it is entertaining at times and quite ridiculous at some other times. If you are a fan of Cutie Pie / Cutie Pie 2 and/or of Domundi actors, you might still want to give it a shot for some of the couple pairings.

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Damsel in distress who apparently knows revenge

"My whole life was put in front of me like an album and I did not have even one memory I wanted to hold on to. I am going to change that ! "

I am writing this review without watching the end because I wanted it to be about how I enjoyed and not about how it ended.
To me this genre is not one I frequently visit. I just started it because my curiosity got the better of me and then oppa being oppa you just start with one and then - just one more ep and I'll sleep ...just one more and here we are.

Let me first brief you about the not so unique revenge plot - so we have a damsel in distress who gets a chance to turn back into time and redefine who she is to not just herself but the world. She is aided by our prince who apparently is head over heels for her- for no good reason but I guess we'll all just nevermind that. lol

So the plot is pretty simple our FL is the ideal for all the wives who have been cheated on - with a fantasy twist.
(to spoil the fantasy twist is ML's role model ... epitome of goodness "chaebol family" lol)

what I like about this show is that it has a pace and quite bravely answers all the questions it puts forward and a great cast that performs steadily well throughout the journey.

There's a lot this show offers - A FL willing to change. Yes this good girl all her life now wants revenge and she knows what it means.
A chaebol family that you wish to be a part of . - I just love how ML'S mother reacts to the news everytime - watch out if you are yet to visit the show.
A paced revenge with all the answers. And a couple that shine on the screen with no annoying or screen time wasting side characters.!

OVERALL THIS WAS A VERY ENGAGING WATCH !
I love how everything is crafted between small moments and how everything is given a reason. I know that this show is not a new storyline but it has a new execution a great one. The chemistry stands out and so do the dialogues. The relations stand out and so does the drama. I hope you all try it once...to me this was a worth watch even tho the production is small it does not have a lot of runtime but the show does well in terms of what it has to offer. It does not mean to stand apart in terms of bringing something new to dramaland. IT JUST WANTS TO BE A GREAT ORDINARY DRAMA and it did try it's best!

since this was the first time I went through this type of a drama I made notes of how I felt after every ep.
@1 - The FL SUCKS ! - get her a brain!
@2 and @3- I like how this is going! She's been hurt and now she will lead the hunt. THE CHEMISTRYYYY UFFF!
This is a dreamy revenge in all aspects possible lol.
Could the ML be anymore sweet ? omfg they both just ..awww ufff oh yay !
@4 - We know what is going on but do we...this is going predictable is it really just this.
@5- I love how she tries to be an example and in the process gets herself destroyed as i may put due to lack of words... she looks like a brave warrior paving a new way of looking at things !
@6 and @7 - I knew no one dies in dramaland lol ...eps were just sweet and heart warming !
@8 and @9 - At least listen to her ...omfg you all be literally trusting the wrong people blindly ...like wtf !
@10 - it's not time yet ...so we don't have to worry lol ....idk i am just guessing ..the 2 eps won't be ml plotting revenge they can't be right !
@11- She lied as well come on ...but i get it she's been lied all her life I don't want to blame her but she lied as well ...you both just sort it out. A relationship takes two !!!!
oh hello why can't you come ..why call him ....aaaaa not this pls this is too cliche !!!
@12 - They have it too easy. I am happy with how the drama went. But the climax ...I would have preferred more intense!

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER -
I wasn't enraged anytime throughout ...I'd have liked that !
the character development arc for FL could have been better.- she still has a long way to go
the villains could have had brain. it was too one sided!
the ex bf arc....like legit ...the hell .
the romance could have been a side plot, here it seems like the main plot.
IDK why he loves her ....but I hope i did.

MY FAV SECTION - DIALOGUES !!!
This show has some amazing writing - i love a lot of lines ...imma drop a few here -

"I had to go through all of that for no reason ! "
"What kind of home one grows up in determines who they are. "
"This is unlike you .
- you don't get to decide what being myself is."
" you look like this is the last time, like someone trying to get the most out of it. "
"you work hard at everything. When I see you I want to cheer you on. "
"Being normal is the hardest thing for me.
I've never lived like that before. I never will."
"use me as much as you want. coming from you I'll take it all. "

To conclude I loved my time feeling everything around this drama and liked all it had to offer. It does deserve a spot in your watchlist for it is exactly what it claims to be - an extraordinary everyday watch!

thank you for reading !

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Full blown rom-com

this caught my attentiom obviously because of bright in Indian attire and gotta say it was sooo fun. I went in expecting a super cringe rom-com but it actually had it's moments.

Some people were disappointed with the minimal screen time for bright, but I felt that was accurate for the story and the setting. The female lead really carried the movie well.

As an Indian, I loved the accurate cultural representation and the on-spot casting. I hope we get to see more of these inter-cultural stories in the future.

overall, don't watch this if you want some mind-blowing story with some out-of-the-box drama. watch it if you just wanna have a good time.

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Inferior to the Vastly Superior Series, Strong Girl Bong Soon Do!

Strong Girl Nam Soon does its best to create its own unique storyline, despite sharing its universe with Strong Girl Bong Soon Do. Unfortunately, it's a cheap imitation that tries way too hard to be funny, intriguing, and insightful, and comes up short in all three.

The original series with Bo Young Park was a series that always remained focused on its protagonist and also had a very intriguing thriller aspect where a serial kidnapper is on the loose.

This series attempts (and fails) to utilize three protagonists (from grandmother to granddaughter) and can never captivate the viewer because it's spread out too much. While all three are interesting characters, it's simply not enough. Half the time, I wanted them to shift back to Nam Soon. While the grandmother and Hwang Geum Joo (the mother) had some good scenes, it would have served the plot much better had they been relegated to secondary characters.

There also are some serious differences between the powers of Bong Soon Do and Nam Soon Do, which are never fully explained. Bong Soon had superstrength, and some invulnerability, but that was pretty much it. Here Nam Soon has superstrength, speed, enhanced vision, and immunity to some drugs, etc. In short, she's nearly as powerful as Superman, which makes her character less interesting. Superheroes who are all but unbeatable are boring, which is why Superman's powers have always changed throughout the course of the character. There are also many inconsistencies in Nam Soon's use of her abilities, especially her vision. It seems she can see things from miles away, but that's only great if you know where to look and what to look for!

Series like this one also tend to live or die by how good the villain is. In Strong Girl Bong Soon, the creepy guy targeting women was very well done, and he showed his ability to often outsmart Bong Soon. Here, we have a very "vanilla" villain in Ryu Shi Oh, who's a part of the Russian mafia and using a new drug that is targeted at the rich in order to get them to buy the antidote. Of course, the writers decided to use this as a method for Ryu Shi Oh to use the drug to give himself enhanced strength. Ryu Shi Oh isn't a very smart villain, and because of this, he's largely uninteresting.

The last two episodes are so ridiculous and anticlimactic, that you just can't wait for the series to end. We don't get the showdown that we'd hoped for, and we get Nam Soon being completely gullible and stupid by taking the drug and trusting Ryu Shi Oh.

However, the performances in the series are generally very good. For some reason, they decided to make almost all of the men in Nam Soon's family fat, lazy, or completely inept. I realize that this was done largely for comedic effect, but it just ends up being silly and tedious after the first few episodes.

While Lee You Mi is a decent actress (always wearing the same, goofy grin), she's no Bo Young Park who is vastly superior in just about every way.

Also, the little "superpower" song used in this series is a joke, especially compared with the vastly superior "Super Power Girl" from the original series that always managed to get the viewer pumped up for Bong Soon Do! The song used in this series is about as inspirational as watching Nam Soon's fat brother stuff himself.

The series left the door open for another series. Frankly, I'll pass. I'd much rather watch Strong Girl Bong Soon Do again. And Bo Young Park's guest appearance in the second episode was easily the high-point of this series!

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