Reviews

different but A GOOD DIFFERENT

ngl it was insane..
from start to end there was literally NO boring moment.. .it just keeps pulling you in deeper n deeper
it’s got everything .. thriller game vibes comedy romance… and then bangg the emotions hit out of nowhere
the way the story builds the world inside the game is so engaging... you start thinking it’s just a survivaltype game thing… but nah it goes way deeper
the twist about Ruan being an NPC.. uff that hit different like that completely changes how you see everything and the ending?? MANNN
Lingling waiting for 50 freakin years just to rebuild everything and enter the spirealm again to meet his friends.. bruh
the chemistry between the leads and their friends felt natural... nothing forced smooth bonding that makes you care about everyone
and those final emotional moments.. yeah they stayed with me longer than expected
HONESTLY this drama is just… beautifully done... story emotions concept .. all of it works together perfectly.

CLASSIC.. would 100% recommend

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ZERO SANITYY XD

BRO WHAT DID I EVEN WATCH... A TOTAL BANGER!!
a ful 10.. no debate!
This drama has EVERYTHING .. comedy suspense emotions action… literally all packed in one insane ride
every single character.. unique like not even exaggerating each one has their own vibe and you cant just ignore any of them
And the funniest part.. even the villains are so well written that you can’t even properly hate them XD
Acting? INSANE!!
Kim Nam Gil did NOT disappoint (as exp) n honestly whole cast carried this drama like a masterclass
Comedy timing is just next level like youll be laughing one sec and then suddenly it hits you with serious emotional scenes out of nowhere
The main leads anger issues + chaotic energy... bro it just makes everything even more fun to watch
So this isjust pure entertainment chaos in best possible way

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was worth watching

I genuinely didnt expect to like it this much. .. im usually not even into old era type dramas,but this one.. completely changed the vibe for me... its one of those shows where so much is said without actually saying much like the silence the expressions the small moments… everything carries meaning
tbh thats what makes is soo exceptional
storytelling feels very natural. .. nothing feels forced or overly dramatic but still ended up understanding everything.. itss kinda weird in the best way
the plot itself is really engaging ... timeline shifts unexpected reveals,hidden connections… kept me hooked from start 2 end
ohh and visually too the production is INSANE .. the effects n atmosphere everything feltreally immersive
what surprised me the most is how emotional and deep it gets without needing constant explanation... you just feel*it
..way better than expected... no regrets at all

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amazing.. just felt a bit rushed

tbh ive got mixed about this ..
the concept is actually really interesting .. imagining a world where guns start becoming common in Korea and how society reacts to that shift and that alone makes it stand out and keeps you curious.
acting wise.. literal top tier
Kim nam gil was amazing as expected and honestly the antagonist Moon Baek also surprised me a lot... both performances carried the drama amazingly.. but the main issue for me was the pacing... it felt like the story starts off smooth and structured… but towards the end everything suddenly speeds up
the ending especially felt a bit rushed... lot of major events happen back to back.. and the resolution comes way quicker than i expected... felt like the story had more to say but wrapped early
some parts like the final chaos and aftermath were intense and strong visually but the transition from mass chaos to that resolution felt a bit abrupt
still.. there are good emotional moments.. especially around the main detective’s storyline and how he handles the situation involving the child... that part gives the drama a bit of heart n closure
overall the idea is strong the acting is excellent but the execution towards the end couldve been more balanced

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a soap opera full of cheaters

Started okay, became annoying.
this looked like a "cheap" soap opera (which it is) and I was ready to get some corny drama and have a blast.
I did have fun, but towards the end the characters were all annoying bad people.

Plot🗯️🗯️
Smile, a petite cute girl is very shy. She has an Insta love with kyro but doesn't know how to approach such a "cool" guy. She decides to hire a boy from the "boy for rent" service which is going to teach her how to love like an "adult". Along the way feelings get intangled and the relationship with badz gets more complicated than a simple cold contract.

Observations:
The premise was intriguing enough to lure me in. The drama revolves around 4 characters: smile, the shy girl,
badz the boy she hires,
Liz, badz actual girlfriend
and kyro, another boy from the boy service, which ends up falling for Liz.

The way their relationships intertwine is interesting enough to keep you watching.
On some level they are all "somewhat" bad people, expect for smile maybe, and give us Good entertainment.
Unfortunately towards the end, their bad "dids" pile up and the drama becomes more annoying.

Characters:🗯️🗯️
Smile. She is the one that sets things in motion hiring badz to be her sensei when it comes to romantic stuff.
Smile is very cute at the beginning which makes you like her instantly. Unfortunately, except her "quirkiness" , there isn't much to this character .
She has no backstory, interests or anything else going on. I don't even know what she studies.
She likes kyro for no reason except his looks I guess, which to me isn't enough to hire someone to learn how to seduce men.
She wants to change her entire way of being just to be liked by this guy.
It would be more understandable if she was a highschooler, but she is in college!
I don't like how the drama let her be SEXUALLY ASSAULTED for literally 5 times just to give the chance to badz of saving her.
It was insane to watch. She has no trauma at all. They never discuss these things once they are over. Assaults shouldn't be a plot device.

Badz: this guy made me mad. He is forced to work as an escort basically to pay back his sister's debt. His sister is an asshole who couldn't resist Host club boys and doesn't care about what her brother has to do in order to pay HER debt.
Badz on the other hand keeps his "part time job" hidden from his girlfriend because if she knew "she would try to help him out". Boy, how is this a problem? I thought a bigger problem would be if she wasn't ok with you meeting girls..
He keeps this secret from Liz for the entire show, when telling her could have being the solution to all his problems.
Once he enters the contract with smile, everytime she is in trouble he goes to her , which is fine, but he never tells Liz what he is doing. You could have easily said you were helping out a friend. Instead he keeps his mouth shut and makes things worse everytime.
I didn't particularly like he being wishy washy with smile. On one hand he helps her with kyro, on the other hand he sabotages her.
It's clear he is starting to care for smile but he also wants to reconnect with Liz.
Definitely not the romantic hero the audience seems to find him to be.
On a more technical note I didn't particularly like the actor. To be honest I don't think he is a good actor.

Liz: Liz is the character everyone was shitting on but I think she is the most interesting one.
When the drama starts she is actually the victim. She loves her boyfriend but he keeps disappearing, not answering calls. She thinks he is cheating , which is a believable explanation, and tries to "distract" her self with kyro.
Don't get me wrong , she is still bad, because while she is enjoying her time with kyro, she accused badz of cheating on her. Girl, you did it to.
Her friend being a snitch didn't help. She encourages Liz in cheating on badz but then acts like Liz isn't doing the same.
Liz is one of the few characters that gets some "background". She is the daughter of a mistress and feels like her family doesn't care for her.
I actually liked how Liz and kyro are supportive of each in case of need. They both share a shattered family and understand the struggle of feeling alone in your own home.
Liz becomes also a sort of meme.
Her ever changing hair color gave me a headache.😅

Kyro: Kyro is the stereotypical bad boy with a sad past. I didn't particularly like his character but appreciated some dynamics he was involved in.
First of all, I don't get why he works for the company. He is technically the CO founder. Did he just wanted some easy chicks to play with?
His motivation for liking Liz is the most mundane one : she is the only one that ever said no.
Even though I liked how he matures with Liz and starts to be more "serious", I was disappointed at how he still was available to meet other girls, for example smile.
It is pretty clear at a certain point that he likes Liz, but for some reason he still plays the Casanova Role.

Boys for rent: someone please explain me how a service that recruits students has so much money and acts like a Mafia organization.
They were worse than loan shark in Korean dramas😅🤣 way over the top..
It felt cartonishly evil.

Conclusions:
If you are looking for a cheap thrill and over the top moments, this show might be for you.
Don't look for much logic, lower your expectations, don't bother about deep stuff (like sexual assaults, yikes) and enjoy this madness.

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a must watch..!

its kinda different from mostly what kdramas i have seen
it’s not that typical action heavy military drama or twist mixed thriller... it’s more about choices that u make in the moment.. not when everything is perfect .. that whole idea of don’t wait for the right time.. just act really hits
what surprised me the most is the setting... instead of the usual police detective crime focus this goes into the military system.. the storytelling is actually pretty straightforward... not a lot of crazy twists not overcomplicated turns but the way everything is structured still keeps you engaged from start to end it doesn’t feel slow even when it’s not doing like anything flashy
i really liked is that it doesnt only focus on the main characters... also shows the stories of soldiers who ran away why they left what they went through and what happens to them afterwards... some stories are heavy and honestly quite heartbreaking
The emotional impact is subtle but strong. notforcing feelings on you.. just shows things as they are and that hits harder .. even the pacing is interesting. .. it feels fast but doesnt look rushed... scene transitions and storytelling flow are handled really well..
ngl its a worth watch

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"You shouldn't be sad that it's over, you should be happy that it's happened"

There's something really authentic and beautiful about this movie. It hits you very hard in the best way possible. I went into this thinking it was just a deep romantic movie where the male lead dies, and it's sad but really good. But I genuinely underestimated this movie's depth. I really appreciate the fact that both of the relationships have so much depth in them, which is both the platonic relationship and the romantic relationship. In here, you really can't compare those two because they have their own stories, yet the basis of this is that love is so pure in this movie.

The main character loves so purely, I just don't know how to explain it. She will do anything for her best friend, even if it breaks her own heart. And I really don't need to go on at length about how beautiful that is. And on the same side of the coin, we have the best friend who will also do anything. I didn't really sob towards the ending as much as I sobbed when those two fought because their bond is so beautiful, and it broke my heart to see them fighting when, at the end of the da,y they love each other so much, and both were hurt, yet would do anything to make the other person feel better because that's just how pure their love is.

The ending to me was such a bittersweet moment because you can see that Bora has moved on. She's an adult, she has a job, she has her own responsibilities, but at the end of the day, she will always remember him, no matter how much time has passed. And when she was watching the movie, she wasn't devastated at the fact that he was deceased, but she took it very well, I would say. Obviously, yes, she was heartbroken, but I think in the back of her mind, she probably knew or thought that something might have happened. And the ending of this movie was so beautiful that, yes, even though it hurts, it's a good thing that it happened.

There's this one quote that says, "You shouldn't be sad that it's over, you should be happy that it's happened". And I think that is the best way to put this movie. And yeah, such a beautiful, beautiful movie. It broke my heart a little bit, but I think people are giving it a lot more credit than it deserves in the sadness department. Of course, it was devastating, but I think the ending was really bittersweet, and I loved it. It did not make me bawl my eyes out, but it made my heart ache in a good way.

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I don’t get why people are giving low rating

I’ve seen a lot of recent reviews rating this below 5/10, and I understand why. The story does have quite a few plot holes. That said, I wouldn’t call it bad, but it’s definitely not perfect either.
The first episode is actually really strong. It has a great hook and grabs your attention quickly. I usually get bored easily, but this kept me interested all the way until the end.
However, the story can be confusing, especially if you’re not used to multiverse-type plots. It requires a bit more focus to fully understand what’s going on.
As for the ending, it feels like it could be expanded more, possibly setting things up better for a second season.

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What a crock of impossible nonsense - makes a mockery of the real condition

What a waste of a bunch of superlative actors delivering their roles in one of the worst scripts ever made into a movie.

What a joke was made out of her ailment!!

I mean really .. no reference to how she is even attending regular school with her condition.
How she is even bonding with her new schoolmates!!

Keep it a secret?

Really ?? 🫪

everyone in the school would have found out on day 2 that something is wrong with her because she definitely cannot remember all the 20 or 30 children in her class and what they did.
Here I am assuming that her Bestie is someone she knew before the accident. In this kind of amnesia, you remember most of the stuff from before the accident; after that pretty much the entire memory is compromised.

Imagine looking blankly at your teacher and having no idea who she is, she’s not really clicking pictures of every person that she’s meeting and writing long notes to remember next day. That’s superhuman!!!

And this kind of amnesia you don’t have to fall asleep, You pretty much can forget every several hours. What happened earlier in the day.

A child like this is usually learning in a social environment geared to support her.

There was absolutely no sign of any kind of awareness or support in the school in her house amongst her Friend, nothing!!!🙄🙄🙄

What sort of crappy research did the scriptwriter do?

This drama makes a complete mockery of people suffering from the real ailment.

This drama could been made to raise awareness of the condition and what happens to the people around the person suffering from it.
The sweet love story could have been a side plot to weave the story together.

If anyone watched Born to Run (ok that was a drama - but still you’ll get what I am talking about ) you’d know what it means to make a life after an accident leaves you impaired - and this anterograde amnesia is AS serious as a physical amputation - it’s an amputation of the mind and its memory making ability

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confusion 70% then trauma hits

Watched this movie and honestly… it’s a weird experience to explain.
(THIS IS THE TYPE OF MOVIE THAT STAYS IN YOUR HEAD FOR A WHILE AFTER IT ENDS SO MAYBE THINK TWICE BEFORE WATCHING JUST BECAUSE ITS POPULAR IT MIGHT NOT MATCH EVERYONES TASTE PATIENCE AND MINDSET LEVEL)
For most of the runtime it felt slow and honestly a bit confusing like I kept wondering what’s even going on why things are happening and how all of it is connected... the setup of the locked game and the mystery behind it takes a long time to actually make sense.
But then slowly.. the truth starts coming out and that’s where it gets disturbing.
The story deals with very uncomfortable themes and moral questions... things like secrets guilt memory and consequences of actions... and yeah it gets pretty heavy in the final part.
The last portion of the movie is definitely the strongest... that’s when things FINALLY click and the emotional + psychological duo actually hits... the ending left me with a strange unsettled feeling... not fully satisfied not fully disturbed like just… stuck thinking about it.
The performances are solid ..ngl .. especially the characters involved in the core conflict... they really carry the intensity of the final act well.
But overall the pacing is definitely not for everyone.. it takes a long time to get engaging and most of the IMPACT comes very late in the film... so like aninteresting idea… but very hard to sit through.

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Makoto is NOT Worth the Trouble

In the initial episodes, Hotaru was rather endearing and “real,” but she was often a caricature of herself. I mean why does she need to have her track pants’ pockets inside out like it’s a requirement for her dress code? And then she misses her first date because she’s so stupid that she chants “Beeru! Beeru!” All the way home? Wtf kind of stupid reason is that? Is she that dense? Halfway through I started to not like her because she just seemed to be annoying just for the sake of being annoying.

But my bigger issue with this show is, the director has a chauvnistic streak where there is a “ideal woman” type called Yuka, and anyone who doesn’t fit that incredibly narrow definition of a perfect woman is basically discarded as trash. And Hotaru is called a Himono Onna or dried up fish woman and it’s a way to scapegoat and attack women for not being some dreamt up ideal by a misogynist. No good. And why is everyone obsessed with this BOT called Makoto? Yuck. He’s this dud that “returned” from London probably on a 3 week vacation and acts like he’s all that. But his acting and his lines are like a bot. He doesn’t know how to communicate- in the beginning, all he could say to Hotaru was “hai” “hai” and “hai.” I’m like which idiot wrote his dialog? And the actor plays the character with the most grating lack of expression ever. He looks like he’s not even interested in being in the show. On top of that, Makoto is a male chauvinist. He goes up to Hotaru and kisses her without her permission while she’s taking a nap, then decides that he likes her and calls all the shots. He decides when the relationship starts, and when it ends. It’s all on HIS terms, even though he literally has nothing to offer her. He never makes conversation with her, and just looks bored when they’re together, making Hotaru anxious and she starts compensating for his lack of effort. But he keeps saying he likes her as a way to keep her hooked in. Then he decides on a whim that she should move in with him. Then when he gets insecure and jealous like the usual fragile ego misogynist, he dumps Hotaru via email and says one morning “It’s over. Pack your stuff up and leave.” Wow what a cold bot this Makoto is. Hotaru would have been happier being in relationship with AI! When he was living with Hotaru, half the time he communicates with her by writing notes, or text messages. He doesn’t try whatsoever, and meanwhile Hotaru is bending over backwards. And where is she supposed to go when Makoto kicks her out on a whim? The manager’s house is about to be demolished- where is she supposed to find an apartment on a moment’s notice? And why is everyone including Yuka initially in love with Makoto? He’s not good looking, is incredibly dull as a personality, and is a chauvinist and has an extremely fragile ego. Poor Hotaru. She went through all that trouble for this disgusting person. She should have seen right through him once she saw that the whole relationship was only on his terms, and based on his whims and mood swings. He crosses her boundaries and clings to her when he wants to possess her, and then when he feels threatened he throws her away like trash. What a bad character she got involved with. At the end about a month later when she’s living in a weekly apartment, Makoto who strategically says he wants to get along with her at work (especially since she has moved up the ladder and has more influence now), is working at his desk when Hotaru comes up to him and says thank you and bows to him and says she fell in love with him and she’s changed a little. He has no expression, never initiates such meaningful conversations, and looks like he couldn’t care less about her heartfelt gesture. The manager, though he was a chauvinist in his own way, calling her a dried up fish woman, and saying her life is done as a woman, at least grew to appreciate her over time. But honestly, none of the men in this series were worth the trouble. There is nothing loving or romantic about any of these relationships. But as the men - the manager, Makoto, the other guy that likes Yuka, and the other guy that’s the manager’s divorce buddy are all talking, they discuss how Hotaru is living alone and Makoto said he thought she would go back to living with the manager. And they interpret it as a great thing that she lives alone and doesn’t go to the next guy (the manager) as soon as she is dumped. Then the manager calls her selfish, and then the other guy says “we always attract such selfish women don’t we?” They are all red flags. Hotaru is better off alone.

In the end, Hotaru doesn’t join the Christmas party of bots, but is sleeping alone at home. She tried the relationship thing that everyone harped on about, and it ended up being a disaster. And when she’s back at home, the bots go back to criticizing her. That’s why they’re not worth her time. Hotaru IS the light. She doesn’t need any bot to complete her. In the end she looks much more confident.

In the end, she comes back to the manager, well they have more chemistry together than Makoto bot.
Now I realized there is a season 2! Will it go up or downhill from here? Will find out….

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Surprisingly poignant comedy series

My score may change as the series goes on, but I'm really in love with what I've seen.

The show so far is nicely structured (I love the repeat of the tractor vs car standoffs and the contrast of umbrella moments) as well as creatively and tastefully filmed/edited (the "daily routine" sequence in the first episode is excellently put together).

I'm a fan of "city person in the countryside" themes (e.g. Once Upon a Small Town, Hometown Cha Cha Cha, Love Take Two, Summer Strike, When the Weather is Fine, etc.), so I'm naturally biased toward this type of comedy. But what I really love is the way the show swerves between unhinged silliness and melancholic vulnerability.

I've seen some comments from people who find the sleepwalking/talking far-fetched, but my son sometimes has episodes very similar to hers, so I can assert that it's very believably portrayed. The details are great too, like her slow-blinking at Mechoori and bumping her head on doors.

Edit: I bumped up the rewatch score to 10/10 for two reasons: first, I'm having to force myself not to rewatch the first 4 episodes because I'm trying to finish other series; second, I'm presently addicted to YouTube clips of highlights and have watched certain key moments several dozen times.

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Cute comedy

I keep coming back to this series to watch th cute moments over and over again, so consider that a big recommendation if nothing else.

So here’s the deal: we have four hot medical students that I have taken to calling the Avengers, as follows:

- Asian Elvis, he of the Very Good Hair
- the Aura Master, able to stun anyone with the sheer force of his presence and money
- Doctor Dangerous, seemingly nice but will 100% wreck your shit if you cross him
- the Tattooed Henchman, a classic bad boy.

And on the other side of this equation are the Super Friends, a group of new students who are best buds and also each other’s wingmen, and who also get into hijinks and, indeed, shenanigans on a regular basis due to their various love interests. And they are:

- the Drama Llama, a grown man seemingly inhabited by the soul of a hyperactive teenage girl
- Mr. Game’n’Slack, a certifiable idiot who does vidya games and little else
- the Short King, who has waaaaay too many issues and not enough access to therapy
- the Quiet Artist, who we don’t see much of in this season but hoooo boy does he ever have Stuff Going On.

Listen: we all know they’re gonna get together, we’re here for the journey and not the destination. But I found the journey to be HELLA worth it in every case. First up, we have Asian Elvis finding out that the Drama Llama, his sort-of-ex who he is still HUGELY into, also goes to this university and from then on we are treated to some high quality yearning and some verrrrry nice chemistry.

Second up is the Aura Master bumping into Mr. Game’n’Slack, who he has a longtime unrequited crush on, and his total inability to pursue a normal relationship with the guy. Somehow they’re into each other (although I’m not sure why, chemistry is a bit lacking IMO) but I’m here for the comedy alone. Their relationship is largely defined by the Aura Master admitting to himself that he did indeed fall in love with a complete idiot, but that is no reason not to be the bestest boyfriend ever and spoil him and love on him etc etc.

The other two relationships are in the later seasons, Beside the Sky, and The Sun From Another Star. Can’t decide which I like more. It’s cute stupid romantic comedy and all the relationships, whether it’s friendships or romance, are 100% worth a watch. This is probably staying on my rewatch list forever (fourever lol).

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