Amazing storytelling and lovable characters
I feel like many of the harsh reviews are coming from fans of the original Chinese version. I have never seen it. So to me all I saw when i watched this was 16 episodes of amazing story telling about an unconventional family. I love them so much. I loved all the developments in the show, the twists and turns that reveal more about the characters and how they are interconnected. I loved the acting, the cast, the beautiful town it's set in. Family by choice is one of my favorite shows, but I think this might be one of those divisive gems that you either love it or you think it was just okay. The cast alone and the characters make it worth watching, but the writing is what I really loved about it, how everything perfectly comes together. I wish this family was real because they made me want to believe in a world where people can come together like that regardless of circumstances.Was this review helpful to you?
Best discovery
I watched it because I looove the actress Han Ji hyeon ! (and vibed a lot with her support roles in the recent romance dramas)So when I knew that she was the lead in a rom com... I had to watch it and I WAS NOT DISSAPOINTED !!! Although my opinion on Han Ji hyeon as an actress has changed (not in subjectively a good nor a bad way, it just revealed another side of her acting), and the ML isn't my fav (a little bland) I was sooo CAPTIVATED by the cheer squad, their hardships and success ! (and also the side couples that I absolutely adore).I will definitly rewatch it again in the next years 'cause...it was too good
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When a show can make me laugh this many times, I know it's gold
Comedy is very important to me in a show, it can have all the drama in the world, but if there is no laughter mixed in, generally i won't rewatch. If you read the premise of the show you know it's about a germophobe, and a cleaning woman who's anything but clean getting mixed up together. How could that be anything but funny? You laugh a lot at the expense of the main character but also the character arc is pretty huge for many of the characters on the show. It's a rewarding journey and no spoilers but, I even thought the ending was pretty great, when traditionally I feel like K-Dramas kind of drop the ball at the end. The music was really good too. I highly recommend this show if you like comedic dramas. He reminds me a bit of the character Monk from American television with all his phobias.Was this review helpful to you?
"One man alone can't fight injustice"
Don Wong, John Liu and Hwang Jang Lee all harbor secrets and are deadly Secret Rivals. This was a Hong Kong movie filmed in the RoK and used a number of Korean stuntmen and actors. The scenery was all in Korea as well.John and Don wander into the Prince’s city with different reasons for being there. The Prince is having a contest to hire the best fighter for his bodyguard. The fights are to the death. What the fighters don’t know is that the Prince and the Silver Fox stole a shipment of gold three years ago from the Chinese. They hope to pin the theft and a murder on the new bodyguard. Both John and Don fall for the lovely Ching Chin Chin who is the daughter of the inn’s owner.
The story was thin and the camera work not so great. What was good? If Hwang Jang Lee, Don Wong and John Liu are in a film there will be plenty of high-flying kicks which rarely used wires or undercranking. The Silver Fox had two of the best legs in the business. I didn’t really care much about the story, HJL flying without the use of wires, kicking high, hooking, and twisting, is always fun to watch. Of course, the stuntmen were called upon to do a few flips and somersaults here and there but the fights were largely au naturale.
The film was badly faded with white pock marks and green streaks. The only copy I could find was dubbed in English with grainy tin can sound. It’s the same guy who does all the male voice with a female actor doing all the women’s voices. No subtitles available. I tried to not let any of these things affect my review…too much.
If you like old kung fu flicks with creative kicks, this is one to try. Graded on a curve. Really missed HJL’s mom hair and 70’s stache.
8 March 2026
Trigger warnings: Lots of bodies, but no spewing blood
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This review may contain spoilers
Comedy Fell Flat for Me
My Rating: 6.5 / 10Miss Shampoo starts with a fun premise: an average young hairdresser suddenly catches the attention of a gangster who becomes completely smitten with her. The beginning is actually pretty entertaining. Watching a nervous salon apprentice suddenly gain a flood of intimidating gangster customers because of one loyal admirer is a funny setup, and it makes for a strong opening.
Unfortunately, the movie never quite reaches the potential that premise promises. While it remains mildly entertaining throughout, the tone jumps awkwardly between romance, gangster violence, and goofy comedy. The film feels like it wants to be heartfelt and funny at the same time but never fully succeeds at either.
It’s not a terrible movie, but it’s also not particularly memorable. I personally would not watch it again. I would only recommend it to viewers who especially enjoy romantic comedies mixed with gangster themes, because that unusual combination is the main appeal.
Overall, it’s a movie with an interesting idea and a decent start, but the execution keeps it from being truly great.
Spoilers
The film establishes early on that Tai, a triad gangster, becomes fascinated with Fen after she helps hide him from assassins in her family’s salon. Instead of simply thanking her, he becomes almost fixated on her and begins forcing his gang members—and even random people—to get their hair cut by her to help her business succeed.
This idea could have been charming, but the romance never really made sense to me. Fen has just broken up with her previous boyfriend, who was a clean-cut college guy. Her suddenly falling for a scruffy gangster doesn’t feel like a natural progression for her character.
Another strange aspect is how quickly Fen’s family accepts Tai’s presence. It’s already odd that a family would allow a gangster to regularly hang around their salon, but the film also plays scenes involving intimacy between Tai and Fen in a way that feels awkward considering the parents are nearby. I personally did not like all the F bombs. Saying you are going to F somebody is not romantic. Talking about your genitals also not romantic. So, the raunchy language was unnecessary and really took me out of the romance.
I had to look it up because I did not expect sex to be treated so casually by the family. Culturally, Taiwan is generally modern in its attitudes toward dating and relationships, so couples being intimate before marriage isn’t unheard of. However, the movie exaggerates the situation for comedy, which may be why it feels awkward or unrealistic rather than believable.
The film also leans heavily into slapstick humor and gangster violence. I knew going in that there would be some blood and fights because it involves organized crime, and that part wasn’t the issue. The bigger problem is that the love story—the emotional core of the film—never becomes convincing or heartwarming.
The ending is also questionable. Tai is stabbed badly, yet instead of going to the hospital he shows up to make a dramatic romantic gesture toward Fen. It’s meant to be emotional, but it comes across as unrealistic.
The movie then shows a sort of epilogue/outtake scene where Fen is pregnant and still working as a hairdresser, while Tai is no longer a gangster. However, he seems to be mostly talking about plans and dreams rather than actually doing anything meaningful with his life. It’s technically a happy ending because they’re together, but it doesn’t feel particularly satisfying.
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This review may contain spoilers
i deserved a medal for making until Ep 11.
I am hero for making it this far.Episode 11: I am giving up.
I ve being watching some cute dramas lately. I was looking for something light-hearted and along the way I found "when I fly towards you" and "hidden love". Then this drama appeared and I decided to give it a go.... Not a smart choice.
This drama is bad, boring and pointless.
Plot: girl moves into a new school and has to settle. That's basically it.
This is sold as a sort of "rivalry to lovers" but there is no rivalry here.
The ml is basically kind to the FL the entire time for absolut ni reason, even becoming a sort of simp; fl is an annoying asshole to the ml for no good reason just to then start liking him all of sudden, for , as I said before "no reason".
This drama is a good example of "tell don't show" because it is absolutely incapable of creating a good confrontation or a good story ark.
Talking about the characters.
FL: the most bland and at the same time annoying lead you could possibly have.
She has no personality at all, is dumm as a rock (but she is in an advance class..go figure.
The actress is no better. I get sad just looking at her expression. She doesn't even speak, she slurres! The script they gave her is so bad but she is not helping in any way.
Everyone around her talk about her being so kind, funny and Interesting. Are we looking at the same sad face here?
I only feel bad for her because she has insane parents
Talking about parents: her dad is sweet overall but back ups his wife which is a psycho. They are convinced their daughter cannot study science because she has a vagina.
Her mother especially blatantly favoures her son over her daughter.
Her dad is convinced his daughter should endure the mother behaviors because "she doesn't know how to act".
Excuse YOU sir, your wife is an adult bullying a teenager.
Ml: I like the actor form "hidden love" even though he is not as mature as an actor here as in other dramas.
His character is somehow the most normal guy even though he likes that leech of a FL for no reason.
He even says "I like you because you don't care about my grades".
I'm sorry boy, this girl a leech because she knows you have good grades. You are basically her tutor... She asks explanation at every given time... What are you talking about?🤣
Their friends: they are the highlight of the show.
Lively, bubbly, have funny Interactions and overall are of breeze of fresh air in this depressing forest of boredom.
The drama overall: they 90% of the time talk about sitting next to each other at school and science text.
The only reason I keep watching is because in the first episode we discover the FL did something "unforgivable" to the ml and I kinda wanna know what it is but the curiosity is not worth this suffering.
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The story allows the viewer to float along the narrative and just enjoy the interesting character dynamics that go through ups and downs, providing us with information about the mystery, building up backstories of the characters in a very deliberate way, without overwhelming the story. We do not encounter unnecessary side stories that distract us from the main narrative, too many fillers, making the pace remain very stable throughout the story. Everything that happens has a purpose.
The drama gives the audience an opportunity to witness the mystery along with the characters, and the story is also not in any hurry to get at certain moments or plot points, introduce characters or anything like that too early. You must build things up within a narrative which this drama is very aware off. Everything seems rather deliberately done, and it’s all part of the larger context making every clue we uncover, or the victories achieved by the characters in the narrative feel earned.
The main heart and core of this drama, however, lies with it galore of interesting and dynamic female characters present within this story, who are allowed to take up space, have an impact, and be at the forefront of the story. As well as the cast who are all doing an amazing job bringing the story to live. The budding female friendships, their antics and individual roles within the story are all given their time to shine, breathe and develop within the story.
But it can also be said about any character in the story, no matter how big or small their role was. All the characters serve a specific purpose within the story and seem tangible and real, and while they can sometimes fall into caricatures it seems to have been done so deliberately for the humor and the tone of the show. Even the other so-called villains, who are sometimes like they are cut out of soap operas, serve the story in a certain way, and the story is very aware of that.
And those characters, or those soapy moments, even brings up a certain tone within a story that allows the female characters all to have a certain connection to each other despite how different they are. And this tone that the drama manages to create, as well as the slow-paced character development that the drama focuses on, gives these players within the story such a good opportunity to be different, and be their own characters who deal with things in different ways.
The drama is presented in a very stylish way, taking advantage of the period it is set in, in the latter part of the 90s in a very effective and entertaining way and making the story feel lively, lived in and believable. That, as with some many aspects of this drama, seems to have been done with sincerity, and great thought. Because while the drama is very funny and exciting it is also at times incredibly thoughtful and moving as it explores how corporate greed and corruption affects the workers who are just trying to survive day to day while the rich play their little chess games for fun.
Despite not every character being likeable the drama does do a good job making you understand them and make them enjoyable to watch, with also many thanks to the actors who breath live into them, as every characters bring out something within the story and serve the plot to a certain degree. That’s good storytelling.
The story is clever in terms of the layout of each episode, avoiding cramming too much into it at once and allowing the side stories to build up naturally in the background until they finally serve the narrative and can come from the margins and into the foreground. Even certain characters, who seem to have been put aside by the narrative, have been intentionally put there until a certain point that serves the story.
No matter if it is the pasts of the characters that comes into play, backstories and other things, all of these things simmer gently under the surface until the story thinks it’s time to bring that out without dragging down the main story. This is more of a character-driven story with a good dash workplace humor and a tale of friendship, than a love story, which I think was very refreshing to watch.
From start to finish to was exciting, funny but also heartwarming and heartbreaking. It’s hard to guess what will happen next or when the next plot twists comes, how the characters will get out of each situations, but it always works out in the end and all without it seeming too rushed, simple or dumbed down. And that all manages to make many of those moments within the story feel really impactful and well earned.
Undercover Miss Hong has a good, steady rhythm to it’s storytelling that allows it to balance a lot of things within the narrative at the same time; backstories and reflections off the characters, the interesting character dynamics, humor and mystery. And the drama manages to keep the viewer well engaged without overwhelming the story too much. All of that along with a very stylish setting, dynamic female characters, humorous character interactions, as well as excellently paced tension this drama manages to sail the seas of Yeouido and the economic crisis of late 90s in Korea relatively unscathed and without missing a beat and delivering a very lively story.
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Thief who stole my time
Such a waste of my precious time.Im in the mood for sageuks but this show is @ss
Plot is just so so.
Chemistry is non existent.
Dragging plot.
Dont get me started with the actress voice. Its too distracting to hear. Its to squeaky and annoying to hear.
Cant believe moon sangmin chose this trash drama
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thos one of the most beautiful easy to watch drama
the acting was on point it matched the vibe of the drama " i still dont understand the people that are criticize the acting i don't know what they are wating for more than that " i feel like the acting did feel so natural to me both the fl and ml did so good ,the visual was so good like omg everyone is super pretty and handsome the outfit the make up and even the places they did film in , i really love expensive budget in drama it just show how much effort they put on i love that i really did enjoy it i think this is one of my fav drama that i will rewatch when i feel bad cause it give of good vibe and it so funny to
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Disappointing
Considering the leads came from Addicted, I was highly disappointed in the finished product. It was cute and sweet, but the last two episodes were somewhat confusing, at times. Maybe it was the subtitles or the translation—I’m not sure.The misunderstanding between the leads didn’t make much sense to me. Neither did their reasoning for reconciling.
I felt it should have been better. There was little depth to the story, as well as little fire between both couples.
Just not great. Disappointing. I wanted to like it more.
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One of the best short dramas
what a great pairing. slow burn romance with typical story line done in an enjoyable way. I love these two actors separately but together they are pure gold. Their chemistry is so believable and the kissing scenes are some of the best I’ve seen. This vertical drama was just as enjoyable as the full length ones. Their miscommunication issues thankfully were solved well before the last couple of episodes and the ending was quite satisfying. This is the second time I’ve watched it and it is just as much fun to watch as the first.Was this review helpful to you?
THIS SEASON GAVE ME MY SECOND HIS MAN FAVORITE COUPLE!
after season 2, I thought I will never get another favorite couple from this show! but I got my favorite EndGame couple in this season 4! so I love this season for that! Alpha male and his omega pookie are so freaking cute together 😍😍❤️🔥 they made this season worth my precious time! (it okay if majority of the viewers don't like them) so far I personally love and enjoyed them on my screen, the season was totally worth watching for me!!!I’m speaking purely for myself and to myself!!!
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*Review: A Delightful Rom-Com That Balances Heart and Humor**
*Romantic comedies often follow familiar formulas, yet every once in a while a drama appears that refreshes the genre with charm, wit, and emotional sincerity. This particular rom-com manages to deliver exactly that. Blending lighthearted comedy with heartfelt romance, the drama creates an engaging story that feels both comforting and surprisingly meaningful.
The plot revolves around two individuals whose lives collide in the most unexpected way. At first, their personalities clash—one is cautious and practical, while the other is spontaneous and unapologetically optimistic. This contrast becomes the driving force of the story. Their arguments are witty and playful, filled with clever dialogue that often leaves viewers smiling. What makes the drama stand out is how these comedic moments never feel forced; instead, they naturally grow out of the characters’ interactions.
Visually, the drama maintains a warm and inviting atmosphere. The cinematography highlights everyday settings—cafés, city streets, quiet parks—and transforms them into places filled with romantic possibility. The soundtrack also deserves praise. Soft acoustic melodies and upbeat tracks accompany the emotional highs and lows of the story, enhancing the mood without overpowering the scenes.
One of the most compelling aspects of the drama is its character development. Both leads begin with personal insecurities and emotional baggage, which makes their journey toward love feel genuine. Instead of instantly falling for each other, they slowly learn to trust, communicate, and grow. This gradual evolution gives their relationship depth and authenticity.
The supporting characters add another layer of charm. Friends and family members provide comic relief, heartfelt advice, and occasional chaos that keeps the narrative lively. Their presence ensures the story never feels too heavy, maintaining the perfect rom-com balance between emotional vulnerability and playful humor.
Ultimately, this rom-com drama succeeds because it understands the heart of the genre: love is messy, unpredictable, and often hilarious. By combining sincere emotion with clever humor, the drama offers viewers a feel-good experience that lingers long after the final episode. It is the kind of story that reminds us why romantic comedies remain so beloved—because sometimes, laughter and love truly are the perfect combination.
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Ringu? Groundhog Day? The Breakfast Club?
Yes, this horror film tries to be all three of them at the same time. While failing miserably at being scary. One minute it’s all blood and gore, the next we see the protagonist chilling at the beach to happy upbeat music.The time looping starts as an interesting concept but quickly becomes boring an repetitive. And since everybody who dies wakes up the next day their deaths means absolutely nothing.
The only good thing is that we get to listen to Ado while watching teenagers getting killed.
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Geumbokhee forever
I was worried this would spoil some of the magic at the end, like a lot of series can, but nope. Geumbokhee is canon, and you can't prove otherwise. Period setting is really fun and while I was worried it would be just slightly too quirky and manic, it strikes a really good balance between comedy and drama without feeling jarring in either sense, even if the comedy is really screwball and the plot can get quite surprisingly serious (though not too melodramatic) at times. It's all very natural feeling.Love the performances from all the women, and this might be the first time a random kid has sprung up in a show's plot and not just not ruined things, but actually improved things. The Korean birth rate propaganda works if the child is being raised by two lesbian couples living together it turns out. I will admit to not liking Nora at first, and I never quite fully came around on her much sillier and less developed character, even if she has way more screen time than Mi-sook, I feel Mi-sook was just a better character and we just saw more of her. I did end up liking more than I disliked her at the end though, she just feels like a character from something a little more focused on pure comedy than a comedy-drama. I'm also going to be real, the Risk Management guys and Cha Jung-il are the only interesting men. Shin Jung-woo and President Kang are devastatingly boring, thankfully Song Ju-ran is a much better secondary villain to Kang. Also love Choi In-ja and the way she mirrors characters like Bok-hee. So many fun to watch female characters to more than make up for the boring men, and yet CERTAIN PEOPLE have spent the entire drama's run speculating about M/F relationships instead.
More importantly, there's several Hong Kong cinema references here that aren't obscure or anything but I just find it really funny that Google translates Hong Geum-bo's name to Sammo Hung, and then you start to realise that was a totally on purpose similarity. The A Better Tomorrow reference here isn't as good as Extreme Job's though, the gold standard for jarringly random HK cinema references in Korean entertainment. Speaking of, I love Director Yun so much.
I want a season 2 but I also think they captured lightning in a bottle with the cast chemistry among the women of Room 301 and I'm not sure they can do it a second time without something being missing or having them come together as a group and have it not feel forced. I will at the very least take Geumbokhee as a FSS agent/PI buddy cop duo though.
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