Reviews

An Old Vibe in a Youthful Tale:From Promise to Disappointment

While the show had a promising start, several elements detracted from its overall potential. The storyline was engaging and captivating from episodes 1 to 8, but unfortunately, it lost its grip as the plot progressed. The final arc involving Argan completely killed the vibe, leaving a sour note to what could have been a memorable conclusion.


A major issue was the casting of the male lead. While he is undoubtedly talented, he simply did not suit the role. His older appearance clashed with the youthful "hubby" energy the character demanded, making it difficult to root for him.
In fact, his pairing with the actress playing his mother-in-law felt more natural, as she has aged so gracefully that they would have looked better together as a couple. This miscast undermined the chemistry between the leads and disrupted the tone of the show.It's not about age,it's his appearance. He looks almost as old as his mother-in-law, while Heejoo looks like a kid.


Moreover, the final bed scene between the two main characters was deeply uncomfortable to watch. It lacked emotional connection and felt forced amidst of kidnapping and war.


Despite its flaws, the show had a strong premise and delivered some great moments early on. However, the combination of miscasting, a faltering storyline, and an underwhelming finale left much to be desired.I still like it because of the early episodes.

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It's hard to beat the original

For the first 4 episodes everything felt like you wouldn't understand a lot unless you've actually seen the original LITA. The timeline was different since Rei's (Rain) and Kai's (Sky) stories were happening at the same time. Also, some events were formed into one for example Arashi telling Rei that his time to court him was up right after spending a passionate night after the race. In the original series those two things happened on two different days. Everything felt fast paced but that's because they made less episodes and also made each episode 20 minutes shorter. If they made it a little longer and slowed things down then maybe I would've liked it more.
I don't think this version of LITA is bad but it's just not the same as the original.

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Never been let down hard enough to write a review

As an ardent k-drama fan for the last 10 years when I saw the trailers of When the Phone Rings i expected it to have everything I have come to expect from k-drama Mystery/Thriller Romances.
The first 4 eps were one of the most promising starts i have seen to a show, which, convinced me to watch it while it was on air (when i'm the type to binge watch).

Where it went wrong:

=> The calls: in the first few calls there was tension, there was anger, there was suspense but after ep 4 they just turn into banter, and somehow Paik Sae On just keeps spilling things about his personal life and just turns dumb???

=> Paik Sae On: Yoo Yeon Seok is wonderful in the role, like most of his other works his acting is incredible, but the character was written in a very amateur manner, isn't his character a master negotiator who has certification from like the FBI, and isn't a negotiator's first task is to not show any emotion to the threats but somehow to 406 he keeps losing control, like I get it, you are worried about your wife but bro you are smarter than that.

=> Hong Hee Joo's talking: Hong Hee Joo's selective mutism was just utter bullshit, after one point she just started talking to anyone and everyone???!!!! like isn't that the first point in her character sketch. Her entire deal was to not talk to anyone and only talk to him on the burner phone. Honestly it would have been better to stretch that bit out a little more.

=> The emotional abuse: Paik Sae On literally abuses Hong Hee Joo for 3 years only to be forgiven in one dialogue. Like sis where is your self respect?? and she justifies it by saying that its okay as she also lied about not being able to talk. Did he give her the safety of talking about it... no... so did she have to tell him also... no.

=> The entire last ep: not required... the arden arc... the 2 billion won... the name change.... just no.

In my opinion the only smart and sane person here was Hong In-A cause she left when she realized what was going on, got herself fixed, came back to save her sister, asked her father to take action, and supported her sister when she was alone.

Never been this disappointed with a show that started this well.

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Half a season

There are some interesting premises and character dynamics here: reunited exes, Gi-hun and the Front Man, the perspective of No-Eul as a guard...but nothing really comes to fruition because S2 feels incomplete. I think calling it S2 and S3 is kind of a stretch; it's S2 part 1 and S2 part 2. I like seeing the push-and-pull between the character pairings, and the show does a good job of adding tension using dramatic irony, but other than that, it's a lot of set-up without any pay-off.

I have the patience to wait for S3, but it just feels like Gi-hun, as a returning character, is quite under-utilized. I'm not sure I buy into the idea that he's some kind of revolutionary leader who everyone falls in line behind, and I also feel like he's approached the games on too much of a surface level. He yells for everyone to listen and follow him to overthrow the game makers, but doesn't spend actual time thinking about why the games exist, or if they planted a player the way they did in the last game. Wi Ha-jun's character (whose name I can't even remember) is underutilized too. He's on a boat, but largely irrelevant.

I also think the games just aren't as good. I understand that the show needed to go beyond the games this time and couldn't just have the same thing play out again, but I felt like there was a missed opportunity here. Now that we have a guard character, I imagine — what if the protagonists planted people in the guards the same way the antagonists had planted a player? Or what if the players found loopholes to the games? Part of the chart of S1 was that the games were very simple: cut out this shape, pull the rope, cross the bridge, play marbles. This time, in making the game so complicated — have a team of five with each person playing a different childhood game as you walk around the track with your legs tied together — it felt like we lost something. We didn't get to see how each character approached a simple game because there were too many characters and games and we were just flashing through all of them.

Regardless of all this, I think this season is a decent set-up for whatever comes next.

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Good performances but laboured writing and overdone direction.

I really tried hard to talk up this drama, but it became increasingly hard and all my excuses eventually fell by the wayside. Compared to something like See You in My 19th Life, the plot held together reasonably well but was built around standard and somewhat tired tropes. The performances by the leads were good. You Yeon Seok did a good job of bringing subtlety to his tsundere character. And Heo Nam Jun as the villain, when he wasn’t being required to overact, was credible. But there’s the problem for you in a nutshell, the directing… the job of the director is to set the tone for the whole production, and direct the actors and cinematographer to harmonise with it. Here it was just too over the top. Melo on steroids.

It had the hallmarks of a 1920s silent film, grandiose gestures, limp women and stoic men, dramatic low camera angles and slow leaden footsteps at every opportunity.

The cost of overplaying things is that it fails to capture you and attach you to the story and the characters. The problem with overhyped dramatisation is that there is nowhere to go, no room to build, it’s full on from the get go, and bye bye subtlety. With the result that instead of being moved I’m always at the point of laughter.

To make it believable you have to follow through on a set up. Too often the characters would not do the obvious in order to prolong the plot. The result is a lot of eye rolling, sighing and FFS exclamations for the viewer. Completely cutting through any credibility, but much more seriously, any sympathy for the characters.

The pacing was sacrificed to an over-detailed explanatory style, leaking tension all over the place. It needed less words and more faster paced action to fulfil its role as a thriller. Frequent, unnecessary repetitions of scenes in the editing did not help either.

The performances were good, it’s a pity that the directing, writing and editing were so laboured.

What my rating means: 6+ Some aspects of it were OK but it had serious flaws. It will pass the time but you can find something better.

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The SkyNani Effect

Let’s begin by saying that I’ve never watched the original Korean series and solely started binge-watching this after falling in love with several SkyNani edits on social media. And now I understand the hype and became obsessed with their whatevership. This is a bromance with a silent ‘b’.

When we get into the drama’s plot, we have several: tension, character development, bonding, lessons, and, most importantly, love confessions. This show gives me butterflies more than other BLs that aired last year. Saint and Shin are like a broken couple that reconciled and defines that love is sweeter the second time around. Sky showcases how years of experience hone him as an actor. There’s no doubt that he is the main character here, alongside Nani, who also carries out an outstanding performance. Their chemistry is top-notch!

Of course, the success of the series will never be complete without the excellent roles of each of the cast. Everyone nailed their characters. Mark Pakin is also the MVP as he portrayed Chadjen in the most realistic way possible. As a fan of South Korea’s school series (from 2015-latest), the primary goal of their shows is to convey to its audience the heartwarming youthful life of the students. Which, this remake version delivered it with a gratifying overall quality.

Most of us, the viewers, are students once in our life. I know that at some point, we can relate to the story. Personally, during my high school years, school is my home of peace. I will never make it without the friends that I shared joy and laughter with. Teenagers are too young to know everything and the best way to survive is by surrounding yourself with the right people. High School Fremeny is that school-based GMMTV drama that allows me to indulge in the nostalgic feeling of being a student once again.

To Saint and Shin, thank you for the beautiful story of your “friendship.”

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Laughable ending

Was totally hooked on this series. Couldn't wait for the next episode to come. Even rewatched it before the two last episodes aired... and than Korean 'writers, directors I don't know who' strike again. I don't know if it is a culturale thing/preference. But why on earth is 9 out of 10 times the final episode horrible. Seriously don't know what the makers were thinking. Even worse I think this is one of the worst final episodes of all the k-drama's I have seen. And I have seen a lot. It was so laughable and unbelievable that I had to stop several times during watching the last episode. To the point where I doubted I wanted to finish episode.

Ps I think the acting of the 'real' Sa-eon is highly underrated!

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"The call from 406 to 604 "

If you like arranged marriage, hot couple with 100/100 chemistry and most importantly a male lead who would let the world burn for his wife this show is for you :)

Story:
in fact, the story has a cliché
base with some creative points. We've already seen series about two people in love but drifted away because they can't speak their true emotion out and stuck in misunderstanding, but that phone calls were the point and watching how they develop their feelings and relationship through the phone was interesting.
The story also gives the wattpad vibe: hot and cold daddy who is madly in love without showing his true emotion +arranged marriage
Actually it was adopted from a romance novel that turned out into a webtoon and it's obviously have its spice of cliché(but it's worth-watching).
(and god bless the director it's more logical than the novel) I didn't get bored till the last moment.
Talking abt the last episode it can be like two things:
A bonus for us to watch our couple in an action-romance scene that is very hot
a what the hell is happening
(You can choose one of them...
Anyway the ending won't change)

Characters:
YES! finally the male lead we craved for a long time.
Beak sa oun is HUSBAND MATERIAL 10/10. he was madly in love with his wife, protective and  possessive. he was caring so much for his wife that it felt so real.
I felt a little hatred when he said that sentence to the kidnapper but later I found no one could really care abt Hee Joo more than him.

Hong Hee Joo showed 2 sides of her character:
the one was the shy, silent and obedient girl
and the other was the fierce Hong Hee joo (Sa Oun's favorite)
she only needed to be loved and her husband's love gave her enough confidence to develop.

The second couple were cute too and wish we could see more of them. (But the first couple were something else)

MR. KANG was MY LOVE. He was one of the cute and wise charachter in this series. A family teacher for Sa Oun and a cutie pie for us ^-^


Chemistry:
The romance really touched my heart. I could really feel the love between them. The look at love was amazing in both.
Kisses were legendary and on another level. If we had any awards to the best kissers it would belongs to Beak Sa Oun and Hong Hee Joo defiantly.


flows:
drama after drama(read it as trauma after trauma) it became JAJINGNA CHINCHA...why you don't let them sitting 10 minutes with peace and without any accident?
romance scenes were less than we expected (the true ones)
if you search for logic specially a logical wrap up it's not for you.

overall:
Come on!
watch it for the attraction.
It's worth-watching for sure.

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A Romantic Thriller? An Honest Review

★★This is my personal opinion, and we can obviously have different preferences★★
This is going to be a long review.



"When the Phone Rings" is a Kdrama that leaves a lasting impression with its blend of suspense and heartfelt moments.I adore dramas that deliver what they promise. It was promoted as a romantic thriller and it delivered that, of course, leaning more towards the romance tag.A number of people may find the synopsis "cringe" even before watching the drama. This review, however, isn’t intended for them.


The way I see it, the story is about a loving husband who has cherished his wife for a long time but couldn't express it because both of them had secrets from their pasts. While it may sound like any other drama, the performances, the background music, the screenplay—everything—elevated it and made it stand out from the rest.


Actors:

Both leads, as well as the other recurring actors, excelled in their roles. The lead actress, Choi Soobin, went to great lengths to learn sign language, and the way she delivered it felt as though it was second nature to her, seamlessly integrated into her character's world. Her expressions and body language differed significantly between her home and workplace, showcasing her impressive acting range. The contrast between her portrayal of the innocent, timid wife in the first half and the more comfortable, free character in the second half was especially notable. The makeup artists and costume department also did an excellent job.


YYS, who played the male lead, needs no introduction. However, I’d like to highlight his exceptional acting in one particular episode where he portrayed a husband whose wife was missing. His performance in that scene was truly top-notch.


The actor playing the kidnapper truly nailed his character, capturing the nuances of his role through subtle micro-expressions. Overall, everyone did an outstanding job, contributing to the drama’s success.




Story:

I believe that if someone is drawn to the synopsis, they will likely enjoy the drama. The thrill in the first four episodes was impressive, and kudos to the makers for creating such an engaging start. Even though the level of thrill tapered off after that, it remained captivating and enjoyable to watch.



What I personally liked most:

Even though I enjoyed the drama as a whole, there are a few things I'd like to mention.

★Many people claim to dislike childhood/past connection tropes, but I personally love them—especially when done right, like in this drama. The childhood scenes had a significant impact on the story. It wasn’t just about following a trend; they were well-integrated and meaningful. The child actors were fantastic, especially the young actress who portrayed Heejoo. She nailed her role, conveying the silent suffering of her childhood through micro-expressions.

★The decision to avoid a third-party love angle was the best choice the makers could have made for this drama. Dramas about married couples don’t necessarily need a third angle, and I’m grateful the creators understood this. The potential third-party character, instead of being an antagonist, turned out to be a kind-hearted person with her own past struggles.

★As for the OST and its placement, I’m in the minority when it comes to not being fond of most K-drama OSTs and their placement. I’m usually happy if even one OST stands out. In this case, the drama had excellent BGM placements, and the song "See the Light" definitely deserves special mention.


What I'm not fond of:

As I mentioned, this is going to be an honest, personal review, and I’ll add this as well.

★The tone shift from episode 8 felt too sudden to handle. I wish they had balanced it out more carefully. After the leads got together, their screen time suddenly decreased, which was definitely a letdown for people like me, who lose interest in dramas once the leads are together.


★The second couple, who were not part of the original novel, were added by the makers, and they should have been utilized better. In the first half, they had several boring scenes that felt disconnected from the main story, and by the end, their arc had a half-baked conclusion, which was disappointing.


★The "redeeming parents" trope—K-dramas often have this arc where parents, who have been awful throughout the story, suddenly have a change of heart in the final episode. Sadly, this drama couldn’t escape that trope either.


★Lastly, the "last episode curse." Few dramas these days can escape the common trope of one of the main leads disappearing for a while, only to return briefly for a happy ending. While this drama wasn’t as rushed as many others, they could have executed it in a better way.



Now, do I recommend it? Obviously, as I mentioned before, if you liked the synopsis, you would likely enjoy the drama.

Will I rewatch this? This is another personal opinion. I tend to rewatch dramas that have a lot of comedy, and this is not one of them, so I might not rewatch it. However, I did revisit many scenes while it was still airing.

Overall, I would suggest giving this drama a try. It might not be a masterpiece as a whole, but it is definitely a masterpiece in its genre and a treat for fans of this trope.

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Amazing acting by NamtanFilm and a riveting story with morally grey characters

that kept me on the edge of my seat.
Namtan has proven to be an amazing actress in everything she does, she excels. And Pluto was no exception. Ai and Oom were so different. I could tell just by looking at her what character she was playing at the moment. Not just that but she broke me so many times during her scenes. This girl is immensely talented and it's a pleasure watching her. For this being Film's first GL, she did an excellent job too. I was worried she'd be awkward but not at all. Her and Namtan managed to have exceptional chemistry. Didn't sense any awkwardness either. I already knew Film was a good actress but like Namtan she proved it even more with Pluto.
As for the characters I liked that all 3: Ai, May and Oom were incredibly flawed characters blurring the lines between good and bad. It made them more real and made it easier to connect with them. I wish gmmtv made series more with these kinds of characters, so people get more used to them. Instead of instantly hating them.
There were certain parts of the story that annoyed me: like the lies and misunderstandings that lasted way too long for me and could have been cleared up with talking. And the angst in the penultimate episode too. Although needed it felt too much in a series riddled with sadness. Hence why I give this series 8.5/10 the ending also felt hollow which added to my rating at the end.

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masterpiece of 2024 shouldn't be missed!!

I started this drama mainly as I had seen it being in the first trending list of dramas here and getting a great hype about it so that made me more curious to explore this magical effect of this drama that mesmerized the mind for most of watchers when reading a lot of opinions about it...

I would like to say honesly that it turned to be more amazing that I thought and exceeded my expectations!! I was captivated and hooked from the first moment I started it knowing that it would be so interesting and really it wasn't disappointing at all especially this beautiful ending that I was anticipating to have it for such perfect drama!!! the mystery part of the story is so well written how made the drama more exciting towards the end when revealing gradually one after other unanswered and perplexing questions!!!

this is considered for me one of the best top notch acting ever seen in any korean drama that I would like to say hats off for this hard work of leads and all the cast of actors in this drama that performed so well!!! it started so strongly and even got to be more better with the progression of story...

yoo yeon seok was the star of this show, tailored for doing this role in utterly perfection!!!! his facial features was so realistic, his decent outfits and dazzling look!!! everything about him is a complete package of a great actor!!!! I was wondering why he would be hating his wife so much at the beginning?!?! but his inside personality gave another idea of who he is for real!! he fell for his wife from childhood but for forced being "the spokesman baek sa eon" is costing him a lot to not live a happy married life like any ordinary couples!! I like how the story progressed and how the events were written to make leads approaching more and being fond for each others!!!

the fiery and attractive chemistry of leads is something that I didn't see in any drama before!! I was surprised to ending up displaying a GIF about them in my profile picture for being impressed with the existence of such most awesome couple in a korean drama ever seen!!!

chae soo bin should be praised mainly for how she performed sign language in this skillful and outstanding way!!! she wanted to live happily with her husband but her life was always surrounded with danger paying the price for being "the hidden wife of the spokesman baek sa eon"!!! I would like to mention that I was too amazed by her acting too at the scene when she was pushed off the cliff alongside yoo yeon seok who was looking for her crazily, not believing so badly to find her, is one of the best moments that impressed me as it was the main event making the romance to blossom in this beautiful love story...

I would like to add too that the actor who played the role of kidnapper was too so good and really he performed the role of a psycopath in a realistic and wonderful way that he should be placed among the first cast of supportive characters not in the last place!!!

most people were frustrated with the fact of why sa eon left hee joo after she was rescued from being kidnapped leaving a lot of questions of what could the kidnapper whispered for sa eon a fact about hee joo that made him looking at her with sad eyes and punishing himself to be away from her for being the son of the one who caused mainly hee joo to forced being mute after the accident happened for her and her siblings... it was disappointing for many and illogical for him to do it, I can agree about this point but adding another unresolved mystery before final as a cliffhanger wasn't bad in my opoinion and what is more important that the story ended in the favor of leads!!!

one of the scenes that wasn't pleasing for a lot of people the war setting in argan scenes at the final, felt strange like watching something else in another show but I can see it in another perspective that it was an evidence hee joo would follow sa eon wherever will be in the world to find him as her soulmate and to make him know how he means for her!!! even the scene of hee joo driving the kidnapper in her car and skipping the railboard just to "protect sa eon and not suffering anymore" from the threatening existence of the kidnapper was too a marvelous scene to mention, one of my favorite scenes!!!

"406" identity caller was a great plot to add for the story as it was a main reason too to make sa eon being more tender and affectionate towards hee joo especially after he discovered that she can speaking for real but he didn't wanted to hate her and revealing this even if she used this identity for avenging him...

I don't have any complaints about this drama though the points I mentioned before about the scenes that made people upset with the show but for me it is well deserving a complete ratings of 10 as long having a happy ending and giving leads the right to live in endless joy after all the hardships they went through and for being perfect drama in everything including an ideal love story could be presenting!!!

second leads were so cute paired together!!! their charcater are so suitable for their roles and gave too some funny moments for the drama!! second female lead always was shining with her smile and second male lead was an important key in the mystery part of the story but though I think they could be having placed as support characters too, anyway I liked how all leads were harmonious with each other at the end!!!!

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Cliche done right

Cold and possessive male lead with a mysterious past , check
Cute and silent female lead with a trauma , check

This has to be one of the best dramas of 2024. With such a strong start, it captivates you and keeps you on the edge.
Marriage of convenience , childhood acquaintances, estranged couple, ... these tropes were executed in a way they didn't feel cringy and further added to the plot. If you want to relive your wattpad days , its for you.

The acting, the plot, the chemistry ,the cinematography , pacing, dialogues, twists and attention to detail were so well done. The acting of not only the leads but also the supporting cast , especially the real Baek Sa-Eon amazingly done. From what you can expect from a romance thriller kdrama, it delivers. In most of the parts, there is nothing unnecessary and the plot flows seemlessly . The romance scenes also served.

Not to mention the OSTs , so beautiful . See the light has become one of my favourites.

It did a good job for most of the part . The start was impeccable . We get a couple who have been married for 3 years but just for name's sake , the male lead having liked the fl since the beginning and them slowly getting to know each other as they face problems that threatens their very being. We get angst, tension and intensity which dissipates in the later episodes. As we transition to the last few eps, they were a little underwhelming compared to the rest of the initial parts and becomes a little over dramatic and random , doing absolutely nothing to the plot . The logic flies out . But the ending make up for it so ...

Special mention to the second lead couple . They stole my heart . Their dynamic was fun and natural . I wish we had gotten more of them.

I am giving it a 9 for the overall job it did ,overlooking some subplots (*cough* argan *cough*) and for the terrific start.

If you love cliches that give you the feels , jump straight into it.

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