Reviews

The Most Heartwarming Drama Ever Watch

My, this drama may beat It's Okay That's Love to become the most heartwarming drama I've ever seen. From Gongjin village, to the people, and the main characters, all are bathed in the bright gorgeous Gongjin sun and sea breeze that everything is so warm and sweet and pleasant. I especially love how the writer does not only focus on the main characters, but also gives a backstory to almost everyone that appears in the drama. Kim Seon Ho and Shin Min A are superb in their actings, their laughters and cries make your heart pour out to them. There is not a single character that is the villain in the story (except maybe the stalker) so it lightens your mood and become something I look forward to every weekend. I will definitely miss Hometown Chachacha and will rewatch with my loved ones. You should give this drama a try!

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Disappointed based on the reviews

This is going to be a bit of a rant. I thought it was going to be a cool story about a girl who joins a gang to avenge her fathers death, goes undercover as a cop, finds and kills the killer, then either continues her life in the gang or is able to create a new identity after she kills him. While some of this happened, any trace of possibly not getting a stereotypical ending to the show disappeared over the last two episodes. Then the unnecessary romance? And sexual situation randomly with basically no development while her life is at risk. Just for the guy to die later. If you’re going to go the romance route, just do it, it’s like they thought of all the possible surprise things that could happen and just threw them all in with no thought. I just don’t get it. Then her fathers supposed deep cover. It’s understandable that a cop would be able to go undercover but to become basically partners with the boss of a gang is completely not plausible. They also went into no detail on how he was not only able to meet and join the gangsters or why they would ever have him be so deep in that cops would be tailing his daughter from home to school. If it had been something normal like they were best friends since they were younger, and they had scrapped the cop thing, it would’ve made more sense. Maybe could’ve even added a season to with the fl full gangster and the “ml” trying to take her down but also having a crush on her. But you don’t just join a gang randomly and become best buddies like that. But I guess anything to fuel the sunshine and rainbows ending that it was with the picture of her and her father even though she should literally be in jail for her crimes. I feel like I wasted my time watching this show. Maybe it was because of the short amount of episodes but it’s like they wrote this for some extra cash between dramas. I know I’m being harsh, but honestly i expected more maybe it was the synopsis that made me think it would be more than a revenge plot turned blocky redemption lone wolf drama.

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I loved it. It made me laugh, cry, and feel healed all at once. Around episode 13 I got a bit worried about how they would answer all the leftover questions but it was wrapped up well. The plot and character development was probably my favorite thing about this show, they didn't push it too quickly and let it happen naturally unlike some other shows. Also, I liked that they showed both sides of Cheif Hong's backstory equally to allow that balance between the emotions of the characters involved. Lastly, the cast did such a good job at bringing these characters to life that you couldn't help but like them all at least once. Sikhye couple and the people of Gongjin I love you, I'll miss my romantic Sundays <3

edit: my opinions on the show have not changed despite the issue because character ≠ actor (i don't condone or defend his actions though)

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Don’t usually have the patience to watch lengthy K-dramas but Sandglass was just splendid tv. It was quite sad towards the end though as one of the main characters goes down a dark path only to get no real happy ending but it's a logical one so I can't complain. The use of violence was way graphic though. There was more than I was prepared for. I loved how they used real life footage of the Gwangju Uprising and the suppression that followed. It’s one of the most famous parts of the show so I expected it to be at the end, the climax, but it comes out of nowhere. I’m currently reading books on how the time links in with Korean cinema & knowing the background of it all makes it very daunting to watch. The stuff with the Samchung Camps was frightening to watch too. That was fucked up shit. It was an interesting commentary on society of the time though. Would recommend if you're not seen it already.

The story was a masterpiece and the acting and writing was a perfect accessory to it all. While it's not a 10/10 because some of the Gangster Plot lines span its wheels a bit and felt a bit boring at times, this was a show that hooked you into each of the 4 main characters, regardless of their actions and motivations, which weren't exactly the most audience friendly. Park Tae Soo is a ruthless thug with no real morals, Hye Rin gets more cold and detached as the plot progresses, Jae Hee is silent for most of the show. The only good person, above all else, was Woo Suk. And yet, the deaths and trials of the characters had us, the audience, living and breathing as they were. Park Tae Soo goes through some of the worst pain a person can go through. Thrusted into a situation he had no intention on being apart of, forced into humiliation and some of the most abhorrent forms of torture only because he loved Hye Rin, manipulated by said person later on and sentenced to die at the end of it all. All that pain and suffering with no light at the end. Apt character direction for a show like Sandglass.

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Well, I won't write a lot. It was a rom-com that is actually interesting and really funny. It makes you log for a cute country side little town in Korea. Maybe the scenery is a bit idyllic, but they don't romanticize the country life (for example, they don't have a dentist). Also, the romance makes sense and it is well written (also thanks to the amazing chemistry of Shin Min Ah and Kim Seon Ho).

But what I love the most are two things. First, the supporting characters were amazing. They weren't just a comedy relief or fillers, they actually had their own stories and lives to lead. Second, the strong female characters, from Yoon Hye Jin who does everything without thinking about the other's opinion and is ahead of Chief Hong, to Pyo Mi Seon, who is older than Choi Eun Chul and has to teach him about relatioship, to Grandma Gam Ri, to Yeo Hwa Jeong and all the others women of Gongjin, which everyone is a strong indepentant woman and dictates herself her own life. Some are strict, some are sensitive, some are a bit too much, but everyone is strong in her own way and can take care of herself. Also, the series speaks a bit about some social problems which is really positive. To summarize, Gongjin is actually a miniature of our society with everything a reallistic community would have.

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I Loved This Quiet Series

What I loved most about Nitiman was how gently and quietly it progressed.
After watching the whole series I started rewatching my favorite episodes again… several times.

I simply loved how determined and persistent Be Bomb was in his pursuit of Jin's affections although, many times during the series Jin really annoyed me with his seeming lack of interest. What I loved most, were the scenes where Jin would wake up hugging Be Bomb.

My favorite scenes were:
-Jin getting drunk
-Be Bomb getting drunk
- Be Bomb getting assistance in the "affection department" from his friends
- Jin's sisters paying him a surprise visit
- Jin sleeping with his head in Be Bomb's lap
- Be Bombs song to Jin in episode 6
- Be Bombs mother and her treatment of Jin

I also loved the side romance that started developing between Keam and Ball. I truly hope that the producers will turn their romance into a full series. It was adorable to watch.

Overall this is a wonderful watch. I love it.

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Promising Start

STORY
I thought I was coming for a straight forward Contract Relationship (with Family ties) but it was anything but! First half was done so well, great promising start but then just before it hit the second half everything started going downhill and it was no longer what I came for. The leads relationship and family elements were what I loved most about this drama so I’m extremely disappointed at the turn of events. I thought the Romance was going to be a Slow Burn but in actuality, it pretty much didn’t exist - at least for the main couple. There were some other side couples that I did have fun watching so at least there were some backups but as I watch mostly for main couples, I can’t hide how disappointed I am in regards to them. Migs and his grandfather’s relationship was also really nice.

CAST/ACTING
Everyone did fantastic, it’s just a shame about the story. Migs and Sensen could’ve been (another) one of my favourite couples of 2021 but writers didn’t use them well enough.

MUSIC
No music that was noticeable enough to remember.

REWATCH VALUE
Unfortunately for me, this isn’t worth rewatching. Watching it once was enough for me lol

The second half really ruined this drama for me and because of that, there was no chance for any proper romance. This drama’s content is almost equivalent to a Ch3/7 lakorn with all the greed and murders which made me feel like I came out of my comfort zone because I normally watch Filipino content for the romance so this was a bit of a slap in the face. If you watch these types of dramas then this will be right up your street. I will say that this drama could’ve been much shorter but due to it having such a large cast I guess they needed to forever drag it out to go around every family member’s storyline and all the unnecessary characters getting too much screen time.

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Heartwarming and healing

When I started the drama, I didn't think I'd love it that much and now, I'm already missing it.
All the characters were realistic, had problems and learnt how to deal with them, the side characters weren't distraction. And even if at first I kept wanting more SikHye screen moments, I loved GongJin, cried with Gongjin and laughed with its villagers.
The plot, it was simple, it was a remake of Mr Hong they said, and the director got us with previews that let you wait worried will that happen like the movie or not. And It wasn't like the movie, it was written in a beautiful straight mature way that will raise your expectations in Dramaland. Tell dramas that we don't break up but we face problems together, tell them that facing typhoons don't matter if we're on the same boat. Hye Jin is the best decision maker FL I've seen( apart the hitting part, skip that part please hhh) but she knows what she wants, and care, support and doesn't run away when needed.
The acting was sometimes missing it but I chommal enjoyed the journey from Romantic Sunday to tearful one to satisfied one. I'll miss these Saturday and Sunday nights that showed me that waiting for the release of the episodes every week can be sometimes better than binge watching <3

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Heavy-Handed Cynicism

Wonderful cast, direction, and writing—even though I'm not a fan of gang fight scenes and hate the ending. The cast are all so good they kept my attention throughout, and I cared about all the leads, esp. HSH’s Ji Woo—a ferociously tragic heroine so tough and strong she commands respect; I hope the actress rakes in the awards. Both male leads are compelling in their roles as well, and I admired them, too.

However. There are plot holes such as no depiction of her police training and how she became a Detective. But most of all, the ending is cynical and cruel. Absolutely pointless within that plot and for that character, and I was left angry and broken-hearted. The relentless horror this protagonist endured doesn’t ever let up even at the end—-for no reason but freaking ironic tragedy, which for me made an excellent series soulless at the end. It deserved better: they all did.

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Most annoying FL

I can't watch this without forward episodes. The story could be good but it is not, because has all the regular clichés of lakorns.
The FL is a saint that ends beeing the most bored female role that I've seen in asian dramas. There is no one in real life that could endure a family like hers. How could someone support 3 sibblings and a mother and father that doesn't work, study and live only with the money of a daughter and sister and most of all how she support that relatives behavior ?

Well, then you have the regular screams, slaps and the villans...

Thai writers and directors have a lack of imagination because the stories are all the same, rich people, poor people, miseunderstood love, revenge, triangles and annoying female roles. I think I'm done ! With some exceptions lakorns are all the same with different actors and actresses. But this one was the worst I've seen until now! I didn't waste much time thanks God.

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I saw something else...

Sooooo….let's write about this…

Facts:

Yes there is a big problem with the subtitles – synchronization mostly - that will not let you fully understand it and enjoy it.
BUT ... except YouTube, there are several are sites (first page of google) that don’t have this problem so you can watch it there.

Yes it is said that this not a BL
BUT… There are lots of boy couples and the main couple express their feelings for one another …Sooo it has a BL – gay romance aesthetics - it’s just not the main issue here.

Personal opinion:

There were lots of people claiming that this is a mental issue drama combined with food comedy. For me, trying to watch it from this perspective, made it awkward, superficial - as far as the mental issue is concerned - boring slow and in many parts meaningless.
Instead of that I’ve decided that what I’m watching is a drama of a young boy who struggles in a society forcing people to “grow” without one another, without contact in person but only trough social media, with love and family affection being banished, with a society in which no one has time for the people that she/he loves and love her/him back. An extremely common truth in our days. Along the way he is trying to become “normal”, to make new friends, to understand them and their needs, to find a new love (in the face of another boy who shares his “abnormal” view of the world), to reconcile with the past and the people that he has lost and in general …to become an adult without losing his soul, love, sensitivity and affection for other people.
From this perspective, this drama is a sweet, deep enough and meaningful BL.

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Revenge Is Sweet…

Screenwriter Kim Ba Da’s revenge-filled drama follows vengeful young woman Yoon Ji Woo ( Han So Hee) who seeks to find and bring to justice by hunting down the murderers of her father ( Yoon Gyung Hoo). Taking up another alias and infiltrating the police force as Oh Hye Jin , Ji Woo’s quest sends her down a dark road with many revelations coming to light.

Whilst the drama does present some prominent messages about corruption and morality both within South-Korean society, the justice system and the police force, the drama itself doesn’t really stray away from the stereotypical reaches of the “ revenge” drama, from Ji Woo’s experiences as an outcast teen to the “ murdered parent” trope soon taking central route before the actual zest of the revenge story crumbling slightly by the midway point . Of course this boils down to the ultimate question; “ is ‘ My Name’ actually worth watching or is it a waste of time?”

One of the strongest virtues of the series came through the acting front of our main cast. Main actress Han So Hee was undeniably dynamic as Ji Woo. Whilst the actress has respectfully formerly come under mixed reception for her role in the controversial Netflix flop ‘ Nevertheless’, Han So Hee reinstates any doubts within her moody, angst-driven and cunning onscreen persona as Ji Woo. As a character, our female lead has two different lives which are both intriguing as one another. On one side it’s easy to understand Ji Woo’s role early on in the series. She’s the “ outcast” and socially isolated from her peers due to her father’s criminal record and past. However refreshingly rather than presenting Ji Woo’s father as a “ heroic figure” in the eyes of a grieving Ji Woo, the series helps to explore more complicated depth to Ji Woo’s emotional state, as well as cunningness and stubborn to enlist help in unlikely places to reenact her revenge.

Helping her along the way comes the merciless and mysterious gangster played brilliantly by Park Hee Soon, Choi Moon Jin. Moon Jin acts both as a major mentor figure and an antagonistic plot foil for Ji Woo by helping to reinvent her identity as Hye Jin as well as hide his own personal motives also . He shares his own reasons for helping Hye Jin / Ji Woo but isn’t afraid to be more brutal or punish those who put a toe out of line.

As Hye Jin our female lead is a talented and a skilled police officer who over the years has not lost her raison d’être for revenge. Her partnership with fellow colleague and partner Jeon Pil Do( Ahn Bo Hyun) presents a great contrast between other relationships in the drama. Bo Hyun plays Pil Do with a laidback yet naturally driven charisma as a hardworking cop. Naturally as he spends more time with Hye Jin he becomes more curious about her identity and motives. Whilst a later plot development was supposed to present a “ moment we’ve all been waiting for” this undeniably felt lacklustre due to lacking screenwriting and bonding opportunities often made revelations between the fall short of plot drive.

Yet ‘ My Name’ isn’t without its more obvious problems either. Pacing could sometimes be a major downfall. Whilst a major drive was evident within Hye Jin/ Ji Woo’s search for her father’s killer, this major plot point felt often rammed into the storyline when it was necessary rather than flowing more coherently within the small subplots which followed in each episode. Evidently another major downfall as a consequence occurred within plot lore and logic with many setups (including early on) often falling short or lacking more depth due to writing and character exploration often falling short. Consequently the ending was overly anti climatic than well-paced or completed with an expected yet abrupt twist which failed to bring a sense of finality or completion overall.

What is refreshing about the series is that it isn’t afraid to trade any punches with presenting brutality in its full glory. Interplayed with moody lightning and a dramatic OST, bloody fight scenes and knife attacks, as well as hallucinogenic palettes of bright reds, purples, blues and golds during drug and dodgy dive raids help to shed a more dangerous and dark presentation of the mysterious underbelly of Ji Woo’s world.

Overall ‘ My Name’ is an odd array of both a highly-talented cast and crew, but often falling short of plot-writing also. The revenge drama was a fairly archetypical approach to the revenge genre; intriguing with many interlaced messages shedding light into corruption, violence and problems in South-Korean society, but sometimes failing to hit the mark with actual build-up . Undeniably a good watch but lacking more finesse in certain areas.

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Satisfied!! Loved it!!!

I have no words to describe what im exactly feeling after i had finished the 16th/final episode. All i can say is im satisfied....there is a relief that all end well in du sik's life (chief hong) !!!!

What i loved is it stick to its story conceot didnt drift away...its sure a healing drama but one of my reasons overall and rewatch value,i gave 9 is because triggering scenes like especially 14 and 15 i could only watch twice time but then at the end i wouldnt watch that part after a certain times (i hope you can understand)....i cried with hye jin and du sik those who have watched it may relate to this.

Story concept and its direction and production was very good. No doubt that all actors and actresses put their level best in their respective chatacters.

Each character in this drama had a story or something to learn from and the story had everything it didnt leave out or miss out any characters story plot till the last episode. At first i found loop holes some questionable doubts. Tbh at the 16th episode i dont even remembers those loop holes or que....it doesnt matter too. At the end that didnt matter coz i felt satisfied. This is like for me one of the kdramas i see in which the finale episode is so precisely shot. In 16th episode , we get to see almost characters ending plot as some of them had their in few episodes early but at the they all have a scenes which makes it special....everhthing is special.

This drama will gives you happiness, cringiness or shivers or hair standing on your hand ( coz of cuteness overload of hye jin and du sik which is still so CUTE) ,overload cuteness and love but also a trigerring points or downfall of that person too...what they are always outside cannot be always be same in inside. Everyone has different healing methods. And this story/kdrama showed it PERFECTLY!!!

I at first didnt like when du sik kept on blaming himself but in 15th ep i was able to connect the dots and understand well well. The story was detailed and very nicely written. Even if you find loop holes ,it may be not important or doesnt bug you much.

Ost is just amazing matches very well with the scenes. This songs are so soothing , jusg live it!!!! All im wanting is the cute dimples of the main leads.

From 1 to 16th episode ,idk how it went by tbh. I wasnt even planning to watch but when i saw multiple clipping od hometown cha cha clipping i just couldnt resist but try out the 1st episode and hear i am, I actually wait for drama to finish but for this i waited eagerly for weekends to watch this. It kept my mind light but at the same time what happened to du sik made me sad but i was happy for to hye jin at the same time. And du sik influence hye jin's life.

Its worth watching, ome of the best healing kdramas you can find...try it out once if you havent and you wont regret it!!! There is more to write but if i keep on writing it will turn into a book. So try it out. I hope you all like it !!!

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Beautiful yet bittersweet & youthful love story centered around many aspects of love

I should preface this review by first stating that the majority of c-dramas I get invested in are historical dramas, not many modern or youth dramas. Yet I fell in love with this drama within the first few episodes, much to my own shock. I thought I'd just watch it casually or when I wanted something fluffy rather than angsty and dark. But I soon binged up to all the available episodes, that's how immersed I felt in the story.

Now that I've explained my love and attatchment to their story, as it's rare for me to be invested in a drama and main pairing like I was, I can explain why I enjoyed the majority of the story and I reccomened it to anyone with an open mind about this story.

Firstly, the story. I haven't read the orginal book but I could tell that the source material helped the writers create such a fun and exciting story off the bat (with fire crackers giving us the start to the story, literally) Anyways, I was instantly gripped by the dynamic between the leads, Shiyi and Xiaoju, which felt sort of similar to the love story dynamic of Anne and Gilbert (From Anne of Green Gables) which could certianly be a reason as to why I enjoyed watching their story unfold so much, as that book was part of my childhood, along with the mini-movies. The reason I found these two similar is because it delievers that cheeky teasing boy x girl who fights back yet is ultimately quite sensitve to his teasing at times, and they bicker, like a LOT. As well as the fact that Shiyi falls for her first, which makes the way he constantly teased her at first even funnier considering how he falls and has a crush on her before he can even come to terms with it himself.

I thought the side-characters were interesting enough as well (there's a scene with the second leads, Huang Jun and Letao, towards the end that actually led me to tears even though I didn't quite expect it from them, so their story is anything but dull.) I know many viewers were somewhat dissapointed by how Xiaoju was crushing on Chang Leng for so long, but I think that's part of what made me want to keep watching. Her pining after this guy who didn't pay her much attention after he found someone he liked, she became basically an after thought to him, but she was never an after thought to Shiyi. We as the viewers get to see first hand how nice he actually is to her and all that he does for her, even if he likes to tease with his words and deflect his feelings a lot. If this kind of drama sounds like it would intruige you, I'd advise you to watch for characters who all make mistakes in love! ALL of them. No one is perfect.

This is also a c-drama with high quality acting from both mains, and most of the supporting cast. Hu Yixuan did such a great job with the conflicts at the beginning centered around her mother and her, specifically her mother's obvious favorment of her brother over her, which isn't a rare trope, but I thought she portrayed those emotions of an older sister particularlly well. And Richards Wang stood out to me as skilled right away, he pulled off the goofy, comedic relief male lead off successfully, and I've certianly seen other actors be unable to pull this off. Another thing that struck me was their beautiful chemistry together, they had to potray leads with a friendship that dated back to high school full of teasing and that kind of acting can come off as rather fake if the actors aren't comfortable with each other but you could tell they were and understood what seemed natural for their characters in interacting.

Overall, I think if you want a drama that does slowburn well, with only a little big of dragging at the end (in my opinion they should've cut college life off a bit earlier so we could get more of their adult life) but I understand they were following the original book and they made some good adjustments to the story as well. hehe. But the payoff is worth it! The chemistry is worth it! And don't be concerned about the 2nd male lead being in the way too much or anything, Shiyi and Xiaoju become best friends basically in the middle of the drama and this leads to them being together the majority of the time. Lots of fluff and tropes done right! I'll miss this drama and I'd love to rewatch it some day. Give it a try if this review sounds like you'd be in the mood for it!

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