Cute but not so Cute ....
Okay so to start off with, drama was not really on my watchlist or in my sights to watch it, however I did stumble across it mainly because the two ML looked kind of familiar, it is only after watching the first episode that I realized where they from ...As much I liked and enjoyed Kissable Lips with these two in it, I wouldn't say that this drama was bad or not watchable, these two do have good chemistry and the acting is always good, however the story was kind of boring and literally so see through that you could make out what was going to happen.
I honestly cant say to much of this drama, it was one of those that so is predicable and sort of boring in its own way, the rich kid comes to daddy company to work to prove himself, the landlord working to make ends meet and then get taken for a ride by both of his friends, and then we have the whole self doubt and overthinking and running away after googling some shit instead of just asking straight up ... it was a like a real life coaster with this drama .
Overall: As I said earlier it is not bad, but its not that good either, its short with 8 episodes so probably watch while doing housework or something.
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This review may contain spoilers
Big Issue has been a random drama for me to watch. I only watched it while looking at Han Ye Seul's instagram wondering what drama is she going to be on. Little did I know, after watching the first two episodes, it got me hooked already. The way Han Seok Joo risked his life on that train to get the photo taken was surprising for me. I guess this is how paparazzis work? Anyway, I liked this drama because it gave me the other side of the entertainment, politics and media industry. I think I was only secluded with the happy and positive environment that the korean dramas show.It's a dirty. The drama revealed many things especially with the current situation that Korea's facing right now. It might not be the EXACT thing, but it somehow connected it to the issues that's happening in there now. I loved the cast, so much. They exert so much effort to bring out the emotions and what their character is thinking. Kudos to Han Ye Seul and Joo Jin Mo. They were really good and to be honest, I liked their chemistry.
Another character that I liked was Ms. Seo (Ji Soo Hyun's assistant). I really don't have any particular reasons why I liked her but throughout the drama, I was liking her. Perhaps her character development? Speaking of character development, I was so surprised with Ji Soo Hyun's character development. When the white hair witch appeared, and we found out that she was the one controlling it, I was mind blown. Who would've thought of that?
To cut this, since it's getting longer, if you're interested to see what goes behind the camera, pretty pictures and smiles of your favorite actress, figure, try watching this. It's going to blow your mind because while watching, this thought might occur to you: "This is actually happening in Korea" or any country to be honest.
That's it folks! I hope you guys watch this drama. I really loved it. I'm sad it had to end.
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Sorry but it was the ending for me
This season really didn't make any sense to me. It felt like it was a totally different storyline, the things Jojo did and said, like girl that wasn't what you showed in the first season. For the fans that have been waiting two years for this to came out it really was a slap in the face. But the rest of the storyline was really good, some roles where more explored in a fun way. Basically in my opinion this was a nice try to end it good, but it's not it. Also if you liked the OST in the first season, you will be disappointed with this oneWas this review helpful to you?
I fell in love with the characters & the story. I was surprisingly teary at some moments & although the end was not great it was satisfying.
If you have a time when you are looking for something to watch that will satisfy you check this movie out!
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In Short: Well produced, but the infuriating characters and the cry-fests towards the end made me want to scream. A bit surprised that Oska and his boytoy were the only characters I actually liked in the end. And omo-queen secretary Kim of course. And I might have liked the tracksuits. Don’t judge me.
Pros: Good premise and hilarious at times.
Cons: Infuriating characters, and unexplained plot devices ahoy! HATED Seul throughout the drama. And why was Lee Jong Suk there? Horribly underused character.
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Surface Level Emotions and Inconsistencies Abound
Are Gun and Cher cute? Yes. Do we have friendship shenanigans that make for an enjoyable time? Sure. The show tries to tackle important and serious topics? Absolutely.HOWEVER, the relationships in the show always felt skin deep. We had moments that felt deep, but they were immediately followed by whole episodes that ignored or otherwise disregarded those moments. The deep moments felt like they had no effect on the rest of the show. Characters randomly fall ill but then get better with no hidden meanings or consequences. Characters declared bold and intense intentions that are seldom followed through. Grave consequences are threatened but never enforced because of some very minor possible solutions Cher or Gun come up with? Gun and Cher regularly discuss how they will stay together forever, and yet they almost break up (or do break up) just about every episode after they officially start dating.
Depression is brought up but then waved aside like it's an illness you can simply get over. Child abuse and rape begin like a major plot point but are settled off screen and with no payoff for the viewer. Social class divisions are a problem but it never feels serious. Homophobia is treated like a simple office gossip problem. Loss of dreams/innocence rage amongst our game players but everything is always solved with basic apologies.
Overall the show gets points for being cute and having some fun characters, but it loses points all over for an ill executed plot with a lackluster script riddled with inconsistencies and base level emotional depth.
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A dish that has a lot of ingredients, tastes a bit odd, but leaves a sweet aftertaste
After reading the comments here, keeping the past works of the cast in mind, and also the genre - I began watching the dramas with lukewarm expectations. I had been ready to drop it after the first episode if it didn't intrigue me. I ended up binging it.In a morbid manner, I absolutely hate confusing suspense but at the same time I'm so utterly immersed in the whole "who did it?" mystery. Which is why the first 12 episodes kept me glued to the screen and stopped me from fast forwarding a single scene. I wanted to take in all the clues and baits the plot threw my way. And it was a decently paced out one at that. I didn't truly realize is already watched the story unfold for 12 hours.
Here's the caveat though. As soon as the mystery unravelled, somehow, the plot lost is lustre. The thrill died down. Suddenly everything felt smushed in together. I'm holding back a lot of things I want to write because it could be a spoiler. But I'll be hoping my feelings got conveyed ( via the link of course ).
Along with the main leads, the support characters have all been given their due, which is often rare, as we usually do not get to see personalities of supporting characters in depth. The cast is impeccable, they lived and breathed their parts in my opinion. In all honesty I'd been a bit skeptic about Ga Young but she played her nicely! I did feel there were a lot of inconsistencies in the character arcs, sometimes very conveniently to further the plot, but it takes away the umami from the food, if you know what I mean.
The soundtrack is AMAZING. I like the chilling, thriller-isque aspects of the songs. They were really catchy and well timed. "Unknown World" is a FAVORITE. The slower, mellowed tracks were beautiful too.
I want to talk a bit more about the story - without any spoilers of course. Keeping the theme in mind, this is a relatively darker drama. There is romance, there are light-hearted moments, there is dark comedy as well - but at the core, it remains a tragic story. How something might seem like a singular incident but is linked to a hundred more. Maybe the name of the drama is derived from that, and not the emotional link between the leads (which was, again, very conveniently inconsistent). The relations depicted between family are one of the best I've seen, they're heartwarming and wrenching at the same time. The chemistry amongst the entire cast was *chef's kiss* - ah, reminded me of Chef Eun Gye Hoon's kiss, ahem. Also, yes, there's tonnes of crying. The story demands it really. You'd have to be inhuman not to cry of you were put through what the characters went through. But if 80% of the episodes have an average of 50% tear time, maybe the characters were being put through a little too much. Am I micro-analysing a bit too much as well? I loved the premise and the story regardless. A good attempt at combining a lot of genres!
If my review felt a little all over the place, but still made sense to you - you are all clear to
watch the show and enjoy it. If you are one to nitpick and get bothered by convenient plot shifts, anti-climatic reveals, smh moments- maybe give this a pass. My two cents? Watch it if you'd like a diet version of Beyond Evil, with a side of romance and comedy.
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From the get go, I was completely taken aback, I fell in love with the way in which this drama was filmed. The filmography is simply impeccable and so beautiful! The OST has some very beautiful soundtracks, although there were some points where I felt the sounds of our generation took me out of the historical realm, and for that I was a little disappointed.
As for the characters, I felt that some of them were not completely necessary...I will say that I am very partial towards Park Bo Gum and he now holds a place in my list of favorite K-drama actors. I felt that he played a compelling and charismatic Crown Prince, full of authority. I enjoyed seeing how he developed the character into maturity. I thought he had the perfect amount of smoldering smirks without making the character appear completely narcissistic. While the drama had several lines that will make female viewers swoon, I wasn't completely convinced of chemistry between Bo Gum and Yoo Jung, however they did have some high points throughout the drama. I very much enjoyed the action scenes and thought that Kwak Dong-Yeon did a well job in playing the stoic body guard character and was very touched by the friendship between him and Bo-Gum. Lastly, Jinyoung...I could see how hard he worked to do his character justice. While I did feel regret towards him, it wasn't near the injustice that I think I should have felt...but I will say that my partiality towards Bo Gum's character may have had an effect on this.
While the storyline is more a bit more new age than the typical historical drama storyline, I felt that it was well executed by the actors. There were times when I was a bit confused with the scripting--I felt that some of the lines may have been a bit too modern in terms of how the humor and some of the lines. There were also a couple of strands that I felt were not completely tied up at the end of the drama, and still had a few questions left unanswered. However, I was not in any way disappointed with how it finished. I am very saddened to see this drama come to a conclusion, but I know that the actors will go on to pursue new characters for us to enjoy and I look forward to seeing each of them develop as actors.
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A brainless direction
First three to four episodes are good after that I didn’t seen any effort in the plots and direction, and zero romance. The most utter blunder or brainless thing what I observed is, the international assassin who is well and severely trained always keep his office and house open that to his secret room where he hide his sophisticated weapons and a laptop which had the details of his previous missions or contract details, and a cold blooded assassin becomes a social service person. I can understand why they directed this way because initially in order to show him more talented as a assassin he didn’t left any clues or proofs that’s why in order to arrest him they did that major brainless blunderWas this review helpful to you?
The acting was so good in this drama. I find Shin Min Ah a very talented actress, and was not disappointed whatsoever with her portrayal of Arang. Although, as I watched this drama play out I did sense a lot of character development that kind of altered how she was in the very beginning. In the first 5 or so episodes you saw Arang with a lot of spunk and was a feisty one I don't think you'd want to go head-to-head with, and as her character began to adapt to her current situations, I feel like she lost that spark that she originally had in the beginning.. Which may have been the only thing I remotely disliked about her character development. And in my opinion, I always noticed how often she would get herself into trouble and how Joo Wal and Eun Ho were always right there to save her, so I personally think she turned into a damsel in distress, which really rubbed me the wrong way. Nonetheless I gotta give mad props to the male lead actor, Lee Jun Ki, and the supporting lead actor, Yun Woo Jin. They did an outstanding performance portraying their characters.. Especially in the more emotional scenes. Jun Ki and Woo Jin probably did the most believable portrayal of their character handling something so overwhelming that it brought them to tears, and when they cried I cried with them. I loved Joo Wal's character development, and I liked that Arang was a big factor in changing his perception of the world and life.
The OST was pretty average. Many songs I loved, and others I loved a little less, but all were very appropriate for this drama. My particular favorite was "Mask Dance" by MC Sniper because when that song came on, you just KNEW that someone's ass was about to get kicked.. Which reminded me a lot of "Sad Run" in City Hunter's OST. ^^
Overall this drama was very good in keeping up the suspense, that I really never knew what was going to happen next. The comedic relief was great, the action scenes were badass, and the romance scenes were so beautifully written it just might bring tears to your eyes.. I know I had to hold back a few tears in the later episodes. I probably wouldn't rewatch this.. Maybe certain episodes, but definitely not all at once. It was a great drama that I thoroughly enjoyed watching, and I'm certainly glad I did finish it, cause I was very close to putting it on hold in the earlier episodes. I recommend this to those who like historical dramas, or those who are just looking for a good action drama with the romance aspect involved as well. I know many have enjoyed this drama, and I'm certain you might too!
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I got such a kick out of this series, and I WILL be rewatching it at some point probably very soon since it is so short and it flies by. Also, if you're deterred at all by the fact that this is essentially a super long commercial, don't be. It's not nearly as in your face and annoying as I thought it would be. It's just kind of a side note and serves as the setting for the story to happen. The story itself really has nothing to do with the commercial aspect of it, and they don't upfront try and sell you anything, which is nice.
In the end it really depends on what you're looking for when you watch this. If you go into it expecting fluff and goofy antics and LOTS of dreamy closeups, you will not be disappointed.
P.S. This got so many fangirl squeals out of me, it's ridiculous.
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My like for detective dramas stems mostly from the characters' personalities. With so many detective dramas, many cases get repetitive so for me the highlight of these dramas is the team of detectives/policemen etc. I watched doS Deka right after Deka Wanko for Tabe Mikako and at first I just wasn't feeling it. It had its moments where I laughed but other than Maya I found her team to be bland like stale bread plus Okura's acting was corny. I was on the verge of dropping it at first but eventually I stuck around until the end and I'm glad I did. I enjoyed Maya's character like her antics with the superglue stuff and "Fighto" and I especially liked how they developed the relationship between Maya and her chief when Maya started to rub off on her.
All in all, other than Maya this team was more forgettable than some other similar dramas, although I did warm up to them in the end, especially in the last episode; at least none of them were some douchebags that I wanted to punch which is always a plus. I just wished they were more fleshed out. Usually these types of characters each have an episode where they get to shine but not in this one.
The acting was so-so. I like Tabe Mikako and I think she suits these types of quirky roles but some of the other cast's acting was questionable. I never watched Okura in anything before so I don't know if he's acted like that on purpose for his character or if it's standard for him. The others didn't really stand out. The heavy metal-ish music was a good touch (at least for me)
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As the main character, the majority of the show rests on Yang Yang's acting chops, and as attractive as he is, I just don't find him to have the emotional range and subtleties of expression to carry an entire drama. I simply didn't feel any of the emotion that he was supposed to convey in his scenes, other than thinking, "he's very pretty." (In Love O2O, his character is similarly meant to be this perfect male "god," but the main character in that drama is the female lead and the story is set from her perspective, so it's more understandable that he was a somewhat blank and inscrutable Prince Charming.)
Some of the other performances were ok, some were not great. I loved some of the minor characters (Huang Shaotian and the other team captains) - they had interesting characters/personalities that were more fun to watch and added more life to their scenes. I found the antagonists' acting a bit over-the-top, almost straight-up "mwahahaha" which seems out of place in a modern drama that is meant to be more grounded.
Story-wise, it was a fairly standard sports "group of misfits come together to become a winning team" kind of story, which I love, so all the story beats are familiar, but that's not necessarily a bad thing if you like these tropes. However, storytelling-wise, the tropes are all a bit too generic to be really compelling and each member of the main team has a very predictable character arc and backstory. It kind of drags in places with filler episodes as well, so I fast forwarded through most of the "emotional" and "character" scenes in favor of the team and game/competition scenes, which were more fun to watch. While I had to suspend my disbelief on some of the plot points and how the game worked, the CGI was actually pretty good and I always enjoyed seeing the gameplay and everyone working together.
I quite like the songs in this drama, but it does use the same 2 songs for every "exciting" and "sad" scene, which gets a bit noticeable after a while. To be fair, though, lots of dramas have this same problem.
I'll probably still check out the second season when it comes out if only for the gameplay scenes.
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Each character has their respective flaw—save Mo who is perfect—, setting you up to see them thus be overcome as their stories progress. Plan is fixated on making money, Don is a player, Por is an unrepentant cheater, Ryo objectifies women, and Mo perhaps holds herself back. They almost achieve this, but it's so sloppy and inefficient, you can't connect to it as the audience. It's a writing issue but also a directing issue as there was a complete lack of suspense.
The fast-paced nature of the challenge wasn't reflected in the pacing of the show, which had many a drawn-out and banal emotional scene. Where the show drew me in and motivated me to continue watching was in their lighthearted comedic scenes—particularly Off Jumpol's—and with the promise of an interesting conclusion. And the conclusion should have been good. Five disconnected contestants are competing on the same show with challenges that are sending them around Asia. Why did the narrative not bring them all together, connect them in some way? Completely squandered. What's more, the only connection among them, that of Por and Mo, is revealed offhandedly early on.
Such a fun concept; I wish I could've seen it meet its potential. I don't see this show being anyone's favourite, but it will entertain you.
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