MariKim
+/- Plot:
Overall, this drama's storyline was not terrible, I wouldn't say that it was every really dragging and I was never really bored. That being said I still have several complaints. The storyline of the lead couple was repetitive with them hashing and rehashing the same argument over and over; them going stead, him going away on a mission, her questioning if she can handle their relationship, something life threatening happening to her, he saving her, and her falling for him all over. They did at some moment have some cute scenes. However, I was actually finding myself more interested in the second lead couple's romance, even though it did follow some of the conventional Korean drama's storylines. All the adversities they faced while abroad were exciting, even if they were pretty unbelievable at times.
I couldn't believe how forgiving they were of the medical portions of this drama though. Everything was wrong on so many levels. I'm not asking that it has to be completely accurate, but for it to at least be somewhat believable. The scriptwriters were pretty shameless and flagrant about the minimal research they put into it.
Overall, it felt a little like they just tried to mash three different categories of dramas together (romantic comedy, action/suspense, and medical) and I really feel like they were just reaching at some points. And don't even get me started on the amount of advertisements they tried to weave in at every moment possible. I understand that this was an expensive production, but it was pretty unbelievable at the end. I could go on about my complaints, but if there's any DOTS fans reading this I will be burned at the stake as it is.
+/- Acting/Cast:
While there were moments when I was supposed to be saddened to tears in the last couple episodes, I wasn't. This just goes to say how unattached I was to all the characters, and speaks wonders about their acting. To be honest, I just found a majority of their acting a bit cheesy, overdone, and not convincing. I consider myself a fan of Song Joong Ki, but this drama was not effective for me. I was laughing at the "intense" moments and grimacing at a portion of the romantic scenes. Which leads me into Song Hye Kyo; she's cute and I'll leave it at that. I had problems with her character; indecisive and constantly nagging. I felt that Kim Ji Won and Jin Goo's romance was 10 fold better, which is probably why I was more interested in them.
McInnis David was fine to begin with, but let's just say I understand why he's not an A list American actor.
All the other side characters were decent, I would say that some unnecessary; but my favorite side characters were Dr. Song Sang Hyeon and nurse Ha Ja Ae. They played their innocent, sweet romance really well and it was cute to see them act together.
+/- Music:
There are several songs from well known artists, several of which have sung songs for other popular dramas. They were all pretty catchy for the most part, but I would say there was really only one or two songs that stood out too me.
Rewatch value: This drama wasn't so terrible that I couldn't rewatch it, however it would never be at the top of my list for dramas that I would watch again.
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The Legend of the Blue Sea
12 mensen vonden deze beoordeling nuttig
+/- Plot:
Is anyone feeling the trend of reincarnation this season? I mean the two most competing shows (in my opinion) of Winter '16-'17 both had this weaved throughout their storylines. I love the idea of reincarnation and how our fates are continually interwoven, especially how romanticized it is in the KDramaWorld. I also liked the fantasy aspect of the drama with Jeon Ji Hyeon as a mermaid, I could see there was a lot of mermaid theorizing that went on behind the scenes and I appreciated that as I felt that it was a nice touch. As for the actual storyline, it's main focus was the romance of course, but they also tried to add an element of suspense/thriller at some points and I felt that was the additional route they wanted to take they should have had a bit more background on Ma Dae Young's character and why he had such grievances against the world. Although they slightly touched on this in one of the last few episodes I wasn't completely satisfied.
As for the romance and the light-hearted areas of the plot I thought they were well planned out and came full circle at the end. I will say that there were some pretty funny/cute moments that make the drama memorable.
+/- Acting/Cast:
Jeon Ji Hyeon is the reason I actually started watching this show. I think she is amazingly beautiful and innocently comedic, a rare combination to come across. I love how she's not afraid of putting her beautiful image on the line to pull out some comedy. She's slightly reminiscent of Mary Tyler Moore, which I greatly admire. Not only does she have beauty, she's also very talented as an actress in my opinion. Although her character wasn't too complex, I think she played it very well and it was fitting.
I'm sorry to say it but I'm not a fan of Lee Min Ho, there's just some aspects of his acting which I find subpar. It felt like he was crying every other episode, and not that I object to a man crying (he had just reason to), it's just that I didn't feel the conviction or the heart throughout the scenes. I probably would've been more moved if they didn't have so many scenes of him bawling his eyes out making his make-up splotchy. And when he performs his 'cutesy' romantic scenes he just doesn't make me swoon like other actors, it just doesn't feel genuine.
Unfortunately, I wasn't a huge fan of the romance between Lee Min Ho and Jeon Ji Yeon. I felt that there was just something missing between the two, they didn't quite have the spark as some other small screen actors. I had much more favor for Ji Yeon and Soo Hyun in Love from Another Star.
As for the other characters, they did pretty well as a whole. I throughly enjoyed Lee Hee Joon and thought he played his part extremely well; he really kept me questioning him through the end. And Shin Won Ho was especially adorable throughout the show, although he didn't have many lines he still made me giddy with his smirks. (I admit, I was initially opposed to his ending, but I'll accept it since I wanted a happy ending for Cha Shi Ah too).
As for the bad guys, I will say that I was put off by Kang Seo Hee and Ma Dae Young, but I've had more burning hatred for other characters in different dramas before. They were fitting for the roles, however, I felt they could have taken it up a notch. And ultimately, I just felt sorry for Lee Ji Hoon's character. I wasn't in love with him, I just slightly felt for him and his circumstances. Sad to say on Lee Min Ho's part, but Ji Hoon's final moments in the show might have been one of the only times when I was even slightly close to tearing up.
+/- Music:
The music was decent, I mean there was nothing that stood out about it. I would say the only song that really stood out to me was Lee Sun Hee's track, which is because I'm a big fan of her. Other than that, there was nothing outstanding, but the OST did it's part in the drama.
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Summary: This show is perfectly sweet in every way, the storyline, romance, comedy, filmography--literally everything. I feel like this show is pretty underrated, I will admit I wasn't initially smitten by the casting but I feel like they all took me wonderfully by surprise and am so happy I decided to watch this show. And now that it's over I'm going through the stages of acceptance--currently at...depression.
+/- Plot:
The scriptwriters had a way of leaving you wanting more at the end of the episode; and even though they used all of the KDramaLand cliches I actually didn't mind at all. They had a way of not making it overly dramatic and focused more on the characters' growth and developments which are the fortes of the show. They really tugged at your heartstrings with the hardships of the characters and how they overcame the difficulties together. What I really loved is that the theme of each episode was based on an older song--like Vincent, Be My Baby, The Winner Takes It All...etc. I felt that it was a different concept for a KDrama and felt it very reminiscent of some American dramas, which I really loved. The thing that really stands out in this drama is obviously the romance between the leads; they're both such sweet characters that you can't help falling for the two of them. What I think I loved the most about them is how they took care of each other and believed in one another, even when no one else did. Their romance was very sweet and innocent just like the characters. The only disappointment I had was maybe the conclusion of the show--because everything was so sweet and the writers kind of lead you to the conclusion of them settling down with a family, I really wanted a more concrete proposal at the least. However, I overall really liked how they came full circle with the show and was satisfied and very moved by the ending.
+/- Characters/Acting:
The actors portrayal of their characters are what really made this drama a hit for me.
In my opinion, while I haven't seen many of his other shows, this is by far one of Seo In Guk's best shows. I was so surprised that he fit the character so well and really became Louie. His character is the type that just keeps growing on you because of how sweet he is--even if at times the innocence caused him to be a little ignorant. I think what really made him shine in this character is all the small details he added. Whenever he'd remember something new, he would always cover his mouth like a shocked little kid, or when he'd walk he'd have a cute little waddle with little hand movements--they were the perfect touch to his child-like personality. What got me every time were his screams whenever he was shocked or scared. Everything was "Perfect!", as Louie would say.
Nam Ji Hyun is so heartwarming, even through her hardships she’s a hard and diligent worker and those are the types of characters I like the most. I really felt that she portrayed the country bumkin girl so well; never for a second have I doubted her role. She really played out every emotion to the T; one moment you could see the tears well up in her eyes and she’d turn around and be cold as ice. There were times when I was a little frustrated because she would play up the innocence factor whenever there was a romance scene; I felt that if she was a little less timid then I would have loved the scenes even more. But overall, I was really pleasantly surprised with her acting and character as it is the first time I have seen any of her works.
Yoon Sang Hyun is supposed to be a bit of a critical guy with sweet intentions, but at times I was a bit frustrated with his character. I really like him as an actor and am continually surprised in how many shows he's cast in. However, I don't think that this is his best work--I felt that the character was a bit too stifled and a little forced at time. The thing I disliked the most was the constant throat clearing, which got a little irritating half way through the show. But it became the running joke towards the end, which I admit I kind of liked.
Overall, the characters you are meant to dislike; I found that, while I wasn't fond of them I hardly had any animosity towards them. Im Se Mi played the insincerity decently so I wasn't disappointed by her character. I will say that I was kind of let down by the timidity of the "bad guy", but I think with the conclusion of the show and the unraveling of the backstory it made sense of how he portrayed the character.
+/- Music:
I lovedddd all of the music! As I said earlier each episode was based on an oldie song and loved how they weaved it into the background. As for the soundtrack I loved all of the songs and have been listing to the OST on repeat. Every song is the sound of the dusk of a warm spring evening; lovely and reminiscent. I think they really encompassed the feel of the drama well.
Rewatch Value:
Because of the sweetness of the characters and the romance between the leads I'd definitely watch this show again. I think that everything from the soundtrack to the editing and filmography was wonderful and would continue to make this really enjoyable. My two favorite shots of the show would have to be their trip to the beach and to Busan as I thought they were beautiful shots of the scenery as well as their budding romance. Overall, this show was spectacularly made and I really enjoyed it and will be back again in the future to revisit Louie and Bok Sil's romance.
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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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+/- Plot:
The plot went from thick and thin, and I mean that in a good way. They didn't leave you too confused from the get go, but they would subtly unfold different factors so that you could come up with your own theories not only on the investigations but the actual backstory too. I loved how each of the crimes were told in a different way, some cases from the start you knew who the culprit was, but others left you guessing. But it wasn't the investigations that left me satisfied with this drama's storyline and production, but the actual backstory that linked all the characters together. As we slowly started uncovering the corruption I couldn't even handle! I was actually bawling my eyes out from anger at one point and I couldn't even stop it.
I loved how they producers perfectly weaved the present with the past, at no point was ever confused.
+/- Acting/Cast:
All of the actors really did an amazing job at telling their characters' stories. I was deeply moved by all of them. I have to say though that Jo Jin Woong really stole the show. What made me love his character all the more was how dedicated he was as a detective, friend, etc. He was so upright and true to morals, no matter who was persuading him to do the wrong thing, and that's what I admired so much about him. He really was extraordinarily charming.
Lee Je Hoon portrayed his character fairly well too, I really felt the anguish with him during the times we found out the wrongs committed against him and his family. I will say that in the first episode or two I was a little annoyed with him, not sure if it was his uppity character or a little exaggeration on his part, but it took me a couple episodes to warm up to him. But once the fondness developed, I began to really enjoy his acting and portrayal of his character.
Kim Hye Soo's character was a little off putting to me for some reason. I think it was how much they contrasted her throughout the show, I was just a little unsure of her throughout the whole thing. In the present she's a complete badass, but then that's contrasted with her character of the past with the 'flashbacks'. And we see her in a completely different light, timid, innocent, and kind of dumb. I mean, I really liked her present portrayal which is probably why I was a little disappointed in how much her character differed. I guess it's just that I wanted her to be the strong woman character that's so rarely seen in dramas, but in the end I guess everyone has a weakness.
+/- Music:
I loved how they chose to remake some old 80's songs for their soundtrack, I thought it was a really nice addition and touch to the whole show. It exposed me to a lot of songs that I would have never otherwise known about. They also put in the suspense tracks at the right points, got my blood pressure up and left my palms sweating even!
Rewatch Value: I would definitely rewatch this drama, the storyline hands down is amazing and the cast worked really well together. I think it would still have the same suspense factor that it had the first time I watched it.
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+/- Plot:
I wouldn't say that I was ever left on edge with this drama--there were no major cliff hangers that left me wanting more at the end of an episode, which may be a crucial fault as this drama was made to draw you in with its twists and turns in the plot. I will say that I was more often left confused than intrigued. I was really a fan of the first quarter of the drama, while I was bustling with questions they kept the plot line fairly light, due to the budding romance, and I wasn't too confused as to where the writers were trying to go with the show. However, about halfway through the writers began to focus more on how the show was going to conclude and building up the drama to the finale and that's where things began to fall apart and really drag for me. It felt like the lead couple was constantly fighting, making up, and fighting again. And since the writers were trying to keep the audience in the dark about the backstory the only thing holding this drama together was the romance--to which I have a few aggressions toward and will mention in the following section. Or when there were things revealed, it was done in a confusing fashion and left you even more in the dark then before--don't get me wrong if it's done in the right way then this is great for viewers, however I didn't feel that way about this plot line. The couple episodes leading up to the finale are where things start to pick up again and why I ended up giving this plot a higher score than I had originally intended. I felt that the writers got things back on track and made the story interesting and entertaining again and finally, almost all but one or two questions I had were answered by the final episode and I felt that they ended up doing justice to the show.
+/- Characters/Acting:
Lee Je Hoon and Shin Min Ah...I have so much confusion with this coupling. I was completely on board with them for the first few episodes and was shocked at how well they seemed to be hitting it off together. But then things got pretty steamy between the two and pretty much made me cringe. There were literally some scenes where I just couldn't watch because it was painfully embarrassing. Granted it may have just been the overtly cheesy lines and the constant flip-flopping (fighting then making up) that made me not enjoy the two more.
As for the two individually, I'm going to have to say that Lee Je Hoon outperformed Min Ah. I was a little disappointed as I had really high expectations having seen his outstanding role in Signal. However, he made you fall for his character even when you knew he was questionable and shouldn't like him, which is seemingly a hard thing to do. I think he did a fairly well job at displaying all the proper conviction and emotions during his scenes and did Yoon So Joon's character justice. Overall, I was left feeling pleased and satisfied with both his acting and character.
Moving on to Shin Min Ah...there's just something about her that I'm unsure about or dislike or something, but I can't quite put my finger on it. As an actress she has so much room for improvement. I could not ever get on board with her crying scenes and there were so many of them! They were terrible, completely outrageous. At some points I was convinced she was laughing until they showed her face. I will say that there were times when she played her role convincingly, but because of those crying scenes I have to say I'm just not a fan.
Baek Hyun Jin played an unusual villain; one that I'm not too sure I liked. His character while a little mental, simply was played out all too reserved in my opinion. It felt to me like the character was stifled and wasn't at it's fullest potential--I really love the actors that are able to perfectly depict the psychotic tendencies of a villain rather than, in this case, just escalated frustrations.
+/- Music:
I overall, really enjoyed the soundtrack for this drama and was one of the best things out of the whole thing. Almost all of the tracks were ballads, which I love, and were all beautiful in their own ways. My favorite songs had to be the ones by Seo In Guk and Sarah Lee. I was soooo shocked and delighted to hear Sarah's track as I have been following her even before she became a part of SuperstarK. She has such a great voice and thought that it went really well with the selected scenes.
Rewatch Value:
I would maybe consider rewatching this show, simply because I felt like I was left in the dark for the majority of it and may have missed a few things. However, after a fruitful debate of weighing the uncomfortable romance scenes, terrible crying scenes, and how the plot line strings you along, versus the questions and confusions I have...I would then make the decision that there are some other shows that I really enjoyed that I would prefer to rewatch. But at least I gave it some consideration!
***Shout out to the editing team that did a fantastic job of ensuring viewers weren't confused with when So Joon was in the future. I really appreciated the differential filters and the wide vs. full screen. At least I was never left wondering when it was the future and when it was the present!
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Cinderella and the Four Knights
5 mensen vonden deze beoordeling nuttig
+/- Plot:
The whole plot followed every stereotype of K-Dramas and with all of the new shows with interesting storylines why would you even consider watching this one. I'm sure we've all seen this show a million times. I don't even have anything else to comment on the plot, just because it was so bland and boring. I can positively say that I wasted 13+ hours of my life (because the last episodes I watched in fast forward mode, just to finish it sooner). I was totally going to give up, but I thought I should watch till the end to write an honest and fair review.
There were some scenes you may call cute, but really overall the editing made the scenes very childish, cheesy, and hard to watch.
+/- Characters/Acting:
I'm just so disappointed. The acting was mediocre for the most part; I would say the best was surprisingly Ahn Jae Hyun. I can see that all the actors did their best to do their characters justice, but no amount of good looking people with flat characters can save this sinking ship--especially when there are countless other cutesy dramas with better plots that this is contending with.
The most terrible thing about this drama is Son Na Eun's character, and everyone and the writers know to be true. I mean sure Korean standards for women may not be quite progressive yet, but still this character obviously doesn’t portray a strong individual role model for the youths of Korea, which this obviously targeted towards. I mean, she feels this need to be accepted by a douchebag of a man, but when that doesn’t happen even after her bombardment she falls back on another man. I am so utterly disappointed in these script writers...
+/- Music:
It's literally ALL bubble gum. AND I HATE BUBBLE GUM.
Rewatch Value:
Never ever, ever, ever would I ever consent to watch this drama again. This one may go down in my books of terrible dramas.
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If you haven't already, watch this drama.
Can we just take a moment to acknowledge Kim Eun-sook's wonderful storytelling. And a standing O for the cast and all the production crew for their hard work!
+/- Plot:
Hardly have I ever encountered a drama that has required me to think outside of the box when looking for the plot twists and trying to theorize about the backstory and characteristics of a character. The story as a whole was unexpectedly thrilling and as the weeks continued through, more questions erupted--but never in a way that left me utterly confused and unsatisfied. I loved how we slowly came to fully understand how the characters were previously connected and such.
I will say however, that midway through I slightly lost some interest as there wasn't much romance development. But it was understandably adorable as I assume they wanted to play up the innocence factor, it being a "first love" and all.
The only reason I gave the storyline a 9.5 was because there's no option for a 9.8 and I wanted to give a more honest rating. I was not in love with the ending of the show, to be perfectly honest I would have been over the moon with episode 15 being the final episode. I just felt that the final episode was a little ??, although looking back on it I realize that it was kind of a nice touch for the final character development of Ji Eun-Tak.
+/- Acting/Cast:
I felt as though the cast as a whole had such great chemistry, everyone just seemed to mesh together so well and all seemed so at ease and comfortable in their characters. It's something that's pretty uncommon I'd say. It was heartwarming to see the fun times that the cast shared behind the scenes and how they're so at ease especially throughout their ad-libbing sections.
The sizzle between Kim Go-Eun and Gong Yoo is undeniable! It's like a needle in a haystack when you find kisses this good in the copious amounts of dramas produced. I'm happy to say that it's getting better though! But back to the actors, Kim Go-Eun really sparkled in this roll. She had the perfect amount of innocence as the school girl and maturity as the character grew up. And I'll try to contain my fangirling, but we all know that Gong Yoo has stolen every girl and woman's heart. He is both wonderfully intense as the Goryeo Man and soooo adorable in his first love.
My goodness, that bromance though. It was sweet to see how we saw the brotherhood grow deeper as they grew more fond of one another. Not only was the chemistry and witty banter between Gong Yoo and Lee Dong Wook amazing, but the extra comical effect of Yook Sungjae made everything perfection. I really hope to see them working together in the future! (If you haven't seen Gong Yoo and Lee Dong Wook's amazing spoofs of the cover artwork, you definitely should--so cute!)
And a special shout out to the beautiful Yoo In-Ha, so much beauty, charisma, and sass packed into her character. She was even more comical than I expected and it totally worked...also unexpected.
+/- Music:
All of the music was perfectly interwoven with the filmography! I couldn't believe my eyes and ears when Gong Yoo and Lee Dong Wook came strutting down the dark road, it was just pure matrimony. I am a huge fan of the soundtrack and have been listening to it on repeat for at least 2-3 days straight. My favorite song from the album changes from day to day, so that tells you that all of it is simply amazing.
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I was really enticed with this drama up until about midway through the season...I think if it had been filmed later once the web toon had come to a conclusion it really would have been such an amazing storyline and drama. I really think that that was this drama's biggest downfall. It just seemed like they had lost their way about mid-way through as they began to shift the focus and main characters around. I don't know all of the drama and controversy that went on behind the scenes, or if there even was any.
I really liked how we were able to see the main female develop into a woman, but the ending completely spoiled it all...to say in the least I was disappointed.
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Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo
3 mensen vonden deze beoordeling nuttig
Summary: It had the perfect amount of sweet innocence of a first romance and inspiration to keep you coming back for more. The thing I loved about this drama was how relatable and applicable it is to the female audience, even though I'm sure not even 1% of the watchers were weightlifters.
[Side Note: I'm so sad this show had so much competition with other more popular dramas that garnered all the attention--Goblin and The Legend of the Blue Sea. I wish I had watched this sooner!]
+/- Plot:
The first few episodes of this drama are similar to most school dramas (the pervert, the mean girls, etc.), but don't let those be the deciding factors of continuing. This "school drama" is nothing like any other drama I've seen before. There was not a moment when I thought the writers were dragging the storyline or questioning the direction of the show. I don't think there's a thing I would change about it, and I can't tell you how many times I actually laughed out loud. My goodness, I can't express in words how cute the duo were as their friendship blossomed...?!
The themes throughout this drama were so relatable and were what made this drama so wonderful. The writers highlighted Bok Joo's struggle to find her identity as a woman and an individual, gaining self-esteem and confidence, and the importance of family and friends. I loved that even though Kim Bok Joo was a little eccentric, the writers still made her completely relatable to all maturing girls.
My favorite part of watching this show was seeing how the characters grew and developed. There really was something to learn from every character as they each dealt with their own struggles.
+/- Acting/Cast:
?????. Literally everyone in this show was so lovable, even if you were determined to dislike a character there was still someway you sympathized with them and some aspect that you fell in love with. And since I loved every single person I will only mention the main characters.
Lee Sung Kyung: She may be one of the most underrated up-and-coming actresses; in all of the roles I've seen her in (Cheese in the Trap and Doctors), I thought she did an excellent job. She portrayed Bok Joo's warm character impeccably. In all the ups and downs, the silly, cute, and loving moments, etc. there was not a moment that I questioned her character and acting abilities. From what I heard in an interview, she suffered from mild depression due to the weight gain for the role. However, I think she took those emotions and welded them into the character perfectly and am thoroughly impressed by all of her hard work.
Nam Joo Hyuk: I could literally fan girl about Joon Hyung, but I'll keep it to the bare minimum (those abs!!!!). Moving on to his actual acting, I was swept off of my feet. And, while I admit I'm an easy target for almost all main male characters, I couldn't believe how sweet and thoughtful Joon Hyung was. Joo Hyuk added the perfect amount of smirk to his jesting and teasing to make your heart flutter and fall for his charms. He played the character with confidence and I was really touched towards the end of the show. That's when I feel like his acting abilities were at its peak, he portrayed the struggles convincingly and that's what I loved.
And a special shout out to Bok Joo's two besties! Together, the trio were so cool and totally #squadgoals. SWAG!
+/- Music:
This soundtrack is perfect for this drama, every song is just as sweet and happy as this drama. It's like listening to a spring day--warm and reminiscent.
While this isn't part of the music, I have to make a shout out to all of the wonderful sound effects, my favorite was the "WHAAAATTTT???" every time there was something surprising.
Rewatch Value: This drama was such a feel good drama and I'm so sad to see it end. It's one of those that you can't seem to let go of. You know one of those you get slightly depressed that there will never be another drama that can fill the empty place in your heart? I will definitely be back to watch this show again.
[Side Note: I absolutely loved all of the references to other dramas and the character's they played. I thought it was a super cute touch added.]
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+/- Plot:
The initial episodes of the drama were all over the place--at times it felt like the writers were trying to grasp at too many genres, a little horror, a little comedy, obviously romance. It just felt a little messy, like they were trying for too many things and weren't excelling at any of them. It's not until about the 5th episode where we find out some of the backstory, which makes this drama satisfactory--so if you're interested in watching this show make sure to keep that in mind! In the beginning of the show I was completely opposed to having such an introverted lead, but as I struggled through the episodes I developed a further understanding of him and even grew to be fond of him--just as many of the other co-workers. The key that makes this show achieve the minimal amount of greatness it has is all due to Yeon Woo Jin's character and his slow, but steady progression towards opening up to others and coming out of his shell. Every time there was a scene where he would honestly speak his mind I was honestly moved by what he had to say; not only because of the encouragement and approval he spoke, but also because we came to understand the difficulty he went through to do so.
Overall, the progression of the story is a bit slow and felt that it was a bit too unrealistic as the female lead basically forgives the unforgivable. However, I can't say that this drama was a complete failure as I enjoyed a decent portion of it, and am also a fan of the theme selected by the writers. This show is all about being comfortable with yourself, no matter what others may think of you, and finding strength in those around you to help you through times of struggle rather than relying on your own abilities. And because we got to see some character development, in terms of Yeon Woo Jin, in the direction of these themes I can't complain.
+/- Character/Acting:
As I stated before Yeon Woo Jin is the show stopper in this drama. Prior to watching this show, I had never seen any of his other works so I was quite shocked and pleased with his performance and portrayal of his character. He plays his sweet, yet introverted personality very convincingly and makes it even relatable to the audience as I'm sure even extroverts have experienced at least one of his situations.
Park Hye Soo played out her cute role well, however in the introductory episodes I found her character very, very annoying. It isn't until about a quarter of the way through the show where this starts to get toned down a bit and the cutesy traits are turned up instead. While her acting wasn't outstanding, because of the opposites in the two personalities I thought that the two worked well together--they had a decent amount of chemistry, which was better than I expected.
The second leads, Yoon Park and Gong Seung Yeon, were also a little annoying throughout the show. Primarily because of their character's personalities. But I guess with the progression of the show we come to understand them and their choices a little better. Gong Seung Yeon played out her character well, however because of her character's issues I was thoroughly disappointed with her development as I felt that almost in an instant she made a 180 turn towards mental stability. Yoon Park's character also seemed to deal with some issues of self-worth which were likewise, magically fixed--there was hardly any development of either of these second leads and because of it I felt like there were some missing elements to the show.
+/- Music:
The majority of this drama's OST is quite bubble-gummy and I'm really not a fan of the genre, so it was a miss for me.
Rewatch Value: I'm going to have to say I wouldn't rewatch this show, simply because there wasn't anything too outstanding about it. I enjoyed it while I was watching and for that I'm grateful for all the efforts that went into making this show.
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Disclaimer: I tried to be as vague as possible, while still getting my point across in this review. But if you haven't watched it yet, I wouldn't recommend risking the storyline and reading on.
+/- Plot:
The storyline of this drama is something not too often seen in the realm of KDramaWorld, and that's kind of what I liked about it. I will be honest, there wasn't as much of a thrill factor as I had anticipated and I had pretty much figured out the whole storyline before the show was halfway through, but it was nice to see how the directors and producers wanted it to unfold. I only have two main complaints about the storyline and that is 1) I could have totally and completely done without the romance (if you can even call it that) and just stuck to the bromance and 2) about 4-5 episodes from the end the audience is just left in this medium of knowing that he knows that he knows that they know that he knows...and so on and so forth--basically it took a lot of time to build up to them actually outright addressing the problem.
What I liked most was that as the story unfolded, I found my self questioning my morals and what I know to be right and wrong. In the end I even found myself rationalizing and completely understanding the side of the wrongdoers and wishing them the happiness that wasn't completely deserved. I must be a psycho too for almost completely siding with them. I just saw how much sorrow the characters had undergone and wanted them to receive the love and acknowledgement that they lacked which made them the 'monsters' they had become.
I was pretty happy with the ending (leaving out conclusion of Lee Jun Ho). I was happy to see Min's progression of character and that the 'critical period' had no restraints on his growth as a person.
+/- Acting/Cast:
Before I start on about the cast, I want to address my bias first and foremost. I am a complete fan of Park Bo Gum and would likely be a ??? if I was in SK. With that being said he was my favorite character in this drama and was my sole reason for watching this show to begin with. To be quite honest, it was hard for me to see him playing this character, just because his real personality (which I technically have no idea about except for what has been said about him by other actors and reported in the media) is completely the opposite of this persona. That being said, there were times when I saw the daggers appear in his eyes from rage. However, his shining moments were the heartache when he was finally remembered, and the shy, timid boy that blossomed after. (My two favorite scenes were the confrontation in episode 12 and what we thought were his final words in episode 16). Park Bo Gum played a role I never thought I would see in him and actually excelled my expectations. For me, he really stole the show.
Seo In Guk too played his character well too, I could see his hardened heart which had blossomed from childhood trauma and thought his cockiness was charming. The one problem with this is that the cockiness was convincing to the point where it was hard for me to even accept the "soft" side he showed around his love interest, Cha Ji An. To be honest, in the end I found myself skipping the romantic points to see how the rest of the story unfolded.
Jang Na Ra also did well in this role and felt compassion and sorrow for her as we came to understand her side of the story too. However, I didn't feel like she was totally vital to the storyline and even felt a bit of resentment towards her for being the one thing positioned between the brothers (even though what she was saying was morally correct...again questioning my morals). So I can't say that I liked her character, but I will say I liked her portrayal of it.
Choi Won Young, I'm not sure how I felt about him in this role. His facial features just don't align and I can't say that I even saw the slightest bit of psycho in his eyes. I felt that the directors tried to increase the thrill of his psychotic tendencies, but ultimately it was lacking in the eyes. He just seemed so warm-hearted, but maybe that was what he intended as that was the heart of the character. I guess I'm just a little conflicted about his portrayal, but if I had to ultimately make a decision I'd say it was a miss for me.
+/- Music:
I can't say too much about the music as I wasn't paying too much attention to it throughout the drama, however there was one song that really hit me, Remember by Dear Cloud. After listening to the lyrics it's even more moving (especially applying it to Min) and I thought she did an excellent job of combining the perfect amount of sadness and longing in the recording.
Rewatch Value: I think I would probably rewatch this show to pick up on any missed details and rewatch the rebuilding of the lost relationship between the brothers. However, I would likely skip a lot if not all of the 'romance'. I was just so moved by the brothers' love for one another and how despite the overwhelming circumstances Seo In Guk remained by his brother's side to help him overcome the monster he had become.
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