Danceinthesunlight
Whoever is in need of a light comedy should watch this. Expect many hilarious moments. Nagase Tomoya is very expressive, you'll most likely burst into laughter at the mere sight of him. However, expect some depth too. They handle serious matters as well: redefining one's life, learning about true love and friendship, surpassing one's limits. These are all expressed very well and they transition smoothly into and out of the humour. You'll find some very touching moments too, but that's definitely not the defining theme of the drama. It's almost entirely comical. And despite basing itself on serious matters, it manages to stay light enough to be enjoyable as pure comedy.
Acting: I was quite surprised actually. Given the obscurity of this drama I thought they would probably have a bunch of mediocre actors, but these kids are brilliant! They exceeded my expectations. Almost all of them anyway.
Music: It was SPLENDID. I fell in love with the ending theme from the very first second. And the music throughout the show is also very entertaining; it goes well with each scene and just lifts your spirits. For a pretty underrated drama, the music was exquisite. Too good to ignore. It wasn't just a soundtrack, it was a lot more powerful. In some scenes my attention was actually stolen by the music than the action.
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I started watching it by accident, because I noticed Park Jung Min's name in the cast list. Since I'm an SS501 fan and I have a particular attachment to Jung Min... I started watching it JUST for him, but it wasn't long until I got hooked on the actual drama. Beware though, for the first few episodes you will have to put up with an overload of sweetness and some pretty bad acting from Jung Min. Since he was the only reason for watching at first, I didn't have high expectations at all and just wanted to see him, so of course I kept watching. But if you're not a crazy Jung Min fan and are easily turned off by overly sweet moments, don't drop the drama after the first few episodes! You won't know what you're missing! Jung Min's acting improves considerably over the next few episodes and they gradually lessen the sugar a little bit :P but you will probably get used to it anyway.
To sum it up in a few words, this show has a very sweet and comical kind of romance accentuated by the playful character of Jung Min, good chemistry between the leads, some amusing bits and even some controlled drama. With emphasis on CONTROLLED. It's truly controlled in this one. They don't go overboard with it. It's just enough to keep the story going. I admit I cried at one point during the show (exactly halfway through) but that was the most emotional bit of the entire drama. Nothing exceeds that intensity afterwards. What I particularly like about this one is that there's no evil witch interfering with the main leads! She's actually interfering in the wrong couple, the other side of the love triangle, which only pushes Mi En more towards Xi Huan (Jung Min), so in other words the evil witch in this show actually... somehow... helps the leads to get closer. Which would've been beyond my wildest dreams for Asian dramas *-*
I just can't keep it short, I'm sorry. I'm trying though... There's something else I need to add about it: it's a very soothing drama. I think that's the word that fits it best. More than it is romantic and more than it is humorous, it is soothing. I enjoyed every second of it. I was always eager to watch another episode knowing it will put me in a good mood, because I could expect nothing bad from it. It is that kind of light drama that you can actually connect to and get attached to without risking to stir up a tornado of emotions inside of you. I especially appreciate how they handled the ending. In all the dramas I've watched so far, the ending disappointed me, even if just a bit. But this show's ending was just perfect. I could not have asked for a better ending. And it's not just the ending actually, they managed to handle all the romantic moments brilliantly. Most of the time, dramas have a hard time portraying key moments like confessions, proposals, endings etc. Because for the sake of emphasising the romance and importance of the moment they end up diverting a bit too much from the characters' personality and make the moment overly-romantic and awkward. I'm happy to say Fondant Garden had absolutely no awkward moment like that. I'm very appreciative of the fact that they managed to make all the romantic moments and especially the ending, fit to their personalities.
Music: Very fitting for this drama's style. It complements the mood of every scene perfectly. There are a few songs that will forever be stuck in my head: The intro song, the one Jung Min sings (he's got a remarkable voice!) and So Good by Kimberly Chen which was my absolute favourite from the entire show.
Acting: As I said above, it is lacking in the beginning on Park Jung Min's character, but it gets a lot better as the show progresses. The rest of them impersonated their characters flawlessly. Though some may say Jian Man Shu wasn't very believable at first. To me she was ok, except on very few scenes, maybe.
Give this drama a go! You have nothing to lose. You will either fall in love with it or just end up not connecting to it if it's not your style. In any case, it's not a waste of time, at the very least there will be some sweet moments that will remain in your mind :)
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The drama lacks depth - even for a light drama this seemed too light (and this is coming from a person who likes watching shallow things from time to time). It grabbed my attention from the very first episode, I was hooked! Then the following few episodes seemed very promising - the scenario unfolded brilliantly, the story kept getting better and better that I was eager to see more; the chemistry between the 2 main characters was also very pleasant. But about halfway through that spell broke. It felt as if the story got stuck in a point and it just dragged its way to the end. The romantic scenes between Lee So Young and Choi Jin Wook always left me wanting more. It was like something was missing. They had a real potential to develop the relationship on a deeper level but they kept it on the surface. To me this was the most disappointing aspect.
Acting: Even if you don't like light dramas or feel like you can't connect to this one, at least Choi Daniel is a good enough reason to watch it. If it wasn't for his character I might have given it up at one point. I would give him 10/10 for managing to put a smile on my face each time he appeared in a scene :)
The supporting roles also added to the humour of the drama. It wouldn't have been the same without Team Leader Kim Joon Soo ;)
Music: Pretty good. It completed the atmosphere quite well. Memorable enough to be recognize if heard outside the drama, but subtle enough to not even be noticed during the scenes.
Overall though, I guess this is a drama you should keep for when you want to have some light humour. One can certainly enjoy it, but don't expect much emotional depth.
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I started this show for the comedy, love triangle and Jae Joong *-* And it exceeded all my expectations. Cha Ji Heon x No Eun Seol x Cha Mu Won was the most lovable triangle and the cousins were the most adorable male leads I've ever seen so far. They always made me burst into laughter each time they fought ^^I loved everything about this show: the flow of events, the romance, the way they handled conflict, the originality - it really is unpredictable for a kdrama. All up to a point though... To me this show was perfect until around episode 10. Or even 8 I'd say. The story was flawless until that point. I loved the way romance was developing between both "couples" (revolving around No Eun Seol, I mean). The competition between the cousins kept this show fun and entertaining. It was simply adorable and incredibly funny. But once they hit ep 10, there were a few things that bothered me:
First, they got lost in all the conflict and business problems and put the romance and fun moments aside. Second, ... it's impossible for me to speak about it without giving out spoilers. I'll just use this so you know and skip if you want... [SPOILER]the romantic moments weren't as fun once Mu Won sort of disappeared from the picture. Seeing Mu Won and Ji Heon with two different girls was weird. Aside from the fact that I disliked Na Yoon for some reason, even if she wasn't a negative character, and I didn't want to see her together with Mu Won, it also took away the fun from the love triangle. I don't know how to explain this properly... but once he decided to give up, things sort of run dry. [/SPOILER]
And third, this is spoiler-free: I felt they didn't manage to create a right and effective order of events. I may sound like I'm contradicting myself now, because I said the flow of events was perfect, but I'm actually not. It really does feel perfect until ep 8/10. But afterwards it feels a bit out of place. They sort of gathered the most adorable and fun moments in the first half and threw all the conflictual scenes in the last half. I think a mix of both would have been easier to take in. Spoiler ahead again, be careful [SPOILER]So they took away the love triangle, Eun Seol and Ji Heon start fighting and break-up, and we're left with scenes that mostly deal with the other newly formed couple, Mu Won and Na Yoon, which I'm not very fond of. It's like each half of this show deals with a couple. And while one is suffering the other is having fun. In my opinion, if they wanted to create such arguments between No Eun Seol and Ji Heon, they should have kept Mu Won around at least, to balance out the sadness of the situation.[/SPOILER]
Simply put, without any spoilers, I feel they could have spread the conflicts throughout the show more, rather than cram them all in the last half. But then again, the first half might not have been perfect if they did... so I'm going back and forth thinking if this is actually a good or a bad thing.
The ending was ok though. Great, compared to other dramas. It did feel like something was missing, I guess I was just expecting something more impressive because I was really blown away by the awesomeness of this show and expected the most unpredictable ending. But it was ok.
Overall though this is one of my favourite dramas! It sounds like I typed a lot of bad things about it, but in fact I'm trying to say I LOVE the show, and the downsides are minor. The bad sides take up more space just because I ramble a lot about the things that bother me, but it doesn't mean they define the drama. They did bother me a bit, but the drama overall was too adorable and fun to even think about them. They still keep some humour even in the most tense episodes, that's what I love about the show. But they just weren't as many as I had gotten used to in the first episodes.
The music was outstanding. I have to mention this. It really brings out the best of each scene and it's well placed. Many times it was the music that cracked me up and the editing of some scenes. Like the ice-cream scene... I won't say more! XD But this is still one of my favourite moments of the entire show.
The acting was great, as expected. I rarely come across bad acting in asian dramas though, so I'm not even sure if it's worth mentioning.
I highly recommend this to anyone who loves romantic comedies! :) It's the perfect fit for the genre.
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Story: Not original, but it had a scenario that usually appeals to me.
They made nothing of it though. There was something lacking throughout the entire film, and I can't tell exactly what. It's a shame that they had quite a good story to work with yet they ruined its potential.
It seems like they wanted to focus on too many aspects and didn't go into depth with either. So it kinda left you wanting more and more.
The chemistry between the leads - not really present... There were sparks thrown here and there, yes, but inconsistent and not intense enough so they didn't make much sense. Maybe that's what they call a realistic movie though.
The relationship between Yukari and her mother? Briefly explained and quickly resolved.
Yukari's inability to find her true self? Perhaps that's what this was about mostly, but it was still poorly shaped. I would've loved to see the story focusing more on that.
In my opinion, if you're gonna add romance, add it properly or leave it out completely, else it's pretty pointless. I would've liked it if they could develop each side of this story more, or at least choose one main aspect to focus on. It also felt like it dragged on for quite a bit.
Overall it's an enjoyable movie for when you're really bored. Don't expect much and you won't be disappointed.
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The ending was fine to me. It fit with the movie's style perfectly.
I recommend this to anyone who wants to see something different. But expect something VERY different from most Asian movies.
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My Girlfriend is a Gumiho
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This is another drama that wasn't what I expected, but neither in a good nor a bad way. It was just different than my expectations.I started watching this show for 2 reasons – the scenario was very interesting and I heard it was very funny. And it was, until it reached episode 12 when it took a very abrupt twist from humour to drama. Of course, given the scenario I was expecting some drama in the end, it would've been unavoidable. But I didn't expect it to be of this intensity. I wasn't prepared to watch something so deep and emotionally loaded, so it caught me a bit off guard. This is probably why I cried a lot uncontrollably starting from episode 12 till the end. You get very few breathers once it hits that point. It's an almost constant depressive mood. So before you decide on watching it, be sure you can handle the drama it comes with as well, don't expect just pure humour.
To write an actual review of this show I have to split it in two – the good and the bad sides. Since it gave me too many mixed up emotions. I have to sort them in a clear way.
Good sides:
- For the first half you're going to roll on the floor laughing. I'd give the humour of this show a 20/10. The supporting roles also really spice up the show. The director and Dae Woong's aunt must be the funniest and silliest couple I've ever seen.
- There is great chemistry between the two leads
- Impressive acting. Lee Seung Gi is incredible and very expressive XD And Shin Min A is perfect for her role.
- You get to see No Min Woo :D lol whoever likes him knows why he just HAD to be mentioned on the good sides of this show (I admit it did count a bit in my decision to watch the show...)
- There's no boring moment. There are enough twists in the plot to keep you interested
- The music blows your mind. I really want to meet the composer of Fox Rain and give them a BIG HUG for composing such a beautiful creation. That really is one of the best songs I have ever heard in my life. It gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.
Bad sides:
- excessive drama (this is on the bad side because I personally don't like drama at all. I'd keep it to the minimum all the time. For those who enjoy drama – by all means watch this! You're gonna love it...)
- abrupt change from humour to drama. To me it seemed too sudden. The characters kept a pretty constant behaviour for the first half, but afterwards they changed a lot in a very short time. Something just felt off.
- Throughout the show I kept feeling bad that they didn't develop Dong Ju's character on a deeper level. I think this was my biggest disappointment from the entire drama. I was incredibly thankful they kept him alive, I was really afraid they wouldn't. But besides just remaining alive, I feel they should've given him a happier life.
***SPOILER***
He had to kill his loved one and live with the regret for 1000 years, then when he finally falls in love with another girl he has to let her go, too because not only does she love someone else, but is also willing to give her life for him. After so much sufferance he still didn't meet someone to keep by his side. This really saddened me a bit. Ok, he does get closer to humans from that point on, but I felt it wasn't enough. He suffered too much, he really deserved a better ending.
- This has to do with Dong Ju's character again... throughout the show, somehow a part of me kept wanting to see Mi Ho together with Dong Ju instead of Dae Woong... Even though I didn't want them together in the end, I kept craving for some romantic scenes between them. Maybe it's because of their chemistry (they really look good together) or because No Min Woo is just too handsome to ignore... Either way, if you end up rooting for the wrong couple, you might get disappointed and feel like something's missing when the drama ends (I felt like that a bit). I actually kept feeling like something was missing throughout the entire show.
I am still giving this a 10 because overall it was a well thought-out drama. And it's only my personal view on the dramatic bits. There are lots of people who don't mind it, so I can't deduct points for that just because it affects me. ...And also because at one point in the show I begged the Universe to keep Dong Ju alive and promised I'd give this drama a 10/10 on my review if this happens... Yes, folks, I'm insane when it comes to dramas. I get too attached to them to think clearly. Anyhow, it is definitely worth watching.
Oh, and I'm only giving this a low rewatch rating because I personally couldn't bear to watch it again since it will remind me of the painful heartbreaking moments.
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