GeekyAmma
Bengaluru
A fun journey in which we cherish the friends we made along the way!
---------------The Feeling
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A week has gone by since the finale of the drama has aired and I have a bittersweet memory of watching this drama throughout its entire run. I started watching it when it had already aired 6-7 episodes and was getting all the buzz from viewers and rightly so. A heartfelt Rom-Com with great cast is a sure shot success these days at least internationally.
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The Phases
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Now, coming back to the drama, it can be divided into 2 phases. The first phase comprises of all the episodes till end of Ep 11 where a major conflict is resolved and all build up tension fades away and the second phase is all about the remaining episodes from Ep 12 till Ep 16. Fortunately the best phase of the drama from narrative and drama point of view is the former one that lasted longer than the weaker latter phase of the drama which only had fluffy romance and felt like a epilogue of some sort.
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The Title
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The drama superficially might look like as the title of the drama suggests it is "Love Next Door". But I can assure you that its more deeper than that. Currently, in India I live with my college friends in a high-rise apartment having 10 floors in which I don't even know about who lives next door. This is in stark contrast to my family home where everyone knows everyone and are deeply involved in everyone's lives to the extent that all trials and tribulations are faced together in the society.
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The Setting
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Similar to what I described above, at the very start of the drama we are introduced to a bunch of women who live in the same neighbourhood and have been friends for last 40 years. Not only them, many of their children went to the same school and are really close friends for past 30 years as well. Mainly we focus on the trio of childhood friends :-
a) "Seung Hyo" played by the very handsome Jung Hae In who is an lead architect in a start up
b) "Seok Ryu" played by the gorgeous diva Jung So Min who is a project manager and I can't tell further without going into spoiler territory
c) "Mo Eum" played by my current crush Kim Ji Eun who is a paramedic and works along side firefighters. Apologies in advance as I will not be able to give objective views when it comes to her as I am currently completely floored and enamoured by her beauty, sassiness and personality in all of her recent dramas.
Latter a fourth character "Dan Ho" also comes into the picture who is played by Yun Ji On and works as a reporter for a major Korean media outlet.
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The Plot
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The plot is a good one actually and you will be at the edge of your seats in certain moments and episodes praying for K-Drama Gods to save the day. I don't want to give any spoilers regarding any specifics but I will say one thing : there are many serious emotional themes and issues that are dealt very maturely in the drama which could trigger some strong response from the viewers. So keep that in mind that its not only about the 2 couples and their fluffy romance and waiting for when they will end up together. Its also about some issues we are facing as a society which we all need to work together to solve and make it a better place. Show some empathy and support your closed ones in their darkest times.
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The Jobs
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All 4 leads have different kinds of professions and due to very solid writing, we are able to deep dive into what motivated them into taking up that profession and we are also given first hand knowledge of how a normal day goes for them. I already knew much about the profession of news reporter, paramedic (from other K-Dramas) and project management (I work in the field of Computer Science) but this drama gave such a great portrayal of how architects work and the thought that goes into their creativity and theme of their designs. Its such a cool profession and the writer did a good job at peeking interest of the viewers into something which may look very mundane from outside but which is actually very challenging and interesting from the inside.
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The Chemistry
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Main Leads : Its not as explosive and electrifying as you want it to be. Its subtle at the start and slowly and slowly blooms into a mature flower which then blossoms as if its spring season. There is one swoon worthy scene in which the level of intimacy is severely levelled up for a K-Drama and for obvious reasons none of the viewers complained about it. The drama showcases the beauty of a childhood friendship that always had love and care embedded into it. Where 2 individuals support each other in their darkest as well as the brightest times together unaware of the fact they have always felt for each other but didn't bother to give a tag or name to this relationship and feeling.
Supporting Leads : They are hella cute together and their back and forth with each other complements the show so well that sometimes we as viewers are more interested in their relationship than the main couple for the reason that they form a bond from scratch in front of us and didn't had any past between them. As I told before, I am currently simping for Kim Ji Eun and can't take my eyes off her when she is on the screen and Uff! her personality as a paramedic is so likeable and respectable that in real life I would have completely devoted myself at her service as soon as we became friends. Apologies for the corny lines. Yun Ji On is one lucky MF who gets the chance to romance her on screen. I can't write good stuff about my love rival anyway. Ha Ha :-)
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The Family
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To be honest the USP of the drama is the relationship dynamics between the main characters and their family. Everyone playing the parents are veteran actors and they did their work wonderfully. The arguments, the quarrels, the drama, the making up after a verbal fight feels closer to my heart as it reminded me of my own family especially my parents and my elder sister. The strong bonds within a family and sometimes the situation when everything is pretty loose and tied by a thin thread of trust which if broken could lead to irreversible damage leading to collapse has been captured beautifully by the writer Shin Ha Eun.
There are scenes in the drama in which parents and their child are fighting over career decision and it is very similar to what we face on day to day basis in middle class Indian households. Even in India, stability of a conventional job after college takes priority over unconventional jobs that passionate kids want to pursue which leads to struggle between parents and their rebelling kids.
Shoutout to both Park Ji Young and Jun So Min for their stellar and heartwarming acting while performing as mother & daughter in some scenes where we as viewers were so engrossed in the drama feeling for both sides.
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The Shortcomings
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The longer length of the episodes (almost all are 80 min) is a serious issue here as in most of the cases you feel that the episode drags on unnecessarily and it would have been prevented by either chopping off the runtime of the episode or by recompiling the drama into a 21-22 Ep series each having 1 hour episode. The pacing is an issue and since this is a slow burn romance for the majority, the longer length will make you impatient quite a few times.
As already mentioned the first phase of the drama is superior to the second phase as the latter phase has no major conflict to resolve so it just becomes a feel good slice of life drama in the last few episodes barring few scenes. So, if thats your cup of tea then you will not mind but seriously for me it was too much. They could have structured the story in a better manner for the latter half in my opinion.
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The Review
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Overall its a good one time watch, nothing special about it apart from the family dynamics shown in the first 11 episodes and for people who likes romance its a stellar drama having great character writing which guarantees all the feels and swoons you expect from K-Dramas these days.
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Branding in Seongsu-dong
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Typical But Quirky Body Swap Mystery Thriller
------------------------------CURRENT SITUATION
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At the time of writing this review, only a handful of people have watched this as it was released on a fairly new platform "U+ Mobile TV" despite having popular actors like Kim Ji Eun and Lomon. Therefore, the current rating of 7.6 is actually skewed and its lower than what this drama deserves (which in my opinion should be around 8.5)
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DISCLAIMER
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Before going into the details of the drama, wanted to give a fair warning that currently I am obsessed with Kim Ji Eun and totally enamoured by her beauty and personality. I think she is drop dead gorgeous and am crushing so hard right now that any scene with her is a straight 10 for me. So, basically I am unable to think objectively without any bias when it comes to her. Apologies in advance.
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GENRE : BODY SWAP
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Now lets talk about the mixture of genres the show tackles. As per the synopsis, we know that there is body swap and as a seasoned K-Drama watcher, I know that its nothing extra ordinary and not the first time in K-Drama history. But the way Kim Ji Eun and Lomon has acted when they were in each other bodies is basically whats the USP of this drama as both of them were freaking amazing as well as convincing with their incredible acting of the opposite gender. Special shout out to Kim Ji Eun, she totally slayed her role here.
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GENRE: CRIME SUSPENSE THRILLER
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Apart from body swap, the whodunit kind of mystery is intriguing and binds the plot together and keeps us at the edge of our seats guessing who might be behind the crime as there are several suspects. Though sometimes its difficult to follow as who is in whose body and which side is scheming what making the drama little disjointed and all over the place. So the crime mystery is not the strong part of the drama. The premise is interesting but the execution is messy.
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GENRE: WORKPLACE COMEDY
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There is fair amount of workplace comedy which lands most of the times involving a gay character, a young Gen Z girl and an old lady played incredibly by Jeon Jun Ho, Chae Soo Ah & Jung Yi Rang respectively. Their interactions with the main leads are hilarious and made the drama very entertaining. And when I am talking about the gay character, I should mention that the drama overall, is very liberal in its approach in depicting various things, though the politics of certain scenes does not make the drama cringe or woke in any sense as thats not the focal point of the series.
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GENRE: DRAMA AROUND BRANDING
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There is great amount of drama and emotions involved as well when it comes to showcasing how branding works as the name of the show is "Branding in Seongsu". The main leads would take on certain branding assignments through which we, the audience also understands how the process of marketing strategy actually works along with the creativity and nitty gritty of behind the scenes as well. All of this is presented in such a palatable manner that it can be easily understood and consumed by everyone even those who do not know the "B" of "Branding". Every case is so heartwarming that if the show has showed more of these assignments rather then indulging too much into the whodunit mystery, this would have been a way better show in execution.
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GENRE: ROMANCE
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Now this is the part where the drama shines the most as there is explosive chemistry between Kim Ji Eun and Lomon. As a heterosexual male, I have to confess that Lomon actually looks very handsome and is sometimes the star of the show. Kim Ji Eun looks sassy and sexy as the bossy "Kang Na Eon" which is a character who is very ferocious and have "boss bitch" attitude to climb her way to the top with her creativity and competence. Both of them shines when they play themselves as well as their body swapped versions. There are many romantic scenes and especially 2 kissing scenes that will make the viewers swoon and they won't believe what they actually saw on family friendly Korean Television. Lomon is one lucky MF that he got the chance to kiss Kim Ji Eun so passionately. The supporting leads are forgettable as their roles have been poorly written. Neither their acting nor their actions are interesting in any manner and are pretty bland in my opinion. They are definitely the weakest aspect of the drama apart from the convoluted plot about the whodunit mystery.
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OVERALL REVIEW
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Overall in a nutshell, its a decent body swap mystery thriller whose whodunit mystery plot is very mediocre but the chemistry between the leads along with their great acting performances makes this a fun watch. And the comedy by supporting characters along with "branding" assignments are a highlight of the show.
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Average Thai Rom-Com set in an Indian wedding
This is my first non-horror Thai content I watched as I was intrigued by the Indian wedding setup shown in the trailer. Being an Indian, I wanted to see what are they going to show in the rom-com.OVERALL REVIEW:-
It's an average nothing special rom-com which fails to hit the mark in both the romance and comedy departments. It does not mean it is unwatchable or cringe and considering the short runtime of 1.5 hrs, I didn't expect much from it in the first place. Comedy seldom lands and chemistry between the leads is just Meh! There is no place where we can breathe and absorb what happened as it is very fast-paced, moving from one comedic scene to another emotional scene within seconds.
LANGUAGE ISSUES:-
There is a hotchpotch of different languages being spoken with not-so-on-point accents which I can understand as people are not speaking their dialogues in their primary language. Nevertheless, both the Indian characters as well as Thai characters look unnatural and uncomfortable when speaking English which breaks the flow and kills the vibe of the movie. I would have preferred the Indian characters to have at least converse in Punjabi or Hindi when they were talking to each other.
THE LEADS:-
Let's not talk about the Indian supporting cast as they were neither the focus nor did they act naturally as a bunch of Punjabis speaking English sounds very cringe to me.
Vachirawit Chivaaree the ML looked very bright and handsome straight out of a K-Pop band and his acting was decent.
Ranee Campen the FL looked so gorgeous and beautiful throughout the movie which I can not deny. But her character was written very clumsily and her acting was very over the top in a few scenes which I didn't like.
PORTRAYAL OF INDIAN CULTURE:-
This is the aspect in which the movie gets full marks in making sure they showed Indian culture appropriately and with respect. All the ceremonies (Mehendi, Sangeet & Phere) which are essential parts of Indian wedding were at least shown correctly and briefly explained.. The song featured in the movie gave good Bollywood vibes with all the background dancers and our couple looked really good doing the dance movies in traditional Indian clothes. Definitely the highlight of the movie for me.
NOTE: I want to clear the misconception for anyone watching this movie and they must know that only a minority of Indians consume alcohol during weddings and in general alcohol is not allowed.
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Heartwarming story about the homeless finding their home of hope
Such a cute and heartwarming movie. It has its flaws and drawbacks but the emotion it wanted to convey touched me. For a sports film, the screenplay was written in a very non-cinematic manner but everything conveyed was very real.The pacing of the movie was a little slow and overall the entire screenplay has some issues. It's not as entertaining as the director's last film "Extreme Job" but the reality of homelessness and the backstories of each of the homeless people were decent. I hoped IU got a bigger role as she is such a fine actress but nevertheless, I can never find any flaws in her, just keep doing as many films and dramas as possible for your fans.
PSJ on the other hand displayed good football skills but his acting was a little hammy and lacking. But he is indeed the focal point of the story and did a decent job in some emotional scenes but the film can't redeem itself based on him and IU.
I watched it only for IU, she has some really funny lines between her and PSJ. Overall a good one-time watch but nothing special.
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Darker, Edgier and Twistier than your Average KDrama!
First things first, these 4 eps are not the entire show and the last concluding part will come early next year which will finish the story. We should keep our expectations in check knowing fully that this is only half of the show and MY GOD ITS SHOCKING! to say the least.The last time I experienced something like this was when I watched "Extracurricular" (2020) on Netflix which was as darker and grittier as this show apart from some dark humour. This show although having the trope of dying again and again and realizing the meaning of life and death which has been explored excruciatingly a large number of times in Western media but still seems like a fresh premise in the currently cliched webtoon KDrama adaptation market we have been getting lately.
The story has vibes of famous Final Destination movies and will keep you on the edge as to how the heck our protagonist is going to kiss death each time in either a shocking or a dark way. For the second half of the story, the stage is set for even more dramatic storytelling which I can't wait for anymore.
Coming to the action (which has been choreographed like big budget high-octane thriller movie) and production scale of this drama, you can very well see that it's a big project having several A-Listers in small and supporting roles. Seo In Guk as the main character is impressive in emotional scenes and on the other hand though briefly but Park So Dam looks perfect as the personification of "Death" itself. Go Youn Jung looks stunningly beautiful as always but the scene-stealer performance was given by my one and only current favourite actor Lee Do Hyun. This guy can do nothing wrong nailing every character in every drama ever! (Note: I could be a little biased for him so please my apologies for overhyping in advance!)
The twists and turns of the story in which there is a subtle connection between each reincarnation make it very fascinating and unique! Although, short the 4 eps of the show have captivated my mind like no other KDrama this year and eagerly waiting for the remaining part next year.
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Now, lets come to the crux of this drama, Itaewon Class is a beast of a drama when it comes to detailed description of the wonderful Itaewon region which itself plays a character and even drives the plot forward. The dramas shows the class division between the meglomaniac rich and the hard working class using food & restaurant industry as backdrop. It really sets itself apart from other dramas on how all the characters main as well side are crucial for moving the story forward and each one of them reaches a statisfying conclusion in the end with good enough character development.As I can assure you that some of the MDL reviews here are thinking too much critically of the plot which I think is due to most Kdrama watchers being casual viewer who love more good feel and unrealistic dramas but IMAO this drama is too realistic for their taste.Its a motivational revenge story with hint of revenge & social commentary.
Romance is there in this drama but not too much but , its unique in the sense that instead of displaying affection in crude and cringe ways as most of us are used to watching in other KDramas like forced flirting, stalking, kissing, one sided love of second male lead and stupid love triangle to take revenge from each other exes, this dramas portrays love in a different manner.Here, people who care for each other don't run behind each other carelessly and cringing the F out of the situation, instead they support each other and try their level best to make each other's dream come true so quite maturity is shown when it comes to potray how ambitious people pursue their love in contrast to teenagers & adolescents who are more emotional & impulsive.
This is a pitch perfect dramas for business aspirants and shows how greed can never replace loyalty and human friendship. DanBam team shows how with dedication & hardwork one can achieve success without compromising one own morals & principles and the bromance & sismance as well as the general camaraderie between the characters was funny as well as touching to watch.
Both the female leads were great Kwon Nara looked beautiful through out the drama and her character 's relationship with Jo Yi Seo who plays the lead character of DanBam manager is specially one of a kind as I have said before you may have never seen before in a Kdrama that girls who are love rivals are not pulling each other hair apart but helping each other grow! PSJ equation with both of the girls was refreshing to see and you will keep guessing who he will end up with till a certain episode. Both the villain characters were fabulous on making us hate them and it was always a balanced battle between PSJ & villain CEO which was entertaining and unpredictable to watch.
Rest of the supporting cast got good meaty roles and through them writer nim brought some attention to Koreans bias towards transgender, foreigners & ex-convicts who want to start fresh.Kim Dong Hee of ATeen was good at his role and I am looking forward to watch him in more mature roles as he seems like a good actor but not getting roles that he deserve so far in his career. At the end, I would like to say that Itaewon Class was robbed 'Drama of the year' nom at Baeksang Awards as it deserved so but none the less its OST 'Start over' sang by Gaho will be my OST for motivating me for rest of the year.Hope for more Webtoons getting Itaewon Class like adaptations.
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Now what makes this show so enjoying to watch:-
The hilarious scenes hold each and every episode together moulded efficiently with the seriousness of the plot.I laughed so much in all the scenes almost equivalent to Eulachacha Waikiki (the best korean sitcom ever).
The use of M.I. theme and one time the Matrix theme caused my stomach to ache due to laughter really.
The KIS vs NIS comparison is hilarious as hell and almost all the supporting characters will do something silly or smart that you could not stop laughing ,even a kidnapping scene was so hilarious that sometimes you will smile even in serious situations.
KUDOS to the screenwriter for such smartass interweaving of comedy in seriousness.
The cute scenes of So Ji Sub babysitting the 2 naughty kids are a delight to watch, some people can watch this drama for this only but beware in the last 4-5 episodes our beloved Joon-Joon duo is absent for most part.
Story:-Its fine and has enough suspense to keep you hooked though this show is not on Stranger level when it comes to the thrill part nor the action can be compared to The K2 despite it being a spy drama.But still So Ji Sub has definitely the physique of a NIS agent and the hand-to-hand combat scenes were okayish.Clearly the comedy rather than action is the strong pursuit of this drama.The characters were not layered as such mostly black or white except Jin Young Tae but that caused no harm as it was not a serious drama.
Music:- Good and apt soundtrack is used at right situations but the OSTs are not that addictive.(depends on you taste though)
Cast:- So Ji Sub slays his role of a badass handsome spy disguised as a babysitter and every moment with him shines!
Son Ho Jun despite playing a bad boy is the scene stealer as he is downright hilarious whenever he calls Terius "Brother" resulting in great bromance and he simply delivers the best punchlines.
Jung In Sun had great chemistry with both the guys but unfortunately we don't get any kissing scenes :-( but still it was refreshing to see .Also her comic timing is pretty cool and she is not annoying at all and is shown as a smart & strong woman actively moving the plot forward.
Kang Ki Young just had a spectacular 2018 cementing him as a dependable supporting character and as expected he is hilarious.
Sung Joo along with Im Se Mi were pretty decent as well. Shoutout to all the ahjummas in KIS which were the sole reason for me to look forward to every episode.
Rewatch Value:- Hell yeah! I m going to watch again especially for the comedy bits which were freaking hilarious.
Overall Verdict: Its the best comedy that I have seen after Waikiki and as a light hearted family drama its a fun bandwagon to be a part of.PEACE OUT
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Amalgamation of Average Blooming into a perfect drama
At the time of writing this review, currently the drama "Lovely Runner" is at an all time high rating of 9.2 on MDL which to those who are unaware may sound like is this really the best KDrama of all time or is this drama a masterpiece? In my opinion is neither of these. It actually does not have the best plot, acting, direction or music. However, the amalgamation of all these not so perfect things had somehow created a final product which is absolutely a GEM OF A SHOW. Let me explain how:-First the PLOT :-
Anyone can read the plot as mentioned from the summary on MDL and know that time travel is a huge plot device in this drama. Just like every time travel content out there, there is a mystery element as how does ones actions in the past timeline is going to affect the present timeline and the thriller element as to how the FL will save the ML. The show nailed this aspect as you will always be on your toes as what will happen next in case of action and tense scenes as nothing is predictable. Because FL is from future, she tries to figure out what really happened in the past so that she could turn and change things the second time. Also, the romance plot is definitely one of the best elements of the show and I will discuss it in detail shortly.
Second the DIRECTION :-
The director did a really good job in establishing the past timeline by using real life famous incidents that have happened in the past so that the viewers can have an idea of what exact dates the drama is happening in and as you watch more episodes, the timeline and dates become really important.
Third Acting and ROMANCE :-
No one can deny the fact that in Korean RomComs, the ML and FL romance is make or break for the drama. If its subpar then not even a masterpiece storytelling can save the drama from failing. Fortunately, here the ML character "Ryu Seon Jae" played by Byeon Woo Seok and FL character "Im Sol" played by the lovely Kim Hye Yoon brought one of the most electrifying chemistry and wholesome relationship game to KDrama world. The drama has set a new GOLD STANDARD OF ROMANCE on which future Korean romcoms will be judged by the viewers.
The standout as per popular opinion (I also agree) is Seon Jae as he is the greenest of the green flag boyfriend material ever shown on KDrama screen and no doubt why very female viewer is dying to have a boyfriend like him since Byeon Woo Seok with his stellar potrayal has caused a storm in the KDrama world and catapulted himself to be in the league of the most desirable Hallyu Star globally.
I feel a little sad that less attention has been given to Kim Hye Yoon by the fandom whose FL character is the catalyst of everything and is the emotional core as well the main protagonist of the show. She is a terrific actor and totally excelled at portraying all kinds of emotions throughout the show especially her crying scenes which are quite a few to say the least. Me being a male Kdrama viewer, has to mention that in all the scenes set in present timeline she looked drop dead gorgeous and I felt in love with her. She is adorable in the way she acts and the reason the show has "Lovely" in its title.
Skinship in this show is not a joke and one time I had to double check to see whether I am really watching a Korean drama as OH BOY this drama has one of the most steamiest and hottest kissing scene of recent times. Kudos to the actors for portraying with full commitment and causing us to swoon and to have butterflies in our stomach with their great onscreen chemistry.
Fourth the Music / OST :-
Most of the OSTs are not only memorable but also used at very appropriate times in the show for evoking certain emotions that certainly kept most viewers hooked. Notable mentions would be "Spring Snow" by 10CM and "Like a Dream" by GIDLE's MINNIE.
Fifth the Rewatch Value :-
The kissing scenes have great rewatch value if you know what I mean :-) But on a serious note , the dramas has multiple time jumps and time travel scenarios that watching it 2-3 times will be a breeze. From now on, this will be my comfort Kdrama to watch.
FINAL VERDICT :-
Just stop wasting time on reading the reviews and go into the world of Sunjaeyaaa & Solaaa and experience the wholesome drama for the first time.
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