3
Zogitt
Australia
More sugar ball than odd ball
It is a bit zany and it didn't follow the usual t-drama path 100% which is a good thing. Using the live streamers as main characters is also added nice contemporary touch. However, it is not all good news as it had its flaws as well.Put simply, this is a rom-com through and through. It is low angst even though it did touch on a couple of heavy themes but those are resolved surprising quickly and without the heavy melodrama usually attached to similar dramas. It is a surprisingly light touch but one that worked with the plot. Like some other similar shows, the main OTP has a decent amount of chemistry but I won't call it amazing. More sweet and cute than passionate. A decent amount of skinship but constrained. The more passionate love affair was (once again) left to the 2OTP. They had more angst but also burnt more brightly. By the end of the show, there are multiple pairings and it was a little over the top but it is a rom-com after all. On top of that there was one of the most fully developed bromance in many a c/t/k-dramas. It ran from first to the last episode and full of gags and feels. A definite highlight. There are also lots of feels from friendships that are supportive and genuine.
On the whole, acting was good. There were definitely some overacting (as per t-drama play book) but the comedic payoff was there. The ML and FL may be seen as a bit one dimensional and I would agree to a certain extend as their growth came later. Especially the ML who was a classic man-child for most of the show.
Interestingly, where the show dropped the ball is not the usual mid show drag (it is only 20 episodes long) but odd plot developments that felt a bit jarring and contrived. The ending is also very corny (a typical t-drama trait). There seemed to be a lack of story material towards the end and they used a fair amount of flash backs to fill time and the weakness in the story was fairly obvious by then. Maybe they could tighten it up and cut a couple of episodes. Not a deal breaker but it was telling. Honestly, by that stage, you are just watching the show for the romance and feels. Plot? What plot.
Overall, it was an entertaining show. Low angst and high on sugar content. There are LOL moments and lots of feels.
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Love Advanced Customization
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All about the feels
This show is all about the feels. :) The OTP is just so amazing together. Sure, there is the cliché love-hate beginning but it is the growth that hooks you. I have to say, as their love grows, the show will grow on you (or you'd have dropped this by then). The writer took their time to explore the many phases of falling in and out of love and how love grows and matures. It starts with the attraction, then a spark. Infatuation, longing and obsession all got explored in a mature way. Ultimately, the show took us beyond the typical total episodes minus one "will they, won't they" formula and allowed us to watch their characters grow while in love.BTW, I like Dilraba so much more in this drama than Pretty Li Hui Zhen. She gets to play a mature woman with strong character and great personality. Some might say a bit naïve but she is trusting and will not say a bad word about anyone. She has so much chemistry with the ML it is swoon worthy in most scenes after their confession. They just behave so naturally around each other. I would believe it if someone tells me they are dating in RL. I would ship them in an instant. Their interaction is so natural. From the teasing to casual touching, it does not feel scripted which is an achievement in a c-drama where the odd awkward kiss is the norm.
The OTP carried the show. The main plot is ok, very heavy on the scheming and make the fashion industry looks a bit grim (maybe it is all true! LOL). Certain scenes are almost contemplative. Thoughts and ideas are expressed by the characters like snippet of life lessons. The 2OTP is good but the 2ML lacks that natural charm that Johnny has in spades. It does allow the writers to explore other aspect of love and loving though. My one negative are the moms. Boy, did the meddling moms get a run for their money, not 1 but 3! Why all the moms are so one dimensional and controlling? I get they want to get some angsts happening but not all moms are like that, surely? They all have their redemption at some point but it is very monotonal.
Two minor gripes, so much PPL and they are everywhere and a couple of minor plots seemed to disappear into the ether and then got a quick scene in the last episode. To bring some closures? In conclusion, if you want big dramas, explosive plot twists and suspense galore, go watch something else, if you want to see two mature, stubborn and charismatic people fall heavily in love (for realsies) and live through a slice of their lives with them then pull up a chair. You will get your romantic fill.
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Oh how close to being great
Oh how I wanted to give this show 10/10 but it just can't stick to the fun stuff that was the initial promise. For the first 20 or so episodes, it is a funny, happy gender bending rom-com but then in the middle stretch, it become a darker melodrama filled with court intrigues (2 kingdoms' worth!) and endless scheming and plotting. Not saying that it was bad writing per se but it totally sidelined the OTP and you only get the occasional scenes with them. I can understand that the writers needed to fill 60 episodes but that is so typical a problem with c-dramas, the mid show drag is real when the original story line runs out of steam and new plots are grafted on to keep things moving. The show does pick up towards the end but you can't recapture the earlier vibes. I would have much preferred the show to focus on the OTP and take them on more adventures and allow them to form a partnership that was always hinted at but never fully realised. If they did that, I can easily sit through 60 episodes, no problem. On the plus side, the acting is great all round and the fight scenes are good. The OTP is terrific. There were some issues with the OST earlier on but it was ok towards the end. I would definitely recommend it but if the exposition and cliché scheming gets too much then the fast forward button is recommended.Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Easy to watch teen dramedy
It is a short and easy to watch teen dramedy. Well, the bullying and general nasty behaviour of some of the characters are not so easy to watch but they all get their just dessert at the end so it is very satisfying. Throw in a few handsome young actors and you get a wholesome romance going in no time. My only negative point is that they labour the revenge plot a bit much and you have to say that that's a lot to happen in a quiet suburb school in a matter of weeks if not months. I understand that the writer wants us to see character growth and I appreciate that but in the end, the impact is weakened as you pretty much expect a happy ending and a resolution in every case. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed this and would recommend it.Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
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Great acting, story and sharp dialogues lifted this above the rest
This show has been a sleeper for me for a while. When I stumbled across it in Viki I thought, not another rom-com and moved on. I then saw some very positive reviews and got interested. How glad I gave this show a go. It is truly amazing! The acting is great but the writing is the true star. It is both tropey and original at the same time. There are so much content in this show that some of the sub plots could have powered a standard 16 episode drama. The plots all move along in their own space and intersect when required without confusion. The show is a true ensemble. You start with 4, 5 main characters and then more are introduced. They are not just throw away characters either but really fleshed out people with their own back stories and goals and motivations. There are no cardboard characters here, thank you very much. Pacing is spot on. When one plot takes a breather, the next scene amps it up with a complete switch of tone. You just don't know when it will be funny or sad but you will never be bored. The first episode is probably hardest to watch because so much happened but also explained so much of the show's dynamic relationships. At the end of that hour, you would have laughed, cried, be shocked and wanted a hug. You are all in or you are out. Because the show is about the k-drama world, it can get very meta and almost fourth wall breaking but that is the fun! There are so many references to other popular drama series and in jokes. For instance, towards the end, there is a scene of the first script reading of the in-show drama and all the key players are seated around the big table and introduced themselves. What fun the actors would have in real life doing that! That really gave me a chuckle. While every episode is good/great, the last one is a gem. It really took the whole idea to town. In one scene the director and writer sat down to a script review and talked about how their show should end and what should happen to their in-show drama characters/plots. They were saying "the viewers want this and that" or "they won't buy that", were they talking about us?! Are they talking about what we (the actual viewers) want?! So meta! Kudos to the writer-nim for keeping the progress of the story real. There are no magical happy ending(s) but there are positive developments. Some might led to a happy ending but we can't be sure but each key characters are spotlighted so that we have a sense of progression. With that approach, you feel satisfied like a late night ramen that just hits the spot. It might not be fine dining but you will be contended. Oh, BTW, don't miss the episode about farting and the in jokes about PPL. One final comment, as an English speaker, I have to really pay attention while watching, the dialogues are very important and a lot are elevated beyond banter into verbal jostling. They also speak very fast a lot of the time so you have even less time to read the sub (kudos to the sub-titlers, well done!). You can't just put it on in the background and glance at it from time to time. You will miss the best part of the show and probably much of the nuances. Be warned.Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
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Easy to watch show with some serious story telling issues
While this drama was easy to watch, it has some serious story telling issues. Yes, the OTP has chemistry and are good looking but it is not raw passion. The romance is a slooow burn with every bit of push-pull and misunderstanding style tropes thrown in just to prolong the journey. The final confession didn't happen until ep20 and the FL was still trying to wiggle out of admitting her feelings for the ML. Seriously, if they drag this out any longer, I would have dropped the show right there and then. Thankfully, they did acknowledge their love for each other and we get a few episodes where they were a happy couple. Of course, the well worn path of Chinese drama haunt us and we get the nasty plots to break them up and the forced separation. The annoying thing is that the writer seemed to start off writing one show and ended with another. The original setting of the school was fairly fresh and generated a lot of funny moments in the first 10 episodes or so. The interactions were easy and a role switch with all the female characters being strong and determined, welcoming. But by mid show, the story line is firmly back in well established romance/melo drama territory. Early set ups and back stories faded into the generic plot pool. The middle part of the show was so focused on the OTP's messy relationship that key events (like the tournament that was SO important) ended up going nowhere and had little impact. By the last third of the show, the writers seemed to have run out of steam on the OTP and a lot of screen time went to the support casts. It is not a bad thing as those relationships (we ended up with 3 more pairs!) is actually more interesting than the OTP by then. Their plot lines felt more real and organic in comparison. The down side to that is that it served to highlight how contrived and forced the main story line has become. Seriously, the last quarter of the show was a mess. Weak writing and awkward editing resulted in very odd tonal shifts. When they wheeled out the "Death Strike" as a deus ex machina plot device in ep33, I knew the writer(s) are in trouble. The lazy plotting also extended to how amazingly easy for the OTP to be manipulated to engineer their breakup. We did get an eleventh hour happy ending, no surprise there! I would have been a lot happier if they cut out a lot of the "will they, won't they" shenanigans in the last episode, get the OTP back together quickly and let the ensemble cast have some happy scenes together. That would have been a nice fan service. In the end, the show had a promising start but lost momentum mid way and it ended as a meh show. I was only going to rate it 6 but the support casts (love the cute kids) deserved a point for their efforts.Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Soulless rom-com that was a house of tropes and clichés
There are times when you live in hope that a show will turn the corner and get good. Well, after 13 episodes of this drama. I cannot see any light at the end of this tunnel so I dropped it. I have no doubt it is on course for a happy ending because it has to but it did not earn it.First of all, there is next to no plot. There is the much hyped animosity between two top idol/actors and that pretty much drove the story along. One idol will try to sabotage the ML and he will hit back with something. It is all about competing to be the top dog and play dirty to get there. As a villain, the other idol is laughable. He tried to act like some kind of evil mastermind but he is just not up to it (acting and plot wise). So the show is basically moments and scenarios being thrown together one after another. A change of scene, a cliché moment, maybe a gag accompanied by funny sound effects (just in case we missed it). Rinse and repeat. Most of it centred around feeble attempt by the ML to impress the FL. All the tropes and clichés are piled on top of each other in place of any real story telling. You can forget about PC or moral, this stuff roamed with the dinosaurs.
It is unavoidable that we have to talk about the acting. It is meh to bad. The longer I watched the antics of the ML, the more I'm convinced that he should stick to his day job as a singer. He is meant to be a famously handsome idol/actor and some of his scenes made me groan out loud, especially when he is supposed to be acting on sets of real dramas. The FL was ok but there is really little scope for her to act. There are also too many side characters and most of them are stereotypes of little consequence. There is so much overacting from the ensemble.
To be fair, I was actually entertained for a few episodes because all the acting was over the top so that it was like a parody but then after a dozen episodes, I realised that this is IT. This is all we are going to get. It was depressing.
Now we can talk about character growth. There is none (so far). Most of the characters are one dimensional. The FL is supposed to be well educated but she is a doormat and a wall flower (tough gig). She was blackmailed to become a slave, tutor and mother to the ML. The ML was a man-child who is rude, crude and insensitive (what else can he be?!). Yes, he did sort of changed a little because he wanted the FL to like him but this is not growth. He bounces all over the place with his desperate need to please the FL only to turn around and bark harshly when he is challenged about his feelings for the FL. Even after his "confession" he was so awkward to be around as the FL didn't even took him seriously and I don't blame her. I already talked about the villain(s). You have to either laugh or cry.
There is a little bit of skinship so far but I don't feel much chemistry between the leads. Yes, the Show pulled out all the tricks to push them together but I feel sorry for the FL for having to put up with the childish antics of the ML. I don't ship the CP and that is the kiss of death for any romantic drama in my book.
So please don't waste your time on this unless you are doing a case study or feel the need to suffer. For a moment I thought it might be so bad that it will become a cult classic but alas, no. May be it was created as a vehicle for someone or to fill a void in scheduling, in either case, a waste of resources. Peace out.
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Sweet quasi-fantasy healing drama improves over time
This Show works because of three things. Firstly, a well crafted script that is tropey but self aware enough to know not to pile on the clichés but works with the tropes instead. Secondly, the casting of the leads is perfect. The FL has done her fair share of dramas but her forte is a sassy girl with a heart of gold but a novice in love. She definitely has the titular role here. The ML is handsome with a bit of the bad boy vibe yet possessed enough vulnerability to make him likeable and relatable. Thirdly, the OTP has great chemistry. It is not just about the feels but they look comfortable and happy around each other so that you can believe that they are best friends as well as madly in love.I would have given this show an even higher score but for a few missteps. The start of the show is a bit weak and tropey. They steamrolled through a few plot holes to set up the main plot. It is just as well that the show improves as the story progresses or it would have been just another same-same quasi-fantasy rom-com. The fact that the show evolved into a poignant healing drama was unexpected and most welcomed. The production value is decent rather than high. Some of the set do look a bit low rent.
There is a lot of growth in the OTP but surprisingly, the 2OTP was the CP dragging their heels. Their development was definitely arrested and to be honest, a bit boring.
I think the FL really shines in this show. She displayed good emotional range and much of it feels genuine. Her interactions with the ML becomes more and more natural over time. The ML complimented her very well. Their swoon worthy moments are believable and even touching at times.
Of course, the fantasy element can complicate the plot but rather than just simply telling us to ask no questions because it is a fairy tale, the Show tries to give us a plausible explanation and a path forward. I appreciate that.
The last episode is total fan service and I really enjoyed it. The special speech in that episode was wonderful. I don't know if it was all scripted or some of it was ad-libbed but it feels natural, heartfelt and funny. Can't really ask for more.
The Show is sweet but not loaded with artificial sweeteners. It has a decent amount of skinship and it will lift your mood. . There are angsty bits but they are necessary to propel the story forward. Thankfully, there are no silly breakups, nasty parents or psycho ex's.
OST works well. Rewatch is not a chore. I would recommend this Show.
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Good try but too long
Full disclosure, I watched the K-drama original awhile ago so I do have a frame of reference for this review. I suppose the simple one sentence review is that it is not as good as the original. Why? That is a lot more complex and I'll try not to constantly refer to the original but some comparisons are unavoidable. LHZ's family as a whole was a missed opportunity. They could have done so much more with their characters. I do feel sorry for the 2ML, in this drama, he had the most emotional depth but the writers decided that the FL is going to reject him from day 1 and on to the bitter end. I'm ok if there is no wavering but there is so much opportunity for cute, witty banters but every encounter from the 2ML was brushed aside as a joke (that would make it the longest running gag for any drama!). I'm not sure what is the instruction the director gave to Peter Sheng but for most of the show, he was expressionless whether he was happy, angry or sad (maybe a little smile or a little frown). Most of the time, Just a stony face. I see so many ML played like that in c-dramas. They are handsome guys but you almost think that they are told not to emote so not to distract from the perfect model shot. Now the elephant in the room, Dilraba Dilmurat is a good actress but LHZ is a no win for her. The FL is suppose to be funny, competent but a bit awkward and she just came across as borderline annoying, a lot of it has to do with her speech pattern. In this version, she speaks very fast but rambles on about nothing most of the time which is distracting and tiring to watch. She should have been seen as a smart, bubbly person but a bit naive and trusting. There are glimpses of that but most are lost in her endless bumbling and rambling. Also, after the transformation, she did look beautiful in some scenes but a lot of the time she looked tired and she still has that posture where she is trying to look shorter/smaller. The chemistry between the OTP is ok and we are told endlessly that they are THE OTP but they just don't have the sparks flying. Speaking of chemistry, the bromance between the ML and the 2ML in the original was a joy to watch and so funny but in this case, there was just a hint but went nowhere. In a sense, that is this c-drama in a nutshell. The plot focus has shifted heavily towards saving the magazine and a lot of the nuisances became muted or lost. When you consider the original k-drama was only 16 episodes and packed in more humour, more drama and more growth, you know there are lots of empty space in the 40 episodes of this version. It is totally watchable but it could have been better. Finally, I actually really liked the editor-in-chief character in this version. She mixed eccentricity with sage like presence so well. I look forward to her appearance every time.Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
It's Okay to Not Be Okay
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Stop reading reviews. Just go and watch it!
A cursory check indicates that there are 50 pages of review on this drama to date so I shall not waste bandwidth in a detailed review but just provide a few succinct observations.To put it bluntly, this is an amazing healing drama. The setting, the story (and I mean story, not plot) and the acting from the ensemble cast are all superb. Our leads will make you swoon, laugh and cry.
However, this show is not for everyone. The presentation of mental health issues and persons with disabilities are subject matters fraught with challenges. Productions will never get it just "right". It is your own interpretation and your call. I respect that.
Ditto, the storytelling will be polarising as well. The setting is not strongly rooted in reality so there are times when you feel like you are watching a story within a story. Your mileage will differ.
There are some wrinkles in the plot. They are minor and might induce an occasional "eh?". The more you immerse into their world, the less you'd care.
Somehow I missed this show when it first aired. Better late than never! I can recommend this show unreservedly.
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Welcome to Ji Chang-wook!
Fans of small-town dramas will feel right at home here.To be fair, the village based plot doesn't start in earnest until a few episodes in but once in place, all the typical elements are on full display. Bucolic setting, tight knit community and "colourful" locals all slot in seamlessly.
It doesn't mean this drama is all sunshine and sea breezes, quite the contrary. The first few episodes can be titled, "How low can the FL go?". The simple answer is very low. Not only did her professional and personal life collapsed in Seoul but her troubles follow her back to her hometown on Jeju.
To be honest, the first few episodes are hard to watch. Not because of bad acting but it was an endless series of setbacks, angst and tears. There is little concrete reasoning behind her fall from grace other than the A-plot demands it. The problem is that the shouting and crying only got worse when she arrived home because now it involves the whole family unit and sundry other characters. It was surprisingly relentless when you consider this is supposed to be a rom-com.
Fear not, Ji Chang-wook is here! Our ML is the soothing influence, the voice of reason and the mirror for the FL to see the truth behind all the ill feelings and maltreatment she has suffered for years. Members of the 5 Eagles Brotherhood helped as well. They might not be the sharpest tool in the shed but their total dedication to Cho Sam-dal is a sight to behold and woe to anyone who stood in their way.
Thankfully, the feel of the series changes completely once the OTP acknowledge their feelings for each other. There is nothing a united village can't handle and while they still face challenges, we know they are just speed bumps on their road to success.
Speaking of romance, the OTP is always going to be front and centre, but it is relatively uneventful once they clear the air. The shaky romance between the eldest sister and her ex-husband is more engaging. Props to the actor playing the ex-husband. He could have been a typical spoiled heir, but he is so earnest and sweet that you just have to love him, warts and all. The scene with the cockroach is unmissable.
As I mentioned before, the show is angst heavy, but it is not well balanced. This is largely because the antagonist is light weight. There is no dastardly master plan. She got desperate and the fourth estate took care of the rest. She rode the tiger but have no idea how to get off. This also means the resolution, when it came, felt underdone. It closed the chapter but there is not a lot of satisfaction to be had.
The last EP is total fan service. There is a lot of lovely scenes that wrap up the various threads but the best one is probably the photo exhibition. It is a lot more about the ensemble cast of locals than the weather and it was very touching and uplifting.
All in all, it is an uplifting story that ticked a lot of boxes. Fans of JCW will rejoice. He is such a versatile actor nowadays. Honourable mention must go to Kim Mi-kyung. The veteran actor really gave us her all. Bravo!
Is it the best example of this genre, not quite. There are shows which nailed the formula better and/or the ensemble cast turned in better performances but it is good enough to earn my recommendation, for now. Enjoy!
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A perfectly engineered drama for mass consumption
Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed this show very much and I binge watched it from start to finish even though I have every intention to take it slow. That got me thinking, why did I do that?It might be serendipity when I just saw a YouTube video about fast food and how they are created by science to give us dopamine and endorphin hits as quickly as possible. The amount of salt, sugar, fat, etc are precisely controlled. It even goes as far as using highly processed ingredients that requires minimum effort to digest so you don’t feel sluggish after a meal. You just feel good and want more . . with fries.
So, if we were to engineer a drama equivalent for the massive Chinese audience what would we need?
• A lead that is long suffering, but s/he has a strong, righteous personality, and a backbone of steel so that s/he can rise above.
• A romantic counterpart who is the rock for the main protagonist to shelter against the worst. S/he will do enough to make his/her intention clear, but it will be a slow burn.
• An antagonist who is despicable but not totally evil. Just bad enough that we look forward to his/her fall from grace.
• A bunch of one-note side characters who will do the dirty work of the antagonist or trigger events and move the plot along.
• The main theme shall be growth and redemption. Angst will be under a tight rein. Hope and despair will be in fine balance. The big payoff will be at the end.
• It should not be an all consuming revenge drama as that will corrupt the leads. However, wrongs will be righted, and the wrongdoers will get their comeuppance.
• Solid actors who can breathe life into their roles.
• Above average production.
To put it simply, this is Alliance in a nutshell.
There are minor deviations. For instance, the 2FL is a little surprise package as she flipped from the classic SFL to become the BFF of the FL. I liked that and it was good to watch her grow and mature. However, some of her subplots are contrived. More suffering for the sake of suffering.
The despicable antagonist is front and centre. The array of side characters are armed and ready. There are some social commentaries, but none are particularly hard hitting nor unique.
Add solid actors, a quality production and we have all the ingredients for a binge worthy drama and that is exactly what we got.
The story of Alliance is ageless and boils down to watching the FL struggle up a greasy slope. She will slip back down and skin her knees repeatedly. We all know that the reward is at the top of that hill so we wait in anticipation.
This is where a good script helps. There is despair but it is not soul destroying. Emotional scenes are well acted but mostly at 7/8th level with rare boil-overs. There are occasional sparks of joy to keep our hopes up and swoon worthy moments to let us know romance is not dead.
It ebbs and flows but the outcome is largely preordained. Plots are designed to hit us with the feels, and they get the job done.
Is that a bad thing? Absolutely not. As consumers of dramas, we crave those type of shows. Maybe they are formulaic, and leaves only a fleeting impression but we shall be hungry for more. Peace out.
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24 episodes of fan service and 6 episodes of fillers
There are basically two ways to watch this show. Either as a fan of One and Only or a casual viewer. If you are in the first category then this is the best show ever and it will bring you joy and make you swoon again and again. If you are in the later group then you will not understand what all the fuss is about. You might enjoyed it as a romantic melodrama but you will more likely to find it slow, stilted and some scenes do not make much sense. A bit meh, to be honest.But credit where credit is due, the show is good. It is beautifully shot and definitely a high quality production. The sets, costumes, lighting designs are all top notch. Acting was great from the ensemble cast. However, to truly appreciate the plots, sentiments and nuisances of this show, you will need to have watched One and Only or at a minimum a decent knowledge of the backstory.
The reason is that the story is full of direct but more often, obscure references to the prequel. There are literally dozens of them. From names, locations, scenes, music, paintings, poems, food, everything. Yes, you can still enjoy the show without any of that knowledge but it will be like visiting a house full of people who are constantly telling in-jokes and laughing among themselves. You can still enjoy the drama as is but your enjoyment will increase ten folds if you are in on the jokes.
This reference spotting also extends to character spotting. Almost every named characters in the prequel have their counterpart in the present. Some have similar roles while others have their alignment flipped. The show even go as far as stating that the ML seemed to be surrounded by people who owed him a debt from their past lives (an old Chinese saying and quite true in this case).
This brings up an interesting point, the reason why the original book was split into two separate dramas is because it is a no-no to use reincarnation as a plot device in c-drama and this is how the Show got around this "problem". Dreams and references to One and Only is now fine because the FL worked on its dubbing (clever and done well) and the modern ML's is a descendant of the historical ML's clan. So everything is squared away and fated.
Honestly, fate is almost too weak a term to describe their romantic journey. We are talking divine intervention level stuff. From their meet-cute to their growing love for each other, it is all preordained. There is no doubt that our leads are in love. They only have eyes for each other and cannot live without each other once their paths are crossed. This made the rest of the plot seemed superficial. Ditto the 2OTP, they are a nice CP but barely made a splash compared to our leads.
In that sense, the FL is the star of the show. She actually provided the glue between all the subplots in both shows. Even in her modern incarnation, she still subconsciously kept a lot of her qualities from her past life. Her likes and dislikes are all reflecting her past life. Her poise is always graceful, a little ethereal and nothing faze her. She is decisive and forthright when it comes to their relationship. She is sweet and playful with the ML and the ML only. She basically lived two lives without realising it. Ditto for the ML but more subtly.
I suppose it is unavoidable that there would be at least one antagonist and I'm afraid he was not up to the task. He was really a sad and tortured soul who made mistakes and did stupid things which ended up hurting his loved ones more than the OTP. You can't really hate him but a weak, pitiful villain is only marginally better than not having one at all.
If a lot of dramas use the last episode as a reward for their loyal viewers and load it up with fan service, this Show went the whole nine yards and it is filled to the brim with fan service (and Easter eggs) from start to finish. It gave the fans everything the prequel could not. PDA, skinship, loved-up banters and everything swoon worthy. The last episode is particularly egregious but a fan wouldn't care less and is thankful.
OST was good but I think it was a bit overused as there were so many sweet moments that the love ballads were on constant rotation.
I would rewatch some of the sweet CP moments but skip the family dramas.
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A tale of love and healing told in a masterful way
When I write a review, I usually have some key points and highlight in mind so that it was a fairly straightforward list of likes and dislikes or particular problem with the plot/acting. I find it a lot harder to write about this show, the odd thing is that nothing super dramatic actually happened (other than the accident). Now, don't get me wrong. This is not a meaningless fluff. If anything, it was the exact opposite, it was a masterclass in storytelling. There is just so much to talk about.The core of this drama were healing, growth and regrets. Healing of wounds made by guilt, shame, envy, lost love and others. Growth in maturity, growth in acceptance, understanding and more. This was all done with consummate skill and dexterity. There were no dramatic set pieces, no shock revelations, no cliché breakups nor even a true villain! Yes, mistakes were made by a number of people but they were not evil. Regrets was a constant undertow and it was a powerful, yet invisible force that shaped so many character's behaviours and their lives.
In terms of acting, the M/FL were superb. Shin Hae Sun was great in Mr Queen and she was every bit as good here but in a more nuanced way. ML was a tortured soul whom you want to soothe and cheer for. The 2ML was so sweet, earnest and innocent. You'd cry and laugh at his antics. Your heart ached for him when you see how much he wanted to grow up but this would only bring heartaches. The support cast was a true ensemble. Jennifer(Lee Yoo Jung) was a standout both with her unique character, her heartbreaking backstory and ultimately her strength. 2ML's band of rowing bros were so much more than comic reliefs as they were the bedrock that he could anchor on when he was feeling adrift. The younger version of the 2 leads were fantastic and pulled their own weight.
The script and direction were superb. It will make you happy and sad in equal parts. There are so much love between the "family members" that you can feel the warmth through the screen. The show had many themes and motifs which was used time and time again in clever ways but always consistently. Symbolisms were the backbone to the narrative which allowed the show to remain grounded and not become overly sentimental and tropey. Even flashbacks that felt overused and tired in other shows were welcomed here.
The show was a journey. Akin to a designated path through an art gallery. We need to take our time to appreciate the curator's skill and be moved by the art. When we (and the show's characters) are ready then the show will let you move on in measured steps. The pacing was spot on.
It also had one of the best ending have seen in any drama. Time was taken to give every significant subplots and threads their dues. It was heart-warming and uplifting at the same time but countered by a tinch of sadness. I have re-watched the last hour twice already just to savour the feels.
Ultimately, the show made us think and appreciate how we have a choice. We can choose to be shaped by our memories and negative emotions or we can see beyond that and do what is right for us today and tomorrow. To grow and seek happiness bravely.
Don't Think! Fil!
Oh yes, the OST was very good and used well. Rewatch value is very high.
Please watch it and enjoy this beautiful journey.
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My Small Indeed Fortunate
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Rainbows and unicorns!
This is a rom-com that was big on romance. We are talking about the sweetest, purest type, not puppy love or confused feelings (that took 40 episodes to sort out) but undying love between mature, intelligent adults. Yes, it was tropey and had lots of cliché moments but love stories are the oldest stories ever told (well, shortly after "how I single-handedly killed the mammoth" one). The problem for modern audiences is that we are fed too many romantic shows that are trying too hard to be relevant. OTP going strong? We'll add the psycho ex-BF. Life too sweet? We'll add the evil Mother-in-Law. Drama for drama sake is a curse nowadays.This is why this show worked for me. It stayed focused on the main plot and added spices to make it interesting and developed the plot but never to the point where you facepalmed. It is dramaland after all so there were unrequited love and love triangles but they were dealt with sensibly and maturely. Peoples' feelings were hurt but they took it in their strides and moved on. Misunderstanding and jealousy were just islands in a sea of sweet love rather than the other way around.
It helped that the main actors were so good and they were playing roles appropriate to their age and style. Initially, I thought the ML was going to be the tropey cool, aloof male god type but I was so wrong. Before the end of the first episode he transformed into the most adorable love sick puppy and he stayed in character for the whole show!
I'm particularly happy with Fei Xing, I watched her in "Put your head on my shoulder" and she was a naïve college student back then and did well (not as good as this show). She was a trainee lawyer in this show and she had definitely matured and grew. This I'm so happy to see as I have seen other actors being type casted in the high school/college student roles and can't ever grow up. She looked beautiful in most scenes and both the chemistry and skinship with the ML were great and believable. Swoon!
The 2OTP were interesting too. Definitely had a more complicated relationship compared to the leads but it was good to see that they weren't standard pairing of the best friends just to park them somewhere while the OTP was put through hell and back. They had their significant moments and you could ship them easily. It was a bit of a shame that their storyline seemed to ran out of steam once they got together. Not that they didn't have more cute moments but I felt they had peaked.
All the support casts were good. They helped to move the plot along and give us the feels when it was warranted. Some of their banters were great and helped to bring us into their world.
OST was very good. Nice happy tunes and love songs to match the tone of the show. Rewatch is mandatory if you liked this show in the first place.
This was a sweet, warm and uplifting show. It never pretended to be a slice of real life. This was 100% fluff but what glorious fluff! There are positive messages but not preachy or straight out propaganda. Anyone who wanted angsts, break-ups, forced separations, evil plots should watch something else. Just leave me to binge this while eating a tub of chocolate ice cream. Bliss!
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