happygirl95
Why this is a must watch drama:
1) The friendship between the 2 leads and among their classmates. From BFF to BGF, this is a fresh concept which I enjoyed alot. Nowadays dramas tend to be a little too unrealistic for me- I don't believe in 'I-love-you-once-I-see-you'. The BFF to BGF pace is just nice here, giving the drama a realistic touch.
The friendship between the classmates is a must watch too. I believe many viewers enjoyed the 'current-vs-past' concept. The 'present' scenes intersect the 'past' scenes at the correct moments, either adding on the the tension audience is holding or highlighting the fact that despite being 10 years later, friends will ALWAYS be friends. Nothing change. All the childish quarrels classmates have when they are teenagers (about idols) are dismissed. The 2 leads still share a 'predator-vs-prey' relationship lols. He still do the little things that seem insignificant but are not.
They might have matured, but they still hold the teenager bit in them. Eunji (I forgot her character's name) is still crazy over HOT even when she has a kid and is pregnant with another. Her fanatic actions are still prevalent, leaving her husband in despair. (those are the funny scenes!)
2) The highlight of the 1990's KPOP fandom and Korean sports arena, when HOT, ???? (forget the English name)and SES are the limelight, followed by DBSK. The era when there are no lightsticks but balloons, when fans have to really queue outside the bank and skip school to get the tickets (now we have the internet), when fanwars are literally fanwars (now different fan groups have 'fanwars' over the internet. It is alot 'darker' now!)
After watching i really appreciate how we can fangirl/boy over our idols with much ease with technology developments. We can purchase our tickets online, we can catch a glimpse of our idols through photos posted on the internet, taken by fans everyday, we are able to catch up with what our idols are up to blah blah blah. We tend to take these priveleges for granted at times.
But some things remain in the fandom though. Fanwars are still prevanlent, queuing for tickets overnight too, fans waiting outside their idols homes/hotels just to catch a glimpse of them.
I guess even if the world has developed economically, human mindsets (going all out for idols) just don't change that easily.
3) The fact that there are no bad characters. The parents are so jolly, especially that of Eunji's. So this drama is very lighthearted, we need not be frustrated over unreasonable mother/father-in-laws who are against our very much anticipated love.
4) Although there are many new actors/actresses, their acting is considerably good. So I can safely say they have the looks + skills!
5) The OST. Although it is very simple (I think only 1 song - 'All for you' sang by the 2 leads), it is enough to enhance the drama. The lyrics revolve around the leads relationship, and the melody is catchy.
This shows proves that a good show need not be one with fanciful OST sang by big shots, or a cast consisting of award-winning actors/actresses, or a director with excellent directing skills. Everything are just average, but it is how well these aspects (right choice of cast, OST, storyline, directing, acting etc) complement each other that make this drama so successful!
I strongly recommend KPOP fans to watch to increase our exposure on the 1990's KPOP arena which is not known to many these days. If not for these pioneer KPOP idols who set the base, the KPOP industry may not be as successful now. Drama fans will enjoy it too for its good storyline!
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I had always been Ariel Lin's fan. I love her acting in both seasons of 'It started with a kiss'. As expected, she not only did not disappoint me, but also gave me a refreshing side of her. It may be the first time she act as an office worker, and she had had portrayed her character very well! Her character is one which, if not portrayed well, will probably be seen as one who is very strong and unreasonable, but she managed to bring the cute and weak side of her character out too.
I had never watched any shows Chen Bo Lin participated in, but this show definitely left a deep impression of him. He successfully brought out the tender side of his character. It is no wonder so many viewers hope to have a 'Da Ren Ge' beside them! (including me hahas)
The story line and the script are very well written and plotted out. From BFF to BGF, the story left viewers to be always on the hold. 'omg when will they get together? When?When?' The lines are very well thought, we can tell the writer had sufficient knowledge of the troubles and worries a 30 year old woman has. I watched a video where the writer confessed she had inspiration from people around her. Thanks to her dedication, we have a good story and good script which brings out the characters and their relationships so well!
The OST is great. In fact i find the OSTs for this drama the best out of other taiwan dramas, in line with 'The Fierce Wife' The song and lyrics suit the drama so much. This is unlike many other dramas which just (almost) anyhow find songs to be their OSTs in my opinion.
I like how for each episode a message about 30 year old women is highlighted. Super cool! I look foward to every message for each episode!
Another highlight of this show is its marketing. Among so many taiwan and korean dramas, i feel that this show has the best marketing strategy! The facebook page for this drama is frequently updated, merchandise such as T-shirts, the script, water bottles are released for dedicated fans. Most important of all, its trailers are awesome. They never reveal too much of the story, but manage to tempt me to watch. I like the concept of the 'lion head' (those who watch will know what i mean). So cute with a meaning behind this concept! I even bought the limited edition script from Taiwan!
However, there are pitfalls. No drama is perfect. Maggie and one other supporting guy (forget his name) can do better. Well this show is the first show they participated in, so i can't blame them. Sunny could have done a better job too. But other experienced actors like the 2 mothers and the father, and even you qing's family had done a fantastic job, which off right the 3's understandard acting.
In all, this drama can be so successful because of the dedication the team (both backstage and actors) put in! Too good for a drama to miss! Plus, if you are a Singaporean, don't forget to catch the cameo of Jessica Liu and one other actor (forget his name, but he is famous). Also, >30% of the scenes are filmed in Singapore, featuring the airport, HDB flats, Little India, MBS, Singapore Flyer, the Merlion and many more singapore landmarks! It is so heart whelming to watch when our tiny red dot is featured in such an awesome production! >
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The main highlight of the drama is how it can successfully incorporate humour and wit into the urban context. Period and supernatural dramas are the popular ones these days. The audience taste is getting greedier. However this drama manage to be on par with those supernatural dramas despite its urban context and the fact that its leads are not idols but actors and actresses in their 40s and 30s (other than Me Ahri and CNBlue's Jonghyun).
I like the prolouges more than the actual drama though, I find them more conhesive and I like how in those few minutes, the deep friendship between the F44 and their thoughts of being in their 40s can be conveyed. Every prolouge portrays something different, and i never get bored from them! I especially like the one where Yoon’s wife pass away. Not much lines needed, but simply….. touching. It really cringes my heart. Although I have always preferred comedic scenes, this touching prologue wins hands down.
I personally like Yoon and Me Ahri’s love story more than the other 3. If only more emphasis can be given to their love story, i would have enjoyed the drama alot more. I admit i got so impatient that i skipped other characters’ parts to watch Me Ahri and Yoon’s scenes. Maybe because their love story is the most interesting and the most hard-to-get one, since they have the age factor and most importantly, the 'friend vs love' problem between yoon and tae san. It is also rare for dramas to have such a unique couple, and their scenes are very fresh to me.
The OSTs for this drama are not as impressive as that of Secret Garden though. The pace is not concise enough too, I almost lost interest halfway through. But this drama makes me reflect alot more than SG about the urban issues and problems we face which are very prominent in our urban lifes, which made up for the loopholes. It may not be so 'fairytale' like many supernatural dramas, but because of this very reason it is very fresh to watch. It feels good to be realistic for awhile and take a break from 'fairytales', where we see handsome and pretty leads all day which satisfy our tastes.
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