Linus
US/Poland
The only reason why the plot moved at all was because of a series of situations where people kept missing each other, or simply didn't connect the dots. All the information, people and props were there, but the script annoyingly made the characters miss all of that due to either bad timing or not enough questions. It's so common and so overused in kdramas that I couldn't get into the story at all. I'm sorry, but if you let someone stay in your house for the night or longer, wouldn't you try to ask as many questions as possible? The story had great potential, but I feel like it treated fate in a very non realistic way. It was almost suggesting that a tragedy is not a real tragedy unless all the characters involved are a part of the tragic past. The show could have had a deeper message, but totally failed to deliver. Seo Ri's story was tragic enough and could stand on its own without all the extra details. I can't stand how shallow it all ended up being.
Essentially, I had a tough time getting into this drama. It got better with time, but the pacing wasn't all that great. I also didn't particularly care about the characters (excluding Seo Ri) until about the 1/3 of the drama. To me, that points to the fact that the writing wasn't great. The show had some really sweet moments, but the sweetness couldn't compensate for the lack of the actual plot development. The characters were lovable but a bit simplistic. Also, as much as I liked Jennifer, did her character really need to be that weird?
The best things about this show were the characters, the acting of the leads and the music. The music in this show is beautiful. The classical pieces were beautifully woven into the story. Overall, I liked Thirty but Seventeen because it wasn't too angsty and there weren't too many mean characters or meddling family members, but I expected it to be a bit better.
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I liked the beginning of the show and I really liked the last couple of episodes, but I actually struggled to push through the middle part. Somewhere around 11- 16 episodes, I put the drama on hold. There just weren't enough events to really push the story forward and the funny moments weren't enough to keep me going. I didn't really feel like I need to know what is going to happen next.
I don't know why, but I wasn't a fan of the way how Dong Gu's character was written. I liked how he was supposed to be the counter balance for the happy-go-lucky Joon Ki and Doo Shik in the first couple of episodes, but I didn't like him being childish and petty around Yoon An later on. I also wasn't particularly fond of the love triangle in this show. Even though I can't deny that Waikiki has a lot of really funny moments, I found the humor to be a bit too slapstick for my taste. The bodily function humor and the rivalry between the two male leads just wasn't my cup of tea.
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I was a bit surprised reading the reviews of the show here on MDL, but it might be because I interpreted it differently than some other viewers.
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On The Way To The Airport
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The characters are so incredibly real. The people in this story are flawed, but relatable. I felt very invested in their lives. I liked all the main and the secondary characters in their own way. These could be my family members, friends or neighbors. I think that this story might be for a more mature audience, though, because it tackles a lot of issues that people in their 30s and 40s struggle with. The question of whether people have the right to be happy is not a trivial one because happiness comes at a high price in this show. Do people deserve a second chance after they made a mistake or not? Should mothers see themselves as women with needs or just parents? What constitutes a working marriage?
What makes this story even more intricate is the extraordinary connection plus sizzling chemistry that the two main leads develop very early on in the drama. Also, the cinematography is beautiful. The leads will only exchange a look and the screen seems to be burning. You feel their pain and their longing. Most of the actors did a great job in this show, but I feel like Lee Sang Yoon, Choi Yeo Yin and Shin Sung Rok were especially amazing. This show might be worth watching just to see Shin Sung Rok as another cold-hearted jerk (he was the bad guy in YWCFTS).
I honestly loved the story, but I can't give it a 10 because it was a bit slow at times. I generally enjoyed the slow pace, but the amount of flashbacks and fillers was a bit too much. I also found the idea of fate in the show a bit naive and too obvious from the start. Apart from that, it was a really good drama.
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The Heirs is one of those shows that is my guilty pleasure. It's like wearing a shirt that you love but everyone else hates: you know it's not flattering and it doesn't make you look sophisticated, but you just can't stop liking it nonetheless.
Objectively, The Heirs should be so- so. The story was the regular he was rich and she was poor; they can't be together but could love conquer it all? Top it with a couple of mean girls, preppy school for ridiculously rich, spoiled brats and the unavoidable love triangle, put in as many Kdrama cliches as you possibly can and give it a go. Objectively I know that the Heirs wasn't a masterpiece yet I had a ridiculous amount of fun watching it. Sure, it was stuffed with cliches like a Thanksgiving turkey, but most of the wrist-grabbing, love quibble scenes were just entertaining for me. I'll even admit that the story fell apart towards the end of the show and I ended up fast forwarding 2 episodes.
The acting was ok for me. It is probably true that Kim Woo Bin's acting stole the show. Once again, I can admit that he was the highlight of the show even though I didn't particularly love his character nor did he give me a bad case of second lead syndrome. Some people didn't like the acting of the female lead. Park Shin Hye has a particular style of acting that not everyone likes. She pretty much acted here the same way as she acted in other shows I saw her. Can't say she was worse here than in You're Beautiful or Pinocchio.
All in all, I just had fun watching it and this is ultimately why I watch Kdramas in the first place: to have fun.
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I couldn't decide on how to rate it for a day. There is something profoundly sad about this drama and it leaves you changed, even though the tone and the general message of it changes a bit later on. People say that it is a story about hope, but to be honest, I haven't seen hope in this drama. What I have seen is the power of people to dramatically change people's lives, be it for the better or worse. The vast majority of the characters had their life significantly influenced by other people's actions and those actions are what keeps them either going or being stuck in their lives. Then again, I do understand why some people see it that way.
Honestly, the story is about so many deep issues that there is no point listing them here. It is also very unique, even though it uses a lot of usual storytelling techniques and themes. It is a more mature drama in a way. The dialogues are intelligent and engaging, and the character development is so on point. The main story is amazing and engrossing. I also love Jun Hee's character and her story. At the same time, I didn't quite get into the brothers' side story. Also, the secondary romance in this show and the whole story of the actress wasn't interesting to me at all. Nara's character actually annoyed me here. Maybe I shouldn't even use the word secondary because, how some people pointed out, this is not a romance, although in some way I wish it was.
I can't say anything bad about the acting. All actors did a phenomenal job, but IU completely and utterly blew me away. What an outstanding performance.
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I did like the message of this drama. It's a touching story about friendship. I recently lost my closest childhood friend to cancer and this show really triggered an avalanche of emotions for me. I didn't expect this because of how the beginning was written. I am glad I watched it, though.
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I like the down to Earth portrayal of young adults in this. Relationships are messy. Good people sometimes leave or do unfair things, successful relationships fall apart, people find new partners etc. It's like the lead said: people meet, fall in love, leave and then meet someone new. It's possible that they get married solely to avoid this vicious cycle. Ultimately though, people crave intimacy, which also includes physical intimacy. I am so done with the story line in which 35 year olds have their shy first kiss because they were patiently waiting for their first love for 20 years. I love this movie for showing all shades of adult relationships. Yes, it is a movie with adult content and explicit sex scenes. I thought it was refreshing to finally see that in a Korean production. It's like Korean dramas have no problem dealing with sexual violence, corruption or murder, but are too scared to tackle sex in a real, mature way.
I felt that the characters were pretty multidimensional. The movie plays a trick on us: we root for a looser musician with no clear future and a woman so dissatisfied with her relationship that she is willing to cross lines that maybe should not be crossed. Even the beginning of their relationship is messy. If I had a situation like that happening between my friends, I would probably be very disturbed by that. Not so much in this film, though. The chemistry between those two is absolutely unbeatable. Even the conversations between the two leads were hot. However, what was even more intriguing was the deeper connection that slowly developed between the two.
Sure, the story is not groundbreaking and there are not millions of twists, but I don't think that there need to be. Fast pace ts not what makes this film unique.
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The story is very unique, but messy. It deals with different type of setting and conflicts than usual in kdramas. There are no love triangles and rich chaebols. Usual signs of being successful, such as money and a position, are somewhat meaningless in this story. It does deal with very popular high brow topics like honor, duty, death, love, friendship and connections, though. It is also very non-linear in the sense that it could be divided into several different episodes pulled together by the same characters.
The Korean actors gave a flawless performance. I can't even express how in love I was with Son Joon Ki's acting. However, I was deeply disappointed by the usage of the non-professional actors in this show. The Korean actors plus Argus were spectacular, but I couldn't help but cringe when I saw and heard the non-Korean characters in this show. I tried to get over it, but it honestly ruined a bunch of scenes for me. This show takes the cake for the worst acting by the non-Korean individuals up to date.
Some people say that the story was cheesy. I could agree with that; however, it was cheesy in the way that it makes you swoon, not in a way that makes you cringe. I honestly liked that about this show.
Best things about the show:
+ non-typical story
+ amazing male leads
+ good supporting role stories
+ no love triangle in the typical sense
+ great acting
+ very romantic moments
+ good mix of comedy, drama and romance
+ choices that are difficult to make
+ very limited usage of Kdrama cliches
+ another great bromance
+ eye candy
Weak spots:
- amateur actors (foreigners apart from the main bad guy)
- messy story
- stereotypical hero
- kind of old-fashioned idea of honor and duty
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However, when I read the criticism towards the show, I kind of agree with it. The story was too rushed and all over the place and it often lacked internal logic. It was too much, too soon. It would probably be much better if the writers took time to develop relationships and some reasonable pace for twists and turns. The first 3 to 4 episodes were absolute deabak and left me craving more of the same thing. Unfortunately, the story became a bit messy later on.
I also loved Han Hyo Joo's acting. I wish I could say more about Lee Jong Suk's acting, but honestly I can't since he kept distracting me with his good looks. I don't know if he is a good actor or just a good looking one. I'm not sure I would care either way, to be painfully honest.
All in all, I still totally recommend watching this show and seeing for yourself what the hype is about. I can't give it a high rewatch value mark, though, since the drama is about surprising twists and turns and once all the secrets are out it's just not the same when watching it again.
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The story is really nothing new. There is a love triangle set in a college, a rich guy, a mean pretty girl, family problems, a jerk, a lone wolf and all other tropes that typically show up in shows like that. The premise is slightly different with the plastic surgery and all, but the general tone reminds me very much of Sassy Go Go and Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo., which means: nothing new under the sun. On top of that, the show pretends that its message is that beauty is only skin-deep and shouldn't matter, yet the writing is too inconsistent to make really deliver this kind of message. For example, if we shouldn't focus on girls' looks, why is it ok that everyone, literally everyone, is interested in a super good looking male lead and completely ignores another male social outcast that resurfaces at the end of the show? The only difference between the two of them is that one is supposedly gorgeous and the other one is not. Also, it's not ok to publicly talk about the girls' looks yet objectifying DKS all the time is ok? There were a couple of more inconsistencies like that. Additionally, I didn't like how the show portrayed the vast majority of the male population at an elite college as a bunch of shallow jerks. That was kind of unfair and maybe even a bit sexists. I mean, even the secondary lead, who was a really nicely crafted character overall, was drawn to the FL purely because of her looks.
The acting very much depended on the individual actors, but I agree with all the criticism of the show that I'd read. The leads were sometimes very awkward together. I found it charming at times, but it got old. The ML was a bit wooden, and the FL looked so uncomfortable that in the beginning of the show it was uncomfortable to watch her on screen. In a way, I found it a bit refreshing, even though I doubt it was completely intentional on the part of the writers. It reminded me of Because This is the First Life. The leads were so awkward that it made it funny to watch them interact.
The music is on a cheesy side and not everybody will be a fan, but I didn't mind the corny tune that appeared whenever the leads shared another awkward moment.
With all of that, why would I give it such a high mark? Firstly, I can't explain why, but the show felt cute and fluffy, and it managed to pull me in without me even noticing in. The supporting characters probably had something to do with it. TA Yeon and Mi Rae's friend were such likable characters! There was enough variety in personalities among the college students that seeing the interactions between them was fun. I also absolutely loved the rivalry between the two guys. Many of their interactions were quite funny. The show also had a few pretty good comic relief characters, for example Mi Rae's father. This actor is gold in this show! Also, the mean girl isn't really too annoying in this show. This doesn't happen often. The other thing that was good for me was that there wasn't too much unnecessary drama in this show. Too much drama can spoil an otherwise fun production. I also appreciated seeing some more mature characters in this show such as the freshman representative who was a very reasonable and interesting character.
Generally, I seriously enjoyed watching this show despite many flaws I can point to. It will go on the list of my dramas that are my guilty pleasure.
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Because This is My First Life
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I would totally give it a 10 if not for the last 2 episodes. The drama managed to tug on my emotions, make me laugh, deal with difficult topics and avoid cliches and the usual, cookie-cutter dialogues. People say what they think in this drama save for one unfortunate secondary couple. It is really exhilarating to see a drama in which the characters say what you expect them to say. The drama is paced beautifully and even the 'love triangle' isn't really a love triangle in this.
I also love that this drama tackles the societal problems such as starting your life without means, not having enough money even when being successful, soul-sucking jobs, having dreams vs paying bills, sexual harassment and assault and personal oddities with such a unique perspective. I appreciated exposing and talking about those things in the open. The awkward, but honest social interactions between the main couple are gold. They will make you laugh and then feel sad at the same time. This drama is perfectly balanced in this regard. It is perfectly balanced to the 15th episode, that is. After that, I feel like the writers went for the more usual plot devices, which kind of ruined it for me. I understand what the writers were going for, but I'm not sure it was necessary. This is what made me drop a star from my rating.
All in all, it is a truly unique and beautiful drama.
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