michelleoc
Contract Love From Today
1 mensen vonden deze beoordeling nuttig
Easy watch
This was a quick binge watch of easy sweetness. You know how you sometimes just want to watch something purely for enjoyment's sake, not having to think too much, keeping characters straight or being let down by a confusing or open-ended conclusion? That's what I found here. For the first time in a long time, I looked forward to watching the next episode in a show. Call me superficial, but there you have it.The story surely wasn't anything that we haven't seen a million times before, but there was something so endearing about the characters here. I thought the actors all did an adequate job, these weren't roles that required a lot of acting skill, so I'll address the characters themselves. I find that, for the most part, when I watch something, I have to care about at least someone, to want to see what is going to happen to them and how they are going to develop. I found that in this show.
Seung Min - your "average Joe". This was a character that was not popular, not unpopular, but just someone that no one would give a second thought to. He was perfectly content to like Ji Na from afar. I liked how the character was not a social outcast and how he just seemed to feel comfortable in his own skin. And once the contract began, I really enjoyed watching his enjoyment of being a boyfriend. He was excellent boyfriend material, and he did some very sweet things for and with Ji Na. The couple of interactions he had with his dad were sweet as well.
Ji Na - the popular idol trainee. Beautiful, sure. At the beginning she seemed lonely to me. She had a couple of friends but the way it was filmed, we saw that everyone else just watched her from afar. I think she was popular for how she looked, not for who she was. She was nice and didn't seem to bask in her popularity.
Hyung Tak - the baseball jock, inconsiderate boyfriend. Even though he thought that Ji Na couldn't possibly like someone else, I really liked this character and the way that he matured. You never know what you have until it's gone.
Han Na - though she looked like she had just sucked on a lemon for most of the show, this was a character that I just wanted to slap. Toxic.
Ba Ul - This character was all kinds of over-the-top. Initially, it was off-putting, but then I got used to him and enjoyed his cuteness.
Min Ji - the friendly, supportive best friend. Sweetness and light and enjoying Ba Ul.
So, this isn't a show that's going to tax your brain or change the world in any way, but I found it to be a fun and peaceful watch. I laughed, I teared up, and I'm glad I took the time for it.
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Tsundere and girl with no self-esteem
I'm not going to reiterate the other reviewers. For me, the rating is mostly for being able to look at Dori Sakurada - oh, my goodness! That said, there really wasn't too much of a story line, other than repeating over and over and over again how low the girl's self-esteem was. I was so tired of "I'm not good enough for him". Actually, she said that so much I had to agree with her. She never even really talked to him so I don't get how they could be in love. He was aggressive, which if she was as innocent as she kept talking about, she would have run for the hills. I just kept waiting for her to get a spine, and it never really happened.Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Deze recentie kan spoilers bevatten
Kim Soo Hyun is magnetic
Likes:1) First and foremost, Kim Soo Hyun. It's like he's got a tractor beam engaged any time he is on screen. My focus was solely on him. To become enmeshed in a country and environment that are not your own, for years at a time, to completely blend in, I could feel his loneliness. And yes, he will always be associated with green track suits! His cameo in Crash Landing on You was hysterical. Hopefully it brought new people to watch this movie after seeing it.
2) I felt that the storyline was original and well-executed.
Dislikes:
1) The ending. Granted, I think it ended the way it had to, but it left me with a blanket of sadness, and I really don't like to be sad!
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Deze recentie kan spoilers bevatten
Take me to France!
BEAUTIFUL scenery - it made me want to hop a plane for France! The cast was good. I especially liked the developing friendship between the older woman and the shopping girl. When the older woman smiles, so cute! I didn't care about the father/daughter storyline. The main couple were cute. I rated it lower because of the premarital sex, that's just a personal bias of mine.This wasn't your typical Korean drama. Often, when you have multiple characters, the stories are very surface, and you don't have time to know more about them. That was not the case here. I'll say again, it made me want to go on vacation!
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Secretary Bai Wants to Resign Everyday
1 mensen vonden deze beoordeling nuttig
Poor sound, editing and acting
I came across this last night and started watching it without knowing anything about it. Initially it gave off a What's Wrong with Secretary Kim -vibe, but then moved to Groundhog Day. Secretary Bai wanted to resign because she hated her boss with a passion but was frustrated by being stuck in a time loop and reliving the same day over and over again. She learns how to anticipate the needs of everyone because she's already lived each circumstance of the day. It's a cute premise, but not well-executed. The sound production is awful! The sound cuts out suddenly periodically, sometimes it becomes loud, and often the voices sound like they are coming from a tunnel. The "special effects" with the elevator were awful. The way it was edited was odd too. Sometimes we saw how she changed things, sometimes we didn't. Quick cutaways that were jarring "oh, I guess we're moving on". It really felt like I was watching a movie of an amateur that had some free time and just decided to make a movie.The ML was a complete narcissistic jerk. Apparently, he acted the way he did because he's liked his secretary all this time...sure, it makes sense to make her life a living hell, that'll prove you like her.
I do have to say that the last 10-15 minutes of it are cute, once his true feelings are known.
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
I'm glad I stuck with it!
It was a rocky start for me. Four things almost made me give up early on.1) Joseph Zeng in the lead as Lu Zhao Yi - I wasn't too sure. He seemed inordinately young, not only to tackle the part of the male lead, but he's supposedly the company president? I put aside my pre-conceived notions and settled in and he was absolutely one of the high points of the show.
2) Liang Jie as FL Ye Shi Lan - I found her character to be very unlikeable at the beginning. Cold, hard - thankfully that didn't last long.
3) She's a pediatrician but she works as his assistant?! Wow, I SERIOUSLY had to suspend disbelief here.
4) Typical Chinese slow-moving script. I felt that it struggled to find its footing in the beginning, but once the two leads started interacting, all was forgiven.
However, once I got involved with these characters (and the script, for the most part), I was in love. And there were SO many reasons why:
1) The main couple was just so darn cute. Really, I really appreciated the script writers here, in that they showed a natural relationship progression. We got the initial misunderstanding (which was taken care of quickly), which was followed by being able to watch them become friends, and then more. I really appreciated that we knew they liked each other before they did, that made it even more fun. There was a lot of heart and a lot of humor with these two. I felt that their chemistry was realistic and amazing. Good kisses and not a lot of push and pull between the two.
2) Zhou Zi Han as Kevin and Li Lin Fei as Yao Jia Jia - as friends of the main couple they were supportive and likeable. But once they got involved with one another? Oh my gosh, I loved their screen time as well. Even though his facial expression never changed much, you could feel his emotions. He had a kind of secret hobby that brought him into her sphere, thankfully. And her? She was the sweetest, most supportive friend, and she was just precious, with her cute hairstyles and that beautiful smile. I loved watching these two get to know each other, again developing a friendship first, before moving forward.
3) I smiled through most of this. It was very low angst, which I always appreciate.
There were just as many things that this show DIDN'T have which made me like it:
1) No evil ex-girlfriend trying to get back with him.
2) No evil parents trying to break them up.
3) No constant making up/breaking up/misunderstandings. Let's be honest, most romances have a certain amount of buildup, but then they spend more time apart than together. Not here. There was only one "fake" break up, and it kind of made sense and didn't go on forever.
4) No time jumps.
So, I'd say, if you want a feel-good show, with two healthy relationships and a lot of heart, you really should try this one.
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Relaxing movie
This is a movie to watch if you don't want to have to think about anything. There's no plot to keep track of, angst is low, there isn't a large cast with multiple plots going on. I have to say, I liked it okay for what it was. Being a movie, it moves on pretty quickly with no dragging; however, I didn't feel too emotionally invested in any of the characters.It was the typical school story of bullying the weak, the hero comes to save the day, they fall in love. I was irritated by the FL apologizing all the time, because it appeared to me that she was apologizing for existing. I did like that they didn't have the ML calling the FL names, as so often happens in J-dramas.
It was basically a short, easy watch while I look for a different show to invest my time and energy in.
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Deze recentie kan spoilers bevatten
Frustration abounded for me
Let me start with what I liked and go from there. I REALLY liked the relationship between Dong Man and Ae Ra. They've been close friends for over 20 years. Theirs was the kind of relationship that they could hit each other, call each other names, and make fun of each other, but if someone else tries it? Then their fighting spirit comes out. They lived next door to one another, ate together, drank together, and hung out together. I loved their bickering. They brought out the worst, and yet the best, in each other. They were a joy to watch and there was a lot of comedy. Park Seo Joon impressed me, he had the body of a grown man, but emotionally he had some growing to do - his immaturity was endearing. I also enjoyed watching them interact once they developed feelings (or recognized) their feelings for one another. Suddenly they were uncomfortable with one another and very aware of what they were wearing and what they said to each other. Just a cute, cute couple. If they had stuck with them, I think I would have enjoyed the show a lot more. Instead:Second couple. Joo Man and Seol Hee were good friends of the main couple, and as their friends they were fine. But I REALLY had a difficult time with them as a couple. He's a salary man trying just to survive. Her whole goal in life, for most of the show is to just be with Joo Man. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but she appeared to not have any thought outside of Joo Man. They had been together for six years, his family was terrible to her, and he kept getting upset at how nice she was to him. I also didn't like that the costume designers put her in the most frumpy, unattractive clothes. I felt like Seol Hee thought that since she had this boyfriend, she didn't have to try to look good anymore. I really felt like she was just living through him, and whatever he wanted to do, she just went along with it.
Then we had not one, but TWO ladies that were willing to do whatever they needed to in order to get their man. These people bother me in dramas, so to have two was doubly irritating. "I broke up with him years ago, but now I'm back so step aside, because OF COURSE he's going to prefer me over you." Ugh! These characters not only make themselves look bag, but they also make the male characters appear weak, because they don't say or do enough to discourage the women. In the case of this drama, I think both women needed a restraining order against them. And then to call a meeting with the offended party to apologize, yet say that they just couldn't help themselves, they just like the guy so much. There was too much screen time spent with these irritating women.
Adding unnecessary storylines. There's the mystery woman upstairs. I felt that it was just something unnecessarily added to the mix, as well as the doctor that liked Ae Ra (what a douchebag!) Granted, it was terrific casting - with Choi Woo Shik's sweet and innocent face, his ultimate behavior was a surprise! The creepy producer friend - ultimately did a good thing but spent every time he was on screen being creepy.
I had one problem with the main couple, which was unfortunately toward the end of the show, so it left a bad taste in my mouth. Her giving him an ultimatum, "Give up fighting or I won't see you anymore." The man had no other dream! There was nothing else he was able to or wanted to do. And giving an ultimatum like that just seemed so immature and non-supportive. I get that she was afraid of him getting hurt, but it was his passion. Think of a way to make it work - maybe don't be an announcer at his fights or something.
Bottom line, I loved watching the main couple and could have done without everyone else. Oh, there was one other plus for me - hearing BTS Fire every time Dong Man was getting ready to fight!
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Joseon Psychiatrist Yoo Se Poong
1 mensen vonden deze beoordeling nuttig
Hmmm, I thought it was a little all over the place
First, I'll say I'm not a big fan of historical dramas. Though the costuming is beautiful, I sometimes find it distracting. So many of the men look alike, between the hats and the facial man-pubes, just not attractive. Then there's always the typical palace intrigue -the same plot line dropped into every historical drama. It's superficial, I know, but there it is.This is a difficult review for me to write, because my likes and dislikes seem to be so intertwined, but I'll do my best.
LIKES:
-Ahn Chang Hwan as Poong's servant/companion/champion/friend - This was a wonderful character. Used mostly for comedy relief, my interest was piqued each time he was on the screen.
-Some beautiful filming - especially the women's festival with the fireworks and the swing. It was used as a hook toward the very beginning, and I kept hoping for more. I had to be satisfied with the beautiful landscaping.
-Kim Min Jae as Poong and Kim Hyang Gi as Seo Eun Woo. They were marvelous together. There was mutual respect there.
-The people of the medical community/village - found family. The bonding between the characters, how they had each other's backs, how they talked through crimes together. A lot of comedy, but the love shone through.
-The music was used effectively.
-Solving multiple cases. I liked how it wasn't JUST palace intrigue, but they solved a new case every couple of episodes.
-I liked that the main characters called each other by name (she may not have, I can't remember), but he did. I realize it's a cultural thing, but it always bothers me when two characters get romantically involved and she still calls him Mr./Director, etc.
COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:
-I am NOT liking this trend of having multiple seasons. It makes the show seem draggy in a lot of ways, because they need to milk it for all it's worth just to continue in a new season.
-Hated the ending. Again, I know there's another season, but it was so lackluster.
-The show felt uneven to me. There were so many lighthearted moments, but then in the last three or four episodes it turned to full-on melodrama. I don't like melodrama, but that's just me. I fast forwarded though a lot of the last few episodes.
-Romance is listed way down on the tags, as it should be, but scenes that you see advertising the show focus on the romance, like they are trying to sell it as a romance. So, as a romance lover, I was disappointed in the storyline. I couldn't even call this a slow burn romance. Not only did romance take a backseat to all the intrigues, it wasn't even in the car!
-So many evil characters, and the main bad guy was so over-the-top he seemed like a caricature of a bad guy. I kept expecting him to twirl his moustache like cartoon bad guys do.
-An awful lot of abuse by parents to children. This is hard for me to watch.
-The name of this drama really bothered me for some reason. This was more like a CSI-type show. They did mention underlying reasons for what was going on with people (anger, despair, etc.), but then moved back into the acupuncture jargon.
-Overacting by the granny. I realize she was supposed to have dementia, but her constant yelling and dancing was very distracting.
-So, basically by working with Poong for a week or so, Eun Woo was a doctor?!?! I know that the standards were different back then, but sheesh!
So, I'd say give it a try, especially if you are a historical drama fan. It did have a lot going for it, but it definitely didn't leave me feeling satisfied, especially knowing now I have to watch the new season, just to see what happens.
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
FUN!
SJS - love him in anything! That serious demeanor with the mushy center - gets me every time! I LOVED this series! Lots of comedy, lots of drama. I loved the guy speaking in Korean and switching to English, that cracked me up. These two characters had to go through so much to be together and I was loving being on the journey with them.There were some very romantic scenes in this show, which I always appreciate. I loved the main characters, but I also loved the rest of the cast, the friendships they built. I have watched this show numerous times, especially after I've suffered through a few "not so good" shows, and it's like seeing old friends again.
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Touching stories
I loved the different story lines and the back stories they told about the deceased. There was something so sad about each story - life circumstances, dying alone, that really got to me. I do wish they had covered a more diverse socioeconomic aspect of the deaths, they all seemed to have died in squalor, which made things even more sad.Lee Se Hoon as Cho Sang Gu was believable as someone on the spectrum, though I felt he made more eye contact and was more engaged than people with Asperger's are usually. I do wish they had tried to figure out a way for us to get to know him better. We got to know his story, which I loved, but I didn't know him any better at the end than I did at the beginning.
Ji Jin Hee as Sang Gu's father was wonderful. The character was well-written, and he played him with such love. I enjoyed their scenes together throughout the whole series. Maybe that was the only way we could get to know Sang Gu, to see his interactions with his father even at the end of the show.
Tang Jun San as Sang Gu's uncle was excellent. A man with a violent, lonely and troubled past is thrown into a family and he doesn't quite know what to do. His character arc was wonderful, and for the most part, he played him in a very understated way, letting us feel his emotions through his body language, his facial, and his eyes. That tough guy exterior with the squishy inside is so fun to watch, especially when that person has no idea what to do with those emotions.
My complaints? 1) Is there a reason to drop the F bomb so much, especially when the guy is saying "Aish". We get the idea. I know that most people don't seem to be bothered by language, but I don't like it. 2) The cage fighting boss got away - possibly for a second season? I'm hoping not, that was my least favorite storyline. 3) Abrupt open ending. Again, possibly for a second season.
Overall, this was a quiet, emotional watch for me.
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Short and basic
I tend to get excited when I come across a show with fewer episodes, as so many of the dramas have an inordinate amount of filler. Unfortunately, for me, this one was only able to scratch the surface of the characters and their personalities. The relationship between the father and daughter was very sweet, but the romance between the main couple was very lacking. The anxiety issues of the female lead moved along at a very quick rate, from being crippling to being totally fine, without really working through the issue completely, because of time constraints.I enjoyed watching both of the actors, but I just wish the story had time to develop their relationship better.
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Light, surface story
There isn't a lot of depth to this story. It's short - only 10 episodes. If you're looking for some serious skinship, this is the show for you. I appreciated the skinship, but I didn't feel emotionally invested in the story, because we didn't really learn enough about the characters to feel anything for them. Two boys liked the FL in high school (why? Because she was pretty? That's the impression I got. It certainly wasn't because of any interactions that they had with one another). They meet 10 years later, and the same two men are still in love with the woman.The FL did a lot of pouting, which was supposed to be sexy maybe? There really wasn't anything happening, drama-wise to create tension and move the story along. There was a moment when she said she might be leaving the country. The ML was like, "Oh, okay." The ending was abrupt.
So, overall, not a bad watch, but just not much there.
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Slow, quiet movie
The pace of this movie was very slow and quiet. We get a look into the lives of two people that are living thousands of miles apart, and how destiny brings them together. I guess you could call this a 'hate to love' story. Having someone disturb your sleep, talk to you inside your head, and try to sabotage your life can't be easy or fun. There were some cute scenes of them messing with the other's lives. But then a bond is forged, a rhythm is established, and they learn and grow from one another.What happens if that bond gets broken somehow? This movie addresses this, though I didn't think it was in the most clear-cut way.
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
As good as season 1, except for the plot holes
The story was full of twists and turns, but there were so very, very many names to keep track of! Each bad guy was worse than the last and it seemed like every sentence named at least three people. Lots of corruption, which you get used to seeing in Korean dramas, but this one, by the end of the series, people that had been in prison for serious crimes got out scott-free. That was bothersome to me. There was also a storyline where a young woman had a crush on Ji Hyuk - this went on for multiple episodes, and then she fell off the face of the earth. I would like a season three, with more focus on a specific number of characters, rather than just throwing everything but the kitchen sink in.I LOVED the relationships between the cops. Lots of humor and heart were put into their storylines. One thing I especially appreciated was the way that Oh Ji Hyuk was written (both in season one and season two). I loved that they didn't have him become stupid over a woman. He always had a plan and the character stayed true to himself throughout.
Special kudos, in my opinion go out to Kim Hyo Kin as Cheon Na Na and Choi Dae Hoon as Cheon Sang Woo. Hyo Kin was brilliant as Na Na, my eyes were trained on her in every scene she was in. I would have liked to see her further lose control at the end, that part felt very rushed. Dae Hoon as Sang Woo. I loved him in Crash Landing on You, and he played a completely different character here. He, too, had a lot of chilling moments. Unfortunately, it wasn't until the end when we got to see a little of his playfulness, and I would have liked to have seen more.
Park Geun Hyung as Jung In Beom as the grandfather - I want to be related to him! I love the respect that Do Chang and his ward had for him. Those scenes were lovely.
I did enjoy watching this show, but I couldn't binge it, because each episode made me a nervous wreck! It was time well-spent.
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
