kate
if cliche romance is your thing, with a little bit of angst and drama and AMAZING acting, definitely watch this! it is worth the watch, even if just for the minor characters as i find they are the saving grace in this drama.
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Clean With Passion For Now
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Lost Pace
this drama started off so very well and i binged the first 13ish episodes, but after that i have to admit i changed the speed to x1.5 and started doing a lot of skipping forward.i wanted to praise the chemistry between the leads to no end, but felt much differently towards the end of the drama. it almost felt like the FL was forcing herself to be with him, despite the many episodes and times she's rejected him for no seemingly solid reason and appeared so offput by his advances. i get that it was supposed to be acting and covering up her true feelings, but unfortunately i don't think that was portrayed very well at all. not to say the acting was bad however, as i think they both came off very well in this.
the OST was perhaps a saving grace, as i thought it was really nice to listen to and added more feeling to moments that otherwise would've made me eye roll for the 50th time (the cringe was off the charts in this one).
the story kind of sucked, to be honest. i thought how they handled the ML's OCD was brilliant at the start - they gave a clear diagnosis and discussed therapy/treatment etc, without just making it a "quirky" personality trait like i've seen mental health portrayed as in other dramas. however, the fact that the FL was some kind of special cure-all, and then he goes to the US for two years and is suddenly completely fine is a little absurd to me. he'd already been sent to the US as a child and got no better, but now all of a sudden he's done a 180? huh? did the power of love cure his mental illness? again, eye roll.
overall, i'd say this is a good little drama if you're looking for something sweet and light-hearted to pass time, but the mind-boggling plot points and ways to halt the progress of their relationship that make no sense make this too frustrating for me to ever re-watch. i'd say it did start off very strongly though, and definitely has its funny and strong moments.
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wonderful progress
it warms my heart that such progress is being made for lgbt representation in kdrama. i hate the term "BL" and i don't usually even attempt to watch dramas such as this because they're usually overly sexualised and portrayed as some sort of perversion. however, i do think this strayed away from this a lot and i appreciate that it was short and wasn't dragged out with heaps of fanservice and unnecessary plot. the ending was rushed and no explanations were really made, but i'm ok with that. it was still history in the making and i was proud to witness it.onto the negatives, i guess? the acting wasn't the best i've ever seen. at times the leads didn't seem to have very good chemistry. one of the first scenes that stood out to me was the ear touching one? very awkward and cringe worthy. i don't think 'BL' always has to be about sexual chemistry... i HOPE the "top or bottom" joke was a mistranslation. why are gay couples always hypersexualised? i rarely see this in any other drama. i guess i should just be happy that progress is even being made at all... and hopefully this is a good building block for more to come.
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Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo
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Swag!
I can definitely see where the negative reviews are coming from, and would definitely check them out before starting this drama, as I'd say to enjoy this drama you have to at least be okay with a bit of cringe and sappiness. However, the way this drama handled that really appealed to me and so I'd say it's going down as one of my favourites!I loved the main actors (I loved most of the actors tbh, but especially the leads) so much and IMO their chemistry was what lead the show and kept me so hooked - right until the credits, which is something I'm not used to. I have some minor gripes of course (I have yet to find what I would consider a perfect drama), but I'd rather focus on the positives as I think many reviews on here have already tackled the negatives.
I LOVED the fact that there was no "glo-up" sequence. I was afraid that the whole weight loss clinic storyline would be used as a plot device to make her become within society's standards of what's "healthy" and "beautiful", but I'm pleased to say the FL kept her quirkiness throughout. Her passion for weight-lifting wasn't something she was made to feel ashamed of or something she felt like she had to drop in order to become more "girly". The ML, her friends and her family all supported her wholeheartedly and helped her see herself as a woman despite qualities some would perceive as manly, which I thought was a wonderful message to send to the young women watching. They also delved into MH issues, normalising counselling and getting help for your issues, which is something I rarely see done in dramas (cough cough IOTNBO).
I don't have much to say about the OST, as nothing really stood out to me, but I'm at least glad it wasn't used like it is in other dramas to the extent that I begin to hate a particular song. I dread to give any drama much more than a rating of 9, particularly such a light-hearted romcom, but I still consider this one of my favourites and recommend you watch it if that is indeed your thing.
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It's Okay to Not Be Okay
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Confused.
huh!? keep in mind ive dropped this drama after 8 episodes and may be lacking some major twists that magically make up for this drama's faults, so let me know if thats the case.im VERY confused by the fact that this drama appears to be romance driven and that many of its glowing 10/10 reviews are commenting on how "amazing" the romance aspect is. what aspect of it is beautiful to you guys? the FL using and manipulating the ML's autistic brother into living with her so the ML is then forced into joining them? the whole "i want him and i always get what i want" attitude that drives all of her horrible, shitty decisions and behaviour towards everyone that comes in her way? her blatant disregard for others and their feelings, despite how she expects others to accommodate hers? the way she stalks the ML at the beginning and harasses him until he gives in and cracks a smile? the second i saw him having a lovely little flashback to the time she tried to stab him, then skipping joyfully towards her and asking her to go on a trip together (only to then have her almost drive into a wall and kick him out the car because he mentioned having to look after his autistic brother) i knew i couldnt wait to see if there was some kind of reason for these behaviours.
mental health may be an explanation (although ive read from other reviews that the drama doesnt really end up addressing any diagnosis) but it certainly isnt an excuse for romanticising the relationship between the leads. whether she magically changes into a good person or not further down the road, id probably assume it was only because she'd finally gotten what she wanted and not because she'd faced any major consequences and had to reevaluate how she approaches similar situations in life... or god forbid, gotten some professional help. as someone who suffers from MH issues, seeing the FL distance herself from the ML and attempt to work on herself and her issues before them coming back together or even her learning how to live by herself, would have been wonderful and i would've enjoyed a story like that much more.
points up for the acting, visuals and the smooth transitions and editing. especially throughout the first few episodes. i also enjoyed the supporting characters, and would've loved to see their endings if not for the fact that the main story ruined it for me. the soundtrack was also great. i want to point out that im not criticising any of the actors here, as i think they all did a pretty wonderful job, but only the plot and decisions of their characters.
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Great idea. Average execution.
I think I should begin by of course applauding this drama for its activism, if it can be labelled as that. Kim Tony was a surprising addition to me, as I've never really seen a kdrama get so far into how black people are treated in SK. It was interesting, but only really dealt with in like 1 or 2 scenes and then Tony's character was doomed to fade into the background. I then have to talk about Hyun Yi, the transgender MTF character in the series. The actress is stunning, and was very good at making me feel for her character too. I loved her scenes, although I think at the end she ultimately met the same fate as Toni and faded into the background, as I guess her character was not deemed as important to expand on as the dreaded love triangle (square? more?). Another shame.Onto the main actors. Park Seo-Joon did amazingly well from the very start. His "crying" scenes pulled me out of it at times, but that's a minor criticism. The revenge plot is what had me so invested in this drama and what ultimately stopped me from dropping it a few episodes early, and it was ultimately the acting chops of Seo-Joon, Geun Won and Jang Dae Hee that had me on the edge of my seat at many times. The two villains were excellent at making me want to punch them both in the face. Perhaps a bit lame in how typically "evil" they were, but a joy to watch all the same. I only wish the drama had focused a little more on their storylines, especially towards the very end of the drama.
Jo Yi Seo and Oh Soo Ah. When Yi Seo came on the scene, I honestly loved her. She seemed very bad-ass. Shame they completely destroyed her character and made her into a lovesick fool, much like Sae Ro Yi. I don't even want to talk about the love triangle too much, as it annoyed me to no end. It took over all other plot by the end and made everything else seem unimportant. Sae Ro Yi rejects Yi Seo all series long and shows no genuine interest in her, then in the course of 30 minutes falls irreversibly in love with her and coldly rejects the woman he's held on a string for the past 15 years, proceeding to have flashback upon flashback of their time together (I've already watched the series - I don't need to see it all again in flashbacks when we're reaching the climax of the show?) and seemingly leave all his dreams of revenge behind for her all of a sudden. The actors also show no real chemistry, making the pairing cringe-worthy to say the least. I actually ended up wanting him to be with Soo Ah, especially after finding out she'd spent the last 10 years compiling information to help the guy who just threw her to the side like she meant nothing lmao.
I can't keep going on like this or I'll be here all day. To summarise, the revenge plot is a great one and the drama starts of very well, but as usual with many many dramas, the awful romance overtakes it and ruins the character development of all characters involved (I refuse to discuss Geun Soo, my baby). I definitely wouldn't re-watch this, although i will say i rated it so highly for its really good start. plus the ost.
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i really enjoyed the beginning of this drama. i loved the concept and actors, as well as the chemistry between many of them. however, then the cliche train smacked in full force. the scarf scene? ahhh i couldnt even watch it. the singing at the end in front of the grandma? why!? why were many of these scenes necessary? imo the cringe just cheapens the pretty impactful story of weight gain and loss that came before it.
the acting was great and the music was also pretty nice, but i would definitely never watch it again. i watched the last few episodes on a 1.5x speed because 99% of them were filled with flashbacks of the show i literally just sat and watched? like what!? crazy.
the ending also didnt sit too well with me. this guy's future wife greets him, pregnant with twins, and to his concern (and horror) shes regained weight and he drags her away so they can exercise immediately? im sure it was supposed to be comedic, but cmon. what a sour note to leave it on. apparently weight gain is disgusting even when due to literal pregnancy? noted.
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now onto the negatives. i can't talk about this drama without mentioning its never-ending looped soundtrack. seriously. the same few songs play over and over and over again - to the point of them losing all meaning when used over a dramatic scene to convey meaning. the songs themselves aren't bad... but you may just want to bang your head against a wall after hearing "No Direction" for the 5 millionth time. moreover, the constant repetition of the scenes with the ex and the main characters' fathers sitting down and plotting ways for them to be married despite her having already broken up with him and moved on with someone else is tiring to say the least. i think they could've come up with a more interesting conflict to cover the latter half of the drama. it was just ridiculous after a certain point, as you knew it was never going to work and was just a waste of screen time.
despite my little rant, i would still say this drama is well-worth the watch. perhaps not the best one out there, but still filled with many sweet and heart warming moments that i would like to think outweigh the bad.
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So disappointing I'm considering dropping it. The plot had SO MUCH potential, and the first few episodes blew me away. However, like with many kdrama, everything goes out the window to make way for the romance. I'm 11 episodes in and no one has attempted to do anything to save Dan-o's life so far. Every single episode is revolving around Dan-o being obsessed with Haru and their past and present romance. Don't even get me started on Baek Gyeong. The actor does an amazing job at portraying him and I'd say his character is one of the saving graces of this show. However, it's so clearly obvious that he will never stand a chance against Haru and my question is... why!? Haru is probably one of the most boring characters I have ever come across in my life. His whole life and existence revolves around Dan-o and he literally has no life or personality other than that. How am I supposed to root for that, compared to a passionate second lead? Ahhhh this show is driving me insane! Don't even get me started on Ju-da, Do-hwa and Namju because I will be here for another 100 years. The choices made in this kdrama are baffling. They could've done something so interesting with this plot, yet they turned it into another mindless romance and took all the life out of its characters. I really don't think I can finish this one.
On a brighter note, I give props to the actors and the original concept. I also think it has a pretty nice soundtrack. I think if romance is your thing and you don't mind every other aspect of the plot suffering for it, and you can also put up with the cringe, this may actually appeal to you.
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