purtysunshine
The Void
But that all quickly went downhill when the Big Misunderstanding that plagues many dramas hit and not only was it really not executed well, but suddenly everything just kind of fell apart. The writing was mediocre at best, the acting was cringe-worthy, the story was less than exciting, and I really did not care much for the leads anymore. Such a pity! There were still a few shining moments in the later episodes that tried to bring back a little of that initial charm this drama had but overall: I was over it.
I was also not a fan of the ending. It was a really frustrating and confusing last episode that did not leave me satisfied at all. The very end itself was awkward and didn't make sense. Whatever.
I can't completely say it isn't worth a watch, since as mentioned before the first half was really, really good. It might also be a little better if you can just binge your way through it in it's entirety without having to break for new episodes later on as I did. *insert shrugging emoji here*
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However, the 20 episodes leading up to them were largely very boring. There were great moments of bromance, humor, and even some just all around aesthetically pleasing scenes, but a majority of the screen-time was focused on politics and it was just so boring because I already knew what was coming. I wish we had focused more on the characters earlier on since they are so, so great. Eugene Choi, Goo Dong Mae, and Kim Hee Sung had me rooting for them the entire time...and not just to "get the girl" but to be successful in whatever direction their lives were going because they all were so genuine and had such depth.
Go Ae Shin is one of my all time favorite leading ladies. She isn't your typical lead at all and I love how she took her destiny into her own hands. She was strong, funny, and cute all at once so it did not surprise me in the least that all three guys mentioned above were smitten with her (as opposed to many a drama where I can't figure out why guys are falling left and right for the heroin). Kim Tae Ri was fantastic and I give her so many props for standing next to Lee Byung Hun and holding her own, it really shows how talented she is as an actress.
I think when I first started watching Mr. Sunshine I was disappointed because it wasn't really what I expected from writer Kim Eun Sook. Some of her trademark elements were there (especially when it came to the bromance/humor) but overall it just wasn't what I wanted it to be so I was upset. Once I got over that though and was able to watch the drama for what it was instead, I was able to appreciate it much more. This time period is made for epic stories and is so emotional and tragic. Every time I watch a drama or movie that takes place during this era I feel for the Korean people so hard. Having lived in South Korea, I've witnessed first hand the effect the terrible things that happened during the Japanese Occupation has had even today...there is still a huge scar. Mr. Sunshine in particular was an interesting story because it started right before the occupation, instead of in the heat of it as other shows I've seen previously have. That made it even harder to watch because you can see all the pieces falling into place leading up to this horrible time period you know is coming. So while watching, I knew exactly how it would all end. In a way, that made finishing this drama easier. I won't lie and say I still didn't bawl my eyes out...but at least I was expecting it. I still have some issues with the way certain things went down (not *what* happened so much as *how*) for our characters here but overall, I'm satisfied.
Conclusion: watch it for it's historical significance, beautiful cinematography, and lovable characters. Be patient with the story. Bring a box of tissues.
Ps. Was anyone else expecting Gakshital to just show up in the end? How epic would that have been?? (haha).
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It wasn’t so much that I felt like the wrong couple was together in the end as it seemed like the drama was edging us on in a different direction so I felt rather betrayed.
Having said that, it was a good watch and I highly encourage you to spoil who the OTP is for yourself before you go all in so that you don’t have to go through the crushing disappointment I did.
That aside, the story is pretty interesting. It definitely highlights some issues we have of our perception of people based on appearance and it’s packed full of a lot of heart. Plus, it’s so short that it’s as easy to breeze through as a movie.
Overall it’s worth a watch if you go into it prepared.
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I’m not saying it was a bad drama—at least, not in the sense that I did not enjoy it because I feel like it was worth my time. However, enjoyment aside, the writing and directing were really a mess. At its heart, Devilish Joy had some great characters and I think that’s what ultimately made it so watchable but the story line itself felt…immature. It was seasoned with a plethora of cliché (CLICHÉ!!!) mishaps and coincidences. My favorite phrase to mutter while watching this was “How~ convenient~.” To be honest I think it ultimately did not accomplish what its premise set it out to do (ie answer the question: “Could you fall in love with someone you forget every morning?”). They did not play on the amnesia plot device quite like I expected them to and that was a little disappointing because it was too unrealistic and kind of defeated the purpose (at least until the last episode, where it was played out much more how I expected the whole drama to have been).
It is cute and it is sweet. There are so…many…kisses (yey)! However, while I’ve seen some people raving about the chemistry in this, I just didn’t feel it. It’s not that Choi Jin Hyuk and Song Ha Yoon had no chemistry at all, I just didn’t think it was anything special (apart from the first episode, they never really made my heart race or anything). I’m not going to lie though and say I did not fully enjoy every second we got to see Choi Jin Hyuk in all his tall, deep-voiced glory (swooning a little).
Overall this was a relatively easy watch and surprisingly “breezy” given the topic at hand. I would recommend it if you’re in the mood for a little melodrama and a lot of romance.
Warning: the gum-smacking courtesy of our resident baddie is rage-inducing and capable of awakening dark thoughts you did not know you were capable of. Keep the sound on during his scenes with caution.
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==!! This review contains some pretty big spoilers !!== It has been a while since I’ve been obsessed with a drama as much as I was with Hwayugi and it is with an aching heart that I bid this show farewell.
While at times cheesy, over-the-top, brimmed with questionable fashion choices, and suffering from some terrible CGI work (was there really no better way to portray that dragon?) Hwayugi constantly dished out exactly what I wanted and for that reason I will always love it.
The good:
LEE. SEUNG. GI!! What a comeback! I have seen all of Lee Seung Gi’s dramas and love him more every time. His portrayal of Oh Gong here felt very reminiscent of his performance in The King 2 Hearts which made me all sorts of giddy.
The writing – The Hong Sisters proved that they’ve still got it! As leaders and trend-setters in the Korean drama industry, The Hong Sisters have been pioneers of the modern K-Drama. They’ve always pushed the boundaries and dared to be bold with their writing. Hwayugi is no different and by far one my favorite shows from them thus far (I’ve seen them all except for Warm and Cozy which I have very little ambition to watch). There were moments I didn’t necessarily enjoy but overall I felt like the story and their take on this classic tale was pretty solid. Plus, it was often times hilarious. I love it when writers are able to bring out humor in their shows naturally…like a scene where you are laughing your head off but if someone were to randomly glimpse it they would have no idea why you think it’s so funny. There were so many inside jokes, sidesplitting cameos, meta references, and subtle nudges of humor that remained consistent throughout the entire run of this drama.
The music – I really enjoyed this soundtrack. It was a little repetitive at times but the music fit the mood well and did a good job at wringing my emotions along.
THE KISSES – Hot damn, we got some good kisses *fans face*
I also loved the use of the bracelet as opposed to the headband from the original story. It was a very clever way to keep both the characters and the audience on their toes wondering about Oh Gong's true feelings. And while I really did enjoy how the scene of him taking off the bracelet for the first time was played out (flawlessly) I wish it had happened in the final episode, after he regained his memories. They still could have even done it the exact same way, I just feel like the emotional pay-off would have been higher. As it is, all of the flashbacks in episode 20 felt pointless and like a huge waste of precious screen time because we already knew and I would have much rather been on board with Sun Mi waiting for that big reveal. The emotional punch would have been much more profound.
The luke-warm:
Sun Mi’s character – She was alright (at times cute, at times strong) but overall she kind of paled in comparison to the rest of the cast.
The end to Boo Ja’s story – I won't say here, but if you've seen it you'll know why I'm upset
The inconsistency of the bromance/friendships – I loved the relationship between Oh Gong and Mawang but it felt really inconsistent to me. One minute they would be bromancing and the next Mawang would be contemplating eating Sun Mi. Not cool. Plus, I was holding out hope for Sun Mi to make some real friends during this but in the end it turns out the only one who really cared about her was Oh Gong (and Boo Ja, I suppose). When she lost her "Sam Jang"-ness there for a bit everyone else just deserted her and didn’t seem to care about her, personally, at all—which was really disappointing.
(!!!!!! WARNING HUGE SPOILERS !!!!!!)
The ending – The ending itself has left me feeling conflicted. On the one hand, it didn't end how I wanted it to (ie miraculously Happy Ever After) so I feel like whining, complaining, and sniveling. On the other hand, the ending remained true to the trajectory of the story (the Hong Sister's interpretation anyway, definitely not the original) and I realize that it could have been so.much.worse (this is me giving the side-eye to Black and Gu Family Book). I like that they at least gave us that open-ending since we know that Oh Gong is going to turn Heaven and Earth upside down to get Sun Mi back, no doubt about it. I just wanted to see it happen and not have to use my imagination. I feel like as viewers, we deserved that much. Plus, it would have been way more exciting to see a final episode where Oh Gong goes off to save Sun Mi from the underworld or whatever, than having practically an entire episode devoted to flash backs. Just sayin'.
The climax – I also felt very frustrated with the overall Doomsday arch. And this is again where we could have devoted more time to Saving Sun Mi rather than just waiting for her to die. The climax of that felt very anti-climatic and it's my one huge problem with the writing/directing. I felt pretty bored and boggled down in politics when it came to the End of The World plotline and in my option there was just a million other directions they could have gone with that to make it way more interesting, especially since they had endless possibilities given the world that was created for this drama. I think this is the show's weakest link and a huge stain on the last 4 episodes or so that cooled me down from obsessively invested to just wanting them to get it over with already.
Overall there are way more things to love than to hate about this drama and I could still go on and on. It’s not perfect but I know for sure I will definitely be re-watching it in the future and gushing over it just as much.
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There were laugh-out-loud times and some stupid cute scenes but the love-triangle just didn't make any sense to me. The friendship between the girls and their individual story-lines were all great as well but just...nothing special. I don't know. It seemed a little immature in it's writing and in the end I was mostly bored or rolling my eyes.
Having said all that, I do still think it's worth a watch if you just need an easy rom-com and want to bask in Jung Kyung Ho's glory. God, I miss him already.
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I watched this drama weekly with one of my friends. I not to watch dramas as they air these days but I ended up doing so not really expecting to love it as much as I did and to be strung along in anticipation every week. I really couldn’t predict what would happen or how it would play out and the big twist early on in the series really blew my mind since I wasn’t expecting it at all. It was so well done.
Another unexpected aspect of this show was the chemistry between the leads. God, if Lee Da Il and Jung Yeo Wool didn’t have rooting for them so hard…but even more than the hints of romance was the chemistry and relationship between all of the characters. You can’t help but fall in love with this odd band of unfortunate people: Han Sang Sub, Park Jung Dae and Gil Chae Won. I’m not even going to lie and say I did not have a slight girl-crush on Chae Won. She was bad ass and I loved how much she really was the least directly-involved character that whole mess they were dealing with and yet a huge responsibility ended up riding on her shoulders.
These relationships are what the drama ended up riding on as the plot kinda of fell through the roof. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it was nearly as bad as a lot of the comments I’ve read recently have declared. It definitely drags on a bit and recycles a few times but I think it actually played out well with what the production was given. Would this drama have been better at around a 12-episode length? Probably. But I’m okay with what they did. It drove me crazy with frustration at times but I think that is also a testimony to the quality of a plot if it can get you that riled.
I loved how smart and genuine (most) of our characters were. Jung Yeo Wool in particular was impressive with her ability to use logic to figure things out instead of waiting around for someone else to solve her problems. She had a laps there towards the end but I’m willing to forgive her because I love her so much.
Daniel Choi as Lee Da Il was so freaking perfect. My friend who was watching this with me and I have had the hardest time in the past getting through any of his dramas, despite the fact that we love him as an actor. The time has finally come: we did it. I’m sad that he has lost so much weight (gone are the adorable puffy cheecks of his) but HE~LLO gloriously defined cheek bones. The man is H-O-T.
The music is also A+. It really fit well with the series and helped enhance the mood.
I personally really loved this drama, despite some of it’s flaws. It’s not quite perfect enough for me to give it a 10 but I’d still highly recommend it.
Also, for those of you who are worried about it being scary: I can’t do horror at all and I was fine. I would say the scarier elements that were earlier on are more on the cheesy side than actually creepy. And later it becomes more of a psychological thriller than horror. You’ll be fine!
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I started watching Ashi Girl with fervor as soon as I ran across it. The premise was unique and fun for a Japanese drama, where we do not usually see a wide array of historical-fusion as we do with Korean and Chinese dramas. The characters were loveable and the story sucked me right in. However, as the drama progressed, some plot points/character attributes began to bother me—most upfront was Yui’s almost instant infatuation with Wakagimi. I get it, he’s really cool. But in the beginning she didn’t really know that and spent such a short amount of time with him for her to suddenly exert so much effort to be with him…even to the point of being willing to risk her life for him. It was a little extreme, though more understandable as she got to know him more.
Wakagimi himself was somewhat of a flat character to me. There were moments when we saw some dimension to him but overall by the end I still didn’t feel like I knew him at all beyond “cool and caring leader.”
I will say Yui shocked me in the end as well with her decision. I won’t say what it was as you can read the comments for that spoiler if you choose but the way it was portrayed seemed really unrealistic to me. She didn’t even cry or seem emotional at all about the choice she made, which in and of itself didn’t frustrate me so much as her response to it.
Also, and I will spoil this because damn if I’m not pissed: we never get a kiss! WTF. There are a couple of close calls (where they “almost” kiss but then get interrupted) but then the show never went through with it. If you’re not going to give us a kiss…why bother teasing us with almost-kisses?? *fumes*
Overall I was left feeling like it was a good, fun watch that ultimately and unfortunately wasted a lot of good potential. Whomp whomp.
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Don’t get me wrong—it had its “cheesy” moments (as these dramas are want to do…not gonna dock a star for it but…wow) but other than the occasional inappropriate laugh, the story was tightly (and well) written with characters you come to love SO very much.
I adore how perfectly matched Ping Ting and Bei Jie were for each other. It’s so rare to have a couple like that. Ping Ting was smart and never a push-over. She didn’t have to rely on anyone to come save the day…but Bei Jie was perfectly capable of doing so whenever it came down to it. A brilliant military strategist and The God of War? There is no better match! Bei Jie’s unfailing devotion to Ping Ting and their deep understanding of each other was truly a pleasure to watch unfold. Also their chemistry was off the charts! All those kiss scenes...yes please!
I was somewhat disappointed that Ping Ting’s strategies were not all the aw-inspiring. They were played off as revolutionary but to be honest they were not all that brilliant or cunning and a lot of her success relied heavily on sheer, dumb luck. You kind of just have to roll with it…which was unfortunate. In my opinion this is the only area where the writing could have been much better.
The rest of the story was great, though! There were times when I would get so frustrated with certain characters only to later see how their actions/thoughts played in to the greater picture. This is where the writing excelled: seemingly immature directives and misunderstanding turned out to serve a greater purpose. Long story shot: most of the characters here are smarter than they seem.
And I just love how I was able to depend and count on Ping Ting and Bei Jie to come through no matter what. It allowed me to enjoy the action while having faith in the characters.
Absolutely loved it!
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Mama Fairy and the Woodcutter
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This drama should really be called "The Journey of Jung Yi Hyun" rather than its given title since I felt like the story was mostly about him and his own personal journey though hell and back (basically). He was also the only character that really had any development or depth to him. The other characters were just alright..Sun Ok Nam was super sweet and adorable, but for being nearly 700 years old I just expected so much more from her character. While I couldn't dislike her since she was just so nice...I didn't necessarily like her either, as she was--for lack of a better word--quite boring.
Kim Geum was so cute and lovely as a person but same thing here: he was just...flat.
THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS BUT IS NECESSARY FOR THIS REVIEW:
While at first I was super happy with the idea of Kim Geum "getting the girl" in the end because it's so rare that a second lead (and let's be honest here, he had all the characteristics of a typical and stereotypical Second Lead going for him) comes out victorious in the end...so, that aspect alone was really awesome...I just ended up liking Jung Yi Hyun SO much more and I couldn't help but think of how much more romantic and moving it would have been if Sun Ok Nam truly fell in love with him in the end (plus Kim Geum and Sun Ok Nam had like ZERO chemistry...boo).
I just felt SO bad for our dear Professor. Sun Ok Nam came out of nowhere, TOTALLY lead him on, and then left him just like that as soon as she realized he wasn't her husband. She made him think she really cared about him and would always be there for him and then...POOF! Whoops! Wrong guy.
Damn.
So...anyway, I don't think this drama has much going for it other than it's fairy-tail-like elements, which I always enjoy in Korean dramas since they are not as common. The CGI was God-awful though, so you kind of have to cringe your way though and just accept things.
Overall it's a decent enough watch for a rainy day, just don't expect to get a lot out of it.
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The Love Knot: His Excellency’s First Love
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The first half of this drama was obsession worthy. I loved the somewhat unique take on the supernatural-romance genre. Plus, Johnny *swoons* I enjoyed the lovely monologues and there are some scenes that were just so damn perfect (writing, directing, music, etc…) that they gave me goosebumps.However, going into the second half of the show it slowly fell apart. The last two episodes in particular were messy and poorly executed. So much time was wasted on unimportant things while we never got answers for others and the writing chose to not delve into areas I would have found more fascinating than the plot we were given. Such a shame.
There are scenes from this I will probably re-watch but I will not bother re-visiting it as a whole. Oh, what could have been. Le sigh.
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Did I like it? Oh, yes.
Did I love it? For sure.
Did I laugh so hard I cried? All the time.
Did the ending make me die a little on the inside?
Well, I don't want to spoil anything...but if you want info on the ending, see my comment instead.
So given what we were given, I'm mostly satisfied with the ending. Do I wish that things had turned out better? Oh, for sure. But am I happy we at least got what we did? Heck yeah.
And really, my milk and cream for this show was Yi Gak's three manservants (aka The Minions), anyway. These guys were hilarious! Even in the last episode I was laughing so hard. Love it!
I feel like at its core this show was a comedy. Yeah, it tried to be a whole lot of other things too (more on that later) but really, you have to take it for what it is. It isn't and wasn't ever supposed to be no Queen In Hyun's Man, if you know what I mean, but it has its own unique charm.
If you wanna get all technical: The directing is kinda awful. I don't really like the music. Live shooting did not do this drama any good in the editing department and there are lots of plot holes and otherwise un-necessary characters/scenes.
Some scenes are really cheesy and others look like they came straight out of a bad Hong Kong martial arts movie (I'm not even kidding, see the last episode)!
The bad guys are so ridiculous it's funny. Especially Sena, who made NO SENSE to me what-so-ever and was the most detestable female villain in the history in female villains. And that is NOT a good thing. I like it when I love to hate my villains. Her? I did not in any way enjoy.
And then there is our EXTREMELY unfortunate heroin. I cannot think of another character who has had to suffer as much as she did. If you just start listing off all the crazy things that happened to her you will be amazed. Especially if you include the fate of her incarnation. Dude.
THAT ASIDE...I really did love this drama and I think that is testament to how good it was despite its flaws. When you can love a drama just for what it is and not what it isn't I think that means the show was a success.
I would recommend it as probably one of the funniest dramas you will ever see but don't go into it with high standards. Also, what it with your drama buddies. It's all the more awesome that way!
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There were moments that had me laughing, squeeing, and truly enjoying the show and then there were other moments that made me so mad and frustrated I literally had to pause and walk away for a while.
Luckily for this drama the later happened after I'd already invested plenty of hours into this show so I soldiered on regardless. And while I can't necessarily say that it was worth it, I can move on now that it is over with a smile.
I will miss these characters but not horribly. While a decent drama overall, it still can't compare to--what is in my opinion--the best family drama out there: Smile, You. But if you are craving for 58 (!) episodes of family drama this should feed your addiction.
I will warn you: prepare yourself for useless angst. And to both love and hate most (if not all) characters. But know that you will find many laughs and heartwarming moments along the way.
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I cannot say enough how much I love this drama. It is so cute, sweet and heartwarming. Plus, it has an interesting plot with some very intense moments. Perfect. I do think it had a bit of a short-coming in the court-room scenes and the overall pace was hurt somewhat by the extension. But the show stuck true to its original intent and I just love how everything concluded in a similar fashion to how it began only we were able to see the growth of all the characters.
There was such wonderful characterization here I'm afraid all other dramas may fall short and disappoint me now. Can we get another show with this writer, asap? I'm sure we will be seeing more from her in the future do to the fact that I Hear Your Voice was an even greater ratings hit than her previous drama Dream High. I'm so sad it's over but so content with such a perfect ending. THANK YOU!
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