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An exploration of life lessons
I now find most Korean dramas offputting because 5 out of 10 dramas will be some melodrama that advances the plot by throwing grenades when a simple lighter would have sufficed. Most are vicious, violent, classist, and demeaning to those who aren't part of the super-rich, mostly though, I'm tired of how the characters are always so damn loud which makes me simultaneously cringe and sigh. Like, seriously, do Koreans not have an inside voice?All that aside, Woo-bin gave an excellent performance and I pray he's cancer free forever because the world needs more kind people like him.
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Cry me a river of tears
Reading some reviews, I knew there would be heartache but went ahead to watch the first episode and I was hooked. This drama toys with your feelings of melancholy and longing to the extreme so if you are in the mood for this, just make sure you have your tissues nearby.Lots of coincidences made this story overly dramatic but I overlooked this as I bought into the ML’s love, pain and suffering. It was an added bonus that he was handsome with a great physique - my preferred male lead unlike those who are too pretty-boy and skinny. The FL was a good match for him and while I enjoyed her acting most of the time, it was a bit annoying during some of her screaming scenes.
It was sweet during the brief moments when the leads were happy together and yet bittersweet when you know it could never be a happily ever after ending for them.
I appreciated that the ending was not rushed and even the side stories had satisfactory endings.
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This review may contain spoilers
This drama was a bit hard for me to rate. The opening was great and drew my attention. Around the mid way point the story takes a hard turn in a direction I did not enjoy. In fact a few instances I had thoughts of dropping the show. I am glad I didn't though because after getting over that hump the show picks back up again. The ending was probably one of the most emotionally charged endings I have ever seen. Over all I would have rated this drama a 6 (3 stars), but the ending was so good that I am bumping it up to an 8 (4 stars).
The scene in the last episode between Shin Joon-Young played by Kim Woo-bin and Shin Young-Ok played by Jin Kyung was by far the best acted and emotional scene I have ever felt and it is thanks to that acting that the rating is being pushed up so high. While watching it I forgot for a moment I was watching a drama and felt like I was really sitting in the room with them. Even now a full day after watching that scene, I still have a pang in my heart thinking about it.
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Undeniably Good
This is a show that I had seen recommended on my Netflix list frequently so decided to finally give it a go. With Suzy in the show, I felt even if I didn't entirely enjoy it, she would always be a positive - and so she proved. Luckily, the show itself was more than good. This is an emotionally heavy show with an ending that you technically knew was coming but were still flattened by.The flashbacks are integral to this story and lay the scene for what the show is about. The events that led to the lead characters separating before finding their way back into each other's lives are something typical of a kdrama story in demonstrating how lead characters are sometimes connected prior to meeting on the show. There is a sense of loss and foreboding separation that accompanies the lead characters as they try to rebuild a damaged relationship while the lead male reckons with his guilt for his part in the events that cleaved them apart.
The story is a motif for what we do and suffer because of family. Each character's suffering is tied to what they experience due to their loved ones. Suzy's character is beautifully realistic in her pragmatism because all she wants now in life is the very best for her brother. We have to talk about Kim Woo-Bin's acting. He was the heart, soul, rage, pain and joy of this show. From the moment it became clear what was going on with him, and his part in Suzy's childhood, there was just this yearning to see him make peace with himself. His relationship with those closest to him shaped the sense of pain that drove the show and constantly brought you to sympathy for him even when he was doing his best to show he didn't deserve it.
Some of the other characters in the show were not well-written enough to stand out as support characters. The mother of Kim Woo-Bin's acting was both incredible and frustrating, and your viewpoint of characters like her and others might change with each rewatch. There was also one problem with the flashbacks in using the same actors for them which I won't spoil for anyone, but it made some of present-day scenes implausible.
The show's final episode and final scenes were very quiet and that worked better than a spectacular, grandstand finish. Sometimes, what love relationships deserve aren't these massive gestures and fireworks but the beautiful quietness and simplicity done well. The show ended in a way that will leave you close to tears, and some might object to how it was written, but I think it worked for the best.
Overall, it's a great show!
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This review may contain spoilers
"Uncontrollably Fond" is a drama about the tragic love story between Joon Young and Eul.Joon Young and Eul met in high school. They only fought when they saw each other, but secretly they were in love. Eul's father was killed in a hit-and-run. While searching for answers, she discovers that Choi Hyun Joon covered up the real culprit and finds proof. The problem is, he is Joon Young's biological father. In a moment of impulse trying to help his father, Joon Young causes an accident, and Eul nearly dies in the process. From then on, the two grow apart and reunite years later. Joon Young has become a star and Eul a PD wanting to film his documentary.
It's the typical drama that you know from the beginning is going to be sad, as Joon Young only has three months to live. This is one of the reasons he decides to win Eul back, as he wants to enjoy what's left of his life with her. So you carry this feeling with you as you watch, mentally preparing yourself for the finale, and even though I prepared myself, nothing was enough to stop the tears!
The romance between Joon Young and Eul is beautiful, tragic, and passionate. Their chemistry on screen is spectacular, and you root with all your might for everything to work out. You pray for Joon Young to somehow survive, even though you know it's impossible. You pray for one more moment, one more smile, one more kiss... it's a story that leaves a deep impression on you.
If I had to find a flaw in the drama, it's that there's very little screen time for Joon Young and Eul as a couple. They start to get along starting in episode 7, but then Joon Young decides to plot revenge against Jung Eun, to expose her crimes and redeem himself for what he did to Eul. In the process, he and Eul suffered immensely. Since their time together was so short, I thought it was cruel to drag out this revenge so long, giving them only the last two episodes.
Hyun Woo is a very interesting second lead. I didn't get to the point of rooting for him, because that was impossible with Joon Young in the story. But what captivated me was how you end up feeling sorry for him. He's in love with Eul, but he can't move forward with his feelings out of guilt for what his father did to her father, how he destroyed her life without blinking an eye and continued living as if it were nothing. That's why Hyun Woo pretended to be someone else and helped Eul and Jik. But at the same time, it was his fault that Joon Young decided to plan revenge, because he said neither of them deserved to be with her... It angers me knowing he took away the little happiness they had.
The drama is incredible in every way—the story, the characters, the tragic romance—but what really captivated me was the soundtrack. I loved that era when all the songs in the drama were great. "New Empire - A Little Braver" is a spectacular song!
"See you tomorrow, Joon Young Ah" <3
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If your loooking for a light hearted romance keep moving. If your looking for drama, with tons of feels, you may like this.
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People who loves melodrama should really watch this even though there are certain parts that makes you feel like stopping. Do continue and endure because in my opinion, I think being able to persevere till the end of this show was worth the irritating feelings that you feel when things gets too draggy.
Story has the typical over melodramatic situations like someone dies, terminal diseases, whichever you can think of. But it is still quite an unpredictable storyline. Most supporting roles are kind of annoying especially Tae Jin and that killer because they are so fickle minded at what they want to do etc etc. Do not pity the father/mother. DO NOT!
Never let what happened to the previous generations(parents) affect your life because your life is your life.
Their failure/wrongdoings aren's exactly your fault.
I would say this drama shows how each one of us might make certain mistakes that causes lots of shit. So i don't think certain scenes are 'too much' because in real life it does happen! *inserts raising both hands emoji*
Kim Woo Bin's acting were great! The scenes where he broke down were just so sad and it breaks your heart somehow, somewhere. Poor boy.
Suzy is better than her previous roles, never really find her irritating as compared to some people. I don't know why but I think all artists are fine as long as they are not too BLANK as a main role?
Music wasn't really an main point to me, in fact! I don't really remember any of their OST now that you ask me because I finished this quite some time ago.
But there are still musics that makes you tears together with the cast so I guess it's not too bad?
I did rewatched a few scenes but maybe not the whole show? Probably the ending few episodes, you will know why..... ;)
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This drama is full of melodrama and love and a little bit of revenge.
The love scenes and the understanding scenes between male and female lead was good and they depicted lovely. All the supporting characters (female lead brother and his pair chemistry was good, second lead etc..) everyone did their part quite well.
The background music and were good.instead of dragging to 20 episodes ,they could have completed to 16 episodes. It’s an emotional ride.
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So, why I like this drama is that, I just like how it made me feel all the emotions that is given to this drama.
I laughed, I smiled, I cried, and I feel in love with this drama.
It's a bit disappointing because you have already the idea of how this will going to end.
The casting is good. The acting too is good. The music is good. The story is finely good.
Everything is good and i recommend you to watch this.
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This review may contain spoilers
I had very high expectations before watching this drama. Felt like it was appropriate to watch a tear-jerker drama due to the ongoing things and problems in my life. The love story of Noh Eul and Joon Yeong was a beautiful construct that just shows how romance is difficult to pursue due to some circumstances, even though you can love a person so much. First, the story was very unique, however, I spoiled so many things for myself before fully watching this drama. Of course, there were plenty of Kdrama cliches and cheesy moments, however, it fit in well with the whole storyline of this show. I just wish the ending was more impactful for me, as I did not shed a single tear and was confused about how certain characters dealt with his death. As for the acting, this show was a good mixture of either very talented, or inexperienced actors. However, I did like that the OST had both, Suzy's and Kim Woo Bin's songs, in addition to the beautiful English soundtrack. Would I rewatch this? Probably not, as the drama in itself is 20 episodes long, too long for me to dig up all of the scenes that are worthy to watch again and again. Nevertheless, this show is a Hallyu classic and has a fair share of its special moments. So if you are a loyal Kdrama fan, this is a must-watch. Was this review helpful to you?
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Have Tissue on standby for your tears.
Very good drama, worth a watch! Have a box of Kleenex for tears. You’ll also go back & forth loving and hating some of the main & second leads. Every episode was showed misery/pitiful scenes, followed by happiness but back to misery so quickly which kind of annoyed me. Like jeez let the girl be happy for longer.I wanted to watch 1 episode to see if I like the chemistry of the actors & ended up watching the whole thing in 2 days.
This drama gave me Kill Me, Heal Me and Just Between Lovers vibes.
P.S. I really wish the ML and his biological father had a different outcome when everything was revealed.
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