5 to 9 From Five to Nine

Meh

TBH it’s slow and boring and weird. I mean I cried a little bit when they were going through their breakup in the last few episodes, which was unexpected. Honestly, I’m surprised I got past the first episode since he was so stalkery and pushy which is a huge red flag. So I wouldn’t recommend. Though her family was really cute and I enjoyed them. But the fact that every man was in love with her was blah and the grandma was annoying as heck and the office side characters were not that interesting and yes the monk without his shirt in the waterfall was nice but what was the reason? So yeah. . . not worth it for me. I skipped through most of it to be completely honest. It was just so boring and slow.

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Watchable rom-com that can test the patience of the Buddha sometimes

I enjoyed this show but it can be exasperating as well.
I liked how dorky, serious and sweet the ML can be but he can be overbearing. Don't even get me started on the grandma, she is the classic smiling assassin who ruled her clan with silk lined iron fists.
My one big gripe with the ML is that I wish he would grow some backbone. He was totally under the grandma's thumb. The whole breakup to spare the FL more pain is the worst trope in my book. I would have much prefer the ML to stood up to the grandma and give her both barrels for ruining his brother's and now his life. Is he that wedded to the temple? He could get another job and just live happily with the FL in the suburbs.
While his brother was a sly character, at least he knew who was to blame for his sufferings and he also gave the grandma a serve which she deserved. I mean after all the pain she inflicted on the FL she was finally swayed by one goodbye letter from the FL to the ML? I just feel that she need to get some kind of comeuppance.
There is definitely a second lead syndrome happening which is rare with newer dramas which tends to demonise the SML. It was good that the love triangle(s) weren't serious but that poor man (the boss) deserved better and largely came down to a string of miscommunications or failure to communicate and there are lots of communication problems in this show, too many in my opinion.
I also wish there is more substance to the 2OTP (Mr Arthur). It could have been a lot sweeter but it was a caricature for the bulk of the show. The CP actually has a lot of potential and chemistry. There is a 3OTP (age gap love) which was even more perfunctory.
On the whole, it was a watchable but tropey rom-com with so much overacting (the FL's parents need to take some chill pills LOL). I'm not as engaged with the story as I'd have liked. I'm alternately swooning and facepalming. It can feel contrived and forced at times. The writer-nim employed a number of tropes and clichés which were initially effective but they kept repeating them and they ended up being laboured and tiresome.
There are not a lot of skinship (until the end) and this show must hold the record for the number of times a kiss can be interrupted. Even the Show made fun of it in the end but it was a forced smile with clenched teeth.
It was the idea of a monk (being allowed to) fall in love and getting married that hooked me and kept me watching but there are times when it did get frustrating.

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I saw that there are people think that the male lead is somehow a stalker type but not actually that very severe.

I find the male lead do this because he has been an emotionless person before she met the female lead who is very very beautiful.

This review will be very short and here's what I can share to everyone.

Pros:
- No chaebol/CEO guy.
- Male lead is a monk (which makes it unique)
- Female lead is not a damsel in distress type of woman.
- Female lead is sooooo beautiful! ?
- Male lead chases the female lead.
- Funny, simple and heartwarming story.

Cons:
- Uber delayed kiss ?
- Other Supporting male lead did not develop throughout the series.
- Male lead is not that handsome (for me) so don't expect.

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Story (6/10):
I have not read the original manga that this is based on, so I can only speak for the drama. The overall story line is fairly lighthearted and comical, but it does have a few emotional moments towards the end (I only went through like, one box of tissues... nbd).

The good:
The story progressed at a decent pace, where every episode had a purpose. While I wasn't too impressed with the plot, I thoroughly enjoyed the every one of the comical moments, many of which were unexpected. Aside from the comedy, my favorite parts of the drama were the sub stories of the supporting characters. They were all adorable and added so much fun and liveliness to the drama, and I would have loved to see more of them!

The not so good:
The story itself is pretty one dimensional. There was only one predominant obstacle throughout the entire series. Aside from the idea of a monk determinedly chasing after the female protagonist, there wasn't much else that made this drama unique. Furthermore, the plot development was uneven.Some parts of the story line were dragged on a bit longer than necessary, while other parts weren't explored enough. I felt like the drama started out a bit repetitive and slow for the first half of the series, but made a quick turnaround for the second half.

Characters (8/10)
The characters made the show for me. There were moments when I felt that the acting was a little lacking or the lines were too cheesy, but it didn't take too much away from the story . Each person had their little quirk or unique personality trait that made them interesting. Altogether, they created and fun and inviting atmosphere that made me wish that I could be a part of that community. There aren't any true villains in this drama, only misunderstood individuals who need to learn how to communicate. By the end of the drama, I pretty much loved everyone and was sad to say goodbye. Keep in mind, though I get attached to people very easily D:.

Music:
I didn't particularly pay attention to the music, but I got no complaints!

Overall
This isn't a drama I'd plan on re-watching, but it's definitely a drama to watch if you're looking for something fun and light. It's also a fairly short drama, so there's no long time or emotional commitment! :P

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First of all, it's not a drama about religion (even if the male lead is a monk), so don't worry about that!
Second, I have a really big concern about the story (it's not a spoiler, don't worry). At the beginning, the monk is stalking her, it's just stalking, it's not love or whatever. And I'm really concerned about that because some young girls could find it normal and if a psycho stalks them, they could think "oh, it's like in the drama, he's probably in love with me and I'm sure he's a good guy like in the drama". No, it's not like that, in real life, stalking is a serious matter and stalkers are not nice guys, they have a problem, they're not cute or in love!!!
Besides of that, it's a really cute drama, a cute love story. The actors are really good and you will fall in love with all of them.
This drama gives also really good advice (besides the stalking thing lol), like don't give up your dream for anyone, don't be afraid of expressing your feelings to your crush otherwise you will regret it, even if someone is acting "evil" he probably has some reasons, don't judge him too quickly, etc.
I only put a 7 for the rewatch value because I usually don't rewatch any drama or movie, I'm just like that.
So, just watch it and enjoy it :D

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OH MY WORD!!!! The eye candy!!!! Satomi Ishihara and Yamapi are such gorgeous people- if they got married and had kids, they'd have the cutest babies ever!!! And also, Yamapi in a suit at the end.. ???????????? He is one fine looking man!

Down to the nitty gritty (may contain possible spoilers):

Story: 6.5/10
I feel like most Japanese dramas lack in this area. I felt that certain parts of the drama were dragged out too long, while other things weren't addressed at all. I wanted them to expand more on Takane's parents, his upbringing and why he's so stoic and emotionless, his previous girlfriends (even just little tidbits!). The thing with Masako and the student should've been addressed. I certainly got confused at what this drama was doing at times- I was thinking it was gonna be a romance, then at times it was comedic, comedic to the point where I couldn't take the other scenes seriously (the beginning scenes with the grandma was more comedic, then later in in the story, it was a total 180 degree change, the romance between Arthur and Momoe was totally unnecessary). It was the subpar writing at fault- a skilled writer will incorporate all of these seemlessly (ex. Hama Yori Dango).
This drama had waaaaaaaaaaaay to many love triangles and squares going on! I just wanna focus on the main couple, plus a few other important people, and that's it!
The almost-kisses got kinda annoying. If I were the guy, I would've just went back in a finished the job. I will say that the kiss scene at the end was good. I normally cringe when people do kiss scenes in Japanese dramas. It's so platonic and emotionless. Yamapi's kiss scenes are either improving, he has a thing for Satomi Ishihara or both. Either way, im all for it!
Some thoughts on individual characters:
Takane was cute, yet possessive and stalkerish. He wasn't highly possessive but he still was (with his "I'm never gonna let you go" lines). He kept saying those lines even though she was creeped out/didn't like them (but I guess in his defense, he's lacking experience in communication with other girls due to being a monk). I didn't like his persistence at first, but when I saw that they were constantly backed up by his actions, I caved in. Someone who is honest and sincere like that should be loved back! He's basically a child looking for love

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touching love story as realistic as it is crazy

Definitely a must watch, though it's Cinderella story again - but so nicely executed that it feels totally new. The ML and FL were so much into the character, and the supporting cast was also exceptional! A lot of handsome faces too... The interiors and fashion and buildings - everything looked seductive. They even overdid it sometimes!
Of course - there are tropes and cheesy moments. The ML saves the helpless FL in the rain, he kneels down to propose with the diamond ring and all etc. But dont let these bother you, the entire drama is charming and i enjoyed its slow pace almost all the time.
Little short of being genius - if u ask me.
The immersion into the japanese culture and cinematography is a bonus.

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