The story started out with a really great premise. A woman with a romantic personality but "hot mess" in her career/personal life has to team up with a control freak
and relationship phobic "love expert" to help a group of unique people trying to find the one. From go it feels like a fun, light, sweet drama with great potential for hilarity and romance. Unfortunately, the main premise, that is the most satisfying part of the story, gets buried under loads of melodramatic manure of sub plots. Politics were unnecessary, complicated sub plots of secondary characters with way to much back story was also a complete waste of momentum. It would have been much better to have used the zero match characters to help advance the main story instead. The over use of unnecessarily complex backstories also killed much of the momentum of the main story and made the "fate" part of the romance seem uncomfortably contrived. As a whole the main story would have been better had it been the focus of the drama with scenarios created by interaction with the zero match members as catalyst to naturally advance the main relationship. I say it time and again but the truth is less in stories like these is always more! it's great to have well developed character backgrounds but if you have to explain it instead of letting it be discovered naturally throughout the story it's probably too much! Or in the least it is not relevant enough to do more than cause your story to drag.
I also want to mention that the love triangle/square in this story was boring and overly cliched to me. The second male lead never felt like a believable peer to the lead couple in my opinion and was even presented many times as if he was their senior. Maybe it was his style or demeanor but I never really felt like he fit the bill as a believable rival. He really didn't lack for anything and his (I'm guessing) awkward/nerdy backstory was pretty shallow to make him so relationship reclusive. Other than being around as an orchestrated rival to the male lead it was very forced and nonsensical. The same with the surfer girl, other than a poorly constructed plot device these characters felt like the writers were trying to unnecessarily cram a square peg into a round hole. It over complicated things, was actually a drag to the story slowing momentum, causing friction that until the end was never completely satisfied .
The lead actors are fantastic even though the show as a whole leaves much to be desired. Sadly, much of the secondary cast are also great but because of the way the story progresses everything secondary seems to become disjointed from the main story and boring. I have to wonder when things go askew like this if the actors themselves lose insight or motivation? I defiantly feel, aside from a few emotional moments, the series concluded with many generic/lackluster performances in the secondary stories. I suppose in the end it wouldn't mater much because I suspect many of those scenes will be overlooked anyway with the help of many viewers skip buttons on the remote. Even to the end the conclusions are rushed or unsatisfying open-ended for the time invested if you actually see it all the way through.
The soundtrack wasn't anything particularly exciting. Overall comparatively generic next to other contemporary romantic comedies.
The rewatch value for me is pretty low, at least not without the aid of my fast forward button. I hate getting to the end of a drama that has some really great fluffy, squeetastic moments and feel like it would be a hassle to revisit them. I really can only hope that this doesn't deter the leads from doing another, better quality drama in the near future.
Overall I didn't hate this drama but I will be vocal about my utter disappointment of lost potential. I couldn't rate any lower because it was a decent quality production, and overall no better or worse than most generic rom-coms. Yet let me be petty to writers/directors for a moment and say please, please consider investing in solid concepts in the future instead of this "everything but the kitchen sink" cliche mentality that is becoming more ridiculously overused. I can understand generic and overused story tropes being so inclined yet hilariously satisfying, but to have interesting and fresh prospective/potential constantly tossed to the way side in underdevelopment for cringy gimmicks is wastefully nonsensical. It doesn't cost more to develop a good idea and execute it consistently. Even the ridiculous amount of drama ads can be inclusive of this with some creativity. As a regular rom-com fan you might like this drama with the help of the lead chemistry to kill time between other dramas but its completely fair to say there is nothing special about this drama. It's sad but we can only hope Nam Goong Min and Hwang Jung Eum don't make us wait to long until their next drama together to fill the void of disappointment!
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What starts as fluff develops into worthy fare; give it a chance and patience
This story is really good and eventually surprised me with its sweet sincerity. Of course, the first episodes are fairly annoying like most dramas of this kind so by episode 8 the story gets going and characters settle down to show who they really are.It is interesting to see how a matchmaking business works and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing both main male characters (Namkoong Min & Choi Tar Joon) develop into stronger personalities.
Once the romance and confessions begin, our lead female is less pathetic. Hwang Jung Eum seems to fit these kinds of roles because she's cute. Unfortunately her acting during kissing scenes is flat. The male actor does all the work, making the hearts of viewers flutter but she is stiff and unresponsive (really disappointing). Goodness me, Namkoong Min is so handsome 🤩🤩
At episode 17 the main characters became precious amidst competition and jealousy but as per kdrama stipulations, it's time for roadblocks and misunderstandings.
I used the FF (fast forward) liberally as there's a lot of dead space in the 32 episodes. I gave this drama 8 stars overall, but the male actors for the main & supporting roles all deserve 10/10 🌟🌟👍🏾👍🏾. Especially Namkoong Min who has charisma oozing from every pore.
Since putting this series in my Viki watchlist & completely watching it. The rating went from 8.8 to 9.2 on Viki. Maybe the ratings here will also increase.
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I started binge watching it so excitedly because I love the idea of fate and matchmaking.
I also fell in love with the lead actor (which is the first time I've seen him)
So overall I was enjoying it very much.. But unfortunately, it became into chaos..
They dropped the main idea of the drama and suddenly the leads fell in love with each other.. Not enough buildup whatsoever.
After that the drama became meh and the main leads story wasn't interesting anymore, I actually found the side characters were far more interesting.
I kept going because I wanted to see the end to the main idea, the matchmaking (the undateables) and the closure for their friends that's all.
The story really had so much to give but the writers just gave up. It started as a 7 but ended as a 5.. I gave it a 6.5 because I liked the idea.
The acting was good. Although I couldn't help but feel that the main lead actor didn't get much time as other characters.. It's the first time I saw something like this in kdaramas. I wish he had more depth and lines.
The osts were good but nothing worth remembering.
I wouldn't watch the whole drama again for sure. But I might watch the early episodes and some clips of it after a long time.
So overall only watch this if you don't care about the story and just want to watch the romantic comedy scenes :)
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Underrated gem!
Honestly, I'm a bit confused by the negative comments. I felt like the characters had some really awesome development throughout the whole show, each one growing in ways that felt both natural and meaningful. The story flowed so smoothly, keeping me engaged from start to finish. I don’t think this was a bad performance from any of the cast—in fact, I found their acting heartfelt and believable. I was genuinely invested in their journeys, cheering for them through every twist and emotional moment. It’s such a shame others didn’t feel the same way, because to me, The Undatables was a refreshing, thoughtful drama that balanced emotion, humor, and human connection beautifully.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Ideal drama for those who like screechy female leads
I probably should have dropped this after one episode, when the female lead had already had 4 incomprehensible, pointless, screeching fits, two of them accompanied by grabbing or violence.But I'd liked Hwang Jung-eum in She Was Pretty so hung in there hoping this was a soon-resolved thing - in the way the writers did with the FL in My Shy Boss.
Sadly, it was not to be.
Jung-eum swung between weepy drip and neurotic, screeching drunk (the latter seemingly a growing trope with the writers of Kdramas - the opposite to Candy but no less repellent). I could see potential in some of the other characters - the second male lead, the quirky coach, the funny client - but my ears had started bleeding by then so I gave up.
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Em "Handsome Guy and Jung Eum", Nam Goong Min interpreta o Hoon Nam que é dono de uma galeria que faz todos os tipos de exposições, mas principalmente de bonecos famosos e raros. Brinquedos é sua paixão desde criança e que nunca deixou de dar carinho e apreciá-los.
Mas a história toda se concentra na vida da Jung Eum, uma mulher que após o trauma com água teve que deixar a vida de saltadora profissional de lado e começar do zero. E como o pai dela sempre arrumava encontro ás cegas, mas como filha rebelde mandava as amigas no seu lugar, e foi assim que conseguiu o emprego numa agência de encontros.
Além de Hoon Nam ser dono de uma galeria, também escreve de forma anônima para uma revista que seu amigo tem uma coluna de relacionamentos. Ele é muito bom no que faz e em como lidar com as várias facetas do namoro; mas a ironia é que ele não namorou muitas vezes.
E o destino dessas duas pessoas se entrelaçam quando Jung Eum recebe um xeque-mate da gerente de que precisa desencalhar "Os Inconquistáveis", aqueles membros da agência que nunca conseguem ir adiante num encontro e firmar namoro. E para ela é algo muito difícil, pois não é á toa que levam esse nome. São pessoas com personalidades únicas que vão render muitas risadas, mas que independente disso são maravilhosas que também merecem encontrar o amor.
E é a coluna da revista e as fofocas de que Han Noom é bom no que faz que fará com que a Jung Eum ligue o radar nesse homem que pode ajudá-la a sair do sufoco. E as coisas que essa mulher maravilhosa vai fazer para conseguir o que quer não está no gibi e me proporcionou momentos muito engraçados e divertidos. A atriz Jung Eum (pasmen! esse é mesmo o nome dela) arrasa na interpretação de uma mulher bem doidinha e que sabe o que quer.
Não poderia deixar de falar do médico gato desse drama. Joon Soo que trabalha na área de reabilitação, é também o melhor amigo da Jung Eum. Desde a infância o relacionamento deles é muito bom e é muito legal ver uma amizade de sexos opostos que não deixa nada a desejar. É real, bonito e muito divertido como uma amizade de infância deve ser.
Amei esse drama desde o primeiro episódio, pois era um daqueles levinhos, super divertidos com cenas cômicas e que tem um romance que cresce de forma surpreendente, mas que não deixa nada a desejar. Até achei que seria clichês e encaminharia para a previsibilidade, mas não tem nada disso.
Porém, outras facetas no drama que é bem legal, como Joon Soon que acaba revelando um amor não correspondido, e também a Seon Hi, amiga da Jung Eum, que se apaixona por uma pessoa que não quer relacionamentos sérios.
E apesar de ter um foco bom nos personagens principais, esse drama coreano é mais que isso. Muitos personagens secundários e terciários roubam a cena, como nos casos que a Jung Eum precisa solucionar e analisar detalhadamente cada pessoa e encontrar o parceiro ideal, que muitas vezes é muito além daquilo que imaginamos ou queremos.
A ligação entre passado e presente é muito forte e muito interessante, e nos ajuda a criar uma relação mais intensa para todos os personagens. Um drama com relacionamentos entre adultos que eu amei demais e um casal que teve uma química muito boa.
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Sarà che l’ho visto dopo un paio di episodi di Doctor Prisoner (MOLTO BELLO, tutt’altro che allegro e tranquillo), questo mi è sembrato davvero divertente e romantico al punto giusto, se siete a caccia di un drama per passare in serenità un po’ di ore, questo fa al caso vostro. Tempo fà una ragazza del gruppo mi aveva scritto che Nam Goong Min fosse un attore di notevole bravura ed è vero, la sua recitazione è davvero coinvolgente ❤️ lei be...non è tra le mie preferite anzi eppure, non c’è una coppia con lei dove non c’è chimica.
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Non è un capolavoro
Ma, sostenuto dalla indubbia bravura di Nam Goong Min (che personalmente preferisco in altri ruoli) è un drama godibile che con umorismo racconta di storie d'amore, di seconde possibilità.E' una commedia romantica che alterna personaggi alla ricerca dell'anima gemella, con garbo, umorismo e sensibilità.
Non mi ha troppo convinto l'attrice protagonista che, soprattutto all'inizio, recita sopra le righe, urlando e usando la sua voce in modo irritante. Inoltre mi disturba (come in tanti altri suoi colleghi e colleghe orientali e occidentali) l'abuso di chirurgia plastica che in lei è purtroppo evidente (SIC!) ...
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