This review may contain spoilers
STOP STEREOTYPING BALLET FOR GOD'S SAKE!!! (pun unintended)
!!Disclaimer¡¡This review is based on my personal opinion/experience while watching, you're free to agree/disagree with it. This review is based on a professional's POV so it might be a bit harsh/critiquing. It will also be quite long so if you're not into that go ahead and skip reading it.
Ok look, I love Shin hye sun and L and I definitely think L improved a little when it comes to his acting, but as an ex-ballerina/dancer this was all sorts of offensive to me, it might be because I have a personal attachment to such theme but this series just did ballet really dirty you cannot fathom how annoyed I am rn. I literally had to ignore all my frustration at this to keep watching because let me tell you, if you're a ballet dancer like me, you'll be really disappointed. My annoyance at the plot didn't just stop at the ballet part, it stretches even farther than that and I'll get to why later, but for now, I'll start off with some troublesome aspects and why this is such a bad example of how ballet actually is.
So first thing first, WHY isn't Bo mi the FL? Ik Hye sun is the better one in terms of acting (objectively speaking) but Bo mi is an actual dancer with an actual feel to what being a ballerina is like, her occupying that role should've -operative word here being should've- been the most logical thing to go with, the scenes with Hye sun's "dancing" were painful to watch, her lines and movements were so stiff I was physically cringing, and the fact that the scenes with the stunt double were very obviously not her made me want to effing SCREAM! And don't get me started at the fact that they put her in pointe shoes in some scenes cuz I'll combust. Don't forget the absolutely horrifying "Giselle" parts because that just really threw me off, and if you think I'm exaggerating then go watch the drama's portrayal of the scene where Giselle goes mad and compare it to the version performed by Natalia Osipova (who's an actual super talented ballerina btw) and you'll see what I mean. We can't forget the stereotyping and the misrepresentation of the ballet community cuz boi I'm about to- (┛ಠ_ಠ)┛彡┻━┻
For example: when that weird woman Elena(?) or whatever, put glass shards in Nina's pointe shoes (don't EVER do that at home kids), when Yeon seo kept dancing with her bloodied feet (just a quick info, healthy ballet dancers don't usually bleed just from standing en pointe and dancing for soo long, the blood is usually the result of toenails falling off (yes this is an actual thing) or at least that's the case in my years of experience), Nina going to throw up right after she ate while with the director guy (ik there are people who actually do that but let me tell you, if you're doing something like this in ballet 1# people will immediately find out and 2# you'll be disqualified from participating in any sort of performances coming up, kinda like a suspension. I'm not sure if it's the case with every dance school, but the ones I trained at didn't allow such thing. Also, the fact that this specific scene heavily implies that Nina has an ED and that it was never mentioned afterwards left a bitter aftertaste in my mouth like, you're just gonna throw this in there and never talk about it again? Do y'all not realize how insensitive and upsetting it is for someone struggling with similar issues to see their personal struggle be taken so lightly and just never talked about?)....etc.
I might be nitpicking here but honestly it's just really that frustrating to me. If the ballet part was just a fleeting thing mentioned here and there for the sake of the plot then I might have let it pass, but because ballet plays a major role in the storyline it riled me up to no end so I couldn't just let it go. Now that I finally got that off of my chest, let's proceed with the actual review.
Plot/storyline:
The idea of this plot is not bad, it has a really good core idea but being good at executing such plot concept and having a good plot concept are two totally different things. The story started off really strong, with Dan trying to make the cold stone hearted Yeon seo open up to others again, and how he only had around a 100 days to fulfill his mission or else he'll turn to ash or whatever, but that plot just seemed to be tossed outta the window because what follows after episode 6-7 was just disastrous. The way they tried to force their nonsensical logic in our faces made me want to laugh tbh, like how in the world do you expect me to believe that she had her comeback after not 3 years, not even 2 years, but 2 MONTHS mind you she literally started dancing again immediately after she sustained an injury from a car accident, and has not actually danced in more than 2 years(?). I get that this is fantasy but at least make it logical, especially since she's the human one here, not Dan. Let's not forget the cliche cruel abusive family, the murders that were barely talked about, the attempted murders, the workplace abuse Yeon seo's staff suffered working under her and the whole plotline with our good ol' second male lead (whom I have forgotten his name) and his not so subtle obsession with Yeon seo cuz she's a carbon copy of his dead lover, and the cherry on top, the fact that almost all of this, happened in the span of a hundred days only.... yeah no, that's a big fat Nay from me.
Despite the amount of disturbing and upsetting stuff going on with this drama, there were still some stuff that I liked, like their wedding scene, the scenes with Mr Jo and when Dan saved Yeon seo in the very beginning, among others. So plot: a solid 5.
Characters/cast:
I'm honestly very conflicted about this section here. Some actors I liked and some just made me want to bang my head on a wall. They all tried their best and I really respect them for that, but the fact that the whole script was illogical made it hard for me to actually be invested in anyone. If I had to pick the best actor/actress out of the whole cast (imo ofc) I'm gonna have to go with Gil eun hye. She was probably my favourite one here. The way she portrayed Yeon seo's psychotic cousin Ru na and her obsession with her sister Nina made me admire the actress the most, as for my least favorite I would have to say L. He tends to overreact in some scenes and his emotions are sometimes not very convincing, don't get me wrong, I love L, but to me his acting was still lacking in here especially if you compare it to that if his in meow, my secret boy. If I had to rate some of the more prominent cast it would be like the following:
▪Shin Hye Sun: A-
▪Kim Myung Soo (L): B+
▪Kim Bo Mi: A
▪Gil Eun Hye: A+
▪Lee Dong Gun: A-
Music/Osts:
I'm a huge fan of the soundtrack ngl, especially Chai's oh my angel and O.When's stay. I also kinda liked how they didn't stick to the usual classical music even tho I missed its presence in here lol. But yeah, the soundtrack was definitely the most enjoyable thing about this show.
Production:
This was surprisingly actually aesthetic and the outfits looked quite lovely and I'm actually pleased with it for the most part. HOWEVER, I was somewhat disappointed with the very little attention to details at some scenes, especially when it's about ballet, like the way they had Nina's And Yeon seo's hair down while they were dancing in a couple of scene (ik it's only that time when they were competing against each other, but still, if my teacher saw me like that I'll be booted to the next galaxy), the ballerinas not having a dress code (that was weird to me tbh, especially since this is supposed to be a very well known company for ballet, and yes, before anyone asks, dress code is a thing in ballet).....etc.
To be fair, if you're not a dancer you might not care about such details, but I had to point them out because I'm very much pet peeved so, you can probably ignore them if you don't have any previous experience in ballet/dancing and don't really care about such things.
Overall, this drama could have been better, a lot better really. The soundtrack and Eun hye were the only things keeping me from throwing this whole thing outta the window, and even those weren't enough to make me want to continue watching (I did finish it tho but only because I wanted to see where they were going with this). I tried to be objective in this review, but that proved to be really hard. Honestly this drama is not THAT bad, my review might make it seem like it's the worst thing you'll ever watch but it's really not, it's just that I'm a very passionate person when it comes to stuff that I really love and ballet is no exception here. If you're interested in watching it please don't let my review discourage you, this is just subjective viewing and you might probably like it more than I did, but if you are someone like me who pays attention to certain details, I would advise you to keep your bar at its lowest here because this would really get on your nerves, especially if you're going in with the same high expectations I had.
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Hate, love, struggles, pain and happiness. I felt it all in this drama.
Just rewatched it and it all feels the same! I really love this drama.I love ML and FL's love story! Though there are those kdrama cliches BUT I LOVE everything about this drama.
OST is the best.
Plot is kinda different from other fantasy drama.
The actors are all so good and they played their characters well.
The script is amazing. I laugh, cried and feel the leads love for each other.
The ending was amazing!
Shin Hye Sun have a lot of crying scenes. Every time she cries, I cry! I can feel her emotions.
I wouldn’t doubt it if Kim Myung Soo is a real Angel. He looks like a real one. He’s acting has improved a lot and I miss him… I still listen to The Nights that I Miss You. The OST he sung and he sounds angelic.
What I love the most is how their story developed from hate to love. They both needed each other. They were connected since the beginning and they loved each other despite everything.
Overall it’s 9/10 and I can rewatch this drama again and again.
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This review may contain spoilers
shin hye-sun's performance is AMAZING.
it's sad and adorable. arriving in the episodes that mark the middle of the drama, it's almost impossible not to feel a strong commotion with the whole story shown. but when you reach its final stretch, it gets tiring to watch for not having a proper development, as if they had no idea what to do and were waiting for the last few episodes to end the drama. but despite that, it's one of my favorite k-dramas!!!ps: shin hye-sun performs wonderfully well, I was delighted to see that she was able to perfectly convey all emotions and feelings involving yeon seo. one of my favorite actresses!!!
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The main leads did an terrifying job of showing how much they love each other. I don't know how they did it, but I bought every second of it.
The only thing that takes points from this drama for me is the slow pace. The storytelling style really isn't for me, and it took me a while to finish because of that.
But the story is great and I was happy with the ending, especially because I was expecting a sad one and thankfully they weren't cruel to that extent.
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Absolutely outstanding performance from the leading female cast Ms Shin Haesun. My first time watching her playing such a melancholic role that touches the heart so much. The sadness portrayed from The Look In her eyes and expression was so real and touching. Literally can feel them within my heart.
Every episode especially the episode 8 was so good to mention and I had to rewatch it a few times.
Lastly a beautiful ending is something I am looking forward to . May both Kim Dan and Lee YS be together
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Story - it’s quite catchy that a guardian angel comes down to protect this girl who is sad lonely and has lost faith in humanity. Yeon Seo is like a princess trapped in her own emotions and negativity that surrounds her. Then there is her guardian angel, naive and playful L. For whom there is only one thing important to make Yeon Seo fall in love with someone, anyone but not him.
Acting - I absolutely admire the way the actors in korean dramas express their emotions through their acting. It almost feels like as if I’m feeling the same way.
Music - I love all the OSTs especially Oh my angel and Pray also sweeter and..... the list doesn’t end. They are all sweet fluffy and just on your tongue and in your mind. I’m often subconsciously singing Sweeter.
Characters - Every character is amazing in its own way, even the evil ones and fell madly in love with the guardian angel, it’s difficult not to fall in love with L. I wanted to jump into the screen and hug Yeon Seo. It was difficult not to fall in love with her charm.
Overall - it’s a must watch. If your not watching this then your missing out on something great and unique. It’s 10/10 drama from its story to actors and Beautiful music.
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Should I finish it?
Really draggy towards the end …. I’m not sure if I’ll finish it.The story started out strong. 💪🏻
The acting is good enough.
I don’t like the second male lead, but that’s ok. 🤠
It really could use a lot cut out I think to make it more succinct.
I do like the premise, even though the story breaks its own rules and creates plot holes.
I’m just not sure I want to spend the time finishing it - too many other more worthy dramas to watch!
500 characters is a lot to expect when the drama is just meh 🫤.
I would have liked to see the bad guys have a better redemption arc, and/or some punishment.
That family is kinda messed up.
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Their love story is so much touched to my heart .Kim Dan entry scene making funny faces when she felt him near to her and then handling her that time also ....too funny .Actually his eyes express a lot ...Then yoon seo character also shows different flavour of emotions ,some time she shown rude and stubborn ,sometime some hillarious scene also from her side when she met kim Dan and with his sunbae ...too sweet character.
All sort of emotions had been seen in this drama .
I enjoyed thoroughly by watching this drama .At the sametime felt bad that it is get over now.
About songs ,though i don't understand the song but its music ,rhythm is so pleasant that I enjoyed listening it ....from every point this drama win my hearts....worth watching it....
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Beautiful Story of True Love
Wow...... what a storyline. I won't go into too much detail other than recommend this to everyone who would like to take a rollercoaster and cry themselves a river. ML and FL very realistic. Will defo rewatch again. The scenes the story the intrigues the betrayals......... the love and music made it out of this world. I've watched so many romcoms, dramas, movies, and am so glad I started watching Chinese and Korean Series. Everything about this hit the top spots for me. It makes you think about real life, love, hate and that time is important as you don't know your fate that's destined for each and everyone of else, so I would say try to love one another and live a long life. My top 5 of all time.Was this review helpful to you?
The acting skill was legit
This is a romantic commedy that isn't too sappy nor fluffy it's worth the watch all through.Kim hye sun acting was authentic and so real it makes you cry, L as the ML is no different he was able to give so much life to his character Dan and the chemistry between them was great you could feel all they felt in the way they portrayed it, lets not forget the main villain she did a great job in loving abd hating at thr dame time.
The only thing i didn't really get though was the character Guem ni na her jelousy for lee yeon seo was scary and her personality was unclear but latee on you ll get to understand why though.
The second ML did a great job as well his acting was flawleess in the way he gave his character life, he kept you guessing what he is after and what he wants. Though i didn't get the use of the lady who use to teach lee yeon seo and Guem Ni na, her part was not needed as well as the death of sunbae.
The music was so great that i downloaded the whole ost on my phone LOL
The whole story was not dragged on but i admit there was a time when i got tired and wanted a break but it was still worth the watch though ????
Sorry for the long review though.
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The cast is really good, I loved Infinite's L face expressions, I think he was perfect for this role like others of the cast!
But, for me, I started to lose my interest due to the ballet thing. I know that is the key to everything, but as someone who isn't into classic ballet, i didn't find it so much interesting as i thought it would be. But, I can say that is really good because is really lighthearted in many pieces, the ost's are good and if you like the classic ballet this one isreally well made since there aren't many dramas on the base of dance in general!!
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