It would be great if it was slightly less
The 2nd half of the show is great, but the 1st half is like dragged on.The first half is monotonous and somewhat frustrating to see. I mean, you introduce the FL at first so the break up was inevitable I think it is kind of dragged on and all they saw was the misery of the ML He was continuously going here and there, juggling both of them and constantly getting hurt.
The second half is more organized; at first they saw us break up and then the next following path.
Some other complaints are that they could make the ML and the FL closer. and somewhere the slightly done some more justice with ML. I mean, they suffered the most in that part of the show, and then they could show the male villain could pay more; they completely ignored him after the truth was discovered, and somewhere they kept a soft corner for the ex till the end. That's it.
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Light-hearted with exaggerating scenes
LIKEEverything about Saet Byul - loved Kim You Jung since Moon Embracing the Sun days
DISLIKE
Kind of an average story and I expected more from Ji Chang Wook since his past works were superb
MUSIC - personal fav
Something - Kang Daniel
Crazy - April
REWATCH VALUE
It doesn't matter if I re-watch or not
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Thrill and crazy
Hit drama You will get different types of thoughts But there in drama different Please watch all episodes of this back street rookie drama I hope who ever watch this drama those hope satisfied...... By I am from India, I am a big fan of kdrama,comedy and family involvement
All rolls are super ....
Please watch all episodes
Dont give wrong review..!
Hit drama You will get different types of thoughts But there in drama different Please watch all episodes of this train drama I hope who ever watch this drama those hope satisfied...... By I am India I am a big fan of drama
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Promising leads but disappointing results
I only rarely write reviews. I write reviews on two occasions, when I find a series so good that I want to reward it, or when I find a series very disappointing that I want to point it out. This review is the latter case.First of all, the main problem with this series is the story. The main scene is a convenience store. How on earth is that an appealing environment for a love story? The story is as flat and dull as any convenience store.
Two things that disappoint me the most with this series.
1) It wasted the main actors time. Both of them are a favorite of mine, and I feel like this was a wasted effort. I would much rather see them take on different projects with better results.
2) Ji Chang Wook and Kim Yoo Jung are unlikely to pair up together again, because leads rarely do pair up again in another series. That's disappointing to me because I really like them. However in this series I didn't find any chemistry between them, but I don't know if it's the story or not, maybe it wasn't meant to be. Maybe they got unlucky. There's also a 12 years age difference between the leads that could have had an affect.
At some points in the series I thought this was like a R&R (Rest & Relaxation) project for Ji Chang Wook. Ez work. And thought Kim Yoo Jung drew the short stick when she decided to do this project. One thing I'll say about Kim Yoo Jung, she was lovely in this series, I liked her the most.... her character was most evolved, and her smile makes you forget about the bad script.
But it's sad to write this review because I really admire the main actors.
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Worth the watch (definitely not as bad as everyone says)
Honestly the negative reviews under 5 we’re definitely watchers going into this expecting something super serious. This show has its elements of seriousness, but it’s mostly so unserious it’s hilarious and entertaining. A really easy show to get hooked on and binge watch (I can vouch for this). I’ve gotten many good laughs out of this show, and I’m not someone who would laugh out loud during a show/movie. All I can say is if you need a good laugh, or a break from other long dramas I definitely recommend this. What I can say is doing expect too much & this is the drama for you.Was this review helpful to you?
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Meh
I actually expected a lot for this drama. Maybe because its main leads were so promising? IDK but I did and maybe it was my own fault why I was disappointed in it. I tried to give it a chance. A lot of it actually. But I just ended up fast forwarding so much.The beginning and the end was actually bearable. It was kind of cute in its own special way. It was the middle part that made it feel so dragging. I found all the characters here weak, only one who really stood out was Saet Byul. I think she's the only strong character here with a really good foundation. Everyone else was meh.
The ML was so confused in what he wants that I actually prefer Saet Byul together with her puppy. They look so good together. (Really hoping they get cast in a romcom together). There were a lot of plot holes, the acting sometimes got a bit too much comical, things just got a bit too absurd at times.
Anyway, still good job to the team. Looking forward to everyone's next projects. I hope its a lot better than this one.
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SO MUCH POTENTIAL
This is my first review of any drama, but i will have to say i am stuck in the middle. I really like how this drama began but i feel like after the controversy they just played it save for the rest of the drama. Don't get me wrong it is a drama i enjoyed but i cant help but feel disappointed on the short comings of the series. The cast was great that pretty much is what kept me watching but (althought a little less Dal-sik would have been ok) It had so much potential to be a great drama and the writers/producers dropped the ball on that.Was this review helpful to you?
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This might be the best K-drama I have watched in a long time
This is what I have been missing in K-dramas recently. The slow burn is actually slow, the characters are not one-dimensional, and the story is interesting without going overboard with secret organizations or ridiculous twists. All the side characters have their own motivations and feel just as real as the main couple.I will admit taht after the first fight and the way Saet-byul jumped Dae-hyun, I had my reservations and was a bit doubtful about this drama. D: But I should not have been. It was silly at times, serious at others, and it never failed to entertain me. Those weird visual effects even made it feel like I was reading a manhwa, which honestly worked in its favor.
The second couple, Geum-bi and Dal-sik’s storyline had real ups and downs, and they were not just shoved together so the writers could get rid of the second leads. The fact that the real second leads Yeon-joo and Seung-joon did not end up together, and that they did not look for a girlfriend for Ji-Wook was refreshing. Even Dae-hyun’s family storylines were genuinely interesting. Yeon-joo’s family was clearly there so the audience could have someone to hate, but every drama needs characters like that. Eun-byul’s character development was also really well executed! She acted her age in the beginning, and you could actually see her grow up by the end. :)
They managed to braid all these different stories together into a really lively world. I loved how the story came full circle, with Saet-byul working at the convenience store again as a part-timer after Dae-hyun had been running it for nearly two days straight. The structure almost feels chiastic, though I am not entirely sure. And at the end, where they panned to the production crew and showed all the ending for the side characters... I did shed a tear, I won't lie.
And that ending, with Dal-sik “writing” their story… wow. Suddenly it made sense why they only shared one chaste kiss. Ji Chang-wook can play incredibly passionate characters, yet they don't even properly kiss with Kim Yoo-jung... maybe because of their 12-year age gap? Who knows.
Overall, this was such a feel-good drama for me.
Kim Yoo-jung played Saet-byul so well. She can express so much with just her stare and those adoring eyes. I loved that she was not the angelic, flawless female lead so many dramas push nowadays. She is strong, has her own ethics and morals, and while she initially seems suspicious or rough around the edges, she is actually a saint. Taking care of her little sister, staying strong after losing both parents, navigating life on her own, and still giving everything for her sister… and then falling for Dae-hyun at first sight and holding onto that love for ten years. Admirable. I hated that she removed herself from his life so he could be better off, but luckily Dae-hyun waited. She needed that time to find herself. :D
Dae-hyun was such a sweet character. I loved watching him on screen. He was a bit like a blade of grass, always bending with the wind, always listening to his parents, being the perfect son, and constantly indulging Yeon-joo while they were dating. But when it really mattered, he stood up for himself and for Saet-byul. He is an honest man with steel-like morals. And while he was only so-so at fighting, Saet-byul was more than good enough for both of them. Even if Ji Chang-wook is the king of action, he deserves to chill sometimes and let others handle the fights. :D
Honestly, this might be the best newer K-drama I have watched in a long time.
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Despite all the controversies surrounding this drama with it not being suitable for the masses, there were moments were I really laughed out loud. Some parts were funny. So generally for me, it was okay. Just okay. Not mindboggling but just okay. If I would rate their acting , I would give them perfect points. It was like they wasted what JCW and KYJ could offer for the plot. I would like to see them act again in a better plot.
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All I have to say is ew
Its a miracle that I finished this freaking show because OH MY FREAKING GOD THIS SHOW PISSED ME OFF OMLLLL. Let’s start off with my number one complaint: THE AGE GAP. Now listen, it wouldn’t be to bad if they didn’t know each other from let's say 10 to 20 and you could argue and say that they didn’t but the way that the main dude worded his sentence whenever the main girl revealed that they had met many times before he CONFIDENTLY SAID “heh I know” WHAT KIND OF CREEPY ASS SHIT IS THAT. You should NOT be proud of knowing your fucking girlfriend from the ripe age of 10 or whatever fuckass ages they were. And I neeeeed to know how his parents were okay with that creepy ass shit, cause like no way on earth were they chill with that like cmon. I would have been kicking this THIRTY YEAR OLD mans ass out on the street and telling him to never step foot on my lawn ever again, fym you're dating 1. Your former employee and 2. SOMEONE YOU KNEW SINCE SHE WAS TEN. I also want to bring up the fact that BOTH OF THEM had love interests that were 10x better than that of the main two together. The main guys love interest literally WANTED HIM BACK AFTER HE FUCKING CHASED AFTER HER, like DUDE you had the fucking girl now go get her ass omfg. And then the main girl literally had a fucking model or whatever the fuck he was chasing after her, and he literally did so much shit for her like girl you could’ve had the most gentleman man ever but NO choose the weird convenience store owning ahh. Oh also forgot to mention that THEY KISSED WHENEVER SHE WAS STILL A TEENAGER. Idc if it was initiated by her ima still complain about it because wtf. Literally the only reason I kept going with this drama is because of the convenience store setting, it was genuinely the only enjoyable thing about this show and I need to find more with this kind of vibe but without the fucking creepy ass main relationship.Was this review helpful to you?
Annoying and sometimes offensive
They wasted to much screetime on Dae hyun and his girlfriend relationship, he seemed so patetic and she clearly didn't care much for him. Saet byul is a cool character but her unconditional and devotional love for Dae hyun looked dumb. I guess they both ridiculous so hey they match! I would give this at least three stars but Dae hyun's best friend was a racially offensive character because they made him dirty (flies were often flying around him)and having dreads wich is a black hairstyle (racists often think people with dreads are dirty).Was this review helpful to you?
A promising concept undone by poor performances and some discomforting elements
An earnest small underdog businessman taking on the world with the help of his family should be an easy sell. Throw in a young, strong female lead and it's hard to imagine how it goes wrong. But "Backstreet Rookie" finds a way. It's not that it's not a mostly enjoyable watch, but there's vast wasted potential here that with a better cast and steadier direction could have been realized.As for the strong points, Kim Yoo Jung effortlessly switches gear from bubbly youngster to driven achiever to smitten woman. She has the charm and talent and all the other attributes to take on more challenging roles. Kim Sun Young always delivers and her quieter moments with Kim Yoo Jung's Saet Byul are gems. The scene stealer is Seo Ye Hwa who has a marvelously vibrant character and crushes it.
The rest of the cast ranges from uninspired to grating. Kim Min Kyu might not be award-winning leading man material but he's better than he shows here. The overwhelming issue with "Backstreet Rookie", however, is Ji Chang Wook who is legitimate leading man material but airballs this performance. In more subdued moments, he exhibits the charisma and intensity that makes him an A Lister. But through most of "Backstreet Rookie", he's indulging in overplaying the character and the result is more clownish than comic.
Not that better acting would have solved the loose ends that crop up throughout the story. Dae Hyun's sister and husband appear early and seem to have some importance. But they rarely appear. Do Sang Woo is the villain but he is neither rehabilitated nor punished. He simply vanishes. Saet Byul's younger sister has a promising arc but it needed more depth.
As for the uncomfortable elements, it's certainly not a novel concept to have a much younger love interest for the main male character. But this relationship seems to be approaching serious red flag territory especially with a flashback to Saet Byul's youth days. The Dal Shik character by Eum Moon Sook though is really raising red flags. It's not blackface but there's, at minimum, a nod in that direction. With the growing international appeal of Korean culture, this is a bad look.
Overall, not a show that earns any sort of recommendation but should put Kim Yoo Jung on the shortest of lists for leads in better vehicles.
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