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A mix between Worth it & Not worth it
I mean, where do I even start? Hum..I'd say the story is really good, the acting is extremely convincing, the FL is highly likeable, there's no way you can hate her, and ofc... our Male lead. I really enjoyed his character and their romance, omg, how can they have so much chemistry like that? They worked perfectly well together.
So yeah, I really really really liked the Kdrama BUT, as I said, it's a mix between Worth watching it and a not worth watching it. I mean, if you go for the romance so yeah, totally recommended. But if you go looking for a well made and written story so you may be losing your time with this one.
There's some blank spaces and no answered questions within the storyline and the ending is kinda messy too, and kinda fast. As like most kdrama, they go around the brush in the entire story and the ending is always messy and fast, leaving you with a feeling that you were expecting more than you got...
I don't regret watching it tho, This show became one of my favorites because I really liked their love story, but in other parts I felt like I've wasted my time...
Btw, I'd recommend this kdrama to anyone but I'd warning the person that the story has a lot of blank spaces and it might disappoint sometimes, but seeing their love story journey is at the same time worth giving this kdrama a try.
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This review may contain spoilers
I watched this series in 2 days. It was a series where I really had a few question marks. It was very nicely filmed and the actors were great in one word. The 2 main characters were so good that you just felt it. I actually hated nobody but 1 and that was se ra.I only thought when she came, fast forward.
The storylines were actually very strong although I thought it was a pity that it was said so late that it was fake, certainly because the love between the two was so obvious. My biggest flaw in this series was the crying. .On a given moment I really thought, stop now but we know. I have not seen that in a single series. music was nice but I wouldn't look at it again so soon. It is definitely recommended
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Unrealistic Plot Points, But Good Chemistry
My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.Every once in a while, I'll watch a melodrama. The plot seemed weird but interesting. This is also an older drama and those are nice to watch from time to time.
Acting/Cast: Decent cast with good acting. I think this drama's greatest strength is the chemistry between the two leads. The male leads acting is exceptionally well done. He was realistic and came across as being genuinely in love with the female lead. The female lead's speech pattern was strange. I guess it's her character, but she spoke so slowly that it was frustrating. It's like she's trying to sound poetic with everything she says. I had this same problem with the female lead in Born Again. Other than that, the acting was well done for all of the characters. 7/10
Writing: This drama didn't play out the way I wanted from the beginning. So, I wasn't really hoping for any particular ending. This story could end in one of three ways: Realistic ending (sick people die or everyone dies), Movie ending (person with the greatest sin dies as redemption or punishment), K-drama Ending (unrealistic and overly happy ending to appease fans). I was actually surprised by the ending they went with. And even more unexpected, I think viewers were mostly irritated by the ending. I didn't care though. The reason I didn't care is because of how I saw them treat the Secretary Wang situation. She did something so disgusting and criminal and everyone just brushes it off like it's no big deal. The female lead has got to have Stockholm Syndrome. That's the only way to explain it. What is everyone else's excuse though? Once I saw that shit going down, I was no longer invested in the drama. This drama does get frustrating because the female lead is so gullible, there's stupid things that happen (such as what happens with the loyal best friend and the secretary), and parts of the plot are weak (such as the villain's motives), but the writing surrounding the love story is actually very well done. This drama does have strong incest vibes and not just vibes...so it gets weird and uncomfortable, but only for a little bit. I know exactly what I would do to easily fix the issues I have with this drama. I'll add it at the end of this review since I think it'll be a bit of a spoiler. 4.5/10
Direction/SFX/Music: This drama had a really nice vibe. It was nostalgic to watch. It is a slower drama because it's a melodrama. I got halfway through and I thought 'how are they going to stretch this out for another 8 episodes?'. But they did it and they pulled it off surprisingly well, too. The music is definitely not my style - the overly romantic and dramatically sad type. It would make me laugh. 5/10
Entertainment Value: It took me a long time to get through this drama. It's a melodrama so it's supposed to be slow going. Despite it taking me so long, I preferred to watch this drama over the drama When The Phone Rings (which I've now dropped). I've never even thought about dropping this drama. Of course, with the change I would make to the plot, I think this drama would much more entertaining. 4/10
Overall, I gave this drama a 4.5/10. Things happen that would piss me off or make me roll my eyes. It gets too incest-y. The ending is...I don't even know what to say about that. But, there was something beautiful about this drama hidden amongst the junk.
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Spoilers Ahead
Ok now for my change to the plot. It's simple. I'd make it so that the female lead figures everything out very early on. Maybe even right away. However, she chooses to go along with it because she doesn't have much time left and he gives her the ability to experience things she was never able to experience. This way, they can have all the sexual tension without it feeling too incest-y. On top of that, the female lead would feel less pathetic and instead it would change the power dynamics in the household. Those that ran her life had all the power, and now because of her 'brother' entering the picture and her being the only one that knows truth about him, she now has the upper hand for once. Her 'brother' would also be unsure the entire time about whether or not his con has been compromised. (Even the audience could be unsure if she knows or not, which would be entertaining for us as well). Also, I'd make Secretary Wang pay for her crimes, naturally... I mean, wtf were the writers thinking??
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Well, the cast is REALLY amazing. In my opinion, Jo In Sung and Song Hye Kyo are two of the most remarkable Korean actors and here they fulfill their characters absolutely faultlessly. Jo In Sung possessed of an exceptional dramatic talent expresses the emotions in a particular and profoundly personal way, while Song Hye Kyo has an interesting combination of softness, delicacy and really intense and strong temperament. I can't count the times I've seen this drama and I also feel an immense aesthetic pleasure.
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A great show that unfortunately is held back by unanswered questions and rushed ending
So this is a great show with a unique story. The actors all play their role well. Loved the chemistry between the 2 lead roles . Side characters were also good.The problem that I had with this is unanswered questions and a very rushed ending.
They presented a major plot point in the story for the lead actor but never perused it. They showed a flashback, had actors/actress play out roles in it, never to be shown again where they could have just told the story verbally between present characters .
But most of all the ending was so rushed in the sense that issues were brought up in the final episode that did not make sense to be there and if they were, they should have been introduced much earlier. When this particular scene was shown in the final, I looked at the remaining time in the episode and was expecting 30 to 40 minutes remaining in the show and was shocked to see only 10 minutes were left. They did a time jump and barely had time left to show us what happened to our leads. In the end, you were left making a lot of assumptions on how all the characters got to the point in the end. Disappointing as the show over all was very good, it just felt like this series could have done with another episode or 2 to well round off the story.
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Worth the Ride
I have watched this movie three times. I love it. All the performances were spot on. From beginning to end I was drawn in and I fell in love with the gambler and his sidekick. The female leads were equally captivating. It was a rollercoaster of emotions but I was so glad to go along for the ride. The musical score was riveting. If you want romance and a story about star crossed lovers this is it. Even the supporting cast were excellent. The scene at the end with the gamblers was a gem. There was a good balance between the dramatic and the romance.Was this review helpful to you?
I`m currently watching a handful shows at once but this one caught my attention and I stuck with it till the end and... heads up; it is overwhelming. Like usual, everything is left to be fixed on the final episode so there`s a lot going on at once and we just feel very lost at the end, feeling like there`s at least a couple dozen scenes missing. Sigh. Well. Nothing`s perfect, I`m afraid. But this is still a great show.
Oh, and I must admit the fact she fell for him passed me by but now that I think of it it is kinda weird. Then again... whatever. ;--)
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After almost 10 years here I am finishing once again this masterpiece ✨️
I'm clapping 👏👏 wonderful cast, acting, storyline, scenario and references.Although I am not a huge fan of melodrama this one is different, they did it right in every aspect.
every scene is meaningful, every dialogue is well written and well played!
I loved the chemistry of the leads and the character development of all the character of the show.
It wasn't draggy also like today's dramas. The story unfold in 16 episodes as intended.
Song hye kyo did great but Zo in-sung stole the show for me. I really loved him in this drama.
I remember binge watching this show 10 years ago and although it's my second time I couldn't stop watching or skip any scene. I'm still impressed!
I'm thinking to re-watch it again in 10 years haha
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I think this tragic love story could have been so much more without the silly over-the-top plot twists that came along with the way the story was being wrapped up. I read a re-cap of the ending and I was so glad I didn't waste my time in watching the remaining episodes because the last "twist" ending would have infuriated me if I watched it all happen.
Overall, this melodrama reminded me of those Latino over-the-top tele-novelas my mother forced me to watch as a kid growing up. The same type of drama that I would roll my eyes after the 2 MC's screamed at each other and then kissed each other passionately at least once an episode. I guess what I'm trying to say is that this drama lacked depth, where the poor execution of plot took away from the things that should have actually mattered for the story to progress.
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