A Love So Beautiful

Predictable, Silly, But Cute Series!

If you're looking for something fun and light, you really can't go wrong with "A Love So Beautiful." Frankly, there have been better shows involving a girl who falls in love with a boy where the girl (for some reason) isn't very bright compared to the object of her affection. "Good Morning Call" and "Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo" are better series.

This is a story that has been done a number of times, although the twist toward the end finally gives it some brand of uniqueness despite knowing how it's going to end. Not all shows that are predictable are necessarily bad.

Shin Sol-Yi is a young, passionate girl, who's quite naive and also very immature for her age. Unfortunately, this doesn't really change as she gets older. She starts out as a 17-year-old girl, acting like she's 10. She ends as a twenty-something woman acting like a 12-year-old. She whines and pouts, and too often this becomes a little annoying.

I've lived and worked in China, Korea, and Taiwan. And I've told people: take the girl's age and subtract ten years to get her true maturity. It rarely fails.

Cha-Heon is the object of Sol-Yi's affection. He's the top student, but he's a bit cold and aloof when it comes to Sol-Yil and her more than obvious interest in him.

The performances are pretty good. Yo-Han Kim (Cha-Heon) is a bit wooden in his role. So Ju-Yeon (Shin Sol-Yi) has the cutest dimples in the world and a million-dollar smile to boot. I only wished that she'd been able to bring more depth and dimension to her character as well as giving her character a bit more maturityj to make her more appealing and less annoying.

The kissing scenes in this show are some of the worst I've ever seen. Wooden, tight-lipped with absolutely no feeling or authenticity at all. It was quite obvious that the actors and actresses did NOT like doing them.

Still, this is a fun series to watch. It's nothing too special, but it's a solid feel-good story that will likely put a smile on your face.

Read More

A much needed lighthearted series

I've seen the Chinese version and liked it. But for me, I prefer the Korean version. In terms of acting and story pacing, it's better.

I like how the male lead in this version was portrayed. Yes, he can be cold but you could also see emotions underneath his exterior. He's not as robotic as with the original. Also, the cast has great chemistry with each other. I can totally see them as a close group of friends. And since the episodes are a bit short, there was no draggy moments/storyline.

Overall it's a fun watch if you want something light and fun.

Read More

I tried...

Let me start this faithful and very late review. The college has been trolling me and so time is of the essence.
Before you ask, yes, I will discuss which of the two versions I like better but LATER. For now, I shall appreciate it as its own thing.
Let me start with the story. It really is a story of life, youth, and time. Things happen to the main character that changes her world view whether it is realizing that it can't always revolve around a boy or that certain things take responsibility and she needs to be held accountable. As for being a remake, I love some changes and I thought some others were better left alone. Some scenes kept did not have as much impact as the original and some scenes changed both fell flat and brought the bomb. There was variety :) The beginning was especially rushed and fast-paced due to the difference in episode count but I did feel that they could have done a better job. After around ep 3-5, the story worked itself out and got back on pace. True to the original but able to make it its own :) got to love it.
The Acting and Cast? I loved it. There was no moment where I thought :/ or really wished someone else took the roles. What else is there to say? I felt that I could tell by looking at the character and the way they all spoke which their Chinese counterpart was. I feel that is one of the greatest compliments to a cast for a remake. I also enjoyed the dynamic and watching them really dawned on me new possibilities because I couldn't really imagine a new cast up until that point.
The OST? I will be singing it all day. It was actually what initially attracted me to watch the show other than the original. Whenever the song came up I was tapping my feat, humming along and my head swayed without my knowledge at times. This one song alone probably had more impact than most things. It was very enticing and really kept me watching. I still listen to it. I actually can't pick between this version or the original version of the song but it was a nice throwback surprise.
uhhh as for rewatching value...I actually gave it a 7 because it seems like a rewatch friendly show but I haven't rewatched it soo I can't really judge it quite ye. I haven't done a review for the original so I might rewatch both at one point to have a better opinion.
Overall, as a stand-alone it was great.

Now, THE STATEMENT of which I liked better.
It doesn't matter because I like both!! Like or dislike is a preference that has no bounds, if you want to discuss which one is objectively better as a critic, go ahead but preference is a number of things. There is really no winning no matter which one you liked more. I get flamed for liking the new one and I get flamed for liking the original because people think I am biased. Nostalgia is a factor, my dudes. Don't flame someone cause they liked whichever one more for whatever reason. Doesn't devalue or opinion or anything so why does it matter. It is not like you are gonna agree with them and turn a new leaf. haha, I apologize, a bit too charged for my taste but I needed to say it.
Which one would I watch again first? The original. Does that mean I like the original more? I don't know. If you really want an opinion, just watch it and form your own. It was a good show on its own and it managed to be a good remake as well. The original will always hold a place somewhere on the popular drama wall and people liking this remake more won't change that.
My opinion on what was better for each category :
OST: Korean
Story: Chinese
Actors: Tie

Read More

cute and short but maybe not the best remake

Honestly I've never written a review but I thought I should write one for this drama.
I first watched the korean version before I watched the original, but so far I've rewatched both of them more than two times. The korean version lacked the depth in characters and in story-telling, and overall I feel like the plot was just cut down. You can barely see the development in the relationship between the ML and the FL, their moments together literally go by so fast. Where as in the c-drama, you can see their feelings grow and change.

Moreover the actor for the FL just looks older than the character should. No matter how they tried to make her appear younger, whether that was through her short hair or making her behaviour so-child like and immature, I felt like the actress didn't really connect with the role and she wasn't really able to bring out her character until the end of the show. (no shade to the actress though shes gorgeous but its just a case of bad casting lols)

And the thing that bothered me the most was how she would forgive the ML so easily. When he told her she was a loser, or when he was caught with Heeji. He would never directly apologize. Like how does playing the piano and telling her 'dont go' when she's thinking of transferring equivalent to an apology? LMAO like okay he could be bad with words and displaying what he feels but this literally makes no sense. You get a sense of his true feelings and some of the reasons behind his actions in the last episode but thats practically it. Overall I feel like this could've been better but its cute for what it is.

Read More

Definitely fun to watch, but some of the protagonist’s actions really get under my skin! For instance, how she lowers herself for a guy who’s not all that great, while the secondary character is absolutely amazing. He truly loves her, does everything for her, is good at so many things, and was there for her when she needed him the most. Yet, she rejects him. Honestly, it feels like she lacks self-love. Plus, it took a long time for her to mature—she only really grew up towards the end. Still, I really enjoyed the drama, and I think it deserves a second season!

Read More

A Love So Beautiful (2020)

The show's a little unrefined, rough around the edges, and at times iffy at best but its got the spirit and that's what counts.

I always felt that the coming-of-age genre is a cheat code in writing since many can easily relate to its thematic values. So essentially the show was playing with house money but doesn't quite act like it. The story progression and pacing is a bit of a mess and uncoordinated. It makes safe but bland choices which, when paired with the fact that secondary characters shined a bit brighter than their primary counterparts, resulted in a safe but bland experience.

Still, the show is easy on the eyes, easy on the mind, and easy for viewers to digest as we watch a love blossom into something so beautiful.

Read More

A Love So Incredibly Frustrating

For a teen rom-com, the romance was dead. Not to mention, incredibly unhealthy and bordering on toxic for every single pairing. Both Heon and Dae-sung were way too possessive over Sol-i. ESPECIALLY Heon. I do not understand how his love for Sol-i was supposed to be perceived as pure. He toys with Sol-i for YEARS to see how far she'll go for him. Dae-sung is better in some aspects, thinking more about Sol-i's happiness than his own. However, his love borders on obsession, and I seriously dislike how many years he waits for Sol-i just to be rejected all over again. It is just insane for him to have waited fifteen years and not move on. Ha-young and Jin-hwan's relationship is also a mess. Ha-young was practically in love with someone else, and then she switches feelings within a day?

Also, the kisses in this show were to faint over, in the wrong way. None of the couples had any real chemistry. Heon and Sol-i's dead-fish kisses made me squirm uncomfortably and all the horrible "we had sex teehee" jokes made me cringe my eyes out. This show would probably be better if ANY of the leads had any chemistry together.

It may also have been better if the female lead, Shin Sol-i, was not SO incredibly bubbly. It's a shame because I like the actress who plays her, but her voice as Sol-i hurts my ears. Her aegyo and constant jumping were just purely annoying, especially when they contrasted too hard with Kim Yohan's total emotionless acting (let's just say he got MUCH better in School 2021). Also, all of them acted the same at 30 as at 17. This was insane. No way a 30-year-old woman whines and pouts the way a child does to act cute.

Speaking of, 15 years was an unrealistic time gap. I get that the original Chinese story took place over that long, but it's just unbelievable that these characters went from teenagers to their 30s with barely any stylistic change. Especially with the runtime being so short, a decade passes by too quickly. It would've been much better if it had taken place over six or seven years. Not to mention more realistic. Is Cha Heon supposed to be perceived as a senior doctor when he looks like a 20-year-old? Come on...

And get this! Somehow, I still enjoyed it!?!?! This show took me YEARS to finish. I tried watching it when it first came out on Netflix, and I dropped it after 8 episodes; I used to agonize over pressing play. Three years later, I decided to pick it up again, and something just hit differently this time; perhaps it was the fact that I realized how foolish a lot of these problems were and could laugh at them. The show was cute and something to entertain me when I was bored. I would not necessarily recommend it as a story. But if it has been on your radar for a while and you happen to love horrible love triangles, this will be a hoot!

Read More

Oh a Dream Puppy Love

Shin Soli really said that her imagination keeps her afloat. Anyone must have their moments to smile in between these high school life stories. I have mine too. How every episode brings the plot into the light watch is the charm of this drama, but also what it lacks because I tend to lose my will to anticipate what happened. Cha Heon is a tsundere, but the formula of him showing Soli his back and smiles to himself has turned repetitive. His figure is too sweet to be 'mean' enough. Also, can we talk about how the ost repeat itself inside the story too much as if the drama doesn't have enough songs to be featured. All songs are great! Please use all of them consecutively. I think Woo Daesung deserves a slight subplot too, right? He is the second lead but Jinhwan and Hayoung a complete history until the drama ends but we only have subtle view about how Daesung's future look like. I enjoy this drama between my lunch. It's quite heartwarming to remember about how love grows (though this drama still fall into half realistic in a way).

Read More

That Yapping Puppy Gonna Steal Your ♥️ °good° °minor spoilers°

Indefatigable. That isn't a word one gets to use much. Soli is indefatigable.

The completely adorable So Ju Yeon (Festival, Seasons of Blossom) plays Sin Soli. She isn't stuffy or fussy. She is 🌞 itself. She is exuberance, and all of her solar energy is focused on Heon. Kim Yo Han (The Winning Try) is our ML, Cha Heon. He's the one who's stuffy and fussy. This is a HS fabled about the Pixie & McGruff.

ALSB is a 2020 release that is rated 89 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of 24 20-minute episodes. The source material is the Chinese novel, To Our Pure Little Beauty, by Zhao Qianqian. China did their version of the story in 2017. I've started that one and it appears to be almost exactly the same plot. So far, the Cdrama is also very cute. This is a story of five high school friends and their journey through HS and on to adulthood.

Seventeen-year-old Shin Sol-i (So Joo-yeon) repeatedly confesses her love to Heon, who appears distant, but is, in fact, awkward when it comes to expressing his feelings. Woo Dae-seong, a nationally ranked swimmer, transfers to Chun Ji High School and falls in love with Shin Sol-i. This drama takes place mostly in HS. In the late teen episodes it starts time-jumping. When they're adults we'll meet Dr. Seo Ji-Su, played by Yang Yu-Jin. She's fabulous - just oozing with beauty and personality - and this is her only credited work! I hope she does more.

Soli and Heon live next to eachother, but the similarities stop there. He's serious, a top student, and generally good at everything. Soli is none of that. She's delightful, all the same. In the beginning of the show Soli is always chasing, Heon is always running. Ever so slowly, Heon starts warming up to this embodiment of warmth. Heon's little brother is one of those precocious-I'm-cooler-than-you-older-brother types. It never gets old. He's really cute. HE'S in LOVE with Sol-i!

Soli follows Heon around like a yapping pupoy, and Kang Ha Yeong is always around her friend, Soli. Played by Jo Hye Joo (Just One Bite, Reborn Rich), she has a crush on her teacher. Jung Jae Oh (Govengers, Ga Doo Ri’s Sushi Restaurant) is the bespectacled Jung Jin Hwan. He has a crush on the beautiful Ha Yeong. The 4 of them hang around eachother more and more and become tight friends as the show progresses. They also pick up a new student, “Woo”. He meets Soli almost the moment he steps onto the school grounds. He's so impressed with her moxie that he takes to calling her “brother.” It's too cute! He is smitten with her immediately: Yep, it's a l♥ve tri⛰ngle. The whole 'brother' bit is adorable, and it's one reason that Woo won ME over. I love this kid, so my vote is that Soli chose wrongly. Be that as it may, Soli made her choice years ago, long before Woo swam on the scene. There's no turning back. Screenwriter Jang Yoo Yeon also brought us Drunk in Good Taste & Ga Doo Ri’s Sushi Restaurant.

I guess this is no longer a review, but the start of a Yeo Hoe Hyun fan page. So, I'll continue. Appearing in hits like Leverage & Short, Mr. Yeo is unforgettably charming as “Woo” Dae Seong. In ep9 his acting is breathtaking. Soli received a love confession letter from him that clearly won't bring him the result he was hoping for. He tells Soli the note from the "secret" game was "just a joke," to So-li's relief. The scene is stunning. The reversal of expressions adds up: Soli shows unrepressed concern + he's carefree at first until he sees he's to be rejected ÷ he quickly adjusts - represses his feelings + he blows it all off as nothing + Soli is happily relieved - Soli doesn't notice the despondency and pain on his face = dazzler. Cut to swim practice, next. He dives into an infinite pool of tears. Woo outshines Heon in every single category. So-li just might be an idiot. Everybody is at one time or another, and love can make idiots of us all. In ep9 my heart started to hurt. I found this show by googing cheesy Kdrama rom-coms. This is not what I signed up for! This isn't cheesy at all.

The dynamic is that Heon is put off by Soli's unrepressed attentions. He avoids her but he's watching from a distance. He ends up helping her quietly here and there, though she doesn't know that. Over the years he acclimates to her and it does turn to love. Soli never wavers, but when they are grown Heon will have to show how much she means to him if he wants to seal the deal.


QUOTES📢

Good gravy Marie.

I put my pain before yours.

I will cut out the middle of this long winter night ~
Coil it up in a blanket warm as a spring breeze ~
The night my beloved comes ~
I will slowly unwind it.
~Hwang Jin-i~


〰🖍 IMHO

📣7 📝7 🎭7.5 💓7 🦋5 🎨6 🎵/🔊6 🔚8 ♦ 🌞8⚡3 😅4 😭2 😱0 😯3 😖0 🤔4 💤0

Age 10+ Rated TV-PG-13: Parents Cautioned;

Re-📺? Not impossible. Is there a chance Woo Dae Seong will prevail in the 2nd go-round?


Young 💔

🇰🇷My First First Love-8,
Racket Boys-8.3,
Reply 1988-8.6,
Boys Over Flowers-8 ~ melodrama to the max,
Heirs-7.3,
Nevertheless-7.6,
Cheese in the Trap-7.7

🇨🇳The Romance of Tiger and Rose 9.8,
When I Fly Towards You-7.8,
Wait, My Youth-8.4,
A Little Thing Called First Love-8.5,
Hidden Love-7.8

🇯🇵Special A Class-8.2,
Maid Sama-10,
True Beauty-7.5,
Toradora-8.5,
Love Chunibyo And Other Delusions-8.4,
Kayuga Sama Love Is War,
Your Lie In April-9

Read More