This show is one in a million
I watch a lot of kdrama. I’m extremely picky. I often skip around the episodes and never watch anything all the way through. This show, I never skipped for a second. I enjoyed every minute of it.High quality production all around. Great cinematography, visuals, music. All was done extremely well. The acting was great too, from every character. I never felt annoyed by the characters or the acting. Watching this show is like taking a bite of rich chocolate mousse and savoring every second of it.
The story kept my interest throughout. I always wanted to know what would happen next. I think the only negative thing I have to say about this show is that there were a few too many plot twists. I never knew what to trust. I guess that is how it keeps you interested, but it got very ridiculous at the end. I wasn’t sure if there was going to be a happy ending or not up until the last 10 minutes of the show.
Overall, I highly recommend. This show has captured my mind and taken my breath away. It’s a beautiful masterpiece that I was delighted to experience.
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Top-notch! I can't find loophole at all.
1) Story [+]Plot very strong, well-built and dynamic. The story moves forward the whole time which is incredible. There're things to learn, explore, discover, and be surprised in every episode. It progresses in fast pace but not hasty. The rhythm is so right to the point that there's no wasted time even for the preview. If you watched the preview of next episode at each episode's ending, you'd most likely be spoiled. All the happenings in this story are very reasonable from beginning to end, which normally is very hard to achieve in this kind of highly complex, suspense story. Most of the time, the writers/directors wouldn't be wise enough to make it perfectly suspense without loopholes (--some notable examples that failed on this point are W-Two World and Mouse). For this one, no loopholes at all. I also love the ending. It isn't romantically sugar-coated but leaning toward the side of being realisticly hopeful. The writer gave an interview that if there'd be one more episode, the audience would have the chance to see FL and ML being back together. I think so, too. But they're just clever to end it at the right timing. If there're one more episode, things would be cheesy instead as there's no point left in the suspense plot anymore, and then the tone of the series would shift a bit and might end up in the same way as many other Korean series that have strong start but usually tone down and fail toward the end.
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2) Acting [+]
Superb! There're so many actors in this series. They come in and out of the scene all the time. And I enjoy the acting of all of them. The acting of the three sisters should especially be praised. Kim Go Eun has the chance to show her true ability in acting through the role of the eldest sister here. Her performance in Goblin can't be compared to this at all. The actress who plays Wong Sang A, Hyorin's mother, also did a great job. Her fake smile and bubbly character is so annoyingly fake. Hyorin just says the right feeling of the viewers when it finally bears in her mind that things in her family are so fake. Before that, it always feels off but she can't really be certain at which point.
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*I'm not that expert in music so I avoid giving comment on that aspect and just gave the moderate/middle score when nothing wrong occurs.
*This series is one of a very few series I give this high score on Rewatch Value.
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The perfect mystery, thriller with a hidden, faint undertone of romance.
Wow. I have just finished this drama and few words can describe how I am feeling.It has been an absolute rollercoaster of a journey. I've been shocked, confused, scared, anxious, happy and overwhelmed over the course of this 12 episode drama. Even though there are some things that I didn't (and a few which I still don't) understand, this drama is definitely one of my top 3 kdramas ever!
Here are the things that I liked about this drama:
- The Cast! Oh. My Gosh. This star studded cast was on fire! Everyone outdid themselves! The emotions portrayed, the deliverance of lines, the visuals, the pure talent! A few of them deserve extra attention: Wi Ha Jun ( he was phenomenal, outstanding and the definite highlight of the show) , Kim Go Eun (she took this character and made her feel so raw, imperfect and human), Uhm Ki Joon and Uhm Ji Won ( these two scared the hell out of me in the most fantastic way).
- The Cinematography. Just watch it. You'll see why.
- Most of the characters. They were flawed, occasionally annoying, but for me personally this just added to the story. It's all about the imperfections of humanity (Greed, Naivety, Capitalism+Poverty, etc). My favourite character was Choi Do-Il, he just kept me on the edge of my seat the entire drama! I never knew whether to trust him or not, but he always pulled through.
- The Plot Twists. I don't think I am the easiest person ever to shock, but this drama continuously surprised me. These plot twists also gave the drama quite a steady pace.
- The Villains. Guys, people are scary. Do not judge a book by its cover. The villains in this drama have probably scared me for life.
The things I didn't particularly love:
- Oh In Hye. She just got on my nerves a lot. The ending redeemed her a bit for me as a character, but I still don't think I can say that I really liked her much as a character.
- I sometimes got quite confused whilst watching this drama. There are still a number of things that I don't really understand, but I think I probably just need to rewatch it. The times I felt confused never really took away from my general enjoyment of the show, but maybe just keep it in mind that you might feel like something doesn't make sense every now and again.
Two things to note:
- Don't go into expecting an adaptation of the classic novel of the same name. You will be disappointed. I have read a number of comments under this drama where people express their dissatisfaction at this and I think it is important to address. There are a few tiny minuscule similarities but that is it. I think it would be better to look at it from the perspective of it focusing on the lives of women who don't have power over their own lives. I also hope this perspective helps anyone who feels frustrated over the dissimilarities between the two.
- Historical distortion surrounding the Vietnam war. Look into it a bit yourself and ensure that you are educated on why people are unhappy with the lack of historical accuracy in this drama, so that you can watch it whilst being aware of this issue.
I truly loved this drama. I would 100% recommend it.
However, Prepare To Have Your Mind Blown!!!!
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Money , Rich vs Poor & Blue Orchid
At the first time I didn't know what's going on after two three episodes only I try to understand this story . First I thought Won Sang A was not a villain But the end of the some episodes she makes me somewhat angrier . While watching this drama I was afraid that Oh In Hye will die due to the heart disease , Thankfully She was saved I was very happy for that . And the another fear was I while watching this drama that Choi Do Il was cheating towards Oh In Joo , But Thankfully It was not . Hwa Young's Entry was such a awesome thing Loved the ending of this drama .Bcoz of the second leads ( Oh In Kyung &Jong ho ) and the sisters got a happy life also. 😊💜 But not satisfied with the mainleads reuniting (Choi Do Il & Oh In Joo) . 😢 Want these couples ( Wi Ha Joon & Kim Go Eun) In a new dramaWas this review helpful to you?
Entertaining story with unrealistic plot lines
Little women is a series full of drama and plot twists that explore the greediness for money and the wealth difference between the rich and the poor. The first half of this series is definitely better than the second one. In this one we can see how the three sisters all get wrapped up in the murder of Hwa Young and with the Won Family. It was interesting to see In joo's slowly becoming greedy for her new found money while at the same time trying to give her deceased friend justice. The murder case and the mystery behind the blue orchid really left me at the edge of seat. I also really enjoyed In hye's weird dynamic in the Won house. But then the writers kept dragging both of the mysteries, adding more information without wrapping up stuff. And then the unrealistic stuff came and never left until the ending. By this I mean stuff like In joo walking while badly hurt to her hotel after the car crash, Wong Sang A creating that hotel scheme of the other In Joo, In Hye leaving with Hyo rin and the sisters just being okay with it. It just doesn't make sense. The second half relied too much on plot twists. Im neither satisfied or mad about the ending, it was just okay. Overall, it was still a really entertaining series with it's flaws and the cast did an amazing job.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Very simple review cause i don't have time to write a longer one
My friend asked me for a kdrama recommendation, and the first one that popped into my mind was little women, and that reminded me that i didn’t watch the last two episodes, so i watched them and i’m glad i did. I remember being confused and losing patience as a lot of things that happened didn’t have answers yet, and everything was tragic not a single good thing happened, that’s why i felt discouraged and stopped watching it, but it seems like the last two eps had all the answers. I loved the action and the new story, the acting is amazing and the way everything happened in a steady pace is good, they didn’t leave a single thing unanswered thank god, i wouldn’t rewatch it though, one time is enough.Overall 9/10
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Female led thriller with a distracting title
Little women, loosely based on Louisa May Alcott's novel (only the characters though) is a thriller story of 3 sisters who deals with a society of rich people and their survival to sustain.Little Women features an extremely well-written plot and air-tight characters. Kim Go-eun does an exceptional job with her acting as In-joo, but it is Uhm Ji-won as Won Sang-ah who takes the cake with her acting. From playing the victim card to acting like a total lunatic, fans really loved to hate Sang-ah. Despite not being a romance drama, fans started growing attached to In-joo and In-kyung’s respective love interests, Do-il and Jong-ho.
Even though with 12 episodes (unlike generic 16 eps for a K Drama), Little Women is as intense as it can get with amazing and intense performances. The plot has twisted so often by this point that this cathartic image at the end of episode 11 brings us full circle, setting up the satisfying conclusion in the show’s concluding episode.
There was a compelling message in Little Women, but what mattered most are the sensations it evoked. It gave us what we wanted to see, at the end. Little Women is an addition of amazing female led dramas (Why Her, Juvenile Justice, Extraordinary Attorney Woo) in 2022.
My Rating : 8.5/10
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Another Vincenzo but not as good.
I had this drama in my list for a while now, but it wasn't a priority because I had a long list to finish before this.That being said, I dived into this show without seeing and details like synopsis, cast or production team. I was aware of the main cast tho(Who isn't?).
However, it took me just 30 minutes in the first episode to realise that it's a drama directed by Director Kim Hee Won(the brilliant mind behind Vincenzo).
Despite the fact that Vincenzo was a masterpiece, I wasn't expecting a show that was produced exactly the same. Identical meaning - the same dynamics between the leads(less chemistry here tho), the same music vibes(not as catchy as Vincenzo), the same deaths and drama sequences and most of all, an unexpected villian (but I could predict that early on in the show, so that didn't come as a surprise to me). My suspicion of Kim Hee Won was solidified when the end credits rolled after each episode - the dramatic music with name of the drama banging on the screen(ALL VINCENZO FGS).
In my opinion, the show was pretty good, it was entertaining and had a well defined story. The cast did a good job with their characters as well. Not much re-watch value but it's a pretty good watch one time for sure.
I know I keep saying this but - IT FELT LIKE WATCHING VINCENZO WITH A DIFFERENT STORYLINE. Because of that, I kept making comparisons at each step and that took away ALOT from my watching experience.
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⑅
“People believe that they have free will. But the truth is that we are controlled by money. If we were cut in half, we’d find ourselves infested by a money-hungry centipede.” – Hwa Young“When it rains, I’ll get wet. When the wind blows, I’ll feel the breeze. That’s how I intend to live. As an artist.” – Hyorin
“Didn’t you know that death was something that the living could experience, too? Not everyone is actually alive.” – Hwa Young
“Flowers have personalities, too. If you mix too many types together, they’ll get annoyed with each other and wilt.” – Hwa Young
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March sisters walked so Oh sisters could run.
The first report about this remake had me excited to the seven heavens; I was overjoyed not only to have a Korean version of one of my favorite classic novels plus movie adaptations but also to see how exactly they blend it into a sageuk (historical). Was a little upset upon learning that it’ll be based in modern urban times but it didn’t take long me to make terms with it. However, starting the drama and finishing two episodes left me very confused and had me pondering about the intentions of the makers. Not long after, I had to realize that only a few elements of the original have been picked up for the so-called remake and hence this one deserves no comparison. So, what are the similarities?◆ Sisters (4 there, 3 here) living with their mother; father long gone to places.
◆ An artist among the sisters (2nd one there, 3rd one here).
◆ Poverty-stricken lifestyle, hard ways of earning food and necessities.
◆ The great grand-aunt who favors the middle sister for her intelligence and tenacity.
◆ The prince charming with not-so-significant role, two distinct male leads here.
Let me know if I missed out any ;)
Developed and produced by ‘Studio Dragon’,” Little Women (작은 아씨들)” is supposedly a loose adaptation of the 1868 classic novel of the same title by Louisa May Alcott. Screenwriter Chung Seo Kyung creates the story in a modern Seoul-styled Korean backdrop with essence of thriller, melodrama and makjang while Kim Hee Won takes charge of direction. The 12-episode drama was originally broadcasted on tvN and internationally distributed by Netflix. Several parts of the major happenings of the drama were also filmed in Singapore.
The original plot is about struggles, love, compassion and dreams, whereas this adaption is about greed, goals, urges, fear, somewhere love and of course, dreams. The story follows a poor Oh family of three sisters with separate professional goals who, without their consciousness, get involved with the richest family of Korea and a supposed cult that is connected trough a mysterious orchid, which starts with a missing sum of 70 billion won.
Oh In Joo (Kim Go Eun), the eldest sister, works for a salaried office job and having lived in extreme poverty, she dreams about money and wishes to live an ordinary life. Oh In Kyung (Nam Ji Hyun), the middle sister, is a righteous reporter who doesn’t value money and starts working on a case that was long-forgotten in order to unveil the truth. Oh In Hye (Park Ji Hu), the youngest sister, is an aspiring artist who gets acknowledged for her natural skills though she is a realist and considers her sisters’ love for her as a burden.
Choi Do Il (Wi Ha Joon) is a part of Wonryong Group whereas Oh Hye Suk (Kim Mi Sook) is the Great Grand Aunt and Ha Jong Ho (Kang Hoon) is her neighbor and childhood friend of In-kyung. Park Jae Sang (Um Ki Joon) is a politician aspiring to become Seoul’s Mayor while his wife Won Sang A (Uhm Ji Won) is the daughter of Wonryong Group, created by her father Commander General Won Ki Sun (Lee Do Yeop); Park Hyo Rin (Jeon Chae Yeon) is their daughter, also an artist who is In-hye’s best friend.
Other familiar faces in the drama are Jo Seung Yun, Gong Min Jung, Park Bo Kyung, Park Ji Young, Lee Min Woo, Kim Myung Soo, etc. Several big faces have made special appearances: Song Joong Ki, Oh Jung Se, Choo Ja Hyun and Jang Gwang.
Its initially mystifying and allows one to think what might be the intentions of the writer though the follow-up picks up very entertaining and baffling elements creating arousing intrigues within the mind. The furtherance was as amazing with gradual disclosure of more engaging facts about several plotlines, major or minor, and what perplexed me the most was the storytelling and its naturalness despite a mixture of idealistic, realistic and real factors. There was this episode around the interval, that I clearly don’t recall, did felt a little off; the period where things were static and nothing huge seemed to be on its way, not like it became boring or something though. The later half was definitely much more marvelous with each episode bearing several peaks and each of them competing to excel. I was personally taken aback at episode 8 and how the presentations got the best of me, so this is my most favorite, though the show kept surprising even more in the rest 4 episodes. The ending
Writer virtuoso Jung Seo Kyung, known for her prodigious portrayals in staggering women-centric scripts, has once again proved how efficient her skills are to bewitch the audience and finest her creations to stagger the viewers. Admittedly and provenly, a copy-paste remake ain’t her style as reflected in “The Handmaiden”, so the decision to convert a classic English melodrama into a contemporary thriller with justifying dynamics and stupefying elements which turns out to be an appealing and positively appalling masterpiece.
Fascinating character arcs are a specialization of jakka-nim which undoubtfully is finely incorporated with satisfying development. The script is a bag full of whiplash twists, evenly distributed throughout and the picturesque convulsions that serve as delicious dishes of a sumptuous brunch. The theme creation is as bemusing as we see the ghost orchid, its backstory, the people it connects to and how it is at the center of everything.
Acquiring great skills despite less experience within a short period of time, is what Kim Hee Won known for. However, her previous work was a blunder that was finally recognised as a trumpery; though the script was hugely to blame. To see her work of creativity has always been a pleasure and without a second thought she strives to better. On that note, the cinematography of the drama is mesmerizing, from aesthetic shots to extravagant frames and swift yet detailed movement/shift, everything did their job in minds. The screenplay was visibly well-planned as the progression is periodic rather than episodic, seizing the viewer into one plotline but confusingly forcing them to other, albeit the manner was very comfortable thereby maintaining the quality.
What I also loved about the visuals are the reasoned and well-defined backdrops and setups. The Seoul-ic vistas of light and dark hue with polychromatic shades were very eye-savoring outside while rather plain and simplistic colors inside the mansions and buildings also did exhibit the contrast in between. The attempts to draw frame-wise parallels within the same show between the two halves were very ecstatic; admittedly, I wouldn’t have noticed if not for one of the users’ feed posts here.
Composed by Park Se Joon, there are two OSTs in the drama:
# “Enough” by Zior Park
# “La vie” by SOLE
(70 billion won-Truth-Art: Money-Justice-Dreams) … This is how I will draw the outline of the way the three sisters were connected to the show; one who thought money could solve all the problems, one who believed justice will bring everything to peace and one who desired art will help her escape. The combination could result in only one thing, money laundering through art pieces, haha. But the drama is much more than just power trip, greed for wealth and artistic perspective. Indeed, with her cinematic excellence, the writer uses the tool of social sin and the feelings of superior connivance in order to establish a story that reminds us how human mind is a complex matter that could cause catastrophes in the world while only truth and remain constants of time.
Oh In Joo was the most natural of a character in my opinion and apparently Kim Go Eun was the most suitable person for the role, provided her ongoing saga in “Yumi’s Cells” is also one hell of a realistic thing. From her desire for money to her being clueless and from acting cautiously to strangers to being overtly sensitive to everything, just average human being. Clearly, the best character development given to the one at the exact center, performed and excelled.
Nam Ji Hyun could have been used better, not like she was underwhelming or something, but in a way, I believed, both the character Oh In Kyung and the actress herself held lot more potential than what we saw. There were instances Inkyung was just pure dumb, as in dumb for someone who was a journalist plus it was visible the way she struggled a bit at first, which was a given since I don’t recall her playing such a fierce character(?). Anyways, it was satisfying to see her in action at times and how she changed from the beginning to end.
Oh In Hye had a magnificent arc to begin with and the actress did perform very well with her expressions and delivery. However, I was a little upset the way she was limited in the latter half; as in they forgot about her existence for some time and brought her back absurdly like oh she is a part too? All I mean her share of screentime did not suffice as someone who is tagged as a main character everywhere. Otherwise, her dynamics were naturally that of a rebelling teenager. Also loved how the makers decided to end the show with her prologue story and monologue note. The actress playing Hyorin did not have anything significant about her but she was good nevertheless.
Choi Do Il as a character is probably one of the most mysterious you will ever see and Wi Ha Joon should be commended for carrying it very well. His on and off dimension will apparently become the reason half of the audience will develop trust issues in real life. The introduction wasn’t really grand, rather felt he’d be only playing on the surface (to me at least), but the maker’s way of playing with their audiences’ mind worked like some sort of crazy drugs wow. I am not sure whether I should be saying that I was impressed but there was a point I just decided to sit at a corner with popcorn in m hand and see what he is upto. Nonetheless, I was happy at them screaming how he loves only one thing at the end of the day.
The drama is a heavy thriller; although it offered few bright and comforting elements, it mostly exhibited dystopia. Some events could be very frustrating like you are gonna drag a character out and beat the organs outta them. The plot devices like the orchid, the red heel and the architecture did serve as amazing scopes in order to create an artful story filled with thrills and excitement. And the progression is very unpredictable and mysterious for the current trend in K-thrillers, no doubt the screenwriter is a cinema maker; loved the suspense at the end of each episode as well. A galore of twists might even feel like burden in some episodes but their outcomes are relieving in some way. Again, the symbolisms, backed by their ingenious metaphors make the drama more entertaining.
The group of antagonists were not really one of a kind but the performance of the cast was what made them lively. Both Uhm and Um for the seasoned actors they are, did put forward an enthralling and captivating show, and the bad times we had clenching our teeth stands witness to it.
I believe March sisters’ struggle to keep up their dining table occupied helped Oh sisters to not just protest but fight against capitalism as they indulged themselves with the evil, for the sake of prosperity and justice though separately. Their dispute with reality urges them to opt paths they thought would be treacherous and relying on a single straw they not only strive to remain true to themselves but also thrive like a single blade of grass in the dessert. Through thick and thins, this remake remains grounded to the original in portraying how the littleness of everyone leads to a grand world of big beauties
The finale was as satisfying in the sense, it was not rushed, or even dragged unnecessarily, rather every bit of it felt good. It is not an open ending either as some people might think though in my opinion they left one plothole regarding the burried pendrive. But again, in a way, the evidence was not really useful. The ending sequence was smooth and also made mr realize that Choi Do Il's efforts were equalized with his manupulative and intelligent skills.
A personal and silly observation about the show that I made towards the ending, was that the in-situ viewership was very accurately concurrent with the qualitative graph that I have made in my mind, i. e. my episode-wise rating. Idk why I thought it was necessary to mention it here but here you go TT.
Final Remarks… A show made by women, led by women and prospered by women was quite a piece of thrilling experience as Little Women hits the floor this time around. The time will cite the show as something that is not a good remake but nevertheless a great show, which is a perfect balance between the original and the adaptation. From high production values to outstanding presentation and from enchanting performance to entertaining outcomes, this was a unique approach and definitely a must watch and easily one of the best thrillers of 2022.
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This review may contain spoilers
Moral and Money
It is very good show and very good plot. Very dynamic and interesting story. Wherever, it is true that it is hard to follow all characters, because it happens so much just in 12 episodes. I highly recommend to watch it with your native language audio, because it will be easy to concentrate on the story line. The three sisters personify the clash between morality and conscience and the pursuit of happiness and the good life through money.Wi Haa Joon as Choi Do II is great actor and I really missed at least 1-2 romantic scenes with him and Kim Go Eun as Oh In Joo. If there were just a little bit touch of romantic, the show will be a masterpiece. Great cinematography. 8/10
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UTTER PERFECTION
Everything is perfection in this one! Mindblown by the intricate and tight plot and the relatable as well as diverse set of characters+personalities. Superb acting. The cinematography and color palettes are extremely detailed and en point, making for a beautiful visual experience. I especially appreciate that the ending is not rushed. Adding to the rewatchables list.The bond between the sisters is especially applaudable; the male characters supporting them are also extremely competent and respectively likable. (And, let's be honest, that chemistry between Oh In Joo and Choi Do Il? OFF THE CHARTS.) The villains are developed and complex as well with their respective backstories. Simply perfection: a must-watch!
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