Destined with You

A cute show wanting to be too many things?

I feel like basically every character on this show was dumb as hell!

Not because they believe in past lives or magic, but they didn't even try actually investigate about the things that happened. For example. Hongjo cast a spell to heal Shinyu, but he never went to his doctor to check if the spell was actually working. They just accepted that his love for Hongjo is just magic, but later they found it was "meant to be", so this whole magic plot was basically meaningless. The whole plot was created to make them fall in love, but we never got any answer how they remember their past lives or if his love for her was actually real, or they just went with it.

Sadly, this was the main part of the story, so I can't give this more than 7/10, BUT overall, it's a good Kdrama with likable characters, but with lazy writing. In my opinion, the actors made this show better than it actually is.

The chemistry between Boah and Rowoon is top-notch, but their characters making the dumbest decisions every time. This is such a typical thriller/horror writing when the characters know someone is after them, yet they still don't want to call the police or remain in a safe space.

Also, the side characters, especially their co-workers were annoying, I mean, BIG TIME! The only good character was probably Shinyu's mother and his best friend.

What I didn't like is that they said, Hongjo doesn't have anyone, yet in episode 13, I think, we found it that her landlady is actually her mother's best friend? What the heck?

So, in short, I think this is a fun show, if you can forget all the mess that the writer did with the story. There's nothing special in this show, but I don't think it's a waste of time, but only because the actors did a great job!

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A 2 hours' worth of story that got dragged out to 16 episodes.

𓂃 A cheap trick to deceive the viewers right at the beginning. In the opening scene, they make it seem like some kind of horror event is happening, then suddenly cut to mundane everyday life. Around the middle of the episode, they reveal the answer, which turns out to be nothing. It’s just some light, childish play, not any real horror at all. They mislead the viewers just to grab attention. This feels like a cheap trick from those who don’t have the ability to truly hold the audience’s attention.

Apart from that, this drama is super slow and boring

𓂃 I almost dropped it after ep 1, but tried to give it a proper chance. It’s still too boring to watch properly I had to fast-forward and skim ahead from time to time. So, I decided to drop it again after finishing ep 7. But then, I read a review saying it only starts getting better after ep 7, so I gave it another chance.

Ep 8 still the same, though.

The past-life storyline begins in ep 9, but everything is still slow.

Ep 10 still slow. The romance, despite being plain, still manages to feel cheesy at the same time. The ending of ep 10 picks up my attention a bit, but then it goes back to be plain and cheesy and slow in ep 11.

𓂃 At this point, I can conclude that this story is never meant to be a full-fetched 16-ep drama. There’s nothing in the story. What they do is stretching a 2-hour movie into 16–17 hours. This is a scam!

𓂃 At this stage, there're 5 ep left for me, so I decided to see it through to the end. My annoyance level keeps going up, though, with the amount of time they’re stealing from me. And I expect to see the ML kill the FL in the past life now. Anything less intense would just be pathetic.

Ok, in the last 5 episodes, the ML actually does kill the FL in their past life during a prisoner chase even though he had just rescued her from prison. He even volunteers to be the one to kill her, but the reason is so lame. He says he doesn’t want her to be dismembered. What the hell! How weak the reason is! In that scene, a palace guard is already about to kill her with an arrow while the rival shaman tells him not to fear the FL's curse, guaranteeing that he can prevent it.

Each episode is still way too slow. The main plot points are scattered with only a few in each episode. They really stretch this out a lot. I almost don’t want to believe this is a Korean drama, which normally doesn’t drag things out this excessively like Chinese dramas that go on for 36, 40 or even 50 episodes as a norm. This is only 16 episodes, but it honestly doesn’t feel worth more than 2 hours.

𓂃 Apart from that, I don’t see any good acting from the supporting roles. They don’t really serve any purpose in this drama anyway. I don’t feel any presence from any of them. On the contrary, some of them are even outright annoying.

For example, the ML’s dad. What the hell is his lame reasoning? His behavior is basically victim-blaming. He also opposes the leads’ relationship like a literal idiot with no brain. He's irrational in a way that only happens in a soap opera. Yeah… this is exactly what it is—a lame melodrama soap opera series.

𓂃 After ep 1, I gave this a 4.5, but more nonsense kept piling up along the way. It dropped to 4 after ep 7. And this final score reflects my level of annoyance and frustration at the peak after finishing everything. The actual quality is probably around 3, but I’m so upset with the plot and the drag that it ends up at 2.

𓂃 ✦ 𓂃

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Aucun intérêt pour moi

Je n'arrive pas à trouver un intérêt à ce truc. Même épuisée, en pleine nuit après avoir enchaîné les nuits blanches, je n'arrive pas à aller au bout. Il y a zéro scénario, rien n'a de sens, je me fiche d'absolument de tous les personnages et ce qui peut leur arriver, aucun n'est attachant, il y a zéro alchimie, la romance commence sur les pires bases et n'a aucun sens non plus. J'ai l'impression que l'écriture de ce projet est juste un bordel monstrueux sans véritable sens ou but. Personne n'avait vraiment de projet. Bref, vraiment, c'est une perte de temps absolument pour moi, donc j'arrête les frais.

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Mixed

I usually avoid reading reviews until I finish. However, by E5 I had increasing doubts because the story felt a bit choppy and was losing me. So I checked out a few reviews and one mentioned it doesn't get good until E7! I pushed through to E7 and yes it gets 'better' but that's in part because of an increasing curiosity to find out whether the writing would improve.

Key story points would pop up and then oddly characters wouldn't mention them until much later.

Anyway, I did find the characters and the story in the last five episodes engaging but was disappointed many rough edges weren't fixed before this went into production. I don't fault the actors or the production quality, but suspect the problem is with the script and likely the direction.

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Improves by each episode

I nearly gave up on this during the early episodes. The tone was rather uneven with hints of horror, thriller, comedy, romance and everything else muddled up together into a rather confusing mess. But gradually some of these distractions are lost and the storyline becomes clearer.
For starters the story was messy with a lot of characters that we didn't really need to be honest . At the centre is a story about love triumphing against so many difficulties. If such a story lights your fire, as it does mine, then it is worth persevering and discovering the enjoyment that lies in wait.
Of course Rowoon and Jo Bo Ah really did have a great chemistry between them so casting for me was actually pretty great!
Overall by the end I actually really liked this kdrama. In the last episodes I was actually stressing so much for them! I do recommend to watch this drama to everyone!

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NO SPOILERS REVIEW | Cute, but the plot holes made it difficult to enjoy.

This is my opinion and it's absolutely okay if we don't agree.
This is not a personal attack to anyone's preferences.

I recommend this drama if you're looking for some fantasy to pass the time but doesn't care about plot holes.

I'm not a fan of fantastical stories, but enemies to lovers is my favorite trope, so I went for it.

The trope was well developed and the acting is really good. The side characters and their stories weren't my favorite, but my issues lie somewhere else.

I don't have answers for so many things that happened during the story, there was so much useless information added for whatever reason?
I see them as plot holes because they are indeed connected to the main story, and for me, it made it difficult to give a positive review for this title.

It feels like the first half of the drama was written by a group of people that didn't talk with the group of people that wrote the second half and when they realized that, they added some scenes to try to connect it and called it a day.

It wasn't a waste of time, of course, the MML is stunning and the FML is super sweet, so there's that.

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I had a great time watching this series. I really liked how the main characters’ personalities complemented each other. On the surface, the serious Jang Shin-yu clashed with the slightly goofy Lee Hong-jo, and as their love developed, he slowly opened up to the idea that not everything in life has to be taken so seriously. The chemistry between the two of them was amazing, and the kisses were HOT. The supporting characters were also interesting — they didn’t blend into one another but had distinct personalities, ranging from funny for the viewer, to infuriating, to genuinely intriguing. The curse storyline and the spells themselves were also interesting.

One thing worth highlighting because it absolutely cracked me up was how the male lead in some scenes seemed to barely hold back laughter. I don’t know whether it was intentional or if the actor himself just found it funny, but I noticed it, for example, in episode 5, when they were talking on the phone and he heard that she was sitting with some guy.

However, I did find some downsides that made me slightly lower my rating.

1. The characters’ stupidity:
→ The male lead, portrayed as one of the best lawyers, initially believed his girlfriend’s version of events — that the female lead had stolen her boyfriend — even though just seconds earlier he had heard that it was his girlfriend who had apologized to her for the past, not the other way around.

→ Their biggest moment of stupidity was when they were already together and the psycho was stalking her and had just tried to kill her. They arrive together at his apartment, and he sees the psycho’s car in the garage. Instead of staying with her and calling the police, he decides to go down alone after escorting her upstairs to “check it out” (brilliant intelligence), and she doesn’t behave any better. After all that, she sits alone in the apartment and opens the door when someone rings the bell (even though no one is visible on the monitor), while her boyfriend is desperately trying to call her.

→ Another time, she lures the psycho alone to some cave-like place. That might have been acceptable since she informed others and they were supposed to come, but then instead of stalling for time, she confesses everything to the psycho and runs away XD.

2. Events that are absurd and have no grounding in reality.
To be clear, I understand that this series includes spells, curses, and reincarnation, so it has fantasy elements — but the characters are still human. Here, the female lead sprays the psycho with pepper spray from a very close distance. For the first several or even dozens of minutes, he shouldn’t have been able to open his eyes at all; he could have had corneal damage or optic nerve injury — and yet one second later the guy is running after her through the forest as if nothing happened.

3. Unresolved or underdeveloped storylines that I consider important:
→ The spellbook stated that spells could be cast by her and a person designated by her. Who was that person? Everything pointed to Na Jung-beom, but this was never explained.

→ The character of Na Jung-beom himself. He also cast spells — this was shown in the past and implied to be happening in the present as well. In fact, that’s exactly what he was trying to do when he was captured, yet none of this was explained and it was completely brushed aside.

→ The consequences for Na Jung-beom, Lee Hyeon-seo, Yoon Hak-young, or Yoon Na-yeon. We basically know nothing about what happened to them, even though all of them were significant characters for the overall plot.

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Great actors but the story is messy

As for the good points : rowoon and Jo Bo ah are really acting well in this serie and their chemistry is good, they gave some beautiful scenes together I loved the one in the snow it for exemple! And the music I loved it "I'll hold you tight" is really a masterpiece.
But as for the story it's really messy especially at the beginning. There are too much things going on between the other love interest and the sociopath thing we get lost. Thankfully it gets better as we go but still not as good as I expected and it's really sad because it was a great plot !
I still finished it and I had a good time its just a bitter sweet feeling at the end because it has sl much more potential!

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Not a bad drama

I'm glad I did not let the negative reviewed sway me into giving this drama a pass.
It's a good time, even without alcohol (joking).

The story was ok, leads also, and it's an easy watch without too much angst because even if some cliffhangers are nicely done, you can guess not much will really happen and no one is in real danger.
The romance was ok and it was all due to the ML and FL chemistry.

Thinking back, I think the story was told wrong, the back and forth in time was not made at the right time (or in the right episodes) so you start to understand the vision a bit later (I would have liked them to set up the premise and everything right from episode 1). Spend more time in Joseon instead of filling with some below-average side plots that were useless if I'm honest.

Still a good watch, but no rewatch value

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Swoon-Worthy Leads & A Head-Scratching Plot

I just wrapped up "Destined with You," and let me tell you, it's been quite the journey.

First off, let's talk about the stars of the show: Jo Bo Ah and Rowoon. These two? Chemistry off the charts! Jo Bo Ah as Hong Jo, our adorable civil servant, may fall into some classic K-drama tropes, but hey, she grows on you. And Rowoon? The man knows how to rock a suit and deliver those heart-fluttering lines with just the right amount of charm and sincerity. They kept me coming back episode after episode.

Now, let's address the elephant in the room: the plot. Oh boy, did it take us for a spin! From ancient curses to modern-day office romance, and even a touch of thriller—I mean, talk about genre-hopping! Sometimes it felt like the writers were throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks. But you know what? Amidst the confusion, there were gems of backstory and heartfelt moments that kept me hooked.

Speaking of which, episode 14—now that's a standout. We got deep into the Joseon period, and let me tell you, the cinematography and storytelling were on point. It was like stepping into a dream within a drama. Sure, the transition back to reality was a bit abrupt, but hey, that's K-dramas for you, keeping us on our toes.

Let's not forget the soundtrack. While not every song made it onto my playlist, a couple did strike a chord (looking at you, Park Won and Lyn!). The OST added that extra oomph to emotional scenes and kept the vibe just right.

And those side characters? Some were quirky and fun, others… well, let's just say they overstayed their welcome. Yura and Ha Joon brought some spice, but the rest? Meh.

Overall, "Destined with You" isn't perfect—it's got its highs and lows, like any good rollercoaster. Sure, I scratched my head at times, wondering where the plot was headed, but darn it, I couldn't look away. It's the kind of drama you watch when you need a break from the mundane, when you crave that K-drama magic that makes you laugh, swoon, and occasionally facepalm—all in one sitting.

So, would I recommend it? Absolutely. If you're up for a ride that's equal parts thrilling and head-scratching, dive in. Just hold on tight and enjoy the twists and turns!

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