This review may contain spoilers
The Curse of the Rambling Script
I placed spoilers at the end of this review.This was an interesting series. The script was good, but not great. On the positive, the ending was very satisfying and left no loose ends. On the downside, the main story concept was not always clear and there were some weird components. Some sections felt rushed and introduced things without context at times. There were also some side storylines that were unnecessary. It felt like they needed filler material for a script that could have been a 12-episode series but needed it to be 16 instead. The actors did a great job with their characters. However, I was not a fan of Lee Hong Jo’s coworkers. They were very annoying during most of the series and I skip many of their scenes. I know this will be an unpopular opinion, but I did not see any on-screen romantic chemistry with the two main leads. See the spoiler alert at the end of this review if you want more information. This had beautiful cinematography and special effects.
Random Notes:
Overall, I enjoyed watch it. Although the script had some flaws, it was entertaining and had a great ending.
Why do I love seeing familiar locations used from other series? The bar used in many of the scenes was the same one used in the “Love with Flaws” series.
******Spoiler Alert******
I’m not a fan of love triangles, but the one in this series was well written. However, I still found myself rooting for Lee Hong Jo to end up with Kwon Jae Kyung instead of Jang Shin Yu even though I knew that would not happen. Jang Shin Yu and Lee Hong Jo looked cute together, but I was not seeing any romantic connection with them.
The romantic storyline with Gong Seo Gu and Ma Eun Young was cute but seemed out of place with the rest of the script.
The storyline with Jang Shin Yu’s parents also seemed out of place and was just weird.
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This review may contain spoilers
maybe you will need some patience...
Destined With You was saved by the chemistry of the main couple. as this is a romance drama I was expecting that this would happen, but I didn't thought only the romance could carry this drama for so long.in my opinion, the story is really weak, filled with plot holes and unnecessary fillers. the lack of strong support characters and of a solid background for the couple really bothered me, like only the two of them existed in the drama at all! the colleagues of Hongjo are so annoying and didn't add anything to the story, and the same happened with Shinyu's parents, whose relationship were so poorly written. the second lead didn't played a big part at all in the story and also bothered me a lot throughout the drama... I think that character development is one of the most important things a drama needs to have, and in the case of Destined With You it was almost like it wasn't really there.
the comedy scenes were not really helpful with the drama pace at all and this drama almost needs to be cooked 😂 you have to wait quite some episodes for the story to flow and to be a little more interesting.
but even with the bad points I made, the drama is really entertaining and cute! the photography is beautiful and it might be worth it for you if you're really into romance and is interested somehow in the main cast. Jo Boah and Rowoon had great chemistry and their acting is so good here! I really want to see them work together again!
overall, this is a weak drama for me, but with some potential to be a cute and fun watch with a little patience. I don't usually rewatch shows, but even if I did, it would not be the case here.
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WHAT’S GOING ON???
We’re already on ep 8 and the story keeps confusing. The producers are always adding more and more plots without giving any explanation. First, the love and the healing potions, did they work or not?, the red hand disappeared and ShinYu just stopped to talk about it, he’s also giving mixed feelings to HongJo he’s clearly in love w her but he keeps giving mixed feelings and HE’S STILL DATING, i really hope that he break uand now we have the story w a stalker. Idk what this kdrama is becoming🤷♀️Was this review helpful to you?
Let Loose and Have Some Fun. Don’t take it too seriously
Entertaining concept. Handsome men in suits (Seriously Rowoon in a suit is immaculate). A fun likable female lead. A brooding rich male lead. And you got yourself a hit. Good chemistry between the characters. It’s a fun little drama with a lot of hilarity and swooning moments. But don’t take it too seriously. It’s not meant to be at the Oscars, but it wasn’t made for that anyways. Some people take morality a little too seriously in a fantasy drama. As long as the main characters are dedicated to each other, that’s all I care about. It’s fun, and supernatural and a little slice of romance. Take it for what it is.Was this review helpful to you?
The series gets repetitive with no real plot
The drama is interesting at first but begins to get repetive from episode 3 onwards. The ML keeps repeating how he doesn’t want to fall in love with the FL but keeps approaching her. His lines are so repetive that it becomes irritating to watch.Both of 2nd FL and ML serve no real purpose except as sidekicks whom we already know will not end up with the FL and the ML.
The colleagues in the civil service office, and even the ML’s parents, play filler roles because are not close to either the FL or the ML, so the FL and ML exist in a vacuum.
This drama already has the usual kdrama setup and tropes, and they are excuted quite poorly, which is a shame because both leads are considered good actors.
The usual :
1. Both ML and FL have existing partners/love interests, gradually develop feelings for each other while denying them.
2. 2nd FL and ML, who do not end up with the ML and FL but try to be.
3.. Side stories involving people at the workplace, usually involving a comic relief, nasty boss, gossipy colleagues, or the FL’s BFF
4. Accidental kisses, falling over each other, etc
I hope the drama picks up from now on. I like Jo Bo-ah, but even then the constant repetitive lines when they are bickering are just too irritating.
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This review may contain spoilers
Enjoyed More than Expected!
An arrogant ace lawyer suffering from a centuries-old curse + a lonely low-ranking civil servant who comes into possession of the cure he needs. Can they work together well enough to break the curse?I held off on watching this because of the OW drama with the ML’s g/f (who is hecka annoying, delulu, & toxic), but now I’m kicking myself for not watching it sooner because holy wowza - the Leads totes make all the drama worth it! 😍
Some of the tropes between them:
- professional lives (he’s a top dog while she’s bottom of the totem pole)
- incompatible “social status” (he’s from a prominent & rich family while she’s orphaned & poor)
- opposite personalities (he’s apathetic; she’s friendly)
- He’s dating her HS bully (who lied so he treats FL coldly for it)
- She’s crushing on SML (who rejects her then pursues her)
Throw in a curse they’re not sure they believe in, past lives neither remembers, workplace shenanigans, + a psychotic k!ller & they’ve got a LOT to deal with. 😱
The Leads have amazing chemistry & I loved their chaotic journey! The ML is hilarious with his love-spell actions, he made me laugh so much. The FL is precious with her attempts to make friends & just do her job well, despite all the opposition. And them together? Woo buddy - the heat! 🔥🫠
Every longing glance. Every brush of their hands. Every “accidental” touch. Every hug. And every.single.kiss! The Leads sucked me in with every scene & I adore them for it. 🫶🏻
_________\\__________//________
-⬇️ S P O I L E R S 🚫 B E L O W ⬇️-
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…
….
……
The things I always want to know 😏😉…
- First(real)Kiss : ep.7💋
- Together : ep.11 👩🏻❤️👨🏻
- BreakUp: ep.13 (sorta) 💔
- BackTogether : ep.14 ❤️🩹
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I could not tell you what this is about
I'm sure a lot of us have listened to a k-pop song where there is an English lyric that means absolutely nothing. This string of words does not combine to communicate any idea. An example is the NCT lyric, "Hot dog feel like I wear goose goose." That sentence means absolutely nothing. I have no clue what they are trying to tell me with this line, and I'm left bewildered by the songwriters.Destined with you is if that Super Junior lyric was actually a 16-episode Korean drama. At no point in this show did I understand the trajectory of the story, and it all just felt like things were happening for the sake of them happening. The show introduces us to an urban fantasy setting at first (LOVE), and then we learn that magic is not real (INTERESTING), and then we learn that it actually is real (HUH?), and by the end, we are left unsure whether or not any of the events in the show are magical or not. There were plenty of interesting ideas, but the show felt like it was having an identity crisis, unable to pick a genre and ultimately giving us the worst of both worlds. The love story was ridiculous and all over the place. The villains were nonsensical and never seemed to connect to the main characters. Overall, the plot (if you can even call it that) was a nothing sandwich that wasted all of the amazing set up from the first episode. The actors did a great job with their terrible script, but overall, the show collapsed under its own weight.
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A Bloody Hand of Fate Facilitates Love
The story starts with a bloody hand molesting the face of the ML. We later learn it is a curse stemming from some indiscretion in his past life. This made for an interesting start but the story wasn’t as intriguing as expected. This series turned out to be your typical K-drama romance with a bit of sorcery thrown in.The leads were the saving grace of the series as all the storylines were somewhat messy. Rowoon and Bo-ah Jo looked beautiful together and had wonderful chemistry. Their characters, Shin -yu and Hong-Jo, not only had great chemistry and thus were believable as a couple but were interesting on their own. Shin-yu was smart, funny and caring. And Hong-Jo was passionate about her work, fun -loving, vibrant and intelligent. They were a perfect match as their bickering had just as much chemistry as their kisses. They had some really hilarious moments, but could also be passionate and loving with each other. Moreover, they both, at times, could be annoying and make really stupid decisions but still remained likable.
Though for a while there was the question as to whether Shin-yu’s feelings for Hong-Jo were real or due to the love spell she had cast, it was clear to me that he had an interest in her before a spell was even thought about. The love story in the present was well written and tied nicely to the past, but the story struggled with incorporating the side characters in an interesting manner. The office bullying and romance was boring as was the drama with the SFL. The corruption storyline could’ve been better, but played as if the writers needed something to fill the minutes not focused on the leads.
The stalker storyline would’ve been okay if the story had been better written, but the series implied that he was practicing sorcery. However, it was never apparent whether his spells worked. Moreover he was an individual who was apart of the leads’ past life but his role in their past life was never tied to the present. This was a missed opportunity and a major plot hole.
I did enjoy the budding relationship between the ML’s mom and his BFF. I didn’t need to see them start a romance, and they didn’t. Thank goodness. But I liked the confidence he inspired within her. It’s too bad she decided to stay with her verbally abusive husband instead of divorcing him.
Despite the weakness in some of the storylines, I enjoyed this series. Rowoon and Bo-ah Jo were fantastic in this. I could feel the happiness, the heart break and the love between their characters. This was all due to them giving their all in every scene. Their characters had some awesome hugs and smoldering kisses and one of the best sex scenes I’ve seen in a K-drama in a while.
This show was far from perfect. Nonetheless it was enjoyable and one that I will rewatch.
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The perfect weekend watch
I loved this show. It's a cute love story, though the fantastical elements weren't utilised as much as suggested in the overview of the storyline. However, the chemistry between Hong Jo, and Sin Yu was off the charts. Ro Woon, and Jo Bo Ah are great actors. Their micro expressions!!! I love when actors/actresses portray emotions realistically.It'd have been an easy ten if they didn't have Sin Yu's mom end up staying with his CLOWN father who spent the entire show berating, and belittling her. She should have ended up with the cute, young attorney instead!!!
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Je ne pensais pas autant aimer
Actuellement à l'épisode 8,je ne pensais pas autant aimé. J'ai décidé de regarder par pur hasard en pensant que la série serait niaise et que le personnage principal féminin courrait après celui masculin,mais ce n'est pas le cas:) J'aime énormément la dynamique entre les différents personnages, je me suis attaché à tous, et même aux seconds rôles ce qui est chose rare chez moi.J'espère sincèrement que la série continuera sur cette lancée,car j'ai ris, été choqué, gêné, inquiète et j'aime ça🙌🏻Was this review helpful to you?
Getting better and better
Not an attractive title but I totally agree to Moon’s review that this drama is wonderful after you watched till the end. It took me several attempts until I watched till the mid part and then the story caught me. The love story took over and the weird start was almost forgotten. I am still not the fan of the psycho aspect of the story also do not like the bullying over-acting colleagues. No idea whether this should be funny, it was just very annoying. The male lead got very strong, just watching Ro-Woon falling in love made my day:-) one of his strongest performances. Also the second male lead was lovable. As the reviewer Moon said the ending part is beautiful and you leave this drama with a big smileWas this review helpful to you?
the female lead gave me second hand embarrassment
at first the story doesn’t seem that bad with the cliches of past lives and stuff but the female lead just got on my nerves soo much . Now a days kdramas are about strong and smart female charecters. But here the fl didn’t seem to have any self respect or common sence whatsoever. and also I couldn’t really feel any chemistry between the leads. It didn’t even look like the ML was falling is love, It just looked like he was doing all that against his will . and then suddenly confesses his love. and then again saying it had nothing to do with the potion was weird. and the ML technically was cheating on his then girlfriend. They tried to cover it up by making that girlfriend a cheater as well, otherwise the ML would’ve been bashed for it. anyways i rearly have kdramas soo muchWas this review helpful to you?



