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It’s a lovely watch but definitely some lost potential
Let’s start with the main leads Seo Mi Rae and Park Kyeongnam similar yet polar opposites they are strictly committed to work and seem to be very much workaholics however Mi Rae’s personality can enjoy some fun hang with friends and what not whereas Kyeongnam is kinda boring seems like he gets up to work and only work.I liked the VR idea but its execution was an overstep unfortunately we viewed far too much of the drama was Mi Rae and her VR boyfriends that we missed on perhaps any crucial element suggesting a spark between her and the male lead. He blurts his feelings in what we as viewers expected however not in a great way due to the lack of backstory. His feelings seem almost fake as we have no idea where it came from. Mi Rae is totally addicted to this VR idea so much that the drama is half VR and half reality which I didn’t quite like I wished for more interaction perhaps more insight into the male leads feelings his life the classic feelings of falling for each other it was almost blasted on us. Then came Gyeong il the character that looked like the male lead portrayed in VR as Mi Rae’s perfect man although it was funny I wished it was done way earlier maybe ep 4 so we could see more of the main leads interactions and the blur between reality and VR occurring. Basically the screenwriting was just not as effective as I’d hoped and the relationship was rushed it was bad enough we didn’t get a full backstory there was the issue of Kyeongnam finding the VR which took away from the couples screen time.
All in all I loved the idea the acting was on point and the moments we got between the couples was everything Kyeongnam was a gentleman very easy to fall for and appeared amazing in every way I just wish we could have viewed more of this instead of having him appear as boring and ignored in the first few episodes.
The rewatch value in terms of the last few episodes I probably will the rest of it though I will respectfully pass as it didn’t meet my standards.
I did however love this drama despite its flaws and would recommend to watch as something perhaps slightly different to our normal k drama tropes.
Jisoo and In Guk aced it their acting is amazing and they are very lovable characters. It’s a shame the screenwriters didn’t highlight their talents and give them the perfect storyline they deserved.
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Our Future T-T
The plot wasn't amazing but I thought it was a interesting concept, especially in today's world of AI chat bots. If we actually had a device like in the drama, I think the downfall of humanity may come due to how many people will spend their life in it (me included lol). The time that Mi-rae (FL/Jisoo) spends in the AI world is fun for a bit, though I don't like how much time it takes away from developing the main relationship between Gyeong-nam (ML/Seo In Guk) and Mi-rae. I feel like their "chemistry" kinda pops up out of nowhere in episodes 6 & 7, especially with the reveal that Gyeong-nam had been in love with Mi-rae the entire time. I think they have decent chemistry, I just wish it had longer to develop instead of speed-running the whole "will they-won't they" idea within 2 episodes. I was very surprised that Gyeong-nam actually chose to go into the AI world, I liked it though I guess it ended up being somewhat inconsequential, only serving as a vehicle for the whole "misunderstanding right after getting together" trope. I thought the ending was fine and I appreciated how uplifting it felt, though it felt a little too much like "everybody is happy now and all conflicts are resolved", especially with the writer Yun-song seemingly being on cool terms with director Hwang. This was my first time seeing Jisoo act and I'm surprised at how much I liked her, obviously she's not great or anything but I quite enjoyed her performance (I loooove her deep voice), I'm happily awaiting her next drama. I wasn't expecting to like this drama as much as I did. Unlike the last drama I watched (Resident Playbook), I did not get bored throughout this drama as it was able to keep my attention, mostly due to its shorter length of 10 episodes which allows for tighter pacing. I think 10-12 episodes is the sweet spot for a drama, as most 16+ episode dramas tend to come to a grinding halt in the 10-14 episode range as they're just padding to reach the ending.Was this review helpful to you?
Black Mirror meets cliche romance Kdrama
I was suuuper excited to start this show because of its premise. Imagine being able to date multiple characters at once and there never being consequences, it genuinely does feel like more of a game than actual dating just like Mirae’s best friend treated it LOL.I absolutely loved the cameos of the actors EXCEPT for one and I’m sure all of you know who it is…
Points off for having Siwon in there. I guess kdramas just LOVEEEE giving problematic actors a platform, don’t they?
Overall the kdrama was pretty good. I liked the silly tropes they portrayed in the virtual reality, it reminded me of fanfics I used to read as a teen. I would’ve absolutely loved Boyfriend on Demand irl 🤣🤣🤣
I don’t really have anything to complain about tbh, this show was pretty entertaining from start to finish although it did get boring around like 3 last episodes because WHY did they need to have like the most stupidest miscommunication ever 😭 did they run out of ideas …? like 😭
I’m not gonna be too mad at the cliches since the whole premise is making fun of cliches but then it seems like they completely forgot about the irony of cliches and fully leaned into it with the main couple at the end, it kinda irritated me lol. half of their problems could’ve been easily avoided by talking…and these are two grown adults who described themselves as ‘realists’ in the beginning who don’t get swayed by cliche romance…like alright buddy whatever that means.
also as much as I love Seo Inguk and his role here… Seo Kangjoon…can’t move on from him. He should’ve been the main lead my goodness 😫
This is the first time I’ve watched Jisoo act and I’m actually not that disappointed as I thought I would be. People criticised her acting im snowdrop so I just assumed she’s a bad actress overall but if thats the case, she definitely got better. Her acting wasn’t that bad.
But yeah it was an entertaining show. But really…having Seo Kangjoon and Siwon in the same Kdrama doesn’t sit right with me. Eugh..
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Es el primer drama de jisoo que me gustó!
Muy lindo el mensaje que deja el drama: vivir el presente y dejar de ver el final.Pero en la vida real todo termina eventualmente y trae consecuencias catastróficas; entrar en una relación es como estar sedado para luego darte cuenta de que debes nuevamente despedirte de las personas. Es estar pasándola increíble y tener siempre presente que llegará un día donde extrañarás ese momento.
Si la vida fuera un drama, podríamos tomar más riesgos como la protagonista, pero la realidad es mucho más consecuente. Si no mueves bien tus fichas, podrías pasar un par de años de tu vida intentando volver a ser tú, y con el tiempo te va consumiendo. Poder amar libremente es solamente una quimera; en cambio, debemos andar con cautela en el mundo real. Pero supongo que para eso vemos este tipo de historias, para desconectarnos de nuestra propia realidad y refugiarnos en un mundo de blancos y negros, lejos de nuestros eternos grises.
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Boyfriend on demand - Fiction or reality?
The protagonist is offered a device that allows you to virtually experience different dates as if they were real. She falls in love with a boyfriend but discovers she's not the only one going out with him, and she says and does the same things to all the others. So she upgrades, where, at his direction, she describes her ideal boyfriend and discovers she's been describing her colleague with whom she didn't get along. A moment of confusion as she tries to figure out where fiction ends and reality begins, and she opts for reality.I initially liked the idea of this plot itself because it was novel, but then it was poorly (trivially) exploited.
Virtual life is great, but if it were actually commercialized, it would lead to a disconnect from reality and chronic/dangerous indebtedness.
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A pleasant escape
Things I loved1 The premise. So refreshing and I loved the colors, the dreamlike atmosphere and the whole concept. It was quite original and interesting even though I believe it could have been much much better.
2 The FL. I loved how beautiful and at the same time normal the FL was. This is the first time I watch a drama with her and although I can imagine many other actresses play the part and be probably better at it, she also embraced the role. I find her beautiful, no doubt about it, but I also think this role was made for her in a way. Do I think she nailed each part? No, definitely no. But she gave me quite few feelings and that's enough.
3 The ML. First drama with him as well, and I'm stunned about how younger he looks. He was also good, but I can imagine other actors play the part as well. That's my issue with this drama. The actors did a good job, and the roles fitted them but I also felt like something was missing and other actors could have given better performances. I also loved the ML with red hair. Gorgeous.
4 I liked quite a few of the boyfriends. They were interesting characters and the way it evolved about each of them it wasn't half bad. Again I imagined a few different scenarios and outcomes but they did a decent job.
5 Some of the FL outfits. Not all of them but some were gorgeous.
Things I disliked
1 The character development could have been better. I never saw the full potential of the couple. It's a shame because there were infinite ways for the premise to evolve.
2 The female writer. She got on my nerves more than once and at the end of the day I wanted her to to disappear from my screen. I started hate her.
3 The little time the ML appeared in the first episodes. That was quite disappointing.
4 The lack of chemistry. I have to say that this was my biggest peeve. I didn't feel the chemistry between the leads. Each one gave a decent performance but together there was no spark. They didn't move me. There were no true romantic moments.
5 The FL previous relationship. Something was lacking there. I didn't feel much and that is a problem when you want the viewer to connect with the protagonist. Was it a FL acting problem or a direction one? I can't say, but probably a bit of both.
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True slop
watched till ep 7True slop from the slop factory for lonely people who are way too deep in idol culture . The way it presents the vr device as a cute little escape from reality was really distasteful , although I can understand why people would like this drama if they turn off their brain even then I feel like I'm just not the target audience for a drama like this as a cis hetero man.
Very star studded cast .
Ml is a bland underdeveloped character.
Fl is a lonely person who doesn't want to live in the real world but that escape is presented as a cutesy little thing with only glimpses of its true impact , Imagine a lonely middle aged man or woman who sleeps with a body pillow and treats them like a real partner and presenting it as if its a good thing . Its only perceived as ok by the audience here because of the prevalence of idol culture and its extremities in South Korean media and culture . I am saying this as a person who consumes media extensively to escape their own reality that something like this shouldn't be presented as healthy for a functioning human member of society .
Even when you ignore all of this the romance between the fl and ml is not fleshed out at all their connection seems extremely superficial. Its genuinely just the most pure slop drama I have ever seen .
Even if they show the ramifications of the device in the last two episodes its meaningless and impact less.
The cast is nice acting is nice but that's about it .
A simple fix for this drama would have been to flesh out the romance between the ml and fl and to show the ramifications of an unhealthy coping mechanism or even to just show what you miss out on if you choose the world you create inside your head , to present it as though there's nothing wrong with it just shows the lack of depth of thought here it just misses nearly all things that constitute a good piece of media .
i completed it
rating and gripes don't change much but they do address somethings i guess .
Tl dr ; watch only if you want multiple eye candy relationships and can turn your brain off,nothing else is offered in this drama .
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Light on plot but heavy on kisses.
I think to fully enjoy this show, you have to realize it is not a full course meal, it's more like a little treat. The stakes are never monumental and the romance is quietly understated. The yearning gestures aren't soul wrenching but the heart still aches. There's not that much plot and it mostly focuses on character development. I can't say it's the best or funniest or most swoony drama, but it's a good time.I picked this drama up mainly for Seo Inguk but the show did him dirty. I desperately needed more screen time from him, especially in the earlier episodes. He's amazing, sexy, charismatic as always and there's some tough competition but I think this drama has his best kiss scenes ever? He was eating her up every time!!!!
I cringed through episodes 1 and 2 (the humour was sorta funny but super embarrassing lol) but by episode 3 you can easily tell that Jisoo shows remarkable improvement in her acting as Seo Mirae. Perhaps Jisoo just suits the romantic comedy genre well because I didn't like Snowdrop but found her relatable and charming in this drama. She had great chemistry with not only Seo Inguk but Seo Kangjoon and Kim Sungcheol.
The cameos were really fun and swoony and when we progressed passed that, I also enjoyed our budding romance between the leads but the plot could have used more meat.
The whole drama is actually pretty light on plot to be honest, it's mostly a slice of life, healing story for Jisoo's character. Which isn't a bad thing, but I think the story would have been more engaging if the characters had more to work with. But in the same breathe, it felt fresh because it excluded so many tired kdrama tropes like childhood friends, evil CEOs, life threatening scenarios resulting in rushed love declaration etc.
The rewatch value is high for me, just because of the kiss scenes lmao.
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Kinda different but entertaining.
I liked this drama, but i hope it should be better if it is more focused virtual world than real. This is a pure comfort drama with good cast with decent acting. JISOO did great with her role, but she should practice more for how to be perfect in emotional scenes. Overall a decent watch. Compulsory for JISOO fans.Was this review helpful to you?
unexpectedly fresh & funny
Boyfriend on Demand follows Seo Mi-rae, a single 30'ish woman with a routine but somewhat tumultuous (& dateless) lifestyle, working long hours as a webtoon producer at a highly competetive online publishing company. She manages the company's most popular writer, leading to a collaboration with a tech company in basing a new virtual dating app on one of the writer's characters. Mi-rae is given a free VR set to trial the app & give a review, thus becoming addicted. On comes an exploration of how emotionally & financially exploitative an AI created "perfect date" can be.After going wild with role playing through several of the 900 risk free programmed virtual dates - involving hilarious cameos with a couple of celebrity idols - Mi-rae then settles into a comfortable ease with one perfect VR boyfriend, with whom she just just lets herself be herself. Through conversation with him, she examines her own real past relationship with her college sweetheart, its failure, & learns how to let it go. After achieving such a significant personal closure, however, a rude awakening occurs when Mi-Rae discovers her VR boyfriend is not personalized to her & that others are dating this character in the same way in the app, much like experiencing everyone else wearing the same outfit at a party.
Her real life co-worker & rival producer, Park Gyeong-nam, is calm & muted with a strong nerd vibe . He's a tranquil sea in contrast to Mi-rae's near constant turmoil. They work in rival teams as they manage fiercely competing writers, keeping at arms length from each other. Mi-rae meanwhile trials a new VR boyfriend, customized after a lengthy personal questionnaire. Of course, what pops up is in the exact image of Gyeong-nam, but with an idealized personality based on what Mi-rae thinks she wants.
Reality & VR start to meld as Gyeong-nam eventually confesses to Mi-rae when she is already in the throes of virtual dating. Mi-rae is forced to confront her true feelings & the feelings of the flesh & blood person standing in front of her.
Seo In Guk does very well in portraying Gyeong-nam with a quiet consistency. Ji Soo (my 1st time seeing her) pulls off the role of Mi-rae well enough & I enjoyed both performances.
And near the end, the assumptions the app's creators made in what women want from an ideal boyfriend are all hilariously turned upside down. Ha Young is very funny as Mi-rae's best friend who burns through the app's characters like a professional arsonist. Gong Min Jung is perfect as an eccentric talent who never accepts the handouts she's given. Neither character apologizes for being themselves.
I was surprised at how fresh & funny this drama feels. Full of romantic tropes while making fun of them at the same time. The writing is intelligent, with the precautionary warning of never losing sight of what role AI should actually play in our lives. I enjoyed this show very much.
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Better than I expected
I started this series mainly because of the big hype around it, and I didn’t really know what to expect. Unlike most dramas, the first two episodes bored me a bit and I watched them without much focus, but later the show really picked up. The FL was played well, the ML even better. Aside from one overly dramatic scene with the ML crying etc., I think it’s a very good series. Despite the seemingly trivial topic, it presents an interesting story about searching for a soulmate, loneliness, and maybe even an attempt to portray modern society—not just Korean, but more generally how we set expectations for a future partner. In a way, it also touches on the topic of AI, which is becoming more and more present in our everyday lives. I was very pleasantly surprised by the comedic elements—the writer lady’s dating experience was AMAZING, just a pity those parts were so short. Similarly, the subplot with the main character’s friend was great.I’d even say it shows relationships quite realistically for a k-drama, meaning actual kisses and visible affection. The ML did a great job portraying indifference and awkwardness. Lastly, I’m really happy to see Yoo-in Na in another drama—I like this actress a lot.
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