Also side stories were great - they were so good, that they could've made a dramas for themselves.
*Actors: Every single actor made it into perfection. Writers made great work in this aspect. (everyone had one or more memorable sentences. That was cool.)
*Music: So good and so Sung Joon, and... I would give 20 if I could.
*Overall: Mixture of nice colours, perfect music, sweet atmosphere and feelings. It was definitely the best "I need romance" for me (so far;))
(To be precise, I rated it so high mainly because re-watch value - I really rarely re-watch anything and this drama I will;))
~Cheers!
(and I apologize for grammar mistakes;))
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i saw INR 1 and 2 and their standards were high. this should have been the 1st and the others should have been the latest
enough with the bad, the good thing in this show well, the two eyecandies allen joo and tae yoon. the kissing scenes were also great. sweet potato was the only one who showed legit acting and the neighbour guy too.
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The story is quite simple and sometimes take some turns which are not unexpected though.
The characters made the story very interesting and the more you see the more depth the characters get which is good as the female lead doesn't come off sympathetic at start. Later on you see the characters past and how they are connected and that what makes them interesting and more understandable.
Every character has its own agenda which they are trying to pursue no matter what and you see that without compromise and trust you get nowhere. The chemistry between the couples is really amazing. You can feel every spark and every look has its meaning.
The music was lovely and created a good athmosphere.
I would probably rewatch this drama again, because it's just honest and sweet and just shows how everyone feels about love and life and how they handle it.
It almost surprised me how much they got into ONE drama, how many characters and how many different characteristics of how to deal with a realtionship.
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A Noona Story
This drama took the trope of an unapproachable man and the sweet girl who saves him - a trope so prevalent and much loved in Western cinema - and turned it on its head. Here we got Shin Joo Yeon, a 33-year-old female fashion marketing director, brutal in her ways of speaking and reserved to downright cold in her emotional expressions, and Joo Wan, a 26-year-old male songwriter in touch with his heart and with the world around him - and very much in love with Shing-Shing, as he calls her. It’s basically the story of Kai and Gerda, just reversed, where Joo Wan has to help Shin Joo Yeon learn how to cry again and thaw her heart.This drama features two of my favorite tropes: cold woman/warm man and older woman/younger man. There’s much emotional hurt on Joo Wan’s part in this - on Shin Joo Yeon’s too but for different reasons - because Shin Joo Yeon is very harsh to him, especially in the beginning and only his love for her and his determination to see her happy - whether with him or with someone else truly worthy of her doesn’t matter to Joo Wan - keeps him going and sticking by her side. It’s a fun and funny story but also very emotional and sweet with a really wonderful OST.
I watched it mainly because my favorite Thai actor, New Thitipoom, will star in the Tai remake as the male lead - and I’m sure he’s going to be absolutely glorious because these parts suit him perfectly! - but I ended up loving the drama for its own sake. It’s definitely worth it if you want to watch a bit different love story.
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I liked a lot about this show. My favourite wasn't necessarily the romance, but rather the relationship between the women. I love to see women interacting as friends and rivals even, in a way that doesn't just revolve around men. Obviously a lot of it was about men and relationships, but a lot was also about work, and about their own friendships. High five for this show!
Then there was Sung Joon's character Joo Wan, who was just a little bit too perfect. I mean, come on, how can one guy be so perfect? And so hot? (I hate to be so shallow, but omg!) I can't even understand why Kim So Yeon's character Joo Yeon had even a moment's hesitation about this guy! Okay, I do get it, she still kinda saw him as the kid she had to babysit when she was a teen, and she also couldn't get past her own jaded view of relationships, but come on, just look at him!
I liked the more realistic feel this show had about people and relationships, in that it didn't make women chaste or sexless, and it rounded out each character--each woman had her own flaws as well as her own redeeming qualities.
I was frustrated with Joo Yeon and her infatuation with her boss, Tae Yoon. I actually started out liking Tae Yoon, but he was so completely not right for Joo Yeon, and I think he even knew that, and yet he was so selfish with her, and she was just too oblivious or just had so little love for herself even to let go of him. And I really can't forgive him for how he hurt Se Ryung. There was no justification except for him being a selfish arsehole. I had to dock points for this whole plotline dragging out way too long, and Joo Yeon not waking up sooner.
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It has been a long time since I stumbled upon something so perfect and I cannot gush enough about how much I positively loved this little gem of a show.
It goes to show that the right combination of good actors, directing, music and writing can really produce good quality material without anything flashy (no exotic shots, no high-budget standards, no complex and intricate plot....) It's just a drama that's full of life and perfection even within it's (very minor) shortcomings.
Here is a show that's packed full of heart and humor. It dishes out life as it is but also sprinkles on some hopes and dreams in the form of an absolutely flawless character affectionately referred to as Sweet Potato. What I adored about Joo Won (his actual name, ha) was that even though he was so unbelievably perfect at times his character still experienced growth and had his ups and downs that made him seem so real despite the fairy-tail like aura he emulated.
This was also the drama to finally--at long last--suck me into Sung Joon's fandom. I've seen him in other stuff and thought 'eh, he's cute...' at best but now he certainly has my attention. To say the least, he rocked my socks off with his portrayal of Joo Won and now I'll be on the look out for his future works.
On the other hand, I have always been a fan of Kim So Yun and she has yet to disappoint me. She always plays challenging and unique characters and she executes her performances so seemingly effortlessly and smoothly that it's hard to believe her characters aren't actually real people. In this case, Shin Joo Yun was just perfectly imperfect. I love characters with a lot of depth to them, and that usually means they start out hateful but become more and more loveable as their layers are pealed back and they learn to be better versions of themselves. That's exactly what we get with Joo Yun and it was a wonderful unfolding to behold.
I feel like I could delve into other details and points of the show (because there is a lot more to it than this) but I think I've touched on what really maters the most to me and what (overall) made me mark this drama off as a 10. I WILL just add that the soundtrack is killer. Love it!
Again, I'm going to miss this drama so much I haven't exactly figured out how to move on with my life just yet (haha~ but seriously...). Here's a round of applause to the cast and crew for all their hard work!! I'm sure I'll be watching it again soon...
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Storyline like the others are typical. Nothing new under the sun. What surprised me is just how much I loved loved this show. I binged watch the entire show in one day. I cried and laughed. I was absolutely cheering for everyone in that show. To me, there was no real bad person just showing how life's experiences can change you good or bad.
Actors: Sung Joon (Sweet Potato). He was the sweetest thing ever....I loved him. I loved that fact that he loved her since he was young and never forgot her. He was so true and honest it was refreshing. It made you believe in fairy tales again. The older we get , we tend not to believe in magic or miracles anymore. He made it ok to believe. I sighed....
Kim So Yeon (Shin Joo Yeon), I liked as well. I think I saw a part of me in her. Love can have you pretty jaded when it's been so elusive. At some point, you will start thinking practical and not the passionate, undying love that you craved when you were younger. I get it.
Nam Goong Min ()Kang Tae Yoon)- He was very handsome as well. He was guarded because he was so hurt by Oh Se Ryung that he couldn't risk being that open with anyone else so he was being practical like Joo Yeon. He was brutally honest at times.
Wang Ji Won (Oh Se Ryung) I think was misunderstood by a lot of people. Just like all of the other characters, she was guarded. She portrayed the hard no nonsense person that didn't care about anything or anyone. But underneath it all she was perhaps the most fragile. She actually believed in true love and would not stop until he knew how she felt.
I wanted all of them to win. So I was cheering for them to find that love that they all wanted.
Music...Lee Hyori's Don't Cry had me all in my feelings throughout the entire show. It's sad and sweet at the same time. I couldn't stand it and loved it at the same time.
Re-watch....not one to re-watch an entire show but I can see myself going back to see some cute scenes here and there but that's about it.
Overall, I really enjoyed this show. It made me feel good all over. It gives you hope someone to never give up on love. sigh again*** :)
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too many red flags
I watched this drama years ago when it was first aired, when I was in my early 20s. I remember that I liked it more than any other drama I watched at that time, and I remember that I put it in a separate place from other dramas. Probably the fact that the kissing scenes and sexual innuendos of the drama were quite bold probably had an effect on this. Because I've always been uncomfortable with the extreme conservatism in classic Korean dramas, the understanding of romance completely isolated from sexuality. Especially in the early 2010s, it was hard to find such a bold drama. This may be the reason why it stays in my mind with a more positive image.I like to watch shows I know I like over and over again, so after 10 years, now as a 30 year old woman, I wanted to watch this show again. BUT WHAT THE HELL, THIS SHOW IS NOTHING LIKE I REMEMBER! The characters, the romantic relationships, the business relationships, everything about the show is full of red flags! Especially the selfishness and callousness of the female lead character is unbelievable. How can her first sentence to her coworker who is crying because she received bad news about her health be "I don't want to hear this, don't talk about anything outside of work"? I cannot empathize with this. It's the same with the side characters. I wonder if I'm misremembering the first two dramas of the I Need Romance series in this way, I'm not sure if they were this bad too. Maybe the series hasn't aged well, maybe I've aged too much.
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This review may contain spoilers
real mature interesting relationships
this drama isn't masterpiece but it is one of the best in genre, I mean it has every element what normal mature romance story (or rom com) needs. I've seen many many dramas for now and I can say it's not usual 100 times seen romance/relationships, it's not usual clieches, it has slice of life vibe and real characters/relationships. Plus main characters and also side characters have real good chemistry and goo acting. also story isn't dragged, also romances and feelings aren't rushed (it's often when main characters are in love so suddenly you can't see why or from when, it's out of sky and viewer doesn't have enough time to feel it).mature audience will more appreciate it, because every character and relationship is natural and realistic and with that they don't loose good chemistry and kind of fairy tale-ish charm (what's usual for dramas with more realistic relationships).
FL - mature woman who understands life and love, that love isn't fairy tale, she isn't usual 30+ never been kissed FL who is waiting for one true love. sometimes she is still naive but overall realistic character.
ML - as he is younger it's understandable that he is more romantic, perfectionist, believes true pure absolute love, tries to be 100% conscientious in love and relationships but can't always be like that because he is also human and man in love who is jealous.
SML - decent good guy, good friend and boss, man who was madly in love with other woman but it that relationship was too hard and painful, so now he wants simple safe mature relationships and it's very very normal, I can understand him, I have exactly same situation and desire. He always was honest with FL and SFL, so he really is good normal guy and very realistic character.
SFL - also good person, I mean real person, not too perfect or too bad (as it is usual in dramas). she is very proud and strong woman but is ready to step on self-esteem because of a man she loves so much, he is her only "weakness" and that is also so real life situation.
relationship between ML and FL - they really have chemistry, a sweet and also realistic chemistry, they have brother-sister kind of chemistry and also hot sexy vibe at times. we see how deep ML is in love, but feelings of FL isn't romantic love, and it's normal, it's understable, she was like older sister, even like mother to this boy, she doesn't sees him as man, on the other hand she has someone else quite nice man (not boy), who thought her many things, was always good and nice, real friend to her. and the fact that he loves someone else doesn't make him bad, he is honest every time.
overall I think main couple had friendly like family member chemistry and at some point I thought it would be better if they won't end up together, but drama could develop this relationship also very realistically, we see how and why started FL see him as man, at first she was just used to be around him every time, plus he is so comfortable and lovely roommate, then she starts to compare her dry mature relationships (which aren't bad when you are mature, I can see, but in every woman is inner self who wants crazy emotional love) to that one ML could offer. if there wasn't ML with his soo big love to her, she would be satisfied and happy in that relationship. I like when drama shows it - in real life love isn't one and only, when you can't be with anyone except that one.
I like that in this drama love triangle isn't usual and it's also refreshing, not one more "2 guys crazy in love 1 girl and she loves ML but triangle is still dragged", it was good to see that SML is the one whos in center of love triangle and not in love with FL.
as I mentioned main leads have real
so really recommend for them who wants so see mature, real life love stories, realistic characters and relationships, without too perfect main leads and forced "bad" second leads or villains.
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I haven't watched either of the other INR stories, so I can't compare how this one holds up. I only chose to watch this one because it sounded cute and people had said positive things about it. However, it fell very, very short of those expectations.
The characters weren't particularly interesting, and that made it so that the overall story was pretty dull. The story of the SML and the FL was so incredibly boring and the chemistry was NOT there at all. Which of course meant that the tension the SML was supposed to cause was also not interesting. So much of the plot was meant to center around those dynamics, it made the entire drama very slow.
I stuck it out out of sheer stubbornness but this drama was quite boring. While the leads had some cute moments, they were nowhere near enough to redeem the entire drama. For some people, the pacing and story might be exactly the kind of thing they, but this is not a drama I would personally recommend.
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The story was funny and cute, and all the actors had good chemistry. The music was good, I found it super interesting how they played the same songs during certain scenes to set the mood, and I found that to be fun.
The story is heartwarming although happiness doesn't happen quickly, it takes its time and lets you live the lives of these characters. I learned to love them as they learn to love each other.
If you're a fan of happy endings, this Drama is for you. Good on a nice snowy day with a cup of tea.
It was funny, and also sweet potato isn't half bad looking as well ;)
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