Truly exceptional for an Idol webdrama!
I really enjoyed it.The story was fun and well executed, the acting was fantastic (especially taking into consideration that basically 90% of the cast were idols and not actors) and it was nicely filmed and edited (which is not something you can typically take for granted).
Even if, like me, you don't follow or aren't very familiar with ONF, this is still a mini drama worth watching. I feel like the screen time was shared equally between everyone, and each of the guys got their own little plots. Personally, I liked Sang Hae the best. His annoying, over the top, dramatic antics were a lot of fun to watch. But Seung Hyun was a close second. He was a little ball of fluffy niceness. So sweet!
This one is available on the INSSAOPPA G YouTube channel, just keep in mind that even though it's the official place to watch it, the English subtitles still kinda suck.
Was this review helpful to you?
Not for me
This show was, easily, four hours longer than it actually needed to be. If they'd foregone all the "flash-back" repeated scenes and all the long musical montages with characters staring off into space they could have shaved off a lot of run time.The couple had more BFF chemistry than romantic sparks, which also kinda took away from the love story angle, and the OST wasn't much to my liking either (honestly, there were some weird choices thrown in there like an ACDC cover done with traditional Korean instruments, a Canon in D inspired piece, and a song that sound like something from the OST of The Mummy). I liked the instrumental versions much better than the actual sung songs.
The villains kept smirking out in the open, for everyone to see, every time they did something nefarious. They could have laughed evilly, too, and still no one would have suspected they were behind all the treasonous plotting. So dumb.
The acting was good, and that's the one positive aspect I can talk give this drama. Plus, all the pretty costumes and filming locations, but that's par for the course with Joseon dramas. I wouldn't recommend watching this one, to be honest.
Was this review helpful to you?
Utter disappointment
I'm a sucker for idol dramas, but this one was the most disappointing one to date.It honestly felt like something that would have been on the Disney Channel ten years ago. The acting wasn't that bad, but the story had literally zero emotional impact.
With a name like Miracle I would have expected to see blood, sweat and tears being shed for the characters to reach and realize their dreams. For them to put everything on the line on the unlikely chance of a "miracle" happening for them to make their wishes come true, but they barely struggled.
For example, So Rin's accident was the perfect set-up to set her on her journey of disappointment, struggles and heartache to eventually overcome her physical limitations (or find a way to deal with them) and reach her goal, be it the original one or a new one she discovered along the way. But there was none of that. She was a glorified babysitter for two squabbling men that acted like little kids more often than not.
Luice spent most of his time lounging around, and don't get me started about "Si Woo realizing his dream of becoming a k-pop idol". That was a 30-second montage and then a 3 sentences speech. We barely got to see him put in any type of effort.
The music was also a flop. Three or four repetitive, unmemorable songs. I expected a lot more for an idol drama.
Was this review helpful to you?
The plot was okay and the acting pretty good. Park Bo-Young did a wonderful job portraying two very different people.
The romance aspect of this drama fell short for me. The main couple was very cute and sweet, but there was no heat between them. There was no spark. They had great "friends" chemistry but no romantic chemistry. I didn't buy they were in love.
But I absolutely loved the other four kitchen guys acting like annoying older brothers to Bong-Sun. The kitchen antics were fun!
Was this review helpful to you?
Hated it with a passion
As we say in the book community, I'm DNFing this one. I just found both lead characters to be very unlikable people and impossible to root for. After 13 episodes, they were both still selfish, self-centered and cowardly, and I couldn't help but find them very toxic together (and it was complete BS to throw some sob-story 3/4 of the way in just to make your character seem a little more sympathetic).For a good chunk I found the older sister to be incredibly annoying , exasperating and ridiculous, but she eventually grew on me. Her and the ex-fiancé were the only characters I liked, but I just couldn't endure over 5 more hours of torture to just get a few glimpses of them and find out how their arcs concluded (I have my guesses, but if anyone feels inclined to comment a few spoilers down below, I won't be mad).
I just honestly can't see how this drama has such a high rating.
Was this review helpful to you?
One of the best coming-of-age stories I've ever watched.
This show was absolutely fabulous! It evoked emotions spanning the whole range from heartbreak to heartwarming, with plenty of laughs in the middle. All four main characters had compelling and intense emotional journeys, and it was so amazing to see four fantastic growth arcs in a single show.The acting was great, as was the plot and OST. Really, there was not a second wasted, and I thoroughly enjoyed the journey I was took on. I almost wish it would have kept on going.
Can't recommend enough!
Was this review helpful to you?
ML was a huge red flag
There was for sure some kind of black magic used in the making of this drama. I disliked most everything about it (from the acting, to the plot, characters and music), and still, I found myself binging the whole thing.Yoo Chan had the emotional intelligence of a rock and was pretty much a walking red flag. He always resorted to emotionally and verbally bullying those around him, and especially the FL. The fact that he pretty much only dated one girl during the whole drama, and she wasn't the FL has to be one of the oddest things I've seen in any romance, ever.
Bo Ra being nicknamed "idiot" by Yoo Chan was mean, but also highly accurate. She had a good heart, but often behaved in moronic ways.
The OST was a cheese fest and I'm happy I'll never have to listen to those songs again. Or the clicking of soles over those unusually loud floors! Never had I come across a show with floors as loud as the ones here.
The prosopagnosia played no role at all, aside from creating an insignificant amount of silly drama and was magically resolved, almost as an afterthought.
The drama was half the ML getting over his unresolved feelings over the disappearance of his first love (the mystery was what kept me hooked during those first few episodes), and half IT/business mumbo-jumbo with some out-of-nowhere, utterly out-of-character betrayal to spice things up.
Honestly, the only character whose story I enjoyed was Do Jin. He was the most fun and interesting.
Was this review helpful to you?
Chemistry FTW
Loved this drama so much! Both leads are superb. Acting-wise they're magnificent. From comedy to tears, they've got the whole spectrum down! Also, their chemistry is amazing. But, for me, the best part was how real, playful and intimate their relationship was. They were so believable! I would totally believe it if someone told me they were also a couple in real life. There were hugs, tickles and lots of little affectionate touches, which is so not norm when it comes to k-dramas. I'm so used to leads being bashful and shy around each-other, that the relationship portrayal here completely blew me away! Loved it.The supporting characters were also all very good (so many talented people!), and the subplots all end up making the story so much richer and real.
This one is definitely worth watching.
Was this review helpful to you?
Very solid first season. The acting from all the leads and supporting characters was astounding and the chemistry between the Counters was so natural. Plot-wise, an interesting idea, pretty well executed, except for some moments of dumbness where unreasonable decisions were forced for the plot's sake. Was it predictable? Yes. Was it still fun to watch? Also yes. I felt the serious topics were well blended with the funny bits, and I liked the "territory" light effects, even if some of the more practical bits look quite rough and fake (particularly the wire work). For the casual action-adventure watcher, I feel like this would be an entertaining show.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
So much better than I expected
The bit about granting dead people their final requests was a little reminiscent of Hotel Del Luna, but objectively, this series was all around better. Except for in the OST category, there Hotel Del Luna takes the prize.One of my absolute favorite things was all the little hints sprinkled throughout that suggested Hae Ahn was not the happy-go-lucky, talk-a-mile-a-minute guy he seemed like. How, very slowly, glimpses of his darker side started to come out, making me feel more and more wary of him as the episodes went on, so by the time the big reveal was unveiled, it didn't feel like something out of the blue, but something the show had been building towards all along. The puzzle pieces were there all along, we just needed to put them together.
I also ended up tearing up a lot more than I'd first expected. The show didn't shy away from how brutal, traumatizing and devastating it can be to lose a loved one. And the actors were all so genuine in their grief that it was hard not to cry alongside them during some of the saddest storylines. Just keep in mind to have tissues handy.
The uncles were amazing and a big source of laughs. I loved seeing how invested they were in the relationship of their niece and nephew.
Honestly, I think all the different plots were wonderfully woven together from the little boy that started it all, and how closely tied Tae Hee's story was to Hae Ahn, but also how Joon Ho was the tie between Tae Hee and Dong Joo. Then, all the emotional trauma and guilt tied up in the woman Tae Hee had dated for 10 years only to not be able to even look at her after his little brother's death. I'm a little disappointed he was never actually honest with her about that. Maybe if she'd known why he'd walked away, she would have understood and been able to let him go. And, perhaps most importantly, how it all came down to Dong Joo granting wishes for the selfless people that'd helped saved others in the fire that ended up causing her mom's death.
The writers really did an amazing job with this one, and the cast truly made it justice by giving top notch performances. I'm so glad I stumbled upon it!
Was this review helpful to you?
The aesthetic was flawless
This is a very sexy drama.It's slow, sensual and very much centered around the relationship (or lack-thereof) of the main couple, so if character driven stories aren't your thing, I don't think you'll like this. Personally, I loved it.
I also quite enjoyed the close-ups on their eyes and mouths and the scenes where they showed parts of the faces and bodies of certain characters, but never the whole person at once. It was very reminiscent of manga or manhwa vignettes. I thought those were very cool directorial choices.
The music went great with the overall chill vibe of the show, and it was fun how butterflies kept coming up in the songs.
Great drama. 10/10 would recommend!
Was this review helpful to you?
YES to everything
I'm really enjoying these few shorter dramas that have been coming out recently! Honestly, more shows should opt for the 12-episodes format.This one was a lot of fun! Two wonderful, ridiculously good looking couples with HEAPS of chemistry (romantic and friendship-wise), fun characters, a fast pace and good use of the typical romance tropes.
Even the production value for this drama was awesome! All the special effects and little animations were quite good.
I'm SO EXCITED for season 2!
Was this review helpful to you?
10/10 binge-ability.
I don't typically enjoy Joseon dramas all that much because the villains tend to suck and painstakingly explain all their awful plans step by step as they plot along. There was quite little evil plotting here, while still delivering lots of drama, so this show was a very welcome surprise!There were so many different plots happening in short and long arcs that I never got bored. There was a big mystery regarding a dethroned king, there was relationship drama, there were power struggles within the court and also the journey of a group of women trying to find their place and be acknowledged in a male-centric world. The show even took the time to give some backstory to a couple of the other historians, which could have been boring but wasn't because it ended up helping me better understand their actions and motivations.
The cast was huge, and everyone did a fantastic job. This was my first time seeing a drama with Shin Se Kyung and she was absolutely wonderful. And Cha Eun Woo as Prince Rin was just too precious for words. He was so earnest, sweet and pure. I liked the different power dynamic of having the female lead be the older, more confident one in the relationship and her male co-star be the innocent, unsure one. They were great together. And the Crown Prince and Historian Min deserve some recognition, too. Along with the other three female historians, the eunuch that always accompanied the Prince and Hae Ryung's maid.
A wonderful drama all around.
Was this review helpful to you?
It was a nice show, but I don't think I'd watch it again.
I really liked the chemistry between the main couple, and all the scenes with Da Hyun bickering with her mom and grandma were a riot, but I feel like this story had a lot of dead space. I often found myself getting bored or distracted. The pauses were too long, the scenes sometimes dragged out. I'm a huge fan of letting a story breathe, and let viewers soak the emotions in (which this show had no shortage of), but I think they took it too far. Towards the end, around episode 11 or 12, I really lost interest because I felt like the events had gotten repetitive. But I'll admit the last two episodes managed to leave me with a positive impression.At the end of the day, the acting was fantastic all around, the OST was lovely and I even found myself invested in the secondary couple, which at the beginning I couldn't care less about. So, if you don't mind slow, draggy plots, I think this drama is worth giving a shot to.
Was this review helpful to you?
The main couple should do more projects together!
Little Geon Woo was the MVP of this drama. So freaking adorable! He stole all the scenes he was in.Also loved the friendship between Duk Mi and Seon Joo. It was very genuine and realistic. At times I wanted to fangirl with them.
Besides that, this was another typical romance with some twists thrown in to tug at your heartstrings.
Good OST, great chemistry, quite a bit of physical affection between the leads and a nice enough story to keep my interest (and one of the BEST kissing scenes I've ever seen in a k-drama).
Was this review helpful to you?
