The soul of an adult body was placed in the body of a high schooler, it's not accurate to claim that people were…
The story puts an emphasis on Deuk Pal's life experiences, his past actions affecting how he approaches different situations in the new body he found himself in. No matter what age his body might be, he clearly has more experience and insight into a lot of things.
It might ease some people's mind to think of souls as ageless and therefore the presense of romance should be fine, but I disagree. Second chances, overcoming fears, doing the right thing instead of following an easy path and many more difficult situations were the core aspects of the show, and Deuk Pal's mental maturity was the primary catalyst and driving force for these plot lines. None of the teenage characters could ever be in a balanced "romantic" relationship with him, the inequality of maturity levels is just too much.
Apparently go ahead had the sml realizing his feelings for fl were not real and largely due to his friend's teasing…
His character in the original story had the most heartbreaking scenes for me, most of them shared with his father. I mean, you just couldn't help but feel for him. More than romance, the family bond was what made Go Ahead so beloved. And in that aspect, his character, especially his relationship with his dad, was the strongest one that represented the whole show.
I am suffering... These last few episodes have me chained.If I didn't love the earlier parts so much, I would…
First half of the show? A gem. Zheng Chu and Su Mang's incredible chemistry and enjoyable dynamic? Fiery gems! Several burns by Guo Guo directed to the "villains"? A gem. The acting of Zhu Ya Wen and Wang Li Kun? Best gems. Zheng Chu? What a man. Xiao Qiu? The rarest gem.
The dubbing of several characters, especially of the aunt Mei Ling, was AWFUL. I am shocked that it was so bad, considering the amount of screentime she had. But not as shocked as I was by the last 10 episodes or so. I wonder if the writers were switched hallway into the show, or if they were just pissed at someone and decided to throw their saving graces like good pacing, character development and cause-effect on plot points, into the fire. Seriously, it felt like they were throwing ideas to the wall and trying to figure out what stuck. (And I can't count how many times I screamed "EVIL! GARBAGE! PIECE OF TRASH! in my head while watching.)
The aunt is the biggest offender of this drama for me. Not only was her dubbing AWFUL, but the writers clearly didn't know what to do with her, and she became the epicenter of so many chaotic things that I was sick and tired of seeing her. Don't get me wrong, the drama had other dislikeable characters too, but I can't really rant about them without giving spoilers. But I just had to get it out of my chest. Even a shocking twist that made me drop my jaw to the floor wasn't as impactful as the negative feelings she brought to me while watching the show.
Do I regret watching this? Hell no! I simply love the couple so much. I loved their banter and connection, and their journey to being together, cheesy and messy as it was towards the end. Excluding the time in which the usual cdrama tropes kept them apart, they were constantly oozing couple energy. They had so many cute scenes well before they got together. And I suspect I will rewatch their parts later many times.
But first, I have to find a nice, problemless romcom to cleanse the negative aura around here. Because the last part of the drama was so, so, so bad. I don't think I will watch anything by this writers again. But Zheng Chu and Su Mang, as well as the quality acting by Zhu Ya Wen and Wang Li Kun, will stay with me for a long time, and I will definitely check out their other works in the future.
I am suffering... These last few episodes have me chained.
If I didn't love the earlier parts so much, I would have given up already. I am not one to force myself to watch dramas, usually, but I need to see the resolution here. That is how much I loved the dynamic of the main couple and the general vibe of the show. The last arc is testing my limits, haha.
My favorite thing about the Chinese original story was the bond between Li Hai Chao and He Zi Qiu. I cry every time I watch it (and sometimes when I think about it). I rewatched Go Ahead recently just for their scenes.
Choi Won Young was an amazing dad in Twinkling Watermelon and Bae Hyeon Song is one of the actors I'm really looking forward to seeing in more projects.
So, I am anticipating that aspect of this adaptation more than anything. On one hand, there is that small part of my brain that whispers bad things to me, saying that the original actors also contributed a lot to the magic and having high expectations will lead me to disappointment. On the other hand, I am really looking forward to the possibility of Kang Hae Jun being happier (in a way that is well-written, of course). But, if they can't emphasize that special father-son bond enough to make me cry, I will be really, really, REALLY sad and scream in frustrated tears :D
Just a few hours ago, I felt like crying, and this was my go-to. I binged the first 5 episodes without skipping anything.
And I dare anyone to watch episode 5 and not shed tears. I DARE YOU!
I might not rewatch the whole thing. Don't get me wrong, it is an excellent drama and deserves to be appreciated properly, but I am just in the mood for the best father-son *feels* I have seen drama watching history. If I had to pick one key relationship from all cdramas that will always stay with me, it would be the bond between Li Hai Chao and He Zi Qiu.
People use comment section on any forum / website to vent. You'll be hard-pressed to find a meaningful discussion,…
Most people obviously didn't like how it was implemented. I don't think you should generalize people's criticism like that.
For myself, I love "friends-to-lovers" and "childhood friends" tropes. But they are still hard to buy if the romance on screen and the plot is not built properly or it feels like the main characters will get together "just because they are childhood friends" or something like that.
Not saying Love Next Door is like that, but that is the essence of the criticism I have seen about LND so far. Well, that, and the lack of romantic comedy elements about the main couple.
I should have timed my schedule so I wouldn't finish the last episode just before sleeping. Damn. I desperately need something light-hearted to improve my mood, but I also really need to sleep :(
One day, I hope my dreams of watching a well-made sports c-drama about professional badminton become reality. Until then, the beginning of *this* drama will do, even though it was only club level and most of the charm of the sports wasn't reflected at all. And it turns into a tennis drama early on. Which is not a bad thing, as I like tennis too, but not as much as badminton :)
Other than that personal thing (which is not on the show but on me due to my individual preferences), it's a good drama. The story is good with great actors and reasonable chemistry. Some sports aspects and the narrative around them (like using a club-level 22-year-old badminton player and picking a highly specialized and very situational racket design to launch into a new market, among others) did seem weird to me initially, but I was able to enjoy the 11 episodes I watched so far despite that. (I will, however, take a short break to wait until all episodes finish airing.)
It's also good to see Wu Lei in modern-themed dramas again. I was a fan long before I knew about NiF, The Long Ballad or LLTG; he impressed me in Cross Fire (where I first saw him). His acting is better now, of course, but that role (along with his roles in Upcoming Summer and Our Times) will have a special place in my mind.
This was my second time watching Ha Jung Woo and Jun Ji Hyun. The first time was in another movie they acted together, Assassination. They had amazing chemistry there. Not so much here, probably because the plot depends on *that* aspect a bit. This wasn't really a movie to watch for romance or character study though. Not for me, at least.
Some plot aspects seem questionable, and I'm not particularly sold on the ending. That said, I never felt bored despite my rather unimpressed opinion of its plot. It was worth just for its action scenes alone. It definitely made me want to watch more action-thriller movies, even though I'm in another chapter of a slice-of-life cdrama phase lately.
I just finished episode 12. And so far, I don't think Cheng Hai and Xiao Ran have the kind of back-and-forth needed for the type of romance this drama is trying to go for (even though they have the potential to carry such chemistry). I like them as characters, individually. But aside from Cheng Hai's very obvious crush on her (that none of the others realized, apparently) and the laws of Cdrama forcing a romance between the male and female lead, I see nothing interesting or endearing about them as a couple so far. Which is a shame, because I think both characters are actually interesting and could go well together. I guess the teasing from Cheng Hai coupled with no interest (at all) from Xiao Ran made me feel like this about the drama.
I do hope it gets better in this aspect, because I like the drama otherwise. It's not new or groundbreaking in any way, but still has positive vibes and is fulfilling my slice-of-life needs well. Some of the conflicts were a bit silly, but the friendship dynamics shine, as expected. Also, Xiang Nan's little brother Yang Yang stole every scene he's been in, for me. He's the cutest! The show didn't make him the annoying little brother or made his big sister mean to her like they usually do in such youth dramas.
I was quite ready to give this *at least* 9 as I approached the final episodes, but Anna and anything related to her at the end kind of exhausted me a bit. Still 9/10, very good drama, but the ending could've been MUCH better.
This is definitely NOT a 7.8 MDL score level drama though, that's for sure.
It's a simple story, but still very heartwarming and inspiring. I liked it a lot. I'll probably rewatch it whenever I feel down and/or need some extra encouragement.
Not commenting on the story, as I haven't finished it yet. But the music deserves 15 out of 10. Epic, well-timed,…
Finished! There are things I had problems with and/or disappointed me; some big, some small. But overall, I really liked the drama. The overall plot was interesting, I was really entertained by the clever actions/remarks/observations made by Zhao Yiting and Jian Xiaoyue, and the music was EPIC. While it wasn't the only thing I *loved* about the drama, I think the intro is the part that left the biggest impression on me. Definitely raised the bar higher.
The intro was one of the best things indeed, but it also made me expect more from the drama than I probably should have. The drama is fine as it is, but it is hard not to think that it could've been so much better if the writers and director were just a little bolder.
The FL was the definition of "too pure for this world" in this. Maybe too pure at times, but I liked her. The ML is definitely the main attraction of the drama though, as the actor had the most striking acting performance (in my opinion) and Zhao Yiting always had interesting clothes. Jian XiaoYue was the dark horse; I really liked and felt for her character throughout the whole drama.
Also, seeing familiar faces from Back to 1989 made me really rewatch that again, although I don't have enough time for that :(
By the way, if you're watching this for the first time on Rakuten Viki, do yourself a favor and turn off the timed comments. Some are mind-numbingly stupid that I wonder how they're watching the show and find time to ask about the most basic stuff we have already seen in the drama, while some are rage-inducingly judgy stuff about the cast members' looks and/or acting in the drama. People were especially harsh on the FL (the character AND the actress), and she didn't deserve that at all.
Not commenting on the story, as I haven't finished it yet. But the music deserves 15 out of 10. Epic, well-timed, and so on point with the lyrics. The opening and the ending songs are becoming my all-time favorites, and the opening especially looks like a music video.
my favorite thing about this drama is how mature the main leads were. I loved how they solved each problem they…
I also think she deserved better. But, I also can't help but wonder what Xiao Man even saw in Chen Yichuan, to begin with. She comments on his good looks and his academic achievements at the beginning of the drama, so maybe that's only it, but that's too superficial for me to root for her pursuit when the guy has been nothing but an arrogant, pretentious and judgmental piece of work with no charming quality from the beginning.
It might ease some people's mind to think of souls as ageless and therefore the presense of romance should be fine, but I disagree. Second chances, overcoming fears, doing the right thing instead of following an easy path and many more difficult situations were the core aspects of the show, and Deuk Pal's mental maturity was the primary catalyst and driving force for these plot lines. None of the teenage characters could ever be in a balanced "romantic" relationship with him, the inequality of maturity levels is just too much.
The dubbing of several characters, especially of the aunt Mei Ling, was AWFUL. I am shocked that it was so bad, considering the amount of screentime she had. But not as shocked as I was by the last 10 episodes or so. I wonder if the writers were switched hallway into the show, or if they were just pissed at someone and decided to throw their saving graces like good pacing, character development and cause-effect on plot points, into the fire. Seriously, it felt like they were throwing ideas to the wall and trying to figure out what stuck. (And I can't count how many times I screamed "EVIL! GARBAGE! PIECE OF TRASH! in my head while watching.)
The aunt is the biggest offender of this drama for me. Not only was her dubbing AWFUL, but the writers clearly didn't know what to do with her, and she became the epicenter of so many chaotic things that I was sick and tired of seeing her. Don't get me wrong, the drama had other dislikeable characters too, but I can't really rant about them without giving spoilers. But I just had to get it out of my chest. Even a shocking twist that made me drop my jaw to the floor wasn't as impactful as the negative feelings she brought to me while watching the show.
Do I regret watching this? Hell no! I simply love the couple so much. I loved their banter and connection, and their journey to being together, cheesy and messy as it was towards the end. Excluding the time in which the usual cdrama tropes kept them apart, they were constantly oozing couple energy. They had so many cute scenes well before they got together. And I suspect I will rewatch their parts later many times.
But first, I have to find a nice, problemless romcom to cleanse the negative aura around here. Because the last part of the drama was so, so, so bad. I don't think I will watch anything by this writers again. But Zheng Chu and Su Mang, as well as the quality acting by Zhu Ya Wen and Wang Li Kun, will stay with me for a long time, and I will definitely check out their other works in the future.
If I didn't love the earlier parts so much, I would have given up already. I am not one to force myself to watch dramas, usually, but I need to see the resolution here. That is how much I loved the dynamic of the main couple and the general vibe of the show. The last arc is testing my limits, haha.
Choi Won Young was an amazing dad in Twinkling Watermelon and Bae Hyeon Song is one of the actors I'm really looking forward to seeing in more projects.
So, I am anticipating that aspect of this adaptation more than anything. On one hand, there is that small part of my brain that whispers bad things to me, saying that the original actors also contributed a lot to the magic and having high expectations will lead me to disappointment. On the other hand, I am really looking forward to the possibility of Kang Hae Jun being happier (in a way that is well-written, of course). But, if they can't emphasize that special father-son bond enough to make me cry, I will be really, really, REALLY sad and scream in frustrated tears :D
And I dare anyone to watch episode 5 and not shed tears. I DARE YOU!
I might not rewatch the whole thing. Don't get me wrong, it is an excellent drama and deserves to be appreciated properly, but I am just in the mood for the best father-son *feels* I have seen drama watching history. If I had to pick one key relationship from all cdramas that will always stay with me, it would be the bond between Li Hai Chao and He Zi Qiu.
For myself, I love "friends-to-lovers" and "childhood friends" tropes. But they are still hard to buy if the romance on screen and the plot is not built properly or it feels like the main characters will get together "just because they are childhood friends" or something like that.
Not saying Love Next Door is like that, but that is the essence of the criticism I have seen about LND so far. Well, that, and the lack of romantic comedy elements about the main couple.
I would say I was saved by myself xD
That was the second try though. I was hit by a white truck on the first one :D
Other than that personal thing (which is not on the show but on me due to my individual preferences), it's a good drama. The story is good with great actors and reasonable chemistry. Some sports aspects and the narrative around them (like using a club-level 22-year-old badminton player and picking a highly specialized and very situational racket design to launch into a new market, among others) did seem weird to me initially, but I was able to enjoy the 11 episodes I watched so far despite that. (I will, however, take a short break to wait until all episodes finish airing.)
It's also good to see Wu Lei in modern-themed dramas again. I was a fan long before I knew about NiF, The Long Ballad or LLTG; he impressed me in Cross Fire (where I first saw him). His acting is better now, of course, but that role (along with his roles in Upcoming Summer and Our Times) will have a special place in my mind.
Some plot aspects seem questionable, and I'm not particularly sold on the ending. That said, I never felt bored despite my rather unimpressed opinion of its plot. It was worth just for its action scenes alone. It definitely made me want to watch more action-thriller movies, even though I'm in another chapter of a slice-of-life cdrama phase lately.
I do hope it gets better in this aspect, because I like the drama otherwise. It's not new or groundbreaking in any way, but still has positive vibes and is fulfilling my slice-of-life needs well. Some of the conflicts were a bit silly, but the friendship dynamics shine, as expected. Also, Xiang Nan's little brother Yang Yang stole every scene he's been in, for me. He's the cutest! The show didn't make him the annoying little brother or made his big sister mean to her like they usually do in such youth dramas.
This is definitely NOT a 7.8 MDL score level drama though, that's for sure.
The intro was one of the best things indeed, but it also made me expect more from the drama than I probably should have. The drama is fine as it is, but it is hard not to think that it could've been so much better if the writers and director were just a little bolder.
The FL was the definition of "too pure for this world" in this. Maybe too pure at times, but I liked her. The ML is definitely the main attraction of the drama though, as the actor had the most striking acting performance (in my opinion) and Zhao Yiting always had interesting clothes. Jian XiaoYue was the dark horse; I really liked and felt for her character throughout the whole drama.
Also, seeing familiar faces from Back to 1989 made me really rewatch that again, although I don't have enough time for that :(
By the way, if you're watching this for the first time on Rakuten Viki, do yourself a favor and turn off the timed comments. Some are mind-numbingly stupid that I wonder how they're watching the show and find time to ask about the most basic stuff we have already seen in the drama, while some are rage-inducingly judgy stuff about the cast members' looks and/or acting in the drama. People were especially harsh on the FL (the character AND the actress), and she didn't deserve that at all.