Cute for a vertical short reels format!
I’m always bummed that people lowball reviews for vertical shorts just because they hate the format. As someone who avidly consumes this format on a daily basis, I can say that some are clearly superior to others. I wish they rated them according to the format instead.-Anyway, the story adapted the same plot premise as Half of Me (webtoon/manhwa), but of course some plot details had to be changed or scrapped due to budget constraints and the vertical short-reels format --- which made certain parts confusing, rushed, and lacking explanation. For example, it wasn’t clear why Taekin was at Heechan’s home instead in the hospital or with his family, or what Heechan’s job was (which was explained better in the source material). Certain plot points felt like afterthoughts or seemed to come out of nowhere, but I guess the story had enough glue to make it work. The backstory of the two MLs was also revised, but it blended well with the direction they chose.
-Acting-wise, it was okay. Minjae was somewhat awkward at times, but it was fine if you didn’t dwell on it too much. Also pls, what is that hairstyle choice with the highschool Minjae?? 😭 it didn't suit his face.
-Nevertheless, the story was still cute, fluffy, and interesting. The interactions between the characters felt natural and fun to watch. There weren’t any cringe moments for me, which is a plus 😅. I also quite enjoyed it; there were moments that had me giggling.
(Also, it had three decent-ish peck kisses and two proper moving-lip kisses, lmao)
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It's decent but could be great. The angst feels shifted from mains to 2nd leads
I've put off watching this because I watched the promotional film for the novel first when it aired. It starred Benjamin Tsang and Stan Huan. Maybe because of the budget with the diff media types, but the script, directing, production, cinematography, music scoring were superior than this drama. Although it was 5 mins, it captured strong chemistry, tension, and angst between the leads even with just their gazes and little script.With the drama, it fell flat. The angst with the mains fared weaker than the 2nd leads. Also, with an angsty storyline, everything was glaringly bright and flat to convey such depth. The promotional film did well in utilizing lighting and optics to depict emotions.
Now that I've finally completed it, it was decent. I'd rate it higher if I hadn't watched the promo film. Also I've liked the 2nd leads better towards the end. It's a rewatchable drama for me
Promo film link: https://youtu.be/SfAavpwtTJw?si=8-gEVESmeglVtt8J
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