Life is both Bitter and Sweet...just like this drama
On Viki, this drama is called Thirty but Seventeen. Most of the drama is not about teenagers. I like my drama's spicy and I have no shame in admitting that, but every great once in awhile, I want a drama that makes me cry at how hard life can be, lift me up and remind me that everyone goes through tough times and somehow makes it through. The angst is not because of romance, ( although there is romance), but because life can be filled with trauma, such as death of a beloved friend, abandonment, or or long term PTSD....all kinds of heartbreaking things. Even though I cried plenty of tears, this drama is also warm, healing, sweet, joyful and heart moving. Sometimes pain is too hard to bear and it's easier to escape - literally or figuratively. This was an awesome drama that was filled with intrigue, forgiveness, courage to face the hard times, happiness, family, and love. I do recommend it, but bring a box of tissues.Was this review helpful to you?
Laughingly Terrible
This drama wins the award for the most plot holes and terrible acting. How bad? How about a ML character creating a fake lab report that informs the FL character that she has cancer and only the ML character can save her? How about only if she marries him, he will save her? My favorite scene was the last one where the FL character is going into labor during a party and everyone just surrounds her all cheering her on, instead of getting her to the hospital. Fans of steamy kisses....that's a nope, unless kissing chins count. I will admit there was some implied skin-ship, but the fake kissing did not make it believable. I watched this drama till the very end, because although it was not labeled as a comedy, it was so bad that it turned into one. Do I recommend it?....you will have a better time brushing your teeth.Was this review helpful to you?
A romantic sweet treat!!
If you are looking for a sweet romance that will make you smile, with real kissing.....this is it. The acting was wonderful, the FL was strong independent woman, while also being so adorable. The ML was intense, you could see his emotions in his body language and expressions so well. The second FL/ML are quirky and equally entertaining. This is romance all the way, with just enough angst to keep it interesting. Some may think this drama is formulaic, but after a terrible day, something comforting, like a sweet treat, a comfy blanket and a guaranteed happy ending makes the everything better.Was this review helpful to you?
A classic K-Drama
This drama is a true gem and like "What's Wrong with Secretary Kim, is a classic feel good K-Drama. It is both hilarious, romantic and a bit of a small crime drama as well. So much fun to watch and everyone in the cast was in the word's of Louis was...."Perfect". It is touching, shows that no matter if you are wealthy or poor that everyone has problems and restrictions. Lot's of slapstick comedy...which I love, is deeply romantic, some healthy competition for the FL, highly recommended and I will watch this one again and again.Was this review helpful to you?
Little Miss Sunshine
This drama should have been called "Little Miss Sunshine", because the FL spreads her mega smile, cheerfulness and dopamine wherever she went. This drama shows that family can be one your are born into, or one you make and that everyone deserves love and acceptance just as they are. Families can also be the source of stress and anxiety, but this drama faces those issues straight on and everything is resolved very nicely in the end.Lovely romance and there was decent chemistry between the leads, but not enough fire for me. But it is still my most fav T-Drama that I have ever watched,. I do recommend this drama for it's humor, healing vibes, romance and of course the fab ladies of The Cage!
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Nuclear Chemistry with a Plot Dumpster Fire
This drama is the most steamiest French kissing, lip biting, butt grabbing CD I have ever watched! Can't believe it passed Chinese censorship! The leads had to have had some lip balm and mints in their pockets because every episode is full of kissing. The actors must have attracted to each other, because it did not look like acting to me!! Beware that the ML is 100% red flag... manipulative, calculating, possessive, pushy, obsessive and absolute crazy about the FL. The ML's only soft spot is FL and the FL is strong minded in her own way and refuses to be left behind on adventures and falls for the ML on her own terms.Now on to the dumpster-fire of a plot. It is one of those dramas that you walk away wondering "What the heck did I just watch"? One episode could be fantasy with a dragon and then the next car chases/gun fights, the next adventure quests and the next sci-fi, but romance is the central them in all episodes. It has a vertical drama feel, so expect shorter episodes with chopping episode integrations. The nuclear chemistry between the leads made this drama extremely watchable, but without them, the plot would have made me question the writers sanity. I have never watched anything like this drama and can 100% recommend it for drama fans of steamy red-flag romance.
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This review may contain spoilers
Rom-com perfection
This drama contains everything I want in a rom-com. Feisty FL=yes, every episode made me laugh=yes, romance was the main theme=yes, support cast were quirky and fun=yes, more than one love interest=yes, plenty of dominant, slightly pushy ML's=yes, leads have excellent, sizzling chemistry=yes, nice kiss scenes (no fish kisses)=yes, happy ending=yes, keeps you guessing which ML the FL will pick=yes, had me squealing like a fangirl once or twice=yes, lovely male eye candy=yes, and finally, the drama has limited filler (flash-backs to scenes to previous episodes), or is overly long=yes.....perfect length for a short attention span. The only thing that pushed it down a half of a star, was not enough passionate skin-ship. It is a nice quick watch, that you can binge on a rainy weekend and will leave you smiling.Was this review helpful to you?
Slice of life, death , the complexity of relationships, with a happy ending
If you are looking for a drama that deals with heavy themes, is realistic, has independent, mature, tortured, yet beautiful characters going through life and comforting -growing with each other, this is the drama for you. A central theme of this drama is both death and renewal. How death is part of life and love/family, regardless how complex is is the real treasure. Several characters go through grief in their own way, and it does a wonderful way of showing how every generation, every person, has their own way of dealing with grief.There is romance, several lovely if complex family's, friends and a wonderful town filled with all kinds of characters. This is a very well named drama, as Spring always reminds me that even in the harshness of winter,....life always begins anew. 100% recommended
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A Journey of Self Discovery
This drama on it's surface, looks just like another romance, but this it's really about the FL's ability to evolve from a person that believes that she is a "sticky note that should be used and thrown away" to a capable, independent, strong woman who can go through loss and tragedy and still come out believing in herself.You Are My Destiny is about finding your own destiny, taking the good and the bad in life and blossoming in spite of the adversity. Sure the ML/FL lead came together at the end, but as equally mature adults, each making the choice to be together.
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Ten straight to the point checklist
1.) Happy/Sad/Satisfying: satisfying
2.) Female Empowerment: yes
3.) Historical drama: yes
4.) ML/FL who do not look like teenagers: yes
5.) Strong, clever, kind FL: yes
6.) Bingeable: yes
7.) Angst/tragedy: enough to make you want to see what happens next, but not enough to depress you
8.) Romance: Sadly no, is more of one woman's personal empowerment story
9.) Acting: excellent
10.) Rewatchable: yes
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This review may contain spoilers
Great Acting-Terrible Script
I really loved the idea of putting a highly decorated and tail first psychologist together with an absolutely intuitive fortune teller and see what will happen. That idea hooked me from the very start and keep me interested until episode 11 when it got very difficult to sympathize with the ML and the story gave the viewer no reason to like him what so ever. Despite that, the push and pull between the leads was really good and you thought for sure that when they got together it was going to be a chemistry explosion. Unfortunately, that is not what happened, at least for this drama viewer.After finishing the series, I have a clear understanding of where the ML was coming, the trauma and the aftermath of it, but I think it would have been best to clarify this issue way earlier in the narrative, so that the viewer understands why the ML acts the way he does. Instead, we are led to believe that ML is a renowned yet obsessed psychologist carrying unethical experiments because his professional opinion is that women are incapable of love all the way to the last episode. Which just made this viewer not connect to the ML at all....well, until the last episode.
main cast - wonderful, lovely acting skills
push and pull between the leads - excellent
romance= most of the time, I was not sure what was real and what were lies
story line - started off well and ended in a happy fiasco
scrip writer - go back to school
soundtrack - nothing extraordinary
ending- happy but rushed
spice - average-nothing special
This drama had so going for it BUT with so much lying, plots and schemes the relationships became extraordinarily toxic and no longer entertaining. Writers seemed stuck in an exercise wheel that turned endlessly exhausting the story long before the drama concluded. Some viewers may really like this story, but it was just okay and forgettable for me. No a rewatch or recommended
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This review may contain spoilers
A drama that will make you say "Awwww"
Trigger Warning-this drama does contain sexual harassment, but nothing more. The actins of the ML would be categorized in real life, as sexual harassment of an employee for sure, which is never acceptable. But this is just a drama and not real life, so toxicity is okay as along as it doesn't bleed into reality. Enough of the disclaimers and on to the drama review.This is one of those dramas where "Awwww" seems to be what comes out of your mouth while watching it. It is fun, feisty, romantic, steamy and a wonderful opposites attract couple type of story. I loved the story, the side characters were hilarious which made the drama even better. Less than 12 episodes, so there is little time spend on filler and I like how the drama touched on societal pressures of same sex couples and was pleased with the supportive moms. The second ML has a smile that could light up a room....truly a sweetheart. Super nice chemistry between the leads, just enough angst to keep you involved in the story and my required happy ending.
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Silly name, but ended up adoring it!
Absolutely adored this J-drama. I almost passed on the drama as the title made it sound silly and immature, but it was a surprising delight. The drama was funny, touching, so so cute, just enough angst to keep it interesting, lovely kissing and the chemistry between the leads was on fantastic!The FL was physically beautiful, but she had so much self-doubt about her own worth. Her indecisiveness always kept her in a state of panic and anxious. This is so common, especially in women and I really connected to her character. The ML was just adorable and really helped to support and love the FL just as she was....anxiety and all. A healing drama and very romantic one as well. Lovely happy ending that left this viewer with a smile on my face and a warm feeling in my heart. Highly recommended and I will watch again and again.
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An Easy Rom-Com
It is a cute and fluffy rom-com kind of a drama with the theme of loving yourself no matter what size you are. The leads had good chemistry, with a decent story, some nice scenery, lovely side couple and acting. While it was a nice drama, but it was not a memorable one , but was nice for what it was....a fun, easy rom-com that has enough angst to keep it interesting, some strong woman vibes., decent kissing scenes with a my required happy ending.Was this review helpful to you?
Cheese with a bit slice of Romance
I think this will either be a drama people will love or hate. I say that because for the romance/fate folks out there, this drama has an easy to follow story that is pretty classic to the genre--Girl meets ice cold guy only to turn him into a big softy. The haters out there will say its pretty cheesy, has dumb tropes like guy breaking up with girl, to make girl happy which happens not once but twice and a third time when a girl breaks up with a guy for the same reason. Yes some of the plot lines are a bit stupid, but the huge amount of romance makes it worth the watch.Now there are plenty of pretty romantic scenes in this drama; convenient rain storms, warm homemade porridge, star gazing on a rowboat, carousel rides, cotton candy sharing, a truth or dare game, yearning looks, misunderstands, tears, loathsome ex's, many kisses, hugs and more than one proposals. Recommended, if you enjoy some cheese with a huge slice of romance, as I do.
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