Unrealistic, Becomes Boring
My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.
I did something stupid...I forced myself through multiple boring K-dramas at the same time (and I’m still trying to force myself through another). I’m probably going to sound jaded when typing up these reviews. Anyway, the dramas that I’ve been watching simultaneously are Castaway Diva, My Dearest Nemesis, and School 2021 (which I haven’t finished). Needless to say, it has not been fun for me lately in K-drama world. However, I can say that the strongest drama out of this group is Castaway Diva, although that's not saying much.
Acting/Cast: It’s okay. The cast is probably better than the acting. The female lead’s character had Extraordinary Woo Young Woo vibes though. It seemed like Park Eun Bin (박은빈) was still stuck in that role (Extraordinary Woo Young Woo had aired in 2022, immediately before Castaway Diva). The male lead was just boring. The second male lead probably had the strongest acting and maybe the villain. 4.5/10
Writing: The premise of the story is interesting. It wasn’t executed well at all though. There are a few main issues I had with the writing. First, the female lead’s character didn’t feel realistic. She was isolated on a deserted island for 15 years (starting in her teen years), yet once she returns back to society, she’s more intelligent and perceptive than everyone else around her, even the much older adults. I get the idea - her learning to survive on an island alone has taught her lessons about life that others may not learn - but her behavior and intelligence level just doesn’t track. The second issue I had was with the second male lead. He was only put in the story for the identity gimmick (having everyone be confused as to who the real male lead is). Other than for that reason, his character was completely useless. It’s a shame because I thought his character was so much more interesting than the male lead. He felt like an actual character. Another issue I had was one that I often have with dramas that have a mystery element to it – if the mystery is solved too early, the drama isn’t very interesting anymore. That’s how I felt about this drama as well. Also, even though the drama has a good message, I feel like it’s too unrealistically positive. On the other hand, I like the dynamics between the main characters (the whole family); it's very sweet. They are all very protective of each other and model healthy, loving relationships. 2/10
Direction/SFX/Music: The music was okay. The songs were decent, I just didn’t really like Park Eun Bin’s (박은빈) singing. There’s no range and she sings it all using her head voice. I prefer chest voice or a mix of the two. Everything else is okay; nothing too special. There is a CGI seagull... I wish it wasn't CGI. 5/10
Entertainment Value: Entertaining in the first part of the drama because it involves escaping from domestic abuse. However, once that isn’t the focus, it started getting boring for me. Especially when the female lead’s unrealistic character became more apparent. I also don’t like mistreatment of 2nd male leads, so that will cause me to lose interest quickly. I don’t think I necessarily wanted to drop this drama...I think I was just ready for it to be over a few episodes before it was. 3/10
Overall, I gave this drama a 3.5/10. It seemed like this drama was a bit of an idol healing drama where the female lead is like an angel sent to emotionally heal various characters in the industry. However, it’s not done very well and gets pretty boring. I was reminded of The Heavenly Idol, which has a similar theme, and that drama is immensely better; the characters were more interesting and likable and story was a lot more fun.
I did something stupid...I forced myself through multiple boring K-dramas at the same time (and I’m still trying to force myself through another). I’m probably going to sound jaded when typing up these reviews. Anyway, the dramas that I’ve been watching simultaneously are Castaway Diva, My Dearest Nemesis, and School 2021 (which I haven’t finished). Needless to say, it has not been fun for me lately in K-drama world. However, I can say that the strongest drama out of this group is Castaway Diva, although that's not saying much.
Acting/Cast: It’s okay. The cast is probably better than the acting. The female lead’s character had Extraordinary Woo Young Woo vibes though. It seemed like Park Eun Bin (박은빈) was still stuck in that role (Extraordinary Woo Young Woo had aired in 2022, immediately before Castaway Diva). The male lead was just boring. The second male lead probably had the strongest acting and maybe the villain. 4.5/10
Writing: The premise of the story is interesting. It wasn’t executed well at all though. There are a few main issues I had with the writing. First, the female lead’s character didn’t feel realistic. She was isolated on a deserted island for 15 years (starting in her teen years), yet once she returns back to society, she’s more intelligent and perceptive than everyone else around her, even the much older adults. I get the idea - her learning to survive on an island alone has taught her lessons about life that others may not learn - but her behavior and intelligence level just doesn’t track. The second issue I had was with the second male lead. He was only put in the story for the identity gimmick (having everyone be confused as to who the real male lead is). Other than for that reason, his character was completely useless. It’s a shame because I thought his character was so much more interesting than the male lead. He felt like an actual character. Another issue I had was one that I often have with dramas that have a mystery element to it – if the mystery is solved too early, the drama isn’t very interesting anymore. That’s how I felt about this drama as well. Also, even though the drama has a good message, I feel like it’s too unrealistically positive. On the other hand, I like the dynamics between the main characters (the whole family); it's very sweet. They are all very protective of each other and model healthy, loving relationships. 2/10
Direction/SFX/Music: The music was okay. The songs were decent, I just didn’t really like Park Eun Bin’s (박은빈) singing. There’s no range and she sings it all using her head voice. I prefer chest voice or a mix of the two. Everything else is okay; nothing too special. There is a CGI seagull... I wish it wasn't CGI. 5/10
Entertainment Value: Entertaining in the first part of the drama because it involves escaping from domestic abuse. However, once that isn’t the focus, it started getting boring for me. Especially when the female lead’s unrealistic character became more apparent. I also don’t like mistreatment of 2nd male leads, so that will cause me to lose interest quickly. I don’t think I necessarily wanted to drop this drama...I think I was just ready for it to be over a few episodes before it was. 3/10
Overall, I gave this drama a 3.5/10. It seemed like this drama was a bit of an idol healing drama where the female lead is like an angel sent to emotionally heal various characters in the industry. However, it’s not done very well and gets pretty boring. I was reminded of The Heavenly Idol, which has a similar theme, and that drama is immensely better; the characters were more interesting and likable and story was a lot more fun.
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