Figgo

Different Than Expected, Entertaining, Light

My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

I was in the mood to watch some marital drama. I was hoping for abusive husbands. I just like depressing shit.

Acting/Cast: A decent cast with decent acting. Actually, I'm only familiar with three of the actors. The ones that I'm not familiar with did a great job. I would say that Lee Sang Yeob (이상엽 - the male lead who is a teacher), Park Ha Sun (박하선 - the female lead), Choi Byung Mo (최병모 - the husband of the second female lead), and Shim Hye Yun (심혜연 - the little girl) were the actors that stood out to me the most. The two leads in particular, had really good chemistry together. 7.5/10

Writing: Contrary to the drama's title, this drama isn't very risqué...at all. This is either a good or bad depending on the reason for watching. This drama was less about the cheating and more about the psychology behind the reasons for ending up in an affair, losing themselves, and trying to find freedom. I liked the use of the birds and the bird cage as symbols throughout the drama. Right when I saw birds in cages I knew what was going on. I had some issues with the writing, however. I don't like how horrible they made the female lead's husband seem in the beginning. I would have been fine with it if they had kept him horrible, but he becomes a nice, normal person very quickly. They kind of did the same thing with the second female lead's husband, but at least he was horrible for a longer period of time. Also, the male lead's story bothered me a bit. I think he has the least justification for cheating. He could have easily left his "wife". So, it just made him look really bad. Another issue I had was with the second female lead's affair. I didn't understand how they fell in love. It was left ambiguous from what I could gather. Also, the second female lead seemed to change pretty drastically because she fell in love with this guy, but I don't understand why. She's a morally gray character (maybe even more of a villain) who proudly and regularly cheats and encourages the female lead (and even manipulates her) to cheat on her husband as well. Suddenly, it's like she becomes a hero and I guess we're supposed to just forgive her. Despite all of these issues, I think I enjoyed this drama as much as I did because of the dialogue writing and the pacing. The ending is also good. 4/10

Direction/SFX/Music: The SFX and the music is fine; nothing special. The direction, however, was very well done. I liked the vibe of the drama, the pacing, the shots. It had a nice feel to it that made it easy to watch. 5.5/10

Entertainment Value: I binged this drama. I would say that none of the relationships in this drama are enviable or desirable in any capacity, but it was still entertaining to watch. I was scared for the women because in the beginning there's a house fire that was started due to an affair. I was rooting for them to find freedom without any bloodshed because none of the characters really deserve that. They all just seem like relatively normal people that found themselves in depressing situations. Another reason I found this drama so entertaining was because of the focus on the psychology of the characters. I was interested to see how each of the spouses would react once they found out about the affairs. 7/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 6/10. A 6 or higher is in my recommended zone. I was really surprised I liked this as much as I did. No abusive husbands though. I would compare this drama to My Liberation Notes (which I had also rated a 6/10). Although, this drama isn't as dialogue heavy, which was nice. If you like life dramas and aren't looking for something too adult, then you might like this.

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Surprisingly Cute and Wholesome

My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

I picked this drama up while waiting for more episodes of The Judge From Hell to air. They’re pretty similar in style and both involve supernatural concepts such as demons. Actually, Kim Ah Young (김아영) who plays Gremory in The Judge From Hell is also in this drama. I usually try to avoid watching similar dramas simultaneously so that I won’t get confused...woops...

Acting/Cast: I had my doubts, especially in the very beginning, but they all did great. They created charming and memorable characters. The leads were both well done and likable. They also had chemistry together. The male lead’s strong, quirky personality remained consistent throughout the entire drama. I’m highly impressed. Usually, when you have a lead with an over-the-top personality, they fizzle out half-way through and become very basic. I think the cast and the acting was by far the best thing about this drama. I have to give a shout out to Ye Ji Won (예지원) as well; she did a great job. She only had a small role in this drama, but I really liked her character. 10/10

Writing: The acting and the characters really made this drama because the plot is pretty ridiculous. But, I can say that this plot still makes more sense than The Judge From Hell. The character development in My Heavenly Idol was well done. This drama really is like a family healing drama except it’s a k-pop idol group healing drama. It’s actually pretty sweet and wholesome. It’s funny as well. It pokes fun at the whole k-pop idol industry without being too offensive for fans. This drama also doesn’t drag; there’s always something crazy going on from beginning to end. Speaking of the end...it was well done. Fantasy dramas can be really hit or miss with endings and I think they pulled it off nicely. The lowest score will be in the writing category, but it's only because of the craziness of the plot. I think the character writing was very well done. 3.5/10

Direction/SFX/Music: The music isn’t my style. I prefer The Judge From Hell’s soundtrack much more than this one. The special effects are well done. The pacing is good. 5.5/10

Entertainment Value: Entertaining from beginning to end. I watched this at the same time as The Judge From Hell and I found this drama to be much more entertaining. Some may find this drama too cutesy or too crazy or even too religious/sacrilegious, but for me, it worked. 7/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 6/10. A 6 or higher is in my recommended zone. I was so surprised at how much I liked this drama. Great characters and never a dull moment.

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A Waste of Time...Not Cute

My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

It was only 10 episodes, so why not? I tend to be draw to sci-fi k-dramas, but I usually don’t end up liking them very much.

Acting/Cast: Not terrible. I did like the three main girls. I didn’t have a problem with them or their acting. The male lead on the other hand…so boring and unlikeable. Also, the doctor love interest is super boring. The male lead’s firefighter friend is really the only male character that has some personality. 4/10

Writing: I don’t know what is happening with this story/character writing. It doesn’t make any sense. All the male characters are terrible, but it’s okay?? No character growth. No consequences for bad behavior. And even though I didn’t have a problem with three female friends as characters, they really weren’t much better than the men regarding maturity or morality. The male lead pissed me off the most as a character. He’s very self-righteous and wimpy…and that doesn’t really make sense for a firefighter. The way his story line played out was just so lame…Actually, I’m reminded of how I felt watching the second half of Marry My Husband. The drama became super cheesy and dumb. What they did with the ex boyfriend also pissed me off. He was committing crimes against the female lead -- really bad crimes…disgusting crimes…and what? We’re supposed to just laugh it off? Well, that’s what the writers did. The conflicts that persist throughout the drama are all lame. You can’t have storylines with bad people doing horrible, repulsive things, but then the main conflict is that the female lead is bad because she looked at some loser’s DMs. WHO CARES. My FBI guy does that shit in his sleep. 1/10

Direction/SFX/Music: Nothing special. Very basic. I can’t say that this drama has anything special or charming about it. The pacing is messed up. The Noble Idiocy happens too late and too random and is resolved so fast that I don’t even know how it happened. Noble Idiocy is a bad trope anyway. 1.5/10

Entertainment Value: The first half of the drama was interesting to me. The evil ex / stalker plot quickly drew me in. Everything fell apart in the second half of the drama. It’s as though the writers weren’t sure what they wanted to say with this drama. It’s just all over the place. Toxic characters are basically redeemed or brushed over for no reason. It left such a bad taste in my mouth. As entertained as I was in the first half, by the end of the drama I was left rolling my eyes. Apparently, people thought this drama was funny and that’s where a lot of its charm comes from. I don’t remember laughing once. Actually, it has very serious subject matter (stalking, sexual harassment, extreme dating violence, death, trauma, infidelity, infertility), so I didn’t find anything funny about it. 1/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 2/10. I wish I didn’t waste my time watching it. Some of the actors were decent and the first half was entertaining enough, but that’s about it.

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A Fun Ride With A Likeable Cast

My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

I normally don't like heist plots , but I love hostage plots. I finally decided to give this one a shot. By the way, I haven't seen the original, so I can't compare them. Also, I'm reviewing both parts of this drama as a whole.

Acting/Cast: Overall, I love the casting choices. Park Hae Soo (박해수), who plays Berlin, is an especially strong actor. I've seen him previously as the lead role in Prison Playbook and I loved him in that, so I knew he'd kill this role, too. Right when Berlin was introduced, I knew he'd be my favorite character; he has such a powerful presence about him. The rest of the crew was great, as well. Even the team members that didn't get as much screen time really grew on me. I'd say the only character I really had an issue with was the main female hostage, Yun Mi Seon played by Lee Joo Bin (이주빈). She has this "deer in headlights" look the entire time. Her character was pretty badass technically, but I don't think the actress conveyed that very well. 9/10

Writing: The plot was engaging. I liked the way that they laid the story out so that the audience wouldn't be sure as to what was really going on until it was revealed. I'd say the narration was unnecessary though. Maybe that's just me - I tend to dislike narration. The first half of the drama had red herrings that I think worked very well for the story and made it more exciting. However, in the second half of the drama, the red herrings came to be expected. In consequence, they lost their effectiveness in garnering strong emotions from the audience. Again, the hostage Yun Mi Seon played by Lee Joo Bin (이주빈) nagged at me in this category, too. Her character was strange - it just didn't make sense to me how she was so hung up on gross ass Peter Pettigrew and then she quickly screws another guy she just met. In my opinion, sex scenes never help a drama (and by sex scene, I mean the full-bodied, lingering sex scenes) and that's what happened in this drama. It came across as trashy, not romantic, and it just made me dislike her character even more. Actually, her entire plotline was annoying to me. There's one more sex scene in this drama, but it's not quite as risqué (although I still think it goes on for a little too long). The ending was good - I just wish there was a bit more closure for some of the characters. Throughout the drama, there were some scenes and dialogue that felt a bit cheesy, but whatever, I had fun. That being said, I couldn't help but compare this drama to Snowdrop. There are plot points that are eerily similar. However, Snowdrop has a much more dark and serious tone. I will say that overall, Snowdrop is the stronger drama out of the two and it was able to leave a lasting impression on me as opposed to Money Heist: Korea. 7/10

Direction/SFX/Music: I love the music, the costumes, the mask designs. The drama looks well-produced - good special effects, good camera work. The 'director of the mint' hostage...they did him so dirty with the camera angles. It was hilarious. I will bring up the cheese factor again in this category: There were some really cheesy and unrealistic scenes. I'm particularly referring to the scenes with a lot of gunfire and nobody is getting shot. Then, there was one scene where someone was shot, but instead of dragging the person away from the firefight, they just stayed there and cried. It caused a bit of disconnect for me because it was so contrary to how someone would actually react in a situation like that. 7.5/10

Entertainment Value: Binge worthy for sure. I stopped watching my other dramas so I could binge this one. To be fair though, the other dramas that I was watching aren't an exciting genre like this one. In any case, with this drama, I was dialed in the entire time and I did have a smile on my face a lot while watching. I definitely had fun. However, like I said previously, I would have liked less of an open ending for some of the characters. 9/10

Overall, I gave this drama an 8/10 mainly due to some cheesiness, my issue with the sex scenes, and my issues with the Yun Mi Seon character in general.

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Thank You For the Scary Villains

My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

It was a suspenseful story that had me hooked until the end. Although, after it was over, it didn't stick with me like other dramas I've really enjoyed. I've spent some time thinking about why that is before writing this review.

Acting/Cast: This category is going to be where my biggest issue with the drama lies. I held off watching this drama because I really dislike the actor that plays the male lead. He seems very stiff and emotionless in everything I've seen him in. I even dropped Hotel Del Luna because of him. Let's just say, after watching this drama, I still feel the same way. However, there were times in this drama where he showed a little bit of emotional range that surprised me, but that's not saying much. The female lead actress is fine, but when comparing her character with other female leads in dramas that I fell in love with, I realize she is lacking the charm that those characters have. It kept me from really connecting with her. Similarly, with the male lead, I didn't even care to try to connect with him. I think that if just the male lead was switched out, this could really have been a top tier drama. It's a shame... That being said, the rest of the cast was great. I think the highlight of the drama is Shin Jae Hwi who plays Lee Jin Geun (the stalker). I smiled every time I saw him on screen. He played an unhinged psycho so well. It's been a while since I've seen such a good villain. 6/10

Writing: Very well done, suspenseful mystery that kept me guessing. Satisfying ending as well. While watching, I did get vibes here and there of Kill Me, Heal Me -- definitely a top tier drama -- which is why I say that Link had the potential. But, in regards to the writing, my only gripe in this area would be the Noble Idiocy...which became even more annoying when they kept going back and forth with it. Oh, and now that I think about it...there were multiple times where the female lead thought, for some reason, that it was perfectly ok to walk alone at night in dark alleys when there's a stalker on the loose. That didn't make sense to me, especially since the female lead has trauma after being attacked in the recent past. 8/10

Direction/SFX/Music: My only complaint here would be a particularly severe case of "frozen-in-time staring contest". The OST is decent, too. 8/10

Entertainment Value: Once the characters were established and the main mystery with the refrigerator started playing out, I was hooked. 9.5/10

Overall, I gave this drama an 8/10 mainly due to my issue with the casting.

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Enjoy the Downward Spiral

My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

After reading the synopsis, I was hesitant to watch this drama because I didn't want to see minors in sexual situations and engaged in very serious criminal activity. I was worried it may glamorize these kinds of lifestyles. Once I finally decided to give it a try, I almost dropped the drama after the 1st episode. It just didn't grab my attention and I felt the male lead's character and his motivations were boring and typical. Eventually, I gave it another shot and watched episode 2 and from then on, I was hooked.

Acting/Cast: I think this is my 1st time seeing most of these actors... at least in major roles (except for 남윤수 Nam Yoon Su). They all did a great job. Watching the male lead's personality unfold, stood out to me the most. I also liked watching the interactions between the female lead and her mother. 9.5/10

Writing: This category can be broken into 2 parts - character writing/dialogue and story writing. I feel that the character development was the strongest aspect of this drama. The psychological genre is my favorite when it comes to Korean dramas because of their ability to write compelling characters that grow or change in realistic ways during the course of their experiences. This drama is great example of that, especially in regards to the male lead's character. Unfortunately, with how great the character writing is, I felt the actual story writing was lacking in comparison. There were storylines that I was really interested in learning more about (mainly more about the female lead's mom and that industry and about Mr. Lee's background), but they were left unexplored. The ending was also done in a way that seems as though they were setting it up for a 2nd season, which would make sense as to why some major details of the story felt unfinished. Regardless, I'm typically not a fan of endings like that. It feels incomplete and I'm left wanting more. If they're not doing a 2nd season, then 10 episodes weren't enough to really flesh out this story. On a positive note, the things that I was worried about before even beginning the drama, turned out not to be an issue. However, I could see some potential for criminal activity/prostitution being glamorized (for instance, prostitution didn't seem like a big deal until it was an underage girl doing it.) But every time the characters started to seem "cool" or too much like protagonists, something horrible would happen that would put everyone back where they belong. That reminds me, It was difficult watching a drama with no real protagonist. I felt bad rooting for anyone. I would just feel resigned and I would say "well...that's what you get for engaging in criminal activity." I'm not going to feel bad rooting for Mr. Lee though. 7/10

Direction/SFX/Music: The production was great; it felt very high quality. There were some clever dream sequence scenes that I really enjoyed. They didn't feel like your typical dream sequence. I usually can't stand them. The music really added to these strange scenes, as well. I don't care about music so much, but I do take notice when it heightens the experience for me (or worsens it). I think the OST played a huge part in giving this drama a very captivating vibe. 8/10

Entertainment Value: After I got past that 1st episode, it was a crazy ride. It was like watching a train wreck (but in a good way?) So much anxiety...very unpredictable. A fun but scary, stress-inducing ride. I don't want to say anything more about it because I don't want to give anything away. 8/10

It was difficult to give a final rating for this drama - it's either an 8/10 or an 8.5/10. I chose 8 more for personal preferences, which I don't want to expand on because it may be a bit of a spoiler.

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A Lot of Writing Issues but Still Watchable

My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

Detective dramas are one of my least favorite genres to watch. They tend to be formulaic and, therefore, boring, but every once in a while, I’ll give one a shot. I decided to watch this one because I was in a drama slump at the time, so I was picking up various dramas from different genres to try out.

Acting/Cast: The male lead was clearly the most interesting character. There was really no other reason to continue watching this drama other than maybe for the slow burn romance between the two leads. If you’re not a fan of Ahn Bo Hyun (안보현) as an actor or if his character is this drama isn’t appealing to you, then you probably will not like this drama at all. The cast is good and the acting is good…it’s just that the male lead takes up way too much of the focus; everyone else just feel like side characters. The team members did have decent chemistry though. 6/10

Writing: It was formulaic in the first…6 episodes maybe. There were also weird cases involving hypnosis and ghosts…So this drama isn’t the most realistic (which is strange for a detective drama). I almost dropped it, but I saw comments saying that the drama gets better as it goes. That turned out to be accurate; this drama does get better each episode. The case involving the female lead and her father’s backstory was the point when it really became interesting for me. Once that plot point was wrapped up, however, I felt like the drama lost some steam. The male lead’s plotline just wasn’t as interesting to me. It was too predictable. Also, the dark and mysterious plot surrounding the male lead from the beginning turned out to be overly dramatic nonsense. The writing (especially for a detective genre) isn’t very intelligent. It didn’t feel as though a team of smart detectives were solving crimes together -- it was more like technology doing it for them and the male lead using his fame, money, and connections. So…not much brain power going on (actually, the male lead made the detectives seem like a joke. How did they ever solve cases without him?). I did like the lightness of this drama, however. I could watch 15 minutes here or an hour there whenever I felt like seeing the team again. However, it became a little too dark in the end, which was a bit off-putting. It was also weird how certain characters treated the male lead like he’s a ticking time bomb because he has childhood trauma. They should be the ones to know that simply having childhood trauma doesn’t necessarily make someone evil (especially when the male lead is repeatedly shown to be a good person). 1.5/10

Direction/SFX/Music: This drama felt well produced, although cheesy at times. It had good, choreographed fight scenes, which is always a plus in my book. It has a unique OST, too, which adds to the charm of the drama. The music has a cartoony or comic book detective feel. 6/10

Entertainment Value: Like I said earlier, I almost dropped this drama after episode 6. The rich, famous influencer solving cases gimmick just wasn’t quite compelling enough for me. Maybe, it’s because the drama was a bit too ridiculous in the first half. Maybe, it’s because solving the cases didn’t feel like a team effort. However, it did get better and characters began to grow on me a little bit. It took me a long time to finish this drama because I would just watch a little here and there while waiting for more episodes of other dramas to air. 3/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 4/10. For me, a score anywhere from 4 to 5.5 means that I wouldn’t recommend this drama, but it is still good enough for a one-time watch (meaning, I don’t feel like I wasted my time watching it). It seems like they’re planning for a second season. Would I watch it? Probably. Would I expect it to be good? No…but it does have potential to be better than the first season.

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I Wish This Was A Healing Drama

My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

I decided to watch this because I was feeling a cozy town romance. I was surprised when I got something different.

Acting/Cast: This drama is well cast. I’m not too familiar with Kim Seol Hyun (김설현), who plays the female lead, but she was good. I am a fan of Yim Sin Wan (임시완), however. I know he can act. I don’t think this was a role that required a lot from him, acting-wise, but he fit the role nicely. I like Shin Eun Soo (신은수) as well, as I always enjoy her acting. The cast had good chemistry together. 7.5/10

Writing: Um…this is weird for me to say but...the murder mystery stuff wasn’t necessary. I felt like it took away from the story. I was really vibing with this drama, too. It had a My Liberation Notes feel to it at first. The female lead is really dumb in the beginning. People are telling her straight to her face how they feel about her and she’s somehow still surprised by their actions towards her. It’s frustrating, but that just means there’s room to grow...or maybe that was just a directing issue… Because I don’t think she really changes from being a doormat. She instead finds a place where people appreciate her. So, there is no real character growth. There's also a weird story arc about an abusive alcoholic father, who, for some reason, gets a free pass. This young girl is miserable, and everyone rather protect the alcoholic. It was really strange and seemed to go against the female lead's quest for freedom from assholes (since she doesn't actually become stronger, she just finds a chill place where she doesn't need to grow). Shin Eun Soo's acting was on point though. She has no protection at school, she has no protection at home, but SHE'S the problem? I could feel her frustration and desperation. Although, it made the other characters reactions to her situation even more strange. Anyway, the female lead’s revelation early on in the drama was inspiring to me. The idea that she has worked for years for terrible people, saved up some money, and now she can just go do nothing in a new place with no pressures. That’s awesome. It actually helped me a lot to stop stressing about my job (of course this only works for people who are good at saving money and budgeting). That’s why I wish this drama was just of the healing and romance genre. It has really good vibes. I feel like the murder mystery stuff just rained on my parade. The romance aspect was too light, as well. This isn't a slow burn romance...it's a no burn romance. The story with the high school kids is more romantic. There’s more of a focus on past trauma due to murders...you know, the usual. It was nice to see her build bonds with the people in the town...until the murder of course. Don’t you just hate it when random murderers are running around some nice, peaceful town? If I had a nickel… Don’t mind me. I’m just annoyed that this drama harshed my mellow. Anyway, the ending is alright. 3.5/10

Direction/SFX/Music: I like the tone or aesthetics of the film style. It has a relaxing, calm feel to it. The OST is alright. It has a feminine or girly feel to it, which isn’t exactly my style. I still liked some of the songs though. 6.5/10

Entertainment Value: This was a nice watch for the most part. It feels comfy. Since it deals with a problem that everyone encounters in life, it’s relatable and inspiring. I was interested to see how the female lead’s revelation and big life change worked out for her. I wish it was a bit more easy-going for her. I mean, the murderer stuff isn’t very realistic or applicable to most people. There was a disconnect for me because of that. The treatment of Shin Eun Soo's character was disappointing, as well. 5/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 5.5/10. I keep comparing it to My Liberation Notes, which is much better written. I really like the cinematography and the overall feel of this drama, but there was a lot about the story that disappointed me. However, it was easy to get through and didn't drag.

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Not Perfect But Super Cute and Super Fun

My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

I really like Kim Hye Yoon (김혜윤). She stars in the drama Extraordinary You (which is in my top 10) so I was excited to watch another drama with her as the female lead. I was also interested in seeing Byeon Woo Seok (변우석) as a male lead. I had only seen him a bit in Strong Girl Nam Soon before I ended up dropping it. I heard he was the only good thing about that drama.

Acting/Cast: I really love the three leads. They’re perfect and they have great chemistry together. This was such a funny drama. I was smiling and laughing throughout each episode. Byeon Woo Seok (변우석) in particular -- his comedy was on point. The biggest issue I had with this drama, however, lies in this category: I hated the female lead’s brother and best friend with a passion. They were so irritating that I literally wanted to deck them both in the face…repeatedly (which was a wish that was partially granted). Their acting was so incredibly obnoxious (and their characters in general) to a point that I didn’t even think was humanly possible. The annoying side characters in My Demon paled in comparison to these two. Even the handicap brother in The Third Charm is likeable when compared with these two and even the obnoxious political figures in Snowdrop can’t hold a candle to these two. It was so bad, in my experience, that they are the sole reason as to why this drama didn’t make it into my top 10. A drama hasn’t earned a place in my top 10 since Extraordinary You. I thought this drama would be the one to break the curse. I’m so disappointed… I don’t know who in their right mind told those two actors to act like that (I did notice that Seo Hye Won [서혜원] is actually just playing her annoying character from Nevertheless,…ugh). 7/10

Writing: I really enjoyed the plot. It kept me guessing, kept me on the edge of my seat, and gave me a lot of good laughs. It’s actually a pretty emotional story, too. I think they did a good job balancing the darker aspects of the plot with the lighter, comedic aspects. Although I worried for the main characters, at no point did I feel like the situation was hopeless, which was nice. However, there is a pretty big plot hole that I think could have been easily prevented. It has to do with the time-freezing ability she gains but never uses. She doesn’t use it to escape the villain. She doesn’t even use it to prove that she’s from the future. My solution for this would be for her to not even have that ability in the first place. Whenever she tells someone something about the future, instead of having time freeze, the person should hear it and react to it, but then after their reaction, time should reverse back to the moment right before she told them. I think this method could have resulted in some funny interactions, as well. I think the two obnoxious side characters’ stories weren’t entertaining at all or important to the drama and should have just been cut out completely. I will say that the resolution to the main conflict at the end was a bit underwhelming. However, the ending in general is pretty good. I love how the grandma character was utilized throughout the drama, too; It was really sweet. 8/10

Direction/SFX/Music: The pacing, the production value, and the OST are well done. The music fits the vibe of the drama. No complaints here. 10/10

Entertainment Value: This drama was so fun and cute and funny the whole way through. It’s not easy for a drama to genuinely make me laugh, but this one succeeded. I loved watching the three leads interact with each other and I liked their sweet, innocent vibes. This one had crack drama vibes for me. I watched this as it was airing and I was excited for Mondays because of it. 10/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 9/10. It would have been a 9.5 if it weren’t for those two side characters. There is so much nostalgia with this drama, similar to how I felt watching Extraordinary You. These dramas feel like a callback to the classics (without the toxicity). I would definitely recommend this drama if you're in the mood to watch a fun comedy with green flag male leads.

I made a short music video for this drama featuring the main couple's antics. It’s on YouTube and it’s called “Lovely Runner | Sucker For You” and my channel name is The Enablers (@theenablers3846).

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More Fun Than Season 1

My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

I actually wasn’t a fan of the first season. I had rated it a 5 out of 10. Which, for me is average – good enough for a watch. This season, though, I felt like they avoided the problems I had with the first. By the way, I have not read the webtoon.

Acting/Cast: Holy crap...everyone did amazing. I’m so impressed. Ryeo Woon (려운) played the perfect role for him apparently. I didn’t like his acting so much in Twinkling Watermelon, but in Weak Hero Class 2, he’s perfect for the type of role he’s playing. He’s my favorite character for this season. He reminds me of Wakka from Final Fantasy X (one of my all-time favorite video games). Also, Lee Jun Young (이준영) impressed me. I’ve been keeping an eye on him since his debut in Avengers Social Club (which is a favorite of mine). He’s been ok in everything I’ve seen him in, with Dreaming of a Freaking Fairytale being one of his stronger roles. However, his role in Weak Hero Class 2 blows everything else he’s done out of the water. I really enjoyed his character; he’s another favorite of mine this season. I also have to give a shout out to Bae Na Ra (배나라). He hasn’t been in many K-dramas, but he needs to be in more. He especially needs more main roles. 10/10

Writing: I really like the overall writing this season more than the previous. I feel like this season flows a lot better and makes more sense. I love the characters in this season. The chemistry between the characters in the first season, however, was probably better. I liked the introduction and growth of Choi Min Yeong’s (최민영) character a lot. On the other hand, Lee Min Jae’s character (이민재), although a good character, didn’t get enough development. The point of Weak Hero is that the main character is not a fighter, but just crazy and smart. He uses his intelligence to win in fights. I think that aspect was lost at times (especially towards the end). I would have preferred that concept to be leaned into even more. I’m afraid if they make a third season, this concept will become even more lost. 7.5/10

Direction/SFX/Music: I LOVE watching Si Eun fight. His fighting style is so satisfying to me (using anything in the environment as something to stab someone with); I could watch him fight all day. The choreography was well done. The production value is very high; it seems they went all in for this season. The pacing does feel rushed at times, but overall the flow is pretty tight and streamlined. Pacing was a big issue that I had with the first season and this season did so much better. The music isn’t my style, but it’s not bad. I preferred season 1’s soundtrack. 9/10

Entertainment Value: I binged this the day it came out with no breaks and I only started to slightly lose interest at the very end. That’s saying a lot. It was able to hold my full attention for about 5 hours straight (the drama is around 5 ½ hours total). There’s a lot of action this season, a lot of fight scenes, and a lot of fun characters. 9.5/10

Overall, I gave this drama an 8.5/10. I didn’t expect that I’d enjoy it more than the 1st season. I am very impressed. I’m most impressed by the acting. If a 3rd season happens, I hope they stick to the original idea of the series, because that’s what really makes it entertaining.

파이팅!

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Surprisingly Charming, Self-Sabotaged in 2nd Half

My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

I was planning to watch this simply because of the casting of the leads. I expected it to be bad, though. I was pleasantly surprised, especially since I haven't been having much luck with finding good K-dramas lately.

Acting/Cast: I am impressed by Seo Kang Joon (서강준). He really carried this drama. This was a perfect role for him. His acting performance heavily depends on the script and directing. So, you can tell when he's really liking a role (such as Cheese in the Trap) and when he's hating it (such as The Third Charm). He seemed to really enjoy this role, which is especially evident in his well-done action scenes. Jin Gi Joo (진기주) did great with her character as well. She felt like a unique and realistic person. A problem that K-dramas often have is when the main characters' distinctive personalities fall apart in the second half of the drama. Thankfully, this drama does not have that problem. This drama has pretty good side characters that are well-acted. I've seen that some people didn't like the villain, but I thought she was fine. I like a good over-the-top villain sometimes. It was appropriate for the vibe of the drama. 8/10

Writing: The first half of the drama has a very zany, comic bookish style. I don't normally like that type of style, but it was really working. I say "was" because this style was lost in the second half of the drama. For instance, in the beginning of the drama, there's a car crash scene with the male lead and he miraculously and humorously escapes unscathed. In the second half of the drama, there's another car crash scene with the male lead, but this time it's much more realistic. It was like I was watching a completely different drama. There's another major difference between the two halves of the drama that also plays a part in creating a huge disconnect for me. This issue involves the plot in general. The plot of the first half revolves more around the students in the school and the dynamics between them. This aspect was really interesting to me. The character growth of the various students was going really well. Then, the male lead's cover was blown and he has to leave the school. It's as if the entire first half of the drama was a complete waste. The side characters and all of their growth no longer matter; they have no impact on the story going forward. The main storyline becomes the focus. This is when I started to lose interest, as the main storyline is actually pretty lame (looking for gold hidden in a school). Another reason I started to lose interest is because of the extreme lack of romance. I thought the reason that the male lead was outed as not actually being a teenager was so that they could develop the love story between the leads more without it being weird. Well...don’t hold your breath... 3.5/10

Direction/SFX/Music: This drama has a high production quality as well as a fun OST. There's this music that kept playing that sounded exactly like The Incredibles and I loved hearing it. It’s called City Outlaw (by 김영성 and 박세준) if you’re wondering.
6.5/10

Entertainment Value: I was surprised by this drama's start. It was by far the most entertaining drama that I was watching during the time. Even when the drama fell apart, it was still more entertaining than the others. It sucks, though, when a drama has such a strong foundation and they still fumble it so badly. 4.5/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 5.5/10. A rating of 6 and above would be my recommendation zone. This drama didn't quite make it there and it's all because of the disappointing second half. It's like the writers forgot what they had built up in the first half and decided to try something new. I can say though, that this is one of the best Seo Kang Joon (서강준) roles that I've seen. Maybe even the second best (after Baek In Ho in Cheese in the Trap).

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