It was a fun watch and I would have loved to have seen more episodes. But it was difficult to follow as the subs weren't synced properly with the dialogue. Might be worth coming back to it at a later stage to see if someone finally syncs the subs correctly.
I want to point out that age gap has nothing to do with how believable a couple is or the chemistry ...Lots of…
I didn't mind the age gap between the lead couple. I've seen plenty of dramas where the FL or ML is older and some great ones where the chemistry was unbelievable & you can only focus on the love story & anything else isn't as important. Agree the actors just didn't gel.
I actually enjoyed this drama - it had a strong cast, an intriguing plot and so much going for it but there were some things that just did not add up with loop holes in the story line. To top it off I have no clue why she killed him - I even watched the last episode twice !? Some how I even felt sorry for the ML when he confessed his love for the FL in ep 16 only to have her to kill him during his confession. When she told her cop friend that he meant so much to her etc. and that she had to 'do this'. This was not what I was expecting.
I really enjoyed this drama. I thought Bae Suzy portrayed her character so well. 6 episodes were just right & it didn't drag on for me. I see varying reviews on MDL from those who really liked the drama to those who didn't. Just shows you it's all about ones own perspective, I finished watching another Kdrama yesterday that had quite a few high reviews with very complimentary comments but I truly disliked it! it was the first time that I had that happen where my opinion was opposite to that of the majority. Usually I'll read reviews on MDL before starting a drama to see if the reviews are overly positive etc. and I want to start watching it. This just reminded me that it's really your personal preference and mood you might be in as to whether you'll enjoy a drama or not .
Unfortunately not one of Sung Joon's better works - I hung in there until the last episode hoping that it would pick up back it was a bit lackluster I have to say.
Although it was a bit slow paced, I was immersed in each episode. Captivated by the compelling relationships & back stories. The cast were brilliant, relatable & brought their charters to life. There were so many very special scenes that brought you to tears, such as between LJA & her grandmother, one of my favourite was the scene where they sat forehead to forehead silently for a while - it spoke a thousand words of the deep love the grandmother had for LJA and vice versa. This drama was very different to any other I've watched and although the storyline was very melancholy, touching on the subject & portrayal of depression and some very sombre topics, it also touched on very special themes such as life long friendships, family, and the many shades of love, not just romantic love. It had a perfect ending which left the viewer feeling happy, emotional & grateful to have followed the storyline through to the end.
I enjoyed watching this drama even though the title is a bit misleading as it's main plot isn't centred around 'romance', but instead around the education system, what lengths some parents & students will go to, to be top of their class, get into the top colleges & career paths. It had an interesting storyline, including a thriller twist. The cast were great and although a bit slow paced overall it was quite enjoyable. The lead couple had nice chemistry with some very sweet scenes, BUT there's just one thing I can not understand or get my head around & that is how they could cast JDY to play a thirty something year old woman, when she looks fifty something - don't get me wrong I have nothing against actors playing 'younger' roles than their actual age, as long as they can pull it off. I don't think she did! Her acting was good & she delivered strong realistic emotions but unfortunately her 'visuals' did not match the age of her character and that detracted from the overall believability of the romance storyline between the leads.
The positives - Acting and chemistry between the lead couple was really good. There were some good romantic moments and sweet kiss scenes. I must admit it took me a while to wrap my head around the fact that the ML fell in love with someone who looked exactly like his sister, it was unsettling and kind of creepy at first but I came to accept it when I realised that his memory of her would have been from when they were children 17 years ago. Not her as an adult. Negatives - There were some plot holes, e.g. the ML's mother who had disappeared & ended up in a nursing home but had not made appearance earlier even though she could have returned as she wasn't suffering from amnesia or the like. The ML's engagement to the SFL was confusing it was initially referred to as an engagement but during the ceremony guests were asked if 'there was anyone opposed to the ceremony' which is usually asked during weddings. Also the SFL referred to the ML as her groom. when she mentioned he had been stolen from her. Towards the end of the drama , it felt like the storyline was dragging a bit & I found myself getting impatient & wanting to get to the end. Overall it wasn't a bad drama, but probably not one I'd re-watch.
This drama was disappointing, great cast but I was so confused so many times by the FL's actions and decisions. It was very slow paced and I found it hard to understand why the FL behaved the way she did towards the ML & SML. She got into a relationship with the SML and it didn't make sense when she seemed to be in love with the ML. There were situations where she was misjudged by others to the point of hurting those she loved, but she didn't explain herself or defend her actions - She just let people believe what they wanted to. It was a toxic spiral all the way through with an ending that leaves you guessing....
I agree that the chemistry wasn't there, but I don't think it had anything to do with the age gap, just the chemistry…
@Draco Going back to my original point, I wasn't convinced they had good chemistry There are many Chinese and Korean dramas where the ML is younger than the FL and the lead actors’ have such great chemistry that you forget that there's an age gap & you end up losing yourself in the story. @Akeyin Here are some of the ones I've really enjoyed that you may have watched or may want to see – Temperature of Love, Something in the Rain, Forecasting Love and Weather, The King’s Affection, She Would Never Know, Why Her, WWW, Shooting Stars, Love Contract, Falling into You, Love Scenery, Go Go Squid 2, Why Women Love, You Are My Hero, Find Yourself and last but not least the Long Ballad., which I absolutely loved – it’s a brilliant historical drama & has one of my favourite tropes, 'strong female lead'.
The age gap wasn't a big deal and the chemistry was amazing. In my opinion what matter is not the age gap but…
I note your point and respect that we all may have differing opinions, but I'm referring to Xu Kai and Yang Mi specifically, not their characters in the drama. I've seen both actors in other dramas where their chemistry was really strong with their leading actors, but in this instance their intimate scenes in my opinion felt a bit forced . Just because you rush a kiss, as if you're pouncing on each other doesn't make it passionate or believable. I've seen other dramas where the FL is older than the ML and their chemistry is so good, that with each interaction, you get more and more caught up in their love story and focus less & less on the age gap. Again let me just say this is only my opinion - I'm not being gender bias, I just think that Xu Kai felt too young in this particular role and Yang Mi's 'baby talk' didn't make her seem any younger/cuter.
Unfortunately I found this drama very slow paced and I only made it to the end by skipping scenes within episodes. The chemistry between the lead couple wasn't credible - it just seemed to be too large of an age gap.
I decided to watch this drama after reading so many positive reviews, hence was expecting it to be really entertaining & funny, hmm I'm up to ep 10 and so far I'm not hugely impressed. I don't know if it's the dubbing that's not allowing me to fully immerse myself in the storyline. The OST & sound effects are much louder than the actual dialogue between characters, so it's distracting - currently watching it on VIKI, so not sure if it's just like this on this platform. I'm hoping the storyline will continue to develop & become more interesting ...
Oh my God! This was so much fun to watch. It was hilarious and entertaining. Great chemistry between lead and 2nd lead couples. Absolutely loved the FL, she was a bad ass! I can't wait to re-watch it!!!
Some how I even felt sorry for the ML when he confessed his love for the FL in ep 16 only to have her to kill him during his confession.
When she told her cop friend that he meant so much to her etc. and that she had to 'do this'. This was not what I was expecting.
I see varying reviews on MDL from those who really liked the drama to those who didn't. Just shows you it's all about ones own perspective, I finished watching another Kdrama yesterday that had quite a few high reviews with very complimentary comments but I truly disliked it! it was the first time that I had that happen where my opinion was opposite to that of the majority. Usually I'll read reviews on MDL before starting a drama to see if the reviews are overly positive etc. and I want to start watching it.
This just reminded me that it's really your personal preference and mood you might be in as to whether you'll enjoy a drama or not .
There were so many very special scenes that brought you to tears, such as between LJA & her grandmother, one of my favourite was the scene where they sat forehead to forehead silently for a while - it spoke a thousand words of the deep love the grandmother had for LJA and vice versa.
This drama was very different to any other I've watched and although the storyline was very melancholy, touching on the subject & portrayal of depression and some very sombre topics, it also touched on very special themes such as life long friendships, family, and the many shades of love, not just romantic love. It had a perfect ending which left the viewer feeling happy, emotional & grateful to have followed the storyline through to the end.
The lead couple had nice chemistry with some very sweet scenes, BUT there's just one thing I can not understand or get my head around & that is how they could cast JDY to play a thirty something year old woman, when she looks fifty something - don't get me wrong I have nothing against actors playing 'younger' roles than their actual age, as long as they can pull it off. I don't think she did!
Her acting was good & she delivered strong realistic emotions but unfortunately her 'visuals' did not match the age of her character and that detracted from the overall believability of the romance storyline between the leads.
I must admit it took me a while to wrap my head around the fact that the ML fell in love with someone who looked exactly like his sister, it was unsettling and kind of creepy at first but I came to accept it when I realised that his memory of her would have been from when they were children 17 years ago. Not her as an adult.
Negatives - There were some plot holes, e.g. the ML's mother who had disappeared & ended up in a nursing home but had not made appearance earlier even though she could have returned as she wasn't suffering from amnesia or the like. The ML's engagement to the SFL was confusing it was initially referred to as an engagement but during the ceremony guests were asked if 'there was anyone opposed to the ceremony' which is usually asked during weddings. Also the SFL referred to the ML as her groom. when she mentioned he had been stolen from her.
Towards the end of the drama , it felt like the storyline was dragging a bit & I found myself getting impatient & wanting to get to the end. Overall it wasn't a bad drama, but probably not one I'd re-watch.
It was a toxic spiral all the way through with an ending that leaves you guessing....
There are many Chinese and Korean dramas where the ML is younger than the FL and the lead actors’ have such great chemistry that you forget that there's an age gap & you end up losing yourself in the story.
@Akeyin Here are some of the ones I've really enjoyed that you may have watched or may want to see – Temperature of Love, Something in the Rain, Forecasting Love and Weather, The King’s Affection, She Would Never Know, Why Her, WWW, Shooting Stars, Love Contract, Falling into You, Love Scenery, Go Go Squid 2, Why Women Love, You Are My Hero, Find Yourself and last but not least the Long Ballad., which I absolutely loved – it’s a brilliant historical drama & has one of my favourite tropes, 'strong female lead'.
I've seen both actors in other dramas where their chemistry was really strong with their leading actors, but in this instance their intimate scenes in my opinion felt a bit forced . Just because you rush a kiss, as if you're pouncing on each other doesn't make it passionate or believable.
I've seen other dramas where the FL is older than the ML and their chemistry is so good, that with each interaction, you get more and more caught up in their love story and focus less & less on the age gap.
Again let me just say this is only my opinion - I'm not being gender bias, I just think that Xu Kai felt too young in this particular role and Yang Mi's 'baby talk' didn't make her seem any younger/cuter.
The chemistry between the lead couple wasn't credible - it just seemed to be too large of an age gap.
I don't know if it's the dubbing that's not allowing me to fully immerse myself in the storyline. The OST & sound effects are much louder than the actual dialogue between characters, so it's distracting - currently watching it on VIKI, so not sure if it's just like this on this platform.
I'm hoping the storyline will continue to develop & become more interesting ...