I love Sung Hoon since Oh My Venus and Perfect marriage revenge so whatever I say will be biased but for the sake of it,here we go. I have gone back in time to watch old dramas,going back to 2014 when directors really took their job serious,the actors who are now our the current oppas were still doing some serious actingand the writers were not misserable.My secret romance is from that Era. Its fluffy,and the story is light,I think I was coming from watch a heavy plot,so i needed to relax. The story is not original,normal 2nd generation Chaebol falls in love with a regular girl, from this you already know whats coming next. The only difference was the fact that they started their relation backward.From a one night stand to love.It normally take 12 episodes for the leads to hold hands but they went straight to it and this made viewers excpect thingsto be tough ahead but honestly the time jump made the whole thing go smoothly.Its a piece you enjoy on a lazy saturday afternoon,its short with 14 episodes so with the right environment you might finish it in one sitting.The only negative thing is the overuse of flashbacks but i think i have seen worse
the 2nd ml is way way more handsome than the 1st one ... i came across this drama through a reel from insta where…
what is your standard of handsome? not every drama has to have a ML that is pretty boy,this role required someone strong with manly feature and to be honest if Chen XIngXu is not handsome,i dont know what you think of the other chinese actors,I guess beauty is relative..
LOT'S OF SPOILERS - READ AT OWN RISK.I've just started watching this drama, after having watched (and really enjoyed)…
Very well detailed review.I agree with most of your analysis but I think people who create noona romance plot should be minfull of the number they give the ML.I have no issue with age gap tropes but sometimes i wonder how is the brain of a 20 yrar old male going to be like..when the front lobe has not even developped completely.I have watched a good number of this trope and they all seem to have the same childish behaviors except "SOmething in the rain" the ML there was mature and grounded.I think 24 for ML and 30 onward for a FL is ok..but 20 the person is literally out of highschool.I wish they gave us more episodes after the time skip. On the "sexual assault" part i dont think that is what it was,if you have watched enough asian dram this type of "forced" kissses is very rampant and they dont find it to be a problem,we the outsiders are the ones who get taken back by it.Or the way the ML would follow the ML in a stalkish manner,in the west it would be considered a police case but in the drama because it supposed to be a potential lover chasing after her,it is acceptable..I would be uncomfortable personally and scared but this is a different culture all together,THey also dont understand how in the west strangers have sex in the irst meeting
As an avid watcher of asian dramas,I always give each Major industry namely K-drama,C-drama,J-drama and TW-dramas alternate timing,for every K-drama.I watch a C-drama or a J-drama but I admit that I rarely find a good Taiwanese one and whenever that happens it becomes a priority and I keep my fingers crossed that it is well done.And to be honest Taiwan has good productions and superb scren writers who develop a story that keeps you glued on the screen.And just like japanese they make is short and Sweet.Taiwan pushes the envelop especially with subjects that China mainland avoids oe sensors so its a thin line.
My dear boy is not just like any other noona drama(older FL-younger Ml)Its a story about a woman and everything that connected to her.Her life,her family,her career,her love life and her growth.Every character in the drama is connected to her directly or indirectly.One of her storythat take center stage is her heartbreak and betrayal from someone who mentored her in her career,being hurt by someone you look up to will give you 20 episodes of a very detailed journey of ups and downs as an intern in a commercial film industry to being a famous director who is respected by her peers.I was thinking how hard is it to shoot a film crew inside a drama..its like having two productions in one.But the FL Ruby Lin is also a director in real life so am sure she had a huge in put in the process.I would like to give a big up to the screen writer of this drama,She really outdid herself.She covererd every big or small storyline and nothing was left hanging or undeveloped.The characters were well put together and intertwined somehow and the actors did a good job in portraying whatever role they were given.As usual there was the asian mother,who tend to be the show runner in every drama, sometimes i wonder what would happen to a project without a crazy,psycho and manipulator mother from eith side.Either way this seems to be the fuel of asian dramas and i dont think we will avoid this part any time soon.
The ML,what can I say,it is always a good day when one discover a new talent and I found Derek Chang,I added him to the list of my favorite TW actors withWallace Huo and Jusper Liu.He took his role to heart and brought in all the emotions that are needed to chase after an older FL, I dont think i have seen any other character go to this level,maybe He Yu as Lu Zhechang in "My fated boy" His character was well developed and his growth was visible,and for the first timein Noona romance,the ML gave up at a certain point,knowing that he is going to need more than just a cute face and an innocence to be with a mature woman.The woman who he met by accident when they were both going throught heir disastrous love lives and ended up becoming his life teacher and his colleague.Everyone was against them and them taking a step back was heartbreaking and shocking to the viewers but later on i understood that he needed this in order tohave something to bring to the table..And when he did 5 years later,It was really good to see him accomplished and ready to parsue the FL,hoping that fate is inhis side..hoping she is still single..Finding her was going to be another mountain to climb,especially after the twist the writer gave us before the separation.
What i didnt like in this drama was the amount of flashbacks,OMG I understand its part of the story,but it almost felt like a time travel trope,so if you are extremely allergic to flashbacks be warned that there will be many.Overall this was a good watch,the quality was top,the visuals, the set, the production, the OST and the writting were all well executed.As an ID, I would give extrapoints to the production and set designers,they did a stellar job,especially for the FL's industrial loft..I would live there in a heart beat.This drama felt almost like a slice of life with normal problems for everyday people trying to get from point A to B.The writers took their time and i belive they had good time writing.
This could have been just like any other noona romance but it was not.It solery focused of business and then the romance came in after. If you are not a patient person,I wouldnt recommend this drama but unffortunetly you would miss out on a very good project that was excuted with care and high intelligence from both actors and writers. Its a slow burn,they spend most of the time really conducting business and somehow you find yourself sacked in the boardroom with them,watching the bad guys skimming and loosing which gives you a silent satisfaction. The FL is the main character,she is carrer driven,goal setter,with an ability not to crack under intense pressure in an industry that is designed to give one high blood pressure.But she navigates the corridors of power with ease,a fake sime and a problem solving attitude. She gets paired up with a young ML who by "accident" finds himself thrown into the battle ground and early on he understands that he has to protect the FL from the wolves who have nothing in mind but to kick her out. When she gets demoted,he follows her and stick with her till the end of his term.Did I mention he also falls in love with her and they have to fight another battle outside the office beacause of their age difference..and win her mother who from my opinion stood between a thin line of weird and psychopath.I have seen share amount of mothers in asian dramas but this one took the trophy,the only difference is that she would get a quicker redemption.
This is one of thosse drams you watch slowly,with your own pace. but I commend the directors and writers for giving us a solid show.ther ewas no dragged story line.And it was an educational piece on the world of business and environment.
Also Hallo Dylan Wnag..I trust him with any role,He will deliver and give you more than you bargained for,I call him the male version of Zhao Lusi.I lowkey wish his potential chemistry was reciprocated but acting with someone 20 years older than you in real life,creates some sot of invisible boundaries.But he is acting was kiss chef that this lack of chemistry was not visible.
For me he was the star in the Moon Embracing the sun,he migt have been the bodyguard to King Lee Hwoon but their bromance carried the show. I didnt even notice he was the 2ML In On our wedding day the movie with Km Young Kwang.I dont know why his passing feels like my heart breaks everytime i seen an edit or a post on social media..There no words to discribe how unnessary death is and especially death of a healthy and young person.And not knowing who to direct anger to is even worse but I think maybe we should all boycott Korean film industry and specifically agencies until they treat their stars right.There is too much silence on this and people keep leaving us prematurely. Go home well Song Jae Rim..I wish you held on a little bit,who knows maybe the sun was about to rise.
Just started this drama,and from reviews I know it will be worth my time.Johnny Huang,My first C-drama actor and my all time favorite,He is becoming a force to reckon with..Only those who understands the power of manly features and a strong personality that stands out in the room,will know that he is different without trying hard or selling his art based on pretty face only.Him and Wang Zi Qi is really a collabo we didn't know we needed
Am going to take my time with this one,I need to enjoy Johnny Huang new tropes,he is doing well in non romance
As am determined to watch at least 80% of Ji Chang Wook projects before the end of the year, I picked up my suspicious partner without going through the reviews.. I told myself that 40 episodes of 30 min each will not ruin me as long as JWC is on my screen Also if you are C-drama watcher, you will know that 40 episodes is childplay.
1.If you like good and real acting from professionals,please go ahead and watch. 2.If you like good court drama and crime solving,please go ahead and enjoy this. 3.The support team and the friendship that came out of this was incredible. 4.If you are triggered by handsome criminals with mesmerising visuals,maybe skip it 5.If you get easily angered by a hot and cold female lead who takes 38 episodes to decide, 6.If you have enough time on your hands to watch an amazing cast doing amazing acting
Key people to keep in mind: No Ji Wook the versatile prosecutor played bythe multi talented Ji Chang Wook Eun Bong Hee, the unluckiest FL turned lawyer,nicknamed "dirty but pretty" by No Ji Wook Jung Huy-Soo,The smoothest handsome serial killer who started the whole nighmare
Note:It doesnt mean the whole drama was superb,but any plot hole that showed up was covered by good acting.Like the child that witnessed the murder and was confused if he should testify or not. I know it was added so that Procesecutor No Ji Wook can sort out his own story but the way it was never solved or developed didnt make sense at all.Having in mind that this wasnt a small plotline.
Every now and then life becomes hectic and you want to crawl on yoursofa and watch an unnecessary amount of other people making mistakes.Secondly,I was also getting dragged into the 40 episodes of "Suspicious partner" so I needed a break from the serious plot that drama was serving.
There is nothing wrong with the ML storyline,its common,the usual Chaebol spoiled kid,whose purpose in life is to max out his parents'credit cards,but the twist is that he is "broke chaebol" because they purposelyplotted to freeze out his source of money and let him inherit a debt ridden propertyfrom the grandfather and they expect him to turn it into a profitable business.But no kdrama will be drama without the childhoof traumatic event and our ML has a good one and it is the premise of why he left Korea.
To be honest this could have gone well,with some good side storyline and proper characteradvancement,if the writers didnt throw in the most annoying FL character in the history.Am not talking about her storyline,Am Talking aabout her acting crazy and obnoxious.If I had a dollar,everytime she would scream,i would be rich.She has the worse communi-cation vocals,she cant say anything without screaming and kicking,at one time I had to reduce my volume to avoid my eardrums bursting open. The problem was not in her actingbecause whenever she was calm,syou could see her skills showing.The problem was withwhoever wrote her character and told her that everytime she opens her mouth,her soundwavesshould hit the roof.i believe the writers were drunk when they wrote her character.
Dont even get me started with the obssessive 2FL who literally made us go through torture using emotional blackmail to our ML to the last episode.I cant find the right words to describe this.Its rare to find the side characters more enjoyable than the main leads and this happened to this drama.
I will admit that I stayed for Sung Joon's acting and his visuals and probably this drama cast a spell on me.
I really thought i was biased but two of her dramas i managed to watch cos of the story or the ML were just No no for me. Being a veteran should give her an advantage especially with facial expressions and mannerism but she always has this stiff looking facial expression,unless she has done lots of work on her face. I will stick with Yang Mi,Dilraba Dilmurat,Bai Lu,MA Sichuan, Zang Jingye,Tan Songyun and the magical Zhao Lusi...these are talented and mature FLs we have now the rest i cant stand 20 and 30+ year olds acting like 12 yo
The only historical cdrama that i watched and blew my mind was Love like the galaxy,Zhao Lusi and Wu Lei in one project made me break my own promise.Stary love must have been good,seing all the reviews and the 7.9 on IMDb is not a joke
7 
1 
1 
2 
I have gone back in time to watch old dramas,going back to 2014 when directors really took their job serious,the actors who are now
our the current oppas were still doing some serious actingand the writers were not misserable.My secret romance is from that Era.
Its fluffy,and the story is light,I think I was coming from watch a heavy plot,so i needed to relax.
The story is not original,normal 2nd generation Chaebol falls in love with a regular girl, from this you already know whats coming next.
The only difference was the fact that they started their relation backward.From a one night stand to love.It normally take 12 episodes
for the leads to hold hands but they went straight to it and this made viewers excpect thingsto be tough ahead but honestly the time jump
made the whole thing go smoothly.Its a piece you enjoy on a lazy saturday afternoon,its short with 14 episodes so with the right environment
you might finish it in one sitting.The only negative thing is the overuse of flashbacks but i think i have seen worse
On the "sexual assault" part i dont think that is what it was,if you have watched enough asian dram this type of "forced" kissses is very rampant and they dont find it to be a problem,we the outsiders are the ones who get taken back by it.Or the way the ML would follow the ML in a stalkish manner,in the west it would be considered a police case but in the drama because it supposed to be a potential lover chasing after her,it is acceptable..I would be uncomfortable personally and scared but this is a different culture all together,THey also dont understand how in the west strangers have sex in the irst meeting
My dear boy is not just like any other noona drama(older FL-younger Ml)Its a story about a woman and everything that connected to her.Her life,her family,her career,her love life and her growth.Every character in the drama is connected to her directly or indirectly.One of her storythat take center stage is her heartbreak and betrayal from someone who mentored her in her career,being hurt by someone you look up to will give you 20 episodes of a very detailed journey of ups and downs as an intern in a commercial film industry to being a famous director who is respected by her peers.I was thinking how hard is it to shoot a film crew inside a drama..its like having two productions in one.But the FL Ruby Lin is also a director in real life so am sure she had a huge in put in the process.I would like to give a big up to the screen writer of this drama,She really outdid herself.She covererd every big or small storyline and nothing was left hanging or undeveloped.The characters were well put together and intertwined somehow and the actors did a good job in portraying whatever role they were given.As usual there was the asian mother,who tend to be the show runner in every drama, sometimes i wonder what would happen to a project without a crazy,psycho and manipulator mother from eith side.Either way this seems to be the fuel of asian dramas and i dont think we will avoid this part any time soon.
The ML,what can I say,it is always a good day when one discover a new talent and I found Derek Chang,I added him to the list of my favorite TW actors withWallace Huo and Jusper Liu.He took his role to heart and brought in all the emotions that are needed to chase after an older FL, I dont think i have seen any other character go to this level,maybe He Yu as Lu Zhechang in "My fated boy" His character was well developed and his growth was visible,and for the first timein Noona romance,the ML gave up at a certain point,knowing that he is going to need more than just a cute face and an innocence to be with a mature woman.The woman who he met by accident when they were both going throught heir disastrous love lives and ended up becoming his life teacher and his colleague.Everyone was against them and them taking a step back was heartbreaking and shocking to the viewers but later on i understood that he needed this in order tohave something to bring to the table..And when he did 5 years later,It was really good to see him accomplished and ready to parsue the FL,hoping that fate is inhis side..hoping she is still single..Finding her was going to be another mountain to climb,especially after the twist the writer gave us before the separation.
What i didnt like in this drama was the amount of flashbacks,OMG I understand its part of the story,but it almost felt like a time travel trope,so if you are extremely allergic to flashbacks be warned that there will be many.Overall this was a good watch,the quality was top,the visuals, the set, the production, the OST and the writting were all well executed.As an ID, I would give extrapoints to the production and set designers,they did a stellar job,especially for the FL's industrial loft..I would live there in a heart beat.This drama felt almost like a slice of life with normal problems for everyday people trying to get from point A to B.The writers took their time and i belive they had good time writing.
and then the romance came in after.
If you are not a patient person,I wouldnt recommend this drama but unffortunetly you would miss out
on a very good project that was excuted with care and high intelligence from both actors and writers.
Its a slow burn,they spend most of the time really conducting business and somehow you find yourself
sacked in the boardroom with them,watching the bad guys skimming and loosing which gives you a silent
satisfaction.
The FL is the main character,she is carrer driven,goal setter,with an ability not to crack under intense pressure
in an industry that is designed to give one high blood pressure.But she navigates the corridors of power with
ease,a fake sime and a problem solving attitude.
She gets paired up with a young ML who by "accident" finds himself thrown into the battle ground and early
on he understands that he has to protect the FL from the wolves who have nothing in mind but to kick her out.
When she gets demoted,he follows her and stick with her till the end of his term.Did I mention he also falls in
love with her and they have to fight another battle outside the office beacause of their age difference..and win
her mother who from my opinion stood between a thin line of weird and psychopath.I have seen share amount of
mothers in asian dramas but this one took the trophy,the only difference is that she would get a quicker redemption.
This is one of thosse drams you watch slowly,with your own pace. but I commend the directors and writers for giving us
a solid show.ther ewas no dragged story line.And it was an educational piece on the world of business and environment.
Also Hallo Dylan Wnag..I trust him with any role,He will deliver and give you more than you bargained for,I call him the male
version of Zhao Lusi.I lowkey wish his potential chemistry was reciprocated but acting with someone 20 years older
than you in real life,creates some sot of invisible boundaries.But he is acting was kiss chef that this lack of chemistry
was not visible.
I didnt even notice he was the 2ML In On our wedding day the movie with Km Young Kwang.I dont know why his passing feels like my heart breaks
everytime i seen an edit or a post on social media..There no words to discribe how unnessary death is and especially death of a healthy and young
person.And not knowing who to direct anger to is even worse but I think maybe we should all boycott Korean film industry and specifically agencies
until they treat their stars right.There is too much silence on this and people keep leaving us prematurely.
Go home well Song Jae Rim..I wish you held on a little bit,who knows maybe the sun was about to rise.
Am going to take my time with this one,I need to enjoy Johnny Huang new tropes,he is doing well in non romance
I picked up my suspicious partner without going through the reviews..
I told myself that 40 episodes of 30 min each will not ruin me as long as JWC is on my screen
Also if you are C-drama watcher, you will know that 40 episodes is childplay.
1.If you like good and real acting from professionals,please go ahead and watch.
2.If you like good court drama and crime solving,please go ahead and enjoy this.
3.The support team and the friendship that came out of this was incredible.
4.If you are triggered by handsome criminals with mesmerising visuals,maybe skip it
5.If you get easily angered by a hot and cold female lead who takes 38 episodes to decide,
6.If you have enough time on your hands to watch an amazing cast doing amazing acting
Key people to keep in mind:
No Ji Wook the versatile prosecutor played bythe multi talented Ji Chang Wook
Eun Bong Hee, the unluckiest FL turned lawyer,nicknamed "dirty but pretty" by No Ji Wook
Jung Huy-Soo,The smoothest handsome serial killer who started the whole nighmare
Note:It doesnt mean the whole drama was superb,but any plot hole that showed up was covered
by good acting.Like the child that witnessed the murder and was confused if he should testify or not.
I know it was added so that Procesecutor No Ji Wook can sort out his own story but the way it was never
solved or developed didnt make sense at all.Having in mind that this wasnt a small plotline.
There is nothing wrong with the ML storyline,its common,the usual Chaebol spoiled kid,whose purpose in life is to max out his parents'credit cards,but the twist is that he is "broke chaebol" because they purposelyplotted to freeze out his source of money and let him inherit a debt ridden propertyfrom the grandfather and they expect him to turn it into a profitable business.But no kdrama will be drama without the childhoof traumatic event and our ML has a good one and it is the premise of why he left Korea.
To be honest this could have gone well,with some good side storyline and proper characteradvancement,if the writers didnt throw in the most annoying FL character in the history.Am not talking about her storyline,Am Talking aabout her acting crazy and obnoxious.If I had a dollar,everytime she would scream,i would be rich.She has the worse communi-cation vocals,she cant say anything without screaming and kicking,at one time I had to reduce my volume to avoid my eardrums bursting open.
The problem was not in her actingbecause whenever she was calm,syou could see her skills showing.The problem was withwhoever wrote her character and told her that everytime she opens her mouth,her soundwavesshould hit the roof.i believe the writers were drunk when they wrote her character.
Dont even get me started with the obssessive 2FL who literally made us go through torture using emotional blackmail to our ML to the last episode.I cant find the right words to describe this.Its rare to find the side characters more enjoyable than the main leads and this happened to this drama.
I will admit that I stayed for Sung Joon's acting and his visuals and probably this drama cast a spell on me.
You are my glory was Yang Yang
I dont watch Xianxia dramas so that will pass
Being a veteran should give her an advantage especially with facial expressions and mannerism but she always has this stiff looking
facial expression,unless she has done lots of work on her face. I will stick with Yang Mi,Dilraba Dilmurat,Bai Lu,MA Sichuan,
Zang Jingye,Tan Songyun and the magical Zhao Lusi...these are talented and mature FLs we have now the rest i cant stand 20 and 30+
year olds acting like 12 yo