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Translate: " Please don’t leave yet, my heart isn’t satiated yet"
There were moments when dreams lingered unfulfilled or loved ones weren't prepared for the final farewell or they simply just wanted more time.
This drama can be perfectly described by those song lines. "May I Help You," or more fittingly, "May I try to help you fulfill your one last wish."
Is this episodic? I wouldn't say so exactly, because the stories continue into the next episodes, but there are plenty of stories covered throughout.
It's a very heavy watch. It's more like a slice of life, and you have to appreciate the essence of its pacing to grasp the emotions of each "death story." I have to say, I sobbed during many of the stories—it was definitely a cryfest for me.
So where did it go wrong for me?
❌ SFL entered randomly and exited just as randomly.
❌ They used many characters as "plot devices" after giving them so much story and character, only to ruin it by the end of the show.
❌ Some stories lacked depth or were simply too short.
❌ The history between the ML and SFL made the ML's character pretty inconsistent, given that he was very good at communicating.
✅ The leads were very good at communicating, their relationship was less heart fluttering but more mature.
✅ 80% of the death stories were so beautifully written, and I loved their execution.
✅I loved almost all the supporting characters, 1-2 were partially annoying but it's fine😭
Hyeri is a convincing crier; it's not just about her emotions and tears, but also the way her voice changes when she cries.
Jun Young, the man you are, his characters are always so radiant and interesting to watch, imma keep eye on your upcoming projects 🙈
Over-all, there were some noticable inconsistencies and some plot lines were extremely unnecessary but I still liked the show and it's worth a shot✨
Thank you for reading my review 🐻✨
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Unpredictable progression; cliche writing
She took her revenge in the most humane way possible, and it was still somewhat satisfying. The group of friends were actually snakes so their own consequences let to their downfall. She never stooped as low as the perpetrators, didn't resort to violence, and mainly took revenge smartly rather than impulsively.The folks who left her so messed up in her teenage years that she lived just to take revenge? Yeah, she dreamed up all sorts of delightful ways to make their lives a living nightmare. No limits, no boundaries—she basically wanted payback with interest which made me think this will be gruesome, violent, wild and scary but it wasn't, so it turned out a bit disappointing.
✔️ The story's progression remained unpredictable, but the perpetrators' side was too dull and bland.
✔️ Song Hye Kyo and Im Ji Yeon acting was extremely on point and impressing, whenever they were together I used get chills, especially Ji Yeon, girl scared the living shit outta me.
❌I get that the director/ writer wanted to play the psychological game, but it was too weak imo, considering the preparators never once regretted their horrendous acts. I think the writer didn't want to put FL as a bad person o r make her commit crime.
❌In the present, the perpetrators were very weak and easily overpowered by the FL, this was the very reason, I felt, their characters were one-dimensional.
The romance, subtle, that's how it was supposed to be, though I felt that even if ML's character had been completely eliminated, the plot wouldn't have been affected much but he was the typaa of rainbow-sunshinee person she wanted in her life.
Overall, I still enjoyed, it's great for a binge, and the actors acting is captivating as well.
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Somewhere between suffering and healing
Planning to watch this is like signing up for 10 Eps of misery, sadness and depression willingly 😶This was a heavy watch. It constantly revolved around thoughts of death, sickness and sufferings. Each character was miserable in their own life, it was gut wrenching to watch at times.
I felt so many emotions like grief, pain, forgiveness, unrequited love, hopelessness and healing.
✅ I really like the acting of all the characters, especially Zhang Zhe Kai, I really felt that man was sick, the tiredness and pain in his eyes conveyed his suffering so well.
✅ I personally was invested in all the stories, the main and side. It shattered my heart to bits each time.
❌ The story LIKE it was sad but I didn't get the whole point of the MAIN storyline, the writer kept introducing surprising twists but when you step back and look at the big picture its pretty dumb and unnecessary. It's like writer is trying to throw all possible complications to make the story more miserable forcefully 👾
This was a major drawback, which absolutely, made no sense to me at least;)
Anyways, the side stories were engaging as well, so I didn't mind, the music was sad (just like the drama)
By the end of the show, I had an extremely uneasy and anxious feeling and felt low for two whole days, no joke. The colour grading of the drama is very gloomy and on the darker side which makes it even more depressing.
So, overall if you wanna make yourself CRY, go watch it☺️
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Human being villain of his own life
What would one feel like if they knew they're gonna die but given an opportunity to save yourself, but don't know how and when, it will make you anxious and terrified but that is how death is, it can knock your door anytime 🚪 this is the story of Death's GameThe show's first half offered gut wrenching, glorifying, infuriating and thrilling stories but with less attachment to the characters In contrast with the second half which was more humane, filled with emotions, frustrating and heartwrenching.
Despite the cliche and predictable route taken in the second half of the story, it managed to keep me hooked because I was intrigued to see how it would conclude.
The second half, being more focused on emotions, I felt somewhat disconnected from the story as the first half didn't offer any of it. However, it still makes sense, as it reflects how individuals grapple with the importance of their own lives.
It offered a perspective on the value of life, prompting questions about whether it's too easy to give up on it, even though death may not bring happiness but definitely brings pain to your loved ones.
Overall, it was a great watch, despite some predictable storylines here and there. It kept me hooked until the end to see how everything would unfold.
It was 8.9 unless the ending,the ending kinda ruined it nevertheless the show was great;)
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This review may contain spoilers
Illness as the redemption arc
"Love Next Door" follows the story of two best friends, Seok Ryu and Seung Ho, who grew up together. However, as life became busier, they gradually distanced. Their paths cross again when Seok Ryu returns to the country, rekindling their connection.My review is kind of a reality check because Oppa couldn't distract me this time xD
How illness was magical bandage to all the problems:
1. Yeon Du gets a fever and collapses, and suddenly Dan Ho realises his mistake and responsibilities.
2. Poor Seok Ryu has to go through cancer just for her family to finally notice her and have their big emotional redemption arc. It’s as if a regular sickness wouldn’t have been tragic enough to get them to care. It had to be something huge.
3. The younger brother gets priority treatment because he was sick as a kid, and that status never seems to expire. It's not wrong but neglecting the other kid ain't fair either.
4. Then there’s the ML’s mom, whose short-term memory loss from stress is what finally forces them to have a real conversation about marriage. Because talking it out normally? was difficult for the writers:D
5. And, of course, the ML has to get injured at work for the FL SAY OUT LOUD her true feelings.
It’s funny how illness and injury are like the secret sauce to fix everything in this drama.
Things that consistently pissed me off?
1. Her mother. There's a fine line between suggesting a career path and straight-up forcing someone to return to a place they've repeatedly said, in language clear enough for even a toddler to get, they don't want to go back to. But no, she just had to be so persistently annoying about it, like her hearing was selectively off every time Seok Ryu said, "No thanks."
And as if that wasn’t bad enough, we get one episode—one—where she magically redeems herself, only to snap right back to her old ways immediately after. Classic. She continues treating Seok Ryu like she's a clueless 18-year-old, completely ignoring the fact that her daughter has probably figured out a thing or two about life by now. But nah, in mom’s eyes, she's still too young to know anything worth listening to.
The father was the only sane person in her family, but overly dramatic but I guess it was needed for his character.
2. Okay So I love Jung Hae In but his character, UHMMM, I'm not really a fan.
The first incident, when he was walking behind her and she started running because she thought she was being followed by a stranger—why was his response, "You should've looked back"? BROTHER, YOU COULD'VE SAID IT'S YOU OR CALLED HER NAME! What's with the victim blaming? 😭
Then, when Seok Ryu was sick, she tried to reach out to him sooo many times. Forget friendship, it was basic human decency to pick up at least once. Like, they've known each other for at least 10 years—what kind of dickhead behavior is that? I'm sorry, but if you were her friend, you would've put aside your feelings and at least reached out to her once. I SAID WHAT I SAID. They weren't even on bad terms! She has a boyfriend; I will never understand this kind of ghosting. It's not like she was even aware of his feelings, wtf. FELT SOO IMMATURE and then he hits you with a "I should've reached out to you sooner" shit smh.
3. Seok Ryu's ex coming back was the worst and most saddening thing for me. Like, what was even the point of him? I honestly felt bad for the guy. He wasn’t wrong to feel what he felt and to be in that depression mode—he was taking care of everything alone. Her family had no idea, but he was there, and it’s sooo pathetic how at the start it almost leaned toward him cheating on her. Messed up. And then Seok Ryu keeps him around without giving him a proper rejection or any real confrontation.
Things I liked
1. Seok Ryu sucked at being honest about her feelings and emotions, which is sooo relatable as the older sibling. I literally cried for her :( I liked how she finally found her dream.
2. Mo Eum? She’s soooo straightforward and easily the vibey person throughout the whole show—I loved her! Her bond with Yeon Du, I lovedd it so much.
3. One of the things I also liked was the ladies' group. That was one wholesome friendship, and all the ladies were so cutesy.
Honestly, the last few episodes were a bit of a dud. Nothing really happens! And that unnecessary fight between the aunties? Like, WHY was that even a thing:d
Overall, nothing stood out to me. Sure, the corporate culture and work-life stress were highlights, but beyond that... meh. The leads are cute, but that's about it.
Thank you for reading my review:D
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Unnecessarily long and boring;/
This had no reason to be this long and unnecessary.So, let's say something good about this drama
.
.
steamy kisses
Gege's abs.
The plot was lowkey trash—unnecessary, boring, dumb, and utterly uninteresting .
Our supposed "villain" is more of a clown. Everyone keeps saying, "Oh, he'll do this, he'll do that," but his plans? Absolute garbage, with a success rate of 0.001%. Scary, right? Yeah, no.
And then there's the FL who sexually harasses the ML without getting called out even once. Flip the genders, and ML would be in jail ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
FL isn't just naive; she's pure dumb. She lives in a black-and-white world. Even a kindergartener could make better choices. She invites unnecessary drama to herself °_o
Our ML? Just a simp for FL and nothing more. But oh, when he removes his shirt... hehe. They should've explored his character and backstory more instead of wasting time on nonsense.
I watched this whole mess at 2x speed and still fast-forwarded through most of it. Dumb decisions, poor story development, and unnecessary drama!
4.4/10
Thank you for reading my review ^^
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Should've kept it short.
Talking about the drama, I felt the storyline became boring when Shi An's identity was revealed because, for me, Lee Sol's identity was the intriguing part. After it was revealed, I found myself skipping through scenes. The leads were sexy and had some hot, steamy kisses and romance, but the series could have been compelled into 12 episodes. Too much sugar isn't good for health either, so when the romance took over, I personally got bored.Talking about acting, their acting was too much at times, it didn't felt natural or convincing ,could have been much better. Ironically, their fake relationship was more convincing than their real one, to be honest.
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Bonds beyond blood relation.
Nobody tells a kid how to deal with death. While they are still wrapping their heads around the situation, they hardly grasp the emotions and impact of losing someone close to them.It wacks your soul, where you see a meaningful and heart warming bond between people who aren't related by blood. The movie evolves around deaths, so can be disturbing and an uneasy watch at times.
It's a rare sight to see ML's job being of funeral service so it adds a unique touch to the story and also how it was inculcate in the movie.
I loved the dynamic between San Mei & Xiao Wen, which was the main highlight🤧✋🏻So many moments between them which had me sobbing, I've to say!
The story was heartwarming, and made me sob a bit as well. And the end was wrapped, very well too ♡
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