PRAIZNN

I think this is a rom-com with chaos as its mix

I enjoyed this to a certain point, let me take you through what the plot following a prosecutor who almost loses her life in the hand of a powerful gangster she has been investigating, at the end of her life she is saved by man, unknowing to her he was a boy she saw when she was much younger in her school days life and also met him in the latter part of her life, when she had grown older. He also had another identity as the second in command in the gangster group that almost took her life.
He gets her into hiding in the countryside as he retires from being a gangster as his reward for completing his last task (ending the girl's life). I believe this is where we follow them through the story as she finds her lost memories, gets a boyfriend, makes true friends, gets jealous, and gets protected.

Going into what I love about this story.

I really loved the relationships that were formed between Eun Sae and the characters in the countryside. At first Eun Sae was at odds with many people in the village: Tae Ha's grandma, the shaman (Cho Maeng Suk), Kim Pil Seung's mother(Paeng Hui Ja), and many others, but over time, amidst the conflicts and the quarrels, strong relationships grew, and true friendships were found. There was something heartfelt in how these people who found nothing but quarrels with Eun Sae were willing to root for her. The relationship between Tae Ha and his grandma was touching; everything he did and did not do was for his grandma. Likewise, his interactions with others in the community, they loved him and were willing to understand. Even the moment he went back into being a gangster while being forced, they just hugged him and comforted him; that was the peak of the true relationship.

At the end, when the community gathered to beat the Bad Guys, that clearly shows what their bonds were like. The fights were so hilarious.

I find people dislike the actress's acting and her character; I am not one of them. I felt the actress really put effort into her character and portraying it convincingly am really not sure of an actress that could fit the role better than her. Her character (Eun Sae), even while she woke up in a hospital bed at the start of the drama and behaved like that, wanting a handsome man as her boyfriend, I believe that was what she wanted, as in he life as a prosecutor or even before she became a prosecutor. Eun Sae lost her memories, but she carried the characteristics from her inner self, which she never really revealed.

Tae Ha was one of the greenest ML if you ask me, he loved one girl his life, he protected her at the risk of getting caught and killed, he became her boyfriend for her own safety and tried not to past the boundary, even while she fell in love with him later in the story he waited for her to recover he memory for her to make the choice she won't regret later on.
Tae Ha has been through so much since young, but it all stems from the undying love he has for his grandma and the unwillingness to let her die. I found his love for his grandma so heartfelt. She was his Achilles heel, but he doesn't care.

WHAT I FOUND NOT GOOD.

THE SCRIPT WAS LACKING IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

The second couple wasn't fleshed out at all. Why did Su Ji push Gi Jun away? I did not get any of that: no flashbacks or backstories, then at the end Gi Jun had a realization of what the girl meant to him, and Su Ji accepted him, and they planned marriage. IT HAD NO REAL IMPACT ON ME AS THE VIEWER.

I would have loved to see Jung Sun Won and Hyang Seon dating or building feelings for each other; something was already happening before the show ended, I felt it would be more interesting.

Tae Ha's behavior as a 14-year-old trained gangster puts me off at certain times

Final Thoughts.

I think this is the kind of drama I would watch for the fun and for some hilarious moments between people in the villages and how they form a bond from everyday quarrels to genuine care.

The script made its character overly exaggerate at some moments and it should have ended sooner than the 12 episodes given. Baek Saengil reveal of being Tea Ha Father was out of place and seem to came into the story for Baek Saengil to kill himself, as the Tae Ha never knew at the end of the show. I guess it would have given him more peace at mind not knowing his father.

Done and Dusted 7.5

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It Was Good

Southern anecdote starts its story in a city where a series of strange cases often occur, with supernatural and surreal elements. Given the Introduction to the main premise of the story, Southern Archives, an undercover organization under the alias of a famous company, dispatches a great duo of its agents to investigate. Following the adventures of the two agents and all the disasters they made, problems created, and solutions they ought to provide.

What I like in this show.

Their relationship, specifically their brotherhood, immerses an out-of-the-world depiction. Considering how much we didn't get much build-up/backstory in their brotherhood, it still felt amazingly realistic and tugging at one's heart; their performance gave the live, intensity, and power to their brotherhood. The brotherhood was touching, angsty, conflicting, and most of the time heartwarming. Even amidst the backdrop of the conflicts surrounding their brotherhood and personal lives, we could see the thin line of love and deep connection with care. Their relationship with their mentor is one to be mentioned; the mentor and student relationship was nonchalant, playful, lighthearted, and most times heartwarming, while looking underneath all the precious, truthful facade, the trust, responsibility, and care outshone all the playfulness and put that tender warmth in my heart at every one of their peaceful family period of the three.

The performance of most of the actors and both actresses, from the seamlessly tailored main casting to the amazing supporting casts and even the scene catchers from the guest actors, really contributed the most to this show; if they hadn't given this outstanding performance, the drama wouldn't have been given this popularity and rating.

Ding Yuxi displayed a new range of acting skills in this role, tackling a challenging task of depicting a multifaceted character to its core: depicting a psychopathic savage character, and the opposite cool character with a deep sense of warmth, pain, care, and regret; he really carried the role on like any other role I have seen him play. Zhang Xin Cheng designs his own space taken this role as one of mine best and unforgettable role up I have watched him played, though not given a wider range to showcase a vast embodiment, he showed clearly his dedication to the role and clearing all my uncertainties on his take, bearing, sustaining and immaculately depicting the emotional complexities the character had to offer, Zhang Xin Cheng was definitely more than a meet of an eye, would definitely love to see him in more projects in the future.

Even with the CGI not being well rendered, and the special effects giving a less than okay vibes, that feels okay, each of the few fight, their sequences and the neatly choreographed work subsequently continued to amaze me, following an emmaculate wireworks that felt absence through the dedication of the cast and crew, from the close hand to hand combat to the knife clashes, to much more, they were done mostly done precisely. The only thing is they should have given more attention to the fight scenes.

The plotline showcases something less convoluted, but gradually and steadily draws an overarching mystery that culminates in a whole process of thrilling suspense and seeking answers (leaving me quite disoriented and disturbed while watching the show, but you could find it interesting), that carefully unravels things, leaning closer to the end.


What I didn't quite enjoy

It was befitting to say the conflict between the brotherhood of the character was well emphasized (which is a downvote for me), and seemingly prolonged. The ending episode was a little rushed, as more details ought to be added seamlessly. Given how much conflict the brotherhood/bromance bore, they could have wrapped everything up in 30 eps, with the inclusion of the rushed ending, and mended everything well.

Conclusion

The drama was an extremely good watch for me; the ending gave a nice closure to some viewers, but that's not the case. I went into this expecting something that included more adventures rather than the bizarre cases, but everything amounted to a really great watch for me. With a great performance from the stunning cast, showcasing their due dedication where it matters, and even the villains stole scenes from the show, the plotline was overbearing at times, but it lets you understand everything as you watch more towards the end

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Loved the mystery more than less

General Remarks

I love how the mystery made me click to the next episode as each episode ended.

I love how mysterious and concealed certain characters were. In my opinion, it created intrigue about certain characters, particularly the villain. I felt the villain was the most compelling character of them all. He got me thinking about his motives and goals in taking the main character's identity. It evoked sympathy, and I loved that he chose revenge instead of wallowing in agony over his lover's death. I loved how the show manipulated the audience using flashbacks from different characters' POV. This tells you that seeing isn't always believing
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The start of this was strong; I believe that made many of us click for more as the episode went by. Ryu Jun Yeol really put in effort in portraying every bit of frustration, fear, and despair in his character Je Mun Jae. I love the close-up shots of him, hinting at his frustrations. He also portrayed another contrasting character, namely the mouse. It was a fantastic portrayal

Sul Kyung Gu's character, No Ja, has a menacing and dangerous look, like a thug, but deep down he has a kind soul, as he refuses to kill his enemy. Though it angered me that he couldn't kill them when he had beaten them down, I thought it shed more light on how he is moving away from being a thug. His kind heart also extends to helping Je Mun Jae.
It irked me at the way No Ja was begging his enemy not to bury him alive; LIKE THAT DOESN'T EVEN MATCH HIS CHARACTER. ARE YOU KIDDING ME. I thought some mysteries were better not shown, as some seemed too unrealistic for a non-fictional show,

I liked the friendship between No Ja and Je Mun Jae, although it came too fast. It was realistic, as No Ja never completely trusts him, as there was a seed of doubt in his mind that sprouts at any word that can make him easily distrust Je Mun Jae.
I didn't like the main character; why was he always hasty every time, and why did his panic disorder come at a critical moment?

I loved the open ending, as we can all make our theories and deductions (for season 2)

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Kept me entertained.

This drama is fun, entertaining, and really easy to watch. Right from the first episode, I was so hooked on the leads' banter and remarks, and I had to binge-watch all the episodes.

Ho Rang and Bo Bae chemistry was soooo good; you could feel the tension from their touches and stares, even their interactions and posturing..... they truly complement each other. From their unexpected/suprising and awkward first kiss to their last genuine kiss, their relationship went through ups and downs, especially towards the last episodes; there were challenges and obstacles they had to overcome before they could truly be together and get their happy ending.

The actors did a really great job, bringing out the essence and vibe of their characters. I truly couldn't imagine another actor playing Baek Ho Rang and Na Bo Bae.

I appreciate that Ji Eun Ho recognized his boundaries with Bo Bae, knowing she truly loves Ho Rang and they are not meant to be. I'm glad they ended things amicably and were still close friends, "Him being her number one fan".

It was pleasing that Ho Rang was really interactive/on sweet terms with Bo Bao parents, and that they were supportive of him and allowed/wanted them to be together. Her family was endearing and really loved each other.

While the first half was ridiculous and really fun, the second half was more emotional and more of a power struggle (towards the end), but we still got sweet moments between the leads after the angst they gave.

First off, I wasn't invested in the Ho Rang, cousin and aunty storyline; that is, concerning their power struggle, they felt like a one-dimensional character and plot device to keep things tense and suspenseful, when I wanted a rom-com where I could relax and have an easy watch. It was anticlimactic how Bo Bae completely forsook her dreams after being told she and the guy aren't compatible any longer. I felt there was something more to the man who always followed Ho Rang, acting like his secretary, considering how he always feeds information to someone anonymous to the viewers about Ho Rang and what he is doing. I felt he drugged Bo Bae and kidnapped her on the day Ho Rang battery life reached 0%; well, I'm not sure anymore; they made it seem like he was honest and all. I wish that was expounded on more. Han Seoul Hui was spared, as in nothing happened to her after what she had done to Bo Bae and how she spoke down on her. It was really infuriating; if they decided to go down this path, there should have been consequences for her bad actions.


Quotes I liked:

"It doesn't really matter what they think of you; you deserve better. Don't beat yourself up".

"Let's keep going. Even if it feels like the whole world is against us, we've got to keep trying".

"Maybe it won't work anyway, but we've got to keep trying. Never give up, even through tears".

"Wherever in life, you must find what makes you happy".

"As for your Grandma, well, I think she's overbearing because she is probably worried about you. She might have gone about it the wrong way; she just loves you".

"For now, let's keep going together".


Take Charge of My Heart certainly has clichés, and definitely bears the hallmarks of many other rom-coms, but it kept me entertained, making bingeing the entire episodes easy. It is a fun drama that can be silly at times and also keep you watching thanks to the great performance from the actors. This is my first time seeing Kim Young Kwang in a drama, and he was just sooo good in this drama.

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