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LOVED IT!
Likes: Hyun Bin in uniform...need I say more?Dislikes: Yeah...you're going to have to throw logic out the window.
If you like a good forbidden love story with sparks flying, then do yourself a favor and watch this drama. This was a CRACK drama for me...completely addicting and left me in pieces until I could get more. The chemistry was sooo good! Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin are a match made in heaven and I really couldn't get enough!
I loved that the story had some action and danger mixed in with the humor, flirtiness, and longing. I have to admit, at first I didn't quite like SYJ's bratty character, but it didn't take long for me to warm up to her and find her comical. As for Hyun Bin, I'm biased, but I think it'll be hard not to fall for his charming innocence, protective instincts, and humorous reactions.
If you can turn a blind eye to some of the logistics to the story, then I think you'll be in for a very fun time.
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Gritty and dark with bits of humor. Only 6 eps
Wow! Gritty, dark, funny, and foul....this short 6 ep drama sure packs an emotional punch! Inspired by Kim Bo tong's own experience of some cases in the D.P unit, this drama sheds light on the awful bullying and hazing that can occur in the military.I thought the director did a fantastic job balancing the tone between heavy vs funny and keeping the pace tight. I didn't have to skip any scene. And the cast did an amazing job making their characters realistic. Jung Hae In delivered the right amount of good, dark, and toughness to his character. Koo Kyo Hwan continues to delight me with his unique color and flair that he brings to all his characters. His comic timing is spot on! The supporting cast also were all so believable in their roles.
While the bromance between Hae In and Kyo Hwan is fun to watch, the subject matter is very heavy and disturbing. They don't hold back on the violence, cursing, and trauma shown, but that's what I really liked about this drama. It's refreshing to see something so raw. It makes this drama more impactful by sending a clear message to the military. Changes need to be made. Hopefully Netflix will greenlight season 2 as I read the production team hasn't finished telling all their stories.
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Rich Man/Poor girl story with hilarious moments
Likes: Jang Hyuk's eccentric portrayal of the character that made me burst into laughter. Jang Nara's natural acting. One specific prenatal class that had me ROFL.Dislikes: Jang Hyuk's middle hair part about midway through the drama. It drove me CRAZY. I just wanted to push his hair to the side.
So this story will feel familiar as it's been remade in so many countries and is similar to a lot of marriage contract rich man/poor girl dramas with the exception of 1 thing...Jang Hyuk's weirdness. hahaha. His eccentric take on this character was so interesting and funny that I would burst into laughter at his weird laughter. He's so weird and a bit awkward..but I liked it. It made me laugh and brought interesting layers to his character.
Jang Nara brought the heart to the story. She plays meek and kind very well. When she cried, I cried. The odd pairing works and the roller coaster that these two go through will bring laughter and tears. I have to confess though, I did speed through some of the side stories to get back to the OTP.
Oh and Ailee's OST is awesome!
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What a breath of fresh air!
Likes: The character of Yiseo and Kim Da Mi playing her. Park Seo Joon's...well...everything. The Itaewon setting and vibe of the drama. The great emotional acting.Dislikes: the 2nd half of the drama sort of lost it's way. the time lapse to the future where everything sort of wraps up neatly in 1 episode type of thing. The cliche sub stories to advocate diversity.
It's so rare to come across really cool female leads that are smart, mean, and likeable. I love the character of Yiseo for not pretending to be nice, for being smart, strong and confident, and being able to fight for herself. And I love the actress Kim Da Mi that plays her. I remember watching the Witch Part 1 and asking who is this kick ass actress that blows me away with her natural acting? And again she doesn't disappoint in this drama. She is definitely one to watch.
Park Seo Joon really blew me away with his intense emotional scenes in this drama. I've always thought of him as a great actor, but he really shined in this one. It's a memorable character with a memorable haircut. :-)
I loved that they set this in Itaewon as it's almost it's own character, but I thought that they were trying too hard to be diverse and hip. If you are going to try to open up minds, then you should flesh out the sub stories better instead of going down a cliched route. The first half of the drama was so good, but the second half I felt the story sort of lost it's way. Overall though, I did like it...just wish it could have been a little tighter.
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Half comedy, Half parody, with some romance mixed in
If you like parodies, you should try this little gem of a series. While not a full on parody, it comes close as it exaggerates and makes fun of common kdrama tropes and cultural references in a ridiculous fun silly way. The comic timing was great and I laughed every episode with the exception of episode 1 which was super boring.I loved the entire cast, the script, the editing, the sound effects...it all came together for a great office comedy without being too over the top. Some of the humor was obvious or low brow, but some of it was very clever too. I wonder though if non kdrama viewers would find this funny, as a lot of the jokes referenced things that only kdrama viewers would understand with a wink and a chuckle.
Highly recommend if you are a fan of silly comedies or parodies!
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Sweet, light, breezy watch
I really fell for this little gem of a drama. It's light, simple, and so sweet. The ML Minho kind of reminds me of the ML in A Love So Beautiful (chinese version) where he quietly harbors feelings for the FL and struggles to keep them in check. It's that same slow steady quiet burn that had me wanting more. I just really loved watching the close bond of the best friend relationship between the leads and hoping like crazy it would turn into something more.For his debut drama, I thought NCT's Jaehyun did a decent job as the ML. I can see he has potential as he made the ML sweet and thoughtful without being cringey. I can't say his acting wasn't entirely without fault, but that goes for the entire cast who scream rookie vibes with the exception of HyeSoo who was so obviously the more experienced of the bunch. But even with the rookie acting, it still worked with the fun collegiate atmosphere and the story flowed pretty well with the exception of the last 3 episodes., I don't know what happened there, but the tone was way off and awkward (like WTF was up with that cringey wedding dance?! Did anyone else suffer major 2nd hand embarrassment watching that disaster?). It almost felt like the last 3 eps were filmed in the beginning of the shoot before the cast became comfortable with each other. But all in all, I still really liked this and will probably watch this again just for that steady burn that I so love. For those of you who don't feel like watching anything too serious, this may be a good option for you.
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Light, fluffy, short, and cute
Short, cute, and mindless...just what I was looking for. This little drama is a breeze to watch. The main reason I was able to keep going with this drama, despite the average acting and storyline, is because of the cute chemistry between the leads. They fall head over heels pretty quickly, but it somehow was believable Lots of flirting and cute jealousy moments, not to mention many kisses and pecks(although the kisses are a bit too PG).The two leads act so cute with each other. Normally that is not my thing. Normally too many childish antics will make me roll my eyes and sometimes want to vomit, but here, I oddly found it really cute. I'm going to have to attribute that to the actors themselves. They somehow made me smile instead of gag. Kudos, leads, Kudos,
I will say though, you will have to overlook some things like the acting not being the greatest if it calls for any kind of intense emotion, the story being just kind of Eh, and the badly animated cat character which took some getting used to, but in the end, what can I say, it's cute scurrying waddle grew on me.
I should warn though that the ending is not really an ending as it's leads into S2. IMO, they should have wrapped everything up in S1. S2 was a bit too ridiculous for me, so I didn't really enjoy S2.
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DISGUSTING to think the real life perpetrator is free as of DEC 2020
This heartbreaking movie based on the true story of the Cho Doo -soon case in which a middle aged man raped, beat, and sodomized an 8 year old girl in South Korea will make you UGLY CRY and scream in fury at the perpetrator and the judicial system.Why are there so many sick and twisted evil people out there and why is the judicial system so broken?! It's disgusting to think the real life habitual sex offender has gone free as of DEC 2020.
I thought the director did a good job showing the audience the emotional trauma that the victim's family goes through , the ugly part that media has in it, and the powerful message of love to heal. The actors all did a great job. The touching moments that show the parent's love for their child made me bawl.
I'm just a war of emotions right now. On one hand, the story needs to be told to spark outrage to inspire change, but on the other, you just wish people would just leave the girl and her family alone in peace.
This is a hard movie to watch because it's difficult to stomach the true events, but it's one that you should watch.
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A compelling time travel love story mixed with a crime mystery
Likes: The complicated love story between Huang Yu Xuan and Li Zi Wei. It tugged at my heart.Dislikes: The time traveling/soul switching/parallel lives aspect is INCREDIBLY confusing, but then again, every timetraveling drama often doesn't make sense to me.
I'm usually not into crime mysteries, but this one had me hooked by episode 3...yes, by ep 3. The first 2 were basically setting things up so it was boring to the point where I thought I would drop this, but by ep3, the fun begins to start. Ep 3 is where you start to see the romance develop between Huang Yu Xuan and Li Zi Wei and the fun chemi begins. But the romance is not the only thing that hooks you...the mystery also captures your attention because just like the leads, you want to understand what the heck is going on. This drama interweaves the romance and the mystery very well so that I was never bored. It kept me on my toes.
The main trio did a fantastic job playing their characters both in the past and future. There's a lot of emotion that was conveyed just through the eyes which I loved. I really felt the intense yearning between the FL and ML at various points along the timeline. Just note, this is not a feel good drama though. While the youthful romance is fun, there's a lot of depressing and sad elements that surround it.
The only major flaw with this drama is the time traveling/soul switching aspect...which I admit is a huge aspect of this story. Really confusing. I get why viewers may drop this because of that. I had to read the synopsis a few times to understand the gist of what's going on and even then it was sometimes hard to know which time and which soul I was watching. I felt like they could have made this clearer to the viewers. And don't even attempt to sound out the logic because with any time travel drama, trying to make sense of which came first? The chicken or the egg would make you go crazy.
This is a tricky one for recommendation because while I really liked this, if you can't ignore the flawed time traveling logic that makes no sense, then I think you will probably dislike this. But if you can overlook that, and want to watch something with emotional gravity, a mystery, and a timeless romance, then I would say give this a try.
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Dark and poignant coming of age film
A lonely good girl who has the urge to be bad. A troubled boy who wants revenge. A lonely bad girl full of life. A popular boy who is self destructing, We follow their lives as they intertwine in high school until a tragedy strikes that changes some of them. It's a dark story with excellent acting especially from Sandra Ma as Li Bala and Oho Ou as Zhang Yang. Sandra Ma was very alluring as Li Bala and I could see why the characters gravitated towards her. I thought I'd be mesmerized by Yang Yang, but instead I was drawn to Oho. Even when he's a jerk, he has this certain something that makes him stand out.I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend if you're looking for something different and dark and not too taxing on the brain cells. I don't know if I will remember this movie a month from now, but I definitely think it's worth checking out.
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Cute lighthearted romcom
Likes: the buttoned up ML's chemistry with the adorable sweet FL. The FL's cute hairstyle. It's light and fluffyDislikes: There's a freaking talking turtle in this drama. Also, too many filler scenes that I wound up skipping cuz I just didn't care
I love me some love/hate romance as it creates that tension between the leads that I find so addicting. Here you have the uptight buttoned up ML who has a memory problem due to a trauma and the sweet adorable alien FL who winds up getting into his space. The two have some chemistry especially on the ML's side as his intensity is a bit hot.
I loved when the two were in the same scene and couldn't care less when they were not. I thought the progression was a bit frustrating as well. I felt like they tried to stretch out the tension between the two for too long that it kept going in circles that started to get a little boring. Also, I could have done without the talking turtle as well. Was a bit corny.
But the overall tone was light and fluffy and the chemistry had me hooked, so I found it an easy watch.
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Campy & Comical! This mini romcom made me laugh!
Likes: Jung Il Woo, period! His flabbergasted expressions made me laugh, His acting and comic timing was excellent. Same goes for Lee Sieon who also made me laugh with his line deliveriesDislikes: the IDOL acting, esp Bora...Ooof, very green, very very green
This mini romcom was exactly what I was looking for to beat the mediocrity of dramas as of late. I just didn't feel like investing time into another long drama that would probably only have small pockets of scenes that I would like. This hit the sweet spot for me at this period in time. It's silly, short (15min eps), funny, and lighthearted!
It's campy sure, but it works. Jung Il Woo shines in this drama. His portrayal of the narcissistic loony CEO of an entertainment company made me laugh. It's a predictable role, but he was able to interject some unexpected gestures, expressions, and lines that made me crack up. It's a hard tone to balance, and he did it well which makes me think he's very talented or had a good director.
Another person who shined was Lee Sieon. We expect Sieon to be funny, but again he somehow surprised me with the direction with some of his lines. I loved the antagonistic bromance between the two.
As for the FL, she was the straight character and served her purpose fine. I wouldn't say there were loads of chemistry ,but it worked. The only drawback of this mini drama was the IDOL acting, especially Bora who was too green and lacked the skills to be convincing. Also, I found her voice very annoying, but all in all, a minor flaw in an otherwise delightful romcom.
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What an endearing coming of age family drama!
Likes: All the different layers/dynamics that comes from being in a non traditional family. The acting was great from everyone from the younger versions to the old. Song Wei Long was incredibly handsome.Dislikes: The chances the 2 MLs return on the same exact day is a bit of a stretch. The 2nd half had more draggy parts and I didn't like how they wrapped up the drama at the end. Also the eng subs weren't the greatest so sometimes I was confused during some of the conversations.
Let me preface to say, I normally don't enjoy family dramas that much, but this one was done really well esp during the first half. I went in for Song Wei Long, but wound up really enjoying the story. It's endearing. You watch the 3 friends grow from kids to adults and watch how their relationships and personalities form from all the love, hurt, and trauma that's happened to them. What really stood out to me were the multiple layers that every character had that made them relatable and actually interesting to watch. The dynamic between the parents and their kids was also interesting to see play out. This drama handled the complexity that comes with family really well. Sometimes the people who love you the most can cause you the most damage.
I did think there were too many side characters however and I wished there was a bit more romance, but overall it was a great watch and would recommend it!
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Similar to ALSB & ISWAK, but more boring and chaste
Likes: Lu ZHao Hua looked good doing the action scenes. The chemistry was sweet between the OTPDislikes: The WAY too slow romantic progression between the leads. If you had a race between the leads confessing against a snail moving across your room...the snail would win. The slow pace made the drama way too long. Also, I think this is more for a tween audience as the buildup leads to basically hand holding and kiss fake outs.
This story is one that's been used over and over with a few modifications: Not so smart FL who can't stand injustice follows her crush the quiet studious handsome ML to medical school. The modifications: The FL happens to excel at fighting. The ML has liked the FL since they were young. Instead of a love triangle, you have a love diamond.
I thought the chemistry was good between the OTP and I actually liked some of the side characters, but the pace was just too frustratingly slow that I kept hitting the FF button. I liked that they sort of showed the honeymoon phase of the relationship because too many dramas end right when the OTP finally get together, but it was too innocent for me.
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Good chemistry but acting could have been better
Likes: Xing Zhao Lin + Liang Jie being paired up together again. The heart fluttering kissesDislikes: Zhao Lin's acting could have been a lot better in the emotional scenes. The last 4 or 5 episodes felt out of place...they should have wrapped things up earlier.
This is a remake of Fated to Love You. I've only seen the Korean version prior so it differs a bit story wise but the premise is the same. This is probably the ultimate OTP as this will be the 3rd out of the 4 times they've paired up for a drama. They have loads of chemistry together so I can't help but ship these two for eternity!
The main let down though was the acting, particularly Zhao Lin. While I think he's super cute, looks like a great kisser, and liked him in other dramas, in this particular one I could feel the limitations in his acting. The emotional scenes felt so forced that it was almost painful to watch. Good thing there weren't too many.
I also thought this drama was too long. They should have wrapped things up earlier instead of dragging it out in the last 4 or 5 episodes, but overall I enjoyed the drama.
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