Mature, Understated, but Beautiful
If you're looking for a romantic drama or a mystery/thriller drama, then look somewhere else. This felt more like a meditative exploration of what relationships can look like. I personally loved it. I loved that it was a wholly mature, no emotional melodrama BS that kdramas are known to dish out on popular demand. I wish they delved more into the backstory of NM agency instead of being this shrouded in mystery organisation. That would've added more depth to the story. Other than that, I loved the acting, the cinematography, the story, and most importantly, the framing of the story. Its not always that we see mature, muted, understated kdramas, and I truly think we need more of these.Was this review helpful to you?
B.O.R.I.N.G.
I am currently on a Luo Yunxi marathon and decided to watch this drama solely because of the poster. He sports fringes and wears glasses AND LOOKS SO CUTE. But that was all that was to this drama. This guy is a good actor and even when he can't save the drama, you know the drama's just BAD. The FL, Cheng Xiao, CANNOT ACT. How can a person have the same facial expression irrespective of whatever emotions she's emoting? Even when she's crying she looks the same.The ML is supposedly a disabled character, he does not have his lower leg. But what disability, where disability, which disability? He uses the walking stick like a fucking prop and not as a support... At least limp while walking? What is this superhuman portrayal of a disabled character? One badminton match lasts TEN MINUTES in an episode... WHYYYY??? And
This brings me to the pace of the drama. This drama is SO SLOW, I get it that you want to take time to build the characters and the setup and all that. But it's just unnaturally slow. A watcher like me, who does not skip even 10 seconds of an episode, was skipping MINUTES to just get through to what happens next. Because there's literally NOTHING GOING ON IN THE LARGE PART OF THE EPISODE. The story wasn't that bad actually. If it was paced well and sped up to 5 times faster, then it would've gained traction with the viewers. But the pace was so abysmally slow, I just lost interest at the end and gave up on it.
The chemistry between the leads was also so meh; they had none, actually. And this is saying quite a lot, given how charming and flirty LYX can be onscreen. The two leads are just too self-absorbed and expressionless to react to anything that the other person is doing. In comparison, I liked Chu Chu's character far better. She had more sass and acted better as well. The third friend, Oscar, was a cardboard cutout character. And he's dressed like Elvis Presley for over half the time because he's a Rock and Roll singer? WAAAOOOOOO, talk about a caricature character... *eye roll* *smh*.
The OST was also dumb; who writes a song with the lyrics, "I love you, I need you"? How old was the songwriter? Thirteen?? Everything was just so wrong. There was nothing to invest in this drama. NOT WORTH THE WATCH. Watch Love is Sweet or Till the End of the Moon instead. They're eons better than this snooze fest of a drama.
Was this review helpful to you?
MY FAVOURITE-EST SHOWS OF ALL TIMES
This is hands down my favourite kdramas of all time. I became a Kdrama addict because of this series. I keep coming back to this kdrama over and over again, because I am absolutely, completely in love with the characters and their stories and their transformative journeys over the years. "Who is Dal mi going to be with finally" was the question that legit plagued me till the 13th episode. And I love it that even after becoming big, Nam Do san was still the dorky introvert that he was depicted to be in the first episode. I agree that Han Ji Pyeong's reasoning behind not pursuing Dal mi was a little weak, but its okay... It felt as if Han Ji Pyeong realised it himself that he doesn't stand a chance next to Nam Do San. But all the flaws aside, CAN WE TAKE A MOMENT TO APPRECIATE NAM JOO HYUK IN THIS DRAMA? THE BEST DORK EVER. He was so cute and dorky and introverted, I truly did not understand how it was not apparent to every viewer right from episode one that he's The One. And I loved it that the writers moved away from the childhood lovers cliche to bring in a stranger into the mix, and make him the love interest of the lady, because THAT IS WHAT HAPPENS IN REAL LIFE. The chances of childhood crushes coming to life is close to nil, and it doesn't make sense to keep egging it on. The most beautiful thing about this drama was Ji Pyeong's relationship with Dal-mi's Halmeoni. I vouched for their relationship way more than any love interest shown in the series, tbh. Also the OST is so lovely, I've been listening to it on repeat. Overall, I love this drama, and this is perhaps the only kdrama that I've rewatched, and also the only drama that receives a 10 on 10 for me. Of course, there are flaws to this drama, but given the pivotal role this kdrama has played in my life (I spent the next 6 months of my life just binge-watching kdramas EVERY DAY nonstop), I think it deserves a 10 just for introducing me to the world of kdramas.Was this review helpful to you?
This Drama is ALL THE GOOD FEELS
I don't know what it was about this drama, but it just called out to me. And I drifted towards it like a siren song... just soaking and absorbing all the good feelings that this drama had to provide. This reminded me, once again, why I come back to K-dramas again and again and again to energize myself.The premise of the story was pretty simple. A city person escapes to a small town to escape from her life and her work and meets kindred souls in the small town, all of whom help each other heal.
The FL, Kim Seolhyun, is a normal 9 to 5 working lady in Seoul, but due to various circumstances, feels drained out and numbed out by life. That's how she lands up in Angok. Then we have the ML, Im Siwan, who has his personal inner demons to fight, and he's working as a librarian in Angok. There are other characters from the coastal town, each with their own stories and struggles. The characters are well fleshed out, and each character had their own trajectories to follow, which was so well done. The pace of the story was rightfully slow to encapsulate the easygoing pace of the town and the life of the FL.
The romance between the lead pair was also lovely and mature to watch. There were no over-the-top, exaggerated romantic gestures, no corny lines, nothing strange either. What made the romance even better was the representation of introverted characters. Both the lead characters were shown as introverts who would rather sit in comfortable silence next to each other than make bold gestures of love and go out on extremely ACTIVE dates. For an introvert, a date that is a bucket list of things to do is a NIGHTMARE (Speaking as a fellow introvert). The writers understood that pain so well, so here we have dates that are quiet, peaceful, and just spending time together in silence. HEAVENLY!
The subplots were a little extra, but that much drama is permissible. Otherwise, it would run the risk of being too boring. The music was soothing to the ears, nothing great to write home about, but not harsh and jarring either.
Coming to the actors now... I am officially in love with Im Siwan. I watched his Run On earlier and had heard of his performance in Hell is for Other People, but with Summer Strike, I am totally sold. That guy is so adorable and has the most beautiful and expressive eyes. Kim Seolhyun also did a beautiful job. Her character demanded her to be a quiet and laidback person, which she delivered. I personally could not relate to the sisterly bond between Seolhyun's Yeoreum and Shin Eun Soo's Bom, it felt a little too giggly and happy. But in times of distress, their support for each other felt pretty real. So that's okay, I guess.
But can I take a moment here to hail all praises to the writers of the webtoon/show for depicting the ML in the story as A Ph.D. RESEARCHER?! THANK YOU for showing research/ a researcher with all his frustrations and anxieties regarding work. WE GOT REPRESENTED FINALLY (cries happy tears)!
As I said earlier, there's nothing grand in this drama, it's the small things happening here and there that are the proper show-stealers. And these small realizations verbalized through Seolhyun's monologues in the background are what make the drama so worthwhile. Hearing the most relatable life facts stated in a drama like this left me with wispy eyes and a smile on my face even after this drama ended.
Was this review helpful to you?
As for the cast, of course, I chose to watch this drama for my darling Wooky! He's such a lovely thing to watch on screen. I just don't get WHY he does not choose more meaty roles, and ALWAYS plays it safe. Going by the blurb of the series and his image in the poster, I really thought that he would be an anti-hero sort of character, like Seon Seok-goo in My Liberation Notes. But the blurb was all that was faulty with him. All throughout the series, he was the NICEST boy there could ever be, who was so unfairly wronged by the system, that one would think that he was a puppy without any agency of his own. It's alright if the director wanted to show him as a nice guy, but don't make the blurb SO misleading, please? It wasn't fair for the character tbh. His romance angle with Choi Soo Young was also meh, it was so extremely predictable, there was nothing worth rooting for. I actually ended up liking the doctor, he was this understated character, but quite sensible. Even if his character didn't have much screen time, he did a pretty decent job playing an introverted doctor. This might come up as offensive, but I did not like Song Dong Il as Kang Tae Shik - both the actor and the character were too much for me to take.
One thing that I really liked was the drama's investment in the hospice staff, which was quite good. Although all the stories eventually ended up being preachy, kudos to the script-writer for showing other stories other than the main characters' stories. I don't know what happened with Ha Joon Kyung and Jang Seok Joon, as I didn't finish the whole thing. I was interested to know, but the overtly preachy tone overshadowed everything else, and I lost interest.
The OST was nothing to write home about. The mini-play in the middle of the drama was SO STUPID AND UNNECESSARY. The only reward received from watching the entire mini-play nonsense was seeing Ji Chang Wook looking absolutely stunning in a suit. But then he looks good in anything, without anything, in whichever way he comes on screen really. So yeah, too little returns for too much investment.
Finally, using animals to persuade the viewer to tears was NOT CALLED FOR. Overall, not a binge-able drama. If you have time to spare, and you are REALLY in love with Ji Chang wook, then watch it. Otherwise can miss it.
Was this review helpful to you?
Visually Stunning Drama That Leaves you Craving for More
I started watching this because I thought it'll be like another Love Between Fairy and Devil. But I was proved quite wrong.Pros-
Bai Lu. She was a dream to watch. She was able to express the different nuances to her role so beautifully. And I was so glad that her character wasn't those over-the-top cutesy, loud and whiny female characters who are busier acting the kawai damsel in distress than actually doing something about her situation. This was one character who took charge at every incarnation she had, and I loved it.
Tantai Jin. His character arc was beautiful to watch. From being an evil Devil God to transforming into a "nicer" person to being a considerate Devil God, his narrative was very well executed.
Acting and Cast. Ye Bin Chang was this brilliantly flawed character, and the actress did a really good job at playing this delicate "flower of evil" kinda role. The other actors were also pretty good in their roles.
The worldbuilding. In one word, it was STUNNING. Generally Xianxia dramas pay a lot of attention to the graphics and everything, but the fantasy world was so real and believable, absolute feast for the eyes. The costumes, the set designs, the VFX, and even the fancy flying fight sequences and all, were quite well executed. This experience was made for a big screen, I feel. The OST was also quite good. It's still stuck in my head.
Cons-
Luo Yun Xi as the Male Lead. Honestly, I didn't like him in the first watch, but maybe a rewatch after sometime might change my opinion. In my opinion, he was TOO THIN. I get it that one aspect of his character demanded him to be sickly and thin, but for me, his stick figure thin body just stood out like a sore thumb. And his long, flowy costumes didn't work for him either, made him look thinner. I was SORELY missing Dylan Wang in this regard, because he looked like a BOMB as the Devil in LBFAD. Even his acting felt a bit wooden to me in parts, but maybe that's his character's demand. Again, hoping that a rewatch might change my opinions.
Editing. It was choppy in parts, sometimes the scenes would just transition from one to the next without any connection between the two. Quite irritating that was. Also, the additional villains were just stupid and unnecessary.
Ending. I do not like dramas that do not provide closure at the end. AND THIS WAS ONE SUCH DRAMA WITHOUT ANY CLOSURE. I legit went back to search if there are extra episodes after the 40th one, because THE ENDING WAS SO INCOMPLETE. I get it about sad endings and all that, but keeping it open ended without any explanations and so abrupt was just ANNOYING.
Overall, the lead couple's love story and their chemistry was what shone the best in this series. This made me watch Love is Sweet, because I was vouching for them so much. Although I didn't like the look of Lui Yun Xi in this drama, I loved his character. But Dylan Wang will still be my favorite Devil. Give it a watch, it is a decent one.
Was this review helpful to you?
