Great main couple and highly bingable
I had almost given up on c-historicals when Lakshmi s fanguide to Ren Jia Lun (Alen Ren) combined with it being the longest drama on my ptw for the watch challenge gave me the push to give them another try and oh what a great try it was!The story itself is not really anything amazing but it flows on well and has quite a few entertaining, nail biting parts but also some boring bits in between that are highly skippable. There is one very persistent third wheel that tends to get on ones nerves and the story it self gives way to a whole range of emotions from "Come on WTF, not that trope" , to oooooh they are so cute I just want to hug them all and well everything in between,
The leads are AMAZING; yes I amy be bias when it comes to Seven Tan, but still she is this bursting bubble of energy that can show a whole range of emotions and is just an appifanny of talent that is definitely not wasted in this drama. Her chemistry with the ever evolving Alen Ren is great, he made this role really well going from a cold cruel icicle to a caring icicle... he is really good as an icicle and both are a feast for the eye...
The production speared no cost on blood packets, I hope they opted for some good tasting ones because people where spitting blood left and right, but it was not only blood from the mouth but also from other parts that looked more like cranberry juice than blood, but hey considering the amount of blood they had to produce I guess cranberry juice is not a bad choice...
The highlight of this production was the use of umbrellas, and the adorable cat, that even though the cat only had few scenes, it was so well used that no one could forget it, so hats of to the cat!
All in all a highly ningable fun c.historical, it may not be very realistic and convincingly made but the cat, umbrellas, chemistry and entertainment value make up for it!
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Bad in every single way yet oddly entertaining
The lighting is bad, the styling is bad, the hairstyles are Boys over flowers bad, the acting is mostly bad, the lines are bad, the characters are not the least bit lovable so yes they are also bad..,Yet I still found myself binging this in 2,5 days... the story is oddly entertaining even with the bad everything else... in this modern day cinderella that has political elements worthy of a historical (clothing and values too) and an Icicle male lead that will put most c-drama icicles to shame the guy REALLY has no clue on how to communicate at all and does do the classical wrist grab, forced kiss and why say something when you can just be mean.... The female lead is also pretty stupid most of the tyme warm and fuzzy but not very interesting. Most of the side characters are mediocre to annoying with the exception of the queens who are the only ones in this drama who both can act and are actually interesting,
All in all I am glad I watched it, but can not say it was particularly good...
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Welcome to a little bit of everything
This is a sweet drama combining parts of Our Beloved Summer, Reply 1988 and with something more... i am not really sure what that is is could be hometown cha cha cha (without the leads regressing in character) it could be som idol drama... maybe parts of Our Blues. Whatever it is I am sure I have seen most of this drama before most of which was really enjoyable but highly predictable. Which was fine until the cringe came along with voices speaking together as one and some trope that jus got on my nerves lowering the score.Both leads in this drama are absolutely phenomenal, I had forgotten how good Ji Chan Wook is at being sweet, and while it did feel a bit odd to see him as just a regular guy not trying to kill anyone and fully dressed all the time, he definitely has this amazing charm and is indeed capable of captivating the audience.
Shin Hye Sun was also very well casted as she is probably the queen of hot, cold and vulnerable all put in to one
The scenery here is lovely, and the drama is pretty much a commercial to visit Jeju Island while minding the crowds at the popular tourist spots. The use of water and umbrellas is great and I am pretty sure there is a referens in there to the umbrella scene in Something in the Rain with a twist. Other things that had me baffeld was the amount of alcohol the people in this dram could consume without ending up at a hospital or dead.
I love the friendships, the sisterhood, the kid, the families the blasts to the past and learning about the weather. I could do without the actual reasons for the drama in this show as they where not very relatable and lacked depth beyond the depth of the sea... Other things that bothered me where over the top characters with the typical over the top imbedded moments of not that again that many other drama watchers love but just get on my nerves. That said this is an enjoyable watch, an easy binge and couple that is a pure joy to watch.
Healing is kind of my nemesis I knew that going in to this so I will leave it at a it could have been a lot worse, but it was still there to take away from my personal experience. For those of you who love watching healing dramas and do not mind moments of over the top, maybe you even love the moment of over the top then this is defiantly a must watch. For those who can appreciate a mature romance this is also a pretty decent place to find. it.
P.s. this drama was probably also part of the find a deep connection challenge among the writers of Korea, and while it seems to have only lasted one life time I would say it may not be as twisted as some of the other drams with this theme it goes deeper under water than some of the multiple lifetime themed onec out there.
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Bland Summer, Winter... everything
It is impressing how someone can take a decent cast, an okay story, lots of fun clicés, ok representation, decent characters, good kisses, a nice setting and still manage to make something so repetitive and bland that I feel like I deserve a pat on the back for making it to the end. Either that or someone to shake some sense in to me so I would drop it.They even had a cute dog, so how, how, how could this end up so dull and full of eye rolling simultaneous talk?
If you are a fan of the cast I say run away as this may send you in to some kind of fandom crisis. Actually no mater who or what type of dramas you like you can probably skip this. The generous 6,5 is because of all of those variables that could have been so good as well as how mind blowing it is that they managed to make it this bland.
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Cinderella meets Dark Magic and some other stuff...
This started off kind off meeh, with an abundance of over the top annoying characters and the some kind of familier vibe that took me back to 100 days my prince (same writer) that had me waiting for Rowoon to start saying Hoho in this kind of awkward I am above you kind of tone... Just that I never got the Hoho...In this modern and anciant Cinderella meets black magic and stalking drama. Equipped with the evil (highly annoying) step sisters in the form of colleagues, an evil step mother (the second female lead) and yes a prince (our lead). Some may find this drama messy with a lot of subplots and stuff that don't really add anything to the plot. which is kind of true but if you can just ignore that stuff and instead think of it as diversions that are there to make it harder to guess the main plot and have you guessing (done kind of poorly) you may find them ok...
What ups the score is the character development of our leads, the mom, the grandma and the fact that I love my messy clichefests. And I do feel that I have to warn you that even though Rowoon did a good job and looks like he was created to look to perfect, there is a high probability for SLS as Ha Joon plays his character to perfection and makes a damn good second male lead.
So this is not for those who need the plot to actually make sense or have some kind of consistency.I would be lying if I said this did have any of that. This is more of a watch for those who can appreciate turning off their brain for a while. Just watch some pretty scenery, one of dramalands most beautifully filmed bloody death scenes as well as a bunch very good looking leads. In a place where those who are evil are really evil and you can never be fully sure about those who are supposed to be good.
And as you can see this works perfectly for me in my current mood, but is defiantly not for everyone.
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Eye rolling and preachy inspirational porn
this drama started out pretty ok, girl finds out she is sick becomes this bad ass version of herself mixed with pissed off and sad. Basically dealing with it like a human beeing may do. She gets a crush, not uch chemestry but she handles the romance pretty well. They meet some cool people, form bonds work on their family realationship and all seems pretty okay.Characters are more or less interesting and the found family and friendshps blossom in the most beautiful way... this could have been so good but then came the never ending monologs, clichés of right and wrong way to deal with stuff, the so called growth that made me role my eyes so much I rolled them more than the time I wrote in a review that I was scared they would get stuck...
Its okay to cry... oh no she is probably crying alone somewhere.... you may have 100 reasons to die but only need one to stay alive.... Mamma I love you.... Hiding the pain from your loved ones is the norm... and not at all strange he must never know... bbla bla bla... Oh just shut up... Please.... Seriously this is some kind of inspirational illness porn at its worst... If it wernet for the good start and sweet characters I would have rated it a 1.
So do I recommend it No. If you do watch it please do not believe a word they say about illness, suicide, paranthood, mental health, romance...
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When life gives you tangerines you get see a whole Pie of life
This is not just one slice of life but a whole pie with cream and what not of life. As it offers us a bunch of glimpses in to several generations of life, struggles, love and more struggles.Ordinary people, in some extraordinary circumstances showing us that it can be the little choices that define us. And that being loved matters more than being controlled.
The main couple is as sweet as sweet gets. Pure, loving the type that will litterally do anything to protect each other not only physically but mentally too.
"You have six people in your in your house hold, why do you only buy five fish?"
Showing us how to stand op against family oppression, tradition and prejudges. They may have been poor but they gave their children love and tools to stand up for them selfs teaching them not to settle and know their worth. Without skimping on the hardships poverty brings.
I loved the village, and the it truley takes a village feel to this, I loved the family, the aunts, the kids, the pain... the sweetness. The window in to the different decades and society and day to day life as it was, without diving in to politics. Showing common people. I also enjoyed them showing us even more pain and the time skips with the date and time shown like they used to on old photographs.
I did not like the last 30 minutes or so of the drama, it had a bit to much of a preachy tone and did a bad job with making me believe IUS character was over 50. It also has one moment that feels a bit off and over the top in this otherwise pretty down to earth drama. Making me lower the score from a 9,5 to a 9. Then all the yelling crying, and more yelling knocked off another 0,5 stars giving this an 8,5.
A good drama indeed, and apparently there is a lot you can do with tangerines, if it is life or some one else who gives you them is however a different question as the tangerines seem to be the first to go when poverty hits.
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A whole lot of feels...
What started with a build up of tears by the side of the eye... went over to wet sleeve and ended with ugly snot crying. This is a unique romance, it is sweet, not always so innocent and at times a whole lot of fun with some oddly dark humour.As we meet the boy who was run over by The White Truck of Doom and turned in to a living corps as the male lead kept saying: He is NOT DEAD, he is a Living corps... in this story about love, lust, loss a whole lot of denial. This story is different than anything I have ever seen. So it even had me debating if it was worth a 10 star rating but though it made me cry A LOT it did not captivate me enough for a 10. But it is a strong 9,5. On the one hand such a sweet youthful story, on the other the living dead and a whole lot of pain... tragedy, romcom, supernatural all in one.
The male leads are both cold one in his personality the other literally as his body started getting cold after he died. The boys interactions are a true cold meets war, introvert extrovert opposites attract story with all it has to offer, though we only get to see a few glimpses in to their story the chemistry and playfulness is there. Adding a time limit, fear and need to hold on adds that extra spice and emotion to the story that hit me like an arrow straight though my still beating heart.
This is definitely a drama I recommend to pretty much any one who can handle it and is in need of a good cry. It truly is perfect for those days when you need to laugh, cry and fall in love... all at once.
P.S the intro with it´s OST is one of the most fitting intros I can remember ever seeing, I usually skip the intro but chose to watch it in this one. And there is a nice shot of an Axolotl in it too.
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5 to 9 odd characters...
Well this was... ehem, yes what did I actually watch?Mr obsessed monk at first sight, stalks, locks up and more or less does everything in his power (wich he has a lot of) to get Ms sweet and slightly sassy to get Stockholm syndrome and fall in love with him.
On The way there he becomes The King of Cold showers who takes cold showers to another level, spending a lot of time under a freezing water fall to control himself. This guy is indeed a character, in need of a bunch of lessons in consent, boundaries and so on... He is at least honest and kind of cute.
The female lead is loved by all... and I mean all, and while many dramas will not say the words, obsession and stalking she tells it as it is. entering her Stockholm syndrome romance well aware of how she got there.
Most of the side characters and side stories are a mix of interesting and highly questionable but not annoying. However the grandmother does make it in to the worst guardian hall of fame and needs to learn to think ahead an let things go...
What else can I say there is a lot of English here that feels awkward and some humour I am not really sure of... but hey what else is new in the land of dramas... Deffenetly an entertaining drama worth a watch.
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A whole historical in 7 minutes with a cat!
This is actually pretty impressive how they managed to squeeze in a whole historical C-drama and even added, Meow the secret girl to it... Swardfight, blood cough (though they were stingy with the cranberry juice), poisoning, intrigues, flashbacks, slomo, romance, lust, and all in under 7 minutes!I honestly felt that I got all the information I needed on this short emotional cute journey... It may also be a commercial for some kind of pancakes, I am not 100% sure.... And I did feel like eating one...
I am not going to say that this was great, but cute, fluffy and took less time to watch than to write this review... So just go for it.
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He is really really in to her she is more in to her job, C-fluff with some rare gems.
This drama is pure C-fluff, a pretty smooth ride with the typical C- icicle who has trouble expressing himself and needs a lesson or two in honesty while the female lead is energetic warm and very good at talking herself in to getting more or less whatever she wants. These two have pretty good chemistry, great humor (reminded me a bit of You are my hero), and you can see that the guy is truly in to her, almost a bit to in to her... while she is more in to her job which is kind of funny yet sweet at the same time.This drama does reinforce the idea of men wanting to get physical most of the time, while women should want to protect their virtue it does deal with the issue of consent in a pretty good way as well as shows the female lead as a competent person. The drama does deal with the issue of working mothers and some of the struggles they may face for trying to have both a career and a job in a pretty good way.
This drama also deals with the classic money over quality as well as struggles between different generations in a okay, not great, not bad but okay way. What it douse do great is shed light on the importance of finding the right person for the right job stressing the importance of a supportive environment for growth and the dangers of trying to impose ones own idea on some one eases dreams. And gives you the feeling of wee can accomplish anything if we work together.
The second couples characters where great, smart, funny, good looking just not together. Their scenes together where probably the most boring thing about this fluff and is probably what lowered the score.
The bromance here is great, and you will find this really rare thing that I can barely remember seeing in a c-drama, the friend actually giving his/her friend good relationship advice! (I was completely mind-blown and had to rewind the first time, to check that I was reading the subs correctly)
While C-fluff often has at least one character that is kind but annoys me, this c-fluff has not a single one of those characters. Don't get me wrong all the characters are not lovable but what I love to hate about this drama is the presence of the aggravating characters that truly make you curse and want to do things you should not do. Adding to the emotional palett this drama offers.
All in all a decent watch, easy to watch some cringe, some fluff, some anger and some pure happiness and girl power!
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King of Cringe and Kisses
This is one of those dramas that is so hard to rate as some parts are so annoying and cringey they made me want to cover my eyes, skip, throw up, yell oh come on this is just stupid... While at the same time offering me some of dreamlands hottest kissing scenes, fun references to dramas passed and well Junho entering in slow mo wearing a suit, by suites I mean a lot of suits and a lot of scenes making me wonder if the makers of this drama where trying to check how many slow mo shots of Junho in a suit are to many... And well they tried their best but nee I am sure they could have fit in more of them and it would have only made this better.In between the awful and the amazing there was a decent cliche story done mostly good, with mostly predictable twists a slight attempt to talk about some issues without really exploring the issues... All kind of meeh. But then agin we were offered some pretty amazing shots, nice music and mostly lovable leads with friends to die for (even if there stories and characters where annoying and over the top at times all characters had their moments of decency and greatness.
For some reason I find myself comparing this drama to Hometown Cha Cha Cha, and while it does have moments as cringy as the ones in there not a single one of the characters is as annoying as the people in Cha Cha. And while the FL in Cha Cha takes a turn to the annoying this one is mostly good from start to finish. what Cha Cha had that this one did not have was a beautiful bromance. But while Cha Cha truly took a dive from fun to oh my let this embarrassment end , this dramas journey of annoying cringe and greatness was more of a roller coaster type thing.
So if you love watching Junho in slow mo in a suit, steamy wet kissing scenes and can handle some cringe and annoying elements this is a really good watch.
P.S there was also a small referens to pretty women hidden in there....
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Could have been really good if only....
Take one great Earth, mix it with Mix... add some beautiful scenery, food, an ok story, toss it in a blender with annoying characters and make one of the leads hyper annoying and what do you get?Well this...
The acting is what I would expect of the two leads, spot on and well preformed. The chemistry is out of this Earth and the kisses are definitely sweet n' hot, no dead fish in sight... The boys swap is done pretty well without tp many annoying gestures or odd acting. However While Korn (Earth) is written as this great person that is easy to fall in love with. Win (Mix) is the complete opposite... giving us opposites attract but in the oh so wrong way that I found myself feeling bad for Korn and wishing he would fall in love with someone nice or at least less annoying. Win is loud, selfish, rude... and well everything bad, which can at times be entertaining. Here he is just annoying...
Lin (the sister whose body has been taken over, Jan) is portrayed as this super weak girl if it reflects on all women or not is not easy to say bit the women in this show are rather weak, or selfish and mean or both. Lin is however pretty sweet, just very week and again not in a very good way...
Doc (White) and the different monks rocked most of the time, there was not a lot of logic there but hey it has a supernatural theme so of course we can not expect everything to make sense...
Bingeablilaty: 8
Chemistry: 10
Kisses: 10
Annoying characters: 9999999
Twits: not as predictable as I would expect so a 9
All in all an ok watch, could have been really good but well making one of the leads highly annoying does kind of drag down the fun...
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An awesome female lead followed around by a love sic puppy and a whole lot of meeh
I would like to thank the double speed option for without it I would not have gotten though to the end... In this story where pretty cool female lead divorces en idiot only to attract a bunch of more or less obsessed boys/men instead of just being left alone with her passion.The men in this drama are mostly awful some have their good shots and great loos but their characters make no sense what so ever and there is not a single man in this that I was not highly annoyed by and did not want to throw something at at least once in this drama. Yes that includes the male lead, who is of course gorgeous, sweet and has a lot going for him... he just needs a huge lesson in priorities and respecting peoples boundaries.. His dad has some issues but is probably the least infuriating character in the whole drama. The male leads best friend is the one male that actually experiances character growth and goes from making me want to punch some sense in to him to thinking, heeey that guy ain´t that bad.
Oh and do not get me started on the teens who are about to graduate from university put are portrayed like really immature 4th grades just with a motorcycle, not to mention the mother ho was also portrayed like an imature kid.
That said the 2nd female lead rocked, and the female lead was really cool 905 of the time, I loved her characters personality, the acting was good and her lines where mostly awesome.
The cinematography is good and there is one good line in this about not needing to compare ones weaknesses to another persons strengths.
The pacing is awful and something tells me they had to cut a bunch of scenes here and there without thinking about how it affects the story as a whole. The predictability in the drama is so high i found myself thinking oh here we go again... and oh come on not that annoying twist...
The only thing that kept me going to the end was Xiao Zhans smile the second couple and the female leads wittiness.... Without them I would have given this an even lower score.
Also I am not really sure this qualifies as a romance.... it is more of a love sick puppy holds on to girl and just wont let go....
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Start of with a mist of mystery but ends up kind of meeh
What do you get when you combine a Lovely Cast, a predictable plot, Cringe and a whole lot of annoying elements?Well I guess you get a whole lot of watchers who want to enjoy this but end up just felling meeh... Was it worth my time? probably not? Was it bad? Not really... it just lacked that spark that could have made up for all the annoying elements that would make me go oh all is forgiven.
The drama starts off with a mist of mystery, a male lead who is some kind of Korean Phantom of the Opera with mostly mental scars, meets a supernatural... Our male lead has this mysterious unavailable charm that was almost captivating however once he took off the mask the mystery was kind of gone and all that remained was a beautiful face with a whole lot of cringe.
Our female lead had so many monologs I found myself bored off my mind and the people around them where 50 shades of annoying with one pretty good lookin Ahjusssi and well that is.
The story while predictable had a lot of good hidden inside and the good cast kept me from dropping this and stands for all the good so while I admit this was not the most enjoyable watch of the week, I still feel that the good does accumulate to a 7 ... So if you do not mind over the top annoying elements and love the leads in this it may just be a really good choice. But if you are just a fan of the leads you may just want to skip this.
Also will someone PLEASE give Seo Ji Hon a good romance where he is the male lead... Seriously this is getting ridiculous.
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