KassyFan27

An epic romance fantasy done right!

I have a short attention span and am very critical. I usually watch jdramas that run max 10 episodes at 24 min. each. So very quick dramas. It takes an exceptional show to keep my attention beyond that. I have, however, watched some really great cdramas that were so addicting I didn't even realize I had watched 30-50 1hr. long episodes.
This is where Love between Fairy and devil come in. This show was my first xianxia drama and the bar has been set very high. I binged all 36 episodes in a few days and finished today. I couldn't stop watching, it was perfection, and I didn't want it to end. I could actually watch another thirty plus episodes about Orchid and Dongfang Qing Cang. It was hands down the best drama I've watched in 2022!
I loved everything about this drama. From the character development, forbidden slow burn love story, to the costumes, and amazing CGI. Also, this show's OST was one of the most beautiful I've heard and fit scenes so well. Every character comes to life here and I found myself growing attached to all of them.
The acting in this drama was amazing as well. Everyone did a phenomenal job with their roles. I had never seen the fl actress that plays Orchid in anything before this, but she really blew me away with her performance. She had several character shifts in this story and she acted them out flawlessly. Plus, she had great chemistry with the ml and 2nd ml. I also want to give mention to the actor that played Dongfang Qing Cang's brother. He was awesome as the semi-villain character. Lastly, a stand out of course was Dylan Wang as Dongfang Qing Cang. He never dissapoints. I, like a lot of others have been a fan of his since his debut in Meteor Garden. I thought back then although he was so young that he had a lot of potential and then I later saw him in the drama The Rational Life (which I highly recommend btw) and it just solidified how talented and versatile of an actor he is. I think he is the king of facial expressions and he really outdid himself in Love between Fairy and Devil. And since as I write this review it's Dec. 20th, I want to wish Dylan a happy 24th birthday. Its been great seeing him grow as an actor :D

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Cotton candy fluffy goodness

So, one of my favorite dramas of all time is "A Love so Beautiful" (2017) and I watch it at least once a year. I've been looking for a similar drama about friendship and first/only love and nothing came close until I watched When I fly towards you. I absolutely love this drama and watched all 24 episodes in a few days. Now some might be wondering if When I fly towards you is a carbon copy of A love so Beautiful and in short the answer is no. Both are youth dramas that cover teen up to adult years. Both have a fl that has a massive crush on the ml. Both can be considered slice of life and have a group of 5 friends with two being females and 3 being males. This is where the similarities end though. In WIFTY the Female lead Su Zai Zai (ZaiZai) falls in love at first sight with the male lead Zhang Lu Rang (RangRang). However, unlike in A love so Beautiful and many other youth dramas, the ml falls for the fl from their first encounter as well. So instead of the typical scenario of the fl pining over a ml that shows little or no interest in her, Lu Rang shows how much he cares for Zai Zai from the beginning. Their crushes and feelings for each other are mutual, developing as a healthy friendship that turns into more as time goes by. They also each have their own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to academics and help one another get better at their subjects by tutoring each other. I thought this was sweet and very rare in dramaland. Usually the ml is a genius and the fl is considered dumb, failing all her subjects etc. Often ml is calling her an idiot and the fl agrees. You get none of that in WIFTY. Zai Zai is outgoing, has her own interests outside of her crush (She keeps a film diary throughout series), gets good grades, and is exceptional in English/language. And Lu Rang isn't a 2D genius that knows everything. He is at first very shy, negative with low self esteem (before meeting his friends) due to being constantly compared to his younger prodigy brother. He is exceptional in science but weak with English. In other words the two leads are realistic.

I will now list what I loved most about this drama and what made it unique:
*Shows great friendship with a group that grows up together on screen.
*Felt attached to 2nd leads as well
*No unnecessary drama
* A feel good cutesy drama that never borders on annoying
*Cool alternative dreamy soundtrack that fit the scenes of the series (I never tired of listening to it)
*I really liked the slow mo scenes and cinematography
*THERE ARE NO LOVE TRIANGLES (HALLELUJAH)
*We as the audience get to see not only the fl fall for the ml, but the ml fall for the fl more and more with each episode.
*There are so many cute romantic scenes in this drama that I was smiling like a school girl, which is I guess the point of a drama like this. It brought me back to innocent first crushes I had in highschool.
*Well developed characters and their family life etc. You could get a good idea of each character's motivations and why they might feel a certain way. For example, we find out why Lu Rang is so quiet and doesn't think highly of himself.
*Such good pacing that this drama even at 24 episodes is bingeworthy
*And lastly, Zai Zai and Lu Rang are the most compatible cutest couple I've seen on screen in a long time.

Rating: 10/10

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"Oh my little girl..."

Damn this drama was a gut-wrenching rollercoaster. It tugs at your heart and won't let go! I cried so many times throughout, and I normally don't get that emotional. I guarantee you will shed a tear whenever Yutaka Ozaki's song "Oh my little girl" plays. The characters are so well written that you feel they are real. The two main leads played by Suzuki Honami and Mikami Hiroshi acted the hell out of their parts. Their transition and degradation of character is shown perfectly.

I had never seen a female lead quite like Mariya before. She was a chain-smoking leather jacket wearing tom boy bad a** by day and a beautiful hostess by night. Tough but with a heart of gold. It wasn't easy to pull one over on her because she was also street smart. Multi-faceted like people are in real life. Shiro was a male lead I had not seen before. He was everything Mariya wasn't, weak, prideful, and easily lead by others. A self described "Robot" until he met Mariya. They were the most unlikely pair coming from different worlds joined together by fate. Two lonely, tortured souls colliding into one another like a car crash. The side characters Nana, Jun, and Kamiya are just as well written as the leads. They are all flawed. In need of love like us all. Scarred literally and figuratively by this cruel world. I won't give any of the story's plot away since there are so many twists and turns. This drama is an experience that shouldn't be told but viewed.

Symbolism throughout including Christian imagery and a bird adequately named Blue. Everything has a purpose in this layered complex masterpiece. Haunting, dark, and raw similar to the 1993 drama Kou Kou Kyoushi (written by the same screenwriter),
Kono no Hate will leave you wrecked and thinking about it long after the final credits roll. I understand what people mean when they say the 90s produced the best Japanese dramas and they don't make em' like they used to.

Rating:
10/10

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A snoozefest about a Mary Sue and her two wet blanket suitors.

This was a chore to get through. I'll list this as the worst drama of 2022. It felt more like a bad kdrama. All the unique creative dialogue/storylines usually found in jdramas were replaced with gloss and superficiality in Animals. I was nodding off at times out of boredom. Aside from the promising first episode, nothing interesting or engaging happens. Minute by minute details about developing projects within a cheesy beauty company is not what I would consider entertainment.

Some things I hated:

One dimensional characters:
They were happy and smiling all the time to the point that I was surprised they didn't break out in song. Female lead is the quintessential Mary Sue character where she is always nice, always pleasant, good at everything except keeping herself upright and walking in a straight line, average in the looks department but men flock to her anyway. She annoyed the hell out of me! The two male leads that vie for her attention are no better. Both have zero personality and could literally be replaced with cardboard cut outs and none would be the wiser. And how creepy was it that the fl leaves one company where her boss overworked her to the point of collapse and then gets hired by another company where the boss is hitting on her and trying to get a date. Eww. It's seen in this show as romantic when it is anything but..

Also, the styling in this drama is some of the worst I've seen. It's ironic when this show is made out to be hip, sleek, and cool. Women and men look like they haven't washed their hair in weeks due to too many products weighing it down. As a result, every character had greasy lifeless styled hair. Make up was nothing to write home about either and often characters looked sickly and washed out. Wardrobe was atrocious as well especially the clothes for the female lead. She rather as well had been in a potato sack and high heels.

Lastly, the cover poster for this drama is misleading as all get out. Anyone looking at it would think this will be a spicy enjoyable romp of a show for mature audiences and not another run of the mill saccharine sweet office drama. I feel like I've been punked lol.

I rate this a 1.5.

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A Slice of Life done right!

If you're like me, you think the slice of life genre is generally overrated and boring. However, there is something very special about this drama that sets it apart from the others. It has become one of my favorites and I can see myself re-watching this gem and never growing tired of it. In two words: It's real. From the natural dialogue to the way romance is portrayed, everything in this drama feels real. You feel like an additional friend sitting with this diverse group of characters in the back yard of a dying sweets shop. It doesn't feel like the actors are acting. It's that natural! I've never seen a drama encapsulate "life" so well...all the ups and downs, joy and pain. This show has zero melodrama or pretentiousness, just the way I like it. The ending song is amazing too and perfectly fits. As a fan of Odagiri Joe, I decided to check this drama out and I'm so glad I did.

Rating:
10/10

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More mature and darker than show..

I just finished Cheese in the Trap the series a day ago, and I wrote a very positive review (please check it out lol) and now I'm back with the movie version. You could say I'm hooked with this story. Cheese in the Trap the Movie is more dark, disturbing, and violent than it's predecessor. It focuses on the psychological side of the story and the crimes against women by men, such as stalking and assault. Like I warned with my review of the series, if you are looking for a fluffy cotton candy romance, Cheese in the trap is probably not for you. There is however far more cute romantic scenes in the series than in the movie. In fact, there is hardly any romantic scenes in the film. I recall only one kiss scene between the two leads and it was filmed from a distance.

Park Hae Jin reprises his role as the deceptively charming sociopath, Yoo Jung. This time around he plays Jung creepier with more edge. He gives a bone chilling performance and there were times I was actually scared. Was I watching a horror? There were two scenes that were my favorite in the whole movie. The first scene is when Yoo Jung is walking Seol back to her dorm. He smiles as she turns and walks into her building. When she is out of view, Jung's whole face changes and his mask comes off to reveal the eerie apathetic person he really is. It's all in the eyes with this scene. Park's eyes go from warm and loving to soulless like a shark, equal parts calculating, and cold. It's amazing acting. The other part of the film that was my favorite was when Jung was at a shooting range and another scene is shown simultaneously of one of his cat and mouse revenge games being played out as he had planned. His victim doesn't know what hit them and when Jung gets his target back at the shooting range it shows that every gunshot he made was a bulleye to the chest. This was an artful clever way to show Jung's brutality and that he never loses. He shoots to kill and never waivers. This scene was brilliantly accompanied by classical music. So it is safe to say Park Hae Jin nailed this character yet again. This is what you call perfect casting. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for any of the other characters in this film including the actress that played the female lead Hong Seol. She gives a very weak performance and I partially blame the script. It doesn't even seem like the same Seol from the series. Weak, pathetic, and not all there. It was like the lights were on but no one was home. Absolutely awful. I also really hated how they styled the female lead's hair. Seol is called "dog fur" by In Ho (2nd ml) because she's supposed to have wild frizzy curly red hair. This movie version Seol basically has straight hair with a slight wave at the ends so In Ho's endearing nickname doesn't even make sense here. Anyway, there are way too many issues I have with this movie to list them all, but I'll name a few...too many characters and not enough time to flesh them out, a non cohesive storyline, poor casting, rushed underdeveloped romantic relationship with the two leads etc.

And yet I rate this a 7.5. With all its faults, I still think Cheese in the Trap (movie) is worth watching. It's missing a lot and might be hard to follow if one hasn't watched the series first though. It has glimpses of genius and is a notable addition to the original webtoon story.

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An unsettling watch

This movie has a run time of almost 3 1/2 HOURS! Yup, you heard right. A movie this long better be a masterpiece to make up for it's length and A Tender Place is no masterpiece. I wasn't bored but I wasn't moved either.

To sum it up, the movie was filled with every possible scenario of what could have happened to FL's missing daughter. It became tedious real quick. And no answers are ever given. The story ends open ended and you never find out what happened to the missing girl. I hate when movies do this! It's just lazy writing.

Also, FL is a horrible mother and dare I say person. So it makes it hard to care for her grieving. She has an affair for 2 yrs with a client of her husband. And in the throws of passion, with her lover, she blurts out that she would leave her kids for him. Now this woman said this and was having sex while her husband, her lover's wife, and all of their kids are upstairs asleep. She said this knowing someone was lurking outside the door and could hear her. Like what??? Plus, later FL kept pressuring ML to sleep with her and inevitably forced ML to perform a sexual act to her while he was on his death bed and in severe pain from stomach cancer. In my country they'd call that sexual assault. I was disgusted. The only positive about this movie is the acting from the main leads. They were amazing in their roles.

I give this a generous 6.5/10

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A cliche soap opera.

This drama reminded me of those cliched American night time soaps from the 80s, think Dynasty.
*scheming male lead's ex lover that tries to destroy the marriage and get back together with him.
Check!
*Backstabbing very wealthy tycoon family
Check!
*gaudy wardrobe and bad wigs (fl I'm looking at you)
Check!
*unsolved murder
Check!
*illegitimate child
Check!
*Knife wielding grandma
Check, check,check!
And you get the picture. This drama has marriage in the title but there is little to no romance. Too bad because the little we see of the main actors together shows they have good chemistry. There are far too many scenes where the leads aren't even in the same room. There's just a lot of family drama and it gets tedious and boring at times. The female lead's grandpa will piss you off too I'm sure. Grandpa spends all of the money his daughter makes on gambling to the point where she has to work two jobs, one of them as a hostess at a club. Yikes!
Also, the 2nd male lead is the biggest tool. He forcefully tries to kiss the married female lead not once but twice! The 2nd time while he knows she's pregnant. Double yikes! To make it even weirder, he at one point asks to punch the male lead...like why? Because he couldn't finish making advances on his wife??
He also says to the fml that she can't sleep around him because he won't be able to control his urges. They both then laugh it off...that was a wtf moment for sure.
A few more things I didn't like:
*I thought it was odd that they made it out like the female lead was leading the 2nd male lead on and she even apologized. She had nothing to be sorry for.
*I hate when dramas have 2nd lead female psycho b*tch syndrome. This one has it bad!
*The last thing that bugged me was how the family issues including MURDER were just swept under the rug in the final episode and they're all just one big happy family now. Ugh!

So why did I still give this show a 7/10? Well honestly, because for what is, it was still quite enjoyable. I actually like soap operas so I'm very much used to the crazy drama and highly unrealistic plot lines. Dramas like these are trashy but can be good haha.

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An autumn romance

You know when the seasons change from summer to fall, the air is crisp, and the color of the leaves on the trees are just about to change? It's perfect but fleeting. Well that's what this drama reminds me of. It's very cozy like a cup of coffee in your favorite cafe on a perfect autumn day..from the music, to the sephia tones, close up/long shots, smart wardrobe, and it's overall classy mature aesthetic. This drama is visually a masterpiece, a work of art.

The writing is equally as impressive. In the brief time alloted, the male leads love story is told. And what a romantic beautiful story it is.
Old fashion cupcake never feels rushed and somehow takes it's time with development. The acting is some of the best I've seen in a drama. Both leads had such amazing chemistry. The tension, the emotion, and flirtation between the two felt believable and real from start to finish. I loved everything about this drama and give it a solid 10/10.

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When abuse is romanticized

I found Mr. Plankton to be one of the most toxic shows I have watched in a long time, which is why I decided to write this review. Maybe someone out there can find this review helpful when deciding to watch a show that frankly does not deserve the high rating it has received on this site. Some might even find a lot of the elements from this show to be triggering and disturbing, I know I did. I will list to the best of my ability the many things I came across after only watching 3 episodes of this series.

The Female Lead:
She is horribly written as a simpleton. She has no agency of her own. The two men on the show control her decisions, her actions. She is shown most of the time to be hysterical/ screaming, kicking, and flailing her arms about. Having tantrums like a small child. One of her first scenes is a ridiculously over the top one where she has a hysterical fit in what looks like a funeral parlor after finding out she's going through menopause early. I was about to stop watching the show right there. She has this tantrum because she is set to marry her fiance, who happens to be from an elite family. She cannot bear his child and so the world has ended for her. Her whole purpose in life, therefore, is reduced to a man continuing his bloodline. Her ex, the ml, kidnaps her on her wedding day and she again has no purpose or motivation of her own. She is at the whim of her captor and what he wants. We the viewer, never get any insight on her character. She is very much a 2D prop for the male lead and 2nd male lead of the show.

The Male Lead:
This male lead is one of the most despicable character's I've come across in recent years. He reminds me of toxic male leads found in some of the worst 90s/00s dramas...Boys over Flowers, anyone? I thought we had gotten past the abusive/sexist stories of yesteryear, where the fl is grabbed by force into a car and it's considered romantic. Judging by the comment section of Mr. Plankton and the many positive reviews, I guess not. What a pity. Anyway, back to this particular male lead. He is abusive, cunning, and overall unlikable. I couldn't find one redeeming quality about him, which is a problem when the show makes it out that we should care about him dying.

Some of the things ML does in only the first 3 ep:
*Broke up with Female lead in the past in a cruel manner saying she's "No fun."
*Kidnaps FL on her wedding day. Picks her up like a rag doll when she says no. Her head hits something and she is knocked out unconscious. FL is in her captor's car still unconscious as he drives away. Her head repeatedly bumps the window and it's shown as comical when it's anything but.
*FL tries to escape several times in the second episode and ML won't let her. He controls when and where she eats. What clothes she will wear etc.
*In 3rd episode, ML ties FL to a table with a cord so she can't escape. This scene again is shown in a light comical way.
*Took one of female lead's shoes and tossed it on a roof. Gave her slippers to wear, making her vulnerable and harder for her to escape.
*ML starts a fight with a restaurant family after they gave them food and a place to sleep.
*ML constantly teases and mocks FL and s*xually harasses FL with taunts
*ML grabs FL and forces her in a car after he sees fiance has found them
*Fiance points taser gun at ML and ML grabs FL and puts her in front of himself as a shield.
*Episode 3 ends with ML grabbing FL's wrist once again and saying he will never let her go.

Object vs. Subject:
Male lead at the end of episode 3 claims to the FL, "You're mine." Now remember this is after he kidnapped this woman, dragged her into his mess of a life, and repeatedly manhandled her. He clearly see's the FL as an object he must possess and not a human being. The problem is that the show sees the female lead in the same way and even encourages it. This scene at the end of the episode is made to seem like this kind of behavior is romantic and not the horror sh!t show it actually is. The writing and tone for this show is so problematic that it's hard to put into words. To sum it up, the male lead is always the subject and the female lead is merely the object...This is the story of an unlikable abusive a$$hole that kidnaps an ex and forces her on a road trip to find his real father. I guess we viewers are like the FL, where we are just along for the ride and should feel compassion for the ML because he happens to be dying. Fck that!

Dropped
Rating: 1/10

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Another Kdrama grossly overrated on this site. As I write this, it is 8.6/10 with over 1000 people accumulated. Like really??! Male lead actor looks like Cha Eun Woo's 2nd cousin and the girlies fall like a puddle on the floor. I don't get it!

No one notices how sub-par the writing is? No one notice how confusing and similar the fl lie/truth bells are? No one noticed all the chance meetings that take place to a ridiculous degree? Leads end up in the same apartment building (apartment b. Is huge with an elevator for several floors, but ml moves right next door to fl. What are the odds? Plus their balconies happen to be side by side). Fl wishes to see ml and magically he happens to be walking right in front of her store. Ml gets out of car at the exact moment fl is leaving apartment building. Fl happens to stop by at a jazz club ml regularly plays the piano at and of course this is the night he's there. No one in a city would run into each other like this. Heck they wouldn't even run into each other like this in a small village. Leads have been in Seoul for 5 years and managed just fine to never cross paths. But suddenly to drive the plot forward in this story they by chance come across each other daily?? Wtf? Also, the cliche Kdramas refuse to let go of where ml and fl know each other in the past is beyond over the hill. This is just lazy writing plain and simple. You have to turn your brain off with a lot of these shows I swear...I mean you know it's bad when you got the female lead legit hopping like a bunny in front of the male lead.

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The Unwatchable

If you were on social media in 2019 then undoubtedly you came across fans raving about the Untamed. Seriously you would have thought it was the 2nd coming of Christ with the way some were acting. I've never seen anything like it then or even till this day. I heard praise such as "this is the best Asian drama ever!!!" Of course being a drama lover I was interested. So color me surprised when I sat down to watch this show back in 2019 and couldn't understand a damned thing. It was messy, it was campy, and oh so childish. It started with an ending scene with ZERO explanation and went straight into a mind numbingly boring flashback that lasts apparently 30+ episodes. WTF??! Plot, what's that? Character development?..the untamed does not know her. CGI?? Complete sh!t. Acting? Abysmal and amateurish. Sluggish pace with 100s of characters introduced as their names briefly flashes on the screen making the viewer, or I should say me, even more confused. I gave up and dropped the Untamed.

What was going on? Was I in some polar universe? Why couldn't I see what it seemed everyone else sees in this show? I had these questions as I over the years tried to find any criticism about this show on the internet. Anyone that felt the same way that I did. And you know what, I found none. The untamed had broke another record of being the only drama that gets perfect praises no matter where you look. It has no "one star" reviews on imdb, which is unheard of. Almost all 10 star reviews on this website and is still ranked as one or the highest scored dramas on mdl. Quite a feat. And I know what this drama and it's fans reminded me of...it is comparable to a really crappy Kpop song, where the fans are so ardent and forceful with their beliefs that the song is amazing, it inevitably scares anyone from speaking their mind and giving criticism to a mediocre product. It unfortunately happens all the time in fandoms, and the untamed is no different. What I learned was that this show starred two famous pretty boys that were already idols. The untamed show comes from a massively popular spicy bl webstory. And speaking of bl, we outside the bl fandom know how gung ho followers of that genre can be. With all mentioned, it starts to make sense to me why this below average drama is so popular and overrated!

Just look at the positive reviews fans give of this show. A popular mention is how pretty the two leads are. The leads eye staring contest had their heart in a flutter. How cute one of the leads are with rabbits?? Tell me this doesn't sound like a vapid teenager talking about her fav boyband. I'm too old for that sh!t. "Cute" boys glancing at each other does not a good drama make lol. And after three attempts of trying to give the untamed a chance, I'm done. No more. I've been told to hold on and that it gets really good at episode 33. Episode 33!!!? B!tch I could have watched 3 masterpiece jdramas in that time and had room to spare. If a show takes 33/50 episodes to get interesting then maybe just maybe the show is hot garbage. Just a thought...

Rating: 1/10

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Kdrama stans on this site get your pitchforks ready, because I'm going to have to rip "Extraordinary attorney Woo" a new one with this negative review.

This show was really cheesy and corny, which a lot of Kdramas are unfortunately guilty of. Always trying too hard to pull at the viewers heartstrings and be funny. Very low brow. I said what I said!

Attorney Woo is an unrealistic portrayal of autism. With horribly exaggerated stereotypes and you could feel the main lead actress struggle to portray this character, with her forced looks and cutesy quirks. Fl seemed more slow and child-like than an actual genius. One wonders how on earth did she graduate from a top law school if she can't even walk through a revolving door smdh. Utterly ridiculous! I have noticed this same ignorant portrayal of autism in other Korean dramas. "It's okay to not be okay" anyone?? But the difference is this drama has this "autistic" character as the main lead and not a background character. And in Kdrama land that means a cringy potrayal of an over grown person acting like a 5 year old that just dropped their lolly pop for 16 excruciating episodes. Some are stronger than I, because I could not do it, and dropped this drama.

I did however skim future episodes and it looks like this show is your typical procedural law show with new cases and clients each episode. Boring! I get enough of that at home with American dramas lol. And you can tell the creators of Attorney Woo thought they were doing something different and groundbreaking. I imagine the writers meeting going something like this.
Writer A: "Let's do a procedural law show "
Writer B: "But that's typical and been done to death!"
Writer A: "But this would be a procedural with a twist. The main character is a young female lawyer, but...dunn..dunn...dunn..she's autistic!"
Writer C: "My God man, you're a genius!"
Writer A: "hehe I know." *devilish grin*

Oh and we all know a Kdrama wouldn't be a Kdrama without you guessed it ROMaNcE!! Who cares if it's thrown in as an afterthought, adding nothing to the plot. It will be forced down the viewers throat every damn time whether they like it or not, and Att. Woo is no exception. I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't a second couple that no one gives 2 fcks about included in this show too. But alas, I will never know...

Dropped
Rating: 1/10.

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