bedofroses

Such a simple, heartfelt and beautiful story

I love this! A perfect slice-of-life watch.

The story is perfect. The perfect amount of flashbacks, a good balance of romance, the mystery is not dragged unnecessarily, that small town vibe and family bonding, a unique friendship between the five cute leads and discovering yourself. It is such an easy, pleasurable and happy watch with the perfect amount of comedy and feelings within.

The acting is fantastic by all the people. I've seen other small town-based shows but none of them had an accent quite like this one where everyone was speaking so well that you could tell it's a different place. I did get a little cultural shock by just how loud the ML came across tbh, but it did not put me off. All of them have taken all their roles quite nicely and delivered them well. Lee Joo Seung never disappoints in any role he takes on tbh, and he was great here as well. I have not seen many of the main leads and was very satisfied with their roles as well!

The way this show has understood and depicted the meaning of one's dreams and how achieving them brings a sense of fulfilment is quite nice but my favourite part has been the kind of relationships they show throughout, whether it be between family, neighbours or friends. I like how there exists a support system of sorts and how it helps the individuals march forward. Equally nice is how they tackle the concept of rumours widely prevalent in such small towns. I really really liked it.

I think it is very underrated and the rating here should be above 9, for sure! Do not hesitate before giving this a chance, this is a beautiful piece of work that will not let you down.

Read More

Good start but a let down in the second half; seemed forced romance

This is only my third or fourth ever Japanese drama and maybe that's why my rating is affected but I'm just not able to get into Jdramas.

The entire drama felt rushed to me, but I don't know how to explain it because, at the same time, it also felt quite repetitive to me. Both of these are opposite ends which is what confuses me. I felt the FL's job scenes were so overdone, extra and not needed in that frequency given the length of the show which is why I call it repetitive. The show could've easily done without them. But at the same time, the story between them was so rushed as if they just had to somehow wrap it up and end it because they have a limit on episodes.

I actually quite enjoyed the beginning where the story was building and the FL's transition to love was quite smooth. But the ML's transition to leave seemed rather forced to me. I also did not enjoy the entire sequence with the SIL look-alike.

Safe to say my favourite character has been Yuito. He's been a good friend to Akiha throughout and also somewhat to Momose. He was a hilarious and well-thought-out character. Other than him, I did not see depth in any character, not even the leads to that extent.

As good as the first half was (probably an 8), the second half was just a letdown. The entire relationship seemed forced and then suddenly the remarriage to which she was so opposed, I don't know, does not make any sense to me.

Maybe I just don't understand the format of Jdramas or maybe this was just not a good one. I don't know. I would say this is easily skippable.

Read More

Started strong but what an annoying and stupid ending, can't even

This was a show that was going pretty strong for me - both in terms of the story and the acting and then suddenly the story did a whole 180-degree turn in the last 30 minutes and fucked the entire thing up.

1. The story while nice and engaging, did have many loopholes. However, the engaging aspects of it were good enough to keep me fascinated throughout that I could easily overlook the irregularities. There were many issues of consistency like Hwi’s brother often mentioned but nobody really knows what happened to him and then you suddenly see him for like 2 minutes without any context whatsoever. Similarly, in the entire arc of Hwi’s parents, god knows what happened to them.

2. I quite enjoyed the acting of everyone. Have always liked Ong Seong Wu and he totally did not disappoint. I have not seen the FL much and hence was not expecting much going into it, but even she was good. But my favourite people have to be Kang Ki Young, Moon Bin (miss him so much, so many feelings while watching this show, I definitely cried watching him) and Lee Seung Min. This show has some stellar acting and the actors have done justice to the script. What is lacking is the story, not the acting.

3. What I did like was that other than the last episode, we saw stories for all the characters and it was fun. There were lots of cliches, just like you would expect from a school romance, but the overarching subplot of cheating and the teacher was enthralling. I have to say that Oh has been my favourite character in the entire show and I absolutely loved Kang Ki Young’s acting. He is absolutely brilliant and that seems to be a theme for most of his work. He is such a stellar actor.

4. I loved the bond between Oh and Jun Woo but come on, I was expecting him to be more involved with the other students too. In that sense, when he supported Hwi in his own way, that was some redemption for me, which is why this is one character I loved to absolute bits.

5. My frustration lies with just how SHITTY OF AN ENDING the show has. First of all, however emotional the character arc of Jun Woo’s mother is, it was unnecessary, the move was not needed and the ending does not make any sense whatsoever. Did he not take the bus? Did he eventually leave? Did he stay? Do the leads end up together? Like, you need to give me some sense of closure. There are open endings, but this seemed incomplete to me, not even open. In open endings, there is still some closure where things are clear but here all I’m left with is confusion. It is all imagination, which is where I have major issues. This has affected most of my viewing experience greatly.

Good one-time watch, though!

Read More

What a beautiful piece of work that just feels like a warm hug

This show is such a positive breeze of tranquillity and calmness that is reflected in the setting, story and acting. First things first, the story is well written, keeps you hooked and engaged and does not get boring or stretched out at any point. So while some people feel like there could've been more, I feel it is the perfect length and I'm happy that it is not stretched to include unnecessarily old and boring tropes. They have nicely depicted the calmness of a rather rural setting, the kind of bonds you find there which are rather difficult to find in your average city life and I have loved the entire concept of a rather simple living and enjoying your life, the harsh reality our female lead faces after facing certain setbacks in life. I also quite enjoyed the storyline with the boss and the brother, for once I did not see the female lead being stepped upon left right and centre by all the possible characters. She stood her ground. Hence, the story has been well written in these aspects. I also quite enjoyed how the whole thriller aspect of it was not overdone and was easily hashed out. Sometimes, shows get so entangled in it that you fall short on everything else in the show, in this case, the simplicity of life in general. So, the balance between the genres was perfect, for me.

Secondly, I quite enjoyed the acting of all the people involved. There was no one I found overbearing or expressionless. I've thoroughly enjoyed the journey of these 12 episodes with these brilliant actors who have wonderfully portrayed these characters, some of whom, I've grown to absolutely love. I also quite like the character development of some of the people like Kim Bom and Ji Young. These were slightly different characters, very well written and nicely portrayed. Though, special mention to a.mond and Kim Yo Han for their stellar acting, I've become a fan!

Overall, I'm quite happy with the show and I've already watched it twice without skipping. I like such shows that provide me a respite from the otherwise overdone and usual tropes and hence this is a very peaceful watch for me. I wish more people find solace in this show and come across this quite underrated gem of work. A must-watch as per me!

Read More

Lots of medical drama, slow beautiful romance and brilliant character development

Medical dramas are my kryptonite so much that I think most of my favourite shows are medical shows. Similarly, I did not find much to fault in this show as well. Having watched this over ten times, I like various aspects of this show and find quite little to crib about.

Some of my favourite aspects are:
1. The brilliant acting by almost the entire crew. There were very few characters that irritated me, tbh. Ha Ji Won has always impressed me with her works and I was so happy to see her, but oh my god, I was so surprised with Min Hyuk. As a BOICE, I was so happy to see him deliver so well. I have heard of him so much but this was the first show where I saw him and he has done complete justice to his character.
2. I like how the romance was subtle but there. The emotional support provided and companionship portrayed here is brilliant while giving personal space to each other. Found many green flags in their relationship and that is what makes me happy.
3. The amount of medical drama I get to watch, I love it.
4. Character development of most characters, but especially Jae Gul and Eun Jae. You see them grow so much into better and more understanding human beings who can overcome the darkness and look to a brighter future, I love it.
5. The bond that you see between all the colleagues of the hospital ship. Working in corporate, it is not easy to relate but when you work in such a small space with limited supplies and the same people all the time, it is bound to feel like family. And that was portrayed very well here.

Now what I don't like
1. While I really like Jae Gul's character and the acting, I'm so annoyed with the unnecessary love triangle. That storyline was not needed at all. Well, at least we get some redemption in the form of his easy acceptance of his fate and his immense help to the lead characters and couple. But nonetheless, even the two episodes of his baseless love (I mean there is quite literally no basis to it, however cute it might be) annoyed me a bit.
2. The ending of Yeong Eun - she deserved to be outed as a liar who has been unnecessarily gaining sympathy and acting as a lame and horrible human being.
3. Quite a lot of tropes are introduced. The show could've done with a little less drama.

If you like slow romance, then this is a great watch for you. But if you don't like watching medical things, then it would be better to avoid it as there's lots of it and barely anything else here. All the beautiful individual stories are also built around medicine so I would say that is quite intrinsic to the show.

One of my favs, forever a gem for me!

Read More

An easy, hilarious and beautiful watch through and through

I was quite apprehensive of this show because I do not watch fantasy elements at all like time travel or body swapping or whatever. But I'm glad I saw this (mainly because of Steven Zhang) and this will probably go down as the ONLY body-swapping show I will ever have had the courage to watch but it was just so peaceful and good. No extra unnecessary drama, a sweet and hilarious story, absolutely stellar acting and chemistry and just a brilliant fun mood-uplifting vibe throughout.

The highlight of the show is the superb acting of all the actors, especially Steven Zhang. I've been a fan for such a long time and he totally did not disappoint. The way he enacted when he changed bodies was also superb. I'm more in love with this man. As for the show, this is such an easy, pleasant, cute and uplifting watch. They tackle certain themes nicely without making a super huge deal out of them, so, kudos for that.

I'd seen the comments here because of my averseness to the fantasy element and hence I was prepared for the ending and hence even that did not bother me much, tbh. I was laughing, crying, and swooning with our actors throughout the show. Yes, I literally cried towards the last few episodes and skipped some parts just because I didn't want to hold onto the sadness. What a ride this has been.

My only complaint remains that for the fantastic chemistry we saw throughout the show, the ending was such a letdown and like so mellow. I wanted it to be fun! Also, I'm super annoyed with the mother angle and the importance she gets but I think everyone finds their closure in their own way so if our character found his closure by some magic, who am I to complain?

Also, just FYI and TMI, my favourite character has to be Le Yi without a doubt. What a hilarious and thoughtful character. Loved him!

Read More

I found this to be the most boring show I've seen in the last month or two

I actually love watching business plots but this show had nothing more to it than a boring and way too dragged-out business plot. I have literally fast-forwarded more than 25 episodes of this show. That's how boring it was for me, personally. I'm so angry at the unnecessary 32 episodes, that just adds to one's misery.

There is barely any depth to the characters. More and more side characters keep getting introduced without any proper story or need. Even the love triangle seems to be so forced. It was not at all needed to be extended for 20 long and boring episodes.

The only thing going for this show that allowed me to finish all the 32 not-needed episodes is the beautiful female comradeship shown in the show. I love how women support one another throughout the show whether it be in friendship or work. Very nice to see! Another saviour was the brilliant acting by all the actors. I can't fault them at all. They had great chemistry and skill but the script and direction was just too faulty and did them really bad. I hope I get to see them in a better drama soon!

Read More

A must watch with a brilliant story and first-class acting by all the characters

There are so many things to love in this show.
1. It's an almost perfect watch. A well-written story with great acting from the actors. I did not feel disconnected with any of the characters which goes to show that all of them did a great job.
2. The story in itself is pretty good. For someone who does not know baseball other than the fact that Moneyball was an amazing movie, I did not feel lost even once. Yes, there were terms thrown here and there like ERA (or something) but you don't need to understand them to understand the story. I love that I did not have to learn about the sport to enjoy the drama. It was a perfect depiction of sports management, and I loved it.
3. It is one of my favourite genres: politics (internal politics) and business. I loved watching how they did not bring in fancy tropes, try to unnecessarily bring in some romance or just try to throw off the show using some cliche drama. The focus was clear since the first episode: the show was about a sports team that will be disbanded and how will we prevent that. While sticking to their concept and plot, they depicted various beautiful stories through the different characters and it was a very pleasant and easy watch.
4. I actually enjoyed watching the individual stories of most of these people. This show has made me laugh, cry and be in awe - all at the same time. There was no over-the-top reliance on any one character and equal importance was given to all of them to depict how a team works together and what goes on behind the scenes. It was fun watching that.

While all of this was good, I have two problems with the show which made me deduct some points from the rating:
1. I do not like the demonisation of Kyung Min. If it was my team that was causing me only losses and had such grave mismanagement for multiple years, I would pull out my investment as well. I'm running a business, not a charity. If he was unable to sell the team, he is TOTALLY justified in disbanding the team. His only fault was that he was so muddled up in his own prejudice that he employed the wrong means of achieving his goals. So, this entire comments section seems pretty harsh and unrealistic to me where he is being vilified.
2. Towards the end, it got caught up in so much politics that I did not enjoy the last two episodes much. In fact the end was so underwhelming that I was wondering if it had been conceptualised by the same person who wrote the other 14 episodes. I was also thinking about how childish it seems.

It is a brilliant watch and I believe it is quite underrated looking at its rating here. It is a fresh break from usual rom-com kdramas and is very well acted and narrated. Loved almost every second of watching this one!

Read More

Short, cute and very engaging

First things first, I absolutely like how to the point and straight forward this drama is without having unnecessary cliche plots to extend the episode count.

This feels like a warm hearted hug that envelops you in the cuteness of it all. The actors have all done justice to their roles. I'm new to all of these actors and it was very refreshing to see their work, all have been good. It's cute how all the three love stories are nice, not overdramatic or unreal and have no third party tropes like second leads. As for the third couple, the story itself revolves around her meeting many men, so I don't count that as second lead. It's multiple leads. xD

I also quite enjoyed the friendship between all the people and how their characters developed over time. It is very heartwarming to watch. I also enjoyed the true friendship between the three women and how you see them supporting one another at different times. Though my fav friendship has to be the one between Yoo Shin and Ho Rang. It is hilariously cute.

For a change, we see a cold and aloof female lead as compared to the usual male leads and I quite enjoyed it. They have nicely developed the story and shown her diversity and range. I liked her chemistry with the ML although I would've preferred more hands-on romantic scenes but with her being underage (apparently) at the time of shooting, I'm glad they didn't.

Lastly, I'm at crossroads whether I liked the way they handled the bullying plot or not. At times I feel like it was well handled because it was shown as real as possible with showing the difficult choices victims make when speaking about their experiences. It throws light on how it is not easy to open up and come clean, all of which people think is very easy when they keep asking people to report such issues. However, at the same time, I do not think the FL's attitude and behaviour at most times was justified because of her experiences. She might not be a bully but she definitely comes across as one which is not a good place to be in specially when you've experienced it yourself. There is a thin line between ignorance and arrogance and this one leaned very heavily on arrogance for me which is why this does not get the perfect score from me.

Overall it's a very pleasant and enjoyable watch, 100% recommended. Very underrated. :)

Read More

A medical drama giving Grey's Anatomy vibe with balanced fun, angst, romance and chaebol-ness ?

Growing up in a family of doctors, I have immense fascination and affection for the profession, for which reason I have a slight bias for medical dramas. Not bias in judging, but bias in the priority for watching the show.

I have watched most Chinese, Korean, English and Hindi medical dramas, and there's something about this show here that has brought me back to it several times for a rewatch. This show has now become therapeutic for me, wherein it would play in the background on a hectic day and I would relax to the beautiful melody of "It's Love" by Jungyup. Just the starting beats of the OST have me smiling and I can see every single moment between Hye Jung and Ji Hong flash before my eyes.

I like the character development of Hye Jung, and to be fair, PSH is one of the biggest reasons for me to keep watching this show. That coupled with excellent acting by some characters like Yoon Do, Seo Woo, Soon Hee, and Kang Soo keep me going. Soon Hee plays the role of Hye Jung's best friend beautifully and it is so amazing to see their bond traverse over the years. Similarly, LSK has delivered a powerful performance, like always, to the extent where she made me hate her character the first few times. You see her develop from this aloof personality to this strong woman who learns to prioritise herself, which is commendable. I also quite enjoy the cute and hilarious banter between Ji Hong and Yoon Do, kudos to both KRW and YKS for the amazing bromance!

In terms of the story, I like the swift shift we see in terms of the time period from Hye Jung's high school days to her life as a doctor. I also thoroughly enjoyed the storyline revolving around the grandmother and malpractice issue. What lifts it even more for me is LSK's brilliant portrayal of a person involved in the entire issue in some capacity. I also like how they keep it real by not giving it a fairy tale ending by putting the people behind bars for the main issue (not side issues like embezzlement). Hye Jung's acceptance of the issue and how her character derives peace at the end is very beautiful to watch over the span of the show and makes me happy for her. Totally love the grandmother, granddaughter bond. Though, I believe the show could've done without the unnecessary storyline of the stepmother and stepsister. Maybe even water down the story with the father to some extent. They seem like irrelevant characters to me and hence wasting so much time describing feelings related to them seems like unnecessarily stretching the show to me.

However, it's not all rainbows and sunshine. I am all for "age is just a number" and "age is no bar for love" but I'm just not able to understand the development of romantic feelings between the main leads here. He is a qualified and practicing doctor when he is teaching Hye Jung in high school. Which means she's a minor (if I'm not wrong) and it just gives me quite "pedophile vibes". Although it is not a huge age difference per se, it's just the timing of when it seems to begin that makes me uncomfortable because she was just so young. Although nothing happens, and it doesn't actually begin, so it's all okay. It's just uncomfortable in my head.

Another problem I face is the constant neglect of Ji Hong's feelings by Hye Jun. She seems to be walking all over him for most part of the show which really puts me off. Her aloof character begins to annoy but PSH's beautiful expressions make up for it and do not let me dwell too much into it. However, the shift we see in her character and the growth is commendable, which saves this show from going all downhill for me.

All in all, this is definitely worth a one time watch if you're into dramas with conspiracy, medicine and rom-com. It is not the slow burn or way too fluffy kinda romance, so, please keep that in mind when you go ahead with this wonderful piece of work!

Read More

What nonsense; Super cringe, horrible plot and even more horrible is the acting!

Dropped it at Episode 13, so this review is based on that.

First, I seriously do not understand how this drama is rated anything above 7 considering how some literal masterpieces out there get half the attention than this. Also, I see this listed on no-cliches and healthy romance a lot but I would 100% (politely) disagree. This is as trope-y as any average C/K drama. There is an unnecessarily rude and annoying second female lead who does not take no for an answer and harasses the FL. There is also the overdone trope of age which leads to the FL treating the ML like a doormat. Then you have the brooding SML and this unnamed relationship between him and the FL. If that is not trope-y, I don't know what is.

My biggest problem is with the way the FL acts (in general) and treats the ML. The way the FL just keeps on humiliating him, shouting at him, letting her insecurities get the better of her and lashing out at him is too much and no one should tolerate that, especially under the garb of love. Just because you can't deal with your feelings (coherent or incoherent) you do not get the right to take it out on anyone else, which she does again and again. That's just plain abuse.

Also, I've not seen other works of the actress, but I find her acting here to be extremely horrible. In the sequence where she acts drunk early on, I was getting second-hand embarrassment with her poor acting and how she seemed more paedophile trying to attack the guy than drunk.

I regret wasting even a single minute of my time on this show. It is not worth it and I would not recommend this to anyone. I was willing to drop it at Ep 1 but all these positive comments had me thinking maybe it gets better. Almost halfway through, it DID NOT get even 1% better and was such a painful watch throughout.

I'm giving this a 2 only because I enjoyed He Yu's acting quite a lot. He was quite fit for the role, I only wish the role was better. Whenever he was on screen, it became a little bearable.

Read More

I love the calm, the healing and the slow-burn romance this show brings with it.

Mind you, it is a very slow romance, which I’ve realised is not everyone’s cup of tea. So, one might want to keep that in mind going into this show. But slow or not, it is a beautiful story of love, support and healing and I’m all for it. The show uncovers the demons of our two leads and also the supporting characters like the aunt and mother of our female lead and masterfully shows how they deal with them (successfully or unsuccessfully). I also quite like how they keep the show real. They don’t show some magical healing journey where the characters reach enlightenment at the end of the 16-episode journey. In fact, you don’t see many of the characters getting a proper closure in terms of healing, some of them even run from it but that’s what makes it so relatable - just how human it is. Healing is a journey and they have all started on it and that’s wonderful in itself.

I quite like the chemistry between the leads - it seems very awkward and natural at the same time - just how their characters are supposed to be. I like how they are not overpowering with their support for one another and instead give each other the space to heal and grow as they like instead of forcing them to simply move on. Also, while they respect one another, you see them having their own individualities. For instance, the FL does not forgive her ex-friend (very rightly so) but you see the ML maintain cordial relations and conversation with her instead of being mean to her just for the sake of the FL. I like how that depicts a very healthy take on relationships.

I also quite like the ending. While I acknowledge that running away was not the best move for the FL, that definitely happens in real life and it was endearing to watch her grow from it. I also liked how the ML’s feelings are vocalised about the same and how he seems to complain (rightly) yet does not seem to complain. I don’t know if I’m able to explain it, but it is beautiful.

I am not a journaling person but ML’s cute way of journaling definitely has me interested in the idea. It’s so heartwarming and beautiful. Also, random, but absolutely love the name Irene - it matches the aura of the show so well.

Everything about this show is really great and I would highly recommend this to everyone. It is very heartwarming and endearing.

Read More

This has to be without doubt my favourite one of the series.

I actually saw Jinny's Kitchen first because of Wooga Squad and only later watched all the previous versions now that Season 2 of Jinny's is airing. And I have to say after seeing them all (barring Youn's Kitchen 1), this has stood out the most for me. I absolutely loved the subtler product placement than the other seasons and the genuine relationships they formed in the neighbourhood in this season. We saw some great bonds on all the other seasons too, but they were quite commercialised in a way. Here, you saw genuine friendships between the team and locals, the actual work that goes behind running a restaurant and also how they rallied together to make it a success. Also, this has by far been the only one where I saw someone actually react to the food negatively, which made it much more realistic. They are not professionals and are cooking for people with a different taste palette, of course, they will make mistakes. Love how they recover from that first disaster!

I also quite enjoyed the behind-the-scenes and the amazing chemistry between the team. It has been interesting to get an insight into their day other than the restaurant like the washing fairy Yu Mi and running Seo Jun. Also, the beautiful scenery of Tenerife adds to the charm of this variety show.

My favourite episode was the one with the people from the Square Restaurant. Loved the friendship between these two teams!

A must-watch for anyone who likes watching variety shows!

Read More

My first variety show other than idol shows, and I absolutely loved it!

I have loved every second of this show. From the beautiful shoot to how nicely they've captured the beautiful town and our wonderful cast, it's fantastic.

I like how they always give recipes for whatever they're making so it's a good way to be introduced to Korean food, especially in today's time when more and more people are attracted to kdramas, kpop and Korean culture in general. I also quite enjoyed how they gave whatever Mexican/Latin reference they could find for quite a few dishes/ingredients. Being a fan of Mexican cuisine, I loved that element.

I also quite enjoy the comedy of it all. The entire cast has fantastic comic timing and they never fail to make you laugh with their antics and overacting. Plus all of them are just so good-looking that you never get tired of them having fun, achieving their goals, tricking one another and just enjoying and having fun together.

One specific thing to comment upon, it hits so close to home when in Ep 10 Taehyung says my fans are gonna cry when they see this that I’m all grown up. Having been an Army since their debut days and watching the hyung line always cook for our Tae Tae, I was actually so proud of seeing his growth. So much love for this young man.

Read More

An absolutely heartwarming piece of work

This is a flawless piece of work, and I have enjoyed watching every single second of this show. It has a well developed story with great actors doing justice to their roles. As a Soo Young fangirl, I was so happy to see her act out the role so beautifully.

The story is nice and does not have any never ending tropes or plot holes. Being a short drama, nothing is too stretched out and every minute feels necessary instead of fillers. You won't have to skip to watch a beautiful story between our two leads and the cute child! I also liked the wonderful role the old friend from school plays. Took me two seconds to recognise her though. :P

My only complaint is that because it was only 4 episodes, the last episode (specially the second half) felt quite rushed to me. It could've had 1-2 more episodes. I totally wouldn't mind seeing this adorable couple for another episode. The entire US and return happened so fast that you just don't process much while watching. None the less, a happy and beautiful end for our characters, so, I'm happy. :)

Read More