caramel

my expectations were too high...

Once again a really good cast with a weakly written script and flow :( Initially after watching the first few episodes I did not feel like continuing it but i heard reviews saying it was really good so I thought of watching it further. But to me it just got worse...they spent so long on her side of the issues so it felt like when she got together with the ML it was too fast? This could also be due to the lack of FML pov points of liking the ML...And then after they got together suddenly it felt like there was no story to continue so they added the parents fight to give a reason for them to be against their relationship....also the way the FML was just okay to go abroad again (this part i could feel the ML frustration) like girl commit to something esp since the leads barely spent any time together. After awhile i started hoping they should just stay as friends cause the episodes mostly only showed her working.

Most of the episodes i watched them cause of the second leads. their story was very cute and fresh. Their characters were unique as well.

Overall this would pass as a regular rom-com not sure why it was so hyped....

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amazing chemistry amazing acting

The drama starts with our female lead Miaomiao who gets sucked into a novel she was reading. However this novel is under the setting of a video game so she experiences multiple deaths and loopholes similar to a game. Our male lead Ziqi/Musheng is the brother of the supposed main leads of the novel but also the love interest of Miaomiao. Miaomiao’s mission was to make Ziqi fall in love with (i.e like her 100%). Initially Ziqi hated her and the number was -200 usually but eventually they became close and he fell for her.

Now this is a highly summarized plot, there is actually a lot more that goes on but it was not easy to understand. Even with English subs I found it difficult to understand the plot at the beginning. However towards the end it became much easier to understand. This had me thinking….what if the complicated plot at the start was something the director aimed for because!! The way miaomiao was sucked into the novel was because she was writing a negative comment about the novel on how this time the plot made no sense and it lacked depth. But when she went into the story she tried to make changes to the plot in a way she believed it would make better sense. The small changes made at the start of course will have a butterfly effect for items at the end. Hence if this was aimed for then it was quite smart.

#DingYuxi was amazing like really insane. His acting his entire aura throughout the drama would just make you wanna keep watching the show. The small details he had with every scene, smirks, anger, tears wow it was really good. #EstherYu initially you may think she has the same cute role again but her character really grows on you cause she is so cute and funny. She made her character very lovable. Their chemistry once again was beautiful! It’s shocking to realize that there was not a single kiss scene the entire drama but it was still very cute. Majority of the viewers are hoping for them to reunite in a 3rd drama together.

A few things that could have been improved. Firstly the romance of the second leads…I couldn’t feel their chemistry much and it was not really that interesting to watch them. Their acting was rather stiff so it felt like there was a huge difference between the main leads and the second leads.

Next, the ending…if you don’t want to be spoiled you can stop reading now…Im really not sure why cdramas can never do their ending nicely or have a proper closure…that’s right once again this drama had an open ending. To be honest, in the novel world there is a ending but when it comes to reality its open..However, towards the end the plot was quite rushed and it felt like they dropped the romance part because once they confirmed their feelings for each other we barely got scenes with them together. It was more fluttering towards the start.

Overall, watching this drama would really make you into a Ding Yuxi fan, his acting was top notch ! I would definitely rewatch this drama just like how I rewatched Moonlight a few times!

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Depicts fan-idol relationships very well but mystery and crime is lacking

As a Kpop stan, this drama had soooo many relatable scenes which regular viewers might miss out. Some scenes are really tiny details that fans go through everytime. So in that sense I enjoyed the drama as I found it highly relatable.

The first few episodes also highlighted the difficulty idols face with sasaengs, no privacy anxiety and other topics. The boss treats them as money making machines constantly milking without considering the artists well being.

Sena realises that the person she sees on TV is not all of Raik and that he was going through alot more. Raik slowly begins to trust her and he only has her, someone who believes him...However this trust breaks when he finds out she was a huge fan. For some they couldnt understand why he was so angry but from the beginning his impression of fans was not good so everything she did for him probably felt like a lie to him at that moment.

When Sena decided to throw all the merch away it was so painful cause she had to gather so much courage to throw everything away...in the end its not just merch its all her memories from past 10 years...

Now regarding the mystery....this was really the lackluster part. The writer shines when she writes about fandom details but when it comes to the crime portion it was not planned out well.

For many episodes they baited us with different suspects only for the actual situation to be very mediocre...so the episodes where the comedy fluff from small fan-idol interactions stopped, the drama felt dry and draggy. Even after they got together they didnt feel like they were a couple until the last episode.

I would say the drama also lacked some side characters. Maybe a secondary story with friends or another couple could have added more dynamics.

That being said I would still rewatch this show now and then~

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just so-so....

The concept of the superhero was interesting. Like the way he had to use cash to help others tested his morals. But what the writers didnt do well is, deciding on the amount of money required to help people. The amount of money was just way too high which kinda ruined it because then there could never be a plot where he figures out a system to help others within his means. It just became a situation where he loans alot of money from the rich lady but didnt feel like there was a lot of stakes involved... so this was a plot line i was disappointment in cause i really thought they would make a interesting system where he auto collects the small coins that drops and creates more money to help others.

The entire villain story was also so confusing because there were so many parts not answered. The dad said the ML's power was the one who killed his dad but this story was never revealed. The there was a part where Jonathan just managed to walk out of the explosion alive (I assumed he had powers but he didnt) so this was weird also.

*SPOILER*

and omg the sudden introduction of someone who can turn back time in the last 20mins of the episode...like ????

the villains had not proper plan and were just doing this and that to fight him and get his power. Jo Anna's character failed so many times it was getting embarrassing. Jonathan seemed like the cunning kind but not sure what he was trying to achieve as well. At the end he just injected himself with multiple powers and decided to fight??

Overall the plot has many holes and isnt very interesting but its still a decent watch if you wanna just play it in the background. Thankfully all episodes are released and we didnt have to wait weekly.

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i binged this show in a day....

When the trailer for this drama first came out I decided to wait until it ends to start on it. Im glad I did that. This drama is heavy on the supernatural aspect most of the plot is related to that BUT thats not all. Surprisingly there are many other interesting stories as well for each character in the show.

When you think the female lead is your normal kdrama lead but actually she has an interesting family. She also has a story in the past which of course will somehow connect to the future. The male lead has a very deep storyline as well, he had his obsessions which made him oblivious to things around him and the FL is the person who brought him back to reality.

I enjoyed watching the drama it had great acting and the unexpected plot twists. Park Soyi was really good she was so good at bringing out the emotions i cried so much when she and her dad finally reunited. Jang kiyong was really good as well as he had to act so many different versions of him in a short period of time. Like his character was just a roller coaster ride. It kept changing. Plot wise there were quite alot of loopholes...but it didnt impact the flow much so it was fine.

The romance chemistry, i feel we went from 0 to 100 without anything in the middle. When the FL said she liked him I was like what exactly did you'll do to like each other. Like it was so random. For him I can understand a bit because the FL is the reason his daughter has someone to rely on. So maybe thats how he liked her but like it went from "r u here to marry me for money" to "please marry me" in like 1 eps or something. After they got together there wasnt alot of romance moments only some cute moments.

What the adults missed, the kids had it. The daughter and her crush although they didnt have many scenes together, i felt their chemistry was stronger. I just wanted the daughter to be happy towards the end.

The going to the past and seeing the future part will be quite confusing. But the ending twist was good!

Overall its a decent drama to binge but I dont think i will rewatch it. I really hoped they had more father daughter moments T.T

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hmm I thought it will be more fun?

Went into this drama thinking it will be a fun casual drama but was shocked to find out there was a crime plot involved. This was actually interesting and it started out well. There was a lot of potential until coincidentally they made every suspicious person a suspect (you will understand this if u have reached this part).

The portion on the body switches was interesting and I thought it will be the reason for character development in the leads. The female lead was a strong individual who was strong headed and fierce and did not really show compassion for others. However, the male lead was the complete opposite. Although the male lead has a sudden change in personality because of something, there was no change made to the female character....until the ML turned on her...

What I liked about the plot will be the marketing strategies and ideas they came up with to establish an unknown brand. It was a new field that we dont see very often in kdramas.

Overall, this will not be a show I will rewatch as the chemistry between the leads felt in the earlier episodes was all lost towards the end...

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a fun blast from the past...?

Its been a while since dramas like this have been released. It has a mixture of the school series and team comedy. There is subtle romance as well but its not the focus. As with all school series there is involvement of school bullying and a obsessed higher up.

The start of the drama was interesting with the introduction of the horror stories and the treasure hunt. In the middle it started becoming a bit draggy with some obvious plot twists and situations. It was a fun drama to binge, both the leads did well. Its been really long since Seo Kang Joon did a drama so it was refreshing to see him.

Overall, you would feel like you are watching a older kdrama after awhile cause it had many similarities. But it was still a fun watch. I might not rewatch it though...

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thought it will be a fun romcom but....very dry?

I was looking for something fun to watch and was waiting for this drama to end so i can binge watch it. I'm definitely glad i waited because if i had to wait weekly for this i would have probably dropped it after 4 episodes. I understand why people were saying the ML was casted wrong and I get it his image doesnt really suit the vibes of his character. He feels more blended into his second personality compared to the CEO vibes.

There were some moments of tension between the leads but it doesnt really give you butterflies. The chaebol story was also very overused although the start was interesting where they actually met through a game.

But other than that nothing much interesting and fun about the drama...

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