This review may contain spoilers
The writers just had no idea what to do to finish it off
The show was good for 25 to 30ish episodes and it was pretty enjoyable and got me come back each weekend but at the halfway point this drama just completely fell off the rails. Any semblance of a story and every nonsensical thing that could have happen happened. Every character's reasoning ability went out the window and logic or common sense just forgot to exist at this point. I became pretty obvious that the writers couldn't come up with reasonable plot lines so they just figured they wouldfill up the remaining time with random fill ins or drawn out plot lines. I know 50 episode dramas have a notable amount of filler to eat up 50+ hours of drama time but there was so just so much filler that I was fast forwarding for maybe 80% of an episode. Sucks a good bit because for the first 10 episodes I was really drawn but ended up being more focused on pressing my fast forward button than the drama itself. I really only got through it just to see how it would end, even though it was predictable.
Yeon Doo and Tae Kyung's pairing wasn't terrible but it felt like it they had more bland moments with each other than scenes where their chemistry could carry the show. Convincing me that they were actually in love and not legally contracted roommates was pretty tough for the show to accomplish (I saw the first review say this and I don't think it could have been more spot on).
There were a few things that left for bad taste by the end including the continuously introducing things to try and spice things up and then never acknowledging them again. Yeon Doo's career as an instructor being ended prematurely and then just being non-existent for the rest of the show??
Pretty crazy that they just forgot about it until the end where they just had her end up as an instructor again with no mention of anything about it pretty much. Se Jin and Joon Ha raining hell every episode and that all it took was a "I'm sorry" to forgive them? Felt pretty light for someone who actively tried to ruin their life for months even to the point of where Yeon Doo almost miscarried from the amount of stress. Never really understood why family dramas for whatever reason usually tend to let the villains of a show torment the leads endlessly and get off pretty much with a slap on the wrist in like the last episode or so. Felt like a slap in the face make it for the audience to hate them for 50 episodes and just give em' that.
Overall started good but just couldn't figure out where it wanted to go and just kept trying to introduce shock value to keep attention. When the reason you come back each week is just to get to the end and see what the writers could ending up coming up with (not in a good way) you probably aren't watching the drama because it captivates you. So 50+ hours is a big commitment and if you want to use those 50+ hours on this show get ready for the randomness. Godspeed to the fast forward button!
First half: 8/10
Second half: 4/10
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This review may contain spoilers
A comfy family drama with some fast forwarding
A nice watch that had its good moments with a pretty solid cast. It was sometimes amusing and interesting and some had some nonsense thrown in there which is expected in a family weekender. It was nice to see the development of the villains in this learning they can grow into better people and that it doesn't have to feel like the whole world is against them always. It was also great to see that the villains were able to gradually look upon their actions and understand that they were actually bad and do what they can to be good to protect the ones they love. A lot of dramas either have villains go down as a villain the entire way or have them be a villain until the very last episode where for an action show it fits the genre but for family dramas it's just a waste of a character to not have them change unless they are a small side character.Few things I disliked:
1. Both of Chae Woon's moms were nice people but they were both pretty frustrating to watch at times with the back and forth thinking. They could have saved themselves a good amount of headaches with some stuff like Soon Jung being truthful a lot earlier than when she finally told the truth and Jung Won understanding that her daughter, who already tried to sabotage Bit Chae Woon 50 times over, isn't someone who can be given the benefit of the doubt. Again, it's a 50 episodes so they needed to extend the story into that many episodes but it was exhausting at times.
2. Seo Ah was a character that had to deal with a lot with so you could understand why she was the way she was with the pain she felt but even though that was the case it felt that she got off way too easy with the amount of hurt she caused others. She made Chae Woon's and Jae Hee's lives as tough as possible every very chance she could since the beginning of the show. In the end, all that really ended up happening to her was her feeling sorry for her actions and apologizing to Chae Woon and which was too light for what she did.
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Underrated gem
This was a drama that I was on the fence about getting into because I hadn't seen too many j-dramas up to this point and after starting it I was mad at myself for not giving this a chance sooner. It is one of the better dramas I've watched in a long while. I'd put it in my top 10 with how enjoyable it was to go through. A lot of heartfelt moments that happen in each life and even though there is a goal of accumulating as much good points as possible it also showed the struggles with even being good Asami's not paying off so you wonder what's the point. I was curious with how this drama would be able to work with main character coming back after dying multiple times and how they would manage to make each life distinct and not just repetitive or rush through them to not have to relive a whole new life but the writers did a great job making each life interesting and unique. The plot twists in here weren't just there for shock value but actually had meaning which is a nice addition. Just because something is avoided, in this case death, doesn't mean it won't still happen or change something else around Asami or others.10 episodes was a good amount for this show and its story-telling without having to stretch it out with unnecessary plot lines to fill time in. The multiple lives she had to live helped with that a lot because it didn't have to focus on just one story of Asami's life which made the show that much more enjoyable.
This is easily in my top 5 dramas for 2023!
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Great show all the way to the finish
One of my favorite watches! The bullying and the horrors it brings for endless amount of time afterwards were told perfectly with it being definitely a tough topic to cover but the writers did a great job with this one. This was the first k-drama I ever watched with my mom and she loved it probably got more invested in it then me. It was just the second one she has ever watched and ended up being one of her favorite shows she has seen ever! Revenge focus type dramas aren't usually what I dive into unless I hear a lot of good things about it because I have found they getting boring after a bit with revenge plots being poorly written by the conclusion of a show but the story and top notch acting kept me into it the whole way. The cast was perfect with every character being done so so good that actually makes you love to hate a character and celebrate their downfall and not just expect it.Part 1 and 2 are definitely a need to watch
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Such a fun and comfy family weekender ?
From start to finish this this show is incredibly fun and light-hearted watch and lets every character have their story told in a way that lets you connect with them and not just skip through their scenes to get past the filler parts. Was super nice with there not being a super ultimate revenge plot from a character who has a vendetta that drags out for the most of the show and no clingy exes that stay for way too long or take away from the story by being annoying rather than a challenge. Just a comfy watch that just lets you enjoy the drama and the family as a whole and not deal with the stress from worrying about disaster striking eventually.I really enjoyed how it showed each character's flaws and let them explain their story about why they have them and how they work towards overcoming them throughout the drama to get to a place where they can accept their flaws and still experience love with their partners who they divorced or with family. Not many dramas would tell the story in sensical way without making sure to turn into a cynical person just to get their point over. My only complaint, and it's a small one, is that both moms Ok Boon and Yoon Jung were a bit unbearable for a 5 or so episode stretch in where I just had to super fast forward through their scenes. Thankfully it doesn't last long but I wasn't that much of a fan with how the moms handled their kids like complete traitors instead of being logical or at the least listening to their kids instead of being hard-headed and seeing red.
Lots of laughs and cheery moments with an enjoyable cast. Will definitely rewatch some day!
My first family drama that I give a 10! :D
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Fun light-hearted survival comedy
A fun comedy that I wasn't expecting to be this good. Refreshing to see a film on the post-apocalyptic world where everything doesn't immediately go to mayhem and last man standing type deal. They did really good at getting a balance between entertaining and heartwarming adventure given the circumstances of the world maybe ending. The scenery in this movie shows was really good showcasing the Japanese landscape, making the backdrop on their journey pleasant to see even during a global pandemic (which is kind of weird but keeps you attentive haha). The director's decision to keep the tone of the movie light-hearted was good thinking even with the more intense post-apocalyptic dramas where it's survival of the fittest and immediate chaos with trying to outlive the bad guys for the entire movie.All in all Survival Family is a great watch that combines a family comedy with the urgency of survival, making it an entertaining and fun sit down when pandemic movies don't always ending up leading that way.
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This review may contain spoilers
One of my First K-Dramas and It was a Good one!
I watched this back during covid after needing a show to watch during the lockdown and loved the watch. It's a pretty enjoyable drama with a good story that I'll admit got a bit boring towards the backend of it probably because of how they starting pushing things quicker but I still loved watching it.I wasn't that big a fan of the love triangle but I do think that Dal Mi and Do San were the best option to be together because of how they could relate to one another and although she found a deep friendship with Ji Pyung it felt more of a mentor-mentee friendship between them. Dal Mi never really showed a love interest in him despite the reveal of who he really he was. Do San loved her from the beginning without even knowing a single thing about her other than the letters and did what he could with her best interests at mind even though the lies kept getting caught into another one. With Dal Mi too, even after the truth coming out never stopping her feelings for him never left. I think ppl getting mad over that just wanted the actors to get together rather than focus on what the characters ending up growing towards.
I wish we got to see a bit more at the end of the drama with how they built up their company even if it was just for an episode or two. They showed at the end to it's big success from small start-up office because we didn't see much really happen in that office or the self-driving company and even a bit of the wedding would of been fun but so and so.. Also, I really enjoyed Dal Mi's mom and grandmother's relationship after they got together again. They didn't show a whole lot of it but it was super nice.
This is a good drama to sit down and watch with good acting and great OST, bit disappointed how people didn't end up liking it too much because they didn't think Dal Mi ended with the right person. People got hit super hard with second-lead syndrome even though it was pretty obvious it wasn't going to happen.
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Zombies in Joseon Dynasty makes this special
My best bud and I found this show back late 2019 when we were looking for something to watch without knowing a thing about it and with no expectations. As one of my first k-dramas we went into it just wanting a show to watch and us liking zombie stuff was a plus and wow this show blew us away. It is such a good blend of a historical drama while battling the zombie herds making every episode so so good. I tend to stay away from historical dramas unless I hear that it's a must watch but this was one of the few exceptions I made. A historical period zombie show is something I never really anticipated, but zombies put into the world of political conspiracies and backstabbing was a golden decision. The story was incredible through and through easily puts it up there as a top zombie show for me plus the cinematography was top notch. The pacing was great with each episode ending on a cliffhanger and not pushing too much on historical politics that has sometimes just put me off certain shows. The production team made a good balance between the intense action and moments of tension with the politics side of the show that keeps ya invested even when zombies aren't on the screen. The cast delivers great performances that makes you like even the hateable characters.Definitely watch!!
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