I absolutely adored this drama. I am so glad I picked it up despite the low rating and mixed reviews.
It is not a romance or a romcom but a heartwarming story of struggling against all odds to reach your dreams/goals. So people looking for a strong romance may be disappointed. In fact, the main couple has a sweet, drama-free romance with the actual love story being of the second leads which is really cute.
I loved that the romance and the plot itself is almost without usual tropes (bar a few). I loved that the drama weaves in real-life issues if only superficially whether it is about beauty pageants or the economy. And I really loved the MC having mature conversations rather than misunderstanding or yelling at each other. Lee Yun Hee was luminous especially in later episodes while Lee Sun Kyun is as usual great. Lee Mi Sook as Queen Ma really makes you want her as your mentor, and Lee Sung Min's turn as the romantic gangster was sweet. The icing on the cake is the OST which is wonderful. If I were to talk about anything negative - the flashback shots: Lee Sun Kyun DOES not even remotely pass off as a school kid so those scenes were super jarring. But it was a minor irritant. And yes, the first eps are a bit slow and the MC does not seem to gel but trust me it improves, vastly.
Goodness, no Secret? Like many here, I too believe Secret is THE Asian drama for enemies-to-lovers done right. I think the article is not complete without at least a note on why it wasn't included. Or even at least the close Thai version.
For this to have been rated anything below 9, more than a dozen of people must have given it a subpar rating.…
I think a few reasons: The first 8-9 episodes were somewhat not gripping because the script was laying ground meticulously for the revenge to unfold so there was lesser focus on the thrills. JH's acting was incredible but again, it shined only post Ep10 (imo); he was a bit too low key in the earlier episodes. And finally, most people are looking for romance and/or quick thrills, but Money Flower is not such a drama so left folks disappointed. For the record, I absolutely loved the drama and found JH mesmerizing. Jang Seung Jo and Lee Mi Sook too were superb.
This drama had so much potential but its poor script let it down. I adore Kim Sun A but really all we see her…
Plot issues: Its a revenge-focused drama but Jenny seems to have no plan for bringing down her mortal enemy which supposedly is her only goal in life. Compare this to Money Flower (which has a super similar plot arc) where we see Pil Joo plan meticulously and have back up plans so he has some trump card even when the unexpected happens. Here even the final blow that takes down Chairman Kim was thanks to Jung Hyuk's last minute help. Not to mention that Jenny seemed to have no plan for saving her boutique when it was known that it was Deo/Chairman's money that was behind it, so when it gets shut down, Jenny Jang just moons around! My other biggest issue was the reveal scenes - I mean we got such lame scenes! People randomly overhear/find stuff which feels super anticlimactic - just poor writing. Again, it falls flat when you compare Money Flower! Ugh. What a waste.
This drama had so much potential but its poor script let it down. I adore Kim Sun A but really all we see her do is strut around (in amazing ensembles!)and have grandiose but empty dialogue exchanges. Bar a few scenes, the drama wasted her. Go Min Si had a better deal at least initially. I also found Jang Mi Hee's dialogue delivery very jarring and for some reason, it stopped me from connecting to the drama as a whole. Kim Jae Young (Sun Woo) was the single bright spot and I loved him on screen. Plot issues below w/spoliers! Yes, this is a rant!
After putting it on hold a million times, I finally finished this. I wanted to watch the original since it has inspired so many remakes, however I have to admit I found the show cringey and poorly acted in many places but there were also several scenes that were pretty moving, Of course, I also kept getting annoyed by Ji Cun Xi. It should have been Dylan! Anyway, I am now wondering if I should have watched the Jang Hyuk version? Is he a better ML? Well, maybe I will give it a spin when I have nothing left to watch!!!
This show definitely deserves all the high praise it has been receiving. The performances were superb, the background music was haunting and consistently on-point and the stylish cinematography really added to the atmosphere. ̶H̶o̶w̶e̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶I̶ ̶m̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶a̶d̶m̶i̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶(̶i̶m̶o̶)̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶p̶l̶o̶t̶ ̶l̶i̶n̶e̶ ̶f̶e̶l̶l̶ ̶a̶p̶a̶r̶t̶ ̶a̶ ̶l̶i̶t̶t̶l̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶l̶a̶s̶t̶ ̶t̶w̶o̶ ̶e̶p̶i̶s̶o̶d̶e̶s̶.̶ ̶T̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶h̶o̶w̶ ̶f̶e̶l̶t̶ ̶c̶a̶r̶e̶f̶u̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶p̶l̶o̶t̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶n̶o̶ ̶h̶o̶l̶e̶s̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶E̶p̶ ̶1̶1̶-̶1̶2̶,̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶s̶ ̶h̶a̶p̶p̶e̶n̶e̶d̶ ̶j̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶m̶o̶v̶e̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶w̶a̶r̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶p̶l̶o̶t̶.̶ ̶B̶u̶t̶ ̶I̶ ̶a̶m̶ ̶d̶i̶s̶a̶p̶p̶o̶i̶n̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶o̶n̶l̶y̶ ̶b̶e̶c̶a̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶I̶ ̶h̶a̶d̶ ̶h̶i̶g̶h̶ ̶e̶x̶p̶e̶c̶t̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶s̶.̶ I should have trusted the director and the writer - for others like me, there is a reason the last 2 eps do not make sense. Go ahead and search up for explanations on the ending !
Secret is the definition of guilty pleasure for me! By all accounts the ML's character and the romance should not be palatable to me ...but what to do, I totally loved the show! I agree, the ML's character growth was a redeeming factor.
Was a little impatient with the first few episodes as it was the typical "omg, Im 30 and not married" trope featuring desperate women, but liked the progression. Although I found it hard to believe that they did not get such (rather basic) "revelations" while dating in their 20s. Anyway. The ending made sense imo. The friendship shown was the best thing . And the references to Tokyo Olympics just made me sad.
This drama way surpassed my expectations. Not without flaws but this is not your usual kdrama-I would put it more in line of k-movies. Wonderful performances, nuanced characters and mature, realistic (largely) plot arcs. Excellent watch for those seeking something different and willing to see beyond black and white in life.
It is not a romance or a romcom but a heartwarming story of struggling against all odds to reach your dreams/goals. So people looking for a strong romance may be disappointed. In fact, the main couple has a sweet, drama-free romance with the actual love story being of the second leads which is really cute.
I loved that the romance and the plot itself is almost without usual tropes (bar a few). I loved that the drama weaves in real-life issues if only superficially whether it is about beauty pageants or the economy. And I really loved the MC having mature conversations rather than misunderstanding or yelling at each other. Lee Yun Hee was luminous especially in later episodes while Lee Sun Kyun is as usual great. Lee Mi Sook as Queen Ma really makes you want her as your mentor, and Lee Sung Min's turn as the romantic gangster was sweet. The icing on the cake is the OST which is wonderful.
If I were to talk about anything negative - the flashback shots: Lee Sun Kyun DOES not even remotely pass off as a school kid so those scenes were super jarring. But it was a minor irritant. And yes, the first eps are a bit slow and the MC does not seem to gel but trust me it improves, vastly.
My other biggest issue was the reveal scenes - I mean we got such lame scenes! People randomly overhear/find stuff which feels super anticlimactic - just poor writing. Again, it falls flat when you compare Money Flower! Ugh. What a waste.
Of course, I also kept getting annoyed by Ji Cun Xi. It should have been Dylan!
Anyway, I am now wondering if I should have watched the Jang Hyuk version? Is he a better ML? Well, maybe I will give it a spin when I have nothing left to watch!!!
and what a glorious one at that :) My heart skipped a beat!