frydac

Just watched King the Land, and it was indeed her smile that was a great deal responsible for me watching it to the end :D, it was like watching a puppy or a kitten, cuteness overload which doesn't seem to get old. Now looking for something else she acted in, though not sure this one is for me

Silly and predictable in the best way. Liked the FL character a lot, most other characters are also likable, imho good balance between humor and story, consistent pace, well acted, entertaining, kept me smiling from start to end :)

Well done in many ways. Took me a while to get invested because it jumps in time and space without much context at times, but before the end I definitely was invested a lot.
I think a mini series could have been nice, where each stage their lives got a little more time to really develop their characters. Some of it went a bit too fast imho or is not shown at all. E.g. would be interested to have seen more of his life and his motivation.
Really liked the contrast between the Korean vs American, both true to their respective styles and both well done and decently cast, better than any I had seen so far where such a mix exists.
Some of the dialogue was really really good and really relatable (i.e. everyone who has talked with a previous not quite resolved love or has had to say goodbye will be able to relate, which is probably all humans :D )

Started to watch it because I really like Seo Hyun Jin, but have to drop it, I even had a hard time finishing 1 episode. I guess it's the style of it that is not for me, over the top acting with ppl screaming 50% of the time. And I guess I wouldn't really like the story either. Too bad I wanted to see more of her.

Just started watching Why Her?, from the first episode I was blown away by her. If she slapped me in the face like that, I also wouldn't have minded, lol. Now 5 episodes in and I think she might become my fav actress, I keep missing subtitles as I'm so focused on her.
I feel lucky I have a lot to discover of her work, there seem to be a number shows with her in the main role I would enjoy.
I had a somewhat similar experience with Seo Yea Ji in It's Okay to Not Be Okay, but she hasn't done much other shows that I'd like.

I'm 2 episodes in and was very confused about this.. good to know that they are the same person, I was not even really considering that as they look so different and indeed never thought one could be the younger version of the other. What a weird choice to do it like that. Anyway, I really like the FL so far, such charisma, can't get enough of her, let's hope it stays like that :)

Watched it all now, and like the later part better, the FL grew on me more. I understand better why it is rated pretty high, I mainly liked the viewpoint/morale of the story, some of the characters were very likable and acting was sometimes very good, but I also think many things could have been done a lot better.

At ep10 right now, I agree, some scenes are really not good in contrast with other scenes which are very good, not sure if it is the acting/directing/writing or combination.. for example the first scene of ep2 where she falls in the water with him repeatedly, was really not well done imho, was that really the best they could do? especially after ep1 which was surprisingly well done by the children imo. Or the scene where she is 'exhausted' after running and takes a nap at like 100m of the destination.. wut?
And yes, imho the FL is not the best cast for this role, her humor is pretty over the top, and her 'deer in the headlights' look is a bit much at times, I think there are a number of other actresses who could have done a much better job.
I do like most of it and I'll keep watching though.

I would say, yes, many things are resolved by the end, in a good way, no big cliffhanger, but some open questions of course. It's overall pretty satisfactory, with each ep having a story that ends and some storylines that run through the whole series.

They do this a number of times, where they show you what will happen with a 'flash forward' scene, which each time gave me a false sense of security/confidence that I could easily handle it, but each time it was still an incredibly gripping ride to watch unfold.. which imho shows the quality of the storytelling/show. I can only imagine what it would have been like if they hadn't done that and each of those events was a surprise.. oof
I agree the ending elevated this show from already very good to another level, you know exactly what is coming, it was so understandable and relatable, but still absolutely gut wrenching
(It has been a month for me, but tears are rolling down my cheeks right now remembering scenes while writing this lol)

I finished the series a few hours ago, after binging it the last 3 days (I shouldn't have done it like that, but.. I was home ill and didn't have anything else to do so I just had to keep watching).
You know from EP1 that it will have to end like that so I was expecting it, and at first I thought it would shield me from being too invested, however towards the later episodes it was clear this was going to hit hard. I had no issue accepting the ending, I never had any doubt that it would be anything else. I was thoroughly impressed with how well it was done, I think the ending elevated the series to a higher level, especially when she was mad at him and was questioning his past behavior, it was so real and messy and made me remember my own experiences.
So while I didn't need the 5 stages, I still feel lost and broken right now, and keep reading reviews as I'm not ready to let go and start doing something else.
I mainly wanted to say I found your review a fun read and it put a smile on my face, thank you for that!

From episode 1 you know how it will end, as they start the story in the now, while it is mostly about 25y to 10y ago, so at all times you know what is coming, you'll just wonder how it will unfold. They go through great lengths to make the bitter as sweet as possible, I think they strike a nice balance between real/raw and feel good, favoring the feel good. They don't try to chock or surprise, just tell a profound feeling story in a gentle way.

My Mister was like the 3rd k-drama I ever saw, and I was deeply impressed. I remember many days after finishing the show, when at work where I'd remember some scene, I would have to make an effort to not have tears rolling down my cheeks, which would be really weird. Unfortunately this inflated my expectations about k-drama too much, I never enjoyed any k-drama as much/complete as this, and kind of got burned out after a while (I'm a 40y old male from EU, not really the target audience for a lot k-drama :) And I don't enjoy most Korean comedy).
I didn't know about Secret Love Affair, just read the short summary, seems interesting, will try it out :)

Too bad grown men of around 40 and accomplished college professors don't seem to be able to rise above the emotional maturity of 12 year old boys most of the time.. other than that, I quite like it.

It has been some years since I watched this.
But I came across it again and remembered one scene which still makes me tear up, and I think is an example where Shin Hae Sun really shows she one of the best (I don't think this contains spoilers if you've read the description, it is in episode 1):
A short time after she wakes up as a 30 year old and hasn't really had the time to let it fully sink in she is now 30 and not 17 anymore, she comes home and is still laying in bed in her room (weakened by 13 years of coma), and for the first time really by herself. At this point she more or less unexpectedly catches/sees her own face in a mirror inside a closet to her side. Imagine not really realizing you lost 13 years of your life and then seeing your much older face in a mirror. Without any words you can see an evolution in her facial expression, from surprise/disbelief it is actually her to realization this is indeed her and she really missed all that oh so important time of her life. You feel that for the first time she truly realizes this is actually happening and she for the first time (iirc) breaks into crying over what happened to her (this completely broke me (I loved being in my 20's)).
The scene takes only a few seconds but it is such a strong scene, for me the most heartfelt and memorable moment in this series, of any series really. (opinions may vary of course)

Overall I didn't really like the series very much I'm afraid, if not for Shin Hae Sun I'm not sure if I would have watched it to the end: not that much happening, many easy to resolve misunderstandings and near misses.. those tend to annoy me and feel to me like a low effort way to introduce tension to the story.
If you're a Shin Hae Sun fan, then definitely give it a go, it is not an easy role and she plays it very convincingly.

I didn't really like it.. the actors were fine, really liked both FL, but the story was a bit too 'forced' for me, quite 'eyeroll' inducing at times.
And a few times there were some very emotional/dramatic scenes with supporting cast that had very little introduction/background, which just didn't work for me.

I started watching because of Shin Hye Sun and she doesn't disappoint one bit!
I like this more than I was expecting: I'm pretty new to kdrama's and up to now I haven't really been able to enjoy most Korean comedy I have seen, but I'm glad to admit, in this series I quite enjoy the comedy.
Not sure what is different, I guess it is edited faster, it doesn't linger long on silly faces and stuff, and a bit more mature and wittier.

Thank you!
Especially in the middle episodes there were 'near misses' every other scene, and situations that could be solved instantly with a few words. A lot of them were also really not needed and eyeroll inducing and imo a cheap/lazy way to add tension.
Agree with everything else you say as well.
There were a few really strong scenes in large part due to Shin Hye Sun's performance, which was mostly on point (for as far as the writing permitted) and towards the end it was a significantly less annoying, I don't regret sticking with it.

Thank you, I reluctantly have to fully agree.

I thought the first 15min or so of the first episode were superb, which made my expectations skyrocket, but I'm afraid a lot of the rest was not my cup of tea.
I only stuck with it because Shin Hye Sun has such a captivating presence.