The thing that really pulls down this show is that it is too short, 6 episodes aren't enough to properly portray it. The characters aren't properly developed and the story is rushed. They had chemistry,but not enough for him to be acting all in love,The love didn't feel real because they fast forwarded it! AND IT ENDS IN A CLIFFHANGER.
Still there were too many fun and cute moments, so i enjoyed the show a lot :)
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A true masterpiece! Always keeping you on your toes
Stranger season 1 which is one of my all time favourite dramas set the expectations really high for the second season and as expected this drama didn't let me down except for some minor issues.The writers did a spectacular job, every scene was so thrilling and so beautifully written. It makes you question all types of social structures in the society. It makes you realise the behind the scenes of corruption, favours in the business world, bribery, bullying etc. It even touches alot on mental health and being there for people, no matter what. This show is loved by everyone due to the aftereffcts that stays in your mind after the show is over. It makes you think, the impact is on another level.
We got alot of scenes with our favourite duo, shi mok and yeo jin, thier relationship which was wholesome, more so in this season. Too many cute interactions with seo dong jae, shi mok and kang won chul(a father uwu) too. I loved the new addition in the cast, two extremely powerful and strong characters. I also loved how lee young jae transformed into a whole ceo, we love strong woman.
This season just fills you up with hope for your life. The way our duo fight for justice and always stand up for what's right is so amazing to watch. I especially loved the scenes where shi mok straight up questions people, doesn't take shit from nobody and of course always has evidence for everything.
I loved how the character shi mok develops in this season. Many emotional scenes and alot of goosebumps. Truly legendary.
Side note: the osts for this show are amazing!! Theyre better than season one!
Now for the minor issues, the show had alot of talking, a lot of boring talking in the first few episodes, though I understand some of it was necessary for the show to progress, still this needed alot of concentration to understand, it was alot of work. I also didn't like how they kept our duo apart for alot of episodes! I just wanted to see them together!!! But you can say they made up for it in the last few episodes :)
Anyways I really enjoyed this show and will be waiting for how many ever years for a new season, I really need more of this!
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I have to mention that the characters were so perfectly chosen,these people could be actually real,so relatable.
After finishing this drama i feel somehow happy and made me feel like a different person,a better person. It is impactful,really. Please give it a watch :)
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family centric slice of life, didn't particularly enjoy it
Reply 1988 - 4/10Reply 1988 is a relaxing show that is meant to be enjoyed on an evening with tea. It is something to watch with friends and family as nothing serious happens, it's a slice of life really close to reality.
Slice of life is one of my favourite genres, but did I enjoy this show? Nope. Because this show is stagnant. It's a plateau where NOTHING HAPPENS. it starts off well, it had me captured for the first few episodes because it showed alot of social background of people's lives in 1988 then I became indifferent towards it in the middle and almost wanted to drop it. The ending was pretty nice too, but not for me to love the show or save my low ratings.
My strife with this show is its repetitive nature in terms of situations, jokes etc. It shows little to no growth, I also didn't have any emotional connection to most of the characters, I didn't hate them nor did I love them. Some characters I outrighted hated them for most of the show aka the female leads sister / bora.
Another thing is even if you miss one or 2 episodes or a few scenes literally u miss nothing. Most scenes are insignificant and so many fillers. Most scenes are meaningless and show some dumb things some character does that is apparently supposed to be funny, but I didn't enjoy it. we had a goat sound for all the funny scenes, it was a little annoying though I didn't hate it but it wasnt pleasant.
I want to compare this with another slice of life made by the same producer, that is hospital playlist. Hospital playlist shows lives of people in a hospital and it shows reality, doesn't repeat situations or jokes, it has very lovable characters unlike the frustrating ones in this one. It is extremely insightful to people's life while visiting hospitals and the staff. It is 100 times more wholesome than reply 1988. It has not made me lose interest and is always relaxing.
I would have enjoyed this show alot more if they showed a bit more about the social problems and setting at the time period of 1988. I felt like they showed more of the shows, singers, ads and celebrities popular at the time which I couldn't relate to as I'm not a korean person, but I understand why the koreans loved this show. It's probably one of the reasons why I didn't enjoy the show.
*spoilers BIG SPOILERS SKIP THIS IF YOURE WATCHING OR PLANNING TO WATCH OTHERWISE NO POINT* the love triangle was just sad. I hated the guy she ended up with. He's the most boring character I have ever seen in my life. He had no charms according to me. He is sleepy, tired and stressed all the time and playing his lousy game. Not very street smart either, he needs help tying his shoes? Really now? He's handsome but that's nowhere a reason to ship the two.The second lead was relatively more interesting and had some life in him but he is just a coward so idk but I did ship them more than the one she ended up with. Basically I dont ship her with anyone especially not with the male lead.
Also the fact that they dragged this show to 21 episodes for literally no reason made no sense to me. This show had nothing much to show that justified it to be so long.
Now to the positive aspects of the show that saved the dying rating. This show showed EVERY characters life, there were no side characters, everyone was main. This was nice! It showed everyone's problems, lifes and touched upon lives of older and younger alike.
The music of the show including osts and the old songs was IMPECCABLE. I learned way too many good old songs because of this show. This reason single handedly increased the ratings by 3.
I really dont recommend this show to be an ideal slice of life or in general to anyone, but there are tons of shooters for this show who seemed to have really enjoyed it, so i guess it's your choice as I'm part of the minority who didn't enjoy this high rated show.
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A little stupid but its fun to watch
I truly gotta say this drama is rated higher than it deserves. the logic and storyline is weak and so is the overall story.I really liked the sets, costumes and the music, especially music was so well integrated into the show. The fairy was as usual stupid and the male lead was as usual cold a very familiar story. I wouldnt really say it was ground breaking in any way but i kept waiting for next episode.
The way love was portrayed was truly questionable though i think all the people are dumb in terms of love- their love for each other is too intense that its almost unbelievable. The kissing scenes were a little wierd ngl and super forced without emotions that follow. The politics for a historical drama is too weak- almost taking a back seat. The purpose of actions of political figures was vague and not strong enough to set the stage for war. People put themselves in dumb situations and do dumb things for a motive thats not strong enough. almost all side charecters had an unsatisfying ending. the ending was so forced it made me laugh!
Overall its not as angsty as your average historical cdrama but the situations are just entertaing and kind of immature. Somehow i had fun watching people do stupid things but script could have made so much difference coz this show had everything right. plus fave charecter has to be the black dragon guy like he was ITT!
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a good rom-com in a sports setting
I started this drama thinking it will be a cute story with some comedy moments. I also thought the story will be dragged as it was 40 episodes. But the story was much more than what I expected.Due to my initial feelings that the drama will be dragged, I was getting ready to forward all the meaningless moments, which happened a lot in the first 20 episodes. The first 20 episodes were very dragged and lowkey meaningless and dumb with little to no logic. Nevertheless, I held on thinking it may get better.
Thank god I did, because the second half really touches more on mental health, hardships, and relationship issues, all in the perspective of sports. It was very interesting for me to see how such difficulties are overcome as I am someone who tends to run away from sports, it was enlightening. I appreciate that the writer decides to touch on such topics.
The relationships and friendships were very cute though everyone had their dumb moments here and there. You can't really hate anyone at the end of the series. The character development of each character and wrapping of the whole show is very well done.
The music throughout the show was really cute and it's shot pretty well, the sports scenes are beautiful.
Other than these good points there are many illogical moments throughout the series. But I think it's worth it in the end.
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Extremely light and healing
From the time I pushed the play button on this drama, it always kept me interested and laughing like crazy most of the time. It was light, nothing too complicated. And that was the best part!The characters on this show are easy to love, there are no bad characters. Especially the FL, she's such a relatable person. I feel like I would act like she did in some of the scenes,it was that relatable! She is also so beautiful, I love her acting and her. I had already fallen for her in CLOY, this just increased my love for her! I must say comedy is her genre!
The ML lead is one of the most friendly and most mature characters I have ever seen! He is always so understanding, always ready to hear explanations and literally so supportive. Did I mention he is SO HOT ON GOD.
The relationship of our main couple, is literally so wholesome and cute. Thier chemistry and how they understand each other is uwu. I loved our older couple too! They were too funny and adorable to watch.
All the side characters are also super lovable. Especially our queer boy geon-u! He is literally the most stressed person in this show, he's always put in the middle, its literally so funny. I would like to especially mention lee ji hoon,who I loved in rookie historian for his acting, I was once again impressed by how good of an actor he is, literally goosebumps.The first loves are high key annoying, but that's thier role so I wont complain too much lol. But our main couple pulled through quite comfortably without crazy misunderstandings.
The story is actually so unique, the concept is something never seen before, its healing and emotional. This show is a burst of happiness! Even though some scenes I questioned the actions and words of the female lead (she did some things that I didn't really understand?!!?).But they didn't drag anything for long. It was perfect timing!
I also loved the psychological aspects on this show.
I also have to mention that the way they shot the scenes are so beautiful, I especially loved the first 5 mins of the show. I loved some of dialogues too.
Even though the female lead said some things that I was extremely confused about and there were some plot holes too but still I really think this drama is worth the watch.
I would reccomend when you want a break from the intense shows.
Bonus: there are too many CLOY references in the whole duration of the show and the starting 10 mins too,surprise!
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One of the must watch classic dramas
Let me start from the beginning. I went through 3 different phases while watching this drama.Phase one/the 1/3 half of the drama; honestly the first half really really impressed me. I really couldn't believe this was made in 2007.The storyline was a little messed up and complex which was a little bit of a turn off. Even though this show seems like its gonna be basic and I was preparing myself for something basic, it wasnt. It was truly ahead of it's time. The ideologies this show held was not something that the Population back in 2007 believed in. Everything this show portrays is modern and real. It really blew my mind. The characters had a likeable attitude and showed some realness too.But I did find some really bad camera moments and some really unpleasant to watch scenes of disgusting stuff in this drama(The female lead and the coffee shop owner ajjushi do some disturbing stuff lmao) but let's just let it go as it was made 13 years ago!
Phase 2/the 2/3 of the show; This part made me hate everyone and everything in this show. I hated all the characters and thier actions. It was really really hard to watch each one of these characters being selfish and self centred individuals all in one screen with a whole love square situation. There were loads of dumb shit like forced kissing, some ugly fights,toxic relationships and overall ego and pride issues.This literally bought down a whole point in my ratings. The writers really dragged the hell out of this part. But you could say it showed some type of reality in them.
Phase 3/ the 3/3 of the show; after the whole mess of the mid section of the show. The writer really revived the whole thing and made the ending episodes perfect. The couple's were super adorable together and overall made me feel warm on the inside.
I wouldn't say the acting is amazing or anything. The camera work isn't mind blowing either but considering its 2007 they did a splendid job.
Even though there were some basic elements in this drama, it really had an impact on me. I think I'll always remember coffee prince as a show that's truly ahead of it's time
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A show full of strong,smart and intelligent woman
This story starts off as a rom-com set in joseon era, with so much potential and great portrayal of woman as strong,intelligent and smart people. Woman who are not scared to speak up and always stand up for what's right.This is what sets it apart from the other countless dramas.As the story progresses you see how the issues of Joseon era is still extremely relevant in 2020, the modern world. Woman till this day are still looked down upon and are still fighting for equality in their own ways,this portrayal was really impressive.
This story also touches upon finding yourself. The prince's story was very touching, him finding freedom and happiness was very satisfying to watch. Hae Ryung also finds freedom and follows her dreams which was extremely inspiring.
The relationship between the characters was so refreshing. Especially the female historian characters had such a cute relationship, so refreshing considering how woman are always portrayed against each other. The show also portrays touching relationships between siblings and family.
This show has alot of political elements too which made me aware of so many social issues,was interesting to watch for the most parts. In my opinion some of these elements either shouldn't have been shown or portrayed better. But some issues like small pox,vaccination and western influence in joseon were extremely unique elements that really kept me interested. I had trouble with getting the motivation to watch some episodes it was frustrating,maybe because i dont really watch period dramas much,somehow i pushed on though and it was worth it!
The chemistry between our main couple was super adorable, but there wasn't much skinship between them still they managed to win my heart with just the right amount!
The acting of the main leads in my opinion was average not really up to the mark.Especially the guy who played the king really didnt suit the role, its probably intended,as the king was really bad at his job lol. Overall the acting was average, nothing mind blowing. But I can see that the leads both have improved ALOT from thier previous works! Appreciate that! Some characters were extremely well portrayed though especially lee ji hoon he really did an amazing job, I'm a fan! AND the queen did a stunning job, her accent was so beautiful to hear :)
Overall it's a good watch,kept me entertained for the most part :)
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A cute story about friendship and hardwork
This show was actually better than expected considering how school dramas are not my cup of tea. I really liked some of the dialogues and how it showed the importance of friendship, hardwork and passion. I was pleasantly surprised about how I knew so many of the actors on screen like vixx n,eunji,chae soo bin,jisoo,byungchan from victon(not 100 percent sure about this but I really think I saw him)also had a cameo! I really enjoyed seeing chae soo bin not as a female lead but a slightly negative character! The chemistry between cast and even the couple were cute! The music was a little wierd tbh,not the song but just the bgm was so annoying I really thought there was something(like an insect) in my room. The last two episodes really were so stupid like the apparent misunderstanding between jisoo and the main lead was so dumb,like I really couldn't lmao. But still the ending was cute.A good watch!
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Even though it may look like the plot is very childish or wierd but it definitely delivered. It isnt anything intense but still it served its purpose.
The only complaints is maybe the storyline had some very small lacking points like the name of the comet (WTF666) and how I absolutely couldn't like the second lead in the first half of the story even though he is a sweetheart. The second couple also moved way too fast that made me super confused. That was a little unrealistic. Still,loved it <3
Please give it a try!
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A political thriller with amazing acting, always keeps you on your toes!
This drama stayed unpredictable and super fun to watch for all of the 16 episodes, consistently. There are no dull moments, it's a whole package with amazing acting and a solid storyline.The setting of the drama, made me see a new perspective altogether. I have never thought about the medical aspects of a prison and this just opened the door to that. The topic of stay of execution was new to me and its actually very creative how they used this topic and made a whole drama out of it.
The characters especially the 3 men, showcased some top tier acting! It was so fun to see such gray characters being selfish and playing mind games, you could never guess what the character will do next or whose side they'll be on. The show had a lot of strong woman too, very cool, composed and strong. The woman didn't have a very important role though, still whatever role they had they killed it.
The way its shot is also very unique, the whole show has hue undertones making it look dark and grungy, setting the mood for the show.
The soundtracks and the occasional beeping added to the thrill and was a very good addition to the show.
Now onto what I disliked about the drama, the show tried to include comedy for no apparent reason, the show without the unnecessary comedy would have increased my ratings. These scenes just made me cringe more than laugh. I laughed and smirked more in other scenes that weren't considered "light and funny scenes". These scenes ruined the whole mood and could have been easily cut out.
There are some characters that were just there for the heck of it and weren't given the spotlight, these made me wonder why they were doing what they were doing. It would have been better if they were given a story too.
Other than these points I enjoyed the drama and always looked forward to watching the next episode.
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Had great potential but failed through and through due to some aspects
Prisoner of beauty has beautiful sets, outfits, accessorises, actors and scenery. The plotline is nothing out of ordinary but had some intresting aspects that kept me watching like the fun side charecters, comedic aspects, bromance and sismance. The grandmother highkey saved the show along with cousin bro , loved the army too!! The music was well timed.The problem lies with the ABSOLUTE SHIT screenwriting and dialogues especially for the male lead. In a feminist lens especially in 2025, the male lead is a disgrace. He CONSISTENTLY looks down on her saying shes "just a woman" even though she technically saved his life. he gossips about her in such disgraceful ways. And never accepts that shes clever and capable and not just a woman. He has mood swings SO MUCH. Playing with her feelings and her trust. If soemthing goes wrong and might have been from her he drops his trust and then treats her like shit. What pisses me off even more is the fact that she agrees with his shitty perspectives, excuses his bad behaviour and pretends like nothing happened. I understand they want to keep the slice of the society but this was just blatant and it didnt need to come from the male leads mouth!!! Atleast idealism in tv shows especially a fluffy one like this one would have been good. this phase lasts for more than half of the show and it highkey pissed me off. The way he gets jealous of men that breathe in her direction and the whole cousin plot RUINED IT LIKE BE FR :((((((( His jealously and how cooly she takes it make me wanna cry because aint no way.
Another thing is the villian is CONSISTENTLY one woman the dragging of her revenge line is too much - so many things could have happened in the story but no. the episodes could have been cut because last 3 episodes i watched by forwarding like crazy.
Overall, i wouldnt recommend, there are so many better shows.
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Honestly this drama was so perfect. There is nothing I want to change. The characters, the photography, the cast -perfect. The story was so well written. The forest that this was shot in was so beautiful DAMN. I fell in love with both the first and second lead couples. Nothing can beat this. everything I want into one show?
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The storyline was pretty basic nothing too fancy, a cold guy and cheerful girl. The girl was moderately basic and the guy was the definition of basic. He's one of the most controlling characters in drama land. He wants to control everything and the girl had no problems? There are so many controversial things that happened and the girl is just like "yea definitely you can control me and do everything for me while I do nothing, thank you" I absolutely hated the chemistry of the main couple. The first half of the show was illogical and so random honestly...the whole show was pretty random. The middle part I started to like them a little bit but no we're back to confusion, cringe, questionable and controversial things by the end of the show.
The whole show is based on illogical things. The misunderstandings and problems are based on things that literally make no sense. It's like the writer ran out of ideas and will make up anything to make the story complete. It made me question alot of events.
The second lead couples single handedly carried the whole show. Ji siqi was the best character of the show. He's a ball of sunshine. Lu Qing wu is a pretty solid character too. I like her, shes cute and kinda controversial at times but she's definitely more interesting than the main leads. Thier chemistry is so cute. I watched the second half of the show only for them literally skipped all the cringe of the first leads.There were some questions even in the stories of the second lead but it wasn't so bad compared to the first leads. Even the younger sister's story was really good compared to the first leads. These characters made me continue the show.
Only watch this show if you're super bored and have nothing else to do. Great when you're already angry and want to scream at something or if you want to experience how great of a man ji siqi is, I'll do anything for him BEST BOY.
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