5
1
A Cute and Hopeful Drama.
With very unconventional characters as the leading roles and the very comedic title, I expected the drama to be mediocre. Boy... I couldn't have been more wrong.Koi Desu: Yankee Kun to Hakujo Garu was a true delight in every sense. Yes, there were tropes that are a necessity for every rom-com out there, but it never once made me irritated as both Yukiko-chan and Kurokawa were characters whom I could actually trust.
Moreover, both of them having 'disabilities' was a fresh change for me. I have to give it to Yukiko-chan for coming so far with her amblyopia. Losing eyesight is worse than being born without one. The drama did not kid around with the term 'blind'. It attempted to educate and give an insight on how blind people manage to survive in the madding crowd. I've never heard of amblyopia/lazy eye before. So, this was another new information for me.
Kurokawa is one of the most bunny like male leads I've ever seen. Despite the scar that has him ostracized from the common people, he is positive about his relationship with Yukiko-chan and wants only the best for the ones he love. I adored his little coffee shop gang.
Shishio-san was a surprise from start to the end. I suggest you watch the drama to find out more.
Kurokawa and Yukiko-chan's relationship was so pure and funny. They were ready to accept each other as they are and sat down to talk things out.
The familial support had a strong impact on Yukiko-chan. No one ever tried to hinder her wishes. Her sister Izumi initially did try, but it got better and I loved the relationship between the father and his two daughters.
I completed this after half an year, but I enjoyed every minute. It's an optimistic drama that gives us all the good vibes.
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A Tragic Tragicomedy.
I finally discovered a drama where the King is not a self absorbed idiot, but an actual, lovable human with brains .'The Crowned Clown' is a beautiful, tragic and heartwarming story about a humble clown, Ha Seon, who is put on the throne as a decoy for the unhinged doppleganger King. Having never dealt with anything remotely related to the Court or governing a nation, he attempts to rule the people as he sees fit, angering the corrupt ministers, cheering his people, and befuddling his enemies.
The first two episodes itself were a mix of horror, terror and comedy. Lee Hun, the present King was a nutcase. I'm not kidding when I use that word. Completely addicted to drugs and a tyrannical, he murders everyone who stands against him without a second thought, including his Queen Consort's very own father. With support from his sycophantic ministers, particularly the devious Shin Chi Soo, his madness soon has conspirators plotting to kill him.
Yeo Jin Goo kicked the ball out of the park with his performance in this drama. To be honest, I began this because he was in it. And he did not disappoint. His transition from the completely psychotic King to the vibrant and happy clown was unbelievable. I began to see those two characters as separate individuals and could see no shadow of their dispositions on the other. His supporting actors were equivalent in their peformances, portraying impeccable performances which alone, elevates the quality of this drama. And Episode 15 will forever go down as one of the most epic moments I've watched on television.
Ha Seon, who is forcibly put on the throne as a decoy knew nothing about court. Haksan, the Chief Royal Secretary, asks him to stay put and leaves him instructions on how to conduct an assembly and listen to the ministers' reports while he was gone. Long story short, Ha Seon, who is shocked by the ruthless rules of the palace, bends them to his will and governs the people as he sees fit.
The plot is dependant on the political struggles, but I did not find anything annoying. The clown was a breath of fresh air and saved me from listening to the ministers spout nonsence.
Haksan and Ha Seon's rapport and trust is what made this drama watchable despite of the deep emotional battles. The intense bloodshed and the foolish mindsets of the ancient royals made me want to smash their teeths out. But, these two characters knew their game. I was completely in awe when Hae Seon stood up against everyone to serve justice. His love for his people, his sibling Dal Rae and uncle Bak Soon was heart warming. Haksun is someone who could easily be the definition of morally grey. He took risks that would make him lose his head, but with a strong conviction and backbone that made us (and Ha Seon) believe in him.
The script did not shy away from portraying the barbaric acts that the lower class faced at the hands of the so called "royal blood/upper class". I hated episode 2 in particular, where a tragic, traumatizing and cruel incident happens to a character only for it to be easily brushed off by the perpetrators.
Ha Seon suffers emotionally. Watching him was worrisome -- he was never meant for the court. His loyal Eunuch Cho and Haksan become his constant source of support. There were a number of supporting characters whose frequent appearance slowly made me like them and treat them as important ones.
Romance is not a strong aspect. But, Soo Woon, the icy queen was well acted. She was icy in the beginning and never quite drifted away from her calm and strict demeanour till the very end. This also happens to be the first time that I'm seeing a drama where the Queen has an active role in the troubles of the King. Their mutual love and support was never cringeworthy, but a joy to watch. Lee Se Young appears to be a very versatile actress who can fit into any role without making it seem over the top. I had seen her performance as a consort in another drama, where she changed from being happy and smiling court lady to a rather a bleak and silent consort. I could see no sign of that consort in this one. She fit the role of the silent Queen well.
The villains were stunningly vile. I'm upset that no one set Shin Chi Soo's beard and the Queen Dowager's room on fire.
The music was strange. There would be lyrics being sung in the background, but they blended in so well with the scene that it took me sometime to realize that there was a song going on.
I'm still unsure of what to make of the drama's conclusion. Was it happy? Or was it really sad? But, Ha Seon deserves the best. So, I'll imagine that he finally became happy.
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It's not you, it's me.
I wanted to like this drama. I really did. But, after episode 5, I just couldn't pull through. There is nothing really wrong with it and story as a whole since the purpose has been already introduced to us in the very 1st episode.Yong So Joon, a CEO who has the ability to time travel attempts to alter his future to prevent his death... which coincidentally happens alongside Song Ma Rin, a photographer.
What I found lacking was the balance between characters. We see 80% of the story from So Joon's point of view.
My biggest issue was perhaps with the female lead. It seems as if the writers put all their efforts into delving deeper into making the male lead a mysterious figure.
Song Ma Rin on the other hand reminded me of play dough. Yes, there are hints about her troubles, but for someone who has suffered so much for 30 years, she was one of the most delusional female leads I have seen. Her own evil friend points out that she was overboard with her thoughts and actions.
I did not understand her at all -- she acted cute, revealed her insecurities and that was it. If I'm supposed to sit through 16 episodes, there must be something that is worth it with the characters.
The time travel aspect is alright and the real mystert begins right after episode 5, but I no longer have any interest in finding out what lies ahead. Maybe I'll pick this drama up again someday.
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Puzzle Pieces.
Well, well. This is unexpected. I watched it on a whim when I felt that 'The Demon Hunter's Romance' was taking a trip downhill, and it served it's purpose well.During the summer, Xiao Zhi is invited to an island as an assistant for the kids at camp. Having a constant push and pull relationship with his brother; he meets Chen Li, his brother's classmate who shows him around the island and takes him on mini-adventures. In the process, a secret relationship develops between the two.
The story can be 'VERY VAGUE' and you have to observe the characters' facial expressions and body language to connect the dots. Or else you'll be staring at nothing except some excellently filmed scenes which can be your next wallpaper.
It also seems to have purposefully hidden certain scenes or showed another perspective of them -- a rather clever move. But, hey! I knew Xiao Zhi liked Cheng Li; but if they hadn't shown those scenes later, I would've assumed that it was a one sided crush.
Chen Li was the hidden character for me; Xiao Zhi was the one whom I felt bad for, particularly at the end of EP6. Both of their performances combined made this drama a worthy watch.
A good palate cleanser -- the storyline was disconnected and jumped around during the last half, which is why this isn't getting an 8 from me and why me review is titled as such.
But, it also depicted some harsh realities of life in a limited time, so it's a 7.5/10.
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The Poster Doesn't Lie.
Disclaimer: I don't know the webtoon and don't understand Korean as well. So, to me, the drama was exactly what the poster promised -- you don't know who the main character is or what I was signing up for.I had seen people going off after the trailer, but since I didn't understand the trailer, too, I was 100% in the dark while beginning this one. Also, this drama has apparently been marinating since 2023 or something.
☆ The positives?
--- Technical: Standard production with plenty of colour and convincing performances.
--- Story Highlights:
1. Heesu's internal struggles.
2. Seung Won and Ji Yu's friendship.
3. Heesu and Seung Won.
4. Ho Sik, Heesu and Chan Yung.
5. Ho Sik and Hee Won.
6. Hee Su's family.
Hee Su was the most interesting character. His monologues, introspection and fears were what made me rate this a 7/10. Not to mention, Ahn Ji Ho was perfect for that role. The second would be Seung Won by Lee Sang Jun.
☆ The Cold Pricklies:
-- Chan Yung's individual storyline. Not gonna lie, it was plain bland and boring. I skipped most of his scenes and that 10 tennis practices or so that were stuffed in between. (That's why I cut off 3.5 out of 10 points. They took up a lot of runntime.) An episode or so of it might've been enough to let us see his struggles; but making it an important plot point which revolves around him was useless. Which was often excessive and did not progress well or add anything much to his character.
(EP10 had a whole "insert song" when it should've been spent to speed up the other characters' storylines. Not that the song was bad, but hey, dude! This is not High School Musical.)
Considering that I adored little bit of glimpses of romance we got from other couples such as Hok Sik and even Bob girl, Chan Yung's storyline should've just stuck to the same pattern. I liked Ji Yu as an individual character, but their romance was somehow pale when compared to both Hee Su's and heck, even Ho Sik's and Hee Su's sisters' lives. Probably because they were pretty generic unlike the other characters'; who had to struggle and face rejection.
Keeping aside the romance aspect, the way the character Chan Yung is written might be a major reason why I skipped almost all his scenes. It could've been interesting without making me feel as if I was being forced to choke down his scenes. I didn't care about anything happening in his life. The actor, Cho Jun Yung, did what he could with what he was given and I appreciate him for that.
Chan Yung might be a gem to Hee Su, but not to me.
Also, I don't get 'why' Chan Yung was all that great to Hee Su. That was another aspect that wasn't properly conveyed. Even the currently airing silly 'Something is not Right' and that JDrama 'Kimi Ni Wa Todokanai' does an excellent job expressing why the main character likes his best friend.
☆ Final Thoughts:
Could've been A LOT shorter. And don't get me wrong, there are plenty of JDramas and even KDramas that manage to deliver convincing stories without dragging out the plot.
They should've renamed this something like "Tennis and Class 2" or something like that. I get why so many people are pissed by this adaptation; but as I said; I didn't even know who the main character was while checking out the poster. So, I think a 6.5 or 7 from my side is a good score.
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Strange, but Intriguing.
That's exactly how I would describe Utsukushii Kare. Based on a somewhat familiar trope, what made this drama pique my interest were the leading characters.Timid and introverted Hira falls for the cold and untouchable "King" Kiyoi. It then follows their twisted connection and the moral dilemmas that each of them face.
It's 100% non-fluffy by the way.
The show never moved away from the "romance" aspect, which I unfortunately found boring. Narrated from Hira's point of view, we rarely leave his bubble.
Both Kiyoi and Hira had distinct personalities and personally, I felt that there was more room for growth and portrayal of their different facets. I am not familiar with the source material, so I might me wrong.
Hira in particular, looked a bit more lively and open during the latter half of the show, particularly after his time at college. He is definitely one of the most uninteresting protagonists I've ever seen, but there were not many characters or relations in the story to begin with. It looked almosy empty or crowded at times.
I particularly loved the portrayal of the characters in the final episode, thanks to the cast who did an excellent job. It was too rushed for my taste, unfortunately.
Overall, it's definitely worth a try if you are seeking some dramas which deal with the ugly truth of a few people out there.
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Chemistry and Economics.
I'm writing this review solely as a reminder for myself about why I dropped this drama in the very first place. Don't worry. It will not affect the rating system as I have not seen enough episodes for it to get counted.I tried giving it a second chance, but I just couldn't move forward past the first five minutes of EP4.
Now... lets get down to business.
If Chemistry along could drive a drama, then this one should be it. Both Leo Luo and Bai Lu are talented actors and they pulled off their roles beautifully. Their premise was good. But... the plot.
When it comes to the plot, in the first three episodes, we see Jiang Jun pull a few strings and get into Yuan Shuai's company much to his displeasure. Then we have about 50% of the conversations revolving around why she was not fit to do the job. Then the next 50% with him tasking her with something hard and she going about trying to desperately prove herself. The sweet stuff is scattered throughout in between. Its even funny at times. Even that was not enough for me to stick to the drama. Had I watched it completely I'd have skipped 80% of the episodes to just fast forward to scenes that I actually wanted to watch... which would be pretty much half of the drama.
I know nothing about Investment Banking and half of their conversations bored me so much that I stopped watching the episode in between or outright skipped to the fun parts. I did not care about Xu Lei and Xiao Chuan's romance. It seemed childish and might have been intentionally inserted to appease viewers' tastes. But, I simply skipped all their scenes.
In short, the overall backstory or the main plot made zero sense to me, due to my little knowledge about the business world. The romance was good. But, that alone couldn't make me stick to the plot.
If you are a fan of the leads and find their scenes sweet - please do watch it! But, if you want some actual basic plot that leads to their romance... you might understand and tolerate it better than me for sure.
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