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not great but it has its merits
I should say right off that I haven't read the manhwa, and it sounds like the series veered pretty far from it. As a series, it's light and funny, and I really enjoyed Ahn Ji-ho as Hee-su. There is the usual misunderstandings, missed moments of communication, and silliness mixed with heartache. As others have mentioned, the main couple (Hee-su and Seung-won) do not get the screen time they deserved. Instead of one interesting side couple, it felt like there were too many couples and too many side stories ... Hee-su was constantly leaving and arriving at his house and not a lot happened for him in between. Ahn Ji-ho is both funny and heartbreaking, and the voice over has some gems in it. It's a great scene when the main couple *finally* clears things up and get together. But then ... it ends. I loved the sisters, who were hilarious and showed a lot of love as a family, but their stories needed trimming, too. I needed a light show and this one fit the bill at the time, though I won't watch it again.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
where to begin
Lots of spoilers ahead ... proceed with caution.I was so incredibly disappointed by this series. The stars I did give it were for Kang Hoon's acting, despite the character of Ju Yeon being selfish and frustrating. Also, a bit of the stars go to Jo Hye Joo's character Hye Yon, who was funny and unflinchingly honest ... which leads to her being reprimanded after she (grown woman) had a drink with a man (another adult) in her hotel room. She had to write an apology and got demoted. He? Nada. Nor did he stand up for her.
In a time when mental health is getting the attention it deserves, let's get it right. DID doesn't work that way. At all. DID is something that happens to a child who has experienced horrific, sustained abuse and trauma. It doesn't happen when a woman gets tossed aside by a cruel, manipulative asshole, who says he won't marry her and walks off. Does it suck? Absolutely. But I think we can give women a bit more credit in handling a break-up, no matter how brutal. F*ck that guy!
After that ... it's just a mess. What actually did happen to Hye Ri? Did she wander into the field and die? Get lost? Live in that random cabin, and assumably went somewhere to get the things she needed to survive? How old was she? Nine? Thirteen and at a pool party? Maybe I missed something. Somethings? Doesn't anyone tell Eun Ho that what happened was not her fault, poor kid? Where were the search and rescue teams? Helicopters? Normally, I love Shin Hye Sun. But what was going on with the character of Hye Ri? Why was she so infantilized, looking up through her bangs with her mouth slack, huh-huh-huh laughter, while covering her mouth. Going from complete shyness and naivité (crying and unable to even speak to her crush Ju Yeon) to a quirky, happy woman who can solve decades of animosity between Ju Yeon and his mother, by telling her it's good to be alive. What? The Hye Ri personality doesn't resemble the real Hye Ri in flashbacks at all.
One of the hardest things to watch (the acting lopsidedly in Kang Hoon's corner), was when Eun Ho decides that she and Ju Yeon should have a "good breakup," despite the obvious fact that he was in a shit load of pain, his heart breaking while she smiled, even laughed at one point, and insisted that they shake hands. Then cue over-protective pos boyfriend (whom she's taken back). He shows up, adds to the blow by also shaking Ju Yeon's hand, links arms with Eun Ho, and the two skip off laughing and flirting ... directly in front of Ju Yeon who is shattered. Kang Hoon has a flawless grasp on subtle emotions in his acting. So even though I didn't know what he saw in her, and he was a jerk for demanding that Hye Ri come back for his own sake, I could really feel his heartache in losing her.
And then ... Eun Ho is totally fine with the idea that Hye Ri might come back ... she'd be happy to see her. With actual DID, that would mean that she is facing something that has triggered her trauma to such a degree that her brain takes over and brings Hye Ri back to help handle it. Yeah, not a "happy" thing at all.
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the best show I've seen in a long time
I have not read the book, so now that I am I might change my opinion on the series ... but I found this show just incredible. From casting, to acting, to story, to sets, to music. I want to watch it again after I finish the book. The one thing that really threw me off was the contacts that they put on Cosmo Jarvis as John Blackthorn. I noticed them as soon as the show started and I thought that maybe they looked that way because he had scurvy. Lol! Why not find a blue-eyed actor? Jarvis was very good as Blackthorn ... but those contacts were always obvious. I really wanted to binge the whole show at once, but I made myself watch two episodes a night to make it last. I love a story that doesn't flinch from the dark, uncomfortable, heartbreaking, the horrifying, and the mistakes made by characters followed by true consequences. Blackthorn's discovery of Japan and its people, next to their discovery of Blackthorn, was fascinating and I wonder what it really was like back then.Was this review helpful to you?
wasn't for me
Korean romcoms have helped win me over to the genre, but unfortunately this one was just not my thing. Kang Tae Oh is a very talented actor, but we only got a small taste of that in Potato Lab, because the focus seemed to be on his looks, the story was shallow, and his character development weak. I look forward to seeing him in something else soon. There were many side characters played by actors/actresses who are my favorites, but the overacting and ridiculous scenarios got to me. It was just too goofy and too over-the-top, with plot holes thrown in. I hope to see Lee Sun Bin in another role, too, because I just could't stand Mi Kyeong, the constant tantrums, her antagonizing of Baek Ho, forcing others into doing what she wants, overreacting (lying down on the floor in the big company entry to avoid her ex?), and giving her brother and her best friend so much crap over being together. I'm not sure what the ML saw in her at all. It's hard for me to find something funny when it's so clear that it's actors trying to act funny, instead of characters doing funny things/reacting in a way that's both humorous and well-crafted. I didn't finish it, but the show might be a good show for someone who needs something light without much to focus on. And the countryside is beautiful!Was this review helpful to you?
could have been amazing
With the cast it had, the incredible scenery, costumes, and sets, and the immersive story laid out in the novel, this could have been an exceptional show. Admittedly, I didn't finish watching it, because I just couldn't get past the changes made from novel to series. And nearly *everything* was changed and, in my opinion, not for the better. Kim Min-ha and Noh (Steve) Sang-hyun were phenomenal. I wanted to keep watching for them alone. It was really too bad that Lee Min-ho's character was changed from complicated, charming Ko Han-su, to one who is mean, vindictive, and abusive. Maybe he got better as the show progressed? Also, with the wonderful young actors out there, someone could have played Ko Han-su as a young man, instead of 6'2" Li Min-ho in a wig. :)Was this review helpful to you?
