Slow and beautiful
This is one of those dramas that has left me with a lasting impression. It is slow paced, lovely, sad, and has a very fitting soundtrack. The overall feel I would say is "sensual" and soft; from the lightning to the music and the looks and dialogue.The acting is good, especially both of the main leads, the cinematography is beautiful, and the locations are scenic and nice.
Brief synopsis as per my memory:
The female protagonist has an illness that makes her mum overly protective of her. On an outing from her house, she gets smitten by a male hairdresser's voice when he washed her hair. She seeks him out again, and although he is hesitant, they do start to form a bond and a relationship.
Warning:
If you like conclusive endings, this is not for you.
I saw in discussions for this series on Viki to watch it til the end of the credits, but Viki kept cutting me off, so I wasn't able to do that.
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Slooow, but still captivating
So as most other reviews mentioned, this is a really slow paced drama. There are lingering shots and long pauses. But still, it was captivating.The cast is brilliant, the cinematography and editing is high class, and the overall feel of the rural setting is very fitting.
As for the story, even if it is rather slow-moving, it contains enough elements that are served drip by drip at the right moments to keep your interest.
Brief synopsis:
Cellist Hae Won (played by Park Min Young) escapes from Seoul to her ancestral hometown after setbacks in her career. She had some difficult years in her late teens, and being back brings forth both good and bad memories.
In a neighbouring house, her former classmate Im Eun Seob (played by Seo Kang Joon). He runs a bookstore, and is a quiet but caring man who hides his emotions well. He has had a secret crush on Hae Won for all these years, and is secretly thrilled that she arrived and they start to form a close bond.
Both Hae Won and Im Eun Seob carries psychological wounds with them from their younger days; some known, and some unknown. As life happens, will wounds be healed and truths come to light?
In the story you also have Hae Won's aunt and mum, Im Eun Seob's younger sister, and their friends. All of these characters are also excellently portrayed - I especially enjoyed the scenes with Im Hwi in (his younger sister); she had such a joyful, energetic presence.
Park Min Young is superb in her portrayal as Hae Won.
This was my first time watching Seo Kang Joon, and he impressed with his lowkey but strong performance.
The supporting cast was also very strong.
So: Should you watch this drama? Not if you're no fan of slice-of-life or slow-burn romances. But if you want an emotional drama without villainous characters or dramatic story arcs, you should give it a go. And don't give up too quick.
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Opposite age-gap, careers and love
I kind of liked this, but I also mix it up with another C-drama of career woman and opposite age-gap relationship at work ("The Rational Life"?).The synopsis here on MDL is a bit confusing, tbh.
What the story does well is depicting how societal norms and pressure influence us, and can make it hard to follow your instincts – and your heart!
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A fun take on historical fantasy romance
Watch it if you like historical fantasy with a twist - this is a story that doesn't take itself too seriously.Brief synopsis:
The female protagonist is a screenwriter who gets transported into her story as a side character who gets killed early on. Since she knows how the story is supposed to unfold, she does her best to change the events to stay alive so she can get back to her reality. It turns out it isn't that easy to control events, and when real feelings start to develop, how will that affect her actions?
This is a fun take on the historical fantasy genre where modern day persons travel to historical times. The FL is a refreshing character, and the ML does a good job of switching between devious and "puppy-eyed loveable".
All in all, this was an enjoyable viewing experience.
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Could have been 4 episodes shorter
As my headline says: I kind of thought this was coming to an end in episode 16, but then it kept going for another 4 episodes.Brief synopsis:
The male protagonist, Moon Soo Ho, was as adopted into Jung Hae Ra's family when he was in his adolescence after his father died in a mysterious fire. He later disappeared abroad, where he became very successful. Jung Hae Ra on the other hand met misfortune, her family loosing their fortune, and both her parents dying.
She now works as a travel agent, working hard to advance her life. By chance she gets a job trip abroad, where she happens to meet Moon Soo Ho, without recognizing him from her youth. He on the other hand finds out who she is, as he has been searching for her for many years. He pursues her. Back in South Korea their paths cross with his wife from a past life, who was cursed to live forever after her evil deeds back then. She is still obsessively in love with MSH, so how will this love story unfold?
I have a bit mixed feelings for this. I kind of liked it, but then it did go a bit heavy on the scheming and the plots. I thought it was a little confusing in the beginning with the jump between times.
The cast was good. The main couple played by Kim Rae Won and Shin Sae Kyeong had some sweet scenes - they showed intimacy in an affectionate, sweet way.
Seo Ji Hye as Sharon really plays her villainous role well, as do Kim Byung Ok in the supporting role as director Park.
The music was a bit different, but I wish they could have used it a bit more subtle, maybe; I felt it got a bit too much in length.
All in all, when the story threads fall into place it works for a while, until it gets a bit too heavy on the plots. I think it could have been simplified a bit, and I didn't quite see the point of the aunt; her character felt a bit redundant, to be honest.
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Enjoyable
A rather delightful watch, I would say.After having watched some more with similar premise, this is one of the better ones.
Brief synopsis:
Female CEO gets pressured by family, sets her eyes on succesfull doctor who agrees to enter a (contractual?) marriage with her. Living together is not easy, and they face challenges both privately and professionally, adding some real emotions into the mix. Can they manage to handle love, and be together? As the title suggests, there will be a "restart" of their relationship.
Some good story arcs and interesting character development.
ML was quite charming, and FL has a good screen presence.
I especially enjoyed the last part (the episodes after the "jump"), even if the reason for the jump was very cliché and stupid.
Yoyo was totally adorable!
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Healthy relationships
A good balance between workplace drama, slice-of-life, family and romance.The relationships portrayed, both family, friends and coworkers, are realistic and develops well, supporting the storyarchs and pace of the drama.
Acting was strong from pretty much everyone. Dylan Wang mastered the portrayal of a young person with sincere feelings well, and I must say the actress playing FL’s mum impressed me.
The “opposite age difference” is shown in a very realistic way, and I particularly liked how they addressed the concerns and obstacles through the views of different people around them.
The supporting characters’ stories did develop on their own archs, without being too dominating. They could have dropped some of it and made the drama shorter, as they were not really essential to the story, but those scenes didn’t feel like a total waste of time either.
All in all, this is a good drama to watch if you like more mature, healthy relationships.
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OK - nothing more, nothing less
OK, but not great. Not very memorable, to be frank.I did use the skip forward, and I did consider abandoning, but ended up watching all episodes.
It did have some funny moments, but looking back at it I can't really say it left me with much of any emotions or impressions.
FL is sweet, but the ML didn't fully convince me.
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Healing drama and healthy relationships
This surpassed my expectations. It was funny, sweet, and emotional, with great acting by the two main leads, and her parents.From the synopsis here and on Netflix, I started this thinking it was something I would be able to watch over time, not binge. That quickly turned out to not be the case!
Fangirling took a backseat in the story as it progressed, and the story turned out to be more of a healing drama, with mature, healthy relationships - both romantic and family-wise.
It was so refreshing to see a couple in a drama that actually were communicating well with each other, as well as being considerate for the other person. I would also say they had rather good chemistry.
What I did not quite like was the character of the first director (Cindy's mum). She was just overly exaggerated - made me cringe. That character could still have done it's part in the story without being so extreme.
I saw some comments about not seeing the point of the second ML (mr Nam Eun Gi), but I thought he played a part in the story, without it taking too much space. I would say that his story, together with Ryan's, showed two different "versions" of a similar issue (difficult to explain without giving away possible spoilers).
If anything, her friend's employee/artist was the character that felt a bit unnecessary to me, even if he didn't take up too much of the story.
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Some things are great, some things are not…
Key take aways: Starts off good, middle part way too plot-heavy, gets better towards the end but feels a bit rushed and predictable.Acting was strong, music ok, effects not great.
The following I wrote when on episode 24, but my thoughts are pretty much the same on these points after completing all episodes:
First of all: Fu Yun Shen (1st ML), brought to life by Cheng Yi, is just such a wholeheartedly good character. He didn't start out like that, but he turns out to be the kind of persona that fills you with a warm feeling. Everything from his acts and behaviour to the way he talks and smiles. Great acting by Cheng Yi.
As for Zhang Yu Xi portraying Zhu Jiu (1st FL), I have had some mixed impressions of her before, but I do think she fills this role well.
They had some sweet moments, but not off-the charts chemistry.
Fu Xin Bo as Fu Xi Zhou (2nd ML); I have liked some other works of his I have seen, and he does OK, but I think maybe his character becomes a bit "flat" as it progresses. I do like how they try to show his internal conflicts (will not divulge further to not give spoilers).
Then:
I sincerely wish the writers had skipped the family dramas and scheming character types. That would have made this SO much better. They could have created a story arch in a different way.
The drop that kind of did if for me now was Zhou Zhi Zhi's mum, but Fu Yun Shen's mother is also way over-the-top.
Some scenes are a bit too fake-looking (props & visual effects), but other part of the cinematography is quite beautiful.
I also find it a bit annoying that the female characters, especially Ruan Ruan, but also occasionally Zhu Jiu, talks in so childish ways. I know RR's character is supposed to be a bit spoiled and childish, but still - to talk like she is a 7 year old?
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Could've been shorter
Main reason I watched this despite its age, is because I like Hyun Bin as an actor and was curious about one of his roles from a bit further back.I saw some mixed reviews, and although my opinion differ from those giving very poor reviews, I can't give it top score either.
I like the acting: I think Hyun Bin plays out his double role well. I am a bit more mixed about Han Ja-Min; I felt she "overacted" the sadness/weariness a bit at times.
As for the storyline, it got a bit too plot-heavy. I felt it could have been rounded off nicely at 12 episodes; I kind of expected it to be near an end in episode 10.
But: I must admit I got emotional (last 2 episodes).
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Charming and enjoyable
One of my first Jdramas, and it was an enjoyable watch, with some funny moments adding to it’s charm.The storyline had an original twist to it, but do bear in mind it is in the fantasy-genre.
I found the FL charming and suitable, and thought the chemistry between her and the ML was quite good.
I must admit: 80% of the time when I set the stars here I don’t really remember the music, so I usually put that “around the middle”, unless I actually really noticed the music.
Overall, this was sweet and entertaining.
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Sweet, easy watch
I would say this is a rather “innocent” story: it is sweet and uncomplicated, without any big ups and downs and dramatic plots.It contains a lot of the familiar tropes, but they are kept at a “calmer level”.
The cast is ok; the two main leads portray their characters’ personalities rather well, although their chemistry could have been stronger.
The screenplay also stays focused on the main characters. Yes, the supporting characters also have a story, but it is not elaborated too much.
Don’t expect any big surprises, but if you want an easy, feel good sweet romance with some funny elements, this is worth watching.
I liked how they approached the part that led to his “night time online study” 😉
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Action with a western-vibe
This had a solid story, good cast and acting, cool music, and in general a quality production. The only thing I can put my finger on was that it was too dark at times, especially when watching on a small screen (mobile).The story was well balanced; there was build-ups (suspense), intense fight scenes and action, and personal stories for some of the characters, seasoned with some light romance on top.
The story was a bit predictable, but not sure it would have been better if it hadn't been.
The whole vibe is a bit like a good old fashioned western, but it fits quite well.
It can't quite measure up to my two favourite historical Kdramas Mr Sunshine and My Dearest, but then again I feel it necessarily shouldn't be compared to those either. But both of those are amongst my highly recommended series that I also probably will rewatch one day.
Not sure I will watch this again, though.
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Familiar tropes, but entertaining
Don't expect original plots – this script contains a lot of the familiar ones, but it is still rather entertaining. It also covers some more serious topics, like harassment in the workplace, but it isn't a serious, heavy drama. You have to watch it on the right premise; I kind of remember it as a hybrid of a romcom and a drama.The kid is an absolute charmer, and he almost makes this worth the watch on his own, lightening up the show with funny scenes and "adorableness".
I like that the FL is strong and independent with a career in what some might think of as a more male dominated area.
The cast is quite good, and the two main leads interactions are often spot on.
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