michelleoc

Short and cute

This was a very cute show that didn't require much commitment. The premise was interesting and made me wonder how I'd feel about knowing what people were thinking all the time. The female lead was just darling and can we talk about the male lead's voice? Oh my goodness, his voice was so deep and smooth...amazing.

There was a point to this story, other than just the romance in general. It's about reading cues and listening to people, which I thought was a very good thing to bring up. We often go through life so focused on ourselves that we have no clue as to what other people like, dislike, are concerned about, etc.

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If you're going to be in a relationship, you have to think about others

This web show felt like a "what not to do" show, as far as relationships are concerned. The lead actress was beautiful (she reminded me of a couple of other Korean actresses), but oh my gosh, I could totally see why she had such difficulties with her relationships! She was very immature and self-centered, plus she didn't seem to know what she wanted from one moment to the next. She was very demanding. As a man, if I were in a relationship with her, I'd feel like I always had to be careful about everything I said and did.

The actors in each episode were good, and the storyline from each episode was good and stood on its own, Each man had a different "issue" that she had problems with.

As I was watching this, I thought that there was something to be said for being alone, rather than in multiple relationships when you are unhappy in each.

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Fluffy, no angst

What happens when you get married the day you meet someone? That is the story for this 7-episode show. You know, sometimes you just need a show that doesn't require a lot of commitment. This was perfect for that. This show is fluffy and cute, with literally no angst involved. No evil characters, no parents trying to keep them apart, no crazy woman trying to take the lead away from someone else.

Itagaki Mizuki is so handsome. It's a shame that part of the time he was doing an imitation of a sheepdog and his hair was completely covering his beautiful eyes.
Matsui Airi was so cute. I was kind of bothered by her attempts to try to BE cute. These two were very sweet together.

Aside from the show being nice and short, there was more skinship than I remember ever seeing in any Asian drama in the past. You know, sometimes it's also nice to get away from the open-eyed, arms-straight-at-your-side kisses. I realize that it's a cultural thing to a certain extent. One of the reasons I enjoy these shows is because they are clean and leave pretty much everything to your imagination. However, it's always nice to see a couple and get the feeling that they might actually like one another, and that she's not terrified of being approached.

So, I didn't feel like I wasted my time watching this show. Again, it was very cute.

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Very smartly written

It wasn't one of my very favorites, only because it was low on romance. However, this show was well-written, and the characters were developed very well. I loved the concept of the five main characters being friends for many years. One of the reasons that this show was so enjoyable was that the characters weren't cliched - a woman was the head of neurosurgery, a female soldier, a single dad - kind of the opposite of what we have grown to "expect". Each person had their strengths, as well as their idiosyncrasies. I also liked that the characters worked in different areas of the hospital, neurosurgery, general surgery, OB/GYN, pediatrics. This kept the story lines fresh. The stories of the hospitalized patients were often so heart-wrenching (There was a lot of crying going on by me), but that was balanced by the funny interactions between the doctors. This cast played well off of each other and you could really feel their friendships. There was a happy ending, of sorts, with a couple of things left hanging in the balance, I'm assuming so that they can be addressed in season 2. I also liked that this didn't have a lot of the K-drama tropes - such as love triangles with an evil person, and I don't believe I saw one wrist grab in the whole show!

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A lot heavier than I thought it would be.

Reading the synopsis, the description and looking at the picture had me thinking this was a Rom Com, something I could watch with very little angst. This show, to me was veering very close to melodrama. Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of really funny scenes, but I think I might have enjoyed it more had I been prepared for the heavy subject matter.
Acting:
Kim Myung Soo as Dan was good. He was excellent at the physical comedy aspects of his part, and can we just talk about his dimples? He got into trouble when trying to portray anger, then his acting seemed a little forced, and sometimes even watching his walk, he didn't seem comfortable.

Shin Hye Sun as Lee Yeon Seo is wonderful. I loved her in 30 but Seventeen and she plays a completely different character here. She's mean, short-tempered and unlikeable. For me, I was a few episodes in and I hated her (as I was meant to) and wondered if she would ever change. She played a ballerina, and she has the perfect, really slim body to portray a dancer.

Kim In Kwon as Angel Hu: I have to give a special shout out to him. He was exceptional. He was extremely funny when he was supposed to be, and was able to wring emotion out of me at other times.

Story: It got a little garbled in the last half. It seemed like another writer took over and didn't quite know what to do with the story. The bad guys were over-the-top. The multiple times of the main couple being together, apart, together, apart got tiring. I'll say again, why do most Asian shows short change us on the ending? You find out what is going to happen to the main couple in about the last two minutes of the show, and then it's over! I do have to say, the story of the old couple in the sanitorium was wonderful and it really made me cry. Some of the things didn't make any sense, like the second male lead - something happened in the second or third episode to show who he is, but then it turns out to be something completely different!

Chemistry: There was cute chemistry between the leads, but I never really "felt" them as a couple. I liked the fate aspect of it, but she was such a nightmare as an adult, what made him fall in love with her? It's a mystery to me. I have to say the comedic scenes were a joy to watch. And the scene toward the end with the leads and Angel Hu had me laughing out loud.

Soundtrack: Wonderful. The music was able to bring emotions to the front that I don't think the actors always had the ability to do on their own.

Rewatch value: There is so much out there to watch, and I didn't really find any scenes in this show that I need to go back to revisit, so the rewatch value for me is low.

One final critique: I have watched a TON of Asian shows over the past couple of years, and strangely, I always find myself fascinated with the jewelry the ladies wear. The jewelry is usually classy and interesting. In this show, they put Shin Hye Sun in the most AWFUL earrings I think I've ever seen. They were so bad, that a lot of times that all I could focus on. She is so beautiful and the earrings really detracted from that. Some of them looked like door knockers. Just very tacky, overall.

So, in general, I'm glad I watched it, but I can't say it was one of my absolute favorites.

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Having not seen the original, I had nothing to compare it to

I have to say that my review is totally based upon my enjoyment of this show. It was beautifully filmed, and I like the pace of Japanese shows, they tend to give you enough back story without re-playing things over and over again. Adachi Rika as Yo was good (I understand that she's more likeable here than in the original) and Shirasu Jin was excellent as Ren. He was the "perfect" man. My problem was this. Yo's ex-boyfriend was a scumbag (which is why she broke up with him in the first place) and he comes back into the picture and we aren't given any reason to think that he's changed. He came off as sleazy and I could not see what Yo would see in him, especially if you put the two men next to one another. When she got involved with him again, I felt that it was just because she needed a boyfriend, not that she still loved him. I didn't buy that relationship at all. Then when she finally wakes up and gets a clue we get a rushed ending. I have to say the ending with the family and the shoes was very touching and I shed some tears, but I would have liked to have seen them together as a romantic couple a little more. The scenes with them as friends were very enjoyable.

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Sweet story

I was looking forward to this rom-com since I first heard about the casting of Lee Dong Wook and Yoo In Na. I love both of their works as actors, and I already knew they had amazing chemistry after watching them in Goblin.

I'll have to admit, the first couple of episodes had me a little worried. I was afraid her character was going to be too over the top. But this is an example of why you should be a little patient with Asian shows. By episode three I was pretty much hooked. There wasn't really anything original about the story line, but the way the story was told was Lovely! Romantic, funny, touching, believable. The two main leads were just wonderful together and watching this gave me such a warm feeling. The nod to Descendants of the Sun was very funny. My only complaint is that the ending was too rushed, but this is one I can definitely watch again.

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Personally, I preferred this over the show

I watched this movie after watching the show and I have to say I preferred the movie. There wasn't a lot of ancillary stuff going on, and Park Hae Jin's character (Yoo Jung) was more likeable (although, not really until the very end). The storyline was still dark and you didn't often know what to think about him. Seol was very standoffish throughout, so I couldn't really warm up to her. In this movie version, though, I really got the sense of them BOTH being square pegs in a round hole, and the fact that they were both different drew them to one another. I didn't like seeing girls get hit by a man, but I realize that was part of the storyline. I didn't feel the strong sense of disappointment at the end of the movie that I did at the end of the show.

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Watch it for Riley Wang's character

15 episodes that felt so much longer than that. The only reason I stuck with it was because I was able to binge watch it. If I was watching it an episode at a time, I would have given up and moved on. The concept was good, but the execution left something to be desired. Li Zheng and Shao Xi were children whose parents decided before they were born that they should marry when they grew up. That fact was mentioned numerous times, but was not explored at all. The female lead character of Shao Xi was good - she was rough around the edges, good at sports, and very loyal to her friends. I liked the fact that she was upfront early on about her feelings for Li Zheng. The character of Li Zheng is where I had the problem - every episode was him looking at her longingly and not telling her how he felt. I never understood why it took him so long. The trauma in his past affected him, but I didn't think it was enough to warrant him being so emotionless toward her. They were cute when they finally got together, other than the fake-looking kisses, plus the writers made us wait until too late in the show to bring them together. The ending of the show was a happy, though lackluster, one.

The saving grace of this show was the second male lead, played by Riley Wang. When we were first introduced to him, he appeared to be a player, so I was slow to warm up to him. He was always around, and just never "got" her rejections. As the show went along, he definitely matured. Granted, there was a progression of years from the beginning to the end of the show, but let's be honest, some people never grow up! He appeared to watch out more for Shao Xi's physical and emotional safety than Li Zheng did. Even though he cared deeply for her, he was able to put that aside for her happiness. He was a wonderful character to watch.

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Compact, moving story

Having only two episodes, this show was a very well-written tightly told story. This is one of those shows that I passed up multiple times, because I'm not into gangster shows, because I can do without the blood and violence. Wow, this was nothing like I expected! The fact that he was a gangster was almost used as label to describe where he was coming from. I immediately forgot about that, because this show was so good. Because it was short, you don't have to wade through all the unnecessary scenes. Lee Dong Wook is a master of "underacting" - his facial expressions don't change much, there is no unnecessary movement in him - but he can convey his emotions so well. You feel his pain, you see his love. His characters always seem to be somewhat self-deprecating and he's got a cute, dry wit. In addition to the story/acting, the music was interwoven beautifully through the story. This is a wonderful show that doesn't require too much of a time commitment, but it is well worth your time.

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Just my opinion, but...

I decided to watch this for a couple of reasons, not the least of which was Park Seo Joon. However, for me, this show didn't work on a number of levels. Normally I don't have a problem with the characters having a large age difference. In this case, though, I couldn't seem to get past it, especially since I found her to be extremely immature. I also felt that she was trying to be funny, but I didn't feel she carried it off well. Over-the-top physical comedy isn't really my cup of tea. About halfway through the show, I felt that there were just too many misunderstandings, too much angst and depression, and for Pete's sake, if you'd just talk to one another this whole mess could be cleared up!

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Beautiful love story

The picture put me off for so long, and the explanation of the drama, as well. I don't care for period dramas, I find the costuming too distracting. However, the other night I couldn't come up with anything else I wanted to watch, so I decided to give this a try. This is one of those "stay up till 3am just to watch another episode to see what happens" dramas. Chemistry between the main characters was lovely. They were so beautiful together. This show had drama, romance, suspense, mystery, comedy - it had it all. I'm not a believer in reincarnation - I think that there are times when you watch shows that you have to totally suspend disbelief, and this was one of them, but it was so well done that I enjoyed it all. The connection between the past and the present tied in well. There were TRUE villains in this show - I don't like watching bad guys, but they were like watching a train wreck, you wanted to turn away, but you couldn't. I liked how the writers let the prince figure things out pretty quickly, so the audience wasn't way ahead of the game all the time. I ugly-cried through a number of episodes. I'll admit I'm a sucker for a good love story, and oh my gosh! When I got to episode 19 and it all looked pretty grim, I started to get a little worried. I was watching the timed comments during the last episode and a lot of people didn't feel this was a happy ending, but I think they just didn't get it. When he came into her juice shop, she didn't look up, because she was just working on auto pilot due to her grief. But you could tell it was the prince by the smile when he turned away and walked to the door. And when he met her at Namsan tower, you could tell by his posture that it was the prince. I think they had them meet there, rather than at the palace so there wouldn't be confusion as to whether he was really there, or if she was imagining it. When they changed him into his Joseon costume, that was just to verify that it was the prince. Whether he time-traveled back to her, or was reincarnated with his memories, the bottom line was that their love was so strong that they HAD to get back together. I cannot recommend this drama highly enough!

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The writing falls short

I recently saw Kim Min Jae in Tempted, so I was thrilled to see that he was the lead in this show. I liked the show, there were a lot of really good things about it. The music was wonderful, as you'd expect it to be, and I was impressed that Kim Min Jae played most of the music himself (I can barely handle Chopsticks). The Moonlight Sonata/Happy Birthday scene was one of my favorites.
The cinematography was very good - back lighting, warm color tones, and I especially loved the multiple times they filmed different scenes, showing the main leads at exactly the same distance apart. Also, the scenes where they superimposed the female lead between the male lead and the 2FL "will there be room for me between you?"
I was impressed by the costuming, the female lead wore a lot of classy, yet slightly edgy outfits. The people that were together in scenes were color coordinated so that no one person glaringly stuck out. I loved that they put the male lead in jeans a lot - they're in college for heaven's sake. I have to say that his plaid shirts were a little distracting, but oh well.
I felt that the acting was good, everyone played their parts well, but I'd have to say that the writing is what I had a problem with. The characters were somewhat flat and not fully fleshed out. Both the male lead and the female lead's expressions were pretty one-dimensional throughout. ALL of the characters had problems, which is necessary for the story, but, especially for the leads, I didn't see growth with them. They had issues from the beginning, and though he tried to keep communication somewhat open, there was so much not addressed between these two that I don't think you could actually call them a couple. They were precious when they were getting to know one another (and his smiles are worth the price of admission!), but once their relationship should have been further along, the scenes where they were together were almost painful for me to watch - they seemed so uncomfortable with one another. They both suffered from low self-esteem from things that had been said and done to them, but to never lean on one another just didn't make any sense.
The ending was sweet, and we got to see a bit more cuteness from our main couple, but it didn't make up for all the wasted time in the middle of the show.

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