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Completed
Put Your Head on My Shoulder
10 people found this review helpful
Nov 21, 2020
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 4.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

Time I will never get back

I decided to watch this C-drama because it only had 24 episode (which is short for C-dramas), but once I got started, I quickly realized that this could have been completed in half the episodes, and it would have made the whole thing more interesting. I felt that this show REALLY needed a different editor, there were some episodes that, once I got to the end, I realized that the entire episode was a complete waste of time. I really felt that a lot of it was like watching paint dry - boring as all get out.

I suppose the actors did a good job with what they had to work with. The problem was the script. The main character of Tu Mo was so irritating. First, she'd been liking a boy for years, and that boy was one of the most irritating characters I've seen in a show recently. Then, I couldn't actually see what Gu Wei Yi saw in her. Then, she always seemed to be mad at the male lead for something, but rather than talk to him about it, she did a lot of clomping out of the room, slamming doors, and generally not being very nice to him. She was very immature.

Overall, no chemistry between the leads, too many irritating characters, too much dog and cat sound effects, fish kisses, and multiple unnecessary scenes/storylines.

It was sad for me to realize, after watching this, that most of the C-dramas are along these lines and not, for me, overly enjoyable. Love Me If You Dare and Dating in the Kitchen are the gold standard for me, and I will continue to hope that I happen upon other C-dramas that live up to them.

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Completed
Let Me Be Your Knight
12 people found this review helpful
Jan 27, 2022
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 3
Overall 7.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 1.5

The ending ruined the rest for me

First, they should have used the title Let Me Be Your Night, as it was referenced in the drama. Knight does not make sense in any way!

As I was watching this show, I found it to be a fun watch, fluffy and light. There were quite a few amusing moments, and I didn't feel the need to fast forward through scenes (the advantage of fewer episodes). It addressed numerous issues that idols must endure, and I found that interesting as well. It was a very cute concept for a show, and if you just want an easy watch and don't expect too much you won't be disappointed.

What I liked: Jang Dong Joo as 2ML Seo Woo Yeon. He's got a lovely, deep voice and I really liked the way his character was written. Admittedly, I had some SLS going on here, especially since the ML was not a nice person. The music was catchy. The LUNA actors all did an okay job, and I liked how each of them had their own style sense. The story didn't focus on just one or two main characters. That said, there were things that missed the mark...

What I didn't like: Though I love Jung in Sun as an actress and she did an okay job here, I felt that she was entirely too old for this part. I didn't feel any chemistry between the leads in the romantic sense. They were fun to watch when they were antagonistic toward one another, but the romance fell flat. There was an absolutely terrible, cringe-worthy kiss that looked like their lips were barely in contact with one another and her eyes were open the whole time. Though I liked the fact that there were multiple story lines, I felt there were so many missed opportunities to delve deeper into the characters, especially the LUNA members. I would have liked to have seen more of their interactions with one another. The interactions they did have made me think that they didn't care much for one another. The ML character was stoic and cold throughout and I never did become truly attached to him. With the FL being the "live-in doctor", I would have loved to have seen more of her helping the other members of LUNA, not just the ML. A secondary romance took up a lot of screen time and ultimately went nowhere.

WHAT I HATED: Misunderstandings are resolved, someone saves the other, feelings are verbalized, and then one of them leaves the country for an indeterminate period of time after saying "have a good life". WHAT THE HECK!!?!?! That made me mad enough, but the ending was just horrible - short, abrupt, no physical contact (almost like they were just meeting again!), and then just OVER! The last half hour of this show made me so angry I had to drop points. All that time wasted just to be disappointed. Why is it so hard to have a decent ending in so many K-dramas!?!

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Completed
Boss & Me
12 people found this review helpful
Jul 25, 2021
34 of 34 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 4.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 4.0
Music 3.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

Time I will never get back

I'll start by saying that since this was from 2014, the production value was grainy and the dubbing (why do they insist upon doing that? These actors can't possibly have worse voices than the people dubbing!) was truly awful in some places.
WRITING: So many people said they found this fun and funny. I didn't find it to be either of those things. Full of stereotypes (which I can't lower the rating on, because they are in every Asian show), so many of the characters were unlikable and/or irritating. I'll address the main two: I found the character of Shan Shan to be the epitome of a silly, not-too-bright, ditzy woman, and she didn't seem to improve over the life of the show. The writers had her having internal dialog through the whole thing, which was very irritating, and I never could understand why Feng Teng liked her. Which brings me to Feng Teng: this character, for me, was completely one-note. I didn't necessarily have problems with his "stalker-ish" tendencies as others did, (I have to admit, I thought that him having lunch "with" her on both sides of the window was sweet), but he was not very nice to anyone, and the way he talked to his employees would have the human resources department very busy fending off lawsuits. Part of it, I think, was I didn't find him physically attractive, but since I tend to find attractiveness even more in a person's actions, I REALLY didn't find him attractive. All the women were fawning all over him, but it must have just been because he was rich. All of the scenes of the workplace made every female employee look like she was only working to 1) meet a man; or 2) gossip. And there were a LOT of scenes at work. This show would have benefitted from a good editor and half as many episodes.
ACTING: A lot of overacting was being done by people (perhaps trying to make the show seem amusing) and in the case of the male lead, a lot of under-acting - he had one expression and was not able to generate anything using his face/eyes/body. He was very wooden. There were numerous scenes where it felt like there were pauses waiting for someone to remember what their lines were.
MUSIC: I don't remember it.
RE-WATCH: Are you kidding me?!

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Completed
You Are My Hero
14 people found this review helpful
Apr 13, 2021
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 3.0

Way too long

What is it with Chinese dramas? They tend to be, for the most part, twice as long as they need to be. I will be upfront and say that my rating is based upon my enjoyment of the whole thing. I found myself getting bored (a lot) and I left it for two weeks and finally went back to finish it up, because I can't leave a show unfinished.

The main couple? I loved both of them. I really enjoyed her in Love Me If You Dare and I was so glad that their own voices were used. Dubbing makes the whole thing even worse. They were very cute together, the kind of cute that you just have to smile when watching them. I felt that toward the beginning she had some entitlement going on, which irritated me. She kept breaking rules and then didn't understand why he wanted her to leave the program she was in. She felt it was better to apologize than to ask for permission, apparently.

Second couple - if a woman continues to chase a man and he keeps shutting her down, my opinion of her lowers. It's like she has no self-esteem. His reason for shutting her down, when he obviously liked her, was missing so he irritated me as well.

The older couple - had an interesting back story, but I didn't feel overly invested in them, either.

A lot of the medical stuff was incorrect, as it tends to be in these dramas. Do you not have a medical consultant? That takes away from the story as well.

There is quite a bit of action, some bromance, and it's low on angst, so if you are patient and your expectations aren't too high, you might enjoy this show.

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Completed
The Midnight Romance in Hagwon
16 people found this review helpful
Jul 22, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 2.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

There ought to be a law...

If either the word "romance" or "love" are in the title, call me crazy, but I think that should be the focus. This is the first show in a long time that every day I remember that I'm not finished with it yet. It wasn't grabbing me, that's for sure.

Story: Here is where I think the problem was. Instead of romance we get hours' worth of a cautionary tale regarding the Korean education system. It would have been very interesting if it had been interspersed throughout the drama, but it was the focus and it went on too long. The romance was underbaked and felt like more of an afterthought to me. I didn't care for the FL character - she was so condescending to her boyfriend! When she said, "Look at me and listen to what I have to say. Focus." I wanted to smack her. He was so caring toward her, but he was an afterthought to her. There were quite a few scenes in her house or in one of the lecture rooms where it was so dark you couldn't see what was going on. Boring ending (though I did like the proposal, and those are the prettiest rings I've seen in a long time.)

Acting/Cast: The strength was here, that's for sure. The leads were great, I thought the second couple were very cute, and I loved the bar owner and his wife. Standouts for me: Kim Jung Young as the VP and Seo Jung Yeon as the director. I've seen both of these ladies in numerous works, and they played completely different parts here and were so wonderfully unlikeable. And the director's gray hair was fabulous. My favorite was Kim Song Il as Pyo Sang Sub - a world-weary teacher with an unyielding character. Truly, everyone did a great job.

Music: Oh, my heavens I hated the song at the beginning and end of every episode (Open to page 64) - it gets into your head like an earwig and takes up residence, and not in a good way. A couple of episodes had overly dramatic music that didn't go at all.

Rewatch value: I barely got through it once!

I will say, as I'm in the minority in my thoughts, give it a try and decide for yourself.

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Completed
Love Is Sweet
11 people found this review helpful
Nov 7, 2020
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 3.5

Excellent chemistry against a backdrop of corporate intrigues

Unfortunately, I watched this show on the heels of Dating in the Kitchen, which in my mind, is the gold standard for Chinese drama/chemistry/romance, and a show that generally has it all. I've heard good things about Love is Sweet, so I decided to give it a try, hoping to continue to feed my romance fix.

The only thing I'm going to give away is that he's loved her for years. I always love that in a show. They meet up again and are, rather than friends, antagonists.

Leo Luo is the male lead and he's terrific. Always impeccably dressed, powerful businessman and extremely handsome. As when they were kids, he also bullied her in the workplace, but I felt that it was to better her performance at work. He, behind the scenes, always took care to make sure to protect her.

Bai Lu (Son Ye Jin lookalike, if you ask me) as the female lead was good as well. One of my favorite lines was when someone was looking at her and she said something to the effect of "People tell me I look like Bai Lu, have you heard of her?" A little tongue-in-cheek humor never goes amiss.

As a couple their chemistry was wonderful, but once they got together their romance took a back burner to the office intrigues, of which there were a lot. I found that aspect of the show to be very drawn-out and boring. Them admitting their feelings and acting on them was hot/hot/hot for a couple of episodes, though. There was the obligatory time jump, but it happened with about 6 episodes left, and their lives had settled and become pretty mundane. I think this show would have benefitted from tighter editing and less episodes (about 10 less!)

The costuming was good, especially when they were dressed in formal wear. The buildings/sets were visually interesting, as was the soundtrack. As with so many other Asian dramas, I was obsessed with the jewelry.

I never did enjoy the secondary couple. Though I have liked Riley Wang in other things, and he was good enough in this, I didn't feel they had any chemistry and she was a little too immature and stalker-ish for me. I kept hoping for some improvement, but it never materialized for me.

The female lead's allergic disorder was mentioned and addressed time and time again throughout the show, and then completely forgotten at the end, which I thought was a cop-out. I mean, c'mon, who wouldn't cry at that proposal?!?!

Everyone got their happy ending, including, to a certain extent, Du Lei, who was really a scumbag, but maybe he really did give up his wicked ways.

So, though I can recommend it as a show worth watching if you don't mind the multiple, endless and convoluted storylines, if you are looking for strictly romance, this one falls a little short.

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Completed
Mute
11 people found this review helpful
Oct 27, 2020
4 of 4 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 10

A quick, sweet show to watch

Do you need a break between angst-ridden shows? This might just be the perfect show for you to watch. This was a beautifully done short show. It really gave me all the feels and I found myself smiling through the whole thing. Since it was a short show, it was nice to not have to slog through the cliches and filler you find in a lot of the longer shows. She was just darling, big beautiful eyes and a very expressive face. He was so sweet, and that honey-dipped voice, wow! They were so cute together and this show is totally worth your time!
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Completed
Hidden Love
13 people found this review helpful
Jul 23, 2023
25 of 25 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

Lovely

There are spoilers interspersed throughout my review, because some of them were things I liked, some I didn't.

LOVED:
1) Zhao Lu Si as Sang Zhi. She is so beautiful and bubbly, I felt she was perfectly cast for this. Finally, a show in which they didn't put her in a lot of oversized outfits.
2) Chen Zhe Yuan as Duan Jia Xu. I've not seen him in anything before and I loved him in this. First, he's gorgeous. Second, the character was a warm and caring person.
3) Romance chemistry - just wow! The ML said things that most women would love to hear from their man. The way he looks at her, sigh. Good kisses.
4) Story - knowing someone for a long time and developing a relationship. For the most part, this was handled well.
5) Victor Ma as Sang Yan. He was a terrific character. The dynamic between him and his sister, and him and his friends was such fun to watch.
6) SPOILER: It seems like most romances have a secondary female that used to be a girlfriend that comes back after years and wants to pick up where they left off. She thinks she's entitled to him because she wants him. FINALLY, this show portrays the female the way I feel about the secondary women in other dramas. She's a stalker and not-just-a-little unhinged. And I love how the FL told the stalker's friend to go with her to get some counseling! END SPOILER.
7) Ending - I cried.
8) The voices weren't too terrible and the roommates weren't stupid and irritating.
9) The focus was on the romance of the main couple. Not a lot of wasted time.
10) She met him when she was in middle school. The way they handled her crush, her youth, and how he felt about her was handled well. This could have been kind of creepy if he liked her too soon. And the progression of how his feelings changed made sense.
11) The brother's reaction to finding out his friend was dating his sister.
12) The fact that the ML didn't drink alcohol.
13) I know it's not realistic, but I love when the people haven't had relationships before. When he came out and said he'd never dated...he got me!

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: (SPOILERS THROUGHOUT)
1) Sang Zhi acted in a very immature fashion when she was younger. I get that she was young, but when a girl has a crush on a guy, especially an older guy, she does everything she can to demonstrate how mature she is.
2) She's had a crush on him for literally years. She grows up, he confesses his feelings, and she says she needs to think about whether she likes him. I wanted to smack her upside the head. I felt so bad for him, but thank goodness he was patient. I think he knew, even if she didn't say anything. I was mad for a couple of episodes.
3) Her friends saying she needed to "test" him, and her doing it. Game playing in a relationship isn't a good thing, and it, again, made her look really immature.
4) Her making herself cry (when she was younger) to get her way. Once she grew up, I felt that she was still trying to manipulate people.
5) Them saying they would be there for each other, but then keeping things from the other because they didn't want to bother/overwhelm them.
6) One of the last episodes, he's alone in the living room drinking. She comes out and asks him about it, and he never opens up about what the problem is. AND, I really had a problem with the fact that the first time they were intimate he was drunk.
7) Parents, especially, complaining about the age difference. It was five years, people!

Kudos to the writers for not making this a long and drawn out story. My fast forward button got a good rest while I was watching this. It's low angst, light, fluffy, cute, and all the other things when you don't want something heavy. It's one of those shows that I put off, thinking it couldn't possibly be that good, and then I was disappointed when it was over. I will definitely be re-watching it at some point in time.

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Completed
Dr. Romantic Season 3
14 people found this review helpful
Jan 8, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 3.5
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 5.0
Music 3.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

I realize I'm in the minority, but certain aspects of this actually made me angry!

If you watched and loved this drama, please just ignore my review and move on. No need for hateful comments.

There was so much that was out of whack with this drama, but I'll start with what I liked.
1) Main couple had some cute scenes together. There could have been more romance, but since that isn't the focus, I'll give it a pass.
2) Kim Min Jae as Nurse Eun Tak. He's just a cutie and I liked his character.
3) The friendships between the hospital staff. And you gotta love Mr. Goo.

Not so much:
1) Eavesdropping continued from season 2. Everyone was talking about everything out in the open, or the walls were so thin that they could be heard through. Is HIPAA not a thing in Korea?
2) Eun Jae's father is brought on board to run the trauma center. I don't think this would happen for two reasons: 1) the problems between the two of them, and 2) He says that he'll come on board if Dr. Kim leaves? They've just said that Dr. Kim is the reason for the success of Doldam hospital! I know you need "bad guys" to move the story along, but this was implausible to me.
3) Jang Dong Hwa - he was a complete slacker and a danger to patients because of it. There is no way they would have kept him on staff.
4) Ah Reum and Eun Tak. Cute, but in this season, she seemed so much older than him. I don't know if it was makeup or what. I did, however, like their conversation about what they want out of life and getting a house.
5) The character of Jang Gi Tae was still way over the top. What's with the laugh?
6) I don't know if it was due to the script, but I didn't find the acting, in general, to be as good in this season.

The most irritating things for me:
1) The entire staff flew to the North Korean ship!?!?!
2) So, initially there wasn't even going to be a Doldam hospital, but then they got approval for the other and were going to keep BOTH open?! I don't think so.
3) The thing that irritated me most was when the fire was heading toward the hospital. They have evacuated the patients, but they can't find Dr. Kim. He is found by one of the nurses in the OR "contemplating" everything that has gone on in that room, and, according to her, how many patients he has saved. A fire is raging, yet all the medical staff stays in the building looking for a doctor that won't answer his phone, then even though he knows what is going on, he just calmly stands there talking to the nurse. I thought the acting in this section of the show was seriously lacking. Then when the rain comes, the size of that fire wouldn't have been put out that quickly with that amount of rain.
4) Patients come in to be treated. "Oh, our staff is still evacuated until tomorrow". They would have had to let someone know this ahead of time so that patients could be transported elsewhere.

I complete this once I started it, but was sorry for the time I wasted.

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Completed
Find Me in Your Memory
10 people found this review helpful
Jan 13, 2021
32 of 32 episodes seen
Completed 3
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 2.0

Could have been so much better

Not an original idea, by any means. However, I could have forgiven a lot if it had been better written.

Kim Dong Wook as Lee Jung Hoon and Moon Ga Young as Ha Na both did a good job with what they had to work with. My problems were these: 1) So he's able to remember everything - I don't see how that could prevent him from ever loving again. He held off and once he was interested in Ha Na I had a hard time understanding why. 2) Ha Na's character was too "stalker-ish" for me. He's not interested in her at all, yet she keeps showing up, asking him questions about things and generally making herself a nuisance. The actress is a beauty, and I loved the niceness of her character but otherwise she didn't endear herself to me. 3) Stalker storyline - that could have been written so much better, in such a way that it would be more of a surprise to us as a viewing audience. I was just happy to have it over with. 4) The two-year break up. So, you had fears of being in the public eye - hello?!?! You're public figures for heaven's sake! Her going to the US and them not having any contact at all for two years. In this age of technology (especially since she was always using her phone), it didn't make any sense. A breakup that lasts this long diminishes their love. How much could they possibly love one another if they are willing to be apart for that long? 5) The ending. Unbelievably rushed. No contact for two years, they run into one another in a book shop, and they act like virtual strangers. There wasn't enough time after this for us to get back to feeling like they were in love. Plus, the issues that drove them apart were magically resolved and not discussed. I really wish K-dramas would get a clue that we would like a little more at the back end of these shows, and maybe cut out some time-wasting stuff in the middle.

Liked:
The music was good.
Real kisses, thank you very much.
The very rare appearance of his smile
She's a beauty
Loved her sister

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Completed
Officer Black Belt
8 people found this review helpful
Nov 18, 2024
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 1.5

This by no means was a comedy and shouldn't have been labeled as such

This was a hard movie to watch due to the subject matter. The evil in the world is never easy to watch. That said, I really enjoyed the acting and the action. Kim Woo Bin does such a fine job with micro-expressions, and I really liked the development of his character. There was a possibility of him going down a certain path, and I'm glad they didn't take that direction. Also, thank you for not trying to add in romance. (though I'd love to see him in a romance!)

I thought that the action sequences were very well-done.

Personally, I was glad this was a movie and not a series. It got straight to the point without wasting time.

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Completed
Dare to Love Me
8 people found this review helpful
Jul 10, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 4.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

Not much to see here...

What I liked:
1) The main actors were excellent.
2) Original storyline.
3) She got over being a doormat quickly.
4) Mix of the old and new.
5) They didn't harp on the fact that she was older than him.
6) Some cute moments between them.
7) Some cute cultural difference exchanges.

Not so much:
1) Lacking in the romance department. Lots of ancillary stuff going on.
2) Even at the end, he was still calling her "teacher".
3) Too many episodes.
4) Not a lot of emotional feelings between the couple. I felt like they were telling me they were in love, rather than showing me.
4) The killer for me was the ending. What the heck!?! Neither one of them seemed very upset about going their separate ways. Obligatory (stupid) one year time jump, and he shows up in Paris out the blue. The fact that he was in traditional clothes led me to believe that he was just visiting and would go back to his own life. Nothing drops a rating faster for me than an ending that sucks.

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Completed
Missing: The Other Side Season 2
8 people found this review helpful
Feb 10, 2023
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

Blown Away!

Some shows you wonder if you should continue wasting your time watching them, hoping they'll get better. Some shows you are anxious to finish all your chores so you can watch them. I kept vacillating back and forth between wanting to forego my life just so I could watch one more episode, but then being sad in advance, knowing this wonderful ride was coming to an end. I was so thoroughly invested in this show, now that I've finished it, I have to say I'm really sad it's over.

STORY: A new village and a new set of people for our leads to get to know and come to care about. I'll admit, the long hair on Wook in the first few episodes really drove me crazy. But then I realized it really suited his kind of quirky personality. There were some new twists in this season, which brings me to the reasons that I gave this a 9 rather than a 10 - and here are the spoilers:
- Really, the whole thing is a suspension of disbelief, which is what I loved about it, but the reason (or lack thereof) for the captain not being able to leave her village didn't make any sense.
- Too many loose ends at the end. Which is fine, if there ends up being a season 3 (though PLEASE don't make us wait two years!)
- Mentions of other villages. Great concept but again, I didn't like that it was just setting up for another season. Because if it doesn't happen, then we're all just disappointed.
- Main bad guy - he was able to get away?! Please, don't have him in the next season. I don't ever like to feel like the bad guys are untouchable and that nothing can stop them. Plus, one of the things that I appreciated about this show was that the police knew what they were doing - I'd like to feel that they'd plan for any eventuality.
- You had BETTER NOT kill off Detective Shin. A mine field, really!?!
But other than that, I thought that this season was just as good as the first. I'll say again, what I said in my review for season 1, I love found family. Again, it was in the village, with the team, with the detectives, and I loved the addition of Bo Ra, and when Wook was explaining to her what it means to be a family, that summed it up perfectly.
The Oh Il Yong storyline - it was brilliant. I didn't get a good vibe from him in the beginning, which is what was supposed to happen, but his storyline was powerful and surprising. And I loved the relationship between him and Wook.
I loved that Jong A played a more integral role, as well as the fact that she stepped up to make herself more indispensable and figured out how to find more missing children. Gotta be honest, the potential for her to see ghosts is exciting, but there is something to be said for having someone on the team that is a little bit out of the loop. You lose some of the elements of surprise if everyone knows what's going on.
This season, the detectives were starting to figure out that there was something different about this team. I like that Detective Shin knows, but the others don't, but they know that there is absolutely something strange going on. That, to me, was amusing.

ACTING/CAST: Stellar. I was glad to see Thomas, even though it was too brief. I continued to be impressed with everyone in the cast, but this time around I have to give a shout out to Lee Jung Eun as the Captain. She's one of those actresses that I love her in everything she is in. That sweet/beautiful face and smile, her short, round body (I mean that in the best possible way - don't you think that she would give the best hugs?), I'd love her to be my grandma, but then I remember I'm old and she'd have to be my sister, but still. I liked the clothes that the costume designer put her in, Peter Pan collars, knit comfy sweaters, long loose skirts and sensible shoes. She just seemed so approachable. And to have her be the first person you see when you enter the village and have her say that she's made food, come in and she'll explain what's going on - she was the heart of the village. Jung Eun's acting is normally understated, but there were times in this show that her pain, anger and loneliness were almost palpable.

And that was the conundrum for these villagers, especially those that had been there for a long time. You want the children to be able to move on, but it's heartbreaking when they do.

MUSIC: I especially loved the theme song, I found myself humming it - I loved hearing it at the beginning of each episode, but at the end I didn't like it so much because that meant the episode was over.

REWATCH: For me, this isn't the type of show I would rewatch again, because I know what is going to happen.

However, if someone asks me for suggestions for well-written shows, with good character development, excellent chemistry between all actors and that have sucked me completely in, to the detriment of my "real" life, I'd definitely suggest Missing: The Other Side, Both Seasons one and two. You could probably watch only season two and figure out what is going on, but season one really does a good job of laying the groundwork for season two. Really, to be honest, I'm afraid that this show has set a bar so high for me that I'm doomed to be disappointed in other shows, especially since, as a romance lover, there has been so little good to choose from.

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Completed
100 Days My Prince
11 people found this review helpful
Oct 27, 2020
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 7
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
This review may contain spoilers

Talk about chemistry!

D.O. and Nam Ji Hyun both did a wonderful job. Their parts were written so well. D.O., as the crown prince, had the hauteur that you'd expect from royalty. Even when his memories were gone, it was ingrained in him. Yet, there was a loneliness and vulnerability and you could feel his want of family. His facial expression was pretty flat through most of the show, but he has such expressive eyes. Nam Ji Huyn - how can a woman be so beautiful with no visible means of mascara on her eyelashes? Normally, makeup is used to enhance looks, but she doesn't need it. Her character was spunky, industrious and extremely likeable. To be honest, I've loved her in everything I've seen her in. Their chemistry together? Off the charts! I loved the scenes when they shared the screen. Everyone in the show did a good job, but I had to deduct points for two reasons. First, there were just too many evil guys in this drama and they all looked alike (that's my problem with period costumes). Evil men, evil women, evil groups, evil sub-groups. It left a sour taste in my mouth on the heels of the lovely romantic scenes. I had to deduct another point for the last episode and the tie-up of the relationship between the leads. She was strong throughout this show, and she always seemed to have a good sense of self. However, she suddenly did a 180 turn and pulled out the "I'm not worthy of your love" card. It didn't ring true, especially after the heart-wrenching scenes of each of them living separately. And her saying she'd marry that other man? Um, no. It felt to me like they pulled in a separate writer for the last episode and the flow was lost. There was a happy ending, but they waited until about the last five minutes to tie everything up. I was so disappointed after all the time I had invested in watching their relationship develop and unfold.

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Completed
Daily Dose of Sunshine
9 people found this review helpful
Feb 17, 2024
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

Watch it for the acting

I enjoyed the last couple of episodes more than the rest, though they still somewhat left me dissatisfied.

What I liked:
Acting was excellent. I love Park Bo Young. The only time I don't like her acting is when she cries. It is loud and it's overdone, so it makes me want to laugh. She did better in this drama. She still had a couple of over-the-top moments, but her moments of quiet crying were very touching. Plus, she had the perfect, calming voice for her character's job.
Lee Jeong Eun as Nurse Manager Song. I love this actress. She's got that tough exterior and that inner softness/caring. Plus, she has a great voice.
Noh Jae Won as mental patient Kim Seo Wan. This was a tragically beautiful character, and he did an amazing job. As he struggled between fantasy and reality, there was a wonderful sweetness (or maybe innocence) about him. His relationship with PBY's nurse Da Eun was terrific to watch.
Relationship between Da Eun and longtime friend Yu Chan. I'll admit, in my heart I thought they would be a better match for each other. So supportive of each other, with the fighting that often comes with people that have known one another forever.
-special effects were good. Physical displays of what was going on in the person's mind.

Things that let me down:
Being in the medical profession, I have a difficult time suspending disbelief, especially since this was a medical drama. Where do I begin?
-she transfers to the psych unit because her previous boss told her to? (Unbeknownst to her, her boss was trying to get rid of her.) It takes a special person to work in a psychiatric unit, and she knew NOTHING about psychiatric disorders, not even bipolar disorder, which is something that everyone has at least heard of.
-she doesn't use gloves when giving injections or drawing blood.
-it's a locked psych unit, but the patient rooms each have a refrigerator in them, and the patients are allowed to have pretty much whatever they want in their room. There were multiple people in a room, if a person wanted to hurt themselves or someone else, they have access to pretty much anything.
-You leave with a psych patient to take her to the bank to open a savings account?
-it's a locked unit, but a patient can get to the roof without anyone knowing? Add to that, there are cameras all over the place and no one saw anything.
-I realize it was a short series, but many of the psychiatric disorders were glossed over and oversimplified. The grown woman that has a contentious relationship with her mom, and all it takes for the woman to be healed is for the mom to bring her the correct kind of fruit. She's miraculously cured and gets discharged. Pep talks seemed to "cure" some of the characters.
-PBY character depression. Came as a result of a tragedy, but was definitely more than situational depression, especially since she tried to kill herself. She had been working on the psych ward for some period of time, her case was so severe, and the voice overs showed that she was aware, to a certain degree, that she wasn't behaving right. She didn't seek help.
-I'm sorry, she would not be able to go back to work on a psych unit after having the issues she had. The writers made it seem like she was "cured" as long as she took her medication. Being on a psych unit would be a constant trigger for her.
Then there were the relationships:
-I don't usually have SLS, but she should have ended up with her longtime friend. I was bothered by the fact that the doctor liked her because looking at her made him stop cracking his knuckles, but when they were apart, he went back to cracking his knuckles. She was a panacea for his behavior, that's a lot of pressure for anyone. Yeon Woo Jin as Go Yoon was good, and he's just so cute when he smiles, but I didn't feel their relationship at all.
-2nd couple. She had absolutely no self-esteem, and I could see why after we met the nightmare of a mother. It seemed to me he was always the one doing the work in the relationship. Very unbalanced. Don't even get me started on the fact that she decided to go away for a year. These writers will do anything to include time skips, people leaving, etc.

So, I'm glad I watched it, but was, overall, disappointed. At least I can cross it off my watch list.

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