michelleoc

Short, sweet and to the point

I didn't particularly care for the character of Woo Ri. I think because the series was so short, it was hard to flesh her out. She definitely had self-esteem problems (loser boyfriend!), but once she ran into Park Jun Seok, she found herself again, and I think she was able to remember what she used to like about herself.

I'll be honest, I watched this for Kim Young Dae, and he didn't disappoint. There is something very charming about him, and I'm sure he doesn't want to be pigeon-holed as an actor, but he should always play the nice guy male lead. He's a natural at it. For anyone that has not seen him in Sh**ting Stars, watch it!!

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Oh, how I wish they'd ended the drama with episode 19!

A complicated, convoluted, interesting, fast-paced story with lots of characters, CGI, stunts and color. It was beautifully filmed. I loved the color palettes used, the juxtaposition of the lights and darks to represent good and evil. The scenery was beautiful, the stunts and CGI were really good and I was all in until the end of episode 19. I will come clean and say that I’m not a historical drama lover and I don’t go out of my way to watch action/fantasy. Give me a good romance and we’ll call it a day. I loved how we got a bit of 21st century in the way they talked at times, as well as with the hair and makeup for the cast. THANK YOU for not putting all the men in the giant, ridiculous hats. The hairstyles were pretty much current, without all the extra, complicated ornamentation that they tend to use in historicals.
THE CAST was really good overall, but the standouts for me were:
Lee Jae Wook as Uk. Played immature very well, and I really liked watching him grow into his powers. He’s gorgeous to watch and he’s subtle. I am fascinated by him for some reason, I've liked him in everything I've seen of his. PLEASE make him a ML in a true, honest-to-goodness 21st century romance!
Jung So Min as MuDeok. She did amazing things using only her eyes and facial expressions. I could totally buy into her role, and becoming more human as she went along. She was able to change from being the master to the servant in such a way that you weren’t pulled out of the drama. I have liked her in all the roles I've seen her in, she's very natural.
Hwang Min Hyun as Seo Yul. For the first few episodes, all I could think of was Che Eun Woo every time he was on screen. That eventually went away, and I loved his acting. This was another part that required subtlety, using eyes and micro expressions. My heart hurt for his character. Strangely, I cried for him.
Shin Seung Ho as Go Won. Initially, he was kind of a caricature, larger than life, obvious makeup, stiff hair that looked like a football helmet. I thought, “Oh, I’m going to hate him.” His character was wonderful, and I liked the bromance between him and Uk.
Jo Jae Yoon as Jin Mu. I think I’ve only ever seen him as a bad guy, but boy, does he do it well! With that silver hair and that ice stare of his, he was creepy.

Characters/writing: There was a lot to keep track of, but I didn’t really feel like anyone was a throwaway. The writing was necessarily confusing, with all that was going on and I felt like I needed a flow chart for the towns, the characters, and the convoluted love stories (past and present). I loved how the characters called each other by their first names.
Chemistry: I can see why romance is third on the list of tags. If asked, romance wouldn’t be the first word I would use to describe Alchemy of Souls. However, the romance was wonderful from the standpoint that the leads had absolutely no idea how to go about being in a relationship. Their foreplay was arguing, and they did it well. Kisses – just wow. I also really liked the chemistry between MuDeok and Seo Yul, and MuDeok and Go Won.
Music: Fabulous OST. From the haunting opening song, the powerful instrumentals that sound like they are making use of Taiko drums, to the vocal tracks, the music fit perfectly. BIG Naughty’s Love Letter, is beautiful and dreamy. Gummy whispers her way through Raindrops. Car, the Garden’s Scars Leave Beautiful Trace fit perfectly with the Joseon feel of the drama. Jeong Sewoon, Just Watching You – I think he could sing the dictionary and I would be enthralled.
Rewatch value: This is low for me, because romance wasn’t the driving force.
Ending: RANT and SPOILER!! From a romance standpoint, episode 19 was wonderful, because after all the darkness, bloodshed and evil, we got an episode full of sweetness and light. This drama could have ended on episode 19 and I would have been perfectly happy. But noooo, you had to go there, you couldn’t let people be happy! The ending was set up specifically for a second season, which really irritated me. I hate open endings, I hate cliffhangers, and I hate being forced to watch another season of a drama that pretty much tied things up. So, I’m thinking season two will create more of the same problems that our main characters have already gone through. Of course, I have to watch it just to see what happens, and I’ll try to reserve judgment.
Should you watch it or not? I’d say definitely, especially if you are into historical dramas, fantasy and action.

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A very hypnotic, relaxing watch

I can't get over how much I enjoyed this show. I mean, c'mon it's a reality cooking show, for heaven's sake! That said, I've been recommending it to everyone. First, I'm fascinated by the Korean culture. What got me watching K-dramas to begin with was their culture - I love the way they interact with one another and their respect for each other. And the food, of course!

I've watched the previous iterations of the show and enjoyed them for the most part, but there was just something different here. I looked forward to the episode every week and just watching them cook made me so relaxed. There was no stress or drama (for me at least)! Bacalar was a beautiful place and we got to see a little of it through their eyes.

I also loved how people recognized Woo Shik from Parasite. They were impressed and then went back to eating. I DID love the one older woman that was ARMY, with her eyes trained on the kitchen door to catch a glimpse of Taehyung. That was pretty much the only fangirling moment.

I hope they can do another season of this someplace else, perhaps in upstate South Carolina?

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Binge watched

This was a surprisingly enjoyable web drama. I started watching it in the afternoon and my life basically stopped until I finished it. I'm not going to reiterate the storyline, but just give my feelings for the drama. I know that a lot of people felt that it was boring. I didn't find it to be so - there were periods of slow pacing, which I found to be a relief after the tough-to-watch scenes.

I struggle watching bullying of any type, whether it be between teens or being perpetrated by adults. Da Hee's mother was very controlling, and I felt very uncomfortable watching these scenes. I vacillated between thinking that Da Hee needed to grow a spine, to understanding that even though she was an adult, she had no way to support herself, so was pretty much stuck in her situation. We got to see some of the reasoning behind the behavior of the mother, but I still didn't think it justified her behavior.

Han Sun Min as Da Hee. She was pretty expressionless throughout the whole series, but I felt her hopelessness. She was able to convey that hopelessness, along with her desire to be like others, very well. Later, when a few of her issues were resolved, I was glad to finally see her smile.

Kim Woo Seok as Hyun Jin. I definitely got Park Bo Gum vibes from him. He and Da Hee were an awful lot alike, each with their own traumas, skirting around all the others, pretty much emotionally removed from deep friendships. Granted, he did have a couple of friends that he spent time with, but even with them he was not transparent.

Park Sang Nam as Ha Jun. This was a surprising character, one that seemed to have it all together, but was really just holding it all together by compartmentalizing his life. I though his character change was chilling to watch.

Chan as Hyun Jin's friend was funny and over-the-top. "Ketchup? Ketchup? Ketchup?" At the beginning he irritated me because he was so 'much', but then he really grew on me. He was able to provide a lot of comic relief when things started to get really heavy.

I thought the romance was sweet. Da Hee and Hyun Jin had known each other briefly in high school so this had kind of a "fated" vibe, which I love. I loved watching their interactions, and how they were trying to figure out how to navigate liking someone. Him taking texting advice from his clueless friend was funny. A couple of good kisses.

As mentioned before, I don't like bullying. The bully that was always around causing trouble, especially taking pictures and posting videos, I just wondered if he ever went to class.

OST was nice.

So, it wasn't rocket science. Being a web drama, it wasn't supposed to be, but I enjoyed watching it.

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Somewhat uneven watch

I'll start by saying that historical dramas are not my favorite genre, so ratings for these, for me, tend to be lower. That being said, I think one of the problems I had with this movie was that it was uneven. At the beginning it acted like it wanted to be a comedy, then the writers gave that up midway through. It moved along rather quickly, since it was a movie rather than a serial drama, and I was thankful for that. I have to be totally enthralled with a story to put up with all the filler that the dramas include, and this was far from an enthralling story.

The acting was okay, I don't know if it was the actors or the script that didn't draw me in. There was something that kept me from being involved in the story. I found myself look at the time a lot, and that's never a good sign. I also wasn't "feeling" the romance at all. The chemistry was lacking, as well as the fact that the romance was definitely on the back burner compared to the palace intrigues.

I did, however, REALLY appreciate the way they wrote the king. Finally, a king that makes some of his own decisions, rather than being led by his untrustworthy cabinet.

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Fun watch

Rated down strictly because this show was entirely too long, with too much extraneous stuff. Aside from that, this was a wonderful drama. The two main characters in this were lovely. I loved their relationship. His dialogue with her after he finds out that she's a robot? He was absolutely wonderful and my heart broke for both of them. His friendship with the team was fun to watch, they were all misfits in their own way, yet they found friendship with each other. The ending was cute, though somewhat rushed. Definitely a good show to watch, though. Great chemistry between the two main characters, no "fish face, open eyes kisses".

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Older but cute show

Song Joong Ki travels to Japan for food and fun. It was interesting to see all the various types of food that Japan offers. I was amazed to find out the number of food places there are in Japan! I don't eat fish, so a lot of the foods I just didn't "get", but it was worth it just to watch Joong Ki eat oysters!

This show is 12 years old, but Joong Ki's cute aura shines through. You just want to squeeze his cheeks. His interactions with his staff, as well as fans and others that he encountered was fun.

Every so often (unfortunately, it's happening frequently these days!) I have a run of bad luck on the shows that I watch and I just need to turn off my brain for a while. This was perfect for that.

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Sweet

What a cute movie! I wasn't too sure at the beginning, because it seemed so outdated, the film quality was a little iffy.

I didn't care for the ML or the FL at the beginning. He was just a sad sack, and she was completely materialistic. I was wondering if I should continue, and I'm sure glad I did. The growth and development of both characters, both individually and as a couple was lovely to watch.

The concept was slightly like Il Mare, with the two mains being in 1999 and 2018, but here, they end up inhabiting the same apartment. I thought the special effects were well-done, and what they did to the apartment so they could inhabit the same space was really clever.

The ending was bittersweet, but based on the clips following the credits, I choose to believe in a happily ever after for them.

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Easy watch

This was a quick binge watch of easy sweetness. You know how you sometimes just want to watch something purely for enjoyment's sake, not having to think too much, keeping characters straight or being let down by a confusing or open-ended conclusion? That's what I found here. For the first time in a long time, I looked forward to watching the next episode in a show. Call me superficial, but there you have it.

The story surely wasn't anything that we haven't seen a million times before, but there was something so endearing about the characters here. I thought the actors all did an adequate job, these weren't roles that required a lot of acting skill, so I'll address the characters themselves. I find that, for the most part, when I watch something, I have to care about at least someone, to want to see what is going to happen to them and how they are going to develop. I found that in this show.

Seung Min - your "average Joe". This was a character that was not popular, not unpopular, but just someone that no one would give a second thought to. He was perfectly content to like Ji Na from afar. I liked how the character was not a social outcast and how he just seemed to feel comfortable in his own skin. And once the contract began, I really enjoyed watching his enjoyment of being a boyfriend. He was excellent boyfriend material, and he did some very sweet things for and with Ji Na. The couple of interactions he had with his dad were sweet as well.

Ji Na - the popular idol trainee. Beautiful, sure. At the beginning she seemed lonely to me. She had a couple of friends but the way it was filmed, we saw that everyone else just watched her from afar. I think she was popular for how she looked, not for who she was. She was nice and didn't seem to bask in her popularity.

Hyung Tak - the baseball jock, inconsiderate boyfriend. Even though he thought that Ji Na couldn't possibly like someone else, I really liked this character and the way that he matured. You never know what you have until it's gone.

Han Na - though she looked like she had just sucked on a lemon for most of the show, this was a character that I just wanted to slap. Toxic.

Ba Ul - This character was all kinds of over-the-top. Initially, it was off-putting, but then I got used to him and enjoyed his cuteness.

Min Ji - the friendly, supportive best friend. Sweetness and light and enjoying Ba Ul.

So, this isn't a show that's going to tax your brain or change the world in any way, but I found it to be a fun and peaceful watch. I laughed, I teared up, and I'm glad I took the time for it.

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Tsundere and girl with no self-esteem

I'm not going to reiterate the other reviewers. For me, the rating is mostly for being able to look at Dori Sakurada - oh, my goodness! That said, there really wasn't too much of a story line, other than repeating over and over and over again how low the girl's self-esteem was. I was so tired of "I'm not good enough for him". Actually, she said that so much I had to agree with her. She never even really talked to him so I don't get how they could be in love. He was aggressive, which if she was as innocent as she kept talking about, she would have run for the hills. I just kept waiting for her to get a spine, and it never really happened.

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Beautiful story

I just finished watching this movie for the second time and it was wonderful. I felt kind of like I was a voyeur into their lives. I normally don't care for films that are dark in appearance, but I really appreciated how the cinematographer used a lot of dim lighting, as well as rain and overcast days throughout most of the movie, until after her surgery. I also really liked the close-up work on the actors' faces, it almost gave the feel that we were visually impaired and had to get close to see. At the beginning, I loved how the camera work showed the ML watching for the FL. No words, just us seeing what he was looking at, looking at the doorway, watching the driveway.

Acting/characterizations:
So Ji Sub as Jang Chul Min. I'm a big fan of this actor, and I thought he played this character very well. The darkness, sadness and loneliness of his life were almost palpable. It seemed like he was in sort of a self-imposed hell. When she came along, it was as if, first he didn't know what to make of her, and I felt that brief moment of him trying to decide whether to open up to the lightness of the FL. Chul Min was a troubled soul, but so caring. Once he committed to her, he was all in.
Han Hyo Joo as Ha Jung Hwa. She was terrific! I would imagine it would be very difficult to play a blind person, but she nailed it. Her character was so refreshing. Brilliant smiles, a happy and playful personality despite her difficulties. I really liked her speech pattern when she was getting to know him - she spoke quickly, almost shooting out questions abruptly. There was no artifice to her, you knew what she felt at every moment.

Chemistry:
Their chemistry was very sweet. They moved naturally from strangers to lovers. It was like they had been waiting for one another for their whole lives, and now that they'd found each other, they weren't wasting any time. We were on their journey with them, their voyage of discovery.

Fight scenes:
Well done, very hard to watch. Him getting pulled back into that life was sad, even if it was for a good reason. That said, him exercising shirtless was worth the price of admission! That man is ripped!

Ending:
Oh, my goodness, when they cross paths again, my heart broke for him. Him not talking so she wouldn't recognize him, he was back to his cold and lonely life, and it was painful to see him resigning himself to his old life. However, there is a happy ending, though it's too brief. I don't know why the endings of Korean dramas are so rushed.

Bottom line:
If I had to sum up this film in one word, I'd have to say "comforting".

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Kim Soo Hyun is magnetic

Likes:
1) First and foremost, Kim Soo Hyun. It's like he's got a tractor beam engaged any time he is on screen. My focus was solely on him. To become enmeshed in a country and environment that are not your own, for years at a time, to completely blend in, I could feel his loneliness. And yes, he will always be associated with green track suits! His cameo in Crash Landing on You was hysterical. Hopefully it brought new people to watch this movie after seeing it.
2) I felt that the storyline was original and well-executed.

Dislikes:
1) The ending. Granted, I think it ended the way it had to, but it left me with a blanket of sadness, and I really don't like to be sad!

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Take me to France!

BEAUTIFUL scenery - it made me want to hop a plane for France! The cast was good. I especially liked the developing friendship between the older woman and the shopping girl. When the older woman smiles, so cute! I didn't care about the father/daughter storyline. The main couple were cute. I rated it lower because of the premarital sex, that's just a personal bias of mine.
This wasn't your typical Korean drama. Often, when you have multiple characters, the stories are very surface, and you don't have time to know more about them. That was not the case here. I'll say again, it made me want to go on vacation!

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So cute!

I started watching this show because the title grabbed me. And Yamada Ryosuke as Maruya Kusake is uber-cute! The way he looked at Sanada was so lovely, it really gave me all the feels.

The story was very sweet and original in a lot of ways. I appreciate that there weren't a lot of evil people/bad guys. The sales team and the way they worked together, we should all hope to have such supportive co-workers. The character of Maruya Kusake - I think he was supposed to be a narcissist at the beginning, but even early on he was a charmer. You just have to smile when he smiles. He has such an expressive face, and the script called for lots of random facial expressions, which he pulled off effortlessly. There were a lot of times I had to laugh out loud watching him.

I have to say that I felt that that character of Sanada Izumi was the weak link of this show. There's expressionless, and then there's robotic. This character was robotic - from the way she walked, the way she talked, and she seriously had no facial expression. There was one time she broke out a full-on smile and I was glad to see it.

Ohashi Kazuya as Ichinose Kei. I really enjoyed him and his (I'm hoping) intentional overacting. He was loud, emotional and a ton of fun to watch.

The storyline was very sweet. It was a fun and easy watch. I was somewhat disappointed in the ending, but it's a little open to interpretation, so I choose to go the happy ending route.

If you want a cute romantic comedy, you can't go wrong with this one!

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Poor sound, editing and acting

I came across this last night and started watching it without knowing anything about it. Initially it gave off a What's Wrong with Secretary Kim -vibe, but then moved to Groundhog Day. Secretary Bai wanted to resign because she hated her boss with a passion but was frustrated by being stuck in a time loop and reliving the same day over and over again. She learns how to anticipate the needs of everyone because she's already lived each circumstance of the day. It's a cute premise, but not well-executed. The sound production is awful! The sound cuts out suddenly periodically, sometimes it becomes loud, and often the voices sound like they are coming from a tunnel. The "special effects" with the elevator were awful. The way it was edited was odd too. Sometimes we saw how she changed things, sometimes we didn't. Quick cutaways that were jarring "oh, I guess we're moving on". It really felt like I was watching a movie of an amateur that had some free time and just decided to make a movie.

The ML was a complete narcissistic jerk. Apparently, he acted the way he did because he's liked his secretary all this time...sure, it makes sense to make her life a living hell, that'll prove you like her.

I do have to say that the last 10-15 minutes of it are cute, once his true feelings are known.

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