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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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Sweet, but I wasn't feeling the chemistry
Liked:Kitamura Takumi as Issei. His soulful eyes and his expressions were a joy to watch. He conveyed so much without saying a word. I also liked the silence when we were seeing things from his point of view. He couldn't hear, but in no way did he feel sorry for himself. I found him to be very endearing and believable.
I enjoyed most of the friendships, and the fact that they didn't skate around Issei's deafness, but he had a stalwart friend that could translate for him, and others were willing to learn sign language in order to communicate with him.
The main couple was cute, but chemistry was lacking.
Unfortunately, there were a few characters that were completely over-the-top. I notice this in a lot of Japanese shows. I feel like they want to turn things into a farce, and then move back to being serious. It spoils the mood for me.
It's an easy watch, and I'd recommend it for Kitamura Takumi.
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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".Was this review helpful to you?
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.Was this review helpful to you?
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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This review may contain spoilers
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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This review may contain spoilers
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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I'm glad I stuck with it!
It was a rocky start for me. Four things almost made me give up early on.1) Joseph Zeng in the lead as Lu Zhao Yi - I wasn't too sure. He seemed inordinately young, not only to tackle the part of the male lead, but he's supposedly the company president? I put aside my pre-conceived notions and settled in and he was absolutely one of the high points of the show.
2) Liang Jie as FL Ye Shi Lan - I found her character to be very unlikeable at the beginning. Cold, hard - thankfully that didn't last long.
3) She's a pediatrician but she works as his assistant?! Wow, I SERIOUSLY had to suspend disbelief here.
4) Typical Chinese slow-moving script. I felt that it struggled to find its footing in the beginning, but once the two leads started interacting, all was forgiven.
However, once I got involved with these characters (and the script, for the most part), I was in love. And there were SO many reasons why:
1) The main couple was just so darn cute. Really, I really appreciated the script writers here, in that they showed a natural relationship progression. We got the initial misunderstanding (which was taken care of quickly), which was followed by being able to watch them become friends, and then more. I really appreciated that we knew they liked each other before they did, that made it even more fun. There was a lot of heart and a lot of humor with these two. I felt that their chemistry was realistic and amazing. Good kisses and not a lot of push and pull between the two.
2) Zhou Zi Han as Kevin and Li Lin Fei as Yao Jia Jia - as friends of the main couple they were supportive and likeable. But once they got involved with one another? Oh my gosh, I loved their screen time as well. Even though his facial expression never changed much, you could feel his emotions. He had a kind of secret hobby that brought him into her sphere, thankfully. And her? She was the sweetest, most supportive friend, and she was just precious, with her cute hairstyles and that beautiful smile. I loved watching these two get to know each other, again developing a friendship first, before moving forward.
3) I smiled through most of this. It was very low angst, which I always appreciate.
There were just as many things that this show DIDN'T have which made me like it:
1) No evil ex-girlfriend trying to get back with him.
2) No evil parents trying to break them up.
3) No constant making up/breaking up/misunderstandings. Let's be honest, most romances have a certain amount of buildup, but then they spend more time apart than together. Not here. There was only one "fake" break up, and it kind of made sense and didn't go on forever.
4) No time jumps.
So, I'd say, if you want a feel-good show, with two healthy relationships and a lot of heart, you really should try this one.
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Yamazaki Kento as Kugayama Shusei was good. He's got that quiet, deep-thinking thing going on. He was the high point of this movie for me.
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