This review may contain spoilers
Immature writing and characters
What I liked:1) It was only eight episodes.
2) It did improve for me somewhat at episode six.
3) Choi Tae Joon. I watched another show where he was the lead, and he doesn't really have the presence to carry a lead role. At least in this, there were so few episodes, that his ability wasn't noticeably lacking.
4) I loved their date, them spending time together and getting to know one another.
What I didn't like:
1) The language. I am totally not a fan of cursing.
2) The cat's voice was totally wrong.
3) The girl in ML's photograph was shown multiple times, with a flashback to explain how they met, but then a BRIEF explanation of what happened to her (if you blinked you would miss it). The ML looked exactly the same in the 7-year-old flashback as he did in the present. When the psychotic girl showed up, I thought it was her in the photograph, but she was a completely different character!
4) The psychotic girl. They should have changed her hair and makeup, so she looked more "normal". She didn't even have to say or do anything, she just LOOKED crazy. Plus, her behavior and what she did was actually illegal - he should have had her arrested.
5) Too much drinking.
6) Weakness of the ML in dealing/not dealing with psychotic girl.
7) Editing issues. ML leaves his own home when the crazy girl won't leave, but in the next scene he's at home, and the crazy girl isn't seen again for quite a while.
8) The fantasy scenes in the elevator were just clunky to watch.
9) Repeat of the same song over and over.
10) So, the ML is supposedly totally enamored of his cat, yet he lets some random woman that he doesn't know take care of it?
11) Generally, the overall campiness bothered me. It felt like the parents, the cat, the lightning was all just played for laughs, so it felt very slapstick. That's fine, but then it would try to move into a more serious tone, and it overall just didn't work.
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Wonderful!
I loved this series. The main man (healer) was slightly odd - definitely not a people person. I loved his fascination with her. JCW was able to convey so much with just his eyes! They were very cute together. This was a wonderful romance. I’ll admit I had a difficult time with the flashbacks until I watched it again. It was hard to keep straight who was who. The woman that played his handler was amazing! Happy ending, and the voice overs where they were talking about their likes and dislikes was wonderful.Was this review helpful to you?
A more lighthearted look at historical drama
This seemed to me like watching people play dress up in historical costume, but it was actually in current time. For me, that wasn't a bad thing. I typically don't care for historical dramas because they are SO full of angst, often have tragic endings, all the government people look alike and are ALWAYS evil, there is often unrealistic flying around acrobatics going on. That's why this show for me was a breath of fresh air. Sure, the government people still all looked alike and there was a lot of evil to go around, but I was able to get past that because of the lightheartedness that was evident throughout.Interesting premise for a story and I loved the strength of the women characters. There were quite a few times that got me grinning, especially from the eunuch. Oh, the trials of trying to keep up with a prince!
The two leads were very good. I loved him in True Beauty, and he showed a more playful side to himself here. His expressions were so sweet, and his smiles and mannerisms as he journeyed into first love were a joy to watch. I appreciated that they took the time to show us the development of their relationship, and I could understand why they fell in love with each other.
As usual, giant time skip, rushed ending, but in this case, I was able to get past that because I enjoyed the three quarters of the episodes so much.
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Short and touching story about healing
Sometimes I appreciate a show that is short, as I tend to find a lot of wasted time in the longer dramas. I enjoyed this show, for what it was.STORY: I really enjoyed the storyline. For anyone that has suffered loss and/or trauma, this spoke to both of those things. Lingering feelings of guilt for choices we've made, or even events out of our control, can affect our lives and present physical and emotional scars in multiple ways. I appreciated the friendship that developed between the leads, a relationship built on needs that each of them had. Often, we don't realize how someone is helping us while we are going through something, it's only once we get to the other side that we can appreciate their words, their listening ears, their sympathy and their understanding. By her saying that she was here, and listening to him, he was able to finally grieve. She needed something to live for, and he brought some joy into her life. I struggled with the second couple, as there seemed to be a large age difference. Normally that doesn't bother me, but this time I couldn't relate to them. Why was there the hoobae that liked him (she looked too much like the FL to begin with) when it seemed to be something to just fill up about 10 minutes. Plus, the twist was a complete waste of time.
ACTING: The acting was pretty good. It was a simple script that didn't require a huge demand in the acting department, so I think everyone did fine. The standout for me was Na In Woo - whether smiling or crying, I felt his emotions.
MUSIC: I enjoyed the songs.
REWATCH VALUE: Not for me, there's too much other stuff to get through, and there really wasn't enough romance, which is what I tend to rewatch.
ENDING: Why, oh why, do Asian dramas have to rush their endings so much?!?! It was cute, but too rushed.
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Short show full of silly, LOL moments
This show is a good one to watch between heavier shows, because there really isn't any thinking required. Just sit back, relax, and get ready for some laughs. It was campy and over-the-top, silly and cute. The fact that it was short made the comedy work, if it had been a show of regular length, the silliness would have been irritating.The acting was good. Kim You Jung is always a treat to watch. And I loved seeing Kim Woo Bin and Baek Sung Hyun after just watching them in White Christmas. There were numerous other actors that I've seen elsewhere.
I'll be honest, I don't remember the music, so, apparently, I wasn't impressed.
Re-watch value: I don't think I'll need to re-watch it again. It's one of those short, palate cleansing shows that you watch before you move on to your next drama.
So, in conclusion, if you need some cheering up, want a few crazy things to laugh at, give this show a try.
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Unhealthy relationships
Bear in mind that everyone writes their opinions based on their specific thoughts of the show. I know that this is considered a classic by many; however, there were just too many things in this show that made me wonder why I was wasting my time:1) His hair. I know it's because of the manga, but you couldn't mention it and then fix it? It was so ugly and distracting.
2) Ming Si was mean, a bully, and physically/verbally abusive. Shoving her up against walls, throwing food at her, calling her stupid and other names throughout the entire show.
3) why in the world would she like him? I re-watched the early episodes to see if I could figure out when and why she started to like him. Still a mystery. So, in addition to not liking him, I didn't like her, because she obviously had self-esteem problems.
4) The idea that F4 would run a college campus was just laughable. It made a bit more sense in Boys Over Flowers, because it involved a smaller high school, and his parents basically owned the school.
5) Then you've got a crazy girl that did something terrible to Shan Cai, the whole school hated Shan Cai because of it, and Shan Cai forgave her and they became besties. Just no.
6) The F4 characters were flat. I get the idea that they are supposed to be totally popular and unapproachable, but cold and flat it what we got.
7) The dubbing. I don't think they could have possibly found people with worse, more irritating voices for some of the people.
8) The acting was not very good. Especially the two leads - he was just angry all the time and she was always wide-eyed and just seemed like she had no idea of what was going on.
9) The storyline was choppy. The writers gave Shan Cai a storyline with a problem for her that needed to be solved. (1) trying to adapt to college. 2) Trying to deal with F4. 3) needing money to pay off a loan. 4) Crazy girl. 5) Liking 2ML. 6) Mean girls lying and putting her in danger. 7) Kidnappings. The list goes on...) They would run with that story and as soon as it was resolved, they created a new problem. So, the show seemed more like a series of vignettes, rather than a cohesive storyline.
10) Too many problems for Chan Sai. Was this done just to make the number of episodes that there were? Because there were too many episodes. A lot of the "issues" could have been completely left out and turned this into a more watchable show.
11) The dynamics of the main couple were to be arguing ALL THE TIME. This was not, in any way, a healthy relationship. The word that kept running through my head was "toxic".
I might have rated it slightly higher if there had been half the episodes, but by the end I was pretty angry that this was time I was never going to get back. I blame myself for my obsessive compulsion to finish shows, no matter how bad they are.
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Something was missing...
I'll start by saying that I loved Clean with Passion for Now. What did I love about it the most? The friendships that developed and the comedy. Both of these things were missing here.Jasper Liu was good, though the way his character was written, he seemed more "prissy" than a germophobe. It seemed to me like they brought out the disorder only when there was nothing else going on. It didn't flow throughout the show. I must say, though, that toward the end, when Jasper's character was especially traumatized, his acting was excellent.
Shen Yue did an okay job, but again, I have to fault the writing more than the acting. The hairdresser and costume designer for her should have been fired. She wore the most ridiculous outfits, and the Pipi Longstocking braids were just laughable.
The main leads had good chemistry. There were some good kisses, and they were sweet together.
Second male lead - hated the way he was written. In CWPFN, you really felt an empathy toward him, but in this version I just hated him. First, can we talk about professional ethics? You can't just go around telling everyone about the problems your patient is having! I felt that a lot of what he did was underhanded, just because he wanted the girl.
The other two couple storylines were okay, but I felt that the main couple's character development suffered because so much time was taken up with them. As it was, I found myself fast forwarding through a lot of this show.
The music was beautiful.
The ending was okay. If you are so inclined, there is a bonus episode on YouTube that addresses after the wedding.
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Seriously didn't know what it wanted to be
I did not read the web series of this show, so I'm going strictly on what I saw/felt while watching this.This may not have been a BL show, but it desperately wanted to be. The writing in the first few episodes between the two male leads, the longing looks of Yeo Joon toward Soo Hyun, the romantic music when they were in scenes together, it felt like it was trying to get away with something by not coming right out and addressing the issue up-front. I was in no way pushing for that, because I don't watch BL shows, but there you have it.
Acting: The acting was fine. Park Ji Hoon as Yeo Joon was just beautiful to watch. He's so attractive, and his bleached hair really made him stand out from the others (I thought it was a mistake to make Soo Hyun's brother a bleach blond as well). My only problem was when he started yelling, then his acting was over the top, as was the woman's acting that played his mother.
Kang Min Ah as Kim so Bin was just a bundle of cuteness, and I always enjoy Bae In Hyuk (Nam Soo Hyun) - deep voice, well-controlled use of facial expressions, just that hint of a lisp, yup, I like him.
CHARACTERS/STORYLINE: Let me start by saying that they could have left all of the women out of this movie (including the FL) and it would have been fine. I didn't feel that any of the women were well-written, except for, perhaps, Young Ran. Mi Joo was a TERRIBLE character. She was totally obsessed with a guy because he helped her pick something up (and he was handsome)? Her lines were cheesy and she just reminded me of a stalker. Her character had absolutely no redeeming value. Kim So Bin's trauma was glossed over for the most part, got addressed briefly, and resolved quickly. I loved watching the Yeo Joon character, but I didn't like him (I don't think I was supposed to) - he was very manipulative and that came off immature as well. I did enjoy the deepening friendships between the three main people. Once they got past all the anger and animosity, their conversations were interesting. I loved watching Soo Hyun opening up. At the beginning he is a total loner, unfriendly and you can tell he has a giant chip on his shoulder. My heart broke for the hardships he had to endure, but when he finally swallowed his pride and opened up, there was maturity and wisdom there.
CHEMISTRY: Most of the chemistry was between Yeo Joon and Soo Hyun. Once Yeo Joon and So Bin became a couple, they were very cute together, but I didn't really feel any romantic chemistry. A couple of poorly executed/poorly filmed kisses didn't help either.
I felt that the bullying was carried too far, but I'll be the first to admit I don't like a lot of angst. I thought it was well-filmed. The colors they used surrounding each of the characters kind of fit in with their personalities.
It's not even close to being the worst show I've ever seen, but it's also not even close to being one of the best. If you have nothing else to watch, I wouldn't tell you to run away from it. You might enjoy it.
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It's worth watching for the acting of Jang Ki Yong
POSITIVE: Jang Ki Yong's acting in this is absolutely amazing. I'd rate his acting ability a 20/10. He was able to convey so much with just his eyes and you never knew quite how to feel about him. Should you be appalled by him? Terrified of him? Should you root for him? Should you feel sorry for him? With the disclosure of each piece of mystery, he was able to pull you in and I couldn't seem to look anywhere else when he was on screen. He also has a deep voice that is perfect for the voice over work required in this show.SO MUCH NEGATIVE: Keep in mind that this is just my personal opinion, but I thought this drama was a big mess. It started out very strong and the first 7-8 episodes were very good. Then it seemed as if the writers threw absolutely everything into the mix. There were so many characters in this show to keep up with it gave me a headache. Actually, you need to make a flow sheet with all the characters and how they are related in the past and present. It wandered aimlessly, continuing to add characters for the next 20 episodes. The last three episodes got exciting again as they tried to tie up the large number of loose ends. As for the story, it spent so much time about talking about timeless, everlasting, and fateful love, and then threw the whole thing out the window. The story was very convoluted and unnecessarily confusing, and ultimately it left a bad taste in my mouth with one of the worst drama endings EVER!
Lee Soo Hyuk as the second male lead - first, they gave him a really unfortunate haircut that was distracting in the past timeline. I'm usually on the fence about his acting, he seems to have two expressions, 1) bland/blank, and 2) pursed lips like he just sucked on a lemon. I found the relationship between the two male leads interesting, though.
The female lead bothered me no end! I can't remember when I've spent so many hours watching such a wishy-washy character. She couldn't decide between the two men, which was ridiculous because they were the absolute opposite of each other. She went on and on about how much she loved the one guy, but then completely abandoned that. It might not have been so irritating if they hadn't been playing up the "even in my next life I won't love anyone but you" idea.
There were quite a few psychotic people in this drama. More bad guys than you can shake a stick at. Again, it should have been pared down considerably.
CHEMISTRY: Good chemistry between Jang Ki Yong's character and the female lead, a couple of good kisses. There were a couple of kisses between the female lead and Lee Soo Hyuk, but, unfortunately, they were very fake looking.
I stuck it out (because I'm not a quitter) and I'll repeat again, the ending was so bad and it made me so mad that I had wasted so much time on this drama. For me, it falls in the "That's time I'll never get back" category. However, many, many people seemed to really like it, so start it to see Jang Ki Yong's acting and decide if it's worth sticking around for the rest of it.
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Short
Both of the leads were very attractive. Personally, I was bothered by the "slapstick" focus - that he was constantly looking at her chest, seeing her underwear, his eyes would bug out all the time. It seemed very juvenile. The bad guys were caricatures of what you'd think a typical bad guy would be and they were amazingly unattractive, so there was absolutely no mystery about who the bad guys were.The leads were cute together, but I didn't feel any chemistry between the two and though it was just four episodes, even for that the ending was terribly abrupt.
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At times it was like watching paint dry
I have to say that I struggled through this one, and the reason it even got the somewhat high rating from me is due to the excellence of the second couple. This drama could have really used some serious editing. But let me get my positives out of the way for anyone that doesn't want to waste their time reading the rest of the review - the second lead couple made this drama for me! Dai Chao as Yi Ba Dao/Yi Nan Ke was terrific. He was stoic and mysterious and I remained curious as to how things would play out for him. Zhang Yu Qing as Mi Ya was wonderful as well. I love a female character that feels comfortable in her own skin and doesn't have to connive to bring other women down. She was a driven career woman, but I cared about her as well. Kudos to the costumers for the wonderful outfits she wore. In my opinion, their storyline was the reason to watch this show. They worked really well together and they had good chemistry. The main couple really took a back seat to the second couple in this show.Story: interesting premise, but in how many scenes do we have to hear about wine making, wine drinking, wine color, wine texture, seeing people drinking wine, seeing people thinking about drinking wine, seeing people fighting over wine? I get it, the story was about wine! Plus, I thought there were just TOO many different story lines going on - gangsters, owing money, rivals, supposed fiancee (which was an extremely irritating and useless storyline), knowing each other in school, star struck fan, writing articles about winemaking, wine tasting competitions, forgotten memories, revenge, murder, just pick a couple and flesh out the stories completely, rather than just throwing in a smattering of each. And it's just my opinion, but I HATED all the drinking. I get it, it's a show about drinking, but her being in these competitions just to drink, I didn't care for that at all.
Acting/Cast: I did not think that Ireine Song was a good fit for the part of the female lead at all. She was entirely too young looking and she acted very immature as well. I did like the height difference between her and the ML. They had some cute scenes together, but the romance fell way down on the scale of importance. A lot of the other acting was stilted as well.
Music: I don't remember it.
Re-watch value: Nope. As it was, I fast forwarded through A LOT of it because I found so much of it boring and repetitive.
In a nutshell - watch this show for the second couple, and be prepared to use your fast forward button a lot.
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Fun movie
This was a fun, easy to watch, movie. It was silly and campy, perfect for an hour or so of mindless entertainment. The actors all did a good job. The premise was good and there were a couple of things that actually surprised me. I would have to say that I especially loved the familial relationships - the relationship between the husband and wife, and their love for their daughter. Then, the comedy - what fun. The running gags throughout: the guy that slept through the whole thing, the man that everyone sat on, etc. I'm not usually one for slapstick comedy, but it worked here because it was in smaller doses, interspersed with some action.Was this review helpful to you?
Lots going for it
I'll start by saying that if you like to watch a drama about friendship, this is a good one to watch.This show had a lot going for it. This drama did an EXCELLENT job with the main characters, for the most part. The two male leads, from the beginning, were obnoxious and unlikeable, each in their own way. I really appreciated them learning to work together and the friendship that they developed. Their characters grew pretty early on, so then it got easier to watch them. As for the female leads, I loved how they didn't make them romantic rivals with all the backstabbing that entails, but made them good friends. Seo Yea Ji as Shim Soon Duk, after the first couple of episodes, became the type of female lead that I really enjoy - smart, caring, a little quirky. In the first couple of episodes her reactions were very over-the-top and jarring. Thankfully that didn't last long. I just love her voice, as well. I almost didn't recognize her, since this drama is a few years old, but her voice gave her away. As for the romance, I didn't quite get why the male characters liked who they did, it just happened right away without any buildup.
My main problem with this drama was the production quality. I'm showing my age here, but it reminded me of when I used to watch Dark Shadows when I was a teen. The graininess of the film and the cheapness of the sets really bothered me. And did they run out of money to hire extras? Were there really only about 10 people at the school? It seemed like they tried to find at least a short backstory for each of the people, which at times made the script very clunky, because nothing was developed fully.
So, for me, the drama was good, not great, but I loved the friendships.
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Disappointed in the writing
This show really frustrated me, mainly because the writers would have you believe that the FL would rather have everyone hate her for something that she hadn't done, rather than admitting what had happened to her. I wasn't able to suspend disbelief that far. She was cold, and mean throughout most of the show. I might have been able to forgive that from a secondary character, but not from the main character. I don't like mean girls and that was the focus here.I thought that the ML was mis-written as well. He didn't look or act like a teenager, at all. He acted more like a teacher, so I had a hard time with connections between him and all the other characters.
To be honest, the reason I didn't rate this lower was because of the secondary characters. They were very enjoyable to watch. The secondary couple was cute, though their big break up made no sense, other than to serve to drive the story forward. I especially loved watching the third "couple" - Kim Yoo-Shin was bubbly, positive and spent most of his time following Ji So-hyun around. He was very outspoken about the fact that he liked So-hyun, but he was such a likeable character I found myself rooting for him.
I'm not a big person on revenge; however, I felt that with the seriousness of the topic that was the focus of the show, the perpetrators should have been dealt with more severely.
This drama had the advantage of being only eight episodes. That was long enough.
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