Ugh!
The girls were either yelling or whining. The female lead was always yelling or pouting. She acted very immature. And she was a doormat, He was cranky through most of the show. He didn’t speak up on his feelings for her, just kept letting her say how she felt. And I really had a hard time getting past his hair. You could have landed a plane on it, for Pete’s sake! Add to the fact that this show was entirely too long - each episode seemed to have more of the same angst as the previous one - "I like you, but you are hanging out with your psycho ex-girlfriend so I can't like you, so we'll be roommates and co-workers and nothing else".Was this review helpful to you?
That's time I'm never getting back!
I almost have no words. The acting in this was often over-the-top and the characters were more like caricatures of actual people. I really don't like shows that are considered melodramas, and this one falls into that category. The female lead was too good to be true - even after all of the evil stuff that the "friend" did, she forgave her as if nothing had ever happened. I'm all for forgiveness, but there should have been some consequences. And the ending? I wanted to yell at the tv! It was the worst! It was trying for ambiguous, but the ending was obvious to anyone paying attention, which made me even more irritated about all the time I spent watching this thing.Was this review helpful to you?
slow, serious show about romance/love
This is not a rom-com (which is what I normally look for), but a slow and serious (but not melodramatic) show about love. Song Hye Kyo and Park Bo Gum both did an excellent job. In most of the things I've seen Park Bo Gum in, there's always been something a little "off" to me about his acting. This role changed my mind. His acting in this was perfectly on point. When he was happy, you wanted to smile with him, and when he was unhappy it was heartbreaking. There was a slow buildup in their romance/love, and it made sense. His patience, and constant love for her was so wonderful to watch. I felt really drawn in to their relationship, sometimes I felt like I was a voyeur in their lives.Park Bo Gum's character was open and innocent. He seemed to look at life with joie de vivre, and that was an infectious thing. I couldn't help but smile, watching him. His love for her was so apparent, even though they were so different. Song Hye Kyo's character, on the other hand, was very repressed. Her life had been decided and planned for her, and she had never deviated from that plan. I enjoyed watching him bring her out of herself, opening her to new experiences, and living the way she wanted to.
I did feel that the breakup, though necessary to keep the story moving, was a little lame, especially since it was uncalled for and none of the circumstances that she was concerned about changed, so the breakup made even less sense. I felt that Song Hye Kyo's character was a little too weak in standing up to her family (the moms in this were all nightmares!). I also felt that, because of her reasoning for the breakup, her love for him wasn't as strong, and that was disappointing.
The cinematography and the OST were both amazing as well. This show was beautiful to watch.
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If you are looking for a good romance, I found this one lacking
The business aspect of the show - 9. The romance - 7. This show was a testament to girl power! Strong women, that go for what they want. I loved the acting by all the actors, but some of the characters I liked more than others - Cha Hyun was beautiful and she didn't put up with any junk! When Bae Ta Mi asked for help and she showed up with baseball bats, priceless! I loved the romance storyline for Cha Hyun as well. The music was good, as was the cinematography, but I really had a problem with Bae Ta Mi's character. She kept insisting she never wanted to get married. They used the camera angle a lot of her and Park Morgan being far apart from one another, and he was ALWAYS the one that came to her, even after the big breakup. And they'd barely been together for two minutes and she started in on the fact that they were going to continue to fight over the marriage vs. non-marriage. The ending could have been so much better romance-wise. The business aspect was tied up nicely, loved the ladies riding into the sunset in their Maserati, but I would have liked for Bae Ta Mi to have some kind of epiphany in realizing that she was going to be miserable without Park Morgan. The gentleman playing Park Morgan was excellent, very understated but displaying a wide array of emotions.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Who was he in love with?
Excellent cast, but the script left something to be desired. He actually fell in love with the ghost and I could never figure out how he decided that he loved the FL instead. She got a little more assertive after being possessed, but still pretty subservient. I felt that the ghost was entirely too forward and found that irritating. However, I loved the sweet names he called the FL in deference to her small size. The romantic scenes between the ML and the FL were lovely. I've not seen him in anything else and was very impressed by his acting. This is the first time in a long time that I didn't see a ML cry during the dramatic scenes. I loved the scenes where he talked to himself, like he couldn't quite figure out what was going on and talking himself through the issue. Other than the love story, I felt the rest was unnecessarily drawn out. I wouldn't watch this again, except for some of the scenes with the two of them.Was this review helpful to you?
Cute webtoon
Need a break from angst, Asian cliches, extended number of episodes, evil girlfriend wannabes? This was a very cute, short show. It's a show to watch to cleanse your palate before moving onto something deeper and more substantial. I enjoyed all the actors, especially the perky best friend played by Han Ji Hyo. Even the potential girlfriend wannabe was funny. There were so many purposely cringy moments, as well as numerous laugh out loud moments. I enjoyed watching the characters develop and change.Was this review helpful to you?
What a lovely romance!
Start out with a contract relationship, hate at first sight, misunderstandings, a cold man and a soft-spoken woman, and you think it's going to be like every other Asian show you've ever seen. You'd be wrong. This is one of the few shows that I've seen that I revisit time and time again.Ha Seok Jin plays Jae In, the typical cold, work-obsessed corporate man. The hair and makeup department did an excellent job with his transformation throughout the show. He starts out complete starched, his hair is perfect and highlights his always austere expression. Over time, his look relaxes and I loved seeing that.
Jun So Min plays DaDa, the elementary school teacher. She wears the non-stylish, comfortable clothes required for working with little kids all day. She's somewhat mousy, and at first glance you think she's going to be a doormat. You will have that impression corrected very quickly. She does not suffer fools gladly.
The story of how these polar opposites meet and become involved is wonderful, in my opinion. DaDa doesn't let Jae In get away with anything, which is funny to watch, because he's used to always being in control. These two have wonderful chemistry together and this show has some of the best kissing scenes out there! There's nothing earth changing here, just a terrific show, that I think you'll be glad you watched.
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Loved it the second time around
This show really demonstrated to me that you need to be in a certain mindset for some shows. The first time I watched this, I HATED it! However, when a friend wanted to watch it, I decided to give it another chance. I'm so glad I did! This was a wonderful show! There was some silliness, some seriousness, and a beautiful romance. The flashbacks to the Joseon period were very well-done, and new clues were revealed throughout the show, so you never quite knew what was going to happen. This show has, by far, the best ending of any K-drama I’ve watched. It wasn’t thrown in as an afterthought, it wasn’t rushed, it was just lovely. I can highly recommend this show without reservation.Was this review helpful to you?
Meh.
This show started out well, but I thought it dragged A LOT in the middle. I did like the premise of the show, the secrets, etc. The male lead was wonderful, and I loved the concept of him loving her practically his entire life. The female lead, I loved her voice, and she is beautiful - her smile is just radiant - but I didn't particularly care for her character. She seemed unnecessarily pouty and kind of stand-offish. The second male lead - I LOVE when the secondary character turns out to be a good guy. They even turned around the second female lead - she was an absolute nightmare at the beginning, but at the end I liked her. The overall story was kind of slow and sometimes boring, and I don't understand why so many Korean dramas have the passage of time just before the end of the show. The characters have to go through so much to get together, and then they just kind of go along on auto pilot. It was a happy ending, just kind of brief and bland. There were a couple of good kisses, but I didn't find this show terribly romantic.Was this review helpful to you?
You have TOTALLY got to watch this!
This show will make you laugh out loud and make you cry. The characters are wonderfully written and portrayed by the actors. The romance was just lovely - he liked her first (I love when that happens!) and their relationship developed from friendship. This was a realistic portrayal of a developing relationship. They talked to each other, spent time together, etc. His romantic gestures were in the way he took care of her. He is the kind of boyfriend every girl dreams of, just wonderful in every way. I also loved the stories of the friendships between Bok Joo and the fatties, between the male lead and his friend and the development of the relationships between the two groups. Even the obligatory evil ex-girlfriend was well fleshed-out and you really understood why she behaved the way she did.I was impressed by Lee Sung Kyung as Kim Bok-Joo. She portrayed the character in a way that, even though she physically didn't change much from the beginning of the show to the end, as you watched her she became so much more attractive. That to me showed that our actions help determine how attractive we are. She was a stalwart friend and how she behaved with her friends, and ultimately Jung Joon, was always supportive and positive.
The biggest surprise for me in this show was Nam Joo Hyuk as Jung Joon. I have seen him in supporting roles in a couple of things and was questioning his ability to tackle a leading role. I needn't have worried. He brought such heart to the role of Jung Joon. At the beginning he seemed like he was very immature and heading toward being a bully toward Kim Bok-Joo. He was able to walk that razor-thin line between meanness and playfulness successfully. He was strong, but when he showed his sadness and vulnerability it just about gutted me!
Wonderful ending. And cameos by Ji Soo and Lee Jong Suk were a bonus.
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Great story, but not strong on romance
Very interesting premise for a show, and they didn't use too many obligatory Korean cliches. Taecyon and Kim So Hyun were both very good. His character really developed as the show went along (as you would hope) and he went from being a complete loner to finally letting people into his life. She was kind of a stalker toward him early on, but not in an irritating way. She was innocent, but not immature, and very sweet. Kwon Yool does an excellent bad guy and was very creepy. I loved the relationship between the two main characters because they were both misfits in a way, but together they worked. I rated it lower because I'm all about the romance and it was lacking in this show, in order to make time for the story and all the ghosts. I also don't like open eye kisses (and one of them you could tell that they weren't actually even touching each other) and the ending was very weak.Was this review helpful to you?
Could have been totally cliched, but wasn't
Light, lovely show. Seo In Guk was made for this role. The range of emotions that he displayed - scared, clueless, naive, vulnerable, playful - I found myself smiling throughout a good portion of the show. The female was very good also and they had such sweet chemistry together. If you just read the overview for this show, you might think that it will be just a re-mix of every Korean drama you've already seen. I mean, c'mon, wealthy guy/poor girl, amnesia, we've seen these things before. I didn't hold out much hope when I started this - I'll be honest, I was watching because of Seo In Guk. I very quickly realized that this show was going to knock down all my pre-conceived notions. This took the K-drama cliches and either turned them on their ear, or soften them so you weren't being beat over the head with them. Very good kissing scenes, nice ending without being rushed.Was this review helpful to you?
Pleasantly surprised
What a special movie! I'm not going to go into the plot at all, I don't want to give anything away. I laughed, I cried, I was touched. I purposely didn't read anything about this movie before watching it, thinking it would be like the US movie Valentine's Day - BOY, was I wrong!! The whole cast was excellent. The physical comedy was so funny and the movie just gave me a happy feeling. If I have to find fault with anything, I was just slightly disappointed in Cha Tae Hyun as the male lead - he's better in a supporting role.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I think to call this a romance is a mistake, but worth watching
I'll start by saying this was NOT a romantic comedy. Comedy yes, but romance? There was someone that she was in love with, but there was no chemistry between the two, no kissing, actually no touching between the two at all. They could have been brother and sister, in my opinion.I thought she had more chemistry with her editor! The lead actress was just precious. Her character, Etsuko, was very high energy with a positive attitude. At the beginning I almost quit watching because she had not taken any job in seven years because she only wanted to be an editor for one specific magazine - was she stupid? Did she think she was so special that she should be given a job that she had no experience in? I'm glad I stuck it out, though. She finally got hired as a proofreader (she thought she was going to be an editor) but made sure to tell the proofreaders that she was working with that she wasn't going to be there long, because she was going to be moved up to editor. Each episode focused on a new job she was working on. She learned a lot as a proofreader and taught everyone else in the process. I loved watching the developing friendships with the authors, her editor, and especially her proof reading colleagues. For me, this show was mostly about the clothes (how did she afford them? Where did she put them in that tiny apartment?). I loved the preview of the outfits she was going to be wearing before each scene. Etsuko was one of those characters that, on paper, would be a big pain in the neck, but she was so likeable that you just had to root for her to be a success.
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Cute!
I loved the chemistry between the two main characters. The dates he planned for her were wonderful and they were so sweet together. He brought out the best in her and her smile just lights up the screen. I’m glad it wasn’t any longer than it was, but I still felt there were wasted opportunities. The usual separation at the end - why didn’t he answer all her calls and messages? The separation was unbelievable and pointless and them finally getting together in the last three minutes, I really felt cheated, especially since they were so cute together.Was this review helpful to you?
