michelleoc

Action/adventure/romance, enjoyable ride

The rating I gave this drama was due to the male lead and the chemistry, otherwise I would have scored a lot lower because of the 2FL and the kid.
This show was pretty short (relatively speaking for a Chinese drama) at 16 episodes of about 30 minutes each. I’ll be honest, that’s what made me give it a try.
STORYLINE: Very good! There were no draggy parts. There was romance and action and mystery and some comedy. I loved how they had a backstory at the beginning of every episode to give you further insight into what happened in the past of the main couple. There was a twist at the end that some people thought was very predictable, but all I can say is I was sure glad it was there! I did like that the couple had a history, I’m a sucker for the destiny trope.
MAIN COUPLE: Can you say chemistry?!?! The first episode, where it showed how he was protecting her was HAWT! Some excellent kisses. There's a pottery scene (like we've seen in Ghost) that was so well done. It brought the steam. The extreme close ups of their faces, the close ups of their hands in the clay, his hands caressing hers - just all kinds of yummy. I didn’t quite understand how they went from having one conversation to being considered boyfriend and girlfriend, and their breakup was kind of meh. Luckily it was short-lived. I thought the ML was very charismatic and whenever he was on screen, that’s where my eyes went. His smoldering looks were off the charts! How he played his character was a Tsundere done right. He was very serious and appeared cold, but there was a warmth within him for his friends, and especially for her. She was a beauty, and her character was good. I like it when they don’t make the women out to be silly/frivolous/weaklings/stupid.
SECOND COUPLE: Him, I loved. She, however, was another story. For me she was too silly and like a stalker. Later on, once they got together, they were very cute. His daughter, however (and I know I’m in the minority here) was a nightmare! There’s precocious and then there’s bratty. She tipped the scales WAY over into the bratty range. She was whiny, demanding and disrespectful and she needed a good time out.
I watched this in a day and half and wasn’t in the least bored. Then I went back and watched it again!

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It's not all about fat shaming. Give it a try!

This drama is a little deceptive, in that it starts out seeming that it’s going to just be a funny romp, but turns into an emotional ride with a lot going on. At the beginning it was a little too slapstick for me, and I pondered giving it up, but decided to stick with it, and I’m glad I did. I went from possibly quitting to “just let me watch one more episode before I go to bed”.
The writing: the writers did a good job with the comedy, but really shone with the emotional scenes. You really get a feel for what each of the characters is going through. This didn’t seem so much about fat shaming, but more about the consequences of the person that gets shamed for being fat. It also speaks a lot to living your dreams and not letting anyone stand in your way. I’ll tackle the actors/characters to address this more fully.
Actors: I felt that all of the actors were good in their parts. I’m only going to address the ones that stood out to me. Shin Sung Rok as Seo Yi Do was brilliant in this part. Here is a man that has the world at his feet, who made his dreams come true because of his first love; however, he was a complete mess. He had a list of phobias and allergies longer than your arm. He was arrogant, cocky, immature, rude and completely emotionally closed off. It doesn’t take long for the viewer to see slow but sure changes in his behavior. The first time he attempts a smile, it looks like he’s afraid his face will crack. As he begins to develop feelings for Ye Rin, Sung Rok does an excellent job of showing that wall around him starting to crack. Sung Rok is gifted with the ability to do physical comedy, and that comes in a lot in this show. But I was really impressed with the emotional scenes. My heart just about broke watching that one tear fall from the corner of his eye. Go Won Hee as Min Ye Rin was very good. She was terrific at acting like a 40-year-old, giving advice to her juniors (which always confused them!). Some of the things she did and said didn’t quite make sense sometimes, until you remember that she’s supposed to be 40 years old. In some ways, it was watching a caterpillar turn into a butterfly – her self-esteem was so non-existent and she just wanted to be invisible. Her body language was good in that respect. STANDOUT PERFORMANCE for me was Ha Jae Sook as Min Jae Hee. She played this part perfectly. Even in the scenes that were supposed to be funny, she was able to convey her overwhelming heartache, just with her facial expressions. The character of Jae Hee was one that was totally beaten down by life – cheated on by her husband, emotional abuse, giving up all her dreams, mean daughter, just to name a few of her issues. My heart went out to her in any scene that she was in – her feelings of defeat and her vulnerability were almost palpable. A brief shout out to Kim Ki Doo, who played Yi Do’s secretary – he normally plays kind of goofy characters. In this he was very likeable and I really appreciated the way the writers wrote his character and how he got the inside track on what was happening before everyone else. Another shout out to Jo Han Chul, who played Jae Hee’s husband – this is another actor that normally played kind of loud, quirky characters. In this show he was chilling. He progressed from just a self-absorbed man to a psycho. It was scary to watch.
The OST was lovely and the music really lended itself to increasing the emotional impact of the scenes.
Chemistry between the leads was lovely and there were a few really nice kisses.
I have to admit I was a little confused by the ending, and disappointed that it was so abrupt, but watching Yi Do living his life in faith, believing that he’d see Jae Hee again, was lovely.

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Be patient, this one will suck you in before you know what hit you!

This show was unbelievably good. I’ll be honest, it started out really slow and I’m not known for my patience. It wasn’t until about episode five when I felt completely invested, and then I had to go back and start it over, to give it the consideration it deserved. I’m not going to reiterate the storyline, but the writers have many, many reasons to be proud of their work here. This show moved effortlessly between the timelines of 1930’s Korea and present-day Korea, and it all made sense. One of the things I was most impressed with was that the mysteries in the show were revealed to us at the same time as the characters, so I felt like I was discovering the answers right along with them. The writing was excellent and managed to take me on a journey that seamlessly moved from drama, to comedy, to tragedy, to mystery, to fantasy, and all the while there was no need to suspend disbelief, because it all made perfect sense. I also appreciated the factual information that was given about the freedom fighters and what happened to Koreans in WWII.
Cast: Yoo Ah In as writer Han Se Ju was wonderful. He started out cold, self-absorbed and isolated. To be honest, I wondered if he was supposed to be the male lead, because he was not likeable at all. As we moved further into the story, his reactions, whether serious or funny, were spot on. And it doesn’t hurt that he is stunning to look at. Im Soo Jung as fangirl Jeon Seol played her part with the perfect degree of wonder and awe for Han Se Ju, without ever becoming stalker-ish or irritating. She had a positive outlook on life, even considering her somewhat dark past. Go Kyung Pyo as the mysterious Yoo Jin Oh was excellent. His part, more than any other, had the potential to become farcical, but he imbued the perfect amount seriousness into the role. I also have to mention Kwak Si Yan as Han Se Ju’s competition (both personally and literarily). Early on, he owned this role, giving it just a touch of possible sinisterness. Were you supposed to like him or hate him? As time went on and everything started being revealed, he literally made my skin crawl.
Cinematography and sets: Beautifully filmed! There was a clear delineation between 1930 and present. The close ups allowed you to really see and feel the emotions that the characters were feeling, whereas the far shots really gave a feeling of space and grandeur of the things that you were looking at. The play of light and shadow was used well to give a feel for danger in the 30’s and the positivity of present day. I loved how every place had different ways of showcasing books. His home, the other writer’s work room, bookstores, etc. Every place was very creatively put together, always reminding us that he was a writer. The set for his home was amazing!
Skinship: Two amazing kisses and some hand holding.
Camaraderie: This is where this show shone the brightest. The friendships of the past affected the friendships of the present and the writers/actors did a wonderful job of the slow, seamless progression of their relationships. They communicated well, they were honest with one another, and their experiences in both times cemented how they felt about one another. I love a show with a good bromance, and this was definitely one for the books!
Costumes: The clothing for both eras was perfect. Especially the clothes that Yoo Ah In wore – his clothes were classy, loose and fit him well.
OST: Hauntingly beautiful. There were times that just the music would shift your emotions before a word was even said.
I’m so glad I gave the time and attention to everything about this show that it deserved. It was amazing!

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This was missing something

The cast was excellent! Yoo Seung-ho as Kang Bok-soo was terrific. Yes, I thought he went overboard on the anger aspect of his character but his love for Soo-jung was a treat to watch, his deep voice pulls you right in, and that smile! Jo Bo-ah as Son Soo-jung was lovely. First, she's stunningly beautiful. I actually liked her more as a teenager, because the adult Soo-jung was kind of a mess. Kim Mi-kyung as Bok-soo's mom, she's the mom that we all want. Kim-Yeo-kim as Oh Se-ho's mom, yikes! That character was an absolute nightmare and she played it perfectly. I had seen her as a sweet character in Terrius Behind Me, so to see her as this evil, cutthroat character who would stomp over her own son to protect herself was a revelation. I had seen all the previously-mentioned people in other things, was impressed before and continue to be impressed; however, Kwak Dong-yeon as Oh se-ho was new to me and this acting was spot on! The intense stares and the sudden evil smiles actually gave me goose bumps! He was the kind of evil that is difficult to watch, but then when they had flashbacks you could feel his loneliness and vulnerability. Then, later in the show, when he wasn't quite so creepy, I enjoyed watching him so much that I'm going to see what else he's been in. I hope that in the future he gets tapped for the male lead that is a cold CEO and meets his match, he'd be perfect. everyone that played the students were very good and I liked the way friendships were forged.
Chemistry - the kisses between the leads were wonderful. No open-eyed fish kisses. And there's a little added excitement when there is a danger of them being discovered.
Storyline - implausible, but I was willing to suspend disbelief. The problem, for me, came in the writing and the way it was executed. It went on entirely too long and there were so many things going on that they were never completely and fully able to address any of them. It flitted from one problem to another. After 32 episodes, the ending felt rushed (as so many K-dramas seem to, unfortunately). And I'll be honest, once they redeemed Oh Se-ho, I was disappointed that he wasn't with the other main characters at the end, with their friendship renewed.
I was glad I watched it, but it's not something I would re-watch, because it was too long.

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Not at romance as listed at Viki

For someone that is pretty much dedicated to romance and happily-ever-after, this show was a disappointment to me in that respect. I did not rate down because of this though. This show was cute, there were some amusing parts, and the concept was interesting.

The male and female leads were good. He tried to be intimidating, it didn't work. She tried to mind her own business, it didn't work. These two always seemed to be working at odds toward the same results. It did a good job of showing how there is more than one way to accomplish something, which was refreshing. I also enjoyed the family dynamics of the female lead. She had very strong principles, but was also able to admit her mistakes and move forward.

Watch this if you want a somewhat original storyline, a little drama and very little angst.

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This was a difficult one for me to review

Thankfully this Chinese show was only 24 episodes, which is short, so they weren't able to drag things out TOO much. What I liked:
1) Chemistry between the leads. They had amazing chemistry and there was a lot of skinship, with no open-eye, dead fish kisses. I must say that I think the "candy kiss" is one of the best I've seen. Their height difference was really cute as well.
2) Ming Ren as Lu Bo Yan - he was a lovely character. He appears cold, but has emotions that run deep and are long-lived.
3) Cute, romantic scenes.
What I didn't like:
1) Can we talk about the dubbing? Why, is what I want to know. Most of the voices are so irritating.
2) The character of Su Jia Nan. I think Serena Cheng did a good job, because I really did NOT care for this character, overall. She was selfish, self-absorbed, immature.
3) Secondary couple - just irritating.
4) Obligatory "girl that wants the guy". He never had any feelings for her, but she just will NOT give up.
5) The getting together, breaking up, getting together, (you get my point). They never seemed to learn from their mistakes. So this constant back and forth made the show seem even longer than it was.

All that said, if you want an overall cute show, with a couple with excellent chemistry and not too much angst, you might enjoy this.

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Cringy but fun

Okay, I'll be the first to admit that the acting in this show was bad, but I would still recommend watching it, because it's just fun! You could actually make a drinking game out of this drama - every time you encounter a K-drama trope, take a drink! The concept of the show was interesting and somewhat original, and I had the best time watching it, because I think they were actually able to include every cliche known to man. Since it was pretty over the top, I didn't feel too invested in the characters, and really felt like I was on the outside looking in, but I was fine with that. I upped my rating slightly because of Woo Do Hwan - seriously, he would make watching paint dry fascinating.

I found the female lead very interesting. She was a pitiful, "invisible" person (to use her own phrase), but even apart from being a white woman in Korea, I think they chose the right person for the part. Not classically beautiful, pale with freckles, strange hair cut, interesting clothes choices, it all went to a package that worked. And I loved her excitement when she found out she had been sucked into K-drama world! Let's be honest, anyone that is a K-drama junkie can understand her reaction.

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I've seen this many times before, and done better

Web series, which isn't bad in and of itself. I've seen many that manage to pack a lot into each short episode. Here, however, that didn't happen. The overall show was pretty bland. Typical high school/bullying storyline. However, I would say, for the bully that was after the female lead, someone should have called the police on him, because he was a stalker! One of my problems with this was that the guys all looked so much alike, especially once the ML dyed his hair.

The female lead was pretty boring, so I couldn't understand all the interest in her. Add to that the fact that motives for people's actions were never explained fully, it was hard to get invested in the characters.

It filled an evening while I decide what to watch next, but that's about all I can say about it.

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A show of unlikeable characters

Andy Cheung and Kinki work together. He's her boss apparently. She is a big ole mess. Whenever she gets upset she cleans, it's like an OCD compulsion. She's got an extremely whiny voice. This show was full of mostly unlikeable characters. All the people at their work are just a bunch of gossips. Her family is a nightmare, and don't even try to pretend that they aren't. Andy's ex-girlfriend shows up out of the blue, she's not such a nice person either. Andy is a womanizer. Andy is getting back with the ex-girlfriend and trying to help Kinki get back with her slimeball of an ex boyfriend (why, for heaven's sake!?). All of a sudden Andy likes Kinki. There is nothing in the story that would lead you to see that the develop a fondness for each other or a relationship. This was actually a show that seemed to have a big chunk taken out of the middle that would have possibly explained the purpose and the motivation for the characters.

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Watch it for Yoon Hyun Min

I'll start with the reason this show got the high score that it did. Yoon Hyun Min! I just finished watching him in Falling for Innocence and I was looking for something that he would play the romantic lead in. He's been in numerous shows that are not romances, but since I'm usually pretty much all about the romance, those shows were not what I was looking for. He was excellent in this. Playing cold, rich, damaged Nam Do and Holo, the hologram that inexplicably develops AI, I felt that he was able to display a range of emotions, often side-by-side. When he was Nam Do, you could feel his drive, his brilliance, and his loneliness. Watching him roam the workplace in the middle of the night was just sad to watch. He had every convenience available to him, but he was always alone. Then, as Holo, he was boyish, charming, caring, and as Holo he kept evolving as he developed AI characteristics. Hyun Min has a very interesting look about him. His features are sharp, his look is intense, and he's, of course, handsome. But I have to say I'm more fascinated with his acting than the way he looks. Because I enjoyed the parts he played in this,, I totally would have rated this show higher if not for:

STORY: Every K-drama trope in the book is in this one! It starts out really strong, but then becomes a mess about halfway through. The storyline continued to get more complicated and unnecessarily implausible. How they dealt with Holo toward the end was very emotional and touching. Obligatory time jump at the end (yet another trope) and the last scene was very cute, but the overall ending was unsatisfactory to me, mostly because:
ROMANCE: I felt that this show was too light on romance and it wasn't fully fleshed out. Why did Nam Do like So Yeon? That was a mystery to me. I felt like she was the first girl he ever talked to so, of course, he had to like her. A couple of really bad/accidental kisses. Later on there were some good kisses, but I was wishing that Nam Do and So Yeon's relationship would have been developed more completely.
CHARACTERS: So Yeon. Go Sung Hee did a good job in this show. I'm used to seeing her as the kind of bitchy secondary character, so it was nice to see her as the lead. However, So Yeon spent entirely too much time crying/sobbing/drinking. She was pitiful. And her liking Holo - that just didn't work for me. I'm glad they addressed the issue that she liked him because it was safe and she wouldn't get hurt like if she was dating a real person, but it just didn't feel real to me. I enjoyed the other characters in the show - the secondary couple, Nam Do's co-workers, the policeman and his sidekick.

TECHNOLOGY: The technology addressed, and the cinematography were both really good.
MUSIC: Went well with the show. Nothing really stood out to me, but it wasn't distracting.
Random thought: I wonder why they have to translate the curse words in these shows. Couldn't they just use another word, rather than cursing?

OVERALL: Definitely worth watching, but it wasn't one of my favorites.

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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".

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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.

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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.

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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.

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