michelleoc

I'm late to the party!

Goodness, the music was excellent in this! I wish Jinu didn't die, but I'm all about the romance, so there you are. There is a terrific message in this film. We need to be careful of the voices that we listen to, especially in this age of influencers and social media. It's easy to think we aren't good enough, aren't thin enough, aren't smart enough, etc. And once those voices get in our heads, it's hard to tune them out.

This movie spoke to the importance of being truthful, no matter how afraid you are. The friendship aspect was really special. They, rightfully, felt betrayed when they found out about her marks, but they became stronger together. It also addressed sacrifice and what one is willing to do for a friend/loved one.

I think that anyone that didn't know about K-Pop would be interested after watching this.

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It felt like two separate writers each wrote half of the drama

This one started out really fun, and I hoped that I would be in for some light comedy, which is so hard for Koreans to do, apparently. Suspending disbelief had to be suspended early on, and opportunities were missed. When the FL goes into the comic, there were SO many opportunities for laughs, except that she adapted to Joseon life without any apparent problems. It was cute though.

I have to admit that I don't find Ok Taec Yeon very attractive (maybe it's the ears), but I have to give him props for being very charismatic. He's intense, but not emotionless, if that makes any sense. I enjoyed watching him.

I felt that the 2ML and the villain looked too much alike, and the 2nd and 3rd FL looked too much alike, so I spent a lot of time trying to figure out who was who.

About halfway through the show, the tone changed 180 degrees. It became dark, serious, tons of flashbacks, lots of fighting.
I felt that the ending was pretty anticlimactic.

I thought the chemistry between the leads was cute. Some good kisses. It was a nice change to have the ML be the virgin and the FL to be forward. I just wish it didn't always have to be because she was drunk.

I think if you go into this with very little expectation, you might enjoy it.

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What happens if you are given a second chance at life?

I loved the concept of the ML getting a second chance AND retaining all his memories. Some have said that by doing that it took out any drama. I don't agree. For me, the intrigue came by his thoughts and showing how he was going to manipulate what was supposed to happen. We were given the ML's voice over, explaining what had happened in the future. This whole thing reminded me of a game of chess - the strategy, the attack/counterattack.

The acting was excellent. Ji Sung never disappoints (Why did they spell his name Ji Seong in the credits?). The rest of the cast, as well. I love the actors that played his parents, they were so comforting to watch.

What stood out most to me was the concept of "found family". He finally appreciates his parents. He reconnects with a friend that he lost in his old life. He got to know the prosecutors and the reporter. When that group was together, they were the Scooby Gang! However, once they became friends, I spend the rest of the drama hoping that one of them wouldn't get killed off. I was especially drawn to his old friend. He works in gray areas but has a heart of gold. He and the ML taking the teenager under their wings and employing her and keeping her safe was a joy to watch. I was sad to see the outcome with wife, especially since they spent so much time leading us to believe that their story could change.

The only reason I didn't rate it higher was due to the plethora of bad guys. If he was a middle-aged man in a suit, he was a bad guy. It was so hard to keep the names and faces straight.

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So much to enjoy in the dramedy

SPOILERS!!!!!

I'll start by saying that I think you have to leave your expectations as the door. This isn't Shakespeare. The plot sometimes has holes so big you could drive a bus through them. But, even with that, I really enjoyed this one, for numerous reasons:

1) Seo Kang Jun - I find him very attractive, and not in a "pretty" way, if that makes sense. His intermittent smiles were wonderful. The last scene in the last episode - gold! When he gets emotional, it's very well restrained and not over the top. My heart broke when he found his father.

Also, I love how they included his father and that he had conversations with him. That was a chapter for him that wasn't closed yet.

2) Jin Ki Joo - She is fascinating to me. She has a different look about her and I find her beautiful. She always portrays characters that you want to be friends with. I wish they would have delved deeper into a back story for her.

3) The comedy was comedy-ing! There were so many laugh out loud moments, and I was impressed by Seo Kang Jun's comedic timing.

4) At the beginning, I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to stick with it because of the bullying (of students AND teachers), but I LOVED how he developed friendships with the other students. When he went to say goodbye to the students and was leaving the building, the paper airplanes made me cry.

5) The ML and FL were cute together, but the romance was definitely secondary. I loved watching them together.

6) Happy ending, though a five-year time jump seemed excessive.

7) Finally, Kim Shin Rok. Wow!! Watching her progress from a run-of-the-mill baddie to seriously unhinged was so compelling to watch. Does she always play a villain? I'm going to have to check out her filmography.

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A must-see for action fans

I'll admit, I struggle with excessive violence and fighting. That said, if you are a true action fan, I can almost guarantee that you will love Taxi Driver 3.

I love the cohesiveness of the cast, after three seasons, we can really feel their love and respect for one another (thank you again for not adding romance). The humor in this show is spot on and not over the top. The group has funny conversations that you would hear in real life. The actors are all terrific. The ML, especially. He's stoic, but you can tell that he deeply feels things.

The cases were pretty interesting and I always enjoy seeing how their plans come to fruition.

The last two episodes were especially intense. I was glued to the TV. I think it was so engrossing because that's a reality that South Koreans have to live with. All it takes is one power-hungry crazy person to start a war.

SPOILERS! SPOILERS!
The only question I had was, at the end, there's no sign of the ML. All the Rainbow Taxi people seem to be depressed. The FL is at her desk crying. I was thinking that they killed him off. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. So, I still don't know why she was crying.

I loved the concert at the end when they had the people from all the cases there. That was very special. And, after mentioning how Lee Je Hoon was so stoic throughout, I loved the very last scene with his longer hair and beautiful smile directed toward the camera (and the no shirt thing was an added bonus!). I thought that was the perfect ending.

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Funny, yet often heartbreaking

I love Jung Hyung Ho as an actor, and that's what brought me here. There seem to be so many "ghost" shows these days, and I was getting tired of them.

Jung Hyung Ho as Mu Jin was excellent. I hated his character for the first couple of episodes. His life was such a mess. But he really matured through all the experiences he went through and became so much less egocentric. He has wonderful comedic timing, but he's also able to wring other emotions out of you. I cried more than once during this show.

Loved:
- the stories, especially the young man that actually wanted to die
- the three main characters (Cha Hak Yeon reminds me so much of Seo In Guk, I had a hard time getting past that)
- the pacing was pretty good

Things that didn't hit the mark for me:
-Mu Jin and Hui Ju - haircuts. Were they trying for a mullet look or what?
-Hui Ju and her "boyfriend" - they were more like brother and sister.
-The thing that bothered me the most was Mu Jin's "marriage". There was no point to that at all, and them getting back together at the end was a waste.

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It gets better the further you watch

At first, I felt like I was watching a high school film competition entry. The editing was choppy, and the actors (to me at least) seemed to be uncomfortable and the acting wasn't too good. However, once the couple FINALLY figured out that they liked each other, I thought it was very cute. The confession was sweet and not something we normally see in K-dramas. I'd say give it a try, it's not a long show.

LIKES:
1) I LOVED the FL. The actress has one of those faces that you just want to watch. The character was good - she seemed pretty sure of herself, not that concerned about what others thought of her, and was very sweet.
2) Confession.
3) The couple once they got together.
4) The storyline of the moms, and their relationships with their kids.
5) The ML lack of directional awareness. I thought it was cute that he kept getting lost.

NOT SO MUCH: Spoilers!!!
1) The ML. Something about him bothered me, in addition to what a jerk he was through half of the show. Was it his hair, the clothes they dressed him in, his puffy face? I don't know, but something was off.
2) The writing was such that for the longest time I wasn't sure who was supposed to be the ML. The 2ML got a lot of screen time.
3) Some of the outfits they dressed the FL in. Shirts 10 sizes too large for her! She looked really cute in shorts, but was that the best look for someone with the skinniest legs known to man? Maybe I'm just jealous...
4) Why does almost every modern K-drama have a time jump? The couples struggle through so much to get together and find love, and then they separate for various and sundry ridiculous reasons. She decides to go to Europe so she can study poetry. Do they not have poetry in Korea?!? As a result, I thought the end was lackluster.

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So many cliches you can make a drinking game out of them, but I really enjoyed it!

As usual, I'm in the minority. I liked this a LOT better than The Love You Give Me.

With the number of cliches, you know it's not going to be an original story, but perhaps I was just in the mood for it when I started watching. Not only were the cliches abundant, they were also repeated numerous times. How many times did she trip over her foot, carpet, shoelace, air? I lost count. I'm notorious for using the fast forward button a lot in Chinese dramas, but I didn't have to at all here, until the last few episodes. I loved the main actors, I've enjoyed them in other projects, and once he falls in love with her, I thought he was precious. His family actually liked her, which was a nice change. We actually got to see more than one wedding, and multiple beautiful wedding dresses.

It wasn't without its irritants:
-the dubbing and ASMR. Minnie Mouse voices, and why do we need to hear them breathe?
-the female that was willing to do anything to break them up. It went on entirely too long and she didn't get what she deserved in the end.
-Why do they always make the characters that are supposed designers wear the most ridiculous outfits?! I laughed out loud at most of the stuff that Mr. Alex wore.

All in all, though, I really liked it.

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Miscasting can mar the story

This is only my opinion...

I felt that Choi Hyun Wook was miscast as the ML. I have enjoyed him in other things, but he looked too young, he acted too young, and his ridiculous hand gestures were lifted (stolen) from Park Seo Joon in What's Wrong With Secretary Kim. Park was able to pull off the exaggerated movements, Choi was not.

I love Mun Ka Young, and she was wonderful here, but I couldn't help compare this with True Beauty, and My Dearest Nemesis lost.

Toward the end of the drama, my mind was still dwelling on their awful first kiss, with her open eyes, not moving, etc. Just awful. In general their chemistry was lacking.

The second couple was cute, but she was kind of a mess. She couldn't make up her mind if she wanted to be with him or not. I don't care if the woman or the man initiates it, I'm not a fan of friends with benefits.

The ending was pretty lackluster. It felt like filler after all the problems were solved.

You might wonder why I even rated it this high. It was cute, and the main couple had some cute scenes together.

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Could have used some editing (and some acting classes)

What I liked:
1) ML's smile. Almost worth the watch just for that!
2) Strong females in abundance. Not only the FL, but her friend, the grandma, the ex-GF, and the evil ladies. I don't think I saw any of them trip over their own feet or turn into weaklings in a crisis.
3) Cute kid.
4) Sweet ending.
5) No miscommunication/misunderstandings between the leads.
6) Strangely, my favorite person was the woman that played Nirin. I thought her acting was very good, especially when she was talking to the grandma.

Not so much:
1) Every episode seemed like a rehash of the previous episode, Bad guys continue to cause trouble, cue the fights scenes, the bad guys get away. And BOY, it sure is easy to go into a hospital, put on some scrubs, and get into an operating room while an operation is going on to try to kill the person on the table. The bad guys took turns "working" in the hospital.
2) FL's back was broken, but she had some kind of magic surgery and was completely healed and fight-ready in four days.
3) The acting of some of the people were pretty bad (mostly the bad guys).
4) The romance was pretty boring.
5) The music...oh my gosh, the loud dramatic music and working my last nerve.

I will say that I don't normally watch Thai dramas, so I'm not the best judge, but this is just my opinion for me to remember what I thought.

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