michelleoc

Ghostly melodrama with some romance thrown in

There was so much to like about this show:
1) Yang Jin Sung playing dual roles of Jang Yi Kyung and Na Noo Rim. She was wonderful, especially since the characters were TOTALLY different. Her coldness as Yi Kyung could actually give a person frostbite! Then she was so bubbly as Noo Rim.
2) Lee Hong Ki as Choi Kang Joo. I don't think this role was a serious stretch to his acting chops, but he did well going from the uptight, cold chaebol to the sweet man he was with Noo Rim.
3) The romance between the leads was fun to watch. I liked their initial aversion to each other and how it slowly changed.
4) I love Park Kin Joo in everything I've seen her in. Here, she played Noo Rim's friend Jin Joo and she's just got that precious, elfin look about her that draws you to her.
5) Overall, I thought the actors did a great job.
6) The storyline, with the added ghost story twist, was well thought out, with lots of twists and turns to keep you interested.
7) The music was lovely. I was also impressed that Lee Hong Ki did one of the songs. It was a heartfelt song that really grabs you emotionally.
What I didn't care for:
1) Noo Rim changed from someone that believes in herself and stands up for what she believes in to a scared, runaway woman.
2) Too many bad guys! Each person was more evil than the last. Plus, though there were natural consequences for their actions, none of those consequences helped the couple at all, that's for sure! Also, they had information on things that these bad people had done and didn't go to the police?
3) Not enough time of seeing the couple together. They were actually together for just a brief period of time, which made their breakup doubly irritating. First, do you love each other or not? Are you not willing to fight for your relationship? Plus, I didn't think their breakup was realistic because breaking up just so no one else will be unhappy is a cop out.
4) The ghost story aspect was woven through the episodes and then resolved in a very rushed fashion. It felt like the writers realized they were getting to the end of the show and had to squeeze it in.
5) The ending was so unsatisfying for me. I loved how he continued to look for her. I felt that her keeping herself from him was unfair to him (not going to say more due to spoiler). But, after them being apart for so much of the entire show, when we got to the end and they are walking in a garden and talking about a tree? I wanted/expected more romance.
So, I'd say it's a good show to watch for the acting/writing/music as long as you are okay with a lot of angst and not very much romance.

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Amazing music!

Having never seen any other version or read the manga, I can only review based upon my enjoyment of this show. Let's start with the positive - the music. Absolutely beautiful classical music, which wove itself seamlessly through the show. For me, that's as far as the positives went. I suppose the actors did a good job, but the two main characters were not likeable throughout the entirety of the show. She was a stalker, hanging on him, liking him for no apparent reason. She was an odd woman, trying to be cutesy at times, troubled at others. She irritated me throughout. As for the male lead, he wasn't likeable either. I understand that he had trauma in his life, but that's not really an excuse to be so mean, especially to her. I didn't feel that the relationship was believable at all. There was no chemistry between the two, even at the end. By the time this show ended, I was so frustrated with the amount of time I had wasted. Park Bo Gum's character was more likeable, and I felt that she and he were much better suited for one another, because he didn't want to change her.

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Lovely movie

The cinematography was excellent, lots of tight, close up shots, which really drew my attention to the tiniest detail - him taking her hand, the handmade rings on their fingers, his lonely face on every new day. There were slow motion shots that pulled me even deeper into the story. This movie was beautiful on so many levels. The main actress was wonderful playing against the various actors. As she got to know Woo Jin and spent time with him, I kind of felt like a voyeur of their relationship, watching them getting to know each other more intimately and fall in love. Their total enjoyment of each other's company, and through necessity, trying to keep the outside world at bay. How important is love? What would you be willing to endure? What would you be willing to give up? Kudos to everyone involved in this movie.

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I would have liked some character development/growth

Overall, it's a cute show. Both main actors are very attractive and nice to watch. I don't feel that I would ever need to see this again (mainly because my list is so long for things I still want to watch!)

What I liked:
1. The acting was good.
2. The storyline. I liked that it was the woman that was the workaholic and the man had to wait around for her to have time for him. Riichi (Eiji Akuso) was what I think a lot of women would think are the perfect boyfriend. He was extremely patient with her and the fact that she didn't have time for him. However, there is a certain amount of suspension of disbelief (addressed in what I didn't like)
3. Since it only had a few episodes, all ancillary issues were kept to a minimum. For example, the other girl that liked Riichi (I have to be honest, I liked the way that was handled)
4. The chemistry between the leads was cute, though they actually spent more time apart than together.
5. I loved hearing from the female lead point of view, as well as the male lead point of view.
6. "I wonder when it will be?" Once you watch it you'll understand! But it speaks to Riichi's dedication to Hanai and it was very sweet.

What I didn't like so much:
1. And this is a negative ONLY if you can't suspend disbelief. But a person can only be ignored for so long before they get fed up and move on. I mean, they'd been "dating" for a month and hadn't been on a date? And I don't think that if you are in a relationship it's ever okay to ignore texts and phone calls for days at a time.
2. The multiple times he asked her for a "reward" really bothered me. It's the equivalent of a man taking you to dinner and then expecting you to put out since he spent some money on you.
3. There is actually no character development. They are the same at the end of the show as they are at the beginning. She has learned nothing and doesn't apparently appreciate the fact that she has someone in love with her. His character is the same, but add that he has now become a doormat for a woman that ignores him.

I'll have to admit that the show is kind of thought-provoking. How do you maintain a relationship when you are working all the time? How do you prioritize your time so you can actually have a relationship? How long would you be willing to stay with a person that put you way down on their priority list?

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Brilliant acting

I was exhausted by the time I finished this show! There are so many twists and turns in this story, you need a map. It was an original story, very entertaining, but very emotional. Ji Sung is the male lead, and on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give him a 20 for this part! He had trauma in his life which cause him to develop multiple personalities. Each personality was so believable and there were so many heartbreaking scenes. I have to score down for two reasons, one was the overabundance of bad guys, and the other was for the female lead, played by Hwang Jung Eum. She tends to stay on the comedy side of the spectrum which was jarring in a lot of the scenes - her screaming and shrieking were very distracting. She was much better in the emotional scenes toward the end. I felt the ending was rushed after all the drama they went through, but this show has one of the best lines ever in ep 1 "Remember - January 7, 2015 at 10:00 on the dot. The time I fell for you." If for no other reason, watch this for Ji Sung's acting.

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Cute story, low on angst

Don't let the name fool you. I thought she was going to be this aggressive, irritating woman. Not so. This movie is a joy to watch. I shed a few tears briefly, but for the most part I couldn't do anything but smile. This is about scars, both on the outside where they can be seen by everyone, and those on the inside, that we usually have to deal with on our own. It's also about realizing that, just because someone is physically able, we shouldn't make the mistake of thinking that they don't have any problems. Often the inner troubles are harder to deal with, because we don't let anyone in to help us. This movie is also about opening up to friendships of all different types. Each of the students was so fun in their own way. This is a movie that will definitely make you happy.

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Reviewing after watching it again!

Wonderful movie about the power of love, the strength of memories and connections between lovers. The actors were all very good. Choi Jin Hyuk continues to impress me - that deep voice! I loved all the emotion he put into his character, the seriousness, the playfulness, the loneliness, the feeling of loss. Song Ha Yoon was very good as well. Her character was strong and resilient without being hard. These two had off-the-charts chemistry! Multiple very good kissing scenes. Very cute ending. The actor that played his cousin was very good - his character was often over the top, but when he saw his mother for what she was, his betrayal was heart-wrenching. Beautiful scenery and I loved the visual of her wearing different white outfits throughout the show. It really helped to show her innocence/sweetness, especially in light of all that she had gone through. Choi Jin Hyuk did singing for the soundtrack - bonus!

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Catchy music!

This show started out so strong, they met in high school, lost touch with one another and now she works for him. He has the biggest dimples I’ve ever seen, and I loved the way his character was written. About midway through the show, my enjoyment began to wane. Her character bothered me. She was so strong in sales, in protecting and taking care of her family, but she was so weak relationship-wise. She would never tell him how she felt, and the multiple separations because she wasn’t “good enough” were working my last nerve. I loved all of the male characters in this show, they were always true friends, not out for their own gains. There was one storyline I didn’t like at all. Good music, wonderful, catchy theme song. Happy, yet kind of silly, ending. And I have to say that this show has the best theme song ever - you love it while you're listening to it and it makes you want to dance, then it burrows into your brain and you find yourself singing it for the rest of the day!

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More revenge than romance

"Revenge is a dish best served cold." This certainly applies to Zhao Yi Ting (Marcus Chang), as he coldly goes about exacting revenge on someone that ruined his family. He's been slow and methodical about it (12 years), and to hear him talk, nothing is going to stand in his way. That is, until he meets Lei Xin Yu (Eugenie Liu) - the innocent, naive and optimistic daughter of his target. This show is about how love can overcome revenge, but only if you let yourself be open to it.

The storyline and script were good, though drawn out at times. There were twists that kept cropping up, keeping me interested.

Marcus Chang was very good in this role. He had that hard, distant stare down to a science, but when he smiled, oh my!

I felt that Eugenie Liu overacted quite a bit, especially during the scenes with her mom. She cried A LOT, and it got to the point that I was wondering what calamity the writers were going to put her through next.

Their chemistry was good, the romance was very subdued (just a couple of kisses). I really did feel this was more about revenge than romance.

The music was good and the vignette they showed at the beginning of each episode was very dramatic and you got a feel for the actors' chemistry here as well.

I loved the secondary characters of her roommate and his family. There are mysteries surrounding these people that you find out as you go along, but the love was there, when they were fighting for each other, or just kidding around.

I also liked a technique that I don't think gets used enough in Asian dramas. We always have an overabundance of the girl/boy (usually girl) that likes the main lead and is willing to do whatever it takes to be with them, even knowing that they don't like them or are in love with someone else, and they do all kinds of evil/underhanded things. In this show, there were a couple of instances of someone liking someone else, but their motivation was happiness for the object of their affection. They put their own feelings aside to help the person they liked. I love that!

The ending was happy and sweet and the writers did a wonderful job of including his family in their "happily ever after". I would have liked at least a kiss, but I'm just being picky.

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Wallace Huo saved this from being rated lower by me

I would have given the first half more than 10 stars, if possible. Wow, was it ever good! So well-written, with smart dialogue, excellent acting, mystery and tension throughout. The music was very successful in addition to the tension.
Their voices were good and not screech-y (why do most C-dramas insist upon dubbing?). This was my first time of seeing Wallace Huo in anything, and I was impressed. his character, Simon Bo, was a criminal profiler and seemed able to pull the answers to clues out of thin air (suspend disbelief here). The developing relationship between the male and female leads was a pleasure to watch, and so amusing, since he had no people skills whatsoever. I didn't feel that them sleeping together that first date made any sense, since she could barely even kiss him on the cheek. However, her describing to him how he kisses? That was hot! The writers would have been better served to extend that "will they/won't they" tension, because the couple got boring after that. I loved that they were working on new crimes every couple of episodes, which kept it fresh. I also really enjoyed Andrew Yin as Simon's assistant/secretary. He and Simon had a wonderful bromance relationship going on and a lot of his lines were very amusing. I had to downgrade my rating because of the second half of the story when they were in America. Really bad American actors, and they kept changing the female lead's name. And the Chinese actors spoke in only Chinese, but everyone was able to understand one another? However, I'll definitely be watching the first half of this again sometime soon.

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What took me so long to watch this?!

There was so much to love about this show. I have literally skipped over this show dozens of times, strictly because of the picture that goes along with the synopsis. I'm so glad I finally gave it a chance. It is a slow-moving drama, but the characters are developed very well, and because of the slow pace, you feel like you are coming to know them and learning to care for them at the same time.

The first four episodes set in the 70's at University - there was a sort of yellowish tinge to the film quality that I really liked, giving evidence to the time period. I loved the 70's fashions (which at the time we thought we were rocking!), and hairstyles and the overall feel. I also appreciated that they did a jump forward into the present time, rather than the endless flashbacks, which really take you out of the story.

The current time was filled with beautiful scenery, comedy, drama, and the usual K-drama angst. I did lower my score one point due to the fact that there were multiple episodes where the main couple broke up and made up over and over again. That, to me, said the show could have been edited a little more tightly and made shorter.

I thought it was well acted for the most part, but I must especially give shouts out to Im Yoon-Ah and Jang Geun Suk. Im Yoon-Ah played the shy female lead in the 70's, and her daughter in the current time. In the 70's her character seemed a little one-dimensional to me, but I think that was to contrast with the vivacious person she was in the current time. Her character was sweet and likeable and not a complete doormat (though when she kept lowering her eyes in front of his nightmare of a mother, I wanted to smack her).

Jang Geun Suk - oh my goodness, his performance was impressive! Since I hadn't read much about this show before I watched it, I was quite a way into the show before I realized that he played two parts as well! In the 70's he was a shy artist. He falls in love in three seconds and this is basically the story of that love. His character was sweet and tender in the 70's, contrasted by his character of the son, who was bitter, cynical, and didn't believe in love. His hair and his costumes in the present time were ridiculous, but he was wonderful. I loved watching him becoming aware of someone other than himself, especially since he came out and said he didn't believe in love. The voice-over work he did, especially during the 70's time frame, was lovely. He has the perfect voice for it. Add to that the Love Rain song that he sings throughout the show, and he just gave me all the feels.

For Seo In-Guk fans, he plays two unusual characters in this show. They really downplayed his attractiveness.

The relationship between the two leads was wonderful to watch. It was especially fun since they started out so antagonistically toward each other. For those enquiring minds, there are a couple of lame kisses, and a couple of very good kisses, that make you think that they actually like each other. Also, I understand that the Koreans say they "like" each other rather than using the word "love", which I'll admit can be overused. So, when they said they loved each other, it was so wonderful. The show has a happy ending, but I would have liked the ending to be a little bit longer.

Another storyline that I really liked was in the current time between the female lead and the young doctor. He really put himself out there to be her friend and stuck with her throughout, even though he was in love with her himself. He only made a couple of vague references to it, and she was completely clueless.

Other than the multiple episodes toward the end that had the "will they/won't they be together" thing, this show was a slow, calm, peaceful view into two different developing relationships, and the effects that others' decisions can make on those relationships. It showed the power of friendships in both eras, and I think that applies to the main leads as well. In addition to being in love, I think friendship and maturity played important roles in them sticking together and not letting others tear them apart.

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Original concept

Lovely, lovely show! The two main actresses did a wonderful job playing Sumika, especially the young woman. She portrayed the feeling and mannerisms of having a 65-year-old inside her body. This was also enhanced by the script, saying things that an older woman would say, as well as being dressed in a more matronly manner. She was able to teach the younger generation about manners and caring for one another. The love story was just precious, I smiled throughout the whole things. Very happy ending. My only complaint would be the production value/sound quality, which made this seem like a much older show than it was.

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Political satire - that's how it's done!

This was a well-written and well-acted movie. It's been a long time since I've watched a K-drama with the comedy tag that was actually laugh out loud funny. The storyline is very confusing, but that's to be expected with the multiple countries represented. I also like how they actually kept the factual details.

The only reason I couldn't rate it higher was because of the language. The cursing was jarring and constant. If I was able to understand Korean better, if I'd watched it without subtitles, that would have been better. I would still know that the cursing was going on, but, since they talk so fast, it wouldn't have been an issue. Seeing it typed on the screen just took me out of the enjoyment of the movie. Seriously, has anyone ever watched something and said, "I wish there was MORE cursing." It's just unnecessary.

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