So Ji Sub - 'nuff said!
I enjoyed this show for many reasons.1) So Ji Sub - I've got to admit, I love this actor. I love his chiseled good looks and how he can emote the heck out of a storyline just using his eyes. This part was perfect for him, plus we got to see something a little bit extra. I knew he'd be perfect as a spy, but I was surprised how much I loved watching him with the children.
2) About the children - W. C. Fields said never act with children or animals. At the beginning of this show, I couldn't have agreed with him more. These kids were a nightmare! But once they got to have Kim Bon as a babysitter, they were a joy to watch and so flipping cute.
3) Neighborhood secondary characters - oh, my goodness, they were a hoot to watch! There were a lot of laugh out loud moments with them, and I liked how the writers also got them involved in the spy side of things.
4) The spy team - there was good chemistry between these people. They looked like they'd have each others' backs in a dangerous situation. I enjoyed watching them, but I have to be honest, Im Se Mi and her beautiful short hairstyle kept grabbing my attention.
5) Jun In Sun as Go Ae Rin - I felt about her kind of like I felt about the kids. She was a mess at the beginning, I just wanted to sit her down and talk to her about providing some discipline for those nightmare children. The writers wrote this character well, she progressed in knowledge and maturity as the show went on. Granted, she made some poor choices, safety-wise, but those choices often furthered the storyline or provided comic relief.
6) Son Ho Jun as Jin Yong Tae - I kept going back and forth - bad guy? Not a bad guy? How can I enjoy watching a bad guy? He provided a lot of the comedy in this show, and every time he said something in English, it just cracked me up, for some reason.
This show seriously requires suspension of disbelief, which I knew going in. The comedy parts were very funny, the action/drama parts weren't too heavy. For some reason, I can't even find too much fault with the lack of romance (because that's what I want most in my shows). If you go into this show just for enjoyment and your expectations aren't too high, I think you'll love it.
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It took me forever to finish this show, I kept rewatching the episodes!
I felt like I was going to be really disappointed in this drama after people loved it so much. Boy, was I surprised!Story:
It's definitely been done before, and probably in some ways, much better. Now this is just my opinion, because time shifts, etc. always confuse me, but this one was sometimes difficult to know which time I was looking at. And also, I felt some time inconsistencies, but maybe I was just confused. That being said, I felt that they made up for the lack in other ways. When someone loves someone for a long time, even through time shifts, what's not to love? Normally I have some difficulty with adult actors playing teenagers, but it worked here.
Cast:
I can't even...
Byeon Woo Seok as Seon Jae: It's like this part was tailor made for him. He is so good at showing and holding back emotions. The thing that stood out the most to me about him was his amazing comedic timing. He's good at physical comedy, and there were so many times that he made me laugh with just a gesture or a look.
Kim Hye Yoon as Im Sol: With her diminutive size and her high voice, this part fit her perfectly.
Song Geon Hee as Tae Sung: I love it when a 2ML wants what's best for the FL. You know, up front, that he doesn't stand a chance, but you still have to root for him, just a little, because he's such a sweet guy.
All of the supporting actors were very good as well.
Music:
SO good! Woo Seok's voice is just beautiful, and the music/lyrics fit perfectly into the story line.
Re-watch value:
100%, considering I watch each episode three times before moving on. And I didn't even start this until AFTER the whole thing was released!
CHEMISTRY:
The chemistry was definitely chemistry-ing, and there were so many squee-inducing moments for me. I'll admit, romance is my favorite genre, but it was lovely to be able to see the main couple together so much. Good kisses, and I love the height difference (lots of good behind the scenes stuff on You Tube about this). This may sound strange, but I liked how they used each others' first names. I know it's a cultural thing, but it always bothers me when a couple is in this great relationship and they either call each other by their last names, or she calls him by his title. It makes no sense.
So, I may have had issues with a couple of things, overall, I couldn't give this less than a 10, because I enjoyed it so much.
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I can definitely recommend the last two episodes!!
What I liked:1) Chemistry between Yang Zi and Ziao Zhan. I loved watching them together. Okay, to be honest, I loved watching him. He was a serious character, but when he met her, he really started to smile. Those smiles were so endearing.
2) The last two episodes really did an excellent job of finishing off the long-winded storyline without rushing through it. I was tempted to rate it higher because of that, but I just couldn't. Love for one another, love for family, and friendships are all addressed in these episodes. I got emotional they were so well done. I love being able to actually see a wedding, since we, as viewers, are usually deprived of that. And their oaths of love were very well-written.
3) The music was sweet.
4) When he asked her to marry him.
What I didn't like:
1) The character of Lin Zhi Xiao. She was pouty, immature, and pretty whiny. I was willing to try to be patient with her until "the big breakup". It was unreasonable, unnecessary and went on too long. In addition, she treated him terribly and then suddenly made up with him and didn't apologize for anything. And from an aesthetic standpoint, her haircut was driving me crazy! It was usually back in a ponytail that stuck out, or when it was down it was all stringy.
2) Uneven pacing. We had the rivals that were willing to do anything to get the person they liked. I really don't care for those types of storylines, but both of them just kind of all of a sudden went away. There was SO MUCH wasted time in this drama, multiple episodes could probably have been deleted and they wouldn't have been missed at all.
3) Secondary couples - one-dimensional and I didn't care about either of them.
If you are a patient person and aren't bothered by a lot of nothing going on, I'd say give this one a try, just to see how cute the main couple is together and to see how everything gets tied up.
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Not a fan
I'll admit to having watched the Korean version, and the Chinese version before this one. I pretty much liked the Korean version, the Chinese less so. Unfortunately, this one came in third for me.I found this one too slapstick, I didn't care for the acting at all, and the clothing wasn't very good either. The ML basically lived in a brown suit, which he also wore to his wedding. The FL clothes were okay, but everyone else seemed like caricatures of real people, both in the way they acted and the way they dressed. This is the first version that I didn't get SLS. Don't get me wrong, he was sweet, nice and took care of her and everyone else, but he just looked sleazy with his little moustache and goatee. I also thought she was inordinately attached to him - especially when she was going to let him kiss her when he left,
I thought the ML's behavior and attitude were better in this version, he was more likeable. I didn't find him terribly attractive, though. The FL was dowdy at the beginning, but in no way ugly. She was beautiful throughout.
My biggest problem with all the versions is the fact that the FL best friend does what no best friend should ever do, and basically the FL keeps apologizing for it, when she was the one that was wronged.
I thought the main couple was very sweet in this version.
I've watched a couple of other T dramas, and I find their acting to be over-exaggerated, which bothers me, but that's just a personal opinion.
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Too repetitive
I had to rate this drama lower once I finished it. It started out SO strong, but there was so much repetition that it was frustrating. This show could have been so much tighter if there were fewer jumps and fewer episodes. It got to the point that I was, "Here we go again." It also would have been better if the coloring in the comic world would have been different somehow. It was really hard to track which world they were in. I felt like the ending of the show (the last few episodes) just kept wandering, because they didn't know how to end it. By the time it did end, I didn't much care, I was just glad it was over. Highlights of the show? The two of them together at the beginning when they were getting to know one another. Lee Jong Suk was even more emotionless than he usually is.Was this review helpful to you?
Don't pass up this movie!
This was an excellent movie! Think "12 Angry Men". I'm not used to seeing Park Hyung Sik as a timid person. He, and the rest of the cast members, did an excellent job. This movie is about a juror that takes being on a jury very seriously.Even though everyone else initially just wants to quickly submit a verdict so that they can go home, Park Hyung Sik's character wants to ensure that justice prevails. They upon listening to his thoughts, the other jurors finally decide to take their job seriously and ensure that they bring back the correct verdict for the man on trial. This movie was full of suppositions, partial evidence and twists and turns. I got emotional watching this, I became so invested in the jurors and their quest for justice.
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Okay, disagree with me if you must, but this is the first show I've ever had to drop
I pretty much disliked everything about what I saw of this show. The mood/filming was kind of dark, and it seemed like everyone was living a miserable life. The ML was non-descript with absolutely not expressions. And could someone please explain the haircut to me?!The FL - when they write synopses for these kind of shows, this is someone that they would describe as quirky, or strong, or passionate. I would just say she was irritating.
You could see the graft of the government employees from a mile away and it appeared that was going to be the focus of the story. I was looking for romance. Every one of the characters was unlikeable, and I didn't feel like wasting my time to try to see if this show would redeem itself.
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