This review may contain spoilers
definitely the best adaption of the source material in my eyes.
i was hesitant to give this a try because of how much i did not enjoy the korean and Chinese versions for specific reasons. its hard not to compare it to other adaptions given how numerous and popular they are but even without comparing, it is the best adaption hands down.While some may believe that it changed the story completely, i would argue that it took the source material and took it further than even the first adaption Hana Yori Dango did and even did what the 2018 version failed to do- great modernization of the story. A lot of the toxicity was tamed down especially between the two main characters but not to the extent that we would miss the angsty or fighting scenes. we even get to see the progression of their feelings including our female main character which i feel like i didn't see much in other versions. they built on so much including the f4 friendships that its hard to list everything down. the development of thyme's character was amazing to watch as well within the story as well as comparing it to other adaptions (and how he actually apologized and was ready to face repercussions for his actions)!
the director, screenwriters and the team behind this show saw the potential in the story we all love and continue to watch, and added so much to it and made it even better. im in awe of how well they did. i just wish it were longer than this was and that the second half didn't feel so messy. other wise great series and adaption.
also loved the small references to past adaptions and the source material!!
Was this review helpful to you?
one of the best historical dramas of the year...
wow! just finished watching and definitely wasn't expecting that. i went in with low expectations and i have been pleasantly surprised.this is a very well rounded drama for the most part. the cast is good for their parts, good acting, mains have great comedic timing and the funniest expressions (especially the emperor). the jokes carried throughout an episode and occasionally built off each other through the show which i always enjoy. even though i've watched my fair share of historical dramas this has got to be one of my favorites because it was so well rounded for me and funny.
i will only nitpick on two things. first: even though our main couple was so funny together, they did not have much chemistry. two: second overarching plot point in the second half was just not that interesting and made me lose some interest.
other than that it was such a good series. constantly laughter and smiles. also really really loved the soundtrack!!
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
great story despite obvious plot holes but ending brings it down...
as my uni term comes to a close, i've been taking the chance to finally catch up on the hottest dramas of the year and as a major ratings contender big mouth was one of the first to tackle.i can definately see why this drama was leading the ratings for some time.its a very exciting drama with a lot of twists. personally i felt this was one of lee jongsuk's stronger dramas and roles. special mentions for performances to yang kyungwon (kong johoon) and kwak dongyeon (jerry). yang kyungwon was shinning in this role! even as he's despised by the audience, he's charming in his character and has great back n forth chemistry with changho on screen. as for kwak dongyeon, he absolutely eats up every role he takes and this is no different. i just wish his character had more development that what was given to him.
plotholes that seriously bothered me:
- no one except miho knows tak kwangyeon wasn't the serial killer.
- chairman kang's serial killer son gets a big build up and he never comes into the story or gets thrown in jail
- changho promised the inmates things and never came through for a single one
- what was tak kwangyeons motivation for trying to kill changho when he attempted to stab him??
they were aiming to high with the last three episodes and even two more episodes would've benefitted this drama but it seriously would've been perfect with four more to nicely resolve everything with the action in a nice way.
Was this review helpful to you?
cute but needs work
there were so many issues in this series for me i’m not sure how i managed not to drop this.- sound production n mixing was awful. everything was picked up and they didn’t bother to edit it out, and the songs were too loud that you could barely hear the actors at times
- nothing great about the acting especially side characters. most of the characters were hallow bc they weren’t given much. new characters introduced loosely later in the series and we didn’t really care bc they didn’t make us care yet expected us to have strong reactions to their actions
overall, it was cute but it could’ve been improved so much. i did like cute moments between the two but that’s about it
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
essential drama!
in a list of the most essential kdramas, this would definitely be in it. i’ve heard so much about this drama and now that i’ve watched, im so glad.the couple bickers so well and the ML fit the role of stoic sweet man really well. as for the FL i have mixed feelings about her her. i tend to like airhead hubby characters but it’s a very fine line from being that to being extremely annoying. i found that FL occasionally crossed it. ah also notable mention to the SML because although at first i didn’t like his character, he did grow on me a bit.
i wasn’t a big fan of the length in the end since the last couple of episodes felt the exact same to me. some of it could’ve been cut and the story wouldn’t have suffered at all. the ending is also not as satisfactory as i thought it would be. how is the SML left to pine eternally after someone ? he should’ve at least just gotten over his feelings and regarded her as a best friend.
overall it was a lot more melodramatic than i expected which may sound dumb haha. first half was great and slowly the story feels stagnant. but i really did enjoy this and don’t regret the watch.
Was this review helpful to you?
a good intro into kdramas...
What a cute drama! Although I was dissatisfied with some of the chemistry, I did enjoy this when I was watching. Strangely enough this felt like twelve 30 minute episodes rather than twelve hour long episodes. I can't even confidently say that it this would've improved if it followed the sixteen episode format. I suppose it just feels like this because of the way it didn't flesh anything out besides the mains ? It doesn't feel like a well rounded story but I understand that its supposed to be a short series so it makes sense.
The soundtrack itself is so good?? I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. There's so many good songs in the soundtrack that I found myself liking over two thirds of the song choices, which is pretty rare for me.
I really do think this is the perfect drama for someone that is just getting into kdramas. Its lighthearted, adorable editing, great soundtrack with a cute story. Overall, a simplified joy.
Was this review helpful to you?
i may be the outliar....
i was looking forward to diving into this drama since i heard great things about it but it felt flat for me. ive watched law dramas before and i have liked them but the style of this drama wasnt for me.i ended up liking two of the side characters, kang sol B and seo jio-ho, more than i liked the main two characters. they felt more compelling to me. i didn't mind that there wasn't really romance center but even some of the bonds of friendship were not strong enough for me.
i especially did not like that they did flashbacks and withholding information only to reveal it later every. single. episode. i like plot twists and this kind of format but not every single episode because it gets too repetitive and boring.
i did like episode 13 though. that was really well done and comedy star of the show, lee chun hee!!
Was this review helpful to you?
