Pretty good but to much sullen male lead syndrome
Summary:Pretty good show, but I am just tired of Male Leads that are sullen and moody for the whole show.
The Good:
- Overall good story
- Food and family focus was great
- Some good acting. Actually my favorite character by far was Han Meng played by Wang Pei-Han!
The Sub-Optimal
- The male lead, played by Gao Han-Yu, was just too sullen and cranky for 90% of the show. This is NOT a criticism of his acting, but of the writing of the character. It is just me, but that drug the series down too much.
- Love triangle. Tired of those also. They need to find other plot devices to (supposedly) keep our interest. FLs need to just shut down love triangle right from the get-go!
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Feel good romcom with more fun elements than trauma - watch it
Executive SummaryLots of fun. Watch it!
There are some pretty bad reviews out there and obviously this is not everyone’s cup of tea. But I don’t get how this could be rated so low even if you prefer something different.
There is trauma that is needed to set up the whole story, but unlike in some Asian dramas it is, IMHO, just a setup, and the bulk of the story is the growing relationship and romance between the leads.
The main couple was so much fun, and despite their past traumas were actually pretty darn positive in their interactions and lives. Even when they were not getting along (in the beginning) it was more funny than mean-spirited.
I also like the secondary characters who all did a great job. The second couple was just as adorable as the main couple. Loved them, too!
I was tempted to give it a 10 since there was basically nothing that I did not like about this series, but I’ll try to hold back 10s for series that truly blow me away :-).
The Good
@ Very cute lead couple that played the parts well and had great chemistry and expressions, IMHO
@ Great secondary characters that also nailed their roles
@ More than the usual 10 minutes of happiness that all comes at the end. We have lots of nice happy wrap-up in the last couple of episodes
@ The male lead was fun, not just an unsocial, sullen guy, unlike lots of Asian dramas. Yay!
@ Interesting story setup
@ Very positive message and encouragement to wrap things up. Some might think it is a tad over the top, but hey, we need more positivity in our lives!
The Sub-Optimal
@ Really not much
@ Yeah, in some ways the bad stuff that was important setup was a bit over the top, but it didn’t really detract from the show
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This review may contain spoilers
(Mild spoiler) Cute but with a pretty heavy dose of trauma and some plot holes/weirdness
Executive SummaryWatch it. It’s really pretty good and has a very nice ending. I don’t agree with the very low ratings, although it is not a “great” series. Fantasy is not my thing, but I did enjoy this series.
There is a mystery running throughout the series and they don’t reveal what is really up until near the end, and it was a bit of a surprise. So they did a good job.
The cast is great, especially the main couple (Nana and Jang Dong-Yoon) and the FL’s roommate (Gong Min-Jung). The main couple is pretty dour most of the time, because of their sad past. And that may be why some folks think the main couple lacks chemistry. But what makes the series work, for me, is that the lighter moments are really cute. When the FL is happy she lights up the room and steals the show! I would love to see her in more of a RomCom role where there is more happy and less sad. I think she would absolutely knock it out of the park in such a role. I’ll cross my fingers :-)
(Spoiler Alert)
And super extra points to the writers for giving us quite a few minutes of happiness at the end, and glimpse into the future of the couple after they are able to reunite. We need more of these types of upbeat and more complete endings. Yay!
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Decent Show with Good Acting
No Spoilers, just some pros and cons.Pros
===
The acting was very good. I would call out Kim Kyung-Chul for his portrayal of Sea In-Ho, the jerk husband. Of course we don’t like his character, but he did a truly superb job of navigating jerkiness and having regret. I would also call out Jo Adam for her role as Jeon So-Ra. It looks like she does not have a lot of acting experience, but the way she portrayed a cranky, domineering personality was quite subtle and skillful.
I liked the storyline and the message they were trying to communicate.
Everything that happened in the story was believable, even if unlikely.
Cons
===
Somehow the series did not draw my wife and I in as much as our favorite KDramas. Despite some touching scenes, we were not too emotionally invested in the characters.
The ending was O.K., and I think sent a nice message, but again we were sort of just, “Oh, it’s over. What will we watch next?” Rather than feeling like we would miss the story and characters. The story just sputtered to a halt. There a number of things they could have done to tie everything up to a greater extent.
So overall, not bad, but not great. So a 7 ranking.
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This review may contain spoilers
Stunning Lead Couple with Great Chemistry (Very light spoiler which is called out)
Spoiler StartI think this is a 9 rating show on the merits, which is great. But I am going to give it a 10 because we got pretty much a whole episode of happy to wrap things up! They didn’t just give us happy for 15 minutes at the end like so many dramas. Thanks to the writers and director!
Spoiler End
What can you say about the lead couple. They are so cute and have such great chemistry. They both did an incredible job that made this drama work. I’ll watch anything with Kim Yoo Jung in it because she is so beautiful and has such an incredible smile. And, yeah, she is an awesome actor as well :-)
The story was fun and a bit different so I enjoyed it even thought fantasy is not really my thing.
My recommendation is watch it for sure!
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This review may contain spoilers
Not great but def not a 1 or 2 rating! (Spoilers indicated)
I simply don't get the super low ratings for this series. No, it's not great, but compared to a lot of other more highly rated dramas it is on par.The Good:
- Mostly good acting. I particularly liked Gong Hoo-Jin. Super good job! Lee Min-Ho was good too, but the way his character was written made it hard to like him in this role (not his fault!).
- Interesting story - different
The Sub-Optimal:
- Plot holes you could drive a space station through
- Irrational choices by characters were so annoying :-(
- Bad science (although they obviously did their homework).
- LOL there are no noises across distance in space and it would have tightened the tension if they had not fouled this up. My undergrad degree was physics so this is hard to ignore ha ha.
- The ending clips were a tad to "artsy" for me and kind of didn't fit the rest of the show
***Spoiler***
- Very sad ending which I did NOT like at all. I'm not saying it's "bad" but I don't watch 16 hours to be bummed at the end.
***Spoiler***
In any even, this is NOT a 1 or a 2 rating. Not sure why people dislike this so much. It is very comparable to other KDramas that are more highly rated. I'd say give it a watch, but it is not worth a second watch.
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Super cute and low stress - I recommend you don't take the bad reviews to heart
I just wanted to say I really enjoyed this series. I think Ms. Yu did a fantastic job with her role. She is so cute (and beautiful :-) and does a super job being cute and "girly" as we say in the U.S. without making it at all cringey. She really steals the show, I'll look to watch anything she is in. All the actors did a great job.The story is fun, low trauma, and a good diversion after a long, hard day.
I'd also Like to call out Ding Guan Sen for doing a super great job also. His expressiveness felt so real to me that nailed his role so very well.
My recommendation, if you want something sweet and cute, watch it!
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Very cute and models mature, good relationship
Please note I am for the sake of this review ignoring the controversy around the portrayal of the Arab prince. I don't disagree with the idea that it was a mistake, but it didn't spoil the show for me.I just want to note that both the leads (and supporting cast) did an amazing job. The leads' relationship and chemistry was so good. Mr. Lee and Ms. Im pulled off what could have been too cheesy to watch, but they nailed it and made it fun. Yoona is, of course, beautiful, but also able to play cute so very well. My wife and I smiled and laughed a lot.
The ML, despite being rich and kind of damaged, modeled a very mature, calm, and loving relationship. When the FL made decisions that could have been viewed as hurting the ML he did not get made or throw a tantrum. he did his best to understand and support her.
Also, the trauma level is low enough to not drag down the whole story.
Well worth a watch. Just fast forward past he Arab prince stuff :-)
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Cute, low stress story worth your time
I May Love You was quite enjoyable. The actors were beautiful, the story was fun and a bit different. I liked how we had plenty of good times rather than everything coming together just in the last 10 minutes like with some series.The FL is so cute and I think she did a really great job with her role. Her acting is very natural. I hope to see her lead more modern-setting dramas.
Here is my one gripe that almost caused me to bail. I had the same issue with the series “Love Is Sweet”. In the beginning of the series, the ML would grab the FL by the arm/wrist and not let go. He also forced a kiss on her. (The FL did that to the ML early in, but female on male is a whole different thing than male on female.) Not sure why the FL did not slap him or report him. Later the ML was so sweet and gentle this seems like a weird plot hole to me.
In any event, the series ended well and other than my one gripe was good fun. I recommend it.
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Love the lead couple - but ultimately dissapointing
Let me start with the good. There was great acting all around. I love the lead couple (Pro Ye-Jin and Kim Young-Dae), which is why my wife and I watched in the first place. And they were great. Also, the premise of the story was fun.But...
First and foremost , there was too much sadness throughout the series with too little payoff at the end. The ending was very disappointing and NOT what we were hoping for. I won't spoil it, but gads, what a letdown. :-(
Also, although Mr. Kim, as usual, did a great job, his character was too morose and sullen through virtually the whole series. It gold pretty darn old after a while. He is much better in more upbeat roles. We absolutely LOVED him in Sh**ting Stars, where he was so fun and totally killed it!
Overall, the story was just not our cup of tea, I guess. So we won't be rewatching this one. Too bad.
If you are up for being down (ha ha) for 14 episodes, go for it. But don't expect to be happy at the end.
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Cute, low stress, and enjoyable: I urge you to not worry about poor reviews
This was a very simple, sweet series. The acting was very good (with maybe one excerption). I think Joy did a very, very good job. Her acting was both sweet and natural. I loved the fact there was no big trauma or pointless breakup or other tropes. Yes, the leads had sorrow in their past but it was very much in the background. If you are looking for someone that is relaxing and fun to watch, please try this out.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Nice, easy, low trauma watch with cute leads
I really enjoyed this series since it was easy to watch, mostly pleasant, and the leads were good. It does not break any new ground, and some criticisms in the reviews are spot on, but nonetheless I enjoyed the show. I really like the FL who did a really nice job playing the role from overly sweet (part of the plot), to in-your-face gamer and assertive woman, to geniunely sweet and empathetic. The ML, who drove me nuts in Put Your Head on My Shoulder (a series with one of the worst endings ever, although not the ML's fault) did a really good job here. I think the main couple did have good chemistry.My main criticism is the loss of trust by the FL for the ML near the end of the show. Yeah, it was brought on by yet another failure to communicate, but still. That was annoying.
The OST was pretty good for a CDrama. I bought a few of the songs off of iTunes (U.S.) by searching for this: 以爱之名
Anyway, for a light, fluffy watch, it is worth it. It was a good antidote to my just having watched Forever and Ever which was too heavy and slow. (Except for Bail Lu, of course :-) ).
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This review may contain spoilers
OK, but mostly worth watching because of FL
I think this is an OK series. Ms. Kim was great, as usual, and so cute. My wife said she only continued watching because of the FL. And the ML, Mr Yoon, did a great and funny job portraying the OCD CEO. That was probably NOT an easy thing to pull off, and he did. But the story overall was only OK. And I am tired of the parents-keeping-them-apart trope. To make that entertaining would need a better overall script.So, not bad, really, and an OK watch, but not really good either.
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Very slow but finished because of Bai Lu
As usual there are many epic and eloquent reviews out there already. I'd like to just add a very quick take.Executive Summary: You should watch this only if you will be very into a literary, poetic story with a small stage feel.
The Good:
Bai Lu is awesome as usual. She is the reason I could finish this drama. She is beautiful and cute and her natural acting in an unnatural story is what made this worth the watch.
The cute/comedic moments were very well done and were a nice respite from the slow pace and bad vibes.
The Sub-Optimal
This story is the slowest, least intense drama I have managed to finish. Really too slow for me.
The secondary characters were not fleshed out well. A couple of the secondary female characters were very well done and acted (by Wang Yue Yi and Wang Rui Xin).
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Shout out for Cheon Young Min
There are many very eloquent reviews that I agree with, so I won't repeat what is already out there. I just wanted to give a shout out to/for Cheon Young Min (as Shin Ah Ri). She is super pretty and her acting was awesome. She put a ton of energy and expensiveness into her role and I think she stole the scenes she was in. Loved her and hope to see her as a lead in dramas to come!Was this review helpful to you?
