At first I quite enjoyed "Mary Stayed out all Night". Mae-Ri (the female lead) was cute but contemporary and Kang Moo Kyul was really cool (plus, this actor seems to be a pretty good one).
Enter Jung In and his father and the whole silly business of arranged weddings; really I've never seen a more elaborate plotline to form a love triangle! While I felt skeptical that it would work, it went fine for a few episodes... then it went downhill! More and more unbelievable situations (those who've watched know what I'm talking about)would arise and the characters just kept on going (to be fair most actors were good in their roles, except for the girl sometimes), accepting everything. When it entered the realm of the almost completely absurd (episode 13) I started to "speed watch" actually.
Would I recommend this series? No. The plot is very weak and random and although the characters are endearing, cute and charming and all that they can't make up for the complete lack of sense of the plot (which is also predictable, but that's a minor flaw).
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Hollywood-esque fun
You know what? I didn't dislike this at all.Maybe it was because I was expecting an horrible movie. Or maybe it was because I found the first novel confusing and not particularly well written (not sure if it gets better, I stopped at volume 1 and decided to read the mawnha adaptation instead. I had actually read a series with a similar premise earlier - looking at you, Dungeon Crawler Carl - in the year and maybe that is why I wasn't impressed with Reader's Viewpoint). It occurred to me, while I was listening to the novel, that while I found the worldbuilding capacities of the author abysmal, the idea was good and it would do good in a different medium (aforementioned manhwa and/or anime and/or drama) where exposition wasn't a requirement. And I was right. I'm not sure how much it was changed from volume 2 on, but the movie seems to start pretty much like the novel.
If you want some hollywood-esque action with cool graphics (these are not hollywood level but still pretty good) it is a good movie. Most of the negative reviews are from people who like the novels and aren't pleased with the adaptation. Which is valid; I am team Solo Leveling (the other isekai-ish hit korean series besides ORV) and I'm dreading the drama adaptation. However, if none of this matters and you just want to see an action/fantasy movie, with cool graphics and a character leveling from a normal guy into a beast, I'd say this is a pretty good way to spend 2 hours.
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This review may contain spoilers
Maybe it's a cultural thing
I'll be honest here, I didn't get this drama. This could have been a drama from 20 years ago, given the struggles the protagonists go through.First of all, I was excited about the age gap. It's something of a taboo even in western society, although we seem to be more accepting, it's generally the female who is younger.
That said, I was truly perplexed by the issues that moved the plot. I liked that they solved their issues through clear communication because it's realistic and to be honest a good thing to have in a relationship, but overall I thought the FL was much less mature than the ML. She bottled everything up.
Now, the issues. First the age gap. Ok, that is probably an issue overall and it was handled well. But then every other thing was all about how the guy had to adapt to her. I mean who thinks about marriage after dating for three months? How is it an issue in 2025, if you're living with someone but not married? And why does this seem to be a problem only for older women, as if marriage is the ultimate thing for females? This also was a thing with the FL best friend, who was promoted to Director, but was reluctant to accept because she wouldn't have time for tasks at home or for taking care of her daughter. Huh, girl it's the 21st century and you have a husband...
Also, why are granny panties even a problem? They're amazing, dude!
And finally... when is the guy a bully? I'd say he is a bit forward, but bully is a big, biiig stretch.
As for the acting, first I was a little turned off by the styling choices for the ML, his clothes here more fit for a 14 year old. The guy is 26, not in his teens.
People don't comment enough on acting in reviews and I understand that to an extent. The actors did their best. That said, the actress who portrayed the FL was overacting a bit and sometimes looked genuinely uncomfortable while she was supposed to be happy or relaxed basically when it involved skinship. Then again most J Dramas are overacted on purpose so who knows. Not knowing her work I can't say if she lacks in the acting department but I felt that in this role she was lacking a bit.
I guess this may be cultural, but the biggest problem I have with this drama is that the issues they had would be more relevant 20 years ago. Maybe they are still relevant in Japan, though, especially the gender roles and the emphasis on marriage as a life goal for women (not saying this isn't a problem still in Europe where I live, just not that big of a problem). I really don't know it's probably cultural divergence. As such the drama was a bit weird to watch.
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