purplenette

Ok. I'm trying to write this calmly and rationally. However, I'm so disappointed that I'm not sure if I can. I know that I will probably be crucified for this review, but here it goes anyway.

The story has been done in tons of dramas, but I think this writer did it with new twists and a lot of mature content. I enjoyed every episode and wasn't sure quite where the writer was going to lead me from week to week. It was exciting and I really did love it. It has all the makings of a great melodrama including love, betrayal, amnesia, murder, attempted murder, etc. The writer's subliminal messages are great. I like it when I have to read between the lines and not just take everything at face value.

Honestly, I thought this drama was great until the last two episodes. Did they change writers??? I don't get it at all. There was this really great tragic drama for 18 episodes then two episodes of filler and a 7 year time jump that just left me cold. I'm not suppose to write spoilers so I can't go into detail. However, Jae Hee's final actions were totally out of character. I don't for one minute find her redeeming or her tears convincing. She is a certifiable nut job. She and crony, Attorney Ahn got off way too easy. Plus, how can they make a woman as smart as Eun Gi not notice...crap, no spoilers. Well, they turned her into a friggin' idiot. The only good part is that Ma Ru doesn't back down and stays true to himself. At least they did that much. I won't even go into how I feel about the ending. I can't with out writing spoilers.

The actors are the reason why this drama was good anyway. Song Joong Ki as Kang Ma Ru floored me. I had no idea that he could play this kind of character. He was so complex and believable. I know he is good looking, but even an actor with the best of looks would have a hard time pulling this character off. He did it all with those eyes. How does he make his eyes warm and cold like that??? It is amazing. Park Si Yeon as Han Jae Hee was also good. She made me dislike that character with a passion. It is a tribute to her acting. She did the ending well also even though the writer changed her character too much. It isn't her fault and she plays twisted to perfection. Moon Chae Won who plays Seo Eun Gi had a hard character to play. She practically had to change from cold to warm so many times in this drama that it is a wonder she knew if she was coming or going. I have seen her in other dramas and I appreciate her acting ability. It was also very nice to see Lee Kwang Soo teamed up with Joong Ki again. He is adorable as Park Jae Gil, Ma Ru's wing man. All the other side actors did a good job also. The acting was NOT lacking!!!

The music was beautiful. Even if you don't watch this drama, you should check out Song Joong Ki's "Really" and JYJ's Junsu's "The Innocent Man".

I won't rewatch this.

Overall, I think that this is a drama that you would enjoy if you like melodramas, which I do. You may love the ending. A lot of people do.

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Ok…this is the third Korean movie that has been recommended to me that has sexually explicit scenes in it. The synopsis gives no indication of it. I feel like I’m going crazy with these suggestions. LOL Anyway, it was a good movie regardless.

The story is good, but really sad. I thought it was a murder mystery, but I figured out what was going on in the first ½ hour. I don’t think there is much mystery to it. I thought the way they filmed it was really well done. The acting is extremely intense and dark . Son Ye Jin plays a part far removed from the only other thing I have seen her in which is Personal Taste. She is a very versatile actress. I had never seen Han Seok Kyu or Go Soo in anything else. I think they did well in their respective roles as a cop and criminal. The ending was off the hook!!!

Again due to certain scenes and because the premise of the movie is not light, I’m not sure if I would recommend just anyone watch this. Watch at your own risk.

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I rarely watch affair dramas. I made an exception for this because of the actors. However, the writer's perspective was interesting. I was emotional while watching and cried several times which is rare for me. The drama is slow paced, but doesn't give the feel of being too drawn out and boring. Every scene has it's reason and emotion. No one is blameless, but it isn't anyone's fault. Sometimes when living life we don't always see what is really going on. We don't see that the people we love are suffering and we forget to appreciate the people we love that are near us. Also, just because you love your significant other doesn't mean that you won't be attracted to or even care for someone else. I'm sure it happens every day. Valid Love makes you think from every perspective. The relationship between Hee Soo and Il Ri is beautiful. They are so close and it was great to watch them interact. My favorite relationship in the drama is their story line. I also liked the side story between Il Ri's sister and Hee Tae's brother. They were too cute. The draw back is that there are some strange happenings with the parents. I get the point the writer was trying to make, but it was borderline unnecessary. The ending was good.

Uhm Tae Woong did a nice job of conveying all of Jang Hee Tae's emotions. I felt his love, anger, and sadness. I was mad at him sometimes and routing for him other times. Lee Soo Hyuk was also great as Kim Joon. He made Il Ri comfortable enough to pour her misery out to him. I kinda felt bad for him, because it seemed he started every thing because he saw she was unhappy. He should have known that he would just end up hurt though. Lee Shi Young was amazing as the quirky, 4 dimensional Il Ri. I enjoyed her character so much. A lot of people might blame her, but I empathized with her. There were many times that I just wanted to yell at her to run away. I absolutely loved Choi Yeo Jin as Hee Soo. Her character was a large part of why I kept watching the drama.

The music is fine and appropriate.

I will never rewatch this.

If you like a slower paced meaningful drama, then I recommend this. It isn't action packed or epic, so please don't expect too much. Like I said in the feeds, Valid Love is oddly emotional and addictive.

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I will preface this review with a statement. I don't like medical dramas. I watched this only because of the actors. This drama is boring. Plus, I think the writers changed and you could tell. The writer failed the possibilities.

I like most of the actors in this drama. Joo Ji Hoon as Chief Han was excellent. I was with him emotionally from beginning to end. Jung Ryeon Won is also great as the feminine, but strong Dr. Seo. Her character could have been better developed, but she had great chemistry with Ji Hoon. The kiss was HOT!!! It would have been good if that relationship had been better developed also. Kwon Sang Woo was totally adorable as the sensitive and principled Dr. Park. Oh Yeon Seo was too cute as Dr. Choi. I really enjoyed her character. Kim Young Ae is an excellent veteran actress. I wish I could post spoilers, because I had a great story line for her character and Dr. Park.

The music is nothing special.

I won't rewatch this.

If you like medical dramas, then you would probably like this more than me. I don't necessarily recommend it, but it isn't horrible.

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If you enjoy gritty mystery and suspense thrillers, then you will enjoy Missing Noir M. There are separate missing case stories that are resolved in one or two episodes as well as individual mysterious stories for each character. There is excellent character development and a cohesive story line.

The acting of Kim Kang Woo as Gil Su Hyeon, Park Hee Soo as Detective Oh and Jo Bo Ah as Jin Seo Jun is exceptional. They all have a way of pulling me into the story and I was fully invested in their characters. Also, there are a lot of great actors like Kang Ha Neul, Jung Chan, and Jang Gwang that make cameos.

The music is really good.

I will probably rewatch this right before the 2nd season (fingers crossed).

I recommend this drama. It kept me interested from beginning to end.

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S Diary is a romantic comedy, but it has a serious/sad feeling to it. Kim Sun Ah plays Jini very well. Her character changes depending on the person she is with---Lee Hyun Woo the priest, Kim Soo Ro the playboy, and Gong Yoo the artist--- during the look back on her relationships. At first when she goes to speak to each ex-boyfriend she seems to be looking for confirmation that she was loved and then seeks revenge against the men that she feels didn't love her. The revenge part is where it becomes actually funny. In the end she realizes the truth, that no matter what kind of relationship a person is in or how that relationship ends there is meaning. SPOILERISH >>> I like how at the end we get a glimpse of how the men in her lives really felt about her during their relationship.

The plot is pretty good, the acting is excellent. This is the kind of movie to watch for fun. Plus Kim Sun Ah is in it.

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Oh, man. Did this have a bad rating in Korea? I was enjoying it until... I bet the writer of this drama was devastated when the number of episodes was lowered. This drama had so much potential, but you can tell where the writer had to start cutting corners to end the drama. The writer tries to wrap things up with the ending, but I personally felt that there were things for which I would like more closure. The premise takes makjang to a whole new engaging level. There are some really annoying characters and some stupid side stories. However, it is totally interesting to watch until...

Bae Su Bin as Cheon Woon Tak is amazing. I can't believe I felt for this psychologically disturbed character. SPOILERISH His actions are deplorable, but for some reason I believe him at the end. Ok....that is the end of my spoilerishness. I'm a total fan of Jang Shin Young and I think she is exotically beautiful. She plays the naive and innocent Lee Soon Jin very well. Usually those kind of characters get on my last nerve, but I actually feel sorry for her. It even feels good to think that there might be someone out there that is truly kind. The rest of the cast is fine too.

Side note: How unprofessional is it to quit in the middle of a drama? I would like to know if Lee Tae Im was really sick or if she is the prima donna that people claim her to be. Either way, I have heard of actors going to the hospital and still coming back to finish a drama.

Some of the music I enjoyed and some I wanted to peel my face off because it was so annoying.

I will never rewatch this.

I don't really recommend it. I enjoyed it and I would really like them to release the original script so that I can read where the writer wanted to take it originally. It doesn't feel complete. Watch it at your own risk.

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OMG...PWY is both annoying and wonderful. I wasn't sure how to rate it so I gave it a middle score. Some of it was so monotonous that I almost quit watching it. The characters are good though...well, good at the beginning. The main female lead is smart and for once not so righteous as to not take revenge against her enemies. Her character stayed mostly true except some points of weakness that I thought were out of character. The love stories of even the secondary characters are nice. Also, there was plenty of great martial arts action. The problem is that the same scenario with slight variations was used over and over. Oh, and the fact that they constantly blamed everything on Wei Young as a reason to be hateful bitches. It was just too much sometimes. But as all Chinese historical dramas, the costumes, sets and cinematography was excellent. I might have given it a higher score if the ending had been different. No spoilers...so if you wanna know what i'm talking about, then pm me.

I don't know much about Chinese actors, but I have seen Tiffany Tang in several dramas now and she doesn't disappoint as Wei Young. Luo Jin is also excellent as Tuo Ba Jun with the right mix of strength and vulnerability. I enjoyed his character very much. I also thought they had great chemistry together. Vanness Wu played the villainous Tuo Ba Yu with gusto. I liked him in this better than anything else I have seen him in. The other actors ranged from great to blah.

The music is good.

i will never rewatch this.

As Chinese historical dramas go, this one is just so so. There are better ones out there.

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I really don't have much to say about this disappointing drama. The first 10 episodes are good, then it straight down from there. I thought the writer might pull it out in the end, but even the ending is disappointing. Chincha??? God I wish I could write spoilers. Babo. The only saving grace is the consistency of the characters. The female lead is strong and smart which is so rare in Korean drama world. There is so much that could have been done with this drama with out the typical Korean tropes.

Lucky for this writer they cast a great group of actors or this would have been rated at 1. I didn't know what to expect from Jun Eun Ji in this role although I thought she was great in Reply 1997. She was excellent as Choi Chun Hee and obviously has a gift for picking characters that make her shine. Choi Chun Hee was the perfect mix of strong, smart, and vulnerable. I really liked her character through out the drama.
Ji Hyun Woo as Jang Joon Hyun was also good. Too bad the writing of his character sucked so bad. It wasn't because he is a bad actor for sure.
Shin Sung Rok was also good as Jo Geun Woo. Consistent in love even if he didn't always tell the truth immediately.
All of the other actors are good too, but there were way too many unnecessary characters that I really didn't give a rats ass about.

Music is good.

I will never rewatch this.

I don't recommend this drama unless you just watch the first 10 episodes and stop.

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Missing You is a melodrama which is the genre that I like the most. It has murder, family secrets, kidnapping, etc. I really think the story was well thought out. My only complaint is that there is so much crying in this drama. I have seen other dramas like this where they got the point across with out all the crying. Now, I totally understand why we see the female lead crying through out this drama except for the 14 years that she is "missing". She goes through a lot of BS and is traumatized. However, part of me wishes that the writers had written her character to be a little stronger. Hell, even the guys cry a lot in this drama. Most of the time I don't like this kind of ending for a melodrama, but this time I think it is appropriate.

Kim So Hyun, Yeo Jin Goo, and Shin Dong Woo are a group of amazing young actors. They portray a depth of emotion that surpasses their age. Yeo Jin Goo gave an outstanding performance as the young Jung Woo. The look on his face when Soo Yeon goes through what she does (can't tell you as we can't post spoilers) is totally believable. I couldn't believe what they put Kim So Hyun (young Soo Yeon) through for this drama, but she does great.

On to the adults...Yoon Eun Hye, Yoo Seung Ho, and Micky are also good. Micky seemed to just pick up Jung Woo's character where Jin Goo left off. I was really impressed. I love Yoon Eun Hye. I have seen everything she has been in except Vineyard Man and she never lets me down. This is no exception. The surprise to me is Yoo Seung Ho. I had no idea he could play this kind of complex character. I would feel sorry for him one moment and hate him the next.

Usually I get really tired of a lot of extra characters, but this time I think that it was ok. They don't focus on them a lot and they actually add to the story. I think the actors were good too.

The music is ok also.

I probably won't rewatch it.

If you like melodramas, then this is definitely a must see drama.

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I will preface this review by saying that rom com is not my favorite genre. I wasn't into it for the first 7 episodes. The only thing that kept me going is Rain half naked. However, the story is unique in many ways and the character development is well done. Although it seems convoluted at times, the points come together in the end. My only complaint is that sometimes the story went over the same thing too many times.


Oh Yeon Seo redeemed herself to the people that said she had too much plastic surgery and couldn't act in Shine or Go Crazy. She payed Han Hong Nan in a very believable way. Lee Ha Nui who was also in SOGC. I didn't enjoy her acting in that, but I think she was much better as Song Yi Yeon. She is really pretty and I like the tone of her voice. The other actors are good too. Rain did a great job mimicking Kim In Kwon's mannerisms. Oh Dae Hwan was scary as Na Suk Chul. Overall everyone did a good job.

There was some good music.

I will never rewatch this.

If you like romantic comedy with a supernatural fun, then this is the drama for you. And for those of you like me who mostly avoid this kind of drama, I think this is one you should try. :-)

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This is one of the best corporate dramas that I have ever seen. What makes it stand out is that the intensity that comes with the corporate battles is lightened with comedy. Also, it is better because the "good guys" don't always lose and they aren't stupid. There is excellent story and character development. Everything is neatly tied together and wrapped up. I gave it a 9 instead of a 10 for a couple of reasons. I will try to explain this with out giving away anything. One of the characters was fooled when the character should have been too smart for that. He only came to realize the truth when it was almost too late. Also, I had to start this drama 3 times until I could get through the first and second episodes. Honestly, I'm not much into comedy and I thought this drama was going to be stupid. Once I was passed that part, then I was all in. The comedy is actually well done even for some one like me who isn't into it (my favorite genre is melo).

Kim Seo Hyung as Secretary Mo is no joke. She excelled in making me hate the character and I appreciate her for it. That laughter is something else. Lee Bum Soo cracked me up as the confident and witty Yoo Bang, I like the fact that he looked for a way to over come through out the drama. I'm told that I should watch Giant next. Jung Gyu Woon had me totally conflicted with his hot/cold character Hang Woo from beginning to end. Do I hate him? Do I love him? I still don't know. Why isn't Jung Ryeo Won in more dramas? I totally fell for her as Yeo Chi. I hope to see her more. Hong Soo Hyun was fun as the smart and beautiful Woo Hee. I really liked the strong female characters. All of the other actors were good also.

The music is excellent.

This is probably something I will rewatch someday.

I think that this drama can be enjoyed by anyone. I highly recommend it.

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Gap Dong is an interesting, suspenseful, and well written story. I like exploring the mind and why criminals do the things that they do. Is it nature or is it environmental? Can anyone at any time become psychotic if they go through a trauma? I watch a lot of crime shows and they always talk about the psychotic break that causes people to commit crimes. The reason why I didn't give it a higher score is because I figured out who the real Gap Dong is almost from the beginning. Also, did you know that in Korea the way to find the "bad guy" is to find the person dressed all in black with a black ball cap? Keke Anyway, the story is good and it ended well.

Yoon Sang Hyun was excellent as Ha Moo Yeom. His emotions were written all over his face and I think that is the sign of a great actor. I have never seen Kim Min Jung in anything other than this. I don't think she is that great of an actress. She seems to have the same expression for every emotion. I thought it was interesting that she acted better when she put on her costumes. Maybe that is the point of her character. Lee Joon was surprisingly good as Ryu Tae Oh. His cold stare turning to a smile was eerily convincing. It gave me the heebie-jeebies. Kim Ji Won as the innocent and well-meaning Ma Ji Wool did a good job also. I felt really sorry for her character. She wanted to see the good in every one. Her character shows how life can cause people to become jaded. I mean how many times can a person get hurt before they start to look at every one with suspicion? All of the other actors are good also.

The music is good.

I might rewatch this at some point.

If you like suspense and crime dramas, then I think you would really enjoy this. It has a little love story in it too.

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This story is well written, produced, and acted. The theme to this drama is to live your life to the fullest, because you never know what will happen. Although there is fear and sadness at the thought of death, there is also strength and awareness that wasn’t there before.
Kim Sun Ah plays Yeon Jae with exceptional grace and strength. Her character transformation may not be typical of someone that is facing death, but her way of life after finding out that she was dying should be how we all aspire to live.
Lee Dong Wook demonstrates the change of Ji Wook as someone who has no passion for life to someone that is willing to leave everything to live the life he chooses. His happiness and pain are intense.
Uhm Ki Joon plays Eun Suk who also experiences changes in how he deals with life and his work after meeting Yeon Jae. He really shows how hard it must be to deal with death every day. I can’t imagine that it is an easy job.
The secondary actors and stories were also well done, but I wish they had focused more on the main couple. If this story has any downfalls it is that there were not enough sweet Sun Ah/Dong Wook moments. They looked totally great together and there was great chemistry.
The music is good too.
I probably won’t rewatch this, but it is rewatchable.
I really think this is a drama worth watching. It has sad parts, but it also has hope. Enjoy!!!

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