rationalbeings

It took me three times to really get into this drama because the first few episodes move really slowly. However once it picks up it's a kind of drama that will make you obsessed with it for weeks. The three different parts of the story, the scenery, the costumes, the well crafted fight scenes, the brilliant ost and the sizzling chemistry between the leads make this to be one of those dramas you compare the rest to.

That being said I feel like there were a lot of draggy scenes (there were whole parts I skipped through) and the last few episodes were not as amazing as the rest. Also I wish they would have finished up at the second leads story lines as opposed to what happens. I don't understand with how even 58 episodes they managed to make the ending feel so rushed and unfinished.

Yang Mi really was so versatile in this drama, from the devoted Yi Sin to the naive but caring Su Su to finally (my fav) strong high god Bai Qian (although seriously some plot devices used....she forgets who she is but just she just dusts herself off and lives in the mountains by her self?....guurl ask someone or search for your family..even if it is the mortal realm). You really feel touched by the devotion she and the rest of the disciples have to Mo Yuan. It makes you want to join a monastery or something to train.

And then there is the brilliant Mark as Ye Hua. Man shows up on screen and sparks are flying everywhere and he doesn't even show that much emotion (in the beginning). And this is one thing Cdramas will always have over Kdramas- the passion and chemistry between leads. Its really rare to find that passion in Kdrama because often idols can't/don't have chemistry lest they bring on the wrath of their anti/fans. Every scene with Ye Hua and Bai Qian was so adorable or passionate that you cant envision them with anyone else, even if they were played by the same actors.

Also props to the two female antagonists who really made me rage every time they were on screen. Always a good sign of how well a villain has acted when they make you want to reach into the screen and slap them.

Annnndddd everything would have been perfect had this entire drama not be tainted by the fact that basically every word has been plagiarised. And from what I have read about the author of the book, plagiarism is her money making machine. It's depressing because you want to love the drama so much and the actors have done such a great job but it's all tainted and you can't ever enjoy it without this niggling feeling that someone has gotten away with doing so many horrible things to weaker/lesser known writers. Also heard rumours that some part of the OST was plagiarised which is just adding salt to the wounds (because the instrumental OST of this drama is everything I want). I just wish that real author could get rewarded for their work instead of the current one who stole word for word... and thus this drama can never get a 10 from me.

I always go back to Healer , Marriage not dating (it's always so fun to rewatch) and the Nodame series.

Can anything even go lower than that ??

Lol TvN- aka tv for noonas is what I always call it. And LSG looks soooo good with the new hair do.

YAYYYYYY LEE SEUNG GI IS BACK! so happy...missed him whilst he was away in military service.

Anyone who is thinking about starting this, DON'T. I thought it would be cliched and kinda trashy but a fun watch still. It isn't. After ep 25 it becomes horrifyingly bad and terrible things are done to basically all the side characters and it's not even worth fast forwarding through after that point. It's honestly disturbing.

lol at all of Min-Ho's dramas, that's not even a parody review that's the real summary.
Also Misaeng....my all time favourite, so much so that I forbid myself to rewatch it should anything be ruined. I need Chief Oh in my life.
These were brilliant! Please keep doing them.

I don't personally believe he figured they time travelled, but I got the feeling he could tell, more than others, that they had something much deeper and hidden, He was such a sweetheart. I had SLS but then the main lead picked up his game in the second half of the drama and won me over.

This is one of those dramas that makes you reflect, esp about how selfish we can be towards our parents. Jin Joo's relationship with her mom when she goes back is heartbreakingly beautiful and almost every scene with them together makes you tear up. Kim Mi Kyung is such a talented actress, I don't think I have ever been disappointed in her (from Healer to all her mom roles). This drama made me message my mom and tell her how much I love her and really feel sorry about being such an ungrateful kid.

It also gives a realistic view of the frustration that can build up in a marriage and how it affects the relationship. It was a simple but such a well written drama with a really good script. The issues within the marriage are not cliched or dramatic. Rather the writer uses natural situations to explore how even the most romantic couples can end up wanting to separate (episode 11 being the only deviant from this). One of my biggest worries was that they would only get back together for Seo Jin, but as the drama unfolds you realise the two main leads are really in love with each other.

This drama was a far more realistic and had a much better portrayal of marriage, youth and life than a lot of other ones floating around (I'm looking at you because this is my first life...what a mess). The relationship between parents and in-laws, the relationship between wife and husband and most endearingly the relationship between a mother and daughter are what make this drama worth watching.

Wow the last two episodes...what a cop out by the writer. I almost gave the drama a 6 because of the waste of time the last 2 episodes turned out to be. I can't believe how much the cliched...lets separate the leads to build tension plot line ruined this drama for me. I was so annoyed with the female lead in those two episodes. Episode 15 was utterly just a waste of time.

I also really disliked the message in the end where the main leads decide to not spend anytime with their respective in-laws during the holidays. Their love ended up being selfish and pointless after everything the writer tried to explain about family and the bonds that tie people together. It was all so hollow and superficial in the end. If the writer was trying to say how difficult in-laws make life for couples...they failed. There were many other ways they could have done that...like making the fathers realise that they should pitch in the housework or changing the pressure put on the kids.
I ended up being way more invested in Rang and Seok's relationship and thought their story and time apart from each other made more sense. They needed to be away from each other after 7 years of pressure building up before Rang realised she was pushing him too much and Seok realising that it was time for him to grow up. I really thought those two had such good chemistry. Their relationship was immature at times and so deep at other times, which made it all the more realistic to me.

The third couple was adorable and I enjoyed watching them fall in love too.

I just honestly can't even begin to understand why the writer/s undid everything they built up throughout the drama in the last 2 episodes. What a waste.

This will have some spoilers about the kidnapping:

They do imply that he rapes them, but they never show it. They do show him treating them like animals in the cages. It's quite horrifying to watch but its not much worse that NCIS and definitely much lighter than say Criminal Minds. But it's unsettling nonetheless, it creeped me out to walk by myself for a while (and I live in a safe-ish neighbourhood).

I quite liked this drama. Yes there are similarities between this and I hear your voice, but at the same time this drama carried its own little charm. I thought the drama started really well but lost a little bit of the steam as it progressed. It didn't make it less enjoyable but it wasn't as exciting as the first half. I liked how for once the side characters weren't annoying and actually helpful/useful and were developed as well.
Lee Sang Yeob did a really great job playing a Macbeth-type villain, consumed in his own guilt but unable to admit his sins.
I didn't really feel Suzy in this drama, but I can't say I found her acting to really be engrossing in this. It wasn't bad but it didn't hold my attention either. The chemistry between her and the main lead was all put on the shoulders of Lee Jong Suk, whose acting has really improved. You could really see him develop his character as the drama progresses and see a future where he can be an outstanding prosecutor.
Finally, even if the chemistry wasn't outstanding the romance was very naturally written into the story and for that I was grateful. All the hugs and kisses were woven well into the story and added the right amount of fluff needed for some of the darker story arcs.
I won't be rewatching this as obsessively as I did I hear you but it's still a great watch.

So true! I swear if a guy ever did half the stuff to me that shows up in typical dramas I would most likely call the cops. But its so fun to watch in drama land.

"But easily the worst storyline for me was Eun-Jae's"- this so much. I don't even know what they were trying to show with her character. I have seen much better writing for "getting over an ex character growth" (e.g. Marriage, Not Dating, albeit its a different plot but it starts off with the female lead in a very similar situation/attitude). They ruined her character in this season, and if there is a 3rd season I hope they recast and rewrite her story (and it better not just be that she finds a new guy!)

I have nothing against the actress as well but she simply couldn't pull this role off for me.

Also the drama has a realllllly attractive cast (esp the two male leads).

This was actually a surprisingly really fun drama to watch. I enjoyed most episodes (it did get slightly draggy towards the end but not overly so). I laughed out loud in each episode, either because of the main female lead or the side characters. The serious scenes were a little over acted and cringey but the comedy was spot on. When the main leads finally get together they have pretty good chemistry. By the end of the drama you will miss seeing them.

This drama reminded me of In Time With You because of how patient you have to be with the leads to reach the natural conclusion (however ITWY is on a different level). I thought Joanne Tseng did a great job in a role which could have easily become annoying. And Guess by her was the most memorable part of the OST for me. I will be looking for other dramas that have her in lead roles.

They did however kill Close To You (I don't think I can hear that song again for a few months).

In season 1 Jin Myung was my favourite character, in this season she may as well not have been in the show given how lame her story line was. There really wasn't much for her character to do/deal with. I'm assuming they wanted to show how she continues to live a normal life but in a sense there is no need for any character development so it felt like her skills were wasted. Someone told me (and I'm not sure how reliable this is) that AoY 1 was supposed to be 20 episodes but they cut it down and made it into 2 seasons. That's why Ji-Won's story was left unfinished in the first one and picked up again in this one. It's definitely still worth watching and I'm not over the OST (such good music selection)!

Yup, they trashed Eun Jae's character, I don't know if it was the writing or the actress but I was annoyed in all her scenes. She seemed bipolar, sometimes really soft a and sweet and at other times very rude and angry. I think her storyline was also a weak and after a while I was uninterested in what happened to her character. But the final breakup scene when she sits in the park with her ex was done well.

This season to me was darker than the first one, esp because of the subject matter of Ji-Won's storyline. It felt heavier than the first one (and the the first one wasn't light either). I wish the original Eun Jae could have continued the series because Ji Woo really couldn't make her character likeable. She came across as very rude in her scenes and not likable like the original actress. To be fair Eun Jae's character is very hard to portray in a likeable manner because of the character's flaws but Park Hye Soo was able to do it. It's sad she couldn't return to the role.

I honestly preferred season 1 as everyone had an interesting storyline but in this one only Ji Won and Ye Eun's one held any real importance. The struggle of daily life and realism was more prevalent in the first one. However this felt more dramatic but unnecessarily at times. That being said, I still would recommend watching this. The acting was good and the friendship very sweet. I like that they portrayed female friendship between the main leads as something that isn't the typical backstabbing story that happens in kdramas.

Most of all, I loved the OST from this drama. The music selection was brilliant and definitely something I will be revisiting often.

Super cute drama with lots of romance. This was such a fun watch, except as usual the last ep was a bit of a mess but that's all good. This is not a drama to go in seriously too or try to understand too deeply. This is just a drama that was made to be enjoyable and surface level fun, which sometimes is exactly what you need.

Everyone was so pretty in it, it hurt. I have to add that the best acting was from Park Jo Hyung who played the antagonist and was adorably evil (like pure evil but so adorable). He made a very typical role in a very typical storyline very enjoyable to watch.