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I couldn't help but compare it to Shut Up Flower Boy Band in my head, and one thing I noticed was that bromance in that drama was so much stronger, and I wish Yellow had more of it.
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BUT, it definitely felt like I was watching a show for an age group that was younger than I was. The way one friend was added to the group basically every episode seemed to get a little repetitive.
The main thing I didn't like were the imaginary scenes. I know it's supposed to show how crazy the main character was, but they just seemed boring and unnecessary to me.
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Great premise but fell flat
I felt like this had a really good foundation and there's the interesting part about everyone being trapped in a grey situation — it's unclear who's to blame and the answer might be no one. I also just loved the vibe of the entire movie with the child's narration and such a serious topic overlayed with doodles.Overall, however, I just felt like the development in the actual relationship between the characters was paper-thin. I didn't really like any of the adult main characters, though a few side characters were really endearing and stole the show for me.
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Makes you think
I liked this a lot at the start but I think it sort of fizzled out a bit.Some things that happen feel a little convenient, and there some other plot points that are set up but don't have the pay-off I expected. While I understand that this is more of a quiet and contemplative slow burn, the final episode left me feeling a bit unsatisfied.
With that being said, however, there were a lot of interesting themes introduced here — it addresses depression and envy in extremely creative ways, and I appreciate the drama even more for being brave enough to make its main character unlikable.
I think My Mister is still my top Park Hae Young drama by far, but anyone who enjoyed that and My Liberation Notes will like this one too.
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So cute!
I'm a sucker for noona romances and this one really hit the spot. The ML is stubborn but passionate while the FL is practical and strong-willed — they're very golden retriever bf and black cat gf which is one of my favorite dynamics. And the chemistry between them is so good, whether it's skinship or them just sitting on the sofa and talking about dreams and goals.I do wish we got a little more about the FL on this point — she's a coach so the show follows the ML's dreams more and we don't really see if she has any further career goals other than finishing the postgrad program she's already a part of. On the ML's development, I also think the show kind of drops the ball in the final act. We just needed to spend time on one more important competition where the ML could face rivals that the show had been building up, instead of the overseas arc we got.
Regardless, I thought this was such a fun watch and the leads made me giggle and kick my feet. I might need another noona romance to fill the void.
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This review may contain spoilers
A trope salad in the making
One of the most dramatic ratings spirals ever. I'd probably give the first two episodes a 8/10, while the finale is a generous 1/10.It's a real shame because the drama stole my heart in the first two episodes, when it wasn't afraid to be really loud and fun. The fearlessness towards physical intimacy was extremely refreshing, and the best part was that it made use of the great chemistry between the leads.
A few episodes later, I was still pretty locked in, but by now it felt that the drama was stronger in its quieter moments — a tense moment where the leads let the mask slip just a tiny bit, or Ji-hyeok's internal turmoil as the misunderstanding spirals further, etc. The other moments — like the female lead getting lost in the woods and needing to be saved, or getting kidnapped by loan sharks — at this point, those plot points are so recycled it doesn't add anything to the characters or the story.
I was nervous about this fun show becoming trope salad as it added more and more of those types of scenes, switching its focus to a typical corporate warfare plot that I didn't care much about, while making its leads go through the typical moments of poor girl/rich boy.
And it completely falls apart in the last episode, leaving our second couple in the dust with zero development, and rushing our leads through a Car of Doom and amnesia plot — which I cannot believe we are still doing, unironically, in the year of our lord 2025.
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Half-half
My favorite part of this drama has to be the romance. Mi-joo is just such a lovable character, with so many heart-warming scenes between her and her kids. I loved every single time she was on screen and wish we got more romance — though I get it would've been difficult considering Kang-ho's amnesia and state of mind throughout most of the show.The main selling point of this drama really is the relationship between Kang-ho and his mother, and while I do think it's written with a lot of depth and the gray area leaves you a lot to think about. I didn't quite connect with it on an emotional. The same could be said for the country-side gang in general, who are kind of your typical comic relief characters.
With that being said, I think I was actually much more intrigued by the high-stakes revenge plot, but it's pretty much glossed over by the end and the steps Kang-ho took to get there doesn't make much sense. I get it — this drama has a revenge plot but it's not a revenge drama; it's mostly a backdrop to the story of Kangho's relationship with his mother. So I'd just say to anyone going into this to have the right expectations.
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Not as good as Part 1
I loved Part 1 but Part 2 honestly didn't quite hit the same way. There are still some great scenes, but I had a lot of trouble with the pacing, and the romance moves to a pretty frustrating place. There's like 3 separate subplots (near-death experiences and all) crammed into the last three episodes alone, and we seem to skip over a lot of important moments to get there.I will say that with all the dramatic scenes we get, Zhao Lusi and Wu Lei's acting really get to shine. They have wonderful chemistry and even though the plot itself might be frustrating, I can't lie — the angst is very satisfying to watch.
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Wow.
Wow. As someone who's had a lot of trouble getting into historical dramas, I found myself going into this one with a bit of hesitation, but it ended up hooking me and never letting go.This drama balances romance and royal politics perfectly — there's elements of the show that are extremely romance kdrama-esque (you know, the slow motion falling, the silly misunderstandings), but the story still chugs along, all while keeping the tone very consistent.
I'm also just completely floored by the chemistry between the leads. Fantastic performances all around, and this drama reminded me just how great it is to see ACTUAL YEARNING on my screen.
There are some subplots that I found a little too long, or weird ones (like that tiger one lol) but ultimately, I found the show very cohesive and enjoyable.
On the ending...I was also a little nervous knowing the 17th episode was added later, but it really felt perfect to me. The pacing made sense, and it managed to come full circle while still letting the viewer do some of the lifting. Just a stunning show from beginning to end.
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Sweet, but
This was an extremely sweet movie and it really hit the right notes to get the feeling of nostalgia and youth friendship, without making anything too over-dramatic.I do have one big gripe with this movie though; the tone stays pretty consistent and light-hearted throughout but it does what a lot of Asian movies seem to do in the third act: the noble idiocy break-up, followed by the time jump reunion. While this movie subverts the trope a bit (thank god for that), I'm not the biggest fan of it being there in the first place and felt like there had to be a better way to incorporate character arcs without doing it.
Still, a cute film.
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Firing on all cylinders
I enjoyed this season a lot too, and really appreciate that once again, this drama manages to balance small, episodic cases with the overarching plot and building tension. I thought Jun-ho was an interesting character, but the emphasis on his internal conflict and shifting mindset this season is done incredibly well.It still sort of feels like the drama is setting up for a season 3, so I hope we get one.
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Heavy, with very few silver linings
This film has fantastic cinematography and acting — which is exactly what I expected from the team behind "I Told Sunset About You" — but I honestly don't think I'll be re-watching this one ever again. It's really heavy in a kind of...miserable way, with characters constantly behaving awfully and having terrible things happen to them, until the very end. I'm not sure it's a feeling I want to experience, though I can't deny that the film itself and the plot was really engaging and interesting the first time around.Was this review helpful to you?
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Cute and comforting (other than the...you know)
I loved the vibes of this one a lot. It felt extremely comforting to follow a character that came to terms with not having a dream and just being comfortable with enjoying the day-to-day. The romance is subtle, but its still there — and it matches the characters really well.The main hiccup in this drama is the — yep, you guessed it — the murder plot. It really came out of left field, with suspects that were barely hinted at before. Then it was resolved in less than an episode, and it felt like everyone just...moved on. I don't think we needed it at all, and there were much more down-to-earth subplots that we could've gone for.
Nevertheless, it was sort of a blip, so it didn't bother me so much. My other minor con would be that the drama seems to redo the "drunk" subplot far too often, but other than that, I still really enjoyed this one at the end of the day.
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She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat Season 2
2 people found this review helpful
Calm
Rating this (and the prequel series) a little above the median. I think the most important thing is that I'm extremely impressed with its portrayal of lesbianism and asexuality, and even more so with its commentary on how it ties into housing discrimination, as well as gender roles in family units. I don't think it's something I've ever seen tackled so head-on in an Asian drama.With that being said, while I do think this is ultimately a peaceful and cozy watch, with leads that are refreshingly mature, I feel like everything ended up feeling just a little too polite for me. I don't mind the lack of skinship — I actually love that this drama talked about different levels of comfort and going slow, but in terms of relationship dynamic, as a matter of personal preference I enjoy couples that are a little more high-energy and have banter. The leads here are very much not that, and after a while they start to feel a little one-note.
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She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat
2 people found this review helpful
Calm
Rating this (and the sequel series) a little above the median. I think the most important thing is that I'm extremely impressed with its portrayal of lesbianism and asexuality, and even more so with its commentary on how it ties into housing discrimination, as well as gender roles in family units. I don't think it's something I've ever seen tackled so head-on in an Asian drama.With that being said, while I do think this is ultimately a peaceful and cozy watch, with leads that are refreshingly mature, I feel like everything ended up feeling just a little too polite for me. I don't mind the lack of skinship — I actually love that this drama talked about different levels of comfort and going slow, but in terms of relationship dynamic, as a matter of personal preference I enjoy couples that are a little more high-energy and have banter. The leads here are very much not that, and after a while they start to feel a little one-note.
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