I loved it. I loved them together. I loved the friendships. The casting and acting was excellent. This drama made me "feel" so much, on so many levels...The whole beauty for me was about their feelings so it may not be suitable for someone looking for a real plot, action, and thrill in a kdrama.
I found out after I finished it that it's from the same director of "Secret Love Affair" and "I Heard it through The Grapevine", 2 Kdramas that I absolutely loved as well. So I guess this director's work suits my taste...
Now, addressing the 2 obvious torns: The Mother: in my opinion, it's ignorant to judge a person based on family history, race, religion, age, financial status, sexual orientation, etc. I also don't understand why a mother should get involved in a grown woman's life (her daughter is in her mid or late 30s!!!),....But, I also know that cultures and traditions are deeply different in each country so it's normal that I can't understand this Korean mother actions, based on my own standards. She irritated the hell out of me... The Music: 2 or 3 songs played repeatedly...I get it, I'll stand by my man...
The flashbacks in every single episode ruined this drama. And when I say flashbacks, I don't mean just going back to many years ago to explain the characters past etc, Noooo there are flashbacks of scenes that happened 10mn ago and flashbacks including a montage of several scenes that happened in the last episodes...I mean the viewers don't suffer from short term memory loss, we can remember what we watched 10mn ago! If they didn't have enough filmed scenes to cover 40 eps, why not just have less episodes??? The cast was good, story was decent but since we keep watching the same scenes over and over again each episode, it completely messed up the story's flow...too bad....
For those who always comment about how they hate/can't stand the male lead forceful "wrist grab" in KDramas, this…
The writer wanted a playboy male lead and that's great (refreshing even) but why add the sexual assault scenes???
- No, drunk guys don't just turn to wannabe "r*pists". that's something that should be taken care of by serious therapy and not to be blamed on the alcohol. - No, a woman should never- ever-give a second chance to someone who tried to physically assault her. Yes he stopped both times but hey... "it's the thought that counts".
I guess at least the writer showed that the female lead only went back to him after he took 2 bullets for her...extreme measures were needed to explain why she is staying with him.
I usually take my dramas with a pinch (or a huge amount) of salt and laugh the ridiculousness off...but since this drama seems to be targeting teens and young women, i feel the sexual violence followed by a happy ending afterwards send the wrong message that it's ok to forgive a guy who assaults you "in the name of love".... :-\
A truly entertaining drama and a special mention to their kid who was just the cutest son one can ever wish for! He was always rooting for his parents and their love, although neither of them really seems to think of him when making life or death decisions...
And again in dramaland, so many characters who just can't give up on their "love" interest. I don't know at this point if I should admire their perseverance or grind my teeth... They are immortals in a fantasy world for god's sake...there are no other interesting, smart, handsome/beautiful, fun immortals out there in heaven they can fall in love with (besides the ones already taken)? Then what should we do, us mere mortals, stuck on earth... :-)
Here's my 2 cents about this romantic triangle :-)
A healthy relationship is about 2 people who want to be together, willingly... Her shifu technically created her, then decided she belongs to him (as in possession), then decided Ya Long who loves her is his enemy and wants to steal her (again only possessions can be stolen), then imprisoned her in a virtual bubble "for her own good", then tried to guilt-trip her whenever she showed her interest in Ya long. His excuse is that he loves her more and has suffered so much for her...Again it's all about him and his feelings and his past etc etc, a one-way street kind of love. He never leaves her room to think about her feelings and decide for herself. So, in this drama the 'healthy' romantic lead was Ya long (yes the guy who sucks blood for dinner) since he at least treated her like an individual and not a 'possession' , tried to convince her but not forcing her.
This is one of the worst Makjangs I watched (did a lot of skipping to be honest)...misunderstandings in every...single... scene on purpose to drag the story to 52 eps!! Don't waste your precious time and watch something else.
honestly I feel people should start with some classics like To the Beautiful You, Playful Kiss, Boys over Flowers…
Totally agree with you. I started with Boys over Flowers followed by You're Beautiful which I found both hilarious (supposed to be romantic but the cringe factor was too high)! and due to the entertainment factor, I was curious to watch other Kdramas and ended watching Coffee Prince and Secret Garden, which were both much, much better and here I am still. :-)
I postponed watching this Kdrama for months because I thought the stepmother will be one of those cliché evil villains again...but to my surprise I discovered a really well written character with many layers and superbly acted by Song Yoon Ah! She stole the show and run with it to my complete pleasure...her scenes with her husband and with K2 are the best in this drama...
I recommend it to anyone who wants to watch a great female lead. Im Yoon Ah is the 'romantic' female lead but not THE female lead...again very happy about that personally.
Shirtless Ji Chang Wook is a bonus... :-)
This could have been a great Kdrama Rom-Com because the leads had it in them but unfortunately the writers decided to add a thriller plot that was poorly done and added some random side characters who got a lot of screen time for no reason...
I liked the main leads, I liked that for once he was the son of a former gangsta and not another chaebol family, I liked that she isn't a poor girl saved from her miserable life by the rich guy, I LOVED her mom...
So much potential wasted unfortunately...too bad.
Nice article! PPL are usually heavy-handed in KDramas. The issue for me is that sometimes the type of product…
:-)
EHS is an occurance in almost every single kdrama i watched: female actresses are holding handbags that are obviously completely empty.
I understand the handbag is just a prop but the stylists can at least put tissue papers or something light inside to make it look like she is actually using the bag in the drama.
i may be the only one noticing it because I love bags and always try to check the brands so I pay extra attention to them.
Nice article!
PPL are usually heavy-handed in KDramas. The issue for me is that sometimes the type of product advertised just doesn't fit with the characters finances or lifestyle..."this guy is a cheabol but he's having his bday party at TGI Fridays" Or "the actress is super skinny but every outside scene shows her at a famous junk food chain gorging in coke and burgers" Or the worst one: "she is poor as poor can come BUT she owns the latest smartphone"....
Oh and can someone please write an article about the "empty handbag" syndrome? not PPL but it irritates the heck out of me in kdramas.
I think I should watch this drama a second time to actually follow the story...I spent the first viewing just enjoying watching Gong Yoo...not sure second viewing will not be the same though ;-))
I have to say though that story and other characters were good enough that they didn't disturb my Gong Yoo staring...that in itself deserved my 8/10 rating! LOL
I'll revise my rating of this drama when second season will be confirmed (so far nothing yet). I can't give the drama a higher rating if this is all we're getting...that ending made no sense to me after such a roller coaster...felt like reading a really good book and when you finally reached the end, you see that the last pages are missing...
Great subject!
There's a long list of jerky male leads in Kdrama: mild ones throw insults about appearance/family/behavior of female lead, average ones throw actual eggs/cake/food on her face, while extreme ones actually harm her or her family's livelihood etc.
I usually either laugh (that's just ridiculous!) or yell in frustration (did he just threaten to evict them from the building!!) at the screen while watching...depending on the scale of jerk he is.
In reality, no sane woman/girl would date a "mild" jerk, let alone fall in love with an "extreme" one. That's why I love Kdramas...the only universe where a jerk changes to a decent and loving man in 20 episodes or less and wins the girl at the end...I mean don't forget that he was competing with an extremely decent man from the start (second male lead) who was helping her since day 1 against Mr Jerk...If this is not fantasy, what is?
:-)
I love this drama, not just because of the good acting and styling, but also because the characters are not so easy to read, have doubts, make mistakes, fight and make up, have complicated feelings in a natural way. ;-)
I didn't read the original webtoon and don't intend to until the drama ends, as I like seeing this story unfold.
The only negative note is the actress playing Baek In Na, her acting makes me cringe...she should tone it down...
Glad you discovered another kdrama (the music in Secret Love Affair is on point!)
This drama made me "feel" so much, on so many levels...The whole beauty for me was about their feelings so it may not be suitable for someone looking for a real plot, action, and thrill in a kdrama.
I found out after I finished it that it's from the same director of "Secret Love Affair" and "I Heard it through The Grapevine", 2 Kdramas that I absolutely loved as well. So I guess this director's work suits my taste...
Now, addressing the 2 obvious torns:
The Mother: in my opinion, it's ignorant to judge a person based on family history, race, religion, age, financial status, sexual orientation, etc. I also don't understand why a mother should get involved in a grown woman's life (her daughter is in her mid or late 30s!!!),....But, I also know that cultures and traditions are deeply different in each country so it's normal that I can't understand this Korean mother actions, based on my own standards. She irritated the hell out of me...
The Music: 2 or 3 songs played repeatedly...I get it, I'll stand by my man...
The cast was good, story was decent but since we keep watching the same scenes over and over again each episode, it completely messed up the story's flow...too bad....
- No, drunk guys don't just turn to wannabe "r*pists". that's something that should be taken care of by serious therapy and not to be blamed on the alcohol.
- No, a woman should never- ever-give a second chance to someone who tried to physically assault her. Yes he stopped both times but hey... "it's the thought that counts".
I guess at least the writer showed that the female lead only went back to him after he took 2 bullets for her...extreme measures were needed to explain why she is staying with him.
I usually take my dramas with a pinch (or a huge amount) of salt and laugh the ridiculousness off...but since this drama seems to be targeting teens and young women, i feel the sexual violence followed by a happy ending afterwards send the wrong message that it's ok to forgive a guy who assaults you "in the name of love".... :-\
And again in dramaland, so many characters who just can't give up on their "love" interest. I don't know at this point if I should admire their perseverance or grind my teeth...
They are immortals in a fantasy world for god's sake...there are no other interesting, smart, handsome/beautiful, fun immortals out there in heaven they can fall in love with (besides the ones already taken)? Then what should we do, us mere mortals, stuck on earth... :-)
A healthy relationship is about 2 people who want to be together, willingly...
Her shifu technically created her, then decided she belongs to him (as in possession), then decided Ya Long who loves her is his enemy and wants to steal her (again only possessions can be stolen), then imprisoned her in a virtual bubble "for her own good", then tried to guilt-trip her whenever she showed her interest in Ya long. His excuse is that he loves her more and has suffered so much for her...Again it's all about him and his feelings and his past etc etc, a one-way street kind of love.
He never leaves her room to think about her feelings and decide for herself.
So, in this drama the 'healthy' romantic lead was Ya long (yes the guy who sucks blood for dinner) since he at least treated her like an individual and not a 'possession' , tried to convince her but not forcing her.
Don't waste your precious time and watch something else.
I recommend it to anyone who wants to watch a great female lead. Im Yoon Ah is the 'romantic' female lead but not THE female lead...again very happy about that personally.
Shirtless Ji Chang Wook is a bonus... :-)
I liked the main leads, I liked that for once he was the son of a former gangsta and not another chaebol family, I liked that she isn't a poor girl saved from her miserable life by the rich guy, I LOVED her mom...
So much potential wasted unfortunately...too bad.
EHS is an occurance in almost every single kdrama i watched: female actresses are holding handbags that are obviously completely empty.
I understand the handbag is just a prop but the stylists can at least put tissue papers or something light inside to make it look like she is actually using the bag in the drama.
i may be the only one noticing it because I love bags and always try to check the brands so I pay extra attention to them.
PPL are usually heavy-handed in KDramas. The issue for me is that sometimes the type of product advertised just doesn't fit with the characters finances or lifestyle..."this guy is a cheabol but he's having his bday party at TGI Fridays" Or "the actress is super skinny but every outside scene shows her at a famous junk food chain gorging in coke and burgers" Or the worst one: "she is poor as poor can come BUT she owns the latest smartphone"....
Oh and can someone please write an article about the "empty handbag" syndrome? not PPL but it irritates the heck out of me in kdramas.
I have to say though that story and other characters were good enough that they didn't disturb my Gong Yoo staring...that in itself deserved my 8/10 rating! LOL
There's a long list of jerky male leads in Kdrama: mild ones throw insults about appearance/family/behavior of female lead, average ones throw actual eggs/cake/food on her face, while extreme ones actually harm her or her family's livelihood etc.
I usually either laugh (that's just ridiculous!) or yell in frustration (did he just threaten to evict them from the building!!) at the screen while watching...depending on the scale of jerk he is.
In reality, no sane woman/girl would date a "mild" jerk, let alone fall in love with an "extreme" one. That's why I love Kdramas...the only universe where a jerk changes to a decent and loving man in 20 episodes or less and wins the girl at the end...I mean don't forget that he was competing with an extremely decent man from the start (second male lead) who was helping her since day 1 against Mr Jerk...If this is not fantasy, what is?
:-)
I didn't read the original webtoon and don't intend to until the drama ends, as I like seeing this story unfold.
The only negative note is the actress playing Baek In Na, her acting makes me cringe...she should tone it down...
Best Comedy Drama: I heard it through the grapevine
Thanks for the info :-)