This drama was a typical romcom to me. What made it likeable was the great feeling between the two leads and I also enjoyed the secondary cast in their working environments. I found heavy going the parts involving the ex boyfriend/girlfriend which I would have reduced as they were far too long for my liking.
I finished watching this drama a few days ago and my overall feeling is that it was a fluffy story with almost no angst which was a pleasant change. So I recommend it mostly for a relaxing watch. The chemistry between the leads was good and I also enjoyed the frienship between the two FL so great sismance here. (on a side note I wish the FL didn't constantly wear that flashing red lipstick as it was extremely distracting)
Thanks for this article. For the first time in ages I am reading a list of recommendations for many dramas that I skipped this year (I might be the only one who dropped Hospital Playlist after the first episode). So many positive opinions about Memorist and Itaewon Class might convince me to give them a try, but my favourites of 2020 so far have been Dr. Romantic 2 and The King. I hope the second half of the year will have more dramas that I will be interested to watch. ;)
Thanks for this very comprehensive article. I am amongst those who really enjoyed this drama and will probably watch it a second time to catch all the clues that I missed the first time around. I absolutely loved the filming here , the poetry in some images, and the cast also did an amazing job. I personally got quite confused with the plot at certain points but it all made sense in the end.
This drama was a lot of fun for me. Everything was perfect and the rhythm of the story was always fast and involving. So glad the ending hinted to a possible Season 2.
The greatest faults with this drama were the excessive flashbacks. It's the first time I came across a drama which had a long summary of each past episode at the beginning of a new one, plus neverending flashbacks repeated over and over again. This drama could have easily been 20 episodes long instead of 40 and it's the first time I feel totally cheated of my precious time. If it wasn't for this huge setback the story itself was not bad as it actually dealt with an interesting and up to date topic like flying drones. Also the cast did a good job except for a few side characters. I would recommend to whoever decides to watch this to FF all the flashbacks. It's a 6.5 for me.
Thanks for this interesting article! Yes I agree that time and patience are the most necessary factors to get through long dramas. I managed to complete quite a few of the ones you recommend here and thoroughly enjoyed them (Empress Ki, Queen Seon Duk, East of Eden, What Happens to My Family and Six Flying Dragons) whereas I dropped others (Jewel in the Palace, Dong Yi, Ojakgyo Brothers) as I got bored or lost interest. I think it depends also on the time in ones life when one approaches these dramas as for example right now in comparison to a few years ago I know I could never sit through such slow paced stories.
I'm sure many viewers enjoyed this drama both inside and outside Korea, and I am definitely amongst those who appreciated it (we are a minority, I know, but who cares!). Yes the writing here was extremely confusing and, just to give an example, it would have greatly helped if they captioned the different Kingdoms (and years) entered like they did in the last episode. In any case I give credit that all the answers were given and all the doubts were solved by the end. My high rating goes mostly to the filming and acting which were absolutely fantastic!! All the cast did a brilliant job...the OTP had believable chemistry and my favourite character was Kang Shin Jae. I would suggest to try watching it without being influenced by any opinion and decide whether this is your cup of tea. My rating is 9.
I have to say that I wasn't attracted to this drama to start with, but after reading your article I'm thinking of giving it a try. Thanks for writing it. :)
I also hate these drama tropes and find that they are fillers exactly like you explained which is why I always appreciate any drama that tries to be original without them. And I agree with Chibix here below as time jumps at the end of the stories really bother me a lot too.
Great article!! I always say that Korean dramas are successful not only because of the main leads but also because they always have great supporting casts. Many of the secondary actors are family to me as I have watched more than 300 K dramas and what amazes me is that they can always make their characters totally believable even when we see them in two different dramas at the same time. They are all greatly talented and the ones you list here are definitely amongst my favourites.
Thanks for this list but...Goodness what happened to Korean dramas? There are so many with fantasy elements in them, I will have a hard time choosing which one to watch without fantasy and with plots that appeal to me. Unfortunately I haven't seen many that do. :(
I have mixed feelings about this drama. I appreciated some aspects of it like the cooking parts and the village life and people, and bore with the parts related to the villain (overacted and totally unrealistic) and the CEO fight for power. Some issues towards the end of the story related to the villain and his crimes totally made my eyes roll but if I ignore these faults and concentrate on the pleasant aspects I would say I enjoyed it. The whole cast did a good job but my fair rating can't be more than 6.5.
I agree with many who wrote that the best asset of this drama was the cast. I had not seen the two main leads before and I was impressed with their great acting skills. Also the secondary actors (many well known) contributed to making the drama a pleasant watch. The plot itself had quite a few typical clichès but on the whole it was well developed with a pinch of a thriller twist that kept it interesting almost until the end.
Thanks for this awesome list! I will probably try watching Soul Mechanic, Love Advanced Customization and Dinner Mate mostly because of the casts as the plots don't sound particularly exciting. I hope they will prove to be worthwhile.
If it wasn't for this huge setback the story itself was not bad as it actually dealt with an interesting and up to date topic like flying drones. Also the cast did a good job except for a few side characters. I would recommend to whoever decides to watch this to FF all the flashbacks. It's a 6.5 for me.
Yes the writing here was extremely confusing and, just to give an example, it would have greatly helped if they captioned the different Kingdoms (and years) entered like they did in the last episode. In any case I give credit that all the answers were given and all the doubts were solved by the end.
My high rating goes mostly to the filming and acting which were absolutely fantastic!! All the cast did a brilliant job...the OTP had believable chemistry and my favourite character was Kang Shin Jae. I would suggest to try watching it without being influenced by any opinion and decide whether this is your cup of tea. My rating is 9.