I will honestly say that I watched this drama only because LJG was in it (he always brings a special edge to his dramas), as the plot itself was deja vu many many times in Korean dramaland. The only original aspect was the 'back to life' part which made me wonder at the beginning how the story would unfold (as a matter of fact this "issue" was totally ignored as the story progressed and worst of all in the last episodes!!). Overall everyone did a good job but I would really classify this drama as average and definitely not outstanding. I can't rate it with more than a 7.
It was a good idea to watch this drama straight after The Ideal City as the setting in the workplace is very similar. And in the same way this drama is heavily loaded with technical dialogues and computer world jargon which often went right above my head. In any case, the writer succeded in showing how hard and competitive the workplace is in China (as in many other parts of the world) and also how personal relationships can suffer very much because of this. The two leads had wonderful chemistry although towards the end I felt they were not any longer the focus of the story and too much time was spent on uninteresting secondary couples, and job specific issues. For this reason my rating is 7.5 and I am looking forward to seeing Chen Kun's future projects.
This drama had an unlucky start because of the accident with the horse which, in my opinion (Let's respect each other's opinions please!) might have been an accident that can happen in any production or instance with animals, I doubt very much that it was done to intentionally hurt the horse! The whole cast, directors, writers etc. were heavily penalized because of this (overly so IMO) and the drama was suspended for a few weeks which must have greatly depressed everyone working on this project. For me this drama was pretty good, like many other saeguks with more or less the same tipe of plot. The story of Lee Bang Won was particularly sad as it showed how easily one can be blinded by power and what terrible consequences this can bring. I was very impressed by Joo Sang Wook's performance here which was definitely the best I have seen him in so far. Everyone did a great job, even more so because of the above circumstances. My rating is 8.
Thanks for this great article. I also enjoy dramas which are centered on female friendship very much. Out of these mentioned here I only watched a couple and I have to admit that, so far, the best drama portraying female friendship is definitely Thirty nine even if with a particularluy sad story. Although I will never forget the ahjummas of Reply 1988 who were totally enjoyable and fun!!
Thanks for this article. I discovered Ayase Haruka in Hotaru no Hikari when I first started watching Asian dramas in 2008. I was captivated by her great acting skills and watched other of her projects such as Jin 1 and 2 for example. I think she is very natural and talented when she acts and she is my favourite Japanese actress.
This was an interesting drama because it focused on the dynamics inside a construction company. What I enjoyed most was the character growth of the main lead and how she could make her way through many difficulties and back stabs. It also made me realize that women are looked down upon all over the world, no matter in which country, especially when they aim high in their careers. In any case a well acted and well written drama. I didn't mind the subtle romance between the lines as it worked as a distraction now and again from the heavy going technical dialogues. It's an 8 rating for me.
This is a very, very, very sad drama and I had no idea when I started it hoping it would be just a fun romcom. Let's say that I wouldn't recommend it if you watch it to escape from real life problems as on the contrary it makes you dive even deeper down. However there is an aspect that I appreciated and enjoyed which is how beautifully and touching the friendship between the three female leads is depicted here...I would say it's almost poetic and I really wish I myself had such amazing friends as described in this drama. Their fun and relaxing time together were the best moments of this drama for me. Romance is a side story here and for once I was grateful that the male roles were quite secondary and only seen as supportive of the leads. My rating is 8 only because I would have preferred a happier drama about three friends.
I am also disappointed in 'Forecasting Love and Weather' but 'When the Weather is Fine' is one of my all time…
Unfortunately I found When the weather is fine also boring and flat. Of course PMY can choose her projects freely like any other well known Korean actor, but personally I am not enjoying these choices, maybe other viewers do which goes to show that we are all different. :)
I agree with other viewers about the fact that the setting of this drama in weather forecasting offices was interesting. Unfortunately this was the only positive aspect of this drama as the plot was incredibly boring and nothing original at all. It's the second drama that disappoints me of PMY after When the Weather is fine and I hope she will choose more interesting dramas as her future projects. I also agree about the fact that there was no chemistry whatsoever between the OTP and luckily the side stories were much better. I can't rate this drama with more than a 6.
This was a pleasant easy going rom com for me. Something to watch in order to relax and not think too much. Nothing original but good enough for me so I am rating it with a 7.5.
I enjoyed the first half of this drama more than the second in which the story took a different twist and the focus was mostly about revenge. On the whole it was a pleasant drama and the chemistry of the OTP was one of the best I have seen lately in Cdramas. Lovely costumes here and beautiful photography. My rating is 9.
I was happy to find the FL and ML together again after the drama 'Too Late to say I love you' of 2010 in which they already had great chemistry. The story here was 'slice of life' with lots of angst and sad moments. I agree with other viewers about the fact that there was more emotional intensity in the first half of the drama. The second half was more oriented towards father/son relationship and business dealings and it became a bit draggy. In any case the actors did a fantastic job including the little boy so my rating is 8.
I don't have much to say about this rom-com. What I would remember about it is that I appreciated secondary couples (ML's father + head body guard - FL's parents - Best friend + waitress) much more than the OTP which to me felt more like a brother and older sister relationship way until the very last episode. Was there really supposed to be romance between these two? Where was the sparkle? The so called "romantic" moments were practically non existent! In any case the story itself was not bad and I found it relaxing and entertaining enough and the cast did a good job so my rating is 7.
I had skipped this drama as I was not attracted to the main theme which was baseball. After reading so many enthusiastic reviews I decided to give it a go and I have to say it was well worth it. Yes there was some technical jargon about baseball which went right above my head but overall the plot was amazing with many cliffhangers which made me want to carry on watching. NGM never disappoints, he always manages to make the whole drama revolve around him and his unique characters although the whole cast here did an amazing job as well. Very glad I watched it and my rating is 9.5.
The whole cast, directors, writers etc. were heavily penalized because of this (overly so IMO) and the drama was suspended for a few weeks which must have greatly depressed everyone working on this project.
For me this drama was pretty good, like many other saeguks with more or less the same tipe of plot. The story of Lee Bang Won was particularly sad as it showed how easily one can be blinded by power and what terrible consequences this can bring. I was very impressed by Joo Sang Wook's performance here which was definitely the best I have seen him in so far. Everyone did a great job, even more so because of the above circumstances. My rating is 8.
In any case a well acted and well written drama. I didn't mind the subtle romance between the lines as it worked as a distraction now and again from the heavy going technical dialogues. It's an 8 rating for me.
However there is an aspect that I appreciated and enjoyed which is how beautifully and touching the friendship between the three female leads is depicted here...I would say it's almost poetic and I really wish I myself had such amazing friends as described in this drama. Their fun and relaxing time together were the best moments of this drama for me.
Romance is a side story here and for once I was grateful that the male roles were quite secondary and only seen as supportive of the leads. My rating is 8 only because I would have preferred a happier drama about three friends.
The story here was 'slice of life' with lots of angst and sad moments. I agree with other viewers about the fact that there was more emotional intensity in the first half of the drama. The second half was more oriented towards father/son relationship and business dealings and it became a bit draggy.
In any case the actors did a fantastic job including the little boy so my rating is 8.
In any case the story itself was not bad and I found it relaxing and entertaining enough and the cast did a good job so my rating is 7.
NGM never disappoints, he always manages to make the whole drama revolve around him and his unique characters although the whole cast here did an amazing job as well. Very glad I watched it and my rating is 9.5.