Kate

~universe works in mysterious ways~ theory ✋🏻😔 < well, that's one way of dealing with underdeveloped plot hahaha

to the point that made people question my sanity. < been there done that too 🤣🤣

Great review! I am strong believer of subjective rating and more level headed review writing and that's exactly what I see here ❤️

I feel like there are many different ways this drama could improved with some plot changes 🙃

yeah around episode 11 i started to see how little content there actually is in the show. The plot is underdeveloped and honestly, i would actually like it more if they kept it more simple and shorter 😭

80% of the show is just cute and fun moments, and there would be nothing wrong with that if the drama did not try to pretend as if the reminding 20% were interesting and important. Make it 12 episodes and switching the crime to depression and we would get top quality heart warming healing rom-com.

Overall, often after I finished watching the episode I had this thought: wow, that was really a filler episode, but I had so much fun. It’s happy and bright, overdramatic with its mystery when the mystery is shallow and barely working for this plot. I had a great time watching, but I would hesitate to recommend it.

If anyone is interested in more elaborate thoughts of someone who liked, but did not love the show, you can check my review: https://kisskh.at/profile/Shini/reviews/363193

👍🏻Rating: 7.5/10

reactions as i watch episode 6 🤡

I get why some people don't like it, coz the directing goes hella hyperrealism so even the transition scenes leading to another scene are basically full on scenes of... nothing lol 🙃

For example, you have character A going from place A to place B. Usually the character will either verbally say they are going to place B, cut the scene and they are at place B, ot they will visually show them going - leaving the house, getting into bus, car etc. Here... character A says they are going to place B, we get more of the "going" 🤣 They don't cut out the realistic, but not exactly necessary moments.

I does not bother me tho 🤣

The way Seo Hye Jin tried to rationalize her feelings, bitch same 🤣

The way Kim Hyun Tak tired to explain himself in front of Hye Jin and that small smirk on her face clearly saying: what a load of 💩💩

omg the meeting of two men traumatized by Hye Jin to the point they started smoking again 🤣

HIS GREED IS NOT TOWARDS ACADEMY AND TEAHCING BITCH 🔥🔥🔥🔥 SHE BETTER GET IT 🤡

ASJGFHEWIUTRYEWUWRYHEWILWF AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I RECOGNIZE THIS SET UP! ERJHGEWUIF RTHE POSTER SCENE IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN AND I AM ABOUT TO DIE!
R.I.P ME. I LIVED A GOOD LIFE FANGIRLING OVER OPPAS, GEGES, AND PRIESTS 👍🏻

My heart is palpitating omg. That last scene... damn. fuck... oof.

Business talks being so tense 🤣 How am I not bored is beyond me.

So... I appreciate how they did not go the typical road with Nam Cheong Mi, and did not turn her into an asshole. I am quite excited to see her grow as a teacher.

Gray Witch is scary. Honestly calculative people like that who see 💲 and 💲 only and make all the actions according to what will bring the most profit and would not stop from scaring and using teens is just... oof.

This episode was far more simple compared to previews episodes. It focused far more on presenting what are the relations between academies, but also people working in the academies. First 4 episodes made it seem like Seo Hye Jin is untouchable in the academy and has a good and healthy partnership with Hyun Tak, but this episode showed how at the end of the day she is still just a tool to be disregarded if she becomes too "dangerous" and risky to keep. But that's also why I loved the ending scene 🤣 The awkward smile Hyun Tak gave now that yet again he needs Hye Jin, but he just tried to ruin her 🤡

it would not make a difference for me. I finished watching it when it was airing. I just did not like the characters and found them pretentious as fuck 🤣🤣🤣

Here's the thing with slow paced slice of life - quality does not really matter. What I mean is a high quality drama can still be boring for some people. It's the "you either vibe with this specific title or not" type of a deal. That's why even tho form me it's extremely interesting and I cannot wait for next episode and I did not really find a moment of it boring, I am not surprised by people saying it's extremely boring for them. Coz that's how it usually goes with slow paced slice of life.

I love the genre overall, but there are some titles I did not vibe with: Lost and My Liberation Notes being two examples. I just could not connect with the setting, characters and these specific presentations.

Whenever someone finds a drama boring or not is extremely subjective anyway. For example, technically speaking all makjang dramas are fast paced and eventful, known to be there for pure entertainment - I find them painfully boring 🙃 and the actually quality of it makes no difference, I just cannot connect with them at all.

Conclusion - it's a drama that is hard to predict if you'll like it or not just based on the comments, because the same aspect that some people find boring and too slow, is what other users love.

from what i've seen being on mdl for 10+ - if the drama has a really specific style of directing and writing that is not mainstream, but curated for specific target audience, the lower the rating, because a lot of people will simply not enjoy it as much, which is perfectly fine. Examples - Matrimonial Chaos sits on 7.9, On the Verge of Insanity 8.1.

Also, slow paced dramas are risky business for directors, writers and producers. It's harder to ignore aspects you don't like - the slow pacing makes you spend more time with them. Slower pacing often means less dynamic changes between the scenes, which means longer scenes, which means if you dislike a plotline or a character, you will be forced to watch their moments longer, which will make you like the drama less.

But these are just my ideas on why it might be ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

These academies are DIRTY lol To use a kid to spy on each other and basically insinuating it's something they have to do coz of the scholarship they are receiving. That so low.

Nam Cheong Mi acting all annoyed because she herself decided to give up on the opportunity. You can only balem yourself lol Working in the Academy seems like such a pain in the ass coz you need a perfect balance of rivalry and cooperation to make it work. And i think Cheong Mi will struggle with it a lot. Coz first she went full cooperation, giving up all her "good cards" not to cause any issues for others, but now she seems to be full "competition" mode, and it can hurt the Academy as a whole in a long run...

I think Seo Hye Jin was a great teacher in the past that cared about the education a lot, and now after years of working in the Academy she moved towards caring for the grades and sales. And Lee Jun Ho has still this, a bit naive idea about teaching. Like, choosing the poem for the free lecture because it's a good poem, and how she reminded him it's different from being good for sale. Hope they will dive deeper into these two different approaches and the disagreements that come from it.

Them waiting for the kids in the classroom gives me anxiety. From the preview I know the free class will not go well, so now I'm scared 🙃

YESSSSSSSSSSS SHE IS BECOMING HUMAN AGAIN 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

THE ENDING OF THE EPISODE MAKES ME SO HAPPY! 🥲🥲🥲🥲
OMG AND THE NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW! Will she sign? I feel like she might. She only now started to be human again 🙃

True. I love slice of life, but the "vibe" needs to fit my vibe 🤣 So they are either hit or miss for me. I loved titles like Call It Love, Black Dog, My Mister, Life, When the Weather Is Fine or A Piece of Your Mind, but was not quite as into, or even dropped titles like Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, Our Beloved Summer, Lost, Thirty-Nine...

With slice of life, I usually know if it's "my type of drama" from episode 1-2, you just feel it 😅

It's okay. One of the reasons I replied the way I did is the fact I actually did not like My Liberation Notes that much, even thought I overall enjoy the slow pace slice of life-ish dramas. And i think that My Liberation Notes is quite unique and most people either like it or not, separately from their usually taste (I know some people who don't even like slow pace slice of life, and they liked My Liberation Notes a lot). So it's not surprising for me when someone says they liked My Liberation Notes, but they struggle with other dramas that seem to have similar approach/vibe.

You literally ended your comment with question "so why" 🤣so I shared my opinion on why it might be. You could have added *I don't really want to hear any opinions, I'm just asking a wall, don't reply.

Think about Destiny's Child 🤡 The more popular Beyonce was, technically Destiny's Child songs also got popular, but the fame just brought more work and opportunity to Beyonce, while it kept taking away from the other members - less lines, less focus on stage and in MVs etc. The more popular one person is and there is no "balance" in the workplace, the more support that one person will get, more opportunities, and it will be harder for others. It's also a pride thing, the idea that all the other teachers can do is get crumbs from FL, because she is top tier and they are not.

These two dramas are not really alike in any aspect... The themes and genres are not the same, the setting is completely different, motivation for the characters. Except for overall being more "realistic" in the presentation, there is nothing that would suggest if one likes one, they should like the other.

Nothing wrong with not vibing with this one.

I think as an academy they have a limited slots for classes overall maybe?
Also, as FL said herself - they are not quite colleagues, they are rivals. So when it's 1:1 it's fair, but when it's 2:1, not so much. The more support and spotlight one lecturer gets, the more they can "demand" in terms of organization and administration type of a deal. And the harder it is for the other teachers to make themselves better known, because the whole academy is associated with just one name - FL, and now also ML.

I love them sneaking around like teenagers 🤣

At first I thought the public school teacher is going to bring troubles, but now Cheong Mi gives me anxiety 🤡

From the preview, I think we will finally start to see Lee Jun Ho question the current trend of what is being taught in lecture classes - aka answers to predicted question. And honestly this is exactly what I want to see more. I do want this show to have a bit of an idealistic undertones, preferably with leads working with public school teachers to make it work for students, but I might be asking for too much 🙃

I don't really agree with the fact the drama is trying to portrayal academies as good and public as bad. Personally what I took out of first two episode is - both are wrong and the source of issue is the educational system overall. Public schools try to one up the academies instead of focusing on students and academies are focus on teaching kids how to solve tests not how to think. Both are tragic and impact kids negatively.

FL's scene during her class when she tells the students not to analyze the text, just memorize the answer showed her is AWFUL light from educational standpoint.