The drama of the year contender. ( Beware to read other reviews coz this drama has major spoilers everywhere else which is why it's difficult to write a review like this, You don't wanna spoil the fun of watching this gem)
This has to be one of the best-diversifying themes I've watched.
Zero Plot holes!
PLOT: This drama has the absolute best use of time travelling.
Especially the sequence of the consequences.
I swear whoever has written this is a genius.
Simply tempting to watch this.
It does start off slowly with the 1st episode not giving away much, so you've to stick to it.
But this makes you feel every bit of it.
Once it gets into the flow, it leaves you speechless for what's going on.
This is why I love the Taiwanese industry.
They make such a drama every 2-3 years which just takes your breath away.
ACTING: It was a bit off at some moments( Maybe coz it felt so surreal that I found it a bit off xD) but nonetheless full of pure excellence.
Direction: This is the main part. The director and every other member knew what they wanted to show, this is a drama that could only have attained excellence had it done everything right. And guess what! The hell they eventually did.
Overall: Still reading my review? The hell you doing, go and watch this gem ^^
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ENGROSSING
This drama is a wonder due to its exceptional writing and direction.It's not your normal drama but so much engrossed and focus on each element, which takes over your attention slow and steady.
The depth of each character is enigmatic as they reveal it slowly which makes it more exciting.
The drama is slow and gets dragged towards the 2nd half, particularly the last 4 episodes.
What makes this drama distinctive is the realism with which it tackles human nature, difficulties, relationships b/w people, corporate hierarchy and how a family plays part in your living.
That misery brings misery and your company matters.
The side character story was pure BS as I didn't like the brother's struggle at all.
It was pure incompetency but still, the characters are characters and the focus was to highlight the what-if situation
The ending is on a positive footnote which is overwhelming.
The most important aspect that many would ignore is the relationship b/w the Husband and Wife that improves as the drama progresses coz initially many people think that in these types of dramas you'll encounter a typical love story which is not the case.
This drama also represents what unrequited love feels like, how it goes and how it ends as well .
Overall, they could've made it 12 episodes and been done with it.
Hence it's an 8.5/10
PS: To me, Lee Ji Ah stole the limelight with her acting skills instead of IU despite having a side role.
SPOILER POST THIS SO DON'T READ :
This drama had such a great ending, I'm glad they didn't show and forced a sh*8ty love story b/w Ji an and Dong Hoon and shifted their focus to progressing the relationship b/w Yoon Hee and Dong Hoon which was wonderful to watch and as real as it could get.
How the affair happened and whatever reasons were given felt so genuine that for the first time you could understand why She did what she did and how both of them were equally responsible for it.
Brilliant writing I must say.
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This review may contain spoilers
Don't watch this if you haven't watched the drama, you'll not understand anything.
You're here only after watching the drama.This will be a spoiler review :
' How do people see you? '
' You only see what you want '
' You only seek what you desire '
These three lines are the essence of this whole series.
After watching the series, which was made on a whole lot different perspective,
this movie was made just to clear that, what was shown in the series and what was actually perceived is way too different.
The drama was focused on from Yazaki's perspective after hearing the stories and this movie is based on Ito's actions xD
After watching this movie, the outlook and perspective of the drama have totally changed.
Lol, it's so fucking twisted,
We only see what we wanna see in a person, only determine through what we want to see in them.
What a great fucking example!
Speechless! I mean everybody had a different image of him.
And to a certain extent, we as the viewer now got to know what was really going on and How deceptive thing can be!
I enjoyed it quite a lot.
That bathtub played a significant role! Implying closing ourselves and limiting to what we want to see just due to the fear of finding something rotten or unacceptable, how worse it is.
If you notice it was Yazaki who instigated all of them, either way, to make things more dramatic for her own plot!
Although Ito's character is shown as a bastard, he's what you call a chiller. People such as him sway at every opportunity just to not get hurt and enter the ring as he mentioned.
He wasn't as much of a bastard as shown in the drama, but his nonchalant character and Yazaki's manipulation played a big role in determining the outcome
Awesome direction, a bit different from the drama which of course was intentional as this was the explanation of what happened, Nonetheless
Brilliantly executed, awesomely shot and acted phenomenally!
PS : Miki's scene at the hotel with Ito was one of the craziest and funniest scene I've ever seen and my fav from this series. xD
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I've watched now 50+ dramas .
Reviewed most of them .
I am a vivid watcher .
I pay attention to everything with precise detail .
If you're into K dramas , you must be familiar with how they are .
If it's a typical crime drama or anything , it will end how you're familiar with .
But
'STRANGER'
is just out of this world . Mind boggling .
I didn't expected it to be this exceptional .
The synopsis might not seem that great but the drama is .
This drama had the highest quality of acting so far .
Each and every character played as just smoked their everything .
You can't even flinch something at someone in terms of acting .
The plot has it ups and downs .
It's just awestrucking till episode 7 or 8 but then it slows down a bit .
Near the ending you'll feel a bit uninterested but hold you beer right there .
The ending episode takes your breathe away .
If you're human . If you're interested in reality . Then this is for you .
Stranger has the most sensible and harsh ending .
But still it tells you not to lose yourself , your hope , your righteousness .
PS : Jo seung woo , I've seen his only earlier drama God gift's 15 days .
And I knew he's an acting GOD .
I can easily say he's the best actor male of the K-drama industry .
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The temptation of a burning romance made alive through suspense.
What a strange movie it was.It's one of those slow burners where you wonder what's there to it , at every moment .
The pristine romance, the feeling of yearning for someone yet falling short every time.
The illegality of a relationship shared.
The chemistry of both MC and FMC is one you'll rarely see.
A sadist story.
It's a really long movie, it takes it time and somehow to the end , you'll yourself see falling for the charm of FMC .
Those long stares, endless pauses, dual translation.
Her job was to make the role shine through a mysterious aura , and she just made sure we feel tempted towards her through out, an award-winning performance that's for sure.
The movie is just storytelling, nothing more to it.
It's one of those where to sit back and enjoy the form of storytelling.
The sense of suspense it maintains through out each scene is what tempts you to watch it cautiously.
The magic is in the direction and interaction of the characters, not the screenplay which rarely happens.
I enjoyed it. You'll too .
Just be in the mood .
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Mostly Slow and Boring , Strange and Classic
You can't judge this.It's peculiar in a way, it's distorted.
This drama has sociopathic and psychopathic traits.
It's like a classic.
The highlight is on the characters involved not the plot.
You take nothing away from this.
There are many things to observe but all of them are on the superficial side.
This drama feels like Abyss.
One can say it's a story bout a group of broken people, who were united to live together as it gave some insights to their lives.
People who were lost but found their way eventually.
The acting was spectacular.
Best part bout this drama is it's acting.
Nothing more to it.
A one time watch.
In a way, it felt hollow at times.
It's creepy but you watch it even then.
You're forced to think this was great but maybe it wasn't.
Which is why I used the term Abyss to describe this.
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The best contemporary romance you'll ever come across
' Fake it till you make it 'The title piqued me instantly.
The poster was compelling.
The start was catchy and intimidating.
I'm not an avid watcher of Chinese dramas, coz they lack depth more often than not and are quite superficial, but this drama blew me away.
It was so compelling, the script is adapted from a novel.
The characters were so well written, and so unique.
The plot was so engrossing, it's one of the best dramas of 2023 and certainly the best contemporary romance drama.
The actors are outstanding.
It's like everything this director wanted to do, happened with this drama.
The versatility of characters was surprising, it made you wonder often what's their purpose, each of them served and left and some people in life normally do .
The biggest plus point is that the whole drama rotates around both the leads .
Mesmerizing chemistry b/w the leads followed by modern takes on how things proceed, the dating ploy, the urban constraint, the pretentiousness of humans and how it isn't necessary.
The struggles of the workplace, the toxicity of corporate culture, and how at the end of the day everybody is still struggling despite all the cunning tactics.
With the conclusion that life is more than work.
You might think that struggle and hard work will lead you to something but it can never fulfil the void it leaves in your life.
Most dramas lose their ploy by the time they end, this one never did, infact it develops as the episodes progress to a newer perspective, it does get slow after episode 10, which I found to be the problem.
But it still deserves a 10 for bringing something new to the table.
It was a lovely experience, I hope you watch this drama and enjoy it too.
Till then ^^
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Bunch of indecisive characters playing circus
I'll be damn honest, the plot had potential.Something piques your mind when you read the synopsis, that this drama could be about a potential reunion of a college couple.
But things aren't that simple.
This drama is a mess.
It's like the writer took a Bunch of indecisive characters playing circus.
The actors were really good but what's the point when you're not clear with communication?
The fundamental lacking in this drama is proper communication skills.
It's horrendous if you look at it.
It's a joke.
Everybody is stalling, each and every one of them.
Nobody talks straightforwardly.
Buts and ifs and no answers and pretension from your own pov.
Everybody's sad and gloomy.
The plot development reverts back and forth which annoys you even more coz the present is not gonna change itself unless the characters themselves change.
It baffles it that most audience in this review section rated this drama higher.
Women love to watch illogical and wasteful emotional distress for sure.
They thrive on it.
Such high ratings prove it.
But to me, this drama was a joke.
Definitely not recommended unless you're a person who thrives on such cheap pleasures of wasteful emotional distress.
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Well Intended turned to Sh*t Intended
The drama starts well.Has all the aspects of what a brilliant rom-com could be.
Funny characters, raunchy scenes, naive yet complex flirting.
All this lasts for 8 episodes and after that, it's downhill.
The plot is wrecked, the writer kills it in every way possible.
It's a complete mess,
A mess you would certainly not want to complete.
The chemistry b/w the leads is sparkly but the writer sabotages it so often that you'll find it strange.
Moreover, the efforts of pushing a reverse harem let it down continuously.
This drama has all the aspects of a female fantasy.
3-4 males pursuing her, a controversial marriage, her independence bit of it mixed with a controlling partner, kindness towards everybody, successful career and love life.
A bit of drama midway full of lies and deceit.
Of course, this will be combined with a happy ending.
Basically, it's a juggling plot about what women desire secretly, even though they'll hate it on the face of it.
Overall, it's below average, it can we watched but just skip the scene with side characters.
The support characters are a pain in the a$$ to watch.
PS: The best part about this drama is there's plenty of fan service from the FML (¬‿¬)
The costume designer and the director took advantage of every opportunity to highlight her and make her appealing, which is something rare
Not explicitly but just the mere hints and expressions.
You know where the imagination works better than the real deal , that kinda fan service.
Also, the ML and FML didn't kiss, they just had lip locks , clearly indicating one of them wanted it as a condition to be part of the contract.
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A captivating drama destroyed by horrendous writing ( DESERVES A REBOOT/REMAKE)
Imagine you come across a drama that has such a controversial plot , it keeps you hooked to the screen .A mess you can't help but watch, it keeps on disappointing yet you keep watching it, hoping the writing will improve but it doesn't.
It keeps going down and down .
The acting is marvellous, you expect greatness from it further .
It gives you a reason to enjoy the plot in a different kind of entirety in itself.
And then everything that can go wrong , goes wrong.
The plot derails, and the plane crashes.
This drama is an excellent example of what happens when the writer allows the plot to peak in the beginning itself and runs out of plot after the 1st half.
The first half of this drama is tempting, as good as it can get.
The 2nd half is total trash, horrendous and should be deleted from every memory.
The chemistry b/w the leads is captivating to watch, you just can't get enough of it and would want to watch it again and again .
Sadly, the writing is an utter disappointment post-episode 7 .
How can they destroy such a great script?
The highlighting point was the cheating aspect of it , which when you try to understand makes every sense of why they did , what they did, and why it happened!
Such writing makes me enraged that I put such interest in a plot and in the end, it culminates into sh8t .
You start to ponder, this was so thrilling so what happened?
How can the writer sh8t on such a great plot?
Are they mad?
Who tf even allowed them to progress this way ?
The actors deserve better for sure .
F*****K I'm angry.
Anyway, you can watch it.
Just drop it post-episode 7 as it's not worth it .
The writer does everything she can to destroy the plot.
Every nonsense one could portray was shown.
PS: I hope somebody makes a remake of this , this drama needs a reboot with the same actors but a different writing style.
They deserve it, we deserve it, Only if !!
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HAPPINESS ( DA-BONG) (¬‿¬)
The first word that comes to my mind after finishing this drama is ' HAPPINESS 'Everything was so subtle in this drama.
It had a mix of everything, every genre one could include in a rom-com.
Plus the concept of time travel is what makes it even better. It's used minimally and that is the charm.
If there's any drama that has used the concept of time travel in the most straightforward yet effective manner, it's this one.
The characters are outstanding, and every episode is written in a way that will make you want to binge-watch this (and this is coming from me who rarely binge-watches dramas)
The romance was so subtle, it started smoothly and went on till last.
The plot is simple, this is one of those dramas where you throw your brains away and just enjoy how the story is being told.
You laugh, you cry, you smile, and you feel everything this drama makes you do.
Such writing and direction are rare.
This drama is a pure gem.
Even the acting is absolutely top-notch.
~ Every character in this drama seemed happy from the inside despite it having sad moments.
Unique I must say.
All of them had a significant role to play.
~Plus there was no real evil in this drama, each character was so supportive towards the other.
To be able to write in such a way is a tough job.
In the end, you're left with zero spite against anyone, KUDOS TO THE WRITER!
~ Moreover the chemistry b/w our leads is mesmerizing, and you'll melt right away.
~ In the end it leaves you wanting for more, especially the comic moments.
~ Ahhh, this drama was the epitome of happiness, I could feel the fun they must've had shooting it.
I'm gonna miss it, coz you rarely find such gems to watch.
And also the fact that I can't see it again for the 1st time as I did. 😄
Also, initially, I avoided watching this drama due to the poster since it didn't appeal to me, but what a big mistake I made .😶
PS : DA-BONG( Inside joke from the drama) (¬‿¬)
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BEST SCI-FI RUINNED IN 2ND HALF
Manhole is one of the most amazing dramas one could come across initially.The plot was so amazing, I was hooked from episode 1.
It starts slow in EP1 but by the time it ends, it's rocking.
Each episode involves a series of Sci-Fi
The fun, the confusion, the silliness.
You can't just get enough, but that's just for the first 11 episodes.
Beyond that, the writer went crazy, like they forgot how to write.
The writing went down the gutter, the surprise element no longer carried the charm.
Character development died a horrible death.
And we were left with a bunch of good-to-go soulless cliche' writing.
I'm so disappointed in the last 5 episodes of this drama that You shouldn't even bother to watch them beyond Episode 11.
Ughhh.
The acting was superb, each character played their role magnificently.
Overall, this drama is what could've been the best Sci-Fi K drama but unfortunately, it couldn't achieve it.
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The Desirable Cliche'
It's a short and sweet drama divided equally for both the MC and FMC's perspectives.The theme of unrequited loved is complex but this sweet journey takes you back to your own experience if you ever had one.
The first episode is the best, too powerful but after that, the drama drags a lot and the direction gets messy it's due to the writing, the writer didn't have enough of a plot to move further.
Overall Park Hyung Sik and Han So Hee acted like a charm . Great chemistry indeed!
A decent watch.
PS : Do Focus on the soundtrack in episode one, the accordion and the piano at times as well as the guitar.
If ever a sound director deserved an award it should be for this episode.
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ENTANGLED
Yes, this word describes this drama perfectly.Firstly, I would like to ask if you've watched this writer's drama before?
If yes, you know how it's gonna be like which is just awesome.
If not, give this a try.
Also, the fact that this is a low budget drama, nothing fancy, it sticks to the basic script provided and the direction is good enough.
But More than half of the screenplay in this drama for the side family characters was a hassle, I skipped it.
But what kept me watching this was the quad couple.
This has to be one of the most fascinating drama's I've watched.
Brilliant chemistry, authentic dialogues, sensible and impeccable conversations.
You rarely come across all these.
As for the word entangled, this drama has every character entangled to each other, and as the episodes progress the web keeps on solving itself.
You realize how the characters you disliked initially had a pov that mattered.
Everything has a reason and subtle, honest conversations can have a calming effect on everything.
Issues can be resolved.
It's a lovely drama to have come across and be watched.
Also, this is the first drama where the 2nd couple almost threw away, more like overrode the 1st couple.
Their characterization and chemistry was damn brilliant.
Overall a must watch drama if you've patience and you love to learn the real progression.
Could it have been better? Yes certainly!
Is it the best out there? Nope.
But does it do its job? Yes, pretty much.
But that's the feeling you get with every drama .
Special mention to Park Hyung Shik, the guy has the talent to be a mega star.
Especially after watching his performance on Suits.
He literally stole the lime light from everybody in this drama , even Uee and Sung Joon.
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GOOF COMEDY
Looking for a Goof comedy with a secret agent concept?Here it is.
The movie is fun to watch, even the action is goofy xD
And the cluelessness is hilarious.
Although it starts a bit slow but turns to the fun part right after 10 mins.
The plot is stupid but it's intentional to create a havoc and insert comedy in between , makes a great combo xD
The acting is magnificent.
Even the physical elements in the movie represent comedy.
Overall a fun package on a Sunday afternoon.
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