ZaneAraki

I want to recommend My Mister for depressing topic. Someone already recommend Signal, so you will probably like Life On Mars too. I haven't finished it but it received praises. The Good Wife for adultery + law firm setting, It's Okay That's Love if you don't mind mature romance + comedy, and a bit melo. Misaeng for office drama, Awl in market setting. Most of these drama don't have romance/subtle, except IOTL.

The mother. She was the one who started the fire, but just a moment after the house burned down, she went through a memory dissociation state due to the shock and therefore only remember that her husband trying to drag her feet and hurt her.
Young Jae Yul knew this because after he was carried by Jae Bum to escape the house, he saw from the mirror that their mother light the paper, so in order to protect their mother, he pointed out Jae Bum because he thought Jae Bum would only spent a year or two in prison, but turns out his case was decided as murder.
If you thought why Jae Yul didn't point himself, it's because after his stepfather fell onto him, he fainted and didn't know what happened afterwards. The mother saw Jae Bum holding the knife, so she immediately thought Jae Bum was the stabber.
But at court, the mother didn't answer when asked by lawyer whether Jae Bum killed him or not. Because of this, Jae Bum was ruled as the murderer. Jae Yul at the time was aware of self-defense so he probably thought even if Jae Bum did stab the stepfather, his action would still counted as self-defense, so when Jae Bum would spent 11 years on prison, Jae Yul felt deep guilt and remorse.
Sorry if that turns out long.

Was I not in the right mood/mind when watching this? Did I focus too much about the generous praises this drama received and end up watching it while questioning what makes it so special?

Now I can quite relate to people who didn't see the beauty of Signal, while some/most of us do. Maybe because they already have a certain expectation and instead of 'feeling' the story, focus on the technical aspect of it.

I think that's what happened to me. If only I wasn't aware of the praises. I'd have wanted to enter the story as someone who truly peek at these characters life with wonders.
Despite that, this drama is indeed beautiful. It captured the complexity of life drawn from the three-dimensional characters. The dialogues are spot on. The neighborhood guys are a dream, no wonder Ji An would wanted to be reborn in that place. The ending is bittersweet, which fits.

I think I know what makes me not quite clicked with this drama. It's the office conflict. I don't enjoy watching the story about CEO and his affair, and Ji An and Dong Hoon's interaction that resulted from it. Somehow I expected the story to focus more on Ji An growing proximity with the three brothers, in ways that makes her problem becomes their problem too. Like, I thought it would tell the story of the all three brothers dealing with her problems. Of course that wasn't the case, the brothers had their own arcs and it's more about Ji An and Dong Hoon. And no, the story builds itself around the power-seizing CEO/Director drama. It's only near the last episodes that Ji An has more interaction with the two brothers. Maybe the poster gave me the wrong idea. I also get the idea that this is a healing drama, but to me it doesn't feel quite so, even if that's the intention.

This is 8.5/10. Would have been a 9 for me if I feel clicked with it.

Thank you Poia. I have to finish Life On Mars first or else I'll get mixed up with the characters here and there. x)

Really? Sounds like the making of my least favorite drama right there.. haha. I'll wait for more episodes then.

As someone who only watched this up to six episodes, this is high-quality pure political drama. However, at times my brain also froze as the story and relationship between characters become more complicated.
I want to appreciate this show as a whole but I couldn't since I decided to drop this after the 6th. I watched this while airing but after the 6th I put it on-hold and now to continue from where I left off wasn't as easy for now I have a different mood.
Due to the complexity of the story, at least an 8 is well-deserved for this show.

Have you tried kissasian? And if you don't mind downloading, try dramaday.

I'm so late to the party because I just finished this show today. Where should I start? This drama now topped the first place in my favorite kdrama rom-com list. This is the only rom-com where I feel all the characters arc are real and sincere, and tied nicely leaving no loose ends.
I love love love this so much. xDD I feel like the writer truly give me what I want and expected for the story unconsciously. I was let down with Gong Hyo Jin previous dramas, tried Pasta and Master Sun a few months ago. So with this show, I didn't really put any expectation and for the whole episodes I wasn't forcing my expectation to the way the story unfold. And I'm so hooked right from the first episode. Damn, what a ride.
Srsly love this show. haha.
9.5/10

I came to this show expecting it to be a rom-com, but it felt more like a melodrama and after a while the push and pull between the main leads gets tiring. Certainly couldn't enjoy this but I do admit their chemistry is pretty easy on the eyes.

For me, it wasn't a matter of bad acting. He's portraying a delinquent character of sort. Young, idealism still fresh off the pot, and brash. I already saw him doing similar role on Cheese In The Trap, and after reading people's praises for his performance as Nam Shin, I probably wanted to see more of his range. That's why I feel a bit disappointed. Yes, I do realized I will probably miss out a lot if I only stick it to 1st episode, I'm sure there would be another faucets of him throughout the story. So yeah, he did great for his role, I just don't favor it.
If you read my previous comment, unlike the crime dramas I have watched, this one didn't grab my attention immediately after the first episode. So it wasn't just because of Kang Joon, but more like I don't find the 1st ep engaging enough to see the upcoming ones.

Usually crime dramas grabbed my attention from the first episode. However this one didn't, and I think the reasons are:

-Main leads set-up. I'm a bit disappointed that there's a secondary female lead, the rookie police officer. I was hoping it would only be the three of them, because the current set-up gives me romance vibe, idk why, I feel like either Chi Gwang/Tae Joo, Tae Joo/Young Goon, Young Goon/Soo Yeon, or Chi Gwang/Soo Yeon might have a love line and I hate to see this potential in an investigation story unless they feel subtle, like you don't quite realized it at first glance.

-The baddie. I don't know if this one has procedural episodes, or one villain with overarching story as in Stranger, but if its the latter, I'm certainly not happy with this, because I just saw Heo Sung Tae in Different Dreams and his portrayal of the character is exactly the same on this show. From his manners to his speech, for its evident similarities, I can't help but instantly dislike the character for this very reason.

-Acting. Other than Heo Sung Tae, I also not favor Seo Kang Joon's acting in this, maybe because his acting is similar with his character on Cheese In The Trap. I have only watched him on Cheese, Entourage, and now this trial first episode, and because I'm seeing the same result, maybe I feel somewhat unimpressed by his portrayal.

-Story. I'm not sure if my inability to be intrigued by the story is due to my dislike for the 3 points above or because the plot itself unfold with some tired characters and scenes trope.

I believe I'm in the minority here, so congrats for many of you who can enjoy this drama. I really want to continue watching this but I'm already occupied with Chief of Staff, another airing drama which demanded my utmost attention because it's quite fast-paced for now.

Seo Hyun Jin's character is very endearing, the fact that she cried most of the time didn't really bother me. I'm not feeling Eric Mun's portrayal of Do Kyung's emotion defectiveness, and I want moar of Soo Kyung and Jin sang!!
I think as a whole, this drama manage to have a nice flow despite some of its drawbacks, such as the main couple's back and forth interaction. I'm not used to passive male lead so Do Kyung kind of me ticked me off radar, except the last two episodes, that was the only time I warmed up to him. Also this counts as melodrama, so don't let the poster deceive you.. haha.
Moral of the story: Live a life that we won't regret.

How did one resist his charm?? Haha

lol, that scene had me re-checking her scenes with yoo ah in in chicago typerwriter, seems like she's not a good kisser and yoo ah in + angle were the ones that saved the kiss. i only noticed this now tho

Because the womance is too strong in this one. I bet even without the male lead this show would have kick ass nevertheless. I'm okay with the romance though, but I don't spot their chemistry at all.

yeah! I saw it coming when she first met Eun Gi on Deok Mi's house. Their chemistry is electric xD

HPL captured perfectly the ideal relationship of a couple. The way they communicate with each other, the way they expressed their feelings, and how they console each other at tough times.. aren't something I usually see in kdramas. That's why I truly appreciate their efforts on showing a healthy relationship on-screen.

There's nothing special about the story. But some elements are quite interesting, like the fangirl and art theme, especially when they got a bit philosopical and sentimental as in ep 5 and the ep in which they volunteer at an orphanage. I must say the sidetracked fangirl theme makes the show feels incomplete as a whole. I wish Shi An wasn't just a background fodder aside from being an idol and Ryan's lil bro, and I wish he had more involvement in Deok Mi's life.. or have more profound/challenging ideas of being an idol.

But overall, I do like the way it settled. I love how everyone got their happy ending, especially seeing Eun Gi and Deok Mi can laugh care-freely with Seun Joo again like the old times. If I have to get a bit technical, ep 5-12 is my favorite in terms of build-up. Ep 13-14 took an already common kdrama route but still, not because of noble idiocy, but only because of the childhood connection trope. Ep 15 is close to my favorite, and 16 is a sweet farewell to us watchers. I honestly feel their skinship are more raw and ad-libbed at 5-12. I mean, that hug Deok Mi gave to Ryan when he had a bad dream and visited her, it was 10 times better than the future hugs they frequently had on further episodes.

I don't know why they choose this route instead of more natural shot of their sweet scenes, but I could put it aside whenever I remember how precious their interactions are.

I'm not ashamed to say that this show deserved at least an 8 for being consistent with the characters interaction with each other. Thank you show, you deserved our love, too <3

Just completed this drama, which manage to drain out all my logic. hshs
-Chef Hyun Wook is mean. Like, super mean. But I get where he comes from. I don't really mind him. I can understand his anger and pettiness. I would get sick of people like him fast, but somehow they're also under the strain of achieving reliable results. So yes, despite my ickiness with his kind of person, I also can somehow accept him. But, some of his acts, like cancelling Yoo Kyung's trip to Italy on the last ep, that's such a bastard move on him. lel.

-Yoo Kyung. I really love her, I really do, until the 11th episode. I can't tell the exact reason, but it gets frustrating when she got mad at Hyun Wook. She always become contradictory, at one moment she wanted to be Hyun Wook's disciple and is fully aware of his constant anger, but at the same time she protest too. Dunno what this girl truly wants, and I'm so tired of her shit at the end of this drama. She also doesn't respect Hyun Wook's feelings. She IS his girlfriend, whether they kept it a secret or not. But she easily accept Alex's invitation, in front of Hyun Wook. She's lacking sensibility, very innocent, and okay, I don't want to say it but she's really stupid. Damn.

-Other casts. I equally hate them all. Haha. The Italian-trained trio chef are actually more tolerable and likeable. But still, I hate them all for discriminating Yoo Kyung from time to time.

The one thing people in this drama having trouble are minding other people's privacy/business. You can expect the fired cook girls stalking on Yoo Kyung and Hyun Wook's date, hijacking them in the middle of their date and start making a scene. And sooo many more idiot moments like this.

From various things that bothered me, is the reason of Hyun Wook falling in love with Yoo Kyung, when all she does is frowning and whining about whatever he did. I mean, Hyun Wook always got mad at her regarding their work affairs. But she always seemed to get mad about.. everything. Whatever he did, whether personal or professional. Sae Young actually feels more believable if not for the conflict she had with Hyun Wook that break their relationship.

I love the cooking aspect off the show, when they went through competition, when the kitchen is in chaos. But I hate the way they handle all the characters. So gotta give it a 5/10.

*show please don't butchered the ending*
But anyway, if they did, I will have my own version of the happy ending:
The scene shows a bidding session inside a gallery. Deok Mi and Ryan are competing against each other for a painting, just like the first day of their meeting. When they got more intense on the bidding, they're interrupted by a kid or two sitting between them. The kids shouted,
"Eomma, Appa!"
And then Deok Mi and Ryan's face softened when looking at their kids.
"You said you want to buy me the latest coloring set!" Said Kid #01.
"How are you going to afford my princess dress if you keep on bidding!" Said Kid #02, almost crying.
Deok Mi and Ryan glared at each other before laughing out loud.
"You know what, forget about that painting. I can draw better than that, anyway." Bragged Ryan.
Deok Mi teased him with her half-puzzled look, but then said,
"Anyway kids, let's get out of here. We should have fun. Do you wanna see the lion?"
"Where can we see a lion?" Asked the kids.
"Well, there's a zoo nearby, right, Mr. Ryan?" Deok Mi winked to Ryan and he tried holding his laugh.
The scene then proceed to the four of them walking out from the gallery and happily holding hands together.
And the very last scene... are the four of them at their home, preparing a big canvas and the colors, starts having fun painting at the canvas. The scene ended on Ryan and Deok mi holding hand, hug each other and kiss, proceeded with the kids interruption asking to be hug and held as well, so the four of them embrace while laughing gleefully.

So is Lee Sun Gyun's character inspired by Gordon Ramsay or vice versa? lol