ML is so damn hot and interesting - kind of a cold and arrogant one that is possessive towards the FL. He own a security company that provide bodyguard or hosting an event (something like that). And the FL is so pretty, adorable, and smart. She works as a theater artist. They met because of a dangerous situation (which is you will get the explanation later) before and fall in love until they separate it cause of life and death situation. Then finally after 5 years, they met again, get back together, and solve the problems that hasn't done it from five years before.
The second lead couple also got an interesting story, and I just can't forget the daughter of SML. She was too cute and smart.
A great storyline, awesome cast, good chemistry between the couples. What can we ask more? Overall, totally worth it and enjoyable. Really recommend you guys to watch it! Short and not draggy at all.
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The first half of this show, I was utterly in love with it. I re-watched episodes as I waited for new ones to air. But I made the fatal mistake of falling for the second male lead, knowing that the writers would break my heart and his. The show starts off by throwing a huge cast of characters at us, and their relations seem a little confusing at first. But, eventually, all is sorted, and we have ourselves with 3 main love triangles. Pyo Na Ri, who has been in a 3 year one-sided love with Lee Hwa Shin, and then meets and falls for his best friend and ultimate chaebol gentleman, Go Jung Won. This is our main triangle and love story. The others are played up at first but slowly get pushed to the background....just like our 2nd lead. I blame the writers for making Jung Won such a perfect catch (and Go Kyung Pyo for making Jung Won seriously swoony) that he was hard to get over. Whereas, in contrast Hwa Shin could be a perfect donkey's behind...yet somehow you couldn't hate him because he also showed that he cared about everyone in his life as well. He was definitely tortured by his own inner self.
The story had some serious moments that the writers cut with humorous moments, so the weightier matters didn't drag the show into melodrama territory. There were strong characters and great chemistry with ALL the cast members. The writers did a fantastic job with the casting, and it could not have been more perfect. Up until around episode 14, I was sure that this might be the best drama I had ever watched and I fully expected to see it on my list of favorites. But the writers started to make some missteps in the story from my point of view. And I know that the majority of viewers may disagree with me. I did not feel that way simply because my 2nd lead wasn't getting the girl. Hwa Shin was not a bad choice for Pyo Na Ri. They did have some great chemistry together and I could see where the Hwa Shin "shippers" could be all on board with him. But I wasn't as swayed as I could have been and the actions of the characters didn't seem honorable to me in that mid-point. It dampened my love for the show somewhat, and that never fully recovered. Jealousy Incarnate was still a good show and I looked forward to it every week. I think they wrapped up the story well and completely for our main couple. However, they left a lot of loose ends when they backburnered the side characters that were prominent in the first several episodes.
My favorite side characters may have been the doctor and her nurse. Nurse Oh stole every scene she was in, and the doctor was both funny and full of heart.
The music was great - seriously stand out. I'm not normally into the music so much, but there were several songs that I had to hunt down and play for my own enjoyment of them.
Please, do give this show a chance (and push through past the first couple of episodes if it's hard - it's worth it!). You'll have lots of laughter and emotions.
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Notice !!! ~Almost all negative reviews come from viewers who haven’t watch all!
Great chemistry among all the main leads.!I've decided to leave a comment because I believe the rating is underrated. I think this drama deserves more recognition than it's getting. It's quite a rare phenomenon to see two pairs of protagonists with such fantastic chemistry. There were a few weaker episodes, but which dramas don't have them? The storyline kept me engaged in most episodes, especially the interaction between the main characters was great !. I believe we should take this drama as it is - light, positive, and relaxing after a tough day.
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Without a doubt, this is the best Chinese drama of 2023.
Amazing series! This has been one of the best series that I have watched in terms of acting, writing, cinematography and strong characters, never a dull moment . The actors and actresses in this series were amazing especially Liu Yu Ning and He Lan Dou.Characters and character development was very satisfying, that I even feel sympathy towards the villains. Well written script and the musical score/soundtrack is so beautifully done.
It was kind of a bittersweet ending, but a happy one at the same time.
Overall I highly highly recommend this fantastic and very entertaining series.
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Definitely a gift for DMBJ novel fans
Ultimate Note final thoughts:I remember being extremely suspicious of the cast and the length of the drama in the beginning.
However after the trailers got released I felt a bit more positive.
Then the first ep got released and I was utterly speechless with the amount of info they squeezed in one ep and how fast paced and how much they followed the novel.
Of course there were a few things that were changed to increase the screen time of some characters, but it was handled really well and it even added more depth into the show.
We feared that everything was going too smoothly and we prepared ourselves for the worst. However, it never came? The show was consistently delivering and even improving in the many aspects.
Even though the ending was an open ending, it was quite fitting considering the final book was not included, they were still able to fit in information from book 8 and even fan theories. They were able to lay out everything in a way that was easy to digest.
They were able to make us feel happy, sad, scared and worried about our main characters.
They showed us more than we ever thought we would get.
The sets were amazing and the graphics was good enough to considering the budget constraints. What appeared to me is that they knew where to put more attention in and where to put less.
Also I noticed the awkwardness in the filming mainly showed up when it was mundane scenes where they were not going into tombs or in the wild.
This Iron Triangle is definitely my favorite, we see them growing together, developing an unbreakable friendship after so many life threatening situations.
Now onto the actors,
Zheng Shunxi: I was the most skeptical about him at first, I've heard bad reviews about his previous acting and that didn't give me a good impression. I then watched Journey Across the Night and was impressed with him and I could see him as Wuxie then. And then his performance in UN definitely surpassed my expectations. He acted really well as a innocent but also temperamental Wuxie, a Wuxie that is hurt and has grown throughout the series. And lastly and more importantly is his emotional scenes were always very well done and it's a blessing he was able to act as Wuxie.
Xiao Yuliang: I knew him from Shahai, and honestly there was not enough of him to know if he would be good enough or not. At first I was surprised with how much emotion he was expressing in UN. I sometimes forget that Xiaoge is human just like everyone else, he is good at having a stoic face, but he still feels pain and happiness. I am glad he brought Xiaoge up to life, I could see what he was feeling and thinking when seeing his Xiaoge. And his action scenes are such a delight!! It's so different seeing action scenes performed by someone with some martial arts background! Also the contrast between his irl personality and Xiaoge is really impressive too, it shows how much of a good actor he is.
Cheng Fangxu: first thought seeing him was, he is not fat enough!! But when he started speaking in the trailer I already knew he is Pangzi himself! I liked how he was not here to only bring in the comedic effect, he was here like a mentor to Wuxie, he in many ways influenced Wuxie's growth as a tomb robber. There were times were his acting was a bit exaggerated but it was for comedic effect and I am completely fine with it. What I like the most, is how he himself is such a good older brother to the other two.
The rest of the cast also did a really good job and I am extremely grateful with everyone from this team. This is one of the most beautiful gifts a DMBJ fan can ever receive.
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This drama have it all; the story was nice, i loved the gender bender story, the cast couldn't been any better and all characters were simply awesome.
I also loved the hilarious events, there were episodes where i couldn't stop laughing, there were also moments of sadness, i remember being extremly sad when it ended. Hana Kimi is one of the dramas that need to be watched, it's one of the dramas that i would never forget about.
The best version out there !
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M2F began with the right pitch; it was extremely funny yet preserved its characters' emotional depth. It wasn't empty comedy and handled serious issues like broken families, society's shallowness, and people's materialism.
I was excited for every new M2F episode more than I was for "Man of Honor", but in the end I was surprised that MBC decided not to do the last episode because MBC Broadcast Entertainers Awards was set at the same time the last episode was supposed to air. That's frickin' brutal.
Another thing which I didn't understand is why a lot of people made a big issue out of Yoon Si Yoon looking really boyish/young for his role and how Kim Jae Won would've been more convincing. OMG, are you sure we're watching the same show? I can't imagine anybody else but Si Yoon as Jae Hee. He didn't feel like an actor playing a character, he *was* the character. Love the guy.
The writer threw me off at the end though, why all the fantasy thrown in at the end when the drama was so realistic all along? That's another thing which made me feel it was because of the last episode being cancelled.
I'm really sad because this drama, as awesome as it is, could've been so much better.
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101 ways to ruin the ending.
After dropping it twice... (in just one episode). I decided to give it try just for sake of my never-ending dropping list. Now at this point, knowing how it ended maybe I should just stop caring for my dropped list.. and let me take it to eternity.Of course... this kinda story is sooo predictable, cliche, having many skippable parts, and garnished with many second-hand embarrassments moments with cringe-worthy scenes. The rich male lead who's arrogant, rude and not knowing many ways of living meets a bit silly, hardworking and poor (this is very necessary) female lead they end up being boss-employee ...fell in love.. then there's character development, some seasoning of every possible trope that any drama can have. I didn't really like some supporting roles, as some were very cartoonish, were some unnecessary.
The problem is not being predictable or tropey, it fails hard in execution. Why make leads in their 30s if their actions are not even near to their age, yeah anyone can have a child in their heart but when behavior is childish... I really can't take it. Plus many times it becomes a real estate commercial, I appreciate seeing well-architectured houses but not in drama lol if I want to see them I can easily watch shows related to it (trust me I've seen many of them lol).
Actually, I liked some aspects of the female lead's character, the main pairing had some really cute moments together and some hilarious scenes that I enjoyed fully. There's nothing wrong with casting as everyone did a great job while portraying their roles. I'll appreciate the camera work too. To be honest, I didn't notice music much, maybe only one ost 'Story Of Us' by Jo Yuri.
It was okay drama till it reached the last stage then it messed up hard... So I'll call it drop-worthy watch the first 14 episodes.. then you can imagine this is the ending.
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The story involves longing, betrayal, revenge, secrets, family ties, and ill-fated love. The cast does a good job of balancing really heavy scenes with funny, and sweeter scenes.
Im Su Jung was so good as naive Eun Chae, that she made some of the more over the top moments completely believable. The same can be said for the rest of the cast, including Lee Hye Young's character who I loved to hate, and showed unexpected depth.
My absolute favorite was So Ji Sub. He really played his character brilliantly. He did so much more than just cry, yell, and laugh on cue. As Moo Hyuk, he showed so many complicated emotions, and I could never predict how Moo Hyuk would react. During moments in the drama that started to feel a little repetitive, he always pulled me back in. The fact that he is visually appealing didn't hurt either.
The plot does have the privileged vs the poor, and love triangles/squares, which is expected in most dramas, without following the same path. Every time I felt the story becoming predictable, a new revelation would catch me by surprise. I also could not predict how it would all end, which was refreshing.
Some of the down sides to this drama, to me, was the laughably bad english (so distracting), Yoon's terrible singing (also distracting, since he was supposed to be a pop idol), and showing way too many flashbacks. Later episodes seemed to rely on flashbacks to fill up the time. Some scenes were repeated so often that I no longer needed subtitles to understand them. Still, I never felt like dropping this drama after becoming so invested in the characters, and what would happen to them.
I think the positives heavily outweigh the negatives. So Ji Sub alone would make me recommend it. The soundtrack was good, and included some random songs like Billy Joel's "The Stranger" (which was a perfect fit). I don't know if I can stand emotionally to rewatch the entire drama, but It's so good that I might.
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This review may contain spoilers
* SPOILERS AHEAD. READ ONLY IF YOU'VE WATCHED THE SERIES* Things that annoyed me about Innocent Man:
1) The heroine that was used as little more than a beauty prop. The heroine is basically introduced to us as this badass, ruthless businesswoman who's the sole heir to a multi-national company. She is supposed to be a complete WOP, strutting in her high heels donning a zero-fucks-given attitude. And at first, she legit got me shouting, 'That's ma girl!' And, then ofc it all came to an end as soon as the guy walked in. From there onward, started the four-staged transition of our heroine from a boss ass bitch to just another irrelevant not-that-pretty face. Dx
Stage 1: When we realize that all the talk about her supposed badassery was just that, talk. For, when she is given a chance to actually prove her worth; she, despite being a Harvard graduate, famous child prodigy and an all-around genius, spends all her time banging her head against a desk and then, passes out in the garden. Whereas, the hero; a med school drop-out who doesn’t know the ABC of business, freaking flies from another country, learn everything about accounting and marketing on an hour-long phone call with his dumb best friend. And overnight, devises a fool-proof and practical investment plan. Like, m888 pls there's pushing it and then there is freaking bullshitting it to Hades and back. Ofc, all the while the heroine just stared at him; tongue wagging and hearty eyes shining.
Stage 2: Now obv, no-one can resist heartless badboys, so ofc she instantly falls in love with him. He is, unsurprisingly, using her for a revenge scheme against his ex (who's coincidentally also the heroine's step mom/sugar daddy's arm piece who wants to steal all her fortune) and ends up breaking her heart. Just seconds after the breakup, she gets a call that her father is on his death bed and wants her there with him but because she is just so fucking heartbroken, instead of going to her dying father she says fuck my privileged life and deliberately crashes into an oncoming car. (Ofc the car belonged to the hero and both of them then, dab their broken bones into the ICU)
Stage 3: Then came a nice dramatic twist where she loses all her memories 'cause of the car crash -joy- and is quickly transformed into a fragile, wimpy, spineless walking talking sob story who constantly whines about how much of a fragile, wimpy, spineless walking talking sob story she is. Double joy with happy tears on top.
Stage 4: Finally after 5, hour consuming episodes, she gets her memories back. And at this point, I was all pumped up and was like "Okay girl, let's bring the swag back on. This is your time to conquer and get back the billion-dollar company that was rightfully yours and show 'em who's the boss". But alas, I just got a stuck up, self-pitying brat who, instead of bringing her best revenge game just pouted, screamed and walked around with her arms crossed. #RIP Not to mention that after she gets her memories back and she finally remembers all that shit the hero did (he basically ruined her life), all she does is show a lil attitude and even in that duration, half of her thoughts are spent on pining after the dude. #RIPx2
2) The highly unnecessary martyr syndrome:
So at the end, both of our MC's realize that they can't live without each other (shocker), and they run around the city, tryna find the other when at last, their eyes connect over a heavily trafficked road. So, the red signal comes up and while all the other obviously dumb pedestrians rush to cross the road, these two geniuses start their slo-mo jaywalk towards each other. Conveniently, the killer (who wants to stab the heroine and take over her company) arrives just when they're steps away from embracing and then outta nowhere the hero magically lights nitrous under his ass, does a fancy little twirl in the air -where he spins the heroine a full 360 degree, while simultaneously giving her a bear hug- and gets stabbed in her place. BRAVO. I mean, I get that he needed his sixty seconds of stardom but in the time he did all that shit, he coulda just pushed her to the side and saved both of their sorry asses. #AllHailGlory
3) The horribly put together ending.
Like, if you're gonna invest in producing 30 hours of screen-time, the least you could do is film a proper ending. Instead, everything is wrapped up in a measly 15 minutes. We are teleported to seven years later; where apparently, it's the hero's turn to lose all his memories. LMAO. 100% Dead-ass. It is revealed that the accident they were involved in had apparently caused him some brain damage too (just like the heroine) and his surgery caused memory loss. How divine. So, basically, he forgets everything that happened and is now starting over with the heroine in a rural town. WTF.
There is no inkling as to where the multinational company (which was the whole focus of the show) went to. The heroine, who was a billionaire in her own right and was basically built to lead the business, is reduced to a giggling girl who spends her time baking horrible goods at a cheap store (that nobody buys) and not-so-discreetly snapping pictures of the hero. They also show the fail killer walking somewhere out of his own volition (hopefully to jail) and the drama ends with a "Love trumps all" moral.
So yes, Innocent Man does come with its fair share of flaws but it still wrenched a 7.0 rating out of me because even despite all of its ludicrousness, I somehow ended up enjoying the drama. The acting is satisfactory. Not a single episode is boring and it would keep you at the edge of your seat till the end. Even though Eun Chae lost her character half way through the show, she had got me on her side with her personality in the beginning and so I was still cheering her on till the end. Kang Ma Roo also had his moments.
Moon Chae Won and Soon Joong Ki are both good actors and even though they did appear rather blank sometimes, I feel like they played their roles nicely. Won't rewatch it all but I might revisit some of the more interesting scenes in the future. Who knows?
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This review may contain spoilers
Initially the drama was damn good
I was hooked up at 1st ep. The rich ceo run into an accident & met the deliverywoman in way who hospitalozed him. However he faked a memory loss(, bcoz of company politics u will understand when u watch) & hid himself into that woman house. Trust me the moments of them in her neighbourhood & home & their development of liking to each other we will gonna love it. However the story started to lose its essence after ep 14.However even if u dont want to watch the drama full i will suggest u to watch it till ep 11. Trust me u will definitely enjoy it. But yeah after ep 14-15 i myself started found the story draggy & basic. The kiss scenes were good. I liked it.Was this review helpful to you?
The story line is just amazing. From episode 1, I was captivated by the plot, making me sit at the edge of my chair, anticipating of what would happen next. Just when I thought I figured out who is behind it all, something unexpected happened and I was left at a dead end with numerous questions. Even until the very last minute of the final episode I was left awestruck. It took me a few minutes to register what happened and then everything clicked into place. Usually I am pretty good at figuring out who is bad and who is good, but this drama totally made me run around in circles.
The cast was also amazing. I have no words to describe how well everyone played their parts. Lee Bo Young played the mother soo well. The determination she showed to save her child no matter what, it felt real. She is clearly a great actress. And what can I say about Cho Seung Woo, he was just amazing!! The action scenes he did was just top notch!! Seriously can i have him protect me too? haha But in all seriousness, he did a great job!
Of course I need to mention, Kim Yoo Bin, this little 9 year old girl did such a great job. If she can act like this at such a young age, imagine where she will be in 10 years time! Oh and how can I forget Baro (of B1A4). The amount of times he made me awestruck in this drama, the way he played a mentally disabled boy, left me speechless. It is hard to believe that this was only his 2nd drama. I can say with confidence that he is going to be an amazing actor. Cannot wait to see his future works!! (Special mention goes to No Min Woo, though his part was small, every time I saw him on screen i fangirled like mad. He is just too hot x__x)
The rewatch value is also very high. There is not a single boring moment in this drama. Nothing dragged on for too long and in every episode something new came up, which helped to unfold the story and create more mystery. I would definitely watch it again if i have time.
Finally I would say, hats off to the team for creating such an amazing drama. I know many didn't like the ending and others loved it. I for one, think the ending was bittersweet. It was not overly happy, but it was also not tear jerking. Seriously if you haven't watched this drama, then please do, I promise, you will enjoy it.
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a coming of age story with 3 protagonists
Overall: the first half of the series had me hooked as a romance/coming of age. However, the addition of a 3rd protagonist and the lack of romantic progression changed the focus of the story which I did not enjoy. I think I read the first volume of the manga a long time ago and I've seen the prior 2017 movie but I'm basing this review on the 2024 series' own merits. 12 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4485/i-hear-the-sunspot-2024-e01 and iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/i-hear-the-sunspot-episode-1-2556woqrs6s?lang=en_usContent Warning: punch, grief/mental health struggles
Watch Suggestions (to focus on the m/m leads)
- watch episodes 1-6
- skip episode 7 (can watch the 40s recap the beginning of ep 8)
- start episode 8 at 14 minutes
- start episode 9 at 7 minutes
- in episode 10 skip 19:30- 21:40
- watch episode 11 beginning to 4:20 and 15 to the end
- watch episode 12 at 12 minutes to the end
What I Liked
- dynamic between the leads (in the beginning half, then they needed to communicate)
- acting
- representation with a character who has hearing loss, showing how even people who are trying to be kind can isolate a person
- generally not a fan of extended flashbacks but episode 2 and the beginning of episode 3 gave us critical background information to understanding the characters and I'm glad we had this towards the beginning of the series
- that Taichi sought communication in episodes 2 & 5
- sweet moments like fishing together
- production value (some really gorgeous shots in the beginning episodes that conveyed things by showing like opening the curtains or how the basketball court went dark and empty, also good shots in episode 11)
Room For Improvement
- started the series with a flash forward and also some of the ominous voice overs
- the camera blocked kiss, I don't care if that's how it was in the manga, we are at a different time and place from when the manga was written and I expected a non camera blocked kiss
- Taichi was written to seek communication but then was unbelievably dense and didn't communicate any more
- Maya's backstory was way too late and the way she was written did not evoke empathy, the writers did her character dirty
- too many flashbacks in episode 9
- anti climactic ending, the finale had a protagonist talking with other characters for the entire first half of the finale
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Itazura na Kiss is a fantastic story but reality is that is a bit outdated and doesn't really reflect society nowadays no matter how romantic one is or is not on my opinion. Kiss me instead of sticking to the original and become known as just another remake of the story, it elevates it to an entire new level by giving it their own spin of it and make it actual without compromising the essential storyline.
Naoki aka Tenten is fantastic to watch. He's relatable as a person, not the arrogant genious every other version tried to make him as. Yes, he's a genius but he's human and the humanity of the character that Mike D'Angelo portraits is what differs Tenten from all the other versions for me. Tenten is by far the most complete character of all the versions.
Kotoko aka Taliw...she's sweet and clueless at times and she's simple but she's caring and genuinely in love with Tenten without going overboard or being annoying like other versions I believe, which makes me like the character and empathize with her.
Kiss me is not a copy paste of the other versions, making it more authentic and interesting to watch. The soundtrack is also quite good.
Overall, it is a great adaptation of Itazura na Kiss!
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This review may contain spoilers
Spoilers!!!!Beautiful story and concept but the ending with how the main couple gets back together was extremely toxic.
I really enjoyed this drama. Loved the storylines and the chemistry between each of the couples was wonderful. The ensemble felt very flowing. The conclusion that love and marriage can look different to everybody and you just have to work that out between partners was amazing.
However, I have a big issue with one of the message about relationships; we learn that Ji Ho knew that Se Hee was going to confess before she decided to end the contract and move out. She tells everyone else that she loves him but wants him to open up his most vulnerable self to her. But, she doesn't tell him that. Instead, she lies about why she's leaving. She could have said, "I want to end the contract because I'm having feelings. Can we talk about that and whether you are, too, and whether we want to be a real couple?" Instead, she tortures him. Knowing that he's in love with her, she leads him to believe she is traveling far away and has ended everything. Also knowing that a lot of his pain is from having been abandoned by someone he loved before. He's literally in a bad emotional state and I'd argue in a state of actual depression. Meanwhile, she's having fun in Seoul at the hostel and with her friends. Laughing it up at the sauna, etc.
When they are reunited, she doesn't wake him up to talk. She talks to him while he's half asleep, thinking he's dreaming. When he wakes up, she acts as if its completely normal that she's there doing laundry and making breakfast. He's rightfully angry. She smiles. He's rightfully angry that she's smiling. But, somehow, she gets to apologize with a smile on her face and be happy that he's angry and its all okay?
If someone had done this to me, I'd be over them. It was manipulative and cruel. It was TOXIC. I'd never trust her again. Here was this man who, despite his wounds, was always considerate and kind. He was definitely overly-cautious. But, he was so respectful of boundaries. He was protective. In his shocked state, after seeing his ex, he still thought to make her some tea. You don't always need words to know that someone loves you. Those actions are far more telling. If you fell in love with this person, why are trying to make him be different? And, if you need something from him, why don't you just say so instead of this cruel, underhanded behavior?
I really loved the chemistry between them up until this point. I never understood why she took the route she did. I agreed with her mother, "you're talking crap." She's wrapping up her destructive behavior in the romanticized metaphor of a story about a woman who ended up committing suicide. What the heck?
Why does everyone find what she did romantic? I ended up not liking her and worried about what else she might do in the future if things weren't going her way. She's actually a little twisted. It bothers me that no one is critical of this. That this is seen as something to aspire to. Don't treat people the way she did.
This is a shame. Crappy plot devices meant to drag the show's run time is what honestly ruined a top 5 drama for me. It was a complete disrespect for everything the drama stood for, especially in terms of characters and breaking cliches. But most importantly, it was a disrespect of the values this show held of how to make a strong relationship: Honesty and communication. This show spoke a lot about those concepts and the ending of it completely takes a hard dump on all of that. If your plot device/cliche could be cleared up by one sentence, you've already lost.
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