This review may contain spoilers
"Love when you are ready and not when you are lonely"
What can I say? NADAO really isn't playing when it comes to the production of this series. Ever since the first season to this one, I actually believe they have improved and given us this delightful first episode, filled with many captures and panoramic views of the city, and also of course the always so aesthetically pleasing scenes with our main leads, Teh and Oh-aew.The shots where they enter and the whole dynamic with the colors Blue and Red (just like in the first season), will be very significative along the series and probably has a plethora of symbolic meanings associated to them.
What I do love about this story is how realistic and relatable it truly feels. Teh and Oh-aew really do represent all of us in terms of chasing our goals and dreams, while questioning our own sexuality and passions, to graduating high school and applying to college that not always is close to home, having old and new friendships, and many more... all in all, the ordeals of a lifetime.
Am sensing that a lot will happen this time around too...
The first season was more like an awakening. Like a realization of a blooming of youth.
Meanwhile in this, it will depict the changes that come with college life and access to adulthood.
BK once again awe us with his skills in conquering both of our hearts with the way he takes the character of Teh, the always avid dreamer and aspiring actor and then we have PP being his adorable self, taking us in an emotional ride by how well he shows Oh-aew struggles through the screen. The way they can draw emotions in their roles is truly amazing. PP with just his expressions alone can really makes us see the pain and suffering that his character is going through, that talent hasn't changed from the first season to this one, on the contrary their acting has only gotten better. Am looking forward to see more of it.
Teh is a constant, while Oh-aew is a variable.
That is only reinforced through the outcome of their own life changes and decisions within their personal journey here. Hard not to feel empathetic towards the characters when they give us an insight that we can without a doubt relate. Not everyone is set on their dream so passionately as Teh is, some of us are lost like Oh-aew until we do find our own dream. Changes are always the hardest to accept, mainly when the fears speak louder than reason. However some are inevitable.
What I do love about the episodes of this second season is the fact that we are able to witness their coming of age, along with how their personal choices affect others and their own perceptions of what is right or wrong, bad or good, and the maturity they need to overcome the obstacles that might settle in their own way.
And somehow, I like those odds.
"Love when you are ready and not when you are lonely"
It's a phrase that can easily apply here and also when it comes to temptation. Still, it's quite enthralling the way they film the turmoil of conflicted emotions within the scenes between Teh and Oh-aew. Every single scene is made with the sole purpose of pleasing the artistic eye, therefore to engage the viewers with the complexity of feelings their characters are feeling, all through their intimate and personal journey and paths.
If we go beyond and past all prejudice here, we might see the levels of maturity this season and characters deal with when it comes to the ordeals of life and relationships, be it love, betrayal and even friendship and family. It teaches us valuable lessons if we are able to see between the lines, if we manage to decipher the symbolic value of each and every scene.
People keep on commenting and comparing about ITSAY and IPYTM, from my point of view they are both masterpieces in their own unique way. Both series are different but with the same characters, they are shown to take a step towards adulthood while making mistakes and losing the moon while counting the stars, but it's also shown how to overcome obstacles, how to change paths and chase new dreams, how to deal with breakups and failure, the bittersweet feeling of loneliness and the good friendships we make in life we do carry in our hearts. To not give up on ourselves and on others, and most importantly to learn our own worth and to love ourselves first before opening our hearts to love once again.
It's a trial and error this thing called LIFE.
We're never too sure of whatever our decisions be won't uphold consequences of appreciation or regret.
Sometimes we have to swing it, be bold, learn how to overcome our mistakes. Be mature enough to admit them or to forgive them. Not everything can be forgiven, that's certain, when it comes to relationships communication is one of the most important things to have, without it there's no foundation to begin with.
Teh and Oh-aew have shown that they have come a long way. And it's okay.
Coming to the start point is not always a step back. The beach in Phuket is always their start point.
It's the place where they matured from boys to men. Where they shed uncertain and sorrowful tears, and where they discovered themselves and their over growing feelings towards one another, their sexual awakening was written in those grains of sand and witnessed by the crashing waves, and their very first time was shared and covered by the blanket of the twilight sea as the beaming moon testified up in the night sky above them.
It was their safe place, where they started it all and I found it was the perfect place for them to end their final scene.
They did it, they fulfilled a full cycle ever since ITSAY all the way until here and now in IPYTM. And I am one to admit I would love to have a third installment but at the same time am pleased with how this one ended as a whole in all the symbolism.
Both of them were able to show that it's okay to have new interests, new paths, different dreams and goals, and jobs. It's not okay to cheat in anything or anyone in life, but there are those who overcome it, those who regret it, and those who don't mind at all.
I am just glad that Teh and Oh-aew were able to show where they stood in both of their point of views in that matter.
Don't blame one character, to err is human. Humanity is bound by several mistakes it makes, no one is a saint in this life. And not everyone have or deserves any second chances. For some mistakes it does not take one person but two. If people blame only one in a scenario, then what about the other party? It was the trouble the minute it showed up and the way it used it's own way and merit to climb up top too success without caring about the lives it would ruin by allowing so...
Meanwhile let me add another thing to this long review xD sorry not sorry...
The only flaw I might point out to this, or rather my expectation when I learned that ITSAY was going to have a second season. I was looking forward to have a better insight of Oh-aew. In the first and last episodes we are somehow granted that. But in the middle it felt off. Almost like Oh-aew was a support and not a main character because the attention seems focused on Teh once again just like it was on ITSAY and although on that one it's totally understandable, here it would be better to have both or more screen time for him to shine as well. Nevertheless, they tried to include a variety of characters each one with their own struggles and at the end they even brought the old friends from the first season into the screen to show their roots and connection between the series and the main characters. It was a nice touch I give them that.
The OST is cute, to have BK and PP song as an intro makes it even more special.
They made this one for this and the lyrics are all about Teh and Oh-aew.
And I also like the fact that it has an instrumental version too. They have outdone themselves with the OST of many songs for this season and I am loving them all. NADAO really spoilling us with MVs from the songs and promotions that I can't complain.
I might change the ratings at the end, but so far I am given a high score even though I know they will make me suffer :')
Visually appealing, the emotional scenes are nicely done too, not to slow or fast paced, it doesn't dwell on too silent moments and it also doesn't have those overbearing music scenes. Cinematographically they give us plenty of good shots, while playing with angles, taking advantage of the natural and artificial light and even using the zoom in such a smoothing way that it's very pleasing to see. In certain scenes it gives us a warm like filter, and in others a cold filter which makes me think again of the colors they are paired with, Blue and Red (detail on that also on the plushies they have, and also their college ties ;3)
This drama is the reason I will be anticipating the next few Thursdays of the moon cycle schedule.
Because this season started on a full moon and it will end on a full moon :') therefore completing a full cycle.
And I really wonder if both Teh and Oh-aew will complete their own cycle as well after everything they will go through...
Was this review helpful to you?
Fact is, for once I've decided to write a review which is very personal and not at all objective. It's based upon the emotions it gave me, not the cinematographic quality of the drama.
Also, I think it's necessary to say that among the 3 versions of the same story, this was the last I watched, despite its being the first live-action based on the popular manga.
And while I consider the Japanese version the best one regarding acting and music and the Korean one better in terms of photography, colours and characterization, I'm ready to face criticism and admit that the Taiwanese version was the most satisfying to me on a romantic level.
The chemistry between Shan Cai and Dao Ming Si is what makes this into a worth watching show. For the first time, I was not rooting for the heroine to end up with the second lead, but for the main couple to finally be together. While watching hana Yori Dango and Boys Before Flowers I found myself constantly thinking: throw that arrogant brat away and choose Rui, or Ji Hoo!
You are allowed to laugh.
I ascribe this to the actors and the way their interactions were portrayed.
While Shan Cai can be annoying at times, she is a consistent character and once she finally realizes who she loves - it takes her some time - she is truly convincing. The same can be said about Dao Ming Si, whose candour as a besotted lover is quite endearing.
Therefore, although I recognize this show is pretty cheap when it comes to costumes, screenshots, photography and overall acting, I still have a fond memory of it and will probably rewatch it in the future.
Was this review helpful to you?
Psychological thriller? Yes, please!
A perfectly written psychological thriller that talks about human behavior under unique circumstances. I have to say, I went into this TV series with high expectations, but unlike others who craved blood and death games, I kind of guessed from the trailers that this wouldn't be bloody and would be more like a human experiment on behavioral issues, which I was right about.I recommend this series to everyone who wants to see the thrill of miserable people craving money without the death or blood factor. I don't think we need blood and death games to make something interesting, because the human psyche is interesting without them as well.
The main characters are very different people, so as you are watching, you will probably have your favorite, which you're going to cheer for. I don't think the series showed us unrealistic characters; I would say they chose a big spectrum of people that represent broad humanity. They showed the bad, the good, and the middle, and they also included disabilities and special skills. In other words, there were only 8 players, but they kind of represented a much bigger group of people.
I love how the production style was very artsy and the background music was classical music.
My biggest positive point is that they managed to wrap the story in just eight episodes, and honestly, they wrapped it so well that season two isn't needed in my opinion, which is rare with Netflix shows.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
LONG POST AHEAD.Ok, so, if you want to watch a light-hearted series of solving crimes, and enjoy the atmosphere of The Republic of China in the mid-1920s, then this series is suitable for you. The cases were well-written and the deduction was logical. Lu Yao and Qiao Chusheng, two male characters in this series, also have a good chemistry. Qiao Chusheng provided Lu Yao a comfortable life by buying things and protecting Lu Yao, and Lu Yao solved the cases for him, improved his reputation. Their chemistry was a big plus. Beside that, the filming set and the clothes were beautiful and stylish.
Now, let's come to the minus side of this.
The female character, Bai Youning, a journalist, is very irritating. Yes, in the first few episodes, I could still empathize with her, and hope that she could have some developments. But she just didn't change. After 7-8 episodes, she still wrote tabloids about cases. She belittled Lu Yao, and even pretended that she was kidnapped, made Lu Yao and Qiao Chusheng worried to death and tried to save her. She was just too annoying, and her chemistry with Lu Yao was just unbearable. I could not understand how Lu Yao could love her, because all they did through nearly 32 episodes was bickering and fighting. But then, in episode 30, they kissed, episode 36, they got married and went to Paris, left Qiao Chusheng all alone in Shanghai after all. Poor Chusheng, he had done anything and everything to protect both Lu Yao and Bai Youning, but he was left alone in the end.
In conclusion, if you don't really mind about the ending, then this series is suitable for you. If you do, then please consider twice before watching it.
Was this review helpful to you?
1This review may contain spoilers
Being perfectly honest, there was close to nothing I liked about this show. While at first I liked some supporting characters, in the end I was done with everyone except for Na.Technically speaking, the plot is nothing new: guy who didn’t know he was gay, finds out he is gay and liked his best friend (ignoring the bullshit plot twist by the end). It’s simple, you can make it work, but not the way they did it here. The biggest problem was the pacing. Good majority of the episodes showed Tonhon being a homophobic asshole, to magically be all “love is love” and accepting about his new found attraction in one episode. It was not gradual - he went from no homo to “love is love” in a matter of a few minutes of screen time and one day of drama time. Because of the poor directing and writing, the scenes that would usually indicate his jealousy (which would hint his feelings for Chon), truly just felt like he was angry at any gays getting close to him or his friends.
And don’t even get me started on “I loved you for a long time” bullshit, because I am about to (┛ಠ_ಠ)┛彡┻━┻.
Speaking of Tonhon… What a mess of a human being he was. The show tried to convince me that he was so homophobic, because of his dad, but I didn’t buy it. He was a grown up man, he was not living with his parents, no one from his circle of friends was openly homophobic, and looking at some scenes in the 2nd half of the show, only his ex-girlfriend was homophobic. This leads to one conclusion: he was ignorant, unwilling to learn or to change his mind. I already talked about his unrealistic switch of personality, but what makes it even worse: he gives shitty excuses after breaking promises. The fact he kept claiming that he did not cheat on Chon was laughable. You kissed your ex. That’s it. There is no excuse that would make it not cheating (in the scenario they presented). Except for his looks, he had no redeeming qualities. I have to ignore the revelation of him loving Chon since they were kids, because it contradicts everything that was shown in the previous episodes.
At first, I enjoyed Chon a lot. I liked how he did not judge people based on their looks, occupation and sexual orientation. He was a sweet boy with a massive crush on his best friend. But then a whole “let’s bait/force Tonhon to come out and admit his feelings, even though he is obviously not ready” plot hit me in the face, and the only thing I could think about was: this is gross.
Ai, Ni and Miriam are guilty of the same “crime”. Again, I adored their characters at first, especially Miriam. The more I thought about the situation though the more borderline toxic they became. One could ask, what was toxic about the adorable Ai and Ni? Well… For starters, they enabled Ton’s homophobic behavior. How the guy was supposed to learn that being gay is not bad, when even his closest friends were agreeing to every homophobic line he was saying and went with all the crazy ideas of “what a real man should do” he had? I call that being bad friends. Miriam was quite a busy body and one of the biggest supporters of forcing Ton to come out. Enough said.
Amp was just trash. That’s it. Nueng was trash 2.0. He tried to rape Chon is a toilet, when Chon was drunk. And no one had close to any reaction to it. Like it’s not a crime. Like what he did was not disgusting. I am so done with this trope, and the fact the perpetrator is never dealt with in a just way. Yes, let’s just ignore and not seek any punishment for attempted rape. No big deal in the land of many BLs I guess ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
I liked Chon’s mom, but then she went “if husband and wife have a disagreement they should sit down and talk about it”. LADY! This is not a disagreement. The dude cheated on your son. Honestly, her whole speech about “don’t let that one woman ruin your relationship” was out of place.
And now, the only saving grace characters wise: Na. His behavior at first was a bit frustrating. He seemed extremely overconfident and too full of himself. The more I got to know the guy, the more I started to adore him though. From the beginning he was honest and straightforward about his feelings and intentions. He was clear about the fact he is truly going to “hit on” Chon, and for him it’s not about making Ton jealous. Even after he got rejected, he was the one to support and talk with his love rival, making sure he is ready to accept his feelings and it’s not too much of a burden to him. He was just truly a good guy surrounded by trash and semi-trash.
Also, can anyone explain to me why they censored Ni and Ai kissing scenes, because that was one of the most ridiculous things I have ever seen. It was so obvious Toptap and Mike did not kiss once during the whole show, and that’s why the scenes of them being lovey-dovey with each other were cut in such weird places. If the actors for any reason cannot kiss on screen, either don't write any kissing scenes for them, or recast the characters.
Anything else I enjoyed except from Na? The production value was high. The show was pretty. I also did enjoy the cute scenes we got by the end between Ton and Chon. Don’t get me wrong, I was still pissed how nothing makes sense plot and pacing wise, but it was cute for the few seconds here and there when I was able to turn off my brain. So yeah… that would be it.
And you know what is the worst? All the problematic things in the show were added, and they don’t exist in the novel. And I’m just sitting here asking: why? What is wrong with people?
Overall, this ain’t that guys. The only reason I finished the show was to see how bad it will get. And let me tell you, it got worse with each and every episode.
+ Can we talk about the fact Miriam is pregnant? Okay... no. I don't want to think about that ridiculous plot line at the end.
Was this review helpful to you?
1Shin Hye Sun Running Circles Around Oppas that Can’t Act and a Crappy Plot that Can’t Plot
You know a writer has overestimated themselves when a show with an interesting premise, distorted timelines, flawed characters and major potential turns into pure, convoluted, nonsensical garbage.❌ The writing and execution in this is seriously bad. Like one of the worst I have seen in a long time. While the drama starts out very promising with unreliable protagonists who slowly reveal their intentions, it loses the plot somewhere in the middle and just ends up being vomit on screen that calls itself a script.
❌ Some things are added just for the sake of it - no logic or reasoning required. Random dead bodies in random freezers, random trucks of doom, random cabins in the freaking forest. There is so much randomness is this show, I was half convinced the writer was on shrooms.
❌ The drama tries desperately to be complicated but ends up coming off as confused as a floppy fish out of water. This was what I was afraid of when I saw who the director was. I have watched almost all of his dramas and things with him go either way. Either he nails his execution and gives you masterpieces like 25-21 and Search WWW or he completely fucks things up like in King Eternal Monarch. Unfortunately, this drama has the same floundering headless chicken execution that King Eternal Monarch had and it’s just sad.
❌ Then, there are the crappy love interests. There are literally three of those in this drama. The third ML is there for no reason. He is also basically a brother figure of the FL’s long term ex boyfriend (the ML) and his pursuit and feelings for her are just awkward, messy and add zero substance to the plot. Just one of those random things the show throws in just for the sake of it.
❌ However, ofcourse, the major downfall of this show are the two main oppas. First of all, neither of them are good actors. They are bland, plastic and have zero nuance to them. Also, their screen presence is in the negatives. I swear Kim Nam Gil’s sock has more screen presence than all of these 3 oppas combined.
❌ Second of all, both of the two male leads are severely unlikeable and selfish for the majority of the show.
❌ The first ML, Hyun Oh, who breaks up with the FL after eight years of dating is trash human being number one. He is selfish and thinks that the world revolves around his mommy issues and the fact that he has two dozen grannies to take care of.
❌ Oh, poor him, his sad oppa problems give him a get out of jail free card to be the most toxic, wishy washy faded red flag that you want to 10000% avoid in real life. And, when I say red flag, I don’t mean the sexy bad guy red flag, I just mean dirty mud blood red flag that is just disappointing and annoying.
❌ Their entire relationship is just about him. He constantly makes her feel like he is better than her and she constantly doubts herself. After dragging her along for eight years and breaking her heart, he still doesn’t cut it off clean. He keeps giving her mixed signals and doing things for her she never asked for so she can never fully move on. And the moment he hears that she COULD move on, he is all scandalised about it.
❌ This man’s head is so far up his own ass that he never realises how someone who he has claimed to love for YEARS is in unbearable pain. And while, I did like their past relationship scenes together and was initially rooting for him, with every episode it seemed he just got worse and worse. By the last episode, I wanted to throw him off a cliff and call it a day.
❌ Then, comes the second main oppa, Ju Yeon. I didn’t like his and Hyeri’s (Fl’s second personality) dynamic from the get go because it came off childish, awkward and silly. Which is fine because that was who Hyeri was supposed to be as a character. What is not fine is that when he learns about her disorder, his reaction is the WORST thing imaginable.
❌ Instead of consoling her or feeling for her, he makes her apologise for hurting him, REPEATEDLY. And then, keeps insisting that she bring the other damaged personality around because he is in love with it.
❌ The whole delusion around the fact that he is in love with a fictional personality and wants her to remain sick just so he can fulfil his own kinks is SICKENING.
❌ After that, I really didn’t see the romance in him waiting around for the personality to show up. It was just stupid and even though the drama later tried to convince us that he’d take her as both Hyeri and her original personality, his actions clearly reflected that he is still very much hung up over Hyeri.
❌ Ofcourse, it’s inevitable that the oppas do get some redeeming moments in the last couple of episodes where they finally focus on people other than themselves but I don’t really give a fuck. I make judgements on characters as the way they are throughout the entire drama not their last minute actions and from the way these two were, the only happy ending for the FL would have been was to stay alone and away. Hell, the 3rd ML who was basically irrelevant cannon fodder was the most likeable option.
❌Also, speaking of shitty things in this drama, let’s talk about the whole DID thing. I usually don’t care about the science and logic of these tropes and I don’t care here either but I feel like it’s almost romanticised. This constant question of were you more happy as the other personality? Then this whole grown ass man being in love with and constantly reinforcing the other personality after knowing the woman for one single MONTH.
❌It gave me a bad taste in my mouth because the FL’s second personality is just a defence mechanism and it’s unnatural, born out of trauma and shouldn’t even exist in the first place, much less be reinforced and constantly validated.
❌ But, I shouldn’t have cared about the technicalities because this drama seriously does not give a shit about authenticity. It pulls out the worst “Oppa’s love heals everything even if it’s freaking DID” card I have ever seen in a drama.
Especially when that love is toxic, unwanted, weirdly codependent and downright stupid. They didn’t even try to pretend like they were using the illness as anything other than a plot device.
❌ To top off the nonsense, every single problem in these people’s lives MAGICALLY gets solved in the eleventh episode. DID? Cured by good old Oppa humping. ML’s reason for breaking up with Fl in the first place which led to this 14 episode worth of junk being made? Solved in 2 seconds. Love triangle? Solved with a good old smiley, breakup date.
It is just outlandish how bad the writing is. There is no real healing or character development anywhere. You won’t find it even with a NASA grade microscope.
✅ So, is there anything good about this show? Yeah, it’s Shin Hye Sun. She is one of my favourite actresses and like always she does an excellent job here as well. Her acting range is insane. She is nuanced, charismatic, expressive and delivers both her roles with perfection.
✅ I loved her as the damaged, sassy, broken, insecure, overly dependent and deeply flawed Ju Eun Ho. She made me feel for her struggles and I absolutely rooted for her. (Atleast, I did root for her before she became a manic panic obsessed oppa groupie who was legit like “I missed your toenails” to her shitty ex boyfriend.)
✅ While I wasn’t as much of a fan of her Hyeri personality with how over the top she was with the whole childish get up, and the exaggeratedly slow speech, I still appreciated SHS for it because it did the job of what the show wanted to deliver with her.
✅ Shin Hye Sun grossly overpowered all other actors with her talent in this drama and it showed. She single-handedly carried it on her back and I hope she asked for a freaking full body deep tissue massage along with a hefty paycheque for this.
✅ To be honest, there are some other good aspects of the show as well. For one, the skin ship and the kisses in it are good. Some episodes pack a surprisingly emotional punch. There are some great cinematography and OST moments. Moreover, the ups and lows of a relationship in flashbacks are also nicely shown but overall, it’s not enough.
❌ Because when you don’t have all the plot holes, the unlikeable male leads, the bad acting, the terrible writing and the confused timelines, you have uninteresting side filler characters taking up the screen.
❌ The grannies are boring, the office people are annoying and all other supporting characters are lacklustre. The only one interesting side character is Hye Yeon but she doesn’t have enough agency to make you invested.
❌ Which is why, on the whole, this drama does feel like a lot of wasted potential and has the tendency to turn your brain cells to rot.
Take my free advice; save your time and your IQ and go watch something else.
Was this review helpful to you?
Cute and Charming
I am writing this after watching all of the episodes of Mr. Bad. I have been enjoying this light and sweet romcom. This is meant to be a fairy tale . i wasn'tt expecting it to be anything else. I think it will appeal to the young at heart the most . I have seen enough heavy dramas with scheming second female and males trying to break up the main lead couple .. ENOUGH! So this sweet enemies to friends to lovers trope is a breath of fresh air. The hateful reviews tell me they don't watch or read romantic comedies. This story is effervescent with making a wish to fall in love.Mr. Bad ( CZY)is charming and Shen Yue is delightful as the female lead. Is her character clumsy and silly ? Yes, but it is cute and that is what this actress does so well. She is relatable , not perfect. The male lead is suave, handsome and cunning. Hes a villain with a bit of a kind heart. That is how the author wrote his character in her story. I think they have a Tom and Jerry type banter and thats what makes it fun.
Not everything is meant to be so so serious and HEAVY. If you're looking for a sweet escape and just something to make you smile.. watch this light and fluffy romcom.
Don't try to take it apart scene by scene . It is meant to be a fairy tale ..enchanting..
Don't tell others to stay away from this series. Let them watch it and make their own decision. Would i watch it with my husband ? Not a chance. He would have rolled his eyes too much. Mr. Bad is not for him. But then again he doesn't like romcoms. So you see what i mean. here. I grew up loving fairy tales and this charming little show hits the sweet spot. At least for me.
Was this review helpful to you?
Impressions
At the beginning I was not impressed with this drama, I'll be honest. I am not a fan of romanticizing bulling. But my brain apparently didn’t process the "psychological" tag among all the others and when I finally understood I looked at it with a different mindset. It got me hooked, yeah. I guess being in the same idol group helps a lot, because their chemistry was great and their dynamic felt natural. The last 2 eps felt a lil bit rushed, I can't put my finger on the why I felt that, but I can pass that because overall it was great.Now, people and their obsession with kisses!!! Is that really the defining point to score a drama? for real?! my goodness. let me get this straight... So TBLs with mediocre plots and cringe acting are deserving 10 because they do have make out sessions, right?! But an exquisite KBL drama is no good if there's no kissing? I am pissed! A really great drama gets low score because of horny brats who didn't get what they wanted! Look... I get it, it's a romance drama among other tags, but you HAVE the romance. The touches, the glances, the subtle smiles and the straight up lovey dovey staring screams romance! The story was so beautifully portrayed, they had such a great chemistry, loved how natural their dynamic was(yes, I'm repeating myself), the character development was so nice and in the end they were so good at expressing what they feel that they dipped those red flags from the beginning in bright shiny green. From my pov, I am more annoyed when they do kiss but they resemble 2 dead fishes lip locked. I would rather prefer no kiss as long as it's a good drama. If they kiss and it's nice, halleluiah (enters Our dating Sim). KBL takes the industry like a storm and i'm here for it all in no matter if there's kisses or not. They build great background stories, the plot is well constructed and the actors chemistry is always on point... with a few small exceptions. So yeah, Let's go Korea!!!
In conclusion, IT IS WORTH IT!
Was this review helpful to you?
Are you sure you want to watch this drama? Chongmalyo?
Kure.
Then you need a few things: a mind that understands, a heart that feels and loads upon loads of tissue paper.
As any Korean drama, Scent of a Woman starts of with the cliches: an indifferent chaebol (Kang Ji Wook) falls for a poor spinster (Lee Yeon Jae--who looks like she's in desperate need of a make-over) who turns out to have a terminal illness. The supporting male lead (Dr. Cha Eun Suk) has eyes for the heroine but could not confess his feelings, and there's the secondary female lead (Im Sae Kyung) who is a b*tchy daughter of a rich businessman and is arranged to marry the chaebol.
However what makes this drama special is how it successfully weaved its exceptional story to the growth of the characters episode by episode.
Yeon Jae develops a determined outlook in life to fulfill the things she had only dreamed of as a lowly desk employee of a touring agency and starts a bucket list of 20 things she wants to accomplish before she dies of gall bladder cancer. From her meek and docile character she learns how to appreciate herself and live life in search of her happiness. She develops a romantic relationship with Ji Wook and tries to stay away to prevent him from heartache in the future, but soon realizes that his love runs deep.
Kang Ji Wook, for his part, was painted as a mature and understanding person. From the meaningless and routinary life that he led, Ji Wook learns to appreciate life and to live life diligently. For all his worth, Ji Wook became Yeon Jae's pillar of strength and the most stable source of love she is able to draw from.
Secondary contradictions and side-stories also developed well in the drama--this makes for an air-tight storyline, with each side-story supporting the main one. Best parts are Hee Joo and her mom (this convinces Yeon Jae to confess to her mom), Ji Wook and his dad (he fights for his love and the right to be with Yeon Jae), Dr. Cha Eun Suk's character development (from a cold, detached doctor to a person who feels), Yeon Jae's mom and seongsangnim Kim Dong Min (she says sorry and lets her mom re-marry).
Prepare to cry your eyes out by the latter episodes from heartaches. However these heartaches are necessary to drive at resolutions at the end. I found the heaviest part when Yeon Jae finally confesses to her mom of her condition. Her mother's wail, tears and 'Eottoke' lines delivered like she was going crazy drove ME crazy. Interestingly, I felt this was the climax, not scenes with Ji Wook as their reconciliation was resolved earlier.
I could not have asked for a better ending. Like many others I was cringing at the end because I knew from the start that it was a tragedy and death was inevitable. And yet, Scent of a Woman chose not to end with a tragic note. It provided closure to unresolved relations, uplifts us and leaves us with a strong desire to do the same with life. Fighting and living it to the fullest.
Great writing, great cast, awesome soundtrack although I can't say I'd like to watch and go through this pain all over again.
Was this review helpful to you?
Let's start with the main couple, handsome Hoon Nam and Jung Eum. I'm used to having mixed feelings about Hwang Jung Eum's performance, but I thought matching her in a romcom with Nam Goong Min would be awesome! I was a fan of Can You Hear My Heart , so it's nice to see these two reunited as co-leads. I will admit that Goong Min hasn't been the romantic lead in a drama that has impressed me yet, I prefer his darker side, so maybe this isn't all Jung Eum's fault. Either way, their chemistry started off great, building up to romance pretty quickly, but then their story became incredibly boring. She would get hurt and stare blankly into space. He would do his weird smile to charm her into taking him back. Then insert flashbacks, silly side characters, and obnoxious product placements, and that is literally the whole show.
There is one saving grace for this whole drama and that is Choi Tae Joon as Jun Soo. He deserved his own spin-off show, he was so good! He definitely justifies second lead syndrome. His character was the only character I really cared about at all.
The rest of the cast is mostly silly, annoying, cliché, and unnecessary. Besides Jung Eum's dad, and maybe her supervisor, I was completely uninterested in their stories. You know it's bad when seeing what the supervisor would wear with that ugly jacket started to become the highlight of the show. The couples looking for love had such superficial stories that insulted my intelligence more than it made me laugh. Maybe I don't get Korean humor sometimes, but some of the moments that were supposed to be funny felt too corny, and even sometimes mean. The coach/best friend and cousin, had way too much screen time (The Coach was also the worst friend). Susie and Jun Soo didn't have enough screentime together (I was hoping they would distract me from the boring lead couple, but their story went nowhere)
I would talk more about what went wrong with this plot, but it was so forgettable, I have a hard time remembering everything I hated.
The soundtrack is pretty cute, but every time I heard "Slowly, Slowly..." I was reminded of how much of my time was being wasted by stubbornly watching this drama until the end.
So was watching the end worth it? NO! They basically forced a bunch of the characters together for a random event, and tried to give some characters "closure", but it's hard to have a clean ending to a drama that is such a random mess. Would I watch this again? Bahahahahahaaa! No Thanks. I'll pass.
Obviously I would not recommend this one. Some of you will watch it anyway, but heed my warning. I went from not being able to wait for the next episode to not caring that it was finally over. If I skipped the last 8-10 episodes I would have missed nothing important. Yes, It's THAT boring.
But if you really like commercials, watch all the inventive product placement moments, which made me laugh the most... like that app, which I clearly need to download. Sigh... I gotta learn how to drop dramas more often!
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Watch it!! - no regrets :)
I absolutely adored!! It had it had cuteness. It had romance. It had drama. It had mystery thriller. It had tension. It basically had everything!!I love a series that pulls together and has a nice balance of everything and that’s exactly what this series had not only that but it also brought a light. The fact of truth that K-pop stars have to go through. Hopefully fans have watched this and they’re gonna reflect on their behaviour and be more like the fans at the end respecting privacy and protect protecting the idols privacy 👀👏🙏
I’d kind of figured out that it was the ex she just got so suspicious by the end but at the same time I’m so glad it wasn’t someone unexpected that you’d grown to love! The music was addicting and the way the main characters grew together was so wholesome and cute!! I’m definitely going to look at series with these actors and actresses in because they were all great and I would definitely watch a drama from this director again!
There was found family there was tension there were suspicion. I’d like to know whether the mum went to the concert. I’m hoping she did but I feel like she solved the ticket… and the ex manager/owner of golden boys the way he was almost like a father figure and he apologised for his behaviour so reflection tick tick! (I do love the actor who played the manager/owner of Golden boys I’ve seen him in quite a few things and he’s acting is incredible! Same goes for the male lead apart from that I don’t think I recognised many in this series but I will be looking them up for recommendations of other ones to watch now!
Overall, an amazing series really enjoyable really captivating and fun to watch!
Was this review helpful to you?
No time to die.
I have never watched a Chinese drama quite like Joy of Life. It Is pure entertainment, a heady, masculine cocktail of science fiction, political intrigue, espionage, martial arts and laugh out loud comedy. A dying young man laments his life cut short before he experiences the joy of life. He finds himself reborn an infant in another time with intact memories of the 21st century. Raised by his grandmother, this cunning, cynical know-all kid is expertly schooled in martial arts by his uncle Wushu (pun fully intended) and in medicine by a deadly poison master. Summoned to the capital by his distant father, Fan Xian sets off eagerly, anticipating the beginning of his carefree, happy existence. But his glee is short lived as someone wants to kill him dead. He finds himself saddled with a political marriage he is hell bent on squirming out of and his mother's legacy - control over immense wealth and the incredibly powerful Oversight Bureau. This is at odds with his desire to indulge in joyful pursuits and worse, catapults him right in the middle of a power struggle between two princes. Soon it appears as if everyone wants him dead. But Fan Xian literally has no time to die as he is swept away by a whirlwind of timeless secrets, murky political conspiracies, shocking betrayals and sinister encounters with opaque characters that could be friend or foe.Fan Xian is the central, core character that the plot revolves around;, there isn't really a female lead or a second lead. Fan Xian is a smart, ruthless and cunning rascal with very strong survival instincts who is not about to let anyone short change him of his second chance. His life philosophy and indifference to common inducements stymies family, friend and foe alike, leaving them at a complete loss as to how to motivate or manipulate him. Unlike his mysterious mother, a woman beyond her time, lofty aspirations like changing the world in the pursuit of social justice couldn't be further from Fan Xian's more self oriented goals. Until the world changes him when someone with joy of life shows him that there are things worth giving one's life to protect. This moves Fan Xian unaccountably, makes him do things against his nature and better judgement, it stays with him and forces him into the fray, to risk his life for what he wishes to protect. This pivotal moment and how it sparks a growing flame adds a defining dimension and substance to Fan Xian, one of the best written, most layered and entertaining characters I have come across in a long time.
This serpentine political chronicle satirizes the ruthlessness of man's ambitions and how it coincides with life's cruel and random vagaries. Most of the characters, including Fan Xian are scheming, ruthless, violent, deceitful and utilitarian. Bad things happen to good people, actions have consequences, people die, forgiveness and justice are not always possible. This underlying dark tone with its bitter notes and philosophical questions is so artfully disguised by the wit and humor that drenches this drama that it easily passes off as a comedy. The entire tone of a scene or a conversation can just shift with a bizarre interruption or a non-sequitur mundane question or digression that shouldn't even be funny but somehow is. The wit and comedy from clever word puns to baffling allusions to 21st century concepts are not merely for laughter's sake they are intended to hint at character traits, hidden motives and unspoken truths. The plot is action packed with many twists and is littered with thrilling martial arts encounters where moments of imminent peril can be unexpectedly broken by well timed comic relief.
To put it simply Zhang Ruoyun simply owns the character Fan Xian, it is unimaginable that anyone else can pull off this jaded, irreverent, manipulative and utterly irresistible rogue in such a compelling way. Even though this is not much of a romance, Fan Xian seems to have an affinity for and way with women that recalls Jin Yong's lascivious and vile Wei Xiaobao but in today's day and age, it is only acceptable that he is limited to one true love. From his hilarious sidekick the venal and wily Wang Qinian to his riotous siblings Sizhe and Rou Rou to his numerous antagonists, Fan Xian is surrounded by exceptionally well cast supporting characters that are properly fleshed out and have agency and free will. My personal favorite is of course the emperor, who is the best example how this drama dazzles with the art of the unexpected. I was completely nonplussed to see an emperor slither around in dishabille; with escaped hair tendrils and in oddly sensuous low cut nightgowns that flaunt his tanned bare chest. I was right there with Fan Xian in refusing to kowtow to such a slob and surprised he didn't have to leave a thumb or two behind as a result. Multiple clues to one of the big plot twists hide in plain site, from the oddly misplaced pieces of wardrobe and styling to the borderline goofy, eclectic 1980s subtly Latin background music. The unique and creative combination of casual (much dialed down) violence, cartoonish character traits, strange props, out of genre music, and the odd wit and humor in mundane dialogues reminds me of Tarantino, something I did not at all expect here.
This is of course just the first of three seasons. And I must admit I dropped this after 5 episodes when it was airing. I don't even remember why I didn't like it at all at the time. On my second attempt, I was addicted from the first episode and enjoyed almost every minute of it. I do think that the Bei Qi arc was not at the same level of the first arc, which set a very high bar. I was less invested in the characters in the Bei Qi arc and I found Xiao En's big reveal too long winded and his giant secret overly built up. One of the main roles in this arc is very poorly acted and noticeably several notches below the level of the rest of the veteran cast. The actor tried so obviously to be opaque and inscrutable that I pinned them as a backstabber right away. Their fixed wooden stare failed to connect with Fan Xian at any level and in several scenes I felt like Fan Xian was talking to a mannequin or to himself. This made it look like after being so smart and distrustful for so long, Fan Xian inexplicably let his guard down way too easily. Into the final moments of the last episode Fan Xian continued to be dumbed down and was pretty much thrown under the bus to force that completely unnecessary ending "shocker" that I could see coming a mile away.
The biggest drawback of this drama is of course the long wait for season 2, which still has not even started shooting as of May 2021. However, this shouldn't hold you back from watching this now due to its high rewatch value. I rate this a 9.5 for now but it has a potential to be upgraded to a 10.0 if the next two seasons deliver.
Was this review helpful to you?
I am not rating this an 8 to balance poor reviews. I really liked it.
There are a few qualities to this show that I think are special, and I'll put it in list form to respect your time.1. There are no toxic female characters. In fact the female character is very strong. She handles getting dumped like a boss.
2. The lead is openly and unselfconsciously gay from the start.
3. There are no manufactured crises thrown in for drama. The drama is all in the interaction between the characters. Although a real life crisis in the form of COVID torpedoes the ship and they needed to patch it up as best they could.
4. While there are screeching predatory trans characters, They're only in the first two episodes then disappear forever. I assume the producer sent back the script with a note to add more screeching predatory trans characters "because that's how it's done", and the writer hoped he wouldn't read the revised version past the opening eps.
5. No fem shaming. When there are screeching trans characters, the attractive boys are polite to them, and there doesn't appear to be any opprobrium attached to femininity.
6. People actually communicate when they have problems and conflicts, and they talk things through and find a way to forgive and remain friends. There's a character that likes another, then finds out the guy was in a secret relationship with someone else. The character's reaction was "If I had known, I wouldn't have burdened anyone with unwanted attention." I almost choked to death on a cookie when he said that. Nobody ever acts like an adult in these situations. Or, two guys are dating, a third boy that one of the couple knows walks by and there's a brief and awkward conversation. The other boy in the couple can tell there's something between them so he asks, and the first one tells him the full truth that he's a guy he used to have a crush on. I almost choked to death on another cookie. The usual formula would mandate a lie which is soon discovered followed by insane jealousy, sulking, and a montage of good times spent together with a sappy ballade blaring. The new bf is happy the explanation is so harmless and that's it. The exception to the authenticity of conversations is that people don't seem terribly curious about the god that lives in their house - I might have some questions about god life, and god friends & stuff.
7. Absolutely zero seme/uke dynamic - just two guys. It's so refreshing that they don't pigeonhole the characters.
8. No tropes. (a couple of them, but limited) No accidental kisses, no "I'm not gay, I only love one single guy (forever)", no agonizing over liking a man, no parents agonizing over their son liking a man, no falling so their faces end up too close together and they stare at each until they turn gay (it does happen once, but it's subversive), no evil girlfriend, no insane jealousy over their gay bf talking to a woman. Actually, there's almost no jealousy at all.
8. There are NO ENGINEERS.
9. Plenty of cuteness.
10. The main character has a certain something. Sort of an effortless manliness while still being boyish. He's a good actor - not a huge range, but he does what he does well, and he's never cringey. He also looks unusually good with his shirt off. He's a reserved character, but when he needs affection, he's adorable. And he has a moment of romantic aggression that's very wow.
11. It's not completely predictable. There is no possible way you could predict how it ends unless you read spoilers or have superpowers. Even the beginning parts - you think it's going to go a certain way, then you realize it's not, but it makes sense how it went.
12. When he's feeling heartbroken, Tae does something that a normal person might do, and has a normal-person reaction afterwards.
13. There's some funny use of classical music, especially Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King.
The bad qualities:
1. The production is average. Better than most low-budget series, but not to the standards of the mainline shows.
2. The acting is uneven. One of the main characters is good, a few of the other characters are good, but overall pretty meh. Cupid is such a naive doofus that he's charming and cute, but not a lot going on in the acting. He's not the same actor that was in the initial promos, so something went wrong somewhere.
3. The directing is not too good. It's fine for scenery, and it's clear the Chiang Mai chamber of commerce is a sponsor of the show, and maybe the tourism board, because there is a LOT of time spent walking around and going into random stores. But they also visit temples, which are interesting. You learn how to ff through things that bore you.
4. The subtitles are OK, but maybe take more effort to read than they should. It's not a dealbreaker, and it's 10 times better than So Much In Love, where I never did come to understand why the principal wanted to destroy a volleyball team.
5. Editing is not great. There are scenes that are too long.
6. The first episode is bad. They're lucky that many people stayed with the series. Confessing my shallowness, there's a good fifteen minutes of the main character showering and walking around in a towel, or I might have dropped it.
Not exactly a bad quality, but if you watch it, it's better to be prepared, You can skip this section if you want to just be surprised:
This was filmed some time ago, and was interrupted by COVID in a major way. It was originally supposed to be 10 eps, not 12, and sure enough, the main crisis happens in Ep 8, and then "poof!" They resumed production months later, and apparently a lot of actors were unavailable, so they had to make some big adjustments. They way they resolved the problem will not be to everyone's taste. As it was airing, some people were upset, but other people thought it was much better than before.
The acting and the production are better in the last four eps. The main character's hair is a lot different, but I liked it. He also wears more flattering clothes and it's a bit of a shirtless goldmine. A new character joins the cast who is super-cute and a good actor, with a lot of charm - he won most people over. The ending is not what you were expecting when you started watching, but it does actually fit perfectly into the story. This series is about the main character finding his soulmate, and there are suspects that aren't really viable and what the production chose to do gave it a lovely human quality.
Recommendation
So do I recommend it? Definitely, with some caveats. If you don't like it by the third or fourth ep, you probably won't enjoy it, but if that's the case, you can abandon it and move on to Ep 9, because the last 4 eps will make sense as a stand-alone romance that is sweet and special. But Ep 1 is pretty bad, so you have to look past that if you want to give it a chance. The people who liked this REALLY liked it - I've bonded with some fans over it. To me, Tae is gorgeous - not just his body, his face, those beauty marks, lips, personality, everything. In the last 4 eps you'll probably see it, due to the changes in his appearance. And I'll be 100% honest - I know that 1,000 Stars is roughly 100 times better than this show, but I looked forward to this more, because it just has a unique pleasant quality and 1,000 Stars stresses me out.
There are really wonderful and unique elements in this show, and if the next production by this company can fit them together in a more expert way, they could have a top-tier series.
Explanation of Ratings
Story: The plot doesn't deserve a 7, but the avoidance of tropes and the skillful post-COVID shift were impressive.
Acting: It's heavily focused on Tae, who is good & there's a good actor in the last 4 eps. Otherwise I would have rated it lower.
Music: Generally standard, a couple of good moments here and there that stood out.
Rewatch Value: I've rewatched a lot of scenes, so I gave it a high score.
Overall: The ratings suggest a 7.5, but I gave it an 8 because I liked it so much - that it drew me in and made me happy is a good thing.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
James:- i loved watching the dashing he looked very handsome dressed up in suit. he pulled out the character of Nai very well he was very supportive caring and helpful towards everyone in the show. though he was insulted many a times by Nok he still cared for her in her hard times.
Taew:- she was very looking very beautiful in the show, her dressing sense was amazing. she loved her family very much and was ready to go to any extent to keep her family together. at times she was very rude and arrogant towards Nai as she was jealous of him to be as she thought her father valued him more and said him hurting words but later she really cared for him as she got to know him.
As for the other cast they were amazing the office colleagues were amazing they cracked jokes and it was fun watching it. Also Noks's mother was fab she was caring towards Nai and loved him like her own son and her scenes were delightful and the scenes between Nok's parents was funny when they argue with each other . Everyone was amazing in the show except of Penny(the servant's daughter) i have no idea why did she hate Nok so much though Nok was rude her her but it was because of her own behavior. she was jealous of Nok to such an extent that she kidnapped her, crated misunderstanding with Nai.
As for the story everyone knows about it the romantic scenes between Nai and Nok were beautiful specially after marriage. the patience Nai had for Nok is amazing
Though the title of show is game sanaeha but i cannot see any game being played Nok started this game to snatch everything that Nai had the position in company, her family love but she ended falling in love with him
As for the re-watch value there are some scenes which you will like to watch many times like office scenes romantic scenes honeymoon scene or the first month anniversary scene or baby scenes.
So i waited for this series for a long time and i really enjoyed it watching!!!!!
Was this review helpful to you?
Recent Discussions
-
Role Reversal (RR) Drama Lovers Club21 minutes ago -
Vertical Short Drama22 minutes ago -
Last Drama You Completed? #253 minutes ago -
What was the last song (non Asian) that you listened to? #254 minutes ago
-
