Poorly Executed Or Well-Written?; What’s Left To Say About ‘ A Beauty Of Revenge’ …
With a very short air time ( only five episodes), and an evidently cut duration length and budget by the producers of the fairly mixed-reception miniseries ‘ Multi Personality Girl’ ( the drama’s “ sister story”) , ‘ A Beauty Of Revenge’ was fairly predestined from the start towards having some evident flaws . However with its own take upon the “ revenge” cliche and incoherent plot twists in between, this does leave newcomers with one ultimate question; “is ‘ A Beauty Of Revenge’ actually worth watching? “
The drama’s initial premise was certainly interesting; a bullied girl Min Sun ( Park Min Sun) seems to change her appearance and identity to become Yeo Bin ( Jang Yeo Bin) and expose the sociopathic delinquent leader Ho Tae ( Son Ho Tae) as part of her revenge ploy.
The acting front of the drama was fairly good . Whilst admittedly certain line deliverances could be better than others, our main cast did add their own dynamic charm during key moments throughout the series. Yeo Bin’s darker secrets coming to light and her unreliability as a main character added a value of surprise for audiences by Jang Yeo Bin’s mannerisms captivating a sense of trust and believability within the female lead. Similarly Ho Tae’s sociopathic and megalomaniacal actions onscreen were captivated well by Son Ho Tae’s piercing gaze and sardonic expressions .
On the other hand ‘ A Beauty Of Revenge’ seemed to try too hard (even from the get-go )to brand itself as a “ shocking revenge tale” without always taking the time for the audience (and even the characters) to digest or understand the plot twists . For example there’s a major plot twist ( without spoilers) which occurs in the drama which whilst surprising , felt poorly-executed and lacked more drive and coherent plot reasoning .
In fact this was a major problem in the miniseries. Whilst it’s short duration length is arguably a pitfall for not having opportunities to expand out on these storylines in more depth, it’s undeniable that it doesn’t take a lot of time to interweave good writing techniques. ( One of the most evident throughout being foreshadowing. )As a consequence whilst the ending was certainly unforeseen, it lacked as much shock value due to feeling poorly-paced.
Ultimately with its short duration length episodes ‘ A Beauty of Revenge’ is easy enough to watch in one binge-watch sitting. Whilst the concept and of course the cast were undeniably the miniseries’ major fortes, the execution of storyline and plot twists lacked more finesse.
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While it's mostly an episodic series, it manages to tackle a lot of issues that I think is important for the youth to think about even if it means character development and story is pretty much stagnant. From the teaser you practically already know who these characters are because they pretty much stay the same throughout the show. Even though it's like this, you can't help but root for the characters and love them.
I think it's a must watch because it raises a lot of issues and point of views and serves them all in bitesized episodes that are easy to digest and binge watch. It may not be that popular of a web show but it's a damn important one.
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KelpiView : They are my secret love too.
Overall impression:Hmm. My initial impression of the show is just that. Honestly, when it first started, it wasn't really on my weekly list at all. Though at this point, i do not know when i became so invested in it. The show itself starts slow, that i must say. getting past that slow start, is all it takes to make me into a obsessed fan and I truly appreciate the production crew in producing this gem of a show.
What I liked about it:
Great cast!
A good story meets a great cast, that is what i think My Secret Love is. Despite some of the cast member not having any experience under their belt like Bew (Park) and Por (Bear), as well as Kenji (Mai) and boat (Tim). They did exceedingly well portraying their characters. The leads are not very lovable at the start, that i must say. But the more i watch each week, the more that i like them for their character portrayals. However the supporting couples of this show totally stole my heart. all 3 of them lol.
Evolving Genre!
I initially thought this show could be tagged as a comedy due to the amount of laugh i had for the start of the show. As i mention, it started slow, but the only reason i continued watching it was because of the comedic elements that is present throughout the show. Tho, it was very comedy centric at the start which really helped in my opinion. As the story progresses, they showed glimpses of each couples backstory and trouble and that sets the mood for a concrete scenario in my opinion. The show should definitely be tagged as a rom com.
Awesome OST
As Im typing out this review, the ost from Jeff Satur (look) is playing in the background. That is how much i would love to give this song an honorary mention. It helps that its jeff satur. But the mood of the song itself fits well with the show that every time i hear the song, i would immediately associate it to the show.
What I disliked about it:
Slow Start.
No show is perfect in my opinion. as people we can never be satisfied fully. But that's really ok. One small detail that i wish could be done differently was the slow start, but that being said, its not a deal breaker for me as i enjoyed the comedy route that they begun with.
Inadequate ParkLee scenes.
Okay, this may be pushing it a little bit, BUT. hear. me. out. I just felt that there should be more ParkLee scenes in the show.... because.. just because.. i wanted more of them. lol. one of my favourite on screen secondary couple by far. their backstory was so cute. i wish they would make a story of park and lee in another series.
Did I enjoy it?:
I really enjoyed this one. as i mentioned, it started slow but really stuck on to me and i really enjoyed the ride.
Would I recommend it to others?:
Definitely. Though some people might be a lil bored of the university setting, but if you are ok with that and like a multiple couple show like me. and appreciate a good show, i think you should definitely give it a try! To me, a certain setting might not deter me to try a show because even though the setting is the same, its the cast that brings the character and story to life and that makes a whole lot of difference. So, if you have time and wanna be emotionally invested, give My Secret Love a try!
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Masterpiece
This drama is definitely a masterpiece..( I don't understand the excessive negativity surrounding this drama) . The story was amazing. It kept me on the edge throughout . The drama had a lot of suspense elements and heartwarming moments which the writer has portrayed beautifully.. The production and direction of this drama was perfect. The actors did such an amazing job. The duality of certain characters were beautifully portrayed by the actors.. You couldn't have asked for a better cast.. The effortless passionate chemistry between them was unbelievable.. Lee minho as the king was so on point. The poise and the grace with which he carried the role was such a treat to watch. Kim go eun was so natural .. She blended into her character so well (no wonder she is one of the best actresses)Woo Do hwan is such an underrated actor. His acting range never ceases to surprise me. Kim Kyung-nam is another such gem. His expressive eyes alone spoke volumes.. Jung Eun-chae and Lee Jung-jin were also great. Their mere presence in a scene itself would change the atmosphere. They definitely had the right vibe for this drama. Together the entire cast created a beautiful synergy.
The ost were so beautiful and emotive(Hwasa's voice was so powerful and perfect for this drama)
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I was sorry to find out that this drama has not had high ratings in Korea and has not been viewed by many viewers outside Korea either. Although I can understand the basic reason of not wanting to watch people suffering I can say that it is a real pity not to appreciate all the effort that obviously went into the production, filming and acting of this drama. I think this is the best acting I have seen of So Ji Sub so far (and I have seen most of his well-known dramas) and especially in the last episodes he gave a performance that would have been higly worth an Oscar award if he had been in the US. But I also have to mention the other two main actors and in particular Yoon Kye Sang who played an incredible character who was strong and very generous.
So to summarize this drama focuses mostly on what friendship, comradeship and patriotism are all about but it also describes a very intense love story. I highly recommend the viewers to have a strong stomach and go through all the hardships that these poor soldiers went through and in the end...you will feel higly rewarded like I did!
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THIS IS ME BEING NICE
Cute cast - check! Unique storyline - check! Good location - check! But what started out as a promising fantasy rom-com slowly fell flat, and then fell harder on its ass with that lousy ending. Im giving it a 6 out of 10 and this is me being nice!The fantasy theme hooked me initially- after tens of high school and university themed BLs, I thought it was a breathe of fresh air. However, after the first episode when they tried to incorporate some cheap special effects, it became evident that they didn't really know how to utilize what was supposed to be its strength. The supernatural element was minimized that you almost don't feel it, until that brief moment in that episode when the cupid, Nite, disappeared completely (and that wonderful pink glow appeared again). By the end I was almost thinking if maybe the main characters Tae and Namwhan were just high on something and they just imagined the whole Cupid thing.
I love how cute the main actors were - Tee as Tae and Peace as Nite are so easy on the eyes and although the acting were a bit amateurish, i think they at least carried the show. Noey as Namwhan was also adorable and I loved that they didnt write the main female character as an annoying side show.
Also to be fair, although the story wasnt fully developed, I had a more pleasant experience listening to their lines - the script was written in a way that feels like the characters are real people, not actors acting in a drama.
Another good thing is the setting - Khon Kaen was such a wonderful background, and although at times it felt like a tourism ad, i still loved the way they showcased the city. Also, that brief moment in Chang Mai was mesmerizing to say the least. There was however, quite a lot of distracting establishments and product placements. I cant remember how many times they showed the Emma house model signage with its 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and 2 parking - i thought it was part of the cast.
I heard production was hindered by the pandemic, but I think what they should have done is waited a bit, to wrap the story properly with the same cast. The last episodes felt so detached and was filled with so many flashbacks to extend time- it was so obvious that they were just made to complete contractual obligations without really caring for whoever was left still watching.
And no, there was no real resolution to the story. When Cupid disappeared I was left heartbroken, and my heart hasn't healed properly, up to now. Id recommend skipping this one, unless you really, really need to watch something and there's no other option.
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To fight all this s***** life and actually work towards your dream is not an easy thing to do. What's harder is finding such a teacher. I was fortunate to meet such professors back in college and I'm trying to be that kind of teacher to my students -i'm far behind though- but not every one is as lucky as I was.
The student-teacher relationship in this film is so touching. It's the kind of special relationship I would love to have with my students but too scared to. To get involved into somebody else's life is terrifying.
The chemistry between the two actors in insane. No wonder they were dashing in Secret Door.
Kang So Ra was so cute. I loved her role.
No matter who was singing, the songs and music just went straight to my heart.
The story is so touching; I kept crying throughout.
There are many funny scenes which lighten the mood.
Perfect! Will definitely watch it again -though I never rewatch anything-
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It starts off with a really ridiculous situation, in my opinion but soon it starts to get better. I love how the story brings light to a lot of things especially the hardships of being a single parent and the love that's lost in your married life.
Everyone in this drama did a good job in portraying their characters especially to the kid who played Min Woo, he did a good job.
Surely, as someone who has never been in a relationship nor marriage, this drama gave me life lessons. This drama is very heart-warming and it's really funny too. If you want a good laugh, you should definitely watch this show.
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This review may contain spoilers
Gut-wrenching drama that will haunt you for ages with an incredibly compelling male lead!!!
SPOILERS....As a veteran drama watcher (grew up watching Asian dramas), I'm extremely picky and only like dramas (prefer romance or ancient historical fiction) with a decent script and production. Story and characters are the most important to me and I find many romantic dramas these days to be crappy with non-existent plots.
"Goodbye my princess" took me completely by surprise and will go down as one of my favorite romantic dramas of all time along with "Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms" and "Someday or One Day" (both are well-crafted/quality dramas with a romance that stole my heart). "Ten Miles" also has one of the most charismatic/powerful MLs (male lead) who's as relentless as Li Chengyin (ML in "Goodbye my princess") when it comes to the FL (female lead) -lol, love it!!!
I initially never even bothered to look at "Goodbye my princess" as not only is it a tragedy, it's based on a novel by Fei Wo Si Chun, an author I avoid like the plague because I don't like the type of angst she writes -depressing plots and angst just for the sake of torturing her characters. Even when someone who shared my exact taste for possessive MLs recommended it, I still resisted.
Luckily, my sister stumbled upon some clips and finally convinced me to watch at least the first and last 10 episodes since it has the kind of angst I like, an extremely compelling and obsessive ML, and a very lovable FL. The clips she showed me peaked my interest and the rest is history. I hunted for the director's cut and knew from the first episode that this drama was going to be my jam. It had everything I wanted in a drama: Irreplaceable leads with explosive chemistry, an obsessive/powerful ML, a high quality production, and a decent script that mainly stayed on track even if the pacing did slow down massively from episodes 15-29. I loved episodes 1-15 and 30 to the end the most (though the drama did get rushed towards the end and I would have liked to see more episodes of Chengyin dealing with his memories coming back -that kind of angst would have be stellar).
And aside from being a tragedy, GMP (Goodbye my princess) surprisingly embodied the kind of romantic angst I love and avoided almost every type of angst I hate.
The kind of angst I hate in a romance is noble idiocy (ML pushing the FL away for her own good, etc.), cheating/constantly parading women in front of the FL, angst for the sake of angst, ML being too passive and self sacrificing (I only love MLs who go after their girl no matter what and like to take the initiative), and ML giving up/letting the FL go (only love MLs who never give up or let go of their girl).
GMP mainly had angst I liked and it all fit into the story organically and didn't feel forced. I generally can't tolerate the ML sleeping with anyone other than the FL, but in GMP, he actively avoided it as much as he can while keeping up his charade and it can even be argued the number of times he may have touched the secondary FL, Sese, was minute as she was constantly subjected to house arrests by the Empress due to his shenanigans. I was able to handle it because the drama made it clear Chengyin only wants to be with the FL, Xiaofeng, but is forced to spend the occasional night with Sese to keep up pretenses. Even then, he does his best to keep himself pure by using work/the Empress to ward her off.
Above all else, when it comes to the love story, the ML encompassed everything I could possibly want in a leading man. He's obsessive/possessive and relentless when it comes to Xiaofeng -will never give up on her. Plus, he's faithful, capable, intelligent, charming, charismatic, hot as hell, and can see through subterfuge.
He can be ruthless to everyone except for his beloved Xiaofeng and that just really appeals to me in a romance. Ruthless and powerful MLs who's only soft towards the FL and can't live without her is my kryptonite in a romance. Never in a million years did I expect one of Fei Wo Si Chun's stories to have this kind of ML. Especially when the source novel has Chengyin being abusive and always hiding his affections.
I never expected the drama to portray the "abuse" in such a humorous and charming manner. It just never felt malicious to me (there was too much love/affection in Chengyin's eyes and mannerisms -he acted more like a spoilt child) as the drama made it so blantantly obvious that every cruel act's a show that I was thoroughly entertained and enjoyed all of their bickering. Lol, I found it as endearing as Chengyin did. He's literally engaging in foreplay with the heroine even in their public fights and whenever he gets mad for real, it's always due to his petty jealousy. Lol, this guy becomes wary of every male Xiaofeng has a good relationship with. It's like he wants to be the only recipient of her smiles and laughter.
I really felt Chengyin's all-consuming love for Xiaofeng: I actually loved watching their married life because even though he couldn't display his feelings in front of her, he still wore his heart on his sleeve for us viewers. Every one of his supposed "mean" actions toward Xiaofeng was juxtaposed by his pained/regretful reactions when he later talked to his subordinates.
Lol, as a viewer, I actually thought Sese suffered more in the palace than Xiaofeng because of Chengyin's fake love that effectively used her as a meat shield to protect Xiaofeng from the Empress's jealous antics. Many people in the palace were very nice to Xiaofeng as the ML concentrated on surrounding her with trustworthy people.
Unlike some fans, I didn't mind his scenes with Sese as his fake interactions with her made for a brilliant contrast in comparison to his genuine interactions with Xiaofeng. His eyes literally light up whenever he sees her, even when Sese's around -his eyes are always kind of dead when he's spending time with Sese. In my opinion, Sese's presence in this drama highlights Chengyin's deep love for Xiaofeng even more.
He always acts so distantly polite whenever he interacts with Sese and it just gets worse as he finds it harder to rein in his passion for Xiaofeng. Towards the end, he looks like a zombie and is struggling to even maintain decent courtesy whenever he bothers to see her. I found it hilariously entertaining and can't understand the fans who think his scenes with Sese were too lovey-dovey. His affections were so obviously (his mask was always on and I felt no affection) fake and it only served its intended effect, which was to keep the Empress off of Xiaofeng.
I love Chengyin and find him to be one of the most fascinating and compelling protagonists I've ever seen. I've always loved more villainous MLs and Chengyin is a poster child for that trope. I live for drama characters like him. Honestly, the only thing Chengyin did wrong was to both fall in love and covet the key pawn in his plans. His unwavering love for Xiao Feng is both his curse and salvation.
My heart bleeds for both Xiaofeng and Chengyin as she can never be with him with her memories intact and he can never stop himself from chasing after her because she's his only hope of happiness, the light to yank him back from the darkness. Only when Chengyin is with Xiaofeng does he let down his guard completely and reveal his true self. I completely understood why he went nuclear and full on yandere when he thought she hated him and loved someone else. He's terrified of losing the one thing he can't live without. It's utterly heartbreaking when what he feared the most inevitably happened and he couldn't even follow after her as he was binded by his promise to her to live on. Even then, he had to delude himself into thinking she faked her death in order to make it through those 30 yrs. His love for Xiaofeng is all-consuming and he will go down as my favorite ML along with Ye Hua from "Ten Miles."
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BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita: Crank Up Hen
24 people found this review helpful
stellar comedy, need a season 2
Overall: this crack comedy made me laugh but it also made me empathize with Aoyagi. 3 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/3919/i-became-the-main-role-of-a-bl-drama-2023-e01What I Liked
- laughed many times, it has an exaggerated style of humor which I can struggle with, but they made it work
- the two managers (I need more info on their background)
- how they differentiated between the acting scenes and other scenes
- characters weren't unrealistically stupid, they figure things out
- sweet moments
Room For Improvement
- who falls asleep like that and then doesn't wake up in ep 1???
- needed 5 more seconds at the very end of episode 3
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I first got into MARS because of Meteor Garden, which also starred Barbie Hsu and Vic Zhou. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from the two of them. Meteor Garden was their first acting gigs, and I figured they didn't have the experience yet to be truly great. Boy was I wrong (and gladly!). The amazing depth with which they imbued their characters left me wanting more in the subsequent dramas I watched. Sigh...
Music/aesthetics wise - this drama was waaaaaay back in 2004, when taiwanese dramas had terrible funding, bad fashion (at least how we would consider it now), and different filming styles. Don't expect amazing packaging or cinematography, and expect most of the boys to wear their hair long. In this case I feel like MARS doesn't suffer from it however, since the character's personalities are the most appealing and strongest parts of the drama. There are two songs that are particularly gorgeous, but most of the other tracks were instrumentals and easily forgotten. Not that that's a bad thing (I'm looking at you Almost Paradise!).
A word of warning however - this drama deals with dark issues, and may contain possible triggers. I'd suggest looking up the summary before watching it, because I know that personally I watched it better knowing the general subject and plot.
Now where to find the next drama up to par with this one?
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Fluff, fluffier, fluffiest! !
This was just a huge dose of fluff and is probably the sweetest fluffiest drama out there at the moment, Everybody is just so cute, not only as characters, but together too. The story is both interesting, sweet and of course not completely without drama, but even the drama is cute and resolved in a sweet manner making your (my) heart flutter over and over again of ooooh that is just so cute!While many other shows may have some unnecessary drama that may frustrate you, the drama here is different, it shows some struggles (without letting it take over the cute), some well known prejudice one may face or be afraid to face, but that too is handled really well.
The grownups here do not make me want to scream, or ashamed of being part of the grown up community. There is actually a teacher who is shown to be kind, supportive and honest, who knew that was possible?
The mother here is just soooo sweet, I just wanted to hug her!
The different types of friends here are also, yes you guessed it, Sweet, supportive, super cute!
Even the love triangle (yes real triangle) is just sweet and cutely done....
To top it off we get a bickering couple, and adorable dog, a lovely visit of the see thru umbrella and opposites attract...
Yes even the misunderstandings in this are.... CUTE...
Did I mention it is cute? So for you in need of a shot of some highly bingeable cuteness and fluff, this is it!
A small warning: I will however just mention that I was a bit bothered by the leads way of over acting with big comedic gestures that I normally hate, but they grew on me and I ended up finding it, yes you probably guessed it: CUTE
Also this probably is the drama, with the highest ratio smiles per minute I have ever seen...
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This review may contain spoilers
Far from a perfect drama and yet it will pull you in right from the first scene. I usually do not watch melodramas or revenge dramas, but this one seemed interesting enough. This drama's strength lies in its plot, cast, the great camerawork and the TERRIFIC soundtrack!! I thought the plot of this drama was really creative. A lot of things introduced in the first episode tie up well towards the later half. The revenge part and the parallel investigation by the cop were wonderful. There was no need for romance in the drama according to me. It could have done well on its own. Although it can be a bit slow at times, it won't bore you.
Kim Nam Gil is the star of the whole drama. This is my first time watching him in anything and I must say, I was totally enchanted by him. He has an amazing screen presence and acts with such depth and emotion that its impossible to tear your eyes away from the screen. I will also mention his long hair and moustache- suits him rather well. :D His character was the type you would want to see in a revenge drama. He is willing to go to any length to destroy those who did him wrong. Of course, he is very, very human and you'll see his soft side a lot of times.
Kim Jae Wook was super likable in his role. I would love to see him play a tortured guy again. He was a breath of fresh air, because he wasn't your typical doormat second lead. Although he gets too repetitive after a while, I enjoyed his acting. Plus, he's great to look at! In fact both guys are eye candies.
Han Ga In didn't impress me. She's pretty to look at and wore fabulous clothes but her character was really fickle and annoyed me at times. Her part in the drama made no difference to me. She was interesting in the beginning but went redundant later on. Her sister was a far more interesting person and she was the only HILARIOUS person in this drama.
Although its one of those dramas which screwed its ending, I wouldn't say that it ruins the drama. The drama is worth watching minus the last 3 episodes. From the beginning I was prepared for what was about to come. If I hadn't known the ending, I would have been super mad at it. So I'd recommend to be prepared beforehand by reading the spoilers or skip this drama altogether.
Bad Guy's OST will probably always be in my Top 3 Kdrama soundtracks ever. Every single song is beautiful, melodious and will make you want to listen to it over and over. Even the background scores were amazing.
I liked how this drama was filmed. Its camera work managed to capture the right tone and mood of the story.
Though this drama is not meant for a rewatch, it was entertaining enough the first time around.
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