Reviews

For a noir film, this is not as dark and complex or intriguing as I thought it would be. It can actually be a mainstream gangster/action movie. So on that score, it was a bit of a letdown for me if compared with say, Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai's noir films which truly fit that description.

Having said that, G 1970 is thoroughly watchable. In fact I watched it twice. The first time was a blur because there were so many characters, and to be honest, all the men, and there were plenty of them - gangsters and politicians - did sort of start to look like one another after a while which made it difficult to understand the plot and storyline, not to mention having to read the subtitles fast left me a bit confused.

But when i watched it a second time, I enjoyed it much more because the story and characters became clearer to me.The action/fighting scenes are very realistic and well executed; there is a lot of blood and gore. The pace of the movie is tight and well controlled although I think the editing did leave some parts a bit patchy and not as smooth and seamless as it could have been.

Kim Rae Won shines as a baddie but I think this has to do with his "bad boy" look in the first place which makes his character believable but KRW does play his character very effortlessly and it is testament to the good actor that he is. Jeong Jin Yeong who plays Jong Dae's adoptive father is also an excellent actor - very controlled in his acting yet conveying volumes - pain, regret; you really get that he wants to leave his gangster roots behind and live a simple life.

It is tougher to see Lee Min Ho as a gangster, but on the occasions when he is out for blood and you see the anger and raw emotions - that's when he really stands out. It helps that he is not an all out baddie; he did not start out as a gangster and his psyche is such that he would not have been one if circumstances and fate had not dealt him such a hand. So he can be excused for looking exceedingly handsome while wielding a knife. I think overall it was a major transformative role for him and he truly delivered. Aside from anger and ferocity which he conveyed well, he also spoke volumes with his eyes when channelling ambition, despair and emptiness. You have to watch his eyes; it's all in his eyes. All in a great performance for a breakout role such as this. In fact, after sharing his pain and loss as Jong Dae, I had to get a dose of fresh air and made my way to the Innisfree store downstairs to look at his standee (he's their global brand ambassador) - there he was standing, smiling, fresh faced and youthful, with his Kim Tan look and that was when the contrast of characters really hit me, it was like i was looking at 2 completely different people, and that was when I realised he had really managed to change his image for the movie and he had done it very successfully. Forgive me for rambling about Min Ho; I am a fan!

The last scene is very touching, heart wrenching and symbolic and very well done; a fitting end to a roller coaster movie. On the whole, kudos to Yoo Ha and the cast; it was quite a ride!

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This movie will have you grow hairs on your butt. (For those who don't know, the Korean saying is, "If you laugh when you cry, you'll grow hairs on your butt/butthole.") Cha Tae Hyun is amazing, as usual, and brings life and depth to his character. The ghosts are quirky, and annoying at first, but they grow on you, and the ending will have you exit the movie with a happy sigh. For those worried about the horror factor, there is absolutely no scary scenes in the movie. In fact, you will most likely be laughing the entire way through. I definitely recommend it for everyone, even for those who don't get toilet humor (after all, you can't really have a Korean comedy without some toilet humor). There's not much else I can say without spoiling it. Please watch it. You won't regret it. Cheers!

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A Lighthearted Sweet Drama

You should definitely watch this drama if you crave a lighthearted sweet drama without stupid misunderstandings. This drama mainly focuses on the main leads, and not so much on the second leads, but the second leads still get a reasonable amount of screen time (the right amount in my opinion). Also, the chemistry between the main leads are just... AMAZING. There's not a lot of kiss scenes (since Allen Ren is married) and this drama shows that even without many kiss scenes, the drama can still be as sweet as any other dramas. The reason why I gave it a 9.5/10 instead of 10/10 was because the ending seemed really rushed and a lot of parts were missing or cut out. So, the beginning and the middle of this drama is definitely a 10/10 for me.

I usually don't really mention music since it's not TOO important, but here I have to say something about it...
There's about 100 different pieces of music used in this drama (it's an exaggeration but still) and most of them are really... weird. Not only that, but the most of the music comes in during very awkward places that doesn't seem that appropriate for that specific piece of music. Also, sometimes it's unnecessarily loud. Nevertheless, I really enjoy the music "Exchange" sang by my favorite singer Zhou Shen, and you'll hear it a lot throughout the drama lol. But as I mentioned earlier, music isn't that important in a drama so it did not affect the overall score of this drama :)

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TL;DR? If you don't have anything better to watch, give this a shot.

Not having been a huge fan of Taecyeon in Dream High, I watched this drama strictly for the plot. It sounds neat: A girl who discovers she can see ghosts after a 6 year coma and a guy who helps her solve her ghostly mysteries. I'm not saying the plot line should win a Pullitzer or anything, but it does sound entertaining! Unfortunately, this drama squandered all of that fun potential on pseudo plot twists and mediocre romance.

It's never a good sign when you root more for the lead character to be with a ghost than you do the actual male love interest. Surprisingly, this isn't even Taecyeon's fault! I was really impressed with how much he had improved from Dream High, and I really did love his character. Cha Gun Woo is an all-around good guy, willing to help out our heroine even when he isn't sure if he believes her. But even though he was doing all the right things, there was just no chemistry between him and Yang Shi On.

Yang Shi On's character was, for the most part, fairly likable. It was hard not to feel for her when she was so obviously lost and confused, trying to pick up the pieces after a 6 year absence from the world.

Kim Jae Wook was easily the star of the drama, which is interesting considering that for the majority of it, he didn't have any lines. But the way he watched over Shi On and loved her so much, even after so long was just heartrending.

The villains were disappointing, never evil enough to really be interesting, nor frightening. I can't even count the number of times that Gun Woo and Shi On were able to outmaneuver huge groups of men. If two people, with one of them having just come out of a coma, can beat 20+ gangsters, you are obviously not hiring gangsters from the right place.

Other than convoluted plot lines and a sad attempt at emotional terrorism in an effort to make you connect with the characters, this show isn't wholly irredeemable. It's short episodes ensure that you don't feel too bored throughout, and for the most part the ghost's problems were fairly interesting. All in all, not a complete waste of time.

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Refreshing modern female oriented drama

When casting is top notch & the story is not filled with over toxic characters, it's enjoyable to watch.

The story starts off with everyone captivated by Rose's beauty. Beauty is not just standard Chinese beauty but also the energy, 气质 she exhibits. Picking Cristal Liu is perfect for the role. She has that artsy, sophisticated 气质 and she looks young enough to play college age to 30's mom age.
She comes from a healthy family with loving parents with an overprotective brother. There isn't the idea of girls are any less valuable than boys hence she grew up free pursuing what she wants rather than what her parents want for her. She's smart, sassy, confident but also with many imperfections. She's not afraid to take chances on love and in life.

Ep 1-12 1st love. She's impulsive and the relationship progressed fast without deeper understanding. Break ups, fights, yelling feeling semi toxic as they find out more about each other. Very relatable to many people's 1st relationships.
Ep 13-28 Mr. Wrong Husband. She wanted someone stable and settled with the obvious wrong choice, but the series got draggy that I almost dropped the series. The best part was the divorce where she wrote to her daughter: "Divorce in my view only represent an end in a relationship and not a life failure."
Ep 28-35 Mr. Soulmate. At this point she regained her career and she's on a happier path. They have undeniable chemistry and connect on that artistic level.
Ep 36-38 Younger crush, not enough to make an impact.

What's enjoyable:
1. Good female supporting characters small or big parts. Even in the beginning a woman blaming her breakup on Rose, acting all crazy, Rose said "You are smart and beautiful, why waste more time on an underserving guy?" There was no female bashing over love interest like in other dramas.
2. Rose's Loving parents. Positive supportive parenting & nonjudgmental. "Life is only few decades long. If Happier times > sad times, then life is worth it."
3. Modern topics: Career women/Married, unmarried, divorced/Single parenting/Multiple loves, realistic that love moves on (None of that drama love trope of 30-year-old never been kissed, waiting to be reunited from their 1st unrequited love from 10 years ago because they met at 5 or something)

What could've been better:
1. WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY less episodes on boring husband choice
2. Use those extra episodes on Soulmate

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When I say that this drama is a health hazard, I am not exaggerating. I started it feeling quite cocky. I was sure I wouldn’t be as affected or emotionally invested as most of the people who watched it. 15 minutes into the show and I already knew I was wrong big time. It seemed as if a ball of dread had permanently lodged itself at the base of my throat. Halfway in and I was clenching my fists in trepidation and finally as the credits rolled, so did my big fat tears. From then on to the last episode, my eyes didn’t find a dry moment. After I was done watching, my peepers were positively swollen, my head hurt from continuously staring at the screen, I felt nauseous because of sitting in the same position all day and I had to stretch out my entire body that felt sore.
In short: This drama will bring about a physical reaction in you and you still won’t regret watching it one bit. You can quote me on that.

I think the title of this show pretty much tells its entire story. “Mother”. The amount of importance this word holds. The responsibility, love and sacrifice that comes with it. How some women can never be worthy to embrace it while some own it and wear it as a second skin. This show highlights how much a mother’s actions can define a child’s life. How sensitive the stage of childhood is and ultimately, how family can transcend blood.

I haven’t watched the original so I can’t make comparisons but judging this drama on its own standing, I will say it was one of the most beautifully written, directed and acted pieces of production I have ever seen. No amount of praise is enough for the actors. I am not a fan of Lee Bo Young but she embodied her character perfectly here. Lee Hye Young, my favorite veteran actress once again brought forth a character I will forever remember and treasure and finally, the star of the show: 7 year old Heo Yool. I am still speechless at how a child so young could execute such a difficult character with such mastery and that also in her first role ever. I am going to follow her career throughout her life and I’m positive that she’s going to take the world by a storm and I can only hope she wasn’t scarred by playing the widely complex role of Kim Hye Na.

The drama comes with excellent dialogue and symbolism. It is also morbidly suspenseful, as in you desperately want to know what happens next but are afraid to find out at the same time. I really don’t have anything to complain about and the only reason I took one star back was because so many emotionally powerful things kept happening throughout the show that by the last two episodes, I was just spent and exhausted and my capacity to react had vanished which is why I watched the end with a sort of indifference.

However, I will say that even though the process is painful the drama ends with a sweet relief that we all earnestly wished for.

A must-watch.

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The Yakuza was not mafiaing enough.

Instead of making the female lead less bland as the drama progressed, they decided to make the drama itself more bland to match her vibe. Why? No one knows.

If you want to watch it for mafia romance? Don’t bother. Bad guy turned good for female lead? Don’t bother. High stakes and thrills? Don’t bother. I feel like what the show initially presents and what it actually delivers is completely different.

The mafia plot, even though central to the story, somehow barely exists and feels like it lacks impact. It’s the “good mafia” if you know what I mean. I did enjoy how puppy-like Odagiri Ren was towards the female lead, but when faced with danger and trash people, I wish he was more… mafia like. Otherwise, why is the yakuza even part of the plot?

I enjoyed Sugawara Makoto as a character at first, because I expected well delivered character development. And no, I don’t need her to become a confident extrovert, but girl needs to grow a backbone and learn some assertive skills. At the end of the day, she always had to be saved and could not deal with anything alone.

While the chemistry between them was great, it was the best when they were not kissing. Yet again - my man you are almost 40, playing a character who is probably in his mid 30’ - what is that fish kiss? What is this k-bl from the early 2010s? He is supposed to be madly in love with her, so why does it feel like they don’t really want to kiss each other?

Performances were decent. I think it’s hard for me to judge since for me the characters were weirdly written - a bit too juvenile for the age and circumstances they were in.

At the end of the day, the Yakuza aspect ruined the experience for me, because I kept expecting something else, something more. If it was just an office show with forced co-habitation, I’d probably rate it higher. Adjust your expectations and it might actually be a decent watch.

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I have a major bone to pick with this drama.

The idea for this drama was eye-catching. An app that tells who who's in love with you if they're in a 10m radius? Sounds kind of sci-fi and would definitely be interesting in a high school setting. I'm a sucker for high school dramas so I thought this would be something new to try. Boy I could NOT have been more wrong...

First of all, the motives for Sunoh's actions were creepy; Jojo should NOT have followed him into an alley, and literally WHAT was up with him going to kiss her IMMEDIATELY after he realized Hyeyeong, his best friend, was in love with her?? Can you have a heart?? I understand you were raised differently and don't know how to act in those kinds of situations but god damn, LAY OFF. Sunoh acted like a baby throwing a tantrum through this whole show, it was downright IRRITATING.

Jojo was only mildly more bearable, but I didn't understand why Sunoh fell in love with her in the first place: there was nothing inherently special about her character because her entire character was based around her trauma; there was no other traits about her that were played up. Imagine only liking someone for their tragic backstory. I know she was like "oh I'm trying to be cheerful despite all that's happened" bitch WHERE you look MISERABLE ALL THE TIME. I became increasingly tired of her towards the end when it's very apparent she could have solved all of her problems just by telling Sunoh and Hyeyoung about the shield. I know there's going to be a season 2, but many of these issues could have already been solved if she had just come clean about her feelings in the first place, saving both her and Sunoh a world of pain.

Hyeyoung... this poor boy was really just trying his best but god damn... grow a backbone PLEASE. You KNOW you have a shitty best friend but you are not obligated to stand by him all the time because you are your own person with your own opinions and feelings. When we finally got that at the end when he was being honest with Jojo, it was like [gordan ramsay meme but it says"finally some good fucking CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT"]. Honest to god, FUCK JEONG SUN OH. It was more than right for him to leave the guy after standing by him even after he went after the girl he clearly loved. The moment he left that robot behind was the only fucking good character development.

Also a moment of silence for Hyeyoung's mom. She ain't dead, we just appreciate her for being a nice and kind mom.

Other than that, the casting was good despite the acting being sub par. Overall, would not give this drama another look. This is eight hours of my life I will not get back, but I guess it was good to see Jojo and Hyeyoung grow towards the end.

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This drama made me started to ask myself will I be the same person in the future ? or will the years change me ? .

I really loved this drama , it was so realistic & it is not just a youthful romance but also a slice of life drama without the heaviness that we usually find in this kind of genre . And is not like the normal romance stories where they love each other > break up cause of a 3rd party > end up together .. the end !!
Like the couple as it was stated in the summary they were separated for years , so they experienced different things & they became older , there is so much to think of & not just LOVE so that’s why I loved the story line .. the couple even if they are still in love with each other they have doubts in their relationship .

The concept of the drama is for mature audience ... you can see the lovey dovey type of romance in the past scenes but I wont consider it as the genre of drama .

Fan Kris is so cute ,  I am in love with his eyes they 're so beautiful , I liked his acting he portrayed the character well ..
As for the Leads as a couple they were cute but actually for me I loved the ( Zhu Xuan x Yuan Lang ) couple more they were more interesting and fun to watch .

The cinematography is so amazing ! I liked how they made the transition from the present to the past vise versa , it was so smooth that sometime got me confused  .

The OST was perfect it suited the drama mood .

The ending also got me confused at first but I loved it , I find the whole production is well executed ..

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This movie is typical romantic comedy. And yet at the same time it's not. I picked it up because of the leads whom I really love and I kinda liked the plot. I was expecting something fluffy, cute and already seen but honestly it was different. The core and essence of this movie is actually quite different than all the other romcoms I've seen.
Yes the main plot is about one couple who were together for so long that their relationship started to fall apart and at one moment the girl comes in possession of magical chocolate that brings her mind when she was 17 to 28 years old herself in the present time. And going like that back and forth she begins to realize her life, her mistakes, she starts to find her old self again and learns what was it that she lost along the way till this day. Whole movie is funny and very sweet, it brings many memories of our own past and it definitely makes you connect with the main girl. She is one beautiful woman who for the man she loves gave up her dreams, her own desires and her own self, she thought that acting that way will bring her marriage and happiness. And that's when Little Liang comes to the light, she awakes in Liang that young spirit, she brings her back her love for painting and drawing, she makes her feel alive and full of life again, to be more brave and relaxed, simply she makes her to learn to love herself and do what she really loves. And that was the strongest part of this movie, the main focus is only on her and her two personalities- young 17 years old Liang and unsatisfied lost 28 years old one. The way they start to interact with each other, in the beginning their bickering, misunderstandings, to the part where they finally accept and learn all the lessons becoming one. The guys were pretty good although I couldn't feel the chemistry with her boyfriend and I find that part of the movie weak- it simply wasn't explained how they feel in love with each other and till the end I think they weren't suited for each other. My heart has won the second lead or should I say the guy with whom Little Liang fell in love with. He was a typical rebel, riding a bike with living his life to the fullest but the one who awoke in her passion and love, they were totally great together. And when you add that Darren Wang was that second guy, well then it's logical that I rooted for him. ;)

The choice of the actors was also good, Ni Ni is one gorgeous goddess and she looks more beautiful by each day. She could really pass as a high school girl. Her acting was very believable and although she is older than Darren, their chemistry was so damn real and fantastic. Wallace as the lead guy was okay but in his typical wooden serious cool style and although in some other projects of his I liked him, here he definitely wasn't my choice nor the right choice for her. Despite that, it doesn't matter in the end because the main thing wasn't in men and relationships, it was in her, her mind and her heart.

" I'm proud of us"- this sentence simply engraved in my heart, the moment she said it, the way how two of them were portrayed and what they said to each other, it was very touching and realistic. As long as we have our own selves, as long as we think with our hearts and do the things we desire, as long as we don't lose ourselves along the way of growing up, we can make it, only then we can be truly happy, making our dreams come true and our lives into the life worth living for. This is the best message one movie can teach us. Despite that we may already know all that, still it means and makes us smile. It made me smile and I fully recommend it for watching.

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This was the first family drama and also the longest drama that I have ever watched. It was extremely popular in Korea so I decided to watch it and I'm so glad I did. This is one of my favorite dramas of the year and one of the best I have seen overall. The story focuses on newly married couple Bang Gwi Nam (Terry) and Cha Yoon Hee. After moving into a new apartment they discover that Terry's biological parents live across the hall. This is bad news for Yoon Hee because she purposely married the adopted Terry so she wouldn't want to deal with in-laws. The drama follows them as they try to juggle their married life, work and getting to know Terry's new family. Terry's parents, uncles and wives, three sisters and Yoon Hee's family are also given their own unique story lines.

There are many characters in this drama and tons of different story lines. Although there is a lot going on the story never really drags like some 16-20 episode dramas do. It's always interesting and something is always happening to hold your attention.

The acting was great from the whole cast. If I had to pick a favorite from the entire drama it would be Lee Hee Joon as Chun Jae Yong. He was amazing in this and stood out among the talented cast. He made me laugh and cry, not to mention his fantastic chemistry with Jo Yoon Hee.

The music was good and fit the drama nicely. I really liked the use of American pop when the scene took place in a restaurant or coffee house.

I loved this drama but due to the number of episodes and the monster that is my plan to watch list, I don't see myself re-watching it anytime soon.

Overall this is a great drama and definitely worth watching.

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This is my first review (don't know how to write it actually~) so I'll just share some of my scattered thoughts.

So.. this drama started really good and the young actors did an absolutely great job. Both story and acting made me feel like I was watching Wednesday-Thursday drama. Almost perfect... but...
My opinion changed as soon as they turned to the current Jang Kook and and Joon Soo... The acting was terrible. Though I watched some of Nam Goong Min's dramas and he seemed like a good actor, this drama made me change my mind...

I don't want to post any spoilers so I can't write anything about the ending.. Though you should keep in mind that as soon as you finish the last episode you'll feel lost - "is this end? where is the next episode". It feels like they just cut off the drama in the middle...

It's a pity that such a potentially good story was made into this... very disappointing....

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Know your value. If you don't... then learn.

I learnt a lot from this drama as a woman. Instead of setting standard for a man this drama taught me how to set a standard for myself.
I've never written a review before. And all the dramas I watch are light hearted like the on I'm watching side by side 'You are my lover friend'. But I always found myself waiting only for the episodes of in between. It goes around the stories of different women pursuing different lifestyle. But that doesn't keep us women away from some men.
Which take me to the charachters of this drama and their experience with differnt types of men which only gave one conclusion.. we women don't really need a man to make a living and live a happy life.
I won't write about the acting or music but yessss, this drama goes around different stories which represents the different types things that are happening in this materialistic world. Cheating, harassment, lying, backstabbing, revenge etc. This drama is definetely a good drama if you want something different. And not some honey coated lovestory.

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If you like TVN dramas then don't skip out on this gem because of the rating. When this drama first aired I couldn't get past two episodes, after picking it up again it took me less than 2 days to finish. This is has the lightness of a romcom and the realness of a family drama, I wouldn't categorize this a melodramatic. After the first two episodes the pace picks up with a decent amount of plot and not a lot of filler. The acting was real and spot on for all actors. They are all individuals with their own thoughts and don't feel like carbon copied personas. This is hands down my favorite role i've seen Lee Dong Wook in, he really captured the emotions of his chracters. This is also one of the first dramas that I've watched where there really is no antagonist. There are definitely characters put in place to be road blocks for the main couple, but none of them are evil everything they did was surprisingly human and matched to their chracters. I'm a sucker for a best friend turned lovers story and this one is going in my favorites list. I recommend you give this drama a go for at least 4 episodes before dropping it really is worth the watch.

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