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Fun Antics with Unexpected Depth: A Seamless Transition of Laughter and Heartache
Let me start by saying how much I’m in love with this drama. Somehow, it has just the right amount of comedy, tragedy, fluff and angst; the romance here is romance-ing, the chemistry is chemisty-ing, the flow is flowing — everything is just perfect. And I absolutely love the OSTs. I understand that enjoyment is subjective and not everyone might share my sentiments but personally, I have not come across a drama which I enjoyed this much in a very long time.This is one of the rare dramas where watching the trailer actually inspired me to watch it. I went in expecting lots of comedy and was not only not disappointed but was also pleasantly surprised by the depth of the story and the characters. All the characters (both main and side) are complex and layered, and the actors did such an amazing job at bringing them to life that you can’t help but end up loving or hating them.
On that note, this was my first drama of Cheng Lei and Wang Churan as main leads and am I in love? They are such a talented and beautiful duo that I couldn’t even decide who I liked more and literally loved every second they were on screen. Not to mention the visual fest — the costumes and the styling are totally on point and simply so beautiful that I had to rewind a few times just to appreciate their beauty.
The chemistry between the main leads is also impeccable. They are balanced characters and match each other’s energy really well. I love how much they trust each other and communicate quickly to prevent unnecessary misunderstandings, and while some secrets still remained, it’s not frustrating and if you see it from the ML's POV, it's really understandable.
I didn't watch any of the other adaptations before so I went in with a pretty fresh mind, minus the very blatant spoiler the synopsis gave out but personally I feel like knowing the ML's situation made a lot of his early actions make more sense and added more depth to them, like his absolute trust in the FL, his interactions with other people, the court sessions, etc. so I can't really say I mind it.
The plot itself can come off as a bit shallow at first, but it gradually dives deeper into a darker and more complex storyline without it ever feeling too overpowering. The flow and balance are so good that the comedy and tragedy can coexist without either losing its charm.
The pacing of the story is also just perfect for me, and I was hooked from the first ep but it could be considered a little fast for some people, especially since the transmigration plot and timelines can be a bit confusing but when it all clicks, the story is really good and it gets better with each ep. I watched it while airing and every episode was worth the wait, so props to the entire production team for creating this amazing drama cuz I loved every minute of it.
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But just as I started it for LJK and stayed for LJK, LJK (with some help from Lee Soo Hyuk and even, gasp, Changmin) saved this one for me. If at any point LJK and LSH, and most of the other actors too, hadn't sold this to the hilt, it could have been the utterly crappy hot mess that Night Watchman was. But somehow their commitment to the roles, even when they got stupid, saved this drama.
But what also saved it was the last 4 episodes. The quality of those episodes clearly showed the writer DID have a plan. The writer just had trouble filling in the bits between A and B. The first 2 episodes were wonderful. The last 4 episodes were also very good. I could probably find 4 episodes in the middle that were not totally terrible. So if this drama had been 10 episodes it actually would have been pretty awesome. As it is, it's only okay, but brought to the level of better than okay because of the acting. If you love Lee Jun Ki as much as I do, you will still find something to love in this drama despite its MANY flaws.
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This review may contain spoilers
I really wanted to write a review as soon as the series had ended. Since spoilers are not tolerated in a review, I decided to do a pro/contra list in the comment section containing spoilers because there were concrete things that bothered me a lot and I needed to get them off my chest. I started watching Hwarang because it is a historical drama and I was interested in the story. I am not an expert when it comes to history, my knowledge on Korean history is particularly poor, and so I read some articles on Silla/Hwarang to be prepared a bit. Of course you have to keep the fact in mind that this is a drama, thus fiction. Some things had to be dropped for sure, and some things had to be (re-)invented to create this drama. I’m saying this because I do not want you to have extremely high expectations on this show being historically accurate. It is not. Personally I did not mind, it wasn't TOO bad for me. I will not compare real historical events with this drama in the next lines for several reasons; instead, I will provide summarized impressions of mine and tell you about the things I liked and disliked.
First of all, what _is_ “Hwarang” in my eyes? It is a historical drama mixed with modern elements, comedy, and romance; action, silliness und suspense included. It is partially somewhat of a high school drama embedded in an earlier century I would say, because you will recognize some types and things related to school dramas for sure. The supporting characters are likeable and enjoyable; I wished some of them were more vivid.
At first I was slightly addicted to this show, and I even stopped watching other dramas because I wanted to concentrate on “Hwarang”. The cliffhangers made me wanting to go on with the next episodes badly, Sun Woo was cool, and so were Ah Ro, Ji Dwi and the supporting characters. I was interested in Sun Woo’s development, but I fell for Ji Dwi very soon, and at some point, I was mostly interested in his fate because I started to see the major flaws. My addiction disappeared, but it still was enjoyable.
I had the feeling the makers were not sure on which aspect they should focus on more: The lives of Hwarang and their impact on society, that one love story going on, political stuff in general, Sun Woo’s story or on Park Hyung Sik’s role. I am perfectly aware of the fact that, usually, a story has several plots being connected to each other at some point. I liked nearly all the plots within this series and nearly all of the characters involved, but the plots are unbalanced. I would not go so far as to claim the first episodes not being important or to count them as dispensable fillers, because that is not what they are at all, but at some point, so many significant things happen one after another that all previous events become blurry. Besides, the characters are not given time to reflect on certain things properly, at some point stuff is thrown at you in raw form piece by piece; sometimes it did not make any sense to me. Instead of 20 episodes, the makers should have either made 15 or 30 episodes to avoid a very slow first half being followed by a very fast-paced second half. As it stands, the relationship between fast and slow is deeply unbalanced and harder to digest.
The thing that annoyed me the most is the main couple. It is hard to explain without posting spoilers, it really is. I did not feel it, maybe you will, I don’t know. They would have been off better as separated individuals and not as a couple because the developers wasted too much time on them instead moving on with things that I considered more important.
I liked the equivalences and symbolism. You will stumble upon analogous and opposite equivalences between human beings, humans and things, humans and forces of nature. To me, these things along with symbolism are important because you expand the meaning to create a huge substantial net without organizing a verbal orgy. The “meaning of something” is relevant to this drama. Two other things I liked are the writers’ ability to generate deep, emotional scenes and character development. Unfortunately, all of this has to face neglect soon; equivalences and relationships are created and then thrown overboard; adequate character development is avaliable in small amounts only. Ji Dwi and Ban Ryu’s progression were the only ones to be witnessed visibly.
I would divide this series into two parts, part A and part B. In part A you get to learn the characters, their relationship among each other and their motivations. In Part B things become… beyond good and evil, let’s put it that way. I really wish there would have been more interactions between all Hwarang in part A. I wanted them to talk to each other more; I wanted them to get to know each other better.
The acting was good. Park Hyung Sik and Do Ji Han’s acting skills impressed me the most. Park Hyung Sik’s facial expressions, his speech, his postures and movements are indeed that of a man of high importance, his face is made for this kind of dramas, and Do Ji Han’s emotions were frighteningly real. The others did well too, except for Go Ah Ra (and Park Seo Joon) in some scenes. I had the feeling that this is not her kind of drama, somehow.
Please do not assume I am here to simply bash her or her contribution to this drama, after all she is one of the main characters and I gladly “ship” her with one of the male leads. As I said before I liked nearly all of the characters, but they aren’t all perfect (putting the fact aside that we did not get to know them well enough). Ah Ro appears to be plain in some scenes, which is a shame. I haven’t watched another movie starring the actress so far, so I do not want to judge her acting skills as a whole. Ah Ro started out as an interesting and funny character, but in the further course I realized she was poorly written. Sun Woo is a rather irrational and static being, too one dimensional for too long, too much overkill towards the end. I think I do understand why they portrayed Sun Woo the way he is. I still think the developers gave him too much credit, even though Ji Dwi and some other boys deserved it as much, but the ending was legit, at least.
I am not sure whether the contemporary musical numbers were chosen on purpose to remind the viewers that “Hwarang” is still a drama and not a historical documentary or such, but I considered the music to be really off-putting sometimes. Sure, after five to six episodes you learn to ignore it/get used to it forcefully, but, eh, it should not be this way.
The last criterion here is “rewatch value”. To be honest with you: The possibility of me rewatching a series with more than five episodes or so is low. But if I were a person who likes rewatching things from time to time in general, I would probably watch this show again one day just to see the scenes that touched me the most/I liked a lot.
I was not satisfied by the final couple and the final scene, apart from that the outcome was appropriate. I had a difficult time while ruminating about a proper rating. First it was 8,5, then 6,5, finally I decided to rate it as 7/10. Episode 19 was a complete mess, and the final scene was screaming bruh, cliché right in my face, they rushed the ending and too many questions remain unanswered, although it is suggested that you will get the answers.* Nonetheless I liked many things about this show.
To sum up, “Hwarang” offers entertainment, some likeable characters; the plots within are interesting but things are solved poorly. This drama is neither extraordinary nor a must-watch (unless you want to get to see your favourite) and has obviously some major flaws. You can say the makers had reliable tools, but they didn’t know how to use them properly. Give it a try if you want to; after all you can still skip stuff or simply drop this drama if this isn’t your cup of tea. I hope this review is helpful!
*I like open ends, and usually I am fine with some things left unanswered AS LONG AS it has a function and is well presented.
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I thought Korea was going backwards while watching this movie
I was going to give it 0.5 stars, but cannot be given here. I'm actually a fan of one of the actors, and also a fan of ORV. But seriously? You've made the entire cast almost hateable because their acting is so stiff. Let's leave Lee Minho alone because he has had a long career here. But the rest? You gave the women unnecessary and disgusting aegyo. It would be terrible if this movie were to exist. I hope the production team is not that arrogant and does not let their biases and opinions appear in this film. You want to defeat Demon Slayer? Marvel? Or what? Very bad. Absolutely disgusting. Honestly, Marvel didn't give Captain America a magic glove like you did to Hyunsung. And bastard, Tanjiro doesn't use a gun when fighting. And is Jisoo too lazy to run? What's with that teleportation skill? You want to imitate Flash or what, damn director?Was this review helpful to you?
How Creepy!
The second season of Utsukushii Kare is an exceptional drama that left a lasting impression on me. The series features the talented actors Hagiwara Riku and Yagi Yusei, who portray the characters Hira Kazunari and Kiyoi Sou with a great deal of nuance and complexity.One of the standout aspects of the drama is its unique take on the power dynamic between the two main characters. Initially, their relationship appears to be one-sided, with Kiyoi holding all the power. However, as the series progresses, it becomes clear that there is much more to their dynamic than meets the eye.
The line "How creepy!" is so frequently used that I lost count. At first, it was so off-putting to me hearing Kiyoi "insult" Hira. However, as the series progresses, this line takes on a deeper meaning and becomes a symbol of the characters' growth and development. It is a testament to the strength of the writing and acting that a seemingly simple phrase can evoke such complex emotions.
The last episode of the series beautifully showcases the growth and maturity in the characters' love for each other. It is a touching moment that underscores the depth of their relationship and the series wrapped it up with a good, I really mean it, good scene. The subtle shift in expression from worship to pure desire is honestly such an iconic moment for me.
Overall, IMHO Utsukushii Kare Season 2 is a standout drama in the BL genre and one of the best in its history. The only downside is that this series is too short! But with exceptional performances from its lead actors, a unique power dynamic between its characters, and a beautiful story of love and growth, this series is sure to be one of the best BL series for a long, long time.
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"There's no way you can be lost if you don't set a destination"
Mr. Plankton told the story of three wounded people finding love and reconciliation down a messy, uneven path. Woo Do Hwan can make any role compelling and he had some heavy lifting to do in the early episodes of this drama, thankfully he’d been working out.Hae Jo and Gi Ho run a boys for hire service, picking whatever jobs Hae Jo thinks will be fun. Hae Jo was emotionally abandoned as a child due to a mistake at an IVF facility and seems to have no love to give. The entrepreneurs take on a job of “kidnapping” a bride which goes south really quick and ends with Hae Jo discovering he has three months to live. He decides to search for his biological father to try and make some sense of his life and in the process kidnaps another bride for real. Soon he has the first bride’s villainous gangster groom after him as well as the second bride’s loving groom.
The first few episodes were difficult for me because I had real concerns about the lack of consent on Jae Mi’s part when Hae Jo kidnapped her. Despite having a past, it came across as problematic. Of course, eventually their shared loved and Woo Do Hwan’s gorgeous face and body convinced her to help him on his parental quest, but that doesn’t negate the kidnapping. Jae Mi’s fiancé, Heung, became hopelessly entangled in their lives. I actually liked Heung. While he had mommy issues due to an overbearing mother, he was a good man who genuinely loved Jae Mi and didn’t deserve to have a front row seat to Hae Jo and Jae Mi’s burgeoning love story. Gi Ho, who became embroiled with the gangsters searching for Hae Jo suffered greatly for his loyalty and friendship which went all but unacknowledged.
Now that I’ve stated the things that didn’t work for me, here’s what did. I’m a sucker for reconciliation stories and found families. Once everyone was mutually onboard the crazy train without a destination, the story worked better. Hae Jo discovered that his family was not the only one with problems. Heung began to develop enough confidence to defy his overbearing mother. Jae Mi came to understand that she had worth. And all three would have their eyes opened to the love all around them.
Woo Do Hwan’s performance was mesmerizing even when Hae Jo behaved liked a self-centered jerk. He has a way of making any character sympathetic and did the same here which was a momentous task as Hae Jo spent much of his time hurting others. Oh Jung Se had the difficult job of making a middle-aged man who could not stand up to his mother likeable. Heung was such a compassionate character that he could set aside his own feelings and respect Jae Mi’s choices. The character that downgraded this drama for me was Jae Mi. I found the writing for her and the acting grating. Jae Mi spent much of her time yelling or acting childlike which caused me to hit the mute button numerous times per episode. All three characters were complicated and flawed, having been wounded by their parents. All three were on a journey towards love, growth, and forgiveness. Though much of the growth was understandable, there was some that felt unearned.
Mr. Plankton was an uneven drama with moments of humor, sorrow, and love driven by Woo Do Hwan’s compelling performance. The specter of Death lingered in the shadows from beginning to end. Hae Jo’s vision of what was important cleared as his final days approached. Family isn’t always what we’re born into, sometimes it’s what we make it.
“Never set a destination. Just let your instincts take the lead for you. That way you’ll never lose your path.”
11 November 2024
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HIGH FIVE TO THE FACE!!!WITH A CHAIR IS WHAT I NEED!!
I honestly am too drained to write out my disappointment! So much wasted! As a Novel reader, this was such a slap to the face or should I say HIGH FIVE to the face!! The first episodes were good and then everything just derailed after they became a couple! Can't even blame Covid-19 because they finished before the lockdown thing. The ending was such utter disrespect to the source material..I can't even rewatch it.. the novel was so good! How do you mess up this much.. Win was adorable and he portrayed Tine well, including the insecurities, Bright however.....No comment
Wish my boy Gunsmile had more screen time. He actually made some scenes bearable...
This wasn't a romance story, this was a weird friends story! Not even Bromance. Atleast Bromance compels you to ship the couple, SaraTine just bored me in the last 3 episodes..
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This review may contain spoilers
The Writers Forgot...
I watched this as part of a watch party. For the most part, the first six episodes of the show, although not perfect, were fun, and the story surrounding his biological father had me intrigued. The comedy, although exaggerated, had me cackling. I enjoyed them a lot. Up till then, the show was an 8 to an 8.5. Then, episode 7 happened.The show went on a downward spiral from there. I thought it would recover before the end, but it didn't. The female lead was annoying and childish. Her crying started grating on my nerves and the way she kept hitting the male lead's head despite knowing his condition baffled me. She was completely devoid of critical thinking. Hae Jo, the male lead, had strong douchebag tendencies. I know the way he tried to push people out of his life stemmed from the neglect he suffered while growing up, but there were times that I had to shake my head at the comments he made to the people around him. They were honestly kind of perfect for each other... There were also too many filler scenes and dubious relationships. At times, it felt like the writer(s) were suffering from the same terminal illness as the male lead. Why would you write all this tension surrounding Eo Heung and John, only to have her ask him to be her second son? What? Come again? That was not the only strange relationship dynamic, there were others. It was like they simply forgot what they had written previously. The reconciliation with the trash father was also irritating, anticlimactic, and felt like an afterthought as it was not well developed. I am not going to delve deeper into that. This show could have also been 8 episodes. It did not need 10. This story had so much potential and it could have been one of the better 2024 K-dramas.
The show features California Dreamin’ by The Mamas & the Papas which is honestly one of my favorite songs and the other OST songs are decent too. It also had beautiful cinematography. There were truly beautiful shots.
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But seriously, what did I just watch. I need the spark notes.
This drama is messy. "You Are My Spring" is a drama that tries to do too much. It's part thriller and part romance and although they try to link the two it never feels like one cohesive drama. The first few episodes got me hooked. I loved the suspense, the chemistry between the leads, and the cliffhanger episode endings. I didn't love the overload of internal monologues and "deep" dialogue, but I expected the story to pick up the pace and become more and more exciting as it progressed. I was wrong. I ended up becoming more bored and confused, and eventually annoyed. Maybe the dialogue feels different when you actually know Korean but instead of being moved and inspired by it, it felt forced and heavy-handed. I forced myself to finish hoping it would all make sense in the end.It didn't.
Yoon Park gave the most interesting performance in this whole drama. I won't say much more than that but I will mention that this part of the story needed way more screentime. His part of the story falls under thriller and it honestly felt like they abandoned that part of the plot almost completely about halfway through in order to focus more on romance. The romance is pretty cute for the most part, at least in the beginning. I'm a fan of Seo Hyun Jin and her quirkiness, and Kang Da Jung is the kind of role I like to see her play. She is matched with Kim Dong Wook as awkward Joo Young Do a psychiatrist who analyzes everything at first glance. Their chemistry is ok, but their cute innocent banter got old quickly. Eventually, their romance becomes the main focus of the drama but don't confuse that with anything actually happening. It's still a lot of inner thoughts and metaphors. It was the equivalent of watching two people read their diaries aloud and hoping they will at least hug, or listening to two awkward teenagers recite repetitive poems, even though they are both grown.
The other characters had a cute friendship thing happening but most of them were not that interesting or fully developed. I loved Young Do's BFFs and thought they were great, and I loved Da Jung's mom, but the other characters were just a step above filler. I wish the other romances were either given more time or cut out completely. I wish Ji Seung Hyun wasn't gypped out of a potentially hilarious relationship just to make him pine away for someone far less interesting. Also, the celebrity scandal trope is so tired I cringed whenever that was the focus, although Nam Gyu Ri as self-centered Ahn Ga Young definitely grew on me. She reminded me a lot of a friend I have. lol.
So... would I watch this again? Maybe. I know that's surprising since I disliked it so much but It's driving me crazy that after 16 episodes I have no idea what this drama was supposed to be about. I keep wondering if I missed some major clues in the beginning. Maybe I dozed off during dialogue that actually had something to do with the plot. Maybe it will be less torturous during a second viewing because I wouldn't be waiting in vain for the story to become exciting again.
Overall, this drama was disappointing. Instead of an interesting psychological thriller or an against all odds love story, I feel like I was left with the start of a potentially good drama-filled in with "deep" conversations, metaphorical snow, too many flashbacks, and product placement overload, and characters talking for way too long to themselves. Any themes about forgiving the past, or finding the will to live and love were overshadowed by the sound of me yawning. Yes, curiosity about these character's stories kept me watching, but I had to get all the way to the end to finally admit to myself that I didn't even care about them anymore. I associate spring with growth but my feelings about "You Are My Spring" withered and died.
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1
1This review may contain spoilers
“I had to be flawless not to be looked down on.”
One’s in love and one is clueless - probably my second favorite trope right after enemies to lovers. Both create many opportunities for funny scenes and interesting interactions with the proper amount of angst to spice things up without breaking my heart.The plot is rather simple, giving a nice slice of life sentiment, tackling various issues young people might face, while also telling a compelling love story of two interesting characters with wildly different backgrounds, pasts, personalities and behaviors.
Cha Si Won was a deeply insecure boy who needed a lot of external validation. From the start we get a good glimpse into who he is - craving the attention, enjoying people praising his looks. He takes appropriate steps to make people look in his direction. He feels anxious when there is someone equally attractive as he is - feeling the need to work even harder to stay at the top of that social ladder.
On the other hand Hyeong Da Un seems to be born with good looks and does not need to work hard to get the attention Si Won wants so much. That said, from the start I could clearly sense loneliness and sadness about him. That emo vibes creeping in. We did not get to understand who he is from the start, but the writer dropped hints that his life might not be as sweet and perfect as Si Won assumed, for example when his smile dropped after hearing the door from his house opening. To quote Shrek - Da Un is like an onion and the writer was slowly peeling off the layers of his personality and struggles as the drama progressed, showing who he is as a character and making me cry the tears of pain in the process.
So how did their relationship start? Cha Si Won just had no idea how to act around Da Un. He wanted to make sure Da Un knows he is this confident guy, but it turned rather awkward, and the small lie he told to create that persona was exposed rather quickly and concluded with one simple “맛있게 먹고”.
At the same time Da Un tried to get close to Si Won, joking around and showing real interest in him - which was at first taken as teasing and a sign of him acting superior. Poor boy, to be this misunderstood by your crush, when he just wanted to spend time with him and get to know him better.
Si Won’s whole drunk monologue in episode 2 was a new level of 2nd hand embarrassment, and yet Da Un thought it was endearing and funny. Si Won was literally trashing him saying there was something fishy about him, and Da un was just smiling about it - he was already gone into the love land by that time.
Si Won’s insecurities led to misunderstandings, but thanks to the god of kdramas, these two boys were forced to work on different assignments together, which created many opportunities for Si Won to see how his initial judgment might have been just a misconception. And the sweet love story slowly developed.
The plot line that got me extremely interested was the contest and the aftermath of it. From the start Si Won was not confident in his writing and the script, not to mention the work was autobiographical which would mean being vulnerable about your past in front of many people.
He feared it’s not strong enough to be picked, so even though he was tempted by the opportunity, he alone wouldn't take it. After his sister did it for him, resulting in him winning the first place he felt conflicted. From the start he believed the rumors that he only won thanks to Da Un’s involvement, but at the end he decided to believe in Da Un’s denying it. His words of assurance that the scenario was good and worth the award gave Si Won the confidence to share it with the class…
…and then he found out it was all a lie - the fear of not being good enough became a reality. At that point though, his priority and what he cared about changed. He loved Da Un, he was more angry about him not being honest than the actual contest.
It’s also interesting from Da Un’s perfective. From the start he had an instinct of taking care of, helping and protecting Si Won. From serving him food on the night out with other students, taking him home when he was drunk, going after him after he ran away from the book cafe. His priority was making sure Si Won is fine. Hence when he found out Si Won submitted his work for the contest, he feared not winning would hurt his confidence even more - he wanted to protect him from that disappointment. His good intentions led to misguided actions and awful aftermath. He feared Si Won would be disappointed in himself after losing, but at the end he led to Si Won being disappointed in him.
Except for the personal internal issues the male leads have and their relationship, the drama does quite a good job at showing how bad parenting can hurt the child - be it putting too many expectations on them, or neglecting them assuming they will do well on their own. Both can create trauma and scars that are hard to heal and can carry to adulthood. Both leads struggled because of their family relations and it influenced how they behave now - one feeling the constant need to prove himself, and the other struggling with truly opening to others.
Presentation wise, I loved how Si Won’s family issues were often present in the background - we could hear his mother badmouth their father to Si Yeong, questioning if she likes her father, guilt tripping her into admitting she does not.
Another interesting side plot was Yun Jeong and how she had to deal with the sexist senior - from inconsiderate remarks about her looks to situations where she truly felt uncomfortable and even threatened.
It would be a crime not to mention Si Won’s sister Si Yeong and her adorable crush on Yun Jeong. The cuteness that the character radiated was just amazing.
The acting? Really good. Jo Hyuk Joon just broke my heart with his sad puppy emo eyes, and Kang Eun Bin made me want to die from embarrassment quite a few time with his perfectly delivered lines based on his misconceptions and misunderstandings of people and situations - he was so confident about all the things he was wrong about. At the same time he managed to deliver the more emotional scenes. The scene that impressed me the most was his argument with the mother and them crying in each other's arms - the pain was real.
Production quality for such a small show was great. I also liked the directing that emphasized the characters current situation. For example, how they showed Da Un sitting with his back to the camera when his family was mentioned. It gave an even stronger impression how lonely he is, how he is unable to show his pain to others and he deals with it alone. And then, to add by the end of the show a shot of his and Si Won’s back, sitting next to each other telling us, he is not alone anymore.
Another great example would be how in episode 5 during one of the classes the lecturer talks about the magic/golden hour in photography “This magic hour is called the time between dog and wolf. When seeing a man walking toward you at that time of a day, you’re not sure if it’s a dog by your side or the wolf of your enemy”. Then in episode 6, after Si Won asks Do Un if his parents had anything to do with him winning, we can see a shot of Do Un filmed in that “magic hour” which could be seen as foreshadowing his involvement in the contest behind Si Won’s back. And then later, the whole episode 10 was titled “The time between dog and wolf” when the truth came to light. I appreciated how some references were coming back in different forms and times to tell the story.
Was the production perfect? No. Some scenes were dubbed (if the characters were sitting or walking far away), but it was still clearly visible the sound did not match what the actors were saying. Sometimes some shots seemed blurred and the colors were not sharp enough compared to the previous scene, but honestly, all of these things I only noticed while rewatching the drama.
Surprisingly, this show gets better on the second viewing. Some lines just hit differently when you know the whole story and context. For example Si Won telling Da Un “you were born with everything at the tip of your hands and loved by your parents so much” in episode 2, which could not be further from the truth with how he grew up emotionally neglected, receiving close to no love and attention from his parents who were always busy with work.
Overall, not sure why this show feels so special to me, but it does. The second viewing made me love and appreciate it even more. I would recommend it to everyone, as it delivers nicely written characters that are easy to sympathize with and relate to, soft commentary on some personal issues we might face in our lives and a truly sweet romance with great chemistry that will make you feel lonely like never before.
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Bullying and parental abuse
I hardly know where to start reviewing this comedy, romance drama. I don’t think it fits in either genre. I watched this series, then waited a year and watched all 25 episodes again. I watched it again because I was so polarized, and I wanted to see if I missed something before I wrote a review. I understand this show was a stepping stone to stardom for some of the actors. Lee Min Ho stood out from the rest even though his character was blah and really strange. The rest were average at best. Gu Hye Seon’s portrayal of Jan Di was almost unbearable. She had zero chemistry with the ML and should never ever play another romantic role.The story, however, was one of the most horrendous depictions of bullying and parental abuse I’ve ever seen. I watched 24.9 episodes of misery; all piled on one young woman. Misery is not drama. The horror genre would have been a better fit for this one. None of the male characters in this show had any redeeming value. The story was unbelievable and even the ending was weird without any direction. Where was the romance? Was that ending supposed to make us feel good? Some of the bullying bordered on life and death. How can the word comedy be added anywhere in this series? When I review dramas, I like to add a misery index to my reviews when it’s needed. This one receives a misery index of 10. I don’t know how many times I have to say it. Three minutes of sunshine at the end of a show full of misery does not leave you with a good feeling. All you remember is the misery and hate.
Looking back, I can’t believe I watched it twice. I would never recommend this series to a friend.
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As far as plot goes, there's not a lot to it. Young Jae has a very unstable home life, and consequently, lives in a group home that's kind of a Catholic orphanage/halfway house headed by pseudo-parents. He does his best to keep in their good graces so he can stay there. He goes to mass, he sings in the choir, he wants to be a priest, and so he has to spend even more time at church and with his tutor. However, all these things aren't enough. His position is never secure at "home". So he reacts to the uncertainty by devising some not-so-priestly backup plans.
The way I see it, the uncertainty eats away at him, eventually turning into desperation, and that's when he reaches a breaking point. Everything in his life is in such a precarious balance, and he fights so hard to keep it there. But nothing he does is ever enough.
I think I'm probably not making a lot of sense, but if you like a good character piece, check it out. It's very well done, if this is the sort of thing you enjoy. The music is minimal, but very effective, the cast is solid, and I would totally watch it again, sometime when I won't mind being an emotional wreck. :)
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A 12-year old's fever dream
This drama series is exactly what a 12-year old expects in a romantic relationship. The main positive is that the actors are all good looking.The story itself is the usual cheesy cold-male and bubbly-female, who were friends as small children, but it quickly goes downhill from there. The 2ML is rejected many times, continues chasing, and doing things that are manipulative and completely inappropriate. The sexist stereotypes are infuriating, from the usual ditzy women, to the way contemptible way that ML treats FL, to a particular scene involving the third couple right after she visits his grandmother. Of the three older men in the drama (dad, and two businessmen), only one who behaves in a way I would consider a mature adult.
The reason I say it's a 12-year fever dream, rather than simply classic Chinese stereotype is due to some of the behaviours of the individuals. For example, when the girls get excited, they jump up and down squealing. The FL's voice is that cutesy soft sweet deeply annoying one that no real human being has. It's almost as if the characters magically went from age 12 to adult without ever actually maturing.
There are no kisses. Only a couple hand-holds and hugs.
I agree with the reviewers who dropped after a handful of episodes. If you want to enjoy something, this show isn't it. I watched all the way through the end because I kept wondering how much worse it would get. And they successfully kept surprising me by having each episode be worse than the previous.
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But both never thought of ending up with a comlete stranger in a hotel in Singapur. That one night changes the lives of the two!
Now Seung Wan and Se Jin have to live what other ppl do the reversed way. Falling in love, dating, marrying and than having a baby out of love.
This drama is different from the dramas I have watched before. The charcters are very nice and suit their actors very good. The girl actress is very cute and though she is definitly not a professional she gives you goosebumps at some scenes.
Throughout the drama I smiled, laughted, got angry and cried.
This drama doesn`t seem like a high scale production, but with its cute and (in my opinion) believable story it makes up for all the missing glimglim.
Ohh, and the fact that this drama is not a constante good girl/boy beats bad girl/boy or bad girl/boy beats good girl/boy makes it much better.
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