Reviews

Slow paced, but in a good way

Let me just start this off by saying I do not entirely enjoy watching thrillers. I tend to find them a bit boring at times with just how slow they can move along and end up dropping them halfway through. When it came to this series on the other hand, it was slow at the beginning but once I got over episode 3, I feel like the episodes flew by.

When it comes to the story... just wow was it messed up. I was shocked by just how dark and twisted it was going to be, not something I anticipated when I put it on my to watch list. This is definitely a series that I can say I have never seen anything like it before and I would not say I was unhappy with anything that happened throughout this short series, but the pacing is just so slow during the first half that it felt as if it was dragging along.

Favorite character of the series has to go to Choi Sungjun who is played by Park Heesoon. Seeing the dynamic that he has with Park Sangmin and their issues grow throughout the show to see how it also ends. I especially love how they show Sangmin telling Sungjun to go visit his son and the last scene of the series we see is him going to visit his son. Just touches my heart.

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The royal Princess Ja Myung Go,an epic drama in korea, is not just a legend.. it is true story of how love blinded the crown princess of Nakrang La Hee and betrayed her own country for Gugeoryo's crown prince Hodong, she sold her country for love. In the koreanovela, they added the fictional character princess Ja Myung, the half sister of La Hee, who in the drama made as the girl who Ho Dong really loves. In fairness to Ho Dong, even though he is so hateful in the story for using La Hee in revenge for Ja Myung's turning back in their love, thus, wanting to get her country Nakrang, have suffered emotionally... having to be the one to kill Ja Myung's father and can't do something to save his wife La Hee from death, i believe that in spite of the truth that Ja Myung is the one he love, he must have in return cherished La Hee.. how painful it is for having no strength to move on.

Ja Myung loved nobody else but Ho Dong, like what she said, he weighs heavy in the scale of her heart, but she chose her people (it's like rather frightening to have one person powerful in your heart).. onthe other hand, he weighs lighter in the scale of La Hee's heart, yet she chose him coz it's the truth, a simple little truth that holds her happiness, so why ignore it?... Oh, how can love built one's hope and dreams yet ruins one's life at the same time,,, there was no happy ending at all, but if dying together (Ja Mung and Ho Dong) with one sword struck between them, for that last embrace, is the happy ending, and so be it.

I hated Ho Dong, but pitied him as well.. in any case, will the ending of the story change if Ja Myung stayed as Puku with Ho Dong, if La Hee didn't loved him so much or Ho Dong only lead an ordinarylife.

''does love needs to be greater than desires?
or desires' much greater than love?...''

''will you fight for your love or choose what is more good for the many?''

In the end, there's only one choice to make... and last chance to be with the same feelings again... until death. I suppose it's a story about fighting and letting go of those feelings, in different consequences... but theirs led to their own destruction.

I have to agree that the ending have disappointed some of it's viewers, especially knowing that the planned episodes were cut due to low ratings and they have to make the story short and the ending revised as usual, yet i can say that they won to make it all heartbreaking.

I think that it has a much better story than QSD, unlike the latter which revolves around the main character.. i liked it how JMG made a bird's eyeview of everything, everyone has it's own story to tell.

Not to mention it's OST's Love Is Not A Crime and By Myself.. Oh so lovely songs, so pensive indeed.

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Have you ever been to a Japanese sweet shop?

When I first came to Japan, I had no idea about their original sweets. Most of their media also focus mostly on western pastries (specially French). There was one particular shop I go to and they sell all kind of sweet stuffs, I picked up something that looked like a chocolate muffin one day. Little did I know what was waiting next! Rest assured, it was not a chocolate muffin. It was a wagashi Manju bun with red bean filling, a mouthful of surprise! Is it the best thing I've ever tested? Not sure but it was damn good, couple it with surprise effect, it was one of best experience! I go to that shop every other day to pick up a few of them :)

This drama was like a manju bun hidden among all these vanilla, chocolate pastries. I was just looking forward to kill a couple of hours with a rom-com, ended up spending two days straight in front of my laptop, with a leg cramp, dry eyes and a warm heart (in between, I managed to drag my thesis to hell, that's another story).

Moral of the drama:
'Love will come through, it's just waiting for you' - Travis

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Love Is Not About Forcing The Pieces To Fit, It’s About Falling Into Something That Fits Naturally

I rarely watch mature, melodramas as they seem pretty boring to me, but believe me, this is one of the best chinese melodramas out there.Here are some of the reasons why;

1.Well-written plot
Most of the modern dramas I watch are light hearted and comedy ones.But Find yourself's plot has both dramatic and comedy scenes.The plot is a little draggy but tightly written and the characters are beautifully portrayed as well.Though 42 episodes is too much for a modern drama, it is still worth watching.

2.Casts and Crews
I noticed that Victoria's acting improved a lot, since Ice and Fantasy (her acting was not quite good there).She portrayed the character pretty well.He Fan Xing was mature when needed to be mature,childish when needed, and Victoria was really impressive to portray such a character.
Song Wei Long,though young, is an amazing actor as well.He perfectly fits the role of Yuan Song (Young, handsome and loyal)
Wang Yao Qing (Ye Lu Ming) is the most outstanding one.You may feel annoyed by his character as a scheming second lead but it is relatable and I feel for him.
Other casts are impressive as well.

3.Multiple couples
I am quite happy to watch multiple couples having their own happy endings.Other than the main couple,there are He Can Yang and Cai MinMin, Cong Xiao and Chan Huan .

4.Family and Friends
I am touched by sister-brother relationship between He Fan Xing and He Can Yang, they supported and love each other.
Their parents are so sweet as well,supporting their children and I really enjoy watching parents-children and sister-brother relationships.
Scenes like friends solving the problems together made the drama more amazing.

5.Ost
Songs are not bad.

Don't binge-watch it as you may feel frustrated and become quite bored.Take your time, enjoy the moments and you'd definitely love it.

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A bad series, riddled with writer and director errors.

It was one of the worst series I've watched recently. It was completely fake. Nothing was complete; it was wrong, incomplete, flawed, completely unrealistic, and completely fake. I was hopeful at first because it featured Liue Xie Yi. I thought it couldn't possibly be a bad series. I wish I hadn't. It's a shame for this actress. Meng Zi Yi and her chemistry are zero. Meng Zi Yi is simply unsuitable for this series, this character. Her wide-eyed performance, her wide-eyed, angry, murderous gaze in every scene, whether positive or negative, her inability to adjust her gaze, and her coldness are the hallmarks of the series. There's supposedly love between the two; they're in love, to death. But I never saw it. Such a fake. I never felt it throughout the series. Aside from a couple of hugs, we never saw any closeness. They crammed some of that into the final episodes. Those were miles away from reality. It just didn't happen.
Princes aren't princes, Princesses aren't princesses, the queen isn't queen. She's the worst. While she's the prince's maid, I think she seduces the king of another country. She becomes his concubine and then kills the queen. Because these details aren't fully presented. They're fragmented. She's ruined a country like this. Not a single intelligent person is saying anything. How can a queen be so casually wandering around, having a secret affair with a prince, and worrying about petty things?
This queen and one of the princes are burning in a fire. Yet, the door is open. If she had left, she would have gone somewhere else. That's what we're shown. She escapes with only a slight burn on her cheek. The prince burns to death. Yet, there are people waiting outside. No one sees this woman leave. They watch. She returns to her country in this state. She continues her evil ways. It's completely lame.
The fight scenes are also lame. There are very obvious flaws. They're visible. They're filmed without seriousness. The series is full of fakery, soullessness, triviality, and carelessness. Everything but the actors is bad. The script, direction, costumes, and makeup are terrible. I gave it a 6,5, but I gave it to the actors. I gave it to the effort. It's a 5.5.
How do we understand mistakes? Let's say the princess is 10 years old and her teacher is 25. She trains them as children. The princess arrives at 25, the teacher arrives at 40, but she looks younger than the princess. Not a shred of makeup, no aging, not even a mustache. It shows a time 10 years later. Negligence, indifference.
The prince and princess relationship. They haven't seen each other since childhood. Let's say at least 10 years. There's no trace of longing. There's no warmth of reunion. It's distant, cold, and completely unprepared.
The state teacher receives a decree from the king. He's going to give it to the princess. He puts her to the test. If he accepts the decree during the test, the arrow moves, and a doctor shoots the woman. If he doesn't accept the decree, the woman is saved. The decree burns. The princess doesn't accept the decree. She saves the woman. You wonder who the woman is. The doctor who knows the princess's poison turns out to be. In that state, he starts making an antidote. Why does the teacher choose a doctor and a poison doctor instead of someone unqualified? Does anyone understand? I don't. Then this doctor cleans up their poison. In other words, he saves the princess and the chancellor. Especially in the final scene, they capture the empress. They would hold her, tie her up, make her talk, and punish her in some way. They could learn the antidote. But they don't. The empress is telling them a story. They listen. Then the plant from which the antidote is produced appears. The empress strikes the candlestick, and the plants instantly burn. It turns to ash. They can't save her. That's the kind of scene. The aftermath is even worse. The empress imprisons them. She leaves them in the middle of the fire. Good God, you know. You wonder who's saving them. The teacher does. So, the wounded, unsure, shabby, barely standing queen was about to kill the princess and the chancellor. They were saved by the half-dead teacher. A complete disgrace. An impossible scene. How can you make a series this bad? If someone sabotages it, this is all it will get. So, I congratulate these guys. I didn't like them. I congratulate the actors, except for Meng Zi. I didn't like her either. Meng Zi was the second or third lead. He's transitioned to lead acting, but he can't quite show the success he has in second and third roles here. My opinion: He needs to adjust his gaze. He shouldn't brag about his big eyes. He should learn to use them. He's used to the evil gaze. He constantly looks like that. He's wrong. He should play the villain opposite the lead actor. He'll go from success to success. It suits him. I'm sorry I criticized him so much. He should watch the series. He'll see for himself that it's not. Liu Xue Yi is quite good. I like her. Her face is an actor's. She plays it. She was very good. Liu Ling Zi played the villain, but in my opinion, she was better than Ming Zi. At least she looks good. Her posture and approach are much better. She's a more suitable candidate for the lead actor. Fang Jin Fan is an actress with potential. She has a pretty face. She's childish. Once she gets over that, she'll be a good actress too. Xu Jing Ya surprised me. It was her first drama, but I thought it was good. It'll happen. He needs a little more experience. I found Gao Han very successful. He was especially excellent in his scenes with Maggie Huang. He showed off his extreme obsession with her very well. Well done. By the way, I also found Maggie Huang successful. Bian Chang, Wang Jia Xuan, and Zhang Zeng Yang were standout actors.

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1-The reason I watched this : I've already seen the anime therefore, I wanted to see the the live-action adaptation and so I end up watching this film.

2-Storyline/Plot : Almost the same from the anime though it was a bit rushed and lacked many important events which made it feel wrong sometimes. However, script writers managed to take the right path after a lot of struggle.
I watched the anime so the story was predictable to me. As for those who haven't seen the anime, this storyline may seem really absurd to watch.

3-Acting/Cast : Teppei was one of the main reasons I watched this since he's cute and *insert shallow feelings*.
Beside that, I don't believe that the acting department wasn't that amazing or appealing; it was acceptable overall.

4-Music : It was kind of a normal music not too special not too lame.

5-Rewatch value : Well, people who fell for it hardly would defenitely rewatch, others would think of it as a waste of time.

6-The ending : It was satisfying. it wasn't the type of ending that would make you jump of your seat so don't expect too much.

7-Overall : It wasn't that bad but it wasn't that great either. It could've been much better yet it wasn't a disappointing adaptation.

P.S : For those who watched the anime and liked it you may want to watch this without high expectations or prejudices; it will much better that way.

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One-Sided Chemistry

I thought the premise of the show was great. I loved that Kawi could not go back in time on subsequent trips to the same moments he'd already gone back to. He got one shot and had to live with whatever domino effect it caused.

Gawin did a great job as Pisaeng. It's so clear when his feelings for Kawi begin to develop. You watch him fall in love with Kawi so naturally. Never once did I doubt the feelings Pisaeng had for Kawi.

I'm not going to remark on Krist's acting because it's hard to determine how much is direction, writing and the actor's choices. What I will comment on is his character, Kawi. Kawi was, at times, very likable and easy to cheer on. However he was also so negative and self-defeating he often became exhausting to watch. Like Kawi, I frequently wondered why Pisaeng liked him. He could have done better, to be honest.

I wish Max got more screen time and more of a storyline of his own. I thought he was a really great character and at one point thought Pisaeng was going to end up dating him during one of the incarnations of the past. I liked that they talked about the political realities of being queer in Thailand with the current laws. My own teenage years in the US were similar to where Max was in the past timeline.

Pearmai was an interesting character. I think she could have been handled better in terms of her liking and sort of waiting for Pisaeng even though she knew he wasn't into her. It was also very poorly handled when she decided to give the guy she'd JUST rejected a shot once she was finally rejected herself. That didn't sit right with me. I really liked her development with her parents and the struggles she had going on there.

I really enjoyed the message of living in the present and choosing to live a life you don't wish to go back and "fix." Easier said than done off screen, of course. I really liked how the time jumps connected to the last moment Kawi was present in the past or future.

The thing that really brought down my rating was Kawi's side of the romance with Pisaeng. As I mentioned already, I never doubted for a moment that Pisaeng had fallen for Kawi. However, I never believed Kawi had genuinely fallen for Pisaeng, with the exception of the majority of the last episode. Instead of being together because he finally realizes he loves Pisaeng, to me it came off a lot more like Kawi had eliminated all the other options and what he was left with was a best friend who was indispensable but in love with him. So he decided to get into a relationship to keep this person in his life.

I know that's not the intent of the show but its how it came across to me. When they'd kiss Kawi didn't seem to want to be there or participating in it. He fell into a trope I hate in bl of the more passive partner dodging affection (what couple actively avoids kissing each other ALL the time even in private? this is the trope I'm referring to not specifically Kawi as he wasn't that bad but he had plenty of these moments). You wind up with Pisaeng basically begging for attention and affection and Kawi begrudgingly allowing it some of the time. This 100% came off as "I got the consolation prize but I really wanted the actual prize." (Pisaeng being the consolation for Kawi.)

I won't get into it too much, but the whole scene with Kawi being near-unconscious levels of drunk and kissing Pisaeng only for Pisaeng to continue while Kawi is unresponsive was incredibly unsettling. This felt very out of character for someone who had been very careful and considerate of Kawi during the rest of the series.

Gawin carried this show for me

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Viewers will be quick to compare this drama to “Something in the Rain”, which shares the same Director, Writer, and Male Lead, and they would be at no fault for doing so. Like SitR, One Spring Night utilizes a slow pace to portray the relationship between the main leads. However, the pacing and characters of OSN are superior to SitR because of their steadiness. I recommend this drama to all kdrama watchers and promise that you will also slowly and steadily fall in love with the leads episode by episode till the very end.

Story:
I will be honest and say the story outline is similar to SitR, focusing on a relationship that is heavily critiqued by the leads’ friends and family. I believe there are 2 key differentiators which are the strength of the supporting stories and the methodical pace of character development. The supporting cast gets a fair amount of development throughout the drama, and they, themselves, change instead of folding into 2D one directional characters. This actually adds to the “slowness” of the drama as precious time is diverted away from the main leads.

However, I do not find fault in the slow pace. I admit the 16 (32 halves) episode format changes the standard for pace, but I also believe that there is a range of acceptable pace in kdrama. I find bigger fault when the writer/director strays away from the slow pace to try to close certain plot points or make characters behave erratically, which OSN does not suffer from. If anything, OSN is not shy in leaving interactions with little explanation and limited expose/monologue.

This may make it harder for viewers to buy into the relationship between the main leads, but I thoroughly enjoyed the romance that resembled something out of real life rather than a kdrama. One lead doesn’t have to save the other or be connected via childhood past to develop feelings for one another. OSN is the closest example of a life-like relationship in a Korean drama; any more and it would be no fun as a drama (you know you’re trying to escape reality watching kdramas).

I applaud the director/screenwriter for running it back by producing such a comparable drama within one year. They improved on all areas of the plot from SitR and remained true to their style instead of bending to every criticism levied at SitR, which I still ranked at 7.5. I look forward to their next projects with a small longing for something more different.

Acting:
Let’s begin by looking at the Male Lead since, again, it's easy to compare to SitR. Jung Hae In’s acting is markedly improved from SitR. This may be due to his growth as an actor, the improved writing of OSN, the chemistry with the cast, more trust from the director, or some combination of all of the above. He displayed a wide range of thoughts and emotions throughout the drama, and I was especially impressed with his acting when facing the second Male Lead.

Similar compliments can be said for the Female Lead, Lee Jung In. And her chemistry with the male actor was amazing. The biggest evidence of this being how electric the dialogue between the 2 felt; Their conversations conveyed more chemistry than any of their skinship scenes. The acting of the 2 main leads really complimented the direction of the drama, which heavily focused on interactions rather than monologues.

The supporting cast also performed admirably. For example, seeing the FL’s mother in OSN can be quite a shock after watching SitR (or vice versa), but she still nailed both roles and truly deserved to be part of this cast. The FL’s sisters were also great and their acting really conveyed how their characters were shaped by their shared upbringing (and I have a soft spot for “sismance”).

Music:
Funnily enough, even a good chunk of the OST is sung by the artist who contributed to SitR, Rachael Yamagata. Although English in Korean media is improved, it does not compare to having a native English speaker. This should significantly improve the drama viewing experience for international viewers given that some subbers do not sub Korean lyrics.

The actual music works very well with the story and pace. I thought each of the songs in the OST carried tension, even the “happy” song. This tension is well utilized because the story does not have the outrageously tense moments of a thriller or typical melo, so the combination of the story and song was important in conveying conflict and emotional resolution.

Rewatch Value:
There is a high rewatch value for this drama given that it covers a multitude of nuanced issues. Even as a native Korean speaker, I plan to go back and rewatch the drama to better understand and enjoy the conversations and chemistries between all the characters.

The next episode previews were the worst part of this show, so I look forward to not having to deal with them now that it is fully aired.

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A DRAMA TO DROP EARLY- TOO LONG AND TORTUOUS

Story: This is a story about marriage, mothers-in-law, raising children. The thesis of the writer - the characters must be rude, mindless, selfish, overbearing, dishonest, uncaring, unethical, and basically devoid of normal human responses.

The main couple meets at work. The older male is the number 2 man in a huge investment firm and meets an upstart new young employee and falls head over heels with her ending in a quick proposal and one nightstand. She immediately becomes pregnant. Since the company has a no dating rule -- their decisions from this point forward become the source of "FANTASY and what makes this drama insufferable but still lures you to watch. From the point of this ill-begotten decision (which is really early in this 40 episode drama) the viewer must watch this marriage fall into an abyss of hell.

Curiosity will cause you to continue to watch, but after a while, you are watching and screaming at the television
What is family and why is there all of this negative energy in this family? If you ever thought you were in a bad marriage situation - well you will not feel that way after watching this drama.

I am just going to list the WHY I HATE THE FEMALE CHARACTER (not going to dwell on the MALE CHARACTER because I viewed him as STUPID, A WIMP, and IMPOTENT.

1. what would be the natural order of establishing a family with this first quiz? Who leaves the company?

2. when the company does not welcome pregnant employees, and you know it - what should you do as a pregnant woman (especially when given an opportunity?

3. When you are pregnant what do you decide to ingest or who chooses where you are going to give birth?

4.When you have a premature baby and your body has not healed what is the first thing you worry about - your job or the baby?

5. Why do you listen to your divorced, sick, selfish mother when making decisions?

6. Why don't you take the blame for your bad decisions and not shift them over to your husband7
.
7. Why are you so jealous and accusing of "affairs" when you are the coldest most argumentative woman ever portrayed in a drama?

I can go on and on and continue complaining about the writer's portrayer of this character. As you begin to feel something is seriously wrong with the messages of this drama to any viewer, in any country - let alone the country of origin you should tell yourself - HIT the REALITY button and DROP. Even enduring to the end will make you unhappy. Without revealing any more spoilers., I issue a precautionary warning - this is an ABNORMAL relationship and don't believe anything the writers spew at you - especially the ending.

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Dimples! Dimples! Dimples!

Please don't think me superficial but my goodness Fluke Pongsakorn Wongpian has got dimples for days. When he smiles his face lights up. He is Thailand's Park Bo-gum. This is the first BL series that I have seen him in and he is doing an excellent job.

If you love watching a beautiful relationship develop, you will love this.

The development of the romance between the lead characters is so wonderfully and convincingly managed. I am truly appreciating the skill of the actors in playing their parts. I have re-watched the end of episode 7 over and over again. Beautifully done! Less happy moments do come but it is wonderful watching the gentle, beautiful love develop between Mork and Tawan.

I am also loving the wonderful chemistry between all the different love connections in this series. I love the BL Cinderella (lovers from completely different walks of life) aspect as well. And, I really appreciate that they decided to have three different romances going at once. As for the three biker friends they provide jokes for days. I did not want this series to end… but it did and I loved every moment I spent watching it.

Honestly, I want to thank the BL producers coming out of Thailand. It took me a long time to start watching their BL series but I can officially say I am now addicted. Wonderfully produced films, with great actors and beautiful romances. Even the less stellar productions are far superior to anything I have ever watched on the famous romance channel whose name I will not write here.

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Although this movie reminds me of "The exorcist" in some aspects this isn't a horror film. It seems kind of cliché but it really isn't. There are important twists, it's full of tension moments well d'uh it's a thriller but it's a complex puzzle that it's hard to understand until the ending and still I see lot of people who did't get that ending. At the same time this great story is a mix of genres like comedy, horror, exorcism, gore, etc.
STORY
When a mysterious stranger moves to a small village in South Korea, the village becomes plagued by sickness. The police think a wild mushroom is to blame, but police officer Jong-goo thinks it may have something to do with the stranger. He meets a woman who gives him some information about this mysterious man, and slowly begins to fall down a rabbit hole that consumes his life. When his daughter starts to show signs of the sickness, it gets personal and he must figure out who to trust and who to avoid.
ACTING
the performers have a lot of range, from facial expressions to downright melodramatic wailing. Child actor Kim Hwan-hee stands out even among a veteran ensemble cast that includes Hwang Jung-min and Jun Kunimura.These characters are dynamic; the protagonists increasingly vulnerable, and the antagonists all the more menacing. I hope that after this movie Kwak Do Won gets more main roles.
REWATCH VALUE
I need to watch this movie again because I need to find more clues and I have too many questions. I'm gonna recommend this movie to all my friends because it's that good but don't let those 2,5 hours fool you because it isn't boring at all.
OVERALL
It runs over 2.5 hours and one leaves the theater wishing there was more to explain. This would devaluate from the experience because one of the film objectives is to make think the audience go back and look at the clues and turning points, to look into one's own sense of values and want to go back to look at some references upon which the script builds. For me it's another masterpiece of Na (the movie director)

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Don't expect much, I admit this is not for all people. Heard a lot of bad reviews from the comments, saying it's boring and a waste of time. Others found it disappointing. The first 10 minutes was odd to be honest, because I expected a serious vampire gore movie (kissasian even had the melodrama tag on it). But as the film went on, I actually became interested in the main characters (esp. So Nyeon) because they were funny.

Plot: 6.5/10
It's more like a parody rather a serious one (as we all thought). This movie gave an indie feel and I liked the calendar shots which signifies a new chapter. I loved the story between Ran and So Nyeon. The story was funny in it's own way. The overall plot is light and sweet. I think people would actually like this if it was written better. The ending was loose and plot-holes everywhere, they didn't even bother explaining Jin Yi's character and suddenly she appears in the end without context. But humor-wise, this got me.

There is this one scene that really caught my eye (around 50 min mark). I think it was what made me love the movie. IT REALLY MADE MY HEART MELT together with the bgm that was playing.

Cast: 9.5/10
To the people saying their acting was bad: I THINK IT WAS INTENTIONAL. This movie only had 4-5 actors in it but it's more than enough. I'd watch this even if it only had Jung Yeon Joo and Song Kang in it. Ran was quite naive despite being in the world for 500 years. So Nyeon was extremely funny and playful. The way he mixes up his English and Korean lmao. Song Kang gives me Yook Sung Jae/ Rowoon(SF9) feels. I think I'm attached?? Both MCs were cute, I LOVE BOTH OF THEM.

Music: 10/10
THE OST IS RIDICULOUSLY CUTE. And there is this scene I mentioned above ^^ (watch and you'll know) which was pleasing and the bgm gave it a different mood.

Rewatch Value: 10/10
I watched this 3 more times after watching it the first time. This is good for some light watching. It's an easy watch and I like this kind of indie comedy, just my style. Or maybe I keep watching because of Song Kang?

Overall: 9/10

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