This drama is one of those dramas that have a full ride story : It's the kind of storyline that's not common, it can sure give you another sense of entertainment and mixed up feelings.
The story was devided : before episode 6 and after episode 6 : it sure gave it another spirit with time passing by and all, even though there were some dramas like that but this one was diffrent, it had another concept that you feel like you've never seen it before.
The storyline development was amazing even the little things sounded very important.
The cast was perfect: i can't imagine a diffrent one, both lead actors were awesome not to forget the cute little child, he gave the drama another diffrent cute perspective. Even the supporting roles have made the drama much enjoyable.
I remember the music and i do believe that this drama is very rewatchable, at the matter of fact, i think about rewatching it sometime soon.
2)Subjective :
This drama is one of my favorite taiwanese dramas of all time ! I felt like i was in a great ride, going through all the details and amazing events withut a blink of an eye.
At every ep, i feel like i've waited for it forever and i keep expecting more and more from it.
All the romantic moments were enjoyable for me, wether it was at the beginning, in the middle or at the end.
I enjoyed the leads performance and i really liked the cute child and wanted to see him everywhere.
Autumn's Concerto is one of the dramas that i'm unable to forget not even the little details, because when i was watching it, i was really excited and felt all kind of feelings that the actors were delivering.
3)Overall :
This drama is recommandable to everyone specially romance lovers : It won't fail you expectations.
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MASTERPIECE
What a masterpiece this drama is. The character developments shown in this drama is so amazing. I cried, I laughed and I even got goosebumps while watching this drama. Usually, there are fewer dramas with morals, and this drama has clearly shown us the reality check with such great morals. I love this drama for what it is. The plot twist and storyline are sooooooo great. And each character that was being portrayed was too good. The character Hyun Su was portrayed so realistically and its character development is beyond perfection. I reallyyyyy loved the aesthetics used in this drama. I highly recommend this drama not because it is good or something(ofc it is) but this drama should be watched by everyone. The one and only drama I watched so far with zero loopholes. Perfection!So I gave my ratings everything 10 because I think this drama is beyond perfections. I never heard of any story like this and I want deep and meaningful dramas like this. The story is very meaningful so I give it a 10. It taught me many lessons about life.
I gave the Acting 10 because they portrayed their character really well. I can feel their emotions and realistic of their actings. I gave the music 10 because the music vibe fits perfectly with everything in this drama. The music makes the drama even better. When the music was played, I can feel the warmth of it. For rewatch value, I gave it a 10 because I still can't get over the FL and ML's chemistry. I have rewatched this and I don't know about anyone but I still get suspicious, laugh, and cry over again. Overall, I don't think I will find any better drama than this. Again, this drama is beyond perfection!
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Love Endures, It's a beautiful tale of childhood friendships
It's a beautiful tale of childhood friendships and how they evolve over time. The journey from playful teens to complex adults is portrayed with emotional depth and relatable twists.A must-watch for those who cherish stories about enduring bonds and the rollercoaster of life.
My favorite line from the opening ost,
“From then on we had our own stories”
“The small universe in our respective orbits”
“Maybe in a city where dreams shine too bright”
“You will forget and lose those carefree day”
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First off, the story progression was absolutely great. It was nicely paced without giving everything away too quickly. A lot of things could have gone wrong with its progression but the writers avoided all my concernsl. If they changed the focus of the plot to tackle some of the slightest story lines that they left untouched, it would have hurt the overall plot progression, but whomever wrote the script is a genius.
Secondly, the cast was great. With each drama I watch, I keep saying "oh God this cast is great," but end up somewhat feeling like I forced myself to say that. However, with this cast, I instantly saw the chemistry and knew that they were having fun with it. They weren't forcing themselves to play the role. Instead, it came naturally and that's the beauty of this cast. Also, the love between all the couples was refreshing. As a dude, I would normally cringe at this stuff, but the more K-Dramas I watch, the more I become inclined to smile at a good K-Drama couple when I see one and this drama was no exception. Love was all throughout the air, and I need to kindly ask to borrow some of it (and So Nyeo if that's alright).
Music wise, K-Dramas never tend to fully grip me with their soundtrack choices, but damn, this one made all the right choices. For the first ten episodes, the dramas usage of music was flawless. The songs put at each scene were cleverly chosen, and I applaud the PDs for that because some dramas choose pretty good songs, but either use them at the weirdest spots or over use them. As the show progressed, especially in the last four episodes, certain songs were being over used, but they were still being utilized well. The OST was ridiculously good and that goes for the BGM all throughout the show, too.
Lastly, for re-watch value, I give this one a 9, but honestly I never re-watch a drama, but this one is probably going to change that. I might re-watch this bad boy during Christmas time or something, but I never thought I would ever find myself saying "oh I'm going to re-watch this drama."
Overall, ridiculously good drama. Execution, writing, camaraderie, this show has it all. If you ever are contemplating whether to watch this, stop because It's Okay, That's Love is a worthy sixteen-hour long ride,
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This drama can best be compared to Full House. Their resemblance at times was eery. Both dramas have a bickering couple, cuteness, a killer OST and a lot of repetitiveness. It's basically the whole back and forth of will-they-wont-they. The thing is you already know the answer and if you are not patient or if you don't have a lot of time on your hands you'd just want to give up.
I wish this drama could have remained the way it was introduced. A bit random but fresh with a lot of appeal. I won't say the freshness died or anything because come on, it is set in JEJU frickkin island. The cinematography was killer and the lead pair is endlessly soothing to look at. I really enjoyed the old school Kdrama style it followed at times but during others it made me want to tear my hair out.
I didn't have the will to rate it higher than a 8 nor did I have the heart to rate it lower. The second leads are terrible in the drama. The other couple (hyung and the diver lady) were the funniest till their relationship had nothing left anymore.
I want to mention the little attempt the drama makes at encouraging people to try living in Jeju- including foreigners. I liked how they have little programs for people to adjust to the lifestyle there. Plus they showed a really nice relationship of the people living there. The mayor was shown as a sweetheart to all the people and the way he went around in his bicycle was adorable. <3
Baek Geon Woo was a cutie at times and a jerk at others. I wish Lee Jung Joo could be a bit hard at times but she was too soft-hearted. A classic Kdrama heroine in short. Think of Full House and the characters are almost a replica at times. I dunno if anyone else felt that way or not but I did.
Anyway, I had a lot of issues with the drama but couldn't get to rate it any lower. Like Dramabeans says, how much I enjoyed it v/s how much it deserves- I'd say an 8 v/s 6. That's it. Now decide for yourself whether you wanna watch it or not.
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No. Just no.
I should have know this was going to be a disaster after seeing the trailer and the intro episode. I honestly don’t really like anything about this show. Not the plot (it wasn't really interesting), not the execution, not the acting, not the OST… it was all very bland and mediocre. The cinematography isn’t the worst I have seen, but the lighting and certain shots are done very strangely. The comedic sounds were horrible and didn’t really blend in.Dino & Rak: Dino looks too old to be in university and most of his “seniors” look like they are ten years younger than him. As a character, he was very straightforward but also in a slightly creepy way. I didn’t like how pushy he was at times, but also super closed off and not ready to share anything with Rak. Rak is… well Rak. There is nothing about him that stands out, he is soft and innocent. And that is his whole personality. There was some chemistry between the two actors, but it didn’t translate well most of the time. I knew Pepper (Dino) from before and I must admit I didn’t really enjoy his acting in this series. As for Kong (Rak), it felt like he had one, maybe two, expressions throughout the series. His crying was not believable, and the adorable-yet-dumb look that he wore the rest of the time was annoying.
I really wanted to give this series a chance, hoping I would at least like some of the side characters. I know that there are three more couples in the Buddy Line Y Animal storyline, so I thought at least one of them might interest me to watch its future series. Yeah, this was my one and only try at it because the rest of the characters were very meh as well.
I honestly ended up skipping a lot of the scenes, mostly because it got boring and kind of repetitive very quickly. I don’t fully understand what they were trying to do by dragging this series out into 10 parts when the storyline could be done in a much better-rounded way in less episodes. It would probably be less boring too.
I dropped this on ep 7, mostly because I couldn’t force myself to watch any more of it. Even with skipping big chunks of it. It just wasn’t an enjoyable watch.
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Karma was absent for 90% of this series. Romance decided not to show up at all and social reasoning and common sense responses/reactions was often napping while filming.
Again I wouldn’t recommend this to a mature person, it would be appalling and ridiculous to them. If you can stomach clingy females, ridiculous reasoning, wishy washy people and whinny bits you’ll like it, however for me this was a big No no.
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Drama is so good
Oh my goodness, this drama is so good! 🥺😭🤍Daily dose of sunshine is my new favorite drama! Even though Daeun's first day is already stressful it was a heartwarming drama. I found myself getting quite attached to the characters from the psychiatric ward because they had their own personalities nurses, physicians, guardians, and patients.
I enjoyed how each episode's narration and the patient's perspective on mental illness were portrayed. It was also entertaining to watch the love line between Go Yoon-da-eun and Yoo Chan-da-eun Yeo Hwan-deul-le!
One of the best of the recent Netflix originals!!! ♥️
Mental illness is an unpredictable illness that can strike anyone, anywhere, at any. I'm thinking a lot about this line.
**
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Renascence Means Revival
There is a reason for this show to be titled Renascence. It’s about vengeance fulfilled, doomed love revived..... and bad editing redeemed (at the very end).Renascence is adapted from the graphic novel, “The Cry of the Phoenix that Reached Ninth Heaven”, but deviates somewhat from the original plot, according to a number of readers. This is a serious historical drama with sombre themes, intense acting, and a largely experienced cast and crew. Director Liu Hai Bo helmed the exceptional The Rise of Phoenixes while the supporting cast comprises some notable veterans. Even the leads like Chen Zhe Yuan had performed so well in Handsome Siblings. I don’t know much about Li Mo Zhi but looking at her filmography, she seems experienced enough leading dramas, so I had a really high expectation on this one.
In most historical C-dramas, we dread the tragic or open endings while constantly hoping for a happier and positive outcome. Here, we were continuously worried that the conclusion, in any form, would not even be given to us.
What went wrong?
The EDITING, primarily. The show was cut from the originally planned and filmed 70 episodes to 36 episodes. We know why it needed to be cut (new industry regulations, I would think rather than censorship reasons), but why 34 EPISODES CUT, only heaven knows. This affected the entire storytelling and pacing, as well as creating plot holes large enough to inspire viewers to glean invaluable answers from various BTS footage. There were scenes that didn’t make sense, characters that appeared from nowhere and story arcs that suddenly concluded without warning (or concluded too quickly without much satisfaction gained).
There were some acting and casting issues with various characters but that would be nitpicking so I’ll leave it at that.
What went right?
The ending, obviously. Fortunately the producers didn’t destroy the one thing left for viewers to hang on to – a happily ever after ending that mostly ties up the loose ends, which thankfully wasn’t edited out. There were real fears that we would only be shown 30 seconds of that, if at all. Although the final episode did feel somewhat rushed, it’s the closure that counts, and what an end it was!
Chen Zhe Yuan is another redeeming factor for this show. His acting was on point, and he delivered a totally different character in Prince Su here as compared to his previous effort – he was restrained and stoic in comparison with his more carefree and laidback character in Handsome Siblings, and that’s due to his versatility and range. His emotional scenes were convincing, and there were many. Although he doesn’t come close to Cheng Yi - who does anyway? - he did deliver a commendable depiction of the tormented lover who had to see the love of his life abandon him to marry his own brother. Twice.
Initially I wasn’t too convinced with Li Mo Zhi as the FL. I felt Eva Cheng was better suited to lead but, she proved me wrong by gradually growing into her role and showcased such remarkable character development as the show progressed. At exactly the halfway mark (ep. 18, 24:05), she dramatically and majestically turned into an epic badass, giving off serious Zhao Yao, Shen Lige, Chu Qiao, Fu Yao vibes in the process. This was truly the pivotal moment where our completely transformed FL was finally unleashed. It’s interesting to note that Li Mo Zhi bears such an uncanny resemblance to Chen Chiao En (Joe Chen). At times I felt like I was watching the Taiwanese drama queen on screen.
The many plot twists were major talking points throughout the show. New conspiracies and machinations kept coming while numerous villainous characters were introduced and deliciously evolved at frightening frequency. The remarkably fast pacing was no doubt a result of the reduced episodes and lack of fillers, which isn’t entirely a bad thing if only they hadn’t cut the important details out as well. Even till the final stretch of episodes, still the screenwriters kept cramming as many new side plots as possible. This drama truly never ceases to amaze at nearly every turn.
The OST here is outstanding. I’m glad the music wasn’t affected by the editing in the show. The opening theme, in particular, is very good. Track list as follows:
1.叶倾君 - 金润吉 (Ye Qingjun-Jin Runji)
2.涅槃 - 陈哲远 & 李墨之 (Nirvana-Chen Zheyuan & Li Mozhi)
3.春知 - 刘美麟 (Chun Zhi-Liu Meilin)
4. 一诺 - 晏紫东 (Yinuo-Yan Zidong)
It’s worth mentioning how captivating the Emperor’s voice has been in this drama. As commented in the discussion board, he was voiced by a notable voice actor, Bian Jiang (边江) who also dubbed Wang Yi Bo in The Untamed.
Confusing elements?
Concerns and confusion were regularly voiced out by viewers regarding the “soul switching” and usage/ abuse of the bodies in question. The horrendous editing and resultant plot holes, as well as the inclusion of an amnesia arc, all added to the uncertainty of what exactly is going on and WHO the FL actually is. With the plot of the drama deviating significantly from the novel, it was left to the screenwriters to then devise an alternative outcome to the story.
My take on this is that from Day One, it had always been Mo Xin who took over Mo Wan’s body. She did lose her memories at one point, but it was still the amnesiac Mo Xin in Mowan’s body. The person whom Prince Su was attracted to and fell in love with (again) had always been Mo Xin in the guise of Mo Wan. And so it proved, right to the devastating end…although I wished it could have played out a little differently without that tragic sacrifice…
Overall
Regardless of the problems this drama faced, and the confusion it caused because of the poor editing, I still enjoyed Renascence very much. The unpredictable twists and turns in the plot kept things interesting, and because everyone was informed of the impending happy outcome at the end, it balanced out the (minor) angst and frustrations from certain events in the show. I would recommend that you give this show a chance, enjoy it for what it is and really suspend disbelief for as long as you can (hopefully till the end).
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king & queen of micro-expressions!!
things aren’t what they first seem here.bai lu is crafting one of her most compelling and complex characters in Ye Li, and regardless of what lengths she goes to, our hearts understand and hurt for her. not any leading lady could pull off this role, it requires the skill to convey a lot with extreme subtlety. bai lu is more than up to the challenge.
i’d say this is also one of the fresher takes on a mastermind character, portrayed with an appropriate amount of tenderness and disorder.
so we get a revenge story, where the mystery extends, envelopes and includes our main protagonist.
the weakness of this:
i wanted cheng lei to be given more to work with because his part of this leaves me wanting more. i feel he was underutilized here.
the romance isnt going for “romance” as much as its going for “healing” and “connection”. i personally dont mind that this doesnt feel sweepingly romantic, but ive seen people mention it as a minus.
something i do struggle with is that some plotting aspects seemed disjointed. the core was really good so its hard to notice but the weave could’ve been tighter. many subplots felt like they were put on pause so the main thing could happen without in world good enough justification.
so its very good, worth the watch if you like historical dramas, but has its flaws.
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
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Great moments, but moments only.
Who likes a healing show about a timid female lead who moves away from the toxic environment to end up in another toxic environment and receive close to no character development? Not me.Like many other slice of life shows, this one also has little to no plot, which is completely fine. These are not supposed to give you thrills and excitement, they are supposed to be relaxing and warm. When I go into slice of life, I’m getting ready for a little bit of life lessons and characters I want to befriend, ones that make me want to root for them. Did this show deliver any of these? Not really.
Starting from Lee Yeo Reum - doormat, timid, no self love nor self respect. No issue with that. I wanted to go on that self improvement and self discovery journey with her. But damn this girl got on a merry-go-round and ended up in the same circle of self pity. The moment I thought she learned her lessons, she went back to the old ways - ready to blame herself, ready to take a step back, ready to run away. Trying to fix it all in the last episodes is not the way to go.
While An Dae Beom was better and for sure a stronger character, he also got easily manipulated by others, mostly by Ji Young. At some point I started to question myself - am I liking the character or am I just completely biased towards Yim Si Wan and I will just buy anything he sells?
Then we have all the other characters who either: started well and ended annoying, started annoying and miraculously became nice in between scenes, started annoying and ended annoying. There was honestly barely anyone to root for… Which is a true nightmare for a character driven slice of life drama.
To be perfectly honest though, I can deal with annoying characters, but I cannot stand conflicting messages. Yeo Reum tells herself to only think about what she wants and feels and not care for others, but also tells Bom to put her grandma and her family before her own emotions and well being. Protecting an alcoholic and abusive father is fine, but protecting your son with developmental issues makes you the top enemy. I am sorry, but what am I supposed to learn from this show? What is the message? What does the writer want to present and tell me? For me, it all made no sense.
Yes, the ending message was great - appreciate what you have, find happiness in little things, you don’t have to excel in everything, just being happy is enough of a reason to be alive and enjoy the moments. IT’s all great, but why did they fail so badly with all the other issues they talked about?
And I know how some people will scream “realism” as an excuse for some of the topics. Sorry, but you cannot explain some awful takes with it, while also ignoring the complete lack of realism in other aspects. You can’t have both.
Last, but not least plot wise - the “mystery”. When the characters have to explain EVERYTHING to me through the dialogues and flashbacks, it means the writer completely failed to set it up. I should be watching and connecting the dots myself, not get everything served with a narration.
From the acting and production side, it was great. Kim Seol Hyun improved greatly since her debut, and everyone knows Yim Si Wan is one of the best idol turned actors. The teens did an amazing job too, I especially liked a.mond’s performance - cheerful and hyped, but with hints of sadness and tons of loneliness.
Visually, Summer Strike is beautiful, I cannot deny it. They used the environment they were filming in to its full potential. What’s the point though, if the story is not on the same good level of execution? This year we had a holy trinity of dramas with amazing and beautiful moments, but also poorly executed overall plot and character’s development, and laughable villains - Today’s Webtoon, Cheer Up and Summer Strike.
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Beauty, Brains, and a Third Act That Blinked
I can’t believe I’m writing this review again after accidentally deleting the first one, but maybe that’s fitting— this is the kind of drama that makes you want to revisit your thoughts anyway.Let’s start with what ''Glory'' does exceptionally well.
- Visually, this drama is an absolute feast. The tone, the narrative style, the color palette, the costumes—every frame feels deliberate. The attention to detail pulls you straight into its world, and the OST doesn’t just accompany the story, it elevates it. This is one of those shows where aesthetics aren’t decoration; they’re part of the storytelling.
- The cast deserves genuine applause. Supporting characters aren’t just fillers here—they all have agendas, motives, and secrets. At various points, I found myself rooting for them, distrusting them, or doing both simultaneously. No one feels entirely safe, not even the characters who initially present as innocent. My naturally suspicious heart was on high alert from early on. Bonus joy: spotting so many familiar faces from short dramas felt like a delightful little Easter egg hunt.
- Plot-wise, the first two-thirds are rich, layered, and genuinely gripping. Tea cultivation heritage, a powerful family monopolizing an industry, murder mysteries, abductions, reverse harem undertones, and multiple no-nonsense female characters—it’s a dense mix, but one that mostly works. The Rong family arc in Linji, in particular, is where the drama truly shines. That stretch is confident, immersive, and sharply written.
- And then there’s the female lead. A queen, frankly. Cool-headed, scheming, razor-smart, and always ten steps ahead while chaos unfolds around her. She had me fully sold at the very first slap. What I admired most is her consistency—she never bends her core personality to appease the plot. I know the comment sections were in full meltdown mode over her “overly cool” demeanor, especially in romance, but you don’t get to ask for a strong, calculating woman and then complain when she’s emotionally composed. The traits that make her formidable are the same ones that make her restrained in matters of the heart. Personally, I loved her throughout and found myself applauding like a proud stage mom every time she outplayed everyone.
Now, where did I struggle?
- The male lead. HMH is endlessly charming on screen, and his portrayal of LJL—scheming, mischievous, shameless and morally grounded when it truly matters—was a joy, especially early on. He’s justice-driven, devoted, and willing to burn the world down for the woman he loves. That’s the good stuff. I genuinely enjoyed the leads’ dynamic up until around episode 20ish.
But in the final third, his character veers into insecurity and emotional neediness that didn’t quite work for me. This is entirely personal taste, but I tend to adore strong female leads paired with unwavering male leads. Watching him oscillate between fierce devotion and emotional instability left me conflicted—swooning one moment, mildly annoyed the next. HMH handled the role amazingly and made the character’s emotional arc believable, even when the writing choices didn’t fully work for me, and full transparency: I probably wouldn’t have picked up this drama if not for him. Still, I wish the writers had taken his character in a steadier direction.
- The final third of the drama also suffers in comparison to what came before. After spending around 30 episodes deeply invested in the Rong family arc, the Capital storyline—compressed into roughly six episodes—feels rushed. The pacing wobbles, the editing becomes uneven, and the overall narrative polish drops. You can feel the story sprinting toward the finish line instead of arriving with confidence.
That said, I still consider this a good drama, especially when viewed through a female-centric lens. From that perspective, it succeeds more often than it falters.
The romance is… fine. Enjoyable, but restrained. The chemistry is there, the kisses (though few) are undeniably fire, yet there’s a lingering sense that something is missing—more spark, more heat, more emotional payoff. Again, very much a personal take.
So, would I recommend ''Glory''? Yes, absolutely—especially if you go in knowing what kind of story it wants to tell.
Will I be rewatching it? Probably not. But am I glad I watched it? Definitely. It’s flawed, stylish, ambitious, and anchored by a female lead who refuses to dim her brilliance—and that alone makes it worth the journey.
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Will You Become “ Mad” At This Drama?
It has been said countless times before in the reviews, however, novice screenwriter Ah Kyung’s ‘ Mad For Each Other’ did surprisingly start on a fairly high note. The storyline incorporated the more avant-grade archetype of the ‘ unconventional lovers’ where both leads suffer from mental health issues. ( A tone reminiscent of Rain’s movie ‘ I’m a Cyborg, But That’s Ok’ [2006] .)
‘ Mad For Each Other’ focuses upon Lee Min Kyung( Oh Yeon Seo), a woman suffering from repressed trauma, social anxiety and paranoia as well as her matched “ potential love interest” Noh Hwi Oh( Jung Woo), a suspended cop who suffered from anger management issues. In between the more questionable faeces jokes of the first episode, ‘ Mad For Each Other’ did seem to have a lot of potential towards being an intriguing love story. However the drama slowly began on a downwards slope as a consequence of cataclysmic screenwriting and certain acting performances in later episodes.
This problem became particularly prominent with Min-Kyung. Oh Yeon Seo isn’t entirely a terrible actress, however, her over-the-top expressions and reactions as her onscreen persona can quickly grow tiresome for some viewers.As a character it is understandable that Min-Kyung suffered from low self-esteem and so her journey to developing an “affectionate relationship “ with Hwi Oh was always going to be a rocky road.
However, it was an ineffable screenwriting decision that one minute Min Kyung seemed to be presented as an unfortunate young woman suffering from social anxiety who is trying to get over her trauma , and then later in the same storyline she is dumping Hwi Oh,getting triggered at Hwi Oh trying to help her, running away and then yearning over Hwi Oh once more.
It is understandable that Min-Kyung is supposed to be a flawed character and struggles throughout the drama to make her own moral judgements, however, rather than using previous exposition ( such as Min-Kyung learning self-defence lessons from Hwi Oh) in order to allow this character to develop as an individual or defend herself, the show enforces the stereotype of the “ fickle female lead” into the mixture in order to allow Hwi Oh to become the “ dashing hero”. ( In a montage during the finale which was an unintentional laughable parody of an 80s car chase scene.) There’s an evident difference between low self-esteem, and a lacking of self-respect; something that screenwriter Ah Kyung seemed unable to distinguish between with Min-Kyung as a character.
Oh Yeon Seo’s costar Jung Woo seemed to carry a fairly “ down-to-earth” ambience as his onscreen persona Hwi Oh. However similar to Min-Kyung’s more “turbulent” moments in the drama , Hwi Oh was the epitome of “ writing gone bad”. As it happens it wasn’t necessarily that this character had a” dire” creative setup in the beginning . Hwi Oh ( similar to Min Kyung) showed a gentler side to his cantankerous personality ( such as promising to help Min Kyung with her self-defence lessons)throughout the majority of the drama.‘ Mad For Each Other’ seemed to particularly struggle, however, with Hwi Oh’s intended character development across the show.
Hwi Oh just seemed to raise one question above all; “ how on earth did he pass police academy exams and become a police officer in the first place, when he often allowed dilemmas ( especially the incident with the ex-boyfriend and Min Kyung entering the abandoned building)to boil over?” It’s easy to put together that Hwi Oh is supposed to fit the “ disgraced and renounced cop” archetype because of his short-temper. However it was hardly to truly comprehend what even motivated Hwi Oh to becoming an officer, or even truly understanding why we should feel pity for Hwi Oh over his role in the first place when he often was pretty dumb with his strategies ( case and point with the car chase with the ex-boyfriend) , acting aggressively ( at times) towards Min Kyung and then not thinking to even try putting together concussive evidence and case reports towards Min Kyung’s- ex’s records. This isn’t stating that Hwi Oh should have been the “ police prodigy” archetype, however, even if the show had perhaps delved into something that Hwi Oh had flourished with his job as an officer ( such as fighting or capturing criminals), and then something he struggled with or was mocked by his peers ( his strategies or even just struggling with a desk job), Hwi Oh would have felt been more sympathetic for viewers as the “ flawed cop” trope that the show seemed to struggle to concisely execute.
As far as their relationship is concerned, the best way to describe the pairing between Min Kyung and Hwi Oh is “ flawed for all of the wrong reasons”. Relationships are naturally messy in real life and it did present
a potentially interesting setup to see two unconventional characters, helping to support one another but whilst there were undeniably elements of Hwi Oh and Min Kyung learning to lean upon one another over the course of the drama, their pairing was undeniably oppressive for both parties. Hwi Oh could often been controlling and inflict aggressive conduct ( anger issues or not) towards Min Kyung, whilst Min Kyung often lashed out before neglecting Hwi Oh and then loving him again because it was “ necessary to the plot”. It wouldn’t have been too bad perhaps if the drama had allowed these characters to recognise their mistakes, show remorse or at least acknowledge their wrongdoings, however, the fact that both characters were quick to bury their problems under the sand in order to “ be together”, made this toxic relationship hard to watch for the most part.
Oh boy, then there’s the incomprehensible side characters. On a more positive note ( and against all odds), the occasional appearances of the irksome gossipy residents and Hwi Oh’s police officer peers were arguably more entertaining at times than our main characters. However, then there’s Soo Hyun ( Lee Soo Hyun); the definition of the “ prosaic filler character”. It isn’t inherently that her scenes were “ bad” or “ terrible” and the setup of her character trying to work multiple jobs and aspiring for higher goals , was an intriguing setup. However the show didn’t really give Soo Hyun enough time to really be “ fleshed out” or understand her motivations as a character aside from being the “ girl who pops up on the screen and starts randomly singing just to promote that the actress is an idol singer”.
Also on the sideline of prosaic side characters was the therapist ( who quickly became elusive to the majority of the events of the storyline apart from arguably having the potential to play the most important role), a psycho and then “ Samantha” ( Ahn Woo Yeon). Now, there’s two decisive arguments with “ Samantha” as a character; the positive by an attempted representation of diversity within South-Korean society, the second being distasteful for some viewers through the comedic scenes . Despite covering over more hard-hitting issues such as mental health issues, cyber bullying and transphobia, it seemed as though the drama often struggled to truly convey these messages more profoundly. This isn’t due to the nature of the drama as a “ comedy” but rather the styling it took as a “ lighthearted” show, rather than allowing or pertaining more “ bittersweet” elements to enter the storyline. The ending wasn’t bad per say, just more “ questionable” considering the storyline arc.
It’s establish that this isn’t to concisely rule that “ Mad For Each Other” is a “ terrible” show as some watchers may enjoy the comedic scenes and setups, however, “ Mad For Each Other” is arguably more of a “throwaway” drama - easy to binge-watch and certainly with a fairly catchy OST, but leaving a bitter taste for certain watchers by sporadic plot logic and one-dimensional characters.
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I thought the cast were brilliant- at no point did I find their acting wooden etc and I thought the two main leads were fantastic. The last drama I had watched Lee Hong Ki in was You're Beautiful, so needless to say he was much better in this drama. The same went for Yang Jin Sung, as the last drama I watched her in was City Hunter.
I loved the music in it- especially Lee Hong Ki's song!
I don't tend to re-watch dramas, but I definitely will re-watch this one again sometime, hence why I gave it a 7.
I really enjoyed this drama, and I enjoyed all aspects of the show- from the romance between the two leads, the incredibly cute grandma and the ghostly backdrop of the curse (as well as the lovely ending). This is the best drama I've watched so far this year. :)
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Arthdal Chronicles: The Sword of Aramun
32 people found this review helpful
Great casting for Lee Joongi
Personally, the drama really exceeded my expectations. I know some people dislike the styling as compared to Season 1, but honestly the Season 2 styling being more logical during that age. As much as I think SJK suit Saya more in terms of visual but Lee Joongi did better job as matured characters. In fact, at some point I think Lee Joongi's acting is more what I expected Eunseom/Saya to be after 8years. And Lee Joongi never disappoint when it comes to action scenes.The only cons of the drama so far, the filter they're using and casting SSK as Tanya. She's pretty, won't even doubt that but her acting really hard to watch. She did great in Run On but I guess as an actress, her acting capabilities are limited to only certain role.
P/s: Can I get Lee Joongi and Kim Okvin in action drama next? I would love to see it..
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