Reviews

Summary: There was nothing exceptional about the drama or the storyline, but if you like fairytales and the fantasy realm of KDramaWorld give it try.

+/- Plot:
Is anyone feeling the trend of reincarnation this season? I mean the two most competing shows (in my opinion) of Winter '16-'17 both had this weaved throughout their storylines. I love the idea of reincarnation and how our fates are continually interwoven, especially how romanticized it is in the KDramaWorld. I also liked the fantasy aspect of the drama with Jeon Ji Hyeon as a mermaid, I could see there was a lot of mermaid theorizing that went on behind the scenes and I appreciated that as I felt that it was a nice touch. As for the actual storyline, it's main focus was the romance of course, but they also tried to add an element of suspense/thriller at some points and I felt that was the additional route they wanted to take they should have had a bit more background on Ma Dae Young's character and why he had such grievances against the world. Although they slightly touched on this in one of the last few episodes I wasn't completely satisfied.
As for the romance and the light-hearted areas of the plot I thought they were well planned out and came full circle at the end. I will say that there were some pretty funny/cute moments that make the drama memorable.

+/- Acting/Cast:
Jeon Ji Hyeon is the reason I actually started watching this show. I think she is amazingly beautiful and innocently comedic, a rare combination to come across. I love how she's not afraid of putting her beautiful image on the line to pull out some comedy. She's slightly reminiscent of Mary Tyler Moore, which I greatly admire. Not only does she have beauty, she's also very talented as an actress in my opinion. Although her character wasn't too complex, I think she played it very well and it was fitting.
I'm sorry to say it but I'm not a fan of Lee Min Ho, there's just some aspects of his acting which I find subpar. It felt like he was crying every other episode, and not that I object to a man crying (he had just reason to), it's just that I didn't feel the conviction or the heart throughout the scenes. I probably would've been more moved if they didn't have so many scenes of him bawling his eyes out making his make-up splotchy. And when he performs his 'cutesy' romantic scenes he just doesn't make me swoon like other actors, it just doesn't feel genuine.
Unfortunately, I wasn't a huge fan of the romance between Lee Min Ho and Jeon Ji Yeon. I felt that there was just something missing between the two, they didn't quite have the spark as some other small screen actors. I had much more favor for Ji Yeon and Soo Hyun in Love from Another Star.
As for the other characters, they did pretty well as a whole. I throughly enjoyed Lee Hee Joon and thought he played his part extremely well; he really kept me questioning him through the end. And Shin Won Ho was especially adorable throughout the show, although he didn't have many lines he still made me giddy with his smirks. (I admit, I was initially opposed to his ending, but I'll accept it since I wanted a happy ending for Cha Shi Ah too).
As for the bad guys, I will say that I was put off by Kang Seo Hee and Ma Dae Young, but I've had more burning hatred for other characters in different dramas before. They were fitting for the roles, however, I felt they could have taken it up a notch. And ultimately, I just felt sorry for Lee Ji Hoon's character. I wasn't in love with him, I just slightly felt for him and his circumstances. Sad to say on Lee Min Ho's part, but Ji Hoon's final moments in the show might have been one of the only times when I was even slightly close to tearing up.

+/- Music:
The music was decent, I mean there was nothing that stood out about it. I would say the only song that really stood out to me was Lee Sun Hee's track, which is because I'm a big fan of her. Other than that, there was nothing outstanding, but the OST did it's part in the drama.

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Great Acting, Great Writing

Don't let wild rumors about this being a propaganda to discourage you from watching. Otherwise you will miss such a good drama with great writing, presented by a great acting.

Hirowareta Otoko is a slice-of-life, semi-fictional biography drama about Matsuo Satoru, the actor we see all over Jdramas but we don't bother to remember his name...LoL. In this drama we got to see his journey of becoming an actor as well as his psychological complex during childhood that later contributed to his sour relationship with his family members.

I don't know how good the original source material is, but the writing in this drama was presented in such an interesting way with many beautiful and smart dialogues. I liked how the writer used time jump and flashback effectively in the story telling without making viewers feel lost of the plot. The first half of the drama was full of comedy and coming of age naivety but be prepared for a more serious emotional ride in the second half if you ever choose to watch this.

The performance of the cast was another key factor that made this drama great. Nagano Taiga did an extraordinary job at portraying Matsuo Satoru in my opinion. We could clearly see that he gained few Kg of weight ahead of playing this role. He was versatile enough to easily changed from quirky to serious. As a main character he knows how to attract audiences sympathy.

Kusanagi Tsuyoshi, while doesn't get that many screen time really did well in conveying complex emotion of his mysterious character. He could have done better with his English conversation, but that's minor downside and we understand the difficulty of Japanese actors with foreign languages. I only wish they wrote a sentence that sounds more natural for a non-native speaker instead of "Cool American English" that can't be delivered (or understood).

Other actors also did well in carrying the whole drama and supporting the main character including the US cast. I would say the casting department really did a good job in this one If you're wondering about Ito Sairi, she did well too but her character was more of a supporting one than a main role (as oppose to what is stated in this MDL page).

All in all, Hirowareta Otoko was a wholesome drama that has the right amount of everything; laughter, anger, curiosity, sympathy, and sadness. It's about chasing happiness and self discovery with strong elements of family bonding and brotherhood as well as accepting one's fate whether it's good or bad. If you're looking for a slice of life drama with warm characters this is a must watch!!



About US propaganda mentioned by other reviewer.
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The following section may contain some spoilers
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Since this is a Jap-US joint production, there was an "American Arc" that's focusing on MC's stranded brother (Takeshi). Few US actors were added in the arc and it changed the feel of the drama a bit. I mean from Japan-mode to Western-mode overnight....yeah that kind of feeling. This could be a letdown for many viewers apart from the allegedly US propaganda thing that I will explain below.

However this arc wasn't as bad and still carrying important plot elements as MC got to learn the different side of his brother he didn't know before. He also got to solve the mystery surrounding his family for 15 years. The story of the kid (Sean) was also interesting and cute. It has more Japanese vibe than the western in my opinion.

And I DO NOT see Takeshi mentioning US as a peace place for diverse people as a PROPAGANDA. In fact it's an outdated concept of American Dream that's known by everyone already. Whether that dream is reality or just a dream is a subjective matter.

That statement by Takeshi was clearly his personal view and curiosity considering he was frustrated with their conservative Dad. Knowing that, Satoru candidly said "yeah you've found the place you're looking for". This could only be true in these brothers situation and does not apply to everyone. ...obviously!!

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Was It A Waste of Time? Yes.

Full disclosure: I actually really liked the first 8 episodes of this drama. I knew that it wasn’t the best thing out there and was fully aware of how dumb it was but still enjoyed it because of how entertaining it was.

Until episode 11. For some reason all the joy and amusement I felt for this drama went out the door. I watched it as it aired but ended up dropping it for three months because of how annoyed I was. What exactly was I annoyed about? The plot, the FL, and the ML, SML, and (third male lead?). It’s pretty bad when you are more invested in the plot of two fourteen year olds, a minor character who owns a bar, the fourth male lead, and the FL’s mother. If it wasn’t for them (and the 2.5 speed button) I would of never finished this. I typically try to find the good in EVERY drama I watch because I understand that everyone has different tastes but this was atrocious. However, I’m not blaming the cast. The cast was wonderful in their roles as was the cinematography but the script was messy. I found myself wanting to reach through the screen to slap the every character besides the kids, dog, bar owner, fourth male lead, and the FL’s mother.

I feel so bad for the cast because obviously they have good acting chops but the characters they played and the script they were given was not good.

Anyways, I would have gave this drama a lower rating but I did enjoy like four characters + the OST which has a really beautiful cover of ‘Dreams’ by The Cranberries. Would I recommend this to anyone? No. Would I recommend this to people who like to hate watch dramas? 100%. It’s the perfect drama to hate watch if you are in a bad mood and want to yell at idiotic characters.

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Beautiful romance that is flawless - 10/10 recommend!

My God, I thought I’d seen the nicest man in the last drama I watched but now we have Jiaxu! He literally has no flaws!!

This drama is a 10/10 for me, and I don’t give 10/10 easily! There was nothing wrong with it in my eyes. It’s so rich in chemistry between the leads. Get yourself a man who treats you the way Jiaxu treats Sang Zhi 🥰

I literally couldn’t hold back from smiling the whole way through.

I loved how Jiaxu fell in love with her over time; and when he knew for sure that she liked him 🤗 Ughhh I could gush about it for days!

I will admit that although I knew they would end up together, I couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit weirded out in the beginning. Especially because they had a younger actress playing young Sang Zhi meanwhile it was still the same actor playing Jiaxu. Btw, the young Sang Zhi looked about 10, not 14.

The brother is so funny although it was a dog move to hit Jiaxu.

I loved how Sang Zhi stood up to the crazy girl about it not being Jiaxu’s fault that her dad died.

It was the smoothest sailing romance that progressed in the sweetest way possible. The ending was also perfect! 10/10 - a must watch!

-E

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The main reason that I gave this drama an 8 is its unsatisfying ending since it made me feel so bad; it have been years since I watched it but I can't get over that ending.
Generally speaking, I liked the drama and the main lead actors but Ella's acting was a serious flaw since it can be overdone sometimes.
If you want to like this drama you have to stop comparing it to the 2007 japanese version; They may share the general story and characters but there are huge differences between them so watch this without previous expectations and you will love it; just feel the events like you've never watched the japanese version and you're going to fall for it.
However, the ending sucked: it's a warning for endings lovers, if you want to like this drama forget about its ending.

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My favorite Mr Gu drama

So far this is my favorite Mr Gu drama there is. I did watch 3 out of the 4 Mr Gu dramas and one is dropped and the other one is on hold (Miss crow and mr lizard). This drama is very simple in terms of story line but both main leads acting is amazing. Shen Yue has improved so much on her acting since Meteor Garden and Jasper is very sweet and caring so the chemistry for me is amazing.

The female lead is very simple , there are no clumsy scenerios , no jealousy or acts likes shes dumb. Male lead makes his mistakes here and there but they dont become toxic behavior or too much to handle. Both of them make a good couple in the drama and I enjoy that alot. Plus in comparison to the korean version this drama wins by far. The lead is not abusive nor rude to the main lead which was a problem to me in the version. I think all sweet scenes between both leads gave an amazing warmth feeling and made me love them together in the drama.

Second lead couple
I love it , bodyguard/ chofer with love story with a rich not spoiled girl is amazing. The thing with all couples in this drama is that the issues they have are not dragged to 5 episodes but for atleast 1 or 2 which I love. I think the 3 couples in this drama acted well.

Probably the only issue I have is the second male lead which was annoying. I think his character or maybe his actions very unnecessary instead of him making some sort of tension he became very annoying and actually toxic. This drama is not real all scenerarios are pretty impossible but he is another level of crazy. Definetly no second lead syndrome

This drama is not out of this world but is a sweet short drama to watch just to get the feels of a good day.

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I’m honestly surprised by how good these mini-dramas were, my favorites parts were 1#, 3# and 5#.

The first part had Yeon Woo Jin and he was simply amazing, I started that drama already crying, but it gets so good and the end was amazing and touching. I sincerely watched more for him than for her, but they made a cute couple and I liked the way she was willing to fix her mistakes to make him happy the way he did for her.

The third one had Bae Soo Bin and Han Seung Yeon and I loved this part, the girl was an amazing actress, even though the end made me cry, she has talent and I would love to see her acting again. This story was different, but it was so sweet, it could be seen as a one sided love, but we've our answer in the end and they made a cute couple.

The fifth part was only good because it’s impossible to hate Chang Wook falling in love and looking at the girl with those eyes, the way he looks, OMG, I’m starting a goal in life to find someone that looks at me like he looked at that girl, gahhh, he kills me. He made that last part watchable, because the girl's character was very annoying and stalkerish, she gets better in the last episode, but still made some things that made me want to beat her.

So, even though all parts were good, the 2# and 4# part didn't touch me that much, because of the main couple. The forth made me cry my eyes out because of her father, so he was good, but I didn’t care for the leads, the second part I didn’t love and didn’t hate, it was just there, but I really, really recommend the complete drama, with great male leads and great stories.

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In the foot steps of The Confidence, with a twist!

Having watched The Confidence in June 2022, I was happy that Unexpected Falling came out recently. The cast consisted of almost the same actors as The Confidence. Cai's performance was remarkable as she used alot of her facial muscles and eyes to speak her thoughts. Peng grew into his role to put up a good performance. He initially reminded me of Feng in The Confidence. I enjoyed watching their interactions as both of them had alot of lines with each other. I liked that they spoke their own lines while a few others had their voices dubbed. Peng and Cai have good voices. I also like the music and songs particularly the ending song sung by Cai and Peng. I found out that Cai did train as a singer in her early days. The older actors were all veterans and their performance did not disappoint. Sadly one of them had passed away during the production.

Both The Confidence and Unexpected Falling have male leads that are imposters. But in Unexpected Falling, the male lead was hired to investigate the financial scam and eventually he unmasked his fake role as he loved the female lead who was kind and righteous. The male lead became himself to win the love of the female lead.

Although Unexpected Falling was not as thrilling as The Confidence, the drama also kept me thinking initially if the female lead was her dead husband's accomplice, if her best friend was sincere and if the make lead was a two timer. The story unfolded gradually without unanswered gaps. I liked that there were no long, repeated flash backs. In fact, the female lead's dead husband did not even have a face although his name was repeatedly brought up in the story. He was a lead character that had died. The director deliberately kept viewers in the dark about how he looked like. I think this is a first!

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As someone else wrote that they were immersed in this drama from beginning to end -- I was so totally immersed that I watched most of the episodes 2 or 3 times (weekday dramas are shorter than others). I found myself truly living with the actor's characters -- sounds funny, I know; but once you invest in a drama like this one where everything is magnificent, you do feel as if you're living in this period of history. At the same time this drama was airing, "Empress Ki" was airing also. Since "EK" was a 2 episodes a week drama, it seemed to get more notice; but by far, I found myself more "immersed" in "King's Daughter" than "Empress Ki". The writing, production, directing, all of the cast (Jo Hyun Jae is one of my most favorite actors), the costumes and dramatic sets were all of the highest quality. By far, with all of the historical dramas I've watched, "King's Daughter" was the best one I've ever seen!!! When you watch it, I can't guarantee that you will fall in love with it or be immersed as I was; but you will enjoy it and come away with a feeling of time well spent!! Great drama in all respects ... I give it a perfect 10 ... ;)

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This is a drama I started to watch because of the cast (I like Fujiki Naohito, and I was curious about Amami Yuki) and I ended up enjoying the story and the likeable characters.

The main characters are three women, friends since their school days, and we follow them during their work lives and private lives, for example at the restaurant where their friend Ma-kun works. This set of characters is, I believe, not unusual, but it is an interesting drama, if a little bit predictable.

It is a love story, sure, but even more than that, I think it is about what a Japanese woman can and cannot do, in the eyes of those around her. This topic is also not unique, but this drama deals with it seriously without too much silly nonsense. Living up to gender roles can be a burden; this drama doesn’t try to make a joke out of it. I liked that. One of the women learns that her position at work is directly related to her marital status. Another one is a housewife whose husband can’t understand that she longs to feel “a connection to society”. The last of the three friends isn’t married and everyone is worried because she’s already 39, and a woman’s “market value” decreases rapidly after 35. Because what you learn here (if you didn’t know already from other j-dramas) is that marriage is extremely important. On the other hand, there’s this idea about freedom, independence, personal choice and the right to decide for yourself what “happiness” means…

As for the romance in this drama, I like it! The main focus is on Ogata Satoko (Amami Yuki) and Okamura Keitaro (Fujiki Naohito), who are colleagues.

However, Ogata is a psychiatrist and Okamura is a younger psychologist… so they are different when it comes to social status, income and age. Okamura is also very much into ecology, to the point of being called “stingy” by workmates and ex girlfriends, and at first, it looks like he doesn’t have a lot going for him. They have this relationship where they are constantly irritated and bickering with each other, but in a “good” way. Because even if that guy can be very nit-picky about certain things, he’s honest, smart, caring and gentle, and he’s cute and he likes kids… The more I watched him, the more I liked him, and I enjoyed how their relationship played out.

If I would mention any weak point, then it would be that the “twists and turns” of the drama are a bit too simple and obvious (but I was never bored because I liked and cared about the characters), and also the lack of, well, passion. I’ve learned not to expect j-dramas to be “hot”, but still; a little bit more intensity and chemistry between the two leads (who are both hot and excellent in their own ways) shouldn’t be too much to ask for, and it was perhaps what was lacking for me to give this a higher rating. (I could give Fujiki Naohito a 10 for being impossibly cute when he smiles, but I don’t think that would be fair…)

I’ve got nothing to say about the music, it was okay I guess. And although I enjoyed watching this, I don’t think I would be interested in rewatching it.

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Such a great series! I really, really, really, really wish this had more episodes!
There was so much more to explore, about the backgrounds and experiences of both Mimi and Tan. What I really loved was, the issues that they faced were so real, I am really glad they addressed that. I think the main problem Tan and Mimi faced between each other was expectations, because they had a mental image formed of the perfect person in their mind, the person in front of them became annoying, but that's not reality, and coming to terms with that was what was shown in this drama.
I really wish they would have explored the drama more.
Thinking back the premise is excellent, I don't have to think twice about what will drive the story forward. Although the DJ by night/rude classmate by day concept is kinda trope-ish the execution was so fresh and realistic!
Thinking back, the characters are really beautifully created, Mimi and Tan are different in so many different ways, Tan grew up lonely and unloved by family, while Mimi's family practically baby her unto this day, resulting in such contrast in their personalities, Tan is brash and can't look around at others to save his life, while Mimi is extremely sensitive and so affected by her surroundings.
But on the other hand similar too, they are both kinda loud when annoyed and both fall asleep in extremely similar ways, and I think (although its not explicitly shown in the drama) from the conversations they have over radio, they can really sit down and talk, which i think is a precious thing to share.
The execution was in a troll-ish/comedic vein, and I was practically smiling every second, but I seriously would not mind watching the same premise in a more serious light for 10-16 episodes.
Regardless, Thanks so much to the production team, for bringing such memorable characters to the screen for us.
And 10/10 acting by Singto and Jamie from beginning to end. 10/10 for the chemistry as well!
I smiled the whole way (And even squealed several times). Looking forward to their future work!??????

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the best drama 2023 so far

i love hidden love. i can say that this is the best drama 2023 and this this the first time i started to watch chinese drama. i can rewatch this drama more than 10 times until now. i can't move on from this drama. everything is excellent, the story, the acting/the cast, the ost everything is perfect. i love hidden love. i love hidden love. i love chen zhe yuan and zhaou lusi. they can play the role very well. With a total of 25 episodes, I think this Hidden Love drama is really light. The conflict is not too heavy that makes us stressed, instead it makes us smile and smile to see Sang Zhi and Duan Jia Xu

so you guys have to watch hidden love. I'm sure you guys must love it as much as I do.

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Excellent except for a predictable ending

This drama scored well on many hygiene factors: beautiful costumes, spectacular special effects, an excellent cast, handsome male lead, pretty second female lead, a popular female lead, lovely music. The story was intriguing - it's was like an onion, you just keep peeling layers after layers to get to the core. Secrets were being revealed one at a time to finally give the complete picture. Aside from the mysteries and secrets, you got to see the typical dramatic spice-up - love triangle, jealousy, saving the damsel in distress... The main male and female lead were suspicious of each other but they eventually fell in love.

However, the ending was somewhat predictable - all in line with today's trend. So if you watch enough of Chinese drama in recent years, you would know how it would end. In some way, it took the shine off the drama.

Bai Shuo was the second daughter to the Governor. When she was a child, her sister and she were almost killed by a demon and was saved by a god. She promised to repay him. Motivated by this, she strived to become an immortal. Mistaking Fan Yue who was the demon leader as an immortal, she sought his help to attain immortality. Chong Zhao was Bai Shuo's childhood fiance and was determined to protect his fiance from the demon leader. Together, they uncovered the secrets of the ancient gods, how they were related to them, and the divine responsibilities they were entrusted with.

The drama had some major flaws. A fraudster priestess was passed off as the personification of heaven law to bring the couple together. This was absurd, distasteful and unconvincing. There are already enough gullible people in this world without the screenwriter introducing such stupid ideas into people's head. A fraudster should stay a fraudster in the story - better still get punished accordingly.

And what is today's trend? The second lead/s die; the hero or heroine dies as well but get resurrected. That is typically how Chinese drama ends these days.

Overall, I say, this drama was still one of the best fantasy Chinese drama. Debating whether to give it a full 10 or 9.5, I decided to give it a 9.5. As with a lot of recent dramas, the drama had an excellent start but somehow tired out in the last couple of episodes. For that and the predictable ending, I took 0.5 points off.

If you are not a drama addict as I am and have not watched as many Chinese dramas as I have, this could be an excellent drama to follow.

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PLOT: Interesting start, but loses steam down the middle and ends with a crash.
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The premise of the show is refreshingly original: two babies --a boy and a girl-- are born on the same date and time to different families. Both suffer from unexplained periods of sickness, causing their parents to seek an explanation from a creepy Shaman. Coincidentally, the same Shaman sees both cases separately and reveals that their child has been born with half a fate. Which means, our protagonists are bound to "steal fortune" from each other in order to survive. So whenever one of them gets lucky, the other is met with misfortune.

Sounds pretty interesting, right? Well, it could've been had they focused on that aspect of the story. Unfortunately, the concept got lost and buried by ambitious writers who had neither the plan nor the talent to pull off their convoluted story.

The show suffers from a cast of characters that act and react in ridiculous ways to dire situations, rendering them borderline stupid. We also get a mob of undeveloped antagonists with questionable and vague motives, a painful dose of lack of chemistry between the main leads, dubious acting from most of the cast and a plot so convoluted, you don't know what's going on half the time. Not only do plot-points get abandoned without a reason, but tough decisions taken by characters lack logic and bear no consequences.

Despite all that, perhaps the BIGGEST flaw is the inability of the writers to commit to a tone. That's not to say the story can't be funny and heartwarming, or that horror and romance can't work together. There have been shows that have managed to pull off the change in tone flawlessly. But alas, it is not so with this one.

Though the story kicked out strong, using a dark undertone to build a sense of excitement, the atmosphere was soon broken and the narrative got twisted into a "parody", which turned the drama into one big joke.

So when the writers attempted to re-inject "horror" into the show, it failed to make an impact. Death was treated with so little consequence, it became meaningless. Antagonists where likewise hard to take seriously when the protagonists' reaction towards them was reminiscent of how Shaggy and Scooby-Doo acted when confronted with their own childish enemies... The conflicts were built up, but the resolution was weak and, therefore, wasn't a worthy payoff. Even the melodramatic scenes and romance were over-dramatic and hard to swallow.

Overall, the constant changes in tone were as subtle as a bull strolling through a china store...

MAIN CHARACTERS: A mixed bag
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Yoo Phillip (male lead played by Park Shi Hoo): He's introduced as an unlikable character and thus, it takes a long while to get used to him, let alone warm up to him. In a nutshell, he's extremely lucky, famous, cowardly, self-centered and selfish. Although we later learn that he's not a stranger to suffering and that, underneath his narcissistic nature, lays a man afraid to get hurt by those close to him, I can't promise that you'll like his character. I did find him tolerable after a while, but I think the biggest reason I disliked him had to do with his comical acting. I've seen Park Shi Hoo before, so I suspect the director is to blame. I also might've suffered from a bit of cultural shock because whoever did his makeup, had an incredibly heavy hand. Either that or he was sponsoring a lipstick company... which would explain A LOT.

Ji Eunl Soon (female lead played by Song Ji Hyo): She's something of a mixed bag. Although she's more likable than the male lead, that bar is pretty low. For most of the show, she's stuck in the role of the underdog. Given how much she's suffered, you can't help but root for her and wish her happiness. However, as the series progresses, she stopped making sense. Her actions and reactions took an "idealized" tone that I couldn't buy. Someone who's been through the things she had would naturally feel resentment, but not Eunl Soon... In the end, she's riddled with the same traits other k-drama female leads suffer from. She's insanely goodhearted, sacrificial in nature, suffers from a hefty dose of low self-worth (perfect for the male lead to swoop in and pull her out of her shell), turns passive when it matters and remains incapable of hating (or at least resenting) anyone, even when they most certainly deserve it... All in all, she started out as someone I wanted to root for but I ended up getting frustrated with her by the end.

Sung Joong (second male lead by Lee Gi Kwang): This series will give you second lead syndrome and with good reason. Sung Joong is the most relatable character and the one who makes the most sense. His motivations are clear, his emotions are properly conveyed and he acts and reacts as a normal person would. He's also active in the pursuit of what he wants and he's kind, mature and understanding... However, if push comes to shove he'll fight to protect those he cares about, even if he has to break his word or emotionally hurt them in the process. All in all, his character may not be the most original, but he is consistent. Ironically, that in and of itself makes him feel out of place. He's a sane character trapped in a universe populated by wacky characters. It's like he was conceived for another story but got stolen and forced into this narrative with a hammer. Sung Joong... you deserved much better!

ANTAGONISTS: Shallow, underdeveloped and too many
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As to avoid spoilers, I'll talk about them in general. The main issue I have is that there are way too many opponents for such a short story. However, there's no hierarchy to them, so it's hard to gauge their threat level or even focus on their motivations (or lack thereof). The result is a story that gets more confusing with each passing episode, with antagonists that bring little to the table. Some of them are mildly interesting, but most are quite generic and forgettable. How they end up being taken care of also leaves a lot to be desired in the imagination department.

Take note that confusion and intrigue are two different things, and this one suffered from the former.

PORTRAYAL OF ROMANCE: prepare for a cringe-fest
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I'm still uncertain of whether the romance was intentionally portrayed as a parody... or if the writers wanted to integrate a sweet story but failed spectacularly. The scenes that were supposed to be romantic were funny at best... but at worst, they rolled into the cringy zone and got stuck there. In fact, every painfully long kissing scene had me praying for it to end.

I don't think the story made proper room for romance. It might've been a lot more fun if the two leads had kept their relationship platonic and focused on building a friendship (or even a rivalry) instead.

Since I couldn't think of any highlights, here are some drawbacks of the romance:
-There's a lot of lying going on in their relationship, which translates in unmotivated lack of trust.
-It's never very clear why they got together. I felt neither chemistry nor real romance whenever they interacted. They just sort of... got together without rhyme or reason. Fate, maybe? (Interestingly enough, even the characters seem to question why they got together... so that says something).
-They had very little in common and no shared interest.
-Their interactions were often quite cringy.
-Second lead was much better but, to be frank, the main female lead didn't deserve him either. He was just too good for this show.

OVERALL: Good concept, terribly painful execution
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The main concept (sharing half a fate) had so much potential it hurts to see it wasted. Despite the original concept it promised, I can't in good conscience recommend this drama since it didn't deliver at least a decently structured story.

Though it started very strong, it lacked consistency which spelled its downfall. The romance felt cringy and out of place; the horror felt childish and cartoony, and the melodrama felt like a bad soap opera at best and like a ten-year old's first fanfiction at worst...

Honestly, I struggled not to drop this one and ended up muscling through the latter part of the story. If the show had focused on only two antagonists, then maybe the story might've been clearer (and cleaner)...

Then again, I would've focused only on the heart of the story --the protagonists sharing half a fate. That would've made for an interesting story without over-complicating it with ghosts, nightmares, possessions, psychopaths, frenemies, stalkers, dysfunctional families, abandonment issues, struggles with self-worth, competitive rivalries and all the other crap they threw our way.

This was a story that lost its way and shattered into mediocrity.

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