This review may contain spoilers
My completely honest review about strong girl namsoon
**DISCLAIMER** this is only my opinion, you don't have to agree !!**TRIGGER WARNING** (body shaming, dr*gs, su*cide)
Watched it since it came out, was really excited at first, really liked the first episodes, however, it went downhill from there, it got very messy, and they has many things/issues going on at the same time, and everything was packed.
The ml & fl were very decent and lacked character, the whole character of the female lead is her being cute and innocent, and the fact that she always is in some kind of situation and she can’t do anything on her own without anyone’s help, she doesn't use her power that much, a lot of things about her did not make any sense, i'm not gonna talk about her being raised in Mongolia cause what was that?, many things about that don't make any sense.
The male lead is not appealing enough, i like the actor but they could’ve worked more on the haircut, and his overall personality, if not getting a whole new other actor, his acting was better than his other kdramas but he still lacks a lot in my opinion, some things were too easy and unrealistic, like the fact that she found her family immediately, and the fact that the male lead simply allowed her to join him on a police dr*g mission, that does not make sense at all, they literally just met, the love story lacks a lot, they didn’t confess, they don’t hangout together unless it’s work, overall maybe the worst two characters in the kdrama.
The mom, she’s so hot, her character is hot, she’s rich AND does good in the community, she’s a good person but not to evil people, i likes how she was helping a lot, without her they would've not caught the culprit, she wasn’t nice to her son but she kinda made up for it at the end.
The dad, he’s the nicest, i wish he had more screen time especially with his daughter, the fact that he raised her up but she’s always with her mom is sad.
The brother, it was so sad seeing everyone body shaming him, yes they stopped doing that at the end but at what cost, it’s the sad reality for fat people unfortunately, i liked him, he’s very sweet, and funny.
The uncle, he’s hilarious always made me laugh whenever he was on screen, would've been more fun if he actually got into a relationship with the secretary, i would’ve loved if he was on screen more often.
The grandma, I love her so much, she made me laugh a lot, with her boyfriend, and I guess she was almost the one who used her power the most , but every time she uses it, it’s funny as hell, and the fact that she sacrificed herself for her daughter and grand daughter, that scene was touching.
The dr*gs, they were always inconsistent with the information, and as a viewer there was too much information about it most of it was useless, it was confusing sometimes, and I wished they were actual scenes of the culprits getting punished, or the dr*g addicts and a bit of their stories, they needed more details on that rather than the other information about the investors.
Bread song, his character was funny, but I wish they didn’t drag his whole thing till the end, they could’ve mad his identity and plot deeper.
And finally, the best for the last, the villain Ryu shi oh, the hottest character of all the others, he had a backstory, a deep character, he was honest, he trusted namsoon, he liked her, he tried getting rid of the mafia life, yes he sold dr*gs, he used dr*gs to get stronger, he still didn’t hurt namsoon until he found out she betrayed him, he loved her, treated her nicely, smiled at her and her only, took her everywhere with him, didn’t suspect any of her weird and suspicious behavior, he took her to her house everyday and didn’t leave till she was out of his sight, he told her his secrets, told her his childhood story, he is THE STANDARD.
Only thing he wanted was freedom, I don’t care if people say it’s pretty privilege or whatsoever, he CARRIED, he was the only character that actually had story, he made me sympathize with his character. The fact that he k*lled himself is so sad, he deserved better honestly, maybe another chance, but him k*lling himself was so unfair.
And the fact that in the whole drama him and namsoon didn’t fight…. It ruined the whole thing, it would’ve been so good if they had an actual fight and we could see who’s stronger. I still have a lot to say but I think this is enough lol.
Overall 4/10.
Ryu shi oh gets a 20/10
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This review may contain spoilers
Nothing like the webtoon
Loved the webtoon. I already showed my concerned about doing 8 episodes for this and gosh... I was right.First, the webtoon is quiet explicit but here, kisses are forced. Only the last kiss on episode 8 felt real, the others were either bad or faked by hiding behind lighting or objects, it feels like neither the actors or the director was into BL to begin with.
The actors, well...
First Ji Ho Geun, a new actor who is the only one who look and act like the character in the webtoon. But his partner Kim Jin Kwon (Newkids) was only here to attract fans. First he doesn't even feel like a jazz player as he really look like an idole. But he also look nothing like the character, who is strong, opinionated, and can face Han Tae Yi easily. But Jin Kwon look like he may cry.
Second, the other main couple. Kim Jung Ha playing Song Joo Ha is a strong bad boy with a big heart. In the drama, they made him a bully. All the back story is changed and make the relationship completely unbelievable. Seo Do Yoon "kissing" him out of nowhere seems that the director had to come up with something to introduce them as a couple. It would have been better that he didn't. The focus could have been made on only the main couple id needed. Song Han Gyeom (Omega X) is cute in it, but he certainly doesn't look like a student.
The story is the other thing that completely changed. Yoon Se Heons father, very nice person in the webtoon, is more pushy in the drama and completely desapeared after. With only 8 episodes, it is only making things worse for the characters development. And the brother was not even in the webtoon, they created a back story for the reason of Tae Yi's brother suicide, but why make every single characters BL, even in a BL story, some characters could have been straight too. Song Joo Hee and Song Joo Ha's story is so nice but taken off the drama.
Let's not forget that Han Tae Yi is supposed to know a lot about jazz, like Yoon Se Heon because of his lost brother, yet he doesn't play, but sing. But Ji Ho Geun is not an idole, they made him a trompettiste and they create a jazz group (Jazz for two became the name of a song written by the brothers of the main couple). He faked sing the last song on episode 8, and was poorly hidden. And lets not forget the whole relationship between the main couple, who become close because of the unpredictable suicide of Han Tae Yi's brother. The story here is unpolished, rushed and incomplete. We barely fly over the whole thing.
If you never read the webtoon, you may like it. But it felt forced because they cut too much important things to fit into 8 episodes. It could have been done differently, cut things that were not needed and focus only on the main couple would have made the 8 episodes cleaner. Of course, it's not a complete disaster, and its still watchable, but I wouldn't run to watch it again!!!
It's very rare that I am that hard with a drama, but it's now 2024. We expect that Korea starts being more open to LGBTQI+ in their drama. Not only they can make full length drama with at least 12 episodes of 45 minutes. Especially if they take it from a well loved and popular webtoon. It starts to show that they neither respect the audience, nor the author and only try to make money out of popularity from either the webtoon or the actors playing in it.
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The main couple was cute altho the main female character got on my nerves with her over the top silliness. I liked FSF character but he played him very straight and I would have liked to see a little more range of emotions.
All in all I made it thru the 32 episodes rather ok, and then wanted to kill every writer who worked on the show when I saw the ending - just ARGH.
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Like the synopsis say,s the movie is about a troupe of down on their luck actors who open a dating agency and utilize their skills to help people win the object of their affection. It's fun watching the tricks they come up with to hook the prospective mate for their clients. Things take a complicated turn when a man comes in hoping to acquire their services and the woman he fancies is the ex love of Byung Hoon (Uhm Tae Woong).
The story obviously plays on the theme of Cyrano De Bergerac and it's done quite well. But this is not a re-telling or even a moderization of the old classic.
The set design is wonderful. I wanted to hang out in the old theatre where the troupe has their head quarters. The dynamics of the troupe and their interactions were some of my favorite scenes. Although this is not strictly a comedy, there were times when I laughed out loud. I consider it a success when a movie can draw a spontanious loud laugh from me rather than simple amusement. Uhm Tae Woong does a great job here as well as Park Shin Hye (that was a surprise).
The main themes of this movie are love and trust and which is more important? There's also friendship and learning to let go.
The director did a good job of setting the mood of this film and telling the story in way that flowed at an even pace. It is a fairly light movie and I can see why it did so well at the box office.
If you're looking for a fun movie to watch that isn't too dark and yet not overly light and fluffy, this one is a great pick.
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This review may contain spoilers
Dark, Full of Twists, & Full of Amazingly Gray Characters, BUT....
UPDATED REVIEW (from 10 to 8.5 for me)- I wanted this to be a solid 10 and it was for about 15 episodes but things got tedious to watch, unfortunately. Let me tell you why I thought so!
- I was drawn in by the dark nature of the story with wonderful gray/flawed characters with pitiful and tragic backstories. I didn't mind the lack of romance when the chemistry between all the characters was so rich and compelling.
- Acting and Cinematography was amazing. Storyline had promise and held out for a long time before it started becoming "too much" for "way too long". The real issue with this story is the lack of "breathing room" in between all the bad things happening. & don't get me started on the ridiculous and unnecessary time skip near the end of the drama. Why do they do this? WHYYYY? Anywho...
- Even though some things got a (kind of) resolution plot-wise, the initial "Censor Case" plot never really felt tied off properly and when it was passed off as if it had a resolution and then we were quietly moved on into the "salt plot" felt a little MEH for me. If the MAIN plot was the censor case then it should have gone with that strong all the way to the finish. If the plot was supposed to be about various cases and righteousness and smashing the rich/powerful/ruthless via vigilante means... then it should have gone with that and powered through with that, weaving the Censor Case as an important but smaller portion of the plot. (does that make sense?) Instead, we got a plot that after 20 episodes felt watered down and brushed aside in order to make 30 episodes work.
- Another disappointment of mine was making the ONLY other woman in power (besides the Empress) end up a villain. I kind of get it, but, to have a female Empress was fabulous... all the other women in the drama were VICTIMS of pretty brutal crimes, so, having a woman with an upperclass background in a seat of power in court was very nice... making her one of the many, many villains... I didn't like it at all.
- Finally... the ending (while beautifully shot) was pretty anticlimactic. A main consiracy was taken down and the talk of reforms happened and YPA sailed off into the sunset alone. Meh.
Anyway. I liked it. I even loved parts of it, but it fell short of the "amazing" I was hoping for and expecting after the first 5-6 episodes.
more thoughts about the female characters in the show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXiijb1j-Io&t=24s 🥰🥰🥰
(((INITIAL THOUGHTS: updating as I watch but first four episodes were amazing and set the tone for a wonderful drama... This drama is chock-FULL of character that do not fit in the "bad" or "good" slot well and I am LIVING for that! I'm going to do a deep dive chat about this drama and am betting it will be a TOP favorite of mine for 2025! Holy crapppp that LOOK at the end of episode 4 from the FL was pure "mask falling off" and was scary! scary good! a TRUE antihero FEMALE LEAD??🍿🎉)))
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Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!
22 people found this review helpful
Adachi does not see much value in himself. He compliments and admires other characters' traits he himself also has. He is smart, nice, polite and hardworking, but if you asked him, he would deny it. With his newly discovered magic powers of reading minds (who knew getting bitten by a radioactive spider is outdated, and staying a virgin is a new way of gaining that superhero title), he slowly, but steadily starts to see how others view him as a worker, friend, or love interest. It’s quite interesting to see how, only by internally being faced with others unfiltered thoughts, Adachi gains the courage and confidence.
Kurosawa, damn boi. The wrinkles killed me. You are reading a review written by a ghost. That smile could stop a war. Not gonna lie though, I did find him creepy at first. But when you accept the fact we also say a lot of over the top and weird shit in our minds, to never be spoken out loud, he is kind of relatable. I truly appreciated how, even though he truly liked Adachi, he didn’t want to force anything on him. He was fine with just being his friend and supporting him. He also struggled with some internal issues that are a focus of one episode. Thanks to that, we can see him in a different light, that makes him that more charming.
I wasn’t crazy about the 2nd couple. Wataya Minato looks 16 at best and Tsuge Masato looks older than any other character (though we know he is 30). The comical and over the top behavior just didn’t click right with me. Not to say Asaka Kodai is a bad actor, he aced that over the top act. It’s just not something that I enjoy in shows.
The acting overall was top notch. Akaso Eiji truly portrayed the confused and low self esteem Adachi well, and love was literally radiating from my screen every time Machida Keita showed up. His facial expressions were so on point, I had to rewatch many scenes, just because I was so amazed by his skill.
The show itself is more than just a rom-com. It touches on issues like self love and self esteem, prejudices, standards forced by society that some might not want to follow and the idea of following and giving up on your dreams.
Why not 10? I have to say, the last episode was quite disappointing. I felt like the events that happened in episode 11 were barely addressed, the explanations given were just easy ways out of the complex situation. Not to mention the last scene, that should just not exist in the first place. It just showed the limits of what actors could have done, set either by themselves or their agencies.
Overall, it was an extremely good watch. I went crazy over Kurosawa because he is the best boi on the planet and I would fight anyone on that. No doubt I will rewatch the series (I’m writing it as if I haven’t rewatch all the eps every week already) and enjoy everyone’s performance.
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This review may contain spoilers
watch until 01:39:00 ONLY!
the poster was misleading, I thought I'd see han jiwan with the precious baby but she was the adult vr ;)basically the first half, the first hour and a half was beautiful, Park So Yi was SO AMAZING! her crying was on point and her smiles lit up the world!
the story between this unlikely "family" was cliche but so touching that I just loved watching them until suddenly she became a teen then an adult and boom the story lost it's charm ;(
suddenly right after she called him dad the writer made him get into an accident and they lost him for 10 YEARS! then one day she remembers the nickname she gave him (10 years later!) and that's how they found him! sick and locked up in a mental hospital where he couldn't function! and before his accident suddenly had a terminal disease! what ridiculous blood boiling plot move!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
then in the ending credit she was getting married and had him marry her off and called it a happy ending when he didn't even REMEMBER his name let alone talk! how heart breakingly cheap!!!!!!!!!!!
I did hope it'd be sweet and funny for a rewatch but no, just no
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Bomb storyline and peak comedy (for romcoms)
The set up of the story is really refreshing (characters and circumstances)...I would've been really upset if the execution wasn't there, but I think it held up for the most part. Some are saying that the FL is really dumb...and...I guess she is but I've seen waaaaayy dumber FLs and I feel like its really understandable for people to make not 100% rational decisions when their clouded by their emotions (literally tied to her loosing her second home) and then not know how to back-track.The comedy was top-of-the-line for romcoms: it doesn't die down (maybe minutely only for a couple episodes in the middle)...I was pleased that I wasn't baited by the first couple episodes. Execution of comedy makes up for a very small issue of some parts of the storyline not flowing as well in-the-moment (there was probably just a handful of times where I would watch and think to myself "but what about this" but then continue watching and see the gaps filled later...not a huge issue though).
Actors fit very well, music was aight, rewatch value is higher-than-normal for that comedy and character design.
I have 4 more episodes to go...pretty sure it won't upset me though: its been consistent :)
update: completed the drama...man had to decrease 0.5 stars for the ending...it was just too cliche. Won't leave you disappointed and I usually don't take down points for clicheness...it just doesn't match with the unique story quality and comedy so far.
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My last memory - I want it to be you !
So I didn't really expect it to be this likable - ep 2 and i was shedding tears that tissues couldn't wipe - but when you start from the highest point there's no way up and I guess that's what went wrong with the show !The first half was well cut, top notch ideas and execution, the kind that creates a yearning for more - for the 16 eps to stretch till infinity but I guess the makers took this feeling otherwise. The second half is pretty much set in a different tone which is draggy and feels like a failed attempt of recreating the original one because the directions the story was progressing in didn't support that at all.
The storyline does try to answer the questions it had previously put forward but the things that couldn't possibly be explained were called miracles ...which is such a lazy choice as if I was just watching it with all my interest for it to be called a miracle. And then suddenly the plot shifts conveniently towards their romance with the villains waiting till the couple is all done with their lovey dovey, like really !!!
Not that the story wasn't well cooked but that it did taste foul before it was even cooked ! - The lead pair didn't have what we call chemistry, it was never butterflies and more often just were too awkward to even sit and watch. There romance was like spilled ink on a masterpiece. There was no mention of the villain (whom they apparently took as villain) in the initial eps but later they just take it so obviously that it's almost like taking the audience as a dumb kid who'll be fed with medicine in the name of molten chocolate.
The last few eps still manage to keep you hooked and somewhat bring it back on track - was I terribly disappointed with the events in the last episode - yes, did it make sense - no, did I see it coming - yes!
The side characters are consistently well written and are so relatable that even if you guess their plotline you still want to have them on screen, living it(pun intended) !
So as to sum up the show ruined itself with the romance but the bromance is what kept me going along with the very interesting and heart warming stories that made me cry rivers and oceans.
With ep 2 as my by far the most favorite one in all the ghost stories I have ever seen, this show is worth a shot if you can ignore or skim through the romance and like ghost stories and afterlife transitions!
-- spoiler -- would have been so nice if it was the police spirit helping him out of netherworld instead of twin- someone who shouldn't exist should have been done by someone who ceased to exist as well !-- also how is he carrying that sword if nothing is allowed in afterlife ? -- spoiler end ! --
The overall backdrop of the show is a marvel itself and I'd suggest watching it for there's so much to miss out on ! and not to get your hopes up would be my advice for you all.
Also tho I am in love with the ost they play it fucking everywhere ...like people be crying lalala people be happy lalalala evil spirit be winning lalala ....at one point you'll be like WHAT THE FUCK !!
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The main reason was Yoon Eun Hye since I like her acting in romantic comedy roles.
2) Storyline/Plot:
*This is your usual rich-poor romantic comedy; a lot of cheesy scenes in here.
Positive Points:
*The cinematography was appreciated in here; it had many great backgrounds all the way through.
*Main Genres:
--->Comedy: I can’t literally say that it was very funny but it was acceptable on the general scale. There were some hilarious scenes every once in awhile but they weren’t very special.
You’re probably wondering why I mentioned it as a positive point while I stated many negatives; because the drama wasn’t that boring.
Negative Points:
--->Romance: It was very common. Let’s be honest, everyone of you saw a rich-poor romantic story, an arrogant and Cinderella, a hopeless triangle and I am sure that you’ve seen a contract drama before that’s why this drama’s romantic development had nothing extraordinary to talk about. Anyway, that’s how the majority of Korean rom-coms are set.
*This drama’s storyline was really predictable; there weren’t any events that felt surprising or special.
*Near the ending, the story became annoyingly dragged.
Story: 5/10.
3) Acting/Cast:
*The reason I started this drama was Yoon Eun Hye and I wasn’t disappointed with her performance. She’s a skilful actress that knows how to portray romantic comedy roles.
Kang Ji Hwan had respectable acting skills too but he wasn’t that great compared to Eun Hye.
Other actors weren’t very special, no exceptional feelings about any of them.
*As for character Ah Jung and Ki joon were ordinary main characters that you can find in any other Korean romantic comedy. Well, extra credits for Ah Jung as she felt more interesting than Ki Joon.
*Other characters were normal and up to standard but common.
*Appreciated character: Can I say “NONE”? I really don’t have any character that I appreciated here, not even a single one.
*Relationships:
--->Romance: The chemistry felt natural and intriguing; sometimes fluffy and even sexy: it was good to see on screen which is all due to the main actors’ harmony.
--->The triangle: It’s your common Korean triangle with a nice second lead male. Well, the second lead female wasn’t that wicked.
Cast: 7.5/10.
Acting: 8.5/10.
4) The ending:
It was unsurprising and expected plus it had one of the most ordinary ending scenes. Shall I say more?
The ending: 5/10.
5) My impression (How did it affect me):
*It felt like watching a rewind from many dramas that I’ve seen before. I lost the drama’s taste because everything about it was predictable.
*The drama was light but I have to admit that I fast-forward many parts in order to make watching hours manageable.
*Is the drama memorable: No, I don’t think so because it’s too common; nothing special about it.
My conclusion after watching this drama: I need to stop watching Korean romantic comedy for awhile. Taken as a whole, I became so sick of these “same plot” romantic comedies; the whole concept grew to be so dumb to me that’s why I really need to stop watching them or I will lose my “drama mood”.
My impression: 4/10.
6) Overall:
*If you’re a big fan of romantic comedies then you would like this.
*If you’re looking for a unique and mature romantic comedy then don’t watch this.
*Lie to Me was light drama in some ways but it was predictable and full of cliché/cheesy scenes in many ways.
Overall: 5/10
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As I commented on the Japanese version, I really hate the plot. Ha Ni states she's loved Seung Jo for years even though she's never talked to him. Yeah, that's completely normal if you ask me. Seriously, she's so shallow because she loves him only for his looks in my opinion, considering they haven't even talked to each other before. But of course that's true love. It cannot not be true.
Seung Jo, the cold-hearted jerk. However, now that I've watched the Japanese version, I got to admit that Seung Jo has more human emotions and reactions to him than Naoki. The latter is just emotionless and souless while Seung Jo shows his feelings quite often. Well, at least he tries to show them. Kim Hyeon Jung's acting is so bad that we can't really read anything from his facial expressions besides the usual poker face. And he insults Ha Ni less than Naoki insults Kotoko. But he's still a jerk as he sometimes gives Ha Ni false hopes, making her believe that he might actually be interested in her. And I swear he has a multiple personality disorder mixed with mood swings. Say what you want, but that shiet ain't normal.
Now, moving on to stupid Ha Ni who deserves all this emotional mess as a punishment for her stupidity.
First of all, oh my fcking God, I don't know if it's the actress's habit, or if she just wanted to make Ha Ni seem cute, but I hated it when she sticked out her tongue, slightly biting on it. Like Jesus fckign Christ, what the hell is that supposed to be? Girl, you're not cute so stop. Stop it before I cut your tongue off.
Basically, Ha Ni is an imbecile with a soft-headed expression on her face. Well, at least she has some facial expressions, unlike particular someone. Though a miracle has happened because Ha Ni is less of a pain in the aß than Kotoko. But still not bearable.
Also, I hated the relationship between Ha Ni and Bong Jun Gu in this version. In the Japanese version, Kotoko and Kinnosuke are good friends, so it's understandable why he's fallen for her. However, in this version, Jun Gu seems like a creepy stalker who just won't leave Ha Ni alone even though he's clearly a burden to her. Seems like Korea is afraid of showing a friendly skinship between a male and a female friends. As if boys and girls couldn't be just friends who aren't afraid of touching each other in a friendly manner.
As for the relationship between Baek Seung Jo and Yun He Ra, I just want to say that Ha Ni needs to get her shiet together and stop being a jealous moron. It's none of her business who he's dating considering the guy she "loves" shows no interest in here. So girl, stop trying to ruin his good relations with He Ra just because you're overly obsessed with the guy.
Do I even have to mention that the ending is so out of place and awkward?
And I laughed so hard at the script writers for desperately trying to give Bong Jun Gu some consolation. But I appreciate their good intentions though.
Overall, don't watch this drama, it's horrible.
Seriously just don't do it.
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1A promising thriller that forgets what it was trying to say
*Buried Hearts* markets itself as a slick revenge thriller drenched in corporate corruption, memory loss, and familial secrets. And to be fair, it starts that way. But as the story unfolds, the show loses not only its narrative grip, but also its own identity.The early episodes are compelling. A secret slush fund, a shadowy professor pulling political strings, and a lead character with amnesia - there’s no shortage of tension. But the writing quickly shows cracks. Instead of escalating the drama, the plot circles back on itself repeatedly, bogged down by overused tropes (amnesia again?) and characters who stop evolving after episode three.
There’s a frustrating lack of depth in how the show handles its core themes. Power, memory, guilt - these are fertile grounds for psychological drama, but *Buried Hearts* rarely digs deeper than surface-level reveals. Characters tell us how they feel; the show doesn’t show us. The narrative doesn’t trust its audience to interpret nuance, so it spoon-feeds motivation through long, expositional dialogue.
The drama leans heavily on twists, but few of them land. A late-game near-incest plotline feels like a desperate attempt to inject shock value, only to be reversed quickly. The big reveals often feel more like filler than payoff - contrived rather than earned.
By the final third, the show is barely holding together. Pacing becomes a major issue. Scenes drag. Characters lose their edge. The revenge plot, which should intensify, flattens under political subplots and boardroom infighting that lack emotional stakes. What could have been a tight 12-episode series overstays its welcome across 16.
Park Hyung-sik does his best with what he’s given, but the script boxes him into a narrow emotional range. Dong-ju’s amnesia is used more as a reset button than a way to explore internal conflict. Hong Hwa-yeon, while understated and watchable, is underutilized, especially in the second half where her arc plateaus into passivity.
Even Huh Joon-ho, playing the morally gray puppet master Yeom Jang-seon, is reduced to a repetitive mouthpiece for exposition rather than a compelling antagonist.
The direction is clean but lacks distinct style. There’s none of the visual storytelling or atmospheric flair that defines standout K-thrillers. Music is overbearing, often cueing emotion instead of letting the scene breathe. And while the sets are appropriately cold and corporate, the lack of variety becomes visually monotonous.
Final Thoughts:
*Buried Hearts* has all the ingredients of a high-stakes melodrama, but it lacks cohesion, restraint, and most importantly, soul. The show wastes its premise, dulls its tension with repetition, and leaves its audience more frustrated than satisfied. What could have been a biting commentary on greed and identity ends up as just another forgettable entry in the ever-growing list of K-dramas that promise more than they deliver.
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I was let down
watching the first 2 episodes, I thought its going to be about a troubled couple finding their way back to each other which it happed at last but not in a way that I wanted to. Kim Sohyun and Kim Jiwon are great actors with great chemistry and godly visuals but their love story is incredibly boring. I dont know how to put this in words but none of the characters seem like human beings. They're all written in a very surface level .They're just some plot devices and do stuff because the writer wanted those things to happen.Hyun woo is knight in shining armor constantly sacrificing himself for others and Hae in is his entire world. Hae in is the princess with warm heart and cold attitude. Eun seong is the obsessed villain with dark past. Soo cheol is a doormat. Dahye is the poor corrupted lonely villain getting a redemption arc. No depth . No creativity. just cliches.
There was so much potential for Hyun woo and Hae in story but they just used cliches with some aesthetic pretty shots. Im so tired of " they met each other in childhood so it was fate all along" stuff and they used that one multiple times.
Honestly, the power struggle between the villains and Queens group was quite boring too and it was taking too much screen time to the point it overshadowed our couples story.
you need alot of suspension of disbelief to watch it because nothing make sense. people are smart and cunning but they make stupid choices so Hyun woo can come and save the day like the hero he is. There are herds of supporting characters who owe something to Hyun woo so they do everything to help. Hye in is supposedly very sick and doesn't have much time left but she never looks like it even in hospital. Her very rare disease gets cured magically with only one side effect which makes the next plot twist. Very unnatural story telling.
Actors are all amazing showing a range of emotions. The camera work is great. Filming locations are so pretty .OSTs are beautiful. Fashion and hair styles are stunning so are the cars. The story is the only thing ruining it. Its a bummer. All this talent and resources should've gone to a better story
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1Do You Want Some Cheese With Your Chicken?
Don't be confused. This is not a 7 first kisses sequel, it was not supposed to be an advertisement drama special..the moment the production decided to add more lines for the product placement than the plot/character development was the moment they threw away the viewers worth.
honestly I don't think I've ever seen a drama so bluntly advertise their sponsored products this much. "I've never found this fried chicken outside of korea", "this makes my skin moist", "this boosts your stamina", "this mask is a best seller" and blah blah blah ;/ if anything they made me want to buy those products even less.
one of their biggest problem was how they show you an event like ep11's over dramatic ending and then the next ep they start from a pre setup and repeat everything again and get to the point only halfway through the ep. (that's not how cliffhangers work)
the lines were so cheesy and cringe worthy it was embarrassing, and the acting from the 2 mains was mediocre and the only reason it was acceptable was becasue everything else sucked.
the romance lacked substance and it was too rushed that it made it seem like taeul only loved yigon's money. they had zero on screen chemistry and no amount of neck kisses (which was just 1) could save their so called love.
speaking of kisses, they start with the cliche open eyed fish kiss, gave 1 neck kiss and went back to "covering their face with a hand or something" so it looks like they're kissing but it was obvious they were not ;D and I don't personally care for kissing scenes since they don't add to the romance but enhance it, and so if the actors feel uncomfortable having more than 1 kiss they shouldn't be forced into it.
the plot was a literal zero. an empty flashy mess of a story. nothing was consistent, nothing made sense and nothing was explained.
this is what happens when the writer gets a deal to make their drama after only writing the 1st couple of eps, it was obvious she only had the start idea and the end (which was a total cheap move full of fan service) so she was lost most of the time.
now the directors all take the other part of the blame. the switching between the 2 worlds was so bad that no one could tell which world they were in until someone's name was mentioned ;/
the audios were always such a mess, the chewing were too loud and every sound felt artificial, like ep11's footsteps. it felt like a zombie apocalypse..
they had so many side plots and characters unrelated to the main plot that it was hard to know who was who and what purpose they held, but worse part was that nothing was explained and thus they were just fillers..
everything big and flashy uncle evil seemed to work towards was pointless. he looked scary and evil but was caught in 1second, they talked big of time stopping but it never became an issue..
so to sum it up we had 1 ep of plot, 14 eps of fillers and angst and 30min of resolution followed by 55min of fan service~
as if the 2 worlds was not confusing enough they had to add time traveling, but alas how else would they have had saved their empty black hole mess of a plot?
Jo Young / Jo Eun Sub and Myung Na Ri / Myung Seung Ah were the highlight of the show for me, both as actors and as characters so I'm incredibly disappointed by the wasted potential. they could've had 2 more couples in this and increased the level of uwu but anyway, the Jos and the Myungs had better chemistry and more believable love lines and though I was happy with their end, I was again disappointed that they didn't really show them together much...
young was such a cold, professional no nonsense kind of a guy but his social life (shown only as laptop sticker -I wonder whose idea was that) and his interactions with both eunsub and their puppy twins showed how much more of a sweet warmhearted person he was. I wish this drama was about him ;(
https://kisskh.at/35039-the-king-the-eternal-monarch#comment-3574531
eunsub was laid back, easy and friendly that people (ie the 2 mains) took advantage of and forgot several times, but his interactions with young was beautiful, they were the only 2 sane unselfish people (beside the Myungs). and in the end I loved his growth to a solid reliable man~
also since I don't want to share spoilers here I'll link my comment https://kisskh.at/35039-the-king-the-eternal-monarch#comment-3565969
the music was a repeat/ripoff of goblin and they did nothing to add to the already non existent mood, and I didn't even want to watch this the 1st time let alone rewatching it (though I have rewatched WDH's scenes alot)
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