Reviews

Bittersweet, Dark, but Surprisingly Hopeful Show That Makes You Feel.

I don't know where to begin to talk about this show honestly, partly because there is not much to talk about it. This time, I won't go into detail and give much spoilers because this show deserves to be recognized more.

Script-wise there is not much to tell. They tried to kept this fantasy story as realistic as possible which I highly appreciate it. Keeping a story like this realistic takes balls because its dangerous. It needs much to cover, much to tell and much to prove. The scriptwriter(s) did a fantastic job with this. Of course, there were some loose ends in the story, especially with the "police bussiness" stuff but now that I finished this series and seen the whole plot, do those loose ends really mattered or bugs me now ? no. And also, another reason that those plot holes don't matter is that this story has a lot and different things to say that if they tried to cover all of it, it'd drift off from its own main theme and become a huge mess. The story was grim, bittersweet, kinda dark but also hopeful and adoring in a twisted way. It makes you think when you finish watching it, and more importantly; it makes you feel. I highly highly recommend it. It was no way near the tipical Thai BLs. don't know if you can call this a BL even.

Actors were amazing. The four lead and their chemistry literally carried much of this series. This show became another example of when you give actors a chance to act, they really do nail it. It becomes so obvious that when you watch series like this, which actors does it for the money and which actor does it by heart lol.

Production quality was also very good. Especially whoever directed this series (I've heard the scriptwriter also directed it) kudos to them because my god some of the scenes, the way the camera positioned, the angles, the colouring, the audio coices, all of it were so fucking good. like A+ western television kinda good. The sets were good, the props were good, nothing looks out of place. Of course, instead of AI they could've used real CGI artists but ngl that would be asking too much lol.

Overall, I highly recommend everyone to watch this grim, witted story with its exceptional actors.

PS: if you guys wanna talk about this with spoilers, y'all are welcome in the comments we can talk there.

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The miscommunication trope is my least favorite trope

And this show has it and the "refuses to talk" trope in spades. I get having unrequited love and being scared to say anything, but please don't just assume things on your own. If you feel like you are getting mixed signals, talk to the person about it. I hear talking can solve a lot of problems. I get the whole "avoiding your problems," but if you are dating someone, no matter how short a time, you'd think you'd spend time with them instead of actively avoiding them the whole time. (I say this knowing my introverted self will actively hide from the person I'm dating if I want some peace and quiet.)

This was actually a cute series that, for reasons I can't explain, just felt fun to watch. Like I didn't get bored at all, even when it got a little repetitive. I also really thought the friends were funny, and I'm a little disappointed we didn't get to see the train wreck that I'm sure that group date was. I also really liked our main characters and thought the actors did a great job.

The OST was a little weird because sometimes it would sound like we were either listening to a cozy game soundtrack or something that would be played in a kindergarten class.

Something that I wish they had delved more into, instead of having a second "couple," was going more in-depth with Hun's feelings instead of just dropping the truth at the end. It honestly felt like it came out of nowhere because he was so oblivious up to that point. I just needed more for me to believe it, because yes, he was obsessed and jealous, but it also seemed like he wasn't aware of it. This series should have been called mixed signals.

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Absurd and Entertaining

Take Charge of My Heart is a ten-episode fantasy romantic comedy with a generous dose of absurd humor.
Its premise is remarkably similar to The Master's Sun (2013), starring Gong Hyo Jin. The main difference is that ghosts have been replaced by electricity.
And that fantastic element allows us to examine the series from a different perspective. An absurd story is not necessarily a bad story. Quite the opposite: once we accept the rules of its fictional universe, seemingly ridiculous situations can become part of its charm. Just think of the 1960s Batman television series or Get Smart.
In that respect, Take Charge of My Heart works quite well.
The chemistry between the leads is excellent. Chae Soo Bin has a natural charm and remarkable expressiveness that greatly enrich her interactions. The supporting cast is equally impressive, with everyone delivering convincing performances. And I will repeat something I have said many times: Korean actors tend to be exceptionally well-trained and disciplined professionals.
However, Bo Bae is practically a metahuman. She possesses extraordinary electrical powers that could have been explored far more creatively instead of being used primarily as a romantic device.
Another weakness is the series' length. Ten episodes for a story that could easily have been told in a two-hour film, with considerably better pacing.
To fill that running time, we once again get the familiar corporate intrigues, family conspiracies, power struggles, and the inevitable woman obsessed with marrying the wealthy chaebol.
These elements have been recycled so frequently in K-dramas that they have become tiresome, particularly because we can usually predict exactly how they will be resolved.
Ultimately, Take Charge of My Heart is a charming romantic comedy, well acted and genuinely funny at times. Its absurdity can be one of its strengths, but its conventional narrative structure and excessive length prevent a promising premise from reaching its full potential.

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Great chemistry, but wanted more growth..

What drew me to watch this drama was the chemistry between Luke and Flora. Both actors did an excellent job portraying their characters, and the tension, emotions, and undeniable chemistry between them made their relationship compelling to watch. Their performances were what truly made this drama stand out for me.

However, my biggest issue with the story was the lack of communication between the leads. After dating for six years, you would expect Luke and Flora to have a better understanding of each other, yet they constantly hid things from one another instead of being open and honest. What frustrated me most was that there didn't seem to be much growth or learning when it came to communication throughout their relationship.

It wasn’t until their major breakup that they finally expressed how they truly felt. Even then, I felt their reconciliation happened far too quickly. With only two episodes dedicated to them getting back together, there simply wasn't enough time to show the emotional growth, honest conversations, and rebuilding of trust that I wanted to see before they reconciled. I wanted to see them genuinely learn from their mistakes and make a conscious effort to build a healthier relationship, rather than have everything fall into place so quickly.

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Could have been a 10 but three things hold it back (one mild spoiler - marked in the review)

This was a very well acted drama. Even the secondary characters were awesome.

The story was also different and interesting. It is a business drama, but not a romance.

It could have been a 10, but for 3 factors.

1) We watched it with English subtitles. We are pretty good at this, but even so there was some business-strategy dialog we didn't really get (and didn't want to rewind and re-watch).

2) I felt that a few things could have been wrapped up better at the end, with maybe 1 or 2 more episodes. (Or a season 2 ha ha.)

***SPOILER ALERT***

3) At the end, the CEO of their company punished our lead by firing one of his great employees. The CEO wanted to teach him a lesson. As someone who has managed people and run departments in a high-stress environment this is bullish*t of the highest order. You don't punish one person by hurting an innocent party. And, the lead was WAY smart enough to learn the lesson without the CEO firing someone. He could have just explained what the lead could have done better. This whole thing really pissed me off! It left a bad taste in my mouth at the end of a great series.

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It’s a nice charge of heart type to story

It’s not perfect. I have my nitpicks. However, I give this drama a 10, more if I could and here’s why.

This drama is about healing. It’s about recovery. It’s about relief. I really appreciate that emphasis and if you look for it in those lens, it’s an easy feel good story. The main characters each had a childhood trauma that affects their present lives. Not a new storyline but in this, the leads have ample screen time to embrace their imperfections and we get to see them laugh, and simply love. Though not super important, it does have pretty good kisses as loving couples should.

Here’s the other thing that I appreciate about this. I feel it goes light on the angst (there’s some to carry the story) and more concentration on developing the main characters and overcoming their drawbacks. It draws us as viewers on that part of life where we don’t necessarily have to face our hardships alone. Fantasy or reality, it’s nice to watch something that says, hey there’s hope. There’s someone who can understand you. You don’t have to be alone. It’s calming, it’s cute, and super romantic. Love the leads especially but all cast members does a good job delivering this beautiful slice of life story.

I wish it was longer. As it is, it’s just right for its purpose. Slice of life type of romance.

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Charged and electrified my romcomyyy heart .. it's well made down to every detail and cliche

The premise is a fantasy romcom and it delivers that perfectly , full of heartfelt beautiful moments , and funny moments and amazing direction , i have to say everything was so well done , the events and sequence were so timely , everything happened when it needed to happen , i think the plot is well put together, there aren't any holes ( apart from how he acts after his heart surgery immediately lol but come on you guys it's a romcom.. it's not that serious or important in my opinion ) or any dragging , acting so so good and not to mentions the OSTs , WOW , I LITERALLY LIKE ALL OF THEM wow

what makes you attached to such dramas, is how good the acting is , like these actors man they aren't acting at all , like they truly become the character , and they leave you so attached to them .. beyond touching and skillful performances by the leads , kim young kwan and chae soo bin , like truly it didn't feel like acting at all, not a minute did it feel fake or exaggerated it was so natural, it's rare these days , truly sometimes i feel like an actor is really acting or underacting or overacting , here i didn't see actors i just saw the characters that's what i love about watching kdramas .. and they really couldn't have picked anyone else for bae ho rang and na bo bae than kim young kwang and chae soo bin , they're both phenomenal , he's so expressive and talented and i especially love him as a man devastatingly and foolishly in love and whipped for the FL and again no one does such unhinged fantasy plotlines as natural and enjoyable as soo bin, she's such a natural and so pretty , there was a pickachuuu scene hahahahahha i could've died from how cute she looked there , she always looks cute tho man i can't with her i loved her hair tbh and i loved how they kept it through out the whole drama

Everything is so great from the build up to the emotions to , story wise from plot to the conflict and resolution because this is a fantasy and romance we had two conflicts and two resolutions , how the leads meet , everything builds up then get together was just so perfect and timely especially it gave me butterflies and gets me looking at this imaginary ghost in my room for a reaction lol if you know the meme ugh that i adore this kdrama is an understatement.

the interactions between them are so good since the start , there's already so much tension ugh , and i watched it slowly savoring every bit , it started really silly unserious but ultimately fun and enjoyable , also the ml isn't as lovable at first , he does start grumpy ( but it was funny ) but oooo what becomes of him later on and like pretty quick the shift and character growth is beautiful to follow; the soft caring considerate man he becomes, HE IS THE CUTEST. They do a really good buildup between them, so there's a lot of awkwardness that ended up turning into tension and electric chemistry too, but there's also comfort and familiarity, and playfulness in a way. and then THE AMOUNT OF GIGGLES YOUNG KWANG GAVE ME AS HE WAS PINING AND SMILING LOOKING AT HER OR THINKING OF HER LIKE A FOOL IS CRAZY UGHHH AHAHHAHA , GOT ME GIGGLING , KICKING MY FEET ( IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE) I JUST ADORE IT

they do a good job with the FL's fear of not being accepted by the one she love and fear of only hurting those she loves, the way the ML deals with it was to die for , really it was so refreshing to watch how he waited was considerate of her distance and space, he never pushed and patiently lovingly waited until she came around then he seized the moment , ran after her, confessed , reassured her WHAT A MAN UGH chills literal chills I wish i could tell you more but maybe i'll do that in an ep 7 review so maybe go find it later cause i wanna keep this as spoiler free as possible

but then again it was among the best build up , confession and kiss i have seen it's also been a while since a couple made me feel .. and ooof their kiss , so heartfelt, full of emotions , i watched steamier kisses than this ( like dream to you) for instance and it didn't make me feel half of what i felt watching theirs, it was sweet, reassuring, build up between the emotions of the lead , and their feelings for one another everything was so perfect and timely , not earlier to lose momentum, but later with consideration to fl's emotions , which made it deeper and more meaningful

that's how i want my Kdramas , hit me right in the FEELS , so glad i was affected by it cause this year i started to feel like maybe something is wrong with me , maybe kdrama no longer affect me or make me feel that much anymore but no i was wrong, thankfully sometimes it takes a good romance , everything is done right here even the cliche stuff , not a single complaint do i have .

The second issue was his heart and his surgery and her electricity problem then i also liked how they dealt with resolving the electricity issue which is the big deal of the drama i think they did a phenomenal job at that to be honest , and they did it in such a powerful way in my opinion , again nothing rushed , good explanation and then everything is smooth sailing in this kdrama.. i really enjoyed the finale , most of the time things go awry when the leads get together or it's boring , this is not at all like that , not a dull moment, it's either fun or exciting or sweet or heartfelt or like kinda sad and emotional , i adored it

this is among my faves of this year , top of the list , an easy comfort rewatch too when i need something good and easy to follow and fun , some other romcoms this year were really good at first but lost the premise or dragged or had too much filler plot lines that turns them from great to could’ve been better, that’s why others truly pales in comparison .. this was so worth the wait , a kdrama like kdramas if you know what i mean with older classic feels like in 2016, I'M BEYOND IN LOVE

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This Remake Surpasses the Original

Thru Ep 10 update - no spoilers

The remakers hit a home run. These last few episodes don't try to just replicate the events and situations in the original Japanese version but instead add lots more backstory to the main characters which gives an extra measure of satisfaction.

And the set up for the last two episode teases more (and different from the original) backstory and added characters. Very much looking forward to the ending, and hoping that this is just the first season a several more to come.

This show is a fine example of how to do a remake.

Episode Five Update - No Spoilers

No spoilers but in this episode the divergence between the characters the Demon Doctor and the Snake becomes stark.

I suspect that in making the Demon Doctor X the makers early on hit upon a formula that worked so well (ratings for the severn seasons average just over 20%) that they stuck hard and fast to it not venturing out. And the stark contrast coming out of this fifth episode is this - in the seven seasons and the movie no one ever was afraid of the Demon (despite her nickname). However, the Snake has venom and the will to use it. In a prior episode we saw a hint of this difference when the Snake exited an elevator, stopped, and pointed to her own eyes and then to each of two doctors who had been verbally attacking her. She was warning them and telling us, the audience, that she could react in ways as yet left undefined. In this fifth episode we see some definition taking shape. Early in the episode we see a flashback in which she threatens a Russian soldier - a pretty strong hint and then in the latter half her venom is applied to an old adversary. Nothing like this in the Japanese version and this sets the two apart. The Korean version charts new story telling territory for the Doctor X character.

They're different enough to make both worthwhile.

*********************

This Remake Surpasses the Original. The Korean writers studied the Japanese version and made significant and successful improvements. However I enjoy watching both.

The Korean writers took situations from the original but expanded and elaborated in imaginative ways. The plotting is more interesting, and in particular the characters have more depth. In other words the 'bad' guys are not all bad and often, so far, have background stories that add to the story.

Basically, if you liked the Japanese series at all you'll probably like this more. It keeps many of the elements that made that one work and adds a more pleasing texture. The dialogue, music, camera work, directing, handling of characters are all upgraded. In the third episode there is a situation lifted from the original, but how it's handled is more nuanced. The conflict scenes have more detail and the post operative discussion conflict far more interesting to listen to.

An obvious difference is in the physical attributes of the two leads. The Japanese Demon has long legs and wears 3" heels to emphasize that feature (see logo). The Korean Snake is height challenged and the remake couldn't play up such features. Maybe that's why they went the opposite direction and put her in those boots. In any case no one is going to sit through 7 seasons and a movie because of long legs and nor is anyone not going watch the Korean version because of the boots.

The Japanese lead often came across as lacking basic common sense and childish. Here the writers have made subtle adjustments. The childish side is way toned down, but she is still obsessed with food particularly of the sugar heavy variety. The Korean Doctor X comes across as much more serious. Both characters refuse to submit to the social hierarchies. The Japanese one seems to do so more out of choice, i.e. she's aware of them, but refuses to accept or participate. In the Korean version it's unclear whether she's even aware they exist (note the glazed look in her eyes when confronted).

The Japanese creators hit a successful formula for episodes and for seasons, and copied ruthlessly. I'm in the 7th season and realized the background music seems to be exactly the same. For example that spaghetti western resonating sound for her surgical struggles. I'm not saying it's bad but after listening to some of the Korean which sounded fresh the formulaic quality of the Demon Dr version became obvious.

I recommend watching both. So far the Korean version hits upon similar story situations but adds enough original storytelling and upgraded character development to make comparing the two enjoyable without detracting from either.

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Protagonist Misaki is Highly Problematic

When I first came upon this version, season 2 (I haven’t watched season 1), I wondered if I should go ahead with my plan of watching it. After all, I wanted something a little more chill than the crazy revenge stories of the past. I’m not really one for high octane right now. But it turns out that the characters in the show are quite chill. The husband who is the bad guy supposedly is like the chillest bad guy I’ve ever seen. Is this what they mean by “Chillin like a villain?” He seems to be sleepwalking through the entire drama, which is kind of funny to me because I was looking for something quite chill like this. And as for the wife, she has lost her beloved little boy Yuto, so even the revenge she seems to be taking is not out of her own actions or will, but from a faceless mask dude giving her instructions. He seems to be far more motivated than any of the other characters. The series has quite a mysterious air to it and more classy than I expected from a revenge drama. It doesn’t demand or extract any big emotions from me at the moment, except for the odds smirk here and there. I will continue to chill as I watch this. But I have a problem with the protagonist Misaki- if she had a camera showing the footage of Yuto on his last day before he died, why didn’t Misaki see that footage? Why did it take the masked helper to point that out to her, burning it on a cd for her to see what happened, when her own camera footage at home should have been clearly accessible for her to see at any time? It is clear from the video that the mistress is there and her muffins caused Yuto’s death and the affair and everything was easily accessible from that one footage alone. Was Misaki too stupid to look up her own camera footage from that day or what? Then later she acts like a genius as if she came up with the revenge ideas when she did none of it by herself and was literally receiving instructions from her masked helpers.

Misaki’s mother in law is quite the character and a bad actress too (overacting from the first shot, fake expressions). She’s hell bent on hating Mizaki, acting like she owned Yuto when he was alive, and acting like his own mother doesn’t have the right to grieve or love him. It’s the typical mother in law from hell who overlooks her son’s own part in ending Yuto’s life and instead scapegoats and blames everything on Misaki instead because she’s an easy target. It’s also telling how callous the husband is about his son’s death- he really doesn’t give a care and is 100% selfish.

Then after Misaki goes through all the revenge and the masked people who helped her are revealed in episode 11, all she can do is insult them instead of thanking them for their help, calling the guy who was Yuto’s friend a loser- he was the only one on Misaki’s side and was one of the revenge helpers (saying she spied on his family when it was his “spying” that brought her husband and his mistress to justice). Then she calls the woman from season 1 who helped her as “full of herself.” But without them she wouldn’t have gotten a single clue or idea for revenge about this case or even known the truth. They’re the ones who even gave her the idea of revenge, but she disses them as if she thought of the entire plan herself. She literally spit on those who helped her as if she could have done any of it herself. On her own she was totally helpless. On her own she would just cut herself like she did in the earlier episodes. What an ungrateful woman! What on earth is wrong with her all of a sudden? She can’t do anything on her own and needs the help of these people to do anything but she just insulted them and walked off as if she has great plans of her own. Why would you diss the only people who have been on your side the whole time and helped you? I hoped she was kidding and had a really good reason why she would diss the good guys who helped her like that. Then she created a comic book based on her helpers’ ideas for revenge which she had followed and that comic won some manga award. What on earth? She literally stole those ideas of others and repackaged it as her own. How is she any better than her husband? This Misaki character is really irritating and stupid.

Then her husband comes along and she lets him in (why?) and she puts on a show to show how mad she is. What’s the point? If she was really genuine she wouldn’t let him in in the first place. What a stupid character.

And then she shamelessly goes on the red carpet accepts the manga reward for the revenge story she stole from her two helpers (and dissed) as if she was the genius who came up with those ideas herself. Funny enough during the awards ceremony, her husband is standing there all suited up - he hasn’t been erased from society, he’s right there at a prestigious manga award ceremony and yet she’s going on and on about how she succeeded in erasing him. This Misaki is seriously problematic. Well it’s the writers and director that screwed up her character towards the end. I was on her side until she dissed her masked helpers, made up the manga story as if it were her own revenge ideas, and took all the credit for herself. She has zero integrity. I was waiting to see if she would in anyway redeem herself in the end. But instead, she imagines Al the characters cheering for her and saying “Yay I did it!” You did what? Honestly Misaki is the worst. And honestly regarding Yuto’s death, her husband is mostly responsible, but so is she. She should have been with her child instead of frolicking wherever and leaving him to her husband who she knows is irresponsible. She is highly problematic as a character and as a mother.

I blame the screenwriters and director for messing up Misaki’s character towards the end. She could have thanked her masked helpers and then credited them in her manga but no, they ruined her character in the last two episodes. In a revenge drama, the protagonist has to be airtight, otherwise the rating is going to be rock bottom from me. For that alone, all the flaws in Misaki, I’m dropping my rating because these were unforgivable errors in the screenplay.

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mostly a mess, mostly fun

highkey surprised to emerge from this film and find out it wasn't actually four hours long, because it felt like i'd shotgunned an entire season of a draggy cdrama—and i say this as a fan of both zhu yilong and tan jianci. honestly, han yan could have easily cut 40 minutes from this (probably half that from the unendingly gratuitous torture scene, yes we get it the triad are bad dudes okay) and then added back in another ten minutes of the two of them simmering at each other, and this would have been a much better picture. worth it, i guess, just for big tony (without him they wouldn't have had a film at all) and some flashy and well-edited heist/caper set pieces, also a few nice period details that sort of get buried in the dubious handover politics. it does seem like they had a lot of fun making this; long-ge in particular always loves playing The Crazy One so this caters to his strengths, but tan-laoshi has the much more difficult role, and he really brought his A-game to it. come for z1l's prosthetic broken nose and convulsive dramatic sniffling, stay for kenzi bawling his way through a genuinely hilarious guangxi accent.

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An exceptional tale of true love

Ultimately, this was a story of the many ways true love can manifest. In the end, what makes love most authentic is how close it pushes a person to selflessness. The greatest act of love can be letting go. Simultaneously, it can be holding on. Whichever way pulled each character within the two respective relationships closer to selflessness, proved why one could truly say they were experiencing true love.

I think what drives this theme further is it's ability to create hope, even if it's senseless. Chita and Ji may have died, but still I am able to cling to the hope that there is a place, a timeline, a seperate universe where they can be together without any hurt. Similarly, we may not know if James and Ken can spend an eternity together, but I truly hope that even if they can't do it conventionally, that James will keep finding Ken over and over, just as he did 200 years after their initial separation. The creation of these kinds of hope within a viewer proves that a true love was built amongst the characters.

Any telling that can turn me into a believing fool like this, is truly a story worth telling. Nour wasn't just it's cool concept and exceptional delivery, but also the beauty it offered beyond its covers and I am eternally grateful to have experienced that.

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THE EPILOGUE ??

This was really good solid story with strong plot but with very very very bad epilogue
I had many many questions the end doesn't answer it
It should had one more extra episode

I had a lot of questions with no answers which annoys me like hell

And made me deduct from the rate 1.5 degree

*After Cheong A's father wants her to travel abroad and continue her education out there
What happened to come back

*How did she know about i chan

*How did she get married to i chan
*How her father said yes
*What happened to her step brother

*What happened to the fl's family
*Does her father stayed with her mother
*Does her life changed like the ML

*What happened to i chan grandmother

They rushed the last episode toooo much and waste most of the time during the whole episodes with stupid songs

😡😡😡🤬🤬🤬🤬
I'M SOOOOO DEPRESSED

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Must Watch! Better than Traditional Dramas

I get it, the traditional production drama alway get the attention, but there are short dramas that so well written and underrated.

I’ve watched up to 17 episodes, which is all that was out so far. I have to give the director, producer, writer, and actors their flowers. The storyline is well written, proving how underrated these short dramas are compared to traditional production dramas. The storyline was unique, pulling comedy, romantic, sad, emotional all in one. There was no messy plot, scene development was well executed. Production and directing was superb. You can tell the team put a lot of effort and passion to this series. There was no unnecessary drama and dragged out scenes. There were no rushing into their relationship, and the build up between the ML and FL was so satisfying. The romance and chemistry felt genuine and was well written. Every emotional scene felt so relatable.

I recommend watching this drama. Short dramas are hidden gems and deserves more recognition. Sometimes they’re better than the traditional dramas with big plots and productions. You won’t be disappointed. I’ll happily wait to complete this drama and can’t wait to watch how the story develops.

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Fun, Entertaining, Must Watch Drama

I watch dramas mostly for escapism. It's been a little over a year since I've watched a drama that made me want to binge-watch and then rewatch it after it was over. This drama was an absolute delight to watch, from beginning to end. The actors did a great job portraying their characters while appearing to have a great time in each scene.

I loved the awkwardness of the leads as they got to know each other and then how they became so comfortable in each other's company later in the episodes. I saw and understood the reason why they were falling in love with each other versus being told they were falling in love.

I also enjoyed how the music was incorporated into the scene instead of just playing in the background.

This is a gem of a drama. It's fun, flirty, funny, entertaining, and doesn't stagnate toward the end. Not once did I want to fast-forward. It's the perfect escape drama.

I highly recommend.

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