Reviews

How I came to love Lee Min Ho. But epic character stereotypes involved.

At viewing, this drama is 15 years old, so it IS dated. And while I don't mind the older fashioned hair, wardrobe, music, or cinematography it was the cartoonish representation of several characters that made it hard to watch. The lead female character in particular was written in a way that was beyond silly. Absolutely unbelievable and in no way likable or sympathetic to this viewer. Several other roles suffered the same unappealing characterization.

The story format of "My Fair Lady" has been redone in countless movies and dramas, yet the level of "woman as unrefined idiot" in this one is in no way ingratiating. I watched this to the end because I was sure the character transformation needed for this dramas success would be worthwhile. Sadly, for me, it wasn't.

What saves this drama from the abyss of having a style "too old to watch" is Jin Ho (Lee Min Ho). His role is believable, complex, sympathetic and frustrating enough to be appealing.

End Comment: to each his own. While the complex story content and dialogue was high quality, the dated stereotyping of women was utterly unsatisfactory.

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Watch it yourself - only you can decide if The Red Sleeve is as great as it seems

While I gave it 10 stars I have seriously mixed feelings about it as the story plays with your emotions like a cat toys with anything it catches. Never killing it outright, just toying until the prey exhausts itself.

It was a tragic love story with a surprising and consoling ending. So I forgave the writers for the difficult choices they made to present it. And in all honesty it was a thousand times easier to watch than Goblin and a much better ending than Scarlet Heart. So with that in mind, The Red Sleeve was more satisfying.
Not everyone watching it will have my opinion, so I do highly recommend it as a must watch. I put it off a really long time because of opinions I read. But there's nothing like seeing it yourself.
And do watch it right up the very, very end - don't blame if me you don't.

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One of the first tomboyish cross-dressing Asian films

I finally found and watched this classic movie!

It was hilarious. Leslie Cheung was so perfect, Carina Lau was gorgeous and Anita Yuen was so cute and funny. She really looked like a handsome boy in this movie. It always feels great to go back to the 90s and experience the vibe, the life there. It was also fun to see idol culture in Hong Kong at that time through this movie. I always feel like we no longer live in the same world any more nowadays.

I guess this movie started the trend for a lot of later films where a tomboyish woman cross-dressed to disguise as a man to become an idol or to stay close to their crush, or to do whatever. Although I don’t think the story in this movie aged very well, I still enjoyed it a lot. It was Leslie Cheung! I wish he were still here with us. :(

I also love hearing Cantonese in old Hong Kong movies. They sounded so cool. Everything seemed to look cooler in the old days. I felt so nostalgic while watching this movie.

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Trying gain for the meaning overall the story of this drama

there is one thing I realized after finishing this drama dear x,
as an audience we also play a role as people who will guide Baek ahjin to goodness or who will always help bring her down & end her,
Junseo's death suggests that Baek Ahjin's destiny will never die and never change until someone really can change her into a better person,
if only Ingang didn't suffer from depression I'm sure Baek Ahjin would really change into a normal human being.
Baek ahjin will never stop she is a tough sociopath from childhood to adulthood she can survive well, like a wild animal that masters its wild nature.

I hope producer see this&there will be a season 2, but if it hasn't been produced yet, I won't expect it. I don't want Yoojung to be stressed for a long time because of this role.

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A great fantasy and love story; but couldn't the subtitles be more accurate?

An exciting and action filled tale told in an exaggerated way with beautiful visuals - cinematography, costumes, lighting, locations and very nice-looking young actors. And while I mostly enjoyed it, my enjoyment level was not at a high watermark. There are so many baffling things about the production it was difficult to just sit back and watch it comfortably. Instead, it left me - the viewer - confused every thirty minutes.

One expects to have questions from the beginning, but once 3 or 4 episodes have gone by, the person watching should relax and let the story unfold. Frankly this was an annoying drama to watch. First, the female protagonist was written to get on your last nerve from episode 1 all the way to the end of episode 24. And yet I stick with the drama ever hopeful she would improve in further episodes. And she did, but only slightly. Second, the King's personality was just as frustrating.

The ultimate draw for this epic story is the General; a stoic brave man who hasn't lived from the heart in years. Visually, his story is what holds this entire world together. Lee Min Ho, plays general Choi Young (referred to as "that person") who enters a portal in search of a doctor and unwittingly chooses a plastic surgeon he feels drawn to as the correct choice. This kidnapping sets the story in motion. Very interesting and potentially engaging. However, for English viewers, the subtitles are literal so the meaning of what's happening often goes astray. Grammar, tense and many cultural indicators are so vague, that much of the meaning in conversations is completely lost. But understanding Korean will allow you to comprehend more of the story and fine details. Hence my one-word evaluation of "baffling".

Still, with so much effort put forth by the actors playing the General, endless villains (Prince of the Court, the Kings Uncle, the superpower duo, Yuan Envoy etc.) you may still want to give this a try for its mix of fantasy, history, superheroes, intrigue and two sweet romances.

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baek ahjin and her 3 sidekicks...

Maybe before I go into the details let me begin by saying the ending is terrible not satisfying at all.

I have not read the webtoon so this review is purely based on what was shown to me in the drama. Our FL is the villain and that itself is very interesting. But different from other villains who are fierce on the outside soft on the inside this character is just pure evil. Since she is the lead, for the drama to move forward all her wrong doings in the end has to be covered up (cause if shes caught then there is no drama). So the episodes are just a continuous cycle of her taking advantage of guys and making them fall into traps.

Honestly, the story of the part time boss made the most sense all the others were just blinded by the thought that "oh maybe she likes me"...Because of this I couldnt relate to any of the characters cause I didnt understand why they are so devoted to her. At least for junseo he has something to feel guilty about but the rest...they are just blindly being her accomplice.

Then her school bully just randomly one day decided to start living together with her???

The entire marriage with MDH just felt like a plot to increase the number of episodes cause it brought nothing to the drama. The last few episodes felt extremely rushed.

While they were revealing all her issues it finally felt like the drama was getting somewhere until the ending where it just messed everything up....

I read comments saying we need to really understand the characters and stuff but to be honest...the writing and development is just bad. It just feels like multiple plots being layered one after another.

For Kim YooJung definitely this drama is really something new and she managed to show the audience her acting range. Her acting was amazing and you could tell how much effort she put in to get the sociopath vibes out.

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Good and Light entertainment. Watch it when you need a reprieve from high stress Kdramas

An enjoyable and beautiful human story with more than one moral. When a story has a relatable moral, it makes for good drama. And if you can accept the unbelievable premise that a professional entertainment company hires a doctor without ever checking her credentials or ID you should have a good time watching.

Visually, the main lead characters don't seem suited to each other. And the couple more likely to make a great match is very clear but you still cheer for the lead male over the second lead male. Why? Maybe because his flaws need the most work.

Having watched about 100 kdramas, guessing several scenarios in advance of their happening was easy. From: financial scam, mistaken identity, who finds out the lies first, even down to the links between friends that reveal the inevitable after delays to "come clean" meant this was a standard kdrama. That didn't make it terrible but does make it a bit less interesting.

The relationships between the K-pop group members is special, interesting and very believable. And there is an unusual upswing in nutty humor before and during the crash and burn tragedies.

As much as I enjoyed watching this, I can't rate it any higher. Too much time is wasted on "slow speak" instead of beefing up story telling. And for me the romance portion was a letdown.

Top grades for all the actors especially Lee Jun Young.

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Not your usual revenge or rags to riches story! (MIND-TWISTING DRAMA)

My expectations were really high after watching the first episode. Though I have not read its webtoon, this drama really was unique and cinematic in every sense. I loved the acting, the dialogues, the design, the conceptualization and the OSTs. The actors really portrayed their characters to the best and successfully evoked the emotions out of the viewers. The intensity and the darkness, the manipulation and the subtle intentions, are clearly evident and is the jewel of the whole series. The psychology of the human mind, along with sociology, is strongly depicted.

Overall, the beginning was great, the characters' build up was great, like you would want to decode the whole episode, the things you missed in the bg and will wait keenly for the next episode. The drama is very different when it comes to liking or revenge themes. To my understanding, there are many characters throughout that are playing vital roles. The timelines at beginning changed very abruptly back and forth, so it was difficult to keep up. You need a lot of effort and decoding, better be a psychology student, to see through the character's act and intentions.

I never felt empathy towards a single person throughout the whole show. It was just too dark and deep in the bg. It does tell a lot about the society and the harsh reality, fame and power, besides the psyche of an ASD person. The drama is fun to watch, it may give you adrenaline rush and many WHAT moments, and I know it is unsettlingly emotional throughout. Earlier it was fun, like 'WOW' moments, then it became unsettling, then concerning and conflicting, and lastly I just wanted it to end quickly.

A very good drama, writing wise obviously and its adaptation here. Like the visuals, the actors' choice and the the bgm, is just awesome, to binge watch on a big screen. You need to watch it multiple times to uncover its hidden layers. It can be called a masterpiece but there are things I personally feel are lacking or bring down the drama rewatch value.

I am really disappointed with the ending. I didn't expect a cliffhanger or wait for Season 2 at all. (though I have not read the original version) I really felt bad at the end when she didn't die. Like it would have been a perfect ending for me. I couldn't understand her husband, I lost the plot there in last 2 episodes. Baek Ah Jin's emotions were very well controlled throughout and well portrayed by the actress, that kept the drama going for me. I wanted to see more of some characters. There were some scenes that were very frustrating writing wise and some scenes I felt needed more explanation. Or like more dialogues in the bg for viewer's understanding or at least writer's cut.

It was like we were alone throughout the whole journey of watching this drama, like we are embarking on our own personal fears and lessons, and its totally upto us in which direction we want to steer it towards. So a very collaborative but mentally pressurizing drama. To conclude, I liked watching this drama, like it was something new after a long time, and was well directed and acted, the main reason of continuing this drama till the end. The story could be worked upon and more evident justifications, to make it a lighter and smoother watch journey. It is fun, mind twisting and exciting.

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A slow burn series you never knew would kill you!

The character development is incredible, and the plot keeps up just as well. Ice Amena (Ploy) and Memibae (Pun) brought their characters to life and we know that for a fact cause why else would people be hating on Pun & Ploy so passionately throughout the series. Grace and Ningning (second couple) too delivered beautifully and honestly, they deserve their own series cause HELLO acting!

P’Poy’s directing is delicious (she's the director of Petrichor). Every element on screen feels intentional and purposeful. And if you’ve read the novel, the whys and hows hit even harder but even if you haven’t, the show still serves exactly what it needs to.

Highly recommended. At this point, I’m just sad we only have two episodes left. Ploy and Pun, please… stay. 💔✨

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A fair and thoughtful drama. Entertaining yet serious about health challenges.

As a romance this is a good, middle of the road non-melodrama, no serious disparity between the classes. And delves into some interesting topics we each encounter in modern life.

Not taking time to properly discern our health due to lack of time, work stress, personal image etc. And while it seems this is all related to the main two persons - it actually encompasses everyone in the story. So that is actually very good. In fact I was personally impressed with how well and nonthreatening the subject of excess weight was approached. To very honest, it made an impact on my own view of my health image. So there are many things to like and engage with in this drama. The challenge of improving one's health in the face of what is possible to change by attention. And also the almost impossible challenge of a devastating illness for which you have no control and can only try to face with technology and state of art medical procedures.
What I didn't like was the so-called bravado of "Venus" who seems to have lost grip on reality. She is no longer the queen of beauty in high school and has no presence whatever. She's overweight, dressed badly and has no concept of the danger of declining health. Granted this is where the story takes us and makes a tale of encounter that is quite unbelievable. But that is what KDramas are good at. The other things I didn't like were choice of actors in some supporting roles. But the most annoying thing was, too many popular English songs in the soundtrack. What a bore!

Still, how the story plays out is very heartwarming and suitable even satisfactory. So feel free to watch and have fun in your own way. My taste is not yours. But, Shin Min Ah and So Ji Sub eat up their roles and make this fairly compelling.

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AKA: Fated to Love You (can we agree on the name for this Korean version please?)

With all the visuals of the "generation 2 idols" it's gonna look different - even though the year is 2014. But this drama has a lot of heart. And from the very start, we meet some familiar characters: the young choenoble who needs to marry and help safeguard the future of a conglomerate and a happy, sweet but not smart poor girl who everyone takes for granted. Here ends the often seen roles of many kdramas. For you have now met two very well written and enduring characters that will deliver one of the best stories to warm your heart and become your imaginary friends.

Fated To Love You is often referred to but has never garnered the kind of hype many other (undeserving) dramas have. Yes there will be a lot of meddling, misunderstanding and missed opportunities. But everyone you meet will grow on you. And you will come to love them like your own family (foibles and all).

The story is fun and remains quite humorous throughout. But that doesn't mean your heart won't ache or break as time goes by. Everyone important to you will develop and grow but will they ultimately make the right choices. Why not watch and become friends with these characters? I am glad I did. I never thought I'd meet such likably sweet and wonderfully sincere characters outside "the classics" in literature.

Definitely 10 stars!!

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