Mi Romance Secreto (2017)

This is one of the dramas I would like to binge watch just because 2 episodes per week ain't enough. It's a very typical kdrama romance, but very light on the angst so it's very enjoyable to watch. I never expected much from the leads. I've only seen SungHoon in Noble, my love and I'm not impressed with the acting there but he is a surprise in MSR, he improved alot in the acting department and I especially liked the way his eyes expressed how he feels during the last part of the ep 1, the one night stand. I felt that the acting on both leads made the scene passionate but less racy. The story so far is fast moving, no unnecesaary scenes (the beauty of 12 episodes).
I recemmend this to those looking for a romcom with great kissing scenes.

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Wow, I don't know where to start.
The story has so many plot holes and very little of characters developing. Writer seems like didn't even try to make it into a good drama. Seems like it was written by a teenage girl that had just hit puberty.
Cast was okay I guess, they didn't shine very much but they did their best. It's very hard to act something written so badly, applause to actors as it gives me hope to see them in a better written drama.
Music was alright, but there were moments when music emotion didn't fit with character emotions and seemed out of tune.
Rewatch value: I'd never waste my time on a drama like this again. First maybe 3 episodes gave hope that it could be good, but it went so much down hill that I'd not recommend anyone to watch it past that.
Overall 2.5. Hopefully writer and director wakes up and in new project have less plot holes and more of characters development.

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1 to 10 episodes were fine. 11 and 12 were 4x speedwatch. 13 was skipping 5 seconds every few seconds.

I enjoyed the comedy quite a bit. It was rated 7.7 so I expected really bad things, but I was surprised on ep 1 how nice it was. The comedy was nice, acting was nice, story looked good too.

Any drama was lighthearted and pushed aside in the first 10 episodes, so 11 and 12 felt so bad because all the shit was packed into it. Any time we saw anything drama worthy happening, it'd be pushed aside for later in the first 10 episodes. But everything came into focus in 11 and 12, taking a turn from the light-hearted story so far to classic drama involving rich parents , societal prejudices and online toxicity. 13 tried putting things back together, but it was filled with flashbacks , but it wraps up nicely so meh I guess.

Music is the most generic stuff you hear in romcoms. And OH MY GOD, the piano artist went full steam ahead for 11 and 12, I mean GIMME A BREAK DAMNIT, IM NOT IN A PIANO RECITAL!

Ending was fine. 7.5/10 good light hearted fun.

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Dimestore Harlequin Novel On Your TV ~ VG Lite-Snack Romcom

This is not an instant classic. Nor will it be studied in a film class. It is a classic, somewhat cheesy, romance without any major flaws. Classic, here, means it's akin to those cheap paperback novels that were written by the dozens a few decades ago, the biggest publisher being Harlequin. My sister would by the bagfuls.

Yumi is a girl who is trying to live a better life than her narcissistic ex-adult film star mother. She was teased relentlessly in school over her parentage, so she doesn't want to be equated with her mother anymore. Enough already. She needs distance. She wants to be a *whole world* away from her & her mother's pasts. To draw a solid line between her and Oma, Yumi keeps herself buttoned up and tries to stumble her way through life in the background.

She embarks on a weekend trip for mom's second (Wait. It was the 3rd, maybe?) marriage. For Yumi, the weekend is one fiasco followed by another, culminating in a one night stand. In a convertible. On the beach. With a dude so good looking, he's almost too pretty. None of this makes Yumi feel better about it. She's disgusted with herself. She doesn't even know his name! (But HER mother wouldn't be so ashamed). She wakes first in the morning, slinking off with some of dude's clothing, leaving him exposed to the elements... and gawkers- quite a crowd, actually. All ages. They loved the show. He received loads of fanfare, too.

Yumi, next, slinks back home to focus on putting her life in order. She graduates with a dietary sciences/nutrition degree and is thrilled to land a job at a large corporation that offers great benefits. She's thrilled /until/ she runs into HIM. She has to figure out how to best slice and dice this situation pronto.

That sets the table. You'll have to watch it to see what's on the menu.

MSR is not devoid of quality elements. "No matter how many bad things happen in a day, if one lucky thing happens, it's a lucky day," says Yum-i, while buddy-chugging wine from the bottle, in a convertible, surfside, under the magically lit sky… 15 min later they have a 1 night stand.

{Timeout: That's never a good idea. It's unacceptable risk to one's physical and emotional health, and one will win the lottery before it leads to committed love. That's one reason it's a fun thing to watch and wonder, and then walk away. }

This is a show to which lovers of romance, who need a mental vacation, can relax and enjoy some healthy snacks. Their little chess game, misunderstandings, series of non-communications, and many memorable meals, will make loveaholics smile. Cha Jin-hook (Played by the otherworldly gorgeous Sung Hoon) tells his father, who is pushing for his marriage: "My wife is right here," metaphorically meaning the business. However, his wife is literally #there, in the building. Nice morsel. I suspect that Yumi's name is a play on the English word "Yummy" - also a clever detail.

There are scattered problems: Some minor, some moderate, but they don't bring on indigestion. MSR is what it was designed to be, as a whole - simple escapism. However, it could be improved on. Starting in Ep11, there were too toooooo 2*2*2 many sappy flashback scenes, with sappy background music. They could have made it an episode shorter, or, better yet, make optimal use of that screen time with more content. Do yourself a favor, and FF thru them. When Yumi is singing Karaoke, be warned: They do the #whole song with flashbacks. Then Mr. Cha goes down memory lane. It gets ridiculous, but some quick remote control work takes care of it. Trust me on this one.

The actors are likable, and they did a great job. The secondary romances are brief pleasures. It's easy to root for them. The CEO's aid wears over-the-top-flowered-polka dot-paisley-anything-suits. He's amazing, and wears them proudly. He's one for the highlight reels.

This is a good enough aperitif between heavier shows. If you are at a loss as to what to watch next, but in the mood for a heroine-exits-cocoon style romance, this will do as nicely as an afternoon tea.

IMHO...

Age 16+ My reasoning: Her mom is an ex-porn star, which has been a lifetime vexation for Yumi. Also, they have a one-night-stand when they hardly know each other. There's so many other great Kdramas to watch, so there's no rush for teens to see this one.

Directing 7
Acting 7.4
Romance 8
Flutters 7
Warmth 7.7
Art 7.6
Laughs 6.6
Thought provocation 6
Ending 8

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So many bad reviews tho. Sorry, but I must defend this show since it is one I thoroughly enjoyed. Yes, the storyline is pretty simple and cliche,it's not the most unique out there. But I never found it boring and happily awaited watching a cute couple in the making. It was what i needed to feed my fluffy romance side. Bang Sung Hoon made me flutter like there was no tommorrow lol. The skinship and chemistry between the main leads was freaking great. It's one of those couples you really want them to date in real life.
The supporting characters were okay,the cherry on the top was the secretary and the mom honestly pissed me off.

Overall,you either love or hate this drama,it depends on your preferences. If you want a nice cutesy story,you should really give it a try.

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My Secret Romance has a fresh setup and premise since the drama starts with a one night stand, but overall this drama is pretty cheesy and cliche. This dramas love for pretty standard Kdrama tropes is probably why is keeps on sneaking into viewers "guilty pleasures" lists. There isn't anything very original about this drama, but man, does it make me super nostalgic for the classic Kdramas of the early 2000s. I feel like this is one last hoorah for the tsundere male lead ... even at its best ... there are some really cringe-worthy moments. This drama has a fairly low production value. From the sound effects, the audio mix, the shooting angles, they all leave something to be desired.

Yes, this drama was pretty painful to watch at times, but I did shamelessly enjoy it in parts hee hee! I probably wouldn't reccomend this drama ...

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Like others have said before, this drama is not a drama of substance, but it's very cute.

It's INCREDIBLY CHEESY!!! Like really cheesy! and all the cliches of all the bad dramas you've ever watched are in there, but instead of turning out cringey, it turns out kinda cute. I rather enjoyed it. I think you have to be in a specific mood to enjoy this drama though. Like, you want to enjoy something light, fluffy and cute.

side note, the lead actor is RIDICULOUSLY good-looking. I had never seen him in anything else before and woah... he's hot. And the characters in the drama are pretty much all likeable... even the detestable ones.

of course it's not a great piece of cinematography or storytelling, but I enjoyed it, and would definitely recommend it if you like romance. It's a guilty-pleasure kinda drama.

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