Destined with You (2023)

Este é mais um drama de amantes desafortunados do passado destinados a se reencontrarem no presente. Além da premissa por si, o drama ainda aborda elementos sobrenaturais de feitiçaria xamânica. No geral gostei do drama. Acho que a química dos protagonistas foi bem cativante e ajudou a me manter presa a história apesar de alguns furos e inconsistências narrativas.

Sobre o plot da vida passada, vi alguns comentários sobre a falta de informações sobre a vida passada dos personagens no decorrer dos episódios, mas creio que funcionou como estratégia narrativa já que os próprios personagens não lembravam dessa vida e foram "juntando as peças" junto com o público que acompanhava o drama. No caso específico deste drama acho que funcionou bem, ao menos para mim, pois ajudou a manter um mistério pelos acontecimentos passados e me manteve interessada em saber mais sobre o passado das personagens.

Contudo, algo que ficou muito mal explicado foi a relação do Joong Beom com a vida passada dos protagonistas. Nas memórias do passado sabemos que ele estava lá, no presente ele tem conhecimentos dos feitiços e inclusive sabe sobre o terreno onde ficava a antiga casa da Xamã. Mas ao mesmo tempo não se explica qual o motivo da obsessão dele pela Hong Jo, se tudo isso tem relação com o passado ou se ele é apenas um psicopata louco obcecado e que, por acaso, também tem conhecimento xamânicos. Tudo bem, teve a situação com garrafinha da poção do amor. Porém foi lançado a suspeita de que o chefe dela também havia bebido da água e não lembro se foi confirmado que o Joong Beom bebeu a água da garrafa com a poção do amor (aliás, quem acha uma garrafinha perdida e bebe a água?), mas ainda que ele tenha bebido como ele sabia fazer os feitiços?

Enfim, apesar de algumas inconsciências no roteiro foi um bom drama e com final feliz para os amantes desafortunados.

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I'm struggling to continue since there are so many filler scenes

Going in to this drama I was apprehensive. The first 2 episodes weren't the best. It's jarring, it's a bit icky... I think there's enough consensus to say that it's not the best. I completely agree. I wasn't sold on Rowoon as well. Then, I get to Ep 3, I started to see the fantasy rom-com tone, it's more cute and fun, although I can't believe the romance, it's only set up because of the curse, and the stake is not gripping anymore after they are together. I'm also a bit bitter because I think the second male lead really deserves the female lead much better than the male lead.

For the past two years, I think we've seen these law dramas with past lives connection, time travelling, time slips, too often already. I think we're done with this trope, right?

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The OST is the best thing about this show.

The OST. I'd call it spectacular. It's a catchy blend of music that complements the story and specific scenes well.

The story's not great. It drags at times and let's just say some characters are artificially put in there to make things happen. Some parts are repetitive. What I appreciate is the "male chases female first" and what I liked even more is the whole love potion situation. I enjoyed that a lot!

As for the cast, Jo Bo Ah is very specific when it comes to pairing and needs "special" care in that aspect. It's about 50:50 chemistry here. Sometimes it's there, sometimes it's missing. I can't decide if this pairing is good or not in this case. I think it's still missing something and comes across as just average. Only later in the story, do they start to have some cute moments.

Overall, it's relatively good, nothing spectacular, and some parts are entertaining. So those solid 7 it'll be.

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Bland plot and no chemistry

I love a a good romance drama and was super excited to watch this drama. In my opinion first few the episodes were a let down as the fl was quite a push over and the ml seemed to be forcing this stoic and aloof personality. Through out these episodes the interactions between the characters seemed very forced and I couldn't see any chemistry between the actors. The fact that the ml kept having to process his love and then add that it wasn’t really made it very frustrating as it was often repetitive. And the scene where the fl goes to the beach and the little moment of calm between them felt forced as well. Overall I just don’t see any chemistry between the actors and the plot just wasn’t fun.

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Décevant, scénario, dialogue et mise en scène (pour ceux que ça intéresse encore !)

Le livre de notre destin

C'est toujours délicat de donner un avis négatif quand les gens aiment ce drama mais peut-être que nous ne sommes pas sensibles aux mêmes choses : le scénario, les dialogues, la mise en scène sont avant tout les choses qui m'attirent, l'originalité des idées, la cohérence du genre aussi.
Oui Rowon est magnifique mais il l'est toujours, de toutes façons :)) Et j'aime bien l'actrice aussi. J'aime leur filmo et leur jeux d'acteurs.

La cohérence du genre : peut-être que les sortilèges ne sont pas assez bien mis en scène sur le plan fantastique pour que ça ait vraiment une consistance mystérieuse. Après la découverte de la main rouge, la boîte, le livre,, la chamane… la réalisation des sorts ne vaut pas mieux qu'une recette de cuisine. Ça aurait pu être plus spectaculaire sans pour autant dire si le sort marche pas... et où est passée la main rouge ? Des indices plus poussées sur sa présence seraient bien venue et sous-tiendrait la tension dramatique : on la plaindrait un peu "cette morte", et lui aussi. Elle ne se bat pas un petit peu pour récupérer Rowon ? C'est dommage. Elle a juste disparu !

Les longueurs : les éternelles chamailleries de futurs amoureux peuvent lasser un peu quand les dialogues n'ont rien de percutants, là c'est un peu banal. Et je n'en suis qu'à l'épisode six ! Comment tenir encore 10 épisodes ? Les longueurs viennent aussi d'un manque d'idées, voir plus haut "la cohérence"

Le scénario : l'idée était sympa, mais ça traîne , pourtant y aurait plein de choses à mettre en place petite à petit : la raison des souvenirs d'enfance ? La mort du père était liée au héros ? On rajoute le couple des parents du male lead mais franchement... ça dilue encore plus : autant rester sur 12 épisodes au lieu de 16 ! Sans se disperser sans arrêt.
Malheureusement, Netflix investit plutôt sur les têtes d'affiche et pas forcément sur des scénaristes, ou des dialogues bien écrits.
Bref, je passe directement à l'épisode final. C'est dommage.

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Jane Austin would roll her eyes

I wonder why the writters/directors still believe that the general public is not ready for modern storylines, strong FLs and mature MLs. Because in spite of excellent photography and acting, this drama is still based on a 'Naive Everygirl and abusive, but handsome Chaebol'.
Jane Austin's Elizabeth said to such a guy, some 210 years ago: '...And I might as well enquire why, with so evident a design of insulting me, you chose to tell me that you liked me against your better judgment.' - That is the best description for Mr. Jang as well, a man who did not grow up enough to own his feelings so he puts all the responsibility on the FL, and she is nice (stupid?) enough to pick it up every time.
Eliza had a change of heart only when Fitzwilliam prooved he matured enough to be her equal (seeing his large estate was, ehmmm, welcome addition to his personal change). Let's see what proof will Ms. Hong-Jo reqire.

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Not for Everyone, but Worth a Watch

Review:

Destined with You is a Korean drama that tells the story of an unlikely couple: a star lawyer and a lowly civil servant who is cursed. The two are drawn together by a forbidden book that contains the secrets of their past and their future.

The drama is a unique blend of genres, including rom-com, supernatural, and mystery. It starts off a bit slow, as it introduces the characters and their world. However, the pace picks up in the later episodes as the plot thickens.

One of the things that sets Destined with You apart from other K-dramas is its strong female lead. Lee Hong-jo, the civil servant, is a complex and well-developed character. She is intelligent, independent, and fiercely loyal to those she cares about.

Jang Shin-yu, the star lawyer, is also a well-developed character. He is initially portrayed as a cold and arrogant man, but he gradually warms up to Hong-jo and shows his vulnerable side.

The chemistry between the two leads is undeniable. They have great banter and their romantic scenes are both heartwarming and passionate.

However, the drama is not without its flaws. The plot can be a bit convoluted at times and some of the subplots are underdeveloped. Additionally, the CGI is not always of the highest quality.

Overall, Destined with You is an enjoyable and entertaining drama. It is not perfect, but it is a unique and refreshing take on the rom-com genre.

Recommendation:

Destined with You is a good choice for fans of Korean dramas who are looking for something different. It is also a good choice for fans of supernatural and mystery dramas. However, it is important to note that the drama starts off a bit slow and the plot can be a bit convoluted at times.

Rating:

7.5 out of 10 stars

Personal Opinion:

I personally enjoyed Destined with You. I liked the unique blend of genres and the strong female lead. I also thought the chemistry between the two leads was great. However, I did find the plot to be a bit convoluted at times and the CGI was not always of the highest quality. Overall, I think Destined with You is a worth watching drama, but it is not for everyone.

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Pure definition of rom-com!

Update: It's fascinating that this drama has such extremes of love it and hate it. I am on the Love It side....there are a few plot gaps and the supposed comedy relief of the older couple's romance is totally unnecessary to the story but otherwise, it was WAY better than Heartbeat in the same supernatural fate vein. Sure it follows the tropes, but what rom-coms don't? Consider watching Forbidden Marriage if you liked this drama too. If you're a hater, do share what you've seen lately that was better! Lately I've noticed many new Kdramas are about serial murders or viscious revenge, so this was a nice change of pace.

Still holds after watching it to the end: Ok, so let's just say Rowoon as the ML rocks the looks here. And he's playing the aloof guy to the tee but not so much that you can't stand him...And FL plays her typical spunky self, so I think the casting is spot on.
Supposedly this drama is not doing well in SKorea but well internationally on NetFlix, and I am one of those international fans--it's funny and quirky. I like it better so far than King the Land since the conflict between the two leads is more than just personality differences and so far, much less cotton candy sweet than KTL, cuter than My Lovely Liar, and as for a fantasy drama, more compelling than HeartBeat or Believe In You with ridiculous slapstick comedy side characters..comparing it to rom-coms during this 2023 summer period.

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