Hard to watch

This was a difficult show for me to watch, because the bullying is so pervasive and, to my mind, extreme. It was felt especially strongly since it was a short show.

What I liked: I liked the friendships that developed, the feeling of standing up for and beside your friends in support. I loved this. The acting was good, and I didn't feel that anyone stood out as being out of place. At times the bullies seemed a little like caricatures of bad guys, but again, I think that was because of the short length of the show. Clever use of repeating a scene from the beginning of the show at the end when they meet up again. I loved the montage at the end with her voice over speaking about friendship.

What I didn't care for: Strong bullying. The FL telling the guy she liked him when she hadn't even really talked to him. She seemed too much like a stalker to me. And him liking her was sudden, out of the blue, and unnatural. Time skip, ugh. Their meet up - too short and abrupt.

If you aren't bothered by bullying, I'd say give this show a try, if for no other reason that seeing friendships develop

Leer más

Marvelous acting

Junho and Won Jin Ah are both marvelous in this. I loved their storyline and their connection to each other from the past. The secondary story lines? Not so much. HATED her mother - she was a mess and seemed to be uncaring that she had a living daughter. It started to go south for me at about episode 13, when it appeared that I was not going to be happy about the ending. The writers turned it around, but it was rushed. The connection between Junho and Won Jin Ah was amazing, The looks they would give each other, the little smiles, the hand holding. She has a somewhat sexy deep voice, which I found fascinating as well.

Leer más

Wow, bring on the heat!

What I loved:
1) After watching show after show of open-eyed, deer-in-the-headlights, arms-hanging-limply-at their sides kisses, this was a welcome change! The kisses were wonderful, realistic and full of steaminess. The only reason I rated this as high as I did was because of the chemistry factor.
Not so much:
1) Story - there wasn't one. They went from strangers to living together with no getting to know one another. If the storyline was just about sex, that would be okay, but we were supposed to believe that they were in love with each other why? The secondary characters were there to put some tension in the storyline I think, but that didn't work either.
2) Characters - male lead: he was the typical male character, nothing special about him. Female lead: I felt that she was not very bright. Her behavior was strange and she was overly friendly to everyone. She had no family or friends? I was, however, glad they portrayer her liking physical intimacy as well, and it didn't all just fall on the man. The co-workers: the men were creepy and the females were silly.
3) Ending - as Asian dramas almost always do, the ending was very rushed.
So, if you just need to see some good physical expressions of affection, this show is short enough that you don't have to make a very large time investment.

Leer más

Wasted potential

Finally, a show labeled ROMCOM that actually started out as one! There were some very amusing moments in this show. The problem is, they tried to add a suspense/mystery element and then didn't develop it completely. What was the firefighter's secret? What was the devastation from his past? Where did the AI in the refrigerator come from? Why was it there? These are all questions that I didn't feel were adequately answered. Add to that a villain that you never pay attention to throughout the whole show so he doesn't really make any sense. And I can't say that these things didn't have time to be addressed due to there being only 10 episodes. These things totally could have been addressed within that time frame.
WRITING: As I said, there were a lot of amusing moments in this show. However, I really didn't like the way the women were written. They were written as needy and the type that can't be without a man. Women basically stalking men and then continually saying "I texted you so many times, why didn't you text me back?" I did like the friendship between the women, I thought it was realistic - you know you have those friends that sometimes irritate the heck out of you, but if they need you, you're there in a second. That's how these women were written and I enjoyed their camaraderie.
CHEMISTRY: There were a few good kisses and some hand holding. Sex is intimated.
MUSIC: I'll be honest, I don't remember it. The only thing I remember is the bad karaoke.
REWATCH: I don't feel the need to re-watch this. There weren't enough memorable things in this show.
OVERALL: It's an enjoyable watch if you lower your expectations and kind of leave your brain at the door. It has the added benefit of being only 10 episodes.

Leer más

Be careful what you wish for...

I truly enjoyed this drama!
STORY/WRITING: The story was very cleverly written. Since this was only an eight episode drama, there wasn't filler, which I appreciated. Each story was given its own time to develop and didn't feel rushed at all. There was just enough humor to kind of dial back the "scariness" factor. I'm a big old sissy when it comes to horror and scary things, which was a concern. I needn't have worried. This show brought out things about wishes that we don't often consider. If you wish for something, there will be consequences, sometimes good and sometimes bad. I'm glad they dealt with both sides of the coin on that issue. It also brought to light that we are an intrinsically selfish people, wishing for things that will make us feel better, even at the expense of others (except for the male lead - I loved him and his wish so much). And the consequences that were written for each wish weren't terribly outlandish, so there wasn't a huge need to suspend disbelief.
ACTING: I love Nam Ji Hyun and she didn't disappoint here. I appreciated all the actors and the acting was such that you could believe the fantasy that was unfolding.
CINEMATOGRAPHY/SETS: Beautifully done. The food scenes were beautifully filmed, a lot in slow motion. Good CGI. The inside of the restaurant was wonderful, with many quirky things to see as you watched the drama. I appreciated the darkness at the beginning of the show contrasting with the lightness at the end, showing the personality of each witch.
MUSIC: I don't remember the music specifically, other than the good use of drumming and sound effects during the creepy parts.
REWATCH VALUE: I might watch this again if I want to spend some time just looking at beautiful cinematography and don't want to invest too much time before moving on to a longer drama.

Leer más

Entirely too many episodes!

I usually like to start with the positives, but for this drama I’d like to get my negatives out of the way at the beginning.
-Too many episodes! I fast forwarded through a lot of this, there was an awful lot of time where there was absolutely nothing going on.
-Too many side stories. You had the main couple, the second couple, the third couple that wasn’t a couple yet, the fourth couple that were in a relationship on line, and the teacher couple. Add to that the figure skating rival for her attentions, and then the man and woman working together to break up the couple and there was just too much going on. I felt that the main couple’s development and my appreciation for their romance really suffered from lack of adequate screen time. A few of these people could have been eliminated to help clean up the storyline.
-Stupid breakups
-Abrupt ending. Why do we always get shortchanged on a decent ending after suffering through so many episodes?
What I liked:
For me, this was more a story about the importance of friendships, and not so much about love. The main couple was cute, but they were pretty boring. They hated each other, then they liked each other, then they broke up numerous times for stupid reasons and then at that point I didn’t even care. His confession to her in Episode 26, however, was totally cute.
The second couple – I liked how their relationship was strong throughout, and you could really see them maturing in their relationship, as well as wanting the other to be fulfilled in career choice, etc. Her voice was like nails on a chalkboard, but since I loved the storyline, I could forgive that.
I have to say that my favorites in this drama was the best friend, Big Jiang and the girl that was the speed skater (WeiWei?). The two of them, in addition to the male lead, were the Three Musketeers. I could really appreciate the hidden feelings of both of them and could sense that keeping silent for the sake of maintaining friendships, though sad, is sometimes necessary. He was a big teddy bear of a character (though his hair was laughable) – strong on the outside, yet mushy on the inside. I think he was my favorite character in the whole show.
Yu Yan, the figure skating rival was a good character and I liked how they brought in the storyline of the pressures to succeed, the pressures that parents place on their kids and the pressures the kids put on themselves – and what can happen if you lose sight of why you went into something in the first place. Yu Yan’s speech in Episode 39 was wonderful.
The reasoning for the parents keeping the main characters apart was weak. Also, the evil couple trying to break up the couple storyline was terrible. All of the additional things they brought in to add tension felt like they just pulled a few ideas out of a hat and stuck them in. They didn’t feel well fleshed out.
As I mentioned before, I loved the friendships in this show. I liked watching the friendships develop and their little circle widening to allow others in.

Leer más

Poorly written story full of work-place harassment

If your idea of a good relationship is one in which there is constant bullying going on, this is the show for you. She works in the kitchen for a prominent family. The young "master" supposedly has feeling for her, but there is no way that you could tell by the way he acts. He was constantly grabbing her, shoving her around and basically his behavior was one long tantrum. In addition, he had no regard for her personal space (which if you felt like he liked her, you might be able to put up with, but since I didn't get that he liked her, I was bothered by this.) In a fit of anger he kicks her out of the house, but then tracks her down to bully her some more. I realize that during the time frame depicted and because of her station in life, she didn't have many options, but the idea of her spending her life with a bully just put me off. I hate the "getting drunk so we don't have to explain our actions" trope and that was used here as well. All of a sudden, in the sober light of day, all is forgiven and she's back in the family manner, Marriage is mentioned but never does he express feelings of love for her.
ACTING/DUBBING: I didn't feel that the actors were very good, but they certainly didn't have much to work with either! They seemed to feel that emotions were supposed to be shown through long stares and big eyes. Add to that the terrible job of dubbing - in addition to the shrill, whiny voices you get treated to the sounds of them eating, chewing and swallowing, like that was an important part of the story.
CHEMISTRY - there were a couple of places where the male lead's eyes warmed up a little, but I was unable to forgive his treatment of her the rest of the time.

Leer más

Slow, lovely drama

This drama made me think of lazy days curled up with a good book, which was appropriate because it was based on people that make books. I tend to love the stories that have to do with books, because Korean filmmakers always do such a good job of displaying and showcasing books. They incorporate books into the set design in such a special way. The publishing company that the people worked with was beautiful and each of the characters brought something special to the table.
WRITING: I thought the writing was good. There was some lagging toward the end of the show, mainly because there wasn't big conflict throughout the whole show. We got to see a lot of insights into the characters' daily lives, which I can understand might bore some people, but I loved learning more about each of the characters and what made them the way they were. The book analogies and references woven throughout the story were wonderful, and I loved the way the writers were saying that each of us is like a book and we're waiting for that special person to come along and take the time to read us and learn about us. The passion of the employees of the publishing company was a treat to see, they loved what they were creating, and getting one of their books published was such a terrific achievement, it could almost be equated with having a child. I loved the photos/pictures at the end of each episode that had captions giving voice to Dani-i and Eun Ho's thoughts of each other.
ACTING: Lee Jong Suk (as Cha Eun Ho) was, as always excellent. His look and his voice were perfect for this role. He was a stalwart friend and had hidden feelings that he was afraid to voice. There were a lot of times in the drama that he was doing voice-over work, and he's got the absolute best voice for it. His character was calm and gentle. He cries beautifully. Lee Na Young (as Kang Dan-i) was good as well. I'd have to say it took me some time to warm up to her character, because she was a hot mess. Actually, all of the actors were very good and this felt more like an ensemble show because of the screen time that everyone got.
OST: Beautiful music interwoven throughout.
CINEMATOGRAPHY/COSTUMING: Beautifully filmed. I thought the scenes toward the end of the drama, when two of the main characters were standing by a lake, were especially well done. Both of them in well-fitting black clothes against the darkness of the water and the brown/fall tones of the trees surrounding the lake - very effective for the mood being created at the time. Lee Jong Suk knows how to wear clothes, that's for sure. The costume designers did a good job with wardrobe in this drama, except for the ridiculous pink, red, and gray camouflage trench coat that Jong Suk wore - it was very distracting.
CHEMISTRY: The main couple were cute together, but I'd say that the chemistry for them was more like old friends than anything else. They had a couple of good kisses and a sexual relationship was implied. I just loved the chemistry between all the actors when they were working together.
REWATCH: I must admit that I watched it three times before reviewing it, so I'd say YUP.
So, in my opinion, this is a good show to watch if you want low angst and a slow storyline. A story that will let you get to know the characters and to root for them. Now I want a job at a publishing company!

Leer más

Weak heroine

LMH and SYJ are both very good in this series, but I had a hard time getting past what a doormat she was. I don't care for females that are so strong they are off-putting, but she was at the TOTAL other end of the scale! The "poor me" attitude was irritating. This drama went on a lot longer than I felt it should have. Also, the second lead couple were just evil and I hated the things they did. Some shows just don't age well either, whether due to the lack of production value or the storyline. Happy ending - cute proposal. They get high marks for good kissing scenes.

Leer más

Best to watch after you have been watching K-dramas for awhile

I watched this drama shortly after I began to watch K-dramas. Though I enjoyed it, I didn’t know enough about K-dramas and the actors to get the in-depth feeling of enjoyment that I got this time around. The fact that I am a romance junkie, and that this is not a romance, is also a testament to my enjoyment of it.
SCRIPT/WRITING: The script was very well-written. The interweaving of the characters between 1996 and 2016 was intricate and I, as a viewer, felt that I was being given a couple of clues during every episode. There was always something happening, so I definitely didn’t feel that “wasted time” I feel in a lot of K-dramas. I imagined the writer having to work with a big white board and some kind of organization chart to keep everyone straight – in the past and in the present. Different people with the same names, figuring out how the people would inter-relate in both time periods, as well managing not to have this be drama look and sound like a farce – the script was tight without obvious story loopholes.
ACTING: Choi Jin Hyuk (as Park Kwang Ho) and Yoon Hyun Min (as Kim Seon Jae) were a dream team, seriously. You take one hothead and team him up with a detective that is as cold as ice, and if the chemistry isn’t right, it won’t work. The chemistry here was perfect, yin to yang. Their relationship developed their personalities but there was no obvious point when you noticed it happening. It was such an organic transition and the further I went in the drama, the more I cared about both of them. I have appreciated both of them in dramas in the past (though I seriously would like to see Yoon Hyun Min in another romantic lead role). Lee Yoo Young (as Shin Jae Yi) started out cold and, to be honest, a little creepy. The first time I watched this drama, I felt that her acting was very flat because she pretty much had one expression. Seeing this again, I really appreciated her very contained acting. She was a good foil for the two main leads and I loved her interactions with both of them.
There were multiple supporting actors that I have enjoyed in other shows. I liked them in this, as well. The police officers in the current time were where a lot of the comedic timing came in. Watching them interact with someone from the past and not knowing anything about that was amusing, yet at the end, when they knew everything, you could see that deep friendships had been formed.
MUSIC: I’ll be honest, I don’t remember the music (so at least it wasn’t distracting!). There was one sound effect periodically when we’d see the villain that sounded very animalistic and scary and I thought that was effective.
It had a very good, touching ending. This was a smart drama and one that I will be highly recommending.

Leer más

Short drama about the difference between the "haves" and the "have nots"

This drama is only two episodes, and the writers have managed to write a clear, concise story, without giving up character development. It's basically a story about the struggles of those that don't have much and wish for more, for those that have everything and take it for granted, and what happens when those lives converge.

Yun Joon Suk as Lee Min Sung is just a tall bunch of sweetness. His calm demeanor, his sweet smile, and the way he treated others - I could totally imagine being friends with him. I don't believe I've seen him in anything else, so now I'll have to be on the lookout!

Nam Ji Hyun as Oh Ah Young was a terrific performance. I've seen her in many things and I've always enjoyed her acting. There is something about the way that she talks that is just fascinating. The way her speech patterns are short, clipped, and staccato just draw and hold your attention. She felt a little too old for this part, but certainly not enough to diminish my enjoyment of the show.

They had a sweet chemistry in the brief times they were together. There was one hug, no kisses. And the photography in the forest was absolutely stunning.

So, if you don't want to invest too much time in a show, and need a break from all the angst, you would probably enjoy this.

Leer más

I didn't expect much, so in that respect I wasn't disappointed

I’ve seen other short shows done well, so I know it’s possible. This, to me, was not one of them. We’ve seen this story done many times before. It’s kind of a “local girl makes good” story, but I didn’t care for any of the characters. The female lead was not very nice and she uses her hands in such a way that her fingernails always seem to be the focal point of the shot. There was something a little creepy about the male lead and he was a bit of a bully. In addition, I don’t feel he had the looks or the charisma to be the male lead. The second FL was an over-the-top caricature of an evil person - screaming, screeching, foot stomping, she had it all. I have to be honest, the second male lead was attractive and probably could have been the lead, in looks and in the way he was written. He was just nicer than the male lead.
This is a show you might enjoy when you need a break from longer, more well-done works.

Leer más

Short and cute

This was a very cute show that didn't require much commitment. The premise was interesting and made me wonder how I'd feel about knowing what people were thinking all the time. The female lead was just darling and can we talk about the male lead's voice? Oh my goodness, his voice was so deep and smooth...amazing.

There was a point to this story, other than just the romance in general. It's about reading cues and listening to people, which I thought was a very good thing to bring up. We often go through life so focused on ourselves that we have no clue as to what other people like, dislike, are concerned about, etc.

Leer más

If you're going to be in a relationship, you have to think about others

This web show felt like a "what not to do" show, as far as relationships are concerned. The lead actress was beautiful (she reminded me of a couple of other Korean actresses), but oh my gosh, I could totally see why she had such difficulties with her relationships! She was very immature and self-centered, plus she didn't seem to know what she wanted from one moment to the next. She was very demanding. As a man, if I were in a relationship with her, I'd feel like I always had to be careful about everything I said and did.

The actors in each episode were good, and the storyline from each episode was good and stood on its own, Each man had a different "issue" that she had problems with.

As I was watching this, I thought that there was something to be said for being alone, rather than in multiple relationships when you are unhappy in each.

Leer más