I didn't expect to like it as much as I did!

This drama is a high school, rock band, coming-of-age, first love, unrequited love, bullying story. This drama encompasses a lot, but not a lot happens. What the drama DID show, however, was to show us the power of friendship and found family. We've got multiple hot-headed teenage men, that tend to speak with their fists, rather than using their words. The drama also did a good job of displaying class differences, removing the struggling young men from their known environment and plopping them into a high school of rich, privileged people. I especially loved how, though, rich, the privileged band members' friendships were superficial, based only on what each individual could get for themselves. Our main band members might not have anything of value on the surface, but they had an overabundance of love, trust, and support for each other, and that was wonderful to watch.

Though Lee Min Ki was not one of the lead characters, he was excellent. He's very charismatic in this. Sung Joon as Ji Hyuk - was thrown into being the leader of the group as a necessity. He thinks of the group as a whole, but often felt overwhelmed with the responsibility. Sung Joon's acting was intense and brooding. There was a "heaviness" (for lack of a better word) about him, like he had the weight of the world upon his shoulders. Jo Bo Ah as Soo Ah was beautiful, of course, but I didn't love her character that much for most of the drama, I felt that she was using both men, in a way. And I just have to mention Lee Hyun Jae as Do Il - first, he's gorgeous and with his long hair he really stood out from the others. I liked his quiet presence, often the voice of reason in volatile situations. I felt that the girl playing Soo Ah's friend was seriously overacting, which was jarring when everyone else was doing such a good job.

I was bothered by the two sidekicks of the privileged band leader. The first one was SUCH an over-the-top bully, there was a secret that needed to be protected, and he never was held responsible for his bad behavior. The other bespectacled sidekick was just creepy to me. Flat affect, never showing any emotion, he didn't look or behave like someone that would have hung out with the other two.

The romance was somewhat lacking, I felt, possibly by necessity. There was an overabundance of "I like you, no I don't, I want to be with you, don't talk to me" in a few of the episodes. But the focus was not meant to be the romance, it's all about the bromances.

I'm not a head-banging, rock music lover, but I enjoyed all the music in this show.

And this drama had one of the best endings I've ever seen. With the way that things were going, I was afraid that the end was going to be kind of bland, but we get to see a little more into each young man's hopes and dreams, and we get to see them all together, and anytime they were all together, that was when the drama really shone.

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Not for me

I'd say give it a try and don't go by what I say. I write reviews mainly so I can remember what I liked or disliked about a show.

When I saw the cast for this movie, I got so excited. I mean, really! However, I had to drop this due to coarse language, female objectification and continuous sexual references, talking about sex, thinking about sex, etc. There are just certain things I choose not to subject myself to.

Kim Woo Bin is true-to-form and looks really cool with all his hair combed forward. He usually plays characters that are pigs, and you shouldn't like him, but there is something just so sweet about him.

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Movie of the episodic series Love O2O without all the filler

Condensing 22.5 hours down to two hours, you're going to lose a lot. Missing was a lot of character development, but we also lost all the unnecessary silliness, extended game play, and multiple mean characters. I enjoyed the movie from this standpoint.

The acting was pretty good, and the couple was cute together. I like it anytime a man sees a woman and is fascinated by her first.

There were a couple of sweet lines, a major swoony kiss, and a happy ending. It felt abrupt to me, but only because I had just finished watching the 30-episode series.

It's a cute movie to watch between more in-depth content.

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Beautiful chemistry-filled, healthy, adult relationship

I struggled with rating this show, based on how well-acquainted I became with my FF button on my remote. I'll get this out of the way first thing: 32 episodes was too long. There was WAY too much time spent on gaming and space exploration. Normally, my rating would be a lot lower, since I, in actuality, probably only watched 50% of the show. But that 50% was golden!

Actors: Yang Yang as Yu Tu. There is no doubt about it, the man is gorgeous. And put a pair of glasses on him? He's at another level. He has very expressive eyes and his acting felt natural in this. I think he's grown a lot as an actor since Love O2O, plus his more mature looks are a plus. Dilraba Dilmurat at Jing Jing. She is absolutely stunning. I thought she was excellent here. I loved watching her face every time she saw YuTu - the love she had for him shone through, even back in their high school days.

Characters: I loved both of the main characters and their relationship. The progression from friendship to love was VERY slow, but made sense, and once they were together there were no stupid misunderstandings or breakups. There were two time skips, but they were together the whole time. I could see why they fell in love, and their love was believable and palpable. This was a perfect example of a healthy relationship, with lots of cute interactions and jokes between them, as well as them trying to make their relationship work when one person is extremely famous, and both people in the relationship are extremely busy. Yu Tu makes a comment that in the past year Jing Jing had been in Shanghai for only a little over a month, but they were both understanding of the other's career and the time demands that were involved. They continued to carve out time for one another as best they could. I loved Yu Tu's intelligence and love for his career, which caused him problems in the first few episodes, trying to decide between doing what you love, and what your family expects. Jing Jing could have been a spoiled brat of a character, but she wasn't, thankfully. She was a dedicated actress, but she was nice to everyone around her. She didn't act like she was entitled. I loved her fascination with Yu Tu's work - her wanting to go to his workplace to see what he does and to eat in the canteen. She had such joie de vivre - she didn't try to temper her excitement of things and that was really cute. She seemed to run everywhere, running from room to room in the house, running to him when she sees him, running to explore something new.

I also really enjoyed the characters of her manager and her assistant. They took such good care of Jing Jing, and them watching Yu Tu and Jing Jing being loving was so cute.

Chemistry: Oh, my goodness. This show was full of chemistry between the leads, from the looks they exchanged, when they saw each other after being apart, and their kisses were on fire! This couple was a lot of fun to watch. I rewound and re-watched multiple scenes, just to see their micro-expressions and their interactions. I smiled A LOT, while watching this, they were just wonderful together.

I also loved what this show DIDN'T have:
-as mentioned before, no stupid misunderstandings. No multiple break-ups. No long separations.
-No evil exes trying to get back together with them or working to separate the main couple. To be honest, an ex showed up for each of them, but they could have been left out completely, they served no purpose to further the story.
-No multiple couples to keep track of. This show focused on the main couple and gave them the time that they deserved for their story.
-No rushed ending. Nothing frustrates me more than watching something that takes forever to get the couple together and then rushes getting them together in the last 15 minutes. Here, we got to see dating, wedding, and married life.

Speaking of endings: I was extremely touched by the way this show ended. It was Yu Tu's time to shine and Jing Jing supported him all the way. The national pride that was displayed by everyone in what they accomplished brought tears to my eyes.

Music: I thought the music was good and the one song that talked about not feeling good enough for the other person went really well with Yu Tu's feelings. What did he really have to offer to this relationship?

Re-watch value: I will TOTALLY be re-watching this, just the way I did this time, fast forwarding through all the boring stuff to enjoy their relationship.

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Sweet, but I wasn't feeling the chemistry

Liked:
Kitamura Takumi as Issei. His soulful eyes and his expressions were a joy to watch. He conveyed so much without saying a word. I also liked the silence when we were seeing things from his point of view. He couldn't hear, but in no way did he feel sorry for himself. I found him to be very endearing and believable.
I enjoyed most of the friendships, and the fact that they didn't skate around Issei's deafness, but he had a stalwart friend that could translate for him, and others were willing to learn sign language in order to communicate with him.
The main couple was cute, but chemistry was lacking.

Unfortunately, there were a few characters that were completely over-the-top. I notice this in a lot of Japanese shows. I feel like they want to turn things into a farce, and then move back to being serious. It spoils the mood for me.

It's an easy watch, and I'd recommend it for Kitamura Takumi.

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I would have liked it more if I stopped watching halfway through

I enjoyed the first half, somewhat. I liked watching Aaron Yan play alter egos. That was fun. But by the time the second half came, Aaron's character became weak and allowed everyone to steam roll over him. The terrible family that is forcing him to marry - each one is worse than the other. I'm sorry, he's totally in love with one woman but he's going to let them bully him into marrying a girl that's like a sister to him? And then to act like he's fine with it, and perfectly happy to marry someone he doesn't love while the woman he loves watches. There was so much angst in the second half, I just wanted it to be over. There was a happy ending, but by that time I didn't care.

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Walking a mile in someone else's shoes

So, you're an uptight, self-serving lawyer. You die suddenly and have the chance to live a little longer, but not as yourself. You find yourself married with two children. I don't know how many times this story has been done, but there was something very endearing about this version.

I have not really cared for Uhm Jung Hwa as an actress before, I always feel like she's trying too hard. Does she want to be funny? Serious? I could never quite figure it out. She was PERFECT in this role. Her emotions were spot on. Funny when she was supposed to be, but able to wring emotion from me as I watched her in the serious scenes. I loved how she was able to use what she knew from her previous life to benefit her "new" family.

I can't remember the last time I've loved a husband/father as much in a Korean drama. The ML was great. I've not seen him in anything else, I'm going to need to check out his filmography.

W.C. Fields said never act with children or animals. The kids in this movie were great!

I loved the ending!

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I liked it a lot more than I thought I would

Sometimes I read reviews, sometimes I don't. I love romance, melodrama, not so much. I don't know what made me start watching this, especially after reading so many negative comments. This was the classic chaebol melodrama, class separation, back-stabbing family, etc. I liked the main characters for numerous reasons, however.

Uee as Yoon Ha. This character could have been a spoiled rich girl. But, even with all the money and status, her family was a nightmare, each and every one of them. She tried so hard to get a scrap of affection from each of them, but they were so busy trying to climb their way to the top they had no use for her. She decided to break free and work as a part-timer at a grocery store. She has rebelled against her status and wants to live like a "regular person" (though she's still living in her family home and living off their money, so how free could she be?) I liked her. She appreciated and was true to her friendship with Ji Yi. (there was wonderful sismance here).

Sung Joon as Joon Ki. I really liked his storyline. He wanted to be in the upper echelon and wasn't above trickery to get there. I loved watching his interactions with others, I was never quite sure about his motives, if he was being truthful, or if it was all to get ahead. His character grew a lot throughout the drama. Plus, he has a beautiful deep voice.

Park Hyung Sik as Chang Soo. I had a love/hate relationship with this character. Multiple shower/workout scenes - loved. He's a beautiful crier. He is so cute when he is drawn to a woman and I really liked his surprise at liking a woman "for real" after having just been a player previously. Chang Soo and Ji Yi had a very cute relationship that was, for the most part, fun to watch. He's got that sarcastic humor down to an art. Good romance and good kisses. My problem with this character was his being a total doormat to his mom. She was going to decide who he married, she threatened Ji Yi multiple times and made no bones about the fact that marriage was for status. I absolutely hated how weak he was. It reminded me of the ML in Boys Over Flowers, who I hated for the same reason. You're absolutely in love, but going to marry who mommy tells you to. Even toward the end, I felt that he was compromising with his mom and felt that there would always be a problem there.

Im Ji Yeon as Ji Yi - effervescent personality. Loyal friend. Forgiving soul. I didn't like some of the conversations she had with Chang Soo - "I've decided I'm going to like you", etc. I went back and forth between admiring her and thinking that she needed to get a spine.

Jang Hyung Soon as Chang Soo's mother - Surprisingly, I loved to hate her. She was a force to be reckoned with, but her scenes between her and her son were fun to watch in a "there's an accident on the other side of the road and I don't want to look but I can't help myself" way. And when she met Ji Yi, you always felt that Ji Yi had the upper hand and Chang Soo's mom was busy trying to figure out where she went wrong. Funny!

I went back and immediately re-watched the final four episodes to see again the growth in the characters. They learned from their mistakes and were moving forward. I liked how none of the main characters were over-dramatic, for the most part. The ending was kind of love/hate for me. As usual with K-dramas, the ending was kind of rushed. We got a proposal (loved) but we also had a married couple that went through so much to be together, but now all they do is squabble. That was a letdown for me.

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I enjoyed the main leads especially Bai Lu. Her character was very vibrant, cheerful and hard-working. However, the writing for this show was very problematic for me. I mean, you know the main characters are supposed to end up together, but there is NOTHING until episode 13, and then a kiss comes out of the blue. I think we were supposed to be able to realize that the male lead was interested in her, but his face and entire demeanor were so flat, you couldn't tell. They really tried to cram too much into this show, and it was STILL too long. The storyline for his sister? Really unnecessary. The second male lead was a pill throughout the whole show and was getting on my last nerve. The random ex-girlfriend showing up and trying to get back with him could have been left out entirely. I was troubled, as well, by the multiple instances of drunk revelations. "I was so drunk and I don't remember what I said/did." Give me a break. Actually, I rated this show higher because of the ending. It was a very happy ending and gave resolution for the main and second couples.

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Low angst enjoyment

I liked this show for multiple reasons:
FL wasn't stupid, lazy or clumsy
ML was likeable
No evil parents
No evil SFL trying to break the couple up constantly
No triangle - never came to fruition
Happy, though unsatisfying ending

I pretty much loved all the characters in this show. Her work environment when she goes to work at Animal Beauty was, I think, the kind of work environment we would all wish for, collaborative, friendly co-workers, a great boss, and they discourage too much overtime (what a concept!). The friendships that were developed between the coworkers, as well as the FL's sister was so fun to watch.

I love a ML falling first. He could have been more assertive, sure, but the combination of fear, denial and the possibility of losing her friendship all factored into his decisions. When he first saw her all dressed up, I swear the look he gave her could have melted ice!

The relationship between the ML and FL is just a joy to watch. They are supportive of each other, yet often bicker like children. I sometimes got the feeling that I was witnessing feelings that they knew nothing about, but their comradery was the healthy way that relationships should develop. I could actually see why they liked one another.

I was disappointed in the ending, just because it was so abrupt. I would have also liked some closure as to how long he was going to be gone, but at least the ending was happy...with Japanese shows you never can tell.

I am so happy I wasted an entire day and watched this show.

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Reaching for their dreams

I'm normally not a fan of reality shows because of the fighting, scheming, etc. Honestly, I have no idea what made me turn this on, especially since it's two years old, and I don't follow Enhypen. I did find quite a bit to enjoy about this show, however.

Namkoong Min as the announcer - He fascinates me as an actor, and he has the perfect voice and visuals to be the announcer of this type of show.
Rain as a mentor in part 1 - charisma, that's all I can say.
I-Land vs. ground - great concept, stay in the top of the rankings and you stay in I-Land with all its associated perks: practice rooms, kitchen, cool bedrooms, etc.
The bonding between the young men. Sure, they wanted to debut, but they cared about the others that they were with. I can't even begin to imagine the stress that they were under, and that was released through tears, A LOT. Someone was always crying, it seemed. Personally, I cried more than once.
The dancing. The focus was definitely on their dancing ability. I loved watching them learn the choreography and their performances. I'm a little confused how they could almost completely ignore vocal ability - background music and singing was always cranked up so you could hardly hear them singing.

My complaint with this show was the voting. When all was said and done, I believe it was rigged. There was one person that was VERY strong throughout, at the top of every test, had the perfect visuals, was a natural leader, spent time helping those with less skill, got along with everyone, received consistent positive feedback from the coaches/judges, and then was eliminated. Were they trying to create a surprise at the end? I don't know, but it made me angry.

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Fluffy and cute

Yes, I watched it because of Cha Eun Woo. Call me superficial, but there you have it. I'll start by saying that his acting has improved since he made this. He was about as wooden as the cardboard cutout he was portraying. However, the brevity of the show and the writing didn't give him that much to work with. He was still all kinds of cute.

This was a short watch, and a great show if you want to rest your brain between heavier fare. I really liked the fantasy aspect of it. Was it real? Was it a dream? You get your answer at the end.

I liked watching the FL go from clueless to confident. Sometimes, all it takes is one person to believe in you.

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Watch this movie!!

I'll admit right up front, this movie confused the heck out of me. I'm math-phobic, and time travel and space-time continuum type things relate to math, and you see my dilemma. But that's just me.

The story was beautiful and sad. I need happy endings, and unless I completely missed what was going on, this did not have a happy ending. I spent the time getting to know and love the characters, and once they knew what was going on, I could almost feel their pain in the knowledge they had gleaned. Japan knows how to do beautiful filming that is kind of "slice of life". Everyday places and everyday stories take on new and deeper meanings, and I love that.

Both actors did a wonderful job with their parts. I've only seen either of them in one other work, so I'm going to need to check out their filmography and expand on that.

Music - was there music? I wasn't paying attention to that.

Rewatch value - I'd say definitely, if for no other reason than trying to figure out the timeline.

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