Time travel melodrama

This is a slow, well-paced show. Don't expect lots of action when you read it's a time travel fantasy. The writers took their time developing the characters and the story and it was pretty enjoyable being along for the ride. Though I didn't love it, I think it was worth watching, for various reasons.

Writing: GOOD: A very good story. There was tension throughout, never knowing what was going to happen next, and just when I thought I'd figured it out, the writers threw in a curve ball. I especially loved the characters of So Joon and his friend Kang Gi Doong. So Joon was a man that, by necessity, lived a pretty solitary life, and I thought it was wonderful that he let his friend in on the secret and his friend always had his back. I liked the concept of the butterfly effect - one change that you make in the present affects the future. I also love the fate aspect, meeting in the past and again in the future. NOT SO GOOD: I did have trouble, however, keeping track of past, present and future events, which often took me out of the story. Often there was not clear delineation to give you a good idea which timeline you were in. I had a difficult time with the reason for the breakup, I felt it was weak. And not to give anything away, but if you know something is going to happen at a specific intersection at a specific time, why not just avoid the intersection? The secrets went on too long: "I have things to tell you but I can't tell you and you just have to trust me for awhile."

Acting: GOOD: Lee Je Hoon did a wonderful job. He had to display a wide range of emotions and I always felt he was believable. He started out just being self-absorbed, not wanting to get involved in anyone else's life. As the story progressed, you could see how much he cared for others. NOT SO GOOD: Shin Min Ah is a good actress, but when she gets upset, she overacts. I found it hard not to laugh during her over-the-top crying scenes. And when her voice went up an octave when she was trying to be cute/sexy I just had to cringe.

CHARACTERS: GOOD: So Joon. Good progression of his character throughout the show. NOT SO GOOD: I did not like the character of Ma Rin at all. First, the woman seriously needed to start going to AA meetings! She had a real drinking problem. That was not enjoyable to watch. I felt her character was pitiful - she was trying to start a business, but she was just so sad to me. She seemed to always be listening to other people's conversations and going where she was not supposed to go. I felt that she was pushy and clingy with him. I didn't find anything endearing about her character.

CHEMISTRY: So good!! There was more hugging, hand holding, etc. than we normally see in K-dramas, and they seemed like they were really comfortable with one another. Some of the touching scenes gave me the feels.

OST: The music blended well with what was going on in the show, but there weren't any songs that I absolutely loved.

So, in conclusion, I'm glad I watched it, but I can't highly recommend it. It's one of those "filler" shows when you've watched everything else and are waiting for new shows.

Leer más

Holds up well with repeated viewings

This was a show that had it all: romance, action, drama, comedy, eye candy, bromance. This is one of the few shows that I can watch repeatedly, and catch something new every time.

STORY/WRITING: I was so impressed with how this show was written. There were some seriously swoon-worthy lines, but I think what I loved the most was the comedy aspects of it. In the midst of a show with serious stuff going on, there were many refreshing moments of humor. The writer was able to continuously change gears so we, as the viewers, were never actually able to settle in comfortably. The action was interspersed throughout all the episodes, so there were no draggy periods, and just when you think you can't handle the stress, something funny would happen. The four main characters were written so well and they meshed together, playing off one another in a real way. The bromance between the two male leads was very engaging, as was the relationship between the female leads that resulted from a bad situation in their past. And the conversations when the women took sides against the men were a hoot.

ACTORS/CHARACTERS: Song Joong Ki as Yoo Shi Jin. He fit the mold of romantic lead perfectly, and when I found out he had just been released from the military three months before working on this show, I could understand why he seemed so comfortable in the role of a soldier. His character was very principled, loyal, and dedicated. He loved his country and he loved Kang Mo Yeon. He was fiercely protective of her. There were many, many moments of intense staring by him as he looked at her, and when you couple that with his boyish good looks and charm, and you've got the whole package. He was just so likeable.
Song Hye Kyo as Kang Mo Yeon - this was a difficult character for me. She's a wonderful actress but I often didn't like her character. She was a doctor and strong because of that, but in relation to Yoo Shi Jin, I felt that she was too wishy washy. She would tell him things that sounded like she didn't want to get involved, yet she flirted. She wanted everything to be black and white, when often life is shades of gray.
Jin Goo as Seo Dae Young - at the outset, you might be tempted to think that this character is cold and unemotional. He, also, was very protective of the woman he loved. Jin Goo was excellent at showing such depths of emotion with just the expression in his eyes.
Kim Ji Won as Yoon Myeong Ju - I've seen this actress in a couple of things and she plays the bitchy woman well. She is, to a certain degree, the same in this role. She's strong and knows what she wants, and does what she can to achieve things, while bucking up against circumstances trying to hold her back.

CHEMISTRY - I cannot say enough about how good the chemistry was between the couples themselves and the friendships they had with one another and the people that they worked with, both the soldiers and the medical staff. I was not overly surprised that the main leads had gotten married in real life following making DOTS. Sadly, they divorced last year.

OST - though there were a few times that I felt that the music was overly dramatic, for the most part it was terrific. Some of the same artists did excellent music in Crash Landing on You as well. There was one part in the show when the main song, rather than using vocals, was played on the cello and it brought such beautiful emotion to the scene.

I do have to say I didn't like the ending, the feel completely broke from the rest of the show and was just silly. Also, I know they have medical advisors for these shows, so why is the medical stuff always so inaccurate? How they do CPR, what they do to save someone after drowning, how when a patient pulls out their own IV it never hurts and it never bleeds. This is certainly not the only drama guilty of this.

I watched his show when I first started watching Asian dramas, and it's still as good after having seen it numerous times.

Leer más

Touching story

This is a touching movie about a young woman with cancer, and how she changes the lives of those around her. Some people go through their lives insulated from their emotions. This young woman shook things up and everyone she came into contact with was forever changed. The actress did a really good job, she was a little cartoonish in the beginning, but settled into a rhythm as the movie went along. And she had the perfect shaped head to have no hair. She was just beautiful. Some people are in our lives for a short period of time, but because of the way they changed us, we'll never be the same.

Leer más

feelings of high school

This was a beautiful movie. The back-and-forth between current time and high school days was very well-done. This is a slow, calm movie that makes you think about roads not taken and words not said. The height disparity between the main couple was very cute, he seemed so protective of her. This was a very innocent story, and it made me think back on the choices that I made in high school, the friends I had, the boy I liked, and those intense feelings you have as a high schooler - colors are brighter, noises are louder and emotions are stronger. I admired Geng Geng for being brave enough to put her feelings out there as an adult. If you watch this, be sure to watch all the way to the end, because it has some sweet interviews with real people.

Leer más

This is a story I've seen done multiple times before

The main characters were cute, especially Zuo An - once he warmed up and actually smiled he was so sweet. I felt that, as is usual with C-dramas, this one was too slow and went on entirely too long. The confession finally happened in episode 24! This is actually a show that I've seen multiple times, they must have a template and just plug in different names. Girl fights but isn't too bright (or just too lazy to study), boy is super-smart and misunderstood. Every time the girl gets close to the boy she loses all of her brain cells and is unable to carry on an intelligent conversation. After the confession the girl looks petrified every time the boy wants any type of physical contact (thankfully, in this one, that didn't seem to last too long).

There were the typical secondary characters. Zhan Yue, Xiaoman's long-time male friend, was extremely irritating through most of the episodes. He was a bully and extremely mean.

There are the typical evil characters that never seem to suffer consequences for their actions (I get extremely tired of seeing a girl that will do whatever to win the guy, never mind that he's told her a million times that he's not interested).

They spent a little over one episode actually together as a couple, so there's a lot of stuff to wade through waiting for them to get together. In addition, the ending was extremely abrupt and unsatisfying.

Putting the current characters in historical scenes periodically throughout the series made absolutely no sense and added nothing to the show.

Leer más

Ghostly melodrama with some romance thrown in

There was so much to like about this show:
1) Yang Jin Sung playing dual roles of Jang Yi Kyung and Na Noo Rim. She was wonderful, especially since the characters were TOTALLY different. Her coldness as Yi Kyung could actually give a person frostbite! Then she was so bubbly as Noo Rim.
2) Lee Hong Ki as Choi Kang Joo. I don't think this role was a serious stretch to his acting chops, but he did well going from the uptight, cold chaebol to the sweet man he was with Noo Rim.
3) The romance between the leads was fun to watch. I liked their initial aversion to each other and how it slowly changed.
4) I love Park Kin Joo in everything I've seen her in. Here, she played Noo Rim's friend Jin Joo and she's just got that precious, elfin look about her that draws you to her.
5) Overall, I thought the actors did a great job.
6) The storyline, with the added ghost story twist, was well thought out, with lots of twists and turns to keep you interested.
7) The music was lovely. I was also impressed that Lee Hong Ki did one of the songs. It was a heartfelt song that really grabs you emotionally.
What I didn't care for:
1) Noo Rim changed from someone that believes in herself and stands up for what she believes in to a scared, runaway woman.
2) Too many bad guys! Each person was more evil than the last. Plus, though there were natural consequences for their actions, none of those consequences helped the couple at all, that's for sure! Also, they had information on things that these bad people had done and didn't go to the police?
3) Not enough time of seeing the couple together. They were actually together for just a brief period of time, which made their breakup doubly irritating. First, do you love each other or not? Are you not willing to fight for your relationship? Plus, I didn't think their breakup was realistic because breaking up just so no one else will be unhappy is a cop out.
4) The ghost story aspect was woven through the episodes and then resolved in a very rushed fashion. It felt like the writers realized they were getting to the end of the show and had to squeeze it in.
5) The ending was so unsatisfying for me. I loved how he continued to look for her. I felt that her keeping herself from him was unfair to him (not going to say more due to spoiler). But, after them being apart for so much of the entire show, when we got to the end and they are walking in a garden and talking about a tree? I wanted/expected more romance.
So, I'd say it's a good show to watch for the acting/writing/music as long as you are okay with a lot of angst and not very much romance.

Leer más

Amazing music!

Having never seen any other version or read the manga, I can only review based upon my enjoyment of this show. Let's start with the positive - the music. Absolutely beautiful classical music, which wove itself seamlessly through the show. For me, that's as far as the positives went. I suppose the actors did a good job, but the two main characters were not likeable throughout the entirety of the show. She was a stalker, hanging on him, liking him for no apparent reason. She was an odd woman, trying to be cutesy at times, troubled at others. She irritated me throughout. As for the male lead, he wasn't likeable either. I understand that he had trauma in his life, but that's not really an excuse to be so mean, especially to her. I didn't feel that the relationship was believable at all. There was no chemistry between the two, even at the end. By the time this show ended, I was so frustrated with the amount of time I had wasted. Park Bo Gum's character was more likeable, and I felt that she and he were much better suited for one another, because he didn't want to change her.

Leer más

Lovely movie

The cinematography was excellent, lots of tight, close up shots, which really drew my attention to the tiniest detail - him taking her hand, the handmade rings on their fingers, his lonely face on every new day. There were slow motion shots that pulled me even deeper into the story. This movie was beautiful on so many levels. The main actress was wonderful playing against the various actors. As she got to know Woo Jin and spent time with him, I kind of felt like a voyeur of their relationship, watching them getting to know each other more intimately and fall in love. Their total enjoyment of each other's company, and through necessity, trying to keep the outside world at bay. How important is love? What would you be willing to endure? What would you be willing to give up? Kudos to everyone involved in this movie.

Leer más

I would have liked some character development/growth

Overall, it's a cute show. Both main actors are very attractive and nice to watch. I don't feel that I would ever need to see this again (mainly because my list is so long for things I still want to watch!)

What I liked:
1. The acting was good.
2. The storyline. I liked that it was the woman that was the workaholic and the man had to wait around for her to have time for him. Riichi (Eiji Akuso) was what I think a lot of women would think are the perfect boyfriend. He was extremely patient with her and the fact that she didn't have time for him. However, there is a certain amount of suspension of disbelief (addressed in what I didn't like)
3. Since it only had a few episodes, all ancillary issues were kept to a minimum. For example, the other girl that liked Riichi (I have to be honest, I liked the way that was handled)
4. The chemistry between the leads was cute, though they actually spent more time apart than together.
5. I loved hearing from the female lead point of view, as well as the male lead point of view.
6. "I wonder when it will be?" Once you watch it you'll understand! But it speaks to Riichi's dedication to Hanai and it was very sweet.

What I didn't like so much:
1. And this is a negative ONLY if you can't suspend disbelief. But a person can only be ignored for so long before they get fed up and move on. I mean, they'd been "dating" for a month and hadn't been on a date? And I don't think that if you are in a relationship it's ever okay to ignore texts and phone calls for days at a time.
2. The multiple times he asked her for a "reward" really bothered me. It's the equivalent of a man taking you to dinner and then expecting you to put out since he spent some money on you.
3. There is actually no character development. They are the same at the end of the show as they are at the beginning. She has learned nothing and doesn't apparently appreciate the fact that she has someone in love with her. His character is the same, but add that he has now become a doormat for a woman that ignores him.

I'll have to admit that the show is kind of thought-provoking. How do you maintain a relationship when you are working all the time? How do you prioritize your time so you can actually have a relationship? How long would you be willing to stay with a person that put you way down on their priority list?

Leer más

Meh.

This show started out well, but I thought it dragged A LOT in the middle. I did like the premise of the show, the secrets, etc. The male lead was wonderful, and I loved the concept of him loving her practically his entire life. The female lead, I loved her voice, and she is beautiful - her smile is just radiant - but I didn't particularly care for her character. She seemed unnecessarily pouty and kind of stand-offish. The second male lead - I LOVE when the secondary character turns out to be a good guy. They even turned around the second female lead - she was an absolute nightmare at the beginning, but at the end I liked her. The overall story was kind of slow and sometimes boring, and I don't understand why so many Korean dramas have the passage of time just before the end of the show. The characters have to go through so much to get together, and then they just kind of go along on auto pilot. It was a happy ending, just kind of brief and bland. There were a couple of good kisses, but I didn't find this show terribly romantic.

Leer más

Brilliant acting

I was exhausted by the time I finished this show! There are so many twists and turns in this story, you need a map. It was an original story, very entertaining, but very emotional. Ji Sung is the male lead, and on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give him a 20 for this part! He had trauma in his life which cause him to develop multiple personalities. Each personality was so believable and there were so many heartbreaking scenes. I have to score down for two reasons, one was the overabundance of bad guys, and the other was for the female lead, played by Hwang Jung Eum. She tends to stay on the comedy side of the spectrum which was jarring in a lot of the scenes - her screaming and shrieking were very distracting. She was much better in the emotional scenes toward the end. I felt the ending was rushed after all the drama they went through, but this show has one of the best lines ever in ep 1 "Remember - January 7, 2015 at 10:00 on the dot. The time I fell for you." If for no other reason, watch this for Ji Sung's acting.

Leer más

Cute story, low on angst

Don't let the name fool you. I thought she was going to be this aggressive, irritating woman. Not so. This movie is a joy to watch. I shed a few tears briefly, but for the most part I couldn't do anything but smile. This is about scars, both on the outside where they can be seen by everyone, and those on the inside, that we usually have to deal with on our own. It's also about realizing that, just because someone is physically able, we shouldn't make the mistake of thinking that they don't have any problems. Often the inner troubles are harder to deal with, because we don't let anyone in to help us. This movie is also about opening up to friendships of all different types. Each of the students was so fun in their own way. This is a movie that will definitely make you happy.

Leer más

Reviewing after watching it again!

Wonderful movie about the power of love, the strength of memories and connections between lovers. The actors were all very good. Choi Jin Hyuk continues to impress me - that deep voice! I loved all the emotion he put into his character, the seriousness, the playfulness, the loneliness, the feeling of loss. Song Ha Yoon was very good as well. Her character was strong and resilient without being hard. These two had off-the-charts chemistry! Multiple very good kissing scenes. Very cute ending. The actor that played his cousin was very good - his character was often over the top, but when he saw his mother for what she was, his betrayal was heart-wrenching. Beautiful scenery and I loved the visual of her wearing different white outfits throughout the show. It really helped to show her innocence/sweetness, especially in light of all that she had gone through. Choi Jin Hyuk did singing for the soundtrack - bonus!

Leer más

Catchy music!

This show started out so strong, they met in high school, lost touch with one another and now she works for him. He has the biggest dimples I’ve ever seen, and I loved the way his character was written. About midway through the show, my enjoyment began to wane. Her character bothered me. She was so strong in sales, in protecting and taking care of her family, but she was so weak relationship-wise. She would never tell him how she felt, and the multiple separations because she wasn’t “good enough” were working my last nerve. I loved all of the male characters in this show, they were always true friends, not out for their own gains. There was one storyline I didn’t like at all. Good music, wonderful, catchy theme song. Happy, yet kind of silly, ending. And I have to say that this show has the best theme song ever - you love it while you're listening to it and it makes you want to dance, then it burrows into your brain and you find yourself singing it for the rest of the day!

Leer más