Reviews

You're beautiful was my first korean drama and I loved it. The main couple is just excellent, they have good chemistry and a lot of scene are just adorable. I laughed a lot and did not cry so much and sometimes it is damn good to just enjoy like this.

What I liked, beside the main couple, was that the plot was quite well found and the characters would find themselves in all sort of funny situations, a drama perfect to laugh and don't think too much. Well, it is not a spoiler to say that a woman with three men will lead to cute "love" scene between her and the other three and it was really nice, especially with jeremy and Hwang Tae Kyung.

The one thing I did not like so much was the relation between Go Mi Nam and Kang Shin Woo because I could not help but be sooooo sad for him all the time, but because of the main couple, I could not help but watch and love the story.

The music was quite nice and made me love K-POP =p Also, all the other characters were funny and I assure you that you will have a good time.

BUT do not expect a mature drama, it is more dedicated to a young public but it is also nice sometimes feeling of "pure" love =)

enjoy =)

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This a very well done film. The acting was great, especially Yoon Kye Sang. This was the first time I saw him in this type of role and he was simply brilliant since he beautifully conveys all his emotions without uttering a word. Still, I felt something was lacking.

I didn't like the main actress, at all. When her character appeared was when the movie started to drag on and on for me and I practically lost all interest in it.

It did start to pick up a little in the last 20-30 minutes of it, where we are shown a very thrilling scene.

I won't be watching it again since I find the film is forgettable and I didn't enjoy it.

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If I had to describe Padam Padam in three words I’d pick Sublime, Original and Perfection.

The writing is sublime. I haven’t ever come across a drama with such an original take on what could have been a standard plot. I cannot express with enough appreciation how fresh this story feels while watching. Even with some of the same drama tropes like cancer and entwined fates, I felt as if I was watching a Kdrama for the first time. If I could elaborate on how amazingly lovely, heart wrenching and yes, even humorous this story is, I would talk all day and spoil any reader of this review. Clever details in very well acted scenes, smart dialog, raw and real emotion elevate this drama above most I’ve seen. The editing is almost part of the story. You must watch to understand what I am saying.

Jung Woo Sung was amazing. He portrayed Kang Chil with incredible fearlessness. I would imagine an actor must be brave to throw himself into a role and portray a man so raw, vulnerable and having to overcome such fear of a world he thought never wanted him. His performance was a tour de force.

Kim Bum did a fine job in The Woman Who Still Wants To Marry but he matured in this drama. As he has grown up, his acting has come along for the ride; his portrayal of Gook Soo was intense, goofy, natural and totally convincing.

Na Moon Hee who portrayed Kang Chil’s Omma was simply amazing in every scene. Her cranky, rough portrayal of Mi Ja (Omma) was bursting with life. I could feel the undercurrent of her loving so much if she ceased being mean and tough, she might melt away. She was incredible.

Han Ji Min was great as the tough, wary, vulnerable Ji Na who fell head over heels for Kang Chil. This has to be my favorite thing she has done that I’ve seen.

Choi Tae Joon who portrayed Im Jung gave a charming and very touching performance. I will be watching out for him in the future.

The cinematography was eye catching all the way through. There are sweeping views of meadows, snow covered valleys, quaint village towns and crowded fishing wharfs. Every local was rich in detail and perfect. The set design really needs to win an award.

The music was another 10. The main love theme “In Order To Live” was pretty and dramatic. The song “You Idiot” stood out for me as well; both for its lovely music, lyrics and theme and also the humorous title. That is exactly Padam Padam; a mix of incredible, intense emotion but also much humor and heart.

I would watch this again in a heartbeat! As full as my drama watching plate is, there will come a time when I will want to return and see this again.

Padam Padam is a complete GEM of a drama and I recommend it highly to everyone!

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I really loved this show! At first I only started it for Yamamoto Yusuke and Seto Koji, but I stayed for the story. I love these kind of "never give up" story lines.

By the end of the drama Kiyama (Daito Shunsuke) was totally my favorite character! He doesn't really talk much,but you love his character anyway. Wataru (Yusuke) is really funny, he's loud and always says what he's thinking, but has a lot of heart and Yusuke played him well! And Koji plays Yutta the leader of the team, who keeps everyone together.

It's just a really touching drama, and BIG BONUS in my book is that it has a great theme song! I still love it and listen to it all the time.

You defiantly wont regret watching this drama. I've seen it from beginning to end about 3 or 4 times and re watched favorite scenes and episodes (like episode 4 and 11) more times then I can count!

Even if sport/team/friendship dramas aren't your thing you should at least give it a try anyway, you might surprise yourself.

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Watching this movie was a quite good surprise. Pretty well played, pretty well filmed (knowing that we talk about a Japanese movie about 20 years old rock band members with some Idol actor, this has to be mentioned). I like this "no cute" side, as if BANDAGE is the dark version of BECK.

The characters are well done and played, except for Yukari, the manager, i think this one doesn't match so well with a manager function and with the aura in the movie.

About music, there are some good things, both about music and lyrics. Special mention to Yukiya's music.

I just don't get the end...

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To say that this is a romantic comedy set against a political backdrop is a matter of perspective.

City Hall, for me, paints a typical--if not accurate--picture of Asian countryside politics from the petty to the scheming bureaucracy and party politics, then taking it up a notch by touching on national politics and slowly intertwining it with a meaningful love story that develops into the fore.

WARNING: potential spoilers up ahead!

Shin Mi Rae is a 10th grade civil servant who, after winning a contest, finds herself being the victim of Inju's swindling city government. Mi Rae, indignant about this injustice, initiates a self-serving one-person protest until it becomes a city-wide issue. Mi Rae realizes that her issue is one among many of those being ignored by the government and through her efforts have gained the support of Inju constituents.

Jo Guk, son of a legendary figure in politics, have grand ambitions of running for national office however because his father's wishes, he grudgingly comes to Inju where his father wants to implement an elaborate plan in order hoist himself back into the political arena.

Both leads, although romantically linked, tackled substantial issues: on women, on livelihood, on farming, on employment, on social services, on elections, even on big businesses investing in a small unknown town. And this is what makes it a cut above your ordinary rom-com: it's not all lovey-dovey.

Although the story's treatment of these issues can seemingly be simplified and leaning on the melodramatic, you can still find little bits of truth in every issue presented in City Hall. And what I appreciate about this is the fact that it's love story develops at the second half and how it strikes a balance between love and politics. Thus, viewers get to see how Mi Rae and Jo Guk develop their romance from disgust and awkwardness to curiously interesting and becomes a love that's tugging-at-your-sleeve-and-asking-for-some-attention.

Acting - Dynamite! Kim Sun Ah, Cha Seung Won and the rest of the cast are dynamite! A remarkable and note-worthy performance goes to Yoon Se Ah's portrayal of Go Go-Hae--her acting was so flawless that I wanted to slap her!

Music - Although limited, there are some likable tunes that fit into hilarious moments as well as the more subdued ones.

Rewatch value - Odd. You might ask why a 7. Some might find it an easy rewatch, but personally, this is not the type I'd rewatch anytime soon.

At the overall, City Hall maintains a high 9.

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This drama was so enjoyable, fun and effortless to watch. There aren't any big conflicts or enemies, plot twists or action. But there is such a wonderful journey of growth for both leads. The symbiotic relationship they quickly develop seems so organic and believable. The acting was great. It really felt as though I was watching two real people through a window while they were not aware of being watched. They seemed that natural, that real. The humor was great because it was subtle. I really liked the female character. She seemed different than what I'm used to from other dramas. She was a slob and emotionally challenged in the area of love; but otherwise she was a smart,sweet, hard working woman aware of her mind (at least professionally). I'm really tired of all those women portrayed in dramas that seemed to be airheads, with no education or personal taste. That can only offer emotional support but otherwise need to be saved every five minutes.

The only downside I found was the second lead. He seemed very one dimensional. Even his facial expressions did not change much. Other than that, it was a wonderful watch. Highly recommend.

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This drama. THIS drama. Honestly speaking, I only started watching it for Han Ji Min, but ever since the second episode, I have been so emotionally invested in this drama that it's ridiculous. I was really thinking that I was going to get let down, but I didn't. This drama is a lot more about fighting your way through life and never giving up. It's broken my heart and put it right back together again. It almost makes me wish I had lived a life like our main character had, so I could appreciate all the small things in life as he does. It's made me change the way I look at things, and it's so well developed and perfectly paced that it's, for lack of a better way to say it, perfection. The chemistry is unbelievable. I'd watch this drama a million times over if I could.

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When I first read the synopsis for Padam Padam I honestly didn’t think much of it. Okay so a guy falls in love with an unemotional girl but has a “guardian type” friend played by Kim bum on the side? Just so you know all I got from this was Kim Bum. That is basically the only reason I even thought of watching in the first place. Amazingly enough though the first episode was so interesting that I looked beyond what first attracted me to even watching in the first place…

Story- Right from the first episode your mind will be all over the place while watching. I kept going WTF every moment and then the ending of that episode was like “are you serious?!” but in a good way. After watching that first episode I knew I was in for a show with a story I had never seen before in the Kdrama world. The story went at a slower pace but it was needed to not only build up the plot in a way that will keep the audience interested throughout the entire run, but also it was needed for the development of Kang Chil’s relationships(not just romantic). I wont give a way the ending (which honestly with the way they started the drama it could’ve gone anyway the writers wanted being unpredictable) but I will say it was bittersweet and not completely closed. Really though I cried in the last 2 episodes and its hard to make me cry!

Acting/Cast- Phenomenal acting by everyone involved including every single one of the supporting characters. Really though JWS. HJM, and KB really shined and brought their characters to life. Those three deserve acting awards and I hope they at least get nominated. I just wanted to point out that I really did not like the character Ji Nah at all during the first half of the series so much so I didn’t care about her romance with main character. But her character development during the second half was so good and made me root for her. This is what good writing is all about. Making you hate a character one minute but then changing your mind in another is pretty amazing to me.

Music- I liked the music score more than the OST but the songs did elevate the scenes in which they were meant to.

Rewatch- I would wait 3-4 years before watching this again just because this is one of those dramas that doesn’t need to be watched for a while because once the plot is known you don’t get the same feel you had the first time. Hopefully by then I will forget most of what happened during the story so I can enjoy watching it again.

Overall Padam Padam plays like a movie with the excellent cinematography, acting, plot, and score. This drama was new, refreshing and I hope there are more dramas like this to come.

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I watched this because Kim Joon is in it, but I ended with enjoying all of the actors!!! The story is great although I did guess "who done it" from pretty much the beginning. I think that is because I read a lot of mystery books. Anyway the plot is well organized and makes perfect since. They keep the love low key which is good for me, because I was watching this as an escape from my usual romantic comedy. I also like that this wasn't a teenybopper type KD. The actors are more my age and older and that appeals to me. The theme song is awesome. I listen to it all the time. Overall I think this is a well written and well acted drama. I would totally watch a season 2. I don't give it much of a rewatch value, because I don't like watching mysteries that I have already seen. As a side note...Lee Jong Hyuk has some great lips!!! ;-)

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I'm almost embarrassed while reviewing after so many good reviews about this drama. Actually it was the great opinions I heard about this drama that made me watch it. And I liked the first two/three episodes even thought I was waiting for something better. The drama started getting boring and boring to the point I'd just skip some parts and dialogues. There were some funny parts but the drama didn't show that many emotions.
The plot as fine but it kept the same from the beginning to the ending. No twists and no additional characters to make it more interesting, everything was about the same thing - Yang Eun Bi.
This drama is a lot cliché and for me the main girl is annoying. Maybe that's one of the reasons I couldn't bear with it.
The drama doesn't get deeper about the characters, while other dramas have a lot of happenings in 16 episodes and make us love/understand the characters more this drama just kept being the same, the plot was repeated all over again.
The only thing that was worth it was the beginning of the last episode. I didn't skip any part there, it was funny and romantic and it had feeling. But of course they needed to ruin everything after with the quick flow.
Overall I didn't like this dramas. My high expectations got really low. It's a drama cliché, it has some funny moments but that's all.

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