Reviews

I don't know what it is about Taiwanese romance dramas but I really like them. I like them so much I generally end up marathon watching them. This was a pretty decent story. The acting was good especially Ming Dao (you have a new fan) and Annie Chen, what a cutie! I kept wanting to pinch her cheeks! I enjoyed the love stories. The conflicts made perfect sense; however, as usual, the noble idiocy always drives me crazy and this was no exception. Lu Sen and Yu Bei, I was really vested in their love story. I especially love stories with no triangles, hello!! Do I think this should have been 30 ep? No, I think it would have been a better story with fewer. But overall, I was thoroughly entertained and rooted for the couples from the beginning.

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This is the second Taiwanese drama I have watched. I'm totally hooked now. This drama was about romance and following your dreams and being true to yourself. It didn't take me long to watch it. For some reason it gave me the "I just have to watch the next episode" syndrome. It isn't perfect...the grandma is totally annoying and there are some draggy parts. Mostly though it is full of character development that I really enjoyed.

I think Sui Sonia was great as Ma Xiao Qian. She plays smart, strong, nieve, and vulnerable character that keeps her idealistic views while facing reality. She is some one I will look for in the future. Lan Blue and Wen James are also good playing hateful jerks that change due to their enteraction with Xiao Qian. I LOVE Zhong Xin Ling who plays Xiao Qian's best friend, Mary. She was daebak as a caring, funny, straight-forward, advise giving friend.

I enjoyed the theme song. The music is good.

I won't rewatch this.

If you like romance, then I think this is a drama to watch.

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Overall [7] - This drama was very cute, especially since Miura Shohei was adorable in it. The story is light but at the same time covers more "grown-up" issues than those of high school dramas. The short episodes didn't allow this series to live up to its full potential though, unfortunately.

Story [7] - The premise of this series really could have driven it further than it did. I enjoyed the story and was really looking forward to more, but the series is so short it simply didn't have time to deliver. The relationships were rushed because of this, but I enjoyed watching them none the less.

Acting/Cast [9] - I thought the cast in this series was great. The boys did a good job of playing their parts well while looking cute doing it! Miura Shohei was the reason I found the series and I'm glad I did find it. I only wish it went longer so each characters story could have been gone over in more depth.

Music [7] - I can't say anything stood out, but I can't say any music ruined scenes either.

Rewatch Value [6] - Again, mostly due to length, the rushed feel of this story probably won't lead me to watch it again, unless solely for Miura. While I would recommend the series, I don't see it being watched over and over.

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Overall [9] - I started this series specifically because of Oguri Shun but I ended up really enjoying the whole thing. This series has a light feel to it, despite the subject matter, so it won't depress you if you are looking for something happy. I'd recommend this series to anyone looking for something just a little more "grown-up" than your average high school drama.

Story [10] - While a bit ridiculous at times, the story in this series was one of hard times, failures, and successes. It's not exactly a deep story, yet it still manages to cover some important lessons while progressing at a nice pace. The common theme in this story is one I feel many people can relate to in our times.

Acting/Cast [9] - To start, Shun was absolutely adorable in this series! I enjoyed seeing him in a role very different from what I've seen of him thus far. His ever positive attitude kept this series alive. There were a few characters I didn't care for personally yet they all fit together well and balanced one another.

Music [8] - I can't comment much on the music, as nothing really stood out in a way to make me remember it specifically. Though I can say what I do remember of it, the music was well placed and fitting of the scenes.

Rewatch Value [9] - I'll definitely be watching this series again. I loved the never-depressing feel of this drama. Shun was able to make every part of this drama enjoyable.

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High school dramas are hard to do right. High school itself is a really difficult time. You have to deal with growing up and finding your dreams, you have to deal with moving on and going into the real world, you have to become more independent and become a better person- it's difficult for writers to convey all of that. If you mess something up, you wind up with a whiny, boring drama with uninteresting characters. If you get it right, you get something like "Shut Up Flower Boy Band" or even "Dream High".
Story: When I first started watching this drama about a year ago, I really didn't want to watch it. At all. In the first episode, it was really difficult to like Hye Mi or any other characters. Hye Mi was overly proud and felt unrealistic, Baek Hi had no personality other than being Hye Mi's follower and I didn't have much sympathy with her and Jin Gook came out of nowhere and randomly decided to be the knight in Shining Armor and confused me. If you asked me what I thought about this drama back when I had only watched episode one, I would say that it's a waste of time and that there's much better out there. I understand that the writers were trying to set us up for the inevitable "change" in which everyone becomes better, but there's different ways of doing it so that the audience doesn't start out hating every single character. *Sigh* That was my biggest problem with this drama. The writers wanted to show how *much* the characters changed, going from one extreme to another. But the thing it, real people don't change so dramatically. We do it in subtle ways, so slowly and so quietly that we can't even tell unless we're forced to realize it. Months later I finally got around to watching episode two. It wasn't much better, but I have a policy that no matter what, I have to finish anything I start. I was pretty much prepared to give this drama a five and move on with my life, so my expectations were pretty low. Episode three was a little better, and so was episode four. It went on like that for a while, until I finally found myself liking "Dream High" instead of merely tolerating it. The main romance story really surprised me, because I had no idea who Hye Mi was going to wind up with until episode 15. I liked how the writers showed her interactions with both Sam Dong and Jin Gook and how all three of them slowly developed feelings. I also liked how the writers made it so that you could wind up liking characters you hated in the beginning- or at the very least wind up respecting them.
Acting: Taecyeon and Suzy were okay actors. They forced themselves sometimes, but they managed to decently convey the story when called upon. Kim Soo Hyun was amazing and pretty much carried the entire show with his portrayal of Sam Dong, Wooyoung and IU were cute, and everyone else ranged from good to amazing.
Music: As a music drama, music is the primary focus of "Dream High". The music here was targeted to a very specific age group, people from the ages of about 13-24-ish. It was young and upbeat, with all the actors' voices to carry the music.
Rewatch Value: I'd say there's a fair chance of me rewatching parts of this, but I probably won't for a while.
Overall: "Dream High" is an acquired taste. It sort of grows on you as you move along through the story. It's not the most amazing drama out there, but it brings something new to the table.

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This drama wrangles my feminist side, but I still loved it. Talk about a guilty pleasure! I think it's due to the acting and the overall feeling this drama creates. It really sucks you in. With 50 episodes between season 1 and 2 these characters become so real, you never want to let them go. I just finished both seasons and I'm having a drama hangover. I can't start a new drama or book because I'm still feeling this one :). I have never felt this way about a drama before, the closest I have come to these feelings is with books (which are my addiction). I love Ariel Lin, even though I thought she looked ugly and like a 13 year old here. Even the way she dressed. No offense to fans, I am one of them. Ariel Lin is my favorite Taiwanese actress, but she looked so different here, from " In Time With You", it was a bit of a shock to the senses. lol. Joe Cheng, He just got himself a new fan. He did wonderful in this drama.

If you are considering finding out why this drama is so popular you should definitely check it out.

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"Flower Boy Next Door" really brings up a lot of important issues. It deals with dreams, success, friendship and love. The half of this drama feels like it comes straight from the heart. Each and every emotion was so intense you felt like the characters were actually real. The second half? Well, everything sort of went downhill from episode 12.
Story: At first, I found Dok Mi to be overly sensitive. She locked herself up just because Do Hwi abandoned her. I expected my views of her to change over time, but that never really happened. The story only briefly mentions how Dok Mi's family abandoned her, but it never goes into specifics. I felt that after episode 12, the show could have dealt with her family instead of the overused go abroad arc. That way, I could have sympathized with her some more.
Acting: Yoon Shi Yoon and Kim Ji Hoon were pretty awesome in their roles. Enrique appeared to be a really hard character to play, but Yoon pulled it off without making Enrique seem too unrealistic and annoying. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of characters like Enrique because actors can't really pull them off that well. The actors make the character too annoying or too hyper, so it was nice to see what a character like that was supposed to be like. Jin Rak was that type of guy we all want but can never find, but his love wasn't as perfect as we'd like to believe. He was in love with the *idea* of Dok Mi- the perfect, innocent girl he thought her to be, not who she really was. Kim Ji Hoon was really good at portraying all the different emotions Jin Rak faced through his journey of learning about love. Kim Seul Gi and Go Kyung Pyo were adorable and well matched, Kouki Mizuta wasn't particularly amazing in delivering his lines (they felt forced at times), but he was good. Park Shin Hye is a difficult actress to rate because she fulfills expectations, but she doesn't really go beyond them. She's not particularly good when it comes to the more romantic aspects of dramas, and at times you could tell that she was forcing herself. She's one of those actresses who you don't really see as having a life outside of acting, and you don't really get a feel for what sort of person she is. In a way, that made it easier for her to play Dok Mi.
Music: The music was nice, but it wasn't amazing- to me, at least. It was kind of like something you would expect from a drama like this. Cute, a bit unoriginal, but kind of forgettable.
Rewatch Value: I don't exactly see myself rewatching this in the enar future. I might, but at the same time I don't think I will.
Overall: The story drags on in the last quarter, but the rest of this drama is pitch perfect. It's filled with interesting characters and is beautifully directed.

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I think I might be the only one on MDL who actually enjoyed Dr.Jin...come on ppl it wasn't that bad...it had the regular Sageuk politics (this time with a totally new subject) with a very valuable medicinal info (as a pharmacist-to-be I was thrilled when they made penicillin)...the acting was more than good it had 5 amazing leads each of them can lead a drama on his/her own (Song Seung Hun - Lee Bum Soo - Park Min Young - Lee So Yeon - Kim Jae Joong)...the supporting characters were also interesting...and the idea of changing history was pretty unique...you can't find it in other time travel dramas...
* the only bad thing about this drama is that the time travel thing was missed up...so what it's just an hour in 22 hours...this drama is mainly a Sageuk so If you don't like Segeuks you won't like it...otherwise I don't think it's that bad - at least for me it wasn't a waste of time ^.^
* the OST was good
* I'll re-watch it few years from now
***PS: I did a research about the historical background of the drama & I've got to say that I really appreciate what the writer & Lee Bum Soo did to Lee Ha Eung's role...they did a great job turning that evil man who killed thousands of Koreans for their religion to such a sweet person who wouldn't change his morals (I get now why Lee Bum Soo accepted that role after his success in History Of Salaryman)
*hope that was helpful :)

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First of all, these families’ heavy conflicts drama and for sure not a typical drama we’ve seen nowadays, this is the exact drama that I’ve been looking for so long. One of the most intense dramas I’ve ever watched so far, full of surprises. It tortured you so hard in the beginning and cuddle you so warm at the end.

Now I found the reason why this drama conquered a very high rating in Korea, 50 episodes I bet it’s worth watching till the end. I never found any dull moments from the start until the end. The screenwriter knows how to produce a good drama. When time goes around here there, everyone has their character and a reason to be there. In the end, we couldn’t find anyone to blame because they’re fated to be there and everything happens for a reason.

If we try to understand it, not try to pull it too much, and never try to push it too far, we are actually been here because we are destined to be this way. Massive conflicts in this drama teach us that we are today as we are and no one to blame and no need to regret it. Just accept it with an open heart and move forward.

Ujae’s determination finally changed, he learns to be a person who can give and take when he needs to. Seo young once fights for her pride even from her husband, in the end, the only thing that she wanted to and can comfort her is to be truly herself. My favorite characters are Ujae’s parents, even if you find them harsh and self-centered but actually, they’re warm-hearted and forgiving parents and believe in things with just simple common sense.

Seo Young’s aboujie, his kind of heart always leads to misunderstanding, and Seo Young always misjudges him. After reconciling, I bet your heart once at ease because everybody understands each other’s feelings.

Music the most Melody Day – Like Back Then, there are no words that can express how much I love this song. So beautiful.

For the viewers below 15’y.o, I prefer parents to guide them because this drama carries heavy messages and deep meaning, which sometimes could lead to misunderstanding.

Finally, Seongjae, or CNBLUE’s bassist Lee Jungshin, for his first drama ever, I rate him 9/10. He is so talented and doing very good job in acting.

I recommended this drama to ALL. I promise it is worth your precious time

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OMG total DRAMATHON! Not sure y but I had to complete this drama all at once. I know I am giving it just good scores, but I thought it could have been shorter w/o a lot of b/s filler. I totally understand that they had to do a lot of character development, but y did I have to listen to the grandmother yell & get on my nerves whenever she opened her mouth for like 5 episodes? Couldn't have done the drama w/o her part, but did she rly have to be that loud & ignorant? They made her character out to be smart & dignified from her position as head of her family. Then she did the most annoying things & was tactless w/ every1 she came in contact w/ basically. Rly drove me crazy.

The 4 main characters were awesome. I loved each one and understood where they were coming from based on the past experiences we learn about in the drama. These characters were developed very well and they each kept me interested in the progression of the story. I thought each actor brought out the emotions of each character well. I thought the story was very well written & that the pace was alright except for the filler that was used to make the drama longer. The end was ok, but I knew what was going on the whole time. No guess work there.

Oh well! I liked the drama & feel that others will as well. ENJOY!

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Okay let's be honest, yes this drama isn't like the first one, but I don't think it's supposed to be. It's totally different people in a totally different setting so things are obviously going to be different. I really loved this drama for the simple things.

I loved that there was actual interaction in the couples!! They actually would kiss, hold hands, have sexual dreams, have sex!!!! And there wasn't this big fuss about it either! I love that it was like real life, there's only so many dramas you can watch where it takes 5 episodes just to get them to hold hands in public. Geez.

I loved that the characters were honest. Yes the main girl was annoying at certain points, but she had opinions and needs and feelings and she expressed them instead of leaving people to try and read her mind.

Another plus was the music which was actually really good along with the filming locations. It was very bright and happy most of the time and made me wish I was where they were.

This drama is in my top for favorites since it honestly was good once you get past the frustrating emotions and back and forth that people really do go through in real life. If there was anything wrong with this drama in my opinion, it'd be that it was too realistic. No couple is perfect, you aren't always going to go with the person you know you should be with, you follow your heart even if others don't agree. You fight for what you want. You run around in circles protecting people miscommunication etc. It's real, that's all I think.

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This is probably the second best drama I've seen in my life.
(I'd say first but I am very faithful to Moon Embracing the Sun)
The drama takes you on an emotional roller-coaster, in every single episode. One second you're laughing, the next you're cursing (very very evil people), then you're laughing, crying, then crying while you laugh, or laughing while you cry. You'll most likely look like a loon to the outside world. (it's ok. It's ok.)

The last two episodes were better than the whole drama combined. Your eyes pop out of your face when you realize how everything and everyone was tied in together. Things that were right under your nose, but somehow you missed, become so clear. Your heart will ache, oh, it will ache. BUT...I'm writing this strictly nonspoilerishy for a reason.
I don't want to spoil it for anybody, even those ones who are curious and come here to see whether it's worth it or not. GO WATCH NOW.

the music... omo, the music. They play the right song at the right time.
Every single song had a special meaning, and the words and tone just pulled at your heart strings in a way that's indescribable. I wouldn't look up the songs before , because when they come, they'll hit your heart like a ton of bricks.

I think every single person in the cast, including the antagonists did an amazing job. I'm sure everybody hated the villains with a passion, and why? because they did an AMAZING job acting, as well as the good people too. Even those who had a tiny roles, or people that appeared for like 10 seconds, they did an amazing job too. I felt like I was there 100% of the time, I never felt like anything was over or underacted.

I know this drama is a bit slow in the beginning, but compared to most it isn't bad at all, AND it suddenly picks up and goes at 34895793857 miles an hour. It's worth second of your time, I will recommend this until the day I die... I was told NOT to watch it, and I'm SOSOSO happy that I decided to watch it.

EVERYBODY READING THIS... GO WATCH RIGHT NOW.
I gave this a 10/10 for everything, which I don't usually do.
That means something... 10 OUT OF 10.

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To cut to the chase one of the Best dramas I have seen. I put off watching this due to lots of other musical dramas being released around the same time. When I decided to give it a try It had me hooked within that first episode ( I love when that happens). I fell in love with Byung Hee and the friendship and brotherhood between the members of "Eye Candy". You get caught up in the fun of the the guys just being young reckless and having fun. The cast is talented without a doubt and definitely doesn't hurt that they are all very easy on the eyes. The Original Soundtrack is Awesome and just adds that much more to a great story.

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