Reviews

i just made a very quick review just to give the chaser some advertisement
because its so unpopular..or lets say one of the mdl underrated of 2012. (seen only by 40 mdl users)

Expect not to see any eye candy on here and it was evident on the poster.
I think somebody who come across w/ this drama with an impression like this..

"ooh The chaser? hmm ahjussis?"
*reads synopsis
*looks on the cast
"oops theres no hottie nevermind lol"

Oh well..anyway

for anyone who likes another revenge drama should give this a chance.
It was very relatable with emphasis on importance of living w/ family.
If i would think of a drama that shares some similarity...hmm
Think of city hunter w/o a superhero thing and the rom com stuff and add
the movie "the Crucible" not exactly but just to show some idea.

i will give you some hints on how entertaining this is
- after the 1st episode there is no break on tension or a big pause on plot,
it keeps moving in a above average pace on first 60% of the drama,
- it was so complex and every character interwind in the plot/ very well deveveloped and no weak performance.
- the politics scheme is easy to follow as it really happening on real event.

The Story: It was compelling and there is so many situations/happening in an episode w/ no dull momnets but its up to you.
Since its only 16 episodes...its not so dragging if you spot one.

The Cast/Acting: lets us not so bias if there no fave actor in it but what important is the character developement
and the performance they made. The Main villain has to be one of the great one you will see in a dramaland that isnt annoying.
The Main lead is very relatable and his character will make you symphatize w/ him greatly.

Music: entertaining as what you could expect in a tense drama

Replay: there is a part of me that even i watched this again...it isnt as entertaing as before since i got everything
from my first viewing, anyway it was a satisfying drama....w/ a fulfiliing conclusion as a whole but again its up to you =)

note: I heard this got Daesang award yay!

my other recommendation:

The Devil
Resurrection
Equator MAn
City Hunter
Giant*

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Now before y'all get upset about my review. I went into this with high hopes as loads of people I know love and are obsessed with it and were so excited when a second season was announced. So, like the drama addict I am, I got curious and decided to watch it.

Now here comes the part that may make you sad.

Reasons for the Marks...

Story 5/10: I just didn't get it. The story wasn't that interesting, the situations were just petty and stupid. Not a lot of 'switch girl'ing was there which sucked, it had so much potetial of being hilarious while trying to hide her switch from everyone including Arata but saw it was her straight away - boring!
Acting/Cast 6/10: The main actress was SO annoying; in her voice, the way she spoke. Her crying annoyed me, she looked like a man (she seriously looks like a less attractive version Hamao Kyousuke). Her voice was odd and deep for a girl. No offence to her there was just something about her appearance I didn't like. Best parts of the cast were Kiriyama and Jinnai and that was all. And the topless Kiriyama and a cute and romantic, lovely worded Jinjin were the best scenes.
Music 5/10: I don't remember it so it's an average mark.
ReWatch Value 1/10: I have no intentions of watching again.

Overall: 5/10. Will watch second season though as it's neither a straight like nor dislike. Only going to watch SG2 for more Kiriyama and Jinnai

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This was a fun drama. The cast was fantastic, there isn't anyone that I thought shouldn't have been there, or didn't do a satisfactory job. Siwon in particular was so willing to make fun of himself, and be as stupid and over the top as possible, and it was hilarious. Good job Siwon! He basically carried the entire humour for the show. Maybe there were a couple of characters that could have done with some extra development (Sung Min Ah in particular), but that's the writing, not the acting.

The music was very pretty. There was one song that played during the scenes between the two leads, and it was very fitting. Not necessarily the lyrics, but the music. It just seemed right.

They had a lot of digs at the Korean entertainment industry. And I mean, a lot! After all, it's set behind the scenes of a TV drama, and boy, do they milk everything they can from that! I loved all of the references to little things we have heard about, but haven't seen criticised so heavily in a drama before. Like the end of year awards going to the actor/actress/show with the highest rating, not the person/show who actually deserves it.

I think the extension got to them a bit, and the ending was maybe a bit... silly and predictable (although not unexpected). But overall, a good watch.

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This drama is a masterpiece.
Definitely the best drama aired 2012. Haven't seen drama like this before. It is very unique and great.

Story: Story is very different and addicting. It made me laugh and cry, feel sad and happy and even nervous, confused and annoyed at some point. I didn't get bored even once. There is lot of things going on all the time and I personally like it very much because it gives lots of things to think about continually.

Cast/acting: Characters are very well created and acted. Cast is just brilliant.
Big plus to main characters that are smart and have big personalities.

Music: I really loved the music in this drama. Perfect match!

Rewatch value: I finished this about half an hour ago and I'm dying to watch it again soon.

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Like another reviewer said, the synopsis of this story is misleading. The only thing correct is the male lead nursing his sick girlfriend only to fall in love with (another) sick woman. I felt that the main female lead was the one that learned to grow to love and accept herself as she is.

I watched this mainly for Lee Jong Suk. The story was interesting, but the way it was told did not do the story justice. I felt it was too rushed fitting in the span of one episode when it could have been paced slower and better as a movie or a short drama with maybe 3 episodes. While I did cry, I think if the story was paced better, I would've bawled. I thought the acting by the cast of actors was splendid and believable, which was probably the reason why I did cry.

The music wasn't terrible. Though I'm surprised this wasn't rated with a 19+ age restriction by the Korea Rating Media Board with the way Lee Jong Suk kissed Jun Ye Seo. (And the sound effects from that!) O.O

Overall its not a bad drama. I never really rewatch things, but I wouldn't mind if I had to. And if you're here for Lee Jong Suk, you won't be disappointed.

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This story is best described as sweet, silly, with a little wisdom and a lot of warmth thrown in. I enjoyed the actors (especially since the last Oguri Shun drama I watched was Juui Doolittle, and his role is basically the exact opposite in this one, which gave me a laugh) and found it a good watch for a bad day.

There are definite quirks in this show, however, that I am guessing a lot of people won't like. The characters are somewhat spastic, especially the villains and his goons and the main character (by so, so much). If you like really straight acting this will probably annoy you, but if you aren't bothered by their absurdity you will probably find it incredibly adorable. About the only other con I can think of is that the music is sort of non-memorable, which is kinda disappointing since I love good soundtracks, but its not the worst out there either. I would definitely recommend it.

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I will really miss this one for sure. Lets start with the songs they were good, got me singing it while at work and i dnt even speak Korean lol. I was watching this drama along with a historical one, and i realise it was a good match. For Full House Take 2 always made me brighter, turning my mood to happy and forgetting my stress from work. The acting was not all that and the story too, but the combination of everything was good and i really enjoyed. I would watch it back jus to re-live sum moments. the couple was cute and their behaviour towards each other beleavable. give it a try :)

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I watched this drama for Kim Nam Gil, as I had not heard much about it i had low expectations for this drama. Surprisingly it was quite a pleasent watch.
The story is nice and you dont get bored. The character of Jungdo is very cute and likeable. The romance is luke warm but even then you enjoy it. There are a lot of cliches as well and the "kdrama signature of the love triangle" is there but not annoying or frustrating.
The best is defintely Kim Nam Gil. His character as well as acting is good. both the females did a good job too.
Overall it was a good show, although not a great one. Cant really say its a show not to be missed, but its not bad either.

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Really enjoyed this drama. If you are a fan of Yoon Sang-Hyun, as I am, this drama is required viewing. The role of Heo Tae-Joon was pivotal in launching Yoon's career in acting. I thought all of the actors were very good. I even wanted to hug Kim Nam Joo, so convincing she was when emotional as wife Ji-Ae.

The story was involved and moved well. The first few episodes seem very banal but the plot does get more complex as the lives of four couples are fleshed out throughout the story.

I think this drama is underrated in drama land, as there isn't much mention of it elsewhere and mine is the first review posted on MDL.

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Story: When you can make the viewer think, "Maybe this is what happened in Big's god-awful finale?", you know, that as a drama about making dramas, you're doing something right. Every episode, there are all kinds of conflicts that Anthony's drama had to face, and these conflicts also parallels what occurs in the drama industry in real life: live-shooting, extensions, scandals, plagiarism, you name it. At the end of each episodes, there's these cliffhangers that makes you demand for more. As a drama about making dramas, the stakes are surprisingly high. It's addicting.

If you think what you can only take away from "King of Dramas" is the knowledge of making dramas, then you're wrong. It's so much more than that. It's quirky, and freaking hilarious, and there's also romance. Also, when you have such a cold, independent, pill-popping hero in Anthony (or Ansony? pfft.) who's so desperate in squizzing a juice advertisement in his drama's finale no matter how much it just doesn't make sense, and a money-crazed actor who values his CF's more than the drama in Hyun Min, this makes for some rich character developments. I'm still astonished by how they were in the begginning and how much they've grown. And it's not like they all changed in one finger snap and got possessed by someone else (I'm looking at you, DH2). Their growth is believable.

This drama also does a good job of making us care. You're all wrapped up about wanting them to succeed, that when the moment comes when they announce the ratings, you end up holding your breath right with them, and just smile unknowingly when they got what they wanted.

What kept me from giving the story a ten, was the sudden turn the drama went in the final stretch. It went to this melodramatic turn that did not fit the drama's tone and earlier episodes. It was out of place and given that Anthony's redemption arc was already done quite well, it was unnecessary. I find it weird that Director Oh, a character that was the main source of conflicts for most of the episodes, suddenly left the spotlight. The writers dropped the initial plots and changed the storyline in an attempt to salvage the poor ratings and fill air time to make up for the extension. What a shame since no matter how cartoonish of a villain (plotting his schemes in his office and making constipated faces) Director Oh was, it was much more enjoyable to watch rather than touch the melodramatic turn the the drama went with a ten-foot pole. It was such a shame to witness given how well this drama was avoiding standard drama tropes.

Acting: Amazing. Just as you would expect from Jung Ryeo Won and Kim Myung Min. Honestly, what made the melodramatic turn worth watching was because of their top-notch acting skills. They acted the hell out of it. Siwon actually surprised me. I never knew he was capable of such funny faces and his Hyun min character never failed to make me laugh.

Music: I thought the music is such a significant addiction to quirky tone and comedy of the drama.

Rewatch value: This is a drama that you would enjoy the second time around. There are some golden hilarious scenes and some heartfelt moments that would be worth watching the second time around.

Overall: It's a nice look at the drama industry with stakes that are high, rich character developments, and hilarious moments. Despite the melodramatic turn the drama went, the overall quality didn't suffer that much (thanks to some winning acting by the leads). This drama deserves to be right at the top of your to-watch list.

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I'm only 20 episodes through this but I thought it was time that this show got another review. I watched this in the hopes of finding a Smile You 2.0. which Cheer Up, Mr. Kim definitely is not. While it certainly has some of the elements that made Smile You special (families from different backgrounds jutting up against each other, big company politics), but it lacks the comedy and wackiness that I loved from that show.

However, that doesn't mean that Cheer Up is somehow substandard or bad. This is just a different show. And I instead fell in love with it for an entirely different set of reasons. I mean, I'm really hooked on this show at the moment.

This show is cute. And not in a icky sort of American cheese way. Cheer Up is cute in a "god damn, some of these people have it tough but they're still lovely" sort of way. You will fall in love with pretty much all of the characters, especially Mr. Kim and his three wards. All of them are well written and well acted. The child actors are some of the best I've seen so far in dramaland.

I won't go into the story at all as it still has about 80 episodes to go and it really wouldn't be fair to review. All I can say is that so far I found all of the stories told in the show riveting. None of the plot-lines are particularly grand or extraordinary. They're just executed in an efficient and entertaining way.

This is must watch television.

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I originally began The King of Dramas because I was looking for a comedy and saw it on a list of currently airing comedies. What I found, though, was much more than a comedy. KoD was comedy, drama, meta-narrative, and intertext all rolled into one package.

Dramas-within-a-drama have been around since Shakespeare, but in k-drama, we rarely see the interworkings of the drama world. We don't see the bitter battle of production companies for time slots, the schemes of networks, or the interactions of actors, producers, directors, and of course, the writer. In KoD, we see all of these while focusing on the work of one fledgling writer and the resurrection of the career of one crazy Representative.

A drama like this could have gone south were it not for its acting. KoD's actors stood up to the challenge of producing two dramas at once. Although almost every character is of mention, Kim Myung Min, Jung Ryeo Won, and Choi Siwon were my personal favorites. Each brought such abandon to their portrayal of their characters.

Dramas also rely on good music. I liked every song in this drama, and probably had the songs memorized by the end of the show.

Overall, King of Dramas not only gives a glimpse of the drama world from the production's eyes, it also teaches us the importance of hard work and hopefully exposes to us how dramas work (or how they don't, at times). I can't wait to watch this again!

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Want to discover the world all MDLers are connected with? Watch King of Dramas—The Ultimate Drama-within-a-Drama for us drama-addicts. Indeed, it was an extreme remark, but what can I do? I love this drama to pieces.

Story: Basically, the plot will give you a parody about behind-the-scenes of drama-making and a man who will conquer everything for the sake of his ambition. The story isn’t really life-changing but it is certainly highly influential and enlightening in my case--at least on how drama production works. Yes , it’s supposed to be fiction but watching this one and at same time hearing news about real life drama made me wonder if in reality what was happening here is based on real life-drama filming experience.

I love the writing— Simple yet has a refreshingly engrossing storytelling and it managed to combine right amount of angst, romance, huge dose of comedy while handling issues about ratings, writer and director difficulties, financial problems, sponsorships, actor- behaviors and even extras. Of course, KoD is still a drama, there is a main story going on and I can guarantee that this one gives no dull moments. Intense and fast-paced, you’ll realize what I’m talking about if you try now and watch the first episode. Since KoD satirizes drama-making, it’s only natural for it to be funny, and if I may add, it is enjoyably hilarious in almost every episode. Comedy-wise, it’s a genuine masterpiece for me. Romance is subtle yet touching at first and tends to develop later which makes it more believable and truly romantic—not the usual wrist grabbing can determine the person you love. Did I mention a lot of anti-cliches here? Well, It has. And I love every bit of it! The ending was lovely and very satisfying for my taste.

Cast/Acting: Another thing to love about this drama was the evident character development on the main casts. In the end I have no choice but to love all of them. When I first watched this, I had known little of the casts and it was a great surprise watching all of them. Kim Myung Min also played stellar performance, the character change is very convincing on his part. He is amazing that he can take full control of his facial muscles while conveying the right expressions on his role. I love the strict, straightforward Representative with a sexy voice. Yes, I have to add that, lol. Jung Ryeo Won’s character is loveable-simple yet strong and determined. Her expressions are adorable. Their chemistry was noticeable just with their eyes and gestures, oh well, it comes with the leads personality, that’s why it’s like that—at first. The chemistry was wonderful, with just their gazes alone, I’m melting; Anthony Kim-Lee Go Eun has just become one of my top OTP’s this year. The biggest revelation, I credit it to Si Won—He is simply a truly great actor here. At first it was all funny just because it innates from his personality and self-love, then his expressions, his eyes, and then it comes a time that just his presence evokes hilarity. That’s how funny he is. Min Ah’s character is annoying at first but becomes likeable later on. World’s boys, who wouldn’t love them? Let me join your group! Tehe-

Music: Blind for Love, Keep In Your Heart and Tuesday Song are memorable OST’s for me, now another fave added. Even the instrumentals were catchy.

Rewatch Value: 10 because I rewatched some episodes already while waiting for the new one.

Overall: If a true drama lover runs in your veins, I believe you should watch this!—err, scratch that, I mean you would appreciate, relate and enjoy this refreshing, funny, one-of-a-kind drama as much as I did. :P

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