Ești Chiar Chipeș! (2009)

I would like to start this review by saying that I know that this is, for a lot of people, the perfect cliché drama. For me, it is indeed very cliché but I don't think it's anywhere near perfect. I did enjoy it very much but it didn't really blow my mind. I know it's quite old so, for its time, I think it did fairly well. And I've always been curious about it so I'm glad I watched it. I'll now detail my review a little.

Story- Probably the worst part for me. So cliché and not even done well. But I do have to admit it was entertaining. Unfortunately, the ending was not for me. Not because I was upset with who she ended up with but the last scene was quite bad, in my opinion. The plot is extremely unrealistic which makes it boring at times and I did skip some seconds every now and then. But, again, it's quite entertaining and at least it made sense in a way. The dialogue was a hit or miss for me. To sum it up, I've seen worse.

Acting/Cast/Characters- Unlike many people, this was my first impression of every actor in this show. I had heard of them before but it's my first time watching them act. In this, they weren't outstanding, even though they were very likeable. The characters were just... too much? I did like all three guys and Minam wasn't unlikeable but she was pathetic at times, I must say. Jeremy was so so so cute! His bus' scenes were heartbreaking and probably my favorite in the show. Shinwoo was such a gentleman... I do think he pushed Minam a little too hard but after all he had good intentions and I suppose it's really hard to be in a position like his. I would have chosen him! Now, Taekyung... ahhh he's in a whole different world. The other characters were quite good but forgettable. I did like the president though. I don't think the chemistry was that good but it wasn't terrible either. I really like the cast but it could have been better. I'm sure their other dramas are a way better representation of who they are as actors because this one was probably one of the first works for many of them.

Music- My favorite part. 10000%. It felt so nostalgic! The ballads are my favorite.

Rewatch value- Because it didn't really touch my heart, I don't think I will rewatch it anytime soon but I don't completely exclude the possibility! It was entertaining after all.

Even though this wasn't my favorite, I can see why this drama is very important to many people and also its contribution to the drama world. I'm really glad I watched it, even if it took me like... 3 months?? Oh well, I will definitely watch more dramas with this cast!

Watch it if you want to feel nostalgic. ^^

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famous cult show, Hong sisters' 5th

Recommended for sheer joy. 2009, 16 eps at 1hr ea. The Hong sisters 5th show, not a big hit on local tv, blew up in popularity on contemporaneous Japanese tv and thereafter online. It is has been a cult show for years. Smooth as silk kdrama, laughter and tears regularly provided. Essentially a teen love story about a teen band, mostly situated in their "dorm", an utter pop 60's fantasy piece of architecture, but all organic curves (what is this building??).

First hook-- a separated-twin story and a twin-masquerade story (in the West, 12th Night and The Menaechmi likewise floated to the frothy top of their respective cultural scenes).)

The opening scenes have a mediterranean feel, is it the "technicoloring", the nun costumes , the naked marble statues or the scooter jokes? Thereafter the show is about the emotional interactions of a small cast. So deceptively simple.

Second hook -- missing parents and other relatives provide the nec. structural mystery, and they and the antagonists swoop in and out of the 2 main sets as if they are making stage entrances.

In an HS script, look for what the HS do better, those places where their absolute bravura breaks through; not essentially in original plots or characters , but in how well they do them.

1. In this production, the use of what is essentially a chorus in ancient classical comedy/tragedy is wonderful. The fangirls who camp outside the company (afterschool?) wail and beat their breasts astoundingly and comment upon the action in silly ways. In the countryside visit the three old women are incredible, not only does their performance have perfect comic rhythm, but HS weaves in references to trot singers and specialized tv shows where the other half of Korea gets its impressions of entertainment. A quick meta to the history of music in SK, in an idol drama!!!

2. The recognition-of-the-lovers section comes a little later than expected, but when it does the carefully built-up system of metaphors and puns explodes as the characters deploy them in the service of conversations practically in code. The light of the "star" (and awfully, the moon as reflector of it/the sun) versus the light of the sun which blots out the recognition of others, darkness and light, hiding and paying attention, seeing and not seeing, showing and not showing. The ML has night-blindness, oh yes he does. The pleasure of the final tensions being resolved in poetic language is so intensely the HS' territory.

it is not useful to trace influence in a hectic renaissance time like this one where dramas run only for 2 months, performers and writers work for cheap for companies which have state monies to spend, and where many of the behind the scenes creatives have one of the excellent university degrees in theatre and film available in SK. The consequence of the hurly-burly is that any successful show is instantly imitated piecemeal by competitors looking for that secret sauce. Only those on the scene have any memories of what went into that creative process.

You're Beautiful is a show on par with Hwayugi in characters who are almost instantly recognizable after just the 1st episode. I loved Lee Hong Ki there as the unforgettable PK (and Lee se Young as his zombie friend Richie!) and I love him here as Jeremy, a character who reflects a prototype love-is-love theme. Jang Geun Suk rises from the ashes of HGD as a Heathcliff-ian ML. Yonghwa of the band cnblue is the 2ml in semi-love triangle!

Park Shin Hye is one of those heroic kdrama actresses who started working at the age of 13 and is still going strong 33 dramas later. Although her trippy little dove-of-christ characterization made my teeth grind, I can believe that that sort of naivete existed somewhere before my own era--nowadays most nuns and novitiates after Vatican II are amazingly truehearted, practical and energetic persons. And of course, PSH's performance is a perfect, absolutely perfect, foil to the comedy (the term 'straight man' in reference to comic pairs is now unusable or I would use it).

Here is a question, are the Hong sisters basically insanely lucky in casting and directors so that their intelligent, flippant and tightly constructed scripts are thus given that HS stratospheric oomph?

first posted aug 12th, 2024 on Viki

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Toxic Male Gets Ultimate Reward ... for being a bullying.

The amount of demeaning, bullying, and nasty behavior Hwang Tae Kyung gets away is not cute, or funny. He's a really hurtful person. I don't think it makes sense for Mi Nye to fall for the guy who is the most cruel to her. What is this saying about women? "Treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen" ?

In order to have earned her love, he should at least have undergone some MAJOR changes, which he didn't. He barely got over his own ego enough to go after her in the end ... and only because everyone else told him to do it. He learned nothing. She was a sap, from beginning to end.

And when she found out Yoo He Yi was now bullying and threatening her brother, as well, Mi Nye should have finally found her courage and slapped the troublesome snake-lady. But no, she was a sap right to the end.

My third complaint is that they should have cast the brother properly, using an actor, as also slight-framed, for credibility's sake. Using a buff male body, with Shin Hye's head, was stupid, and obviously - could not be mistaken for the same person. It's not believable that the two were not just siblings, but TWINS - who had gone through a horrific ordeal together ... and yet, Mi Nye barely ever mentioned her brother, worried about him, missed him, and barely showed any interest in seeing him again.

The acting was fine - Lee Hong Ki was fantastic (as always).
The music was good.

The script? Very shallow, and disappointing.
Still, it was a good romp, and was worth it just for Lee Hong Ki's character, Manager Ma, and Kang Shin Woo, who (although the character made poor choices), was played well by the actor.

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Mixed bag...

It's difficult to write a review for 'You're Beautiful' as it's one of those dramas that doesn't take itself too seriously, so I also feel my review shouldn't be too serious either. If I had to give five words to describe this drama, they would be: decent (with an awful pace). The pacing was really slow, which is why the re-watch value has been scored so low here. However, it must be noted that slow does not mean boring for this drama. The story was interesting, it just could have been condensed in half (or even a quarter!).

I did like the main elements of the story, and the unpredictability of the story here too. There were some impressive twists and turns throughout which I did not expect, but was pleasantly surprised with. I also really, REALLY enjoyed the OST. Every song was really catchy and there were a bunch of songs, all perfect, with their own different versions or covers, which I thought added such a nice touch to the overall story which was amazing.

The acting and cast were mainly decent, although there definitely was a clear level of different amount of capability and skills. Again, I don't like to name any particular names as we are all human beings, but if you do watch this, it'll be pretty easy to spot those who acted well compared to those who did not do so well.

Now, would I recommend this? That's a difficult question considering the awfully slow pacing this drama has. So, here's how I'll answer this. If you like dramas with a slow pace, watch this. If you prefer dramas with a faster place, don't watch this.

P.S For a 2009 drama, the quality was surprisingly good!

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An Adorable Classic

I originally watched this during the airtime and didn't like it. I had rated it a 6.5. I think this is my first re-watch where the score is higher! At the time of this drama, we were peak "girl disguises as boy" style and it was exhausting.

I appreciate the actual story of this drama, ignoring the bits where they do attempt to bring in these side stories that don't stick, despite it being relevant to the main story. The ML and FL love story is a great progress. It isn't instant and then constant situation after dramatic situation. They start off at ends and progress beautifully. It is a bit toxic at times, but I feel the majority of the toxic nature stems from the third wheel to the love triangle. It was possessive and awkward.

The acting was great for the type of genre it is. That over-exaggerated, dramatic pause, comedy type drama. Everyone sold their characters appropriately, although I do feel Lee Hong Gi sent a little too over-exaggerated and it came off cringe and forced.

One thing I will always give credit to is the soundtrack. It's a great one and the songs are catchy and fun.

I rated the re-watch value high because not only did I re-watch it, but it wasn't a painful re-watch. I'm pretty sure I completed it faster this time than the first watch. I would probably give it another watch at some point down the road if I needed a filler.

Overall, this drama has endearing characters and an adorable love story that isn't immediately doomed because the relationship progression is actually staggered.

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Cult Classic

I think that is the easiest way to explain this drama concisely. It's a cult classic. If you read some of the critical reviews, I'd tend to agree with them, but the thing is it's what makes it a cult classic in my opinion.
The acting isn't perfect and the dialogue can be weird at times, but that makes it even funnier.
I think if you go in knowing it's not a serious tv show, you will better be able to enjoy it. You can't compare it to highly choreographed big budget tv shows of today because that's not what it is. But if you go in and just accept it for what it is, a lower budget old funny spoof on some cliches, I think it's pretty solid and has pretty good rewatch value

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Más divertida y adorable de lo que imaginé

La trama gira en torno a una chica llamada Go Mi Nyu que creció en un convento y se preparó toda su vida para ser monja. Esta chica tiene un hermano gemelo llamado Go Mi Nam cuyo sueño es convertirse en cantante y de esa manera encontrar a su madre. Las cosas se complican cuando a Go Mi Nam le ofrecen unirse a A.N.JELL (una banda muy popular) justo en un momento en el que no puede ir, por lo que su representante le pide a su gemela que lo reemplace. De esta manera, uno a uno los miembros de A.N.JELL se van enamorando del nuevo, pero... ¿saben que es una chica?

Sinceramente empecé a ver este dorama con cero expectativas, pensando que sería un "consumo irónico" y ya, pero me terminó encantando. A ver, sí es una boludez, eso es innegable, pero la trama es súper divertida y es imposible no encariñarse con los personajes (les juro que cuando lo terminé me dolió porque no iba a poder verlos más 💔).

Es una serie viejita y se nota, pero creo que eso ayuda a que sea más divertida. Los peinados, la ropa, el maquillaje... lit que todavía no lo supero 🤣. Hay muchas escenas bizarrísimas que me sacaron más de una carcajada (sobre todo cuando algún personaje imaginaba posibles escenarios en base a una misma situación).

Puede que sea cliché y exagerada, que la prota no pase por un chico ni de casualidad, que los conflictos sean tontos y que el prota masculino haga unos gestos muy divertidos con la boca, pero yo la disfruté un montón y se las súper recomiendo. Además la banda sonora es pegadiza y eso es un plus.
Ojo, si la ven que sea en plan "quiero distraerme y reírme un rato", no esperen una obra maestra porque no la van a encontrar. Aviso por las dudas(?

¿Saben qué es curioso? ¡Soy 100% #TeamProta! Sí, ni yo lo puedo creer. El second lead al principio me parecía demasiado pasivo y después demasiado intenso e insistente, no sé, cosas. Puede que el protagonista sea el típico tsundere, pero me terminó comprando y no me da vergüenza admitirlo(?

PD: Quiero un conejo-cerdo en mi vida 😫

IG de reseñas cortas: @altoplottwist

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Timeless charm ❤️❤️

I initially avoided You're Beautiful due to its unappealing wallpaper, lackluster print, and an ordinary synopsis. But to my surprise, I had completely underestimated it. While the first episode was a bit of a slog, after skipping through some cringe-worthy parts, I reached a point where the story truly became engaging.

Though it may not be the best drama by today's standards, back in 2009, it must have been a blockbuster. Watching it made me nostalgic for the days when concealer doubled as nude lipstick, and bold pink blush was considered high-end fashion.

The plot is cute, old-school romantic, sweet, and family-oriented with a delightful comedic touch. And most importantly, there are no overly dramatic kisses—sometimes going back to basics can feel so refreshing! The chemistry between Park Shin Hye and Jang Geun Suk is absolutely heartwarming, and I found myself falling in love with this couple. It reminded me of Boys Over Flowers with the girl being adored by three boys, but in some ways, this one was even better (no sudden trips abroad to separate the leads!).

What’s fascinating is seeing so many familiar faces from modern K-dramas, like Park Shin Hye, Kim In Kwon, and Sung Byung Sook. The drama also showcased Korea’s impressive technology, which was already advanced back in 2009, and it's clear that even before the global Hallyu wave, Korean dramas were making their mark.

All in all, You're Beautiful may have flown under the radar for some, but it's a drama that still holds its charm and is better than many overrated modern shows. It’s sweet, nostalgic, and surprisingly refreshing!

If you wanna experience the feeling like sitting in the sun on a cold afternoon, this one will make you feel that way ... Please give it a try and you will not regret ...
XOXO

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