Live On (2020)

OMG YOU NEED TO WATCH IT (it's literally a gem)

Oh my god, this is so good, high school romance stories sometimes feel repeated but this one was just great. I’ve watched so many high school romance dramas but this one was just unexplainable good. I loved all the characters and the plot. It is literally so wholesome and I had the fattest crush on Eun-taek, that boy made me feel bubbly. All the members had great acting skills, it left me wanting me after episode 8, but honestly, this is great. The plot was great, it was very relatable, and it made me cry. Oh, episode 6 or 7 had phenomenal acting omg it was just yes, that scene between Ho-rang and So-hyun oof it was just so powerful they really need that scene. ALSO, THE DATE THAT EUN-TAEK AND HO-RANG WENT TO AHHHH, their relationship is basically what I want in a high school relationship.
Also, this is a warning before I talk about the next but *SPOILER WARNING*
In the panic attack scene, they felt so right, they didn’t feel forced, sometimes shows just go over the panic attack scenes, they’ll never really put effort into it. But in this show when Ho-rang had her first panic attack, it was exactly how you would imagine it. I feel like some people won’t like Ho-rang in the beginning but that girl is the best girl end of the conversation, she needs a hug omg.
OH, ALSO Yeon-jun's cameo OH MY IT MADE ME SO SURPRISED. I went into the show without knowing he was going to be in it but was just chef kisses. I also like how they addressed how in a relationship you need trust, doesn't matter if it's between partners, parents, siblings, and/or friends, you shouldn't always believe rumors, they won't take you anywhere. And they also showed how in a relationship with anyone you need to give them time, time is so important not just in this show but in real life, you'll see in the beginning that Eun-taek times everything, it's just showing that every second in your life matters. But anyway, this show is just amazing, might be a little biased since the relationships in this show are exactly what I want, but give it a watch, you'll fall in love.

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Story is lacking, but acting isn't

Nice cast of young, fresh actors, some of whom nevertheless have several drama appearances under their belts. Also some Idol actors (Nu'est/Wanna One, Victon, ex Momoland, TXT guest appearance).
The cast acted very naturally and worked well together in a story very much aimed at a younger audience, although that's not to say older viewers wouldn't enjoy it (I did 😊).
The issue of school bullying was treated / portrayed very lightly in the script. Even if not shown, to say someone is beaten up would entail the victim to at least show bodily pain/discomfort in the absence of facial bruising, in order to convey that storyline.
From the way the bullying was exposed during the course of the story, the character's mental scars due to the experience, were quite OTT. Also, for someone mistreated, to behave so nastily to others without reason, was hypocritical and where the 'pitying' aspect came from was never backed up in the scenes from that time, so it didn't make sense why that person would feel that way about even their supposedly closest friends.
At the same time, in the present day, the bully's perspective about their actions was unusual, but I think true to life.
The supporting romantic side stories were sweet and I especially liked So-hyun and Yoo-shin. There was very little kissing, which considering their character ages and personalities, was a bit odd (it doesn't have to be full-on kisses.... but there were less of any kind, than fingers on a hand).
Noh Jong-hyun is an actor with more experience and I've enjoyed watching him in some favourite dramas; however, he blended in well with the other cast members, which I suppose means they got on well and enjoyed working together.
Hopefully we'll see many of them mature into successful actors with lead roles, in the not too distant future.

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A must watch

This drama proves that it is possible to make a romantic drama with a plot that actually makes sense and pulls you in. The best point of this drama that sets it apart from other dramas is that it did not make me feel like the directors neglected the plot for the romance. It had a sensible relatable storyline as for the romance it felt natural unlike some other drama's where it feels forced. Everything kind of fitted together and the ending was satisfactory. The feelings of the characters and the contrast between what people say and what they are actually feeling deep inside was portrayed really well. The music was amazing to and despite not having a kiss scene this drama deserves an award for portraying love so well. I feel like if someone was ne to k drama's this is the one I would probably recommend.

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Not Good Enough

Korean Drama "Live On" had an interesting prompt for the story, but somehow it ended up being boring.

The one thing that, at least for me, was off was the fact that the characters, well, most of them, acted like adults rather than teenagers. They even presented their problems as being adult-like (see the second couple). Another thing was that the drama focused on the mystery that, in the end, was not well handled and didn't create the momentum that it was needed. Thus, the drama left out a lot of the other plot lines that were added here and there, like the family drama of the main characters.

Other than that, the performances were really good from everyone in the cast. The settings and the broadcasting club idea were original, fresh and a nice touch.

So, overall, four out of ten.

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If you want a less cheesy drama that's more sweet while focusing on real problems, this is it.

**!!TW: THIS REVIEW WILL MENTION SENSITIVE TOPICS LIKE SCHOOL VIOENCE // BULLYING !!**

From the reviews, I thought the FL would be unlikeable like people mentioned, but honestly can you blame her? She's been through some rough patches of life. The fact that she's blatant and straightforward doesn't really make her bratty, it makes her honest. Sure, she is a little bratty but the character development fixes that, no? I'm sure there's a reason why the FL was made like this anyway.

I like the ML's acting a lot. Minhyun seems very natural and it's clear that he doesn't overexaggerate when he acts or tries too hard. He gets into character easily and makes it seem like the drama is really reality and you're there watching it in real life. Also is it just me or did he look like Suho's younger brother from True Beauty? I don't know. I see similarities.

The supporting characters were actually so interesting to watch which surprised me because normally I focus on the leads only but the relationships between the supporting characters added a lot more realism to the storyline while focusing on how relationships need communication and other problems that come up in relationships. I wouldn't say the supporting cast added anything DIRECTLY to the storyline, except a few of them, but it was still fun to root for other relationships.

Now, the storyline. I have a lot to say about it. First, I like the idea of everything being focused around the broadcasting club, it's just a nice change of scenes/sets compared to other high school romances that have their main scenes set as the classroom or some park or some secret restaurant the guy found. I also learned a lot about broadcasting and I never knew it was this complicated but that's because I don't take any clubs. Anyway, I won't say this drama doesn't have any cliches, because it does. But every drama has at least 2 or 3 so I'm not going to attack the drama for that. A cliché in this story is the girl's past, which is revealed to giving her panic/anxiety attacks. Yes.

The dark past etc. But honestly I don't know why it turned into a cliché because bullying/school violence is something that's so common it's actually pathetic. I like how the story indirectly teaches you to open up and seek out for help in times of need and that you aren't selfish for needing help. It doesn't just normalise school violence but instead, shows you how school violence negatively impacts someone's physical and mental health and what to do if you're struggling but don't want to tell anyone. It really teaches you about how harsh the world is like but gives you light on how it's not over if you're going through difficult times.

I like this drama a lot and the leads have great chemistry which isn't forced, it seems like what falling in love if you're in high school would actually look like (aside from the caging the girl against a surface or looking at the guy while he's teaching you something and those long extended eye contacts where you're wondering when the next dialogue is coming). This drama is more light-hearted and sweet while focusing on darker topics, their problems and how to solve them with cute leads and good chemistry.

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Simple Drama with a good message

Good:
Character development
- The main characters and side characters grew as the drama progressed in a realistic fashion. While at times the main actress's decisions did not make sense, it was not detrimental.
Moral
- The issue of bullying in Korea (and I would assume the rest of SE Asia) is slowly coming to the forefront and therefore, this show brings in a new perspective to the issue.
Yeon woo
- Loved her in Pegasus Market and Momoland. Happy to see her have more screen time.
Music
-Was good enough for me to look for the OST. Not the pinnacle of OST's but close enough.

Meh:
Story
-Nothing ground breaking. Quite vanilla but it was still sweet.
-There was a lot more they could have delved deeper into such as main actresses family relationships.
-Teacher's were essentially non-existent in the drama, which is slightly unbelievable but at least subway made an appearance.
Characters could have been fleshed out a bit more.

Bad:
Consequences of actions
-Main protagonist (actual bully) remains unpunished. That story arc is not concluded.
-Secondary protagonist was quickly wrapped up with no real conclusion.
-Main Female lead's negative actions were quickly brush aside and unpunished.
Product placement was super obvious

Overall, it was an easy to digest drama with the super cute Yeon Woo.
8.5 mydramalist rating = it is a watch. Low/non-existent re-watch value.

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Like the OST so much!

The story was good may seems cliché at some part but its okay. The building up is also good but i did get frustrated because they seems to give more filler than what i can accept but i guess the episodes will be cut to only 4 episodes instead of 8 episodes if there were no filler. And i would prefer if it's only have one main instead of three.

The acting, i like the first ML acting contrary to popular opinion. It suits the role just fine but maybe i have to watch his upcoming works to really decide if he is good actor or not. The other side couple did look awkward at some part but it's still bearable.

Lastly the music, OMG i like the music so much!!! it's absolutely one that give that suspense feeling to the story.

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smiled like an idiot

This drama really had me smiling like an idiot while keeping me on the edge of my seat. This mysterious person who knows all of Baek Ho Rang's secrets isn't a plot device to be taken lightly. It delves into her anxieties and deepest fears and reveals a rather dark past, and the villain is just a bit more unhinged than I expected from a high school drama.

I really did not expect to like this drama as much as I did. This is one of the few dramas I picked up without reading any reviews, and I'm glad I decided to watch it. The funny thing is the characters alone aren't particularly likable, interesting, or funny (except for Kim Yoo Shin who is an absolute cutie). But this drama connects them all in a way that their relationships, whether it be friendship or romance, makes them so lovable. While I didn't find the main characters extremely interesting or unique, their relationship was just so cute and supportive, which I loved. Their first few scenes were tense (it is a bit of an enemies-to-lovers kind of trope), but as they grew closer to each other their bickering was adorable and their conversations were meaningful. Even one of the secondary couples-- at first I found the guy a little boring and the girl a little annoying, but their relationship was just so sweet to see. I normally hate cheesy things, but they were cheesy in the best way. Rather than focusing on physical intimacy, this drama emphasizes emotional intimacy that relationships have to have-- hence, the smiling like an idiot part.

I also really enjoyed how the chemistry between the main leads was built up. Not to randomly bring in examples, but in princess weiyoung, I understood why someone might fall for the female lead (she's kind, clever, smart, brave, and just a badass character in general), but I never understood why the male lead specifically would love her. In other words, what draws them to each other? But with this drama, it was the opposite, which I actually liked. Baek Ho Rang doesn't exactly have many likable traits that stand out (although she also is pretty badass and gives pretty good advice), but I understood why Go Eun Taek would fall in love with her. Their relationship was very well written in that time was given for them to get to know each other and fall into a routine, and of course, lots of adorable moments and meaningful conversations.

And the friendships! This review is probably going to be solely on the relationships between characters, but I just loved the friendships between all the characters. Specifically, all the friendships Baek Ho Rang had.

Some other notes:
- The humor was just slightly there, but I wouldn't exactly call this a humorous drama.
- The suspense and mystery, while present, wasn't exactly a major point. Maybe it's because I binged this drama, but I didn't really feel the suspense that much
- A detestable villain: I absolutely hated the villain, although I was also concerned about how crazy they were
- An open ending: the ending was just slightly open, as in a few of the relationships between characters (especially family relationships) hadn't closed yet. I was satisfied with the ending, though, and I think it's better open than completely solved
- This drama has great messages. Seek help when you need it and tell people what's on your mind.

I don't think I'd ever rewatch this drama, but I was very impressed.

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A MUST WATCH WITH DEEP AND IMPORTANT MESSAGES

Such a good show and really underrated. It made me cry more times i want to admit and i wasnt ready to have my heart broken. I didnt thought that it would be so emotional and deep, i knew that it talks about school violance but they did such an amazing job both the writers and the actors that surpised me with how good they portraited bullying.
Everything in this show is great, the storyline is so interesting and it actually leaves you waiting to see what is going to happen next, it has the right amount of suspense and mystery, the characters are all well written with many layers, i really adore all the main six characters and the relationships they create, romantic or not. I love how they didnt drag the story even if we only got eight episodes (i believe that quality is more important than quantity).
I believe that everyone should watch it at least once because the message behide is so important.

Highly recommented!

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It's Overall an amazing drama

This drama is honestly so slept on. I'm not much into high-school dramas or whatever you call it and I tend to lose patience while watching them . Just like most other people who watched this drama, I started watching it because of Minhyun. But while watching this drama, I couldn't take off my eyes from the screen for even a second. The story is really heartwarming . The way the actors portrayed their characters was on point as well. And it has only 8 episodes!!! It was overshadowed by other top rated ongoing dramas but it's still not too late to watch it. I highly recommend it.

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