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A Weak Plot the Star-Studded Cast Didn't Deserve
It's been a while since I wrote a review, so please excuse me if I ramble a bit!
PLEASE NOTE THERE ARE SPOILERS!!!
Storyline: 4/10
The premise of this story is quite interesting, a man whose family has been cursed for a long time and a woman who seemingly can save him. On the outside, it looks like a perfect set-up for a magical modern story as the characters fall in love. The storyline starts out interesting but quickly gets sloppy, as the writer clearly struggles to maintain and balance the modern elements of the story as well as the fantasy elements. Although I've never personally written a script, I found myself thinking throughout watching the show that the writer had opportunities to put in plot twists but didn't take them---and at times threw in twists that weren't completely necessary.
I would say the love triangle was pretty much useless in this show, as the second male lead contributed essentially nothing. He does not protect the female lead, does not add anything to her magical journey, and just seems to argue with the male lead all the time. His character is also rather static, we learn very little about him except for his dysfunctional family dynamic and even that doesn't add very much. I'm sure it must have been a very limited character for the actor to work with, but he did a very good job with what he had.
Similarly, I felt the whole "other woman" dynamic was also poorly executed. Yes, the male lead's "girlfriend" cheats on him and we're meant to think everything is "even" because the female and male leads are technically cheating when they get together. I think they did a bit too much with the male lead's girlfriend in terms of the bully character, forcing the actress to repeat the same lines over and over. Although her character technically gets her karma in the end, we don't learn what she ACTUALLY did to the female lead until literally episode 16. Very sloppy!
Throughout the show there are many build-ups to literally nothing. For example, the shrine at the start of the show. We're told it's important and then they do nothing with it, no big full-circle moment like we'd expect. Same thing with Grandma Eun-Wol's character, you think she'll add something important but she doesn't. And most of all, the magical part of the show! We never learn for sure whether magic is true or not, and characters question it the whole time. This definitely makes the show duller, as we're promised fantasy and don't get it.
Overall, the writers of this show completely shot themselves in the foot. The story has so much prospect, but it is terribly half-baked and thrown together. This is of course reflected in the viewership ratings which even Rowoon's handsome face alone can't save. With some more planning and time, I personally think this show could've been a big hit!
Acting/Cast: 8/10
Now, some might disagree with me on this, but I truly felt bad for the actors of this show. As I described above, the storyline was incredibly messy and oftentimes redundant. Despite this, I felt that the actors truly did their best to make this show somewhat palatable. Rowoon does an excellent job at playing a golden retriever boyfriend, although I do find some of his more serious scenes bland---with the exception of his acting in episode 16 during a certain emotional scene. This is the first time I've watched Rowoon, and I actually didn't know he was an idol until I looked him up. His romantic and comedic expressions feel very natural, but his anger and seriousness could be just the tiniest bit better. Overall, he did amazing.
For Jo Bo Ah, I've seen her in Tale of the Nine Tailed, and I must admit, this is exactly what I expected from her. Just like in TotNT, Jo Bo Ah's happy-go-lucky acting feels very forced and bland. Comedy doesn't particularly seem to be her strong suit as an actress, neither is the cutesy style. However, I absolutely LOVED her acting in the flashbacks. Serious, heartbroken, and tear-filled. She truly sells her role in the flashbacks. Even when confronting her stalker, Jo Bo Ah's serious and tense expressions really come through. I'd love to see her in a thriller/revenge plot as the main character, if she hasn't done something similar already! Overall, I liked her and thought she did quite well with a rather plain Jane character.
For Ha-Joon (who played Kwon Jae-Gyeong) and Yura (who played Yoon Na-Yeon), I felt they also did a great job at making their dull characters come to life. Like I said, the script is messy and neither of their characters grow throughout the course of the show. I did find Kwon Jae-Gyeong's expressions a bit dull, but he certainly sells the image of an aloof gentleman well. As for Yoon Na-Yeon, I liked her micro-expressions especially in teary-eyed scenes. You can feel she's trying to give the character more depth through her acting, but the script doesn't allow for more than what she can show you. I felt like that was a real shame.
I'd also like to point out that of all the female characters in this show, there is never a single scene where they are not discussing a man. Between Lee Hong-Jo and Yoon Na-Yeon nor between Lee Hong-Jo and her co-workers. I understand that it's a rom-com, but seeing women who can only talk about men and nothing else is unrealistic and difficult to enjoy for me personally. Nonetheless, all the actors including the supporting actors did a good job!
Music: 8/10
Personally, I'm not a big OST person, so I don't know enough to give you a proper critique of this show's OST. That being said, I thought the background music was pleasant and easy to hear. So 8/10 for that!
Rewatch Value: 4/10
Unfortunately, I had hopes this show would be good as I've heard good things about Rowoon's acting and I personally like Jo Bo Ah. For me the rewatch value is a 4/10 because although I picked apart this show quite a lot, I think a good part of it is because I watched it every week as it was airing. If you're in the mood to sit back and not think a whole lot (unlike me haha), this show is fine to marathon and the eye-candy male and female leads certainly make the entire experience better!
That's all from me, thank you for reading my very long review haha <3
PLEASE NOTE THERE ARE SPOILERS!!!
Storyline: 4/10
The premise of this story is quite interesting, a man whose family has been cursed for a long time and a woman who seemingly can save him. On the outside, it looks like a perfect set-up for a magical modern story as the characters fall in love. The storyline starts out interesting but quickly gets sloppy, as the writer clearly struggles to maintain and balance the modern elements of the story as well as the fantasy elements. Although I've never personally written a script, I found myself thinking throughout watching the show that the writer had opportunities to put in plot twists but didn't take them---and at times threw in twists that weren't completely necessary.
I would say the love triangle was pretty much useless in this show, as the second male lead contributed essentially nothing. He does not protect the female lead, does not add anything to her magical journey, and just seems to argue with the male lead all the time. His character is also rather static, we learn very little about him except for his dysfunctional family dynamic and even that doesn't add very much. I'm sure it must have been a very limited character for the actor to work with, but he did a very good job with what he had.
Similarly, I felt the whole "other woman" dynamic was also poorly executed. Yes, the male lead's "girlfriend" cheats on him and we're meant to think everything is "even" because the female and male leads are technically cheating when they get together. I think they did a bit too much with the male lead's girlfriend in terms of the bully character, forcing the actress to repeat the same lines over and over. Although her character technically gets her karma in the end, we don't learn what she ACTUALLY did to the female lead until literally episode 16. Very sloppy!
Throughout the show there are many build-ups to literally nothing. For example, the shrine at the start of the show. We're told it's important and then they do nothing with it, no big full-circle moment like we'd expect. Same thing with Grandma Eun-Wol's character, you think she'll add something important but she doesn't. And most of all, the magical part of the show! We never learn for sure whether magic is true or not, and characters question it the whole time. This definitely makes the show duller, as we're promised fantasy and don't get it.
Overall, the writers of this show completely shot themselves in the foot. The story has so much prospect, but it is terribly half-baked and thrown together. This is of course reflected in the viewership ratings which even Rowoon's handsome face alone can't save. With some more planning and time, I personally think this show could've been a big hit!
Acting/Cast: 8/10
Now, some might disagree with me on this, but I truly felt bad for the actors of this show. As I described above, the storyline was incredibly messy and oftentimes redundant. Despite this, I felt that the actors truly did their best to make this show somewhat palatable. Rowoon does an excellent job at playing a golden retriever boyfriend, although I do find some of his more serious scenes bland---with the exception of his acting in episode 16 during a certain emotional scene. This is the first time I've watched Rowoon, and I actually didn't know he was an idol until I looked him up. His romantic and comedic expressions feel very natural, but his anger and seriousness could be just the tiniest bit better. Overall, he did amazing.
For Jo Bo Ah, I've seen her in Tale of the Nine Tailed, and I must admit, this is exactly what I expected from her. Just like in TotNT, Jo Bo Ah's happy-go-lucky acting feels very forced and bland. Comedy doesn't particularly seem to be her strong suit as an actress, neither is the cutesy style. However, I absolutely LOVED her acting in the flashbacks. Serious, heartbroken, and tear-filled. She truly sells her role in the flashbacks. Even when confronting her stalker, Jo Bo Ah's serious and tense expressions really come through. I'd love to see her in a thriller/revenge plot as the main character, if she hasn't done something similar already! Overall, I liked her and thought she did quite well with a rather plain Jane character.
For Ha-Joon (who played Kwon Jae-Gyeong) and Yura (who played Yoon Na-Yeon), I felt they also did a great job at making their dull characters come to life. Like I said, the script is messy and neither of their characters grow throughout the course of the show. I did find Kwon Jae-Gyeong's expressions a bit dull, but he certainly sells the image of an aloof gentleman well. As for Yoon Na-Yeon, I liked her micro-expressions especially in teary-eyed scenes. You can feel she's trying to give the character more depth through her acting, but the script doesn't allow for more than what she can show you. I felt like that was a real shame.
I'd also like to point out that of all the female characters in this show, there is never a single scene where they are not discussing a man. Between Lee Hong-Jo and Yoon Na-Yeon nor between Lee Hong-Jo and her co-workers. I understand that it's a rom-com, but seeing women who can only talk about men and nothing else is unrealistic and difficult to enjoy for me personally. Nonetheless, all the actors including the supporting actors did a good job!
Music: 8/10
Personally, I'm not a big OST person, so I don't know enough to give you a proper critique of this show's OST. That being said, I thought the background music was pleasant and easy to hear. So 8/10 for that!
Rewatch Value: 4/10
Unfortunately, I had hopes this show would be good as I've heard good things about Rowoon's acting and I personally like Jo Bo Ah. For me the rewatch value is a 4/10 because although I picked apart this show quite a lot, I think a good part of it is because I watched it every week as it was airing. If you're in the mood to sit back and not think a whole lot (unlike me haha), this show is fine to marathon and the eye-candy male and female leads certainly make the entire experience better!
That's all from me, thank you for reading my very long review haha <3
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