Not at romance as listed at Viki

For someone that is pretty much dedicated to romance and happily-ever-after, this show was a disappointment to me in that respect. I did not rate down because of this though. This show was cute, there were some amusing parts, and the concept was interesting.

The male and female leads were good. He tried to be intimidating, it didn't work. She tried to mind her own business, it didn't work. These two always seemed to be working at odds toward the same results. It did a good job of showing how there is more than one way to accomplish something, which was refreshing. I also enjoyed the family dynamics of the female lead. She had very strong principles, but was also able to admit her mistakes and move forward.

Watch this if you want a somewhat original storyline, a little drama and very little angst.

Citeste mai mult

This was a difficult one for me to review

Thankfully this Chinese show was only 24 episodes, which is short, so they weren't able to drag things out TOO much. What I liked:
1) Chemistry between the leads. They had amazing chemistry and there was a lot of skinship, with no open-eye, dead fish kisses. I must say that I think the "candy kiss" is one of the best I've seen. Their height difference was really cute as well.
2) Ming Ren as Lu Bo Yan - he was a lovely character. He appears cold, but has emotions that run deep and are long-lived.
3) Cute, romantic scenes.
What I didn't like:
1) Can we talk about the dubbing? Why, is what I want to know. Most of the voices are so irritating.
2) The character of Su Jia Nan. I think Serena Cheng did a good job, because I really did NOT care for this character, overall. She was selfish, self-absorbed, immature.
3) Secondary couple - just irritating.
4) Obligatory "girl that wants the guy". He never had any feelings for her, but she just will NOT give up.
5) The getting together, breaking up, getting together, (you get my point). They never seemed to learn from their mistakes. So this constant back and forth made the show seem even longer than it was.

All that said, if you want an overall cute show, with a couple with excellent chemistry and not too much angst, you might enjoy this.

Citeste mai mult

Cringy but fun

Okay, I'll be the first to admit that the acting in this show was bad, but I would still recommend watching it, because it's just fun! You could actually make a drinking game out of this drama - every time you encounter a K-drama trope, take a drink! The concept of the show was interesting and somewhat original, and I had the best time watching it, because I think they were actually able to include every cliche known to man. Since it was pretty over the top, I didn't feel too invested in the characters, and really felt like I was on the outside looking in, but I was fine with that. I upped my rating slightly because of Woo Do Hwan - seriously, he would make watching paint dry fascinating.

I found the female lead very interesting. She was a pitiful, "invisible" person (to use her own phrase), but even apart from being a white woman in Korea, I think they chose the right person for the part. Not classically beautiful, pale with freckles, strange hair cut, interesting clothes choices, it all went to a package that worked. And I loved her excitement when she found out she had been sucked into K-drama world! Let's be honest, anyone that is a K-drama junkie can understand her reaction.

Citeste mai mult

I've seen this many times before, and done better

Web series, which isn't bad in and of itself. I've seen many that manage to pack a lot into each short episode. Here, however, that didn't happen. The overall show was pretty bland. Typical high school/bullying storyline. However, I would say, for the bully that was after the female lead, someone should have called the police on him, because he was a stalker! One of my problems with this was that the guys all looked so much alike, especially once the ML dyed his hair.

The female lead was pretty boring, so I couldn't understand all the interest in her. Add to that the fact that motives for people's actions were never explained fully, it was hard to get invested in the characters.

It filled an evening while I decide what to watch next, but that's about all I can say about it.

Citeste mai mult

A lot heavier than I thought it would be.

Reading the synopsis, the description and looking at the picture had me thinking this was a Rom Com, something I could watch with very little angst. This show, to me was veering very close to melodrama. Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of really funny scenes, but I think I might have enjoyed it more had I been prepared for the heavy subject matter.
Acting:
Kim Myung Soo as Dan was good. He was excellent at the physical comedy aspects of his part, and can we just talk about his dimples? He got into trouble when trying to portray anger, then his acting seemed a little forced, and sometimes even watching his walk, he didn't seem comfortable.

Shin Hye Sun as Lee Yeon Seo is wonderful. I loved her in 30 but Seventeen and she plays a completely different character here. She's mean, short-tempered and unlikeable. For me, I was a few episodes in and I hated her (as I was meant to) and wondered if she would ever change. She played a ballerina, and she has the perfect, really slim body to portray a dancer.

Kim In Kwon as Angel Hu: I have to give a special shout out to him. He was exceptional. He was extremely funny when he was supposed to be, and was able to wring emotion out of me at other times.

Story: It got a little garbled in the last half. It seemed like another writer took over and didn't quite know what to do with the story. The bad guys were over-the-top. The multiple times of the main couple being together, apart, together, apart got tiring. I'll say again, why do most Asian shows short change us on the ending? You find out what is going to happen to the main couple in about the last two minutes of the show, and then it's over! I do have to say, the story of the old couple in the sanitorium was wonderful and it really made me cry. Some of the things didn't make any sense, like the second male lead - something happened in the second or third episode to show who he is, but then it turns out to be something completely different!

Chemistry: There was cute chemistry between the leads, but I never really "felt" them as a couple. I liked the fate aspect of it, but she was such a nightmare as an adult, what made him fall in love with her? It's a mystery to me. I have to say the comedic scenes were a joy to watch. And the scene toward the end with the leads and Angel Hu had me laughing out loud.

Soundtrack: Wonderful. The music was able to bring emotions to the front that I don't think the actors always had the ability to do on their own.

Rewatch value: There is so much out there to watch, and I didn't really find any scenes in this show that I need to go back to revisit, so the rewatch value for me is low.

One final critique: I have watched a TON of Asian shows over the past couple of years, and strangely, I always find myself fascinated with the jewelry the ladies wear. The jewelry is usually classy and interesting. In this show, they put Shin Hye Sun in the most AWFUL earrings I think I've ever seen. They were so bad, that a lot of times that all I could focus on. She is so beautiful and the earrings really detracted from that. Some of them looked like door knockers. Just very tacky, overall.

So, in general, I'm glad I watched it, but I can't say it was one of my absolute favorites.

Citeste mai mult

Having not seen the original, I had nothing to compare it to

I have to say that my review is totally based upon my enjoyment of this show. It was beautifully filmed, and I like the pace of Japanese shows, they tend to give you enough back story without re-playing things over and over again. Adachi Rika as Yo was good (I understand that she's more likeable here than in the original) and Shirasu Jin was excellent as Ren. He was the "perfect" man. My problem was this. Yo's ex-boyfriend was a scumbag (which is why she broke up with him in the first place) and he comes back into the picture and we aren't given any reason to think that he's changed. He came off as sleazy and I could not see what Yo would see in him, especially if you put the two men next to one another. When she got involved with him again, I felt that it was just because she needed a boyfriend, not that she still loved him. I didn't buy that relationship at all. Then when she finally wakes up and gets a clue we get a rushed ending. I have to say the ending with the family and the shoes was very touching and I shed some tears, but I would have liked to have seen them together as a romantic couple a little more. The scenes with them as friends were very enjoyable.

Citeste mai mult

A show of unlikeable characters

Andy Cheung and Kinki work together. He's her boss apparently. She is a big ole mess. Whenever she gets upset she cleans, it's like an OCD compulsion. She's got an extremely whiny voice. This show was full of mostly unlikeable characters. All the people at their work are just a bunch of gossips. Her family is a nightmare, and don't even try to pretend that they aren't. Andy's ex-girlfriend shows up out of the blue, she's not such a nice person either. Andy is a womanizer. Andy is getting back with the ex-girlfriend and trying to help Kinki get back with her slimeball of an ex boyfriend (why, for heaven's sake!?). All of a sudden Andy likes Kinki. There is nothing in the story that would lead you to see that the develop a fondness for each other or a relationship. This was actually a show that seemed to have a big chunk taken out of the middle that would have possibly explained the purpose and the motivation for the characters.

Citeste mai mult

Watch it for Yoon Hyun Min

I'll start with the reason this show got the high score that it did. Yoon Hyun Min! I just finished watching him in Falling for Innocence and I was looking for something that he would play the romantic lead in. He's been in numerous shows that are not romances, but since I'm usually pretty much all about the romance, those shows were not what I was looking for. He was excellent in this. Playing cold, rich, damaged Nam Do and Holo, the hologram that inexplicably develops AI, I felt that he was able to display a range of emotions, often side-by-side. When he was Nam Do, you could feel his drive, his brilliance, and his loneliness. Watching him roam the workplace in the middle of the night was just sad to watch. He had every convenience available to him, but he was always alone. Then, as Holo, he was boyish, charming, caring, and as Holo he kept evolving as he developed AI characteristics. Hyun Min has a very interesting look about him. His features are sharp, his look is intense, and he's, of course, handsome. But I have to say I'm more fascinated with his acting than the way he looks. Because I enjoyed the parts he played in this,, I totally would have rated this show higher if not for:

STORY: Every K-drama trope in the book is in this one! It starts out really strong, but then becomes a mess about halfway through. The storyline continued to get more complicated and unnecessarily implausible. How they dealt with Holo toward the end was very emotional and touching. Obligatory time jump at the end (yet another trope) and the last scene was very cute, but the overall ending was unsatisfactory to me, mostly because:
ROMANCE: I felt that this show was too light on romance and it wasn't fully fleshed out. Why did Nam Do like So Yeon? That was a mystery to me. I felt like she was the first girl he ever talked to so, of course, he had to like her. A couple of really bad/accidental kisses. Later on there were some good kisses, but I was wishing that Nam Do and So Yeon's relationship would have been developed more completely.
CHARACTERS: So Yeon. Go Sung Hee did a good job in this show. I'm used to seeing her as the kind of bitchy secondary character, so it was nice to see her as the lead. However, So Yeon spent entirely too much time crying/sobbing/drinking. She was pitiful. And her liking Holo - that just didn't work for me. I'm glad they addressed the issue that she liked him because it was safe and she wouldn't get hurt like if she was dating a real person, but it just didn't feel real to me. I enjoyed the other characters in the show - the secondary couple, Nam Do's co-workers, the policeman and his sidekick.

TECHNOLOGY: The technology addressed, and the cinematography were both really good.
MUSIC: Went well with the show. Nothing really stood out to me, but it wasn't distracting.
Random thought: I wonder why they have to translate the curse words in these shows. Couldn't they just use another word, rather than cursing?

OVERALL: Definitely worth watching, but it wasn't one of my favorites.

Citeste mai mult

Ugh!

The girls were either yelling or whining. The female lead was always yelling or pouting. She acted very immature. And she was a doormat, He was cranky through most of the show. He didn’t speak up on his feelings for her, just kept letting her say how she felt. And I really had a hard time getting past his hair. You could have landed a plane on it, for Pete’s sake! Add to the fact that this show was entirely too long - each episode seemed to have more of the same angst as the previous one - "I like you, but you are hanging out with your psycho ex-girlfriend so I can't like you, so we'll be roommates and co-workers and nothing else".

Citeste mai mult

That's time I'm never getting back!

I almost have no words. The acting in this was often over-the-top and the characters were more like caricatures of actual people. I really don't like shows that are considered melodramas, and this one falls into that category. The female lead was too good to be true - even after all of the evil stuff that the "friend" did, she forgave her as if nothing had ever happened. I'm all for forgiveness, but there should have been some consequences. And the ending? I wanted to yell at the tv! It was the worst! It was trying for ambiguous, but the ending was obvious to anyone paying attention, which made me even more irritated about all the time I spent watching this thing.

Citeste mai mult

slow, serious show about romance/love

This is not a rom-com (which is what I normally look for), but a slow and serious (but not melodramatic) show about love. Song Hye Kyo and Park Bo Gum both did an excellent job. In most of the things I've seen Park Bo Gum in, there's always been something a little "off" to me about his acting. This role changed my mind. His acting in this was perfectly on point. When he was happy, you wanted to smile with him, and when he was unhappy it was heartbreaking. There was a slow buildup in their romance/love, and it made sense. His patience, and constant love for her was so wonderful to watch. I felt really drawn in to their relationship, sometimes I felt like I was a voyeur in their lives.

Park Bo Gum's character was open and innocent. He seemed to look at life with joie de vivre, and that was an infectious thing. I couldn't help but smile, watching him. His love for her was so apparent, even though they were so different. Song Hye Kyo's character, on the other hand, was very repressed. Her life had been decided and planned for her, and she had never deviated from that plan. I enjoyed watching him bring her out of herself, opening her to new experiences, and living the way she wanted to.

I did feel that the breakup, though necessary to keep the story moving, was a little lame, especially since it was uncalled for and none of the circumstances that she was concerned about changed, so the breakup made even less sense. I felt that Song Hye Kyo's character was a little too weak in standing up to her family (the moms in this were all nightmares!). I also felt that, because of her reasoning for the breakup, her love for him wasn't as strong, and that was disappointing.

The cinematography and the OST were both amazing as well. This show was beautiful to watch.

Citeste mai mult

If you are looking for a good romance, I found this one lacking

The business aspect of the show - 9. The romance - 7. This show was a testament to girl power! Strong women, that go for what they want. I loved the acting by all the actors, but some of the characters I liked more than others - Cha Hyun was beautiful and she didn't put up with any junk! When Bae Ta Mi asked for help and she showed up with baseball bats, priceless! I loved the romance storyline for Cha Hyun as well. The music was good, as was the cinematography, but I really had a problem with Bae Ta Mi's character. She kept insisting she never wanted to get married. They used the camera angle a lot of her and Park Morgan being far apart from one another, and he was ALWAYS the one that came to her, even after the big breakup. And they'd barely been together for two minutes and she started in on the fact that they were going to continue to fight over the marriage vs. non-marriage. The ending could have been so much better romance-wise. The business aspect was tied up nicely, loved the ladies riding into the sunset in their Maserati, but I would have liked for Bae Ta Mi to have some kind of epiphany in realizing that she was going to be miserable without Park Morgan. The gentleman playing Park Morgan was excellent, very understated but displaying a wide array of emotions.

Citeste mai mult

Compact, moving story

Having only two episodes, this show was a very well-written tightly told story. This is one of those shows that I passed up multiple times, because I'm not into gangster shows, because I can do without the blood and violence. Wow, this was nothing like I expected! The fact that he was a gangster was almost used as label to describe where he was coming from. I immediately forgot about that, because this show was so good. Because it was short, you don't have to wade through all the unnecessary scenes. Lee Dong Wook is a master of "underacting" - his facial expressions don't change much, there is no unnecessary movement in him - but he can convey his emotions so well. You feel his pain, you see his love. His characters always seem to be somewhat self-deprecating and he's got a cute, dry wit. In addition to the story/acting, the music was interwoven beautifully through the story. This is a wonderful show that doesn't require too much of a time commitment, but it is well worth your time.

Citeste mai mult

Who was he in love with?

Excellent cast, but the script left something to be desired. He actually fell in love with the ghost and I could never figure out how he decided that he loved the FL instead. She got a little more assertive after being possessed, but still pretty subservient. I felt that the ghost was entirely too forward and found that irritating. However, I loved the sweet names he called the FL in deference to her small size. The romantic scenes between the ML and the FL were lovely. I've not seen him in anything else and was very impressed by his acting. This is the first time in a long time that I didn't see a ML cry during the dramatic scenes. I loved the scenes where he talked to himself, like he couldn't quite figure out what was going on and talking himself through the issue. Other than the love story, I felt the rest was unnecessarily drawn out. I wouldn't watch this again, except for some of the scenes with the two of them.

Citeste mai mult