Gripping and intense

I finally found the time to watch the show, and wow. This was intense but so good! It's only six episodes, so it can be watched in one go, or at least very quickly, but the subject matter is heavy and it stays on your mind for a while. The acting performances were astounding, especially Koo Kyo Hwan and Jo Hyun Chul impressed me a LOT. This show shows how harsh and abusive the Korean military is (can be), how normalized bullying, harassment and physical/emotional abuse is, and how everyone takes advantage of their superiority in rank. Hierarchy always played a big part in why the system didn't get broken and the victims kept on suffering. The last 10 minutes really got to me... I was thinking "Either Seok Bong will get killed, or he will commit suicide", and the latter happened. Maybe shows like "The Glory" have already portrayed gruesome abuse and bullying cases that what was shown in "D.P." didn't shock me too much, but the scene when Seok Bong was surrounded by the SDT really made me shed some tears. Because in the end, the military will just bury his death and make him the problem and culprit to save face. Overall, the show is gripping and intense, but I really liked it. Buuut I will watch something lighthearted before starting season 2, but I am excited to see what challenged Jun Ho and Ho Yul will face together. I quite liked the trio of the two soldiers with Bum Goo, an unlikely group of guys.

Citeste mai mult

Some infuriating relationships but overall a sweet "older" drama

This was my second "older" kdrama after "Boys Over Flowers", and I have to say this aged rather well in comparison. The acting from all of the actors was convincing and touching, the story progressive for its time and the execution was good too.

What I liked:

- As I said, the acting was good. It felt natural, everyone had great chemistry with each other and the interactions were very fun. Yoon Eun Hye did a really good job playing a girl pretending to be a boy and Gong Yoo was very fun as Han Gyul too, even though his character could be a little mean sometimes.
- While I don't have a standout song from the OST, I find the music perfectly fitting for the series. It was feel-good vibes and very chill, perfect to be played in the background!
- The romance was nice too. We got some nice kiss scenes, the intimacy felt natural and the main couple looked very very pretty together. It was nice seeing Han Gyul accept his own feelings after struggling for such a long time, he fully embraced them and was ready to just openly love Eun Chan. Even after he found out and they made up, both of them were so perfectly in tune with their feelings, which I really loved seeing.
- Eun Chan's relationship with her little sister. While Eun Sae is a more of a girly girl, I loved how she didn't make fun of her older sister for being the opposite. I liked how both girls could openly talk about boys, love and their feelings. This showed that Eun Chan may "look" like a boy, but at heart, she's just as girly as her sister and capable of having a crush and daydreaming. I also liked that Eun Sae hat Eun Chan's back and never threatened to expose the big secret. I don't know why... I did not expect the sisters to be rivals, but it was nonetheless nice to see their sisterly bond.

What I didn't like:

- Yoo Joo. This woman was so confusing. I feel like she treated her relationship with Han Sung like an experiment, especially in the last couple of episodes. What do you mean you want to "try out" marriage and then just get divorced if it doesn't work out? She said that while pregnant...?? It seems that she had a miscarriage in the end and that the couple wasn't able to have kids, but it is nonetheless to messed up in my opinion. To make your kid a child of divorce just because.... Also, her not seeing the problem with staying up all night with a bunch of dudes, DRINKING after JUST getting married and finding out you're PREGNANT? Oh, but Han Sung was the bad guy for trying to hold her accountable that she was not taking care of herself properly?? I also did not like the way she literally threw away a 9-year relationship (after cheating for one year during it) because her feelings are so fleeting or whatever... only to break up with that guy two years later and crawl back to Han Sung. AND HE LET HER?! THEN she was mad that his world did not revolve around her anymore because he had this temporary crush on Eun Chan. I don't know if I missed that part, but when Han Sung kissed Eun Chan, she said that he "cheated" on her. Girl, did you ever bother putting a label on your relationship, or communicating your needs to the man? She was jealous while still having contact to her ex-boyfriend whom she left Han Sung for. The audacity I swear to God. Telling Han Sung that he has a victim complex when hers is even bigger?! I also did not like how Han Gyul said that she kept their relationship purely friendly but... that is not true in the slightest. She never drew the line with him. "Hey, I'm you cousin's girlfriend, please stop coming over and flirting with me. It's not okay", THAT is what she should have said. Instead, she was basically enabling his crush on her, calling it friendship or whatever. I think she really liked having the attention, but girl, don't get mad when your "man" (Han Sung) is doing the same then.

- Han Gyul flirting with his cousin's girlfriend and having an active crush for almost a decade? Get some distance, man. Him kissing Eun Chan against her consent in episode 11 was unsettling to watch, and I hate how the writer made him apologize for the wrong reason. "Sorry for what I said. I said something to hurt you on purpose"... he should have apologized for forcing himself on her, she was literally fighting him off :(

- Grandma was a bit of a misogynist. I don't know who the "harlot" was she kept referring to in the early episodes, but that was just mean lmao. She was also always mean and yelling like damn, calm down. I also don't know how many times everyone had to repeat that Eun Chan might be poor, but also independent only for grandma to say "I worked hard my whole life to be where I am, just like you"... girly, did you need to be told Eun Chan is dirt poor 10x before getting it??

- Sun Gi was a glorified stalker lmao... Kim Jae Work looked beautiful though!

- The conflictS between Eun Chan and Han Gyul in the last 3 episodes were dragged out a little, I would have loved to see them more like a couple instead of them running in circles and always fighting.

- Eun Sae and the mom: Eun Sae was a big brat to Min Yeop, who was just a doormat :( Just like Ha Rim said: she isn't playing hard to get. She was mean and bullying the poor guy just because had a big phat crush on her. The mom not having ANY working experience is wild because she basically let her 16-y-o daughter carry the burden of earning money with crappy jobs and then has the audacity (granted, that was only in like the first episode) to spend that money on shoes she doesn't need lmao. Eun Chan had to give up so much of her youth and in all those years the woman never seemed to have tried to get some job, idk... didn't sit right with me. She was a sweet mother and woman but this particular thing was a little annoying.

Overall, this may be an older drama, but I think it holds up well today. The romance is cute, the characters have flaws but they feel real and the chemistry between everyone felt very real and natural. I had a good time watching the drama :)

Citeste mai mult

I have literally no thoughts… This was good and made me cry here and there, but I think I prefer other slice of life/slow burn shows more ("My Liberation Notes" for example). I loved the male lead, he was such a soft sweetheart (and his eyes, THE prettiest brown, especially in the sun), the female lead could be a little dull in my opinion. I also really enjoyed Lee Jae Wook's character, it kind of reminded me of a modern version of Jang Uk from "Alchemy of Souls" *sigh*. I found myself skipping a lot in the last couple of episode because I got impatient to finish it, but I did not feel like I missed anything significant to be honest! Overall, a good show that shows that my girl PMY can do more than fun rom-coms with some nice cinematography!

Citeste mai mult

Ahhh... this was nice. "Summer Strike" gave me the same vibes as "Hometown Cha Cha Cha" and "My Liberation Notes" at times, I really like these small-town stories set at the seaside, they are so calming.

I loved our two introverts, they were so calming and understanding of each other, and I love how we still got some funny scenes of them together, capturing some awkwardness! I also really enjoyed the music and most of the characters. The second female lead got on my last nerve from the very beginning, I did not like her. The way she was pushing Dae Beom into academics without even knowing the consequences, or judging Yeo Reum for calling him "Dae Beom-ssi" instead of Mr. Librarian was just super annoying. Just because she's been friends with him since forever, she thinks she can make decisions for him or judge his relationship with the female lead?? At times, she seemed more like his mom than a friend (in love). I also never warmed up to Geun Ho's mom, I found her terrible. "Countryside attitude" - these countryside people were bullying a young woman for no reason (or rather for something that was not her fault.... did they want her to be homeless??). Their so-called attitude was just bad behavior and rudeness, nothing else.

I liked the simplicity of the lead's day-to-day encounters, and how committed Dae Beom was to Yeo Reum: knowing when she comes to the library each day, coming for her when he hears that something happened, leaving Seoul to come back to Angok etc. Their relationship didn't need much but I feel their bond was so strong and I like to believe that at one point they got married and moved in together lmao. I also did not mind the turn of events in the last episodes, some people thought it was unnecessary but I think it was fine.

Overall, a really nice little show!

Citeste mai mult

What a show. Overall, I loved the complexity and flaws of the characters, the OST, the cinematography and whatever filter they used (it made the show look so pretty haha). The relationship of the leads is a true slow burn if I've ever seen one and at times a rollercoaster of emotions.

It took me a very long time to figure out the male lead, and I am actually happy the writers made Zhu Yun describe him because he truly is one of a kind. In a way, he had all the bad things that happened coming for him. He had a tough life, but his strict and cold treatment of others lead to those people disliking him.

Although Gao Jian Hong (GJH) went too far in my opinion. He turned into a monster by the time we came back to the present time, corrupted by money, greed and his hatred for Li Xun. On the one hand, I understand him. The way he was treated wasn't very kind. He had to give up things, he was the second choice and humiliated, but at the same time... that's what life is (or can be) like. Like my mom says: it doesn't matter that you were the best at something where you come from. Once you enter a new stage in life, e.g. college, you will see that there are so many people that are just as good as you, or in Li Xun's case, even better. The thing is... Li Xun was nonchalant about his talent; arrogant and stubborn, cocky and a show-off. Of course people would feel bad, annoyed, and defeated . On the other hand, how many hits did it take until he finally would have stopped? Gao Jian Hong put Li Xun in jail, took his company, changed the company's entire direction, cheated other companies, tried to ruin Li Xun, ... the list goes on. His thirst for revenge went as far as disregarding his health and not caring about his imminent death. I do think it's a bit meh they went that route to be honest, to have him nearly die for everyone to realize that they have strayed far, far away from one another. The eternal trio was no more, instead they were enemies. But whatever, it worked out in the end I guess.

Another thing that bothered me was Xu Li Na. This was woman was shameless; she met Li Xun once over a weekend and POOF she was in love ?? and has the audacity to say she doesn't like Zhu Yun, like girl. This ... isn't it. The leads were loyal to one another by that time, and had obvious crushes and she really thinks she has a chance. And continues to think to a certain point that she still has a chance after Li Xun is out of prison... be so for real. At least she stayed with GJH after his surgery, in a way they kind of deserved each other ...

I don't have the energy to talk about the parents. Zhu Yun's mom can catch my hands.

Lastly, Zhu Yun should have let Li Xun grovel so much more. He should have been on his knees and apologize for the way he hurt her. He literally emotionally damaged her, the way she blamed herself and fell into a deep depression, relying on medication for years because of him ... I know why he did what he did but damn there could have been better ways to do it without hurting her like that. Their relationship in the last couple of episodes was really cute though. Him teasing her lightheartedly was sweet and it should have always been like that. The development of their relationship is slow and complex, which I liked but it really was an up and down.

From rivals, to tolerating each other, to slowly working and understanding each other, to kinda friends, to friends with tight loyalty, to crushes, to lovers, to exes, to strangers, to slowly approaching each other, to another bump in their relationship, to appraoching each other once again, to crushes, to lovers - like WOW. At least, in the end, Zhu Yun finally spoke against her wicked mother in her and Li Xun's defense. That woman was so narrow-minded agh.

Anyway, this show was great overall though. As I said above, the OST, for one, was STUNNING. Always stuck in my head, beautiful melodies and voices, always played at the right moment, it was simply perfect. The leads in the show are quite young (99/00 liner like wow), but so talented. Chen Fei Yu had some good comedic timing and Zhang Jing Yi particularly nailed crying scenes (especially the one in ep. 31), she is also simply sssstunning to be honest (like on top of her great acting). The chemistry between the leads was really great, felt like I could have grabbed it. Also, their hugs looked so comfortable ...
The cinematography was great as well and the overall quality of the drama felt very high! All in all, thumbs up! :)

Citeste mai mult

cliché and tropey but so sweet!

This is actually my second time watching the drama within one month, I just never wrote a review when I finished it last month whoops.

This drama is very cliché and tropey and sometimes a little cringe but it does all these things in such a charming way that I couldn't be mad. I just love love love it so much, I actually changed my initial rating of 6 to 7.5/10. The characters and their interactions as well as the pacing of the show are just so fun that it's easy to watch it all in one go. I really loved the dynamic between the male lead and female lead and I absolutely adored how he obviously has a weak spot just for her while being distant and cold with the rest of the world basically hehe. Ji Yan Xin was a lil petty sometimes and a bit of a tease (and sometimes slightly a red flag, but he'll be excused and forgiven), I just loved Ji Xiao Bing's acting for this character! This rewatch was extra fun because I started it after not feeling so well, and this drama lifted me up so much just minutes into the first episode!! So that's very slay!

I surprisingly also really enjoyed the second couple a lot, their push and pull dynamic was fun to watch and I really liked how well they mastered the enemies to lovers trope to be honest. Even the third couple was cute, I'll just ignore the fact that they've known each other for a long time lmao (since she was a kid and he was already a teen).

I also really liked the OST, it was really cute and fit very well into the drama. Overall, a sweet and entertaining watch with charming leads and secondary characters :))

Citeste mai mult

Well, this was great. I haven't finished a show this quickly in a while, I think. "Taxi Driver" was fun and entertaining and I really loved the different revenge plots and characters a lot, I am very excited for Season 2, especially because it looks even better than this one. I wonder how exactly they're going to top it but I am open to be surprised and flashed. I am already sad that Prosecutor Kang won't be in the next season because I really liked her. I don't know why some people disliked her so much, I thought she was cool, especially as the show progressed. Also, now that I am done with Season one, I agree with everyone that it is a crime how overlooked Lee Je Hoon was at bigger award shows (Baeksang Arts Awards for example) for his performance in the show, he deserved at least a nom, but definitely also a win. I feel like Pyo Ye Jin was overlooked as well. I have only seen her in "What's Wrong with Secretary Kim?" before, but here she was completely different and delivered a touching performance, she deserved more nominations. The cast in general is very talented and capable, which made the show even more enjoyable.

Citeste mai mult

What a show. I really loved the different characters and their stories, this felt like an extended "Hometown Cha Cha Cha" with less romance and more focus on life and relationships. Sometimes, the characters were annoying and frustrating, overcomplicating things because they wouldn't mind their own business and always put their noses where they shouldn't be, especially the grandmas.... I wish we would have gotten more of Hyeon's and Yeongju's life as parents with the baby, also the dynamic with Hosik and Ingwon would have been interesting. The show offers a diverse set of storylines with great actors to portray those stories and feelings in a way that always touched my heart. Studio Dragon knows how to make a show, so naturally the cinematography was stunning, Jeju island is truly such a beautiful place. The OST was just fitting and very, very nice. Overall, a beautiful, heartbreaking, and sometimes funny show about life, its people and their relationships.

Citeste mai mult

I knew the ending already thanks to Tik Tok, and I still started bawling my eyes out 45 minutes before the movie ended. This was such a sweet and pure depiction of first love, I wish I could have seen even more of the characters because they were so fun and likable the second the movie started. Oh to have such friends like this, to be in the broadcasting club, to eat plums straight from the tree, to have a school field trip at the ocean, to get drunk with your friends, to drunkenly confess your feelings, to have payphone conversations with your first love, to send emails back and forth with your best friend/crush... the list goes on. This broke my heart in a million pieces. To think Bo Ra never got to read Woon Ho's letter because he dropped it in the rain, or that it took so long for her to find out what happened after years of feeling disappointed. It'll take a while to recover from this one 💔

Citeste mai mult

... The female lead had NO backbone whatsoever and just let ANYone use her as a doormat, it was extremely frustrating. Dori looked great in this but it wasn't enough to save this drama because... what was that. It was only 24 min/10 episodes and yet this was an excruciating watch. Everything went so fast: them meeting, him saying "I love you" and them having sex all in the FIRST episode??? HELLO?? I was flabbergasted to say the least. The fmc's best friend was kind of weird tbh and the fact that she got together with the guy who sexually assaulted her friend is a red flag in itself, not gonna lie. I would never recommend no rewatch this. Not even for funsies.

Citeste mai mult

I don't care what anyone says about the ending or whatever, I really really enjoyed this show and all the characters (and the OST too, it was sooooooo good). I really liked our female main character: Ok Chanmi. She was quite naive at times, going to dark places with no back up, yet she was not one to give up or back down. She defended herself and those she cared about, so that was refreshing and nice to see. The male lead was great! I haven't seen "All Of Us Are Dead" yet, so that was my first Lomon-Drama but I liked him a lo. The fighting scenes were really cool and I quite liked the revelations - no matter how obvious they were. One last thing: Jaebum is innocent, Oh Gisung is the root of all evil and literally the spawn of Satan.

Citeste mai mult

This was even better than Season 1. I loved the games, I was on the edge of my seat at all times, and episode 7 and 8 made me cry (naturally). The games were even crazier and scarier lowkey than in the first season. But I gotta say ... it was interesting to see the Face Cards, I don't even know who was my favorite because they were all so different yet so intriguing. I am quite satisfied with the ending and even though a third season would be cool in terms of returning to the world and seeing more games and nice cinematography, the ending of this season in particular made sense and gave me closure :)

Citeste mai mult

I really liked how the episodes weren't very long, made me watch the drama super quickly. While the story wasn't anything out of the ordinary, I quite enjoyed it and giggled a couple times - the male lead is really handsome (even with his wig haha). The female lead is absolutely drop-dead gorgeous, I'm really jealous. She just radiates femininity, class and elegance wow. I wasn't too impressed with the overall acting to be honest and I skipped a lot of the second lead's romance because I tend to dislike that sort of side-plot anyway (the only second lead romance I have enjoyed so far was in "Moonlight"). I also skipped a couple episodes except for the last one because I had a feeling they would drag out the ending to add some drama and I didn't need that. While I love super-duper cheesy lovestories and endings, that last episode was doing a liiiiittle too much. Overall, a fine drama but nothing too memorable.

Citeste mai mult

This was HORRIBLE. Some of the acting was atrocious and simply so freaking bad that I wanted to pull my hair out. The male lead was so immature at his big age (34) and just simply not that attractive as a love interest – his personality just wasn’t it. The second lead should have been it because his style and personality were SO MUCH better. Besides, he didn’t mistreat the female lead. The last episodes had such weird plots that I had to skip through it because I DIDN’T CARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyway, I hated this drama, even the OST was bad and honestly really annoying.

Citeste mai mult