I watched this show hearing many comments that it was a very underrated show, overshadowed by the craze that was You From the Stars at the end of 2013 going into 2014. My verdict: it does deserve more attention than it received but not overwhelmingly, mostly due to the first half of the show. The story is quite charming on the face of it - who doesn't love an underdog story? The characters also seem fully developed and thought out. However, the show falls short in its execution. I'm not sure what to attribute it to, the acting or the direction. I tend to attribute it to the direction, since the cast does feature some experienced and established actors who do a decent job with their characters. Especially Lee Seon Gyun and Lee Sung Min, who does provide moments of humour. The use of the era of 1997 is significantly different from how it was used in the Answer Me series - it's now a lookback on childhood as an adult, instead of the process of getting to adulthood. What I did enjoy is how the main romantic relationship isn't expressed through in-your-face grandiose moments, but is written into little moments and it creeps up on you. I did hear good things about the team behind this show - I have not yet watched Pasta but I plan to, one day. Lee Yeon-hee's acting skills improve vastly in this show as compared to the previous shows I've seen her in. However, she is definitely helped by the fact that she plays a well-formed, nuanced and relatable character, as well as playing opposite Lee Seon Gyun, who oozes charisma and stage presence. In fact, I'm thankful she isn't completely overshadowed by him in their scenes together. What I love about her character is her hardiness, her growth throughout the show and her sincerity which changes everyone around her by the end of the show. Ms Ma is written well - on the outside she's a cold, professional and firm pageant expert, but on the inside, she is a principled woman. She sincerely cares for the welfare of every girl, and plays fair. Intellectually, I understand this, but emotionally, I initially found myself not compelled or moved by this character. Fortunately, by the end of the show, I fully understood Ms Ma and grew to love her too. The villain Yun was puzzling at times. The show only really picks up from its "slump" in episode 9 or so. Before that, the company storyline to be on the brink of making progress but never makes any movement, which frustrated me. Thankfully the story does make good progress after episode 9 and it gradually grabbed my heart. I enjoyed much of the background music, which brought out the bleaker tone of the era.