Zombies + High School = Good Times

This show combined two things I love - zombies and high school drama! While the middle of the series felt rather bloated, I mostly enjoyed this interesting take on zombie lore with a large ensemble cast.

❤ The opening shot of the show does a phenomenal job of showing all of Hyosan High School’s various locals. And, boy, does it not disappoint in allowing the school to be the showcase of the series. We get to see action sequences and zombie hoards everywhere in the school, from stampeding into the cafeteria to hunkering down in the gym’s storage unit.

❤ While the romances are always secondary to the zombies, they are still wonderfully executed. One love story revolves around an unrequited love between two long time friends, and the other romance focuses on the class president and a former bad boy. What’s not to love?

❤ At the heart of this zombie drama is friendships - both those made prior to the outbreak and those made in the desperate days afterwards. All of the main teams lose party members, and their deaths are impactful because we’ve seen the deep bonds of affection between them all.

❤ Part of the charm of the show is the levity it brings in the middle of all the darkness and despair. I do think it has a rather hopeful ending, but it still hurts. It is, after all, a zombie show so be prepared to lose some of your favs along the way.

❤ Cheong-san showed up and did his homework. The actor, Yoon Chan-young, has made a fan for life. He had so many excellent action sequences, heartfelt emotional breakdowns, and spades of chemistry with all of the cast.

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From RomCom to Melodrama

The first fifteen episodes of this show were truly amazing - a vivacious female lead; a brooding hero; hilarious sidekicks; fun shenanigans; and an interesting premise. It had enough serious to make the implausible plot seem realistic, and enough comedy to make it delightful to watch. However, the last nine episodes completely turned this lovable crew into the pain train of melodrama. It was awful watching the male lead switch from cinnamon roll to bitter adversary to the female lead. Even worse was the fact these episodes occurred because the two leads refused to be more open and honest with each other DESPITE promising to do just that. Sigh. The ending of the series was also rather a let down. I wish the leads had more time in the real world together than just a short scene at the end.

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Mixed Bag of Romances

I truly enjoyed the main romance of this show. The leads had excellent chemistry together and their romantic relationship progressed naturally as they learned to co-parent together. The child actor playing their son was absolutely adorable and precocious! He should have had way more screen time in later episodes, but he is often not present as the story focused on the workplace drama. Speaking of the workplace drama, the overall story arc and message was positive. It can be challenging watching a story about sexual harassment and misconduct in the workplace, particularly if you have experienced it. Min Hui was inspirational, and her teaching other women to stand up to workplace abusers was beautifully executed. It did drag on too long, but I blame the episode count.

My biggest complaint are the side romances - neither were interesting or integral to the story. Which is not to say I didn't enjoy their characters. The addition of Min Hui's found family in Zhou Ruji and Cao Mu brought a certain amount of credibility to the story of a young career woman raising a child, particularly one with heart issues. Their friendship and love for Min Hui and Min Quanquan was enough for me. Rather than padding out so many episodes with their individual love stories, I wish we had spent more time with the core family.

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Cute Yet Forgettable

While cute, this story really didn't have anything substantial enough to make it unique or unforgettable.

❤ I appreciate that Sung Dok Mi never received negativity for being a fangirl, particularly from her love interest. He actively supported her hobby once it was revealed. Love the things you love, people, life is too short to regret it.

❤ Park Min Young and Kim Jae Wook certainly had chemistry, and their kiss scenes were really well executed. The other part of their love triangle, Nam Eun Gi, never made much sense to me even if I did like the actor.

❤ The supporting cast was cute, particularly Kim Bo Ra as Cindy. I wish we had gotten more of a romance between her and a certain second leading man.

❤ While the story was interesting, it never quite captured my undivided attention as it got a bit too convoluted in the end.

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Amazing Actors, Boring Story

Friends, I have seen most of the actors in this show. They are excellent performers and I know they could have created an exceptional masterpiece together if given a more interesting script. But, honestly, this show was boring. It certainly had interesting elements, but the 16 episodes with extremely long run time pretty much killed any joy or interest I had in the characters or story. It is too bad because I really like the potential exploration of all of these generations coming to terms with themselves as individuals, friends, and family. It did have some wonderful cinematography, which reminded me a bit of the Queen of Tears vibe. Ultimately, I feel this drama wasn't worth my time.

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Too Much Angst

Eternal Love is one of the first suggestions for those looking for something similar to Love Between Fairy and Devil. While the two dramas certainly had similar elements, I found Eternal Love to be too dark and depressing. It does have a happy ending (for those that need that reassurance), but at what cost? The characters go through some truly traumatic experiences; the villains are almost mustache twirling obvious; and the pacing of each arc felt drawn out and overwhelming.

While I may not have enjoyed the overall plot (or, at least, the way it is told), the acting and OST are top notch. Yang Mi and Mark Chao had some electric chemistry on screen, and their romantic scenes sizzled. Mark Chao, in general, completely impressed me - he played two very different characters in such an effortless and graceful way. I would say give this drama a chance if it sounds interesting you, but be willing to drop it if it doesn't hit you the right way.

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Sad and Depressing

I didn't understand the meaning of a "melo" drama until watching this story. I legit felt sad and depressed watching it despite the optimistic ending.

❤ Won Jin Ah was enchanting in the lead female role as she balanced between the reserved and emotional nature of Ha Moon Soo. Her story was by far the most interesting, particularly her relationship with her family and her grief over the death of her sister.

❤ What is it with male leads pushing away the female lead when they need them the most? The one that comes immediately to mind is Oh My Venus, but this is a close second. It made it hard to root for the main lead couple when Lee Kang Doo continuously rebuffed Ha Moon Soo's compassion and support. I get to some degree part of his story is allowing others to witness his pain, but it quickly became aggravating watching the push/pull between them.

❤ Other than Moon Soo and Lee Kang Doo's family members, the rest of the side characters were uninteresting and one-note. I've seen these actors in other shows so I know they can perform, but they were given very little to do beyond pine for one another or move the plot forward for the main couple.

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Cute Premise, Problematic Execution

While the premise to this story was cute, I didn't love the execution. The biggest problem was the sound editing. It became increasingly obvious as the show went on that the lead actress was dubbed - the movement of her lips and the dubbed voice were just slightly off from one another. I'm uncertain if other characters were dubbed, but it was not nearly as obvious as the FM lead. I also wasn't the biggest fan of her acting. She seemed very stiff and standoffish, particularly in comparison to the ML lead's passion and adoration. It's not an issue in the earlier episodes, but I'd expect her to be less stiff the more they dated each other. All that said, it was refreshing to find a drama featuring a couple with little communication issues. Others may have attempted to come in-between them, but they were committed to each other. If you prefer a couple with drama, this may not be the show for you.

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