The story, first of all, what the heck is it? Like it doesn’t make any sense. The idea was interesting, but the execution is plain bad and boring. There’s no logic to some of the characters actions and what they say, and I’m like what. And this is noted as a rom-com, yet the romance isn’t the greatest in terms of buildup, it just kinda happens. So the chemistry felt off the entire time. And the comedy is the most forced thing ever with many supporting characters just overacting. I feel like the writer should have focused more on the leads slowly functioning in society and a better love story, you know. But whatever, I guess.
Also the characters aren’t memorable.
Dongchan is like bread. White bread. The plain and dry kind. He’s flat out boring and Changwook could’ve done so much better. Though, I do have to say, Miran does have a more interesting personality and she’s got her goals, but I’m still amazed in how she fell in love with Dongchan. Tsk, tsk. What did she see in him???? Probably his handsome face, because same.
The supporting characters were mostly boring, annoying, or hold nothing to the plot. From the villain to the producer to Miran’s ex.
Some scenes I liked though, were some heartwarming moments like Namtae and Miran reuniting. And the transition from the older to younger counterpart.
But my emotional connection with any major character was nonexistent.
I knew I shouldn’t trust this writer considering a certain disaster I disliked. I’m sad to see this as Changwook’s comeback drama. Such a waste of talent of this cast. Ugh. But maybe watch it if you like the actor/actress A LOT, the kisses, the uhh.. Uhhhh… uh.
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The plot was really lacking, first of all. This writer did that romcom + thriller thing in SWDBS, and I LOVED that, but the conspiracy plot in this one was simply underwhelming. Firstly, it was introduced early on, disappeared for a few episodes, and really came to the forefront maybe in episode 10-ish. It was resolved SUPER quickly and unsatisfyingly, and what I thought would really be the climax basically turned into a plot device to make the romance angsty. Even the sort of science/medical plot points were really shallow and had no real explanation or reason to them, and they seemed to just be there so the main characters would be separated by SOMETHING.
Speaking of the romance — I really did not feel any chemistry between the main characters at all. They’re both super high-profile actors who I know can do AMAZING things, but honestly from this drama you couldn’t tell. The first kiss was sudden and awkwardly forced, and I really didn’t even know they liked each other until they were like LET’S DATE. The romance was over-the-top cheesy in so many scenes, showing basically what happens when you use cliches and use them badly.
The entire drama was over-the-top, especially in terms of humor. SWDBS had this too, but the main leads saved the drama with their cuteness. In this one, the “humor” was everywhere, and it was loud and obnoxious. Both the leads’ families were basically there to either cry or react over-dramatically, and as a result I hated basically ALL the family members. The only one I loved was Nam Tae, and I felt like his character and the relationship he had with Miran had so much unexplored potential. The same could be said for Byung-Sim, or Miran’s ex-boyfriend, and her two best friends who I loved as teenagers but HATED as adults.
And Na Hayoung. Dear god, Don’t even get me started on her. She really had no role other than to be an annoying pining ex who would remind everyone that time passed. I’m going to cut this section short by saying that basically all the characters except Nam Tae was BAD.
The one thing I’d say that this show had going for it was that the OST was pretty good, but the show itself was so bad I think it might’ve tainted the songs for me.
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A huge disappointment
It was one of the worst dramas I have seen so far. I wasted my time on this that's what I regret most. With the promising and talented cast they messed up the whole story it's really meaningless and it doesn't make sense at all you just get a huge disappointment in the end I watched it due to high ratings but from what I can see the high ratings are just from fans of main lead because the story is a big failureRecommend to not watch this unless you want to waste your time or you are a huge fan of main leads so you can digest anything stupid like this...
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What you get out of this story is a relatively light weight romance, I thought the two leads had great chemistry and I always enjoyed seeing them on screen together. There are scenes where they're playfully teasing each other which were delightful such as when he asks her if she's hungry, she replies that she is, thinking he's inviting her to dinner, and then he suggests that she should eat well with her family then as that's what he's going to do. It's a simple back and forth but in the context of where their relationship is (or isn't) at the time I thought it was a great example of the little teasing they're doing on a number of occasions as they try and figure out what they mean to each other.
There's some mild threat throughout but it's paper thin and generally resolved without too much going on, the threat(s) create the backbone for the start of the story and then serve to advance elements of the romance part of the story, rather than really being much in their own right.
One really interesting question that this drama poses that should cause some debate is about the age of a person who is frozen. If you are 20 when you are frozen, frozen for 20 years and thawed - how old are you? - In a country where age is so important it's no surprise such a question is posed. If you were sunbae when you went in, are you hoobae now?
You will still in your mind and body be a 20 year old, but your birth date says you're 40. Your knowledge of the world is in no way current, your mind set matches that of someone closer to 40 than 20. They don't answer the question (which is good, this is the wrong place to answer the question, but a perfectly good place to ask it) but they do explore some interesting situations such as potential romantic interest with her best friends son (because her friend matches her natural age, and the son matches her "frozen" age). There's other bits that come up, and it's interesting to consider the options.
I was really frustrated towards the start because of the over the top reactions from a couple of the characters, one of them could barely stay upright half the time and both looked like they were having some kind of coronary. I thought it was over the top and in the early stages of the show made me start to think this was trying to be a farce comedy - which it really isn't - and since I really don't like farce I was getting ready to drop it (I really don't drop dramas either, that's how much it was annoying me). I'm glad I didn't, it settles down and the total nuts characters balance out a bit letting the rest of the story develop, some times funny, sometimes upsetting, but I found it always interesting.
Ending was good, but it almost looks like it's going to trip and fall - however it doesn't. Though, seriously, the old-man-cardigan in one of the final scenes, that was a bit over the top :)
This was my first drama with Won Jin-Ah and I am absolutely going to be looking up more of her work, she has such a unique voice and presence and i'm really interested to see how she delivers different types of characters as she certainly seems to have the range.
Ji Chang Wook was good as always, nothing too taxing for his first drama outing since returning from the Army but one that lets him show a sensitive side where previously he's perhaps been doing more of the action-type roles.
It's about as deep as a puddle, but it's light, fun, no stupid breakups, cute scenes with a cute couple as they find their way to romance. Mild threat causes some bumps along the way, more so towards the conclusion, leading to a reasonable ending.
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I'll be honest and say that the whole drama contains all the elements of the typical romantic K-drama. But we shouldn't focus only on the story and forget the cast. I think that the cast is the best thing in this drama. Ji Chang Wook is -as ever- perfect at conveying his emotions and feelings. I also discovered Won Jin Ah for the first time in Melting Me Softly. Her acting is really good and the two protagonists had and incredible chemistry.
At some points, I found some scenes really sappy and even noticed some plot holes. But overall, this drama is suitable for everyone who is looking for a typical romance with a very handsome male lead and a beautiful female lead.
I think that Ji Chang Wook could have done better for a comeback drama in comparison with his previous projects. I really like him for being able to demonstrate the feelings of his character with incredible sincerity. In Melting Me Softly, I felt like crying during some scenes and especially the last episode. Concerning his acting skills, he's never disappointed me.
To resume, I would say to everyone thinking about watching MLS don't get your expectations very high concerning the story. It's a typical romantic drama. However, if you're looking for wonderful chemistry and a happy ending then go for it. After all, it has Ji Chang Wook as the male lead !!!
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This review may contain spoilers
Honestly I don't know where to start with this. Maybe it's my fault, for having such high expectations after reading the synopsis. I waited a lot before starting it because I read a lot of negative comments about it, but I liked Won Jin Ha in Just between lovers and I was really looking forward to her next project.This drama felt so off in many aspects, primarily because it's not really clear what it wants to be: rom com? sci fi? thriller? comedy? Well, not that mixing genres is necessarily a bad thing, but it was like..."compartmentalized"? There are comedy scenes, romance scenes, sci-fi scenes but they don't blend together...it just jumps from a scene to another and you're left with the feeling you're watching 3 different dramas at the same time.
One thing I really disliked in Strong Woman Do Bong Soon (from the same writer) was the unnecessarily abuse of violence for "comedy" purposes. This time is Mi Ran's ex boyfriend that got beat up to a pulp several time. Was he a douche? Absolutely. But let me repeat myself: a woman who abuses a man is not different from a man abusing a woman. It's not a "strong woman" trait. It made me uncomfortable seeing the man getting abused in almost every scene.
Another thing that felt off was the way the two leads adjusted to their new life, there was some heartwarming sibling scene but I didn't feel any real grief from a guy who lost his father "yesterday" (knowing he died on a stroke while still searching desperately for him I don't know, I would have been devastated), somehow they adjust and beside of the "keep your temperature at 31° or you'll faint", it becomes an office rom com at some point. Even his ex was quickly left aside (well compared to those old dramas where the guy keeps wavering till last episode I suppose I prefer it this way LOL) I probably would have left out some of that unfunny comedy with the broadcasting staff and the ex to explore more the consequences occurred to them and their families.
I mean there was this premise earlier when we see some of their "99 life", where I felt this sadness slowly creating the atmosphere between both leads and their relatives, and when they reunited instead of a moment of pathos (with the only exception of when Nam Tae reunited with his sister) there is this chaotic scene with everyone screaming like crazy, crying loudly and objects falling noisily on the floor. Ruined to the core.
The romance was plain flat, they went to 0 to hero in half episode and it felt odd till the end: the first kiss was sudden and completely uncalled for, as for Dong Chan's reaction when he got jealous of the ex-boyfriend (in the police station, when Mi Ran hit him AGAIN - I cringed because they barely know each other, it was too soon for me). Just like that, to me there was no building, no climax and at some point I realized I didn't even cared about it much.
The mystery part was messed up and completely uninteresting, I found myself skipping a lot and I didn't even felt "lost" for doing so, the plot was too predictable.
In the end, I just finished it for the sake of the cast (Won Jin Ah mostly)
The idea wasn't bad, but was really wasted.
Also. If Mi Ran never actually even kissed Hwang Byung Shim, do they count as a couple?? To me is even a mystery how laws of attraction worked in this drama LOL
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How To Kill a Romance
A unique story that had some real drama, real romance, and subtle humor. You can say the concept of freezing people isn’t possible if you want. I enjoyed this one for what it was, entertaining. The music was great, the acting was good, and the story, only had a few problems. Unfortunately, those problems overshadowed the good parts.Since this was a Rom-Com the romance is supposed to carry the show. The character Ma Dong Chan was not an obvious romantic choice given his abusive attitude at work. I looked past that as part of the comedy. After all, Go Mi Ran spent 20 years in the tank with him. They almost made me believe in the relationship that was evolving until they let it fall apart. It was holding together until she returned from the tank for the second time. She meets him with the snow falling and they embrace. That was nice and I thought that was the continuation of love delayed. Boy was I wrong.
This is where strange things start happening. It felt like somebody, who didn’t understand the story, interfered with the way it was written. No good writer would ever let this fall apart the way it did. Or the person that wrote it was never in love. Either way, the ending was terrible. Why do writers have such a hard time ending love stories? I even watched the ending twice to make sure I didn’t miss anything. It should melt my heart, just like the title, but it didn’t. The story just fell apart. The office meeting following the snow encounter was just ridiculous. The family meeting was even worse. Out of nowhere with no story supporting her decision, she’s treating him with indifference and doesn’t want to be with him? I thought she loved him more. His babbling during that family meeting made me cringe.
I can see the writer(s) director and producer with their heads together. Let’s just have her read the diaries and go on a world tour with him and that will be a happy ending, won’t it? The strength of the two main characters dissolved into almost nothing in the last episode and the romance died a slow agonizing death. That made me sad. It could have ended differently and left everybody with a good feeling.
Full disclosure, I watch the shows for their romance. When I’m not watching romance-oriented shows I’m writing fantasy/romance novels. So, I get picky over something that doesn’t fit. But this show is still worth watching. You decide.
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Ji Chang Wook as the insanely ambitious PD Ma Dong Chan is the strongest character in the show and any fan of his will probably be tempted to keep watching just to see him. He is honestly great in his role but unfortunately, the script gives him not much good to work with. He's stubborn and single-minded and rude but at least his character had some passion and development. He's matched with Won Jin Ah as the brave and outspoken Go Mi Ran, who is also great in her role, but her character made even less sense to me, often contradicting herself, so her actions more than the performance was sometimes frustrating to watch. I don't consider it a spoiler to say that this is a rom-com about two people who are accidentally cryogenically frozen for 20 years. You would think that loss of time would be a major factor and what drives the story would be more sci-fi related, thriller related, or even emotional because of time lost from loved ones but instead, the majority of this drama is about how frustrating it is for two formerly frozen people to have a normal relationship and being unable to drink coffee. To me the relationship also felt forced from the start but because "Wookie" is so charming the most romantic moments are the best thing this drama has to offer. That doesn't mean I felt anything deeply for them as a couple, it just means that they knew how to deliver when it came down to romantic chemistry. They have quite a few cute and flirty moments but their shower scene is legendary.
The rest of the cast looked like they enjoyed working together but they were all one-note and over the top. I guess their goal was to be extra funny but instead it was silly and cheesy and I rolled my eyes more than I laughed. They did do a good job matching younger and older versions of the same characters, but I honestly cared so little about the other characters that it didn't matter. Usually, I'm a softie when it comes to stories about nostalgia but with this one, I felt absolutely nothing. That may be because characters basically stayed caricatures with little to no depth. Even her special-needs brother felt like a joke sometimes and don't get me started on the silliness of the "Professor" who ran the experiment. Shallow characters also lead to a very repetitive plot, which really stands out when the story is already weak.
The greatest offense this drama committed is creating an elaborate premise for why everything in this drama happened in the first place and then resolved it in the laziest, most anti-climactic way possible. One "bad" character literally only shows up to do bad things and doesn't even get more than a brief mention in the final episode. It was insulting how little effort went into creating a logical story out of a premise with so many possibilities. I really can't say I was disappointed though because I knew it was bad and watched it anyway. I can say that the second greatest offense this drama committed was dragging out the ending with ridiculous last-minute obstacles, and scenes that literally felt like place holders with no purpose or structure, only to end with a resolution that felt unresolved and shrug-worthy with a cheap metaphor thrown in that played off of the cold theme (ugh!).
The answer to whether or not I would watch this again is obvious. Of course not. What I will probably watch multiple times is that shower scene, which is the only reason the rewatch score is at 1.5.
The music was very forgettable.
Overall this drama is a complete waste of time unless you really love Ji Chang Wook so much that you can watch his smile at anything no matter what's happening around him, but in that case why not just follow him on Instagram instead? Part of me hopes that he and Jin ah may get a do-over drama with a better script one day but I doubt that would be in high demand after this one. This drama would have left me with so many unanswered questions if I cared enough about the story but I didn't. I also know I'm not the only one who's emotions ran cold watching this based on other reviews (yes, it's really as bad as most of us are saying). Many parts felt rushed and predictable yet also dragged out. The pace of this drama was a little like watching a block of ice melt... I knew that it would end in a mess all over the place... like a puddle, but I still watched this drama literally melt into that mess anyway. I would never recommend this drama, but If this drama touched on any important theme (barely) it's that it's important to be mindful of not wasting your life on things that don't matter. To avoid wasting time on this drama just read the synopsis, watch the shower scene (not the episode just that scene), and have someone spoil the ending for you instead. Trust me. If you did sit through all 16 episodes most of it would be forgettable anyway so just like Mi Ran and Dong Chan pretend you were frozen while this show was airing and just skip it and move forward with your life.
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The drama had some nice elements in the first episodes. There was some potential about the whole freezing the main couple plot. However, the rest of the drama was boring. The story was messy, the romance forced and most of the scenes cheesy and predictable. The addition of the mystery-political trope was just not well developed and often forgotten in some episodes. Some characters, too, were annoying.
So, overall, three out of ten.
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This review may contain spoilers
"It’s a story about a man and a woman who participated in a project to be frozen for 24 hours". Sounds interesting right? But what killed it for me already is the "only to be awakened 20 years later due to a mysterious scheme." I hated this part of the plot. I felt like the cast for the main leads would had a better relation with every character, had the cast remain as their younger counterpart. It was just too awkward having an old person acting young because they're technically the lead's younger siblings or younger co-workers. That just didn't work for me. I had to skip those scenes because it's too cringing for me. Don't get me wrong. I'm not bashing the older cast for their acting. I just think that it would've flow a bit better had it only been 5 years later. Then the cast would've remained the same and at least it would've been a bit more watchable.But even if the cast remained as their younger counterpart, the plot wasn't all that great. We had this bad guy who wanted to destroy all evidence of this “Frozen Human Project,” just so he can keep his fake identity and get rid of his twin brother. He did everything from murdering his sister in-law & a professor that Professor Gap Soo was under & attempted murder of Professor Gap Soo and his assistant. He did all of that just to easily be arrested with still 4 episodes left. That made the rest of the drama pretty boring in my opinion. But how did the writer try to not make it boring? Keep one of the villain's goon still around, trying to hunt the main leads down which leads to a stabbing towards the end. What was the point of this? The evil dude is in jail so why would this goon still want to help out someone who has no power anymore? That doesn't make sense. What's worse is that there wasn't even a scene of his capture, just verbal words and a phone call about his capture. Talk about anti-climatic for the crime the goon did to Mi Ran. Because of this, we spent the last few episodes of pretty much everybody in sadness. This was a waste for the final week of airing.
Chemistry felt forced between the leads. I didn't see the connection. Because they both were stuck in a capsule, all of the sudden they like each other? Yeah right. I felt more sorry for Ha Young because she still loved him all this time and yet Dong Chan changes love because of being part of this project. He made her suffer for no reason. The love relationship between Mi Ran and Dong Chan isn't great either. A lot more bickering between each other from start to finish.
Others problems I had:
- It was never revealed who expose Mi Ran's participation in the frozen human project. We as the viewers had a guess who it was but the rest of the characters never dig deeper into this issue. Why did that random worker girl do it? We'll never know and we'll never see her get punish for it.
- This drama tries too hard to be funny. A lot of scenes that were suppose to be funny weren't funny at all.
- The writers trying to develop a second lead between Mi Ran and a student, who's suppose to be 20 years younger than her. Ew.
Ji Chang Wook is a great actor but this drama doesn't show any of his acting attributes which is a bummer. Won Jin Ah is an actress I will keep an eye on but again, I'm not sure if I would remember her role from this drama.
Overall, it's a different story situation, being handled pretty poorly. I say look for other dramas unless you really want to watch it because of the cast.
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