Live On (2020)

Disappointed in the writing

This show really frustrated me, mainly because the writers would have you believe that the FL would rather have everyone hate her for something that she hadn't done, rather than admitting what had happened to her. I wasn't able to suspend disbelief that far. She was cold, and mean throughout most of the show. I might have been able to forgive that from a secondary character, but not from the main character. I don't like mean girls and that was the focus here.

I thought that the ML was mis-written as well. He didn't look or act like a teenager, at all. He acted more like a teacher, so I had a hard time with connections between him and all the other characters.

To be honest, the reason I didn't rate this lower was because of the secondary characters. They were very enjoyable to watch. The secondary couple was cute, though their big break up made no sense, other than to serve to drive the story forward. I especially loved watching the third "couple" - Kim Yoo-Shin was bubbly, positive and spent most of his time following Ji So-hyun around. He was very outspoken about the fact that he liked So-hyun, but he was such a likeable character I found myself rooting for him.

I'm not a big person on revenge; however, I felt that with the seriousness of the topic that was the focus of the show, the perpetrators should have been dealt with more severely.

This drama had the advantage of being only eight episodes. That was long enough.

Read More

I loved it!

I started watching this drama with low expectations. At first, I was really debating on whether to watch this or not because of the reviews and comments. I'm also not a big fan of fluff, so i thought I wouldn't enjoy this.

However, I was pleasantly surprised! I never thought I'd like it, but I just do! Others said it was boring, but I slightly disagree. The drama was short and sweet, and it wasn't dragging, 8 eps was perfect.

The casting was amazing, I enjoyed how each of the actors/actresses played each role, and I found myself searching up all of the cast members. The music... was not bad, just forgettable, I didn't even notice the music.

The ending was nice. It left me wanting more, but it still felt complete. Overall, I think it's not bad at all! (P.S. I NEED A BYUNGCHAN MAIN LEAD NOW, AFTER SEEING HIM ACT)

Read More

This drama was amazing, at first I was not expecting much out of this drama. I watched the first episode and I couldn't keep my eyes off the screen. I love the way it was filmed because it was so aesthetically pleasing. I found the colors matched really well with the whole picture. I was shocked with the actors and the way the expressed the feelings. I was excited for this drama to end, because it was short and got to the point. There was not a point where I found it cliché, instead it had a strong meaning. Not just between love between friends, partner and even family. There really was not any big conflict between the relationship. I would recommend to anyone who loves high school dramas, and want something short. I fell in love with everything about it!

Read More

this was so enjoyable to watch! my face rn- :D

I didn't know what to quite expect of this drama, but what it turned out to be was GREAT all the same! It was a really enjoyable watch, and as the plot unfolded I found myself becoming more and more invested. This isn't as romance heavy as the other few dramas I have watched so far so I wasn't sure if I was going to like it as much, however, I realised that things as well as the romance made me want to continue watching, which is a sign of a genuinely good plot in my eyes- I wasn't just watching for the cute moments but for the driving force of the entire thing, it wasn't annoying or tiresome or boring, but actually had me pretty damn hooked.

Aside from the fact that this is a legit really great story, we mUST ADDRESS THE CUTE MOMENTS EEEEE!!! Yup, super duper cute, we love to see it, I really loved the interactions between the couples, the characters were consistent and their personalities really shone through whenever they were on screen, they were SOOO well written and I love them all!!! I wanna be part of this friendship group it seems so lit omg. Also can I just say something: Eun Taek's hair in episode 8... when you get to it you'll know what I mean just YES the whole fit he really do be serving heck yea Eun Taek there's something for y'all to look forward to lol

I have to highlight a particular thing I really appreciate about this drama: how well the friendship develops amongst the main characters. I think that the friendship aspect of this drama is probably the most important and I have to admit the writers did a REALLY GOOD JOB with it. There comes a point in the drama where I was like "Hang on... I can't ever imagine you guys not being friends". Their friendship journey was sosososo natural that I didn't even notice it happening, it wasn't shoehorned in as a plot point, it just, *happened* like how it would in real life and I just loveeeee that.

ALSO THE SONGS ARE BOPSSSSSSSS OMGGGGG LIKE EVERY TIME THE EPISODE ENDED OR PEOPLE LOOKED INTO EACH OTHER'S EYES I PREPARED MYSELF TO DANCE IN MY SEAT I ACTUALLY LOVED IT LIKE BRUHHH 'YOUR LIGHT'>>>>>>>> SONG OF MY SUMMERRRRRR

I think this drama has the *perfect* balance of juicy plot, friendship GOALSSS and pure wholesome romance. Overall: a wonderful all rounder if you want a bit of everything!!! :))

Read More

Worthy Binge!?

I watched this because it had Choi Yeonjun as a cameo (and as a baby moa and a k-addict, I couldn't resist). It unexpectedly had an amazing storyline and slow burn that I certainly craved. All that character development had me spinning in such a good way. The side characters were *chef's kiss*. It has 9 episodes of 1 hour and its such a good binge series! But I suggest watching this in one shot so you have no regrets. The only thing negative about this is that its an easily forgettable series that you will not remember while listing down worthy rewatches. All I can say is WATCH IT!

Read More

Cute, short, and sweet

This 8 episode series was honestly just a delight to watch. It has a very cute romance plotline that did antagonistic romance well, and some good side plotlines as well. I really appreciated how much all the characters felt pretty flushed out, which is especially commendable to the show considering its episode count. All the characters, side characters included, really seemed like real teenagers with real problems, navigating their interpersonal relationships, and figuring out themselves.

**SPOLIERS**
I do have to say, I am pretty disappointed when we finally get Ho-Rang's full backstory. I try not to be too harsh since 1) I'm sure show didn't want to get too dark considering its breezy tone, and 2) people respond to traumas differently. However, I did feel like show could have gone a little harsher with Ho-Rang's bullying. It was just an extremely built-up plotpoint that, when it finally was revealed, you were just kind of like...that's it? Just considering the severity of the bullying we see in shows such as Who Are You: School 2015 or even True Beauty, this seemed a bit mild. But then again, I've never been bullied so I fully admit I don't have the best gauge with what can do irrevocable harm to someone. I would just have preferred a little more depth.
**END SPOILERS**

It's a short and sweet show that feels a bit like a hidden gem, as other reviewers have pointed out. I highly recommend for people who want to watch a sweet little high school romance with a light mystery plot and themes of bullying.

Read More

Short, cute and very engaging

First things first, I absolutely like how to the point and straight forward this drama is without having unnecessary cliche plots to extend the episode count.

This feels like a warm hearted hug that envelops you in the cuteness of it all. The actors have all done justice to their roles. I'm new to all of these actors and it was very refreshing to see their work, all have been good. It's cute how all the three love stories are nice, not overdramatic or unreal and have no third party tropes like second leads. As for the third couple, the story itself revolves around her meeting many men, so I don't count that as second lead. It's multiple leads. xD

I also quite enjoyed the friendship between all the people and how their characters developed over time. It is very heartwarming to watch. I also enjoyed the true friendship between the three women and how you see them supporting one another at different times. Though my fav friendship has to be the one between Yoo Shin and Ho Rang. It is hilariously cute.

For a change, we see a cold and aloof female lead as compared to the usual male leads and I quite enjoyed it. They have nicely developed the story and shown her diversity and range. I liked her chemistry with the ML although I would've preferred more hands-on romantic scenes but with her being underage (apparently) at the time of shooting, I'm glad they didn't.

Lastly, I'm at crossroads whether I liked the way they handled the bullying plot or not. At times I feel like it was well handled because it was shown as real as possible with showing the difficult choices victims make when speaking about their experiences. It throws light on how it is not easy to open up and come clean, all of which people think is very easy when they keep asking people to report such issues. However, at the same time, I do not think the FL's attitude and behaviour at most times was justified because of her experiences. She might not be a bully but she definitely comes across as one which is not a good place to be in specially when you've experienced it yourself. There is a thin line between ignorance and arrogance and this one leaned very heavily on arrogance for me which is why this does not get the perfect score from me.

Overall it's a very pleasant and enjoyable watch, 100% recommended. Very underrated. :)

Read More

OMG YOU NEED TO WATCH IT (it's literally a gem)

Oh my god, this is so good, high school romance stories sometimes feel repeated but this one was just great. I’ve watched so many high school romance dramas but this one was just unexplainable good. I loved all the characters and the plot. It is literally so wholesome and I had the fattest crush on Eun-taek, that boy made me feel bubbly. All the members had great acting skills, it left me wanting me after episode 8, but honestly, this is great. The plot was great, it was very relatable, and it made me cry. Oh, episode 6 or 7 had phenomenal acting omg it was just yes, that scene between Ho-rang and So-hyun oof it was just so powerful they really need that scene. ALSO, THE DATE THAT EUN-TAEK AND HO-RANG WENT TO AHHHH, their relationship is basically what I want in a high school relationship.
Also, this is a warning before I talk about the next but *SPOILER WARNING*
In the panic attack scene, they felt so right, they didn’t feel forced, sometimes shows just go over the panic attack scenes, they’ll never really put effort into it. But in this show when Ho-rang had her first panic attack, it was exactly how you would imagine it. I feel like some people won’t like Ho-rang in the beginning but that girl is the best girl end of the conversation, she needs a hug omg.
OH, ALSO Yeon-jun's cameo OH MY IT MADE ME SO SURPRISED. I went into the show without knowing he was going to be in it but was just chef kisses. I also like how they addressed how in a relationship you need trust, doesn't matter if it's between partners, parents, siblings, and/or friends, you shouldn't always believe rumors, they won't take you anywhere. And they also showed how in a relationship with anyone you need to give them time, time is so important not just in this show but in real life, you'll see in the beginning that Eun-taek times everything, it's just showing that every second in your life matters. But anyway, this show is just amazing, might be a little biased since the relationships in this show are exactly what I want, but give it a watch, you'll fall in love.

Read More

Story is lacking, but acting isn't

Nice cast of young, fresh actors, some of whom nevertheless have several drama appearances under their belts. Also some Idol actors (Nu'est/Wanna One, Victon, ex Momoland, TXT guest appearance).
The cast acted very naturally and worked well together in a story very much aimed at a younger audience, although that's not to say older viewers wouldn't enjoy it (I did ?).
The issue of school bullying was treated / portrayed very lightly in the script. Even if not shown, to say someone is beaten up would entail the victim to at least show bodily pain/discomfort in the absence of facial bruising, in order to convey that storyline.
From the way the bullying was exposed during the course of the story, the character's mental scars due to the experience, were quite OTT. Also, for someone mistreated, to behave so nastily to others without reason, was hypocritical and where the 'pitying' aspect came from was never backed up in the scenes from that time, so it didn't make sense why that person would feel that way about even their supposedly closest friends.
At the same time, in the present day, the bully's perspective about their actions was unusual, but I think true to life.
The supporting romantic side stories were sweet and I especially liked So-hyun and Yoo-shin. There was very little kissing, which considering their character ages and personalities, was a bit odd (it doesn't have to be full-on kisses.... but there were less of any kind, than fingers on a hand).
Noh Jong-hyun is an actor with more experience and I've enjoyed watching him in some favourite dramas; however, he blended in well with the other cast members, which I suppose means they got on well and enjoyed working together.
Hopefully we'll see many of them mature into successful actors with lead roles, in the not too distant future.

Read More

A must watch

This drama proves that it is possible to make a romantic drama with a plot that actually makes sense and pulls you in. The best point of this drama that sets it apart from other dramas is that it did not make me feel like the directors neglected the plot for the romance. It had a sensible relatable storyline as for the romance it felt natural unlike some other drama's where it feels forced. Everything kind of fitted together and the ending was satisfactory. The feelings of the characters and the contrast between what people say and what they are actually feeling deep inside was portrayed really well. The music was amazing to and despite not having a kiss scene this drama deserves an award for portraying love so well. I feel like if someone was ne to k drama's this is the one I would probably recommend.

Read More