In the beginning, I liked that they provided a fresh musical spin on the Candy/Jerk pairing trope, and gave their second leads their own distinct personalities. But all of that seemed to break down somewhere around episode 10 or so, when the drama started focusing on one frustrating trope after another, rather than playing to its strengths: the acting, the music, and the lighthearted comedic tone of the show in general. I would have preferred better character development of the second leads, emphasizing more comedy rather than drama, and of course, more music.
I would only recommend watching if you are a fan of any of the main or second leads or interested just in the music, because the actors did an excellent job with the material they were given. Eun Ji was perfect as Chun Hee (and to be honest, should be required to sing in all of her future dramas, because her voice is just amazing), and Ji Hyun Woo did a great job fleshing out his character in a way that felt more three-dimensional, in spite of his actions early in the drama.
I don't have any plans to rewatch this, as it was frustrating enough the first time. Watch at your own risk, but fast forward through the angsty scenes.
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Thankfully there’s enough cute to get me through the whole show, not just the OTP, all the other side characters too.
I’m pretty impressed by Ji Hyun Woo, it being only his second time as a leading man in a show. I was won over by the growth of his character throughout the series. He definitely have charisma and potential. Eunji, as always, is feisty yet moving at certain points. They have great chemistry too. Love the OTP.
The side characters were a mixed bag. Shin Sung Rok is magnetic as a quirky but caring boss. Lee Se Young, on the other hand, was so bland. Bleh. She just sucked all the energy on the screen whenever she appeared. It’s the fatal mix of one-dimensional lazy writing and wooden acting. I love Answer Me 1994 so I definitely liked Sohn Ho Joon. Shin Bora also played quite a funny side character.
Any re-watching of this show would just make me rage. So NO re-watching for me.
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This review may contain spoilers
I really don't have much to say about this disappointing drama. The first 10 episodes are good, then it straight down from there. I thought the writer might pull it out in the end, but even the ending is disappointing. Chincha??? God I wish I could write spoilers. Babo. The only saving grace is the consistency of the characters. The female lead is strong and smart which is so rare in Korean drama world. There is so much that could have been done with this drama with out the typical Korean tropes.Lucky for this writer they cast a great group of actors or this would have been rated at 1. I didn't know what to expect from Jun Eun Ji in this role although I thought she was great in Reply 1997. She was excellent as Choi Chun Hee and obviously has a gift for picking characters that make her shine. Choi Chun Hee was the perfect mix of strong, smart, and vulnerable. I really liked her character through out the drama.
Ji Hyun Woo as Jang Joon Hyun was also good. Too bad the writing of his character sucked so bad. It wasn't because he is a bad actor for sure.
Shin Sung Rok was also good as Jo Geun Woo. Consistent in love even if he didn't always tell the truth immediately.
All of the other actors are good too, but there were way too many unnecessary characters that I really didn't give a rats ass about.
Music is good.
I will never rewatch this.
I don't recommend this drama unless you just watch the first 10 episodes and stop.
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All I have to say is, I feel as though there is no way you would not enjoy this drama. Original and refreshing plot. Amazing voices. Amazing depiction of family. Adorably funny and stupid couples. Cute moments out of this world. It's worth it.
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My Rating: 6.5 (Extra point for Eun Ji’s singing)
In Short: This drama SHOULD have been the story of Jung Eun Ji’s character’s path in the music industry with some zippy side characters and a cute romance. Instead, the drama felt claustrophobic, like there is only one rival to threaten your career as a rookie is in any way plausible. The plot got totally lost in standard male lead idiocy and completely bonkers female second lead murderous tendencies. What a waste.
Pros: Jung Eun Ji is fantastic. Every time she sang, I forgot the drama was horrible. I want her to get another good leading role, as this drama wasted her talent completely. The secondary characters were also very cute (Shin Bora was especially funny here)
Cons: Everything in the plot for the second half of the drama. Especially the final episode was horrible for me, as it had every single person acting out of character.
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Full disclosure: I'd have Ji Hyun Woo's babies if I could. After his role in Queen In Hyun's Man, I've just been in love. That being said, I was rather disappointed with his character in this drama. It was very reminiscent of the role he played in Taming of the Heir, a drama I tried and tried to finish but never could. Eun Ji's character was also reminiscent of the lead female in Taming, not to mention quite a few story similarities, down to the financial troubles, missing father (or was it a mother? I can't remember!) and little sister.
So I was asking myself, why couldn't I finish Taming when there were fairly similar, at least in my mind? I think it all has to do with chemistry. Though Ji Hyun Woo's Jang Joon Hyun was a spoiled brat in the beginning, it really did feel like his own personal growth was triggered much sooner. And Eun Ji was such a likable, strong character, that it was a lot of fun to watch them go up against each other.
The sheer number of drama tropes present in this drama after the first few episodes also contributed to my relatively low score. It was a very predictable story line. The biggest shock of the drama was just how much I fell in love with Shin Sung Rok's character. After his psychopathic character in Man From the Stars, I thought no freaking way are they trying to make me like him as a romantic lead. But this role was just perfect for him. Affable, a little ditzy and the perfect guy is as easy for him to play as the sociopath was in Man From the Stars. Of all of the drama, I am the most pleased about being able to see his range.
Honestly though, the sister was seriously the best thing about the show sometimes. She was ridiculously adorable and her chemistry with Ji Hyun Woo's character was so much fun. All in all, this drama is far from the best thing to come out of 2014's dramas, but it also isn't the worst. If you like music dramas (and that is a MUST! Eun Ji almost never stops singing in this. Every five seconds, 'should I sing you a song?' Nope, I'm good thanks.) and don't mind some corny tropes thrown in here and there, then this is something you should try out.
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But that wasn't the only side to this drama. If you want to watch something that will not absolutely aggrivate your logic sensors and can easily suspend belief for somewhat messy dramas, give it a go.
This drama does do something well, though. The main romance. Even the second male lead was someone I couldn't hate. That never changed throughout the entire drama (something, honestly, I found refeshing). I wish they would have dropped the silly plot points and gone somewhere else with the drama. Ultimately, this would have been one of my favorites just for the romance, but the wacky drama and rushed ending left a bad taste in my mouth.
Music was really enjoyable, though. Even for someone who doesn't prefer trot. The lack of a song performed by Eunji on the OST baffled me, though. That seemed like a no brainer to me.
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This review may contain spoilers
Okay, I've been debating on whether to write this review or not. This could have been easily one of my favorite dramas save for a few things.First off, the story is good. A girl who likes trot music and a guy who doesn't like it meet and clash. Circumstances happen and they end up close. It was good. There was a lot of chemistry between the leads. And I had major SLS (Second Lead Syndrome) throughout the drama. Actually, I really was rooting for the main couple. But the second lead was just too adorable. I don't really mind one of the things that happened in the drama that a lot of people hated. My main point is I feel that (how do I say it without spoiling this) some parts felt rushed. There were scenes that were unexplained that should have either been explained or at least taken out of the whole show entirely. I know some writers are like, well we've done that or that scene has been done over and over so let's do something else. I say, stick with what works. You've done cliche scenes throughout the whole drama, why not go all the way. I really wanted to give it a full 10 but alas, there was that one thing I can't get over.
Second, the actors are great. Jung Eunji, who plays Choi Chun Hee(CCH) is just awesome. I loved her in Reply 1997. And she's like my main bias in A Pink. Her voice is just awesome. I think I found a new love for trot music because of her. Ji Hyun Woo, who plays Jang Joon Hyeon(JJH), is awesome too. He picked a good project to make his comeback after his military stint. I loved him in Queen In Hyun's Man. Shin Sung Rok, who plays Jo Geun Woo gave me major SLS feels. I hated him in You Who Came From The Stars. But in this drama, he was so adorable I just wanted to take him home. The second female lead was ok. I do love Yoo Eun Mi, who plays Choi Byul. She was just so adorable playing Eunji's younger sister. The additional characters were good too. JJH's manager Taesong and the mean girl from the same recording company Pilnyeo. CCH's coach was my favorite mom from Angel Eyes. The acting was great.
Third, music was awesome. I love the OST. But can I just say one thing, Why is it that these OST producers not include the songs that made us love the show in the first place? Where is the pepper song? I like the others but it's hard when you want to listen a certain song from the drama and you have to be content watching the drama clip. I've had the same problem with some of the other drama OST's (I'm looking at you Monstar OST producers.) On a side note, if Jung Eunji puts out a trot album, I would definitely buy it. :D
Fourth, re-watch value. I would definitely re-watch it. It was good save for that thing I can't put here because it's spoilers.
Finally, overall, I had to give it a 9.5. Could have been a 10 but I just can't do it. Watch it, if not for the actors or music, I'd watch it again for Choi Byul. :) That little girl stole my heart.
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A Lot of people seemed miffed by episode 11 or 12 but I thought everything flowed really nicely and I wasn't disappointed in this drama at all - every episode was enjoyable -
Cast: I loved Joon Hyun, Chun Hee, & Byul Best :D the president and his dad were nice and fun (most of the time) to watch & Tae Song & Pil Nyeo were hilarious ;) - and of course there were a couple characters you loved to dislike lol
Music: Exceptionally Amazing - I loved each and every song!!!
Re-watch Value: 10/10 - I will most definitely re-watch this drama again (maybe even right away lol)
Story: the story was really good, I like how they gradually showed the characters getting close together over time - it was really sweet and special to watch. I had a great time with this drama ;)
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Plot was okay to me, don't know much about trot music. I feel like it had a good start but somehow after it was all finished, I felt as if a few pieces from the story were still missing. As a whole, it was good. But if you stop and think about certain aspects of this drama, you'll realize a lot was left out.
Cast wise, loved them. Eunji is perfect. Has that innocent look but can be strong at the same time. She wasn't an overpowering strong female lead but she didn't need to be and I'm glad she wasn't. This is the first drama I've watched with Hyun Woo and he isn't hard on the eyes that's for sure. His acting was perfect to me. Emotional scenes, comical scenes and all that in between were great. And them together made for a perfect couple with great chemistry! As for Sung Rok, I loved his carefree attitude in the beginning, was a great second male lead. Everyone else was great too, the coach, loan sharks, evil mothers, Byul, managers etc they were all perfect ~
Music, like i said, I don't know much about trot but boy did I fall in love with it with this drama. Sad that their OSTs don't have actual trot but listening to Eunji sing all those songs she did was so soothing.
I'd say the only down point was how the last episode was handled. I felt they spent too much time with (insert kdrama cliche) that by the time the last episode came, they were spending too much time with other drama instead of focusing on the "happy ending" and I'm not going to lie, I wanted more for the ending. It was cute and could make on smile, but I was hoping for more.
Overall, it's a good drama. Glad I watched it and I'll probably come back just to listen to Eunji sing the trot songs ~
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Don't get me wrong, I love cheesy dramas and I love a good romance, and this almost had it all until it continued to mess it up when it didn't need to be touched! Trot Lovers was on the right path to being a perfect romance in my opinion, but it just didn't reach its potential.
I wouldn't let the negative reviews stop you from watching it, but proceed with caution and brace yourself for a drama filled with cliches. If you don't mind those, then you're golden, go ahead and proceed!
Overall I did enjoy it, but I did get very annoyed towards the end. The couples are adorable and lovable and the story is mediocre.
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So I started to watch Trot lovers and found myself drawn to this drama because of the cast. Yes the writing was not the best, the story had some really interesting parts but was overall thin and the ending...don't get me started on that.
But as I watched this show, I became very fond of the lead character Choi Choon-Hee (Jung Eun-Ji) I have seen her of course with A-Pink but never as an actress...she was simply amazing, she stole every scene, of course her singing was fantastic, it always is, but it was her style that made this whole drama. I think that she was the perfect person for this role. Again, AMAZING! She was very good with Ji Hyun-Woo. I really liked his acting when he was being warm and tender toward her.
I do believe that this drama has rewatch value, but only for the songs and for some of the funny and or romantic scenes.
I recommend everyone to try this drama, give it some time even if just for the music.
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