Silvia Andrito
USA
While the story is wonderful, what makes this show is Shin Hye Sun's acting
I am a fan of Isekai stories, so right off the bat this drama piqued my interest. What I thought was truly unique was that it was a man in a woman's body and I was very intrigued about how they would manage to do a romance story.How they managed it was absolutely wonderful, mostly because the main female actress (Shin Hye Sun) was absolutely amazing. She was truly able to convey a man trapped in a woman's body so well. The mannerism, the speech, the actions, she nailed everything! She was able to make this humorous, but managed to make you think and draw emotions from her viewers. You couldn't help but to root for her.
As far as the romance a lot of lines were blurred, but I will say at the end of the day it was about what makes a person attracted to another, it transcends physical and it is all about the soul. That being said, this is not a BL drama at all, all is resolved at the end, but I liked how lines of sexuality got questioned.
King Cheoljong was also very likeable, you understood his pain and struggle. The side characters all did a terrific job. They tended to be funny and lovable. Lady Choi, the Royal Chef, Hong Byul Gam, Kim Hwan, etc., all hilarious and interesting to watch.
All in all I highly recommend this drama, it is very enjoyable and a relatively unique idea.
Was this review helpful to you?
An artistic masterpiece that tugs at your heart strings
This might be the best drama I have watched in the last year. Everything about this drama was perfect.The OST is wonderful (there is one song that I keep playing on repeat since watching this). Every single song matched the mood perfectly and highly contributed to the overall experience.
The acting was out of this world, all of the characters did amazing, but I really liked Greg Han and how he was able to convey the different people and different ages and levels of maturity, it was absolutely wonderful.
The story has so much depth, so many plot twists, it honestly had you on the tip of your toes the whole time. Once I started it I was unable to put it down. I had to know what happened next. I tend to accurately guess how most dramas are going to end and the developments that will happen, but this one kept me guessing which was absolutely amazing.
The side characters are wonderful and it is great to see how they change and develop as the story goes. The "world" is really well constructed. You get to experience how things were back then as the story moves to the past, which was a bit reminiscent of the Reply series.
This drama is a wonderful slice of life mixed in with time travel and a murder mystery. All in all I am extremely surprised that is is not more popular than it is since it might be one of the best things to come out recently.
Was this review helpful to you?
One of the best
This drama is one of the best out there for story, acting, music, and production value. If you haven't watched it yet you should! The acting was absolutely amazing. All of the characters had chemistry and you could tell they enjoyed what they were doing. The bromance between the Goblin and the Reaper even became famous, but this time it actually seems like the actors truly became friends. The story was great, it pulled at your heartstrings. I laughed, and cried, and was scared (there are some spooky parts and I was watching this alone in the dark at night, so don't judge me -_-). The ending was sad, yet wonderful. The especial effects are actually really good. The music is great. All in all a well made drama, and I highly recommend it.Was this review helpful to you?
Feel good variety show with great easy to follow recipes!
I am enjoying this show a lot. Easy to follow recipes with a feel good message since they are supposedly helping the local farmers/fishermen (I don't know how true this is but I like the sentiment and always happy to watch someone promoting eating local).The MCs (especially Hee Chul) are funny and a delight to watch. Chef Baek is charming and has some really good ideas.
I have tried making several of the recipes at home and they always come out good. I highly recommend giving them a try since it adds to the experience. A lot of the ingredients are easy to find here in the USA, so just cook as you watch and you will feel super immersed in the experience XD
All in all loving this show.
Was this review helpful to you?
A visual feast.
Such a great feel-good movie. Every time I watch it I just want to run away to the country and live a simpler life, and I have re-watched this movie several times now.It is about nourishing your body, your mind, and your heart. About forgiveness, acceptance, belonging, and peace.
The setting is gorgeous and just brings a sense of peace and joy to watch it. I have also watched the Japanese version (the original movie) and find this version to have improved upon the original. This one delves a little more into real emotions and relationships. The recipes are also better on this one ^_^. I tried making some of the recipes from both movies and liked the results of this one better (though the chestnuts in syrup from the Japanese movie came out really good also).
Just love everything about this movie.
Was this review helpful to you?
It started strong but ended weak.
The drama started really good. The female main character actually had a backbone and gave as good as she took. The two leads had chemistry and their relationship development was actually believable without too much crazy on it. Sadly the drama took a turn for the worse in the last few episodes, with some craziness being thrown in out of the blue and unnecessary situations happening. The last few episodes were just so-so. I would recommend watching it, not a master piece but definitely entertaining.Was this review helpful to you?
A heartwarming story
This drama is first and foremost about family, but also about growing up and about love. In this drama we get to experience the day to day lives of different families that live near each other back in 1988. The story starts in 1988 and ends in current day. You have the usual husband "hunting" fun (trying to guess who she ends up with) that these series are known for. But my favorite part about this drama is how relatable it is. It invokes nostalgia, even though I was not even born in 1988, yet their problems and issues are so similar to ours these days. It is warm, and wholesome, and realistic, and makes us think about our parents and their struggles and the love a family has for each other. Hands-down the best drama I have ever seen, and I re-watch it constantly.Was this review helpful to you?
An easy love story, without any crazy melodrama to spoil it.
I really liked this drama. The relationship between the main leads is sweet and strong from the get go. Regardless of how many crazy things the other characters try to send their way, their love remains steadfast.No crazy melodramatic twists and turns here, a pretty realistic and sweet love story with likable characters that will make you feel good overall.
The gaming aspect of it is big at the beginning but as the relationship develops in real life and they "grow up" the gaming takes a back-step in the story.
Highly recommended if you just want a relaxing love story.
Was this review helpful to you?
A great family story that ended a little weak
This drama started out strong. It was new and refreshing. The story of two (three?) broken families that come together to raise their children and provide them with a happy home.The family dynamics were amazing, the actors were able to convey great familial love in a very realistic way. We saw how families are not always perfect, but we are always there for each other when needed.
Honestly the relationship the two dads had was one that made us think they were romantically involved, and that was ok. It was honestly sweet and very heartwarming all around.
It also dealt with mental health issues, even if how that was addressed wasn't fully satisfactory.
Where this drama started to fail is when it rushed to the finish line. Things were glossed over. The relationship with the mother, how she reacted to not getting her way, all the harm that was caused to several parties, it was all just glossed over, like a switch had been flipped and now everything was ok.
Also the dad ending up with a woman all of a sudden just felt like they were trying to make sure there was no gay triggers to pass censorship.
It all felt rushed, unnatural, and kind of a WTF ending. I wish they had taken the time to resolve things in a less dramatic and abrupt way. Even the side stories were left hanging with no resolution.
Lastly something that bothered me quite a bit was how blood ties are glorified here. Maybe it is a cultural thing, but a mother that abandons her child does not have the right to come back when the child has grown and demand that he be her caretaker when she is going through some rough times. Much less does she have the right to ask from anything from that child after severely abusing him. But in this drama it is made to seem like as her child he should give up everything he dreams for to take care of his mother. No one seriously intervened and tried to make this situation stop and in the end no one made sure this lady faced some serious consequences for her actions. It was a bit upsetting.
Even the side stories had a recurring theme of the child having to yield to the parent even when the parent was being unreasonable and causing strife. As a mother this seemed wrong, we shouldn't teach our children that they should always bow to our requests, we are humans and make mistakes also.
Anyways that is my little rant and why this drama didn't score a 10 for me.
Was this review helpful to you?
Highly enjoyable, light drama.
When you start watching this drama don't expect high production value or an epic historically accurate period piece. This is 100% a fun romantic comedy, and that is the reason why it is so loveable.I found the story to be well developed. It is an Isekai fantasy. The FL gets trapped in a drama she wrote as one of the minor characters. There she gets to see first hand what is wrong with the script she wrote. By being there she gets to flesh out the story and ends up changing it, albeit desperately trying to make it return to the original plot line.
The chemistry between the two leads was great from the get go. I really liked that the ML once he set his mind was devoted and did not let other things get between their relationship.
This drama was funny, sweet, and fun to watch.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Nostalgic drama
Wow. This was a sad one.It is about first love and how the wrong timing can mess everything up.
The two main characters were perfect for each other but they never met at the right time. So their love was not meant to be, but that is often times how it works with firsts loves, which then become a fond memory that taught us a lesson.
The movie is very good, very cute, and nostalgic. Give it a try, but keep in mind there are no happy endings here for this couple. It is just the story of their first love and a fond memory to remember as they move on with their lives and the ones that were actually meant to be their partners.
Was this review helpful to you?
