Almost not bad
It begins badly, then goes better, at some point it is between good and really good. Then it’s a fall in to the deepest worst of kdrama. If you make it until ep 14 just stop there. The last two episodes are just useless.I hated FL: her character but also her acting. FL and ML are a good example of mediocre to bad chemistry. Which is a problem, because the show mostly revolve around them. They have some sparklingly moments but just look for them in YouTube, don’t lose your time with this whole drama. The supporting cast is good, but not enough to save the show. Maybe with a different FL it would be different… but…. Nah. The story is just over the top. It’s too dramatic and too superficial together.
Was this review helpful to you?
Anorexia
I really really hope that the situation for women in China is better than this. I also found kind of disturbing that the FL clearly has severe anorexia. ML is hot but he has only one expression, which is weird. I liked the storyline and I tried to enjoy it until the end but... girl.. you were the most badass girl... super clever, incredibly strong in the virtual world. In the end you can’t even win you dinner against some man in the game where you used to be one of the best. C’mon. And you used to choose for yourself. But no, now you are the hero because you got to land the best male out there. So, as a woman, your value is defined by your man? I’m sad for you. And for China.Was this review helpful to you?
disappointment
I liked love alarm quite a lot and I had big expectation. Probably that is why I’m so disappointed. Season 1 ended with a big cliffhanger. I was really curious to see the ending of that scene. But no. We just jump ahead. And after that, everything is just crazy boring. I simply don’t get how the characters thinks and their motivation and therefore most of the drama between them. And in the last episode, possibly the worst, it look like the screenwriters weren’t sure if their message come across, so they make the characters explain everything, just in case you weren’t bored enough already. The secondary storyline about the murders is totally forced in this contest and unnecessary to the main storyline. Don’t watch this, just imagine how you want love alarm to end end stick with it. Song Kang, i still like you, can’t wait for you next project.Was this review helpful to you?
Intense
An intense drama with interesting characters and well-written dialogue. I watched it week to week but for those who intend to watch it all in one go watch out for the end of episode cliffhangers. The risk of spending sleepless nights is very high. The whole series is well acted and the different intrigues keep you glued to the screen. And the love story between the main characters, always on the verge of taking off, is really engaging. The chemistry between ML and FL is explosive, they always seem ready of jumping each other, but sometimes they can't sometimes they don't want to and you're there tearing your hair out in a wonderful frustration. Ah, ML is super hot.I also loved how the series manages to make you feel in your soul the constriction of palace women, locked forever in the shackling rules of a society that sees them as mere objects at the disposal of men. This aspect is central to the series and explored with different stories and situations.
SPOILERS FROM HERE ON
The series was such a success that at the last minute the episodes went from 16 to 17. Result: the 16th and 17th episodes are super slow!!! Boring. Morevover, I didn't know that the drama was based on a true story. And well... I didn't like the ending. Reality sucks. And they even dragged it out for two whole episodes, the second of which was 1h40! One episode was enough and it would have lost absolutely nothing.
But the whole experience was awesome anyway. I now just need a bit of alcohol and an episode of Friends to be happy again.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
And there is a season 2?? Really??
In this drama, if you dare to leave your husband because he abuses you, you are the worst woman in the world, the ultimate villain. If, on the other hand, you accept everything and shut up, you are the heroine. The mentality here is medieval. FL while she is expecting a child she says something like: if she is female I will teach her to cook, if he is male you, the father, will teach him everything. And this is a 2019 drama !! The second part of the story, after we discover that ML is a violent stalker, the storyline with the angry stepbrother that wants avenge does not make sense. the ending is even more absurd. This bad guy does pretty much anything to get caught. The society and human relationships described in this series are aberrant. Only two things were good: the fast pace, for sure you will not get bored, and the beauty of ML, he is undoubtedly hot AF.Was this review helpful to you?
Do you like deus ex machina?
I really enjoyed the intensity of this show. The dept of the feeling that the different couple (or triplet) have for each other is well played and I’ve been able to feel everything with them. i found amazing the performance of Kim Seong-cheol. You can feel all his discomfort and shame and hope. When he enters the scene he fills the whole screen with his being. BUT. This show has a major but for me: it is worst than a spy movie. Each time that a character say something meaningful there is ALWAYS someone listening and it is ALWAYS the worst person possible. This is how the drama procede. People listen to conversation they are not supposed to and to and boom, drama. The writers try to justify this in various ways but it just happens too much. All the time, in every episodes. That is simply bad writing. Be better next time. Everything else was awesome for me.Was this review helpful to you?
The second half is boring
I really liked the fantasy beginning of this drama, but at certain point the main story almost stopped to develop and it got really boring for me. The secondary story was much more captivating and the chemistry between the three SL is much higher. I also loved the little brother, even if his character is useless, if you take it away it doesn't change anything.It was hard for me to get to the end, I thought about leaving it halfway through. I didn't because of the cast. The actors play their roles really well. Except for Seo In Guk. He was the reason I couldn't wait for this drama to start. Maybe because I had high expectations, he is the one who disappointed me the most. I found his Doom to be mono-expressive and unattractive.
Was this review helpful to you?
Bah
I had high expectations for this drama, I read that it was one of the funniest of all kdramas. I watched it all and it's true, there are unforgettable scenes that make you laugh out loud. But they are the minority. Often the gags are repeated 3 times making them very boring for me. Many situations are absolutely obvious as well as the plot in general. The various characters are great (apart from one) but in the end the stories are nothing much. But, above all, I came to hate bong dong-goo. I couldn't stand him anymore at the end. how dare he think he can decide the lives of the women around him? And I couldn't stand all these women submitting to this psychopath. A toxic character that the drama justifies instead of condemning. In short there are very good things in this drama and things that are unbearable for me. I wouldn't watch it again but that's my subjective taste.Was this review helpful to you?
great story
The idea for this web series and the development are creative and intriguing. It's a story I hadn't seen before and the emotional development of the characters and how they deal with problems is really well written. It's what carried me through to the end of the story. The moment when he sees the colors is also exciting and the special effect is good enough. Even though it's repeated almost every episode it's always nice to see it again.This concept deserves a high budget, 16 episode TV series. There are plenty of insights to be had.
The rest leaves something to be desired. Most of all I found the acting weak. Aside from Yoo Jun, everyone else really leaves something to be desired, bringing this series back to a cheap product. A real shame because the potential was immense.
Was this review helpful to you?
Son Oh-gong is the best
Premise: I love rom-com-fantasy so maybe I'm a little biased. This is one of my favorite kdramas because of Son Oh-gong, my favorite character of all time. Lee Seung Gi here is gorgeous. After seeing this series I went to see all his other dramas! FL, Oh Yeon Seo, I didn't like, I disliked her from the beginning. But her character has good chemistry with Son Oh-gong and that's enough. The other characters are so strong that they take up her slack. Also the imaginary world created is fascinating. Unfortunately the ending is pretty unsatisfying (and this is why I can give a 10 to this drama) but the journey that leads to the unhappy conclusion (in the sense of script quality) is fun and engaging therefore I recommend it to anyone who loves the fantasy and rom-com genre.Was this review helpful to you?
Bah
I watched it just because I like the type of story. But I wore out the fast forward button by avoiding the slow, boring, and unnecessary parts. There are often narrative nonsense, as if it were a drama written by beginners. The acting so over the top often got on my nerves multiple times but I think FL is a good actress, in the tragic scenes it shows. The main characters have very little chemistry. There should be a constant attraction and desire between them but they only say it in words, you can't feel it. Above all, I found him very bad, in terms of acting, stage presence and beauty. It is indisputable that 2016 Chinese beauty standards are far from mine.Was this review helpful to you?
it get better
The first 10 episodes of this drama are really bad. I had given up on the show. Slow, boring, corny stories ad nauseam and ultra patronizing. Bad acting.The I tried again and I found out that after the 10th episode the drama focuses mostly on the happenings within the team and the fights. Everything becomes more fluid and fast and the story between ML and FL is very cute. The acting remains bad but is less noticeable. The in-game fight scenes are really cool. And, finally, a chinese show where the female lead actually remains the heroine of the drama. A fine example of girl power. She still remains the little one who needs the reassurance of the strong man, but, among the c-dramas I've seen (which are few, so I can not generalize) this is undoubtedly the one where the role of the woman comes out better.
Was this review helpful to you?
Not just a drama, but a door into a new world
This is the series with which I became acquainted with kdrama. And that's how I discovered South Korea, this wonderful country that churns out rom-coms like there's no tomorrow, that's full of not handsome, but ultra gorgeous men, that makes a kissing scene last 10 minutes (ahahha I love you Korean directors), that tells 16 hours of love story with sky-high sexual tension without showing a single piece of skin, that ends every episode with irresistible cliffhangers. Before Crash landing on you and kdramas, I had never spent an entire night watching TV. The meme of the guy hearing the birds outside the window and saying "i fucked up" now makes me laugh so hard. It's been three years and I'm now watching my 100th kdrama, Imitation, because, yes, I also have a premium viki account now. While watching Imitation I regretfully wonder why there wasn't a story line with Woosan as the main characters and last week I finally got to eat Tteokbokki and drink soju for the first time (here in Switzerland due to Covid the restaurants have only just reopened). So yes, I recommend watching this kdrama :)Was this review helpful to you?
so much potential
Great cinematography, great actors, really handsome ML, powerful beginning. After the first two episodes I was totally in love with this drama. I love fantasy and I love romance, it was perfect for me. But man they throw it away... Half of the show is good but the other half is so bad that in the end i don't recommend anyone to lose time with this. The problem is that each episode is half good and half bad: after each major scene there is endless time where the characters involved in that scene explain to all the other characters what just happened, what does it means, what they have to do next. Then they do that and the routine begin again.Half of each episodes is dragged from the beginning to the end of the show.
Another big problem is that the rules of magic in this world are a bit confused. It is not really clear when Ma Wang manifest, how strong are his power compared to the others and how powerful are the magical items. The magical spirits are cool but in some ways not so convincing, in particular the white guy and the green guy.
Last but not least the plot in the end is a bit weak and you can really feel it because of all the useless scenes.
I'm so disappointed, the premises were really cool.
Was this review helpful to you?
This zombie is sexy af
The first two episodes are bad. Although what they tell is interesting, they are slow and boring. I was about to let go. Then luckily a review here on mydramalist convinced me to go on. And now that I've finished it, I'm satisfied. I had fun! The investigations are full of suspense and the twists and turns are unexpected. ML as a zombie is great. Sexy af and a lot of fun. The chemistry between ML and FL isn't bad either. It is not a true love story but they are cute. I could have given a higher score to this drama if it hadn't been for the "comical" duo, the two neighboring detectives. I did not like their comedy and serve no purpose in the beginning. so I skipped all of their scenes, except in the 2-3 last episodes when they become important.Was this review helpful to you?