cascayew
This review may contain spoilers
TL;DR - A solid lakorn with well-written characters and sizzling OTP. Good watch for new and old lakorn viewers alike.
I'm kind of kicking myself for not watching this sooner. I had seen this lakorn come up again and again and how it was a good one, but I had my doubts and never really got to watching it until now. I have to say, the doubts were completely unfounded and I really enjoyed watching this, though in a bit of a different way than how I'd enjoy other lakorns.
First, the thing that stood out to me the most is the acting and how well written the characters were; everyone in the cast acted well, and in particular I really liked Sean's portrayal as the stern, but kind hearted Sake and Esther as the innocent, sassy, naive but not stupid Kate. It would've been easy for me to feel annoyed by these types of characters (especially Sake, since he sort of insta-loved on Kate, which is a pet peeve) but the way they were portrayed made them endearing and very enjoyable to watch (LOVE how Sake doesn't go back to/feel sorry for his ex-wife). I especially fell for Sean in this, just cause he's so expressive and could really make me feel what his character was feeling in the moment.
Some 2nd lead appreciation: I really appreciated that they didn't make Pu go crazy and pine after Kate after he figured she was falling for Sake; he did get desperate, but came to a realization and quietly let her go. I also liked that they didn't make Pa a jealous bitch; she was sarcastic and spiky, but had a good heart and quietly liked Pu, respecting his feelings for Kate. Just normal human interactions and mature thoughts instead of the crazy interactions that usually come in lakorns like this (not that I hate them, but they can be a bit much) made it really stand out for me.
I also want to say, I really liked the 2ndary cast as again they were all well written and very likeable (esp Sake's mom, omg she's so cool, I wish I could be like her). This is of course with exception to the ex-wife and main villain, but the villain was actually threatening here and I felt creeps every time he spoke.
The lakorn was not all normal though, as the storyline was quite far-fetched; however it was done in a way that was surprisingly believable and Kate's dad, who was the initial shit-stirrer and did really terrible stuff, I found I could not hate. I felt that Kate's dad, despite what he did, really had the best intentions and really cared for Kate's well-being (thus I couldn't hate him, even though I usually would). What I also liked is how they made Kate's parents more involved in the story. They were more than just the figures to consult with when Kate had a problem and the lakorn showed how they had their own struggles and how they dealt with them, which I really liked. I wished they did this with the other parent figures, although I get that the story isn't about them.
The main stars are Kate and Sake of course and wow, I see why Sean and Esther were highly shipped together when this aired. Both had amazing chemistry with each other and played off one another very well. Their bickering was super cute. I did feel there was a missed opportunity to add depth to their relationship and there were some things that didn't make sense, but overall I still really liked them as a couple.
I liked how the lakorn knew where to end; at first I thought 12 eps was short, but I could feel myself detaching from the lakorn as it hit ep 11 (it got predictable). There was not much filler and most scenes were meaningful and engaging, which made the drama easier to zip through.
Overall this was a great watch and does live up to the hype it has. The music is memorable and played appropriately. I have to say, for a lakorn that was made in 2015 (and for me as a lakorn veteran) this was surprisingly watchable and was better quality in terms of story, character and OTP than some recent lakorns. It just has a lot of heart, characters that I could root for/empathize with and character interactions that were mature and logical. I would totally recommend that you watch it if you haven't already. As for re-watching I don't think I would, but I'll certainly look back fondly on this and remember the uniqueness of the cast and what I felt while watching.
I'm kind of kicking myself for not watching this sooner. I had seen this lakorn come up again and again and how it was a good one, but I had my doubts and never really got to watching it until now. I have to say, the doubts were completely unfounded and I really enjoyed watching this, though in a bit of a different way than how I'd enjoy other lakorns.
First, the thing that stood out to me the most is the acting and how well written the characters were; everyone in the cast acted well, and in particular I really liked Sean's portrayal as the stern, but kind hearted Sake and Esther as the innocent, sassy, naive but not stupid Kate. It would've been easy for me to feel annoyed by these types of characters (especially Sake, since he sort of insta-loved on Kate, which is a pet peeve) but the way they were portrayed made them endearing and very enjoyable to watch (LOVE how Sake doesn't go back to/feel sorry for his ex-wife). I especially fell for Sean in this, just cause he's so expressive and could really make me feel what his character was feeling in the moment.
Some 2nd lead appreciation: I really appreciated that they didn't make Pu go crazy and pine after Kate after he figured she was falling for Sake; he did get desperate, but came to a realization and quietly let her go. I also liked that they didn't make Pa a jealous bitch; she was sarcastic and spiky, but had a good heart and quietly liked Pu, respecting his feelings for Kate. Just normal human interactions and mature thoughts instead of the crazy interactions that usually come in lakorns like this (not that I hate them, but they can be a bit much) made it really stand out for me.
I also want to say, I really liked the 2ndary cast as again they were all well written and very likeable (esp Sake's mom, omg she's so cool, I wish I could be like her). This is of course with exception to the ex-wife and main villain, but the villain was actually threatening here and I felt creeps every time he spoke.
The lakorn was not all normal though, as the storyline was quite far-fetched; however it was done in a way that was surprisingly believable and Kate's dad, who was the initial shit-stirrer and did really terrible stuff, I found I could not hate. I felt that Kate's dad, despite what he did, really had the best intentions and really cared for Kate's well-being (thus I couldn't hate him, even though I usually would). What I also liked is how they made Kate's parents more involved in the story. They were more than just the figures to consult with when Kate had a problem and the lakorn showed how they had their own struggles and how they dealt with them, which I really liked. I wished they did this with the other parent figures, although I get that the story isn't about them.
The main stars are Kate and Sake of course and wow, I see why Sean and Esther were highly shipped together when this aired. Both had amazing chemistry with each other and played off one another very well. Their bickering was super cute. I did feel there was a missed opportunity to add depth to their relationship and there were some things that didn't make sense, but overall I still really liked them as a couple.
I liked how the lakorn knew where to end; at first I thought 12 eps was short, but I could feel myself detaching from the lakorn as it hit ep 11 (it got predictable). There was not much filler and most scenes were meaningful and engaging, which made the drama easier to zip through.
Overall this was a great watch and does live up to the hype it has. The music is memorable and played appropriately. I have to say, for a lakorn that was made in 2015 (and for me as a lakorn veteran) this was surprisingly watchable and was better quality in terms of story, character and OTP than some recent lakorns. It just has a lot of heart, characters that I could root for/empathize with and character interactions that were mature and logical. I would totally recommend that you watch it if you haven't already. As for re-watching I don't think I would, but I'll certainly look back fondly on this and remember the uniqueness of the cast and what I felt while watching.
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