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Completed
The Bride of Habaek
14 people found this review helpful
by Lia
Aug 23, 2017
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 6.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 2.0
"The Bride of the Water God" divided opinions, we had people who loved and find it the best drama ever, and people who hated and thinks it's the worst drama ever. It's a 50/50 situation. I personally found it a disappointment, but even though it was not the best I've ever seen, it's not the worst.

*Get ready for a long review *

"The Bride of the Water God" had an excellent base story, but then they decided to turn a melodrama with a not-so-lucky ending into a romantic comedy, it just went wrong.

Story: The initial plot was simple, a God who comes to earth with a goal and ends up falling in love with a human and that love is forbidden. But as the drama progressed the writers simply abandoned the initial premise and it started to be a bit difficult to keep up with what was happening, leaving to the very end to really solve the loose endings. The story had a predictable ending, which for a moment, left me with even more questions than when I had first started to watch.

If you like the main couple, even if you don't like genre, you will probably still watch it anyway. The main couple in "The Bride of the Water God", had little to no chemistry, something that made me very annoyed at times, because sometimes they seemed like two robots acting, something that improves a little in the final episodes.
In CEO Shin's arc, the stories improved a bit, so much so that the only reason I continued to see was for him and for Moora and Biryeom, who had more chemistry than the main couple. CEO Shin has a complex but really interesting story.

I have to admit that my two favorite characters throughout the drama were Moora and Biryeom, although Moora was supposed to be the bad one, her relationship with Biryeom stole, at least for me, the spotlight from the main couple.

Cast / Acting: Personally I think the two actors who got the main roles were not the best choice. I had already seen Nam Joo Hyuk in other dramas, and he is someone with a lot of potential, but who was not prepared for this role. Not that he was bad at all, but there were times when it was a little cringeworthy to see him. I think a more experienced actor would be able to handle better such a complex 3000-year-old God.
Shin Se Kyung, I can't say much about her, because it's the first work I see of her, I don't think she is such a bad actress as people are saying, but she isn't an excellent actress either. The biggest problem I see in her is the fact she suffers from something that I like to call stone resting face, th emotionless face expression, making her tries of demonstrate some emotion seem very forced and unnatural, it's something that I think she should work on for her next drama.
The biggest surprise for me in this drama was undoubtedly Krystal, because I always thought she wasn't a good actress, but I was completely mistaken, which made me quite happy.

The OST in this drama was normal, none of the songs excelled for me, it suited the mood, but it was no big deal.

My biggest problem with this drama was its slow pass, everything went by very slowly, the drama focused more on things that did not matter more than on those that really mattered, making the drama very annoying at times. And with that, the episodes became very repetitive without much to add to the story development. (Habaek did something bad, So-Ah was annoyed, he did something cute and she was already okay with him again, this is a summary of almost every episode). On the other hand the cinematography and the special effects were quite good, it was sad that they focused more on fancy effects than on the actual plot.

Will I watch this drama again? Probably not anytime soon. If I recommend to watch it? Yes... if you really don't have anything better to do. This drama is not the worst I've seen, but neither is the best, I think it left much to be desired for how hyped it was.

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Completed
Longing Heart
6 people found this review helpful
by Lia
Mar 12, 2018
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 3
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 3.0
"Longing Heart" was sweet, cute and innocent time-travel drama. It made me think about the future and how my choices can affect it. Even though is not the best drama I've seen, it was a nice to go back to 2007 were Girl's Generation were just getting started and flip phones were a thing.

My first impression was that this was just another confusing time-travel drama. I was right, even after watching the drama untill the very last second I still don't know how the whole time-travel thing works, this part of the plot was handled pretty messily. Maybe I shouldn't give it to much thought because the all story it's pretty paradoxal and could destroit the entire time and space. (I've watch a lot of Doctor Who lately.)

We follow Shi-Woo who have spent the last 10 years in love with his first love. (I never said this drama was realistic). The thing is that they don't see each other since high school, so when they met again it's a very awkward full of resentiment encounter.

But taking the whole time-travel thing off the picture, this drama mix in a bunch of romantic cliche stories in one, we have the first love one, the boy-meets-girl one, the teacher-student one, the noona one and the list goes on. It's not bad per say, but this drama is not for everybody. If you don't like cliche this is not for you.

This drama has also some nostagia value because it take us back to simpler times aka the "thousands" were smartphones weren't heard of and we didn't have wi-fi everywhere we went, and I really liked that about the drama.

Now let's focus a bit on the romance. For some weird reason, the student version of Ji-Soo had more chemistry with the Shin-Woo teacher version than with the student version, and the opposite happened with the doctor version of Ji-Soo who had more chemistry with the Shin-Woo student version than with the teacher version, and that got me really confuse, and I still confused 'till today. The side romances were also really cute and I like that the script gave them some space to develop, even though the focus was almost all the time on the main couple.

A strong point on this dramas was definitely the friendship, the group of friend had a really good dynamic through out the whole drama, and was my favourite part of the show. Even after ten years they still in touch with each other and that just happen if the bound connecting the people is strong enough. Also the "bromance" between the past and present Shin-Woo was great even though they look more like brothers than properly like the same person.

Acting / Cast: The actors did well, this isn't a acting masterpiece but it was good. Lee Jung-Shin was the person that stood out the most for me, I really liked his acting and how he portrayed adult Shin-Woo with is mix between a very adult person who still had something of a child inside. Seo Ji-Hoon also did a great job even though the writers sometimes made his character look like a little kid even though he was almost eighteen. Lee Yeol-Eum was also good, but I found her character a bit lame and annoying at times, but I think that was more about the writing than about the acting. The rest of the cast was also very good and did great supporting the main cast!

The OST of this dramas was good, it fit the mood, but was not memorable for me. The cinematography was also good with some pretty and cute pictures.

Overall I think this drama could have been an hour and a half long movie and the story would still be exactly the same but without the boring moments, I think some things got stretched out what made the drama a bit boring and even more confuse.

Will I watch this drama again? Probably not, for me this is a one-time-watch drama, principally because I'm not into clichê, and this drama has a lot. I recommend this drama for people who really really like cliche, because this will be perfect for you, it has almost every cliche I can think of in dramas, which is not bad, but it's to much for me personally. But if you are into cliche and have some free time you would like to fill with something this dramas is definitely for you.

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Completed
Her Private Life
5 people found this review helpful
by Lia
Mar 6, 2022
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 8.0

Among the healthiest couples in dramaland.

So it seems that Secretary Kim is now a fangirl as well. Jokes aside, this drama was everything that I expected from a Park Min-Young drama, and a bit more. After being on my "to watch" list since its premiere, I finally decided to give this drama a shot, as I was looking for something light and fun to watch, and I was not disappointed.

So, this is supposed to be a "mature" romcom, and by "mature", they mean that the couple we follow will actually act like a real couple. And I wasn't disappointed, Ryan Gold and Sung Duk-Mi looked and felt like a real couple, that understood and supported each other in everything. Instead of unnecessary jealousy and miscommunication that lead to conflict, they handled everything that came their way as adults, with conversations.

After watching this drama, I'm scared that I'll never find something like this again, not because the story is original. No, far from that, this drama has a lot of clichés, don't get me wrong, but the way they went about it felt exciting, and they even twist some of the clichés we are used to. I believe that it will be difficult to find another couple that is healthy and mature like them, that won't create drama for the sake of drama.

This drama is more character-driven than plot-driven, because for the most part there's no plot. In my opinion, the drama is divided into two parts. The first half is about Duk-Mi's private life, and the second half is about Ryan's private life, which is good, since we get to know both parts of the couple. Also this drama is filled with amazing romantic scenes, and don't get me started on the kisses and couple chemistry, they were amazing!

The story begins with the typical misunderstanding that leads to a "fake relationship". While I initially found an odd solution to the problem, after a while I just accepted it, and yes, this kind of trope has been done a million times already, but I enjoyed it regardless.

The side characters were interesting, I really liked Duk-Mi's family and how her mother just became everyone's mother. I liked Hyo-Jin's character growth, although her existence was merely a plot device in my opinion. The Duk-Mi bestfriend was really funny too, although I didn't like her storyline very much, I think they could've done something slightly different. My biggest criticism has to be the second lead, don't get me wrong, I loved him in the beginning, until he became the typical annoying second lead. But that's not the worse part, for me the worst was that they basically presented Eun-Gi has a brother to Duk-Mi, someone Duk-Mi grew up with, and that was raised by her mother, so it was very weird to watch this man, that Duk-Mi considers family, a brother, having feelings for her, I couldn't get used to it till the very end.

Acting and Cast: This drama had an excellent cast and good acting, which made it both captivating and not boring. In addition to having great chemistry with her male counterpart, Park Min-Young was perfect in this role. No gonna lie, at the beginning I found Kim Jae-Wook to be an odd choice for this type of drama, as I saw him to match a more villainy rule, but God was I wrong, this man was amazing playing the confident Ryan Gold. And I think overhaul all the cast was really good in this drama.

Cinematography and Sound/Music: Starting with Music, this drama has an incredibly catchy intro song. Although I thought most of the OST was adequate and what I expected from a romcom, I found Cha Sin-Ahn's group song "snapshot" to be rather annoying. As for sound mixing, I think they did a good job. The way they associated a melody with the bubble paintings was great; every time I heard it, I knew one of those paintings would appear. As for cinematography, this drama looks good, I think this is something common in romcoms, they always look pretty and bright with low contrast, even with the sepia filter in the flashback scenes. They also used a "photoshoot" style editing in some cases, that fifty percent of the time made sense, and the other fifty not that much. And except for some odd effects I noticed on a particular scene, this drama looks very pretty.

Will I watch this drama again? Probably yes, I really enjoyed this drama, and especially this couple, and I can see myself watching it again when I want to watch something light and fun with a healthy couple. Do I recommend it? Yes, if you like light hearted, slightly cliché, character driven dramas, with a healthy couple who communicate and a lot of great romantic scenes.

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Completed
Todome no Kiss
5 people found this review helpful
by Lia
Mar 22, 2018
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 10
"Todome no Kiss" was funny, dark and very different from anything I've ever watch. Being someone that watch mostly just Korean dramas, watching a Japanese one was a refreshing experience that I plan to repeat in the future.

I started this drama because it kept on appearing on every place I went so why not give it a try? Like I said before this is my first time with Japanese dramas (I used to watch only j-movies), and I obviously found some differences from what I'm used to in kdramas, principally with the editing and the number of episodes, which are less then in the usual kdrama.

I was really confused during the whole first episode, because I didn't read the sinopsis and I didnt know abou the supernatural stuff, but even very confused I loved the first episode and wanted to know more about everyone, principally our kissing woman.

We follow Dojima Otaro, an host that because of his past believes that love makes people unhappy, he is a very greedy and selfish person that only cares about the money. He is the tipical drama jerk but this time he isn't rich. While at work he ends up being kissed by this weird woman and he dies, just to wake up seven days before the incident. Saiko is the mysterious woman, and because of an acident she had when she was a child, she gain this weird power of time leap through a kiss.

Namiki Mikoto is the 10 billion girl Otaro is after. Personally I didn't like her to much, for me she was like a plain white paper sheet, that couldn't do anything for herself. In the other hand I felt really bad for her, because when she tried to actually give an opinion on her life no one would listen to her, even though they were always saying that they wanted her happiness.

Namiki Takauji is Mikoto's adopted bother, at the beginning of the drama he is a nice guy that couldn't hurt anyone and had a weird relationship with her sister, but after Otaro started to go back in time to get the things like he wanted, Takauji was slowly losting it. He literally went crazy in my opinion. I don't know if I loved him or hated him.

Also we have this weird homeless guy that is even more mysterious than the kissing woman herself. He is crazy and you know from the very beginning that he knows more than it seems.

This drama doesn't have romance as the main focus in my opinion. Its more about character development and growth, but at same time remain true to oneself. Otaro and Saiko had the biggest character development that I've ever seen in a drama, and it was some how realistic, it took them time to change, not like in some dramas where the guy is a complete jerk in the first episode and in the second becomes a cupcake.

The ending even though a lot of people didn't like it, it was realistic, and not rushed or out of nowhere. But if you didn't get satisfied by the ending you always can watch the spinoff series which has a better ending to the story.

The thing about this drama was that even though you knew that Otaro is a complete jerk the writers managed to made you really root for him throught out the drama. In the other end the innocent looking antagonist, being a jerk just like Otaro, its much more easy to dislike.

Acting/ Cast: I just watched Yamazaki Kento movies, which he is a highschool sweet heart most of the times, so was good to see him in a different role, I think he gave life to Dojima Otaro. Kadowaki Mugi also did and amazing job as Sato Saiko she was able to portray Sato Saiko many faces really well. Mackenyu was brilliant portraying Namiki Takauji, even though I didn't like his character I can deny that he did a good job. Araki Yuko, she did good with what the writers gave her, in the middle of so many grey characters a white one would look plain and dull no matter how good the actress is, so after all she did a good job.

I really liked the cinematography of this drama, principally the sequence of images every time they went back in time, it was really well done, as well as the sound mixing , the music really fitted the mood.

Will I watch this drama again? Yes, I really liked the plot and the characters. I really recommend this drama for someone looking for something different and refreshing to watch. If you like character developmente and time-travel this dramas is definitely for you.

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Completed
I'm Not a Robot
3 people found this review helpful
by Lia
Jan 26, 2018
32 of 32 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 10
"I'm not a Robot" a sweet drama that made my days while watching a bit brighter. It's a sweet love story with stunning visuals, that made me fall in love with a robot and realize that love it's not just about the phisical stuff but also about those littles things that look so little but have a big meaning.

The first thought that came to my mind when I started this drama - note: without actually reading the sinopse - was how the hell they would make a love story between a robot and a human work, but then I realize that the story was about a human pretending to be a robot falling in love with another human.

Kim Min-Kyu, our cute and a bit rude chairman has a very weird and rare allergy that makes him unable to touch human being, and he ends up meeting Aji 3 a AI robot that looks like a human. After some drama coincidences he becomes interested in the robot and asks to tested, but when the test was suposed to happen the robot broke so Professor Hong Baek-Gyun went after the model he used to create Aji 3, Jo Ji-Ah who is also his ex-girlfriend. And then is when the romance starts to happen, slowly but surely.

We had moments to laugh out loud and moments to cry, moments to insult the mean guys and also some wtf moments. This sweet love story made me remember why I love korean dramas so much: love isn't just about the phisical stuff and a smart man can be fooled by a human pretending to be a robot. (I said that this drama isn't very realistic.)

Overall this drama had an amazing start, it was fun, cute and with a great pacing, but with time things slow down a bit and the last six episodes were a bit stretched so they could hit the 32 episodes mark, but I don't mind because they filled the gaps with cute littles moments between the main couple.

The main couple made my heart flutter, I was literally suffering with them because I wanted them together so bad and when they finally did it I just couldn't get enough of their cuteness. I think that Min-Kyu was the character with the biggest character development of the whole cast, he passed from a jerk to a very nice guy. Santa Maria team stole a lot of laugh from me. Yoo-Chul and Yeriel were two character that I didn't  like at the beginning but slowly they changed my mind. Sun-Hye, Ji-Ah's best friend, someone so experience in love, was one of my favorite characters with her sassy personality and fashion sense.

This drama doesn't really have a memorable villian, mainly because they focused more on the romance and just had a bad guy so the main character had a threat and the story wouldn't be so simple.

Something that bothered me for a while was the robotic american accent of the foreigner cast, it got better through out the episodes but it always felt a bit off. Besides Bold Group weren't suposed to be from England? Okay I know I'm being too picky about it but was something that bothered me a bit.

Cast/Acting: I never saw any drama by any of the lead actors but I can say that I want to watch more work of them. Chae Soo Bin was splendid playing Aji 3 and Ji-Ah, her doll-like appereance made her a believable robot, also she was able to pull of two different personalities, the robot one and the human one. Yoo Seung-Ho did a great job being the lonely Min-Kyu, and I just couldn't get enough of that precious smile of his and that cute shy expression. Uhm Ki-Joon, Park Se-Wan, Kim Min-Kyu and Song Jae-Ryong gave life to Santa Maria team, their chemestry as a team was outstanding. And the rest of the cast also did an amazing job.

The picture of this drama is beautiful, this drama is one of the most visually pleasants I've seen so far, everything seems so well thought and shoot. Even though this drama has not that many kiss scenes, everyone of them was beautifully put together, and as someone that aprecciate the cinematography of movies and dramas, I was happy that they were so carefull with this.

The OST helped build the mood, it had good songs but nothing memorable for me.

Will I watch this drama again? Yes, this drama is light and cute, you don't need to give to much thought to the story because it's very straightfoward (also if you start to think about it to much you'll realize how many things don't make sense). I recommend this drama for people looking for something light to pass their time, have some laughs and some tears. This drama might not be the most realistic, the most deep or serious of dramas, but is definitely worth to give it a shot.

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Completed
Tale of the Nine-Tailed
1 people found this review helpful
by Lia
Dec 20, 2020
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 5.0

An average fantasy story with a questionable ending.

So apparently the grim reaper got tired and is now a nine-tailed fox. Jokes aside, I actually kinda enjoyed this drama, it's not the best out there, even in the genre, but it's pretty fun to watch, even if the ending was... questionable to say the least. Some people loved it and some people hated it, and I think that was the biggest dividing point when it comes to this drama. I honestly didn't hate the ending but i would've done differently for sure, and I'm not gonna say anything else so I don't spoil it for you.

We follow the story of Lee Yeon, a nine-tailed fox that is waiting for he's first love who died tragically many centuries ago. Lee Yeon is a cool guy almost touching the antihero side, but not really doing it. He meets Ji-Ah e very clever girl who's the incarnation of his long lost love. Then of course we have the villain, an Imoogi who wants to be a God. And that's basically it for the main plot, we also have some side stories that I personally found way more interesting than the main plot line, principally the strain relationship between Lee Yeon and he's brother Lee Rang. The second lead couple was also very entertaining to watch. Overhaul the main plot was a love story that was told many times before and didn't really added anything new to the table.

I think the weakest part about this drama was the main story line, the main couple's chemistry was average, it was there but I always felt like something was missing, and the actor choice for the Imoogi was odd, nothing against the actor, but I just felt like he looked way too young and had to little of onscreen presence to back up all the cheesy dialogue. I think if they went for a older actor and less cheesy lines they could have saved the Imoogi. Also Ji-Ah for me was a waste of a character, I really liked her in the first couple of episodes, she was independent, clever and strong willed, but the moment she met Lee Yeon and realized who she was, the writer seemed to forget about all those qualities, and Ji-Ah went from strong female character to damsel in distress just like that, I don't know how can someone need to get rescued so many times. Why do drama writers always do this to strong female leads?

Lee Rang's relationship with his brother, in the other hand, was the best part about this drama, their strained relationship that slowly was being fixed, and the overhaul character growth was really well done. Honestly they could have skip the romance stuff and focus on this relationship and the drama would have been much better. It was a bless to see Lee Yeon and Lee Rang's interactions. Yoo-Ri and Shin-Joo were a very cute and slow-burn couple, that episode after episode grew on me, and the more you saw them together the better they looked. This drama's strong point and what makes it actually more interesting to watch, were all this well done subplots and characters, if it wasn't for them I would have stop watching the drama a long time ago.

Another strong point of this drama it's its pacing, some people might complain that it's too fast, but for me it was fast enough that I wouldn't get bored halfway and slow enough that i understood what was going on. Honestly I don't remember being bored watching this drama, although in the later episodes they slowed down the pace to fill it with some filler cute couple moments, but I didn't really mind it that much.

I will not talk about the ending, although I have a lot to say, I want this review to be as spoilers free as it can be.

Acting/Cast: The acting on this drama was kinda of average, I mean we all know that Lee Dong-Wook can act and I really liked his character, although he went through so much pain he was still fun, and I really liked when he acted all badass and stuff. In the other hand, Jo Bo-Ah wasn't bad, I think the script is the one we should really blame as the actress could do much with it, because by the middle of the drama, Ji-Ah would be crying almost all the time, I was always: "c'mon girl get your s*** together." Lee Tae-Ri was cast as the Imoogi, I don't think he was bad, it's just, between the cheesy script and his gorgeous young face, he didn't really convinced me that the Imoogi was that big of a threat, I kinda get why they chose him, but it still left something to be desired. Kim Yong-Ji was great, I really liked her character as well as Hwang Hee character, I think they did a great job supporting our main characters, but there own little story arc was also fun to watch, they were almost like a comic-relief in a way. And of course I leave for last, the best of this drama, Kim Bum, he stole the show for the moment he appeared on screen, and has much as I hated him in the beginning he started growing on me as the story progressed, Lee Rang is the definition of anti-hero, and I just love to watch him, Kim Bum just brought the character to life.

Now let's talk about cinematography. This drama, was average looking to be honest, it didn't do anything outstanding, and the visual effects left a lot to be desired. In my personal opinion, in so moments the effects were overdone and didn't look that great, I think if they went on a more "Hotel del Luna" vibe, with more subtle effects it would look so much better. Also, for such an high budget production they could have get Lee Dong-Wook some better hair extensions.

One of the things I really liked about this drama was the OST, I really liked the songs, and some of them became part of my playlist, I think they really fitted the vibe of the drama and worked well with the story and cinematography.

Will I watch this drama again? Probably not, although I enjoyed this drama even with all its flaws, I don't see myself revisiting it anytime soon. Do I recommend it? Yes, if you're look for something easy to watch and that you don't need to put much thought into, it's flawed and could have been done differently but I think that overhaul this drama it's still fun to watch.

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Completed
It's Okay, That's Love
2 people found this review helpful
by Lia
Oct 2, 2017
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
"It's Okay, That's Love", I knew it was a good kdrama, but I never thought it was this good! The vast majority of people loved this drama, and somehow is on their "must watch" list. I have to admit that it doesn't take too much for me to give a kdrama a solid 10/10, but this kdrama really deserves it.

At first glance, I admit that I thought this drama would be one of those cliché romances between  housemates, but as episodes went by, I gradually became aware of  how wrong I was. The story was very well written. They  approached the subject of mental illness in such a realistic way that I was really impressed. I'll forever have on my mind one of the  scenes towards the end in which Soo-Kwang explains to Jae-Yeol how mental illness works, to me it is undoubtedly the best scenes I've ever seen in a drama. Something in which this drama stands out is also that they value the supporting characters and do not forget them from one episode to another, something that is very common in  kdramas.

The romance between Hae-Soo and Jae-Yeol is the most wonderful thing that ever happened in my life, though for a while I thought Jae-Yeol didn't really love Hae-Soo, maybe because of the speed with which they ended up becoming a couple. This drama is not about the path to love, but about all the bumps a couple has on their way to happiness. Our two protagnostits have a   very complex past that make them the people they are now days, and throughout the drama this part of there lifes is  explored in a brilliant way.

I can not forget to mention the supporting characters who also had a great role in making this story wonderful. Soo-Kwang was brilliant, I loved his romance  with So-Nyeo, despite the age difference, I found it very cute. Dong-Min, a very important character  because without him perhaps the drama had not taken the path it took. I also found his relationship with his co-worker Yeong-Ji very interesting. And in a way each character that appeared in the story contributed to make this drama  wonderful.

Cast / Acting: The cast of this drama was brilliantly chosen.  The chemistry between Gong Hyo Jin and Jo In Sung crossed the screen, they simply matched.  I had never seen any work from either of the two main actors  and I'm very curious to see more of their work,  because they are very talented. All the supporting cast was also fantastic in their performances, and I have to make an honorable mention to Lee Kwang Soo for his brilliant performance in his character with a somehow very complicated disorder.

The OST is simply the best I've heard in a drama, though most of the songs are in English. "Cross My Mind" continues to play in my head right now as I write this review. The songs combined with the atmosphere of the drama and with the scenes themselves.

In terms of picture, it's a beautiful drama, no doubt, but in terms of technique doesn't stand out from any other drama.

Will I watch this drama again? Yes, no doubt. This drama is to watch and rewatch, to fall madly in love with each character again. It's definitely a must watch for any dramalover out there. I really regret not having watch this pearl before.

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Completed
It's Okay to Not Be Okay
2 people found this review helpful
by Lia
Oct 6, 2020
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.5

A good drama with a compelling story and beautiful visuals.

"It's Okay Not To Be Okay" was a beautiful surprise that appeared on my Netflix recommended. When I went to watch it, I didn't know much about the plot, I just knew that had Kim Soo-Hyun and Seo Yea-Ji as the main leads and that it had mental illness and fairytales in the mix. But as you can tell by my rating, I was pleasantly surprise by this spooky fairytale.

This drama is a blend of romance, drama, comedy and a bit of mystery and is very character driven, so if you come here to watch a lighthearted romcom, you are definitely in the wrong place, as this drama dives in on character development and is all about their healing and growth.

We follow Moon Gang-Tae, who is Healthcare Assistant who works with psychiatric patients and as to move around a lot because of is older brother Moon Sang-Tae, who has autism. He ends up meeting children's book writer Ko Moon-Young, who, because of her traumatic childhood, grew to have a very toxic behavior. And between all the bickering and cute moments, they end up falling in love. There's a whole mystery sub-plot in this drama, that honestly it was quite disappointing and it didn't had much to the story, honestly it felt like it was only added to create more unnecessary drama. Sparkled in between like chocolate chips, there was the stories of some of the patients of the psychiatric facility, where we learn more about their mental illnesses and their journey to overcome them.

I honestly never felt more relatable to a character in my life, I don´t know if it was because we have the same job, or because, like him, I learned how to conceal my feeling, principly while I'm working but also outside work, were I always feel the need to take care of other, so in a way I understood Gang-Tae a little bit. Moon-Young, although a love her, I need to admit that her behavior in the beginning of the drama was quite toxic and shouldn't be glorified, but I love that throughout the drama, she started to change for the better with the help of the two brothers. And obviously I had to talk about that character, that for me stole the show, and that was Sang-Tae, I'm not one to cry, but in some of Sang-Tae's scenes i just couldn't stop myself from bawling my eyes out, and I can't say this enough but Oh Jung-Se was brilliant on his portrayal of Sang-Tae.

I think the best part about this drama is the visuals, I've never seen such a beautifully shot drama, the whole concept was so well done, I loved the spooky fairytale concept and the animations sprinkled across the episodes. I just can't stress this enough, this drama is gorgeous to look at, complemented by the beautiful OST, (honestly I've already added most of them to my playlist). I loved that they composed original instrumental music to fill the ambient, besides the typical OST. Also I need to make a special mention of this drama's intro, i never skipped it once, and beside the visuals and the music, i really liked that depending on the episodes mood (happy or sad) the saturation of the images would change: more colorful for happy episodes, less colorful for sad ones. I don't know if I was the only one who noticed that, but nonetheless was a very cool small detail.

Will I watch this drama again? Probably, I really liked the overall drama and the concept, and I see myself watching it again in the future. If i recommend it? Yes, if you looking for a character driven drama with a different concept.
Thank you Netflix for putting this gorgeous drama on my way!

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Completed
Suspicious Partner
1 people found this review helpful
by Lia
Dec 15, 2017
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 4.0
The year of 2017 was the year of law's and mystery's related drama, it was this year's trending and I'm not against it. "Suspicious Partner" was one of the many that came out this year and it started really strong, but throught out the whole forty episodes of half an hour, it started to got draggy and  look like it had some kind of identity crisis. But even with those bumps in the way I liked, it's not the best I have seen but it was entertain to watch.

To be honest it took me about three month to finish this drama. I don't know why, but I watched a bunch of episodes all together and then stoped because I get tired,but then, after a while away I would comeback for more, by the middle of the series I would find myself a bit bored from watching it and I would stop again. I think that the drama should had just 32 episodes, they stretched the story line to much so in the middle it just got bored. But at least the ending was quite good.

The premise for this drama is interesting. We follow the lovably and naive (and a bit crazy too) Eun Bong-Hee as she becames a trainee prosecutor under Noh Ji-Wook our other main character. As the story moves foward Bong-hee ends up becoming a suspect of a murder and it's when the mystery part of the show starts, as both Ji-Wook and Bong-Hee try to find the real culprit.

During the drama we have other small cases to fill the holes and a whole character's backstory wich makes everything connect or disconnect (when you watch the show you will understand). Something that made me a bit sad it's how poorly, in my opinion, the second couple story was handled and how they let to the very end to tie up everything, which made everyting look rushed. I really liked Eun-Hyuk and Yoo-Jung chemistry during the whole show and I think their story deserved better.

Hyun-Soo divide me, because I really hated him, but by the middle of the drama I was in love, I just wanted to know how everyting would turned out. In the end I think I felt a bit sad for him. I also loved all the support cast from Mr. Byun to Mr. Bang and his amazing personality, but the one I loved the most was Ji-Hae, she might not have a big role in the drama, but that girl is kinda of amazing, I love how sassy she is and the all love-hate relation she has with Bong-Hee, simply amazing. (But in the first half of the drama I hated her a lot, but she gets much better after that).

Cast / Acting: The acting was amazing, Ji Chang Wook and Nam Ji-Hyun were amazing together, and I just loved the way Chang-Wook portrayed his character, I just fell in love. Nam Ji-Hyun did also a good job even though at some point in the middle of the drama I felt that her character was a bit to naive and to innocent for her age, but that's not the actress fault, it's more the writer fault. She did a great job despite that. Choi Tae Joon and Nara were great too even though I think the writers didn't do a good job with her character, Yoo-Jung was there, sometimes, not as much as I expect from a main role, but she was there doing her job, and I kinda liked her character more when she was drunk.

Dong-Ha, I don't have words to describe the mix of feelings for his character, like I said before I really hated his character but for some reason I also liked it a lot so I'm confuse. But overall his portrayed of Hyun-Soo was simply brilliant I really want to see more of him in the future.

The cast was brilliant and I really could feel the overall chemistry between them!

Now let's talk abou the whole romantic comedy mystery thing. I mean it wasn't bad but it wasn't good either. I think they weren't able to blend well the two genres together, so sometimes we had a lot of romance and lack of mystery, other times we had to much mystery a lack of romance. So it wasn't well balance principally by the beginning of the second half of the drama, the romance and the murder mystery were unbalenced which originated a regular romance and a regular mystery, it didn't outstanded and I felt a bit disappointed.

I liked the OST, was not the best ever, but it really suited the moments. I liked the cinematography, the light thing they did in the kiss scenes looked kinda pretty and it was like a sign that something romantic was about to happen.

Will I watch this drama again? Maybe, but like any other mystery or suspense drama, it is intriguing just the first time, because you don't know what to expect, but when you have already watched, it kinda lost the fun, but when I forget about the plot I'll maybe give it a shot again, maybe. I recommend this drama if you like cute couples being cute and brutal villains. It's not the best in this new trend of mixing romantic comedy and death but it's not the worst and definitely deserves a shot at least once.

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Completed
Mad for Each Other
0 people found this review helpful
by Lia
Mar 26, 2022
13 of 13 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 8.5

A hidden gem that takes a fresh approach to the "enemies to lovers" trope.

I found out about this drama by chance, and it was the most fortunate incident of my life. After reading a few reviews, I decided to watch it, and overall, I was very pleased. Also, it's short format helped not only make it easy to watch, but also harder for the story to go off the rails.

My first impression upon watching this drama's first episode, was that it would be "It's Okay, That's Love" 2.0, which isn't a bad thing, as that is one of my favorite dramas of all time, but I was wrong.

Our main character is Noh Hwi-Oh, a suspended detective, who has obvious anger issues, and he's trying to overcome that problem. On the other hand we have Lee Min-Kyung, who has pretty deep trust issues and is traumatized by her past. Both of them are considered "mad", and the drama follows their healing process, as they learn how to deal with things through therapy, and slowly but surely fall in love with each other. In other words, this is your typical "enemies to lovers" slow burn with a mental illness twist. This isn't meant as a criticism, but rather to prove that you can make a trope interesting.

The main thing about this drama, to me, is its approach to the mental illness part. Each episode we have snippets of their therapy sessions, and this gives as a window to what is going on in their minds. I also need to praise this drama for not making love the cure for their problems, as many dramas do. As much as I would like to believe that love can cure anything, I say from experience that sadly, just like any other illness, mental illness doesn't go away just because you're in love.

At first, I found the main characters a bit annoying, but I feel like that was done on purpose, maybe to show how outside people perceive them. But slowly, as we learn more about them and their trauma, they start warming up to us. And when you realize, you are rooting for these two to be together.

Dramas like this can be frustrating at times. You want to see these two get along, but in reality, each of them has issues and traumas that make it difficult for them to be together.


Though this drama is primarily about the two main characters and their backstories, I also enjoyed the B-plot involving the part-timer and Samantha. Although a bit out of nowhere and with a rushed ending, I thoroughly enjoyed their storyline. And the ladies from the "Women's Association" were quite fun to watch too.

I think that the only issue I have with this drama is the last two episodes. I don't think they were inheritably bad, but instead extremely rushed. In my opinion, if they added one or two more episodes, to actually develop and wrap up the story, this drama could have been perfection. Since the format of the episodes was so small, and there was so much going on in the last two episodes, many things went either unexplained or the conclusions did not make much sense.

In spite of the rushed ending, I still think it is worth watching since it discusses very important topics.

Side Note: the two main characters in this drama always look so comfy in their clothes, and I really want Min-Kyung's wardrobe.

Acting and Cast: I think everyone involved was very competent in their roles. I thought Jung Woo did a superb job in the role of the righteous but a bit too aggressive cop who wants the best for everyone, but can't control his anger. Oh Yeon-Seo, is one of my favorite actresses, and as always, she did not disappoint. I really felt the pain and trauma her character lived through. The rest of the supporting cast also did a good job in their roles, even with little screen time. And I have to mention Lee Soo Hyun, cause I didn't know she acted, and I was really surprised, she didn't feel awkward or out of place, so good job.

Cinematography and Sound/Music: I like the cinematography of this drama. They did some visual references to movies, and although in the first episodes I found the abrupt endings a bit jarring, and an odd stylist choice, I got used to it after a few episodes, after all this drama is supposed to be a bit "mad". And this "mad" theme also leaked into the camera work, with some odd camara angles that either were used for comedic reasons or for tension. As for the OST, there was nothing special or memorable about it, in my opinion, and the sound mixing was alright.

Will I watch this drama again? Maybe, I really liked the main couple and since the episodes are really short, it's easy to do a marathon. Do I recommend it? Yes, I think this drama is a hidden gem, that does the typical "enemies to lovers" trope very well, and talks about very pertinent issues, with a touch of comedy and a tiny bit of tension.

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Completed
Lawless Lawyer
0 people found this review helpful
by Lia
Mar 1, 2022
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 4.0

An action drama but without that much action.

Apparently, two of my favorite actors did a drama together and I didn't know about it. Having just watched Vincenzo, I wanted something in a similar vein to watch next. That proved to be my biggest mistake. I was expecting a funny and dark law drama, with a bit more romance, but "Lawless Lawyer" isn't exactly that. Although sharing a similar theme, this drama focuses more on the corruption in the legal system, and how people can use it to harm others.

My first impression of this drama was that it would be full of action, but it ended up being more about meetings and people talking, which isn't bad, but wasn't exactly what I expected from the first episode.

Our main character is Bong Sang-Pil, a badass lawyer raised by gangsters after his mother's death. To avenge her death, he moves back to his hometown to execute a plan he's been working on his entire life. Our female lead, and romantic interest, is Ha Jae-Yi, a strong lawyer who gets suspended for hitting a judge (well deserved, by the way), and ends up returning to her hometown to start over. What bothers me about Jae-Yi is that she starts as a strong female character and ends up being the damsel in distress, as in many other dramas. If you're going to write a strong character, make her strong and independent all the way to the end. Not to mention that everyone makes all the decisions for her. My digression aside, our two leads meet and together they try to take down powerful Cha Moon-Sook, everyone's favorite judge, and her minions.

There is a lot of discussion in this drama about corruption within the justice system, and how powerful media can be in changing people's perspectives. I think the concept of the story was good, but I was expecting something more unpredictable, because, although there's a lot of twists and turns, some of them felt forceful, and for the most part predictable, at least for me, as I guessed the biggest plot twist very easily. However, I think it's still a good story. Also the trailer is a bit deceiving in my opinion, as I was expecting way more action than what was presented (and I love action), instead we got a bunch of meetings that were boring at times. Also there's some illogical stuff that I had a hard time believing, principally with the type of characters we were presented with.

Now let's talk about romance. I like a good romance in any story, as long as it makes sense and is well constructed. I didn't dislike Sang-Pil and Jae-Yi's romance, but I also didn't like it. It had all the tropes of most drama love stories: unnecessary lying to protect female lead, miscommunication, overprotective male lead, they know each other from childhood, we need to break up for your protection and so on. I also didn't feel that much chemistry between the pair... yes, they look incredible together and had some sweet moments, but I always felt like something was missing, and I also felt that the romance could have been more explored and less rushed. And don't get me started on the borderline stalking backstory of the male lead, I understand the idea, but it's still a bit creepy, but I digress. Still, they were cute and fun to watch, even with all the clichés.

I also think they could have explored the Lawless Firm Gang more, as although there are more people, they only focus ( and not that much anyway) on only three people, but even with not much screen time they were a blessing to watch.

Now I need to talk about the villains. Honestly, to me they were the best part of the show. First of all, we have the typical bad guy, Ahn Oh-Joo, he looks and sounds like a bad guy, and although at the beginning he was extremely annoying, he grew on me, and by the end I liked him (as much as you can like a villain), I loved all his growth, and his dynamic with Bong Sang-Pil, that at times felt more like they were friendenemies than anything else. And of course brilliant and evil Chan Moon-Sook, this is what we call a strong female woman, that stood her ground till the very end, it's a shame she used all that brilliance for evil. Still for me she was the most memorable character, even though at times I just wanted to hit her in the face with a very large stick.

Acting/Cast: Lee Joon-Gi knows how to act, this man is brilliant in anything I've ever watch of him, and here isn't any different, his acting was engaging and strong, and honestly he portrayed Bong Sang-Pil in all his complexities very well. Seo Yea-Ji, is also an amazing actress, that I've watch already in a couple of other dramas, and I really like her versatility, she was also very convincing in her role, I'm just sad that the script didn't let her shine more. Choi Min-Soo, this man brought Ahn Oh-Joo to life, and I couldn't see anyone else playing his part, he was amazing and captivating. And of course, Lee Hye-Young was brilliant in this role, she portrayed the stone cold Cha Moon-Sook amazingly, and I think she deserves all the praise for this role. The supporting cast also did a great job.

Cinematography and Sound/Music: Starting with the easier one, I liked the OST, it wasn't anything special, but it got the job done, the sound mixing also was okay, and overall this drama sounded good. The cinematography was also average, and honestly I really disliked the shaky camera, and I get it, it was supposed to make the scene more tense, but it only made me feel dizzie, in addition, I think that the shots were bland and nothing special, but it's still watchable.

Will I watch this drama again? Probably not, I enjoyed the drama, and finished it pretty quickly, but since it's a very cliché drama, I don't feel it's stuck with me to the point of me wanting to rewatch it anytime soon. Do I recommend it? Yes, if you like law dramas, with very heavy political and justice themes, with memorable villains and a somewhat enjoyable romance.

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Completed
Hotel del Luna
1 people found this review helpful
by Lia
Mar 28, 2020
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 10
Rewatch Value 6.0
It's been a while since a watch any drama, I was on a drama slump for about six month and "Hotel Del Luna" came to get me out of that dark place, so, with some tears still left in my eyes, here's what I have to say about this amazing drama.

My first impression of this drama was that it was beautiful from cinematography to costumes and even the special effects, and for a moment I was scared that this would be just another drama with amazing visual and no story to tell, but I was wrong, although is not the most perfect story it's definitively worth give it a shot.

This drama follows self-centered Jang Man Wol that as a punishment for a revenge that happened many years ago as to serve as a CEO to a peculiar hotel which's its guests are ghosts. Goo Chan Sung his just a normal guy who has his life turned around when he starts to work as a manager in Hotel Del Luna.

Although this drama has romance it's a very slow-burn one, plus this isn't really the main focus of the show in my opinion, I think it's pretty obvious that the show story it's about Man Wol and her growth, her path to be a better person at peace with herself. She is the most developed character with flaws and layers and IU's performance helped to bring this amazing character to life. Because of that Yeo Jin Go's character Goo Chan Sung was completely overshadow, even the good acting couldn’t save this, it was pretty obvious that Goo Chan Sung was only there so Man Wol had a reason to change, I think it was a shame he didn't get a better development . I like slow-burn romances, so I didn't mind the time they took to realize they loved each other.

The side characters had good stories to tell, stories that were worth explore in more depth and not in the last four episodes, I think they could have left some of the other guest stories and focus more in this one's, because for me there resolution felt a bit rush.

This drama main focus and moral of the story per say it's about forgiveness and the act of letting go, Man Wol journey it's about that and even the side character’s arc it's about letting go of the past resentment and move on. The theme of "letting go" and "forgiveness" are very well explored in this drama, and it's pretty obvious by the amount of emphasis they put on it. As the drama put it: it's harder to let go than to hold on.

The romance in this drama was cute and very slow-burn, as someone who loves a good slow-burn romance I didn't mind, plus I really liked that this drama switch rules, making the arrogant CEO with a soft heart a woman.

But, even with its flaws this drama is very entertaining to watch the balance between very dramatic scenes and the comedy it's well done helping this drama to be fun and easy to watch. Yes, this drama will probably make you cry, but it also will make you laugh within the same episode. Also as someone that spent six month without watching any drama, and got a bit used to the american format of 45 min episodes, each time I watch an episode from this drama I felt like I was watching a movie to be honest.

Acting/Cast: It's pretty obvious that IU stole the show for me, her portrayal of Jang Man Wol was almost perfect, the way she portrayed this very complex character and his growth throughout the show was impressive and I couldn’t imagined someone else in this, plus she is really pretty and seeing IU in such nice clothes in every episode was a sight to see. Yeo Jin Goo also did a good job, but the script really failed him, as didn't matter how good of an actor he is, his character was lacking something more memorable, but in the scenes he breaks down emotionally it feels raw and sincere. The supporting cast did a go job complementing the two main characters very well and also provided us with some comic relief and some interesting side-stories.

Cinematography: I don't usually have a separated topic just to talk about this, but this drama cinematography it's top notch and definitively deserves a topic of its own. The special effects were tastefully use and blend perfectly with a scenery around, the camera work and the color use were beautiful and combined with the editing created this drama gorgeous visuals. It's one of the most beautifully shot dramas I've ever watch.

I can't finish my review without talking about the beautiful OST full of very well-known names, this OST isn’t just good music but also the way they were included in the drama helped create beautiful and unforgettable scenes, plus I found new music to enjoy in my way to work.

Will I watch this drama again? Maybe, I really liked the drama and it was very entertaining to watch. Do I recommend it? Yes, if you like fantasy with a bittersweet ending, amazing cinematography and an amazing main character growth. I think this is a show to watch.

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Completed
What's Wrong with Secretary Kim
0 people found this review helpful
by Lia
Oct 7, 2020
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 8.5

A light hearted drama, with a simple story and great couple chemistry.

After almost two years in my 'on hold' list I finally decided to give "What's Wrong With Secretary Kim" a second chance, as I was looking for a light hearted romcom to fill my heart with fluff after having finish an intense drama.

If you expect a deep story with complex characters, you are in the wrong place, as this drama is 99% cute romance, with little to no actual drama. This drama follows narcissistic vice-chairman Lee Young-Joon and Secretary Kim Mi-So, as they fall in love with each other. It's a easy straight forward plot, with some mystery sprinkled in for some light conflict. We also have some cute secondary couples, that filled in the episodes just fine, I saw myself root for them more, than sometimes the main couple.

There's not much to this drama to talk about without going into spoilers, but I can say that the story for the most part it's pretty predictable, even if they tried to had some kind of plot twist toward the end.

With all I've been saying so far, you probably thinking that this drama it's not worth watching, but actually I really liked it. Yes, it was cliche. Yes, it was cringy at times. And yes I think everything moved way to fast. But that's basically what makes this drama so great, it was a easy watch, I just had to turn on the tv and enjoy two people falling in love, with no much complications, and sometimes that's all you need. This drama isn't groundbreaking but it's very entertaining and enjoyable to watch. The couples have chemistry, there's some great kiss scenes (the people who've already watched it, knows what I'm talking about) and overall I had a great time with it.

I think this drama really works thanks to the cast who all did a great job bringing the characters to life. I already knew Park Seo-Joon from other dramas and he didn't disappoint me in this one, the way he portrayed the vice-chairman made him likable even if he didn't have a lot of likeable qualities in the first place. This is the first work I watched of Park Min-Young and I really liked her, I think she completely pulled off Secretary Kim's nice but strong personality.

The OST ain't nothing out of this world as well as the cinematography, but it still was a very visually pleasant drama to watch.

Will I watch this drama again? Well, in a way I've already watched this drama twice, as I started to watched when it first came out, and now after two years I finally watched from beginning to end. I think to enjoy this drama you really need to be in the mood for something light, or otherwise you'll just find this drama boring. Do I recommend it? Yes, I think if you like light hearted dramas, with a easy to follow plot, without many twist and turns and great couple chemistry, I think this is the drama for you!

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Completed
Vincenzo
0 people found this review helpful
by Lia
Feb 17, 2022
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 6.0

This is a story about the lesser of two evils.

I came to this drama, about a year later, it's been on my Netflix main page staring at me for a while, and since I need something to distract myself after the university exams, I decided to give it a try. So I went somewhat blindly. I didn't read any reviews, which for what i can see are very mix, with people liking it and other people totally despising it, and I get it, this drama isn't for everyone, I think is an acquired taste.

This drama starts slow, but eventually it picks up the pace, and then you are hooked up, and watching the next episode. Because something this drama does well is cliffhangers.

This drama follows main character Vincenzo Cassano, an Italian mafia consigliere, and just by that description we can tell he is not a good guy, not even close, he is an anti-hero though-and-through and i love the writers for sticking to their guns and keep him like this to the very end. Then, we have the counterpart, Hong Cha-Young, that is someone who is willing to go to any length to win a case, even if that means less legal stuff. And with this, we have the killer duo together to fight their common enemy Babel Group. Next, we have the "villains" of the show. I liked the whole concept they created for the main villain, but i think the execution wasn't the best as he relied a lot on other people to do his dirty work, and I feel that consequently that was his down fall. For me Choi Myung-Hee, at times felt more like the real thing, she felt more like the actual villain, but i guess she was only doing what she was told too.

This drama is a commentary on corruption and the web of bribes, favors and money that basically controls it all, even justice. This drama, to me, in a way, serves as catharsis, someone came and gave the bad guys what they deserved, he did what normal people can't do and sometimes want to, make the evil people pay for their sins. Vincenzo isn't a good guy, and he never claimed to be, he is the lesser of two evils, he is the devil fighting another devil.

In a lighter note, this drama is also filled with quirky comedy, and a cast of surprisingly entertaining people, like the tenants of Geumga Plaza. I think they were endearing and fun to watch, and without them half of the things that happened wouldn't have happen.

There's a very buried romance subplot with the main characters, that only comes to some fruition at the end, and honestly never did I feel so frustrated with a couple before, they acted almost like they were married, but only in the last minutes, of the last episode is that they finally admitted it. But, for a drama that isn't about romance, this couple his one of the heathiest non-toxic relationships I've ever seen in a drama.

This story is full of twists and turns, some predictable, some unpredictable and others straight out ridiculous, but I think that's what makes this drama good. Sometimes my predictions for what happens next were right, and other times they were wrong, because cliché isn't necessarily bad, and when well done can be as good as something unpredictable.

Acting/Cast: I need to congratulate the casting director because he nailed it, I honestly can't see anyone else playing this characters, from the main one to the side ones. Song Joong-Ki was great in is role, i love the
duality he had, one moment he looked adorable and innocent, and in the next one a cold-blood killer, and honestly this man's eyes tell all the story alone, I could tell what he was feeling by just looking at his eyes. Jeon Yeo-Been was also great, i found her over the top acting a bit annoying in the beginning, but as time went by I start finding it quite funny nad adorable. Kwak Dong-Yeon, I’ve seen in dramas before and I really like him, and honestly, he stole my heart in this drama, and even made me cry (and that's something, as i rarely cry watching anything), I think he's acting was superb. Kim Yeo-Jin was amazing, she really made me hate Myung-Hee with all my heart and honestly, it's been a while since I despised a character this much. The rest of cast were also great in their roles and made me love every single one of their characters. And last but not least, we have to talk about Ok Taecyeon, he stole the show with is acting, principally because of how much he improved from the last drama I saw with him, he was brilliant in this role and deserves an award, and i won't say more cause i don't want to spoil anything.

As for the cinematography, was good, nothing out of this world, but it did the job well. The OST was also fitting, and i really enjoyed some of the songs, and they are now part of my playlist.

Side note, i really applaud Song Joon-Ki for his effort on trying to speak Italian as best has he could, I’m totally sure it wasn't easy, as Korean as nothing to do with Italian, and as someone who’s first language is a Latin one and still finds Italian hard, Joon-Ki was incredibly good, and was also funny to hear him curse in Italian.

Will I watch this drama again? I don't know, I'm not the type to rewatch dramas, principally those who have plot twists, as the second time around isn't as enjoyable, so it's more a no then a yes, but we will see. Do I recommend it? Yes, if you like dark comedy, very light romance and moral greyness. I think this drama is not for everyone, and that some people won't like it and that’s okay. To me it was a good drama that I enjoyed every single moment of. I think if you can get through the first couple of episodes and get use to the style, you will like it, and by the last couple of episodes you'll be in the edge of your seat. Overall, I think this drama it's a dark but fun watch.

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Completed
While You Were Sleeping
0 people found this review helpful
by Lia
Nov 18, 2017
32 of 32 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 4.0
"While You were Sleeping" a very awaited drama since the cast was first confirmed back in the beginning of the year or so. With some tears still left in my face, I write a review of this drama, that left some emptyness in my heart.

The first impression that a had from the drama was that it was very confuse, mainly because I watched the first two episodes together, and each episode has the point of view of a different character (hard to explain). But even a bit confuse about the story line, I got hooked up and I needed to watch more.

The plot it self wasn't complex if we take out the dreams factor, because that was what made the drama different from any other romcom / thriller. We follow the lifes of Hong Joo a reporter that wasn't working and a rookie prosecutor who just started working in a new office. Easy right? Well untill you add the dreams and all the mess they turned the plot into, and by that I mean a mess in the good way, because that make the things different, they could change what happens in the future. Apart from the dreams themself, I also really like the other cases that were shown, and all the thriller involved, even if in the end was a bit urealistic, but we are talking about a drama afterall, we can't expect too much.

Theres a couple of characters that I really like besides the main couple, that was definitely Woo Tak (because everyone fell a bit for him, he was just too cute), also Inspector Choi (that adjusshi was just amazing), and the other prosecutors that worked with Jae-Chan, they all have an amazing storyline.

Lee Yu Beom, I need a whole other review just to talk about how much I hated this charater. I was so upset with him that I just wanted to puch him in the face and break that precious face of his. Why, Yu Beom? Why use all that genius for the bad things?

Now let's talk about what you've been waiting for, romance. I think that this drama was never really focus on it, because we do have romantic scenes, but something was missing. I shipped Jae-Chan with Hong-Joo, but I didn't have that click, that heart racing that I usually have when the couple has a lot of chemistry. They did indeed have some kind of chemistry even if it was with the help of some romantic music and good cinematography, but I was expecting more I guess, I was expecting the kinda of chemistry I've seen in dramas like "Decendants of the Sun" or "It's Okay That's Love", but it just wasn't there, now that I look back. But don't worry, you that want to watch the drama, there's romance, there's kisses and there's a lot of love quotes. And you always can have the Second Lead Sydrome if you want!

Cast / Acting: I love all the people envolve in the drama, every single of them were brilliant in their character. Lee Jong Suk did a great job, but this character was just like any other character that he had already play, maybe just a bit different but not to much, but that doesn't mean he didn't act well, it just that I've already seen him playing this kind of character and I would like that in the future he tried something different just to see how he does. I got really surprised by Suzy acting, I think she improved a lot at least from her last drama where I didn't like her character neither her acting, but I really got impressed by her acting this time. Now let's take a moment to apreciate Jung Hae In, this man completly stole my heart and soul with his character, making him one of my favorite characters, God bless this guy! Lee Sang Yeob made a outstanding job portraying Lee Yu Beom, I don't have words to describe all the feelings I had about his character, and that just means that he did a great job with it, from the face expressions to the way he talked and acted. Congrats!

I really liked the OST of this drama, in special "I Love You Boy" and "It's You". I also liked the suspense kinda of dramatic's orchestra melody that played in the more tense moments. Over all liked the audio part of the drama.

The picture in this drama was pretty, not really outstanding, but good as well as the edition.

Will I watch this drama again? Probably in a future, when I forget the plot. We are talking about a drama which relies on plot twists and impredictable moments, and when you already have watched the whole drama it never feels the same again. I do recommend this drama if you like thriller with some romance and comedy. But its rewatch value it's pretty low. Overall was a pretty decent drama, I've seen better, but I also have seen far more horrible ones. Even with some bumps in the way it was good, interesting and in someway, different.

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