What the heck?!

I put off watching this for the longest time because I had heard about the ending. I decided to pull up my big girl panties, suck it up and give it a watch. Well, I do have to say that the ending really affected my rating.

The concept for the story was cute. Bo Ra's best friend has a crush on a boy and wants Bo Ra to find out everything she can about him while said friend is in America. Bo Ra's detective work was very cute. She was certainly creative in the means that she used to glean information! In the process, Bo Ra starts to like Woon Ho. When her friend comes back, she finds out that Woon Ho is the one she actually likes. This is where the power of friendship was displayed very well, between Bo Ra and her friend. It was sad, you could feel the emotions of the girls, but their friendship was beautiful and strong.

Kim Yoo Jung as Bo Ra, and Byeon Woo Seok as Woon Ho were terrific. They made such a cute couple. Bo Ra beginning to feel the emotions of love that her friend had described to her, her journey of discovery in her first love was a treat to watch. And I thought that Woon Ho was written really well. His emotions just showed on his face every time he looked at Bo Ra, he didn't try to hide it, he was feeling the feels, and he went with it. I can't count the number of times I was taken with his beatific smile. There was no hidden agenda, no game playing, it was just there for the world to see.

So, for three quarters of the way through the movie, I was thinking that I was probably going to rate this pretty high, such was my enjoyment of it. Though there was one head-scratching moment early on, I probably could have overlooked that, but the other two points, just no:
1) There was mistaken identity because Woon Ho had worn his friend's school uniform. There is no way he could have worn his friend's uniform, Woon Ho was about a foot taller!
2) Why in the world did they feel the need to have a different actress play Bo Ra as an adult? That ruined the flow.
3) And the WORST? A ton of time goes by, and she finds out that Woon Ho died years ago!?!? The first thing out of anyone's mouth would be to ask how he died. That is never explained, and it remains this huge clunky rock of disappointment to an otherwise good movie. I mean, just why? There are certainly more satisfactory ways this movie could have ended. I'm just mad.

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Just wow!

Let me start by saying that this is not my go-to genre. It's kind of hard for me to rate, because usually I rate on my enjoyment of a series. I, truthfully, can say that I didn't really enjoy it - wait, before you jump down my throat, hear me out. I didn't like the way it made me feel. It was dark and depressing, with the barest hint of clever repartee to lighten the mood slightly every so often. So, bottom line, the show achieved what it set out to do. It was so well written, and the acting was absolutely top-notch. I felt uncomfortable while watching it, watching morally/mentally gray characters. It raised a lot of questions while watching it: Where is the line between right and wrong? Is it hard to keep trying to straddle that line? Does absolute power corrupt absolutely? Do we ever really know those around us?

Most of the actors I had seen in other works, and they all seemed to be different versions of themselves than I had seen before. The sign of good acting.

If I didn't have to have a minimum word count, my review would consist of these two words - Namkoong Min. Always brilliant. I do have to make a complaint about the makeup on him. It looked like they went overboard on the self-tanner. His skin was so much darker than everyone else, it really bothered me. And I could have done without the sleazy moustache.

So, my suggestion is that you watch it, but be prepared to want to give up your daily life until you've finished it. It's just that good.

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Loved the actors

I loved the actors in this show, but I felt that the pacing was uneven, not very well written and brought up a lot more questions than it answered. As usual, there's a time skip, and a rushed ending.

I love PBY, except when she cries, and she cried a lot in this show (more than once is too much). I feel like her crying moves into overacting, and it really takes me out of the story. And constantly saying that she's "plain"? What's with that?! I think this drama might have been trying to take on society's obsession with the way someone looks, but that message really got lost in the weeds.

For me, I went back and forth between being bored, being confused, and just wishing it was over.

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I'll admit I cheated and watched only episodes 3-5!

The subject matter for the first story - just no. The ending of the third story - nope. So, the second story it is.

The chemistry between the ML and the FL was fire seriously! I'm really liking Ryeoun as an actor. I would have liked for the second story to be longer, maybe eight episodes, so we could get more of a back story for both of them. There was the typical teenage drama, but I enjoyed watching them together. I, personally, like the friends to lovers trope, and this would have benefitted from more episodes as well.

I'm hoping that these two actors work together again in the future.

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Very pleasantly surprised

I watched this in two days, if that tells you anything. If you are looking for something fluffy and easy to watch, give this a try. There's nothing new and groundbreaking here, other than the fact that this show bypasses so many of the tropes that I hate. I do have to say that the tendency to make the FL a bad student is overused. The dubbing was terrible in places (their mouths weren't even moving with the words), but other than that, this show had me smiling, laughing, and I even cried a little.

Actors - Jun as Ling Chao. He was pretty one-note, as I've come to expect from most of the MLs in these types of dramas. There wasn't much acting required, really, since his character was pretty much the same throughout. His characterization was a terrific foil for the ebullient Xiao Tu (played by Zhang Miao Yi). She was outgoing and friendly, with a ready smile that absolutely lights up the screen. She is made for these school dramas, she's so tiny and youthful.

Enjoyed:
1) Main actors and their chemistry. I love that they'd known each other for years, more like brother and sister. It was fun to watch their relationship and watch them try to navigate the uncharted territory of their newly discovered feelings for one another. There was a lot of handholding and there were quite a few kisses, which started out as the eyes-wide-open fish kisses, but they definitely got better. I loved how well he knew her - giving her a bouquet of snacks rather than flowers, because she was constantly eating.
2) I thought the constant snacking of the FL was cute, I don't know why.
3) Second couple. Here's where things usually fall apart for me. They tend to have a second couple that is extremely irritating. I loved this couple. Granted, their breakup was pretty ridiculous, but their scenes were touching and made me cry. Again, their relationship grew from friendship. The relationships of both couples felt very organic to me and made sense.
4) No triangle to speak of. There was a girl that liked him throughout, but I think even she knew she was deluding herself. I appreciated that they had her be caught up in the fantasy of liking him, yet she wasn't trying to break them up all the time.
5) Parents that didn't disapprove of their relationship. Her dad had a hard time of letting her go, but other than that, they were supportive.
6) Friendships. The friendships of these characters, from birth all the way through school and into their careers, was special. I was just caught up in the fact that there were no overly irritating characters!
7) A surprising antagonist (that didn't go on too long).
8) We got to see a bit of marriage and kids.
9) I thought the scenes at the end on the carousel, from children through to their wedding, was lovely.
10) The music, that stayed in the background for the most part, went with the show well. Every so often you'd hear Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star or some other music reminiscent of childhood.
11) The time skip. It was used just to move the storyline at all, and there was no drama associated with it.
12) No stupid breakups for the main couple.

I liked this show for all the things it DIDN'T have, I guess. It's one of those shows where there's not a lot of drama, and really not a lot going on at all, we are just privileged to be able to watch them in their daily lives. An easy watch.

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Cute retelling

This was a re-telling that was fun. It has a happy ending, yet leaves the door open for future re-telling. As is often the case with Japanese productions, there are always one or two people that overact. The witch was such a person, but finally settled into her role.

There was a fun twist to the story that I didn’t see coming. The actress playing Little Red Riding hood was very good. I just wish they hadn’t made her hair red, it blended too much with her cape. Small quibble. Since there is a requirement for a certain number of words in reviews, I’ll say that I would recommend this if you don’t want to make too much of a time commitment.

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Wonderful law show

I love romance shows and this wasn't one. However, it was so well-written, full of interesting characters, and one that I got completely engrossed in. The actors were all wonderful. Go Ah Ra and Sung Dong Il were especially effective in this. I saw this a few years ago and realize I had never rated it, maybe it's time to go back and watch it again. I do remember wondering why they all kept their coats on when they were at work - they must keep the sets really cold! I usually don't have a problem meeting the required word count, but here, I'm at a loss.

All I can say is, take a chance, I think you'll really enjoy it.

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Now THAT'S an original idea!!

I happened upon this movie quite by accident and it was fun. I loved how the ML was changed by the people he met and the experiences they had together. I laughed quite a lot during this movie and teared up at the end. The movie has a good message without beating you over the head with it. I have seen most of the actors in other works, so it was kind of like "old home week". And can I just say, I'm so glad to see Park Hyung Soo in a role where he isn't a complete jerk? Ever since Crash Landing on You, he always plays a bad guy. He does it well, mind you, but this was a nice change of pace for him.

My absolute favorite scenes were the scenes with the sloth, especially when she was practicing while she was at work at the market.

Cute and entertaining movie when you want something short to watch.

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Quiet love story with random subplot

The love story between the lead characters was beautiful. I thought the way it was filmed was interesting. There were lots of close ups, kind of like we were trying to see like the ML was, and then there were scenes that were very quiet, like we were part of the FL's world. They reminded me of magnets, like they were inexplicably drawn together, then never wanted to be parted.

The CEO storyline absolutely did not work for me. It felt like it needed to be part of a different movie. It was too frenetic and slapstick for this peaceful movie. There was a lot of overacting going on as well.

I liked the ending, though I know a lot of people probably thought it was taking the easy way out. Japanese seem to be known for their tragic stories, so it was a relief for me. That said, the ending sequence was somewhat confusing because of the way it actually ended.

I might watch this again in the future because it was calming.

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I liked it better than season 1, but I still had issues with this season

If you are wondering if you should give this show a try, I'd say go for it. Granted, I didn't care for it as much as other people did, but I realize I'm definitely in the minority.

Liked:
1) Dr. Kim was SO MUCH more likeable this season. I didn't care for him at all in season 1.
2) Overall, the acting was better this season. A lot of overacting in season 1. I still didn't care for the acting/character of Im Won Hee as Jang Gi Tae. In everything I've seen him in, he's always too over-the-top.
3) Liked the storyline of Woo Jin and Eun Jae. I liked how they did the flashbacks to them in college. I know this is a medical show and not a romance, but I would have liked to see more of them. It's hard to imagine that much beauty in one place.
4) They spent a little more time with some of the patients in this season, which I appreciated. The more you see a bit of a backstory, the more you can relate. to them and care about them. Case in point, the pregnant woman in the bus accident.
I was glad that they cut down a little bit on the number of times they performed CPR on the patients.
5) Thank you for more screen time for Kim Min Jae. His relationship with Ah Reum was cute, but unnecessary, and pretty unfulfilling.
6) The thugs that owed Eun Jae a favor. They showed a little bit of heart to counteract the over-abundance of bad guys.
7) The writers really developed the Doldam staff's characters, which made me like them and root for them. In this season, I was able to see why they wanted to work there and with each other. I didn't feel the bonding in season 1.
8) Kim Joo Heon as Min Guk - I loved to hate him. Granted, the man seriously needed some therapy, but the actor did a great job of portraying the character's long-standing insecurities and strong at-any-cost ambition (SPOILER - I LOVED that they turned this character around)

Not so much:
1) Oh my gosh, EVERYONE was eavesdropping on everyone else! Someone suggested making a drinking game of it (brilliant idea), but you'd be taking a drink about every five minutes. And what is the point of offices with doors in you can actually hear everything through them? It just made everyone look unprofessional. Add to that the number of people that read stuff on or in other people's desks. Just wow.
2) How many bad guys does one show need!?! The main bad guy returned from season 1, evidently with no repercussions for what he'd done in the past and really, I was never really clear on what his purpose was. He acted like a petulant child that wanted to play with a toy that someone else was playing with. Thankfully, he won't be back in season 3. The lackey that worked for Min Guk, he was just so slimy I had to fast forward through his scenes.
3) Eun Jae's problems with being in surgery - passing out/vomiting. I had multiple problems with this. First, this seemed like a deep-seated thing stemming from the fact that she didn't actually want to go into medicine (I mean, her conversation with her mother, yikes!). Popping anti-anxiety medications like candy right before surgery? No one with any sense of responsibility would do that. She needed to get into some therapy. Then her getting some medication from Dr. Kim and not even caring about what she was taking? She never questioned him about what the pills were. Then, she went around telling everyone she was fine because of the pills that Dr. Kim had given her. This is something that would have gotten them BOTH in trouble. And to have it turn out that she was just taking digestive enzymes? The whole thing was too implausible.
4) Again, bringing people from the main hospital and they only want to do the work they want to do.
5) Do In Bum - he comes back after three years, he still has a locker, and he goes into surgery right away?! He was there to investigate something, not do surgery. I was glad that the antagonism between him and Woo Jin didn't last long, we had enough other people constantly antagonizing others.
6) Doctor Kim still doing surgery. That's a lawsuit waiting to happen.
7) What was with the Harry Potter Music!?!?!

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I've never seen soccer like it.

Park Seo Joon and IU - their dynamic was fun to watch. He's got a giant chip on his shoulder, and she's got a lot of heart. For the most part, they were like oil and water and that was funny. Thank you, writers, for not trying to bring a romance into this! I felt that the whole cast did a really good job. The rag tag group of soccer players, each with their own heartbreaking story, were brought together for the goal of playing soccer, and in the process, they changed themselves, they changed each other, and they definitely changed the coach.

My problem was with the soccer matches themselves. First, the field in Budapest was tiny, like a kid's soccer field. That necessitated a lot of close shots by the cameras, which I think was supposed to get us to feel like we were in the matches. But the rules of soccer apparently did not apply at all. There was pushing, there was shoving, there was holding onto players, and there were no consequences for any of this. That, do me, diminished the realism of the games.

It was an okay watch for me.

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Glad to have come back and re-visited this show

I had forgotten how much I enjoyed this show. So much to like!
1) Teenage to adult frenemies to lovers trope.
2) Business setting
3) Growth of the business team, both personally and professionally
4) Smart FL
5) Protective ML (though clueless in the romance department!)
6) The best 2FL EVER! Thank you for not sending her down the usual road!!
7) Great chemistry between leads, both when arguing and once in a relationship.
8) Fabulous kisses.
9) Happy ending.

My only complaint was in the lack of consequences for the evil people. I found that very unrealistic, and not too smart, from a business standpoint.

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Eight minute episodes? I'm in!

I've hit a wall trying to find a good romance that isn't long and drawn out, with so much filler that all I do is fast forward through most of it. I found this on Prime. 24 episodes of about 8-15 minutes each. I figured I could commit to this, and if it was terrible, not too much of my life was wasted.

I was pleasantly surprised. It's a cute storyline (but uniforms in college, is that a thing?).

Aside from the problems I had with it:
-It contained not one, but two girls that were willing to do anything to get the guy.
-an overbearing father.
-an arranged engagement.
-acting by most of the adults was bad. The way they talked, the way they moved, just not good.
-the male lead, Ma Hao Dong, had one expression, and when he talked, he talked like he had lockjaw.
-a couple of very poorly executed kisses
-typical tropes like only one hotel room, one mattress when they go camping, you know the drill.

There were things that I really liked:
-Liu Nian as Chu Xia (FL) is adorable, I mean seriously! I loved watching her.
-the main couple together was so cute. She's outgoing, he's stoic. He keeps asking his friend and his housekeeper for advice.
-I love when there's a height disparity between the leads. She was so tiny.
-I loved his mother. Rather than what we normally see, here we have a mom wanting what her son wants. She was very sweet and was so caring of both her son and Chu Xia.
-one of the irritating girls that wants the ML redeems herself
-I was able to put my remote down and give the fast forward button a rest
-I found myself smiling, a lot, while watching this

So, if you have a few hours to spare, want to just enjoy yourself and turn off your brain for a while, you might enjoy this.

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Beautiful

This is a beautiful movie about love, what people will do for love, and the power of love. When I watch Japanese movies or dramas, the movies seem too short, and the dramas too long. I wanted more of this movie. The editing and what happened in the movie were just to abrupt. I felt that the important things just got a slight mention and then the story quickly moved on.

The actors were all good. This movie was understated and calm. It was living a daily life of a girl that has to start over every day. Reading the signs posted in her bedroom, reading and writing in her journal every day. I was kind of bothered that she spent most of her time with her phone up in her face, taking pictures or videos, but it made sense to the story.

There's a twist that I didn't see coming. And boy, Japanese filmmakers sure know how to wring the emotions from a person!

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Watch it until after the credits

Satoh Takeru - yup, that's why I watched it. He's intense and, as usual, I enjoyed his performance. The scene where he sent her away was heartbreaking. His hair was too long and you couldn't see his eyes, and it seriously needed to be washed. But, I digress...

This movie is hard for me to rate. It left me feeling dissatisfied, for lack of a better word. Maybe there wasn't enough time to develop the characters more fully (but I don't care enough to watch the Korean version for more story). Part of my problem is that I don't like liars. That part of the story didn't go on for too terribly long. That she was a high school student was a little problematic, but it didn't seem too noticeable.

Everyone just seemed not too terribly likeable. I was bothered by the fact that the ML had money, fame, etc. and walked around like he'd just been given a death sentence. That's the point, I know, but it just irritated me.

Maybe it was my frame of mind when I watched it. If you want to try it, at least you won't be out too much time.

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