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Storyline full of loopholes but the main cast, soundtrack and direction is pretty good.
There were tons of loopholes in the story. Firstly there is the ending of the drama itself which makes no sense. How did the hero and heroine get resurrected from the dead two years later? Besides this there was a list of things that didn't make sense such as how the heroine got pregnant before she even had sex with the hero.What saved the day was the fact that both the leads had great chemistry and their acting was amazing. The pace of the drama was perfect and there was no unnecessary dragging of the plot or filler scenes. The music was haunting and suited the drama.
Most of all every single character got what they deserved.
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Lackluster ending ruined the show
The drama stood out from other rom coms because the story was fast paced and the misunderstandings were resolved quickly. The show never took itself seriously and put a fun twist on the usual kdrama tropes. After episode 7 the drama started losing it's uniqueness but nevertheless the romantic moments between these two were great. It was the last two episodes with unnecessary angst and loose ends not resolved that ruined it for me.The grandfather from a sweet character became annoying and petty. We never even get to see him warm up to the heroine. The two main characters kept on hiding their relationship till they were caught . The other couple had more guts though I didn't like how SFL's relationship with her father was shown. The proposal scene should have happened in episode 11. The viewers deserved a double wedding and lots of fun moments between the main character's families. Indeed for those who have read the webtoon the ending of the show was even harder to accept. The wedding and love scene which happens the night of their wedding was better than the sudden and awkward hookup which happens in episode 11. Also once he falls in love Kang completely loses his personality and in some ways the heroine as well. Last but not the least her final scene with minwoo seems to imply that she may still have feelings for him. This was the last nail in the coffin.Was this review helpful to you?
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Confusing plot, poor dialogues interspersed with some nicely done romantic scenes
The drama tried to be thought provoking but only became confusing with each episode. There are so many plot holes and poor world building which you have to force yourself to ignore. If it was extremely romantic and entertaining then these plot holes could have been ignored. But sadly the drama wasted time on senseless philosophical dialogue and uninteresting side characters. Not to mention the endless crying on the part of the female lead and those around her. The chemistry of the leads lasted as long as the male lead remained evil and Park boyoung remained true to her character. As soon as these two get together after episode 7 there were times when they felt more platonic than in love. Also boyoung started acting like a romantic comedy heroine trying to look overly cute which made her acting look unconvincing at times. I was confused about the show's genre at times. Is it a romantic comedy or a melodrama? The ending to say the least was lackluster and the plot dragged on unnecessarily. The key to enjoying the show is to never question the show's logic or try to analyse it's plot.Some romantic scenes were really done well and in the initial episodes the chemistry between the leads is off the charts. The background music was good though the songs are those typical of kdramas.Was this review helpful to you?
The show never gets too dark or dreary that it would make it unwatchable , the colorful streets of Itaewon and the glamorous restaurant scene of Seoul just added enough fun to balance out the sad parts. There was no scene which felt unnecessary and this show had my focus from start to end. Considering how important romance is to me in a drama the fact that I managed to enjoy it without the main focus of the show being on the love story shows how amazing this drama is.
This show had some amazing messages and I feel that I have actually learned a lot of things about life from it. The soundtrack featured more rock songs which made it different from the usual cheesy stuff we are used to hearing in kdramas. Park Seojoon outdid himself here and the actor who played the villain did an amazing job. Please do give it a chance.
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I can't say I didn't have any problems with the story. It had it's loopholes for example in the first nine episodes crossing the border into South Korea was shown to be next to impossible . But from episode ten and onwards it seemed to be a piece of cake . Just why didn't Ri Jeong Hyeok ask his father for help regarding seri in the first place? Why did he put his and seri's life in danger again and again till his father found out himself and decided to directly intervene ?The biggest problem i had though was Seung Joon being killed in the last episode. I absolutely loathe dramas that unnecessarily kill off characters . Also we often tend to root more for characters that have suffered or who are pitiful. In my eyes Seo Dan and Seung Joon were the most tragic characters in this drama and i felt they deserved happiness the most. I thought this alone would make me hate the drama but to my utter shock I loved it despite it all.
This drama shows just how important good direction and solid acting from the cast is for a drama. Hyun Bin and Son Hye Jin gave such amazing performances that it was hard not to root for them. The timing and execution of every scene was amazing . And even the secondary characters were acted out wonderfully by the other cast members.
The way the characters were written was also awesome and they all showed depth. I thought I would find Yoon Seri as an annoying character but I grew to appreciate the fact that she was smart and independent not a damsel in distress. I also loved her protectiveness towards Jeong Hyeok and the scene where she takes a bullet for him.
Jeong Hyeok is everything that you would want in a hero . He is tough as nails and also very devoted towards the heroine. I must admit I didn't like Hyun Bin's character in Secret Garden as he was very clingy towards the heroine and utterly disrespectful to her at times. But here he realises his full potential as a swoon worthy male lead who isn't the entitled self centered jerk we often see.
As far as the story is concerned I loved how much research they put into depicting life in North Korea . If you love dramas exploring different cultures you will love this. Life in North Korea is so bizarre and terrifying and the drama made full use of it to add to the thrill . Tvn dramas tend to have very long episodes and I find them hard to finish but this kept me hooked till the end. It also had one of the best final scenes ever. What l love is how romantic it was and yet it wasn't solely focused on the romance alone
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