Useless Lies (2023)

Yun Ji On is the best!

(It contains only a slight spoiler). At the beginning, the series introduces you to the life of the main woman character, who lives with the ability to hear when someone is lying. That would sometimes suit everyone but only sometimes. She hears the lies all the time. And this causes problems in the family, she basically isolates herself from other people and friends, except for the two who work for her. She cleverly builds a business on her skills and uncovers lies for clients as a so-called shaman. This job of hers brings fun scenes. However, a new inhabitant of the neighboring apartment intervenes in her life, who is mysterious and always wears a veil covering her face and avoids people. To her surprise, she discovers that he is not lying to her. But gradually it is revealed that her new neighbor is a publicly known person, a music composer who is hiding from the world because he was suspected of murder in the past. In the series, we also encounter the corruption of a policeman by a politician. And we have another policeman (a very nice actor), an ex-boyfriend of the main character, who doesn't like something about the main character. And it happens that both the protagonist and the policeman investigate the past and look for the real perpetrator. And as usual, the ex-boyfriend suspects the current one, and the current one suspects everyone, except the real one, because sometimes we don't see what's in front of us. Everything would be great. The main character, Kim So Hyun, is pleasant and the role suits her. Hwang Min Hyun was sometimes super mysterious, and confident, but sometimes reserved, and scared. I couldn't move a little in it. I liked him so much in the role of mysterious, charismatic, but self-confident with quick reflexes and with a sword behind his belt (yes, I guess I can't get rid of his fight scenes from Alchemy of Souls :D). The chemistry between the main characters is okay but I needed somehow more and what bothered me was that the creators did this again: after the main characters get close, the first kiss falls....and then they treat each other as if they are 15 years old and they look like as if nothing happened, or they are shy and it's embarrassing. Why do this with adults? oh ... for this, I'm lowering the rating, they could have grown up to this... but what I appreciate the most is Yun Ji On (the main character's best friend). I saw him for the first time in the series Tomorrow, where he impressed me so neutrally and I thought, hmm, quite an interesting actor... But here he wiped my eyes out. Brutal acting, and charisma, he looked so great there. Perfect. I was so captivated by him. Every movement, gesture, look, tone of voice, sentence ... everything was elaborate. I went through everything with him and I kept thinking to myself, how could someone live such a life and suffocate everything? What was it good for? This character in the series has led to many questions and controversies, and because of him, this series is worth watching.

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Twenty questions, we tell the truth

The story of a human lie detector and the most emo guy I've seen yet in the drama space...

Story
The plot was intriguing while still sprinkling in some good food for thought. I appreciated the fact the they really leaned into the gray space of how not every lie is wrong. This lesson was slightly refreshing in the space of perfect virgin 'I've never had a boyfriend but I'm 30 years old' female leads. Can I also take a minute to discuss how this seemed to be one long commercial for Maseratis and almonds? Easily the strange PPL I've encountered. While the plot was predictable (I don't think s single person thought Do Ha killed his ex gf) I think what made the drama feel flat was the ML seemingly stuck in his sad boy era. The B story characters were also one dimensional with no real purpose other than filler.

Acting/Cast
The main reason I watched this drama was the two leads. Having seen them in other series (bats eyes at Alchemy of Souls, then hisses at Love Alarm) I was excited to see them both again. It was nice to see Kim So Hyun playing a sassy/lively character vs the last role I saw her in. Hwang Min Hyun on the other had was dealt a less kinder fate. Do Ha is easily the most boring ML. Predictable, flat, and with the wardrobe to match.

Music
I did enjoy the 'Run' by Woody, so for that I will give them decent marks.

Rewatch
While it was cute (at best) it was forgettable. Nothing work revisiting.

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Drama has too much spice!

That's the conclusion after watching the Korean drama My Lovely Liar. Like a chef who is provided with premium cooking ingredients: Handsome/beautiful actors/actresses with good looks and acting; complete characters and other ingredients needed to create a drama that makes the audience curious in every episode.

Unfortunately, writernim failed to mix the ingredients and present them.

There are so many conflicts that feel far-fetched, such as Mok Sol-Hee's father, the main female character (FL), who lives in the forest. It's back to nature like that, but it looks forced and strange.

Plus the proportion of scenes of Mok Sol-Hee's mother, who works as a con artist, is too much, so it feels overdone and boring. Also the pressure on the male main character (ML), such as the pursuit of reporters, Choi Eom-Ji's older brother who thinks ML is a murderer, accusations of plagiarism and other dark aromas, make the Korean drama My Lovely Liar less comfortable to enjoy.

That doesn't mean writernim didn't try to add spices to make it taste sweeter. Unfortunately, the scene selection is cliche, such as the female main character (FL) helping ML who is sick. Then FL couldn't leave the bed because her hand was held and ML used it as a pillow. The two people fell asleep until morning.

Very boring, right? I don't know how many dozens of dramas use similar scenes.

Even though the director is Nam Sung-Woo, you know. Doi has successfully directed several popular dramas such as the Korean drama "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo" and the Korean drama "100 Days My Prince".

As a result of not being exciting enough and being too long (it seems like 12 episodes are enough), South Korean audiences only awarded the Korean drama My Lovely Liar with a rating of 2-3% (Source: AGB Nielson)

Luckily Mydramalist was kind enough to give it a fairly high rating, namely 8.5. The award goes to Hwang Minhyun's appearance which successfully enchanted the audience, as well as his song which became the ost of the Korean drama My Lovely Liar.
You can read more here:
https://www.maria-g-soemitro.com/2024/06/my-lovely-liar-ending-yang-membagongkan.html

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Truth or Lie ~ sometimes it was hard to tell

Oct 2023
I find Hwang Min-hyun a joy to watch, so I'll be honest, I've a feeling I might have got a bit frustrated with parts of this, if the lead hadn't held my attention quite as much! (and no, I don't follow him as an Idol).

Nice cast; loved both Seo Ji-hoon and Yun Ji-on's portrayals of their characters too; the latter especially. Both tugged at my heart strings.

The ladies held their own as well and whilst I am not a big fan of Kim So-hyun (I can't quite explain why there are aspects of her acting, that just don't click with me), I quite liked her in this. A favourite character was Cassandra / Yoon Ye Seul (a Tarot reader and friend/colleague of Sol-hee in their coffee shop). Character Hwang Cho-rok was definitely my least favourite. I just found her irritating and the drama wouldn't have suffered without her 🫣 The mothers of both lead characters were awful, too. Do-ha's should have been locked up! :~D Sol-hee's was yet another leeching parent who blames all her woes on her daughter. I am honestly so tired of K-drama parents that use their kids (and kids being targeted for things their parents did, like owing money, or going to prison). The originality is gone, it's old and writers need to up their game.

However, the story is both fun at times and touching, with a murder mystery, pinch of corruption and some threat thrown in for good measure. Several episodes into the drama, I had an inkling who the culprit might be, but I was never 100% sure about it, which is good.

I wasn't convinced by the leads' chemistry, but they were not a dreadful match either. I have to say, HMH's somehow vulnerable and withdrawn character in this, captivated me and sometimes he reminded me a teeny bit of Cha Eun-woo.

I did find the sound effects for when Sol-hee heard the truth or a lie, to be very confusing; maybe that's just me though. Also, there were times when Do-ha's anxiety around wearing a mask got forgotten completely and it got a bit silly; I was glad when he got rid of it altogether.

The OST fit nicely and HMH also sings a track in it (it's called Alarm).

At the end of the day this is a light drama that makes an enjoyable enough watch, with a neatly wrapped up ending.

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"Se eu disser, então é."

Imagina você saber sempre que as pessoas estão mentindo? E ainda ganhar dinheiro com isso? Genial!
Um romance fofinho, morri de amores por eles! Eles torcendo pra times de futebol diferente foi tudo haha.
Os amigos e o policial são uns queridos. E o plot no final foi interessante hehe

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My Lovely Liar: A Fresh and Original Story with Some Execution Issues

My Lovely Liar is a new K-drama that tells the story of a lie detector and a mysterious music composer who come together in bizarre circumstances. The show has a fresh and original premise, and the chemistry between the lead actors is captivating. However, the writing is sometimes weak, and the pace can be slow.

One of the things that sets My Lovely Liar apart from other K-dramas is its unique premise. The idea of a lie detector who can hear people's thoughts is both intriguing and funny. The show does a good job of exploring the implications of this ability, both positive and negative.

Another highlight of the show is the chemistry between the lead actors, Kim So Hyun and Hwang Min Hyun. They have great rapport and their romance is believable and heartwarming. The supporting cast is also strong, with notable performances from Seo Ji Hoon and Yeom Hye Ran.

However, My Lovely Liar is not without its flaws. The writing is sometimes weak, and the pace can be slow. The plot can also be predictable at times, and some of the twists and turns are not as well-executed as they could have been.

Overall, My Lovely Liar is a good K-drama with some execution issues. The premise is fresh and original, the chemistry between the lead actors is great, and the supporting cast is strong. However, the writing is sometimes weak, and the pace can be slow. If you are a fan of Kim So Hyun and Hwang Min Hyun, or you are looking for a K-drama with a unique premise, then My Lovely Liar is worth checking out. Just be prepared for some flaws.

Recommendation:

I would recommend My Lovely Liar to fans of Kim So Hyun and Hwang Min Hyun, as well as fans of K-dramas with unique and original premises. However, I would also caution viewers that the writing is sometimes weak and the pace can be slow.

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Por favor denle una oportunidad a este excelente drama!

•Excelentes actuaciones.
Desde que me enteré que MinHyun iba a estar me interesó bastante y So Hyun ella es demasiado buena en todo lo que hace!!

•Buenos personajes.
Personajes interesantes, un poco fantasioso pero supieron llevar el tema de las mentiras bien.

Algunos personajes sí se sentian como relleno, por ejemplo: la chica de la tienda de ensaladas y el amigo del bar mmm, los sentí innecesarios, no aportan mucho a la historia.

•La trama te atrapa desde el minuto uno.
Me gusta cuando te hacen dudar de todos y tienes que ir sacando tus propias teorías.
Me encantó el plot twist, realmente no me lo esperaba!

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Living lie detector? Hell yeah I'm here for it

Love the idea about hearing lie and make money from that, THAT'S PURE GENIUS. I always love this kind of fantasy, sumn like Bongsoon or Girl Who See Smell. Interesting checked✅️

THIS IS WHERE THINGS GOT HEATED

Love Sohyun's acting, don't know if I'm being biased or sumn because I love her since forever. But Minhyun's acting is a mild no. Not good but not that bad actually but clearly needs more acting classes. Chemistry? 404 not found. Chemistry between the handsome fans and Syaon are way way much greater, would love to see those two in another drama.

Storyline...hmm...pretty understandable, the flow is enjoyable, and contains an unpredictable shocking plot twist. But the moment I finished it, I don't remember much of the story. I feel the "what was that again?" moment after watching this.

Do I want to rewatch it? Yes, but only the scenes where Sohyun did her job as lie detector, it's fascinating to see. Rewatching whole drama? No, I'm good watched it once.

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A cute rom-com

I went into this with zero expectations, ready to drop it after 1 or 2 episodes but the calm and mature storyline held my attention.

If you're looking for a passionate romantic tale with a lot of thrilling twists, this isn't for you.

It's a sweet and grounded neighborhood story carried by the cute interactions between the main leads. The relationship between the main leads gets built entirely on their mutual trust and trust gets deepened as they encounter various circumstances.

Usually I'm not a fan of dramas that suddenly change genres in the middle. But the change here was anything but sudden, it was a natural part of the storyline. To elaborate, the first half of the drama mainly revolves around the rom-com side while the second half has a interesting whodunit chase that ends with a shocking twist.

If this is one of your first kdramas you might be left a little disappointed by the kind of smooth storyline with not a lot of standout moments. But if you're an old kdrama fan like me then you'll definitely appreciate the freshness of the story. It's not a "2 people destined for each other" but has a more realistic relationship between the leads which develops naturally as they get to know each other.

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I wanted to like it but a miss for me

7/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 supernatural romance drama with 16, 60 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

Mok Sol-jee (Kim So-hyun) hears people lying everywhere she goes. Born with a special way of depicting a lie, she has learned not to trust most people. Her mistrust of most people was reinforced when her fiancé, Lee Kang-min (Seo Ji-hoon), broke off their relationship with little rationale. She is immediately attracted to Kim Do-ha / Kim Seung-joo (Hwang Min-hyun) as he is one of the few people she encounters whi isn’t telling lies frequently. He is handsome and talented but extremely reclusive as he hides behind a alternate name as a suspect in his former girlfriend’s death. Sha On/Sa Ji (Lee Si-woo) fell in love with Kim Do-ha who believed in her and helped her rise in stardom by providing the music behind her successful career.

Review
I really wanted to like this more than I did. It had all the elements an interesting premise, cute romance, great leads, but despite all that I found myself slow walking through it. I even debated not watching but I was so far in at that point I just continued on. The mystery was about the best part of it and there was a surprise twist to that. I am picky because I have seen hundreds of series and this was not on par with any of the really good ones.

Spoilers

The chemistry between the leads was off. He was passionate enough in the kiss scenes but she seemed very stiff and unnatural. I am not a fan of long moments of just gazing into each other’s eyes but there was so little of that in this one it made their relationship seem equivalent to good friends.

The sound it made when there was a lie was confusing because they also made a sound when there was a dramatic statement. There was a lot of potential with that ability but the cases it showed were not that interesting.

I had zero interest to the point of annoyance with the side couples. Her mom and dad reuniting was not believable to me as her dad lived like a homeless person and her mom craved luxury. Plus she was such a con woman and never changed. I felt sorry for the dad and thought he should stay far away from his toxic ex.

I never had sympathy for 2nd guy. He elected not to tell here about having cancer then thought he could just get her back when he was ready. So I was never rooting for him.

The plot was chaotic in that they lacked good flow between the mystery, supernatural elements and romance. It would be focused on that romance then abruptly switch to the mystery. It just felt very disorganized and it dragged at some points.


#Kim So-hyun
#Hwang Min-hyun
#Seo Ji-hoon
#Lee Si-woo

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HECK YEAH THE TWIST!

Honestly, after finishing I was glad I held on. Who says what, for me the first half of the show felt watery and dragged, like where this is going. But around episode 8 to 14 things started to pick up and peaked finally with the main 'WHO did it' plotline. After looking back I admit there were places that looked unnatural or unnecessary, but many things still had their own sense, especially after watching the show completely many things fell into place to me.
Unfortunately, due to the run time of full 16 episodes the storyline may look watered down, but the general direction of it is: introduction stage, the story of Do Ha and Sol Hee, the stage of 'WHO did it' and the story is wrapped up. At least it was framed up nicely at the end.

Characters and acting.
Sol Hee - I'll be honest, at times So Hyun felt unnatural in her role, but at other times the chemistry between the characters picked up, but these are my own impressions of her. While Sol Hee is a pretty straightforward character, to the point of bluntness / rudeness. Understandable, she grew up hearing lies and it was as if no one was sincere, thus her trust for others is null. But her involvement with Do Ha felt like she got enlightened, because he was of very few who never lied. Although it might sound strange that she's so old and can't distinguish which lie serves which purpose, but who was there to guide her? That's right, no one. Even the peaceful times with her ex ended with a break-up as a result of misunderstanding. But I was honestly happy by the ending and how the integration with the neighborhood served her to be more in the crowd unlike her childhood, yet funnily the one she took a step to be friends with is the one she worked with. Thus I wasn't mad at the filler characters of the neighborhood :D
Do Ha - I must applaude Min Hyun, he nailed it to me. Also his character had wider arc, because he went from the stage of being social phobia to slow integration, to finally getting rid of the shackles that bound him and faced the past. I finished the show for his sake. It's not because of redemption, but he was endearingly sweet and nice. Especially in their relationship. Although it felt a bit awkward at first, but later I even found them cute. It was also gratifying to see his character slowly opening up to life. He was riddled with guilt, but exactly this did not allow to see another direction in investigation from the beginning.
Kang Min - I don't understand why some ppl felt against him. He's actually quite good, he only had a moment of anger against Do Ha, but he was almost the only one who did not stop being a good cop. He never used 'murderer', but always used 'suspect' and he also did not give up to find out the truth, while it felt that others believed that Do Ha was the one. At least this makes him good. He truly loved Sol Hee, but not everyone chooses to go through hardships together, I know plenty of ppl who prefer going through it alone. Thus he let Sol Hee go, but in that time her heart no longer belonged to him.
Syaon - excuse me for my French, but initially she was like a selfish, stalking, toxic bitch. I understand that her characters was redeemed, but I just hated her for what she did in ep4. F u, girl. She was basically like a copypaste of Do Ha's ex, but at least she wasn't completely lost. And that was a big difference. But honestly to me sometimes her acting was a bit not up to par. And also that opened mouth reminded me of Stewart so much lol
Deuk Chan - I'll be honest I interpreted his character in different ways, while the story was being told. And you can't help it, because he is so protective :) The actor played really well I think.
Side-characters: Who said something that there are too many? At least the picture did not feel empty and many served their purpose. Sometimes not only the story drives characters to evolve, but also other characters. The neighborhood bunch was shortened down to few people, they served their purpose of two main characters integrating with others. Do Ha's ex played really well, hearing her story makes you feel less negative about her, but she developed into unbearable girlfriend and caused scenes a lot. The brother of Eom Ji also played well. BUT the biggest prize still goes to Jin Kyung, after seeing her stoic image in Attorney Woo it was such a big contrast to watch a mom who is a fraudster, also is afraid of her own daughter and has an awkward relationship, yet I found her really fun.

As for 'WHO did it' plotline. Usually in such stories it can be divided into: exposed culprit (Like The Hannibal TV series); half-exposed (when maybe it doesn't really matter who the culprit is or the movie-makers just want to tease viewers), but we watch them in intermissions showing only body parts (like hands) we don't see the full face; last are fully concealed (when creators don't explicitly show who the culprit is), so you can guess it by yourself.
Because we're watching romance and that means impossible for creators to be this crazy and make the male protag the culprit, meaning it's someone else. And also, it would be a huge flop if they assigned some random dude for the role. So after watching the drama for some time and touching upon the past you realize that it's the third, concealed one. But if you later put 2 and 2 together, you basically have your suspect list narrowed down. But it wasn't without a twist :) Tbh looking back I realize that some scenes have a different meaning now, but it was quite satisfying to see how it happened and more importantly why. Who knew~, who knew~.
At least with this plotline I was satisfied :D

In a conclusion, I was satisfied with the drama, how it played out. It wasn't the greatest beginning for me, but the second part made it better. The actors did a great job, Min Hyun deserves the praise, he made me hold on and actually in the end I was glad I did. And many others deserve compliments too.

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