Useless Lies (2023)

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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MID

personally wished for more fantasy and less mystery. I know kdramas have a habit of mixing as many genres as possible in one and I knew this is gonna be one of them but still .... this is a bit disappointing. I wish the drama focused more on Sol hee and her powers rather than the story of all toxic lovers who were obsessed with Do ha. I felt like the story was to grim for a romcom but not deep enough for a mystery. the suicide case should've stayed as one instead of turning to a murder case. it took all the attention that should've been given to our main leads and gave it to finding who's the real killer and in the process it hindered any good development our leads could've gotten. I was more invested in side characters. although the ending is a happy ending I don't understand how Do ha's trauma is supposed to be gone when it should've gotten worse. To be betrayed and be kept in the dark for so many years it cant make your mental state better surly. the chemistry between the main is lukewarm at best.
its not unwatchable per se .... but a forgettable one definitely.
on a side note: I wish kdramas tone it down a bit with their product placements. Especially when they go out of their way to give characters a line to talk about the said product. its annoying.

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While this show is good, I found most of the extra stories incredibly boring. I honestly just was interested in the main couple and how their story was going to play out. The murder mystery aspect in this drama was actually interesting and went with the plot of the show. Most others are just there for the sake of drama, but this one helped with keeping you watching to figure it out. Although at some point, it was pretty easy to guess the overall twist and mystery of the show. So after the answer was given, the show got a little boring to me. I did finish, but with a lot of skipping to get to the overall resolution.

The ML is the main actor that caught my attention. The way he portrayed the turmoil Do-Ha was going through was really great. The character development he shows with him is also what helped keep me interested. Seeing how his entire life was being shaped and mended due to meeting a person he had in the past. I felt for his character the most. Definitely want to check out more of what he's going to be in and has been in.

The "power" part of the show was interesting and the cases that came along with it. I wish we could've gotten a little more of that part too. Especially the workers in her tarot cafe, that was so interesting to me and I felt like we hardly got to see it. I wasn't interested in any of the storyline with her mom or her ex-boyfriend. It was honestly just boring and predictable with how it was going to go, especially after watching so many dramas like this one. The neighborhood and all of their storylines were interesting and I could've appreciated seeing more of them too. By the time you get more of it, the show was already ending and you're just wanting to see how the main plotline is going to conclude.

It's not the greatest drama ever, but it was a pretty good watch for the main couple and story.

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La parejita mas adorable.

El drama en sí es lindo, la pareja protagonista es tan adorable, ambos se apoyaron mutuamente y ella creyo en él siempre, la chica fue la fortaleza de la relación.
Respecto a la historia inició muy bien pero empezo a tambalearse a la mitad del drama y ya los últimos capítulos fueron relleno.
El plot del asesino era predecible pero la razón nos sorprendió a muchos, sin embargo ha sido la tendencia de las nuevas generaciones de Kdramas por lo que veremos mas historias similares.
Los ost mut bonitos y el chico secundario fue muy maduro, me gusto que a pesar de todo apoyo a la protagonista. En general un Kdrama lindo con un romance sin tanto drama y duradero.

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Not bad

"My Lovely Liar" is a good show, but some details blocked it from being a great show!

I wanted to watch this one from the beginning, but I ended up dropping and picking back up a few times before I could finish it.

The first part is engaging, and you can't stop yourself from watching the next episode for maybe the first 10 episodes, which is more than 50% of the show. However, the show went downhill after episode 10, and some of those reason could be because:

- The mystery was good, but the reason behind the culprit's actions were not enough for me. I wish the culprit would be more twisted and evil in order to guide our feelings of justice properly.
- The redemption arcs felt hollow, since they happened too quickly or some characters did not even deserve redemption. The culprit did not deserve forgiveness or redemption, and those who did should have been shown in a good light a few times, and start the whole redemption arc earlier.
- Some people complain about the chemistry between the main leads, and I have to agree that it is not the best, but it is not that bad. However, we only got to see a little of the "singer" and her new "bodyguard", and their chemistry was great, so I wish we could see more of them.
- I love happy endings, but everyone reaching success magically feels fake, instead show me some progress before that, so I can believe it when they are all having their perfect happy ending by the end.

With all the things described above, this shown would have been better with only 12 episodes.

I love "no break up" shows, or lighthearted and low angst romance, but I have to accept that they can be boring, so I hope that they make more beautiful romance stories with those elements, but with interesting plot, character development and even villains if they fit the story.

"My Lovely Liar" is a good show, but it could've been much better... Best luck next time.

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hm.

now, i knew i would like this to an extent from the get-go. it's why i wanted to watch it in the first place.

— i originally planned to watch this drama last year, the moment it aired...but i forgot all about it. today, i feel extremely bad that i missed out on this gem when i could've been up to date with it. alas, i'm here now. && i dunno if my review is going to make any sense, fair warning.
— it's hooky, & the story is really promising from episode one. it doesn't take long for everything to turn upside down, & i'm a firm believer that the side arcs of this drama were as equally engaging as everything that was happening with our main characters. i liked the pacing, & i also liked how everything was revealed to the viewers, one by one. i don't think that the romance was written badly at all, but i do think that the chemistry, or lack thereof, between the two leads is what painted the final picture of the main dynamic for me...let me explain.

— it got overshadowed by the bat-shit crazy circumstances they found themselves in. there's plenty of scenes & opportunities (romantic per se) that could've been utilized to strengthen their bond, instead of dumping heavy layers of trauma on top of them at all times. there were moments where i just wanted something lighthearted for the main couple, but the universe just wouldn't freaking allow it. to add onto this, i felt extremely bad for kang-min. what could've been a path for his own individual story & finding his own happiness, he was used as a mere puppet for the bigger picture, & his character did nothing to deserve such treatment. he's an interesting character, & i hoped we'd get more of his individual arc...but oh well, not everything can be perfect.

— this drama doesn't get enough credit for completely giving into fan service & giving the most clear, satisfying ending for all of those people who like happy endings. everything was settled, & every single character was shown at the end. it's a breath of fresh air, being able to experience the climax in full. all in all, there were parts that could've been better, & i felt discouraged & disappointed somewhere around ep.13, but the last two episodes saved the entire drama for me.

A GEM.

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If I had to settle on one thing that I think this show was really about then I would say its primary premise is two people that help heal each other. One has the ability to detect lies so is unable to trust anyone and lives a lonely life while the other was accused of murder and has been in hiding ever since. The two meet and you watch their journey as they accept each other in the presence of those flaws and heal old wounds for the other. They do this through the investigation of the murder he was accused of.

Visually speaking this series is beautiful. From the actors to the sets to the wardrobe. The production and cinematography was very well done. Even the OST was nice and never felt repetitive. The actors also did a very good job and I have no complaints from their performances. This series however fairly lackluster. It is a beautiful story that is wrapped in very neat packaging but for the heavy subject matter it did not move me as much as I wanted. The plot moves in a predictable pace with conveniently placed side characters to fill in gaps of knowledge and a realistic albeit boring ending. There isn't anything that really excites you about this show. It is cute and sweet and the main couple is very healthy for each other, and I do truly appreciate this healthy relationship since toxic ones are more often showcased nowadays.

It is a nice show to watch and I enjoyed it to through till the end but this will fall in the pile of shows that are okay and nice but won't leave an impression on me.

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A lovely drama that has a great story line progression

It's a great story first of all. The plot is genuinely very unique and the plot twists are majorly unexpected (atleast on my part) and it's incredibly interesting too. I loved how the storyline progression was slow but still had a lot of info going on. The acting once again, was absolutely incredibly awesome. The cast have put together a great show that is very entertaining for sure. The music is not outstanding or anything but it is certainly good and very mysterious... Which suits the plot very very well. Personally I wouldn't rewatch but it's probably worth it. Overall, a lovely drama with an incredibly beautiful plot. 🤥💲👩🏻‍💼🏘️⚽🧑🏻‍💻🩸🩴

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Good Enough

Korean Drama " My Lovely Liar " is a fantasy romance about a girl who can detect lies and a man who is done lying.

The drama starts off strongly, with the main couple getting to know each other and a love story slowly brewing, with enough adorable moments to support the light atmosphere. The mystery of the male lead's past was another factor that kept things interesting for a while, confusing the viewer as to what was his true intentions.

However, towards the ending, things started getting messy. Sure, the romance was cute and the couple had chemistry, even though the love triangle was underdeveloped and unnecessary, but the mystery wasn't handled nicely and it got chaotic. The use of many cliche tropes as well as boring twists didn't aid at all to make things better. The final episode, in addition, felt like a filler rather than an actual conclusion.

Finally, the performances were enjoyable by everyone in the cast, and the fantasy element was managed nicely.

So, overall, six out of ten.

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I like it. Their chemistry feels like normal for me it is not that they don't have that 'chemistry' if you watch their bts they are really that comfortable with each other so nothings sparkling when they act iykyk. The story is a disappointment but since its only a 16 ep then ok. I watched this bc of Minhyun I liked him first in AOS his acting is kinda okay since hes in progress. I am proud of his achievement. Overall 7.5/10!! I will miss them all

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Lovely, unique, messy

I like the first a lot more.

The story kinda of dragged a lot at the end. They didn't set up the viewers to be invested in the mystery part of the plot so I was only interested in the romance and the characters.

So the show should have ended 1 episode after they got together in my opinion and the killer should have been the father, that way the plot wouldn't be messy. ( too much )

Also I feel like they were trying to create a sense of community/ found family ( I don't know how to explain this well) like in those small town dramas
But I don't think it worked well here as we didn't know the stories of the individuals nor did we need to. So that's another thing that made the drama messy was too many unnecessary characters.

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[heart] [heart]

It started off as bland but then when you started to understand why things happened the way they did, it started getting interesting. Especially the murder mystery embroiled between the characters and trust me, when the real murder was revealed it actually got me by surprise. cuz I NEVER saw that coming!! and the reason behind it is something no one could have guessed! That's why I said, things get interesting when you know why they did to why they did.

And a [rose] for Kim So Hyun, my baby is getting better in her acting with each of her projects. [heart] [heart]

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