Hands down, the best k-drama I have ever watched. It's filled with twists and turns and every aspect of it is just so engaging. It doesn't get addictive until about halfway through though. I literally binged the whole second half of the drama. Each scene is also meaningful in its own way as I never felt too much of an urge to skip. The acting was also amazing, each of the actors worked hard to bring their characters to life. Each character is also so dynamic that the show works to show that no one is inherently good or bad. Unlike a lot of shows, the last episode was not the most entertaining but the episodes leading up to the last one were. The last episode just worked to wrap the story up with no suspense. If you're looking for an entertaining watch with no sappy romance or predictable plot lines, this is the drama for you.

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I'm not gonna lie, half the time while watching this drama I was really irritated. This was partly because of the mannerisms of Yoon sunbae and Yoo Eun-jae, I just couldn't relate to them. I know we're supposed to like Eun-jae but I really didn't. Especially her dual personality, she acted so differently when she was with her mother while to everyone else, she always seemed so scared and timid, that puzzled me. I couldn't stand her irritating way of speaking too. Speaking of, Eun-jae's mom was sooooo annoying, I could not stand her either. That said, the acting was mainly really good; shoutout to the actors of Go Doo-young (Ye-eun's deranged ex), Kang sunbae, Song sunbae, and Yoon Jong-yeol (Eun-jae's boyfriend). The only person I had previously watched in another drama was Ji Il-joo who played the role of Ko Doo-young and he did just as well as he had performed in 'Weightlifting fairy Kim Bok-Joo'.

Kang sunbae's story was the most interesting, I always looked forward to her scenes. Yoon sunbae's love interest was intriguing, I'm not sure how I feel about him though, I feel as though the actor could have done a bit better but he was decent enough. His intense feelings for her were never quite justified which made his acting not very believable. To be fair, neither were Yoon Jong-yeol's feelings for Eun-jae but I'm gonna let that slide. There was also never any explanation for Song sunbae's impulsive lying, as a result, I found her annoying at times. Episode 1 and the beginning of ep 2 were really really good but things just went downhill from there, I did not enjoy it from there up until like episode 5. It's safe to say that it took a while to get into as it got better in the second half. With that said, I really forced myself to finish this show. Another thing that really annoyed me was how the genre would switch between scenes, it was so sudden and didn't blend well. 'Strong girl Do Bong-soon' did this too but it worked really well. Also, what happened to the story of the old roommate?? they got us so excited and then just brushed it off. They also set up the housemates in episode 1 to be really mean girls so there's a sort of disconnect from the first episode and the others.

As I haven't watched that many dramas, this is the first one I've come across with only english songs and I'm not annoyed at all, the songs blended really well in the scenes and none of them were annoying. I LOVED the song for the opening sequence, so catchy!

Overall it was a good drama if you can bear the irritating things that the characters did at times and overlook parts of the story that seemed to have been dropped by the writers. If we're being honest, most dramas do this but it's bearable as long as it's not overdone. Personally, I'm not rewatching it, I can't put myself through some of the torturous scenes again (maybe a few scenes here and there though lol). P.S I'm really surprised that this drama has such a high rating of 8.8, guess I just have high standards.

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I loved this drama! It is filled with humour and emotion and balances the two well.

But of course there were a few shortcomings;
- Ae ra annoyed me at times, it felt like she could never be pleased. But overall, I liked the character.
- I feel as though some characters that appear to be quite dominant in the beginning just vanish as the show progresses for example; Moo bin. Even though his character is not one you would particularly enjoy seeing. Also, for some reason the first few episodes somehow feel disconnected from the rest of the drama.

Overall, I REALLY enjoyed it. I wasn't too convinced with the first few episodes as I stopped watching for a week after the first three but as soon as I picked it up again things got a lot better. I'm glad I gave fight for my way a chance, it was a nice break from the supernatural/historical dramas I had previously watched.

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I love Weightlifting fairy. It was such a feel good drama, I really love and miss it!
I rewatch some of it every now and then, it's so lighthearted that I can multitask while re-watching. I can't think of one character whose acting was bad. I fell in love with Nam Joo-hyuk, he did soooo well, I'm so glad that he was given this opportunity as a main to showcase his talent. Lee Sung-kyung also stayed true to the character and brought Bok-joo to life. One of my favourite characters was her uncle; he was moderately funny and never overdid it, as he could have given the nature of the character.

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Boring for the most part

I honestly think this drama is overhyped. Like yeah the premise is really clever and refreshing but what more is there to it? The storytelling is really boring, the characters are unique but not interesting and the overall, nothing about 3/4 of the drama is gripping. I only started to enjoy it from episode 14 onwards but even then, I wouldn't say that I loved it. Yes, I love some aspects of it like the synergy between Ko Munyeong and the brothers and I was really impressed by the acting of most characters but overall, it was boring. It took me half a year to finish it. I would recommend it to someone that wants a refreshing premise and storyline but not because it's particularly interesting or gripping in any way. Lastly, the whole thing about her mother coming back to life with a different face? I mean, come on we're not 5.

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Starts off really well and then...

I honestly loved this drama at the start, every Friday, I couldn't wait to go back home and watch the new episodes. And then it became really boring and stereotypical. Also I just couldn't stand some characters. I especially didn't like Kwon Nara's character.

Some parts of the story were also really hard to believe i.e. Tony's heritage, the whole thing with Hyeon-yi, like couldn't they simply hire a real trans actor? They wanna be inclusive, but on their own terms.

The acting towards the end was also not convincing at all, I really don't believe that he liked her after years of shunning her,

Overall it's a good drama but you probably wouldn't be missing it out on a lot if you drop it halfway through.

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I just finished this drama today and even though it took two months, I never got bored once. The only reason it took that long was partly because I was really busy and also partly because I did not want it to end.

It's a really engaging drama from the get go with a very gripping and realistic storyline. I'm surprised this was Park Hae-soo's (Kim Jae-hyeok) first lead role as he did amazingly well. In fact every actor in this drama was superb. Lol I miss it already.

SPOILER AHEAD;
My only issue with the drama is the disappearance of Hanyang, Kaist & Ko Park-sa, they were some of my favourite characters but I guess the fact that they disappeared makes the reality of the prison system more realistic.

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I love this drama so much because it's so real.. none of that cookie cutter stuff. One thing I love about it is how it puts life into perspective for viewers, as you watch, you ponder on your privilege (or lack of), power and many other important things in this world. It also instills a deep appreciation of the little things in one's life.

The acting was suberb however a main character I had a bit of an issue with was Han Jeong-o, she wasn't all that great of an actress to me but she still did really well. One of the things that bothered me was how she lifts her eyebrows everytime she says something serious? is that some kind of acting method for her? Regardless, she killed it in some parts. My favourite characters were Oh Yang-chon, Hyeri, Kim Han-pyo (ngl it's partly bc of his looks, I could stare at him all day), Ki Han-sol, etc.

The soundtrack was amazing as well.

My only issue with the overall drama was how it too many silences, I don't even know how many times I pressed the 10 second skip button while watching it on netflix. I understand it's slow placed because the content is very heavy but it gets a bit too much for someone like me who's very impatient lool.

Overall, this is in my top 7 of favourite dramas so I highly recommend it.

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I love this show. Everything about it just makes me feel so good. What I love about it is that it makes me feel so emotional and happy. With other dramas, I'm usually only happy after completing them but with this, I was so emotional, in every way. As many people have also said in their reviews, this drama makes me want to go back to 1988, despite the fact that I was born 10 years later. It gives you this sense of longing to be a part of the 'famous 5' because you're so intwined in their lives.

Spoilers approaching

Characters
Overtime, I fell in love with Taek, he has such a lovable personality that for that reason alone, I wanted Duk seon to end up with him. I got frustrated at Jung hwan for not expressing his feelings but I loved everything else about him. Dong Ryong was my favourite character, he could always lighten up the mood, so lovable! I adored Jin-joo, both the younger and older version, she always restored a sense of innocence in the story so her scenes were refreshing to watch. Even though she definitely became more outspoken years later, it was interesting to see a different side of her.
Perhaps the best part about the characters is how none of their lives were sugarcoated. Each one was shown for their shortcomings and attributes that made them special, making them even more relatable.

Commendations
- I was pleased at how their childhood was not constantly focused on. I feel as though the few scenes we got to see of them in their childhood sufficed to portray their closeness. I feel as though this is a mistake certain dramas would have made so I am content with how the R88 writers illustrated the past. Given that the 'present' is also the past in the show.
- The production in this drama was amazing, no item felt out of place. It truly transported one back to 1988.
- I was also grateful for the lack of magic realism in the show, everything was realistic, making it a refreshing drama amongst its surreal k-drama counterparts.

Downsides
I am a bit unsettled at how the development of Jung hwan and Dong ryong weren't shown at the end, I really wanted to see how they ended up, or even hear about it from Duk seon, but we got nothing. Instead, we got to see/hear about grown up Sun woo and Bo ra even though I was more interested in Jung hwan's and Dong ryong's. Jung-hwan's especially. It's unfortunate that hiss character faded into the background in the last few episodes as I had really grown to love him. I got a little bored at the Man-ok/Jung-bong storyline after they had reunited. I understand that it was important to give Jung-bong screen time but I felt as if that screen time should have been allocated to the main characters. I was also slightly disappointed at how the pace picked up so quickly in the episode that moved the timeline 5 years ahead. As the audience had already adapted to the slow-pace of the drama, the jump felt a bit rushed and sudden. While watching that episode, I was not satisfied with how things were going.
To be honest, I wasn't too interested in Duk-seon's future (or shall I say present life) in the first few episodes. Despite that aspect of the plot being glamorised, I only got interested in the husband hunt in the last couple of epsiodes when it became a major part of the plot. Furthermore, I would've preferred it if Duk-seon's feelings for both the male leads were delved into deeper, she was a bit hard to read in that respect. Perhaps that was done on purpose by the writers to express how Duk-seon isn't someone who is always sure of her decisions, as it was manifested with her uncertainty regarding her 'future ambition'.

I can confidently say that this is my favourite drama ever.

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The story was interesting and engaging, I would give it that.

Spoilers involved (I'm sorry I can't resist myself)

I would begin the main review by talking about my favourite characters/who i deemed as the best actors:
- Pa Oh (Yoo Jae myung): I never felt any negative feelings towards this character. The actor made this character his own, I had watched him in Strong girl Do Bong Soon and he seemed like a completely different person; that's a GREAT actor right there.
- Kim Soo ho (Minho): This was the first time I had encountered him properly, I'm neither a Shinee fan nor have I watched anything he's been in. But he very pleasantly surprised me, he took on the role with grace and never disappointed. However, the writers could have done a better job with the character; why was he so obsessed with the queen? shouldn't there be more of an explanation for that? why did we never see him in any of the last couple of scenes when everything had been resolved?
- Kim Yeo wool: This character had SO much potential but clearly, the writers seem to think otherwise. Why was his story only briefly mentioned in the beginning when were given an overview of the main hwarangs? He was so intriguing at the start and as the show progresses, you would want to know more about him but his character was merely superficial, a sort of distraction. In my case however, it was a pleasant distraction because I enjoyed all the scenes that he was in. Don't even get me started on his bromance with Hansung- Fave!

The drama opened up so many doors but was unable to show what was inside, for example, why did Park Young-shil do NOTHING when the medicine suddenly disappeared? They painted certain characters as one thing but their actions proved otherwise. A lot of the characters feelings/actions were also unexplainable, for example, why did Hansung feel so deeply connected to Sun-woo??? even though it had been made clear to us that some of his decisions were sometimes irrational and he didn't think too deeply about things, it somehow still leaves us wondering why he would take such drastic action to protect him. Also, something about the Baekje kingdom letting everything be without coming back for a fight makes me a bit uneasy, but I know that's just me being super fussy. This show leaves me with QUESTIONS and I shouldn't feel this way after watching 20 hours worth of content. You would think that they would be able to uncover everything in 20 hours (instead of 16, as it usually is with k-dramas) instead, all the screen time was dedicated to the most boring main couple in k-drama history: A-ro and Sun-woo. What a bland relationship. I did not like it whatsoever.

Now a list of my least favourite characters because I just can't let it go, whether it be poor acting, poor character development, poor writing, who knows.
- Kim Wi-hwa: The constant laughter got to me; his character became boring after the first few episodes, he also got kind of annoying. I couldn't stand to see him alone, I only enjoyed scenes with him in it if there were others as well.
- Kim Kwang-kyu: His presence was overwhelming. This character was overdone.
- The queen: For obvious reasons.
- The princess: see previous comment.
- A-ro: Don't even get me started, the character was a disappointment. I tried to like her, I really did.
- Park Young-shil
- Han-sung's grandfather
I could go on and on....... I realise that you're not meant to like every character in a production but this was too much, they could have done better. I did not like most of the female characters because there was simply no reason for me to. I have so many questions regarding them e.g. why were we suddenly expected to feel sympathy for the queen at the end when she had acted like a villain all along?

Now you might wonder why I still choose to give quite a high rating after so many complaints and barely any commendations, that's because it did a good job at keeping me interested, it got me addicted, and that's what shows are supposed to do, right? However, I did not understand why a lot of things happened the way that they did, perhaps that it is why I was so eager to watch, to see if whatever 'mystery' there was in each episode would be solved in a sense. But the answers were hardly ever uncovered. At times they were (partially), and other times we were just left in the dark.

I will end with this: If you want something lighthearted, this is not the show for you, it is quite intense. It took 30 minutes to summarise 2.5 episodes to a friend, A LOT happens at once in this drama.

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During the first few episodes of this show, I realised that no matter how much I liked Park Hyungsik and wanted to support his work, I couldn't get into it. It has a reallyyyyy slow start, the first couple of episodes are very boring, especially when you've watched the original 'Suits'. It's like watching the same thing over again, however it's not executed as well as the original, this made me drop the show for some months. However after I picked it up again due to sheer boredom, the show got exciting at about episode 8 and I was able to binge it (we all know binging a show means that you're really enjoying it).

In the beginning, the characters may not seem as exciting or as fitting with the original American cast, but they grow on you. Now I know why Jang Dong-gun is highly praised for his acting, he is so convincing. Park Hyungsik (the reason I started the show) also impressed me a lot, he proved that he could be dynamic with his acting and his facial expressions were always fitting with the mood. The only main character I have a slight problem with their acting is the character of Hong Da-ham (Donna's character), she seemed to always have the same facial expression and her sass was overbearing at times. The actress that portrayed Kim Ji-na may not have been on par with that of Meghan Markle's Rachel but she certainly presented a different version of the character that was pleasing to see. She did not merely copy the character of Rachel but twisted it to a slightly different character, which I liked. Another character that deserves high praises is that of Ham Gi-taek, I believe that the actor (Kim Young-ho) portrayed the role even better than his American counterpart; Daniel Hardman. I also enjoyed watching the bromance between Yeon-woo and Kang-seok.

The music was decent and fitting with the scenes and it is understandable that the there aren't as many OST's as this is a more serious drama.

I enjoyed the (second half of the) show, it was very pleasant. The tragic moments felt very real and truly shook me, thereby portraying great acting skills by the actors. The comedic moments made me chuckle too. Regarding the ending, I am a bit unsettled at how we didn't get to see a Yeon-woo and Ji-na reunion after he came out of jail. That missing aspect makes their relationship seem less realistic to the audience, considering the fact that their love story was not very convincing anyway. It seemed like Yeon-woo was too focused on his work to put work into the relationship but the writers still wanted us to believe that he was obsessed with her. Anyway, I guess there's only so much that can be fit into 16 hours (if only they hadn't wasted the first 8 episodes with boring scenes). I really liked how certain themes were incorporated throughout the show, that of weakness and 'the rabbit' lol.

If you've watched the original suits, I don't think you'd be missing anything by skipping the first few episodes because it's the exact same incidences and the characters in this one aren't very likeable at first. Furthermore, there isn't much character development in the beginning, so save yourself the time and skip it. However, I would recommend Suits Korea.

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