So good in the beginning but many flaws that should've been fixed

I really liked this drama and how the pacing was fast which kept me on the edge of the seat the whole time. I really want to give 9/10 but the amount of flaws and how the story had to be re-written lowers the rating a bit unfortunately.

The biggest flaws I wished they changed:
- how is it that they decided to attack Myeong gil & his team but decide to sit back & relax. They totally let their guards down, how could they not have thought their would be retaliation and I just felt so sorry for the grandpa's 2 friends that were helping him carry out the mission. It's so dumb to me how Dooyoung (leather jacket guy) has all his info at the hideout where Myeonggil was able to retrieve which led to his death. Also how is it that the grandpa & his 2 friends didn't make the effort to change their names/identity knowing that MG knows them. You'd think these guys would be smarter knowing who they're dealing with
- the grandpa's 2 friends died too soon. they weren't able to really show how trained & experienced they claimed to be. we could've gotten even more fight scenes & development from those 2 characters that I've come to like, just unfortunate and unrealistic how they let their guards down like that (I'm used to watching action but seeing the grandpa & his 2 friends death was just so horrible for me b/c their characters were made likeable)
- tell me how some of MG's guys didn't die after being sliced in the throat? Also feel like the tank dude should've been taken out around the same time. On top of that Woo jin's attack & the amount of blood he lost just doesn't make any sense to how he survived
- b/c the story got re-written, I just didn't like the last 2 eps with how everything changed & they had to rely on the chaebol guy. the fact that the money would be going to him when gunwoo & woojin should've taken the money to continue the grandpa's good deed makes more sense. I get that they weren't here for the money but its not wise & unrealistic with what happened at the end
- I wished we would've been able to explore how the bad guys were punished. I think the good guys just suffered so much in comparison to how the ending was more open-ended, almost seems lackluster and too many loose ends
- I think 12 episodes would've been ideal to further explore the grandpas, his 2 friends, and even the villains backgrounds. I honestly think they should've done something different with the chaebol dude bc I honestly didn't care for his story & even at the end his character didn't show appreciation for the help he received & yet he took all the money (no redeeming qualities to him)

What I liked:
- everyone's acting was amazing, loved that the plot is unique and the characters as some say the plot is mid
- woo do hwan is obviously good and he was what kept me watching
- the grandpa's 2 friends/helpers were very likeable for me, just sad what their ending was
- the villains did a good job portraying their characters
- I liked the fight scenes and the car chases scenes

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Really enjoyed this drama even though it's the typical mermaid story about growing legs when arriving on land, crying tears of pearl, etc. and some might think its cliché and boring but the lightheartedness, fluff and romance made it enjoyable. Liked how there was a killer involved and going after the ML and FL to add suspense or else the drama would've been boring imo.

What I liked:
- Spain trip in the beginning was a fresh start to the drama and I loved it a lot. Especially the chemistry b/w the leads was really good and just seeing them have a good time made it enjoyable.
- I saw some complaining about the side story or the parallel universe (Joseon Era) snippets were boring but I actually liked how they added that to the plot as it was something new and added substance to the plot
- I've watched Lee Min Ho's other dramas and have to say his acting in this one is the best. I like his character of being a conman having many talents while also being a kind person. He was able to portray the serious side of things while being witty and genuine. I liked how in the beginning of the Spain trip, he didn't withhold the typical "tsundere" character but kind of showed his fun and true self to Sim Cheong

What I didn't like:
- Their chemistry was somewhat lacking near the end, some of the scenes felt a bit like "funny awkward" to me
- Noticed that Jihyun's acting didn't have that spark like it did in the beginning and middle. It could be due to her character and her situation of having to return to the sea but her facial expressions came off a bit bland at the end
- Didn't like the idea of Sim Cheong erasing everyone's memory when having to return to the sea, it just seems hypocritical how she mentioned to Jun Jae that memories with the good people around you should not be erased but to be cherished so in a way it leaves this bittersweet feeling or the unanswered question of whether or not everyone remembered her in the end as it didn't show it at all
- Soon, the flashbacks or snippets of the Joseon era began to feel a bit boring as I expected what would happen next
- On the topic of memory, I personally think the power of erasing memories was flawed. It'd make sense if Sim Cheong erased parts of a characters memory that it'd totally be gone and not some temporary fix for a sticky situation. It irritated me how one would start to remember what was erased which was just a tactic to drag on some issues prolonging it
- Wished that there was at least one scene where Jun Jae actually witnesses her mermaid form in present day just to get like his reaction and everything but it never showed that

Overall, this drama is like True Beauty where the plot is cliché and you can expect the plot twists or events that happen next but they're enjoyable and lighthearted to watch. Also have to mention the writer also being a part of Crash Landing on You and how she did a good job with setting the mood for both CLOY and TLOTBS by incorporating the visually appealing places for us like Spain or Switzerland which really freshens up the dramas a bit and it was one of the factors that made me enjoy both dramas. I always put off TLOTBS but am glad I watched it as it was a good drama and is the best mermaid k-drama so far as I've watched others that were poorly executed.

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I'm not sure why I see so many people complaining about this drama and the amount of hate it's receiving is unnecessary. I went into the drama having no knowledge about the webtoon and based on the synopsis I expected this drama to be the typical cliché high school drama plot with a beauty component to it. And with that I really enjoyed the comedic scenes, fluffiness of the whole drama and the chemistry b/w the leads.

I think the ones that didn't enjoy it were team Seo Jun fans or had high expectations as if something more deep would happen to the plot. I had to say this because while watching the drama I skimmed through some reviews and comments making sure not to spoil myself and saw many complaining about things that were expected of the drama. Now onto the things I loved and didn't like in this drama!

Aspects of the drama that I loved:
- Even though Suho's character starts off with the reputation of being cold, I'm glad he quickly shows his true and soft side in the beginning without the gradual need of the FL to "tear down his walls"
- Totally agree with the top comment by the name Parveen on this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCiYZRPZ1Hs) regarding Suho's sad life, why he's become cold and discussing the hate his character got while many felt more bad for Seojun
- This is my first drama watching Moon Ga Young and I enjoyed her acting, didn't feel awkward at all and will try out her other dramas
- I loved Seojun's character of being an actual softie too like Suho, always helping JG and looking out for her. Near the end I started to feel bad for his unrequited love. I thought I'd dislike his character in the beginning but quickly latched on and enjoyed watching him
- I personally enjoyed the comedy and the exaggerated humor as I found myself laughing A LOT and it really set the lighthearted vibes for me
- I watched this after watching "My ID is Gangnam Beauty"; I tried to not have a biased opinion but I can say that this is much better than the latter as the chemistry b/w the leads were so good and Eunwoo portrayed a character that had more substance compared to MIGB. The emotions he portrayed were much more genuine with his eye smile and he wasn't restricted to being so monotone like he was in MIGB
- Loved JG's family dynamics, her sister having a unique personality and her relationship with Mr. Han was cute
- Liked how Suho found out about Jugyung's bare face early on so it wasn't like some secret that was dragging on and made it realistic as he recognized her
- First half of drama kept me going and was enjoyable so I'd likely re-watch it whenever I want something lighthearted

Aspects that I didn't like:
- Many have complained about the cringeworthy-ness in this drama however what made me cringe the most was when Suho got hit by a car and the slow motion of him floating mid-air was what irked me
- I think Suho flying to the US to see his father was unnecessary. It felt like the writers wanted to drag on the drama or had no ideas left. It felt rushed and disconnected in my opinion and for that reason I really think the drama could've done 14 episodes instead of 16. If they had something extra for the plot then that would've added more interest but it was just the typical "having to be separated which dragged on the romance". If there wasn't such a disconnect at the end I would've given an 8.5
- I was hoping for some sort of closure or lesson to be learnt near the end about beauty standards within society. However it just seemed like it was all about the love triangle happening and the friendship b/w Suho, Seojun and Seyeon which started getting boring. Not to disregard the stigma about Seyeon's death but I think the plot got boring and faded out with the constant torment Suho was experiencing about his friend's death
- The sudden breakup because Suho didn't want Jugyung to wait wasn't necessary, just another way to prolong the episodes
- Due to it being a cliché high school romcom, I expected the love triangle but it would've been more fresh if Seojun had another love interest? And maybe if Soojin continued playing the protective bestfriend for Jugyung rather than being jealous and trying to steal Suho

I didn't expect to cry so much when Jugyung's face got revealed and was suffering as I relate to it personally. I recommend going in with low expectations, just enjoy it and you'll like it. I think for many they expected a lot which I'm not sure why and came out disappointed. If rating in terms of a lighthearted romcom I'd give it an 8 and could go up to 8.5, just didn't like the last 2-4 episodes as it faded out a bit. Overall, I definitely recommend this drama for any romcom lovers, its lighthearted, funny, fluffy and enjoyable!

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This drama is seriously a roller coaster ride and definitely one of my favorite dramas! Binge-watched the whole drama in 2 days because it was seriously that good. Every episode had something new happening or a problem that needed to be resolved, nothing dragged but rather things started falling into place as I kept watching. I think the rating should be higher than 8.0 on here however it was the ending that was not it for me and I think everyone got disappointed which led to a lower rating. Going to list the pros and cons of the drama overall, the main cast and the ending:

Overall aspects of drama:
- Although classified as a "makjang" which I never knew what it was until I discovered this drama, I really enjoyed the uniqueness of the story/plot as it wasn't some cliché story like many dramas nowadays.
- Some plot holes here and there but I think at this point all k-dramas have plot holes.
- Considering the room walls in the palace are so damn thin that anyone could listen to the empress talking to Woo Bin while they were discussing their plans annoyed and stress me out. I think it would've been more realistic if they had a meetup spot or at least discussed somewhere not near the entrance of her room.
- Comedic/humorous parts were a advantage and disadvantage. I say that because it helped calm things down when there was so much drama and had a bit of cute scenes but it also led to a really bad ending. It made things seem not as serious as it was with the empress dowager's sins she'd committed. Idk but it just felt like because there was some humor to the drama it drifted a bit and I think that led to the unsatisfying ending for me.
- The island secret was underwhelming to me? I understand the human testing part was bad etc but I was expecting something really bad or extreme considering how much the empress dowager wanted to keep it a secret. I feel like if it involved a darker topic like human trafficking with drugs then it would've made more sense and made the plot better.

Sunny:
- I loved the transition of her from being a naïve person to have developed courage and becoming smarter in order to survive in the palace and take down the empress dowager
- I love Jang Nara's personality as she seems really kind and genuine but I personally don't like her acting too much. I found her happy naïve personality in the beginning somewhat annoying but really stayed for the drama overall. I feel like she has this childish vibe (when acting) that makes me not like her acting but I'm glad she's starting to get "boss lady" roles for her new dramas. I've imagined other actresses in her spot and think that would've been a better choice.
- I was so hooked with the drama that at first I thought that Sunny's chemistry with both Woo bin and Lee Hyeok were great but after finishing the drama I realized she didn't have much chemistry with both the male leads. For Woo Bin they definitely had something going on and started to fall in love but it was so weird with Woo Bin's death because it didn't show Sunny mourning his death, almost like she forgot about him. As for Lee Hyeok, he started to fall in love with Sunny through mostly jealousy and when he started to change which by then Sunny didn't have much feelings for him. Somehow after Lee Hyeok's death it shows Sunny mourning his death and flashback scenes of them together. It makes sense since he was her first love but disregarding Woo Bin ruined everything. With the way the writers planned the love relationships at the end didn't make any sense to me and was a big factor of why the ending fell through.

Woo Bin:
- Glad that he was able to see Yura's true self early on in the drama rather than him blindly still in love with her when he entered the palace. Also liked how he wasn't wavering when finding out that Yura had killed his mom
- Some say his character is dry but I didn't find it to be as it made sense with the plot since he was after revenge for his mothers death. If anything this drama made me see Jin Hyuk's charms. I like his character development and his love for his mother.
- I think if they were going to make him fall for Sunny, there should've been more scenes where they developed more chemistry as it was a bit lacking.

Lee Hyeok:
- This man has seriously made everyone that hated him to loving his character. His acting is phenomenal and I will definitely check out his other dramas.
- Liked seeing his character development of being a vicious and cold emperor to knowing how to love and empathize with others (especially Sunny).
- I felt his ending was rushed. Somehow he wanted to carry out the deed by disguising as Woo Bin and going to his mother's island was weird to me.
- The writers made it so that we pity him for how he was brought up by his mother, shaped him into a bad human being which led to his actions etc but seeing his change made everyone not hate him as much lmao

Yura:
- Lee Elijah is such a great actress that I preferred watching her more than Jang Nara even though she's the mistress lol she really portrayed her character so well to make us hate her and her expressions were well executed. Such a great actress I love her now haha
- We later learn how she was trying to avenge for her life being ripped apart by the imperial family which is why she became a secretary and used Lee Hyeok however, I find it weird that she went to the extent of killing Woo Bin's mother which is also her mother as she raised her and cared for her. Like if she was after the imperial family she should've just been honest and told Woo Bin and his mother about what happened to her fiancé. It wasn't necessary to kill her mother when she could've explained everything. In the beginning I didn't question much as I just thought she was a horrible person wanting to live the lavish life being with Lee Hyeok. Until her real intentions were revealed that's when things got confusing with her character because of what she did to WB's mother but it also helped develop the plot in why she was trying so hard to win Lee Hyeok's heart. So somewhat of a positive and negative with that.
- I can't justify how she didn't die but Woo Bin did after killing his mother and the other acts she committed. Near the end we were made to pity her for what she went through and not hate her as much as she allied with the empress but I still think her life should've been traded with Woo Bin.
- I'm assuming that after being struck on the head she somehow has amnesia or a mental illness as shown from her personality at the end but if they made Woo Bin die then it would've made more sense to have her dead as well, sorry but I still think its not right with what happened with Woo Bin.

Ending:
- Woo Bin's ending was horrible and I'm just speechless with how they didn't have closure for him. I find it weird how he was suddenly being chased by Head Pyo, tied up to be bombed at the celebratory event. Not even that but the way he flew out from the corner and then it just focused on Lee Hyeok and Sunny. I really thought that the burnt body was fake, that he somehow didn't die and would show up in the last episode but he didn't.
- Not sure if I missed it but at the end it just shows Team Leader Choi and the empress dowager's interactions in prison which made me confused because empress dowager was sentenced to a death penalty like Seo Kang Hee, so that part was unsatisfying.
- The scene where Woo Bin, Sunny and Yura go to the island to figure out the secret was not done right. It should've involved them finding the "lab building" that Lee Hyeok came across in the last episode. The 3 of them should've discovered that instead of Lee Hyeok disguising as Woo Bin and then later being killed by his mother. Imo the empress dowager should've died in place of Lee Hyeok, so he would redeem himself at the end for his sins and be a better person in the future.
Repeated this many times but Woo Bin really should've not died & ended up with Sunny at the end. PERIODT.

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Definitely was interesting in the beginning with the storyline as well as the eerie feeling that came when Bong Hee arrived in her office at night scene. The new storyline of Ji Wook preventing Bong Hee from going to jail was a fresh start to the drama and the unknown identity of the murderer made it more suspenseful and interesting to watch. It definitely fell short when the murderer Hyun Soo was revealed way too early in the drama which lead to it dragging along in most of the episodes in the middle. I think in the early episodes of when Chan Ho was revealed to have ill intentions and could possibly be the murderer could have been hidden from the audience and revealed later on just like the point I made before. About 1/3 of the drama near the end was just "when will they catch the murderer already?". It was dragging so much in the middle and near the end that I honestly skipped a lot of parts and I was still able to catch on with the premise of the story at the end. Also would've been interesting if somehow Ji wook and Bong hee figured out that their fathers were involved in the same arson case near the middle of the drama which would've added more to the drama. The ending was somewhat not satisfying because we've known who the murderer is for almost the entirety of the drama and I stuck with this drama due to Ji Chang Wook and Nam Ji Hyun's chemistry. My first time watching Ji Hyun's acting and will definitely watch her other dramas as she's a good actress! Really had potential in the beginning but I think it fell short in generating suspense throughout the middle to end of the drama as mentioned before, I'm not sure why the writer decided to just reveal the killer so early on and prolonged everything and nothing became intriguing quite quickly.
Some concluding points:
- Moo yeong (Hee joon's father) should've been punished more for what he did in the past
- Yoo Jung's character didn't provide much other than the "ex that cheated with my friend" impression and I think her character barely developed
- A lot say they like Ji Hae's character near the end which I agree but I still think she should've been punished in a way for being the "mistress" of Hee joon and I don't see how Bong hee had such a mutual relationship with her
- Choi Tae Joon's acting is okay for me as it felt kinda awkward at times with his facial expressions
- Liked the happy and cute ending but wished it would've shown a bit of their life after

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Possibly my most favorite k-drama! Love how the story is so original which lead to my curious self to start CLOY. Absolutely love Hyun Bin and Ye Jin's characters, their chemistry and their character development. I loved so many aspects of this drama that I have to put it in point form:
- Nothing and I mean NOTHING, dragged on throughout this drama. Was on the edge of my seat since Ep. 1 and just hooked onto the premise of the story.
- LOVED how each episode included so much! This drama in particular made me realize how many events that took place in each episode which was why I binged it in 2-3 days. They were able to add a good amount of events that took place or arising issues needed to be resolved in each episode while everything blended together, maintaining the flow and really made me interested the whole time.
- Seri's a rich woman who is smart and confident while being down to earth and kind. Liked how she wasn't portrayed as a "damsel in distress". Loved Ye Jin's acting with her facial expressions really portraying every emotion, especially in her eyes.
- Loved how Hyun Bin wasn't a "cold" guy and had to progress as someone being more open like other dramas, but rather he just built walls around himself due to what happened to his brother. We can already tell in the first episode in the special ending clip that he was smiling at Seri hanging from the tree talking to herself. He gradually opened up to Seri and was able to show how caring and affectionate he is.
- I adored the relationship Seri had with the soldiers, the constant bickering b/w her and Chi Su, Ju Muk's love for k-dramas, Eun Dong's kind heart and Kwang Beom's presence while being Jeong Hyeok's right hand man. Usually I get bored or uninterested in some supporting characters and am guilty to admit that I can skip parts I don't want to watch but I loved the soldiers characters and their chemistry so much and there was no skipping anything in this drama.
- We were made to somewhat dislike Seo Dan and Seung Jun in the beginning although I knew Seung Jun wasn't actually a bad person however I quickly adored them as the side couple and started realizing that Seo Dan really wasn't a bad person as well. Usually its hard for me to be interested in the side couple however this couple kept me curious with how they would turn out. No one really mentions it but it saddens me how Seo Dan waited that many years to be married to Jeong Hyeok and just having the hope even though she knew that he didn't love her. Also saddened with the ending for Seo Dan & Seung Jun. TT
- I liked how the military/officials scenes of either Jeong Hyeok going to work and dealing with issues, certain directors planning schemes and showing the behind the scenes of what went on was intriguing and kept the drama flowing well. Often times, many k-dramas have political/officials related problems scenes that are super boring and just fillers however CLOY didn't have any of that which is a positive aspect of this drama that really stands out.
- Liked how this drama portrayed North Korean people as the same as everyone and that most of us hold a certain stereotype towards normal NK people due to the dictatorship life there which was mind opening for me as it changed my perspective.
- Loved the cast and everyone's acting was excellent!

Some minor aspects I didn't like and why I left out 0.5 for the rating:
- The CGI was definitely not good for some of the scenes when they were paragliding which is alright but if someone else watching could be picky about it and I understand it added humor to the drama but wished it would've been a bit better!
- Would be better if Cho Cheol Gang's past was shown or he had some backstory as to why he had such ill intentions to kill JH's brother. I'm assuming JH's brother was after some sort of high ranked position as Cheol Gang but I maybe missed it somewhere?
- Glad that the ending was happy and satisfying in a way. I wished that somehow JH's father is able to issue visits to South Korea for JH which would let him see Seri much longer than the 2 weeks that the ending showed. That might sound bad haha but considering how high his father's position is I think it's possible. Also for them to go through so much just to only spend time for 2 weeks and then wait the next year is sad and frustrating
- A few very minor plot holes, one example is the scene of Seung Jun at the airport ready to leave but having to go rescue Seo Dan to which he randomly shows up with a gun when he was on the run the whole time and didn't have anything with him. Just minor things that I questioned later on and didn't affect the enjoyment I had watching this drama!
All in all, I loved this drama and would recommend to anyone! Would definitely re-watch in the future!

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