High on living your dreams, low on romance

Story: The story was cute. There were underlying stories that were handled very well also. As BTS ARMY, I really appreciated the story about liking an idol - the public's perception that the idol belongs to them, and that they shouldn't have their own private life. We tend to not think about that. There was also the story about not being able to express your true feelings for someone because society frowns on it - it was handled with sensitivity, and I loved the "resolution" of him being honest and changing the government. I didn't care for the main leads dating others, knowing that they liked someone else - that makes it feel too much like "love the one you're with" and diminishes their feelings for each other, in my opinion. I would have liked to have seen them have more time together, and the ending felt rushed, per the usual MO of Asian shows. The workers at the company were fun to watch and I liked how they have made themselves into a family of sorts, caring for and watching out for one another.

Acting: The acting was good and not overacted as we sometimes see in Japanese dramas. They have also toned down the exaggerated movements and facial expressions, so I was able to feel that I was watching real people, not just caricatures.

The piano music throughout was good and kind of blended into the background for the most part.

I won't rewatch this for two reasons: 1) Not enough romance. 2) My "to watch" list is so long that I'll probably never get to all of them.

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Short, sweet, strange

This drama was original, yet strange. I liked the aspect of it being different, but I DIDN'T like the scenes with the ML barking. That was just too over the top. It was cute, low angst, short, yet somewhat rushed. I would have liked to have seen more interaction between the leads as a couple, because those scenes were precious (however, the ending was just all sorts of cute).

What stood out to me in this show was that the ML was different. Not the fact that he had husky genes, but that, even though he was a powerful CEO, he wasn't completely cold and autocratic. He appreciated the help that the FL provided and took care to thank her for her help. His smiles alone are worth watching this show.

The FL was so cute! I've seen her in other works and can't get over her tininess. I liked the way she played the character, she wasn't pouty or bemoaning her fate, and she also wasn't a doormat to the ML. Her facial expressions really exemplified her irritation with him at times, which made me laugh.

Their romance was rushed. They weren't in love, then they were. The scenes with them together when they were smiling and laughing had me smiling and laughing as well. Though the relationship was rushed, I could understand why they liked each other, mostly because of their mutual respect. I would have liked less time spent on the evil uncle and more time spent on them.

There were certainly things I would have changed in the storyline, but I'm glad I watched it. I probably won't re-watch it, however.

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Easy watch

This movie expands on the short show of the same name. I saw that Yokohama Ryusei was in this, so decided to give it a try. It was cute, for what it was. It was sort of like watching a live action cartoon, with over-the-top sound effects, exaggerated movements and facial expressions. Because it was so cartoonish, I wasn't able to feel anything for the characters.

It had your typical, excessively socially awkward teens that are seen in a lot of the Japanese shows. Sometimes, it's like watching people that have been raised with wolves coming into contact with humans for the first time in their lives. Fearful, skittish, unable to maintain a conversation. This movie did have the addition of a cousin to supposedly create some tension between the couple. My only thoughts of him were, "Did they use an egg beater to arrange his hair?!"

This show used the trope of misunderstanding/lack of communication, which is always frustrating to me. The movie as a whole was okay, I suppose but it never drew me in. I think I was probably slightly generous with my rating, only because the movie was completely innocuous and didn't irritate me.

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Very well done

Lee Kwang Soo is one funny guy! He's funny in this, but he's also a good actor that can wring other emotions from you. I thought this drama's storyline was very original and it managed to walk the fine line between drama and comedy. It was filled with twists and turns that kept me interested throughout.

I love a show that demonstrates the strength of family and friends. This did that well. All the quirky supermarket employees really understood each other and looked out for one another. And just the best supportive mom, ever!

A lot of this drama was difficult for me to watch, especially concerning the little girl (who did a wonderful job, by the way), but I'm glad I took the time, though it's not my usual genre.

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Hours of watching a depressed person

This show irritated me on so many levels! The story was so simplistic, which in and of itself wasn't a problem, but there was SO MUCH TIME of watching the main couple walking around, her being depressed, him trying to cheer her up. I didn't have problems with the actors (though Park Shin Hye does tend to stick with the doe-eyed somewhat unhappy girl), but the characters were so tremendously irritating!
The character of Go Dok Mi is a recluse as a result of something in her past, WAY in her past. She seemed to be someone that wallowed in her misery, so it was hard to like her or root for her. She seriously should have sought counseling. Throughout the whole show, I felt like I was watching Eeyore whenever she was on screen. I was starting to feel like I needed to take antidepressants.
The character of Enrique Geum - I didn't like him at all. He was hyper, extremely immature, pouty, talked fast and yelled a lot. I never was able to warm up to him, even up to the end.
The character of Oh Jin Rok - I loved this character and he was the saving grace for this drama, as far as I was concerned. Deep, quiet, abiding love. Always wanting Dok Mi to be happy. He was the maturity that this show needed.
All of the women side characters were awful and were typical trope-filled caricatures - evil, manipulative, lying, bullying.

I felt there was no chemistry between the leads. She was too cold, her was too immature. Sure, he finally got her out of her apartment, but I didn't feel them growing toward one another, or even in their separate lives. Two kisses, one really staged, the one at the end was better.

The time jump, that apparently has to be in EVERY Asian drama, was poorly handled. In this day of cell phones and air travel, him being gone for over a year made no sense, especially since they both had jobs where they could literally work anywhere.

So, this one is a definite NO on the rewatch list for me!

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A journey of self

One thing I've noticed about a lot of Japanese shows, they are a "slice-of-life". Not a lot happens, but we are privy to the main character's daily thoughts and desires. Such is the case with this movie. You have a high schooler, with all the angst, hormones, and everything else that goes along with the age. A secret crush, changing family dynamics, and cyber-bullying add to her everyday worries. Remembering back to my teen years, everything was amplified - the highs were higher, and the lows were lower. I could feel the loneliness, as well as the dissatisfaction in her current life. Along comes a mystical, magical granny to change things. It's often someone completely out of our sphere that we connect with, relate to, that can help us see things more clearly. This person gives her the bravery to come out of herself, and also the opportunity to resolve past hurts. A special person in your life can change you and your perspective forever.

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The power of friendship

This show speaks to the stresses that are put on them by their parents, their teachers, each other, and themselves. There was a lot of emotional/psychological bullying in this one, which was hard for me to understand, because I wouldn't have put up with it. I was sorry there weren't consequences for the bullies.

There is a bit of a romance here, but mostly this is about friendship, and it tells the story well. It's about believing in your friends when they don't even believe in themselves. About how you can trash talk your friends, but nobody else had better try it. At the beginning, I was worried, because the acting seemed pretty stiff, but that eventually worked its way out.

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Too many episodes for the story

This story was done very effectively in the movie version. Sadly, I felt that this show had too many episodes. There were many, many times that I fast forwarded through scenes.

Acting: I really enjoyed all the actors, for the most part. Seo Hyun Jin, as usual, is very good. She's tremendously self-centered and over-the-top at the beginning, but eventually settles into her role. She has a sweet playfulness about her that I really enjoy. I have to say, I don't particularly care for Lee Min Ki as an actor in general. He's too much like an automaton. There is one scene where she smiles at him and he's completely gobsmacked, but in general, the fact that he remains expressionless is a problem for me. I didn't care for the second couple, she was completely unlikeable throughout. I liked both her agent and his secretary.

This show had the problem that it didn't really know what it wanted to be. Is it a comedy? A melodrama? Her disorder seemed to, for the most part, be played for laughs, but when it switched to seriousness I wasn't buying into it. His disorder is SO overused in K-dramas! I was loving the fact that he could recognize her in any body she was in, then they went and tipped that on its head. That bothered me as well.

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It grew on me

At the beginning I was getting the "how many times have I seen this before" vibes. I didn't find it too interesting, but then about halfway in, I think I just decided to enjoy the ride.

It's a story about first loves, fractured relationships, budding friendships, with the obligatory corruption thrown in for good measure. It was enjoyable to get to know the people, some more than others. I thought the 3rd couple was irritating and unnecessary - lots of pouting, whining, and other very juvenile behavior.

The main couple was cute, though I saw them more as friends than anything else, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. I did like how they didn't have any misunderstandings and were there for one another at all times.

BIGGEST DRAW FOR ME - Choo Young Woo as Jung Young Joo. I've not seen this actor in anything else and he was captivating. The ultimate bad boy, but with a strong sense of family and decency. I loved the way this character was written, and Young Woo embodied the part totally. He was very serious, but when he broke into a smile, watch out. And I have to say, surprisingly, that my favorite parts were the development of the relationship between Jung Young Joo and Kang Seo Young. Trying not to be in a relationship, but falling into a relationship, their scenes in the last couple of episodes were just darling.

Disliked - the head of the school (though I was supposed to, so she did a good job). Even more than my dislike of that character was the song Dream On. I swear, they must have played the one line of that song about 250 times. Fingernails on a chalkboard!

I don't feel the need to watch it again, because I didn't love it, but it was certainly worth watching for Choo Young Woo. It's a sweet, low-angst watch.

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Good, in theory

I love me a good office romance. I also love when the woman is strong without being a witch. The man falls first? Yes, please. I was so looking forward to watching this one, but unfortunately the execution wasn't that good.

Aviis Zhong - she is absolutely gorgeous, and I'll admit I was a little enthralled with her. She started out very strong, then she began to show some good signs of vulnerability, but then she kind of fell apart for me.

Wes Lo - I think my biggest issue concerning him were the random, strange camera angles. Extreme close ups tended to make him look very cartoonish. I'm not into stalker behavior, but I was willing to overlook it to a certain extent since it furthered the storyline. Sometimes he was very attractive (in looks and in actions), but then other times he was more like a buffoon (especially in the strange way he walked (I know, strange thing to focus on).

The leads had some cute scenes together, but I didn't feel chemistry. I also wasn't able to ever figure out why they liked each other. We never got to see a progression of their feelings. Add to that some open-eyed, fish kisses and I wasn't believing them as a couple.

The storyline for the assistant that became somewhat of a psycho...terrible!

In no world would I ever feel the need to watch this again.

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What fun!

I decided to watch this so I could see Mamiya Shotaro in a lead role, and he was completely different than in other roles in which I've seen. Loud, mean, uncouth, brash, driven, set-apart - these are words you could use to drive his character. And you would, at the beginning. Wait until you are further into the movie, and you'll think caring, hidden depths and thoughtful, not only in his outward actions, but in the way he he was going through life.

He and the FL had such a fun relationship. This would NOT be a healthy relationship in the real world, but when played for laughs it absolutely worked. Never have two people been more in sync than when they are screaming at each other! I'm going to do some research to see if the two actors have worked together before. I would love to see them together in something else to see if the chemistry is still there.

I loved how this movie focused on the main couple and everyone else pretty much faded into the background. They were there solely to bring the spotlight to the main couple.

I'll be honest, I don't remember the music. I was too busy laughing and enjoying the movie.

I will definitely re-watch this movie when I just need an hour or so of fun.

I would recommend this movie, absolutely!

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Slow, beautiful film

The concept was original, the cinematography was wonderful, the acting was stellar, the music was haunting. I remember seeing the American remake (The Lake House), but I could never forget that they were actors in a movie, because they were famous. This was completely different.

Though I've seen both of the main actors in other works, I was completely immersed in this story. Let's start with the locations, the architecture, the cinematography. The film was full of shades of blue, fog, mist, and water, all that gave the strong feeling of calm, quiet, and mystery. The house on the lake, I think anyone would want to live there. The house, far from everyone and everything, gave the feeling of loneliness, and to a certain, degree, depression. The character of Kim Eun Ju (Jun Ji Hyun) was just full of loneliness. She'd been unsuccessful in love, wasn't doing too well in moving on, and if I'm honest, a little irritating in that she wanted to hold on to her putz of a husband. Han Sung Hyun (Lee Jung Jae) gave off the vibe of a real loner. Someone told him early on that he needed to learn how to open his heart. He seemed perfectly content in his solitary life, yet something was missing.

The two communicate across time, and Sung Hyun even addressed the improbability in that Cola, the cutest dog ever, was in two places at once. We get to know these two better through their correspondence and I really hoped there would be a happy ending for them.

The haunting song, Must Say Goodbye, was played throughout this movie, sometimes instrumental, sometimes with words. It was beautiful and went perfectly with the movie.

I would probably not rewatch this movie, since I know what happens, but I would definitely recommend it. A warning, this is a slow movie. Not much happens, but in a world that seems to be moving at warp speed, it was nice to sit back and enjoy the slow ride.

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Finding and chasing your dreams

Spoilers (slight) at the end -

This was a take-off of The Devil Wears Prada. However, here we get some of the back story as to why the Devil Boss is the ways she is. It totally humanized her, and I found that her story arc was my favorite of the whole show.

The romance was somewhat cute, but I found myself with SLS. I think it was because the FL kept referring to the ML as a puppy, and he just seemed somewhat immature to me. They were a cute couple, but I didn't see much chemistry.

As for the FL, I think I could have warmed to her more if they hadn't made her so bumbling. Constant rookie mistakes that would have gotten her fired, talking back to bosses (which also would have gotten her fired), and the clumsiness were all a bit much.

The potential rival for the ML's affections was a nice change of pace. The usual formula wasn't used here, which I appreciated.


NOW FOR THE RANTING SPOILERS:
This really irritated me. So, the guy kisses her on the forehead, and she is already planning their wedding?! I notice that they tend to do this a lot in Japanese dramas. She can't even ask him to define their relationship. It's called communication, people. But the thing that irked me more than that, this is a woman that had no goals to speak of, finally gets a "dream" and breaks up with him when he is leaving Tokyo to go into the family business! This, to me, made everything we went through a waste of time. I was also bothered how she "saw" him everywhere. It was her choice to break up. Why does it have to be one or the other - a career OR a relationship? Could they have tried to make it work.? Having had a career that was the major focus of my life, at the expense of my relationship - I've discovered that you can't bank on a career.

Another thing that REALLY irritated me, and this happens ALL THE TIME in Asian shows - the time jump. The guy decides that he really wants to pursue photography (this didn't make sense to me because he was already a professional photographer) so we went to Cambodia for three years and didn't contact her ONCE!?!?!?! Granted, phones didn't play a central part in this drama as much as they do in others, but with technology what it is, there is no reason to fall off the grid for years at a time.

Overall, I found this to be a cute and easy show to watch. The romance was lacking chemistry, but I found the Devil Boss storyline to be fresh and well-written.

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Beautifully done

This was a lovely story about love and loss. About how things in our lives can form our characters and affect decisions we make. Mei was the perfect example of this. A tragedy in her life sent her running and she was making some bad decisions. She said herself that she didn't like who she had become.

I really liked how the friends re-connected and enjoyed each other's company. Kota was instrumental in this, and he saw the importance of them leaning on and supporting each other.

The show had the perfect balance of past and present, enough time in the past to know what was happening, but, as Kota said, "not looking in the past". They all realized that the past couldn't be changed but saw the importance of living in the present and following your heart.

I do have to say that the very last scene was a disappointment for me. The friends had all gotten back together again, but what Mei was looking at made me feel like she was still trapped in the past. Possibly not, but that's the way I saw it.

This is a drama that is well worth a watch. Depending upon how much of a crier you are, I suggest you have tissues handy.

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Sweet Japanese adaptation

This was a cute adaptation of She Was Pretty. There were a few minuses for me, but overall, I enjoyed it.

Male lead wasn't nearly as awful in this version. The first few episodes, yes, but then even when he was being a little mean to her, it was because of her work, plus I think he was trying to come to terms with his feelings for her. I really liked that he liked her before her transformation.

In every version of this show, I've had a problem with the friend and what she did. I mean, true friends don't do that. In this version, it bothered me even more, because she just let it get out of hand. And then when she was running away to avoid talking to her friend, that was just too childish.

I didn't have SLS in this version at all, he was just too immature.

One thing about Japanese shows, they spend a LOT of time apologizing to each other. It seemed especially prevalent in this show.

As with most other Asian dramas, there was the obligatory time jump, which I hate. It's always, "I love you and can't live without you, but I'm leaving for a couple of years. See ya!" It was a cute ending, but very rushed.

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