Dragged in a loop

The premise was interesting. A shared space for past and present at a fixed time.

It started fine but after the initial both parties found out about it, the plot stagnates. It could not sustain the whole intrique of what happen to the female star was jus too slow. Seriously draggy. I start and stop so many times, it was a chore getting to the finishin line. And dont get me started on the syspect so obvious, i was jus waiting for the story to call him out.

As with time fantasy, loopholes often becomes an issue in the plot. How FL for over half the drama never question abt her present self especially since she knew in the present the ML lives in her apartment. I also find it odd that when the past is changed the memories go to the present male, but all the other characters who are in the present arent affected.

The actors for ML and FL i like them both and enjoyed their previous work. I kind of blame the plot and direction of the drama that affected me enjoying their romance. I jus dont quite buy how they went from enemies to being in love. It felt so "written on paper" and not something that should have been tangible and torrid. I guess this is me feeling maybe expecting too much cause I enjoyed W. And this is a far cry from W.

Watch only if you are a fan of both leads. But as a fantasy/time riff drama, it lacks in proper plot execution and intrique. As a romance drama, it lacked intensity and soulfulness.

Leggi di Più

A trip filled with mixed emotions

A graduation trip for boys and girls who started off as strangers, but went on to 2 diff stops living under the same roof.
They hit off initially by first impressions, and by pairing off to various dates. Some days girls have the say, other days guys make the decision. Some members entered late into the picture. All these are quite similar to other such shows; especially the part where one member leaves a message for another member of the opposite sex.

Now comes the differences.

This started off on a laid-back, chilled and spontaneous vibe much like the youthful members. Before long, its filled with a lot of dramatic incidences. I attribute it to their age. All of them are in their early 20s; most having just recently graduated. With youth, comes a lot of impulsive actions and less than ideal decisions. One member made an erroneous judgement and live to regret the harm done on his budding relationship with another female. And you do feel for them. Often times, you watch and get roped into their feelings of hurt, despair, and even guilt.

Some came with a lot of expectations and even some bursting with confidence. And along the way they got lost and even lose sense of self. I really did not expect this but found it to be very realistic. Most of them in real life are surrounded by people who likes them, and who are pretty and charming and had pursuers. Throw into this reality show, with a limited number of guys and girls and suddenly you found that the person you feel positive above does not feel the same. Here most of them are very candid with little filter. Their body language and even their lack of attention tells them they are simply not interested.

My biggest pet peeve is a certain male member who comes off as very fake and who often talk in a emotionally manipulative way. He isnt that interested in the girl but he knows she likes him, he strings her own while telling her how distraught he is and at the same time he doesnt want her to have any development with another male (deemed competitor). He is textbook type a parents wants to warn their daughter to be wary of.

The rewarding bits to me are the friendships and kinship formed in this show. And the rest of the members were a great mix of different personalities with individual charm. Most may not get their happy chapter on this show but will surely do in their real lives beyond this show. It's an interesting show that warrant a second season with new members.

Leggi di Più

This is a gem of a C drama. I was hesitant at ep1 but two episodes it roped me in.

The Strength:
Plot: A solid story telling of a young athlete returning to try to compete on dream stage (swimming competition). That journey of finding himself, finding answers that caused his bottleneck. The recipe for success was not an easy or straightforward one. The drama took time to display the effort, hardship, long hours, sweat and pain that comes with the training that athletes put up to have improve themselves and be good enough for competitive stage.

The male lead: Tang Yi Bai is a very sunshine character. Far from tsundere, he is calm, nice and quick to smile. In spite of a yet to be explained happening 4 years ago that caused him to be suspended from swimming, he is hopeful, determined and works hard for his dream. Hes that blend of person you cant help but admire.

The female lead: Yuin Duo. Again a sunny character who is kind and has bright and warm aura around her. Shes also one to gives people strength and comfort. At work, shes a intern reporter with strong principles. On the other hand shes kultzy and even at times forgetful. All in all, super adorable.

The romance: The beautiful thing that for a slow burn romance it was worth the wait and was a nice ease from a beautiful friendship. I adore how they feel a kinship, and find each other able to communicate, share worries and concerns and give each other support and ideas. Before long, shes his no.1 fan and he made her his lucky charm/mascot. Their interactions were sweet, cute and heart warming

The second couple: QQ and Yang yang. I dont wanna say more to spoil but they add a nice contrast of personality and was so cute.

The friendship: The friendship and team spirit is strong in this drama. It makes it really stand out from other sports drama. The people around them that gives them strength, reason and drive to push through obstacles. The people who believe in them amd waited for them. Really no man is an island. Everyone got that far not on their own. That difficult journey was made possible from all the people in their lives who believes in them.

Other notable characters: ML mum and dad, the 2 coaches, the other 2 swim buddies, Ou Yang Heng.

The sports: Writer demonstrated her love for the sport. It displayed the brauty of the swimming sport. Endless months of long hour training for a 1minute duration competition but the rewarding triumph that comes with it. They even got world renowned Sun Yang to cameo.

The messages: I love the positivity in the story. There were many instance of inspirational messages and quotes. One includes Times makes everthing better. Pain passes, injury can heal but regret persists.

The acting: Tang Song Yun was plays the female lead is a very good actress. I heard good things about her potrayal in other dramas like Whirlwind Girl and With you. Shes very natural and able to bring out the best in character. Dylan xiong is a newbie to me and while theres room for improvement, hes mostly effective and lit up the screen with his character's personality. I wanted to mention Huang Sheng Chi who potrayed QQ was adroable and make his character memorable.

The weakness:
Antagonist: Lin Zi. Initially i pity him but that was short live. By the middle of it, i was fed up with him and just wanted to skip his scenes. Later his sisters's scene was even more annoying and in my opinion affected the pace and feels of the show.

Female swimmers: While we get female trainers on the team, we never saw them practising, swimming, competiting. Sad they were left out of the show.

Music/Ost: Sooooo good. The ending theme that opens with "Its beautiful.." calls to your attention. The melody was that blend of moving, inspirational and catchy. 2 other songs used were also wonderful. I didnt knw Dylan Xiong was a singer until later when i read comments, he sang opening theme. The vocals and composition of songs used was spot on.

Heres a list of the songs
1. "Scream like this" (title song) Xiong Yuqi (???)
2. The Impulse of Dare to Love ( End theme ) ??????? Xu Yunwei
3. "Love your good weather" (interlude) Tan Songyun , Xiong Yuqi (???????)
4. "Inferior" (interlude) Xu Yunwei
5. Say Love (Interlude) Xu Fei
6. Crossing the Pacific (Interlude) Xu Geyang
7. Super Hero ( Promotion Song) Xiong Yuqi

In a nutshell, its a beautiful story of sports, youth, love and friendship that was written and directed in just the right blend. Sports and youth drama sometimes gets into the sticky end of being too simple or even shallow but it was never the case here. The writer weaved a story that has a heart and backbone. For most part it didnt drag, only Lin mei and his sister's story arc and their scenes that kept me from rating a 10.

Leggi di Più

I laughed, I teared up, I bawled and bawled and then I smiled. This drama has so much feels. The story, the values of family and their importance are beautifully written, crafted and potrayed to perfection by Jang Na Ra and Son Ho Jun.
I connected with the story.. it potrayed the very human side of every layman. It potrayed the changes of a relationship.. from first spark, dating, wedding, the marriage to parenthood. There's the beautiful memories and then there's the ugly fights. What we choose to remember is influenced by things we perceive. Sometimes what we perceive are also assumptions which could be wrong. I enjoy how the writer and pd takes the time to slowly unfold what happened in between until the otp reaches their breaking point.
After watching this, it reminds me to value the now. Value the good of my partner. Value my parents. Value every moment spent with my child. But mostly is the importance of communication. By the time i finish the drama i felt like I walked away with a lot. It's rare a drama makes me both pensive and appreciative. And that's why while it isnt perfect, i've decided to change the score from 9.5 to 10.

Leggi di Più

This is a realistic potrayal of modern love relationships. It is refreshing in showing that love is beautiful sweet and even exciting at the begininning. But relationship takes effort on both sides to keep it alive and communication of the right sort to sustain it through hard times. Thats how Yeo Reum's first love fell apart. At the time Tae Ha couldnt juggle both his work commitments and his focus on their relationship. Then something happen (which eventually gets revealed) that makes Yeo Reum to decide to end their relationship. The 2 meet again but Yeo Reum is already in a stable relationship with a nice and successful plastic surgeon.Tae Ha has not gotten over his feelings and wish to rekindle their relationship.

So far the plotline is different and sets it apart from typical k drama romances. However alot of things didnt appeal to me.

My main problem is Yeo Reum stringing along both males. At times i felt she was unfaithful and unfair to both men and to herself. So Yeo reum is not the heroine you want to root for. Im not asking for perfection in a female lead. But her selfishness makes me hard to care about her. I just feel sad for both males and that continuous limbo they are all in. Theres so much unhealthy lies (whether lie by omission or supposingly white lies). It makes me feel like realtionships are tiring and bitter. Which isnt what i would like to take out of dramas. I know love and relationship isnt all flowery all the time but the plot and the characters really move to the extreme unpleasantness. If you share my views than most probably you wish you didnt watch this drama.

I rated a. Generous 7.0/10 overall because of the acting. Eric and Sung Joon were intense and good in portrayin their character. Im ambivalent on Jung Yu Mi. To be fair it maybe because i really dislike her character in the drana i couldnt find much love for the actress.

So really before you start watching you need to ask yourself if this is your cup of tea. Else the bitter taste leaves a bad aftertaste ..

Leggi di Più

Very interesting plot and thrills along the way. They deliver the creeps and the justice nicely. And the bad guys you didn't have to wait til the end to be revealed. The ending was both expected and surprised me. I won't go into details but I'm glad to have watch it from episode 1 to 16

The drama to me is more on the bromance/brotherhood. The remember me/you part is not really for the romance arc, rather it's the mystery part.

Its not a perfect thriller romantic drama because I did find myself skipping some parts. The acting is on par. I've always love J Na Ra. She's usually doing cutesy character so her character here as a detective is refreshing. And I have to say I love her hair here. So pretty. And as a detective she wears really sensible shoes (sneakers) unlike a previous HK drama where the detective wears fancy stiletto boots. And hello Chun Hee nice to see him on the small screen. I also enjoy Min character, he was both cute and creepy.

What I did not enjoy. Sometimes the flow seems disjointed. Not sure if it was the editing or what. And I get they try to focus on the cases and the mystery of what happen 20 years ago so didn't have as much Ji An and Lee Hyun moments as I wanted. Lee Hyun character needs some warming up to. He starts off as a smart Aleck, know it all, rude and indifferent person. But as he Butts against Ji An and his story unfolds you do warm up to him. I also have to mention poor Ji An she's been attacked so many times I almost lost count. It's interesting to watch and find out the truth but not typical enjoyment cause it's slightly dark. I won't be rewatchin for sure

Leggi di Più

Compared to Full house Thai, i prefer Full house. Compared to It started with a kiss (Taiwan} I prefer Kiss me Thai.

Why this is preferable: TenTen's character here has higher EQ compared to other versions that although initially he was aloof, he wasn't cold and you catch many glimpses of him smiling because of Thaliw. And it was better scripted in terms of tying back to their history of being childhood friends and his first love. Thaliw's character was written in a way that shows although she is slow, but she isn't an airhead or blindly clingy. So it was more acceptable than other versions although I generally and usually don't like my heroine like this. Then there's the love that was simple and like they say it's not about compatibility or thinking with your head. It's all about the heart. The folded stars really threw me back a decade ago when I folded them for my boyfriend. Sweet reminders. Then there's the romantic settings. The scene under the willow tree with sparkling lights was my favorite. Very picturesque and beautiful.

Why only 8/10: unlike full house there's a lil too much screetime on unimportant charactwrs like NamKang who I didn't care to know. Then later on we have Nana. again wasting precious screetime. Episode 15,16,17,18 were forgettable, wallowing and I dislike ten tem immensely to the point I wanted to walk into my screen and shake some sense into him. Episode 19 was mostly sad. It wasnt until episode 20 when it redeemed itself. So in all about 5episodes that spoiled what could have been much better if they didn't show TenTen uncertain for so long.

Acting was a full marks. Like my review on Full House. Chemistry on Aom Mike always top notch. The character of King was great too and nicely acted. I'll miss seeing Aom and Mike since I watched their 2 dramas back to back. Here's hoping they will start filming season 2 soon.

Leggi di Più

Majority says this is the best remake and although I usually don't like remakes I have to agree hands down this is the best of the lot.

They did almost every thing right. The 2 main ingredients for a good romantic drama in my book was done so well. First the two leads were so correctly cast. They have chemistry and there was an ease in their interactions. I truly see when Mike looks at Aom there's interest sometimes tenderness in his gaze. Either he's a great actor immersed in the character or he's quite taken with her in real life. Secondly the storyline puts focus on them. The entire series reserved most of the screen time for them. That means we see them interact a lot. They spend a lot of time communicating fighting quarreling doing mundane things to sight seeing and also cycling. In the process you witness how they got closer starts to understand each other and fall in love. So 2 beautiful ingredients brewed to a very enjoyable drama

So plotwise I do like how it deviated from the Korean version. We also get a lot of Korea in this drama . almost like selling Korea as tourist destination. Lol

Min was quite an annoying character but thankfully overall she wasn't overly featured compare to other versions. But be advised episode 16 to 18 were my least favorite. Meanwhile episode 19 is mostly flashback. If you've missed some of the cute and romantic scenes between Aom and Mike, you most likely will catch it in episode 19.

Of course not everything makes perfect sense, some clichés too but it didn't affect my viewing or enjoy a nice love story. I have to !mention I much prefer Mike's outfit here to Rain's . and Mike's character is better too. Cause early on wr already see he demonstrated a soft side to Aom. And they were on friendlier terms faster too. Their bickerings were mostly cute instead of hurtful. Aom's character is also a nice balance of cute and naivety but she's not clueless. In fact I found it admirable that once she realised her feelings she admitted it instead of lying to herself. So refreshing to see.

This review is getting lengthy but really there's lots to love in this drama for its simple take that's right up !y alley. So after this I'm jumping on to Kiss Me drama staring the same leads..

Leggi di Più

"Marriage might not be eternal but i still want to love you forever". That line makes an impression for me and il remember it along with this drama

The guy wants to be alone while the girl is afraid of being alone. Surely match made in heaven

There's alot of things to like in this drama
You have a typical rich guy poor girl but this girl is vocal, loves to drink, stands up against injustice and kind
You have typical pretend couple turn to real emotions, along the way its both cute fun with some emotional twist
You have strong family theme too on both the male and female side, and how their parents marriage shaped their thoughts on marriage or fear of (this is something quite realistic)

It also cements that although love is between two people but marriage is really between two families.

This drama is a very good balance of rom com, some absurdities and silliness meets realistic family plot.

The cast is good and love Han Groo as Jang mi.

Its been a fun ride of 16episodes but i do thk episode 11 to 15 feels a bit slow. Do give this a watch if you come across it

-- SPOiler --
The wedding scene was atypical and somehow appropriate for our couple
The proposal speech wise was romantic but lacking in action...and feels cheated on behalf of jangmi ( you know what i mean when you watch it)

Leggi di Più

Low key under appreciated drama that deserves lots of praise for good cast and Plot. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Top marks for acting. Our 3 leads are seldom seen on the small screen as the actor is usually in a musical and actress PBY mostly in movies. Fantastic chemistry too.

Park Bo Young stars as Na Bong Su- a timid girl living in a shell due to her ability to see ghost. Complication and comedy ensues after a ghost inhabit her body and her character undergoes complete changes. And the ghost antics in trying to seduce Chef, owner of the restaurant that Bong Su works as a trainee..

The kiss scenes were good too. I hav to be honest as a romance drama addict, pretend and lukewarm kisses are an eyesore to watch. Too man Korean y dramas have poorly acted kiss scenes with hands lying limp at their sides and awkward head angle. Thank goodness none in Oh my ghost. Their scenes are comedic, romantic and sweet.

I wish Park Bo Young will accept some more dramas to star in. She's a natural actress and very easy on the eyes

Leggi di Più

The drama started off heavy on comedic relief, funny antics to the point of childish and typical cliches of boy meets girl, start off on wrong foot and girl adopts someone else's identity. But suprisingly the storyline keeps evolving and kept my interest.
Qian bao bao is perhaps one of the better drama heroines. Shes beautiful, quick witted, brave, treasures friendships and strong sense of chivalry making her a unique and special female and its no wonder both male leads. Xiang hao and Shen Wen Tao both falls in love with hee. The good thing of the plot is that although its a love triangle, their love mostly was honest, no wishy washy and most of the time selfless, particularly Wen Tao. He really gives you second lead syndrome from supporting Baobao when she needs it and relegated to being good friends. Furthermore even though the two males are rivals on field and in love, there was never any malicious actions between them.
Most C dramas suffers mid series stump of draggy plotlines and over inflated drama. Suprisingly here although present it was still tolerable. Ep 26 to 35 were the less fav episodes due to reemergence of the second female lead who caused all the angst.
I appreciate Baobao's character being quite consistent. She has principles and although initially try to run off without telling Xiang Hao, she reliasd that was selfish of her and chose to stay at the risk of being found out and subjected to death. Xiang Hao's character has the most growth because he started off very immature and arrogant. His childish antics and really over action and expression sometimes makes it hard to stomach. In stark contrast with the cool and serious Wen Tao.
Theres also friendships and bromance. I appreciate the brother in arms take.
Acting wise. Ive alwayd love Joe Chen. Her eyes speaks when she acts. Its my first time seeing Jia Nai Liang. I find him abit forced and over the top in some scenes but his onscreen character quite similar to his off screen personality that i see on his reality show. Bosco ive seen alot of his HK drama n hes good but chemistry worse for him is a hit and miss depending on who hes paired with. In this case he has good chemistry with Joe.
If not for the ending, i would have given this a 9/10. I watch about 70% or more of total running time and thats vert high considering its a C drama of more than 30 episodes.
Im glad i didnt give up aft watchin the first episode.

Leggi di Più

Love transcending time and timeslips

✅️ Nostalgic kdrama feels
✅️ Leads bursting with chemistry
✅️ Lots of gushing, blushing romance
✅️ Unexpected plottwists
✅️ Lovely OSTs
✅️ Beautifully shot scenes
✅️ LOL comedic moments

If you thought you are in for the usual fluff, then you're mistaken.

For all the cute previews and fluff fanservice, you find someone stick a hand in your chest and squeezed your heart. First was Im Sol after she lost mobility. The helplessness and lost of hope. Then theres ML and his depression. Lots of teary heart wrenching moments. You will ache for them.

Then my greatest surprise was the curveball at the last 5mins of ep2. Didnt see that coming. That was d ML point of view I didnt know I needed but was so glad director/writer gave us this. Then theres the onpoint acting. Always a fan of Kim Hye Yoon. We wouldnt be this hook without the good acting and the leads' chemistry.

In an afterthought, I just realised its like reading a novel with an epic love story. Theres the sweet romance build up that makes yoi giddy and reminds you of first love. But then theres the grittier bits, heavy emotion from darned fate and stakes against the CP. You watch your leads struggle but ultimately their hearts lead to each other. You feel healed in the knowledge that there's this kind of love.

Ps: Have bumped up the ratings. Its hard for a drama to hold my interest and make me a fan of their love. Even rarer that it has such a high rewatch value

Leggi di Più

Warm and refreshing

Late to the party but this was so good to binge-watch!

This is a story you never knew you needed to see. There's so many new perspectives I took away after the last credits roll. It's a new combination: deafness, a child of deaf parents without the disability and time travelling to the past. This unexpected mix is thoroughly refreshing and unexpected.

More than just the mystery behind who and why while fulfiling the true mission of travelling back in time, the heart of the story is actually family. Yi Chan and his grandma. Eun Gyeol and young Yi Chan. Eun Gyeol and his parents in the present. Cheong Ah and her dad (even though we didnt get as much of him as I would like).

Eun Gyeol's story was very heartwrenching and moving at the same time. Who would have thought that the one who hears and speaks in a family where everyone else is deaf, is lonely and felt left out? At the same time he puts a lot of pressure on himself, taking every burden himself and not really sharing his thoughts and feeling. His POV tugs at your heartstrings but its the opposite side of it thats really eyeopening. I wont divulge further to not spoil it.

Choi Hyun Wook's Yi Chan really stole the show. He has this vivacious charm and boundless energy. He draws you in to his character and makes you cheer for him, his dreams and his youth.

If you havnt watch it back while it was airing, like me, its not too late. Put aside 16h for a wonderful story.

Leggi di Più

Comedic. Intelligent plot. Loyalty. Fated love. Bromance

ADVISORY: Be Patient & You Will Be Rewarded
* * *
Honestly, i initially had a hard time immersing into the drama. I didnt like ML's attitude. Considered dropping but comments on MDL made me give it a 2nd thought, 2nd chance. Fastforward few episodes, i'm glad I stayed.

Wonderful things to enjoy:
- FL is intelligent with a happy demeanor, selfless, loyal and giving
- FL and ML have a special friendship, i regarded as the best foundation
- Identity swap and realisation does not drive a wedge in his trust and feelings for FL
- Uniquely ML acts coquettishly with FL aft he realises his feelings
- SML was funny with straight face and earnest expression delivering cheesy lines.
- Very comedic. Funny lines plentiful
- Love Love Love Father-son relationship. Vy diff from the norm
- Unique role reversals. FL use intelligence to help and even save ML
- ML and SML had a bickering rivalry turn bromance
- The ladies here are gems. FL and SFL both are the type to take initiatives.
- Love triangles. At diff times, diff sets of ppl but overall done well and considered important for both characthers and plot development
- Very intelligent plot.. mostly well thought out with elements of surprise and plottwist
- ML have a very good characther development. By ep 20 I was both very proud of the kind of man he has become and very moved by his actions. So be patient, you will fall in love with him if you havnt at the start.. like me.

Acting wise Im surprise to find another crop of young talented actors. All new to me but all left good impressions. Esther, Liu YiChang and the actors for SML and SFL all have great comedic timings. LYC was also very good at impactful scenes.

Intially i would rate it at 7.5 to 8 for the first arc..but then I didnt expect a light comedic drama to be able to hand out impactful and touching scenes which bumped it to 8.5. The last arc with such intelligent writing, the surprise and also the wrap up that was nicely paced..sealed this at 9.0. I really appreciated Ep 23 alot (the night before) which was so well thought out, answerimg all the emotional elements and was much needed ..so different from the usual rush ending we have in C dramas.

If you are unsure, i urge you to try.
If 1 episode couldnt rope you in, try a few more.
The story turns out to be like sands rubbing in an oyster turning into a pearl. And your time spent watching will be rewarded.

Leggi di Più

This was a drama i started then dropped. Then aft watching Somethg about 1% i picked it up again and never look back. If you hate cliches n typical storyline of rich but rude guy and girl who is sweet and kind you might not be keen to watch. But if u need a light romcom with some feel gd romance without over thinking this is it.
Can finish in 1 seating. Want to finish in 1 seating. Both statement is true for this drama.
I find Sung Hoon quite a charismatic actor and has that intense gaze. The show make sure to sell u his abs and good physique. The lead actress was unfamiliar to me. I find her pleasing to look at and sometimes reminds me of another japanese actress in a gd way. They have good chemistry as they spar spark but mostly the guy wins. Fun times when hes jealous or possessive. I do hav to overlook that zealous possesive and manipulate her to a corner so that no options left but him. That in real life is actually scary and not romantic. But very early we were shown she is attracted to him. Interested in him.
For a short drama means the focus is on out otp so the meddling mum doesnt appear til ep19.. thankfully.
Dont thk too much or expect too much then its really an enjoyable watch.
My last qualms i hav to state was i wish the kisses were done better.many dramas hav set the par quite high. A lil bit of overacting on the girl's part in the last scene which was a tad off-putting. Else i nearly gave a 8.5.

Leggi di Più