I also really loved how relatable it is, and throughout the series, the overall message is that every love story may or may not have a good ending which is a very relatable message. The overall thing I hate with this drama is the second lead syndrome you get, it just breaks my heart. This series was truly a masterpiece though. The soundtrack is very memorable, and I am obsessed with this.
And lastly, the acting was amazing and everybody had chemistry. I really loved this series and I recommend it to anybody. I would definitely rewatch it infinite times if I could.
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If you search for the drama's plot, you'll find that "it's about the delicate relationship between a female university student Hong Seol and her senior Yoo Jung." But it's actually more than that.
This drama is about life. It's about my life, your life... It's more than a drama or webtoon. It's realistic and really makes you think about everything.
It's about friendship, classmates, lovers. I'm happy that we could see different types of problematic relationships in families.
It teaches you that communication is the most important thing in one relationship.
It teaches that you can't always be good to people because they're going to use you.
It teaches you that revenge isn't always the right answer.
It teaches not to give up on your dreams or laugh at someone else's dream.
It teaches so many things and I'm sure that everyone will find an answer of personal questions because I found so many answers in this drama.
The cast was perfect for this drama, every actor had their own way to represent their character and they did a good job. The chemistry between Park Hae Jin and Kim Go Eun was just right but everyone was talking about the second lead Seo Kang Joon... and I can't judge! You'll fall in his trap so fast and you'll feel the pain.
The OST is really beautiful, fits perfectly. If I could choose a foreign song to describe this drama or Seol and Jung's relationship I would pick - A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera - Say Something.
What I like about this drama:
- the second lead - Good job, Seo Kang Joon! You stole my heart!
- mystery - I liked all the mystery around the main characters, it keeps you awake.
- the chemistry between Park Hae Jin and Kim Go Eun
- rich guy - poor girl - I really liked that they didn't even focus on this or make it a main problem of the drama.
- university environment
What I don't like about this drama:
- love triangle
I don't know why many people didn't like the ending, it was a very beautiful way to say "I still love you."
PS: I know 9/10 is really high but the drama was just what I wanted to see and feel the past months.
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The drama started off so well leaving us so very confused about Yoo Jung's true nature and shined in the moments where we would see a glimmer of the true Yoo Jung with his scenes with Hong Seol. Again Seol was also another interesting character- to be frank she was just a pushover, someone who needed to learn to stand up for herself and say no to others. This is where the drama's real charm comes into place, all the characters are like people we encounter in real life whether that be pushover's, imitators, people misunderstood by society or those who are plain lazy, we as viewers can relate to what hong seol feels when she has to deal with these people.
Regarding the controversies and disappointments with the end episodes, as a self-diagnosed Baek In Ho (Seo Kang Joon) fangirl I had no problem with his increased screen time and focus on his problems. In all honestly there was never going to be an ending the writers could come up with which would make everyone happy for this drama especially considering the manhwa is still ongoing so I do think they did a great job. Instead the ending lets us viewers fill in the gaps the way we want to which I very much appreciated.
To anyone looking for a funny, relatable story that also tackles some of the most annoying types of people you could have ever met don't even hesitate to watch this drama it's amazing. Even better is that now that its over you van binge watch it without the pain of having to wait every week!
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When a sociopath falls in love...
I normally don't like Kdramas, I'll just throw that out there. Most are too melodramatic and Disney level cheesy for my taste. So, there are very few that I can finish, but I couldn't stop watching this one. Maybe I was a cheese in a trap, because I found the male lead, Yoo Jung, one of the most interesting characters I've seen in a Kdrama. He wasn't there as just some good-looking hood ornament that has blinders on for no one else but the fl. No, this male lead had depth and was sinister. There was clearly something wrong with him from the beginning, an inner anger bubbling just beneath the surface, and only the fl, Hong Seol, could see it. How intriguing...If you're like me and usually root for the villian in a movie and find them far more entertaining than the vanilla hero, than "Cheese in the trap" might be for you. It had a psychological aspect that I loved, where the show could have easily been a thriller. It's dark in various places and really explores why we as humans act/react to certain situations and the people around us. I got a kick at the mind games Yoo Jung would play on various characters and the ultimate chaos that would ensue. This dude fought with his cunning mind and not his fists. (Actually, he did get in a physical fight once lol). Now I know you're probably saying, but there are several male leads in dramas that are cold, insufferable douches, so what makes Yoo Jung's character any different? Well, in short, Yoo Jung I strongly believe is a sociopath and it's more or less implied several times in the show. He isn't a misogynist jerk like we've seen time and again in other romance dramas, he's actually quite a gentleman to Hong Seol and treats her well. But lord help you if you try to get between these two love birds. I believe Jung's flawed character worked in Cheese in the trap because he never intentionally tried to hurt Seol while they were dating, and the characters he did try to harm let's be honest had it coming.
I also really liked the female lead in this drama. Hong Seol is not the typical wimpy, weak, dumb fl that is so often found in romance shows. She's smart and hard working. She doesn't need saving, hallelujah for that! How many dramas have I seen now that had cringy soapy situations happen for the sole reason to have a fl need saving by a man. I've even seen several shows where the fl can't seem to walk upright without tripping every 5 seconds. It's tiring! So seeing a capable lead like Seol is refreshing. She commutes for hours on train, she works, she studies, and she can walk in a straight line without crashing into the ml like some kind of cartoon character. Aaahhh..and best of all she's likable and real! Her character did seem to dissapear a bit though toward the middle of this show, but no biggie. I also, had little issue with 2nd ml. He was a good guy but not boring and was given enough screen time for viewers to care about him. He seemed to be a real contender to win over the fl. I also loved his off the rails gold digging sister. She provided a lot of comedic moments and was a pretty good villain in her own right. Even with all the crap she pulled, I still wanted her to have a good ending and I'm glad she did.
Now I love lists, so here I will list the things I normally hate in Kdramas and how "Cheese in the Trap" measures up:
1.) Horrific sound effects used way too often. Usually barn yard animal sounds like a goat etc. Very distracting..
(Cheese in the trap): None. Happily there are no annoying sound effects.
2.)Toilet humor
(Cheese in trap): None
3.)Repeated too often songs from OST that are below average and by the end of 16 episodes make you want to pull your hair out.
(Cheese in the Trap): Great diverse OST. Each song fits scenes well and wasn't repeated too much.
4.) Too much yelling. Most Kdramas I've watched had every character barking/shouting out their lines.
(Cheese in the trap): Some yelling by side characters including elders but not too much to give you a headache.
5.) Love triangle
(Cheese In the trap): Yes, however it didn't bother me for some reason maybe this is due to good writing..
6.) Hiding/over hearing convos a character wasn't supppose to know about.
(Cheese in the Trap): This happens a lot and no one ever notices the person eavesdropping.
7.) Annoying side characters.
(Cheese in the Trap): Most of the characters are likable.
8.)Great start..draggy middle..wtf ending!
(Cheese In the trap): Great start, a bit draggy middle, pretty realistic ending. Many romantics would probably hate the kinda open ended ending this show had, but I didn't. Jung really hurt a lot of people. The man destroyed lives, he couldn't simply walk hand in hand into the sunset with Seol lol. There relationship was far more complicated than that.
Overall 9.5/10.
It cracks me up that this show's been labeled "the worst drama in history" and it's the one Kdrama I really loved. Haha go figure.
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The story line itself is unique as it is based on the web-toon, but I think the writers and staff did a great job turning it into a drama. The story itself had the love story romance and a little comedy, but the twist of a lot of the character's personalities also made it a thriller. I also thought the acting by all the cast was just so realistic and professional. I haven't heard of many of these actors and actresses before, but they are now people that I am going to look out for in future dramas.
The music behind the story also fit in so well. It's not the typical high note, out of this world vocal with an intense orchestra playing in the background, but it's arguably the opposite. It's soothing, calm vocals accompanied with the acoustic piano and guitar. You can also get the comedy feel of the quirkiness of the background music as well. The music was one of the things that set this drama apart from others and also a factor into why I love this drama.
When the drama first came out, I re-watched the first 4 episodes over and over again because I couldn't wait to see the next episode a week later. It was that good to me. This is a drama that I will definitely re-watch and recommend to everyone.
I would also suggest reading the web-toon, which isn't finished yet. I think you can understand the characters more through the web-toon. You can especially learn more about Yoo Jung's character specifically. It's always good to read the original.
Cheese in the Trap, Fighting! ^.^
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This drama made me so addicted, although there are no daebbak moments for me I still love it. This drama will make u say, aaaaw I wish I had a friend like that (bora and eun taek are awesome).
I'll recommend this to to you if you're into romance, the story is good, one thing's for sure it made me smile.
cast? all of them are great, *thumbs up* the characters? it's either you'll love them, hate them or feel nothing at all. Each character has a story and its interesting. look forward to baek in ha! baek in ho okay good too! kekekek
rewatched value. lol. I watch it the second time around, like I said its addicting.
I love the music.
answers left undone. half way it did gave me some little bit of disappointment but if I look back in their story, their friendship, their conflicts and their love story and the addiction that they gave me I realized it is incomparable that's why I gave an overall score of 10.
ending? is it good, bad, awesome or horrible? secret I'll keep it to myself! hahahha!
this drama will give you two options: it's either you'll watch it until the end or drop it. I wonder which group are you. looking forward to your answer!^^
advice?
Don't watch it if you can't handle the disappointment, but there's a chance that u might not be disappointed at all, well it's still depends on you after all. :))
This drama is definitely my one great love, yoo jung and seol, jang!!
Although it's difficult watch it until the end.
-Park Hae Jin
ps: If there's one thing I wanna kill in here its the PD-nim
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I finished the series within three days. Then, I had to take a one-hour breather before I could write this review because I couldn't form coherent sentences.
I didn't read the webtoon so please don't judge me but I couldn't understand why some people thought the story went downhill midway. For me, it didn't. It got darker yet at the same time had more substance. The scary part though was that I'm convinced that the writer and the actors were able to show logic out of insanity. What does that make me?
Anyway, here are the actors who are to blame if ever I get admitted:
1. Park Hae Jin - except for MLFTS, I haven't seen any of his other projects although I've planned to watch Bad Guys for a while now. MLFTS really didn't do much for me if not for his performance as the second male lead. I thought he could be the next Gong Yoo. This series intensified that belief. From the beginning until the end, his character was simply captivating. I was torn between loving Yoo Jung and being cautious of him. His character was so strange and so complex and PHJ portrayed him brilliantly.
2. Lee Sung Kyung - there had been a lot of issues about her overacting in this series. I'm sorry but I have to disagree. LSK's portrayal as Baek In Ha is possibly the best I've ever seen her do. I first saw her in Doctors and thought she was so-so if not a bit annoying. Imagine my surprise when I saw her as Kim Bok Joo. Gone was the stylish chaebol. She was instead replaced by a short-tempered and impulsive eating machine. Now combine the two personas and add a little bit of crazy to the mix. The result? A completely flawed character that you want to hate and pity at the same time.
3. Ji Yoon Ho - I first saw him in Sweet Stranger and Me and thought he was rather cute. He wasn't cute at all in this series though. He portrayed his role quite well that I can't wait to see him with bigger roles.
In case the other three escape, here are the rest of the reasons behind my strange behavior:
Seo Kang Joon - Baek In Ho is probably the only normal person among the main characters. He easily captured the hearts and sympathy of the viewers and even though I love PHJ, I seriously wouldn't resent it if In Ho ended up with Seol.
Kim Go Eun - I still maintain that Hong Seol isn't as innocent and normal as she pretends to be. She has her own air of cruelty around her; enough for her to plot her own revenge or look the other way when her boyfriend does it for her. On a lighter note, can someone give KGE a break already! If she isn't surrounded by a goblin, a reaper, and ghosts, then it's another kind of crazies!
Nam Joo Hyuk - Eun Tak and Bo Ra's characters and romance were so heartwarming. NJH is simply so adorable! Can I adopt him?
I almost forgot the amazing portrayal of Lee Na Yoon as mini In Ha. She definitely had the same expressions as LSK, don't you agree?
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There were two major issues I had with this drama. The first is that I really could not stand Hong Seol. She irritated me, and frustrated me, and made me want to reach through the screen and shake her. Kim Go Eun does a decent job, and I totally believed her as an awkward college student, but there was a charm that was missing for me. Seol is a complicated character emotionally, and I just don't think she pulled that off. She kinda played the role as if the character was on anti-depressant medication. That approach also added to one of the biggest fails in this drama for me - I just never believed that Seol actually liked Yoo Jung. Their chemistry was awkward. Even if both characters are "weird", and she was on guard with him, there should still be a sense that they actually belong together to make the romance work. She had much better chemistry with Seo Kang Joon as In Ho, but still not enough to carry a whole drama.
Speaking of the two leading men, they were my favorite characters. Figuring out the dynamic of their relationship became one of the most interesting parts of the show. Park Hae Jin was great at playing the line between sweet and sinister, so I loved him as Yoo Jung, but I didn't believe he liked Seol very much either. Part of what may have made their dynamic weird is that Park Hae Jin is older, looks older, and behaved as if he were older than the entire cast of students. He could sorta physically pass for a college student (sometimes - from certain flattering angles), but not compared to the other main student characters (except maybe Sang Chul). He seemed more like Seol's older brother, than a love interest. Similar to the dynamic he had with Seo Kang Joon, but the bromance gone wrong story touched me more. In Ho was also a great character, the epitome of the bad boy with a good heart. I definitely look forward to seeing him in more dramas in the future.
The rest of the cast was great. Many of the supporting characters are more campy than realistic, which fits the style of the show. I hated most of the character's traits, and had very little empathy for them, but they were played very well. In particular, Lee Sung Kyung as In Ha was very over the top, and smack-in-the-face-able, but memorable for sure. Eun Taek and Bo Ra were cute together, and I thought they had a better love story than the main characters.
What about the writing? I think it was pretty bad. It was good enough to get me interested, but not good enough to hold that interest. Yoo Jung is almost treated as if he is Patrick Bateman in "American Psycho", when I didn't see anything really wrong with what he did, even at his worst. Maybe that's a cultural thing, or maybe that's because I like movies like "American Psycho", but he just didn't seem bad enough to warrant how people acted towards him. I think they should have made him temper much worse revenge thriller-style, or make the misunderstandings more obvious, but the weird in between just made things confusing for me. Why were his actions seen as unforgivable vs the other characters in the show (who's actions were equally terrible). It seemed like lack of empathy was supposed to be a big theme in this drama, and I don't think that was executed well.
Much of the show is told through vignettes, which matches the webtoon feel, but especially towards the end, the story felt less cohesive. And don't even get me started on the ending, which was terrible. The only reason I wasn't completely dissatisfied with the end, is because I was just ready for it to be over at that point. Maybe it was meant to give you that "sequel pending" feeling, but it seemed more like the writers rushed to finish. Or maybe it's related to the drama surrounding this drama that I didn't care enough to read up on.
Would I watch this again? Nope. I barely made it through the first viewing.
Now that I completed this show, the story still had so much potential for me that I started reading the webtoon. So far, I'm not a fan of it either (super confusing to follow - maybe too much is lost in the translation - but I'm only on #20). Like the show, the concept is interesting enough that I will keep reading hoping to like it more. Characters (certainly Seol), and relationships between them make more sense to me than they did on the show, so I wouldn't even recommend this drama to the webtoon fans.
Overall, I will say this is a drama whose concept, and potential, was much greater than the execution of it. I can't recommend it, unless you really like being frustrated by characters and their choices, but I can see how people could see this as an interesting look at human nature. It just wasn't interesting enough for me.
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When a Psychopath turns his College Sweetheart into his Battered Wife, its Amore!
Let's be honest here, straight quick cut to the core, and admit the elephant in the room.This is NOT a psychological drama.
This is a schoolgirl romance with a psychological hook. Claiming otherwise is simply trying to elevate it from the squishy mess it is into something greater. It also devalues true psychological dramas that honestly explore the dynamics of the human mind and the foibles, toiling, and clogs that come with it.
Do we ever peer into Yoo Jung's (Our Male lead played stoically by Park Hae Jin) mind and deal with the mess it is? No we do not. Instead we get ruminations on his actions from our female lead Seol (Kim Go Eun being as blank as possible) as she tries to decide if he is good or not. Then once she comes to a decision it changes to deciding if she is okay with who he is and rationalizing everything he does so she can love him....because I guess she just decided too.
The series never explains, explores, and makes plausible Seol's switch of thinking the main lead is a duplicitous jerk, to being her secret boyfriend. It just happens and with neck breaking speed. We then spend the rest of the series discovering all the horrible deeds our main lead has done, watch him do more horrible deeds, and become victimized by his horrible deeds and never hold him accountable for any of it.
Yes, thrilling isn't it?
While we move along this trek our Seol becomes quite tainted. She begins to play into his schemes willingly. She learns to become duplicitous and watch as her boyfriend's designed fates terrorize and destroy those around her. She feigns innocence and even helps console victims of his plans all the while knowing who was behind it all. She always, always forgives him for everything he does no matter how severe it is, who it is against, the reason for doing it, and even when it affects her.
Even when we discover he may or may not be behind unleashing a stalker on her that has terrorized her for over a year, taken photos, posted stories online, physically accosted her, and followed her home, as well as gotten other classmates to attack and degrade her and work against her by manipulation......all is good.
She will stand by him always and forever...............never leave...........always will understand him...........it goes on and on.
Saying this is a college romance is a very hard stretch. It is, AT MOST, on the developmental level of high school. Bella Swan and her Edward could replace our leads and the only difference would be White People for Koreans.
Our almost mid 20 something lead Seol is a puritanical virgin who has never been kissed and is so untouched that even holding hands is effectively an X rated affair. She is controlled by every person she comes into contact. Has no self actualization or agency, and though lives on her own, works multiple jobs, wins scholarships, and is a top student, she can't seem to figure out which way is up in any decision of her life.
How much stronger is its ties to high school over college? Well, when she "runs away from home" (Because she JUST moved back and had been living on her own, but whatever) a character comments "What is she going through puberty?" Which to be fair is a question I asked myself. Later, near the end, she receives a pat on the head as a character proudly proclaims "You've matured." This I was willing to go to the mat and argue against, but we were almost done by this point anyway. And when she goes through a break-up you will find her bed ridden for weeks unable to speak like Bella flipping the pages of an empty diary before bay windows.....the links are very strong my friends.
Our male lead, Yoo Jung, is a handsome rich empty vessel for everyone to swoon over. Literally. He spends most of his screen-time staring blankly at people and then smiling at our female lead, or being angry and plotting his deeds with a scowl on his cellphone. That is his character in a nutshell. "But, he is a sociopath, that is how he is drawn," the fans scream. "Leave him alone!!" And I answer, "No he is a psychopath, there is a difference, and yippee for us that is how he is drawn. So exciting."
One cannot help but think of You (Originally on USA Lifetime Network then continued as a Netflix original). While it is western show, yes, it is also a college romance with a psychological hook. There are deep parallels here and one can easily see a female lead who is real, smart, and flawed that falls for a psychopath. Except no one here is an empty vessel. Our psycho Joe is charismatic, sexy, sweet, and funny. Our female is layered, intoxicating, seductive, and mature. It explores the minds of these characters and those around them in deep drilling dives and amasses a unique tapestry that is riveting to move through.
And unlike this tale, no one kids themselves and roots for Becks to end up happily-ever-after with her psycho Joe. No, no. no, no.
Yet here, there are pages of comments swooning over Yoo Jung as a character and how he is an anti-hero, a non- trope character in a refreshingly different story. That the show reduced his screen time too much by the end...etc....showing a demographic, culture, and maturity difference between those that watch CITT and think it great to those that watch You.
Lets also be clear, Yoo Jung is not an anti-hero. Nothing he is doing is more than his petty revenge over being made angry. He lets off rapists, blackmailers, and the like if they are his friends or ask for his forgiveness. He has no remorse for any action he does and can reason that every negative affect from any of his plans are the fault of the victim. There is no justice he is fighting for. No wrong he is trying to right. He is just a soulless man that likes a girl and anyone that messes with him or her he will destroy. Again, that is a psychopath, not an anti-hero.
As far as not being a trope, its laughable. There is an entire genre of manga dedicated to cold, calculating, assholes, as the main lead who terrorizes the female lead before they fall in love with each other. This is just one of those stories on repeat. It is a single big trope and does nothing to move beyond it.
As for the side characters go, the most important are the twins. A brother In Ho and sister In Ha that are almost "adopted" siblings to our male lead. In the past there was a falling out between the male twin In Ho and Yoo Jin, that still brings their blood to boil upon sight. Now I am not going to talk much about these two because they are better drawn than anything else and deserve their own dissection. (Which this isn't the proper place.)
They are the highlight of the series. It is true, and many a comment admit to it. In Ho ends up as our second male lead and (because yes this is one large trope) a point in a love triangle. Although, honestly it is a pointless point, because our female lead never once even eludes to him being anything more than a friend almost on the same level as her own brother. As so many of these shows, the triangle, is a triangle in name only, and not in actual execution.
In ho proves a more interesting character by far than Yoo Jin, and Seo Kang Joon's heartfelt charismatic delivery quickly and effortlessly eclipses our main lead. It isn't Park Hae Jin's fault, his character is just that badly created. It didn't help that yes his screen time does get much shorter the longer we are in the series. Because, again, his character is extremely one note.
This doesn't become a 2nd lead syndrome diagnosis. Never once do I want In Ho with our female lead. NOT FOR A SINGLE A SECOND. The only thing I want for this character is to find a better story to go be in far away from everything else here. He proves himself the MPV, and I already have Kang Joon's MDL page up to find additional dramas with him, as this was my first taste.
By the end of the series you will come across a serial rapist that is never punished and with our friend group to the very end. You will meet 2 misogynistic stalkers. A "Single White Female" life copier of our female lead. A mooching alcoholic senior whose voice is as annoying as his characters constant victimizing of those around him. And a laundry list of extras that are there just to have additional voices to berate and degrade the leads when need be or be victimized by the designs of our male lead.
Soel will lose what little soul she has and be the wettest of blankets. She will end up in life threatening situations but hold-fast to her true love even through he creates the very situations endangering her. Our second male lead will be blamed for everything and anything that happens, no matter what, well because that is what his character is supposed to do. And any respect you might of had for Soel gets sucked dry when she discovers the truth of the 2nd male leads injury to his prodigal piano playing hands. Its incredibly sad that she accepts this and wraps her arms around the male lead and says" how hard it must have been for to have all those emotions and no outlet." Its even worse when the second male lead apologizes by the end for his own hands being crushed while the psychopath walks away somehow as the morally good guy.
How, I dunno, because everyone wants him to be dreamy and the winner even though there is no excuse for what he has done.
5.0/D+, 2 1/2-Stars. Lacking and filled with flaws. Die Hards will likely still love it, just because.
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This drama left me in confusion.
There was only one thing wrong with this show, that actually made me not like it at all. The male lead. I have not issues against the actor who played but the character is just unlikeable and extremely hard to understand. The ML character had a very weird vibe that later in point I thought there was going to be a plot twist where hes like a creepy stalker or something. The love interest on the other hand I loveeeee. Hes just so perfect in every way that when you dont get the ending you want youre bound to be disappointed .Esta resenha foi útil para você?
Watch it for yourself, and you will quickly see that this is a gem among many other dramas. Yes, ill be the first to say (while i would not have predicted this when watching the series in the beginning) it was imperfect (but really, only in the last few episodes), HOWEVER, as i am the first to drop a show as soon as i think ill be disappointed with the end, I can say that I don't regret watching this show at all and that's primarily because of how strong the series as a whole was.
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At first the only thing that attracted me to it was the extremely refreshing character of Yoo Jung, who unlike any other similar characters in other kdramas was actually the main lead. Next came the familiarity with all the supporting cast and the storylines that developed - all extremely relatable to everyday life as a student. Then came the tugs on my heartstrings with the brilliant second lead.
Honestly, I don't think I could've asked for any more. Like a lot of things I developed a massive soft spot for the second male lead...and seriously, his scenes were always straight up 100% adorable or just heartbreaking in all the right ways. But plots developed. Characters learned. The acting was superb and the music amplified all the emotions and laughter. The ending is...perhaps too open-ended for a lot of people but it's true to life and gives me hope. I'm not left feeling sorry for anything.
Watch it.
Don't just deliberate and at least TRY it for a few episodes! I loved all the characters, even the ones that I loved to hate. Depth is definitely not something which this drama lacks.
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