Holo, Meu Amor (2020)

Cute, Simple, Cheesy

My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

Among short, surface-level romances, this drama is one of the better ones. Despite its MANY flaws, it was a nice binge watch.

Acting/Cast: This is probably the strongest category. Good cast and acting. The secondary love story was nice to watch, as well. The male lead was great, even though I found myself wishing it was Hyun Bin instead, but obviously he's too big of an actor to play in a drama like this. Maybe I was just thinking about Memories of the Alhambra too much...8/10

Writing: Maybe it would have been better if it had more episodes. There would have been more time to flesh out characters and the pacing could have been improved. The drama felt very rushed and sloppy. For instance, when the male lead comes to the realization that he has feelings for the female lead, it seemed very sudden and I felt like I had missed a scene or something. A slow burn romance would have worked better with his personality type and both of their childhood traumas. Unfortunately, like I said before, not enough time for that. I would have also liked to see more of the growth of the relationship between the male lead and the AI over the years of his life. Also, the ending was too...childish? Immature? Idealistic? With the premise of the plot being about AI, loneliness, and being disconnected from people, the writers could have went really deep with the psychological issues and the effects of these technologies on human relationships and the world. It could have taught the audience a profound moral message. However, the drama barely scratched the surface of these aspects. It seems like a waste of a plot that could have taught us so much. But I guess if they wanted the vibe to stay more on the cute and cuddly side , they succeeded. To me though, it feels too childish, too simple. I like it when dramas can really get me thinking. 2/10

Direction/SFX/Music : The SFX was good for the most part. There was one scene where the green screen looked terrible, but that's about it. The direction could have been better; scenes could have been cut better to illustrate emotional build up and help the audience connect with the leads. For instance, the scene where the male lead sees his mom for the first time since childhood. The camera should have been on his face for most of that scene, especially his initial reaction. I don't need to see his mom; I don't have an emotional connection with her--I need to see HIM see his mom and then his acting would be a tearjerker moment for the audience. As for the OST, it's pretty good. It wasn't good enough to enhance the drama on its own, but still good. 4.5/10

Entertainment Value: It was a quick watch that was able to keep me interested throughout. The lightness of it was the most boring thing about it to me. There was stupid romance stuff like running in the woods, having a panic attack, and now the male lead needs to carry her on his back. It made me roll my eyes. But, luckily it was mostly toward the end where I was getting annoyed. The ending itself really annoyed me though--very cliché. 4/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 4.5 out of 10 due to it's superficiality, rushed story-telling, and cheesiness. I found myself comparing it to Are You Human, Too? (a similar sci-fi plot about AI) and I had liked that one much more (I had given Are You Human, Too? a 5 out of 10). I also couldn't help but compare it to Memories of the Alhambra (a sci-fi about augmented reality becoming real), which is miles better than both My Holo Love and Are You Human, Too? (I had given Memories of the Alhambra a 6.5 out of 10).

Leia Mais

Good bit of fun as the FL falls for a hologram and the hologram falls right back, and then the creator of the hologram falls too, and then, well, it's a funky triangle, and not actually the terrible annoying sort :) Enjoyed it a lot, some great visual effects and a story that moves along at a decent pace as it's shorter than the usual.

Good to see Go Sung Hee in another drama, i've been enjoying her in the Korean version of Suits as well and was one of the reasons I was keen to pick this up - besides the sci-fi / tech based storyline to this one.

Whether we admit it to ourselves or not, we humans are already very ready to become attached to things, we give our cars names and talk lovingly (or not...) to other tech around the house. We have a real emotional connection to some things - and while I think we're a fair way off it still, it's only a matter of time before the tech starts feeling back.

The idea of the Augmented Reality style "holo glasses" is great and clearly just around the corner (let's forget those google things that just freaked everyone out). Whether we'll be happy to waffle away to a holo-buddy that nobody can see, I think that we're not there yet - a lot of people are still having trouble talking to Alexa in a useful way, though perhaps with more natural language interaction that might improve.

In amongst the side of the story covering human-AI relationships, there's a corporation jealous of the progress that's been made and wants to take over and this presents more interesting dynamics for human-AI relationships and how they might change at the simple click of a button.

Great story, haven't sat and listened to the OST yet but definitely will, thought that the actors did a great job and really nothing stood out as wrong to me. Ending was satisfying, though with an unnecessary wrinkle at the ending which was just plain odd and in a very minor way it diminished some of what had gone before.

Another good one, particularly as it's only 12 episodes it's an easy weekend-watch if you're as obsessed as I am :)

Leia Mais

Un drama bonito y... holográfico xd

Ha sido un drama que he disfrutado, en general, aunque a partir de la mitad se me ha hecho un poco aburridillo, sobre todo porque es cuando comienza a cobrar más importancia la trama "informática/holográfica/hacker" y dramática. Los primeros capítulos me atraparon por lo adorable y bueno que era el personaje de Holo; lo cómico y malote que aparenta ser Nando (vestido de negro siempre, con aura misteriosa JAJA); y lo tierna que es la actriz que interpreta a Soyeon (que por cierto, se me hace que tiene gran parecido con Chaeyoung de Twice, la amo).

Me ha gustado bastante la actuación de los protagonistas. Yo sí veía química entre ellos, aunque debo decir que estoy un poco decepcionada porque la explotan más con las escenas en las que aparece el actor como Holo que con la versión humana, Nando. Y en general, todos han actuado bastante bien, han hecho un muy buen trabajo.

La trama tediosa que digo que me parece más aburridilla incluía además el típico cliché de que los protas se conocen desde pequeños, y que la protagonista tiene un trauma...
Sin duda, me quedo con la historia de amor entre los protagonistas, que son demasiado tiernos. Me ha gustado la resolución que han dado al triángulo amoroso que era Holo-Seyeon-Nando. No obstante, me ha faltado eso, que explotasen más la química entre Nando y Soyeon y que me hubiesen dado más escenas cutes y en ambiente relajado para así creerme que de verdad están bien y han pasado página... Es que básicamente su romance se desarrolla en el período de crisis.

Ahora, ¡el OST me ha parecido muy bueno! Y, de igual manera, me ha parecido también muy buena la producción y los efectos que han empleado para crear esa ilusión del holograma y el mundo informático. En ese sentido, un 10; calidad de la buena.

En conclusión, la historia estaba buena, pero el típico cliché y el drama informático no me ha gustado mucho. Luego, los actores me han gustado mucho: el protagonista realmente parecía personas diferentes dependiendo de si hacía de Holo o Nando; y Soyeon me ha parecido muy tierna.
No volvería a ver el drama entero, pero por supuesto que de tanto en tanto buscaría alguna escena de ellos por Youtube porque eran muy monos, jeje.
¡Mi puntuación final es un 7.5!

Leia Mais

This is SUCH a good drama, one I thoroughly enjoyed.

I don't normally get into robot/AI type dramas but this one was so good. I've seen a few drama love triangles where they use the same actor for 2 different characters (that in itself is so funny to me), but this time it's between the female lead, the male lead and the male lead's AI hologram that he created. Weird if you think about it lol
But it WORKS okay, trust me

There were a few times when I couldn't believe So-Yeon really couldn't tell the difference between a living breathing human being and a hologram but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
it's kdrama logic what can I say

But speaking of, Yoon Hyun Min is a such a good actor. He is able to portray these 2 characters so well (human vs AI). Even without him speaking, you can tell the difference - A+ acting.

After deciding to watch it, I couldn't stop binging. I was worried about the pacing considering it's only 12 episodes and I was hoping, praying for a non-rushed ending. Thankfully it didn't come across that way (at least not to me) and everything was wrapped up nicely
[You have no idea how hard I was praying "don't be like Memories of the Alhambra - don't be an open ending, don't be an open ending, don't be an open ending"]

Holo in itself is such a cool concept, and oh how I love him. At first I thought it would be so cool to have your own Holo. But after seeing it in action released to the public....with random people everywhere speaking out loud to their own holos, omg it would be so infuriating, I would be so annoyed all the time…@god pls don't let this happen in the future. Like a Black Mirror episode *shudders*

Think about it, Pokemon Go (which is just a phone app!!) had people getting mugged, stabbed, falling off cliffs, you name it (crazy but true), can you imagine the damage of an AI hologram!

Honestly this drama really makes you think about the way technology could be heading and the importance of human connection (I say ironically in quarantine)

I would be lying if I didn't wish there was more romance, but it is what it is. Overall, I loved this drama and would highly recommend for a weekend watch

Leia Mais

I thought it'd be typical but...

I started watching this because I wanted a break from crazy intense dramas. It sounded like a typical romantic K-drama. Had a typical genius, emotionless CEO character. Had a normal woman who was just trying to get by. Joined both trends of AI intelligence AND prosopagnosia, the inability to recognise faces (I still don't understand how it could be a trend). I thought it was trying to be too on trend and it wouldn't give enough thought into making a good drama.

I was so wrong. I stand by my way of thinking that 'tropes' in and of itself aren't bad. You can have a story that's entirely filled with tropes but it's amazing. Because that's what makes a trope doesn't it? There's something good and intriguing about it which makes other creators think that's good, I'm going to use that too. In one sense this drama is typical and, to make it 'worse', completely on trend so I wouldn't call it particularly innovative but despite it basically being a mash of I'm Not a Robot and The Beauty Inside, two great dramas by themselves, this drama manages to not only be as great as it's possible inspirations but even surpasses them. They both had a bit of a fizzle when it should've been the climax whereas this one was quite strong all the way through. I loved the respect the leads had for each other, another thing I loved from The Beauty Inside, there were ups and downs but it was respectful.

Starring Yoon Hyun-min who I loved in Witch's Court and Tunnel and Go Sung-hee who I've also loved from her supporting role days, it's so exciting watching someone's career blossoming. I'm glad they not only met my expectations but exceeded them.

It ended up being so much better than I expected, there was more to the plot, more to the character development, more to the relationship development. It was funnier and deeper, both in the plot and emotionally, than I expected.

This review definitely ended up being all about how I thought it'd bad but actually it was good so I think that if I raise your expectations you might not think it's as good but even then it's still a great romance sci-fi drama.

Quote:
Because people aren't like machines that can be fixed when they're broken, sometimes they just need to be left alone. - Go Nan-do

Leia Mais

umm... an okay drama

first of all, rather than seeing this as a romance drama, i see this as somehow symbolic between people and technology, on how we become dependent on it. but still, it was slow-paced and luckily there was only 12 episodes. the thing that keeps me going was how they would depict the AI hologram thingy, but i'm not really into it till the end. well, i do kinda enjoy it a little, curious on how the storyline would unfold, specifically about Ko Nan Do rather than holo, and that is why towards the ending it becomes more interesting. anyways, it was an okay drama for me.

Leia Mais

Watch it for Yoon Hyun Min

I'll start with the reason this show got the high score that it did. Yoon Hyun Min! I just finished watching him in Falling for Innocence and I was looking for something that he would play the romantic lead in. He's been in numerous shows that are not romances, but since I'm usually pretty much all about the romance, those shows were not what I was looking for. He was excellent in this. Playing cold, rich, damaged Nam Do and Holo, the hologram that inexplicably develops AI, I felt that he was able to display a range of emotions, often side-by-side. When he was Nam Do, you could feel his drive, his brilliance, and his loneliness. Watching him roam the workplace in the middle of the night was just sad to watch. He had every convenience available to him, but he was always alone. Then, as Holo, he was boyish, charming, caring, and as Holo he kept evolving as he developed AI characteristics. Hyun Min has a very interesting look about him. His features are sharp, his look is intense, and he's, of course, handsome. But I have to say I'm more fascinated with his acting than the way he looks. Because I enjoyed the parts he played in this,, I totally would have rated this show higher if not for:

STORY: Every K-drama trope in the book is in this one! It starts out really strong, but then becomes a mess about halfway through. The storyline continued to get more complicated and unnecessarily implausible. How they dealt with Holo toward the end was very emotional and touching. Obligatory time jump at the end (yet another trope) and the last scene was very cute, but the overall ending was unsatisfactory to me, mostly because:
ROMANCE: I felt that this show was too light on romance and it wasn't fully fleshed out. Why did Nam Do like So Yeon? That was a mystery to me. I felt like she was the first girl he ever talked to so, of course, he had to like her. A couple of really bad/accidental kisses. Later on there were some good kisses, but I was wishing that Nam Do and So Yeon's relationship would have been developed more completely.
CHARACTERS: So Yeon. Go Sung Hee did a good job in this show. I'm used to seeing her as the kind of bitchy secondary character, so it was nice to see her as the lead. However, So Yeon spent entirely too much time crying/sobbing/drinking. She was pitiful. And her liking Holo - that just didn't work for me. I'm glad they addressed the issue that she liked him because it was safe and she wouldn't get hurt like if she was dating a real person, but it just didn't feel real to me. I enjoyed the other characters in the show - the secondary couple, Nam Do's co-workers, the policeman and his sidekick.

TECHNOLOGY: The technology addressed, and the cinematography were both really good.
MUSIC: Went well with the show. Nothing really stood out to me, but it wasn't distracting.
Random thought: I wonder why they have to translate the curse words in these shows. Couldn't they just use another word, rather than cursing?

OVERALL: Definitely worth watching, but it wasn't one of my favorites.

Leia Mais

Good chemistry - watchable plot

My Holo Love seemed like a weird, crazy drama and nothing I would actually enjoy, but after watching the first minutes of the first episode, it somehow manages to hook you up no matter how messy or ridiculous the plot may be.

I agree with some other reviews saying the drama is full of cliches and it's difficult to tell someone that it actually is enjoyable, but it totally is. The chemistry within the main leads is believable, there's good character development from all the leads, the second couple has great chemistry too, although I would've liked to have more romance between both Nan Do & So Yeon and Yoo Jin & Chan Sung.

The pacing is enough for a 12-episodes drama, you don't really feel like there's anything rushed or slowered down, it has romance, mystery, crime, psychological issues and more and it manages to solve all the open threads smoothly and makes you feel fulfilled with how things turn out.

I wouldn't say it's the perfect drama, but it's definitely a great one to binge-watch on a lazy day off. 7.5 ?

Leia Mais

As a long time drama watcher, I have come across my fair share of stories. I thought this was going to be another one of those farfetched future-y robot shows that have somewhat become the norm lately, like "Are You Human Too?" and "My Absolute Boyfriend." HOWEVER, this story was extremely entertaining and was unique enough to bring new elements to the table. Sure, at times I did think to myself that the story was a little silly, but how serious can you be when comes to a show about a Hologram and his friends? So many characters had amazing developments that deserve praise. This story also has an amazing villain that you can't help but hate. Since this is a non-spoiler review, I can't exactly say what happens except that you'll be hooked until the credits of the last episode. It had me hooked enough to watch it in one day. YES, ONE DAY! Speaking of that, this show felt like the perfect length at 12 episodes. It never felt too drawn out or rushed. Normally, when I finish a drama I think that once is enough, but with this show, I wouldn't mind watching it again! Great show!! :)

Leia Mais

My Holo Love is the show that reminded me the importance of music during a series (Joss Whedon taught me that lesson with one of his Buffy episodes with no soundtrack.) Nevertheless, the very first thing I noticed about this show, was the music or the strange lack there was. Don’t Panic! It does have music, but it is very simplistic. If there was a song with words, I didn’t notice it until one of the last episodes. The piano music throughout most of it made me a little sad and I couldn’t binge watch the show, because of it. That said, the story, the characters, the very idea of a “feeling” AI was intriguing. I’m not sure if the slightly dark music was out of place for this show.

STORY:
My Holo Love is about a company that develops a companion AI product (kinda of timely for this particular moment in history) that is all wrapped up in a pair of glasses that project Holo in front of them. The AI is called Holo and he is designed to be in the image of his creator and recluse Go Nan Do (both very well done by Yoon Hyun Min). Some bad guys want to steel the Holo technology and chase the company’s CEO Go Yoo Jin (played by Choi Yeo Jin) until Holo helps her pick a poor unsuspecting civilian on the street to hide the glasses. That person is Han So Yun (Go Sun Hee) who works in marketing and suffers from face blindness (is there such a thing?).

Han So Yun develops feelings for Holo as he also becomes attached to her (hence the question begins, is AI a living being?). Because Go Nan Do needs the Holo glasses back, he is introduced into the mix between Han So Yun and Holo. It wasn’t until the police got involved (the story gets more complicated as it progresses), that I started to ask the question…..what constitutes a living being if that being can feel attachment to a human.

CHARACTERS:
I’ll be honest. Most of the time, I could tell when Yoon Hyun Min was playing Holo and when he was Go Nan Do, which tells you how good he was in this show. I was impressed because I loved both Holo and Go Nan Do. I could see the differences between them which fascinated me…….it also helped me overcome the almost creepy minimalist music.

I loved Han So Yun and her ability to develop a relationship with both Holo and Go Nan Do. The development of her feelings for both appeared natural and appropriate especially towards the end (romantic relationship with AI is fraught will all kinds of issues). She wasn’t whiny nor clingy and was strong and take charge when she needed to be (I’m getting annoyed with whiny female leads). She had good chemistry with both Holo and Go Nan Do.

The characters of Goo Yoo Jin and Baek Chan Sung added to the story, although I feel Chan Sung’s character could have better development from where he started and where he ended. If they had made a couple more episodes, probably he could have been fleshed out more fully…..the same as Yoo Jin’s character as well.

My guess is the production values were so high with all the technology used (and it was American Blockbuster grade technology) that they couldn’t afford to make more than the 12 episodes so only the two main leads were truly developed fully.

MUSIC:
As I said in the beginning this will either make or break the show for the watcher. Its not that there wasn’t music, but it was very minimalist. At one point it sounded like the piano music that plays in the lobbies of fancy hotels (very classy but just a piano). The subject matter is serious so kitschy songs would not work AT ALL for this show. Its likely they couldn’t spring for the full-on orchestra bit because all the technology soaked up the budget. Its not bad, its just makes the show appear more sad that it really is.

REWATCH VALUE:
I haven’t started re-watching this yet, but I plan to. Both Yoon Hyn Min and Go Sung Hee were compelling enough that I want to revisit them again. But first I’m making my way through some cleansing Chinese offerings.

OVERALL:
By the last episode, I felt more hopeful about the world than I thought I would. In the middle, the conflict was believable and pretty intense. I did find it amusing that in Falling for Innocence, Yoon Hyun Min and Nam Myung Ryul played father and son with one of them being a bad guy and in this show they again face off with each other and this time the other is the bad guy.

My Holo Love is an interesting watch. It didn’t make me cry nor did it make me scream so it is not one of my favorite shows……however, it was compelling and fascinating, and the love story was out of the ordinary for a K-drama. Very refreshing. And again…it makes you think about what AI truly means.

Leia Mais