The Fabulous (2022)

(A swing and a miss)A shorter review

Story:(4.5) Yes fashion fans will have something to enjoy with this title and yes the first episode starts relatively well, but in my opinion it slowly falls off as the series progresses. This story has quite poor writing, leaving the viewer with lots of forgotten storylines and moments later on that simply don't pay off like they should because the show doesn't let the cast earn those moments in the latter half. A good example of a forgotten storyline is in the first episode, when Joseph kicks a model out, than that model then ruins the show by cutting the power. The viewer will wonder "is Josephs development going to follow the lines of learning compassion and empathy for others?", well no, its never really brought up again and he's never really portrayed as having that type of issue after the first ep, but the show never expresses that growth. Another example could be Ji Eun and Woo Min's relationship. They kind of portray Woo Min as a F boy in the beginning and never really show what's behind the scenes until Ji Eun is given his photo album of her 80% into the show. So up until that point, its hard to understand Woo Min's character or even Ji Eun for that matter. Why does she changes his mind so quickly and constantly? (Also thought it was weird and toxic how they never addressed Ji Eun cheating on her boyfriend, yet she's constantly perceived as a moral person). Last example is the perception of our main four cast members. We like them from the start because they are belittled and have a hard time from the top of fashion, but by the end they are all given tremendous opportunities without anyone really seeming like they had the backstory to earn it, other than Seon Ho. Overall this poor writing made moments feel flat and even cheesy at times when it had so much potential from the start.

Characters:(6) Out of the whole cast my main favorites were Joseph, Seon Ho, and Thierry. Joseph was the most interesting from the beginning with his personality and exaggerated responses to failure, but later I felt his actions start to lose there flavor as the show progresses and things began to work out for him. Seon Ho for me was my favorite character. She's pretty low key from the beginning but has the best development by the end of the show. Also her scenes where she stands up for people who cant protect themselves(even when its self destructive) come off so wholesome and honestly were the show stealers for me. Lastly Thierry was surprisingly good. The show constantly hammers in that the bosses of fashion are ruthless and that drives a similar expectation for Thierry. But this element coupled with Thierry's extravagant outbursts make him a truly unpredictable character. By the end of the show I still couldn't predict what he would do next, He was a rare character, but surprisingly well written. Aside from those three I wasn't too impressed, Soo Bin and Min Ho acted very well but I don't think they had much to work with in creating interesting characters.

Music:(7.5) No track in this show really blew me away, but they had subtle chimes and short moments of music throughout that helped bring some vibrancy to each scene as they transitioned.

Rewatch Value:(6.5) Like I said before I'm not a big fan of the writing here, but its a short show and if you like fashion it could definitely be easy to get thorough again for some.

Overall:(6.5) The show has some moments and aspects that make it stick out from other K-dramas but I found the writing to be a big anchor waying down the potential of this series. In my opinion the series felt like it was supposed to be 16 episodes but wasn't for some reason; its a decent watch at the beginning, but its issues begin to show as you bridge to the second half. Making the ending less than satisfying.

Thank you for taking the time to read my review. I hope you found it helpful, and have a great rest of your day!!

Leia Mais

The dynamic of the four is superb!

Checked out the drama for Minho and Soobin but stayed for the whole cast. It is a feel good drama with heartwarming scenes (Ji Woomin and Jieun's grandma scene, for example). Perfect drama to watch with your friends as the year is coming to its end. Can I just add? The dynamic of the four is superb. The drama was able to show the charms of the cast. I still can't believe Minho was able to walk the runway, run and play sports, sing and dance, dj, and be a photographer in one drama. Chae Soobin was fabulous, Park Heejung slayed and Lee Sangwoon-Esther tandem was one in a million. If ever there'll be a season 2, I'll definitely watch.

Leia Mais

Binged it in a day

Story:
Not gonna lie, the story is pretty predictable. However, I still liked it. The characters in the show were likeable; honestly, I wanted to see some of the side characters more (ahem Thiery! love his sassiness. This actor is super versatile!!)

Acting/Cast:
This cast is STACKED. Honestly never watched Seonho and Joseph appear on screen before (understandably so since this is Seonho's first drama) but the cast is HELLA STACKED. Looking at the cast, I knew there wasn't going to be an issue with bad acting. I love Chae Soobin so I may or may not be biased here but :)

Music:
I like Jo Yuri's OST A LOT. The OSTs were appropriately played throughout the series.

Rewatch value:
oh please, even though I just binged it, I don't mind rewatching it HAHA.

Overall:
The romance + friendship theme and the likeable characters made the show binge-able af. Plot and character development are present and honestly satisfying IMO! Give this show a try, I think it's a rom-com that's not too heavy on romance so it will be palatable even for people who don't usually like to watch romance dramas.

Leia Mais

Pistachio Love for Christmas

Although the reason for the delayed air date is quite tragic I‘m glad that it was released the day before Christmas because in my opinion it’s the perfect (binge) watch for the holidays! ;)

I think it shouldn’t be compared to other dramas (which is why it gets negative comments) but rather seen as a stand-alone year end light party romcom to watch during the holidays or when you need a pick-me up.
It’s kind of like those year end assemble movies but in drama length.

It’s a bunch of hot, young party people that live in a colorful, positive world without it being fluffy or cringy. The romance seems very much in tune with youth and it’s more liberal & flirty than your standard kdrama… which again brings me back to not comparing it to other dramas ;)

Anyways I really liked it as a christmas/holiday binge ~~
Due it’s light and flirty vibe it’s also highly rewatchable :)

Leia Mais

Absolutely Amazing

I have seen a lot of k-dramas in my life but never one I had to fight myself not to rewatch the same night I watched it at 12:00 at night. You could relate to everyone from the actors to makeup artists to producers to cameramen to the staff and directors should pat themselves on the back until their hands fall off because this show spoke to everyone. It made you feel alive, happy, sad, in love, out of love selfish, tears of joy, angry and that is why this is in my top 5 Kdrama. I honestly think they should come out with a season 2 just because I wanna see where everyone is from now. Because I know happy ending dont always come true but this show gave me hope that you can be absolutely anything in this whole world you want to be

Leia Mais

This is a super fun drama to watch. The plot of the drama is centered on a group of four friends, their struggles and achievements within the setting of the high fashion industry. The drama is a romantic comedy as much as it is about the friendship and the steadfast love and support among the four friends as they put their utmost efforts to succeed in their chosen careers in the competitive and, many at times, cruel manipulations of the people in power within the industry. The drama touches these aspects but it is kept a lighthearted drama about this group of magnificent friends and how they pull together, also with the help of other friends and family, on their way to find success. There is also a very nice romance story between Ji-eun (Chae Soo Bin) and Woo-min (Choi Min Ho) who display some heartbreaking moments, some heart lighted moments, and a beautiful romantic chemistry as they try to love and understand each other. This drama, as a comedy has some over the top flaunt of erratic emotions but it is so well done that it doesn’t lose the essence and solemnity of love and friendship. Overall, a great and very entertaining drama, enjoy it!

Leia Mais

Light & Refreshing

I'm not the biggest fan of the fashion industry, nor am I that interested in it, but the drama kept me engaged. I think 8 episodes was perfect - no episode felt like a filler and anything beyond 8 would have probably been unnecessary. The series opened with a failed showcase and ended with a successful one which I think was a nice touch. I enjoyed the fact that the overarching plot related to their career goals and rather not the love story. The love story felt like an enhancement of the story. Something for you to root for beyond just their careers.The side characters were funny but did not take away from the main leads.

I enjoyed Seonho's arc the most and considering the actress is firstly a model by profession I think she did an amazing job in the role.

I also really enjoyed the chemistry between Minho and Soobin's characters. I would've fleshed out their back story a bit more but the series remained enjoyable nonetheless. The actors all did a great job. I also really enjoyed the friendship between Woomin & Seonho. Probably my favourite relationship in the show beyond the romantic ones.

I did watch the series primarily because of Minho and like I said I don't have much interest in the fashion industry so I don't know how high I'd rate it on replay value but I quite enjoyed the characters and getting to know their story.

The show was also shot beautifully, you can tell that the production value was very high + the way the title cards for each episodes was shown was a very nice touch.

Leia Mais

Amazing friendship

Some dramas are meant to be binged. This isn't one of those. This is something that is meant for you to look forward to. Rarely do I regret binging a show, but I wished I'd have saved some of these episodes for future days. There is a level of energy and excitement throughout the show, and I am sad to say that I used it up all in one go.

I loved the feel of this show. The friendship, the camaraderie, the support of the 4 friends (plus their families and coworkers) made it all worthwhile for me. Having known friendship like this in my own life, I find that it gives me happiness to see such things onscreen. For people to be there with you through thick and thin, you have to have gone through a lot together. Although the storyline wasn't realistic, it was fun and interesting to me. It did have it's sad moments, but then again....don't we all?

I enjoyed all the acting in this drama, and I think everyone did a great job portraying their characters. There was a good mix of character types, but none were inherently evil. Everyone had their own redeeming qualities, even though all of the characters were flawed in their own way....some more than others, but this isn't their story. The OTT characters kept the storyline light and funny. (The music set the tone for many scenes, and was interesting enough for me to look up several of the songs.) I found the friendship of the 4 totally believable, and they had great chemistry together.

Unfortunately, I did not see the chemistry between Ji Eun and Woo Min as a couple, but I think that their acting was on point. That didn't make it any less believable to me, because irl some couples just don't exude chemistry. That doesn't make them any less of a couple though. Although I didn't feel passion between them, I did feel friendship and support and happiness. Sometimes that's enough.

Leia Mais

Simple and Easy Watch

The Fabulous: Simple yet Over-Hyped. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely and thoroughly enjoyed the Fabulous until it ended but only because I enjoyed seeing Chae Soo-bin and Choi Minho on a screen together. It felt like a sensory overload seeing them on one screen and as “exes”.

I’m going to be COMPLETELY HONEST. The plot of the Fabulous was more about the sexual tension between the leads than the struggles of the fashion world. Even though it was short, I skipped most of the scenes without Chae Soo-bin and Choi Minho together. Other than the scenes where Joseph and Esther were together, everything else was completely skip worthy. I would honestly just watch again for the chemistry between the leads and the pure visual of the two. I honestly wouldn’t have watched if it was anyone but these two.

The cinematography was good, the execution was good and so was the acting/casting but I genuinely think the thing that killed made the Fabulous unfabulous was the pure fact that there was no actual content. The plot was empty and there really wasn’t much going on anytime. So much time went toward the FL’s relationship status and the frustrations and her suitors and less time went into the point that the Fabulous was TRYING to preach.

If the Fabulous had spent more time on the struggles of the fashion industry instead of focusing on the romance, this drama would have been a sure fire hit. Sadly, it was missed and opportunity and misplaced potential because whoever wrote the script and the drama itself missed the mark on what points to hit the hardest and what points to keep minimal.

Again, not a horrible watch but if you want to watch this drama without hurting your expectations, just pretend thst this drama is about the leads trying to get together. That’s quite literally what it is.

Leia Mais

An easy-to-consume Slice of Life

It's a pretty direct slice-of-life drama that doesn't necessarily have a specific plot, but rather focuses on showing how a group of four friends, who work on the same industry, work to try and find their way up in society. It's not too big of an inspiration piece but it's a healing one that sympathizes with workers who may be feeling the same things in their own pacing and their own line of work. It's also even warmer since they subtly flash back to when they were college students, the origin of their friendship, to where they are at now. I think the biggest picture of the drama too is, as they have said, the passion the four friends have towards their line of work, and the industry they are in - the Fashion industry. While it does highlight this specific industry, I also think it's also very much applicable to other industries working people are in and the passion they have towards their kind of work. It gives credit to people behind the scenes of things that people don't normally see or appreciate. And I think it could be the same to workers behind other big movements of small and big companies they work for !! ^^

Leia Mais