Intensivão de Amor (2023)

Fantastic story with questionable subplots

Dnespite the obvious age difference, I though the FL and ML had great chemistry and hilarious moments with one another. Enemies to lovers is an overused trope for a reason, it’s amazing when it works well. Their reasons for interacting early dispite disliking each other fit perfectly with the tone and plot. Speaking of tone and plot…. I feel very conflicted about how some of the subplots were handled. Withiut spoiling much, let’s just say that people do very bad things without much punishment. The way that certain parents treated their kids was a massive contrast to how the main cast acted. I’m not saying that this portrayal is bad, but I felt someone of the darker subject matter clashed with the tone set very early on. This drama is not afraid to go to some interesting places with its story, I just don’t think it all fit together as well as it could have.

Leia Mais

Pretty decent drama, just by the numbers

I've enjoyed this show. It is well put together and the main leads and side characters are good as well.
You don't see older women with young (ish) couples on TV.
She's like 50 ish and he's like 39 or even younger when this was made.
She's a great actress though. She also has a great action movie as well.
I've had some issues with the show there are only one good mom on this show lol
And that's the lead and she's the aunt lol.
Every parents are horrible because they need only care about themselves even though they know many kids are off themselves because of how hard they have to study. I'm sure it's a Korean culture thing but still horrible.
I never liked any of the parents they are all horrible
There also some serial killer plot and It didn't seem like it was needed and the explanation for why he turned into a psycho didn't make any sense and I didn't care for it.
Also he killed a girl in like episode 2 or 3 and that never got brought up or even reported.
I really couldn't believe they just moved on to the next episode without mentioning it
I don't think the leads had much chemistry though. I really think they needed to spend more time together even though it seemed like they did but still think they needed more time.
But I don't think I'll re watch this or even remember this drama
Didn't come out not really like or hate anyone.

Leia Mais

Cliché troupe with murder mystery ROMCOM

Mar. 13, 2023

WHOA.

Another KDRAMA I have finished this year, Crash Course In Romance is such a cute and sweet Kdrama to watch. The plot is very normative but the casts that play their roles are just too good at their delivery. To be honest, the only weak point that this show had or my very huge critique were that:

First of all, the murder mystery troupe just did not give any flavour or a sense of interest for me. I think it was very stale and bleak in terms of the writing process and just the overall progression. I feel like instead of doing this route, they could have focused more on the youngsters. Since they really made the show more interesting than the murder sub plot.

Second, I feel like that the problematic Moms weren't given proper character development. It was too fast and that there wasn’t really any sense of logic behind it. I definitely have huge irk with the last 4 episodes of the series. Like, especially with the biological Mom being added last minute. WTF was that - my literal reaction.


Aside from these two major things. Nothing else really bothered me. The couples were lovely both in the older generation and the younger generation. I really wish the youngsters had more screen time than the annoying murder arc!!

That's all.

Leia Mais

You don’t have to be young to have love

Started watching with No expectations and ended up gladly surprised.

Basically…. Hard working FL with a healthy, busy family life…. Meets super star teacher ML…. And go from haters to friends, to admiration to love…. Which is how it normally happens in a mature relationship between adults.

Yes… she looks older than what the story portraits… Yes, her clothes style are not of this century…. who cares? She brings life to a lovable character that got me cheering for her success pretty soon.
Now he… well he does a great job going from arrogant-narcissistic-I am better than bread man to super caring-loving-even passionate man….. totally in love and respect for her…

They have issues… get angry… but they talk about it… like normal people should do.
Now… it is also true that the murder plot takes time away from these 2 in romance … and it was solved in a very simple, quickly way…. That could have gone better.

What gets me thinking is the obsession of parents and the education of their children… the pressure to perform is unbelievable at such young age…these kids wake up, go to school, then academy and then online lessons… seriously?… no time to live,.,, no time to be young… no wonder they get depressed and have serious mental issues. And worse… the power of the mothers to drive the school agenda… is ridiculous… but so true… a reflection on the reality of education… not only in Korea, but other countries… sad but true.

Also… social media pressure is the curse of this generation… how superficial opinions can break a hard working person’s reputation without any repercussions will continue to haunt us down in this life time… another sad but true.

The Uncle is hilarious…. Kudos for such a warm loving performance!

I found the story original, funny and got me reflecting on a lot of stuff….
Would I watch again? Yes
Do I recommend it? Yes

Leia Mais

A wholesome romance set in education with a side of murder mystery

Crash Course in Romance, or its literal title, One-shot Scandal, is a drama I thoroughly enjoyed after a year of not watching kdramas. I really loved the characters and the varied focus it had. I loved seeing the spotlight on the high schoolers as well as their parents, even though in the beginning their parents made me want to tear my hair out by their ridiculousness. Although many people did not like the additional side of a murder mystery, I am always a fan to see it, so I didn't dislike it as much. It was pretty obvious to guess halfway through the series who was the actual killer even though there were red herrings.

I personally loved the actors and their portrayal of their characters. Even though most people were hung up on the casting of Jeon Do Yeon as Nam Haeng Seon, I didn't think it was an extremely big deal since I think she was nailing it regardless of her age. She was fantastic as a mom to Hae Yi, sister to Jae Woo, and friend to Young Joo. She was pretty realistic with her relationship with Chi Yeol, which Jung Kyung Ho nailed by the way as an ego-filled star teacher turn puppy for love. I also loved Shin Jae Ha as Ji Dong Hee. He was a refreshing character, although I have to admit, he was done dirty by the writers at the end. I wish we were able to him face the consequences of his actions. The kids were amazing, and I really loved Hae Yi's whole arc and would wait every week just to see the kids instead of the main romance lol. Although I did hate the moms, I do have to applaud them for doing a great job since we were supposed to.

In terms of romance, it was pretty simple. Starting with a misunderstanding, getting closer, denying the feelings, and obstacles to overcome. The mystery had some plot holes lol. The girl that gets murdered in the first few episodes, we never hear about again, which made me sad even though she was annoying. The kid and teacher who get murdered after get more screen time with the police searching into their deaths. Heck, Hae Yi's abduction wasn't looked into properly, and we never see it resolved on screen. It seems she would have gotten some trauma from that. While I understand that since the main focus is romance and a police procedural, we're not going to see a lot of it, but I wish there was a bit more resolvement of this storyline rather than justing killing off the killer. Up to episode 14, it seems like everything would be wrapped up nicely in a bow, but I was personally thinking how they could cover everything in 2 more episodes, and they didn't because they added extra subplots that weren't necessary. A lot of the side stories with the parents and their parents felt good but lackluster. It seems like the writer wanted a nice bow on everything and redeem everyone, and hey I liked it, but it didn't feel necessary.

Overall I really did like the mother-daughter relationship with Haeng Seon and Hae Yi, especially the flashback scenes, and the high school plot, which overshadowed everything else for me. I would definitely suggest watching this if you are looking for a feel-good family drama, since it felt like it at times, with a splash of mystery and realistic portrayal of the Korean education system.

Leia Mais

crash course in confusion

so I don't know that I've ever been so conflicted about a drama - the parts that were good- actors, occupations, emotions, feelings, playful love- were SO GOOD.

BUT the parts that were bad- why we gotta go so dark and awful in places to achieve a story line that's been done... less stressfully... made it feel like a grind at times.

I had to force myself to watch at times, had to read the recaps to see if it was worth the push, and did end up finishing it and I'm glad I did... although per usual the fun endings you wanted you didn't get enough time with and the situations you wish would wrap faster took forever.

I do think overall it's a darling show- but missteps along the way!

Leia Mais

Stereotypes

Overall I enjoyed this drama, which had several plots intertwined and made for an interesting watch.
With the cast involved, the level of acting was never going to be in question and none let the drama down.
I liked the threat element of the shady character who targeted people around Choi Chi-yeol (Jung Kyung-ho), which balanced the fluffy romance side quite nicely.
Whilst it made a change for the attractive, well off, successful lead male character, to end up attracted to and falling for, the older, quite dowdy, financially struggling (even though her traditional food business seemed to be thriving) lead female character (LFC), I found it a little uncomfortable to begin with ~ like neither were completely relaxed inthat element of their roles. However it did settle down and they ended up a believable couple.
What really stood in the way for me, was how they styled a beautiful actress, to look SO frumpy... why? She didn't have to be glamorous with a ton of makeup, too short/inappropriate clothes and ridiculous heels, but also not dressed like a granny.
Just because she'd been sporty, worked, brought up a child and looked after her brother, shouldn't mean she has no sense of style, especially when going out on a date. It really aged her too. That is stereotyping.
Same with the autistic brother... fine acting, which said it all and did not need trousers that were way too short and a look that could have been stolen from 1980s Rain Man! Just because a person is autistic, does not mean they have to dress like an overgrown child!
Lazy, lazy styling and woefully prejudiced to my mind.
Yet, on the other hand, what they did with that character's storyline, was a breath of fresh air! Infuriating!
I really liked the interactions and relationships between all the characters, although I do roll my eyes up when the nasty, rich, influential mothers abuse their positions to push their kids and usurp the out-of-place nobody.
1 in particular was not fit to be a mother at all, and how her story ended was not what she deserved... saccharin instead of poison.
A lot was forgiven of low-life characters in the skins of privileged, but not refined by any means, disguises. As usual, no consequences fitting their actions.
One part of the storyline that was completely superfluous to requirements, was the appearance of the LFC's sister. What was the point in that? It added nothing to the story, she was rude, selfish and looked down on everyone, including the daughter she'd abandoned and left to her sister to raise. She came, went and made no difference to the story at all.
I wasn't surpised at all by who the murderer was, but still enjoyed the twists and turns.
An enjoyable watch and whilst I personally wouldn't watch it again, I would still recommend it.
As a footnote, I wonder what all the nUtizens who always make rude and offensive comments about older male leads starring with younger female leads, feel about this main couple, with her being 11 years older than him! No doubt they'll still complain.

Leia Mais

An interesting look at the school system and parents with a mature romance.

I'll admit that this drama made me think about things. About how some parents are willing to destroy their children as long as they achieve academic success. It's sad what lengths they go thru and how the school system actually highlights this instead of finding a way to protect their students. But I guess if the kid's parents are not going to protect them who else can. Before watching this I never really thought about this, but I got to say this series is thought provoking. Not only on the parents and school system but other heavy subjects as well. I feel like the writers handled all the sensitive subjects well: like eating disorders, school and parent pressure, mental illness, abuse both physical and mental, cyber bullying and social pressure.
Sometimes this series got to dark tho but the lighthearted romance did lighten the mood. I like how the characters were older. We rarely see a romcom centered on a woman in her thirties, so this was a breath of fresh air. I like how it was handled and the characters made me root for them. The teen romance was also handled well imo and didn't take much away from the main storyline. What did take away from it was the serial killer plot. I understand what the writers wanted to do here and how abuse can lead to someone becoming a monster. Important to tell but not always necessary in a romcom. Especially, when the plot is centered too much on this one plot and forgets the main story. However, I did like how it was resolved in the end. And I also liked how the characters were smart FL especially.
The cast did a great job and I found some of my favorite actors while watching this.
Overall I give it an 8.5 because like I mention I feel like the killer plot took away too much from the central story. Other than that I really enjoyed this series and would recommend.

Leia Mais

I really didn't know what I was signing up for but K-dramas are just so funny lol

This was like Sky Castle meets murder mystery thriller but like not really lmfaaaoooo I loved the mother-daughter dynamic even though they were under unique circumstances and I loved the teacher/tutor anyway; I truly just enjoyed everyones company like the moms were overdramatic, everyone wanted a successful kid but then they put in this plot twist and it all just didn't make sense but it all made sense at the same time lol like how was it relevant idk but will I keep watching? Absolutely. Lmao. I think I was in it for the young actors/actresses because they really carried with all the emotions and jazz but I liked the family dynamic in general; there was a lot they could've done without but then again, what do we really expect? It was a good watch, good to just play in the background and also get hooked and the music is FANTASTIC, I've been listening to a song on the OST for hours because it's so good. So worth a watch but I wouldn't rewatch it.

Leia Mais

i am smiling from ear to ear (and tearing up)

overall the story is really cute and fun and keeps you hooked. just because of the ending i'm rating it a ten. it made me so happy and filled me with such a warm fuzzy feeling
i love nam hae-e so much she is such a cutie and sun-jae and the hockey player i forgot his name but it's okay i still love him
this is definitely worth the watch and i would recommend it to anyone who likes romance (but beware it does have some thriller aspects)
i also really like nam haeng-seong and choi chi-yeol's relationship. it's nice to know that you can always find love no matter the circumstance
overall everyone is so cute and this motivated me to study more despite the craziness of south korea's education system so make sure to watch!!!!

Leia Mais