A Vingança do Casamento Perfeito (2023)

Perfect Or Imperfect marriage revenge?

this is lowkey irrelevant to the review but I don't I am just gonna mention it anyways so like I'm currently prepping for an entrance exam and feeling stressed. While doing my accounts homework, I wasn't enjoying the music, so I randomly chose to watch a drama. Surprisingly, this got me addicted after a long break.

So this is Makjang or Soap Opera type drama which revolves the female lead, granted a who is second chance at life, navigates the challenges of altering her past decisions, rekindling lost relationships, and discovering the profound impact of seemingly small choices on her future, mainly focusing on Yi Ju's quest for revenge against her family, along with Do Guk as the male lead. Although it might be just another revenge drama, it stands out for me It's not like i haven't seen dramas like this before, it's predictable, most of the time, still the acting captivates me to watch it. And how they will bring a closure to this drama.

The female lead, Yi Ju, captivates me the most in the entire drama. Her expressions are a such highlight, ALSO I love her attitude of "YOU BETRAY ME, YOU'RE OUT" LIKE FSGCSK, rare to see since a lot FL characters forgive and give in due to emotional capacity, I really liked her confidence and overall attitude; there's a distinct aura she brings to the scene wherever needed. Kudos to the stylist for the breathtaking wardrobe choices; every outfit, especially those heels, like girl stamp on me NAUR.

Sung Hoon exudes a charismatic aura, even though the exploration of his characteristics is limited. His performance shines in scenes requiring depth, leaving no room for complaints.

The supporting characters, while at times infuriating, contribute to the low-key enjoyment. very dramatic over anything over any news, there are some truly dumb scenes, yet they somehow manage to fit seamlessly into the overall narrative and character dynamics. In the end, it's all part of the fun, I suppose. HAHAHA!

The romance between the leads was undeniably sexy , with them adding a cute and swoon-worthy dynamic to the storyline. However, the background music, unfortunately, didn't always hit the right notes, being played at inappropriate times.

Despite the occasional misstep, the overall viewing experience was enjoyable. While the script may not be flawless, it carries a sense of makjang drama which is why it was a fun watch. There are moments where you just need to switch off your brain and indulge in the drama, and you'll find it surprisingly addictive.

THANK YOU FOR READING ^^

Leia Mais

Story so addicting you can't help binge-watching it in one day!

This review is long overdue. I finished this one almost 2 weeks ago but only now I feel calm enough to sit still writing this review. This drama was not even on my PTW list but I was curious about that rating and all the rave about it so I started this one on whim. Wow by the end of ep 1 I was sold! Hence I binge-watched this in less than a day.

What I liked :-

✅️ Addicting ,angsty and no draggy storyline. The plot remind me of makjang drama I used to watch 10 years back. 12 episodes is just perfect. No filler scenes that will make you abuse your FF button.
✅️ Good acting from all cast. This was my first Jung Yoo Min drama and I enjoyed her acting. Her acting reminds me much of the actress Lee Min Jung. So pretty like her too.
✅️ Contract marriage.
✅️ FL getting revenge on people who did her dirty in satisfying way.
✅️ Main couple who most of the time does communicate with each other.
✅️ Great chemistry between leads.
✅️ Green flag male lead .
✅️ A mother-in-law that is not evil for once. When most of family dramas potrayed an evil MIL , it was refreshing to see this drama broke that trope.
✅️ HEA.
✅️ Pleasant to listen to OSTs. My favourite is Halo by Sohn Yerim.

What I liked the least:-

☑️ Cinematography could have been better.
❌️ ML's wardrobe style. His stylist need to be fired. Some of his clothing were hideous fortunately Sung Hoon's good look made it hurting my eyes less. While all the females in this drama got the best wardrobe why they did not do the same for the males...

Overall, PMR is one of the best K-drama I've watched this year. If you like what I liked, watch it & you might enjoy it like I did.

Leia Mais

Perfect balance of angst, romance and vengeance

The last quarter of 2023 saw a rise in time travel coupled with fake marriage k-dramas. Perfect Marriage Revenge is one of these. The kdrama blends romance and revenge but how does it set apart from the other shows?

The story follows Han Yi Joo (played by Jung Yoo Min) a naive and trusting woman who taught everything in her life is picture perfect. After learning her husband is in love with her stepsister and her stepmother is only using her, she suddenly dies in a tragic car accident. Moments later, she woke up but seemingly travelled back in time 1 year prior and she is now determined to take revenge on the people who have wronged her.

Jung Yoo Min effortlessly play the innocent and demure character as well as the fierce and strongheaded woman she has become when she was given a second chance in life. Watching Yi Joo get deceived and trampled by her stepmother and stepsister will remind of every cinderella remakes. But what I appreciate the most about this show is how Yi Joo came to realize her worth and she is not a damsel in distress who needs saving. She is determined in changing her destiny and living a life full of love instead. Yi Joo transforming from the naive girl into a girlboss will make the viewers rooting for her.

Seo Do Guk (played by Sung Hoon) is the epitome of a leading man - tall, deep voice and toned body. On top of that the way he talks and acts around Yoo Min just exudes good masculine vibes. He protects Yoo Min not because she is weak but because she is important to him. There is also a power balance here as Do Guk turns out to have a traumatic past that still haunts him. Later in the story, we learned that there is an invisible string between the two of them.

On top of that, there is also a palpable and sizzling chemistry between the leads which will keep you glued to the screen. Every time Yi Joo and Do Guk has a scene together, I bet viewers will be left with heart-shaped eyes.

This show was surprisingly entertaining and addicting to watch even if the plot is one that we have seen many times. There is lots of melodramatic turns that keeps you on the edge of your seats and drooling over Sung Hoon's deep manly voice.

The show also sometimes gives off classic sitcom vibes despite the turbulence going on in romance, revenge, sibling rivalry and traumatic pasts. It also offers larger-than-life stepmothers and their flamboyant dresses. Seeing them clash and go head-to-head is another hidden gem of this series. We have a wicked stepmother trying to look sophisticated but in truth, she's rotten and evil inside. Then, we have another stepmother who has a penchant for flashy color dresses but tries her best to treat all her children equally.

Conflicts and misunderstandings are also not dragged for too long. It's refreshing to see how smart and witty leads are able to catch up with the villain's evil plans.

All in all, Perfect Marriage Revenge is definitely a guilty pleasure watch with the perfect running time. It keeps the storyline short and easy to follow yet contains all your favorite romantic tropes and, of course, irritating villains. This show is certainly not groundbreaking but Sung Hoon and Yoo Min's earnest portrayal of a couple who will go against all odds and even destiny will keep you running back for more.

Leia Mais

Plot ≠ WEBTOON, But Has Its Own Charm

Before I begin, let's introduce the fact that I read the webtoon (which is still ongoing), making me very excited once I heard there would be a drama adaptation. Great, moving on.

Plot: Since this was based on a WEBTOON, the plot came from there. But if you're expecting it to be the WEBTOON in drama form, you won't get that. It starts off with a scene that, while enjoyable, was DEFINITELY not in the WEBTOON, and a person who should have had a certain role ascribed was not given such because it would have created more scenes. HOWEVER...as a standalone, the plot was pretty well done. My favorite WEBTOON scenes were shown, they cut out a lot of fluff that I thought dragged down the WEBTOON, and although they rearranged the order of events, I hardly cared given how well the story flowed anyway.

CAST: Wonderful. I'll admit I was skeptical when I saw the cast list because I didn't think Do Guk was casted well, but wow was I pleasantly surprised. He gave off a more rugged aura but it worked so well and he definitely brought both the charisma and eye candy factor. (*secretly wipes drool*) Ahem...Han Iju was casted well also, I loved her character portrayal. And the villains, wow. I really hated them, and that proves how good they were. Especially Han Yura, I kept thinking "she doesn't have the villain look, she looks like a cute FL" but she really played her role so well that while I hated her, I also pitied her. Her mother on the other hand...first of all the actress is beautiful, but wow I both wanted to punch her and cower in fear. Even the minor characters came alive. The story fleshed them out so well that they all felt like integral parts of the story.

Music: 10/10. I loved all 5 tracks, especially the first 2, which I couldn't stop replaying. "Halo" is probably my favorite, and the song that plays at the opening credits "Meaningless" is *chef's kiss*. I love how it even sounds like a vengeful song, it works very well with the opening credits so much that I never skipped a single one. Applause all around for the singers and everyone involved with the singmaking processes.

REWATCH VALUE: I'm not the best a rewatching things in general, but as a fan of the WEBTOON as well as being impressed with the adaptation, I'd say I would rewatch it for sure.

Overall, not the same as the WEBTOON, but has its own charm.

Leia Mais

Perfection Achieved.

Are you looking for an intelligent plot? An absorbing story-line? Some intriguing characterization? Gripping emotional roller-coasters? Rewarding conclusions? Award worthy acting performances? No expenses spared production? On point direction? Engaging OSTs? A flawless ending? ...OR maybe a satisfying overall watching experience?

Well, what the heck are you waiting for? Tune in! This one has it all. All in one place, And all done exceptionally well.

This starts good, but it doesn't stay just good rather it gets even better and better and better. From start to finish, you won't be leaving your seat, that much I guarantee

I won't review this one, as everyone should go in blind to watch this one and gain an experience of their own.

As I said before in my title, 'Perfection Achieved', Loved it, No Complaints, Easy 9/10.

Leia Mais

I really like the drama especially at the start. I have read the manhwa version of it, and I like that there are parts that they retain and most of the parts that is added is well executed to me as a watcher. The major difference I see is that Yi Joo is more human here than in the manhwa. Maybe others would argue that she should be as ruthless in the manhwa as is in the drama, but I prefer her emotionally vulnerable here.

The female lead is so good as Yi Joo, she is perfect for the role. I was in awe with her acting her, I don't know if it is her first main role, but applaud, she really did well. The male lead is fine with me, he delivered his role perfectly.

I was a bit sad that it is just 12 episodes, I thought it would be 14 episodes, and I would have liked it more if the male lead's POV was given, but the 12th episode was there, so happy for that. The antagonists of the story especially for the brother was not really given the chance to be explored, which is sad for me since it was deep in the manhwa. It would have been great if it was shown much more but I have no complaints since the main leads were given the priority and I like that.

Overall, really great revenge drama.

Leia Mais

Perfect balance of ups and downs.

Honestly speaking, I’m not that into makjangs. A full on makjangs is a trip to ruined mood and constant annoyance. What I do enjoy is a "soft" makjang, where the shenanigans are still ridiculous and over the top, but there are some breathers incorporated to make you actually enjoy the plot. Perfect Marriage Revenge is like that - perfect balance of ups and downs.

We get all the evil mothers and stepmothers, neglect, abuse, attempted murder, secrets and betrayal, cheating, crime - all the entertaining twists known. But we also have a healthy relationship of the leads, nice and smart supporting characters, some fluff and comedy. The leads are not exactly complete underdogs who are beaten to the ground to raise in the last episode and win the prize. It’s rather an even fight between them and the bad guys, and that’s what makes it fun to watch!

The show is beyond unrealistic, but if that’s anyone's complaint, you picked the wrong genre. Makjang is not supposed to be realistic. There were many scenes where I laughed out loud with how detached from reality they were - that’s the beauty of dramas like that.

For the romance - the chemistry was chemistrying. Sung Hoon ain’t a good actor, but he knows about romance, that’s for sure. What’s strange - his lack of skill was actually a perfect match for the drama. I honestly don’t think I would enjoy it as much with a “better” actor.

Jung Yoo Min won my heart with her performance as Yi Joo. I bought both the naive and good hearted, and cunning and strong. The emotional scenes tug at my heartstrings, the badass scenes made me clap like an excited kid.

Big props to Jin Ji Hee too. Han Yoo Ra might ended up as my favorite character. Amazing performance, and surprise nuance in how the character was written.

Overall, I binge watched it in 2 days. Once I started I could not stop. Addicting is a perfect word to describe it. I planned to just skip the scenes and watch the romance, but I ended up being glued to the screen and seated for 12 hours with hands away from that right arrow on the keyboard.

Leia Mais

I LOVE THIS DRAMAꨄ︎

I really like revenge genre dramas, and this drama really suits me! Han Yi Joo, an innocent and cute woman who lives with distrust because the people around her always hurt and lie to her, has the intention of revenge to improve her life after being given the opportunity to go back to 1 year ago.

I really like the role of women who are smart and brave, I can find that in Han Yi Joo, even though she is emotionally and mentally unstable, she is not reckless and thinks about all her plans well.

Seo do guk, talking about this man feels like a dream! very handsome, smart, calm and loyal like where can I find a man like this??:"((

I like Seo Do Guk's family, especially his grandmother and mother (not his half-brother), even though the family is a conglomerate but they are not evil and side with Han Yi Joo

Han yoo ra, I hate her but sometimes feel sorry for her, she is also a victim of Lee Jung Hye, her biological mother:( her character cannot change because she has been educated like that since childhood. Lee Jung Hye, just hearing her name makes me annoyed, she really succeeded in bringing her character to a villain.

The chemistry of Seo do guk and Han Yi Joo is very impressive, the story plot is very fast but easy to understand so you don't waste the time, this drama is packaged very well. It's quite emotionally draining to watch this drama, so I'll just rewatch the sweet parts only─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Leia Mais

Trash, but good trash

This is such a fun ride, not much substance and to be honest quite predictable but oh so much fun as this low quality cinderella meets marry my dead husband and just takes us on a short ride of evil mothers a show of just how little orphans are worth ans a bunch of other stuff.

Our male lead is so in love, he will do anything for the female lead yet manages to stay cool while doing it.

The female lead starts off as pathetic as it gets but has this bag of development and while one may think a sudden change would bring a bunch of second hand embarrassment they actually seem to stay clear of it.

The women in this are the bomb, either as evil as evil gets or fun as fun gets all strong characters and 0 middle ground...

It is the kind of drama that you watch knowing it is trash, but couldn´t care less about it being trash as it is the really good type of trash.

Leia Mais

Makjang done right

So, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had seen a bunch of edits on tiktok and when I tried watching episode one it felt very... cheap (im just being honest). It just felt like a very basic weekend (50 episodes) drama. So I basically gave up like 10 mins into the first episode. Idk what drove me to pick it back up but I'm so grateful that I did.

It may seem very makjang like but I began to love it. The cast was phenomenal and the story was just so fun and exhilarating.
I'd advise anyone who's looking for a short and sweet revenge drama to check this out. Because revenge is totally served in the end and it was very satisfying, especially seeing Yoo Ra's demise.

Speaking of characters...
One character I really disliked was the father. Yi Joo's father pissed me off. I hated how she was harsh on her mom but not harsh or disrespectful to him. He basically saw a child get abused for YEARS and did nothing. It shouldn't have to take him being her "real" dad for him to notice the wrongs and mistakes made over the decades. I hated how it was just brushed under the rug when everything came together. To me he was the worst villian in the story. Much much worse than Jungwook and Jung Hye. Because if he didn't provide Jung Hye with that much authority over the household then all the shit that took place wouldn't have happened.

Going off course...
ALL the dads were jerks. Because Do Guk and Jungwook's dad wasn't much better. He favoured Jungwook sooo much and hid all his wrong doings. He didn't even apologize to Do Guk for all the hurt he had to face. He is one of the factors that contributed to Jungwook being the way he is.
Moving on to the other dad... Yi Joo's grandfather. If he hadn't messed up his son's relationship and cut Yi Joo's mom off when she was pregnant none of what took place would've happened (again). So basically all the men in this drama except Do Guk, Sun Kwon and Jaeho were jerks. Everyone of them expect for those 3. And anyone who wants to say that you missed Jaewon, the cute Secretary guy..
NO, I DIDN'T. He was an ass to her when she was living in the future. He literally tried to frame her for everything then, because Jung Hye told him to. Yes, he had his own agenda and that may have been the best way to go about it but I don't forgive him. Even if he redeemed himself when she was transfered to the past. He wouldn't have helped her unless he benefited... which he did.

But anywho....
Yes, it'll be a journey and you'll start maybe disliking characters and feeling like ripping your hair out, as it is a makjang but it'll all come together.
Give it a try and you will not be disappointed.
So yea, that's just my tiny review. Nothing in depth or extensive
One of my fave of 2023. Totally on my top 10 list.

Leia Mais

Binge it if you can

I’ve never read the webtoon so this is based off this show as a standalone drama and not as an adaptation. I started watching this 4 episodes were out because I saw that hair-tying scene on my Twitter/X timeline and it completely convinced me. And the show proved me right — I binged all the released and couldn’t wait for next week. The main leads had amazing chemistry, the antagonists felt like actual threats, and I couldn’t wait to see how the revenge would play out.

As the weeks came around, I still enjoyed the episodes, but I did feel like the show started losing steam.

First, the main leads’ screentime dwindled and we got more and more scenes of our antagonists (of which there were many). It added good tension to see things from their perspective, but it also added frustration. The leads had so much chemistry and tension and we only got to see a few minutes of that every week.

And as more episodes went on, we ran into a different issue: we did get screentime for our leads, but it didn’t necessarily feel like they were progressing. We’d get the same hugs and conversations where they talked about being there for each other and fighting together against the bad guys. These scenes were cute but it felt got sort of repetitive, especially now that we’d gotten all the tension-filled conversations out of the way earlier and it seemed like the next plot development wasn’t happening anytime soon. I still really enjoyed scenes where they cared for each other, but all the stakes felt a little lower by this point, and I started to feel like the revenge was almost too easy. Sides had been chosen, secrets were already revealed, and most importantly, the main antagonists had stayed quiet or had lost too many battles in a row.

Honestly, I was pretty lukewarm on the entire plot by then. Looking back, I don’t remember a singular satisfying moment where our main female lead got to face off against her mother in a moment where I felt like they were on equal footing, where the stakes were high and I truly didn’t know who was going to win. The revenge plot seemed to delve into smaller moments where they would address this one thing first and then that other thing, and I wasn’t sure there was a climax. Even the build-up to some other reveals and to the ML’s perspective felt overdue and a little underwhelming.

Episode 11 was a turning point. Things that needed to be revealed had been revealed, it felt like the revenge had been finished, and the antagonists had been out of the picture — most of which was off-screen, I might add, which made the story feel somewhat incomplete — long enough for The Time Jump to happen. Yes, the dreaded time jump. I’ve never been a fan of the time jump. It’s fine as an epilogue but I’ve never once enjoyed it done in the middle of the story and this was no different. It just felt kind of…weird. Like they didn’t know what to do after all the villains were put away, so they had to bring them back, but had to wait some time for them to be able to. Story-wise, it was a bit confusing to have it happen after everything was seemingly over, but ultimately I don’t think it was blown out of proportion, which was good.

I think part of the plot simmering down also had to do with the female lead, who was really proactive in the first half and then started being more aimless in the second half. Still, I liked the message the drama left us with — that the best revenge for her was having a happy marriage, a healthy family, and a good life. Despite the slowdown, I think this drama had a really good finale episode.

Overall, it was still a pretty good watch — this was my second favorite watch behind Castaway Diva during its runtime, but if I were to recommend it to someone I would suggest binging it rather than watching it slowly. You might be able to retain more momentum that way.

Leia Mais

Everyone gets their yummy desserts

Not all makjang are made equal and I’m glad that this is a good’un in my book.

Makjang storylines, by definition, are meant to be convoluted and outrageous. While for a shortish 12 eps run, it does traipsed through many tropey plots, it is hardly a witch’s brew. I am pleasantly surprised by how well paced, coherent and logical the script is, well, once you get past the whole cancel death shenanigan.

I’ll be honest, the do-over plot device is old hat by now. Every year, there is a new crop with minor variations. This one started fairly typically. Death by misadventure and (GASP) you wake up and get another chance to get things right or in the FL’s case, exact revenge for many years of pain and suffering in the hands of her family.

There are no shortage of shenanigans, foul deeds, mental as well as physical torments. It is full on and yet it feels manageable, relatable. The A-plot needs the darker tropes to make the story work, but it doesn't take them to the extreme just to earn the torture porn badge.

Once the show established the lowest point in their lives, death will do that to you, it is a steady and engaging climb back to the top. Of course, it is never going to be easy for our leads, but they are quite a power couple. They might not be all loved up from Day 1 but their relationship is refreshingly pure and solid. While the FL thought that she is just using the ML as a stepping stone to archive her goals, the ML has other ideas.

I know that sounds bad but in fact, it is quite the opposite. While the motivation of FL’s initial actions is pure revenge, once she takes greater control of her life and learn more of the truth, their relationship changes and evolves. The show changes focus to healing and getting a second chance at life. That is so much more rewarding to watch than a show that is hellbent on Mutually Assured Destruction.

Another gratifying aspect of the show is while the antagonists knows all the dirty tricks, they are not omnipotent. Their plans are effective, even devastating at times, but our leads are not hapless punching bags. They have their wits about them and they have the measure on the evildoers. The show doesn’t jump feet first into non-sensical plots just to meter out endless pain and sufferings to our OTP.

In terms of acting, it is a definite mixed bag. The highly emotional plots and extreme situations are fertile grounds for overacting. Still, I have seen worse. They are within the realm of “normal” behaviours rather than pantomime grade performances.

In the end, I enjoyed this show very much. More because of the leads' growth and their healing journey than the revenge angle. Also, for a change, I can cheer them on without having to facepalm later because the show threw the kitchen sink at them and make them suffer for no reason other than for our “entertainment”. The last ep is purely fan service and I give thanks. It ties up all the loose ends. All key characters are given their moment in the sun (or in purgatory) so we are not left hanging. It is not award winning stuff but it is a solid production.

For some, this might be a weak example of a makjang but I will take it. There are enough troubles in the world today. I don’t usually rewatch this style of drama but I can make an exception in this case. Peace out.

Leia Mais