A healing journey disguises as a noona romance while masquerading as a sports drama

I am in two minds about this show. I keep swaying between the pros and cons.

On the one hand, it is very well written for the majority of the show. The plot keeps moving at pace and there is always something new happening on multiple fronts. There are mini cliff-hangers which keeps you wanting to see a little bit more. Misunderstandings are not allowed to fester and generally speaking, there is good communication between the leads.

Unfortunately, like many c-dramas that runs to 30+ episodes, it does flag towards the end. It is not quite a mid-show drag but you can feel the momentum draining away. The last few episodes mostly coast along rather than being propelled by some unstoppable plot. We got there at the end, and it is an ending that fans would appreciate but it is not a grand finale and feels more like a collection of footnotes.

It is clever of the writer to distribute the fan service fairly evenly once the couples are confirmed. In fact, some of the best CP moments are found around the 2/3 mark. From then on, we get dollops of skinship here and there to spice things up. It is nice and sweet but there is a lack of intensity.

In terms of acting, the ML is great and he carries the show. He is all singing and all dancing. He trained hard for the role and he is very good both as the impulsive young man as well as the maturing sports star by the end. His acting is animated as well as nuanced. On the other hand, the FL turns in a measured performance which is par for her. To be honest, I feel that she is often cast as the super competent professional who is hyper-focused on her work and her private life suffers. She has more or less given up on romance once she turned 30. Of course, her well ordered world is turned upside down when a handsome young suitor enters our noona’s life. The problem is that she can sleepwalk through such roles by now and it shows. We are also familiar with how a noona romance flows so we need more from her to lift this above the rest. Unfortunately, the show pushes too hard on the business side so she appears more often as the cool and calculating club manager and less of a romantic lead. We get a scattering of swoon worthy moments which rarely feels truly passionate.

On the other hand, the healing journeys undertaken by several of the casts, while low key are well written and rewarding to watch. They are nice character studies. There are no instant redeemption but a steady growth of the characters throughout the show. In time, they learn to deal with historical wrongs with maturity. This is gratifying to watch.

To the show's credit, the bulk of the support casts is actually quite good. The ML’s dad, Coach Zhang, Jiaojiao and Luo Nian are interesting characters in their own right. There are still the odd one dimensional characters such as the FL’s boss and her mum who are mostly there as naysayers. In the end, they did little damage, but it is distracting and repetitive.

This goes for the secondary couples as well. The Jiaojiao and Liang Tao couple is cute and has good chemistry. However, I have to wince a little when I realised that the coach has been passive/aggressive chasing Luo Nian for well over 2 years before she shows him a hint of acceptance. That’s playing the long game!

Finally, the sports aspect is very good in the beginning and engages us with the ML’s struggles. It showcases the ML’s dedication, intensity and physicality. It kept our interest for good part of the show but once again, that aspect becomes little more than window dressing later on. We get montages of “random” match play and then the final results. It moves the plot along, but you don’t sense the earlier "fight to survive" urgency anymore.

Is the show any good? Yes, it is. It is well written and well-acted on the whole but the show does peters out towards the end. The story is engaging and the noona romance is sweet. We have a decent amount of fan service and a HEA ending that will satisfy the fans. It would have been an even better show if it sprints to the finish rather than just jog past the line.

The OST is nice and I wouldn’t mind a casual rewatch.

Leia Mais

My cup of romance overflowth

You know the old saying, you don’t know what you missed until it’s gone. Well, this show is my corroboration.

When I first started to watch this drama, I wasn’t hooked. The meet-cute was functional but kooky. The leads are good looking people, and the setting is bucolic. It was not until the halfway mark when it dawns on me how enjoyable this show truly is.
The premise of the Show is fairly typical. Boy meets girl under some trying circumstances and leads to misunderstandings and mistrust. Nothing new there, all been done before. What the show was good at is to put the OTP’s relationship front and centre and show how a healthy relationship can form realistically. How I miss such a simple and straightforward premise.
While the ML is her boss, there is no power tripping nor maltreatment from the ML.

There are teasing and meaningful glances, but there are a lot of communication as well. Quite a lot of the dialogue are musings about relationships in general. There are no hidden agenda nor unhealthy intentions. The ML did have to work hard to break through FL’s shield, but he did it with patience and forbearance.

There is a bit of angst, but it is not directly related to the OTP but rather business related. The strength of their relationship is strong enough so that they can stand shoulder to shoulder when confronted with challenges. Even the parents are lovely and understanding. They are so supportive of our leads.

It is true that the Show is lacking in high dramas but it is a blessing when you consider shows which are willing to derail a perfectly fine love line in the name of overwrought theatrics and angst filled subplots. I’m looking at you, Flight To You.
Acting is good from all involved. I like the fact that the FL is not the classic beauty, but she is so good in this role. The ML is handsome and sweet, a true gentleman. My surprise find is Assistant Lin. He is not idol grade handsome but his is very charismatic.

There is an appropriate amount of skinship and so many swoon worthy moments. I have no problem shipping the CPs at all. The romance is sweet, but it is a steady, organic growth and not the usual 9 tens push-pulls and then the last minute magical confession. This is how it should be. It is not rocket science. I can relate to this which seems to be a point missed by so many writers.

If there is one fault with this show it would be its overuse of "funny" sound effects. This is particularly egregious early on when every humourous moment is accompanied by a cacophony of barnyard sounds or loud zany music track. It got toned down a bit towards the end but it is overused and fairly pointless.

I can highly recommend this Show if you are a romantic at heart and are sick of shows that portray romance as military grade obstacle course that takes no prisoners. This Show will restore your faith in love. It is on my rewatch list.

Leia Mais

Court ladies united will never be defeated!

Let’s get 2 fundamental points clear first. The FL is the heart and soul of this Show. When she smiles, the sun shines brighter and the birds sing sweeter. She is the focal point of many subplots. Interestingly, instead of all the wives and concubines scheming and at each other’s throat, the FL gathers a circle of friends from various royal households which grows to becomes a band of sisters who supported each other through thick or thin. It is definitely refreshing and entertaining to watch them work through and around daily challenges. The second point is the push for gender equality. Even though there are regions in this ancient mythical world where women are considered superior, most of the divided realms are patriarchal. A lot of male characters are portrayed as entitled, patronising or outright despicable. The one exception is the ML who is as sweet, gentle and loyal as they come.

With this in mind, the Show can be boiled down to a series of vignettes that challenge the leads, their friends and the steady rise of the ML in the imperial court. Some tasks are trivial and domestic while others are more serious and involve palace intrigues and affairs of the state. In all cases, it leads to the growth of our leads, their relationship as well as those who are near and dear to them.

Of course, 40 episodes of this is a stretch and this is where the FL’s presence really anchor the show. She is such a lovely and grounded character that you just can’t help but liking her and cheering her on. More importantly, makes you invested in the show and want to keep watching. Nevertheless, not every subplot involves our OTP and some do drag on for too long.
Draggy plots aside, there are other issues. Part of the problem is that most of the trials and tribulations are contrived. It is quite obvious what the writer wants as the outcome and it follows a well-trodden path.

On top of that, the Show is first and foremost a rom-com so its tone is fundamentally light. There are some serious issues presented mostly regarding mental health, the treatment of women and their place in society. While shows like A Dream of Splendor hit it harder and deeper. This Show vacillate between light and dark and settled on a shade of off white which avoided the really tough questions. We are constantly reminded of the inequality, but the solution arrived at are mostly simplistic, jingoistic and misaligned with its historical context. It is more about sending the message than its content and a contemporary message at that.

Acting is generally good, with the OTP outshining the rest of the cast. Of course, with such a big ensemble, there are some inconsistencies but it is not a big issue. Production is generally good but more care can be taken to give lighting a more natural look. Also, the styling and makeup of FL changed significantly towards the end to try to signify her important status and growing maturity but it doesn't work for me. She lost her characteristic sparkle. It felt like she has put on a mask.

The last few episodes are pure fan service with bonus skinship (about time!). The bulk of the plots have run their courses and the Show took its time to wrap things up and ties off each thread with a huge pink bow.

Overall, the Show is sweet without too much artificial sweeteners. The progress of the OTP’s love line is slow, but quite organic and swoon worthy. The writers stuck to their guns and the storyline is very consistent and enjoyable. It is fluffy and light but in a charming way. I can recommend this show if that is what you are looking for.

Leia Mais

Lots of skinship but lazy plots

Once again, this show started promisingly. The production value appeared to be high and scenes were lush and grand, at least in the first few episodes. The meet-cute was nice with reasonably fast pacing. However, the show went south with more and more storytelling issues and plot holes as it progressed. Overall, it was a disappointment.
A lot of the issue with this show comes from a very simplistic approach to plot development. Everything was telegraphed, characters and plots were mostly one dimensional. It wasn't so much character growth but more like personality transplant. Both 2FL and 2ML turned from jilted suitors to homicidal maniacs. It was straight out of Evil Plot 101 playbook but they were literally shouting "you will pay for this in BLOOD!".
By the half way mark the story just felt stuffed with set pieces that doesn't really related to the main plot (if you can call it that) but just so that they can stretch out the episode or add more skinship. The classic case in point is the black inn episodes (ep 31/32). It felt like they brought the writer back to add more scenes but paid scant attention to continuality or narrative logic.
I suppose it is time to address the skinship side of things, this show had a surprising amount of it for a c-drama. We are talking about lots of hugging, kissing (some of that quite passionate) and the OTP being frisky in bed. After completing the show, the cynical part of me is calling them out for using the skinship to distract us from the poor script or at least keep us watching the show. If that is something you like then thou shalt find aplenty. However, you can also find 15mins cuts of their romantic scenes on YouTube.
Similar to the personality shifts, the show also have drastic mood changes, it started off as Contract Marriage 101, Rom-com 101, Palace Intrigue 101, etc and some of it did work early on, especially the scenes between the ML and his group of close friends. He was so ignorant of love and sex that the show was almost like relationship tutorial and sex ed and you will get a chuckle or two. Then the show shifted to Tragic Revenge Melodrama 101 (subtitled "Every Trope Were Used"). Yes, it was designed to hit us with the feels and make us empathise with the characters but the plots were so transparent that you just felt like you have seen it all before (from the golden age of tv dramas).
The ending was laughable. The tone was completely wrong. We are talking about tragic scenes just a episode or two ago; Death and broken people stalking the scenes. The FL was in a coma for days and as soon as she woke up, they were getting intimate. It got worse, the ML then spend the rest of the episode trying to play parlour tricks on his friends (I was groaning with them) when there were orphan threads and unresolved sub plot just left dangling. Was that really all that was left to do after 36 episodes?! It wasn't even decent fan service.
OST was good for the first half but then it got repetitive. Acting was ok. The ML was quite stiff and wooden for half the show but he did open up. FL has to do a lot of heavy lifting but there was little growth in her character. The ML's brother was one of the main villains but he was so wooden, he was more annoying than evil. The 2FL acted her heart out (especially towards the end) but it was a very textbook role. The 2ML was interesting and handsome but once again, his role was so tropey that it was all done by the book.
Honestly, I was going to drop the show around the 2/3 mark but I thought I'd push through but I did fast forward some scenes. The OTP did have their sweet moments and decent chemistry but I won't be re-watching the whole show, may be the 15mins YouTube highlight reel.

Leia Mais

Death by a thousand cuts . . with a dull scalpel

Makjang and melodramas are a staple of k-dramas. Most of the time they are well sign-posted. Once in awhile you'll stumble across a show that looks harmless on the surface but a makjang in disguise. May I present to you, Dr Cha.

At its core, this show is about the struggles of a middle-aged woman stuck in a loveless marriage, her identity and the fallout of an affair. Our FL has an epiphany after recovering from a very serious illness and wants to break free from a closeted existence. Everything is on track for several episodes. The antagonists might be circling but the expectation is that our FL will overcome.

Not so fast, my eager friends. She was soon relegated to the peripheral while the antagonist takes centre stage. I'm not saying that the FL didn't try to push back but it is as if the Show is determined to beat her down with every cliche gender stereotype and societal/familial coercion. This is not helped by the tyrannical behaviour of her husband.

While Korean audiences might tsk-tsk at the horrid husband, they are more likely to accept it as typical patriarchal behaviour. Essentially, this show is a graveyard where all the makjang tropes come to die. Caveat emptor if you stumbled across it on Netflix and thought that it is a heartfelt romance.

The fact that the bulk of the show's pacing and flow are dictated by the antagonists made it hard to watch for me. The FL's growth is stymied by one person's illogical behaviours and interference. She is trapped in a no-win situation with the weight of the world on her shoulders. It is draining and unrewarding to watch. There is no hope, just despair.

Even with all the trials and tribulations, we still get a HEA ending. The last episode is total fan service, on steroids. Everyone gets redemption. There must be a 2 for 1 offer at the wholesaler. Honestly, if you jumped in at this point, you'd never guess what happened in the first 15 episodes. Even the herd of unicorns are falling over from sugar over dose. The sentiments are rooted in traditional values, quite inoffensive and banal. The reason why Dr Cha rejected her suitor is so old fashioned that it should be delivered in a calligraphy scroll.

Having said all that, the acting of the various leads is very good. Especially Dr Seo. You end up with a love-hate relationship with his character. He steals most scenes but at the same time, his character is so unlikeable that you just want him to go away. Well done, sir! The FL is good, but she only has moments of highlight rather than a dominating presence. Sadly, Dr Roy is relegated to cameos most of the time. He should be given more screen time. What a waste.

In the end, Dr Cha is a show that will resonate strongly with some but polarising for others. It is not bad, per se. Acting and production is up there but it doesn’t work for me because I'm not the target audience and I don't agree with their world view.

This brings us to a growing concern of mine. While the Hallyu wave have netted us some amazing dramas, the pressure on the various streaming platforms to find more k-dramas is ever growing. This in turn creates a buy-first-ask-later mentality. We might end up with a constant stream of patchy but hyped dramas with little quality control. Peace out.

Leia Mais

Short and sweet fluff or two hours long ad?

When they said mini drama they meant it. It is about 2 hours total in length. I have seen it presented as 20 x 6 mins episodes or 3 longer episodes each about 42mins long.

The premise is quite straightforward. The ML knew the FL when they were younger and there was a hint of first love but they lost contact. By some cliché plot device, the ML was transported into the future and met up with the FL again and they are now both working adults. He ended up living with the FL for a while and they fell in love all over again.

The story is fairly straightforward. It has a tropey plot but there was no nasty surprises. The OTP had good chemistry and they made a cute, good looking couple. A big negative was the egregious product placements. It wasn't just the usual jar of cosmetics by the sink or drinks in the fridge. They actually wrote the ads into the script so that the actors pushed one company's products relentlessly. At one stage, the ML got a job selling the products in a shopping centre and, of course, he has to demonstrate the products and tell us all about their benefits.

On the whole, it was a harmless show with a decent plot (point deducted for all the PPL). Cute and fluffy with minimal investment in your time and emotions. Think of it as a palate cleanser between two must watch shows.

Leia Mais

What do you call a show with a chaotic start, a solid middle and a jingoistic ending?

This is an odd show. It has one of the most chaotic start but also a solid middle. It then ran out of puff. Becomes really jingoistic and flag waving towards the end. There is not a lot of substance to the main plot so I won't bother to dissect it. I’ll just list some pros and cons;

Pros:
• It is angst lite. There are some family issues, business shenanigans and a hint of a love triangle but nothing life or death. There is a lot of misunderstanding early on which took many episodes to clear up. While the entanglement is a bit contrived, its resolution is surprisingly well scripted and plausible.

• There is quite a bit of swoon worthy moments once the leads are official. The skinship quota is also higher than usual and quite passionate. There are no fish lip kisses nor camera tricks.

• The acting is generally good. The leads have lots of chemistry. The FL is minx like and her growth is rewarding to watch. The ML is handsome and charismatic and he turns in a solid performance. The performance from the younger cast members are more uneven but it is par for the course.

• There is a recognisable gay support character. This came as a surprise to me because for the last couple of years all BL dramas have been shelved and male characters are decidedly masculine and unambiguous.

Cons:
• The start is chaotic and a bit silly. Lots happened but achieved very little. Too many side characters are introduced in a rush which leads to more confusion. I’m not surprise if some viewers dropped the show after the first couple of episodes.

• While the romance line is nice and sweet, the main plot is a bit thin. It is mostly tropey family problems, office politics and business shenanigans. Nothing unique nor original.

• PPL, so much PPL. They are hardly subtle. A rough count has the leads catching 4 or 5 colds just so that the cold medicine can make an appearance. Ditto various cosmetics and personal grooming aids. The scene with an electric shaver was so heavily scripted that it was laughable. This extends to a parade of new cars.

• This show reminds me of Flight to You where at times it feels like a glossy promo video for the new Chinese airliner (C-919). In this case, it is the Chinese owned global positioning satellite system called BeiDou. However, it is much more patriotic and jingoistic in this show. There is even a firebrand professor who lectures us on sacrifice for the greater good and why the world needs an alterative to GPS. This also means several characters (including the antagonists!) and related subplots are sidelined to make way for it. Your mileage will definitely differ.

This show is watchable once you get past the messy start. The romantic line is swoon worthy and the leads makes the most of it. However, the last few episodes feel out of place and the propaganda is quite heavy handed. While we got the HEA ending in the end, it feels flat to me. Peace out.

Leia Mais

(In my best Yoda voice) “Feel the Love!”

Once in awhile a show comes along that just tells a simple story really well. No fuss, no unproductive theatrics, just the basics.

This show is all about the love story between a handsome dude and a beautiful girl 5 years his junior. Their association started when the girl was in junior high and she developed a crush on him when he was introduced as his older brother’s roommate in college. The ML played the "brotherly" role for years until the FL comes of age and he started to have romantic feelings for her. That’s how the show portrayed his side of the story and we shall leave it at that.

The Show took its time to recount their early meetings and how the girl crushed hard on him and going through all the highs and lows of an unrequited love. The Show really hits its stride when they meet again by chance after the FL finished high school and went to a college in the city where the ML is working. Their chemistry is a sight to behold.

As I mentioned in other reviews, in a romance drama, you want to ship the OTP and watch them overcome adversities and fight foes arm in arm. More often than not, dramas will have them fighting each other due to some weak plot twist and go through a breakup or two just to "spice things up". I am thankful that the writer heard my prayers and there is none of that in this show.

Instead, there are lots of playful teasing and plenty of heart fluttering moments and bonus skinship. Their deep love for each other should be distilled and bottled for sale. There are challenges but they are handled with aplomb by our OTP. The writer seems to have gone out of her way to collect all manners of relationship challenges and then set about resolving them in the most positive ways. Each obstacle serves to reaffirm their love and make their relationship stronger. There is little fuss and definitely nothing can come between these two lovebirds. There are no real antagonists and a circle of good friends cheer them on. This type of honest yet heartfelt love story is rare in today’s dramaland. I, for one, give thanks.

The leads are perfect for their roles. ZLS was born to play the lead. I believe this is her first high school drama and she did it with ease. She looks cute and vulnerable in her high school scenes. She then blossomed into a beautiful and radiant young woman in her college years. This goes double after she is in a committed relationship. CZY is handsome and showed a lot more maturity in his role. He played the big brother role well but his take on a devoted boyfriend is next level. He is loving but respectful and always caring. He will make any girl swoon. Their scenes are always worth watching and their chemistry is off the chart. You can really feel their love and commitment especially in later scenes when their resolve is tested.

However, it is not a perfect show. the FL uses a breathless, higher pitched voice when she was playing her younger self and it can be unpleasant to the ears at times. Most of the support casts are from central casting. Their subplots are largely superfluous.

Hidden Love is a sweet, fluffy romance with little angst and few stress points. It is not going to win any awards but this is a show that you can rewatch with guilty pleasure. If you have Romantics Anonymous on speed dial, then you will be doing a happy dance. However, If you want to watch a show with complex plots and matching level of angst and intrigue, then you should have stopped watching 24 episodes ago.

For me, this show has a permanent spot on my rewatch list.

Leia Mais

Enough with the politeness

I enjoyed this show. It is the usual contractual marriage of an odd couple. However, rather than the usual crazy pairing of random strangers, this one is surprisingly well grounded and even have a semblance of logic behind the meet-cute, well, mostly from the ML's perspective.

The plot is solid but uninspired. It runs though the usual gambit of relationship and cohabitation issues. All the problem are handled with maturity and resolved quickly. Of course, there are some issues which are put in the too hard basket like developing feelings for each other. Obviously, being a rom-com those pesky feelings has to be addressed. This is not helped by the politeness and boundary setting between the two. Other than a couple of near misses, their relationship is quite platonic.

This is disappointing because even after they confirmed their feelings for each other near the end of the show, we have very little fan service. It is poor return for shipping the OTP for so long. I honestly would have given it a higher score if we get to see some passion rather than more bonhomie.

Production value is par for the course. Acting is fine and OST is unintrusive.

Leia Mais

Is it possible for a show to choke?

This Show starts well and showed a lot of potential. It was fast paced, funny and really hooks you within the first couple of episodes. The leads have great visuals and are charismatic. The OTP also has good chemistry and their love line is quite swoon worthy. Throw in some unusual litigations and messy family dynamics and we have a nice smorgasbord of stories. What more can you ask?

Everything was humming along and plots are developing nicely. The love story of the leads are progressing well. We even have a psycho antagonist which really spiced up the proceedings. That is why it is so baffling when the story telling seemed to goes off the rails at the last 1/3 of the show.

The cracks starts to appear when Team Law Cafe took on a sexual harassment case.

It is set up nicely, all the background stuff was dip fed to us. Very troubling but impactful. The veiled threats and actual dangers are there to heighten the tension. Everything is set for a multi-episodic arc with a David vs goliath style battle both in and out of the courtroom. What I didn't expect was a seemingly rushed conclusion to that storyline just when it got interesting and the tension is rising. It just feels underdone.

Yes, it does set up the big showdown with the main antagonist but the handling of this key plot felts arbitrary. It sounds like the back of a napkin type of writing rather than a finely tuned one.

Next, the hostage scene at the church is laughable. It was really illogical. We are talking about a dozen or more armed police with guns drawn standing by while the antagonist stood in plain sight waving a knife and threatening the hostage. He stood like that for minutes while ranting at the assembled police. The sorry saga only ends when the injured ML tackled the antagonist single-handedly. Yes, we get the heroic act but it really defies logic and looks farcical. Not sure how that passed script review. That was the moment the Show jumped the shark.

The acting on the whole was good. The antagonist did a very good job of portraying an unhinged person. The FL was bold and sassy and she really had fun with that. The ML was low key and conflicted. He feels out of sorts around the FL and is over protective. It worked well in the early stage of the Show but it does get a bit tiring towards the end.

I enjoyed most of the show and loved the spunky FL and the OTP's cute interactions but the weird misstep in the story telling did give me pause and took me out of immersion. The last episode is pretty much fan service. I can't rewatch the whole show but a highlight reel will not be a chore. Peace out.

Leia Mais

The screenwriters want to teach us what love is but the Show came across as half baked and tedious

The fake marriage trope is now firmly established as a recognised genre and j-drama has done its best to invent a sub-genre whereby the marriage is between two total strangers with little or no preamble.

It can be very interesting and rewarding to see two strangers navigate living as a married couple with all the obligations and expectations from families and society. Finding love is a must and that journey of discovery is usually what sustain us and defines whether the Show succeeds. This show started on the right track but then lost its way in a maze of its own making before eventually finding the exit. The viewer is taken on a protracted run through the maze and it is frustrating when we can see the correct path before us but the protagonists always seemed to take the wrong turns.

The show is billed as a rom-com. There is the usual overacting and it has lots of romance in its plots but most of them seem to circumvent our OTP. It is as if the writers are giving us a tutorial on what true love is with lots of book examples. Unfortunately, the ML must have slept through most of it.

Time and time again, the ML was confronted with "feelings". He would get confused or misunderstood simple signals. At one stage, the FL shouted that she loves him and he replied "that's nice. What's for dinner?" (that is not what he actually said but you get my drift). The problem is that this doesn't happen once but repeatedly. The ML was berated by his friends, family and even his love rival as being dumb, idiotic and clueless. This is a person who works in advertising, well educated and pushing 30. He is not a shut-in. I can accept social awkwardness and inexperience but his behaviour is next level. Yet, at the same time, he has a long time crush on someone so he is not without feelings. While the FL was better represented, she was portraited initially as scatty, impulsive and naïve but at least she knows what love is when it hits her between the eyes. Of course the FL spent much of the show annoyed, disappointed and/or confused.

So with all the tutoring, expositions and observations of other people falling in and out of love over many episodes, you'd think our CP got the gist, right? Nope, not for 90% of the run. Even after multiple "confessions" and the donning of couple's pyjamas they still broke up on the weakest pretence. Forsooth, ye ol' curse of Failure to Communicate! The writers loved to use this device. They would have the actors interrupt other each repeatedly at key moments or an action is totally misunderstood but there is never any clarification. That is painful to watch as it was so obvious and served only to prolong their suffering and ours.

Speaking of love, there seems to be a queue of people who would fall in love with our protagonists pretty much at first sight. Random characters would be introduced for an episode or two, hit on one of the leads and sow confusion and then disappear. Why is this the only way for our protagonists to get any clarity about their feelings?

In terms of chemistry between the leads, there is a bit but there should be a lot more. The pairing just never felt 100% right. The Show tells us again and again that they are perfect for each other but I don't feel it. Friends, yes but soulmates? Kisses are rare and felt wooden. You just don't sense the passion. The herd of unicorns are MIA for this show.

Of course the ending is HEA with hints of multiple pairings. I would have prefer a show that spend a lot more time and energy showing us how the OTP falls in love and work together to sort out problems rather than standing around observing other people's love affairs and then completely botch their own. This is not a DIY car repair video after all.

There are much better examples of this genre such as "Because This Is My First Life" and "Shanai Marriage Honey".

The Show is watchable and there are funny and cute moments but it doesn't balance out the tedious bits. There is next to no re-watch value for me. Peace out.

Leia Mais

Tropey melodrama that was buoyed by the acting but hamstrung by the script

The promise of this show is old school tropey. Rich, controlling patriarch ruining his kids’ lives. Misunderstandings, forced separation, single motherhood, the works. Classic melodrama from go to whoa. Hence, I would focus on what worked and what didn’t.

What worked:
The acting: All the key actors were superb. This is a perfect vehicle to test their mettle. Many scenes were done without OST or even dialogue. It is all about projecting the longing, penned-up emotions, hatred and confusions to the viewers. It could be a challenge for some but not this ensemble. My heartstring was bow tight by the end of many episodes. Have tissues handy.

The production: It complimented the story very well. It is realistic and believable. Gritty when it should be. It does not dress everything up in glitz. In fact, a lot of the mood is set by the lighting, especially in the hospital. Shadows and lights all played a role. It was a complete package.

Direction: Good actors need a good director. When the team is firing, the scenes were off the chart. The bathroom tryst, the drunken “apology” in the FL’s hallway, the return to their hometown during his regression, and more. Each of those scenes are worthy of rewatch and classroom discussions.

The young actors: Thank goodness for them. I can’t imagine the older leads dressed up in school uniforms. The young actors pulled their weight. Well done!

The son: Finally, a child is allowed to behave naturally. There are meaningful dialogues but no wisecracking one-liners. When you pair that up with an adult voice actor trying to sound like a kid, it is cringe worthy.

No dubbing: Hallelujah! The emotional impact of this show needs that connection and expert dialogue delivery. A floating voice will ruin it.

The Script: A win and a miss. At times, it is a wonderful script and allowed the plot to play out slowly, but steadily. The story is grounded. It is not over the top. At least for a good 2/3 of the show.

What didn’t worked:
The Script: Ahh, I see, all the old tropes have taken up residency here. There is enough directorial and acting firepower to make it work but the script really developed cracks in the later half of the show. It is almost as if the weight of the tropes has overwhelmed the writer.

Case in point, the mental illness trope. It allows for some light and breezy scenes which was great fun to watch and showcased the acting of the leads. But the tone abruptly changed. Why bait us? Ditto the business shenanigans towards the end. It changed the feel and dynamics of the show. It was a plot looking for a story. There were hints of something more but it just ended up toeing the line. (see below)

The Ending: It really pains me to write this. Almost everything to do with this show was on point and then the ending happened. After 29 episodes, the show basically says, we can’t deviate from the clichés/tropes. Every loose end tied with a regulation approved knot. Yes, job done but it felt rushed, awkward and unsatisfying.

To elaborate further; Sheng Fang Ting’s story could have ended much better. Considering Sheng was portraited as driven and angst filled but not evil. He could be kind and caring. He has a hidden agenda and an axe to grind but what if the writer takes the high road, let the brothers have the private chat but instead Sheng said, “I was going to take everything away from you but you are not like father. I respect you as a man. Now we shall fight side-by-side and save OUR company.” The ML was so touched that he signed the company over to Sheng because he has the business mind and is the worthy successor. Shu Qin overheard it all as per the script but now she is even more in love with Sheng. All the elements are there. The show could have pivoted at that point. After the relentless groom, this is one little sugar pill I shall gladly accept.

Similarly, there was a lot of communication between Sheng and Shu before the wedding. All that stopped. No scenes of them talking or arguing. Sheng could have told her his past and how he suffered. She can decide if she’d forgive him. That is logical. But the trope (or censors) demanded a morality tale. Revenge might be sweet, but the price you pay is much, much worse in the end. We get that but do we want it?

The last straw was the resolution of the puzzle of the FL’s father death. It was farcical. It is the key reason for the barrier between the leads and caused multiple deaths. The whole plot was wrapped up in moments with only a deadpan voiceover about crimes and punishment. Is that it?

Elephant in the room:
The timeline: The leads broke up 7 years ago and the actors looked to be in the 30’s (they are actually in their 40's!). But the leads should be in their late 20’s (school/college/pregnancy). We seemed to have lost 10 years. It is not a deal breaker but it can pull you out of immersion.

Negative comments abound about Wallace's accent but diversity is a fact of life. Dubbing and homogeneity has a lot to answer for.

To be honest, this show was tracking a perfect 10 for the longest time but some script issues and then the ending gave me pause and it lost its shine. I would rewatch parts of it for the superb acting but not to the end, especially the ending.

Leia Mais

Sweet, refreshing rom-com

What a lovely, refreshing rom-com. It is almost a 9 but for the unnecessary break-up and a messy tail (see later). It is refreshing to see the cool, clever ML doing all the chasing while the FL is clever and bold but a bit clueless when it comes to dating. Not that she is ditzy, just a little innocent and happy-go-lucky. The chemistry of the OTP is very good. Not raw lust, just pure first love from two nice sweet characters. There were genuine LoL moments as well. The scientific approach to dating from the ML is sooo cute, not done for laughs like other dramas but totally in character. There are just so many cute moments during the first 2/3 of the show, it really brings on the feels. That makes the obligatory break up so much harder to take. Especially, when the reason behind the break up was so thin and weak. I'd call it poor writing, to be honest. We don't need that just to have the bitter sweet reunion later on (can't recapture the light tone for several episodes). I can do without the manufactured pain and suffering for our OTP, thank you very much. All the support casts were great. Strong characters and lively banters. One last thing, there are 27 episodes on Viki. The ending at the end of ep. 27 is not the true ending, a bit meh and half baked. The reason is that there is an episode 28 (26 mins long) on Youtube with eng sub which you must watch to conclude the series properly.

Leia Mais

Don’t judge, just enjoy. :D

I remember clearly after watching the first episode I told my friend that I might have to drop it because it is a train wreck. But like witnessing an accident, there is a certain morbid fascination. I was undecided, but the show was whispering, “watch me . . . watch me . . .” So I watched the next episode and before I knew it, I binged all 4 available episodes in one sitting and I was hooked. Yes, I have the number for Drama Addicts Anonymous on speed dial. ;)

There is not much point in reviewing the show in detail because there are just so many things going on. It would be like running through a scrapbook of memes. The following comments will be general in nature with one exception.

First of all, the Show is beyond zany, it can be next level crazy at times with a mix of slapstick, sitcom and rom-com all mixed in. It is totally non-PC with more than its fair share of people behaving badly towards each other but mostly towards the ML. It was a challenge to watch the first episode because it is rude and crude but once you get to know the ensemble cast, you will start to see their better side or at least their more “normal” side. They are still offbeat and quirky but they are very human.

This bring us to the next point, the show races along at a thousand km an hour so there is a lot of gags, plots and office shenanigans that flash past each episode. Not all of them hits their mark and some are opaque due to cultural differences but when they do, they are a blast. You just have to take the hits with the misses. Once in a while, we’ll get a more contemplative scene to fill in backstories or the character's motivations. It keeps you on your toes as you never know what will happen next.

While there is a strong comedy streak running down the middle, romance is a close second. There are three pairings. The OTP who are quite cute and swoony once they fall in love. A 2OTP with the highest confession/rejection ratio known to me but hope is eternal. Finally, a surprise 3OTP that actually made my jaw drop. In a sea of same-same rom-com's, different is good. ;)

One aspect that I was both surprised and pleased about is the inclusion of a foreign actor. Like a lot of Asian countries, Korea is quite homogenous. Foreigner stands out and stands apart. If they are used in dramas, they are usually there as the token diversity with few scenes and little impact. When Aziz was introduced to us, I was thinking that he would be just another waeguk-saram who will be the butt of a few jokes and then be forgotten. I was pleasantly surprised when he was treated fairly. The show actually put up some stereotypes and then proceeded to tear them down. As the Show progressed, he was seen as insightful, knowledgeable and is given some of the better scenes. Hats off to the writer-nim and director-nim. Bravo!

Acting wise, when you first watch the Show, you would think that there is a lot of overacting. With time, you will see the nuances in their acting and the comedic timing involved in pulling off the gags. It was particularly nice to see Kwak Dong Shik getting the lead role he deserved. He definitely shows another side to his acting abilities. There is no doubt it is an ensemble show and the roster is filled with whimsical characters which allowed the actors more freedom to play their roles.

Of course, this Show is not for everyone. There are moments when I'd cringe. Their unapologetic use of crude humour can be off-putting. If you get offended easily, dislike lowbrow humour or hate slapstick comedy, then skip this show. Otherwise, give it a go. Once you get past the first couple of episodes, it might grow on you.

Leia Mais

Awkward rom-com saved by a heart transplant mid run

I know some of you will think that I judged this show too harshly but please allow me to explain.

For a rom-com to be good in my book, I have to care for and want to ship the OTP and the story has to be engaging. That might sound like platitude but the more rom-coms I consumed, the more I felt that this is more elusive than we take for granted. For me, Moonlight missed that mark.

On paper the OTP was a decent pairing. A cute, idealistic new grad in her first job meets a prickly but handsome writer. The issue here is that the setting was very contrived. The FL landed an editor job in a publishing house without an interview and no relevant qualifications, in Shanghai, of all places. Does that really happen in RL? We have seen all the tropey meet-cutes with the ML running over the FL on a bike or the FL trip and fell into the ML's lap with a hot drink, etc but this is the backbone of this script so it needs to be believable and plausible. Of course she overcame every challenge placed in her way. Her storyline was not exactly subtle.

The ML's story was the standard handsome, awkward, egotistical man-child. The writer also threw in a "fated" backstory just to seal the deal. I can accept cliché characters and we all know that Chinese rom-coms have more than its fair share but these were not characters endearing to me. Especially the ML who had a crush on the FL but at the same time did his best to deny this (point blank to the FL's face) and pushed her away repeatedly. Not only was it cliché but the way it was done was wearing. The ML would then pulled a face that said "what have I done?!" and I have to ask that same question too.

The pacing for the first half of the show was glacial. Nothing reached any real highs or lows. Stuff happened and sub-plots came and went. We knew where the show was heading but it just took its sweet time. Honestly, it was just as well that the leads were good looking and they could act. At least they made it bearable. Even then, I was seriously considering dropping it by the halfway mark. Then something happened around ep.19/20. At the start of that "turning point", the plot got so bad that I was having WTF moments. Then it felt like someone sat the writer down and had a "good chat" and the tone, pacing and plot just changed overnight. By the end of episode 20, it was as if a new rom-com was born with the same characters but most of what happened before was a dream.

The last few episodes were sugar sweet and tied up all the loose ends. Just about everyone had a happy ending and moved on in life, love and career. It also meant that it was quite tropey but I can accept that as reward for sitting through the first half of the show. IMHO, if they condensed the first 19 episodes, add it to the last 16 and made it a 20 episodes drama, it would be a decent and very watchable rom-com.

Moonlight wasn't bad, it just didn't resonate with me. Rather than being immersed in their budding romantic journey, I was mostly bored and a little annoyed for a good half of the show. I can't, in all honesty, score the first 19 episode a high mark but the last 16 was a solid 8.5 so in balance, it ended up being a 7.5.

On a positive note, I do like the use of the actors' real voices and ambient sounds. Dubbing can be overused in c-dramas especially if the same voice actor is used for many shows. OST was good. The FL also sang the title song. Rewatch value is low for me. 

Leia Mais