A pleasant surprise

I've watched this show a couple of times and have really enjoyed it. The acting was good, the characters were interesting and it was a nice change from the long, drawn out Chinese drama or the angst-filled Korean drama.

I know that some people had a problem with the age difference of Harumi and Yuri. I didn't, mostly because I felt that she was very immature, and he seemed to be very mature for his age. I think the Asian cultures can get away with wider age differences, because you can't tell what age they really are, and they age so well.

Let's start with Harumi. She was a mess. She called herself a failure, everyone else called her a failure and I think that, in a way, it became kind of a self-fulfilling prophesy. I think there was an element of her being desperate for Yuri to succeed because she wanted to live vicariously through his victory. I thought the writers overplayed the back problems - sometimes she acted more like an 80-year-old lady, walking in an ungainly way with a cane (yet still wearing high heels at times!). And could she BE any more clueless about the men that like her?!?!

Yuri - I loved that they gave him that beautiful pink hair. He was all hard edges until he started working with Harumi. He was, for the most part, very unemotional, which made the steamy looks he gave Harumi so special. And the couple of times he cried I really felt for him, because you know he had to be in the depths of despair to have that kind of reaction.

Harumi and Yuri's relationship was, for the most part, platonic. I would have liked to have seem more romance, but I think the writers played it that way because of the age difference. The obligatory separation toward the end was short-lived: I really appreciated that they didn't drag it out over a couple of episodes.

Masashi and Yamashita, both interested in Harumi. I didn't feel that Masashi deserved her, he wasn't strong enough to tell her how he felt. Yamashita had some issues of his own. I really liked how the writers wrote the three main male characters. They all wanted her love, but they still supported each other when needed, and didn't resort to dirty tricks.

I felt the same way about Eta Mika, the student that liked Yuri. She was upfront about liking him, but they didn't make her an evil character. I really appreciated that.

Miwa, Harumi's best friend, was lovely. She was trying to help Masashi as best she could, she was always supportive of Harumi and wanted her to be happy, and I loved when she decided to try and help Yuri. I also enjoyed her taking Yuri's friends under her wing and trying to teach them about group dating.

I especially liked that the writers didn't use either of the storylines that I was afraid they were going to use 1) evil young girlfriend making up a story about an inappropriate relationship between Harumi and Yuri 2) Yuri's father getting Harumi fired because he thought there was something going on between them.

I thought this was a fun, light, easy and enjoyable show to watch. It's one of those shows that you can watch between the more intense shows.

Leia Mais

Just no!

This show really irritated me, it was so implausible. Add to that the acting that wasn't very good, the dubbing/editing that was off and distracting, the FL makeup that was too orange and her hairstyle that looked like a duck tail, her calling him Mentor even when in a relationship, she became a counselor after watching an online video, way too many drinking scenes, unexplained things in each of the different stories, and the fact that the overriding theme of the show seemed to be that no one could keep track of their phones! People always seem to have their phone in their hand, not in a pocket or purse, yet when one person calls another, they hardly ever answer. Phones dropped on public transportation, left on tables, etc. , it just got absolutely ridiculous.

Leia Mais

I was appalled by the end!

This show was long, drawn out, and very melodramatic. I didn't feel that it was very well-acted, either. I stuck with it, wanting to see ultimately what would happen, even though I felt, for the most part, that I should have given up and moved onto another show. This show reminded me of American soap operas, where the story lines continue on for years and you stop watching the show for a long period of time, come back to it and still know what is going on. All of that could somewhat be forgiven until I got to the end of the show.

He married the girl when she was in a coma!! That was just creepy. Her mom was telling him that when she woke up she was going to be mad. Everyone is in the hospital room for the wedding and they are filming and talking around the comatose woman in the bed, acting like everything is normal. It was just weird. Then, when she finally wakes up she's like, "So, we're married?" And he sits down and they act like it was a normal thing for someone to wake up from a coma, and be married. Add to that, the actor was pretty flat and unemotional and I didn't think his reaction to finding her awake was realistic, but part of that I have to put on the writer.

Leia Mais

I kept wondering if it would ever end!

This one is a difficult drama for me to review. When I read the synopsis, I thought it sounded really interesting, and somewhat original. I have enjoyed Fei Xing in other works (especially My Little Happiness) but this one really let me down. It started out well, but then one thing after another irritated me no end so it was hard for me to find the positives. I usually focus on the positive aspects in a review, but was unable to in this one.
1) Costuming for all of the cast was good, except for Fei Xing who wore some of the worst outfits I've ever seen in a drama. Big pants, big blouses, poorly tailored, I think every outfit she wore was unattractive. They went to a semi-formal event, everyone was dressed up, and she was wearing jeans.
2) Martyr syndrome of the female lead. She accepted responsibility or took the blame for absolutely everything that happened to anyone in the show. When she took the blame for what the evil character had done 10 years ago, that was just too much. The majority of the conversations had her starting with "I'm sorry"
3) Second couple - he was a stalker and she was trying to be tough all the time. At the end they got a bit cute, but by that time I didn't like them.
4) Overacting of some of the cast, especially the other guy that liked the female lead and the woman that played the aunt.
5) Wow! So many bad guys! By the time we went through 32 episodes and found out in the LAST episode what the main bad guy had done, it was rushed. Then there was more apologizing by the girl and the second male lead.
6) Serious lack of chemistry between the leads. They acted, for the most part, more like brother and sister. There was one kiss, but even their handholding, etc. lacked any warmth. I do have to say there was a sizzling kiss between the second lead couple toward the end.
7) Too long and drawn out. It was episode after episode of sameness.
8) And, oh my gosh, can we talk about the ending?!?!?! I stuck through this long, drawn out drama and that's the ending you give me?!?! It was one of those endings that makes me mad.
I will admit that I am particular about my dramas, so I would say, if you liked the synopsis and think it sounds interesting, give it a try. But don't say I didn't warn you.

Leia Mais

Better title "Why Me?" As in, "why am I stuck watching this show?"

This show started out great! I was at the end of episode two, at which time I had just a couple of issues, and I texted a friend and said that this was the type of show that I could lose sleep over just to binge watch. Unfortunately, that feeling didn't last much longer. I spent a lot of time angry with the writers as I watched this, and I never felt like they redeemed themselves.

I'll start with my positives:
Acting - all of the acting was good, but especially Soo Hyun Jin as Oh Soo Jae. Oh, my goodness, I hated her at the beginning. I did wonder why that, in order for a woman to be strong and successful, they have to be a complete B***ch, but the brief times of humanity were understated and suited her personality completely. The writers did a good job here, in giving us back story following some of her worst moments that would clarify what actually happened. Heo Joon Ho as Choi Tae Gook was amazing. He was the embodiment of evil. I don't like watching this type of character, especially since he doesn't even pretend to be a good guy, but he just drew me in. Then there is Bae In Hyuk as Choi Yoon Sang - he fascinates me. I've seen him in numerous things, and there's something about that little lisp he has... and, finally, Han Joo Hyun as Choi Jae Yi - what a precious little girl!
Found families - between Gong Chan and his hyungs, and the law school students working together, I enjoyed these relationships. I just wish they were developed better/further.

Now for the negatives: SPOILERS!)
1) For me the biggest elephant in the room - why the heck did they use two different actors for the male lead?!?! The younger version of Gong Chan looked older than the Hwang In Youp version! They didn't resemble each other in any way. I kept waiting, throughout the show, for the writers to give us an explanation, but that never happened. It actually seemed like one actor dropped out and Hwang In Youp stepped in at the last minute. I know that's not the case, but that's what it looked like to me. When Oh Soo Jae says to herself, "Why didn't I recognize him?"
2) Romance - They would have been better off leaving the romance out of this show, for many reasons. First, the age disparity - perhaps not so much in chronological age, but in emotional age. He was like a puppy chasing after her, and he seemed more like a high school student than a college student. Plus, the fact that she was a lawyer settled in her career already. And he liked her because she believed in him? That's it? The fact that he kept telling her she was "cool" cemented his immaturity. We had a few brief scenes with them together as a couple. The rest of the time he was either saving her, trying to save her, or holding her while she cried. This was definitely not a give and take relationship. I didn't ship them at all as a couple, to be honest. He called her "Professor" throughout the entire show. At some point in time, if you are truly in a relationship, you use first names!
I loved watching Hwang In Youp, but his character was not well-written.
3) Plethora of bad guys/evil characters. Probably a ratio of more than 2:1. There were so many names to keep straight (especially all the people in the same families), from the past and in the present. Each seemed more evil than the last. The number of things that these people got away with was astounding - multiple people get away with murder (literally), yet they want to draw attention to themselves by bringing her before a disciplinary committee?! And for all the evil done, minimal consequences.
4) Unnecessarily complicated storylines. It seemed like every few minutes they introduced a new character to confuse us. I lost count of the number of storylines that I was trying to keep track of.
5) The direction they took Bae In Hyuk's character Choi Yoon Sang - this one was hard for me to swallow. He likes her, he specifically mentions that he has finally found, in Gong Chan, someone that he can be friends with, yet he threatens pouts and blindsides these characters!? With so many bad guys, I would have much preferred he remain a constant in the ever-changing lives of the two main leads.
6) Too much drinking. Is no one able to solve problems without binge drinking?
7) Vulgar language. I don't know if these were actually the words or just due to the translators, but I don't find bad language necessary.
8) "Stupid heroine" moments. Your office has been broken into, yet you go on in. The guy that attacked you in said office runs out, but rather than leave you go to the roof?!?! What was that about!? Someone calls you to meet him at a deserted place late at night and you go by yourself. Apparently, she's never watched any type of horror film - the stupid characters are usually the first to die.
9) Wow, the labs were doing a booming business in this show. The number of paternity tests and DNA tests that were being run were ridiculous. And finding out that Choi Jae Yi was actually her daughter? I saw it coming from a mile away, and it really made me mad. It just seemed like something else to throw into this mess of a story.
Which brings me to -
10) The truck of doom. I can't even begin to tell you how much I hated this. It was just mean and could have been avoided completely if the stupid paternity storyline hadn't been introduced in the first place.

So, upon reflection, for me, the writing was where the problems were. I'd say, if you have a high tolerance for things that are implausible, watch this show for the excellent acting.

Leia Mais

What is with the music!?!?!

The biggest problem with this drama was the overbearing music, dubbing, and English translation.

Music - it started out when they were playing a Christmas song and the scenes had nothing to do with Christmas. The music didn't fit the story at all and there were so many times that the music was so loud you couldn't hear the people talking. The loud music that they kept playing reminded me of circus music, it was very jarring. I don't care for the voices that they use when they dub Chinese dramas, and this had the added problem of the words not synching with the speaking. This wasn't in all the episodes, but did happen during a few episodes in the middle. Then the English translation had issues, some of the translated words didn't make any sense at all, added to the multiple times that "him" should have been "her".

The story had potential as far as I was concerned. I love me a good destiny story. I couldn't quite decide if I liked his memory loss story line, maybe it just went on too long.

This drama had a very sweet and detailed ending. I appreciated that the story lines were wrapped up nicely and not rushed.

Leia Mais

I'm apparently in the minority, not liking this one

I didn't feel an emotional connection with the characters. He was flat throughout most of the show, he felt robotic to me. His personality was the same, no matter who he was dealing with. I didn't care for the side stories much, I watch K-dramas to get away from all the sex/language that is found in American/British shows, so between one couple living together and the other girl talking about all the guys she's had sex with, that was a turn off for me.

Lack of communication really frustrates me. The breakups because they don't talk to each other (mostly her fault) were maddening. I could, to a certain degree, relate to the progression of their relationship, but unfortunately by the time that happened I really didn't care for him at all.

Leia Mais

Worth watching for the four main characters

Let me start by saying that I could watch and listen to Woo Do Hwan read the telephone book and be perfectly content. He is exquisitely attractive and he has a wonderful, deep voice. There are certain actors/actresses that you just feel drawn to, for whatever reason, and for me, he is one of them. This show is the Korean version of Dangerous Liaisons/Cruel Intentions, which almost kept me from watching it. I do not like to watch people being mean to others, especially without reason. I was pleasantly surprised by the triad friendship of Kwan Shi-Hyun (Woo Do Hwan), Choi Soo-Ji (Moon Ga Young) and Lee Se Joo (Kim Min Jae). To say they were each dysfunctional would be an understatement. There were a lot of very amusing scenes with the three of them interacting. These were scarred people that grew together as friends, to protect each other and build each other up. When the three of them were in scenes together, I felt sometimes like I was getting ready to watch a traffic accident - I didn't want to watch the way that they were behaving, but I just couldn't help myself. And when Shi-Hyun gets involved with Eun Tae-hee (Joy), their chemistry was smoldering. They were wonderful to watch. Woo Do Hwan's transition from cold and calculating to being in love was intense, and there were a few scenes of him trying to be "cool" that were funny. At the beginning, he's pretty emotionless (as a character, not the actor), but once he falls for Eun Tae-hee his smiles just light up the screen. I even thought the way he said her name was special. Joy reminded me a lot of Kim Go-eun from Goblin, and I found that a little distracting. I have to admit I was fascinated by the relationship of these four people, and I could have cared less about their families, and found myself fast forwarding through the family stuff. I'm not giving anything away to say there is a happy (though too rushed and short) ending, along with the obligatory separation for years. Seriously, why do they only give us four minutes for the ending?!?!?! And how many years have gone by? She says that she's made the same wish every year. They were such a lovely couple, I really wish they would have devoted more time to the ending.

Leia Mais

Just my opinion

I know that a lot of people liked this show, but I couldn't, for the life of me, forgive the mess that I was watching. I was very disappointed in the writing, not the acting. Lee Jong Suk and Park Hae Jin were both wonderful in this mess of a drama. I'm all for suspending disbelief, but this show, in the first place, didn't seem to know in which direction it wanted to go. Baddies that don't die no matter what happens to them, a change in the focus of the show (N. Korea was a good starting place, but went horribly awry), things happening in a hospital that have absolutely no foundation in reality, name/identity changes (who can keep up with the names?), and it seemed like the inmates were running the asylum! The ending was very disappointing and caused an even further suspension of disbelief - the main characters disappear for a year - did no one look for them? Ugh!

Leia Mais

Loved it!

I didn't read anything about this ahead of time, and I'll be honest, I've no idea why I suddenly decided to watch something about traffic cops! I am so glad I did, though. I watched it on Hulu in the US.

First, there were multiple different cases in every couple of episodes, with an overarching mystery that is woven through each episode and finally solved at the end.

I LOVED the TCI team! They all made significant contributions to each of the cases, and you could tell they had a lot of respect for one another. I'm not a big fan of Lee Min Ki - he's the same character in each drama of his that I've seen. He did his usual job, and I really liked each of the other characters. They managed to make the two women smart and competent without being witchy. There were three actors that really departed from other works I've seen them in - Kang Gi Doong, Oi Eui Shik and Lee Yoo Joon. Hats off to them, especially Kang Gi Doong - wow, he was a piece of work!

I found the public service announcement at the end of each episode very interesting, with statistics about hit-and-run, drunk driving, etc.

The car chases were excellent.
No romance - thank you!
I'm not a big fan of shows that have a second season, but I'd be up for a season 2 from this show!

Leia Mais

Personally, I found Season 1 so much better

And this is why. Multiple corrupt police and government officials got promoted following season 1 and continued their corrupt ways. We, as the audience, already knew they were corrupt. Then, they added more corrupt people. As I mentioned in my review for Season 1, the same people tend to play the same type of characters from drama to drama. You see an actor come up on screen and you already know he's corrupt. There is such a thing as overkill on the corruption story, and I think this season surpassed their quota.

There wasn't as much police procedure in this season, just a lot of time spent on the bad guys, showing how they are always a step ahead of the police.

ML was excellent. He'd lost weight since Season 1, but he still had that "worn out" look about him. I missed him having so much interaction with the two police that he worked with in season 1. He was more of a lone wolf in this season.

I loved Go Gyu Pil and Hyun Bong Sik in their roles again this season. They are always good for comic relief.

Perhaps, if I hadn't watched this right on the heels of Season 1, I might have enjoyed it more.

Leia Mais

Very suspenseful

This drama had more twists and turns than a corkscrew! I must say, corruption isn't my favorite thing to watch, but I watched an episode every day on the treadmill and didn't have to fast forward at all. I would not recommend binging it. You kind of have to let things marinate after you watch an episode. It was very dark, with pervasive tones of grays and blues, which was effective to the feel of the story. A note of warning, don't get too cocky and think that you know what is going on, and who the bad guys are, because you'll probably be wrong!

Acting: Lee Sung Min as Taek Rok - I've only seen him in a couple of guest roles, and he was fabulous in this. A tired, overweight, chain-smoking, disheveled, grizzled cop just trying to move to retirement without making waves. That quickly falls by the wayside when he gets blamed for the murder of a co-worker. Then the cat and mouse game begins. There was something sad yet endearing about his character. His loneliness was almost palpable.
Jin Goo as Jin Han - he was very good. I really liked the developing bromance between him and Taek Rok.
And, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Go Gyu Pil as the dormitory manager. I love him, and he brought some levity into all the seriousness.

Somewhat of a cliffhanger ending, since there is a season 2. I hope that we get a different case rather than a continuation of the case from season 1. I'm ready to move on.

My only minor quibbles:
1) Why do the same people always play the bad guys? There are a couple of the actors that when I see that they are in a drama, I know that they are corrupt.
2) Oh, so many names to keep straight! I finally just decided that as long as I knew what was going on with the main characters, that's all I needed.
3) The psychiatrist was under-utilized. That whole storyline didn't make much sense and was never completely fleshed out.

Do yourself a favor and watch this. And, if possible, watch it in a dark room, because some of the scenes are too dark to make out faces or what is going on.

Leia Mais

Almost wore out my fast forward button

What I liked:

1) Cui Yi Xin as Quan Quan. What an adorable little boy!! He was absolutely the highlight of the show. I didn't like his tendency to call his parents by their first names, but his interactions with them was cute.
2) The main couple, when they weren't fighting. They were sweet together, not fire chemistry, but no fish kisses.
3) We got a wedding!

Not so much:
1) Wow! So much extraneous stuff. I didn't care for the two side couples. This one went on entirely too long
2) The sleazy sexual predator males.
3) All three women seemed like they took turns "playing" their boyfriends. Stupid reasons for breakups (2nd couple), stalker (3rd couple), the FL decides arbitrarily that she doesn't want to see the ML anymore for no apparent reason, and makes him jump through hoop after hoop to try to win her over.
4) Dubbing. A couple of the ladies sounded like Minnie Mouse on helium.
5) The doctor has liked Min Hui for years, then suddenly he likes the irritating woman that has been stalking him.
6) Small, yet irritating thing. They weren't wearing their wedding rings in the scenes following the wedding.
7) He went to another country for six months to have surgery, but she didn't go?! However, their reunion was cute.
8) Way too much "we're together", "we're breaking up", we're together.

I realize I'm in the minority here, but I can't recommend this one, except for the little boy.

Leia Mais