This was a really really good series. The plot is complex, but not so much that you feel overwhelmed. The cast is spot on and does a phenomenal job in every single role. The intertwining family/friend groups is always fun to watch in any series and this one is no different in that aspect.

Here is where I differ from I think about every person who loved this show (and let me say again, I REALLY liked it)...I found the romance a bit lacking. That's not to say that there wasn't a romance. There was, and it was super sweet and you wanted to see more of it because the lead characters had such great chemistry, but they don't let you see much of it. They don't get together until 3/4 of the way through the show, and then once they are a couple they only let you see them as a couple for a very few minutes of each of the remaining episodes. It was super frustrating to me because as I said, they were amazing together. I think it would have been fun to watch them read each other the phone book. They just were great on screen together...but you don't get to see them together nearly enough, in my opinion. Granted the romance isn't the driving force of the story as it is in other shows, so that is probably why it's not so prominent. And what you do see is super sweet and cuddly, so it's not like it's not there. Maybe if I watch it again, I'll feel differently, but as of now, that was my thought.

Even so though...GREAT SHOW. I highly recommend it.

Leia Mais

I loved this series so much more than I expected to. It is much deeper than I thought it would be, but it's not melodramatic. It's just a wonderful set of stories that are all interconnected in just a great way.

CAST: This cast is wonderful. They all play off each other so well. Though Ha Suk Jin is the title character, he is one of 4 primary lead characters and 5 other sub lead characters that are just fantastic. I think my favorite story line revolved around Seo Eun Ah's character (a manicurist who is afraid of men) and Yun Joon Suk's character (a very sweet young bartender and musician). These two are not characters that you necessarily expect to have fun scenes together, but they do and they are truly highlights of the show...even if they are a bit different than what you might expect.

STORY: This show does a fantastic job of weaving several powerful story lines into one amazing drama. It has several parts of the stories that are empowering to women, but also several story parts that are empowering men to be there for those they care for. It truly does a great job of making the women and men stand on equal levels and to call out when there is an uneven standard.

MUSIC: I enjoyed the soundtrack for this series a lot. It was catchy and added to the scenes in valuable, but often understated ways.

REWATCH VALUE: I'm pretty sure I will be rewatching this over and over in the future.

Leia Mais

I saw this show early on in my drama watching and it was the first of the "Itazura Na Kiss" incarnations that I saw. Honestly, after seeing most of the other versions (both Taiwanese and both Japanese versions) it's not my favorite version, but I do like it.

Kim Hyun Joong plays the stoic and somewhat mean male lead well and Jung So Min's version of the female lead might be one of the better portrayals. However, while I really do like this show, it's falls short mostly because it doesn't give the full story. Since it stops just shortly into the marriage part of the story, you don't get to see the best parts of the story (in my opinion) which happen after the two characters are married. For that reason, you don't get to see the full change in the male lead or the best transformation of the female lead either.

That being said, the music is the best in this version and the production quality it probably the best of all the versions as well. It's definitely worth watching.

Leia Mais

First let me say that I'm not giving any specific spoilers in this review, but there is perhaps a general one.

As for cast, the acting is good in this from everyone in the cast. The story line goes places you don't expect and that is interesting and the characters are each intriguing in their own ways. I really enjoyed the first 3 3/4 episodes.

However at the end, the plot went somewhere that made me go, "Wait, what?" And when I thought I knew what would happen, I was wrong. I didn't like they way they chose to end this show. Some folks may find it profound or perhaps even thought provoking, but I just wasn't a fan of the choices that were made in the last episode. I felt they really let what could have been an amazing ending slip away in exchange for a lackluster version. I won't say more than that because I don't want to offer any spoilers. The low scores though are specifically for the plot choices in the last episode.

Leia Mais

I was really interested in this show. The idea of the girl who could see the life span clocks of everyone was unusual and intriguing. And for about the first 10 episodes, I really enjoyed it. However, then things changed.

The main female lead started getting on my last nerve with her choices. I liked Lee Sung Kyung in other things so it's not her acting. I think it was the writing for her character that really started to bug me. The on again/off again way that so much of the story was written just became too much for me. It is just riddled with plot lines that are "lets do this, no wait, lets not do this, ok well, maybe lets do this." And I'm not just talking about the main characters story line...it's literally throughout LOTS of the story lines. You just want to shout, "SOMEONE STICK WITH A DECISION ABOUT SOMETHING!"

So, I can't really recommend this show. It's not horrible, but it's not great. It's decently acted and will fill some time for you, so if that's what you are looking for, then it can fill those requirements.

Leia Mais

This is one of my all time favorite dramas. I have watched it several times already and I'm sure I will watch it again. The acting is spot on and the characters are SO MUCH FUN. Ha Suk Jin and Jun So Min are perfect as the leads in this story. They play off each other really well as well as with the rest of the cast. And I love their chemistry together.

One of my favorite parts of this drama is that the female lead is a strong character. She stands up for herself and for others and doesn't back down in front of the male lead. Plus both the leads grow and change throughout the story and I appreciate that it's not just one of them. He changes the most, but she does a bit as well.

If you want to watch a fun drama with excellent acting and a story that contains several twists, but will leave you with a smile on your face, this might be just the one you want to watch.

Leia Mais

I watched the first season of this show and I really liked it. This season was even better because it was a full length drama (where the first one was a mini drama), which allowed for more character development and story lines. It's easy to think that the plot of this will be difficult to deal with since it's about revenge, and I am really not a person who thinks revenge is a good idea. However the reality of this show is that it's not really about revenge. It's about people being made to deal with the consequences of their own actions and that is something I can very much stand behind.

While the first season dealt with some issues that are not often talked about (like mental illness), this season had more common issues. However, they once again did a great job of dealing with the issue of bullying in various forms and I think that is important because in real life, not all bullying looks the same and it doesn't just happen to the "outcasts." I also really liked that they touched on things from the first season and at least started to tie up some of the questions that were left at the end of season one.

The acting is on par with what you'd expect of a show like this. The actors and actresses do a very good job. This is not a show that is meant to be high drama, it's meant to be light fare and it succeeds. Samuel, Ahn Seo Hyun, and Ji Min Hyuk are great in their roles and are fun to watch. Their friends are also a delight with special notice of Lee Ji Hyun who plays Ha Rok Hee to perfection!

The music goes well with the show, though it doesn't really stand out much.

I very much enjoyed this series and I'll probably rewatch it again at least in part.

Leia Mais

Really Good Drama

I enjoyed this show a lot. I wasn't sure about it at first, but it quickly grew on me and I found myself looking forward to each episode. I liked the main 4 characters the most but the guest cast also did a wonderful job. The storylines of the characters were interesting and kept you wanting to know more. There were a couple cringy bits (thus the half star drop).The ML and FL exude this vibrant sibling energy even though they are not supposed to be related and that was a great aspect to their characters. Overall, I really liked the way this drama unfolded and have already recommended it to a friend.

Leia Mais

First off, let me admit that I struggled with this show. Not because it wasn't good or anything, but because it's rather slow at times and it's VERY tense. It took me probably at least 3 months to finish it. I'd watch a bit, and then need to set it down for a while and come back later. That being said, the acting is great and the story is interesting. There are lots of plot twists and things to keep you guessing.

I'm glad I watched it and I really enjoyed some of the characters. I did miss the romance aspect that you often find in dramas. This literally didn't have one and that was unfortunate because there was the slight possibility of one that I really wanted to see happen. Maybe in season 2?

Overall though, a solid drama and if your thing is mysteries...this is absolutely for you!

Leia Mais

The plot line for this show is good, but it's pretty slow so if you are looking for a show that moves quickly, this is not that series. I often found myself fast forwarding...especially during the meals...of which there are many. You have to expect that though, after all it is a part of the "Let's Eat" franchise. I liked the romance aspect, they mystery is intriguing and the characters were fun (most of them anyway).

Here is the thing that bugged me though. I'm not a prude, nor am I easily offended, but seriously...there is a LOT of foul language in this series. That alone is enough for me not to want to watch it again as well as lower my score for it overall. I'm of the belief that swearing tends to show your lack of education. That's not to say that educated people don't swear, but if you have a decent vocabulary you don't have to revert to the same few swear words over and over AND OVER, like they do in this show. They must have used the same 2 or 3 swear words 100 times over the course of the series. It really got annoying. Anyway, that was my main complaint with the show.

Leia Mais

Full disclosure, I'm a bit bias when it comes to this show because it was the very first K-drama I ever saw. It will always hold a special place in my heart and I will probably always love it because of that.

That being said, while this is truly a fun drama filled with lots of twists and turns, it also has pretty much every trope in the book within it's 25 episodes. Really...almost all of them. From amnesia, to kidnapping, to forced co-habitation (though that is for a rather brief time and only lasts a few episodes, to the rich guy and the poor girl (or in this case 4 rich guys and two poor girls)...they are there and lots of others too. They all attend a school that apparently has no teachers (except one shown in a montage), and where you can bully kids...even bad enough for the person to try to commit suicide without anyone stopping you. But...even with all that, it's still a show that I love and have watched multiple times and introduced other to K-drama with. Why? Because when you compare it to anything here on USA television, it is just so different that you can't help but want to keep watching. The characters are written in such a way that you want to get to know them better, cheer them on, and just hang out with them. Plus, when you realize that you are basically watching a live action Manga, anything that might seem over the top (such as the entrance of 4F to the school...complete with back-lighting and screaming fans), suddenly seems just fine.

As for the soundtrack...it has some great songs. Even though this series is almost a decade old, many of them still hold up and I bought a lot of the songs. One of the things that I thought was really neat with this soundtrack is that each of four main leads (there are technically 5 leads, but one gets comparatively little screen time) has his or her own song that plays when they are in a specific situation. And often, they are singing the song that is their soundtrack song. I was especially impressed with the song Kim Beom (on iTunes it's spelled Kim Bum) sang as well as the Acoustic version of the song that Kim Hyun Joon sang.

If you haven't seen this, you really should. As far as I'm concerned it's a must see for any K-drama lover.

Leia Mais

Sweet and Cute

I watched this drama with a friend and we both liked it. It's not a GREAT drama, but it's lighthearted and cute with a good cast and a happy ending. And all of that is what I want in a drama.

For me, the downside was some of the townpeople. The ajumah women were literally characters that I groaned every time they showed up. I don't like to watch people bicker and that was basically their purpose on the show. It really was annoying and a big part of why I didn't give the show a higher score.

One of he best characters is the second male lead. I wish we had been given more scenes with him and the male lead because they were a hoot to watch together. But I loved how the 2ML isn't an annoying character or one that tries to cause problems because he's not getting what he wants. He was just awesome all the way through and I wish more 2nd lead characters were like him.

Overall, it's a cute drama and a great one if you want to just watch something fun and light.

Leia Mais

Let me start off by saying this was not at all the story I was expecting when I started this drama. I thought the issues would be more school related, but these were much different than that. The young people in the story are facing adult type issues and dealing with things that are often beyond their control...they are basically dealing with the fall out of other people's choices. Their own choices are not always good either, but always influenced by the situations they find themselves in.

My main issue with this show is the ending. I'm not going to spoil anything, but it was a bit confusing to me. I wasn't sure what the actual message was that the story was trying to tell and I had several questions not answered. For that reason, I couldn't give it a higher score.

Leia Mais