Reviews

I really loved this series! The story was unique, the acting was really good, and the music was really catchy. The only reason I wouldn't rate it perfect is there were a couple little parts that dragged. But otherwise, really good! The supporting characters were all great and the plot twists kept me guessing. My absolute favorite part, though, was No Min Woo as Dong Joo. That man is extremely nice to look at and a really good actor on top of that. He made his character really sympathetic and I kept waiting with bated breath for him to show up again. *happy sigh*

Anyway, I really enjoyed this series and will probably rewatch it eventually. ^_^

Leia Mais

Why, of why did I read Violet's review? I had somehow fallen into a sort of quiet limbo regarding my favourite actor and almost forgotten about this movie accordingly, when I read her review, ran to watch the movie myself - talk about patience - and was instantly thrown into my most familiar obsession: Hyun Bin.

My bad. To top it all, I agree with her: this movie is beautiful. I know this is a remake of an older Korean movie with the same title which I haven't seen, but from the start it reminded me a lot of the american/french film "Before Sunrise", with the two leads carving out for themselves a tiny bubble in space and time, far from their present lives and the world outside.
The difference - a notable one for me - is that while in Before Sunrise the two protagonists talk a lot, too much for my taste, here silences are a lot more poignant and meaningful. I am actually glad I watched it raw, to the point I think everybody should do so. To elaborate: most dialogues take place in English, but there are moments when Anna speaks in Chinese and Hoon in Korean. English is their communication tool, but the reason why they understand each other is not a language. Apart from the dance scene mentioned by Violet, I fell in love with another, in which she tells him her story in Chinese and he only comments "bad" or "good", depending on what he feels is her mood. Watching it raw, made me live the entire surreal dialogue as if I were him, not grasping one word, but trying to understand what she conveyed with her posture and eyes.

I also agree about the direction, and I have come up with a sort of theory of my own as to why the colours are so subdued. What we are offered is the world outside the prison as Anna sees it. Since colours only depend on our perception, there isn't much reason for her to paint her life. No wonder she wears make up and happier clothes only for a brief moment: they look fake, in contrast with her mood. The only colourful moments are those in which she imagines.
I guess the choice of Seattle wasn't accidental either: as I recall, it is known as the rainiest city in the States.

The acting is spectacular. Hyun Bin is a gorgeous man, but that's definitely not the point of this movie, where he doesn't have to be good-looking: he has to look vain. And I'm glad it is so, for dwelling on his looks would be an offence to his acting skills.
Wei Tang's performance is outstanding. As I said, she expresses a world via silences.

Beautiful music. I wouldn't have minded a little more of it.

I recommend this movie, but only if you are prepared for its pensive pace and all the untold. Not a fluffy watch by all means, and not for anyone looking for comedy.

Leia Mais

I'm a Latina living in the United States. I was fed telenovelas and later sitcoms for as long as I can remember. I just started watching Asian Dramas, maybe 1 1/2 ago. I have to admit that I suffered from culture shock. The characters were so conservative, just touching hands seemed like a big deal. There were really no kisses in the dramas I watched, it was more like 'pecking'. The candy style type of girl was pretty much everywhere. This,of course is a over generalization; but it took some getting used to in order to accept and eventually understand and more thoroughly enjoy this whole new world.

What does this have to do with 'Little Mom scandal'?. The only reason this background nonsense is relevant is because this was another shocker- but in reverse!
I'm so used to seeing all of this lack of physical contact,virginal characters, spoiled chaebols, etc... there is really none of that here.
This drama would not feel out of place in a telenovela (it would probably seem too mild :), or show in the US.

This drama deals with strong subjects such a sex in a young age, sex outside of marriage, teen pregnancy, abortion, dating age gap, the practice of golddiggers and much, much more. Even though this drama deals with strong issues, it is done in an appealing, tasteful (as it can be, for the issues its dealing with), realistic and compelling way.
I think the acting is done well, the editing as well. It has a good pace. This is absolutely not a rom-com, but is not a melodrama either. It has a good balance. It does not over dramatize any issue, or does it take it lightly either.It had me hooked from episode 1 and I finished the first 8 episodes in 2 days.

I would recommend this drama if you are up for something different. There is more skinship and sex scenes (not explicit)but it's still there, than what most people are used to. I find it worth watching. There is a second season I'm about to start right now. Enjoy!

Leia Mais

Even though I dropped this wonderful drama for a while, I finally took time to watch the whole thing. And God, it was so amazing. This is absolutely one of my favorite drama, so far. I loved it so much!
So, on to the review!

Story:
Well, I'm sure I could've given it a 10, since I enjoyed it so much, but think about it... this story is kind of original, after all. I mean, I think it was somehow original, but still. Take for example: You're Beautiful, Coffee Prince... you know, this whole 'girl-dressed-like-boy-meets-guy-friends' Not that I am tired of this plot, but it just gave me the "Oh, I've seen this before?"
Yet, again, I think this was a different and refreshing story.

Acting/Cast:
One word is amazing. I could almost understand every character, as they acted so wonderfully! To be honest, I started watching this drama because of Song Joong Ki/Gu Yong Ha (man, I adore him in the drama and in real life too) But I found myself falling for Sun Joon/Yoochun, Yoon Shik(Yoon Hee)/Min Young, Jae Shin/Ah In and almost all of the characters as well! At the end, I even rooted for In Soo, the 'bad guy' and his friend.
Oh, I forgot to mention Cho Sun. She really did a super great job as a supporting role! In short: everyone did an awesome job!

Music:
If anything that I love about Kdramas, then it's the Music. Although I did enjoy the OST in this drama, it didn't give me the... feeling. Take for example 'The Princess's Man's OSTs. I found myself crying, just listen to Baek Ji Young's "Today, I love again."
Anyway, it was good!

Rewatch Value:
Of course I would re-watch this drama... next year, maybe? Not because I don't like it (duh, didn't I mention that I loved it? ^^)but because I'm not a person to re-watch things. But this drama, is a must re-watch! It'll be worth it!

Overall:
I gave this a 10. Because I really enjoyed the whole thing. I cried, I laughed, I even screamed at my screen and cursed because, sometimes, I got annoyed! This drama gave me so many feelings, I can't even express.

Something I really, REALLY loved about Sungkyunkwan scandal is the bromance. Yong Ha, Jae Shin, Yoon Shik, Sun Joon... they made my day so bright! And of course, the romance between the main couple. I loved it. But I must say, that I hoped for a little Yong Ha/Jae Shin moment, because I just adore the way they love each other as friends.

This story is really well-written, so I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did, and still do!

Leia Mais

I watched this because Jerry Yan was the only thing I liked about Hot Shot, so I wanted to see more of him, and because I really liked Ella in Hana Kimi. The show started out really cute and watching the relationships develop was fun, but about half way through everything just crashed. It became too love-triangly and melodramatic and I found myself really irritated with the secondary characters. If the second half were more up to snuff with the first, I would've really loved this series. Still, Jerry and Ella did a really good job, so it's worth watching once if you're fans of them.

Leia Mais

Honestly I couldn't figure out what the big fuss about this drama was. Okay so the guys were eye candy and Jung Il Woo was really hot. But that cannot possibly make up for the lack of a story or an actual plot. Things kept happening between Chi Soo and Eun Bi which made no sense whatsoever and there was obviously no logic to a brat like Chi Soo suddenly developing feelings for Eun Bi, who seemed to have no redeeming qualities except knowing how to play volleyball and acting like a klutz. The only saving grace in this drama is Lee Ki Woo, whose character was quirky, funny and charming. Ba Wool and Hyun Woo's act also provided the much needed comic relief from time to time, and made this slightly watchable.

Leia Mais