Reviews

Have you ever felt not wanted? Did you feel like you have no self-worth? Did you try very hard on things, only for it to fail?

This is the story of Dan Bi. At one point in our lives we all want to run away. Run away from the responsibillities in our lives. And Dan Bi did just that.

I get it, the drama appeals for many due to the sweet romance. It's also really cute. But the one thing that striked me the most about this drama, was beneath all the romance there was a deeper issue.

Proving yourself in todays society is a necessity, and not all are equally good at it. Does that mean you have no worth to the world? Splash Splash LOVE addresses this with a subtle answer to the viewer.

This drama is as much about Romance as it is in resolving Da-Bi's issue about feeling incompetent. The show complements this by making her feel useful and finding people who appreciate her worth. It's about appreciating what you have, and making the best of it.

Yoon Doo Joon and Kim Seul Gi deliver a great performance, they have some great chemistry and it sure shows during the airing of the episodes. The amount of episodes complement this drama really well. Instead of dragging it out, they keep it to the point. Because of this you will find it hard to get bored during the two episodes.

So should you watch this drama? I'd say yes. The sweet story along with self-worth discory makes this for a great watch. Considering it's only two episodes long makes it more attractive too.

If you like romance, you should definitely watch this, because you are in for a treat if you do.

Leia Mais

first of all I should say thank you to all cast and crew of this beautiful romance drama .. this drama was one of my best .. because of several simple reasons .. the first one is that it hasn't any deep suffer things .. like cruelness, malice, lie , and... that we can see in most of the Korean drama which make you feel sad ... in one word story was awesome..
the second reason is that , the drama has very calm and friendly and nice atmosphere that makes me feel good and relax .. when i was so tried about everything and start to watch it , i completely forget about my bad feelings.
the third reason is that so ji sub is my best .. No 1 now and forever .. he is wonderful talented actor .. all the roles that he played before were brilliant and in this drama he shows his talented personality in love .. showing love and make viewers feel his pure love .. excellent
and the last reason is that all the actors and actresses were completely match together.. ost was nice .. I gave 10 from 10 to this drama ..

Leia Mais

If you're looking for a feel-good romcom without too much makjang, She Was Pretty will deliver. After some initial complications, the story does wind down towards the end - with some revelations and business/magazine arc taking over. The storyline and the chemistry between the cast does make this drama a very easy watch, though the pace does vary quite a bit between the episodes.

I adore the message that the drama conveys and it was really nice to see a love story that wasn't a makjang fest but just a story of the characters finding love and finding their sense of identity and dreams. I really like how the drama doesn't fall onto stereotypes and cliches too often and attempt to subvert the K-drama standards most of the time.

I think the acting was solid throughout the drama - there are many characters who had impeccable comedic timing, such as Choi Si Won and the MOST team, and they really brought life into the drama. Park Seo Joon was great and had awesome chemistry with Hwang Jung Eum, who I think is a great actress and demonstrates her versatility in more emotional and reflective scenes (though she does overact at times).

Rewatch value is good due to its feel-good vibe as there isn't anything that will make your blood boil or that taints the drama too much.

Leia Mais

One of the rare Korean crime thrillers that is actually dark, gritty and suspenseful. I love the Crazy Dogs team and I really loved how the story delved into each character's past as part of their redemption. I love how every single character was important and it didn't fall into the trap of having many flat, one-dimensional characters for the sake of it (as some crime dramas do).

The storyline is really thrilling - there are a lot of shades of grey and different perspectives of truth and justice that emerge. I really like the different lessons that the story conveys and I thought that it was really an interesting foray into unmasking the 'bad guys'. It really does challenge your assumptions and somehow makes you feel sympathy for them... In many ways, it reminds us that everyone has both good and evil within.

I love how the actors convey this and I must say that everyone really delivered - Kim Sang Joon was amazing, and Park Hae Jin is so fitting for his emotionless yet troubled character. However, Ma Dong Seok and Jo Dong Hyeok really do shine in this drama especially since I hadn't really seen much of them beforehand. I hope they have more opportunities to shine in the future. They're both amazing at the action scenes which really bring this drama to life. I also have a soft spot for Kang Shin Il - he just has this aura of zen and tranquility.

Honestly, I'm not the type of person who re-watches compulsively but I prefer to watch years later once I can't remember all the details. I think the drama is really well written and executed so definitely re-watchable. The only thing is that is it a crime thriller and once you know all the "answers", a tiny bit of the thrill and mystery is lost. That being said, it's the type of drama that has you hooked on once you start it because there are so many questions that you'd want to know the answers to.

Leia Mais

For the most part I really liked Hotaru no Hikari. It was funny, touching, and refreshing. The story is unique and I laughed a lot while watching it. I only have a couple of problems while watching the drama.

First of all, it was slow at a couple points. I felt like it was dragging and wasn't always motivated to watch it. Usually I'm dying to watch the next episode of a drama, but this wasn't always that case with Hotaru no Hikari. My other problem was the second male lead. His character was stiff, and even though he was a nice guy, I just never found him very appealing.

Other than that, I really enjoyed Hotaru no Hikari. The main couple had great chemistry and they were very funny together. I really liked their interactions and relationship. Actually, for the most part, I really liked all of the characters' chemistry. Everyone got along really well and it was a refreshing feeling for a drama (usually there's one evil character that you want to murder).

The music didn't stand out too much to me, but it was cute and enjoyable.

Overall Hotaru no Hikari was a cute and relaxing drama that had a very unique feel to it. Despite the problems I had with it, I really enjoyed watching it.

My Video Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-YKBtH_NEs

Leia Mais

I was very reluctant ti watch this drama, since i've seen quite a few movies featuring blindness as a concept and the acting never cut it for me. It always ended up being unrealistic, fake and sometimes even funny/ridiculous. However, this is definately not what happens here. Frankly, even though i liked it, I didn't expect me to give it a high rating, but when you find yourself screaming at your laptop screen at 3 in the morning you know this drama shocked you more than you want to admit!

STORY
The story has been done before, many times, in many different ways, but that doesn't mean it is any less interesting here. The description that is given, pretty much sums the very base idea, without spoiling anything,i just want to add that he doesn't JUST start living with her, there is a reason. I feel that the description should have made that reason clear to attract more viewers. The description, certainly, didn't make me curious about the show, the diverse reviews did (and the lead actors).

The drama revolves around the ideas of life, death, love and loneliness (with emphasis on the life and death part). Why should someone live? Is something or someone worth living for? Should people just die because their life has no meaning? Should someone live for himself, or find someone worth living for? All those ideas and many more are getting depicted in this drama. I loved the fact that the show adresses certain questions about living and dying. I am not sure if they can be appreciated by everyone, or you may, possibly, need to suffer by chronic depression or manic-depression to understand and appreciate them. However, i, myself, have quite a few times over the years troubled myself with such questions, and i found it refreshing that a show assesses such notions in such a wonderful and unique way i may add.

Love is obviously used here as the reason that someone should live and not give up. How can someone should live because someone else loves them, and you can learn to live and love yourself through that someone's eyes. Wonderful in every way. This is what this show does best, and it is basically the main reason i rated it with a high grade!

Since i started talking about the positive things of the show, i'll continue by saying that another thing this drama got right was the character development. The characters grew in 16 episodes so much. They went from being selfish, closed up, self-hating and cynical to accepting theirselves, forgiving theirselves, and learning from each other how to love themselves. Wonderful once again how they start and how they end up.

The drama is very character driven. Pretty much, nothing happens plot wise.... ever... If you are expecting a melodrama that will keep you at the edge of your seat with plot twists and backstory developments, this is not the show for you. The show is good at what it does and that is to show how the 2 main leads grow closer together. If you like romance, you'll like this since their moments are officially the most romantic moments i've seen in any melodrama ever!

And this brings me to another great thing of the show and that was the fact that it wasn't the excessive tear-jerker i was expecting it to be. Did i cry? Yes. Did i cry a lot? At the beginning yes. Was my cry justified? Totally. I couldn't help but compare this to Missing you which was a total and absolute tear jerker. I remember the leads poored buckets of tears. Here, yes you will cry, but the cry is because of happy moments. I was crying with a smile on my face and i liked that. I also appreciated the fact that the most sad moments were the ones that weren't told. I mean, they both have sad and sentimental stories, but they are never told in our faces, we see them in flashbacks, but they aren't thrown at us in order to force us to cry. I'll give an example, the main actress has mommy issues because she was abandoned by her mother when she was young. You can feel her pain and how she feels without ever telling us she misses her mom. You can tell she still hurts and you can tell she cries herself to sleep every night and she cannot trust anyone because of it. The actess and the writting made me feel that without ever being told. I appreciated that a lot!

This pretty much, sums up what this show got right. The drama, however, sadly, had quite a few drawbacks, that really made me angry along the way. Firstly, the show starts wonderfully, and it keeps it up for 5 episodes. Sadly after that it loses steam little by little, to the point of getting slow and borderling boring. Even if the episodes were easy to watch and didn't really drag, the drama was too character driven and some episodes felt too slow. Episodes 2-11 pretty much focuses on how the 2 main leads grow closer together. I loved it at first, then i bared with it, and at some point i was done. Still, all their moments (and they were many) were flawless, absolutely romantic, and unforgettable. (I praise the romantic soul who wrote them)

The main problem i had with the show, and the one that forced me to give it a 7.5 were the stupid and inexplicable character decisions... A drama that is character driven, relies on the characters and the way they act almost completely. Their actions, reactions and decisions should be rational, so the viewers could understand and relate. Here, i seriously had to force myself to let go of any shred of rationality i had in order to continue watching. There are some super ridiculous missunderstandings happening here for no reason, and on top of that (even when you let them go and you accept them even if it feels wrong), they get forgotten and never mentioned again in the next episode, like they never happened. On top of that, the characters' attidute was changing faster that the wind, making their actions even more inexplicable, stupid and unrealistic.

Overall, the story isn't anything groundbreaking, but it is indeed wonderful to watch them grow closer together, but not being able to be together for serious reasons. This combined with great character development and amazing romantic moments, made the show for me. The only drawback was those stupid irrational moments that made me angry.

ACTING
Almost flawless
Jo In Sung gave the performance of his career. I liked him in its ok thats love, but he outdid himself here. His emotional moments were the best i've seen in a kdrama thus far. He made me believe he was actually crying, the way he was desperately trying to keep his tears from dropping in a lot of the scenes, broke my heart. He was great and wonderful.

Song Hye Kyo. My first time watching the actress and she was great. She pulled off what i thought it wasn't possible, she made me believe she was blind. She wasn't flawless, but she was good at what she did.

Jung Eunji. I am not a fan of eunji as an idol, but omg the girl is talented. She can obviously sing, but her acting is good too! I wouldn't have guessed she is an idol originally if i hadn't already known. I've seen her in Reply1997, but there was no competition there, most of the actors were idols. Here she showed what she can really do, even if her character felt a lot like her reply1997 character. What i loved the most were the moments of mixed feelings she really got through to me. Her character was conviniently used to tie loose ends of the story, and was underdeveloped in general. She did good.

Kim Bum. I feel he was overshadowed by JIS. He was good, but in front of JIS he felt small, if you understand what i mean. However, he definately didn't bring the show down. The 2nd male and female leads were underused and underdeveloped in general, it probably wasn't even the actor's fault i feel this way.

RECOMMEND/REWATCH
To be honest i'd recommend it only if you a melo fan. I think melo fans are ready to sit back and watch slow episodes with only romantic and dramatic scenes between the 2 leads. Nothing *wowing* happens here in terms of story, so this is definately not for everyone.
Would i rewatch this? Probably not, it was alright, but it did feel slow after a while, and infuriated me at some point, so no.

THE ENDING
I'll give the ending a special part, of this rather huge review that noone will read, since i saw that most people hated the ending. It is true that the drama gets dragged after episode 12 (interestingly, i enjoyed the last 4 episodes more than the middle of the drama). Episode 14 felt like a very logical and nice ending that flew normally out of the show. The writters, apparently, wanted a happy ending though. Episode 14 ends in a rather pessimistic way, but not necessarily sad. However, the last episode was the best episode of the show imo. It exceeded expectations, and it was another reason that i rated the drama with a 7.5. Up to episode 15 i was getting ready to give it a much lower score, but the ending was wonderful. It keeps you guessing on whether what you see is real or not, but this is not your typical ending on a cliffhanger. Here, the ending basically depends on how you comprehend what happened up to that point, and what you want to believe but in any case, without it being too unrealistic and without letting more loose ends that they absolutely had to (that were unimportant from where i stand), they gave us a happy ending (no matter how you choose you see it) that really healed my soul after a roller coaster finale episode filled with emotions! I'd be so angry if it had finished any other way.

Leia Mais

the acting is poor, the music is times to loud and unneeded And the story is too predictable. Even if it should be a vampire-drama, there were only some episodes really based on vampires and others were to human, too many ghosts, too many unneeded flashbacks, I believe that without the flashbacks the drama would be around 10 episodes long instead of 20.
The special effects were just nasty.

I did like the idea of how the story should be. Sadly the playing was just weak and the idea of a vampire-drama was unfullfilled even though in the end it was really interesting, and the beginning wasn't bad though, just the middle series were really weak, but still I watched it till the end in one go.

There were too many persons to be hated, and those who might have been loved are too naiv and unnececerally loud or quite...
Sadly the lovestory was too predictable and too weak to be somehow interesting

The ending was - how else do you expect a dramas end? - unfullfilling. Man this is getting really anoying

If you want to watch a good VAMPIRE drama - well it's your decision but just don't expect too much.
I don't think of ever watching it again, there weren't even some series I want to rewatch just because I did not really like any charakter in the end (exept Ho Jin <3 loud, naiv and cute... hehe)

Leia Mais

Story:

The story sounds pretty promising and original, a girl who can see scenes with her eyes and a man who lost his beloved sister in a bad accident and ever from that, seeks for revenge and answers.
In this point, I really liked the "fantasy" style of this drama, and it was a nice and fresh thing.
The drama all along was GOOD, not the best, it was written well at first, it was mysterious about those barcodes killing cases, and it was nice to see how those two (Oh Cho Rim and Moo Gak) met and solved the mysteries together.
It was really-comedic, light and interesting .
My problem was when those episodes turned to be dragged and follow the -drama story line-
Two people meet, fall in love-being offical and then the "the reason why we can't be together " . solving this reason and be together.
It had it's original points but still felt typical for me.
More than that, the story itself was dragged. after knowing the true crimminal, and after trying to find evidences, it was dragged with cheesy-romance moments and the story wasn't too filled.
I think that if this drama had 12-13 episodes it could have been better, with no dragging scences . For example the last two episodes felt really forced . (The drama has to be 16 episodes, so "let's try to fill it with things that aren't necessary".)
So besides that, the story was light, interesting at points, good action scenes, good filming, some mystery and intense moments ,but also dragged, especially from episode 9-10~

Acting:

Yoochun- Well, Yoochun is my favourite actor, so in this point he wasn't disappointing for me as well. He managed to show also serious sides of the character, funny moments (like the comedy skit that was hilarious and -out of character- for him) He's character wasn't boring, he was determinded, funny and serious at the same time, showing few sides of a character, I think it wasn't his best role but he was good for this role.
Shin Se Kyung- I don't like her, but she was just "fine" in this drama.
I don't think she acted well for her character- her crying scences didn't feel real, and also her laugh felt fake. I'm not saying that she was horrible all the time but when she had to show her feelings (whether sad or happy) she wasn't good.
Also her character was a really typical character with nothing new, she wasn't annoying nor unpleasant but just avarage.
Nam Gung Min- He was really good. I think that each character I saw from him was really impressive. This time I really could feel the anger inside me . How he acted with he's eyes, and the mimes of his face!
Also his character was interesting (I felt that we could have seen more from him, like he's childhood or some backround) but he portrayed his character as written very well!
I also liked that he could keep that character until the end.
Yoon Jin Seo-didn't see her as a main character but only as a supporting one, she was just fine, I mean that I didn't feel her really necessary (maybe only in the last case of the drama) but she was fine as a supporting- strict but also soft.
The other supporting characters- they were funny, all the police officers.
I think that in dramas they are shown as a really silly people, but they added to the comedy and to the series.

Music:
I didn't really feel the music, the songs were fine and fitted to the scenes, also the music in the "intense monents" was fitted and good.

Romance:
I have a bit problem with that. Those two were supposed to be fated to be with each other, but somehow I didn't really "feel" their love and their "bond".
There were some cute moments with them, but I'm not sure how much chemistry the main actors had, I had fun sometimes with the moments but most of the times it was too cheesy, drama like and too dragged to fill the series.
I think that in the last episodes it was the most unbearable to watch.
But they were a nice couple after all.
I liked that for at least we didn't have here "other male/female lead"

Rewatch Value:

Probably not, it wasn't the best but it was enjoyable. I'm giving it 7.5, because it was typical but also had it's good and original points.

Leia Mais

I didn't understand... WHY? I mean, cool, it is a gender bender, and Key is adorably beautiful (he is the reason why I've seen some episodes more than one time... <3)

Story is just WHY WHY WHY WHY WHYYYYYY would she do that?!
And not only her! Why would Alex-!!!! Why would they all-!!! MAN this dramas story is making my face hurt from all those facepalms and pinches!
And the freaking ending!!!! I mean like, the story was alright... but WHY?!
Just watch it to know what I'm talking about, alright?

Music is already forgotten, sry

The Acting... Pretty damn good exept for her. She is definetly NOT a good "nailartist flower boy"
Sorry Bunny but NOPE. Her voice is too female, her behaviour is too female, how can she even act as an flower boy?! In real life everybody on the streets would call her a tomboy for sure.
But the acting of the other main charakters was amazingly great!
Are the actors like real nail artists? If so I shall go see it myself.
I definetly fell for Key or Kai or whatever you'll name him. Harsh, an artist and... a true man amongst flower boys *o*

In Summary the Drama was funny to watch even if I'm still so confused about so many details! And my head hurts.
Aish...

Leia Mais

Some old dramas don't stand the test of time, or live up to all the hype. That is not the case with Coffee Prince. I've just finished marathoning through this classic (again), and I still love it just as much as the first time!

On the surface this is another romance about a girl who pretends to be a boy, and gets away with it, and a spoiled rich guy who falls for her. What makes Coffee Prince different, is that there is so much more depth than is usually in KDrama romances (yes, even the good ones). The themes are more realistic, and the content is more adult. Coffee Prince shows us how extremely complicated love can be, while still being fun to watch.

The cast is perfect. Yoon Eun Hye is the most convincing androgynous character I've seen in any drama. It's more than her just looking enough like a boy, it's her whole demeanor that makes the idea of her being mistaken as male completely plausible. Gong Yoo is charmingly goofy, and instantly crushable (watching this began my minor obsession with him). Equally crushable is Lee Sun Gyun, who I would fall in love with again later in Pasta, but is much more kinder, gentler, and understanding in this role. Then there is Chae Jung Ahn, who is frustrating to watch, and hard to like, but equally brilliant. The chemistry between them all is amazingly acted, and their story is well written. People who aren't fans of romances normally, may appreciate how imperfect this story is. There are also plenty of cute moments to inspire butterflies in die hard romance fans. It also has the most beautiful love confession in the history of dramaland period ! (or rather, exclamation point)

The minor characters are also very well played. I loved the dynamics between the Coffee Princes too! This is the kind of cast that you miss when the show is finally over. I can't believe Lee Eon died shortly after, but he was my favorite of the other "princes".

The only thing mediocre about this drama is the music, which is fine, but I did not rush out to find the soundtrack, even after obsessing over this drama.

The other criticism is that the drama does become a little less engaging in the final episodes, but at that point you will probably love the characters so much that it won't make you love the show any less. The ending wraps things up perfectly in my opinion.

My main reason for writing this review now, even though this was one of the first dramas I ever saw, was to promote it's re-watchability. It also manages to not feel as dated as many dramas tend to be over time. Besides the flip phone technology, this drama could easily be successful today. It's also very timely, concerning issues regarding gender roles and sexuality, which is a hot topic these days. In that respect, maybe it's ahead of it's time.

So, yes, of course I recommend Coffee Prince! It remains high on my drama favorites list, with no signs of being bumped lower any time soon. If this is one of those dramas that you always meant to watch, but never got a chance to, just do it! This is one of those occasions when it is safe to believe the hype!

*warning: not only may you very likely crave coffee while watching, but you may either be tempted to eat everything in your fridge, or be too disgusted to ever eat again, after watching Eun Chan eat!*

Leia Mais

This wasn't my usual drama, and to be honest I only started watching it because I interpreted the summary wrong. I thought that this drama was one of the ones where the main character magically turns into and 18 year old girl and can relive her lost years. But that isn't what this drama is about at all... however 17 hours after the first episode at 8 in the morning, having not slept, I finished the drama. By far the fastest I've ever watched a drama yet.

There is nothing complicated about the drama, no one loses their memory and the misunderstandings are kept to a minimum. I think this is why I didn't take a break from the drama like I usually do. The storyline was sweet and simple, and very easy to keep up with. Although many of the main actors are older characters then the usual Korean shows I watch, they still some how portrayed a childish joy in the adult world as well as the complications and hardships growing up.
I saw that a previous comment/review said that this drama is more then a 38 year old woman gaining her independence. This is about regret, loss and mistakes. It makes a point that we do things we regret, but we don't have to look back and mope over them. An on going theme within the drama revolves around moving forward, beyond the past, and to keep looking on to the future. I think that the story in the drama, although fictional and simple, is inspiring.

I realise that my review is making this drama seem serious and dull, but that's just it - it isn't. It wasn't what I expected when I started watching it, but it was so much more. I would definitely recommend this if you're wanting a break from the normal cliches in drama land. It's like eating homemade food after a long period away, is the best and shortest way to describe it - it's sweet and filling with a sense of warmth.

Leia Mais

Story- The story was a little above average, but I felt the story line with the two sisters-in-law was not adding to the drama. When I started watching this, I did not feel all the women were rude or outrageous, but by the end, it lived up to its title. The one thing I liked is it was a romantic comedy that did not turn into a melodrama half way through into a melodrama like Bad Couple did. It was only melodramatic the for about 4 episodes. The pace of the story was really good, although I found the middle to be better than the beginning and end. The last scene wrapped up the drama perfectly.

Acting- The acting was okay. It did not stick out as bad or good. The main couple (with the noona romance) had absolutely no chemistry, Also I love Kim Bum, but he did not act well at all in this drama. He smiled as he cried....

Music: The music is okay, but its dated and unmemorable.

Overall- This is an okay drama. There are a lot of better ones out there like the King 2 hearts or My Name is Kim Sam Soon. I did not like any of the charters enough to ever watch this again. However, It was light and fun for the most part, but it was never charming or cute enough to be amazing.

Leia Mais

I've watched all remake versions from "itazurana kiss" now and I have to say this is far the best remake! I'm used to thai dramas going a little bit overboard with the story but this actually surprised me.

Firstly, I was happy that finally, finally they didn't make the heroine a brainless idiot who just drools over male lead. Even though at some things she was described as stupid but this drama made every scene look like real and not just "overacted drama" if you know what I mean... Male lead was eye candy and not as cold as in other versions of "itazurana kiss" so that was also a plus! I didn't really like how they made male lead's character especially in chinese version. Of course to fan of the story this remake might be a bit surprise or even a disappointment. But for me, it was enjoyable thoroughly.

Chemistry between main leads were great and from other roles I enjoyed King's the most. His character was sooo cute, I was feeling so sorry for him most of the time not getting the girl. I even ended up cheering TenTen and King both which has not happened when I watched Itazurana kiss or other remakes xD
But I have to say that I felt some roles, like Taliw's friends, were only written there as an accessory. I think writers should have given them a little more screentime to fit naturally into the plotline and giving it some depth.

Some scenes from "itazurana kiss" I missed and would have liked them to have in this drama but I think that maybe it would have been too much of a copy then?

I so hope they make season 2! I enjoyed this because it was original and different from other remakes, even though I knew the story I was surprised how they portrayed it and it made me guess what is going to happen from time to time. Really kept excitement going on :D Now it makes me wonder how they would continue it if they would make season 2~

Overall this is a cute, professionally made thai drama. You should watch this if you want a lakorn that makes you laugh and go awwwww~

Leia Mais