Reviews

Wow, I absolutely loved this drama! I had put off watching it for a while because I thought it looked a bit cheesy, just from the main posters and the mind reading thing.

I was so wrong! This is one of the best dramas I have ever seen. I normally don't get in to criminal dramas but this had me hooked from the start, I was frequently laughing, surprised and also a bit teary.

The acting was really great though I wish the lead ended up with Attorney Cha, or even if there was some romantic interest for him in the end. I found Park Soo Ha didn't have much of a personality to be honest, except as a bodyguard. The romance itself was okay but not spectacular, though it was enough to keep me interested when the story started to lag a bit.

Despite this, I recommend this drama to everyone to watch, even if you don't like criminal dramas you will after this. The story is great, the actors are great, seriously watch this now.

Leia Mais

This wasn't a bad drama, but to be honest, it didn't touch me as much as other people from the reviews i read. It wasn't bad but i found it generally slow, not boring but slow. More Specifically:

STORY
The description of the story is somewhat misleading. The show doesn't explore the cellular memory subject that much. Don't expect here any medical exploration of the term or anything like that. This is totally a true love drama, the cellural memory is just the base of the love story. Basically we have a girl who got a heart transplant and she meets, a few years after her surgery, the husband of her heart donor. And we watch their love story unfold. The show focuses a lot on the difficulties an inter-generational couple faces nowadays (the age difference between the 2 leads is 18 years in the show and 20 in reality).

I have to say the story is set up very beautifully, nicely, and complicated enough to keep things interesting, but not confusing. (mini spoiler ahead) Her new love interest (who is the husband of her heart donor) is related to her current boyfriend.

My main problem with the story was that, it took them forever to understand their feelings and embrace them. And when they did, the reasons they had for not being together weren't important enough for me. Sure the affinity subject made things more complicated, but in my opinion that gets resolved fast. The show was a constant back and forth. What i mean is that, while the show has a brilliant base story here, the plot wasn't just underdeveloped but barely developed at all to be honest.

In my opinion, here we have a very obvious case of the writers being afraid of making rapid and interesting story developments so the show doesn't get controversial. They have so many nice characters that are connected in unique ways, explore these connections, make the love triangle more complicated, so there can be serious reasons for the main couple to not be together. There was so much potential wasted. What i want to say is that i wasn't "wowed" enough. Everything was mild. I've seen other kdramas based on true love ect, that had some seriously wowing scenes, here everything was just... mild.

Overall, the story wasn't bad, i've just seen better kdramas about true love, with faster plot developments. What i got here was some mild dramatic feels, and some mild comedy feels. I've seen dramas that were better in both aspects. The show was very enjoyable but because it was slow, it failed to make me cry that much (and i cry easily) and failed to make me laugh that much too.

ACTING
The awkward moment when you like Sooyoung's acting better than her singing, lol. I know Sooyoung very well, because i'm a fan of Girls' Generation (she is a member of the group), and of course her being an idol made me think twice about watching this drama. If you have the same problem, don't make this stop you from watching. Sooyoung was great. She wasn't mind blowing, but noone was. She held her own in front of veteran actors. If i didn't know she was an idol, i wouldn't have guested she wasn't an actress originally.

The male lead was wonderful too. I loved the way he portrayed a 40something man with kids. His acting was very good indeed. Everyone did a wonderful job at their part, i have nothing bad to say about the acting. Best part of the show in my opinion.

RECOMMENDATION/REWATCH
Would i recommend this? Hmm, well, i've seen better dramas, as i've said already, both in the comedy and in the dramatic department. This was good, but nothing mindblowing. If you are a fan of true love dramas you'll like it, but would i rewatch it? no, not really.

OVERALL
This was a solid drama, i can't say i didn't like it, the good acting helped a lot too. I loved the way they portrayed the intergenerational relationship. The base story is wonderful too, the show could have been a lot better if the plot took some more complicated turns along the way to keep things interesting. I like my dramas with some ups and downs, and this felt like a straight line. The ending was sad, people want to see it in a positive way, but i can't. Its not that i didn't like it, but it was just sad, while it didn't need to be...

Leia Mais

i like this. all the actresses are excellent, as with the actors.
the story line is going from one main cast to another, mostly hinged on the lady in the plot,
which is very strongly attached due to her excellent charisma...
lin yuan .. reminds me of zhao wei in her youth, strong acting as well as beautiful .
the other girls are all strong acting too... the characters of song ning, qi qi,zi yan,
and even if it was diverted in the middle by the appearance of the assassin (guo zhen ni)
..who i think is a very strong actress as well. she plays the dual role so convincingly...
flipping beauty and sinster , powerful and weak...
i watched other roles by guo zhen ni before, but she never got to show her acting skills until now
with a strong main supporting role.
mu rong an , the mermaid, is even more enchanting. even i would fall in love with one look :)

this is the best of the new dramas to date, other than sun li (beauties of the emperor)
and zanilla zhao (best get going) and tiffany tang (lady and the liar).
i give it top marks simply because i am not familiar with the lead actress lin yuan,
who as i said before, is impressive with qualities (beauty + powerful acting ) of zhao wei
gong li, betty sun li, chen qiao en , jing tian,etc...
i hope lin yuan will get a new drama soon. btw, i think song ning had too little part in this movie
which is a pity. they should have given more episodes on the warrior lady, also zi yan the bodyguard.
they should have done more with these two fighting ladies. maybe a new sequel with
resurrected song ning and zi yan .
lastly, too much emphasis on the silly emperor... who although is funny, but once again, the comedy weaken the plot of a period movie. either go all comedy like another pandora box,
or go mostly serious like song of the desert, or stay magical like this one ... with less emphasis
on the silly side.

Leia Mais

i love Qiao En in any role, as she is one of my faves.
as the previous commentor said, it's a bit too much emphasis on the childish brat
which is also a bit unreallistic in an army academy.
but that is lately the problem with new dramas ... romance of condor heroes, swordsman, etc
they don't know what they want it to be. or as if they have different script writers,.
so, they start out very captivating and in the middle it's all stupid comedy with no correlation to
the full movie. but since you are a fan of the actress(es),actor(s) .. you skip the silly episodes
and go to the ending.
that should not be the case as it should be well-done and focused...
like Cruel Romance, Lady and Liar, Prince and Frog, Shanghai Bund, Best Get Going...
you either decide it is going to be a comedy (Hot Mama) or you stay your course
as a period movie (Beauties of the Empress, Song of the Desert, City of devastating love).
... not flip-flop and going nowhere, distracting the viewer.

In this one, thankfully, the cast is strong, and the stupidity is subdued by the other characters
like the infatuated sister and the grudging nurse seeking revenge. also the real instructor,
and the tomboy military lady. all of them are strong actresses as with most chen qiao en movies,
the supporting roles are good actresses.
but for this one, there is too much eye-candy. if you want eye-candy, you must also have a strong
male character... Lady and the Liar , Cage of Love, Lang Lin Wang

Leia Mais

This drama has really cute and sweet elements to it, but man, the bad in Hana Yori Dango 2 definitely outweighs the good.

First of all, this drama was such a chore to watch. Although I did like this Hana Yori Dango 2 a bit more than the first one, it still has the same problems and it makes the drama almost unbearable. I never read the manga or watched the anime, but this drama probably did a really good job at following the story. Jdramas usually do. The problem is that the story sucks! It has a terrible message and it pains my soul that I could find anything good about this drama at all.

It's no surprise that I liked the japanese version more than the korean one, and that's partly because I can buy Makino's and Domyoji's love. Matsumoto Jun and Inoue Mao have plenty of chemistry, and I think that's why it works (plus they go out in real life which is just super cute). My problem with their characters is their terrible communication. It's so frustrating because they're both idiots! Domyoji is an entitled brat and Makino is just stupid and pathetic. It's like the girl has no pride. Her family are pimps, and honestly I think she's too easily influenced. But whatever, that's the story. I just don't like the message of a girl being able to change someone with a terrible personality into a kinder person. Because Domyoji never really changed, he just acts one way in front of Makino but then reverts back to his arrogant and violent ways. Plus he's an idiot. I don't see what's so great about him, or Makino for that matter. I mean, what is so special about Makino really? Because she kicked Domyoji and put him in his place in the first season? Because no one ever stood up to him before?? I don't know, whatever, those are my main problems with this drama. Also, it's so elitist I can't take it.

I didn't ship anyone in this drama, and that's so strange because I absolutely loved Rui's korean counterpart. But anyways, the music is probably the best thing about Hana Yori Dango. Both seasons. I can't get it out of my head. Also, the ending is kinda cute (the first season's ending was cuter), but I'm not gonna lie, they crank up the cheese factor to the max.

So would I recommend Hana Yori Dango 2? No, not really. I would recommend either of them period. If you've seen the first one, and you want to know how it ends, go ahead, but I'm telling you it's a chore. Episodes 6-9 drag like there's no tomorrow. Honestly, I like episode 10 the best. But anyways, Hana Yori Dango 2 isn't a terrible drama per say, it's just the message that's the worst. If everything stayed the same, even the stupid plot and the ending, but they had a better message, I'd like this drama much much better.

Leia Mais

I would watch this again and again. The pros of this series are too many to count. One is the awesome story. It's everybody's favourite about the chaebol and the down to earth girl. This one was done right with 0 mistakes.

The story length, 20 episodes each 15 minutes long, contributed to the mystique and the completeness of the series. The pacing was done right since it was so short. The acting was also excellent as well as the characterization.

This was a chaebol drama, probably the first chaebol drama, done right. There was no ex- or evil- girlfriend, no ex-boyfriend, no one trying to tear our lead apart. There was also an obsessed, quickly jealous, possessive male lead for who is looking for that type of romance. The female was no a pushover. When she had to be tough, she owned the scene. Sometimes he was even scared of her. I loved it. They had balance and worked out all problems between themselves.

The main leads were handsome an beautiful respectively. I enjoyed watching them on screen and wondered why they don't have more lead roles. Their chemistry together was evident and strong from the point of first meeting.

I would love to see this as a more detailed full length 16 episode drama. With that much screentime though, the series may not be done well and have too many issues between the leads. This was just perfect and leaves you wanting more.

Leia Mais

In short >>Better written than most dramas I've seen, but not my cup of tea<<

How long this took me I cannot say. A month ? It must be around that. The reason isn't the writing or the acting, but simply because it isn't my thing. I cared, at first ; but through the episodes, I cared less and less, all I wanted was to finish it.


Story :

As I said, it is better written than most dramas I've experienced, which, considering the average level isn't too hard. Unlike most dramas, it doesn't lose itself in endless fanservice, it doesn't go in every directions to the point some episodes feel pointless. It knows where it goes, what is its points and try developing and going for it while avoiding digressions as much as possible. Despite that, some doors are opened and lead to nothing, typical mistake from dramas, but in comparison, it isn't as common and has to be therefore praised. It also has some stupid moments, especially the ending, which is incoherent with the first episode and seems to be a twist for the sake of a twist ; it is sad, but doesn't stop that, overall, it is a better piece of writing than the average drama.


Characters :

I don't have much to say, you have the mentally handicaped character, because drama trope ! (well, doesn't stop it to work on me XD) You cannot speak of real chara development, especially the sidekicks, as for the main characters... Well, they are a bit more complex than your average drama characters but aren't groundbreaking. I do have some issues with some bad mentalities some chara vehiculate (we are in 2015, please, evolve) and the treatment of the husband, which, thanksfully isn't limited to the cheater stereotype, that I have to praise as well, it brings up the high issues of justice in terms of divorce and child care...by copying what is so wrong with it is quite annoying and frustrating ; once again, we are in 2015, learn justice and equality.


Acting & Soundtrack :

They do their job properly. Really, I have nothing to say about it in particular.


Filming :

Once again, better than the average drama By, for example, knowing how transitions work, how they are used and when. It sounds like some basic thing, but it is to point out most dramas do not seem to know said basic.


Rewatch value :

As I didn't like it, I won't rewatch it. But if you're the type not getting how transitions work, you can always rewatch it and pay attention to how they are done.


Overall :

It's a shame that what is better than average is something that I dislike on personal taste. I do hope, though, that it fits the tastes of others. If you are into fanservice, exaggerated melodrama or other stuff like that, it is better you skip it, you'll be utterly disappointed.

Leia Mais

I watched this drama during my 'Lee Sang Yoon marathon' ^_^ and I thoroughly enjoyed it and I'm glad I decided to watch this one last on my list of his dramas, as it was a breath of fresh air - it was such a FUN drama!!! I liked and enjoyed watching every character, there wasn't any character that I didn't enjoy watching. <and that is hard to come by!

This drama doesn't have any of those nasty, I'm going to get in the way of their love "love triangles". She is a married woman who has been pretty much divorced from her husband for 4yrs (they just didn't send the papers in yet) and he is a single guy who has been in love with her for 20 yrs! ^_^ Her husband has another woman (and honestly I found them quite funny) and even though there is a girl who likes Hyun Suk - she doesn't get in his way ^^

Hyun Suk (Lee Sang Yoon) was so adorably cute in his pursuit of No Ra (Choi Ji Woo), he would sometimes be mean and childish / a bit petty and then get all cute and sweet again - they played and teased each other as if they were high-schoolers again ^^ So cute! Woo Chul (Choi Won Young) was a loser husband but he never made me mad, I laughed during most of his scenes lol. Min Soo (Kim Min Jae) was super sweet after the first few episodes, when I first saw him I didn't like him much b/c he didn't seem to treat his mom very nice - but later that changed and I started to like his character - the same thing happened with his girlfriend (Son Na Eun) I didn't like her at first but then I started to like her later. Soon Nam (Noh Young Hak) was a favorite of mine - even though he didn't get much screen time - I liked his friendship with No Ra ^^ (p.s. this is his third drama with LSY) hehe ;P I also liked Seung Hyun as No Ra's classmate and friend ^^ and oh my gosh! the YOUNG Hyun Suk was such a cutie!!! ^_^ I enjoyed his scenes very much! hope to see him in more dramas!

Music: the music that I remember the most is when they went to that club and they played them "older" music bands ^^ The ost itself had nice songs like: "Cuckoo" by Jannabi, "Oh You, Yeah You" by Yoo Sung Eun, "Fine Day" by Jung Jooil, "Star" by Mamamoo ft.Kim Min Jae, "Wrongful Meeting" by Honey G. One song however caught my ballad loving heart's attention: "You Don't Love Me" by Roy Kim <3

I would definately re-watch this drama! Who wouldn't want to re-watch such a well-made drama again? ^^ I recommend it to any fans of the actors, or rom/com lovers or anyone who likes a fresh cute take on finding yourself again. That's what this drama was to me, Ha No Ra (Choi Ji Woo) re-discovering her lost self, finding her real personality once again and becoming happy.

Leia Mais

What i liked most was the male lead aka moo myong, he was not the normal obnoxious type that kdramas normally have. this drama didn't drag so many things, a problem appeared, a problem disappear immediately after a short while.. also there were no stupid cliched misunderstandings. it was straight forward However the plot wasn't as strong.and it also relied so much on eavesdropping, i bet the writers were like thank god for thin walls otherwise nothing would have moved forward in this drama. other than that this drama as amazing, the character development was amazing, they slowly changed little by little and with reason not drastically. also the romance could have been stronger, and the father son relationship could have been more emotional. i would give it a 10 but that ending was just, ah ah no..

Leia Mais

I love this drama! So full of love and nostalgia. I didn't grow up in Korea in the 90s but I did grow up in Asia so this drama was sooo relatable when it came to obsessing over a group of singers. Eun Ji as the spunky Shi Won here wins my heart. The whole cast pretty much did. it's a good show to relive your teenage years. The story of the one sided love where two best friends know everything about each other except the elephant in the room which is that one of them is in love with the other. I also loved their theme of friendship and how they all grew together and remained themselves but a more mature version of themselves. I loved the 90s and I think this is a great portrayal of kpop culture in the 90s up until DBSK hit their peak ( which totally tugged my heart strings) this is the one to beat.

Leia Mais

This drama is cute and has great chemistry between Park Shin Hye and Lee Jong Suk. The team that wrote and directed this is the same team that wrote and directed "I Hear Your Voice," which got me really interested in watching the show. Like in "I Hear Your Voice," one of the main characters has a condition that does not exist in the real world hence the title. The family elements of this show are so sweet and endearing and makes the noble idiocy more tolerable. I kind of lost interest 1/4 way down because the plot got less interesting then. It's a good show for passing title but not something that makes you rave about it so much.

Leia Mais

Akhirnya selesai juga menonton Yong Pal ini. Sempet bosen ditengah cerita, tapi dilanjut juga karena masih penasaran.

Suka sama adegan aksi di awal-awal episode, bikin deg-deg-an. Apalagi pas Tae-Hyun beraksi sebagai Yong Pal. Dan untuk adegan 'berdarah' alisa adegan bedah-bedahannya agak bikin eneg sih. Lebih parah ternyata dari pada Doctor Stranger. Dan kenapa bisa terlihat seperti nyata, sih? Padahal pasti bohongan, haha.

Story

Cerita pas di rumah sakitnya itu yang lebih menghidupkan sih. Setelah Yeo-Jin siuman dan melancarkan balas dendam mulai sedikit membosankan walaupun masih bikin penasaran. Dan ternyata twist nya bener-bener bikin dag-dig-dug.

Acting/Cast

Baru pertama kalinya sih nonton drama dengan Joo Won dan Kim Tae-Hee sebagai pemainnya. Tapi, akting mereka cukup bagus sih ((sok tau)). Kim Tae-Hee cakep sekaliiii.

Music

Nah, soundtracknya nih bikin ketagihan.

Untuk yang mau nge-re-watch sih terserah kalian ya, tapi aku sendiri kayaknya ngga mau nonton ulang deh. Walaupun di awal-awal cukup bikin ketagihan.

Dan aku senang sekali ada orang Indonesia yang jadi kameo, hihi.

Leia Mais