Reviews

I had high hopes for this drama to be honest because of the cast but I really didn't like it at all.

The story wasn't that great, nothing new. Every episode was almost the same- same scandals, same problems. The only surprise was with Yoon Ha's brother but nothing more. I think that Uee wasn't right for this role, she didn't fit at all but maybe this is how I saw it.
Park Hyung Shik and Im Ji Yeon were the reason to continue this drama but even their story was made too sad than it's supposed to be. They had chemistry unlike Uee and Sung Joon.
The final was rushed and everything happened so fast.

Leia Mais

I personally stray away from the big, over-hyped (often overrated) dramas into the alleyways and backroads of the unusual, quirky, and experimental drama - and stay for the ride for all the twists and turns these hidden gem shows entail. "Heart to Heart" was certainly another gem that offers an alternative take on the classic Cinderella formula.

I suppose the lack of this drama originated from the storyline. Even with all the small differentiations, this drama unfortunately stuck to the poor, unworthy girl paired together with the rich, persistently charming guy, and unfortunately did not stray much from that storyline. Because of this, the ending felt lackluster and predictable. Many, as well as myself, voice the opinion that the storyline could have chosen to break new ground with untested plot twists and character developments that would have made this drama overall more refreshing and memorable. But because of this predictability, it is easy to see this drama forgotten and lost among other similarly labeled so-called quirky dramas.

However, the biggest takeaway from "Heart to Heart" was the WAY the cast executed the story. There are some dramas where actor popularity overtakes how real a character seems, (ex: all you see is the popular actor you are biased towards, not the character they are attempting to portray), but I am pleased to report this was not the case in this drama. The saving grace of this show was the fact the actors took this basic story premise and infused their characters with so much thoughtfulness and care, that they become their character, if you will. Viewers can tell the actors took time and effort in preparation to understand their characters and their plight. This careful time and effort is what I call integrity, and when a drama has integrity, I can only applaud it. These are the dramas I am completely thankful and honored that I can stand by them and say they did miles more than the generic, formulated drama.

Because of the incredible cast, this drama truly is worth the watch to see how well they execute their character's personality and development.

Leia Mais

If the wild historical liberties of fusion sageuk are grating on you, The Great King Sejong is a refreshing alternative. Hewing relatively closely to fact, it generates its dramatic power through complex characterizations and thoughtful explorations of moral quandaries. Sejong’s reign may have been lauded precisely for its lack of drama, but the writers find plenty of conflict to build engaging story lines around, as they explore the challenges of ruling with benevolence rather than terror. They do an excellent job exploring how political systems stymie or support progress, as they build a compelling argument for governing to the better angels of our nature. That being said, this is not a fast show to watch. There are no love triangles, gorgeous warriors with great hair, gravity defying ninja moves, or epic cliffhangers. Many of the best acted and most intriguing characters are the various grey-haired ministers in their matching robes and odd hats, who for once are given compelling personalities instead of serving as indistinguishable agents of repression.

The first half of the show is particularly strong, in part due to outstanding performances by Kim Young Chul as Taejong and Choi Myung Gil as his embittered queen. Taejong may be monstrous, but he’s also powerfully human, and the show loses some of its spark when he exits the scene. The second half is weaker, perhaps because the series was cut down from 100 episodes to 86. This causes pacing issues, as some events are rushed through while drawn-out moments of pathos feel unearned due to a lack of dramatic set-up. Subplots get dropped and major characters disappear without acknowledgment or comment. It also means that Sejong comes off as far more serious than perhaps he was, as the show leaves out such “frivolous” elements of his life as his love of music and his passionate relationships with his concubines. In general, the show is more comfortable in the elegiac than the celebratory mode, but its tendency to emphasize loss sometimes deflects attention from just how extraordinary Sejong’s achievements were. It may be difficult to do great things, but there is great joy in such success as well.

Leia Mais

I should say this was most ridiculous and at the same time most entertaining lakorn I've ever watched.

I've watched this kind of 'rich spoiled girl turned to good person' -dramas before so I was really curious how the story would go in this one. The beginning was promising; funny scenes and lots of chemistry between leads so I was enjoying watching it. But somewhere around episode 8 or 9 the whole story started to get really ridiculous. It felt like in every episode someone got into accident or into fight and was admitted to hospital. And this lakorn had like all the cliches a drama could ever have. So after halfway it started to get really heavy and hard to watch forward. The ending was totally ridiculous, "let's pair every character with someone".

So I'd say if you're not into very cliche romance stuff, don't watch this. I gave overall points up to 7.0 because the first episodes were really fun and entertaining. The ending half of this drama I would rate something like 4.0.

Leia Mais

Honestly, I have a love-hate relationship with this drama. After every episode, I would crib about how much of time I've wasted and how I could've been watching something else, instead but come next week...I watched it again. With that in mind, I'll try to be as objective as possible in my review but take my moments of criticism with a pinch of salt.

Orange Marmalade has an interesting take on an amalgamation of cliches - you have high school romance, Joseon era romance, love triangles, love squares, vampires falling for humans and vice versa, accident-followed-by-amnesia - anything and everything cliched is here. And yet, it's got an impressive take on things. Issues like discrimination, friendship, acceptance and maturity show up frequently here.

Story:
As many have said before, the drama can be split into 3 parts: High School Part 1 (HS1), Joseon Era (JE) and High School Part 2 (HS2). I liked HS2 a lot more than HS1, because HS1 seemed more rushed to me than HS2, if that's even possible! JE was actually enjoyable to me, believe it or not. I liked watching it but more so because of the relationship between Jaemin and Shihoo. In the HS2 part, I have a certain weakness for Ara - maybe it's because I find her relatable? The HS parts, both 1 and 2 could have been developed more and tied in better with the JE section and we could have had more character development - mostly Shihoo and Ara!

Acting/Cast:
Unfortunately, the show really takes hits here. I gave it a 6, because it's barely above average to me. Yeo Jingoo does well in his role, however his restraint comes through as bland, which is definitely a problem. Still, I think it was good and he did well. Unfortunately, Seolhyun was really weak in her role and it really takes much away from the drama when the lead is not on a good level. Her visuals were perfect but her acting left much to be desired.

Onto better things! Lee Jonghyun - what can you not do, seriously?? Even though I came in here as a Boice and expected to be biased, Jonghyun really did almost meet my expectations. He wasn't spectacular but he did well in portraying traits which I felt defined Shihoo - the delinquent bad boy brashness and aloofness which later translates to a reticence and maybe even awkwardness? Gil Eunhye is gorgeous as Ara and she really does justice to the role - ah, why do I like Ara so much...? I also enjoyed Park Guntae's character a lot - he kind of looks like BTOB's Lee Changsub to me? Or is it just me? Seriously, the supporting cast really made me watch on!

Music:
Cute but not memorable. The main song that Orange Marmalade performs sounds very much like an anime OST and honestly, I don't remember much else about the drama's music. Though, special mention to the flute piece that played in the JE part - I loved that!

Rewatch Value:
Once is enough for me.

Overall:
While it wasn't utterly disappointing, it wasn't quite the best, either. The reason the rating went down was because of a lack of character development and partially due to weak acting. I think most of the epiosdes were hit-or-miss for me but with the last episode being a total hit - I'm glad I went through with it!

Leia Mais

I thought this drama was really well done. It's misleading if you think it is another typical vampire trying to fit into today's society. This drama is sooo much more. In fact, it will take you into a roller coaster ride of emotions, not to mention different time lines. I really love how Korean dramas switch back & forth between historicals & modern day. The female lead, Seol Hyun , is beautiful, there is an innocence about her and really lights up the screen. I notice that she stars in a lot of Music Videos as well. The lead male, Yeo Jin Goo, is such a good young actor. I was so impressed with him in Moon Embraces The Sun. Though overall Orange Marmalade storyline is not as good, Yeo Jin Goo, still delivers a high quality performance.

Finally we come to CN Blues, Lee Jong Hyun. I love this guy, I can't wait for the day when he will become male lead and finally get "THE GIRL". My heart ached for him, yet he is so damn COOL.

Leia Mais

I took my time with this drama. I watched the first four episodes, stopped, watched the next two maybe a few weeks later, another two after that, wrapped it up in one go. To me, this is not the kind of show to binge-watch.

Story:
Rough. The first of three sections this drama was split into was good; It really showcased the discrimination present in almost any society where someone is outcasted for something the majority population is uncomfortable or unfamiliar with. The love story was very rushed, and I understand that they had to fit it all into four episodes in order to transition into the Joseon era. Said transition was so confusing and ill-directed that I just stopped for a minute and thought.... "HUH?" When I finally watched it, the Joseon storyline made pieces fall into place for the first section, and although it was a bit harder to follow (mostly knowing who was in what clan), it allowed puzzle pieces to fall into place. As for the third section... I felt it was very cliched. We got the discrimination still, we have the amnesia, the Romeo/Juliet love story, the shunned second lead (who managed to get himself a good loving girlfriend for once), the "power of music changing people's hearts..." Cliched, yes, but also very sweet. Like marmalade.

Characters/Cast:
I am a fan of Yeo Jin Goo, when I saw him play young-Kim Soo Hyun in TMTETS (and young-Yoochun in I Miss You, what little I saw of it). Here, he played his part well, but i think the way he delivered his lines was very flat and his expressions neutral. He has a few good scenes, but I enjoyed watching him. Jonghyun is precious, and really did Shi Hoo well. He really gave off that depressed vibe, and I really loved watching his Instagram updates of behind the scenes. Shi Hoo is a broken and tortured soul (in both lives) and really deserves the true friendship he received from the members of Orange Marmalade.
Seolhyun is new to acting and she knows it, but she's very pretty and works hard. She has a long way to go in her acting skills, but she has a wonderful voice and made the music enjoyable. The supporting characters as well were very enjoyable.

The music:
Well... it's a drama not only about vampires and humans, but also about music. The songs are catchy and beautiful, but not something I'd listen to on a daily basis.

Overall:
If you've read the original webtoon, you might be disappointed. I haven't read it, but from what I've heard the drama deviates from the original story so don't be too angry when you see where the director takes it. It's really a meh drama to me, but if you enjoy non-suicidal Romeo and Juliet, a beautiful cast, and interesting story-telling, then I think you would enjoy this. ;D

Leia Mais

Densha Otoko grabs a formula that should be easy to relate and make work but, although funny and moving at times, has mistakes that makes it very hard to watch at times.

Story:
The in very short is a looser guy gets beautiful woman and they fall for each other. specifically a very shy otaku meets a rich girl and the series follows how their relation develops while he posts on the stories on an online forum.

I don't have much complains with the story. it isn't very complicated which isn't bad so the series manages to acknowledge this and play the cards that it has. However it does seem that the story is a little to good to be believable even for a show of this type's standard. I will touch about this later but the basically the story doesn't do a good job convincing us that this things happened in a logical way.

Acting/Cast:
My main concern is here. although some of the cast is wacky/funny and there are some memorable moments my problem is with the main character which is a huge deal for a show. The show wants to give us a looser otaku protagonist and show us how he gets the girl. However, the guy is borderline unbearable there isn't a single moment where he is not stuttering while talking with the girl or isn't crying even when no normal person will cry. I understand a person being shy but they exaggerated. Due to the misrepresentation of shyness i don't think there is anyone that can relate with the main character which to me is a huge issue in this type of show. Not only this but during the whole show there very little character development in him when he was the one who needed it the most.

Thankfully the rest of the cast did their job at the very least which managed to saved the show for me.

Music: I will just say i though the music was interesting int he style they chose very retro and choosing to go for english lyrics. however i didn't feel any outstanding scores.

Rewatch Value: I guess you can get some rewatch value out of the moe moments and few funny ones.

Overall I was about to drop the series it main shortcoming is so big. A series is not good in my opinion if I still want to punch the main character after the last episode. However i think that after standing the first few episodes one gets desensitized of the cringy stuff that they throw at you and you can manage to finish because of funny scenes scattered far apart.

Leia Mais

Watching the Secret Love Affair, I kept thinking of Virginia Woolf’s remark about George Eliot’s novel Middlemarch, that it was the rarity of rarities, a novel for adults. And I kept thinking of the remark because it wasn’t easy to look beyond the age difference and sympathize with the drama’s lovers. It really took the adult in me not to be cynical and dismissive of the love affair and of the show, for that matter, as a sort of a vehicle for advancing a feminist agenda. Then there was the setting: the academic world of the rich, the cultured, and the ruthlessly ambitious which lends the show an air of sophistication the youngster in me initially found pretentious.

Needless to say, I got over my biases and I was rewarded. Secret Love Affair is a stylish, intriguing drama that confronts its heroine with the most impossible of choices: Give up everything you ever lived for and live in poverty for love or continue to live for ambition and deny your feelings unto eternity. I knew the first option was unlikely. (K-Drama does not do poverty and squalor even if passionate love is at the heart of it.) I thought the second option was the only option but a bad option nonetheless. As it turned out, there was a third option, and it revolved around a funny development in the story. Everyone, who means anything to the two lovers, finds out about the affair, but no one condemns the couple. Friends are supportive, and friends who aren’t real friends promise to sweep it under the rug provided the heroine takes the fall for the financial indiscretion of a higher up, or so I gathered. (My attention waned towards the end.)

As befitting a heroine, the heroine defies her enemies and protects her lover. The way she does it—acting as if she has done nothing wrong—however doesn’t do much to build the drama to an exciting ending. It was fun getting there though.

Leia Mais

The story line itself is very interesting.I enjoyed how the discriminite side of society is revealed.It can be interpreted in many different ways the message of the story itself.Everyone is scared of someone/something that is not normal.

Overall I found the plot of the drama very unorganized.
There are three sections to this drama.The transition from the first to the second was not done well. To be honest I loved the second part because you learn more about the characters but what took away from it was how they got there.I won't go too much into detail since I will not reveal any spoilers.I usually say in dramas that the storyline is always extended and that it would be better if it were shorten.This drama is not like those other ones.This drama needs more episodes because by the end of the drama you can tell how rushed and clearly see the transition of every section.

Acting......umm it wasn't bad I will say that.This was my first time having seen all the actors and actresses.In my opinion I thought the supporting roles acted better than the main roles.I won't point out the specific episodes but overall I found mari's body language very awkward at times. Jae min I found had almost a blank expression the majority of the time, there was a part were he was supposed to look confused and scared due to an incident that took place....Yeah i thought it was a joke since his expression didn't really "sell it".I found at some points their acting very unnatural,I understand seolhyun is new to acting so i look forward to her growth in the future :3

Music..To be honest i only liked the first song they performed.The rest were boring to me so i'll have to listen to those later and read the translations so I can better understand it.(will edit this portion later)

Neither do I think I will rewatch nor recommend this drama... It just didn't make me fall involve with it.Overall it was very entertaining and I'm glad I tried it out.

To my knowledge I know this drama was based on a online cartoon.I can not give a fully honest review since I have not read it but If do so later I will come back and edit this review.

Leia Mais

It started off with a bang. The first half of this drama was fast paced and exciting to watch. I eagerly waited for each episode because I wanted to see more interactions between the leads, Ji Jia Wei and Guan Xiao Tong. The OTP has great chemistry- not forced at all. The first half set the story/background well, and the various relationships, whether friendship, family, or romance. I liked the set up of the drama and the idea of Murphy's Law, but to be honest, the interesting idea of Murphy's Law that got me intrigued to watch this drama in the first place kind of died out the second half; It was barely incorporated in the drama later.

Oh my, Danson Tang. Thank you for coming back to T-dramas. His acting as improved a lot, and I could feel the emotions he was portraying. After loving him in Fabulous 30, I think his character in this drama was even better. I never seen Ivelyn (GuanXiaoTong) in T-dramas before but I thought she was a good female lead, and was paired well with Danson though her character was a bit annoying/indecisive towards the end. The supporting characters were likable. I liked Jia Wei's office staff, as well as Xiao Tong's co-workers. They were evenly matched, and some brought comedic relief while others added the friendship aspect. It was cute, and felt like a family. The second male lead wasn't that obnoxious, and the second female lead was annoying at first, but did get much better. For those of you who hate the cliche evil second female lead, this drama doesn't have that. :)

The music was so catchy! There were a few really good emotional songs played at the crucial scenes; I liked that a lot. The music was used to its advantage; it added to the drama tremendously.

I'm going to rewatch the drama soon to see if some of the plot adds up as well as rewatch the very romantic scenes between the leads. I do have to say though; the second half ruined it a lot. I mean, yes, I liked the ending but the ending wasn't enough to completely pull the drama back. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this drama a lot and the ending was semi-satisfying even though it could have been longer.

I would definitely recommend this drama if you can stand a bit of dragging near the end. Suffer through the dragging ( like 3 episodes) to see awesome chemistry and a refreshing first half storyline. If you have a similar taste in dramas as me, you will like this drama too! (9/8)

Leia Mais