Reviews

Let me preference this by saying that I love Ji Chang Wook and through this drama I really came to love a lot of the actors and characters. The cast was the most redeeming quality of this drama. On that note as others have mentioned this drama fails on many points. Out of all the sageuk I have watched thus far this one was my least favorite.

The beginning is strong. I loved the story of Dong Soo and Woon. Another reviewer said "epic bromance" and I could not agree more. Even the young actors who played both of them were pretty amazing. I had a few issues primarily with Dong Soo's- deformity and the stupid suit of bamboo that didn't look like it could possibly do anything but those concerns were minimal.

Towards the middle of the drama however everything just comes to a stupid halt. Nothing happens that progressed the story. Ji Sun's character who they act like is integral really becomes a useless figure and I was not a fan of her acting. I think that if she had died I would have been happier with the story line. In the middle all I learned was useless things about ginseng that in no way really helped build the story. Kanzo could have been a really cool character but he too seemed to be so poorly written that even his parts were in no way beneficial.

Towards the end it became really hard to even drag my self to the end. At the end there is a few things that of course are integral and all I can say is that even though I knew he would have to die, I was still balling during his death scene. That said I also had wanted to slap him for his continued "misunderstandings" I mean WHY DID HE NOT TELL THEM THE TRUTH!!! On that note WHAT THE HELL CHO RIP???

Then at the end the "pairing" everyone up was a little unnecessary and didn't really make me feel like anything had been resolved. I was overall just disappointed in the way things started to play out after episode 14. For once it might have actually been better if it had ended somewhere around episode 22.

Overall the acting was good and I liked the characters, but they were poorly written and the writing just got worse as the show dragged on which is why I give it a 7.5

Leia Mais

After that majestic charm mayu matsuoka shown in mondai no restau as chika I have decided to watch her in a lead role. So without reading the synopsis i have decided to watch this show. To my surprise this drama became the best ive seen this 2015, fast paced drama that tackels this problem called "genkai shuraku" which basically means the town is dying cause people are leaving and only old folks remains. If you watch the news you know that that is a big problem in japan right now. This drama shows how hard it is to become a farmer as it shows they're struggle to save this dying town with matching that powerful emotional music I can't help but got teary eyed. Im also familiar with the other cast which is sorimachi and tanihara..Ilove both actors. Sorimachi have this great father aura in him and his father and daughter chemistry with matsuoka is realistic. I have to admit the character by tanihara at start seems to be annoying, I also feel that his presence will kill the ambiance of this drama but gladly it seems that the scriptwriters fix his character and remove a bit of that manga characteristics. Matsuoka also is the perfect for her character, i dont feel that "daddy issue" in her character at all which may happen if this was played by other young more famous but not as talented actress.

This may feel like a boring drama to you but trust me that wont be the case cause the drama develops fast but without ruining the story.


Check my Blog for other reviews & other JDramas stuffs. (｡◕‿‿◕｡)
https://thatjapanesedramaguy.blogspot.com/

Leia Mais

So I am not a huge GOT7 fan and when I started this drama I didn't really even know that was who it was LOL. I watched because it was such a short mini-series and it had a really cute plot line.

Boy was I so happy. Amazingly I would have to say the boys did a really good job acting. Not the best I have ever seen, but for singers this was actually a really cute way to show them off. I also liked that the whole premise was based on the boys being able to sign and dance.

I honestly think this could have just been a movie, it would have made more sense in that format but as it stands I have to say that it was pretty good. It was short, there wasn't a lot of beating around the bush or misunderstanding.

The plot had some holes, but because it was so short the minor plot holes didn't really matter. In the end I have to say that this was better than some full dramas I have watched and if you are a fan of GOT7 or JYJ then this is for you.

Leia Mais

OVERALL
A great drama, which only flaw is that the romance lacks a bit of passion. Watch! Just watch!

THE STORY
In my opinion, all good dramas are character-driven, which is why Ho Goo’s Love is good. There’s no storyline per say in the show. Sure, we can say it’s the story of a loser who meets with his first love and tries to win her over. But that’s not it. It’s the story of a guy who thinks he’s a loser and consciously plays the part, and the story of a girl who thinks she’s a loser but chooses to pretend she’s not, and how they come to trust in themselves and go for what really matters to them in life. Their personalities, their issues and their attempts to deal with these problems drive their relationship and the entire drama forward. That's character development at its best. That's a great drama.

All characters are fab and remain coherent from beginning to end (hence the drama also is coherent from start to finish), but what’s also great about this show is the script. Among so many great things, I thought it was amazing how everyone in the show ends up realizing, at some point, that they’re Ho Goo (fools). We’re all fools, especially in love. It’s fresh, it’s light (even when a serious, dark matter’s in play), it’s fun and relatively realistic. It's complete.

The downside to this drama is that the writers put out innovative plot possibilities, but by the end decided to play safe and give the type of closure that’s more conventional to Kdramaland. Also, I’m going to say it as it is, there could have been more skinship between Do Hee and Ho Goo, or more intensity (aka “passion”) in the relationship. While the show’s great, it’s not emotionally gripping, and I think that’s one of the reasons, especially since they put a lot of emphasis in the premise on the fact that Ho Goo had never been romantically involved. It’s a shame, but hey, the drama’s so good, I’m not even going to complain.

THE ACTING
I want Choi Woo Shik! Can’t I have him? He’s cute ok, but he’s also such a great actor! Uee’s acting has me conflicted, because I don’t think it’s bad, but it doesn’t always convince me. Anyway, it wasn’t an impediment to the show, I still loved her character the most out of all, so I’d say she did well. Seulong was awesome! But all the cast did well.

THE MUSIC
Funny, I just ended the show and I can’t think of what the OST was like…well, it wasn’t bad at least! I’d remember that!

REWATCHABLE VALUE
High. Very high.

Leia Mais

OVERALL
A story very much worth watching, but know that you may get frustrated by the shift in focus half way through though. Watch it if 1) you wanted to watch a historical drama less focused on struggles for the throne, 2) you like gripping, suspenseful storylines. Don’t watch if 1) you like well-developed love stories, 2) you can’t stand injustice and characters getting mistreated (it is a show about slaves after all).

THE STORY
The good: Those who complained that historical dramas were always centered on the palace and political factions get to see a show focused more on the life of the lowest class, that is, for half of the drama. The show never becomes boring and the plot, for better or for worse, grips you until the end. The drama has great cinematography, and the first half, deep conversations and steady character and romance development.

The bad: Unfortunately, the writers decided not to risk it fully and cut all the political business out of the story, so the magic of the show – namely, the focus on maids – went away about half way through the drama. As the plot was becoming more palace-conflicts-centered, character and relationship development stagnated. All romances lost their charm, and the characters too.

The Ugly: As the characters lost their charm, they also lost themselves, because their actions became increasingly incoherent. The show, that was initially quite innovative and fresh, became quite predictable by the end, with unnecessary drama.

Bottom line: Started out really good, slowly decayed, but managed to pull off an okay (just okay) ending. Not quite a disappointment, but almost.

THE ACTING
All secondary cast was absolutely great, especially Kim Dong Wook (my Coffee Prince was gone!). Jung Yoo Mi gained my esteem. I didn’t think she was a bad actress and I liked her since Dong Yi, but she wasn’t impressive. In here, she’s definitely impressive, and the only thing I regret is that she had no chemistry with Oh Ji Oh. As for him, I can’t put him in the same basket. He was good enough in his role, but his acting just doesn’t convince me.

THE MUSIC
I liked! Without being something of another world, it wasn’t typical historical-drama music. Fitted super well with the story and scenes too. It was dark and suspenseful. I liked!

REWATCHABLE VALUE
Uff. I don’t know. I loved the beginning so much, but the last few episodes…Ok, well, definitely rewatchable, just maybe not until the end.

Leia Mais

Okay, I admit I'm generous with the ratings I've given but what can I do, I'm so in love with this drama. In every issues that it tried to deal with, the drama stayed true to what's happening in the real life. Gender equality (esp women empowerment) was one of the focuses of this drama, and how this issue was dealt is like how you would see it in real life. It also lived to its genre, rom-com. Every episode will surely leave you crying; either from cracking up or from sorrow. This is the only drama that had me laughing on a serious scene, even after just a few minutes of starting.

The choice of casts was also a great one. Uee and Choi Woo-shik fit perfectly for the role. As we all know Uee can always pull up a strong women role. But she definitely delivered Do Do-hee perfectly that you can feel her pain when watching. Same goes for Woo-shik; his expressions helped a lot in portraying Ho-goo. Which had me wishing him for an award, but Daesang is quite too much. And this is actually a breakthrough role for Woo-shik as his first lead role-drama is a success.

Leia Mais

You know when you watch a drama because you like one or two actors and you're not expecting much, but then you get something amazing? That's what happened with this one for me. This is one of those dramas in which you have a team of untrained rookies trying to do something together while learning to get along, which is a plot that often happens in sports drama. Here, though, being a police drama, it not only opens up the possibilities to mix that with a few cases to solve and some training, but it also covers the deep and emotional reasons that lead each one of these characters to pursue this as a career and to keep going despite them being in so much pressure. It goes through very emotional aspects, it got me crying at one point, but it's also funny and easygoing most times. It's really well-balanced. I do find a problem in the plot, which is that there's one element in the protagonist's story-line (very well performed by Fujigaya Taisuke) that doesn't get as resolved as I would have liked (something that has to do with his father), but I really liked that they took time to make viewers understand and feel connected to each character as well as move the plot along. I watched it basically for Kitayama Hiromitsu, who gave a pretty great performance, especially in the episode centered on his character, but an unexpected surprise for me was Gouriki Ayame, whose character and performance I really enjoyed in this one. I especially loved how they contrast the police as a tainted idea with what they become, which is protectors of the people. If you want a drama mainly about friendship, a hardworking team of underdogs that comes together, a little bit of romance and a few mysteries to solve and tasks to accomplish, then this one is a good one to choose.

Leia Mais

This drama was one of my first times of watching Chinese dramas and I loved it!
The cast was amazing (Hawick Lau, Bai Bing, Ying Er) and the acting was overall well played, however sometimes it could be too fake.
In some certain bits of the storyline, it got really complicated and sometimes even boring, but made me wan't to re-watch it again and understand the characters more.
This also made me watch painted skin (the movies) and the first drama :'D. Yeah I'm obsessed (especially with the ost).

My Favourite character was Xiao Wei played by Bai Bing; Xiao Wei and Ice Lord were my favourite couple in the series :)). I would definitely recommend more people to watch this drama! :3

Leia Mais

I just finished the drama and i was somehow disappointed with all the hate comments i have been reading even before i see the ending.

I cannot say that the drama was perfect but it was not bad afterall. I am a psychology major student and i guess it was the main reason why i enjoyed the drama.(doesn't mean that the symptoms or cases of DID shown are possible because it was just fictional )

Hyun Bin was Hyun Bin. He was a great actor that could make us cry a river with his crying scenes. Until the end i still see seo jin and robin as different person and he did a well in portraying both characters. On the other hand, han ji min who was highly bashed for her acting skills in this drama was reasobable. there are maybe some parts she lacks emotions but not until the last episodes (with robin ) that made me cry like a baby.

I understand that the hate and disappointment of all the other reviews rooted from their own expectations. they are asking more of the scenes they wanted like more seo jin and hana scenes. blaming han ji min for bad character when she was only portraying her role according to the script.
Unlike the majority, I loved this drama. One of the dramas that made me weep and flood my room.

Somewhat SPOILER:
For the bias part. . until the end i was hoping robin would overcome seojin and hana and him would be together, I liked robin more because i see him as another seojin not just a mere symptom of his illness. I see his pain and i love how he is able to give love and protect people beyond all their hate of his existence.

Leia Mais

If you like romance, this is the drama for you. Love conquers all is the main theme. The main characters are gorgeous. I was not familiar with Ahn Jae Wook, but he blew me away with his passion! Of course, as with all dramas, there are the annoying antagonists that you want to strangle.

The story was not unique, however, I like some of these older dramas because they have more realistic love scenes. No chicken peck kisses. I actually enjoyed when they replayed the love scenes to the beautiful, haunting music. My only complaint is that the writer didn't tie up all the complications at the end, although the ending was beautiful and memorable.

This is a "feel good" romance drama that you will want to rewatch.

Leia Mais

OH THE FEELS!!! And OH THE ORIGINALITY!!! And OH THE AWESOME LEADING MAN AND SUPPORTING CAST OF CHARACTERS!!! Those are the reasons Ho Gu’s Love (HGL) is getting this review from me. After I finished watching HGL I immediately gave it a 10, then I let it soak in a while and let my objective mind take over and bumped it down to 9.5, but really it’s more like a 9.9 with the only flaw being that so much of the plot had to depend on just simple misunderstandings (like 16 hours of Three’s Company). I felt that after a while it might have been better served for at least one of the misunderstandings to have been cleared up a little sooner, and they became so silly as to almost be a parody of themselves within the drama, as though it was self-aware as to what absurd lengths the misunderstandings had gone (which actually made it better for me). That said the feels and the cast and the characters and the originality were just so on point that they overcame this flaw and then bounded past it like a bullet train past a horse and buggy. So without further ado, here is why Ho Gu’s Love is one of my favorite Kdramas of all time.

1. Originality: Yes, I consider originality an essential element of a great Kdrama. HGL had many elements we don’t normally see in Kdramas including decent treatment of normally risqué themes (all of which I’m not going to name because spoilers). It also frequently upended my expectations of how the plot would play out, with a particular bit at the end that I was surprised by when I really thought it would go another direction to give a more pat Kdrama moment (once again, you have to see it to know what I mean). Also, there are amazing parental characters that behave in such refreshingly awesome ways.

2. Characters: Oh the characters. I am so in love with HO GU I just cannot stand it. He really is one of the best leading men characters of all time. The writer (and the actor, to be discussed next) took a character that could have been just a fool and just a sicky sweet guy and made him so real and warm that it truly is a feat of genius. I think what is most amazing about Ho Gu and the way he is written and acted is that he makes everyone else in the world look like the fool that they think he is. It’s like he has got it right and we are all wrong. Even when he shows flaws like being a little too clingy or nosy, it’s okay because sometimes in real life our emotions do override our rational and that can happen in the moment. And then at the end he even grows. There’s never been a character like him before.

a. Do Hee: She rubbed me a bit wrong at first, but by the end I was totally in love with her. She really is pretty awesome!

b. Byun Kang Chul: Speaking of rubbing me wrong at first. There are people that dropped this drama because they hated him so much. To them I say WAIT! Nothing is as it seems! He is wonderful and his growth in the drama is the greatest; don’t judge after just a few eps. You are totally wrong!

c. Ho Kyung: BAD ASS!

d. Do Hee’s Baby: The cutest baby in the history of Kdramas.

e. The Support(ive) Cast: The greatest parents ever (Ho Gu’s)! Parents that show a lot of growth. Funny and kind friends who also have lives of their own and aren’t just props. It all results in just the sweetest extended family you’ve ever seen!

3. Acting: Awesome across the board! Even Uee who I previously didn’t think much of was wonderful in her way. And Im Seulong, who I found almost mesmerizing in Mandate of Heaven as the king, was even better here. He really is good and I expect great things from him in the future. He can do drama or comedy with equal aplomb. And his physical comedy is just hilarious. The supporting actors and actresses are all good, especially the parents and the actress that plays Ho Kyung.
But Choi Woo Shik, for him I don’t know if there are words. He is a star. He is wonderful in every way. Without him the character of Ho Gu would have failed with a thud. CWS is PERFECT in this drama with no flaws. When he cries, I cry. When he laughs and smiles, I laugh and smile. When he is intense, I burn and when he does physical comedy, I laugh until my nose runs. He brings Ho Gu so much life and warmth and spirit and even gravitas for a character that on paper would have none. I love him in this. I love him so much it hurts!

4. Plot and Writing: As I said earlier, there is a little weakness here where the plot depends too much on misunderstandings, but the originality and the dialog and the twists more than make up for that weakness. I know this was based on a manhwa so it’s not an original story and I have not read the manhwa so I don’t know how much this deviates, but I think the writing was really top notch. Once again a cable channel brings home the bacon where so many network shows fail miserably.

5. THE FEELS! What puts this drama over the top for me in terms of love and awesomeness though is the feels. I laughed; I cried; I laughed; I cried. I did those things over and over again, episode after episode. I can watch whole dramas and never laugh out loud or cry like a baby; I did both every week with this show. Maybe it touched me more deeply because I have a 16 mo baby. I don’t know. But I will never forget the emotions this show made me feel for as long as I watch Kdramas.

So there you have it. Stop whatever you are doing now and go watch this drama. It is nearly perfect and where it isn’t perfect, the intangibles make up for it. And if you love great acting, you have to see Choi Woo Shik in this. You are really depriving yourself otherwise.

Leia Mais

This has to be one of the greatest Taiwanese dramas to date.

Plot | A pretty cocky playboy and a poor girl meet in a kind of messed up way, but end up getting close. But later one Guang Xi needs to get a brain surgery and ends up losing his memory. Not sure if that will pull other in to watch, but this was played out SO well. May be a little typical but believe me, the story was written too perfectly.

Acting/Cast | PERFECT. that's it. I love VanNess's acting. He and An Ady seemed to go well together. Though at times I wished her character was portrayed in a different way. Less..weak? Not sure how to explain that well. But Wen Benny! That kid seriously has a talent for acting. Whether he is acting cute or crying or saying some long lines without it sounding scripted, I loved him. Supporting cast was fine. The villagers could get quite annoying at times. But that's honestly something you always expect when you watch Taiwanese dramas, loud, obnoxious parents/friends/randoms.

Music | "I Love Him" is such a great song. Besides that song I can't really remember anything else that was played. That song alone is enough to score music so high.

Overall | Of course there are going to be people who say this drama dragged a little towards the end, and I get it, I was frustrated at a certain point to (just wanted the story to move along) but in some weird way, it made me love the ending/characters even more. As weird as it may sound, I wouldn't have minded this being longer. That's how much I liked watching the main leads together. I just loved this drama!

Just watch this drama. That's it. I think I've rewatched it 4 times already ~
Oh, it's on netflix instant watch by the way! So you can watch it on there without any annoying (viki) ads!

Leia Mais

I really love this drama because it's so cuteee!
From the first airing, I'm already fall in love with it because of the light story
But after a few episodes, the story is not light like I think before

The plot is like make viewers guessing what happen here and make me really curious what happens next! I like the plot that make me curious

Amazing acting from the casts. Especially Choi Woo Sik and Lee Soo Kyung. Uee and Seulong acting is improved too here

And I love almost all of the soundtrack

Well, the drama is really worth to watch if you want a romance comedy although Do Do Hee character is a bit annoying at first. But I love it!

Leia Mais