1Esta resenha pode conter spoilers
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.
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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!
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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!
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There were some cast members that I liked and some I really didn't like at all.
Cast: Ray/Se Chan, Henry & Woo Ri were my favorite characters, I really loved Se Chan so much that it really hurt in episode 2... I grew very fond of Ray and wanted him to win and wanted him to be happy. Whenever I'd see Henry I couldn't help but continuously say "His voice is so cute^^, He's so adorable^^ He's my favorite^^" every time he was on screen and every time he'd sing my heart would go pit-a-pat lol <3 I loved that goof-ball :P I loved his and Ray's friendship too :) Woo Ri was the best female vocalist (I know Hae Ra is the so called "lead" but her voice is NOTHING compared to Woo Ri's) - Woo Ri has SOUL in her voice whist Hae Ra has "air" - // I really disliked Se Jong >_< I couldn't stand him and he really can't sing (he has a nasal voice)... I honestly don't think Hae Ra deserved to guys fighting over her (she wasn't worth it in my book) but either way, even if didn't like her very much I still shipped one and not the other, I really wish Hyorin would stay out of drama-land (she's not a good actress) - I actually kind of liked the way it ended... not for Hae Ra but for Ray, Henry & Woo Ri^^
Music: I will still listen to lots of the songs they performed on the show - I really enjoyed some of them^^
I won't re-watch this drama, but I may want to watch a few scenes of Henry & Woo Ri again lol (they were just too gosh darn cute).
I wouldn't recommend it unless you are a fan of Henry of SUJU or Jung Jin Young of B1A4 (and would only recommend you watch their scenes) & the music :) Save yourself the frustration of the actual story lol - to be honest I started it myself for Jung Jin Young <3 I'm a big fan of B1A4^^
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Esta resenha pode conter spoilers
I feel it is my civic duty to write a review warning people to give this drama a wide berth. I started it because of the short episode count and thought it might be cute, enjoyable fluff...... I was wrong. The writing is dire. Its like a 10 year old girl wrote some of these scenarios, its juvenile to the point of being cringeworthy.
**Slight scene spoiler***
There is one scene where the lead female who we understand is in her early 20's has a cold and finds herself abandoned on a busy street with no money. She calls for help and her 2 earnest suitors dash off to rescue her like shes tied to a bomb that will explode in 5 minutes. She could have just flagged down a taxi and made her own way home ...this whole scene was just too embarrassing for words. And before you defend it by saying this sort of stuff happens a lot in Kdramas yes it does but the dialogue and acting made this scene (as well many others) particularly awkward.
The rest of the plot just meanders about and goes nowhere. One aspect that annoyed me the most was the angst was so fake and and engineered.; For example- girl likes boy - boy pretends he doesn't like her back - boy now tells girl he likes her but she rejects him this scenario was repeated like a washing machine set on an endless cycle. There was no real reason or explanation for this back and forth and it rendered the whole trope redundant.
I'm all for dramatic angst but it needs to be done well and in this drama sadly that wasn't the case.
The acting was pretty dismal too but I didn't go into this drama expecting an acting masterclass so I will let that slide.
The music might be the only positive note (pun intended) but most of it wasn't really to my taste. If you like Glee/High School Musical kind of singing then this drama might be for you.
So to recap ....I want my 12 hours back!!!!!!
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So you may ask what is the particularity of this drama ? Simply entertainment and a fresh amazing lead actor : Chen Xiao ; he was probably one of the reason I had to finish this drama no matter what. I really liked the character Chen Xiao portrayed : Yang Kang's son Yang Guo who is a very funny, playful, smart guy. He was not fully aware of his father's past and what sins he committed but it's like he atoned for his father's wrongdoings since he lend a hand to the Guo family and was always here in critical situations.
I really like that he was so different from his father, as a child he wandered everywhere and had no place to call 'his own" but still he only made the right encounters which led him to be the asltruistic, reliable, and friendly person he is as an adult. And when he loves someone it's till the end he will never let anyone ruin the love he feels for this one person no matter the hardship he has to overcome to be with her.
The only other good point I can find to this show are the fighting scenes and all these martial arts shows, even if it was not always well executed and choregraphed it was fine for me. I almost forgot there's finally something that I really liked, it was the Jilun Guoshi/Xiang'er's moments near the end .
And now I will list all the things I disliked and there are a lot unfortunately.
-The characters, which I found to be very plain, dull, underdeveloped and totally useless, honestly I did not understand the use of introducing so many characters which would simply die after two eps or make them disappear juster after their introduction. They did not manage to convey their feelings the way they should or maybe they tried but they did not reach their goal which is to move the audience.
If we take a look at the cast we can see there are not less than 30 supporting characters, they are supposed to bring something new to the story but I could not feel it and I did not take interest to their stories, I found them to be very annoying.
-So many despicable characters, I would have gladly hit to death :
*Zhao Zhi Jing : each time he opened his mouth I had murder desires !
*Fu'er , I simply can't understand why Rong'er doted so much on her, she was too spoiled and always acting like a capricious girl.
*Huo Du
*Gong Sun Zhi and his wife were so annoying and I hated Sun Zhi's fake smile.
-Xiao Long Nu, I found her too passive, she has no expressions at all always the same bland expressions. The actress had no chemistry with Chen Xiao and I think that only comes from her.
-Bad dubbing voices, especially the ones who were dubbing Zhou Botong's characters.
-The characters never age, oh well Zhou Botong is supposed to be 80 and even more but no he is still alive with amazing Martial Arts skills, the same goes for Huang Laoshi, JiLun GuoShi, Reverend Yideng etc.
-Special effects were very bad too, and yet I expected a lot since it's a new version, I thought they would work darned and show us some beautiful sceneries but nothing! And it's better to not get me started on that topic ;)
I never ever do speedwatching so even if I found the drama very boring I watched it till the end without missing any parts ;)
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The acting is really good in this. My favorite character is Lee Cho Hee's Sa Wol. She is a strong, loyal friend that is also sweet and caring. Jung Yoo Mi was perfect as In Yub. After watching several actresses lately with stone faces or overacting, it was nice to see an actress get it right. She shows her emotions with out it being obviously acting and it is believable. I ended up liking her character quite a bit. I have never seen Oh Ji Ho before. I think he did a good job as Moo Myeong. I think it is hard to be a quiet but emotional character, but Oh Ji Ho pulled it off well. Poor Kim Eun Gi. Kim Dong Wook portrayed the character's sweet and cold sides very well. I felt sorry for this character the most. He faced everything even his own short comings. It must have been hard for him. The other actors are good too.
There is really good music in this even if it doesn't have words.
I won't rewatch this, but it is rewatchable.
I recommend this drama to everyone no matter what genre you prefer. It is really good.
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Kim Soo Hyun as Sam Dong, has portrayed his character very well when compared to his other competitors in this drama. He has delivered his acting skill exceptionally well during the scenes where he need to express his innocence on the stage while his Mom watching him,or express his love to his lover,hide the pain from his lover or bear the loneliness after he succeed. That could be one of the reason why he was chosen for the blockbuster movies like 'The Thieves', 'Secretly Greatly' or the drama 'The Moon that Embraces the Sun', even though these roles would have been apted for some other leading Korean actors.
Taec Yeon, the rapper of the 2PM Band group, is the another main lead of this drama. He has also given his best not only in the acting but also in the songs that were sung by him in the drama OSTs. I believe his performance was more liked by the viewers than the other casts.
Suzy - Her performance was at 'the best'. Her portrayal of an arrogant, rude, cunning, high ambitious teenage girl is much appreciateable.
Ham Eun Jung - as Yoon Baek Hee has lived as the character on this whole drama. All the scenes between her and Suzy are very noteable which makes draws the viewers attention everytime, which indeed increase the Drama's pace.
Jang Woo Young,IU,Ahn Seo Hyun are the other noteable performers of this drama.
The drama is all about how the teenagers acheive their dream of becoming K-pop idols, which deals with:
How can a normal person turn into a star if he/she possess the talent, skill, enthusiasm, perseverance, hard work.
While travelling in the path of success, the different kind of obstacles that one come across and how it can be overcomed.
During this battle for success, what kind of emotional pain one suffer, the changes in well bonded relationships, the art of giving up/not giving up during the crucial moments.
The director chose 'Music' as the core element of this drama through which all the characters portions are threaded. Drama concentrates more on the emotional bonding between the school friends, their dream to succeed in the field of music, than describing their normal school life, which we have seen in many dramas. Some 'common boring mandatory' elements such as Rich Guy Poor Girl Love, Finding the lost sibling, Guy or Girl with super natural power falls in love with the other, Amnesia - missing here which has added a huge advantage to this drama.
The setting is good, in particular the underground set where Taec yeon stays and Suzy's house. The dollar chain which is rotated among each other during their hard times is a such a nice concept. Each time they bounce back and stay focussed on their ambition, and give a better come back. The teenagers who dream high must watch this drama and learn that even though the world is not fair on them on most of the occassions, they should never give up and keep trying!
Music is a big boost to this drama, where the OSTs were performed by the main leads themselves. "Dream High", "Someday" are my favourite of all 12 Sound tracks. The music was composed in the same way how an upcoming artist will compose the song rather than an experienced composer.
I like the 2 below quotes very much and it will be in my WhatsApp status atleast for a week till I find an another nice drama quote.
“They say that there are two types of happiness. One is a happiness that you realize after the fact and the other is a happiness you feel in the moment. That happiness you feel in the moment is so precious that they say that the memories of this kind of happiness can stay with you and enlighten your life. Maybe we’ll go on remembering this moment today, like that kind of happiness… that we can remember for the rest of our lives, the moment when we shined.”
“Do you know what it means to become an adult? It means there’s less and less to smile about. So we’ll have to smile even more, even if we have to force it.”
Han Ji Hoo as the Dance Teacher, Park Jin Young as English teacher (His comedy portions reduce the tension/seriousness that arises through out the drama, also makes you to laugh loud!), Uhm Ki Joon as Music Teacher (He has played a very vital role, which involves most of the heavy scenes), Ahn Seo Hyun as Suzy's little sister (I must agree the fact that this kid is sooooo cute that you will give her a big hug and kiss on her cheek when you get a chance to meet her in person.), Ahn Kil Kang as Doo Shik (Comedy lights up whenever he appears on the screen) has played a very noteable performance.
And the most noteable point in this whole drama is, not only in their drama characters where everyone will challenge each other, but also, in the way they all played their roles/performed to challenge each other's acting skill. All the 6 main leads have played their roles with healthy competition among each other!
One can find very minimal (ignorable) flaws in this drama.
A Big, big applaud to the Director and the off screen technicians to make this 'Dream High' to Fly High!
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Acting/Characters: The acting was flawless and I loved the characters so much! Especially Shin Se Gi, Anh Yo Na and Oh Ri On! Wish they'd had more screen time.
Music: That one sad song that kept playing = it's so beautiful and so meaningful and great!
ReWatch? I don't normally rewatch KDramas but I think I'll probs will watch this again in 5/6 years time =]
Why did it lose 2 marks on the rating? I have five reasons:
1. I was expecting it to be a lot more comedic, if not, comedy central.
2. I wish it'd been about 5 episodes longer so we could've spent more time with the other personalities. And it ended a bit rushed I think.
3. Too much crying! I swear Cha Do Hyun is cried every 5 minutes! I mean I can completely understand why and can 100% sympathize why and it's amazing how the actors could produce so many tears in one episode (congrats to their acting skills!) but it really was too much.
4. My idea of what the 'past incident' was, was a lot more corrupt and juicy in my mind and it would've really messed up Do Hyun-Ri Jin-Ri On's relationship big style!
5. The MC female annoyed me quite a lot. When she was crying hard I was trying so hard not to die of laughter at how pathetic she sounded. And her constantly red upper lip and lip shape annoyed me. << but that's me getting picky xD
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Once again I've confirmed my true love for sagueks. I was blown away by the brilliance of this drama right from the first episode. The way it is told, directed and acted is what makes this drama special for me. I've seen a lot sagueks, but this one is one of the rarest and I guarantee it'll stay in my heart... forever.
Story is quite unusual. In Yub, young noblewoman, precious and only child in househould falls in a status of a low-maid when her father gets accused of a treason. She then, must learn to adapt to a poor and cruel life of maids. With a help from Moo Myung, a servant with hidden identity and other maids in a household she learns what a true happiness and love in this world means.
Personally, watching this drama gave me a lot of emotions, I was 100% invested in a story and its characters' and I really respect when a writer can brings that to viewers. I call that quality. Every character is perfectly written, with its own story and depth giving this drama a darker tone and deepness. What I love the most is that the story is told of a maids' perspective, showing us their emotions and thoughts they had, what they can do and what they can't do. Also, a great demonstrating a difference between a noblemens' and maids', in fact a difference in their actions and their punishments for that. I have to say that it's a very cruel drama, however once you start it, story will pull you in and you won't be able to stop it. At least that was a case for me.
As I said before, characters are perfectly written, from the main to the supporting ones. There wasn't a single boring moment, because every character that is shown is worth showing and she/he will always have some influence on a plot. Believe it or not, but that's how it is.
I TOTALLY became a fan of Jung Yoo Mi. That girl blowed me away! Her acting is first what makes this drama worth a try. She made her character to be so believable and true, that I don't think any other acterss would be able to bring a character of In Yub as she did. BRAVO! Her struggle when she falls from the priveleged status to the one of the lowest in that period, her emotions, thoughts, actions is so very-well written. You could actually feel for her. Definitely going into my list of the strongest female characters. ;)
I adore Oh Ji Ho and they totally chose a right actor for a role of Moo Myung. Wooden, emotionless, cruel... ufff just right. Moo Myung is a servant with a hidden identity, clever, calculative and skilled man, a man that you don't know what he thinks. He's loyal to his masters, but when In Yub enters in his life, his world will change.
Actually, no matter how I love OJH, this time my attention stole Kim Dong Wook. Damn, that man sure deserve some prize. His wonderful performance to the sweet, kind-hearted to the evil man was absolutely AMAZING. However, I COULDN'T get angry no matter what he did. BECAUSE, all he has done and all he did was for a In Yub's sake. His endless love for her, really never ended. He is a true proof to that. And that's why his character is sooo special to me, really, really special.
Also, that girl Sa Wol is the most positive and kind-hearted character I've ever met in dramaland. Believe it or not, I cried for her at least three times. Likewise, all maids and servants in this drama are not just to be written, they did have a good reason to be made in this drama.
It's the first time I hear that in a drama, especially in saguek they didn't use any single ost. It's not that I'm complaining though. Even instrumentals were very beautiful and they exactly fitted the scenes.
If we were to look from the perspective of twists, cliffhangers and turn of events this drama gave, I would say that it's not something new, although there were REALLY some epic moments. But they way this drama is made and showed to the viewers is definitely worth giving a pure 10, for me. Cinematography, directing, clever, life lesson's dialogues and also very unique story is definitely worth to be remembered for. I'll never ever forget this outstanding drama.
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The drama starts with a common girl who eventually has to be a school president of a prestigious school and then she got a help from a weird boy to give a “speech”.
At first i don’t really like the story and the cast too, but after a few episodes or more i began to like it. And i still didn’t really like the cast after a few what i thinks an awkward acting.
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The story is really one of a kind, and i almost love it. The story from the writer past, about her mother and her son was really good.
The cast is good!! I like the chemistry between the writer and the ghostwriter.
At first i think the music at the beginning of the drama didn’t match well with the drama’s story but after a few episodes i began to like it.
And you’ll never disappoint with the ending.
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I really like watching a school life genre like this with lot of comedy in it.
I really like the story that tells us about the difference about boy and girl, Buddhist and catholic.
This drama has different story for each episodes from romance, friendship, family, etc. And i really enjoyed every of it.
The cast is just great, with my favorite actor and actress as the leading and the supporting actor is just as good.
And the ending was so cute!!!
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The story is not really great but it’ll make you want to know what was really happen to this couple. And i cried for once when she told him about her past.
The cast is just as good as the story. The husband is really cute when with his wife. And the wife who just likes a robot had a really unique personality.
The music is good, and i really like the song that the wife always sings every episodes.
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It was more than i ever hoped for, and he is soo hot. I like the story line, the acting. Everything is superb. Finding it in subtitles is going to be hard but i am looking forward to everything.
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