Kim Soo Hyun is the reason I watched this drama, but Jeon Ji Hyeon is the reason I stayed. Actually, the whole cast was fantastic, I just really really loved Jeon Ji Hyeon's character. I didn't realize before, but after looking the actress up, I discovered that both her and Kim Soo Hyun were in The Thieves (more reason to love them)!
Anyways, on with my review. You all read the plot summary already. Honestly, I thought this drama was gonna be lame, but it was actually quite enjoyable. It's about this alien thts been on earth for 400yrs, and is returning to his home planet in three months time, but ends up falling in love with a human. You'll witness the process of him falling for her, and it's actually really cute. But I'll admit, I was a little annoyed at this drama. I understood Min Joon's motivations (the alien), but I want to scream out of frustration every time he rejected Song Yi (the human). I totally understood Song Yi's frustration with him, like he tells her he doesn't want her, and then won't leave her alone. Song Yi is just fantastic throughout. And I really really really loved the guy that's in love with her, Lee Hui Kyung. I really hated his brother tho, but then again, who didn't. And the scenes when he's performing his powers/abilities were really cool. I really loved those parts, they're possibly my favorite parts in the whole drama.
Min Joon's background story is so boring tho. Thts why I didn't rate this drama higher tbh. It was really stupid, and I just did not care. I don't want to spoil anything, so all I'll say is that 400yrs ago, when Min Joon first came to earth, he saved a girl that looked just like Song Yi. Most boring part for sure. There were many other minor annoyances, but I can't list them because it would definitely spoil this drama, but like I said, they're minor.
I wouldn't say I loved this drama, but I did like it a lot. First of all, Kim Soo Hyun is my baby and I love him to pieces and he is the best crier in all of Korea okay. He is the best, period. Second, if you watched Dream High, there's a treat for you in this drama! I'm not gonna say what it is, because it's so much better as a surprise, but all I know is that I screamed in delight and it made me love the drama more. Thirdly, the cast is wonderful, especially the main actress. I've become a fan of hers. I wouldn't rewatch this drama anytime soon, but I did marathon it. It's engaging, and it's entertaining, and yea I guess I'd recommend this drama if you're looking for a romance drama. Pretty good in my book.
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My rating: 9.0
In Short: The first half of this drama was absolutely hysterical. As soon as the angst hit, the drama was a bit more middling, but still enjoyable. The Jang-couple chemistry was great.
Pros: A great cast, and a wonderful set of side characters. I particularly enjoyed Mi Young's mom, Secretary Tak and Dragon. I also quite liked the music.
Cons: Could have been trimmed down to 16 episodes with great effect. The noble idiocy was a bit too drawn out.
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My Rating: 8.5
In Short: I really enjoyed this drama. For me, Song Ji Hyo makes a winning heroine, and I was glad to see the main characters grow throughout the drama. Dramalands most adorable baby warrants extra points.
Pros: It felt like they took medicine as a discipline seriously. The main couple were cute, even though I'm thoroughly against reuniting exes. Kang Gary cameo Daebak!
Cons: The exes reunite trope is uncomfortable for me. Also, the side characters could have been a little cuter/funnier to make this more of a comedy.
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For a rom-com lover like me, this drama's a big hit. I really love Aom and Mike's chemistry. Their acting seems real for me. My heart's melting every time there's a sweet scene coming. These two are just perfect for each other. #AoMike is LOVE and I'm looking forward for the future projects of these two.
As for the story, there's not much difference from the original. But if I were to choose between the two, I'll go for this version. I don't know. Maybe because it has much lighter view of the story. You'll laugh when there's a funny scene, you'll cry when there's a sad scene, and you'll melt when there's a romantic scene.
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The story itself was almost flawless with only a few holes.(But time-travel shows usually have things that just don't add up.) I usually find myself watching the last few episodes of any drama in fast-foward. Not the case! My fast-forwarding was merely to check on the welfare of my beloved characters before rewinding and watching the episode in is entirety. The soundtrack is currently downloading on my computer right now. Moving, captivating, and inspiring.
Though still on the newer side of dramaland with only 50 dramas under my belt I found Faith refreshing in a different way. While the swordplay and massive causalties every episode was somewhat unnerving and hard to stomach I found the story and episodes to be well-balanced.
I felt I could understand the characters and found myself less mad at them than usual. I even found the villians enjoyable to watch as the portray they roles amazingly and might and add at times hilariously. It's often frustrating to see the villians winning for the majority of the show. But the little victories on each side made for an interesting watch and great storytelling.
Faith didn't have the melodrama and usual drama cliches and aside from the "inner powers" some characters had. I found the events not to be over the top-dramatic but in the world they lived in totally plausible. And I didn't feel the need to roll my eyes constantly. It wasn't too fluffy, too sad, or too dramatic. And it was quite funny at times. Most of the main characters experienced some form of character growth and the supporting cast was loveable especially the Woodalchi Boys. And that ending....
All in all great watch.
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I wanted so much to love this drama. I don't think I suffered from inflated expectations, even though Yoo In Na is one of my favorite actresses. This drama was just an absolute mess. The characters were mostly ridiculous. I think Yoo In Na cried in every single episode, sometimes several times an episode. Now, I don't mind a good damsel in distress every once in a while, I don't mind characters who have weaknesses. But that is all Yoo In Na's character was, weak. She was indecisive and allowed herself to be pulled in two different directions constantly. And I mean that quite literally. On more than one occasion, both boys each had a hand and was telling the other to let go. I was just hoping that she would tell them both to go take a flying leap since she wasn't a toy for them to argue over, but she never did.
That's not to say that I didn't pick sides. I was all for Goo Hae Young from the beginning. I know a lot of people love Nam Goong Min, but his character in this drama was absolutely insipid. He was a trope, and nothing more. Someone there to create friction and cause conflict, but not anyone who the writers care enough about to fully develop. Goo Hae Young, on the other hand, you understood what drove him. You understood his motives and the reasons why he wanted Sang Hyo so much. And more than anything, I think once you meet him, you just know they deserve to be together.
The other characters were all a joke. Used only for comic relief and as the impetus for Sang Hyo's interactions with either ends of the love triangle. It was a drama that was obsessed with love, but didn't really know how to piece it all together very well. They could have cut out 5 or 6 of the middle episodes and the drama would have been much better paced.
The murder, which could have been a really interesting focal point, was reduced to minor story points, usually used to just further the relationships. Did anyone really care who murdered those people? I certainly didn't, and the drama did a horrible job of trying to make me care about it.
All in all, it's hard to find something redeemable about this drama. But that's not to say that it isn't worth watching. There were times when it as genuinely fun, and Goo Hae Young and Nam Sang Hyo had some seriously sweet moments. Jin Yi Han is an amazing actor, and I am seriously looking forward to a more serious future role for him. While the surrounding characters were mostly shallow portrayals, they were still a lot of fun to watch their antics as they guess at the murderers and scheme to make romance happen. The love that Si Chan felt for hi boss and how much he wanted to help him be happy was adorable. And the competition for Sung Gyeum, Eun Joo, was a feisty, confident character that I legitimately liked.
If you aren't a fan of weak characters and weaker storylines, then I'd say avoid this. But if you are looking for fluff and fun, and a lot of crying (by the actors, that is), then I would say give this one a shot! It will require a lot of suspension of disbelief, but there is at least a thread of a story here that might be worth your time!
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Story: When I read the synopsis I wasn't really sure what to think about this one. It seemed absurd but interesting so I decided to give it a try. I loved it from the first episode! The story was unique and the writers definitely took a lot of risks but it was great! Even though it started out as Ha Ni looking for love and turned into Ha Ni looking for a job and many people didn't like that but I was okay with it. I loved all the parodies and references! It was all so funny! It was a really good blend of humor and seriousness. The sad scenes were sad and brought tears to my eyes, the funny scenes were funny and made me laugh out loud. It was all balanced out really well. Until they cut down the episodes and the writers were forced to rush the ending which ruined everything. But more on that later.
Actors/Characters: All the characters, even the minor ones, were awesome! And all the actors did a great job playing them!
I've only seen Jo Bo Ah in Shut Up Flower Boy Band. I always thought she was pretty but her acting was okay in SUFBB. So I was very surprised to see her do such a wonderful job in Surplus Princess! She was so funny and lovable! Her character, Ha Ni, especially at the beginning, was a spoilt brat. And I should have hated her. But I didn't. Because Jo Bo Ah made her character so likable and believable that I couldn't hate her. She was so endearing and hilarious and adorable! I loved her!
I loved Song Jae Rim! I'll admit I had never seen him or heard of him before. But I loved him in Surplus Princess! Not so much in the beginning, but Shi Kyung won me over after a few episodes. Song Jae Rim acted really well! And I loved his character! His character was well-written and had depth. I desperately wanted him to be the male lead. He had such great chemistry with Jo Bo Ah.
Honestly, Hyun Myung felt more like a side character than a male lead. And he seemed more like a friend to Ha Ni than a lover. He was like an oppa to her, and I mean in a brotherly way. On Joo Wan was okay, I guess. I didn't like his acting much. Hyun Myung as a character was okay too. I never felt much for him. I often felt like the other side characters were more important than him. He did not seem like a male lead at all.
The second female lead, Yoon Jin Ah, was so annoying and evil! I hated her! And that means Park Ji Soo played her well. But not well enough. I'm pretty sure somewhere through the hate I was also supposed to feel sorry for her. But I didn't. I only hated her. She was so low, I really couldn't feel sorry for her. Because all the decisions that got her where she was, she made them herself.
I adored all the side characters! I loved Hye Young! She was so cool and such a good friend! She was a really fun character and she and Big were so cute together! Ji Yong was so funny! I loved him! He was hilarious! Sun Kyu was awesome and the actor who played him did such a good job! Jin Ah's boss was so funny and awesome! And I loved the JH owner and her interactions with Ahn Ma Nyeo! Speaking of Ahn Ma Nyeo, how cool was he?! And Ahn Kil Kang did such a good job playing him! One of my favorite side characters ever!
Romance: I was really really hoping that the writers would take the other road, take this risk along with the others they had taken, and make the girl end up with the second lead. They had better chemistry and looked better together. I really loved Ha Ni and Shi Kyung. And the writers didn't have much time to develop Hyun Myung's and Ha Ni's story anyway. So why not take the already developed couple and make them end game? It's not like the ratings mattered anymore, the drama was already ending. But to my disappointment the writers took the conventional way. Oh well, we can't all have what we want.
Ending: I was really disappointed with the ending. Not only was it rushed, I would've liked it much better if Ha Ni would've ended up with Shi Kyung. They also left it kinda open-ended. Don't get me wrong, they did resolve almost everything. But they ended it as if they were planning on a sequel and with answers they also left us with more questions.
Overall: I really loved this drama! Even though it was only 10 episodes long I really bonded with the characters and loved the story and humor. It was a great drama that I could relax to. I wouldn't particularly recommend it because the ending sucks but if you want something light with great humor then I think you should watch it.
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The Acting/Cast (7.5/10): This drama introduced me to male actors, Jasper Lui, Sean Lee, and Yorke Sun, who I'm looking forward to seeing in many more dramas. As previously mentioned, I really liked Puff the most in this of the three dramas I've seen her in so far. She plays a good strong female lead, it's nice to see a girl who stands up for herself and doesn't take any crap, but of course also has a sensitive compassionate side as well. It was also nice to see a male lead that was genuinely kind-hearted and a nice guy, not a huge jerk that later changes. Nice guys DO get the girl! Learn from this other dramas! The acting was pretty par for the course for me. I didn't feel anyone was lacking, in fact, I think the actors did a great job of making the characters their own and distinctive from one another when they could've easily just been part of the scenery.
The Music (6/10): The opening theme was nice, and nothing was really bad, but nothing I felt that stood out either or anything I felt compelled to go itunes to try and download. I think it's just a nice middle of the road soundtrack.
Re-watch Value (5.0/10): I think this is well worth watching at least once, but I don't know that I would go out of my way to recommend it or re-watch it personally. If someone asked me if they should watch, I wouldn't dissuade them. There were some cute romantic scenes that I felt could be re-watch, but as a whole not as much.
Overall (7.5/10): I gave this a 7.5 overall because it had some really great feed-good adorable moments in it. The leads and even supporting characters had great chemistry whether romantically or not and with such a large cast, that's pretty great. I loved that the side characters had their own stories but nothing that sucked away tons of screen time from our leads but when it did it was okay because it was interesting at the least and adorkably romantic at most. I didn't feel compelled to skip episodes and while I did skip some of the storyline here and there I didn't find myself doing it a lot, mainly because I felt invested in the side romances :P
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The story is nothing special it's a typical detective drama with episodic type but more on comedy detective, the case and story has nothing special but overall it suits the drama itself, they didn't overdo anything here, i didn't feel uncomfortable while i'm watching this series, i was having a bad week but this series make me forget all those problem in my head.
I like the casts of this series, they all worked well together, i don't have any characters that i dislike in this series, which i found it's hard for comedy genre i always hate it when they overdone something or some chracter that keep doing something unreasonable, always annoy me but in this drama, there was none that i found annoy in this drama.
I recommended to give this drama a try when you have nothing to watch or feel like you want something easy and have a smile on your face, give this drama a chance, you won't regret it.
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The story starts with a bunch of students that couldn't be any more normal who greet a mysterious transfer student. Afterwards, bit by bit things start getting weirder with people who associated with him. One thing we know, this tenkousei (transfer student) is on a mission. Things get a bit complicated, but the style the direction used made it easier to absorb throughout each episode. There were many interesting characters which could've been nice to explore more. Some of them were pushed to the side to give screen time to additional characters, which was unfortunate but understandable given the time constraint. I love science fiction when sets it's own rules and logic, and operate within those guidelines which was what I found in this drama.
What I liked most in here was the directing. It managed to bring in all those elements that I enjoy watching in my shows and placed them together in such a fitting smooth laid-back manner that made such a complex story easy to digest. I also love the way they filmed the whole show, as if it was back in the 70s which brought this nostalgic feeling to it. Other than the use of cellphones, this dorama could've easily been mistaken for a sci-fi from that time. Whether it's a good or a bad thing is subjective. For me it felt like it came perfectly with the other elements of the show.
As for the acting and performances, there were countless really good ones but of course the one that stood out, and was the heart and soul of the dorama was Hongo Kanata. I cannot begin to describe how awesome he is here. Keeps you puzzled such a long time wondering if he's a human, an alien, a cyborg or some other sort of being. His gestures were flawless and the emotions he releases through his face were heart-rending. Other than him, the ever glowing Sugisaki Hana has been growing on me in every role I see her. She's particularly endearing here, her character being a bit different from previous role I've seen her in. Even with those two performances, Nakamura Aoi wasn't over shadowed for me. The reason isn't because of a bias but more since his character is one I connected the most with. I liked his laid back lazy, sometimes awkward personality. He was a natural in it. I felt Sakurai Minami was the most overshadowed since neither her character nor her performance stood out in any at all. There were many other great performances but it'll be too long to talk about it ;)
The ending they chose wasn't the best in my view but it doesn't bother me either. I think this dorama could've been perfect if given more time (more episodes or even seasons) to be fully explored, but the story needed to come to an end
As for the music it was great. The opening song and the video with it were awesome. I love the ending song. It really is uplifting and cheerful. Even if you don't watch the show, believe me it's worth checking out the song ;)
So to conclude and summarize the whole thing, if you like a laid-back drama who contains interesting elements such as coming of age with sci-fi twist, then that's exactly what you need to watch. If you're a fan of Hongo Kanata, it's also woth checking out ;)
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SOME PROBLEMS:
1. Around the late beginning and middle part of Empress Ki with all the angsty maidservants and angry queens and jealous concubines was a pain in the butt. It was like watching one of those clique high school girls drama, except it takes place several hundred years ago in a setting where noblewomen wore impossible hairdos, and the process of bickering and competing with each other literally can kill you. Sungnyang (I don't even think I spelled her name right) had to go through SO much repeating bullsh*t from those ladies. I only looked forward to Wang Yu's parts, where action and swords, all that good stuff, took place.
2. Sungnyang's perfection. I liked her character at first. She was tough, flawed, and unless you have a reputation of outwitting people or you're a black belt in karate, you would not mess with her. But then she became a figure of just...the perfect human. She was greatly kindhearted, she was immensely enduring, she was really beautiful, she was greatly intelligent, she was outright bold, she was extremely patient, she was a skilled fighter, she was wonderfully loving, she was undeniably brave and she was (insert any other good adjective). I could hardly find a flaw in her, except for the fact that she was too perfect.
3. The drama needs to. slow. it. down. It was always conflict after conflict. Once you thought the main character(s) succeeded, someone makes them fall flat on their face again. How the drama consistently had so many things happening keeps you from falling asleep or stare at the screen listlessly. However, it ruins the overall flow of the drama. If a story line could flow like water, this drama was like Rapids Water Park. But for this flaw, I could forgive.
AS FOR THE POSITIVE SIDES
1. Each character was wonderfully written. Sungnyang's and Wang Yu's characters became as flat as a scrawny 12-year-old boy's chest, but the other characters were wow-worthy-ingly complex. How each character developed, from good to bad, from bad to still bad, from bad to good then bad again, was awesome. I especially loved Ta Hwan's character. He changed a lot throughout the story, and his many flaws and controversial choices makes him very interesting. Other noteworthy characters were Dowager and Bayan. They were a perfect mixture of good and bad. Then there's Tal Tal, oh Tal Tal whose name at first was the only I could actually spell. I loved his internal conflict as he was median between two sides. His intelligent quiet and noble treacheries were intriguing.
2. Complex interaction between characters. Ah. One of the greatest prospects of the story. Each unique character's ambitions and loyalties clash and intertwine in incredible ways. You are never afraid of not seeing your favorite character for too long because each character is connected with each other. Thus each character gets an appropriate and consistent amount of screen time.
3. Technical stuff: costumes, osts, setting, casting. Ornamental costume designs, excellent cinematography, and the background music was touching and graceful. The casting was not perfect, but I want to give awards to almost all the actors/actresses. Honestly, I expected better from Joo Jin Mo since he became Stoneface McGee in the last half of the drama. Ha Ji Wan was owning it like usual. Ji Chang-wok carried out his role just about perfectly. All those components (costumes, music, setting, casting) combined into a mass of BEAUTIFUL.
4. Smart story and nice plot elements. I've seen dozens too many of cheesy and flat-as-a-board plot elements and stories that try to be smart but end up being a tangled mess. Empress Ki is not one of them. Though the pacing was rushed, the components of the plot made up for it. In a less biased view, story turns in unexpected and intelligent ways that average kdrama viewers like us could not hope to think of. And the ending was satisfying and tastefully unsatisfying at the same time.
Empress Ki had it eye-rolling downs and breathtaking ups for me.This drama also makes me wish that I was more emotional so I can have the full experience. I actually teared up when [this character] killed [this character]. Ah...so sad. Overall, this is the best Asian-made historical dramas I have ever seen; I recommend Empress Ki for people who want a ride of interesting characters, feels, and clever plot, and oh, a bittersweet ending.
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Acting/Cast: Initially I decided to watch this because of the leads Ruco, Linda, Natalie and Raymond. I however, found their acting a bit mediocre. This could be because of the terrible story and scripting. At first I was very intrigued with Raymond's story development, but as it progressed I lost interest especially when Natalie was always around. I found her character very annoying that I couldn't find myself to like her scenes at all. The only pulling factor left now was Ruco and Linda, but I was overly disappointed as they barely had much screen time together nor any development until the very last episode. I was also pleasantly surprised to see Sammy in this though he played the villain and it made me hate seeing him on screen. This was rather different from swooning over him in Line Walker XD His character was just too despicable.The supporting characters didn't help with the story either - especially Pierre and Shirley were both equally annoying to watch. I did however like Jazz in this. He was a quirky little character.
Music: I guess the theme song sets the whole mood for the drama - slow and dull.
Rewatch Value: I actually regret picking this up in the first place.
Overall: As this was my first pre-modern drama I was very disappointed. I've never been interested in pre-modern and had hoped that this would change my mind. Unless you're a diehard fan of Linda and Ruco, I'd suggest giving this a pass. Even with the great casting, this wasn't enough to save a disaster of a drama when the script does not allow it to do anything. I found this drama very boring and non-progressive. I would have dropped this if I wasn't hoping for some miracle ending for Ruco and Linda and there wasn't. I felt like I wasted my time on this drama and do no recommend it at all. There are much better dramas out there.
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At first, I have a lot of confusion maybe because I don't have any medical background so I don't expect myself to understand all these medical conditions but as you go along every episode, it all make sense and it all come together that you'll tell yourself: "Ah, that's why." That makes the writer a genius. To be able to make the viewers understand something that is unfamiliar and make them relate to it is pure genius.
The actors were the best. I love them all. Gong Hyu Jin has made it to one of my all time favorite female celebs. Talking about chemistry, this two makes all the actors and couples a run of their money. So natural, so realistic you'd think they're a real couple. They are just the real deal. IF they have another drama together, I will definitely won't think twice.
The best part of the story ~ the end. You won't ask for a better ending of this story. Just simple but it was fit perfect.
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WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE DRAMA: The casts of course! Well, I won't really rate the actors and actresses a very high score because they don't really show their acting potential through the drama. But I was totally attracted by the male lead's smile throughout the show, as well as his personality. I don't think I will ever seen a guy like that in real life! I will definitely give a high rating for the plot. The story was really nicely plotted with no draggy parts (well maybe one or two episodes in between) and how they actually not go off the way like other dramas. Overall, it is really a drama that can make people smile all the time without any frustrations. (:
WHAT I DISLIKE ABOUT THE DRAMA: However, I was slightly disappointed with the ending even though it was a very happy one. I mean, they can show more progress between the two leads or maybe the relationship between Kaiqi and Ah Jie's family or even with Xiao Yi (haven't been seeing him for quite a few episodes though!).
In conclusion, it is one of the top recent dramas that is really worth watching, as Taiwan dramas nowadays are really getting boring or draggy with no new story plots. (: And and and, if you really want to watch a drama with cute male lead with an attractive smile with dimples. ;D
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