Awesome
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Lee Jong Suk
This series has been on my PTWL for awhile and legit I forgot about it. Suddenly I decided to watch something different and I definitely got what I was searching for and more! Of course, I thought this series would be a cute fluffy typical K-drama romance but it quickly became something I couldn't put down. The cast were filled with all the drama, visuals and personality you could hope for. I was internally kicking and screaming so much because it was so emotionally intense.I don't watch the news or get involved in politics strictly because of what this series revolves around...liars! I cant stomach seeing/hearing any of it because I don't know what to believe. I never considered how much work truly goes into being a reporter, so I have a new found respect for that.
I highly recommend this series for it's all around outlook and of course the romance (our MCs won't disappoint you)
Enjoy....
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This review may contain spoilers
Hm. So I love the first half of this show! I'm a sucker for secret identities and I was fully rooting for Dalpo to expose the truth and all that. But idk, after the arc with Dalpo's brother wrapped up the plot got a bit weak in my opinion. They opted for a twist villain in the second male leads mom? Which, I should've seen coming for the beginning cause you don't just cast Kim Haesook in your drama and underutilize her. Which, OHHH KIM HAESOOK <333 ACTRESS OF ALL TIME <333 Unfortunately I didn't care for her character here but I just think worth mentioning that literally no one has ever done it like Kim Haesook the queen herself <33 Anyway, the first half of this show is so fun ! I love the dynamic between Inha and Dalpo (even if I dont care for them as a ship) and I love getting to watch them fight to become reporters and for Dalpo to get his voice heard. I loved the tense moments when his situation would get brought up and he would defend himself and ofc no one knew who he really was AUGH i just love secret identities <33 And acting wise, I think this is my favorite thing I've ever seen both Lee Jongsuk and Park Shinhye in so color me impressed. Although I was annoyed that they really didn't do anything with Inha??? Like the story is mostly about Dalpo and his family's story and cover up, yet it's named based off of Inha's condition??? Idk that was weird I wanted to see Inha do more and there be more of a focus on her, esp in the second half. Also I love Yoorae <3 She's just the cutest ever <33 I do really think the show peaked with the brother arc and never really knew where to go after they resolved it. Which the brother arc was INSANE. That was honestly the thing I cared about the most I loved the dark turn it took and they didn't turn the brother into this monster like the guy was so nice he was just full of anger and those guys did have it coming so.
But yeah, overall, the vibes in the first half are so much fun like it's just so enjoyable and easy to watch. I didn't really care for the romance though, but it wasn't awful or toxic or anything.
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Drama done right
This is one of my favorite dramas. I like melodrama but it's hard to mix in and balance it in a believable and consistent way. This drama does it really well. It also addresses the importance of integrity in journalism, which is an important topic. I also love that, for once, a male shows lots of emotion and accepts help and support just as much as females do, if not more. In fact, Ha Myung is the first character to shed tears in this drama and it's refreshing.I know many people can't get past one particular premise in the main relationship, but I feel as an almost-classic kdrama, I can accept this mechanic and enjoy the ride. And the fact that the show is so well done with great acting and directing makes it easy to accept.
The drama does a great job building out the background and history of the characters and how they became who they are. I feel Lee Jong Suk and Park Shin Hye had great chemistry together. They are both gifted actors and you really believe the developing relationship between them.
I appreciate that the characters are pretty intelligent. They make mistakes that anyone could in their circumstance, and they don't do dumb things. It features an excellent supporting cast with great chemistry between them all. I especially liked Min Sung Wook as a reporter who learns to be understanding. The pace is really well done, always exciting but still offering depth in terms of character development and relationship exploration.
This is a great drama to rewatch. You fall in love with the great relationships all over again.
And one last thought: If you liked While You Were Sleeping, I would suggest that this drama has the same style and feeling but was executed in a much more consistent and masterful way. The acting, relationship development, and pacing are much better here.
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This review may contain spoilers
I have so much to say about this drama. I gave it a 10/10 for a reason. It made me feel every emotion in the book, I was in for an emotional rollercoaster. I cried (oh how I cried), I laughed, and felt so many feelings. I had never felt pain like watching Ki Ha-Myung (and since I'm used to Choi Dal Po, I’ll be using it as his name) & Ki Jae-Myung’s tragic backstory. Honestly this show was something else. So different from all the other dramas out there. And why? Because of its originality, maturity and plot.
This show had an interesting plot through and through. It kept me hooked all the way. And I loved how everything was important and had a meaning behind it? And the way they handled it made it feel much more mature. Especially the romance. The plot was not completely based around it like other dramas. It was definitely important, and effected the storyline massively, but the plot was always about the news, about their lives as reporters. It was the story of a family getting the justice that it deserved and stopping the connections of the chairman/politicians/media from spreading false news ever again. It is Choi Dal Po’s story. It is how he became the thing he swore to destroy, in order to spread the truth rather than fabrications. And he did it so well. All while he was faced with so many tough decisions to make, all which added to his character development.
I’ll also say that I was impressed with Ms. Song’s character development too. She is originally shown as nothing but a ice-hearted witch, who fabricates news for the sake of a more ‘impactful’ story. But then we learn the story behind all that and why things happened as they did. Why Ms. Song turned Dal Po’s family’s life into a living hell and framed his father. By the end of the show, you are so proud of her actions and her character development.
To see justice happen (from Dal Po and his team’s unrelenting hard work) could be described by nothing other than satisfying and fulfilling. We went on this journey and got a fulfilling ending that Dal Po and everyone else had truly earned. I’ll also mention how all the characters were so intriguing and interesting. They all had a purpose.
And of course you know I’m going to talk about the central romance. Dal Po x In Ha had a bond like no other. You could tell how close they were and they had an enormous amount of chemistry. A romance that bloomed from day one when they were children. Dal Po had fallen the moment In Ha complimented his father and how he was a good man, when he kissed her cheek. No one can tell me otherwise. The first person to compliment his father after the tragedy. And she unconsciously had feelings for him all through their childhood and teenage years, but understandably she wouldn’t realise these feelings yet since Dal Po was cold towards her (because of her mother Ms. Song). Regardless, she still defends him when false rumours are spread about him throughout school. To the point she goes to the effort to find proof he didn’t cheat. Meanwhile, his reason for being on the quiz show even though he hates the media and TV, was to prove his intelligence and save In-Ha (from being ‘slapped 10 times’ lol). Also side note: this show gave me a lot of laughs too.
"I'm the 34th place in my school"
Wow so smart
"There are only 34 students in my school"
XD XD
And his reason for even getting 100 on the quiz in the first place was because of her. And I think their first kiss was so beautiful, and so original because of her Pinocchio syndrome, it truly took my breath away. But even though this couple is very important to the story, as I said before, the story’s plot is not based around it. It is based around the news and reporting the truth and all of the characters emotional journeys. Dal Po and In Ha’s love story is just a part of that. And they are given just the right amount of screen time.
My last side note is that the soundtrack was so amazing and made me feel so many things. It fit so well, and made me cry so much.
On the whole, this show took me on such a journey and I loved every second. I wish I could rewatch it for the first time all over again.
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This review may contain spoilers
I wish I had written this review after I had finished this drama, as now it has been 2 months, and I can't exactly remember why I gave it a 9.5/10, but I will try my best to remember. From what I do remember was back in August, I decided to go on a drama binge with actor Lee Jong Suk - someone who is very famous, but have never watched a single thing with him in it. I also remember knowing that of all the drama I had watched, this one was by far my favorite. There is something about dramas that came out in the mid 2010's that have this nostalgic feel when watching... and they all seem to be on the same page - being great and having great plots. Also, it could be that a lot of actors and actresses were babies in the mid 2010's, and going back and watching a drama from 10 years ago and seeing them sooo young, makes me soo happy.
This drama was very funny - I have a lot of videos on my phone of different scenes that I had sent to friends to show them how funny the dialog was.
I think the only thing that stopped me from giving this a 10 star review was even though I loved the chemistry and relationship between the two mains, Choi Dal Po had this weird character trait where he felt that being mean wand pushing people he loved away was the only way to protect them. I also get though that there was a odd level to the mains relationship - growing up together as niece and adopted uncle, but having a crush on one another, both not able to act on it because.. homeboy was adopted. Plus the ending seemed to be cut short, but I am slowly learning that this type of situation where the elder has the final say in things is a cultural thing and is respected. I remember watching this other drama years ago where the mains couldn't get together because the FL's dad forbade it and it was law. It wasn't until they got his blessing that they could get back together - I thought it was stupid and knocked it down a few stars in my review. But over the years, I slowly started to learn and take other cultures into account when trying to immerse myself in different shows. And now it makes more sense. Do I like this troupe? No. But I've learned that it is a valid obstacle.
I do remember loving the two mains and their chemistry though - they were truly best friends and family before deciding on a romantic relationship, which ultimately made their bond stronger and their love extremely romantic and enjoyable to watch.
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This review may contain spoilers
amazing! dont drop it before ep. 5!!
I loved this drama so much! The acting was amazing. The story kept me on my toes and there were no dull moments. It was very funny and 'action' packed. It reminded me of 'Healer'.The ML is very deep, loyal, driven, righteous, smart, and observant. He was also very cute with In Ha, In Ha's father and grandfather. He was also so caring and protective with In Ha but at the same time constantly teased her:)))))
I loved his relationship with his brother. The brother is probably one of my fave characters bc even tho he did something rlly bad, for the first time ever I still liked the murder in a story, just bc of how he treated Dal Po and advised him etc. Let's not forget all the pain he suffered bc of their corruption :(
I liked the FL's personality and how she never gave up. She could have handled things better and been smarter in comparison to the ML but she was ready to sacrifices herself bc of how good of a person she is. which made me understand just how strong she actually is.
I liked how the tables constantly turned between the reporters and the bad ppl and the competition between YGN and MSC was veryyyyy entertaining.
I loved how many characters in this drama constantly used the superiors' or other bad people's words against them.
There was not even one character that was unnecessary or too much. All of them were either very funny or intriguing (the mother). I loved the constant dilemma between good and wrong each character had.
I loved the last episode with my whole heart!!! it was amazinggggggg
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I would have really liked to see more of Dal Po/Ha Myung's brother toward the ending (how his trial turned out, where he is in life now, etc). Personally, and many might not agree with this, but I really understood why Jae Myung did what he did. Yes, it was wrong and it definitely wouldn't have change the past, but when you think of EVERYTHING he and his brother went through because of those people, you can't entirely blame him or want to punish him for making the choice he did. Which is why I really really REALLY wanted to see how his trial turned out because a jury might consider those things, impacting his sentence.
I would have also loved to see more screen time for Yoo Ra and Gyo Dong because I think they were really nice together.
Altogether, a very well thought-out plot and wonderful casting! My mother even got sucked in about halfway through and watched it with me!
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Pinocchio (2014)
A fairly entertaining script, driven by an alright cast, portraying characters with an okay on-screen presence and semi-decent chemistry.The setup is an interesting idea but it is a bit slow before it ramps up to the juicy bits. There's hardly much in terms of the romance subplot so you'll pretty much have to be engaged with the suspense and drama bits the majority of the time. Which, again, isn't the greatest at times.
In terms of the characters, I don't feel as if they developed as much as they should have from the series start to finish. While the performances from the leads were fine I feel as if the writing didn't match up. Some storylines or plot devices were a bit boring(?) or draggy even though, oddly enough, the show passes the eye test in terms of pacing.
In any case, I think they could've done something a little more impactful with the Pinocchio setup. While I credit the writing in an attempt to create something magical out of the "Pinocchio, the boy who lied", well, "Pinocchio, the girl who hiccupped" just doesn't hit the same.
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This review may contain spoilers
Starts with a bang, falls flat at the end - Slightly overhyped
When it comes to the plot, Pinocchio had the most attention gripping opening I have ever seen. Usually at the first 1 or 2 episodes I tent to get a bit bored since I am still not familiar with the characters and the story, but at the first 10-15 minutes of Pinocchio I was glued to my screen already invested in the characters. Unfortunately, it didn’t really manage to keep my attention throughout and found myself loosing my interest towards the end and kind of struggling to finish it. I think this would be better as a 16-episode drama. Almost each episode started with a bang and ended with a bang but almost always felt flat in the middle.The plot formula was also quite different from other dramas. Usually issues, secrets & mysteries go unresolved almost until the end of the drama, here they were revealed early on making you wonder how the plot was going to be moving forward. Pinocchio, among others, is a drama on how people are perceived by the media and how easily someone’s image and reputation can be built or torn down! One thing that I found interesting was how that was depicted, in a settle way without being in your face obvious, with the two mothers!
We, as viewers, had a certain idea of how each mother was based on what the writer and director allowed us to see, and we were quick to judge and like or hate the characters, but as the plot proceeded we realized that we were deceived!
One thing that bothered on the plot was that the characters that were supposed to be journalists acted more like detectives and less like journalists. I understand they are supposed to be investigative reporters, but it did not seem realistic to me. I mean at some point I think they were doing actual police work!!
One thing that took me by surprise it was how much I enjoyed the Yoon Yoo Rae character. She is the type of person that you will usually find annoying and irritating, but she came out as cute and endearing and provided a much-needed comedic relief- and I think this is mostly thanks to the actress. Also, I am low key annoyed that a romance between her and the Cap never took off! I was so happy to see Lee Pil Mo (Cap) again. I first saw him at Emergency Couple and had the biggest crush on him, so I was glad to see him here in a similar role (mentor). Also, talking about characters, the 2nd Ml, no matter how his character developed at the end, he was a creepy stalker and there is no other way to look at it or excuse it!!
All in all, Pinocchio was a good drama with a good story line and great acting so I kind of understand the hype around it, although it leaved me a little bit underwhelmed.
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Most intelligently written romantic comedy drama
This drama is hands down the best romantic comedy drama I've ever seen.Reasons why it's the best drama ever:
Romance
At the start of the show, it already set up the romance and the realistic obstacles that they have to face. My mum really liked the first few episodes because it was really cute how he already started liking her from high school and couldn't stop. What made this romance one that everyone would root for is both leads have loveable personalities that make the viewers fall for them as well. The girl is very honest because of her sneezing syndrome and the guy is very supportive who has a tragic past. There's so many romantic scenes when she realises she likes him but he already liked her when they first met. So many scenes that they can't be together but can't keep away from each other. There isn't any silly scenes where they split up for no reason, they split up for believable and realistic reasons.
Drama
I love how there wasn't a villain trying to kill them because that is so overdone. The drama is more about the corruption in reporters and the leads learning how to be better reporters. There is a reason why there is corruption. The villain is three dimensional. It's also about the bonds between family as well.
Comedy
I love how they sprinkle comedy in each episode that will make you laugh out loud. It's either the personalities are funny or the reporter team that are so funny. Every personality was so well written, it made me want to do reporting and work for them hahaha
Definitely a rewatch because the romantic scenes (I've watched them so many times)
I'm a big fan of this writer because she always creates intelligent stories along with funny and romantic moments.
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