I LOVED IT...sincerely I loved every minute of it...the the Idea of revenge in itself isn't something new but still the plot was tight and I felt hocked to the story...
I was already a fan for writer Lee's dramas "Sang Doo let's go to school, Sorry I love you...
So I prepared myself for something full of emotions that will make me shed tears and I wasn't disappointed...
the truth is that it was a lot more better than what I expected it to be ^^...
Kang Ma Roo:
I was in love with that character it seemed a bit "stupid" for me it resembled Love more than revenge...and after few eps I started understanding it more...he was in love with Jea Hee and he understood her more than any one else he knew what she passed through during her childhood...
Ma Roo always protected Jae Hee since they were children he believed she was the Love of his life...every dream he from his childhood included her and he couldn't make anyone else take her place in his heart...Until he met Eun Gi...
even though it was supposed to be for revenge...it really wasn't like that because all what Ma Roo really wanted was to have Jae Hee back...
the story goes on and some bad events happen and that makes Ma Roo carries some feelings - out of guilt - for Eun Gi that sooner turns into Love that he will be ready to give his life for her and prays that he dies and then in another new life they would fall in Love again like normal people.
**one last thing to mention is that Song Joong Ki proved that he is a brilliant actor and not just a handsome face by playing that complicated character that good (that review is not full)
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Overall, I gave it a 9 because I wasn't as excited over it as I was with others like City Hunter, but it was an awesome drama, really, really good, and it was the best company ever these past 10 days! Great actors, great storyline, great filming, everything! The only thing I didn't like was Song Joong Ki's song... I felt it was lacking in some way, but I'm not taking points down from it because Junsu's song totally made up to it.
It's worth watching, trust me. Even though I was really busy (and still am), after I read the reviews for this drama, I felt that I totally needed to watch this — and bless my thoughts at that time hahahaha Should have watched it earlier!
The ending was a bit predictable, nonetheless great!
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You know when you get bored with a drama that you click on forward to skip some parts and just go to the good ones? I didnt do it for this drama. Each episode will hold you captive and begging for more. The actors were magnificent, I hold Joong Ki's acting with reverence, he was perfect for Kang Ma Roo and this is the only drama where I admired the female lead enough to look for the other drama that she starred in. Chae Won played the role magnificently.
I would have loved to see an episode 24 of this drama though, 20 episodes seemed too short and it made me feel like it was hastily ended.
All in all this is a must watch drama, guaranteed!
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First of all this story is unique in its own cliche way of course. I dramathoned it and finished it and died in the span of less then 2 days! So its a fast moving drama and always keeps you wanting more! This dramas story is something that you need to pay attention to or else you will hate the characters you need to love and not understand the ever so controvertial ending! That is what I love about it!
The acting in this drama is probably the best I have seen yet with not one awkward character and all doing their job. Song Joong Ki is an amazing man and HE IS A PHENOMNAL ACTOR....(and his skin is beautiful and his face is adorable and his kissing looks amazing and and and well he is freaking SEXY)!
Moon is also a phenomanal actress i mean her character is so unique and has a backbone that can hold 100000 tons!!! also her chemistry with Ki is amazing
The OST is also another amazing part of the drama with the correct suspicious revenge type tones in the correct songs. also there is this song called Love like snow and its just so symbollic telling you that love wont last I mean the symbolisim is just....anyways lol!
Hating the villians all the way through is rare and you always have to have this little portion of sympathy towards them but for this one in my opinion...it was perfect i got to keep hating them!
So just watch this drama I find it to be very good and it will keep you watching till the end
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The characters were well played by the actors and actresses that portrayed them... (Disregarding the fact that Joong ki is an eye candy XP ) The Cast has given proper feeling to the characters... I hated some characters when it situation calls for that person to be hated, sympathized if it was needed and things like that.... There are even times that you might even shout out to the characters just because you are carried away by their performance (ok maybe you won't but I did XP)
The Music is great too... It matches well with the scenes that it sometimes makes me cry....
All in all this is one of what I can say is a must watch for everyone and you won't have trouble rewatching it cause it is simply an amazing drama.. I watched it twice before proceeding to another drama and sometimes I rewatch my favorite episode just to reminisce on the story :-)
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This review may contain spoilers
Ok. I'm trying to write this calmly and rationally. However, I'm so disappointed that I'm not sure if I can. I know that I will probably be crucified for this review, but here it goes anyway.The story has been done in tons of dramas, but I think this writer did it with new twists and a lot of mature content. I enjoyed every episode and wasn't sure quite where the writer was going to lead me from week to week. It was exciting and I really did love it. It has all the makings of a great melodrama including love, betrayal, amnesia, murder, attempted murder, etc. The writer's subliminal messages are great. I like it when I have to read between the lines and not just take everything at face value.
Honestly, I thought this drama was great until the last two episodes. Did they change writers??? I don't get it at all. There was this really great tragic drama for 18 episodes then two episodes of filler and a 7 year time jump that just left me cold. I'm not suppose to write spoilers so I can't go into detail. However, Jae Hee's final actions were totally out of character. I don't for one minute find her redeeming or her tears convincing. She is a certifiable nut job. She and crony, Attorney Ahn got off way too easy. Plus, how can they make a woman as smart as Eun Gi not notice...crap, no spoilers. Well, they turned her into a friggin' idiot. The only good part is that Ma Ru doesn't back down and stays true to himself. At least they did that much. I won't even go into how I feel about the ending. I can't with out writing spoilers.
The actors are the reason why this drama was good anyway. Song Joong Ki as Kang Ma Ru floored me. I had no idea that he could play this kind of character. He was so complex and believable. I know he is good looking, but even an actor with the best of looks would have a hard time pulling this character off. He did it all with those eyes. How does he make his eyes warm and cold like that??? It is amazing. Park Si Yeon as Han Jae Hee was also good. She made me dislike that character with a passion. It is a tribute to her acting. She did the ending well also even though the writer changed her character too much. It isn't her fault and she plays twisted to perfection. Moon Chae Won who plays Seo Eun Gi had a hard character to play. She practically had to change from cold to warm so many times in this drama that it is a wonder she knew if she was coming or going. I have seen her in other dramas and I appreciate her acting ability. It was also very nice to see Lee Kwang Soo teamed up with Joong Ki again. He is adorable as Park Jae Gil, Ma Ru's wing man. All the other side actors did a good job also. The acting was NOT lacking!!!
The music was beautiful. Even if you don't watch this drama, you should check out Song Joong Ki's "Really" and JYJ's Junsu's "The Innocent Man".
I won't rewatch this.
Overall, I think that this is a drama that you would enjoy if you like melodramas, which I do. You may love the ending. A lot of people do.
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I so wish I had dropped it even before starting it, as it was my intention: my mum always tells me to trust my instinct, but I'm stupid enough not to listen to her. And after this review here I'm going to be stoned - by the fans of this drama, by Joong Ki's groupies, by the lovers of the genre, by those who don't like it but think I'm exaggerating as usual, and even by the random passerby who's simply entertained by public executions.
Never mind: I'll try to die with elegance.
Seldom have I seen such a huge mountain of misfortunes, illnesses, morbidity and gloom piled in the same spot. To this drama I own the sad realization that too much suffering works like an infallible anaesthetic to whatever emotion I was supposed to feel. If the writer's intention was to make me cry, I'm afraid she got the opposite effect: when the same person falls from a cliff, is struck by lightning, is submerged by a tsunami, attacked by giant ants, kidnapped by aliens, laughed at by a leprechaun and burnt alive in a furnace in case he hadn't yet died, I can't help but laugh. Which in itself is at the same time a failure of the plot and a further cause of annoyance for me, since it makes me feel as though I were heartless. The viewer is left with the 'pleasant' task of shouting to the screen in search of rhyme, reason, sense or sensibility which is nowhere to be found.
I'm sure a tiny example won't spoil anyone's trepidation: at some point a trip on the beach is planned. Great, it was such a cheerful prospect after all the gloom, I even made popcorn. But it was not meant to be, the nth twisted machination came in between and the writer sent me to bed with no dinner, burnt popcorn and a severe scolding: "clear off, offending creature! How dare you hoping for a cute interlude!"
I've racked my brain in search of a way to tell you about the ending without spoiling it. Because, you see, the ending is so lame I can't walk out of here without at least a mention. The only think I could come up with is this: imagine.
Imagine you are watching a war movie. The whole plot is built upon this momentous battle which has to take place, you are presented with lots of preparatory plotting, spying, codes to be deciphered, treasons, secrets, lies… in the end, you get Sid the Sloth and Manny the Mammoth playing hockey on a pack ice. WHAT? Fine, Sid and Manny are cute, but what in the gods' name happened to the paramount battle? They gave me 20 hours of people brooding around and conveniently skipped Every. Single. Important fact.
The acting didn't help. While in the beginning I was intrigued enough by the events as to overlook the actors' performance, in the long run it became obvious they were displaying the same couple of emotions over and over. All right, I atone: in the beginning I was intrigued by Joong Ki's looks. They are quite blinding, believe me. Until I realized I was so preoccupied with not missing even the tiniest twitch of his beautiful face, I actually didn't see any. And I know for a fact his features do move: in the past I went as far as watching a whole saeguk for the sake of his bewitching smile.
His female counterpart is carved in an even harder stone.
Wait, was that a genuine smile I just saw on Eun Gi's face? No, silly, that was a pixel out of place! And I so wish all the pixels had disappeared, because let me here declare how incredibly and insufferably odious I found the female heroine. I am furious at the production expecting me to love her, when in truth we are confronted with a spoiled and selfish brat who suddenly becomes psychotic and an almost killer for no reason, then a tamed mouse with no memory, then back to her previous bitchy self with lots of all the wrong memories, then… let's leave it at that, for the sake of brevity if nothing else.
The evil lady is so similar to plastic I suppose she's recyclable, and the evil lawyer probably hides glass eyes behind those spectacle of his.
I understand this is melodrama, but the genre does not justify endless starry looks and robotic movements. Mind you, this is in no way the actors fault, as it is the writer's (and possibly the director's). With only three emotions to express, even Sir Anthony Hopkins would be at a loss.
This fiesta of happiness is crowded with an assembly of disagreeable characters I have seldom had the misfortune to see gathered. We have a hero who's devoted to martyrdom, a heroine who's as out as a balcony and several villains whose motives are more often then not unclear. If you're going to remind me in life people are never perfect, let me reply that statistically speaking it is absolutely impossible for such a large bunch of jerks to be all born in the same city, let alone all meet for the same events.
The music was ok. For a while. It soon became haunting, in the nightmarish meaning of the word.
Please do not expect me to give this drama a re-watch value. Right now I'm trying to regain my lost neuronal sensitivity. Before I'm stoned, that is.
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The Reason why I think this drama worked so well was because of the amazing cast. From an outsiders perspective it seems like your typical korean melodrama centered on revenge, but with actors like Song Jong Ki, Moon Chea Won, and Park Shi Yeon...you just can't go wrong. I had never seen any of these actors in any other dramas or movies before so I was pleasantly surprised at their abilities. Song Jong Ki immediately captivated my heart as Kang Maru with his cold expressions and arrogance of his intelligence that seeped through the screen. He made this drama for me. I was also blown away by the leading lady Moon Chae Won, her way of transcending from a badass bitch to a girl without a clue was flawless. These two definitely deserve some awards this year as well as a best couple award since their on screen chemistry was off the charts. Park Shi Yeon plays a convincing villan that you'll love to hate but still feel pity for her at the same time.
The musical score was what gave the intense seen that dab of hot sauce...It kept you're blood pumping and made you anticipate the next move of a character.
In the end I would definitely get my friends and family to watch it because no one should be deprived from such greatness :)
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Let’s See How Many More Cliches We Can Cram In There..
Nice Guy (or “Innocent Man “depending on the translation ) is a revenge tale revolving around an innocent young man called Kang Ma-Roo ( Song Joong Ki) . After an unforgivable incident with his unrequited love interest Han Jae Hee ( Park Si Young), Kang Ma Roo’s life descends into bitterness and cynicism asa Casanova to pay for his sister-figure, Choco (Lee Yu Bi) ‘s medical bills and for a roof over their heads . A fated meeting with Jae Hee once again , leads him into hatching a revenge scheme by seducing Jae Hee’s cold-hearted stepdaughter and chaebol heiress ,Seo Eun Gi ( Moon Chae Won), however, revenge and love soon become intertwined as Ma-Roo finds himself falling deeper into an emotional whirlpool of the past and the present. Before I begin to analyse the reason behind my rating, I’ll start off by saying that this show could be surprisingly profound in parts . The drama exposed deeper levels of the characters’ consciences rather than a mere “ she’s the antagonist, so she is evil” and “ he’s the hero, so he’s always going to do the right thing”. In that respect, Kang Ma Roo is easily one of the most complex characters within the series; neither truly “ pure” and a knight in shining armour, nor beyond repair and a moustache twirling villain. Instead, he is simply human and is only trying to survive and receive justice for the wrongdoings of Han Jae Hee even if he has to harm others in the process. Similarly, it’s easy to write off Jae Hee as a “ femme fatale antagonist “ who is out to get Ma Roo , however, she does provide a similar reason behind her actions; survival. It doesn’t make her excuses forgivable, however, more profound moments in the series do reveal that Jae Hee has a family to look after, a status to maintain and feelings for Ma Roo which begin to bubble at the surface and drive her motivation out of revenge and jealousy. In a similar manner, Eun Gi is a spoilt and callous girl with few redeeming features, apart from a greater exposure beneath her facades towards having a good heart and her dedication to Ma Roo. Whilst the characterisation within the show is undeniably well-written, it’s hard to say the same about the general plot and the mixed bag of acting within the show as well. The early episodes within the show were simply nothing more than slow within the general pacing of the series. Whilst these episodes do set out the groundwork for the reason behind Ma Roo’s revenge and how he comes to meet Jae Hee again and Eun Gi, there’s little direction or premise towards exactly how the series will go. Once the pace does pick up after a couple of episodes into the drawn main premise of Eun Gi being in a manipulative relationship with Ma Roo, the scriptwriters go wild with cramming in as many cliches as they can into the storyline at once, rather than simply either only choosing a couple sensical cliches and developing the show with original takes, or not including them at all. Instead, we are left with the notable cliches which have been laughably performed in every known Korean drama before and afterwards, from suffering Male lead, rich female lead, Male lead will do anything to survive, illness, amnesia, heirs and fiancés just for good measure. Whilst the cliches in themselves can be done incredibly well, the show simply overdramatised many of these cliches into beyond ridiculous plot ventures later into the series especially regarding the clearly manipulative relationship which the writers try to pick up again through romanticism. Whilst this did expose a more emotionally vulnerable sides to Ma Roo and Eun Gi, it left out many inclusive details towards Ma Roo’s reasons for approaching Eun Gi in the first place. The ending of the show is more than a quick fix solution, than a cathartic completion for our protagonists and felt a slight let down in regards to the great potential which the scriptwriters could have played with after the final climax of the series. In terms of acting, the cast had certain moments of brilliance and laughable deliverance of lines as well. Song Joong Ki portrayed his role not so much through some of his mediocre deliverance of lines and angst brooding, but, through his usage of facial expressions in particular to express to the audience the emotional state of Kang Ma Roo was well -performed . In comparison to Chae Won, Si Young’s performance as Jae Hee , wasn’t enough for a standing ovation from her portrayal easily fading into the background, however, she did play the role with a level of some emotional complexity as a woman torn between survival and love in some of the more profound and touching rare moments especially between her son and surprisingly Eun Gi . Undeniably, Chae Won was one of the strongest actors within the show. Whilst like Joong Ki she had her wobbly moments, it was fair to say that her portrayal was played with a level of more than emotional complexity and humanity and quickly had audiences rooting for her by her expression of emotions.
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Song Joong Ki is now one of my favorite actors. I loved him in Sungkyunkwan Scandal, and I am shocked by how different he is in this drama. I loved seeing him go from innocent optimist to master manipulator as Kang Ma Roo. I liked never quite knowing his character's intentions, yet he always stayed true to character. He was well matched with Moon Chae-won, who had an equally challenging character to portray. This is the 3rd drama I've seen her in, yet she was unrecognizable at first. I think that is the sign of a truly great actress. They played off of each other well, though one shouldn't expect too much cute chemistry. The romance in this is very heavy, which brings me to Park Si-yeon's role. She does a good job as the easy to hate Han Jae Hee, without making her character too one-note. The characters have enough flaws and redeeming qualities to make their love triangle intense.
The supporting cast is great as well. Lee Kwang Soo & Lee Yoo Bi, as Jae Gil & Choko, had the tough job of bringing some light moments to this intense drama. I also liked Lee Sang Yeob, who was great, but more subtle in his role as Lawyer Park.
My opinion about the music is mixed. I thought it complimented the story well, but one of the main songs sounded a little to close to one of the songs from "Secret Garden". The music wasn't original enough to get higher than a good rating from me.
Overall, I was very entertained by this drama. I can't agree that it's one of the best, but I can't think of many flaws. The only glaring issue I had with this drama was the overuse of flashbacks. Every episode seemed to rely on multiple flashbacks. Sometimes they even flashed back to the previous scene... and more than once. I had to take a story point away for that. After a while it seemed like time filler, not a storytelling device.
I don't think I would watch this again, only because much of the excitement for me was about guessing what would happen next. This drama kept me guessing until the very last moment, and no, I was not disappointed with the ending. I think the slight change in style made sense in the context of what was going on. I was also satisfied with the closure given to the main characters. I'll even forgive Eun Gi for being so ridiculously blind!!! I'll blame that on the accident. lol.
If I do eventually watch it again it will be for Song Joong Ki's performance.
This is an intense, emotional, romantic, melodrama, though I didn't cry at all. For fans of that style, this is a must see. I'd also recommend it to anyone bored by dramas being too predictable. "Innocent Man" won't disappoint you.
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Acting : I watched it for Song Joong Ki and Moon Chae Won. Song Joong Ki became one of my all time favorite actor after this. His character has so many sides to it. He's super smart and makes each episode have cliffhangers. His character is dark and deep, but he has a lighter side to him as well.
Moon Chae Won has always been my favorite actress ever since The Princess' Man ...the whole cast just brings together the perfect amount of intensity and emotion. Kwang Soo did an awesome job as a friend here as well as Park Si Yeon.
Music: it's XIAH Junsu and Song Joong Ki of course it's a 10. The opening is pretty epic too.
Rewatch: I hate rewatching but I will watch this again one day
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+++++++Simple Summary, Deep Connections++++++
We all know that dramatic structure consists of exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement/resolution.... but for me each episode was a climax. You know what I mean? Every episode that I watched, i felt the tension, the hatred, the thrill, the excitement, the depression, the frustration,the sadness, the happiness, and the enjoyment, in short super mixed emotion. The suspenseful event happened unpredictably and unexpectedly. oohhh yyeeeaaaahhhh!, I'm hooked. The first thing that come through my mind "oh man, let me see the next episode if my guess was wrong!" then after a week " oh yeah I'm very right, all my guesses were wrong". So I'm thinking behind with confusions dragging my self along with the story till the last episode knowing that i will never guess it right. There are many special things that i liked about this drama but I could not figure out what are those...just see for yourself!
But I am positive that every time I watched this drama I unconsciously following/copying the facial expressions of the characters. Gosh, be aware,ok? others can see you. for example: Whenever I see _******_ angry expression, I grind my teeth, smirk or grin unknowingly that I followed his facial gestures too. Every time _******_ is having a bad time, I frowned or grimaced because I just saw her like that, I felt i was the one who is in her place. That make sense, aye? The portrayal of the characters is felt and not over used in the story. They matured as the story went through (both villain and protagonists). The main characters were kinda extrovert type of person. Limited thoughts and conversations though their dialogues and lines meant a lot beyond simplicity.
I heard intense music when tensions between characters took place. It might be repetitive but it still sounded so suspenseful that I never get irritated after so many times. There was also the song of the main character and that song was used wisely (they played it when KM and EG is involved). So this drama got 10 for me because they deserved it. Very well executed as mentioned from other post.
lol! I liked the fact that the last 3-4 minutes or so of each drama was purposely shown accordingly. When new episode aired, sudden twists occurred. Those 3-4 minutes from the previous episode would showed up again with added scenes in-between that makes the story more interesting. Unlike any other dramas that just continues where it left off.
First Impression Lasts... go for Episode 1
If you were not impressed enough... go for Episode 2
If you are still confused... go for Episode 3
You are not convinced yet?... try Episode 4
Oh come on, try a little harder... watch Episode 5-10
You want more?!...time to follow your instinct.
Not enough effort to watch?!... okay then, skip everything then go for the last episode (ep 20)*if ever the last episode impressed you, you might wanna consider the first episode instead.
I already watched this once so it is enough because i won't be thrilled as much as I was before.
Simple truth: I knew what would happen next, same story line.
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