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Cuteness Alert
This is such a sweet comedy drama with a stunning lead couple & the rest of the cast were great too. The first few episodes are a bit wacky with some OTT fight scenes but once you get used to that you get totally involved in these characters stories. This is an extreme slow burn (with no actual kiss scene) but the cuteness of the male lead & interest in the sub-plots kept me watching & I would happily rewatch when looking for something light, romantic & fun. I also think it has a positive, inspiring message ??One star purely for Ji Chang-wook ?
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not the worst, but not the best
i found the 'romance' scenes to be cute. although the age difference does seem a bit odd to me, im not too sure. its not the worst romance drama out there. this drama does have problematic scenes and stuff to it, like others have said. it was good in the beginning and then dragged on by the end. i would say this drama was meh, i had higher hopes for it in terms of romance scenes compared to everything else.the way the last episode ended, wasn't enough in my opinion. maybe theres another season coming?? i hope?? because it felt like there was more to come or to see, like there was another episode to watch. i wouldn't personally rewatch this just for the purpose and reasoning that it bored me a bit in the middle of the season. but definitely not the worse drama ever.
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What comes to my mind after finished it is this drama should've been less than 10 episodes, because after 2nd or 3rd episode which was very funny, after that it's tripped and becoming all draggy, at least till 10th or 11th episode because that's when the story started to get a bit better and give all kinds of feeling like emotional, heartwarming, sweet, etc. the problem was just kinda rushed when approaching the end.
I gotta say, I enjoyed this, I get what I want to see, Kim Yoojung noona really delivers, but also this drama can't be taken seriously, the material they had is undercooked, that's why despite the great thing I said & they did a bit well at some point, they still ended up with many pointless episodes, the leads should've been in a better show.
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I love it
Like the headline already states, I loved it. It was funny and overall just everything I was looking for in a Kdrama. Even the little ‘crazy crazy’ between scenes they’d play was stuck in my mind long after I’ve already finished the show, and I still miss it. The main couple was cute and the other characters were just as interesting. I don’t think there was a single episode where I got bored. It wasn’t just a single story unfolding, it was so complex, the main couple wasn’t together at the start, the ML had a gf, the parents of the ML were constantly bickering, the Female Lead’s background story was just as interesting, and her sister’s story was too.I’ve seen a lot of people complain about Daeksil and that he was portrayed as dirty because of his ethnicity, but honestly I think they weren’t calling his ethnicity dirty, they were calling webtoon artists dirty, which is a stereotype that has always existed even for manga artists etc.. Atleast I thought it was like that and it makes more sense to me personally. Some people found it problematic that the FL was only 17(?) when she kissed ML (18+?), and honestly I can’t comment on that I didn’t really focus on that so I don’t know how old they were, but FL iniated the first kiss, so ML wasn’t a pedo for that. Some say she sexually assaulted him by kissing him without consent, which is understandable, but in the end it’s the person that was kissed that can decide how they feel about it, and the kdrama made it work because it’s a comedy. This doesn’t mean you should go around kissing people without consent, god no, it’s a comedy, everyone already knows not to go around kissing people without having consent and that’s why I feel like it’s not that big of a bummer that it happened in the kdrama (it’s a serious offence in real life, don’t go around kissing people without asking!!!). Atleast it’s not enough of a bummer not to watch it.
I watched the kdrama partially while my father was in the hospital and I thought I was deadly ill (which I wasn’t, hypochondria(fear of illness)), but it got me through that time and took my mind off the world for a long while. It holds a special place in my heart and I have recommended it to friends. it’s overall a great kdrama, I love it so so much. I’d recommend it 100%, I think I’d even go as far as to say it’s my favourite K-drama.
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super light kdrama with cute couple
I just watched the last episode of backstreet rookie, and I really liked the kdrama. Honestly, it's a thousand times better than I thought it would be, despite all the negative comments. It's one of those light and funny kdramas with a cute couple. I really enjoyed it.At first, I didn't like the male lead character, but as the kdrama progressed, I started to like him. And let's not forget about the female lead character, she's so adorable, I really liked her a lot.
I really loved the mother of the male lead character, even though she's toxic with her husband( and here, she's awful), she's amazing with the female lead character. And the supporting couple is good too, they're that cringe-worthy couple that's actually enjoyable."
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Definitely more innocent than the source material
I had heard such mixed reviews on this show that I wasn't sure if I wanted to watch it, but I finally decided to give it a go. It was much better than the bad reviews said - not perfect by any means, but it was fairly enjoyable. I looked up the source material, and I will say that it was definitely more innocent. I'm not sure what all the deviations were because I only looked at the first episode of the manga (which is very NSFW! Just a warning!) I know some people found the age gap "problematic" (I'm really starting to hate the over-use of that word. LOL!) but the show was pretty PG so that didn't really bother me. Backstreet Rookie is a simple love story set in a convenience store for the majority of the drama. There were some manga-like moments also that reminded me a bit of some things from Strong Woman Do Bong Soon. Saet Byul falls for Dae Hyun at first sight while she's still in high school when he's just been dumped by his girlfriend. They don't see each other again for 3 years, when she's 22 - no longer a minor. DH is in a very one-sided relationship with a rich girl that takes advantage of his naivety and good heart. SB has her own issues, having to leave school to finish raising her sister after their dad dies. She answers DH's ad for a part-time worker and they gradually become closer as they work together. There's not a really heavy plot, and it's just some cute bit of fluff. Watch it if you want something not too taxing on the brain! :)Kim Yoo Jung as Saet Byul was super freaking adorable! Such a sunshine-y character that she made me smile every time she was on screen - she really was the one to give this show life. Ji Chang Wook was kind of under-whelming as Dae Hyun, but I suspect that it was because his character was such a mild mannered, nice guy that made it seem that way. *shrug* I also have to say that I really don't care for Han Sun Hwa (playing Yeon Joo). This is the third (at least) show I've watched her in and she always ends up playing the most annoying characters that I've developed a distaste for her. Kim Sun Young as Dae Hyun's mother, Boon Hee, has her stereotypical loudness that I've come to expect from her. I liked her character over-all, but I really wish she would tone down the yelling a bit in her dramas. She's a great actress and doesn't need to resort to such cheap tactics. I still thought her character was warm, loving, and genuine underneath all the bluster.
I enjoyed the music, but nothing stood out as really special either. It was good though.
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A Decent drama not a binge watch Rom-Com
This drama is not a bad one as comments on the page state. It's like okay! I felt like it dragged too much like some episodes really felt like filler and the story not moving around and stuck at the same point. I expected a lot of humor, comedy, and a decent amount of romance . But, None of them are present in the drama. The acting was good. It's like the screenplay is underdeveloped, with not much plot . They just dragged because they want to reach the 16 episode mark. So final remarks are Just a time-passing drama and didn't have any memorable moments or funny ones and don't have the rewatch value. Don't expect too much from this just watch without any expectation it will be a good time-passing drama. That's it!Was this review helpful to you?
I only beared to watch it for Ji Changwook and Kim Yoojung
Last year I said I won't watch this kdrama, because I saw all the controversies and I was indeed dissapointed. I LOOOOVE Ji Changwook, he's the reason I started watching kdramas and I have watched almost all his works, but I said I won't watch this one. However I changed my mind after reading some reviews here and not on twitter and I said I will watch the first episodes and if it's too much to handle I will drop it. But then I finished it...I will start by saying it is indeed problematic, actually that one character doing blackface/ blackfishing and perpetuating negative and wrong stereotypes about black people is unacceptable and has ruined the whole drama.
About the controversy with the kiss of a minor to an adult and asking for cigarettes, I don't see it as big as the blackface because such kisses exist in other kdramas too, in western dramas etc. So if they have put a 19+ rating (because it has sexual refferences in some episodes) and not 15+ it would have been better.
Overall I enjoyed the story of the main leads and the family and nothing else, most side characters annoyed me a lot, the problematic guy would have been annoying even without the doing blackface, the sister of the male lead was extra annoying as well and didn't actually give much to the story. So my rating of 7.5 is only for the main leads and for the nice message that you can find happiness without doing a fancy job and marrying someone rich.
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it's a kdrama,not real life
this drama was cute, funny in areas and the whole reason we watch them, if it's romance you want this is not it bit it's fun and with the occasional giggle.. I dont think it needs a complex review, everyone is going to have a different opinion.. so it's up to you if you want to watch it, give a chance and see the humor and story of trying to be and make a better you. I liked it and maybe you will or wont... it says I need 500 words but idk if I can do that sooo here are dots to fill my space cause I have said my peace about the series........................................................Was this review helpful to you?
My opinion strictly based on my lack of enjoyment
When I first heard about this show I was so excited. Honestly, Ji Chang Wook could read the phone book (do they still make those?) and I'm all in. However, his character in this show was just pitiful! He was such a sad sack of a character, it was really hard for me to watch. Everyone just ran all over him. A spine was needed for his character.I didn't care for the "bad girl" image of the female lead. Her toughness I found to be very off-putting. I didn't like the way she treated others. Unlike a lot of others, I couldn't really feel the chemistry between these two, maybe because I just didn't like either of their characters.
And I know it's a given if there is high school involved at all, but I'm honestly so tired of bullying.
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Comforting and Cute but Very Lacking Too
So let me first get into the obvious, the whole black-face-cultural-appropriation thing - if it makes you feel uncomfortable or makes you question whether it's okay, it's probably not. The writers could have gone with so many different typically dorky/weird character tropes and chose to represent their 'comedic relief' as someone looking like a man of colour. I'm not sure whether his skin colour was darkened as I can recognise that Asian countries have darker skin tones and CAN get as dark as he was but the dreadlocks and the reggae clothes were obviously cultural appropriation and just put in there for 'comedic' purposes. Plus the fact that they made him this smelly/gross character just shows what the writers think of black men. This was by far the most disappointing aspect of the show.Second, the main couple - It was a sweet story and I'm okay with slow burns but I really get so peeved when they finish a show without any actual romantic/passionate interactions between the main couple. Like I'm still okay with the PG kisses that are in dramas usually but you can't sell me a love story only to then show it to the extent of a friendship... Besides that, I enjoyed their interactions and their chemistry.
Third, the rest of the cast - I absolutely love the Busan accent and find it really comforting for some reason (maybe because it's more tonal like my native language) so I absolutely loved the mum and dad. Saet-Byul's friends were great too and even though her sister sometimes annoyed me, she was sweet in the end and I'm glad she had a happy ending as well. I can't say the same for Dae-Hyun's sister though. DEAR GOD I HATED HER. She wasn't funny, she wasn't quirky or cheeky, she was just a LEECH. She regularly stole from her family, only went home to eat, and did NOTHING the entire 16 episodes that made me feel like she at least gave as much as she took. She just continued to take, take , take and act as if she deserved it. People like her really irk me to me bones and it really spoiled the show for me.
All in all, I have a lot of complaints but it was still enjoyable to watch for the most part and I like the concept. I just wished they tried a little harder to actually put out a quality show.
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I watched just to see Kim Yoo Jung's smile
For me the mom, played by Kim Sun Young of Choi Dae Hyun, was the most hilarious character. Her speaking volume was quite loud compared to everyone else, but she provided laughs in every episode. The constant Yeon Joo-shi thing got old after a while, do Koreans really use the honorific "shi" after a person's name when they are close as the Dae Hyun and Yeon Joo were portrayed? But really IMO Kim Yoo Jung stole the show. That smile of hers could move mountains and melt glaciers, LOL!I only started watching K-dramas quite recently, fed up with Murican TV and movies, which tend to have bad messages, mind programming, and comes from the evil place known as Hollyweird AKA Pedowood.
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