This review may contain spoilers
I can’t believe it...
In general, I don’t write reviews. But after finishing this show I’m so angry. I need to spit it out.Positive Parts.
1. The casting is pretty good. I liked all actors and their chemistry. Her parents were the funniest part of the show. Great job!
2. I find the idea with the past life’s intriguing and it offered room for much development. I enjoyed watching all eras. After understanding the whole situation it was even better. Best part of the show for me!
3. The CEO was a great character and offered so much.
ULTRA SPOILER AHEAD
Negative Things.
1. I’m really frustrated about the character writing of the show. It’s my first time experiencing dislikeable leads. As I mentioned was the CEO (male lead) a great person. He’s the only one I liked the whole time. The female lead was terribly written. Sometimes she appeared strong and confident, but when it mattered she was the most passive persons I’ve ever seen in a show. All talk. After reaching the second half of the drama I even hoped for the ml that he won’t end up with her. I really felt sorry for him that he liked such a selfish person. The second male lead is handsome without a doubt. In general, we get the perfect SL that ends up alone because he’s so nice. This one fulfilled most of this till the second half. After 8 eps he developed into a clingy and selfish character himself. No empathy for others, secretive and only interested in the fl without using his brain. I skip the second female lead. She was insecure, but okay. But her mother was the most pathetic character I’ve seen in a while. Introduced as strong career woman did she end in a ridiculous revenge story for her broken heart 30 years ago. I know it’s a fantasy show, but that was too ridiculous. If I were her daughter I would’ve send her to a mental hospital for a check up.
2. After knowing the whole picture I can’t help myself but feeling frustrated with the relationship of the leads. In fact, the show is a story about a man that is willing to give everything for his love and to repay his guilt. (Unnecessary in my opinion and I really don’t get why he’s always the guilty one. After knowing the reasons for everything, he should be embraced with open arms.) And the female lead! Honestly? I had several moments where I wanted to punch her into the face. While he’s doing everything for her, she’s doing literally nothing for him. Not one tiny thing! First, she lets him compete with the SL because she’s too stupid to say the men that she s not interested. Then she’s head over heels for him and can’t even hear him out after their first fight. But the most annoying thing is that she didn’t even react after knowing the truth. Her conversation was pretty lame and it was not relatable for me that she was still suffering from her trauma even after getting to know the truth. No! It got even worse! In the end she wants him to give up his only dream to stay by her side while she can live her own. Let me summarize! He’s doing everything for he. She does nothing for him. And the Happy End is that he gives up his dream for her. Honestly, he deserves a lot more than her.
3. The moral of the story. During the last minutes of the show I was so annoyed that I want it to end right now. Little did I know that another annoying part was waiting. They end the show with the moral that you don’t need a marriage certificate to become happy with your loved one. Yes! That’s true and I agree. But the perfect closure would’ve been when she would have married him and both would’ve made sacrifices and start new. It’s so sad that such an important moral was undermined from annoying written characters. If they intended to do that from the start, they should’ve written the fl nicer or at least a balanced relationship to make it believable.
4. SUMMARY I watched 16 eps about a relationship which was unhealthy to begin with. He does everything and she’s just talk. In my opinion, a happy relationship is about that WE and not just YOU. But the way they showed it makes it okay for someone to do nothing. Unsatisfying On a high level!
5. Another point to rant: the kisses. The make Lead gave everything to show passion. A great praise from me! The female lead was frozen that it was even embarrassing to watch. She didn’t deliver the classical fish kisses, but did nothing while he kissed her. Especially in close camera shots it’s embarrassing to watch. In those moments I even felt sorry for the actor!
ULTRA SPOILER END
Don’t get me wrong! I really like the cast and also the actress, but the way the characters worked wasn’t relatable for me. I ended up feeling annoyed or ranting while watching the episodes every week. The good thing is that I didn’t get bored out of anger.
In general, I always say that people should watch a show to gain own experience. Everyone has its own taste. Therefore, it’s wrong to stop people from watching. That’s why I say in this case: It would be a pity not to see the great acting and scenes of the male lead. But the rest could get annoying. My recommendation for you is to watch the first episode. Find out if you enjoy the wedding or not. If yes, continue. If not, drop the show immediately.
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Soooo boring
Honestly, I've seen slower paced shows than this one, without being this bored.Throughout the entire show, all I remember is constantly checking which episode I was on and thinking "How is it only episode 8??" or "How am I supposed to make it through another 20 of these?!"
The cast was good, the music was okay, the plot seemed interesting. All the ingredients were there. And then you start watching and you don't really care about the FL, and you get tired of all the marriage talks, and you're no longer sure whether the characters have chemistry or not, and the only interesting person ends up being the CEO.
And then that ending. That stupid ass ending. What's the point of deciding to never get married if you're going to exchange the couple rings. And then hold the ceremony where you exchange promises to each other. And proclaim your love and announce your life plans to your entire extended circle of friends and family. That's exactly what weddings are, dammit!!
Just. Skip this.
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A total mess but I kind of liked it
I know i am one of the few people that actually enjoyed watching this drama.It frustrated me a lot but i couldn't drop it because I like the leads, especially the female lead.
The story had a nice message but the execution was so wrong and so boring. It should have been 12 episodes, that way, a lot of things wouldn't have been dragged out but it had some nice moments.
The FL's parents were the main attraction of the show, they were very funny and they made the show a little bit bearable.
The friend that was dating two guys also made for some special moments but they didn't really give them much screen time.
All in all, i think the show was just trying to pass a message of live and let live. They just want people to know that marriage isn't always the ultimate and to let people live their lives however they see fit.
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Gave me Deja Vu feeling
Plot : I was excited about this drama ,I love Hwang Jung Eum and almost all of her dramas are in my favorite list. And both of the love interests are really great actors who I enjoy. This had everything I love in a drama : past lives, fantasy aspect,lots of cute moments,very well done love triangle...so why I didn't absolutely love it? This was almost the same as "Mama Fairy and the Woodcutter",the idea was the same...the main love interests were the same actors...The main difference was this one is more realistic,but that's basically it.I was disappointed,maybe if I haven't seen Mama Fairy and the Woodcutter I would absolutely love this one.THE CHEMISTRY BETWEEN OUR MAIN COUPLE(S)?:
This is the situation when the second love interest has better chemistry with the main lead actress. I will not spoil anything,but....the chemistry was through the roof !
HOW IT ENDS:*Mild Spoilers*
The big theme of this drama was " Not getting married",and well it ended on that. It wasn't bad,or good...just mehhh.
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Not Good Enough
" To All The Guys Who Loved Me " had a good concept but a boring execution.Even from the first episode things didn't look so good. The story, though was interesting theoretically, did not have a smooth start. The love triangle was boring, oldish and predictable, even though it had the potential for a solid bromance, which was ruined as they tried to create it only towards the end, and by then, they both had established a rocky relationship. The main couple was okay, but the repeated flashbacks, the cliche lines, and the cheesy scenes ruined it. The whole past lives was not excecuted well and thus, it ended up not being well explained, being repeated over and over, and almost dominated the present relationship. The side characters, in addition, although they provided some comedy relief moments, they were forgoten and their stories was almost not concluded.
Finally, the performances were, at least, pretty great, as it is expected from an all stars cast.
So, overall, 3.5 out of 10. The drama could have been a sweet, light romantic comedy with some dramatic elements and the just right amount of cliche, but it just was too boring.
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Disappointing
The storyline about past lives was really interesting but something fell flat about this show and I can only put that down to the 2 leads lack of chemistry. I really didnt care if they got together or not! Somehow the male lead just seemed flat and she was gorgeous and wore fantastic clothes but again just didnt really care for her! As to the kissing scenes- I get more affection from my dog!!! Is she against kissing in dramas / disliked the male actor/ just a bad kisser?!!There were a few factors I found dislikeable
- his manipulation of her - what a nasty way to get close to her. Altering her memories ? How dare he?! Im surprised she grew to like him and perhaps thats what is missing - apart from"Fate" what did these two even like about their present personalities?
- his past 2 lives deceiving her- just why do writers put this outdated notion of man acting ostensibly in best interest of woman by sarificing themselves. No respect or trust.
- mothers actions - distasteful and ridiculous.
After episode 8 I just fast forwarded to get the gist!!
The second male was great and the best thing about this show!! The parents were funny to start with but even their funny scenes became monotonous!
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cliche after cliche
This one has it all: past lives, childhood friend that’s in love with the female lead, vengeful mother, CEO, childhood connection for the leads. If you’re ready full a story jam packed with every Kdrama cliché out there, strap in you’re in for a ride!Hyeon Ju ( Hwang Jung Eum) is a successful producer, who after a near death experience as a child swears she will never get married. The reason? During her near-death experience, she had visions of all of her past lives, where she was married to the same guy, she never saw his face in her visions, each time their marriage and lives ended in tragedy. During her “marriage” to herself she makes it official she will remain single forever. Enter Ji Woo (Yoon Hyun Min), a successful CEO who is obsessed with Hyeon Ju to the point of sabotaging her career to keep her close to him, so he can watch over her. The reason for this obsession? You guessed it! He also remembers his past lives and she’s the one. He’s determined to make things right this time around. But what happens when a person from their past lives shows up and will do anything to keep them apart? Will history repeat itself? Or will they finally have their happily ever after?
The series starts out very promising and the script is very clever and funny. There is a scene at the beginning where the two male leads ( Seo Ji Hoon and Yoon Hyun Min) are stuck inside of a tent together and are struggling to get the zipper of the tent loose so they can escape, however what we see on the screen is a silhouette of the two and a children’s field trip watching on confused asking their teacher “what are those two doing in there?”. The scene was pure gold and will have you laughing like crazy!
If I could say something positive about this one, Seo Ji Hoon shined. He is a rising star in the Kdrama world, and it was a pleasure to watch him play the childhood friend who is in love with the female lead. He is great at displaying emotion without using words, and just using his body language. On look at his stance or eyes, and you can feel the emotion. I would have liked to see his character develop more with the story.
Her whiney friends are introduced early on and their side stories are just as boring as they sound. I found myself doing something I never do, fast forwarded through them to get to the main story. However, even the story lost its magic at the halfway point. I blame the script and the acting. The biggest problem with this story was they built up such an exciting plot and then just let it fizzle out. There were moments where you were screaming at the tv, and then confused at the same time.
The acting disappointed me on this one. Nothing is worse to me then when a male lead is giving it is all in the emotional scenes but is getting NOTHING in return from the female lead. I never thought I would crave PSH and a “fish kiss” after watching HJE and her “board kiss”. There were moments where the script had some very cheeky sexual undertones, and she delivers the scene with the passion of a wooden 2x4. This was the first time in a while when I truly saw the male and female lead “acting” Infront of me instead of living the moment of the scene. Truly disappointing since I’ve seen them both pull off great roles in separate projects. They had zero chemistry on screen, and you could feel it.
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A disappointing inevitability
You may have read the synopsis of this drama, taken a look at the cast, and wondered, Why are the ratings so low? Well, you are not alone on that, I felt the same way, and out of curiosity, I decided to watch it.The story had so much potential that it hurts. At a certain point, you start to feel the potential slip through your fingers until it disappears.
What completely caught me off guard was the violence, the manipulation, the gaslighting that the ML and the SML radiated. In some dramas, this was tolerable because they took place years ago when people didn't know better. We also did not have the kind of access to information that we do now. That is not the case in "To all the guys who loved me". Not only did the screenwriter should have had to pay attention to that, but also the actors. They are experienced enough to be more than aware that their characters' representation perpetuates misogyny.
If we ignore the disappointment that I felt due to the waste of potential and the frustration and disgust that lingered every time the SML opened his mouth, there isn´t much left.
I can't ignore the efforts of the other actors and the production crew and, that´s the sole reason I even bothered to watch this whole drama. They are also the reason I´m not giving it a lower rating.
If you are reading this review after watching the drama, I feel for you. But if you haven´t watched it yet, save yourself the time and get some sleep instead.
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What a waste of time , Ridiculous story with good actors
I've watched it for the comedy and the actors especially the female lead ,, she's on of my favorite Korean actresswhat a waste of time and talent
the story started funny ,, light hearted Rom com then it turned into such a ridiculous story very silly cheesy rom com
Past lives and existing one ?? really people don't have enough problems in their current life ,, they obsess over last lives if it existed in their mind LOL
They take the phrase they are meant for each other to another level of insanity
and who is the evil which ,, she's an old business woman who wants to marry her daughter to her past life love interest
WOH!!!!!!
How is that even logical ?? what does she think ??
her daughter will marry her mother's past lover so the mother will own her daughter's husband and he will become hers??
really ??
I need to discuss this obnoxious thought with the writer
How will the mother in low become her step son's lover exactly ????????
so the whole story went down hell after that
couldn't even watch it without feeling wasting my time
stayed for the fun scenes and they weren't that much
they were mostly from the female leads parents funny scenes only
Don't waste your time on this no matter how much you love the main leads
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No marriage thanks!
Okay this was fun enough to watch, missing a lilttle bit of a punch to make it exceptional.The premise is far fetched but original..remembering your previous lives and meeting the same loved one in the present life... how cool is that!
The drama is all about choosing a path that works for you. Marrying self was fun to watch but then making a commitment to stay and love each other without marriage is relevant to the present times.
Enjoyed it. Thanks!
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The music was perfect.
That's the only thing I can certainly say that people should/would not argue about; the music was perfect. Every track fit the drama so well, and whenever Standing Egg's 'Not Clumsy Anymore' came on my eyes would tear up. It's such a beautiful song (♡ω♡ ) ~♪ and the song that JH sings for MJ is called 'Joys of Love/Happiness of Love/사랑의 기쁨' (Hope I spelt it correctly in Korean*)The acting was good, but ON MY GOODNESS WERE THOSE KISSES STIFF AS HECK! IDK what was going through her head, but whenever Ji Woo got close to Hyeon Ju, you could see her freeze up. She was an immovable object. I hated their kisses ಠ︵ಠ
I would not rewatch this, unless someone can tell me every scene that 'NCA' played, then I'd make compilations for me to enjoy (~￣³￣)~
Don't watch the drama if you're just here for a certain actor. Unless you really enjoy OSTs (like I do), there isn't anything I can say to convince y'all to watch and enjoy this. It wasn't a bad drama, but it wasn't great either. You can live life without watching it and listen to the OST for the fun of it.
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