Completed
mysecretsoul
16 people found this review helpful
Sep 8, 2013
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
Sherlock Holmes meets Cyrano de Bergerac in this candied romantic comedy. With short episodes and series duration, Dating Agency: Cyrano doubles as a perfect marathon drama. Though admittedly of little sustainable substance, if you're seeking airy and memorable fun, look no further.

Much of the plot follows the titular agency as they tackle cases. This system produces miniature arcs usually lasting around three episodes. Since each case aims to jump start relationships for supporting characters (often depicted by famous guest stars), various romances are sketched out. Each of them appears to pay homage to a romance type common in dramas (mystery, melodrama, teen, etc). As the series goes on, the cases improve in quality; though still fun, the very first as initiated by the veterinarian was almost silly. Several agency members experience plots of their own, mostly bridging all 16 episodes. Unfortunately, the "main couple" was not to my taste. Age gaps rarely bother me... but lack of chemistry does. Here sparks never fly and, while the romance makes sense on paper, the entire thing felt stilted.

Most performances were solid. Something about Seo Byung Hoon struck me as similar to Sherlock in the recent BBC adaptation; Lee Jong Hyuk has magnetic prickliness down to a fine art. Soo Young spins a potentially cliche weak-spined bore into a refreshingly spunky, strong, realistic woman. Her immediately clear screen presence actually drew me into Dating Agency: Cyrano in the first place. Here I must admit that I fell hard for Lee Chun Hee as "Master". It doesn't make me proud, but whenever he was on screen I often degenerated into a giggling puddle. Whether it's because he played the character so well or because he's drop dead gorgeous, it's hard to say. The rest of the cast performs well, if not memorably. Each guest spot was wonderful too, with Lee Kwang Soo standing out in arguably the best case in the series.

Though eventually it may have become repetitive in a longer series, the soundtrack excels. "Chance!" by The Peppertones burrows into the brain, while Ra.D romances tenderly with "Something Flutters." Most of the instrumental fare felt funky and modern; the intro particularly impresses.

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Completed
hiphop123
13 people found this review helpful
Feb 2, 2014
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
This was a very cute drama. TVN's 4th installment of the Flower Boy Series. It's a feel good drama & easy to watch.

Story: It's based on the Korean movie that was made in 2010. It's cute people using technology & a hopeless romantic girl to help people with love. It's just sweet.

Acting: I'm surprised with Sooyoung(SNSD)'s acting. It was very good. I actually felt some chemistry between the leads. Ah Rang's mini arc was so cute & heartfelt. I felt bad for him after his arc ended. It's not ground breaking, but it was not horrific either.

Music: Even though it's music is not the main theme. It was the one of the factors that made this drama so sweet. Ra.D's song, A Curtain Heart Fluttering, was such an amazing song. So does Jessica(SNSD)'s song, That One Person is You, also sweet song to listen too.

Would I rewatch: I don't always rewatch dramas, but it would be nice to rewatch this in a couple months or so.

Why watch?: The comedy, the romance, the love antics, the different arcs get better & better each time. If you like having second lead-syndrome, then this drama is for you. I did root for Master(second lead)for the main lead girl. But the main leads also have chemistry as well.

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Completed
haha63
12 people found this review helpful
Jul 20, 2013
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This drama actually turned out to be pretty good from what I had expected. A lot of cheesy romance and the ending was pretty much predicted from the start, but nonetheless it was cute and fun to watch when all I was expecting was a mediocre spin-off of the original movie.

The casting was alright. I'm actually surprised by how well Sooyoung did in this drama.. You don't see many idols who can act well, so watching her was very refreshing and fun. I personally love Lee Jong Hyuk.. He was good in A Gentleman's Dignity, and he was good in this. He was actually one of the reasons I started watching this drama. Lee Chun Hee was good too.. I don't think I've ever watched him in anything, but he is a really good actor, so I may be on the lookout for more of his work. I thought he did better as the "gang-leader" persona than of Master who was in love Min Young... I would love to see him in some sort of action film, because I think he can portray a villainous character well. As for the supporting actors, they did well. Hong Jong Hyun didn't have much expression, but I think that's just how his character was. Jo Yoon Woo didn't really stick out to me. I wish the writers would've given him a separate story line like HJH's romance with Hye Ri, cause we only got to see him as a member of Cyrano Agency, and not much of anything else.

The music was alright. "CHANCE!" by the Peppertones, "A Certain Heart Fluttering" by Ra.D and "That One Person is You" by Jessica are ones you want to lookout for, since those are probably the 3 best songs on the soundtrack, the rest of them I didn't paticularly like. But they were all very fitting for the drama, and would be played for just the right scenes, so it wasn't all too bad.

Overall, this drama was very refreshing and cute to watch. A very cheesy rom-com, but that's the best part about them. I don't think I'd rewatch the whole drama again, maybe certain episodes (Like ep.9... holy Gong Yoo) but definitely not the whole thing. I recommend this to those who like rom-com's.. It's not a masterpiece, but it was cute enough to get by on.

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Completed
allyson
12 people found this review helpful
Oct 13, 2013
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
TL;DR? The episodes are short, the cast is great together. You have nothing to lose in giving it a shot :)

I regret how long I put this drama off. I kept thinking that the lead guy was kind of old, and even though I loved Flower Boy Next Door, I wasn't sure if I would like this drama. I was pleasantly surprised, I have to say.

From the get go, this drama is funny and frank and draws you into the characters as if they were people you knew your whole life. While the characters weren't particularly nuanced, they were exceedingly enjoyable.

In particular, the actress who played Gong Min Young was delightful. Her smile was just absolutely contagious and I find myself laughing far more than I would have if she hadn't been in it. As an idol actress, I could not have expected that in the least.

The chemistry between Min Young and the flower boys was also a lot of fun to watch. She was just fearless, throwing herself into situations wholeheartedly, never taking no for an answer and always letting people into her heart.

Lee Jong Hyuk's Seo Il Rok was the quintessential cocky ladies man, with the twist of not actually being any good with the women in his own life. Ah Rang was cute, though not any different from the character he played in Flower Boy Ramyun Shop. Moo Jin's character was a little stilted, some of his scenes were a tad ridiculous.

The two henchmen were ridiculous in the absolute best of ways. They really did up the comedy factor, and I loved watching them get into trouble trying to bring Master and Min Young together. And their devotion to Master was touching as well.

If you like dramas to be fairly lighthearted and funny, but also able to bring in the sad/serious moments every once in a while, then this drama is for you. All of the side romance stories that the Cyrano team aided in were just a lot of fun, and kept the storyline fresh. It was also fun to guess which cameo they would bring out next.

TL;DR? The episodes are short, the cast is great together. You have nothing to lose in giving it a shot :)

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Completed
Cobweeb
12 people found this review helpful
Jul 18, 2013
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
Now that I finished it, I can say this drama is like one of this book we read on the beach during the summer. It's not complicated, the storyline is quite obvious, the style is not perfect, but it makes you smile, time flies while you're watching, it's heartwarming. It has the taste of holidays.

I got a little frightened at the end because of a weird "dramatic" turn, but the drama was able to keep its gentleness. Sooyoung, as Gong Min Young, without being outstanding, plays her role well, displaying a refreshing ingenuity. Her acting seems to get better as the episodes are running. She never annoyed me, and I ended up liking her character. Lee Jong Hyuk had no problem to fit his character. The supporting cast was convincing. As for Lee Chun Hee, he gave a decent picture of Master, even if I couldn't help but laughing when he was playing the gangster. Chunderella is still haunting him.

Love is the real main character, don't watch it if you really can't stand sweet stories right now. Without being too cheesy, Cyrano won't fail to make you smile and cheer for the different relationships. Personnally, I loved watching the story between MooJin and HyeRi.

(Special mention to Lee Gwang Soo, he was so cute as the lovesick cook)

Overall...
Don't start this drama with high expectations, and you'll enjoy it. It's summer, you wanna spend a good time, you don't want long episodes and unbearable cliffhangers, you don't hate love and you wanna smeeeell holidays : Dating Agency Cyrano is perfect for you. Feel free and enjoy, here is your summer coktail, toes in the sand. When you'll reach the end, you'll just feel good.

Excuse my english in this review, and have a nice watch !

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Completed
purplenette
8 people found this review helpful
Jul 17, 2013
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
The story is interesting and different from others I have seen. I thought it was good, but there is really nothing special about it. The parts where they are helping people find love are insightful and fun to watch. The convoluted ending was a turn off. Especially since he didn't learn his lesson. I thought he should have had an epiphany and proclaimed his undying love from the rooftop. I guess that is just my wishes. LOL Anyway, it didn't suck.

The acting is also good. All of them played their characters well. Soo Young is just cute as a button. There were also a lot of great cameo appearances.

The music was also good.

I might rewatch this in the future.

If you like romantic comedy, then this could be the drama for you.

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Completed
rachel
6 people found this review helpful
Apr 23, 2014
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
This show markets itself as a light, fun summer romantic comedy, and I suppose it achieves that to a large extent.

The cast is alright - Sooyoung puts in a fairly okay performance for her very cheery character, the supporting cast are alright, and I enjoyed Lee Jong Hyuk's performance the most - perhaps the character with the most growth throughout the show. Lee Chun Hee puts in a strong performance too with the material he's been given.

There's also the star-studded cameos to look forward to every 2-3 episodes, and the different cases the agency must handle help to jazz up and create variety in the storyline. I also like how some of the cases reflect the issues and matters facing the agents at the same point in time. However, the connections can be so bleeding obvious it feels like the show is yelling at me, "LOOK, A AND B. GEDDIT? GEDDIT?"

But I didn't enjoy the sudden makjang twists in the story towards the end of the show. Some of it felt so cliched it was rather painful.

Basically, only watch this if you want something light, breezy and slightly forgettable.

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Completed
Asp
5 people found this review helpful
Apr 1, 2014
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
I didn't expect that 16 episodes would be too much for this show. I mean, that's little, isn't it... why would I say that?

Story's somewhat interesting, I found the plot twists mildly disappointing, because they were quite obvious for me, but I haven't expected much from this, to be quite honest. Alas, the form worked quite well, but I felt like there wasn't enough of the romance missions, it could've done with at least 3 or 4 more.

Acting was well-done, all of the actors were new for me and I have walked out of this show with a few of them in mind, so I guess I'll remember them for awhile, since they have worked pretty neatly together. I especially liked Jo Yoon Woo and Hong Jong Hyun, for those two were frigging adorable with their acting.

To be frank, music was non-existant for me, I remember one or two melodies, but that's it. Nothing to see in this section.

I would not rewatch this, due to plot being dragged in last part, scarcity of romance scenes between the leads (although the chemistry was not bad!), I don't find any part of this drama that I would, therefore, be glad to rewatch. Maybe for the eyecandy, but this is supposed to be a review, not fangirling, so yeah, nope.

This drama started out great, I practically smiled all the way through first two episodes, because not one minute was boring or repetitive. It promised a non-standard romance story with a very visible plot, but it dropped in the first part and overdid it a bit in the second. Maybe I'm being too harsh, but I don't find it honest to rate this anything more than seven, because during some parts I felt like skipping through love scenes (the little of them that there is), or just being plainly pissed off at Choi Soo Young in dramatic scenes (I felt like gnawing my eyes out at them), or at Lee Jong Hyuk, because the age difference obviously made him uncomfortable and toned down the romance. Which I suppose, is answered to mostly in the love stories of other characters. I recommend it for the overall, but don't expect much from main romance.

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Completed
maymaymaymay
6 people found this review helpful
Jul 17, 2013
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
I originally was not going to watch "Cyrano Dating agency", simply because I had no love for the cast nor the time to fit it into my schedule when it first started airing. It was completely by accident that I started watching the first episode, and to my surprise, this drama was actually good. It actually became one of my favorites compared to the other dramas I was watching at the time.
Story: We all need a nice, zippy rom-com to watch every now and then, and "Cyrano" definitely delivered that for me. It didn't really try to be deep or hold some secret message, but it did offer some insights to love that made me view relationships in a certain way. I'm glad that this drama- for the most part- didn't try to venture into the moral consequences of what the Cyrano team was doing, and instead managed to make it seem less wrong than what the synopsis makes the viewer think. The agency wasn't *making* the target fall in love with the client, but rather helping the client deliver their sincere feelings in such a way that it changes the target's perspective on the client. Some of the cases here were admittedly more "wrong" than others, but in the end everyone wound up content. The tone of "Cyrano" stayed pretty even throughout, except for the last two episodes where it just suddenly decided to be serious. The last two episodes weren't too out there as far as the plot went, but compared to the whole show in general they just seemed kind of ridiculous.
Acting: While I don't have any particular misgivings towards idol actors, the majority of them aren't something to write home about. that being said, I expected Sooyoung to be average or less than in her role and I was partially correct. The writers here managed to make her character likable and cheery, and Sooyoung managed to convey the character well enough but to me she never really *became* the character. Her chemistry with Lee Jong Hyuk was cute, but I always felt that her character was more well-matched to Chunderella's character. Chunderella was brilliant here, and I'll be keeping an eye out for his next role. The other boys in the agency fit their roles surprisingly well, but to me it felt a bit like their previous ones. Jo Yoon Woo's and Hong Jong Hyung's roles were similar to the ones they had in "Flower Boy Ramyun Shop" and "White Christmas".
Music: The music here was different from other dramas, and it was used well to accent certain scenes.
Rewatch Value: While I wouldn't go back and watch the *whole* thing all over again, I would rewatch certain episodes.
Overall: "Cyrano Dating Agency" stuck to its strengths for the most part and managed to deliver a sold rom-com that entertained me. While it isn't wholly forgettable, it isn't something that I will always love and remember.

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Completed
glamsky91
3 people found this review helpful
Mar 2, 2014
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
This review may contain spoilers
*NO SPOILERS*

Dating agency Cyrano is one of the best dramas of the comedy/romance genre.
Its entertaining to watch.Almost every episode has its own love stories so most people can find themselves relating to one of them.
Like all the flower drama series , it gives you a sweet,romantic feeling.
The Acting is very good.I hadn't seen another work of the main actor Lee Jong Hyuk before,so I didnt know what to expect.I thought it was kind of weird he would be colead with Soo Young, cause of the age difference but the chemistry is so good and he does a great job on his part.
Soo Young is also very good (since there is all this bad faith on acting idols) ,her and all the other idols that take part in Cyrano they leave you with a good taste.
One by one the supporting roles add their own charisma to the show.
A variety of stories and characters you can't miss.You must watch this drama(^_^)b

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Completed
HayaChul
4 people found this review helpful
Aug 21, 2013
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 10
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
I watched this because i love Sooyoung but although i loved her i thought she was a bad actress since she's actually an idol BUT BOOOM she was perfect
As for the drama its really good for people who are looking for a light comedy romance drama full with a lot of handsome boys
People were complaining about the age deference but i find it actually cute since Lee Jong Hyuk is really handsome
Anyway i loved each ep of this drama & i could sure you won't get bored from this drama
Yaeh & i hope there would be season 2
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Completed
cityhunter
5 people found this review helpful
Aug 3, 2013
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
this show is a really fun watch. i greatly enjoyed the missions and the folks from cyrano. that's why it gets a 7.

the story of the OTP was very poorly developed. the 2nd lead got way more attention. it really seemed that with writers got to the home stretch and realized "oh crap! we've got 2 episodes left. we have to wrap this up!!!" and so it ended in a big steaming pile of WTF which would have ruined the whole thing. watch the 1st 14 episodes, they are very entertaining.
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Dating Agency: Cyrano (2013) poster

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