Miracle (2022)

None of these characters are likable.

Major spoilers are ahead...

The FL, So Rin, is a fan of ML, Lucie, her idol while she's in high school, and she accidentally meets him without even believing it's him. They spend one night hanging out and the next night, she's supposed to go to a meet and greet with the real "Lucie." During this time she's also trying to audition to become an idol trainee.

Si Woo is best friends with So Rin along with their other friend mutual friend, Ye Seung and they enjoy their friendship going along with So Rin's fangirling. Si Woo secretly harbors a crush on So Rin, and together, they both win tickets to Lucie's meet and greet. While Si Woo takes both of them there on his bicycle, on the way, they're stuck by an oncoming vehicle which results in So Rin being hospitalized.

Lucie in the meantime keeps looking for So Rin at his fan meet to let her know it was really him that she met the night before. But of course, she doesn't show up. Lucie goes back to the US.

Fast forward to a few years later, Si Woo has become an idol. A decision he made for So Rin, who mentioned in the past, that if he auditioned to be an idol, they could go through it together. Feeling guilty about So Rin's accident, Si Woo becomes driven and motivated to become an idol.

But while Si Woo becomes an idol in a k-pop group, "N and S", So Rin, who suffers from severe tinnitus and dizziness, can no longer dance because of these symptoms. These came from a result of her accident but the tinnitus that she suffers from seems to be more psychologically stress-related. Although she no longer pursues the dream of becoming an idol, she works closely with Si Woo at the same agency. Their mutual friend, Ye Seung also works as a driver for the same agency. After all this time, Si Woo still hasn't told So Rin about his feelings for her.

Lucie comes back to Korea to do a collaboration with Si Woo. But Lucie goes under hardships as he is accused of tax evasion. It turns out his manager took all his money as Lucie wasn't planning to sign with him anymore. He has no choice but to collab with Si Woo and his agency. Broke and displaced in Korea, So Rin takes him in, and later, Lucie finds out that So Rin was the fangirl he met that night.

So now, here starts the love triangle... where the girl is so clueless and oblivious that these guys like her, and honestly, the story doesn't develop enough as to why these guys like her.

You can understand why Si Woo could like So Rin because after all, they grew up together as best friends, but why he takes so long to tell her is beyond me. So now Lucie enters the picture and now we just have to sit through these guys being competitive for So Rin while she doesn't have a clue. But honestly, you feel nothing for these three characters. So Rin comes off as under deserving of Si Woo's interest actually. It seems like he does more for her than she does for him. He's always checking in on her. And as for Lucie, he's just too arrogant for anyone to like him.

I find this to be a slow-paced drama. So far I'm on EP 12 and only now, are they just starting to dig into whether or not So Rin should pursue her dream as an idol. They had a few flashbacks of her trying again after her accident but nothing came of it. I don't know how, by the next two episodes, we're supposed to believe that all of a sudden, So Rin will become an idol. I think that even mentioning this in the detailed summary of this show is kind of misleading. Even the title, "Miracle" makes no sense.

So with only 14 episodes, I don't know how much progress we'll see after since the episodes are short. They're trying to show more scenes of Lucie and So Rin together as they have some "let's stare at each other with OST playing" moments. He seems to coincidently show up as he stalks her when she's having bad symptoms. But Si Woo has also been there for her so you don't know why the showrunners don't give Si Woo and So Rin more "tender moments". If you going to do a love triangle, do it somewhat properly.

There are other side stories, like Lucie's disappearing manager, another female k-pop group in which one member, Ju Ah crushes on Si Woo, and there's even some tension within Si Woo's group, N and S. The leader of N and S, Do Un wants to be an actor but only Si Woo got offered a leading role in a drama. This made Do Un jealous. But with these short episodes, their stories aren't interesting enough. Everyone seems miserable and it's not just from suffering through some hardships, it's more like everyone is miserably jealous of someone else.

The acting of everyone isn't that great so it makes it harder to enjoy this show and the singing and dancing are all subpar. Who wants to watch a show with two guys just constantly glaring at each other? It just makes this show drag on even slower.

I'll update this later if necessary.

UPDATE:
A week after the last two episodes already aired, I finally decided to dive back in and finish up the series. And... that's it. The end. (That's how exciting it was.)

I don't know what direction the writers decided to take in the last two episodes but it got pretty negative and dark all of a sudden. Ju Ah, crushes on Si Woo, finally confesses to him. He doesn't return her feelings and when he tells her he likes someone else, she's like, "So what?" I mean, why do they write women with like no dignity or pride? And if she's so close to debuting, it makes no sense why she would even be entertaining the idea of pursuing someone or even dating for that matter. Zero sense. She would just be focusing on debuting.

Then she finds out that So Rin is coming back as a trainee and now she's even more frustrated and upset. So much so that she injures herself while practicing and for good measure, the writers threw in some pills she suddenly seems dependent on.

Then all of a sudden, we find out that besides Do Un, another member of N and S, Ik Chan, also has a problem with Soo Win. Like where did this guy come from? And... they finally caught Lucie's scheming manager. And... So Rin finds out it was really Lucie she met that night. And... Lucie finds out about the accident happening that same night and why Si Woo dislikes him.

And... all this in one episode. And... it was still boring.

By the last episode, some crazy sasaeng of Si Woo tries to throw acid on So Rin but Lucie saves her by blocking it. So now we got acid folks. That's some pretty damaging and dark stuff. Like I was shocked by it. Acid is some pretty serious sh*t and it just didn't feel like it belonged in this kind of drama. It was really out of place. I felt for a moment that I was watching some Bollywood drama for a second there. It turns out that Do Un planted an idea in Ju Ah's head to post pictures of Si Woo and So Rin online as if they were dating. So that's why the jealous sasaeng showed up.

What's worse is that management finds out what Ju Ah and Do Un did and yet nothing happened to them. Management was like, " Oh we didn't know they were hurting. Let's just sweep everything under the rug and everyone make up." Seriously... W...T...F??? A crazy sasaeng was charged with aggravated assault and attempted murder for hurling ACID, because of what Ju Ah and Do Un conspired and nothing happens to them? Especially Do Un who was the mastermind. You would've thought that Si Woo would've been really angry at him since the sasaeng targeted So Rin. Whatevs dude.

Anyways, So Rin has a spot in a voice competition but she pauses during her live performance because of her tinnitus, but the guys are there to "save" her once again. And like the other reviews mention, the show doesn't show her choosing Lucie or Si Woo. And the other friend, Ye Seung as the ending fairy made zero sense too.

I changed my rating from a 5 to a 4.

Read More

Disappointed

I had hopes for this drama but was left bitterly disappointed as i finished the 14th episode today.

The usual cliches are all in the show, a traumatic incident, a love triangle, a jealous bitter rejected love prospect, framing attempt, jealous band members etc. Etc.
which in itself isn't necessarily bad but none of them are dealt with any depth or finesse.

The characters get irritating and you will be left with zero closure on any of the cliches issues raised. You are baited with the love triangle throughout the drama but are left with zero conclusion.
And I mean it, nothing actually happens or is suggested to resolve it one way or another.
Predictable, frustrating, without closure.

Avoid.

Read More

A real gem

I love when Chani plays lighthearted roles where he gets to show his talent as a comedic actor. His timing is perfect, he’s so attractive, charming, sexy, confident and natural, he enjoys the hell out of this part.

‘Miracle’ is a rare example of a show where you can root not only for the two main leads, but for anyone because the chemistry of the whole cast is phenomenal. Sorin’s parents are wonderful and the bond they form with Luice is one of my favorite things about the show.

Chani and Hwiyoung are hilarious, their real life friendship translates to the screen so well, and their scenes are the funniest because they’re so comfortable with each other. You want Luice and Siwoo to end up together, they are extremely entertaining. The show is full of SF9 references, fans of the group and Chani and Hwiyoung will have great time watching it.

Kang Min-ah and Chani share the sweetest and most memorable moments together (the first meeting, the suit scene, the fanfic etc,.). Their emotional connection feels so real and powerful, their playfulness, the small details, the line delivery and the facial expressions make simplest scene look special. They are one of the best on-screen couples I’ve ever seen.

Although the lead male character is an idol, 'Miracle' is very different from other shows about idols. It's a slapstick comedy, a clever satire, with a big chunk of irony and self-irony. It makes fun of the k-pop clichés, but it also has its serious dramatic moments and shows that idol life is not easy and actually very sad. You have to sacrifice a lot to work in this industry. It's a high quality production with beautiful cinematography and set design, I really like the cute episode title cards that pop up here and there. The soundtrack includes two solo songs by Chani ('Shining Star' and 'Forever Love') and 'Milky Way' that Kang Min-ah, Chani and Hwiyoung sing together. Plus, there's Chani's solo version of ''詩; 00:00'' by SF9 that he sings on stage at one point.

It's a 14-episodes show, there are no filler scenes, it's not overlong, the pacing is good, everything is well-written and well-connected. The characters are multidimensional, we see how their relationship grow and develop into something much bigger and more important than a love triangle. And you can be romantic in so many different ways. One scene in the laundromat between Luice and Sorin speaks louder than ten kisses.

I love the ending so much, it makes sense, and the lyrics of the song ''Milky Way''that we hear at the end summarise everything perfectly. It's so rare to see this kind of an ending. And I think it's super romantic.

Read More

Utter disappointment

I'm a sucker for idol dramas, but this one was the most disappointing one to date.

It honestly felt like something that would have been on the Disney Channel ten years ago. The acting wasn't that bad, but the story had literally zero emotional impact.

With a name like Miracle I would have expected to see blood, sweat and tears being shed for the characters to reach and realize their dreams. For them to put everything on the line on the unlikely chance of a "miracle" happening for them to make their wishes come true, but they barely struggled.

For example, So Rin's accident was the perfect set-up to set her on her journey of disappointment, struggles and heartache to eventually overcome her physical limitations (or find a way to deal with them) and reach her goal, be it the original one or a new one she discovered along the way. But there was none of that. She was a glorified babysitter for two squabbling men that acted like little kids more often than not.

Luice spent most of his time lounging around, and don't get me started about "Si Woo realizing his dream of becoming a k-pop idol". That was a 30-second montage and then a 3 sentences speech. We barely got to see him put in any type of effort.

The music was also a flop. Three or four repetitive, unmemorable songs. I expected a lot more for an idol drama.

Read More

Not a romance focus but more on idol's struggle

Subtle romance:
At first i watched this drama for the romance and because it's hwiyoung and chani, my bias in sf9. But ended up staying for the plot.

The character development:
Luice's character has the major development throughout this series, from snobbish and self centered and attention seeker to someone caring and a bit mature than the first time he was introduced. Si woo gone from a quiet guy to an idol just to be with So rin. He should have express more of his feelings to sorin and it should not take his one sided crush for 5 years long to be discovered by So Rin. For so rin, i always liked her character since the first time from a hardcore fan to a hardworking producer. And at first she was scared to take the chance to debut because of her 'ringing', but finally pluck the courage to grab the chance.

The trauma:
The plot of so rin having ringing when she is dancing or singing is good and reasonable as she have quite an 'accident' that night. It just more logical if she have that kind of trauma for the after effect. And she keep moving on her life in entertainment industry. Just not as an idol, but stay happy when she look after all N&S members.

CEO of the company:
She is my most favourite character in this drama. Masha Kim is the best and kindest CEO anyone could get. She trying hard to protect her idols and understanding how they feel. Even after Ju A did bad things just because of her jealousy towards so rin. she still given a chance by Masha, Masha even said its her fault for not knowing the pressure the debut line feels all this time.

The villains:
There are villain from Luice's side, Si woo's and So Rin's side. From Luice's side is the ones that betray and frame him of tax evasion and made him lose reputation as good pop star and being judged in the society. We got closure of why his manager did such thing, that jail scene was wholesome, we can tell that his manager did care for him for real but had to do it because of his family's needs. From si woo's side, it's his own member aka leader of N&S group which caused by jealousy of si woo keep getting lead roles and good things happening to him like a collab with Luice which made him 'fish' si woo out with the dating scandal that lead to so rin's attack by si woo's sasaeng. From So Rin's side we have Ju A that also been insecure with how perfectly she see so rin's life been going on even after she had to give up her dream because of the constant ringing in her ear.

The ending:
Like i've said, its a subtle romance. Sure both male leads had feelings for so rin. But it doesn't end with she end up with who and just leave as they being friends who always support each other in hard times and good times. So, she doesn't choose anyone. No one chooses anyone. Their friendship is the best thing anyway. N&S members reconcile with si woo and clear all the misunderstandings. Another wholesome scene, the way they play with each other like little kids after their reconciliation are so cute. N&S members also been insecure that they always been called 'si woo' s backup dancer'. And contemplating should they renew their contract and did si woo even need N&S. Si woo sees them not just as his members but like a family. Skipping to the 'real ending'. So, Ju A and her group members, Dahlia finally debut and Ju A looks happier then ever oh almost forget to mention that she also reconcile with So rin and forget all the bad things between them. And then we see so rin's parent business are going well since so rin entered singing competition.she didn't get to final but she got a chance to perform as special stage. When she was performing the ringing in her ears are back and her friends, si woo and luice appear and help to support her. And she continue singing with them.

It's not best drama but it's not a bad drama either. I enjoyed every second of it, even if she didn't choose anyone in the end. The focus of this drama was not romance after all. It has been the struggle of what idol been feeling and the cost of their image in public when being an idol. It's a happy ending so it's a 9 star for me❤️one of the good drama i've watched this year short but very valuable and memorable

Read More

more about k-idols, not much romance; the tags guides you on the way

this drama since it was only 14 eps, i think there were things that I need to look into more. especially luice and soo-rin's relationship. I think it has more lesser romance, because it really talks about conflicts of being an idol (from the title itself, miracle). the plot was something unexpected for me. not the same as other dramas that talks about idols about their dreams. this was the second drama for me that i've watched that talks about k-idol's experiences and struggles. i really looked forward because of the romance, but I guess I was just a little confused at the ending. the question is "where did lee soo-ri choose, luice or shi-woo?" until the last scene made me hooked. i think the ending seems to take the spot were all the 3 main leads shined again in the end.

I rated it just an 8 because even if it was less romance but more on comedy and idol career drama, for me the tags really helped others a lot. I really understood why other viewers dropped them, but I guess for me it seems like something was really missing. but what I like about this drama is more different than the other idol dramas i've watched (just like imitation but still imitation was better than this one in my opinion.).

Read More

Give it a try and see if you like it or not!

I was not expecting anything from this drama so I wasn't disappointed but if you are gonna watch this drama hoping the FL ends up with someone, this isn't the drama for you but if you like open endings, this drama is for you.

Story:
Story wasn't the best, I agree, and also there was nothing going on. If you are really bored and you don't mind about what you want to watch, if you wanna watch something calm with no stress, or if you just wanna complete a drama so bad, this is a good drama to watch. I was excited to watch it because I love Kang Min Ah and Chani and Kang Min Ah are acting together again (True Beauty) so I wanted to watch it. After watching couple of episodes, I realized that LSR wouldn't end up with anyone.
You really can't like any of the characters here, all of them were not really my favorite characters.

In my opinion, Chani doesn't really fit romance dramas. I loved him in TB though. I will continue to support his future dramas if I plan on liking him but I prefer him in other dramas and not romance.

Acting:
Acting was fine, I don't have much opinion about it. I didn't expect anything from anyone.

Music:
The music was good, I don't have much to say here but the OSTs were pretty good and chill to listen to.

Rewatch Value:
I would never rewatch it, not even if I am bored. Yes, I did say you can watch it if you were bored but I cannot rewatch this show because I watched it while the drama was ongoing so I didn't have the motivation to continue the drama so I probably would never rewatch it either.

Overall:
The only thing I liked (kind of) was the ending. The ending was an open ending so us viewers could create a story after that and make up an ending. Personally, I love open endings so I didn't have a problem but people who expected the FL to end up with one of the guys might have not liked this drama. Like I said, you really can't like any people here. Some people didn't have much to like about or dislike about and some did.
I would not recommend this drama but if you want to watch it because you just wanna complete some drama or you're bored, go ahead. You would probably find yourself skipping a lot of parts or you'd actually like the drama. Everyone is different and you don't have to follow what I said in this review. Just give it a try and see if you like it or not!

Read More

Not gonna lie you had me in the first half... was quite enjoyable to watch in retrospect

Within the first 30 minutes of watching the premiere, I thought this show was going to be a train wreck. In fact, until about episode 13, I was unsure of where the writers were trying to go with the script. But by the time the series wrapped, I realized how much I actually enjoyed this show. In fact it had potential to be a great drama, if it weren't for a few, critical writing and directorial choices. I found myself thinking, "if they had just focused on this instead of this," or "if they had just cut these scenes and developed this storyline more," or "if they didn't make this scene so predictable." Like, TWO FIGHTS, bffr, bsffr! Gosh, I'm saddened thinking about how great this story could have been.

Indulge in this idea for a second. If you watch this series with a suspension of disbelief - which is required for 100% of kdramas because the thought process, decision making, and story arcs lack critical thinking in most stories - this series makes a lot of sense. This isn't a drama about love and rivalry, in a roundabout way, it's about friendship and how those you rely on and confide in are integral to your own self-growth and value system. It's the reason behind a lot of the decisions made. "If XX had just been honest, would Y have happened? If Z was more confident in their talent where would they be? Honestly, it's a refreshing take to an idol drama."

The main problem, as noted in other reviews, is that they wasted time on the wrong storyline. If they had focused on Luice, SoRin, and SiWoo overcoming their individual challenges instead of that trite, overused love triangle, it would have been a wonderful drama. Like that little rivalry should have been a B or C story, not the driving narrative for over half the drama.

HOWEVER, I will say that the actors did what they had to do with the materials they had. I came for Kang Min Ah, but remained seated because of the lovely dynamics between her, Chani, Hwiyoung, and Oh So Hyun, whom affectionately dubbed the Three Musketeers. Like that one scene between the four of them in episode 14 had me grinning from ear-to-ear, I just love seeing friends support each other and persevere. I also thoroughly enjoyed two SF9 members playing opposite each other
재미있었요!

The only thing that still pains me, and I have tried so hard to reach that level of nonsensical, is how Luice can be a renowned Korean pop artist, a global sensation with impeccable fluency in Korean, and never have lived there. Like, what do you mean this it's his first time in Korea???? How is a global sensation and NEVER HELD A CONCERT IN KOREA??????!!!!!!! Still can't wrap my head around it.

To wrap up this long review, I recommend this drama if you're looking for a lighthearted, slice-of-life drama that doesn't take itself too seriously and has a very attractive cast, this is the drama for you!

Read More

Good Enough

Korean Drama " Miracle " is an idol drama with a cheesy love triangle.

The drama starts using cliche twists, but gets better after the first episodes. It shows the mental state of the characters and takes a deeper look into their lives and motives.

However, the drama focuses too much on the romance, or the hint of a romance to be excact, and the rivary between the two male leads, that loses its originality and gets boring. The love triangle is doomed right from the start.

As for the performances, everyone did a great job with their characters and their performances were enjoyable.

So, overall, four out of ten.

Read More

hated the ending

I liked the show but the ending was terrible and stupid in my opinion..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Read More

Fun until the last few episodes

Honestly, I wasn't expecting much more than a fluffy romcom. I hoped the pace would be snappy because it's shorter than the 20/24 eps I'm used to, but still more substantial than 10-min webdrama eps. But it felt like it lazed around for the first 11 episodes, and then was like "oh ****, we forgot to include the story." And there wasn't much "rom" OR "com". So what happened?

Acting: This was the best part of the show for me. Chani, Kang Minah and the supporting cast did great. I thought this was actually Hwiyoung's first time because he acted like a newbie to me. Considering his experience, he underperformed imo. He portrayed happiness and kindness well, but other emotions were a bit stiff. But even so, it wasn't bad enough to break immersion in his scenes.

Story: There was a lot of potential here. I'm always interested in the production of idols/music and Sorin (Kang Minah) had an interesting character arc set up. But none of it developed well. They don't spend any time on her decision to give up the idol dream until the end, when suddenly it was relevant again. Give her those complex emotions! It's natural for her to be conflicted about Shiwoo succeeding where she failed. Don't just throw that away with one line at the end.
The best part of the drama was Luice (Chani) for me. He had the important factors of making an unlikeable character watchable: 1)the other characters don't like him either; 2)he grows more sympathetic by the end; 3)he's unknowingly funny, like making a fool of himself without realizing it. He was the only comic relief- most of the drama was not funny to me. But I enjoyed Luice a lot.
The last three episodes were rushed and strangely dark. Some serious stuff goes down, but then they have to do another 180 tone shift for episode 14's happy ending. Considering the severity of what happened, some characters do not deserve second chances just because they feel bad (cough cough, Jooah and Dowoon). The plot left no room for their redemption arc, so it's weird everyone just forgives them and moves on.

But even though it was rushed, I could've rated this a 7.5 if not for the romance's "conclusion". As in, there was none! Maybe it's meant to be sequel bait or something, but the least they could do was get Luice and Sorin together. He doesn't confess to her and she doesn't seem particularly interested in him OR Shiwoo. What's the point? For me, I don't care about a kiss scene or whatever... it's the payoff after seeing them grow closer and care about each other! What's with this lukewarm final scene of the three of them singing together? There's no emotional payoff. Way to end it on a low note (pun intended).

Read More