Destined with You (2023)

If You Like a Good Reincarnation Story

Reincarnation must be trending in Kdramas because this is the 3rd one I've seen this year, and they've all be good. The first three episodes are as cute as can be. Rowoo did an excellent acting job in presenting the conflicting aspects of his character's relationship to Jo Bo Ah's character. Does he need her....does he disdain her....is he just using her....does he like her....or is he just frustrated at wanting her to cure him? The push/pull element of the storyline really grabs you and brings you in. Kudos to Rowoo for simultaneously being cute, aggravating, alluring, distant, funny, sad, and just an all-around emo person in the beginning. He really did a superb acting job!!

Then the storyline changes. The middle is a tad slower than the beginning or the end. But this is necessary to develop the sub-plots in the story, and establish the back story of unrequited love between Aeng Cho and Jang Mu Jin. I love, love, loved the historical romance in this story. It filled in the blanks for why these two odd ball characters were attracted to each other.. The secondary characters added much to the overall storyline, and I absolutely cheered when the characters played by Lee Bong Ryun (one of my all time favorite actresses) and Hyun Bong Sik fell in love.

As the story developed, so did the plot lines. I was surprised at the point when I said to myself, "Wow, this went from cute to dark." The story led by its excellent cast had a wide array of plots bringing out all sorts of emotions in the viewer. I laughed, I cringed, I feared, I was intrigued, I smiled, I tried to figure out "who dun it?", I cheered, I applauded,, and all of this kept me tuned in. I could only watch 2 episodes each week, and I couldn't wait until the next 2 dropped. The ending was mysterious. Perhaps a foreshadowing of what will be in Season 2. This was well written and had an excellent cast. If I were to add anything more, it would be to add a dynamite soundtrack. Go watch it! It is well worth the time!!!

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We're not going back

I wasn't going to write a review but there's just too much that bothers me about this drama. It was bad.

I had hoped this drama was good since both leads are some of my favourite actors but it was very disappointing. Rowoon had, so far, chosen the most green flag characters to play and that's something I liked about his dramas. Bo Ah has some of the strongest, smartest and best characters I've seen in kdramas. This choice was very disappointing coming from them.

It's impressive how they managed to milk a non-story into 16 episodes. You only get a sense of the story by episode 13. This could be a 6 episode drama. You can't set up a backstory and basically ignore it for most of the episodes, even forget it exists and then suddenly remember it again. It's boring and nonsensical.

The mean CEO doesn't fit the main character. It's probably one of my most hated tropes, but even if it wasn't, it doesn't make sense. They say he was in love with her after the spell and then go back and say he was in love with her from the start. HE WASN'T! He wasn't even interested in her. He was his bully cheerleader.
The love triangle also makes no sense. The other guy is only interested in her once she has another guy? That's just not wanting someone else to play with your toys, it's not interest or love.

Everything seems so outdated and awful. We're not going back to these types of relationships. There's a lot of misogyny and men mediocrity and this is why we'll continue choosing the bear. I'm hoping movement 4B reaches kdrama land. We don't need to teach young girls and women these types of standards. They're not acceptable anymore.

The FL only stands up to protect "her man" that she loves more than life itself. She doesn't mind harming herself for him to be ok and nothing she does protects him anyway. She keeps putting herself in trouble instead of thinking with her own head. This isn't love, it's some sort of sordid obsession caused by some love bombing.

Among other things that bother me in this drama, there are some that take the cake:
- the talk about purity. It's weird, inaccurate and cringe.
- he offers her a literal handcuff as a symbol of their love.
- everyone is evil for no reason. her colleagues are evil and annoying. They don't even stop being evil or using her once they start talking to her and having meals with her.
- their parents relationship of abuse is awful. What's more awful is that she goes back to him because his company is in trouble. That won't stop the abuse, he won't love her now that she's gone back, things won't get better. He treats his wife so badly and wants his son to have a relationship just like his, someone he can manipulate and abuse. The mother is constantly repeating the abuse she's inflicted and she says that her son chose someone just like her, equally dumb. That's a high level of self-hatred and misogyny.
- the songs don't match the vibe. This drama should be set in another decade according to the misogyny and music.
- the florist storyline makes no sense. There is no indication that he was a chaman in his previous life. He was a guard. His obsession with FL doesn't make sense once we establish that the love potion doesn't work. Her meeting him alone after he tried to murder ML also isn't smart at all. Meeting him alone without any plan and attacking him with a stick? She didn't even have a rock? Things don't add up.
- not even the police on call and a bunch of bodyguards can deal with a woman's stupidity. To be a bait there needs to be a plan, Getting caught and calling the police is not a plan.
- two grown-ass women fighting over a man whose only positive traits seem to be being a handyman and knowing some martial art is cringe, to say the least. It's like they're trying to bring back the idea that women constantly fight each other because "good men are scarce". I believe more in "p€nis is abundant and of low value". This drama confirms my thoughts.
- what made me write this review was how they treated child bullying. In no instant in that interaction did they simply tell the children that bullying is bad. Saying it is illegal and it won't allow them to be famous or earn a lot of money isn't the same as talking about the moral values behind not harming other people. We know it's not true. Not even in South Korea bullying has ruined many careers. Not even the r@pists have seen their careers completely ruined. Even if that were true, and people's lives got bleak (as they said in the drama) because of being prosecuted for this behaviour, it doesn't address the issue, it doesn't stop it. It just tells them they shouldn't get caught doing it.
- the idea that poor people are uncivil and uneducated. There's nothing more rude than arguing with someone in a hospital bed and treating everyone, except your son, like they're beneath you. The women constantly putting themselves down to cater to this man is obnoxious and sad. His outburst and nonsense aren't funny at all.
- the thing about being pregnant and the whole first time is absolute cringe. I'm not even going to talk about that old-fashioned lights off and white dressing shirt in a closet full of clothes kind of nonsense.
- cooking is not a talent, it's a skill.
- women, especially the ones who have been married, are not rushing to marry again. They pressured her to get married. Read the room!
- the unreasonable jealousy is also so last decade.

In conclusion, the ML is a walking red flag and somehow changes personality in the middle of the drama. The FL is one of the weakest I've seen in a while. We're assuming having your heart stop will get you rid of a curse that we don't even know if it's true or not and having it beat again counts as a new life. I don't think it even works like that with cats. It's a half-arsed story with a great cast and a good production. I hate it.

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It's good.

I think fans who have been watching kdramas for a while will be able to find familiar elements in what makes Destined with You: Candy female lead, Chaebol male lead, aloof but cool second lead, unhinged girlfriend, past lives and spells. It honestly feels like describing a kdrama from the 2010s, like My Girlfriend is a Gumiho.

My issue is the script. The way the story is structured makes the situations feel repetitive, with no proper development in some of the gaps within the logic of the kdrama.

The kdrama mostly works because of the undeniable chemistry between Jo Bo Ah and Rowoon. They both give really good performances, full of charm and heartfelt moments. I have been following both actors since the star of their respective careers and I am delighted to see them grow in their craft.

The secondary characters were entertaining enough but, honestly, forgetful. Yura and Ha Joon being the standouts, along side some veteran actors that overstayed their welcome in my opinion.

The production quality of Destined with You is solid, and it really shows when it "flashbacks" to the Joseon period, the transitions between dream, reality and memory it's amazing and so pretty to look at.

Overall, I think this is an entertaining watch with some issues that can be ignored if you are looking to have a good time with a fantasy rom-com.

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Betterr than what I expected, worse than what it could be.

Frankly this drama could have been better if it wasn't for the unnecessarily things that happened in the middle of the drama and some plot holes. I think the author could have explained better. Also, sometimes less is more. I feel like the author tried to put a lot of things and at the end of the day he didn't know what to do with it.

Saying that, I don't think the drama was bad. I had fun watching it and the couple was entertained enough to watch. Also, I did like some episodes and I was very interested in their backstory and such. It wasn't bad to the point of not sticking to it until the end. At least this drama is entertaining and not just a copy and paste from some American show or something pushy. It was okay.

The OSTs were okay to good. I think I would've liked them more if the drama played them more in a better way. Besides the one with Park Won and one from Lyn, I don't think the other catched my attention to the point of even commenting about it.

The actors were good as well, nothing to complain about it. Their characters were okay. Could they have been better? Oh yeah! Especially the FL. But as someone who is used to old FL style, this one didn't sound so bad. Again, it is a okay drama. Something you would watch because you have nothing else to. However, since almost the dramas nowadays are very bad. This one is quite fair.

I still reconmend it to the ones who have watched a lot and need some k-drama.

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Its Rowoon watchable for that alone. But it is also an interesting premise with a nice romance.

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 South Korean romantic fantasy drama with 16, ~60 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then reviewyj

Lee Hong-jo (Jo Bo-ah) is a lonely civil servant who does not realize her life is about to get a whole lot more complicated. Jang Shin-yu (Rowoon) is a rich chaebol but also a very talented attorney. The two hVe very little reaskn to cross paths if fate was not at play in their destiny. Hing-jo finds that she must get a property demolished that Shin-yu owns and when she goes to discuss the matter with him itis dislike at first site. As the situation unfolds they discover they are linked through a 300 year old forbidden book that was sealed in a wooden box awaiting Hong-joo. The book seems to be some silly compilation of spells but Shin-yu knows too well the curse filled darker side of the book. Can the two lift the curse and unravel the mysteries of the past? Are they destined to be together?

Review

I started this immediately following having watched Rowoon in “She Will Never Know”. In that role, he was super sweet and very demonstrative with his affection. In this series he is serious, cold and aloof. The two roles are night and day and yet Rowoon plays them equally well showing he has exceptional acting talent. It is hard to rate anything he is in very low because he is a very handsome and talented actor.

The paranormal, quasi magical back story adds a very interesting element.

Overall I liked it and it ends happy with major plot elements resolved. I recommend it for those that like reincarnation, cold male lead who falls hard for the girl, revenge in bullies and heart warming romance. I might rewatch it some time in the future.

Spoilers*
They seemed to build a lot around the spells and spell book early in the story but then it had no great validity later on. Did the spells work or not? It was like they were going to go that direction then changed their mind.

There were several people that existed in their past life that reappeared in this one with no clear reason why they were around her in the current life. Like her psycho stalker, he was in her past life. Did that have anything to do with his obsession with her in the present? Like Kwon Jae-kyung (Ha Jun) her downstairs neighbor, he drove the incident leading to her death in the past life, in this life he is a romantic interest. Why?

The bloody red hand he had a lot of episodes with that happening early on then he just did not. Even before the curse was broken he quit having the red hand episodes. It would have been better if the characters had talked about it.

He was so dopily in love with her in the beginning supposedly because of the spell. Later when it seemed it was not a spell at all there was no real explanation then for his earlier behavior. It was out of character for him.

I liked when Hong jo finally stood up to her bully Yoon Na-yeon (Yura). I wish though Shin yu discovered more how his ex girlfriend had treated Hing jo back n their younger days. He broke up with her for cheating but I felt like he never fully understood just how awful she was. He stayed in that relationship way longer than it seemed he should almost as if he was reluctant to let go. And never stood up to his dad to say look you are being harsh with my current girlfriend but look who you picked.

For some reason there was this focus on a second couple’s romance to the extent they showed their wedding near the end of the series. Which would not have been odd except they did not show a wedding with the lead couple.

#DestinedWithYou
#Rowoon
#JoBoAh
#Yura
#HaJun

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Love this drama, and the acting was fantastic. It is funny, edgy, and tear-jerky.

Destined with You is a funny and enjoyable Kdrama. I normally don't watch too much Kdrama because I don't like to read subtitles, but this one is quite funny, and I like Rowoon the actor. I first like him in the King's Affection.

The Synopsis: Lee Hong Jo is the lowest-grade civil servant. She always does her best at work, even though she suffers from many civil complaints. In her personal life, she is used to being alone. One day, she becomes the owner of an old wooden chest and the key to lift a curse from Jang Shin Yu.

Jang Shin Yu is a competent lawyer who is smart and good-looking. He is usually in the spotlight wherever he goes but suffers from an unexplained disease. His condition gets progressively worse. He is desperate to lift the curse that has run through his family for generations. A lawyer bound by a centuries-old curse becomes entangled with a civil servant who holds the key to his freedom — igniting an unexpected romance.

I love and enjoy this drama a lot, and Jo Bo Ah did a great job playing Lee Hong Jo, and her onscreen chemistry with Rowoon is also good. They did a phenomenal job, especially Rowoon. I gave it an 8.5 rating. Highly recommended, and the ending leaves a cliffhanger for possible season 2. The

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Watch this for Rowoon

Subjective Gut Rating - 7.75 rounding up to 8.0 for Rowoon

This is a show about Rowoon. I started watching “Destined with You” for him and I stayed for him. His visuals are without a doubt great. But his acting has also improved. It’s nice seeing him play a more mature and serious lawyer, instead of a young rom-com fluffy cute loverboy. Granted, he is very smitten with FL and is a loverboy for some episodes and some scenes, but for the most part, he plays a sensible and not over-the-top lawyer. He was absolutely hilarious when he’s under the spell.

The same cannot be said for the female lead, Lee Hong Jo, played by Jo Bo Ah. I liked her ok in the beginning though I did not like her being a doormat at work. But I can sympathize with the work culture and it’s not easy. However, I dislike her the most and the main critique of “Destine with You” is her constantly making dumb decisions, disregarding her safety, thus putting others and herself in danger. Once or twice, I can understand. But after you were being stalked, harassed multiple times and assaulted, you gotta act smarter. Just because your boyfriend bought you pepper spray, doesn’t mean you are invincible. How about using your brain and not opening the door to strangers after being stalked/harassed? Or call the cops for help and backup, before walking into danger thinking you are smarter than everyone? Additionally, why would you tell your boyfriend’s secret illness to others without his permission? He didn’t even tell his mom!! Lee Hong Jo also keeps on believing 2FL’s lies even when she knew what an evil mean girl 2FL was in high school.

I actually quite like the setup with destiny and spells and all the flashbacks. But I don’t think the storytelling was smooth enough to keep me engaged. It would be nice to tie the stalker plot with what happened 300 years ago. It’s not convincing enough that all the stalker did was because of possible mental illness, when he was trying to place a curse on someone.

The romance is pretty good but frustrating at times. Jang Shin Yu (ML) is definitely two-timing for a while and the lack of communication frustrates me. Rowwon and Jo Bo Ah have decent chemistry in some of the cute scenes. The kisses are good but I would have liked to see a few more passionate ones. But because I disliked how the dumb the female lead is, it affects my liking of the romance as well.

Moreover, I find all the coworkers annoying. Those men-obsessed girls are especially worse and super loud. The older couple is a little cringe. Second male lead is fine. He’s now showing a lot of personality and when standing next to a fine specimen like Rowoon, Ha Joon pales in comparison.

Overall, I would recommend this drama if you are a fan of Rowoon or the fantasy element. The female characters in this show annoy me. But the male characters aren’t bad (except for the FL’s boss). I am giving this a round-up 8.0 all because of Rowoon and his very kissable, puckered up lips.



Completed: 11/24/2023 - Review #380

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This wasn't what i was expecting

First of all i like jo bo-ah so started this series. But it gave me whole disappointment. Yes the last was somehow fine but the start is irritating and nonsense. Man who wants a fake love? Love by some nonsense potion?
I just want to ask the fl character, r u crazy? U were so lonely that u turned into a obsessed physco? If the person you like doesn't love you and u use some potion then like does that even call love? Jow could she randomly just use some kind of potion to make someone fall for you? That's not real love that's call forced love . Many of You guys liked it because it was the fl who did this. Just think if it was the villainess who did that to ml would you like it? No.

And the ml character also wasn't that nice. He just randomly judging a person, bro you don't know her past nor her well how could you just randomly judge? I hate this type of ml character the most. Whatever, i thought it would be something like he cursed and she would be the key and in the process they will fall for each other for real. But nah, the ml was like forced to like the fl and then you know the typical.

I'm really disappointed

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the story ages well through the episodes

I didn't really want to continue after the first episode but a few days later I was bored and decided to give it a go. it's not bad if you want to watch a drama that's not really serious plus has got good comic moments between the leads. the spells and curses genre kinda doesn't fit me so I skip over those scenes but otherwise not bad. the FL's co-workers are mad annoying I try my best not to yell when they appear lol. sometimes jo bo ah's cutesy tone of talking also gets too much.
rowoon's doing a good job so far. I'm waiting to know more of Jang Shin Yu and Lee Hong Jo's past life story.
some scenes like them going on a vacation when they barely know e/o and her randomly letting him into her house at the beginning don't seem believable; she trusts him too much for being a stranger lol.

edit: 10 eps in, the story keeps getting better every episode. definitely worth a try for some good comic relief. though I'm kinda tired of the SFL.

to summerise, if you're looking for some light plotted drama with some nice comedy you can watch it in between a heavy drama for a change. if you feel like, you can skip over some scenes (as you'll still understand the story) instead of dropping it!

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Is it a curse or just tragic love willing itself into happiness?

Destined with You begins intriguing, fun, cute, and a bit mysterious. It draws you in and a gives you a great cast. The directing has some great cinematography and approaches to scenes. The comedy is on-point and the chemistry of the 3 main leads is explosive.

However, it couldn't keep this going. The middle dragged, the plot became repetitive, and the characters became stale.

Our ML kept being thrown in a grey area of being a good man, a selfish egotistical elitist, and a philanderer. In some scenes you loved him, others you were annoyed, and some repulsed. Rowoon does a great job in his portrayal but the plot will not let us simply like him nor hate him. So you keep waiting for the truth of it all to unfold so you can choose a side. To do this the plot shows you what he does and his actions only to an episode or 2 later, completely reconstruct the events with new or more information. Thus, over and over again he comes off as a pretty terrible guy only to be told no wait there was a reason for his actions or this happened and you didn't know, or sometimes just simply forgive him he's not perfect. But the sheer amount of times we are forced to go through this cycle over and over again becomes grating and exhausting.

Our FL is a mouse who isn't a mouse. Carefree, fun loving, off beat, cute, funny and lonely, you love her. But again, the plot needs to make her a damsel, thus when anything important transpires, or true slights happen against her, she becomes a mouse who can't speak, fend for herself, think logically, and spends half of her screen time apologizing and taking blame with her head hung low. Again, this happens so much over and over again that she literally apologizes at least once to every other character on screen, even just there for 1 episode characters, let alone multiple times to main roles. And again, it becomes exhausting to watch.

When the end finally puts the stakes on high, with lives in the balance, we finally get the truths of the hundred of years past that lead us here, but it comes off as flimsy as the paper used to cover the windows and doors of the Joseon era. You can poke holes in it to no end, and though when you first watch it you are drawn in, by the time the episode ends you start to think, huh what? And since I watched this while airing, by the time the following week showed up, I expected more because the mess that was given didn't make all that came before it work or worth it. Logically, how did one of the cast survive to have a lineage of wealth and power considering the events that transpired? Also, was the love of the main leads in the past that impressive? Especially considering that for us to be here in the now of today, our ML went on to marry and father lineage and live a life of privileged, ultimately doing what had been asked of him before all the tragedy.

I like that ultimately it doesn't let you know if the spells in the show or real or not. While reincarnation is used as solid truth, all the mythos around spells and books comes down to the viewer, and also the characters in the show. Was this just tortured souls haunted by their past lives coming back together to try and find love? Or is it a curse that has persisted for hundreds of years and will now meet fruition? Even our shaman in the show keeps getting things wrong. Some argue that the spells and curses are real in the comments, while I side that they were not, too many holes exist in both the past and present of the story to say they were real. People die from believed curses, that are claimed to have never been cast. People are and aren't affected by the main curse at random. The spells we watch cast seem to have had no effect, except one. BUT IF THAT ONE SPELL WAS REAL, then do we really have a story of love at all? Especially when thinking about the credit scene of the end.

The last scene of the show, as title cards fly and we say goodbye to everyone, is a blaring question mark, especially if the box from the beginning that sparked the entire series can only be opened by its true owner, which was the law that had been given. With all the holes that already exist in the plot, why does it end with such a large one? Because here someone seems to have access to what was inside the fateful vessel, when everything else told us, they should not. You also are left to question what does this say about this character and what was their ultimate goal in the story?

Remember in a dying breath one of our character's asks, "Did you fool me, where you only here for the spell book?"

That is up to you to decide, and if the spells are real, then this isn't a story of love at all.

7.0 = B-, 3 1/2-Stars. Flawed and imperfect, but still worthy of a watch.

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Average But Watchable

I really liked the first six episodes of the show, surprisingly enough because of the male lead's cringe-y lines, and hoped it kept its momentum. However, like most dramas of this genre, it hit a speed bump and it felt draggy and boring after the sixth episode. This is not to say it did not have highlights afterwards. Episodes 13 and 14 were amazing, with episode 14 being my favorite in the whole series. After this episode, I wished the drama had taken place in the Joseon era setting and that it would have the same tragic ending that their characters had in that time. I felt the acting in the past life segments was great and the story was more compelling than the one taking place in the contemporary world. The last two episodes were mostly boring and the ending was lackluster. I found the characters to be neither special nor unique. They were pretty much the basic characters you can find in most dramas. The story had a lot of potential, but it was wasted. It's a watchable drama, but a very forgettable one that I will not be watching again.

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