Autumn Kaeul
STORY: The story/plot starts off seeming fairly stereotypical/in line with many typical K-drama tropes. However, by the 2nd and 3rd episodes it proves to be much different from, and much more realistic than, most K-dramas. As has already been stated, the story was written by a real judge who works at the Seoul Central District Court, which alone sets it apart from other legal dramas/K-dramas in general, and makes the personalities and perspectives of the main characters more realistic, believable, and empathetic. I, personally, don't have much interest in legal/crime stories. However, this drama focuses more on ordinary, everyday, human issues in society (i.e., sexism, sexual harassment, workplace bullying, classism, exploitation, etc.) that everyday people face and can empathize with/understand. The dialogue in this drama is very smart, witty, moving, and memorable. I loved the back-and-forth philosophical debates between the 3 main judges wherein they try to find out the truth and serve justice to the best of their abilities. And, while other people had some issues with it, I appreciated the subtle love story between Oh Reum and Ba Reun--I found it to be very realistic and refreshing, and I liked that it strayed away from most (but not all) of the classic K-drama rom-com tropes.
ACTING/CAST: I have to admit, I was a little wary of watching this drama due to the cast and I waited quite a while before finally watching it due to my reservations about it. I am NOT a fan of Go Ara, I thought she did okay in Reply 1994, but she is by no means one of my favorite actresses. Likewise, I was a bit prejudiced about L (Kim Myung Soo), since he is an idol-actor and I had never seen him act in any other dramas before, so I wasn't sure if his acting would be convincing or good. However, this drama put all my fears to rest. While a lot of people are bashing Go Ara's acting, she did OKAY, in my opinion. Her acting isn't great, and she definitely had some weak acting moments here and there (especially during the flashbacks to their school days), but her acting isn't terrible and it did not keep me from enjoying this drama at all. Kim Myung Soo, on the other hand, completely exceeded my expectations--he does a PHENOMENAL job in this drama. I absolutely LOVED his character, Im Ba Reun, and Myung Soo completely embodies this character from beginning to end. Needless to say, I became an L-fan after watching this drama, that's how good he is. Sung Dong Il and Ryu Deok Hwan are also EXCELLENT actors--their characters are super funny and likeable, and their acting was completely natural and convincing. The only reason I give the acting in this drama 8.5/10 is primarily because of some of the weak acting moments by Go Ara and some of the supporting cast. But Myung Soo, Dong Il, and Deok Hwan absolutely KILL IT in this drama.
MUSIC: The music in this drama is FANTASTIC and super on-point. I immediately downloaded all of the songs right after I finished this drama. It's super good.
REWATCH VALUE: I've already rewatched this series once from beginning to end (even though I don't usually rewatch dramas), and I've rewatched certain parts of it numerous times. You will definitely want to rewatch the touching scenes between the main characters (especially between Oh Reum and Ba Reun) again and again. There are so many moving scenes in this drama that will tug at your heartstrings and warm your heart.
OVERALL: This is drama is AMAZING. It is hands-down one of the best dramas I've ever seen and I'm shocked that it's not getting more attention/better reviews. It has some minor acting/writing flaws here and there (but most K-dramas do), but overall it is a beautiful, refreshing, unique, and heartwarming drama. Please watch it!
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Flawed, but a good heartwarming story with a great cast, music, and cinematography overall.
OVERVIEW: While this drama is definitely flawed, it is still worth watching, especially if you're looking for a good heartwarming story with a great cast, amazing soundtracks, and beautiful cinematography. This drama is absolutely beautiful in so many ways and shouldn't be judged or skipped due to some of its weaker points.STORY: I REALLY wanted to give this story a 10/10 when I first started watching this drama, but, after seeing it from beginning to end, I just can't do that. As some people have already pointed out, the story in this drama starts off really strong, but then the plot seems to get lost and confused along the way and there are a lot of things that I kept waiting for the writer to come up with an explanation for by the end, but she never did, sadly. It's really a shame, because the plot is unique, interesting, and moving in many different ways, but the writer is clearly inexperienced and had a hard time linking certain scenes or events together in a logical and coherent way, as well as coming up with reasonable explanations for why and how things work in this fantasy world she created. What I liked about the story/writing the most is that it's great at eliciting an emotional reaction from the audience--it can be extremely funny and make you laugh/smile at times, while also moving you to tears at other times. This is not something that is easy to do, and I think this drama does it VERY well.
However, it's obvious that both the writer and the director "dropped the ball," so to say, when it came to many scenes throughout the drama. Some scenes or events have no logical transitions or explanations, and I felt like I never knew what was supposed to be "real" and what wasn't while I was watching as a result. What's more, it felt like there were a lot of filler scenes as well where certain characters keep having the exact same conversations over and over again, in the same places as well, which was not only redundant, but it took away from time that could have been used to explain what was really going on or to add more meaningful information or hints about what was to come or how things worked in this world. I felt like the story had the potential to be much more complex and interesting than it was, but the writer didn't know how to take things to the next level. Overall, while I really liked the story for this drama a lot, I felt like it didn't deliver on what it promised its viewers. When the trailers for this drama came out, it made it seem like it would be a funny, yet suspenseful, rom-com, and the first few episodes supported this impression. However, after the first few episodes, the drama quickly becomes overly dramatic and doesn't even feel like a rom-com anymore. I feel like if the drama had had a better writer/director, it could have been so much better, but the story as it is is still worth watching regardless.
ACTING/CAST: In my opinion, I felt like the cast was well-chosen for this drama. While some of the supporting characters can be frustrating to watch at times, I feel like that has more to do with the writing than the actors/cast themselves. Unlike what many people keep saying about this drama, though, I do NOT think that Shin Hye Sun "carried this drama on her own." BOTH Shin Hye Sun and Kim Myung Soo give stellar performances in this drama, and BOTH also have some weak acting moments here and there as well. While I too had some issues with Kim Dan's character and Myung Soo's overacting in the beginning, since I have seen Myung Soo act in other dramas I know that isn't how he usually acts and I think the fault is mostly on the writer/director for not giving him better guidance, or for instructing him to act in such a way. As Kim Dan (Kim Myung Soo) matures throughout the story, though, we get to see Myung Soo portray a much more serious, empathetic, and nuanced character, and he absolutely NAILS IT. I cried so many times because of Myung Soo's touching performance, and also laughed just as many times at his comical and animated expressions/reactions. Shin Hye Sun's performance is also impressive in this drama, and, though I am NOT a very huge fan of Shin Hye Sun, I loved her as Lee Yeon Seo. Yeon Seo's character can be so funny and so heartbreaking to watch in this drama, and I found her to be extremely likeable as well, especially in the beginning of the drama. However, Yeon Seo's appeal does sadly diminish somewhat throughout the drama as she falls into a lot of the same, tired female character tropes that you tend to see in dramas. Her character returns to her old self from time to time though and shows everyone what a strong, badass woman she can be. I just wish that her character could have remained that way the whole time, rather than becoming weak and weepy and damsel-in-distress-y in the second half of the drama. In general, I felt like ALL of the characters had some pretty poor acting moments here and there throughout the drama. But, again, I feel like this is the fault of poor writing/directing and not the actors, because they constantly redeem themselves again and again throughout the drama and remind viewers what makes this drama so special.
MUSIC: The music in this drama is AMAZING. It's so beautiful and so perfectly matched to the drama that it really brings out the emotions of the scenes and makes you want to watch them over and over again, not just to see the performances, but also to listen to the touching/catchy songs as well. You will want to listen to the songs from this drama over and over again after you watch it--they're really THAT good.
REWATCH VALUE: While I don't think I'll ever watch the whole series from beginning to end in full again, since there are some parts that are boring/annoying to watch, I have already rewatched certain scenes from the drama several times. This drama is truly addicting and will make you want to rewatch all of the funny, romantic, and moving scenes over and over again.
OVERALL: I recommend this drama to anyone who's looking for a good heartwarming drama or a good tear-jerker to watch. While it certainly has its flaws and is nowhere near perfect, the acting, unique plot, beautiful cinematography, and amazing music are more than enough reasons to watch it.
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STORY: I really liked the plot of the drama overall. It reminded me of movies I've seen before and liked, like "Groundhog's Day," "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," and "Your Name," but with a little more fantasy involved (and a slightly lower budget). Time-traveling stories are usually interesting, funny, and heart-wrenching, and this drama is no exception. While the summary of the plot makes it seem really cliche, it's actually not. Without giving anything away, it's not so much of a story about a guy trying to get his girlfriend back so much as it is about a guy realizing what's really important in life and trying to redeem himself and correct the mistakes he's made, even though he knows it's already too late and some things just can't be undone. However, while I gave the story a 9 because I really like the idea of it, I should add that there are some major plot-holes and some extremely poor decisions that were made on the writers' part. This drama has a lot of potential to be a great drama (better than it already is), but the plot errors really hold it back from realizing its full potential. Since it's a short drama, the writers should have spent more time focusing on character development rather than tossing in all of this unnecessary fantasy stuff towards the end that doesn't really make sense and isn't necessary for understanding/appreciating the story. The ending is also ambiguous and was poorly written/clearly not very well thought out, in my opinion, despite ending on a happy-ish note. It's a drama that's still worth watching, though, despite its flaws.
CHARACTERS/ACTING: I'm a huge fan of Kim Myung-soo (L), so I'm a little biased, but I honestly thought he did a really good job in this drama (better than he's done in earlier dramas he acted in). I enjoyed watching L's character, Yoo Tak, undergo a transformation throughout the series, and watching him and his relationship with his girlfriend, Da In, really makes you think about your own life and time and the decisions that we all make and the consequences of those decisions. Yoo Tak's personality changes drastically throughout the series, and L does a good job capturing all of the character's ups and downs and a whole range of emotions. I, however, was not super impressed with Yoon So Hee's acting. She's an okay actress--she has some pretty weak acting moments in this drama, but also some occasionally strong ones as well. She's definitely not lead actress material, though, so it would have been nice to see a better pairing for the lead actors in this drama, but their acting was still moving nonetheless. I cried a lot and felt very moved by both of their performances regardless, though. If you're an L fan, then you will not be disappointed.
MUSIC: The music is pretty good in this drama, which is always a plus. It will definitely draw you in and give you the feels. L is a great singer, and the song choice for this drama was spot-on.
REWATCH VALUE: I have already rewatched parts of this drama several times. While I probably wouldn't rewatch the whole series from beginning to end again, there are a lot of touching/heart-wrenching/heartwarming scenes in this drama that you will definitely want to rewatch.
OVERALL: Overall, this is a drama that's definitely worth watching. While it has its flaws, it's still a very touching and interesting story and it's a drama that will make you think and gives you things to reflect upon. Even though some people have a lot of negative things to say about it, don't let that dissuade you from watching it--it will be 4 hours that are well worth your time.
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Unique/interesting plot with a great supporting cast, addicting suspense, and a good OST.
OVERVIEW: While this drama didn't fully meet my expectations, I still recommend it to anyone who's looking for a good suspense/thriller/legal/rom-com-ish drama with a great supporting cast to watch. Though I did have some issues with the main characters/casting, and therefore felt like the drama didn't live up to its full potential as a result; all in all, it's a refreshingly unique and well-thought out drama with a good mix of suspense, romance, and comedy, and an interesting plot that will immediately hook you and make you want to binge-watch the whole thing as quickly as possible so that you can see how everything turns out in the end. For anyone who is on the fence as to whether or not they should watch it, I think this drama definitely deserves a chance.STORY: I feel like the story is very clever and well-written. The plot is really unique and creative: a woman has dreams about bad things that happen to other people, and then other people magically develop the same ability and work together with her to help save each other and other people, and solve crimes. I initially thought the plot would be really dark and depressing and scary before I watched it, but it does a good job of keeping viewers on the edge of their seats while also having plenty of funny/heartwarming/light moments to balance out the dark and suspenseful moments in it.
I also love how everything in the story seems to come full circle by the end, which shows how clever the writing is. Almost nothing happens unnecessarily in this drama, everything has a purpose and happens for a reason, which is how story plots should be, but oftentimes aren't. Also, unlike a lot of other K-dramas, the writer for this drama did a good job of tying up most of the loose ends by the end of the show and giving viewers an ending that makes sense and that they can be satisfied with. While there were a few changes I wish the writer had made/minor things I wish had been clarified more by the end that could have improved the ending of the story, overall I feel like the story and dialogue were very smartly written.
ACTING/CAST: One of the main reasons I wanted to watch this drama was because of the cast and, sadly but ironically, one major drawbacks of this drama for me ended up being some of the characters/cast. Unlike some people, I actually think Suzy is a really great actress--her performances as Go Hye Mi in "Dream High" and No Eul in "Uncontrollably Fond" were incredibly strong and moving and are the reasons why she's my favorite idol-actress. And, it's because of her that I decided to watch this drama. However, for some reason, I found her performance in this drama to be somewhat lacking. It's hard to say how much of it's her fault or the writer's fault, but her acting just didn't engage me or convince me as much as her previous acting performances have, which detracted from the drama somewhat.
Not only that, but (and this is on the writer, not Suzy), I also hated how her character went from seeming like a strong, relatable, goofy, average woman to suddenly being seen as a sexy goddess once she decided to stop wearing glasses (that old cliche) and started wearing makeup and more feminine clothes. This is just such a old, tired, and annoying female character trope, and it was disappointing to see Suzy acting out such a character since I feel like she does strong-but-flawed/relatable female characters really well usually. I really liked the way her character (Hong Joo) started out in the drama: tomboyish, goofy, candid, (somewhat delusional), and not caring what other people think of her. That was the beauty of her character, and I felt like Suzy was able to portray a more realistic, relatable, and nuanced character in the beginning of the series when her character was like that.
However, once her character suddenly decides to care what society/the guy she likes thinks and becomes all girly/feminine and everyone magically goes from thinking she's ugly to thinking she's beautiful overnight, I felt like her character became less realistic/interesting/likable, and Suzy's performance also seemed less convincing/relatable as a result. Maybe the sudden change in Hong Joo's character made the character hard for Suzy to relate to, or maybe the fantasy aspect of the drama threw her off--who knows. Either way, though, it kind of ruined the drama a little bit for me, especially since I was expecting a much better performance from Suzy.
Moreover, I also had issues with the lack of chemistry between the main leads. I liked Lee Jong Suk's character and Suzy's character better when they weren't together than when they were together. Like, not just as a couple, but in general. In the beginning of the series, before they had feelings for one other, I enjoyed their interactions a lot. I enjoyed the witty/goofy dialogue and funny misunderstandings between them and how they sincerely wanted to help one another despite not really knowing each other. However, as soon as they started to develop serious feelings for one another, I felt like their characters became kind of annoying to watch whenever they were together and I didn't enjoy any of the "romantic" scenes between them. I just feel like they completely lacked chemistry and it was hard to relate to their feelings at all, which made watching the romantic scenes feel awkward/forced, rather than heartwarming and enjoyable. I feel like if a different actor had been chosen to play the role of Jung Jae Chan rather than LJS, the chemistry between the main leads may have been better and the drama overall may have been more convincing/realistic seeing as LJS wasn't a very good fit for the role of JJC in my opinion.
Lastly, maybe I'm the only one who felt this way, but I thought the two stand-out acting performances in this drama came from Jung Hae In (as Han Woo Tak) and Kim Won Hae (as Choi Dam Dong). Both of them did a PHENOMENAL job in this drama and by the end I was really wishing that THEY had been the main characters/actors because their performances/characters were just so heartwarming and moving. In general, I felt like I enjoyed the supporting characters and watching their performances more than I did watching the main characters/actors. I feel like too many dramas suffer from having poorly written supporting characters/an inadequate supporting cast, but this is a drama that has plenty of likeable, well-written, nuanced, funny, and relatable supporting characters that you may end up liking more than the main cast by the end.
MUSIC: I thought the music was pretty good in this drama. It definitely had some of the better K-drama OSTs out there.
REWATCH VALUE: I haven't rewatched this K-drama so far, but there are definitely parts--especially ones from the first few episodes--that I would like to rewatch again. Since the plot for this drama is really good, though, I feel like it's a drama that a lot of people would most likely rewatch at some point.
OVERALL: Despite my issues with the main cast/characters, I still enjoyed this drama overall, especially the plot. I think that this is still one of the better dramas out there and that it deserves a chance. If anything, just being able to watch Jung Hae In and Kim Won Hae's performances in this drama is more than enough reason to watch it.
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Adorable, lighthearted, funny, and heartwarming drama~
(This review is based off of my impression after watching the first 8 (half-hour) episodes or 4 (hour-long) episodes. I will update my review once the drama has finished airing.)OVERVIEW: This drama is perfect for drama-viewers who like to watch lighthearted/heartwarming dramas and/or rom-com dramas. "Welcome" is like a breath of fresh air during a time when both reality and dramaland seem to be focused on heavy/dark topics and happenings. It is filled with adorable and funny characters, catchy songs, and is guaranteed to make you laugh out loud, cry, squeal, and grin from ear to ear. This drama was advertised as being a cute, funny, lighthearted/heartwarming drama that will heal your soul, and so far it has delivered on that promise--with flying colors, in my opinion.
I'm honestly surprised that this drama isn't getting more (positive) attention, and that there are some people who are taking major issue with the premise of the drama. Being that it's a *fantasy* (emphasis on the "fantasy" part) rom-com, I don't think it's fair to judge it like one would for a "slice of life" drama or dramas that have more realistic premises/plots from the get-go. That obviously wasn't going to be the case with this drama. The premise is about a cat that can turn into a human, which IS "silly" and "ridiculous" and "unrealistic." However, last time I checked, the main reason most drama-viewers watch dramas isn't for the realism (seeing as dramas are rarely realistic), and there are definitely plots/premises that are way more ridiculous than this one that have been made into dramas that haven't gotten nearly as much negativity and scrutiny as this one is getting for some reason.
The whole point of this drama is just to show something that's cute and funny and uplifting, and to give viewers a mental break from all of the heaviness and negativity that surrounds us everyday. It's not the kind of drama that invites viewers to dig deeper or to over-analyze it, so I don't really understand why some viewers are doing so and then spreading negativity around it and trying to dissuade others from watching a drama that's actually really good and that other people might like just because they can't wrap their minds around the fact that it's--again--a FANTASY drama that isn't meant to be taken seriously or meant to be realistic. The whole premise is impossible to begin with, so over-analyzing it or comparing it to reality is redundant and a waste of time.
STORY: That being said, though, I do agree that the writing could (and should) be tweaked a bit. There are some minor plot-holes in the story so far that I really, really hope the writer addresses and comes up with at least semi-acceptable/logical reasons or explanations for before the end of the drama. And, also, some of the writing for this drama does feel kind of lazy. The fact that Jae Sun has said "you don't like cats" to Sol Ah (in the same exact way too, might I add) at least twice in every single episode that has aired so far is not only redundant, it's just straight-up lazy writing, and also annoying to viewers. The repetitive flashbacks also detract from the story, I feel like, rather than add to it, and take up time that could have been used to insert even more cute and funny moments into the episodes.
I also felt like Sol Ah's character was kind of immature and a tiny bit annoying in the first 3 (or 6) episodes (I still like her alright, but still), but the writer DOES address this and point it out explicitly in the drama (that she's immature and so on), and I feel like her character felt more realistic and relatable in the 4th episode (or, 7th & 8th episodes), so I feel like she was maybe intentionally written that way and I'm hoping we'll see some good character development and a good character arc for her as the story progresses. Jae Sun's character also isn't fully believable to me--he seems kind of two-dimensional--but I'm hoping he'll become more interesting and nuanced (and less stupid, hopefully, too) as the drama progresses as well.
ACTING/CAST: Overall I feel like the acting for this drama is pretty good. There are some teeny-tiny, minor weak acting moments here and there from various cast members (though I feel like the writing/directing for this drama is more to blame for that than the actors since this drama has such a strong cast), but I feel like that's the case for most dramas anyways. It doesn't detract from the drama hardly at all though, in my opinion. There are no actors so far who I feel are annoying or doing badly or bringing the drama down--everyone is doing a good job for the most part.
As someone who has seen Kim Myungsoo (L) act in previous dramas, I feel like he is well-suited for a role like this. In a way, I feel like his character as Hong Jo kind of takes the best sides of his previous characters, specifically Kim Dan and Im Ba Reun. He's blunt and somewhat aloof, but secretly caring and does good deeds behind the scenes (just like Ba Reun), and he's also goofy and animated and naive and childlike (like Kim Dan). Kim Myungsoo is good at acting out these kinds of roles, and you can tell he enjoys his role as Hong Jo a lot too, which makes his performance fun to watch. You get the sense that the whole cast gets along with one another really well, which creates a good synergy for this drama.
MUSIC: The music for this drama is also pretty good, and I'm hoping they'll continue to release even better songs than the ones they've already made for it.
OVERALL: I think this drama is pretty good. It has some minor flaws, but those flaws are easy to look past in my opinion because the story and characters are just so damn cute. This drama has made me laugh and cry and smile A LOT, and it has given me a much-needed break from the heavy, depressing atmosphere we are currently living in. Also, the visuals in this drama (the cinematography, concepts/colors, as well as the cast) are exceptional, and Myungsoo and Ye Eun are absolutely ADORABLE. If anything, it's worth it just to watch it for them, but chances are, if you do watch it, you'll love it for even more reasons than that.
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