Afi
Abuja
This review may contain spoilers
I LOVED this drama. LOVED. LOVED. It is the only drama with a score as high as 9.5 on my own drama list. FULL DISCLOSURE: I had never watched or heard about the Chinese version before I watched MLSHR. I did not have an inkling of how it would end. I had no preconceived notions of what is "supposed" to happen.
I did not start out liking this drama, I confess. I watched it to gratify my friend who begged me to watch it just so she could have someone to discuss the drama with. The first few episodes didn't interest me much. It was fun, interesting, enjoyable with a few cliched moments but I didn't invest much in it emotionally and I thought that it would go in the makjang-ish direction.
Oh, how wrong I was. About halfway through the show (EP 9-10) when I had grown an emotional connection to the characters, learned to tell the princes apart (both physically and learn their different personalities), I knew this drama would be something special for me. There were moments before EP 10 which pulled on my heartstrings but I resisted them because I had almost made up my mind not to invest in this drama. But the drama pulled me in, it roped me in, it trapped me; I could barely resist. I let go. It was in EP 10 I let myself fall in love with this drama and let it take me where it was going.
Around EP 12-15, where I find most dramas drag and lag and slow down and a lot is very skippable and expected, this drama picks up its pace. There are unexpected twists and turns and the fast pace kept me hooked and wanting more.
EP 16-20 were a beautiful conclusion to this story. For me, the ending was heartbreaking but beautiful. Unexpected but strangely satisfying. In spite of the tragedy there was still reconciliation and hope.
The soundtrack was beautiful. CBX's For You after the last scene in EP 20 brought on the waterworks for me. It was a lively but romantic song that reminded us of the lighter first few episodes and so intensified the pain of the last few. Davichi's Forgetting You and Lee Hi's My Love were absolutely beautiful and have been on my playlist since November. Epik High and Lee Hi's Can You Hear My Heart was a beauty too, though not absolutely appropriate for the more solemn moments. Im Sun Hye's Will Be Back was the well known "Death" song of the series and just a bit emotionally manipulative but I still love it so much though. When it came to the score, Pastoral Morning seemed to carry so much nostalgia and hope in it.
All the flashbacks were relevant and beautiful. The theme of nostalgia, reminiscing and looking back on one's life were heavy in the last few episodes and it was so affecting because that's what we all do when anything (our lives, a stage in our lives, a programme) is coming to an end: look back.
The princes with their varying personalities were all a delight to watch. Wang Eun was very little brother. Wang Wook was the virtuous one. Wang Jung was steady, brave, a fighter. Baek Ah was so flower boy but so loyal. So loyal. (In fact, my friend and I joked that MLSHR is a love story between Baek Ah and Wang So in which Hae Soo features). Wang Moo was more "uninvolved in their little games but wish them well" older brother. Wang Yo was the bad guy you grow to feel pity for. Wang Won was his sheep. And Wang So. Wang So. How can put Wang So in words? There are no words.
He was unpredictable, likeable, determined to keep what was his, and most of all, relateable. He has insecurities and hurts but he faces the future with determination. He will love and protect the ones he loves until the end. At first, he seems like your cliched "arrogant with a good heart" male lead but he is so much more than that.
The series stayed with me for months after I had watched it. I have never watched a drama that was so difficult to forget. I read fan theories, campaigned for a season 2, tried to get my friends to watch it, read up on the histories of the characters, participated in forum discussions, had dreams about this drama (literally, dreams about this drama at night. In my sleep. Vivid REM dreams).
So, why am I not giving it a 10?
First, Hae Soo. the lead was actually one of the most forgettable people in this show. She is nice and even likeable but not particularly interesting because the events seem to be happening to her. She doesn't take an active role very often. She does a few times, though.
Second. The romance between Baek-Ah and Woo-hee is not developed well. Baek-Ah and Woo-Hee's love story interested me but left me confused a lot of the time. I am not necessarily asking for more screen time, just better clarifications about why they did certain things they did. (This is me trying not to include spoilers) Wang Eun and Soon Deok, for example, had a lot less screen time as a couple than they did, but their story made so much more SENSE to me than Baek-Ah's and Woo-Hee's.
Third. The drama was so reverse harem. I would have been more satisfied if one less prince had been in love with her.
For me, this drama was so satisfying because of how much MORE I wanted at the end. I know for some people, this makes it unsatisfying but not me. Quite the opposite, in fact.
I watched BBJX after this. I still preferred this version and was glad that they stuck to the plot while taking some liberties of their own. I like that the ending was not exactly the same and that her relationships with the princes, while generally sticking to the same story, was developed in a slightly different way. One missing thing was that she didn't have as close a relationship with 13th prince in the Korean one. I didn't miss it the first time I watched MLSHR but after I watched BBJX, I wished it had been present.
In conclusion, this drama is everything I expect from a tragic romance. Be prepared to fall into the characters and their world and their loves and hates and hopes and disappointments.
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Compelling Heartwarming Romance
It's the movies you never expect, they're the ones that get you.The movie pulls you in from the opening. As the movie opens, you feel there's going to be a wonderful love story between these two characters... and you're right. The chemistry between them is unmistakably palpable from the moment the leads meet on the train.
It's not all roses but it's not bleak either... and the challenges they face are not superficial. This movie tells the true story of love with its twists and turns, pain and confusion and the freeing euphoria that comes with loving and being loved.
The characters are compelling and well-rounded, like old friends you are happy *finally* got together. (And can I just say ZHOU DONGYUUUUUUU!)
And it's not just romance. So many familiar aspects of the lives of the 20-something are touched on. Confusion and seeming lack of success after graduating with a degree that was supposed to be the key to your future, starting out on your own, the morphing sense of "home" and identity, career envy, uncertainty about the future, and the shift in how you relate with your parents as you become a more independent adult.
No wonder the Chinese title of this movie translates to "The Future Us" or "The Later Us". Because they are going through this period of tremendous uncertainty and change together and we (the audience) and they (the characters) are both curious to see how they will come out on the other side.
Beautiful beautiful cinematography, a fitting soundtrack that never overpowers or feels emotionally manipulative, amazing acting and a beautiful love story.
This movie is complete gem.
P.S. Make sure you stay till the end of the credits. This movie is special to the very last second of run time.
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Funny, Fluffy, Insightful and Touching at the same time
Lovely lovely movie. Recommended it to my friends and they loved it too. At first, it seems like another "Seventeen Again" type but it's a bit different because it's less gimmicky and it's really about the main character as a person and not a plot device, the two versions of herself (younger and older), the perceived rift between the two and how that came together.The movie is fantasy but also very accurately captures feelings, and situations realistically and in a way that touches you: being in a dead-end relationship, giving up on your dreams, forgetting who you are and finding that again. Apart from this movie, I've never seen a drama character "find herself" in a way that didn't seem overly mawkish or make me roll my eyes cuz it was filled with cliches. And Suddenly Seventeen does all this while remaining genuinely funny. I also enjoyed watching the relationships she had with those two guys; funny and also insightful.
One thing I love and appreciate about this movie is that it doesn't disparage either youth (her younger self) or being older. It just portrays both things as they are and I empathised with both versions. I cried towards the end.
I'm not a movie buff so I don't know the correct terms but I really loved the scenes, transitions, camera angles, the lighting, and how the soundtrack played into all of that.
Would 10/10 recommend this movie. It's such a gem.
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Bland and Very Forgettable... Colourism Makes a Huge Feature Too
I got to know about this drama through A Love so Beautiful recommendations. However, I was sorely disappointed.The actors lack depth and any real chemistry. The characters are all very one-dimensional and nothing about their relationships or their actions is heart warming or thought provoking or really stays with you and makes an impact. They try to create depth or problems in certain instances but it feels so superficial.
The plot is super slow paced and yet with nothing really interesting to keep you wanting to watch the show more. It's not funny, not interesting, character development is like it's written by a 12 year old. The drama uses that silly drama misunderstanding trope where "ML does sth for FL and vice versa but they somehow think it's for another person" wayyyy too muchhhh.
And something that seriously rubbed me the wrong way about this drama was that the FL started out the drama dorky and what they considered unattractive and then by the end "bloomed" or whatever. At the beginning, she was darker skinned and then by the end she was super pale. Likeeee, this drama was just reinforcing dark skinned = ugly. And you have to work to "improve" (i.e. lighten) your skin. Like, they literally had the FL wear yellow face at the beginning of the show to make her appear darker skinned. Looking forward to a day when a FL will be a naturally darker skinned actress who will be perfect just the way she is.
Very bland forgettable drama, nothing stays with you really. Poorly written and acting was nothing to write home about. OST was bad corny songs and not in a fun or catchy way.
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How could I love and hate a movie so much at the same time?
I feel like this movie some kind of bait and switch. Draws you in with the feelings of youth and "everything is possible" but then you are hit with the realism of how hard and painful life is and how complex our feelings are and how we make the wrong decisions because of love, pride, rashness, foolishness, pain, hurt, infatuation, selfishness, or even what we may perceive as selflessness.
That said, it's incredibly beautifully moving and engrossing.
At the same time, it's utterly heartbreaking. Of course, I wanted closure, a happier resolution, but I knew that I couldn't really demand that of this movie because this is really how real life goes and that's what broke me. I don't think any "love and loss" story has broken me the way this one did.
If all this is something you're up for, please do watch this movie. However, if you would prefer happy endings and want something uplifting, take a pass on this one.
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Makes you reminisce without reducing the throwback time frame to simply trope.
The acting is excellent. The characters are silly without being annoying. It reminded me of my own secondary school experience. I rooted for the OTP with all my heart during this movie. I laughed and I cried. Darren Wang and Vivian Sung are absolutely perfect as Hsu Taiyu and Lin Truly. Plus, they have incredible chemistry.
You will find some drama cliches in here... There's some noble idiocy, there's some "girl falls for bad boy instead of the good boy she had liked before," and "boy saves girl's life." But it is presented with an unexpected freshness together with wonderful acting(and directing) which makes the events seem to be happening to real people. Their world somehow seems real.
Thoroughly enjoyed this movie.
I am giving it an 8.5, however, because I felt that the ending was not quite as satisfying as this story deserved.
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1. Complex well rounded characters with believable motivations for what they did. A bit of noble idiocy here and there but it's all very convincing and doesn't seem like merely something added to artificially create more drama. A number of characters surprised me at some point in the drama which was excellent.
2. A plot that takes you on a whole journey. The beginning is indeed quite slow but it grows and feeds the story very beautifully.
3. I haven't seen an actor as amazing as Mark Chao in a long long while in Asian dramas or western movies or ANYTHING. His facial expressions, body language, brief glances communicated complex feelings with such amazing clarity. He not only brought Mo Yuan and Ye Hua to life but also the entire drama. He was simply phenomenal.
4. An enjoyable plot with interesting and enjoyable side stories as well that are woven well into the main plot.
5. Rewatch value is 100. ONE HUNDRED, I tell you. I have been rewatching this drama since I first watched it last year. The more I watch it, the more I appreciate it and the details in the plot. The more I watch it, the more deeply I feel about all the characters.
6. Good balance of action with romance and drama.
7. I'm weird and I like suffering so I love the fact that there was some good heartbreak as part of the couple's journey.
What I didn't like:
1. CG was not that great but I got used to it after a while and it didn't affect my enjoyment of the drama as a whole much.
2. The beginning is confusing and a bit slow. (However, in hindsight after seeing the end, I enjoyed the beginning watching it the second time.)
3. First time watching a Chinese period/fantasy drama. Some things were just straight up weird for me. Can't describe it in any other way.
4. End slightly unsatisfying.
5. Slow paced at some points, some side drama was kind of unnecessary and didn't add much to the plot.
But overall, it's a yes a thousand times yes for me regarding this drama. One of the best I have ever watched.
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The characters are all extremely likeable yet all unlikeable at one point or another, which makes you root for them yet at the same time makes them feel believable. The story is a slow burn, and while it does start out cliche, it grows into more than a drama. You're left with a feeling that you're there, going through the high school years with Chen Xiao Xi, Jiang Chen, Lin Jing Xiao, Lu Yang and Wu Bo Song. The main characters are different, interesting, full bodied and well rounded, the events in each episode are enjoyable to watch, not just as something pushing us towards the end, but as enjoyable in themselves. The characters and their world grow on you, they come to life and are bursting full with energy.
While this drama is light and very family friendly, at no point did I feel my intelligence was insulted. It explores many complex feelings, different relationships and issues we may face at school, in relationships and in life. Their pain, embarrassment, shame, pride, loss, joy, free spiritedness can be seen.
I cried in several episodes and laughed out loud in almost every one. I have rewatched several episodes and scenes already.
As someone who went to high school between 2006-2009 (albeit on a completely different continent) this was so nostalgic for me.
Definitely one of the best dramas I have ever watched. This drama is a "keeper." I'll watch it again and again.
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