Jeaniessi
here
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I could not understand at first why I was watching and felt something missing. Another review I read said they never seemed more than good friends 'chemistry wise' and that was my Ah Ha! moment.
This is a very cute story. There are some great moments and the male lead's character growth makes this drama for me. But I am giving this an 8 for story and 6 overall because I just could not love it completely.
There is not stand out soundtrack here for me. The music was just fair.
I probably won't watch this again but it was cute so I am giving the re-watch a 6.
If you really want to see a great drama that stars Chae Rim...Again, watch Dal Ja's Spring. It co-stars Lee Min Ki and it is fantastic!
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The writing is wonderful. I like that the show was bold enough to change some of the feeling, locations and situations as the characters grew and their lives transitioned. And yet, the core of their personalities, friendships and relationships remained steadfast. This show touched my heart. I didn't need to be immersed and well versed with the cultural norms, and especially the pop culture of the day in Korea. Their teenage angst, first love woes, parental conflicts were totally universal. To me, that is good writing. The editing and execution of the plot was so fresh; a completely enjoyable mix of drama and hilarious comedy that often felt so natural to every circumstance. There were truly hilarious laugh out loud moments but it was relatable comedy. The kind where you watch and you laugh because you understand...this has happened to you! Slapstick comedy is so fun and has it's place but Reply 1997's comedy was often hysterical because it seemed real. I never had a bored moment watching this show.
So in Guk and Jung Eun Ji do a great job! I am really looking forward to seeing more from both of them. Sung Dong Il , who played Shi Won’s father, stole the show with every scene he was in.
One of the magical things about this show was the chemistry of the actors. The caliber of a great drama is sometimes that intangible element that cannot be predicted. There was great chemistry across all the different relationship combinations: the father and mother, Shi won and her Dad, the two leads, the bromance, the true friendship between the two girls, the love and loyalty between the brothers.
The music was great. This is one of those dramas where you quickly start looking up the songs and ultimately want the OST. Every song was fitting, relatable and enjoyable. I want this OST so bad!
Re-watch value is a total 10. I would re-watch this drama in a heartbeat. No question.
If you want to watch a truly well done, touching, hilarious, special drama. If you are looking for something that is a cut above the crowd. If you want something that stands out in the stew pot of other pretty good dramas out there… Give this show a try. You will NOT regret watching this 'close to perfect' little show.
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The lighting, the constant rain and even the angles of the house all lent themselves to the mood of the film. Which I thought was a clever technique. The acting in the film was very good. Hyun Bin may be gorgeous but time and time again he has proven he's got serious skills. I don't watch him because he's cute anymore. I watch him because I know I am going to be watching a really great actor.
Having said that: This film is shot in a really quiet way. In one shot in particular you just see the woman sitting on a chair, smoking a cig for a good minute or so. There were times when I thought the director was building upon the silence. Using the rain and the dark and the two character's obvious silences toward an end of some kind.
With the woman I felt frustration and guilt. From him I could feel sadness and quiet hopeless acceptance. Sometimes it felt that they were using their silence to punish eachother. I was waiting for some kind of breakthrough. For some of this emotion to surface. This was not to be... I felt like this movie ended in the middle of a sentance and now we don't know what anyone involved was even trying to say.
It's like going to an abstact art exhibit at looking at a painting of a single huge black dot on a white canvas and thinking..."Why?" and "I hope the artist didn't get paid for this" and "Yeah, I did one just like that in kindergarten." Sometimes when you try to be to artsy, clever and minimalist...you fail big time.
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This review may contain spoilers
I just finished watching this drama and I am not exactly sure where to start. Midas definitely had its moments of intrigue, action and fun. There were times when I watched that I could feel the tension and build up to the conclusion. But overall this drama ended up disappointing me. I hate to say it because I do love Jang Hyuk. His acting truly blew me away in Chuno and I really liked him in Robbers and Thank You as well. Plus...he is just so gorgeous. I will try and pinpoint the problems I had with Midas.1) If you are going to create a drama with the premise of greed and its consequences then give us some payoff for those actions. Why did the antagonist truly have no commuppance in the end? Why shift the burden of guilt? (I cant say more or I will spoil it!)
2) If you are going to create a love story in the middle of all this intrigue that makes the protagonist feel the burden of his greedy ways, give me something rich and make the love a little more palpable.
I did not feel the chemistry at all. I understand this show was not a romance but the writers are the ones who placed that romance there. They made the loss of that love and the possible redemption of the protagonist through that love a plot point. I expected a bit more drama, a lot more emotional weight from that.
3) If you are going to set up all these intrigues, money games and power plays...Go For It! Go Out with a BANG..not a wimper. I wish they would have had more build up with Do Hyun being immersed in the world of selling his soul for money and his immersion in the greed for more and waited until closer to the end for him to feel the consequences. Or if not...as he was plotting and scheming in the second half I wish they would have kept up the intrigue. When that part of the action started I was excited for where it might lead. It held me for a few episodes then fizzled. The set up at the end with several scenarios and character story lines could have been played out a lot better. I can not describe them or it would be adding spoilers to this review. I can't blame the whole "going out with a whimper" thing on the extended episode because I felt the real tension and drama waning long before episode 21.
I wish this would have been better. Again it had some fun moments but mere moments are not enough to give this better than an average score.
I look forward to others reviews on this to see their take on this drama. **also...This drama is 21 episodes, not 16.
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There were however, some elements that frustrated me. This is the kind of drama where there is an automatic redundancy that comes with the plot. Every episode he goes back, fixes a small mistake from his past. I think because of this you have to have a hook to keep the viewer watching. I found myself being frustrated by the many chances given and lost as well as many words left unspoken for too long.
I am thankful this drama was only 11 episodes because anymore and I don't think I'd have been able to finish. I must admit I almost gave up after 8 but due to the acting and the sweetness of the main couple I came back and finished. The characters were charming and I wanted to see if Kenzo would finally get his Rei. In the many sweet moments and scenes of their friendship and underlying love story is where the tentative hook to stick with this over rode the urge to drop it.
The movie/special redeemed this show for me but I will expound more in that review. The editing and directing were also good. I would imagine it is difficult to pull off time travel, past and future worlds and keep up consistency but this drama does it well.
The music didn't really stand out for me. I am giving this a 7 because there are dramas out there that want and need a good OST and some that simply aren't really about the music in the background. I think this drama was fine without a standout OST.
The rewatch value is just medium. Mostly because I know I won't watch again but I am sure others will.
This is a sweet little story. Try and have patience with it and I do think you will be glad you did.
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Full House has a typical Kdrama set up that puts the OTP in place to live together, bringing on plenty of antagonism, angst and lots of opportunity for cute moments together.
It's a cute story. I liked it. But I didn't love it like a lot of people who watched it. For me, there were a lot of things that made this drama average. There was not enough plot for me. There came a point where I noticed a lot of house cleaning, lame misunderstandings and not enough reason for these two not to just get together already! What I felt was, even at 16 episodes, it seemed to drag on too long.
But I'm giving this a 7 (great) because the interactions of the OTP entertained me a lot of the time. There were a lot of cute moments and some good chemistry between the couple.
This is pretty light fare. There are some laughs and sweetness that I think might make a good rainy day drama for a lot of people.
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Perhaps it was the timing of watching this drama that actually made me like it a lot. It was totally cliche'. The only things it really has to recommend it are the chemistry of the leads, the eye candy, the hilarious dynamic of the three Uncles and the fact that I watched it at the same time I was watching darker dramas. But getting serious:
The writing is just okay. The plot is pretty standard but there are little touches here and there that kept me watching and deviated tonally even from some other dramas I've seen. There were some plot twists I didn't see coming but on the whole, I knew what I was in for and I got exactly what I expected. This ain't no Secret Garden but hey...It's fun.
The acting was fine. The chemistry between the leads and the funny Uncles are what make this show watchable. There were a few characters that got on my last nerve so I concentrated on the main story line and tolerated the rest. This is more of a writing issue slash personal preference. No one did a bad job playing their parts.
I loved Kim Kang Woo in this drama. He was a darling Lead. Funny and so sweet to his girl once he fell. The thing that stands out about him isn't exactly the eye candy (which is nice). It was watching him play a total goofball after his mind bending turn as a sociopath in "A Man's Story" ~ Two utterly different characters and I recommend you check him out in that drama.
The music wasn't anything I was clamoring for outside of the show. Unlike some other dramas I've watched, I am not actively seeking songs to add to my playlist.
The rewatch value is a 3. I probably won't watch this again but I truly did enjoy watching the first time.
This is not a perfect drama. But it is a cute one. I would recommend this for a drama slump, a rainy day or as great filler when you have too many heavy dramas on your watching plate.
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I understand this is based on a manga and there is a Jdrama that precedes it but I still felt like this was a tale that could be told well in a one and a half to two hour span. It wasn't. Sometimes the ending of one scene and the intro to another was so nonsensical and jarring it just threw me out of the moment and this happened more than once.
Again, this film is cute. But lower your expectations before you watch it. If you are a big big fan of Jang Geun Suk you may like this movie a lot. He's got real on screen charm and presence and so does Kim Haneul. Unfortunately, I feel their talent was wasted on poor writing and directing.
There was actually some good music in this film. But good music did not elevate it's quality for me.
My re-watch value is at one because I know I will not watch this film again.
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There were a lot of moments I laughed out loud. Kang Ji Hwan has a certain style of physical comedy. He's an expressive actor and isn't afraid to be 'out there', to look silly or foolish. He can also turn it around on a dime and be serious and kind of badass. I dig that about him. Kim Haneul is good....just plain good. She really pulls off the silliness of the comedic moments but she is believable during the dramatic moments too. But this is mostly a farcical story even with all the spy action going on. I will be seeking out other things she's acted in.
I'm giving this high marks purely for my own enjoyment and I recommend this if you're up for a fun, easy watch.
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The writing is sublime. I haven’t ever come across a drama with such an original take on what could have been a standard plot. I cannot express with enough appreciation how fresh this story feels while watching. Even with some of the same drama tropes like cancer and entwined fates, I felt as if I was watching a Kdrama for the first time. If I could elaborate on how amazingly lovely, heart wrenching and yes, even humorous this story is, I would talk all day and spoil any reader of this review. Clever details in very well acted scenes, smart dialog, raw and real emotion elevate this drama above most I’ve seen. The editing is almost part of the story. You must watch to understand what I am saying.
Jung Woo Sung was amazing. He portrayed Kang Chil with incredible fearlessness. I would imagine an actor must be brave to throw himself into a role and portray a man so raw, vulnerable and having to overcome such fear of a world he thought never wanted him. His performance was a tour de force.
Kim Bum did a fine job in The Woman Who Still Wants To Marry but he matured in this drama. As he has grown up, his acting has come along for the ride; his portrayal of Gook Soo was intense, goofy, natural and totally convincing.
Na Moon Hee who portrayed Kang Chil’s Omma was simply amazing in every scene. Her cranky, rough portrayal of Mi Ja (Omma) was bursting with life. I could feel the undercurrent of her loving so much if she ceased being mean and tough, she might melt away. She was incredible.
Han Ji Min was great as the tough, wary, vulnerable Ji Na who fell head over heels for Kang Chil. This has to be my favorite thing she has done that I’ve seen.
Choi Tae Joon who portrayed Im Jung gave a charming and very touching performance. I will be watching out for him in the future.
The cinematography was eye catching all the way through. There are sweeping views of meadows, snow covered valleys, quaint village towns and crowded fishing wharfs. Every local was rich in detail and perfect. The set design really needs to win an award.
The music was another 10. The main love theme “In Order To Live” was pretty and dramatic. The song “You Idiot” stood out for me as well; both for its lovely music, lyrics and theme and also the humorous title. That is exactly Padam Padam; a mix of incredible, intense emotion but also much humor and heart.
I would watch this again in a heartbeat! As full as my drama watching plate is, there will come a time when I will want to return and see this again.
Padam Padam is a complete GEM of a drama and I recommend it highly to everyone!
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I am hesitant to even say more than this because you have to watch this drama unspoiled. If anyone has spoiled you for this drama send them to my house and I will Chinese water torture them for you.
The set design and lighting becomes almost part of the plot...a character of its own. There are little dramatic, scenic touches; camera angles and lovely direction that just MAKE this drama. It's cool. It's kinda bad ass. The chemistry of the leads and their interactions were addicting. I couldn't wait for the next scene they shared.
The music is okay. There are two pieces that stand out for me that I liked. The main "love" theme being my favorite.
If you are in the mood for a very well written, twisty/turny and suspenseful drama that goes at a pretty fast pace, Rondo is a great one to watch. The love story tucked inside is pretty awesome too. I embraced the characters...or I should say, they made me embrace them and it has become one of my favorites. This drama goes fairly fast at 11 episodes which is a good thing!
There were a few little things I would nitpick but overall, this gets a 9 from me. Well deserved.
I recommend this highly if you can find some decent subs out there!
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