LaraChung
Seoul
Pro's: beautiful sceneries, beautiful house, first episodes were interesting
Con's: romance was borderline pedophilia (19 years old high school girl with a 900 year old 40s looking man! Whoever ships this... think again ;)), extended running time for each episode made every episode drag on and on, lost steam after the first 3/4 episodes
I'd say a 6.5 maybe 7 (perhaps if I ever watch that last episode :D)
Was this review helpful to you?
In my opinion some of the reasons it was hugely popular was because, first of all, it was mostly viewed by middle aged women/ajumma (who often have some extra time on their hands) and girlfriends who have their boyfriend enlisted in the army (especially here in Korea). Secondly, because there are many hopeless romantics out there who all have fallen for the charismatic and ideal boyfriend Yoo Shi-Jin. ;) I wonder if a lot of straight men have watched this?! Convinced my bf to watch it with us, but he said the male leads stare too much straight into the camera which make it all too cheesy. He called quits after one episode... ;)
Pros: beautiful filming locations, handsome main leads, great OSTs
Cons: lack of interesting plot, Song Hyae-Kyo's unconvincing acting skills, awkward English, overacting, too much...really wayyyy too much product placements, too much advertisement after the drama... so sick of seeing the actors faces everywhere in the streets and on TV here!
An overall score of 6.5, for the effort and entertainment value. ;)
Was this review helpful to you?
And I am still raving about how non-dramatically this show portrays immensely dramatic events... and I mean this in a good way. I'd even say it tried to and succeeded in portraying life as it is: with all the no-nonsense struggles, small happy moments, and growingpains of finding your way in this tough world. The two main characters were so endearing with hopes and fears so raw, in such a manner that it's impossible to leave any viewer with a heart untouched. In short, hands in the air and enjoy this emotional rollercoaster ride!
WATCH if you like to cry your eyeballs out and learn some wise lessons about life, DON'T WATCH if you're looking for comedic stress relief!
A splendid overall score of 9.5, just don't think I can ride this rollercoaster again.
Was this review helpful to you?
I really enjoyed this drama. It has its flaws, though not many. The plot was engaging especially in the middle of the series. Most characters were cast well and some of them always put a smile on my face whenever they were being goofy or sarcastic (Mr. Bang!) There's some nice chemistry between the OTP Ji Chang Wook and Nam Ji Hyeon. There are enough cliché scenes, but that doesn't mean they were bothersome and even the noble idiocy felt justifiable!
What a pity that the series didn't have really memorable OST's... they weren't annoying or anything but they didn't stick into my head and stir up certain emotions whenever hearing the tune.
Pro's: great acting, sophisticated villain, chemistry between main OTP, kickass female lead, funny yet dark at the same time.
Con's: not that great OST's, clichés, maybe 2 or 3 episodes too long (if they had made it a 16 episodes drama instead of 20(40×30mins), it would have been perfect).
I'd say an overall score of 8.5!
Was this review helpful to you?
Both writer and director did a wonderful job creating a suspenseful and brain-twisting drama! A story with multiple time lines isn't easy to portray without everything ending up being too paradoxical. This drama was deep and interesting on so many levels!
COMPLEX AND ENGAGING STORY: As a viewer you feel emotionally engaged and connected with the story. You wonder, think and feel together with the protagonists. Often I was left at the tip of my sofa/chair/bed anticipating what will happen next and how the detectives will solve a case. Clues are not given immediately and there are enough twists here and there to keep the story suspenseful and interesting. As a viewer we live and think together with the protagonists on screen. Heartbreaking scenes alert!
EYE FOR DETAIL: There are so many subtle clues and details given in every episode that it feels like I need to re-watch the whole series again in order to fully grasp what was actually going on at certain moments. There are also a lot of references to aspects of contemporary Korean society: such as the fascination with celebrities who are dating or not, (unsolved) rape cases, corruption related to hierarchical relationships, etc. which added to the level of realism of this drama. For people who understand Korean, some references are really subtle and make you giggle. (I particularly remember the scene when one of the protagonists asks scoffingly whether the other likes keobchang (pork intestines) or not, however the subtitles just translated it as 'grilled meat'. Some things do get lost in translation. ;))
SUPERB ACTING: Not once I had the feeling that a character wasn't believable. Still now I believe there is still a badass detective such as Soo-Hyun and a moral hero like Jae Han somewhere out there in the real world fighting for what's right! The protagonists can make you laugh, cry and feel utterly frustrated!
I would strongly recommend Signal to everyone who's looking for great story-telling with a high sense of realism embedded in a ever-so gripping and intense drama!!! Why are you still reading this?! Go, Go! ;)
Was this review helpful to you?
I absolutely love everything about this show: the story, the heroine, the hero, the supporting characters... Initially not a big fan of Yoo Seungho but here he got me totally smitten! His ability to convey raw and sincere emotions as if it's the easiest thing in Kdramaland, just blew my mind. Choi Soobin is also perfectly cast in her role as a strong and independent heroine. Her sassiness and cute mannerism made me root for her from the start, whether she was being a human (Ji-a) or a human pretending to be a robot (Aji-3). The supporting characters (the Santa Maria team), were just goofy and great as comedic relief in an already absurd story. It was also endearing to see how each one them open up little by little towards our love-starved hero.
As someone who rarely goes back to already watched shows, I'm not a Robot has a rewatch value of 10/10, this is how much I loved it! The only downside might be that it didn't really have memorable OST's.
WATCH if you love absurd, zany comedy mixed with hard-earned puppy-love romance, DON'T WATCH if you're expecting full force makjang angst.
I'd strongly recommend this to all rom-com lovers. :)
Was this review helpful to you?
