cliche story but good acting and many funny episodes

Drama is full of cliches and story lines that we have seen 100000 times.
but it catches you anyway and is watchable because of hilarious turn of the story from 5 episode and really great acting from main characters.
after 1-2 episodes I was going drop it, because it seemed only cheep story full of cliches. I thought would skip few episodes and watch only Hyun Bin and then drop, but then it become really really funny and acting from ML (Hyun Bin is amazing as always) and FL was soo good, I couldn't drop it anymore.
also OSKA's part is really good too, this character is interesting, likable, funny and acting is great too.

as for story and characters - yes, ML is bad person, really bad, there were no reasons for FL to fall in love with him. But there were no reasons for ML to like FL too, let's be realistic, he looks like God, is reach and educated guy, in real life he wouldn't find anything common with girl like FL, and what is love if there is nothing common? and FL isn't beautiful, she is interesting type of girl, but not beautiful, not smart.

It's a typical Rich/beautiful guy falls for poor girl story that is so popular in Korea... but it has a realism anyway: people and especially men want something they can't have more and more. So this is the story how random girl made rich, beautiful, coldhearted guy fall for her by constantly refusing him, and it is actually realistic story.
At the beginning she was just unusual girl for him and he was interested. He was used to different type of girls and becomes intrigued, he was used to easily get everything/everyone he wants, but he couldn't get her so it made want her more. If she had go out with him, few dates and he would lost interest, because she really isn't someone so special. but she refused so long, that he really falls in love with her... and it is actually realistic...

P.S. many people critic ML... yes, even he isn't nice person, being rich and liking it isn't sin, it is his life from born, it's normal for him and why should he look at his life as something not right? we all have our usual life, are we rich or have friends, places we love... who would refuse from everything easily?

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intense watch but plot has unrealistic lines

This is good drama, at list it picks you up and is intense, game is interesting, but there are plot holes. Yes, they are in every drama, but I think here quite important parts of story are unrealistic and unbelievable: reason Woo Jin was pulled in game (even if someone wanted him in game, there would be so many ways, but calculate so complicated way is just unreal), his hate and obsession to Kang Do Yeong rom the very beginning, with no reason he starts investigation.
FL is too unrealistic naive and stupid and for some reasons everyone want to help her, and really smart genius coldhearted guys are interested with her persona, why?
Also the drama has lack of deep relationships. yes, romance isn't necessary in dramas like this, but there must be some emotional relationships, story needs that part too, without interesting and emotional relationships, chemistry drama becomes dry. hate, love, strong friendship, trust/loyalty but with reasons, so we could trust and feel this relationships. random people playing together and every relationship is only for game, and the ones which aren't for game are so unbelievable and dry...

Best part of the drama is Shin Sung Rok,
his acting (as actors acting and characters acting) his crazy charisma, facial expressions, everything about this actor and character is perfect!

though why is he soo bad and villain is also not believable. because drama and protogonist needs villain? then make some realism, show me why is one smart guy, even liar and manipulator so bad, why is this game something evil? and his maker devil? this is just reality show, if people except to be part of it, they should except it's rules. show and it's maker saying "this is game of lies and manipulations" so what? is this criminal? if you (for example FL) are so good and angel, why you are playing it and then critic, also searching some conspiracy theories behind it...

ML and SML, Woo Jin and Kang Do Yeong and even Jamie (she did worst things than Doyeong) are basically same, they are very smart, coldminded, they manipulated and lied to other players (this is the game!), maybe in their souls they are different and Woo Jin is better poerson, but in game and in events what we see Kang Do Yeong didn't do anything worse, so why is only he evil and someone who should be lost and betrayed from everyone? drama doesn't gives believable reasons.
Somehow everyone, players and all other characters, everyone hate Kang Do Yeong, are against him and look at him like worst enemy. WHY? he isn't nice person but no one in this show (except stupid FL) is angel, so why is he only evil? why everyone fights him so aggressively? even at the end, when we know what hell he gone through noone compassions him but hates him more

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don't think it's usual love story (like it seems in first part)

for those people who don't know anything about this manga, other adaptations or what is story about; If you, like me, just picked it up and think watch or not, if you like me think drop it after few episodes, because it looks like another romance about shy girl and popular/cool boy, nothing new or exciding ... JUST WAIT... this drama isn't about love story between Kira and Rei ))))
you will see signs and start understand in second half of the drama but everything will be shown in last 2 episodes, you will see who tells the story and who is main hero/God of war )))

was worth to watch for last 2 episodes full with angst and mystery

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cute story and beautiful mains

It's quite good short drama; beautiful, cute, sweet romance and really sweet chemistry. it's about forbidden love and taboo. We have seen this plot earlier, but still it's really good and worth to watch. Also unlike many (especially Jdramas) other dramas with teacher/student romance, it's not dark and hard watch.
Plus beautiful main leads make watching more enjoyable.

Acting is good and natural. Tor really is good actor with amazing (and very cute) facial expresiones. it's my third drama of him and I like him more and more. Female lead did decent job too.

It's good sometimes to see drama with no cliches, primitive details and banal plot turns.

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Great second season

Second season was better and much deeper which is rare.
I really had British "Skins" (greatest teen tv series) vibe with second season and last episode of 1th season. Win is much like to Tony and Phai/Sprite are kind of (much) lighter version of Freddie/Effy. These 3 characters were my favorite!

Win's and Phai's episodes were mind blowing! mature deep, amazingly acted and directed/executed.
Other characters also developed good, love/romance wasn't too much (I mean unrealistically romantized) everithing was like real life.

how can same country produce something like that and those vulgar primitive lakorns with middle ages social mentality ???

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Antihero ML, main couple's realistic romance and second couple more like ML/FL with better chemistry

ML and FL are more like SML and SFL (especially anti hero-ish ML) and kind hearted SML and positive lovely but poor SFL are more like ML and FL. Plus all 4 main leads have almost equal screen time (though FL maybe has more and except of 4 lead's screen time there are lots of scenes/story line of FL's family). Even romance of second couple looks more like main romance, on the other hand main couples relationship is somehow cold and uncertain. I would say in this drama 4 leads are equally mains.

As everyone mentions, second couple as characters and as romance are better, though I still have interest in main couple, because 1. I like ML actor 2. I'm interested in ML as character, we still don't know what kind of person he is, what's his goal and what he really feels about his close people. Though I can't see chemistry in main couple and will be bored/skip after story will be clear.

one of best thing in this drama - it doesn't have primitive cliche dialogues, silly misunderstandings and stupid characters who can't see/think/understand obvious things and doesn't have 0 logic. This characters think and talk like normal people, sometimes dialogues are even quite complex and about subjects that really makes you think about it.

Overall it's not WOW drama but still interesting, it quite realistically shows human characteristic trough main leads, I like that it hasn't traditional narrative that poor ML is better person than rich playboy-ish SML (for the middle of the drama it's more opposite), also showing that poor people want to be rich/powerful is natural, also these wish can have different shades (ML and SFL for example). At the end all this details make characters real humans not fairytale-ish perfect heroes and I like it. In this drama main 4 characters are all different and quite 3D, though I less like FL and her reasons/characteristics could be better written.

Edit: I don't agree that main couple is bad/uninteresting, opposite - they are very interesting because story is realistic, ML even kind of "bad" is realistic, which is rare... Not every couple who dates has big chemistry and big love from the beginning but in dramas we only see this "true big love stories" especially with main leads, so I liked that in this case it was realistic story/romance. On the other hand we have second couple with cute chemistry and all the vanilla that drama lovers like!
So could be said - this drama managed to show both realistic and fairytale romances, without much primitiveness and cliches.

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first part - greatest, second part - good, becomes quite repetitive

It's really great drama, but not greatest. in the beginning episodes you will think you found one of hundreds level drama, though second half isn't that level. in first part there is real tension, twists and turns, unexpected turns, every element of really high quality greatest drama, but in second half kind of nothing new, same and same "searching saving her" and "madly in love ML". in the beginning I thought it even could compare (not same level but could be close) to Cruel City, but at some point it becomes repetitive, by episode 10(+/-) I already knew there wont be anything new and big anymore, he will search her and love her till the end.
I'm not saying ML should give up on her, but after first few episodes you have expectations that this isn't usual action or usual romance, you expect more, because first half is really great and different, and you think second part will show also great plot and unexpected events, turns of story and character, like in "Cruel City" or "Kairos". just "saving girl he loves" becomes repetitive and for me disappointing, I was waiting something like it was in Kairos, when at the half way ML realizes she wasn't who he thought, or dynamic changes of situation like in "Cruel City"... but here actual "status" kind of stays same for 16 episodes: lost girl, searching/fighting for her ML, madly in love ML and modern Romeo/Juliet vibe.
Drama has one of greatest potential in first half or at list first episodes but then it's just another good action/saving FL/revenge drama.

I'm not saying not to watch it, on opposite it's really good and way better drama then 70-80% of kdramas, I'm just saying it could be better then 90-95% of kdramas.

p.s. I can forgive rom-cos for cliches, but high level dramas, when will you stop showing ML's like almighty supermans and bad guys with "evil laugh"???

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sweet romance with beautiful mains

It's old and simple romance, nothing new or deep, but it's really sweet to watch, because of main leads are really beautiful people and nice characters, also these old dramas are more free, without usual clieches (yes, there are clieches, bot not so many and same as we see in 90% modern dramas, where every story, character and situations are in same narrative); in old dramas even clothes are more free, characters act more free with less taboos, it doesn't have to be first and only love and many things like this...

drama would be better with less episodes, because there isn't much story and it's repetitive, they fight and FL or they together clean up house (like all the time), but still I didn't wanted to skip, though I'm skipping 90% dramas).

best thing in this romance is realistic emotional developments, I mean when person loves someone very much it wont change in one day, even if old love is SFL and new FL ))) ML's feelings aren't changing fast and it's natural, though FL is much better person then SFL, more beautiful and nice, supportive (SFL is very selfish and depressive person, nothing to like, but the fact that ML loves him very much is natural, because he loved him from childhood) .

so recommend it, at list you will look at really beautiful boy and girl, nice FL and sexy charismatic ML )))

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realistic story/romance/relationships - underrated drama

It's quite good drama and not so typical story, as other reviews say it.
It isn't great drama, but it's really realistic story, relationship and dialogues. I haven't seen many Jdramas, but at list this story isn't usual for Kdramas and Cdramas. So if you are tired of same clieche fairy tale-ish love stories and want some real romance, plus forbidden love and taboo subject (Infidelity) you should try it.
Although choices (romance with married man, staying in and choosing toxic relationship) that FL does isn't right for objective viewer but it is soo realistic when you are deeply in love and in this drama that love is believable. I didn't like ML but I understood FL, because we all love who we love and actress played woman deeply in love very well.
As I said her choice to stay in this very toxic relationship when she cried all the time was so wrong, but understandable - it's real life...
ML has nothing to like him, maybe only pity... life is hard to him but he isn't brave strong person himself too...
But drama has amazing SML - he is supportive understanding good and all the things we have seen in many dramas with that kind of SML but he also is different, very very light, funny, positive, playful in good way, someone who can always make people around him (as he does with FL) good mood and smile.
So she has 2 options/relationships: forbidden love with toxic painful relationship, which she should hide all the time, when she needs it the man she loves almost never with her, she can't text, call him free and she can't even complain about it.
and there is second guy, super positive, funny and same time successful in his career, he is always there, always makes her smile and forget bad things, but she doesn't love him, and that is realistic, that can easily happen in real life... and this drama has that (often unusual for melodramas) vibe of realism ...

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very underrated, romance and everything - even little details were perfect!

MOST REAL FRESH AND GREAT C DRAMA I have ever watched!
this isn't very deep serious drama, this is romance-comedy light series but PERFECT !
it is really positive, quite realistic, good acted, open minded drama, romance and story is believable without usual cliches, logical development, it is really rare to develop romance in such a perfect speed; Romance is as slow (feelings) as it needs to be realistic and as fast (events, plot) as in needs to be dynamic and interesting; everything happens as it is needed, it is so rare in dramas! also there is so perfect balance between mature and young audience friendly: in most dramas when it becomes to romance I have feeling that mature subjects are like pink elefante in the room, but here is quite good subtexts and feels really open but also there's nothing that couldn't be seen by 13-14 year old, also they balance this quite taboo romance with 17 year old gap, they don't cross moral line but also you are fully suttisfied by emotions and events between them... (little spoiler: same goes to ending too, some reviews say it was disappointing, but I think it was perfect, it wasn't sad/bad but also it couldn't be more "happy", it was as realistic as all the drama).
CHEMISTRY is so great, so natural, perfect!!!

FL is AMAZING!!! I cant understand how someone could see her as annoying, she is most fresh, energetic and beautiful creature, not usual passive weak crybabe FL, she is strong, funny, even trouble maker, someone who always can stand for herself, it's not easy to hurt her, she is leader, easy makes decisions and moves, even when she is "annoying"(I would say more persistent) she is so lovable!

it is quite short drama and really fast moving, though nothing is as fast to feel out of sky, there aren't filers (maybe 3-4-5th episodes, after first introduction two or tree episodes are funny but without development between main leads). side characters are also good! MUSIC is good, especially is some scenes there was soo perfect choices of music!
Acting is also really good, it's rare so realistic acting in Cdramas.
There are many little details and phrases, so great, so right for the place or/and funny, I often went back and watch scene again!

Usually I rate light dramas like that maximum with 7'5 but I just loved this one! really recommend!!!!

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it's not great drama, but it's interesting, caches you (it's rare for me not to skip), also there are interesting main and side characters.
before watching, from what I heard I thought ML was dark but likable, I like that kind anti heroes, but he is just bad person who never even understand it or apologized (especially to In Ho, he ruined his life). ML is just cruel jealous sociopath and it's unrealistic why FL tries so hard to understand/like him, when from the beginning she even didn't liked/wanted him, it was like she didn't liked him but made herself to fall for him.
Often anti heroes change/understand what they did bad, but in this case I couldn't see it, he is unredeemable though drama doesnt treats him that way, like it's normal (but he really does many unnormal and cruel things, which aren't cool at all)

on the other hand In Ho (Seo Kang Joon) was so great, so lovable person, FL was way more happy every time with him. he was more like ML, his character and story was more layered and reach, except of relationships to main characters he had more his own story line then ML (orphan, talanted pianist, sister issues, broken hand and carrier, criminals chasing after him, so warm relationships with many people, funny and also rude/tough when it's needed, back to playing piano, friendship/love to FL and many things), he had so complex life and problems...

I know many people think the end was disappointing and sad, but I think it was normal, how could she stay with that sociopath, I didn't liked that she wanted it and cried, why this drama romantizes really bad person???

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starts weakly but more and more becomes AMAZING emotional drama, deep story and characters

from random clieche melodrama to fireworks of emotions and complex characters/relationships!
Don't judge this drama from first 5-7 episodes. There are dramas with so high production quality and details (I mean when even not meaningful details are well thought and exquisite) but often lack of emotions, when you watch, it's really good but you don't feel anything. Well this drama is opposite. Maybe there are some law quality details in overall but characters, relationships are soooo emotional, soo deep and multilayered....

In the beginning episodes It had really bad production value and many primitive scenes, clieches and cring moments, but it kept me interested anyway, all the time. And then it becomes more and more good, primitive moments are less or almost not but story and characters grow, become deep and multilayered, relationships and emotions real and very emotional; Near the end this Drama was soo amazing, SOOO GREAT I would rate it (if not first 5-7 episodes) 10/10... No, 15 from 10!!! There are dialogues and subjects that make you really think about human nature, psychology, emotions... characters (especially Hyun Bin's characters) really grow and make you more and more feel for them, sympathise them...

Now when I write this, I'm surprised myself, how drama with so primitive chieche beginning become soo deep and emotional!

Hyun Bin of course is perfect as always, and FL isn't bad too, I would say she is quite good, I could feel her emotions (because of her acting and because how her character is realistically written). I saw many dislike her, but as character and also her acting is still much better then many FLs in dramaworld, she isn't annoying and is quite logical.

Events and characters actions/reasons develop, not happens out of the sky. There wasn't usual scenario of drama development, when action/interest is in the beginning, then story is puled and complication of (already predictable) story is fastened only in last 1-2 episodes.

Villain wasn't perfect/fully resonable from beginning but as the whole drama he and his character becomes more and more good, not fully dark, he is human with issues and anger, nut just one dimentional evil.

P.S. I tend to love not so nice characters, but there are few dramas when nice/kind character is soo good, soo pure and completely wonderful, no one could not love him, and Robin is one o them <3 his character, story from beginning till the end was so beautiful and emotional, real fireworks of real emotions ...

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SML is great and best thing in this drama

This isn't deep complex drama, story isn't bad but not so high level. it's one more tale about warriors and friendship.
Star of the show is SML (name of the show is real mistake, because ML and SML are equals as characters/screen time), he and bromance story are main reasons to complete watching drama. Yoo Seung Ho was great and I don't think anyone could not love him. His character is anti hero and really does bad things but is so complex, good played, emotional (though cold as ice) and charismatic (as visually and as a character) viewer develops very strong second male syndrome (though this time it's not problem, I mean drama doesn't treats SML badly as in many dramas, so you can enjoy watching him without being angry on writers).

I started watching for Ji Chang Wook and though I tend to have second male syndrome, this time I really wanted not to have it and like mainly ML, but it's really difficult here. Ji Chang Wooks character is good, hilarious in first part, strong in second part, but he totally goes to shadow next to Yoo Seung Ho (SML). it's really amazing how this guy with most kind eyes and not so masculine body structure can play cold badass mysterious warrior/killer... he plays so believable, even fight scenes - his fighting skills look more perfect then Ji Chang Wooks (K2/Hiller), and till the end you (I know, I was) are sure he would win.

Many characters and story lines are poor and unbelievable. Worst is SFL (or is she FL?) Ji Sun (Shin Hyun Bin), I've never seen so bad acting and so bad character, she is just stone, she is just there, doing nothing, feeling nothing. only time when she kind of was alive/acted(?) and had chemistry was in the beginning and I thought until the end it would develop, but romantic parts (every romance) was most unlogical and unbelievable things in this drama (though it wasn't so important to care).

P.S. Main Lead has that "kindness" and "being right" thing, as many protogonist heroes, when it becomes just being stupid, but overall he isn't bad character and annoying, has his likeble/loveble/cute things too.

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Main + of drama: Anti hero SML who isn't like to any character we've seen

NO SPOILER: This is good watch, intense plot, twists and turns, not so great production value (it's old), revenge story, ML good guy, fights against SML bad guy, nothing we haven't seen, but really good watch.
Main thing what makes this Drama special and really original is SML, he and his story is really different from any character that I've seen (though I love anti heroes, not good guys, revenge stories and dramas with dark vibes). Also FL she is different too, and her story isn't what you can expect too.
so maybe there are lots of dramas with best production value or best acting, even more interesting, but this one has characters and plot lines, like no other, so at list you never forget them. unless if you like standard melodramas and dramas with strong line between good/bad white/black hero/antihero - you will like it...


SPOILERS:
as I said SML and FL are really different, their stories and how they end up isn't what you expect. yes there are dramas where FL chooses SML but I can remember maximum 1-2 drama where this chosen SML is bad guy/anti hero, but I can't remember any dramas where anti hero hasn't redemption/regrets but doesn't looses anyway (doesn't looses in battle with hero, doesn't dies, goes to jail, gets the girl). In this drama every single character are against SML but he wins anyway, he is really strong and smart. I loved that he didn't changed, writers didn't made him "see the truth and become good, or want to answer for his sins", he is realistic character... FL is realistic too, she knows that isn't angel and doesn't tries to be angel, life is hard and she wants make it easy, and many helps with it always - this is true. also she likes that coldhearted not good person SML, he is handsome successful rich smart guy, who wouldn't like him )))

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