S Q
another fluffy chinese romcom
Very timeless romance, and i say it not as a compliment... It's certainly not modern enough for being aired in 2024! I enjoyed it without skipping much, in-between other dramas, BUT it's totally NOT something you can take seriously. The ML and FL look good and are funny enough for a light-hearted series, the topic is there, decent job etc.Packed with tropes though, to the point that some are bothersome. What chances are that the young aspiring FL lawyer gets to share "by accident" a rent house with her famous ML boss? Also it comes out that their parents are ex-colleagues? Add to this that everyone - and i mean EVERYONE - in this drama is young and single? Except for the two pairs of parents, of course. Fake problems appear too - the ML is overprotective while the FL is too upright etc. Both sisters suffer from being called LadyBoss... REALLY?? Can i suffer with you??
My personal objection is also to the MANY ENDLESS outfits the FL is wearing... How come a young aspiring average lawyer can afford to be sooo sooo fashionable? And another personal objection to chinese dramas - everyone looks ANOREXIC, to the point that the FL is described as weighing 40 kg to a height of 1.66m!! Come again??
Just put your brain at rest and enjoy!
Was this review helpful to you?
heartfelt 10
Though not perfect by far , this drama deserves a 10 for:1) actors' genius acting, 2) convincing - realistic to the very detail - settings, also a FAB sense of fashion, with that 80's vibe, 3) original idea. You could swear this one just aired, it's got an incredibly modern look!
It starts as a comedy, and totally fun! But then it turns into melodrama, which is less convincing... Still the old trope of Cinderella - Cold Prince gets a fresh approach, which is quite catchy. The ML is - for once - a sensitive caring human being, not a heartless CEO, and the FL is very natural with her boyish look!
I disapprove of taking lies too far though...
The second couple is annoying/boring and gets too much screen time. The three Princes from the Cafe are another story - very loveable.
Towards the end it seriously drags, with the 2-yr separation of lovers and all.
I would rewatch the first half anytime.
Was this review helpful to you?
some details save this average drama
That is, actors are charming, the plot has got almost everything - action, romance, revenge, secrets. The wine-industry theme is also original, and cinematography is good.BUT it certainly lacks some COURAGE to be special, it dwells comfortably on old tropes. The first episodes were fun, but the comedy was soon dropped.
I skipped through dragging parts, many of them.
........................................................................................................................
Was this review helpful to you?
nice but still boring
quite refreshing version of the cold man - sassy girl trope, and the ML is definitely a charmer - and has great acting skills, but the story has so many holes and the FL is so clingy and dense, that u cannot but skip and skip through the loooong 16 episodes with a hope it might get better at some point. still the FL grew on me at some point...to be precise, ALL women in this drama act clingy!! sorry, not attractive for me.
can someone plz rewrite this? such nice potential gone to waste.
watch for the good-looking guys and the funny scenes. skip wherever necessary!
Was this review helpful to you?
too much is too much
What starts like an original and powerful story with a lot of expensive technical support, soon becomes a real mess, with too many killers - about 7? - and rapists and whatever... Im sure the director wanted to make it big, so he/she kept taking out of his sleeve all kind of tropes and twists.The cast was great - especially supporting parts, acting was on point, but the FL was not the best choice, and also the young villain was better than the mature one. No chemistry between the FL and the ML.
Kinda like a lakorn, but more polished.
Had they toned it down, it could have been a gem.
Was this review helpful to you?
not coherent & absolute mess
this drama was great until it turned into an absolute MESS! it's like the scriptwriter was fired and a new one took his/her place, because the fantastic/horror plot is totally OUT OF PLACE, and the drama lacks COHERENCE. it is only the cast - mainly the ML - that saves this drama, otherwise its a complete disaster, dont bother to find any logic in it...so, since everybody is giving this a perfect TEN, let me point out its flaws! 1st, the GENDER BALANCE is totally off!! we only get to meet 3-4 DECORATIVE women to a lot of men? the stuntmen team, the shareholders team , the filming crew, the cousin, the secretary... ALL MALE!? as for women, its just our FL, her friend, her rival, and the popping-now-and-then doctor... women in this drama - or whatever - always wear shorts/mini/tights, so i swear ive never seen the woman more as AN OBJECT till now. is this SOFT P*RN or what? (oh its mostly women in p*rn, this must be reverse)
2nd, we have a lot of DRAMA QUEENS, like the FL, the stuntmen boss, and that Oska guy who looks like an alcoholic and also quite old for the part!
3rd, everyone is overreacting. Going by the logic, why keep it simple if it can get complicated? two mature & single ppl like/love each other, but it gets difficult for NO reason?
puhhlease spare me the drama!
i feel like the team - director + scriptwriter - got scared of the initial love plot, since it was getting quite intense! !
i really wanted to give this a better score.
Was this review helpful to you?
wasted potential
It could have been a great drama, with a challenging topic - sex as a form of liberation for women trapped in an unhappy marriage - and a bunch of handsome & talented actors/actresses , but it ended up a total mess. First, the FL seems void of emotions, she just changes partners but doesnt feel love... Second, characters indulge in extramarital affairs like it's something normal. People of different age and condition act shallow, despite posing as artists.A gloom vibe is what this drama gives off. Characters are not free, they are adrift and not knowing it.
Was this review helpful to you?
this is a winner
One of the best dramas i ever watched... The ML and FL are established actors that totally deserve their fame, being not just handsome, but also very gifted! The rest of the cast is also spectacular.The action is quite slow, but if you are in mood, you can enjoy every moment of it. If not, just fast forward.
This drama sets very high standards in terms of acting and settings - it looks effortlessly luxurious. It definitely wins - hands down - the 1st prize for settings/interiors/landscapes and also cinematography... everything looks so enchanting! I'd mention for instance the rose garden... is there someone out there who wouldnt like to work in a rose garden? Definitely not me - this particular rose garden drove me crazy!
Though i skipped some parts for being kinda slow, i still admit i enjoyed most of this lakorn. Despite dwelling on some old tropes, it's a treat!
Was this review helpful to you?
excellent & funny & old skool
It starts really funny and entertaining acting, but in the second half action and melodrama take over quite in a boring way. Actors are excellent: the main couple, the second male lead, and WOW to the supporting cast - the bunch of policemen, the aunts in the slum, the undercover agents...And the villain with his team are genius! Despite the episodes being so long, only now and then i felt like fast forwarding. A lot of handsome faces too!Cinematography was also excellent! Nice angles, nice details...
Despite being a recent drama, it somehow seems classical.
I'd rewatch the first few episodes...
Was this review helpful to you?
top 5 all time... bestest!
not many dramas i've watched more than once, but i lost count how many times i came back to re-watch this (at least some episodes). Ji Sung is genius for sure, and FL also exceptional in her character. is it realistic? sure not on the whole, but some scenes are sooo believable. it does rely on clichés, and we expect them to be there, but they are on a new level, burning with fire.a lot of tension, a lot of chemistry, but not in a superficial way. support cast does the job to perfection! a lot of handsome faces, but again - there's more than just good looks to each and every one.................................................................................................
dont let the word melodrama put you off ! it's not just melodrama to this, it's really an all-rounder. cathartic!..................................
i watch this and i dont want to even blink for fear i might miss something. ☜♡☞
Was this review helpful to you?
sado-maso phantasy
this lakorn is abt jealousy mainly - though it somehow looks more like revenge. as many watchers pointed before, ML is cruel towards FL beyond normal, he abuses her verbally and physically, humiliates and insults her, locks her up and shuts her friends off, repeatedly tries to rape her until finally succeeds, then tries again with or without success (even felt sorry for this guy having so much desire and not being able to quench it!). ML is a perfect sadist, kind at night and totally carried away by love, and cruelest at daytime. FL matches him perfectly - innocent, tearful, totally at his mercy.............................................................gorgeous cast though... should watch just for this!! chemistry is top too... acting a bit overdramatic, but matches the plot.
dont't make the mistake to compare to real life though LOL.
Was this review helpful to you?
pushing myself to watch this nonsense
I came to watch this following the excellent reviews i read, BUT honestly i wonder if i was watching the same drama?? The pace is sooo totally boring and nonsensical, and i'm also not a fan of the supernatural element - like having glimpses of the future - and not even done right! The quality of the video sucks, i've seen better movies from the 90's... the image is washed out for memories and also for present times duhh. The plot also gives an outdated vibe.If you can survive past the fourth episode, it might get better... not perfect, but better. Still you have to put up with a lot of nonsense just to be able to realize the power of love - its always abt love, isnt it?
Support cast does a great job, even better than the main flow sometimes.
Was this review helpful to you?
realistic & catching
Not your typical lakorn in any way, i'd say the american influence is strong... Very fresh view on love, as unconventional as BL can be.The actors are also quite common-looking - but not by far boring! They are NATURAL and FRESH to the point you might believe you watch a reality show! Kudos to the director who spotted their potential... They are unbelievably gifted and sooo engaging! The cast is the strongest point of this drama, which also has the quality of keeping things simple - nothing over the top. Everybody can relate to this slow-paced teen story, and i mean - everybody, since the young actors succeed in conveying a lot of emotions with just their eyes and expressions...
I give this drama a 10 for the pure love of the fragile-but-strong Mark and the unbelievably-not-shallow Vee, and also for the rest of the cast, that succeeds in depicting a not perfect but serene college life. Excellent!
Was this review helpful to you?
are we all here for the soft core?
This drama is what summer calls for... hot and uncomplicated. Well, it might aspire to look "complicated" by the traumas and supposed depth of characters, but for regular drama-watchers these are just the go-to cliches to make it spicier...So here we have two flirtatious guys who meet in the gorgeous setting of Thai beaches and develop a love interest with sensual scenes. Everybody is well-off, good-looking, single & willing. The acting is exaggerated but i guess the entire drama is not to be taken seriously. The ML is great at playing a sex-bomb guy.
Joking abt buying a person merely for s*x would be way funnier if Thailand hadnt been reputed as a s*x destination.
The sense of fashion is also weird, the skinny guy looks like a male pimp from the suburbs of Paris in the 70's.
Whoever gives this a 10 is not thinking with his/her mind lol.
Was this review helpful to you?
it's got everything BUT romance!
This one is really entertaining... hardly a dull moment now and then! It has everything viewers could wish for - handsome actors and actresses, action, twists, comedy, melodrama... The balance between comedy and tragedy is unbeatable! The pace is good, fighting scenes got excellent choreography, actors are flawless! The ML and the FL are both gorgeous... BUT everyone in this drama is single and lonely! I admire the fact that the priest was all along true to his calling and never ever swayed, BUT how can no one in this drama have a family or at least some slight romantic interest??As most watchers previously noticed, the funniest thing is Father Kim getting angry: he throws a fit, breaks things and beats people left and right! The female prosecutor is also good (on my new favourites list)! And the villains are totally charismatic!
This being said, it's still one of the best dramas out there, period.
Was this review helpful to you?
