So good but yet so cringe... and badly paced

This is a fun drama with a whole lot of good (mostly Shin Hye Sun) and a whole lot of cringe... and some of dramalands oddest/worst pacing.

The drama starts off all fun and sweet with some darn good acting and what one could say as a gender fluid theme... While one could think there would be a lot of second hand embarrassment the writers of this drama managed to dodge most of these and built up a really bad ass lead. With a whole lot of interesting lives and people around them.

Our lead has had several ethnicities and genders throughout their lives, learned a whole lot of interesting traits and grown up to be a seemingly care free person with a slightly one track mind... Making way for som pretty good humour... Having a gambling addict as a father our lead knew that life number 19 was not going to be easy...

Our male lead, is ok, nothing mind-blowing about him but a nice mix of sweet and cold... The friends and found family around the two are lovely in every single way not at all annoying as some may be. And I especially loved the dramas take on biological family... Saying some times a former anamy becomes ones parent in the next life in those cases it is better to cut them off...

I also really liked the mysterious guy with bells, however his character got way to little screen time and felt cut short in a lot of ways.

The OST is amazing, cinematography lovely and there are a lot of fun lines.

All things that could have made me give this drama a high score as it was also an easy binge and entertaining most of time... Had it not been for what I have to say next this drama could easily have gotten a 9 or a 9,5.

HOWEVER

Pacing- At times so fast you do not understand what just happened other times so slow you wonder if you are watching the drama in slow motion.

Cringe- The characters are often seen side by side with other versions of them selves...

Anticlimactic-The feeling of "was that really all there was to it " took over me several times while watching this drama. So much build up for nothing.

So all in all an ok drama that could have been a lot better but is still entertaining to watch.

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A more realistic ending...

If you have watched the original ending and could look passed a bunch of stuff this ending may just ruin stuff for you as I would say this ending is more realistic . Or at least more human, real, less out there... ending as far as realistic endings can get. I am not really sure this ads much to the story.

However for those who have been there... or who have been trying to figure out the pros and cons to going a long with societies expectations, falling in love at first f*** or just trying to be true to ones self without hurting others. This ending could probably hit a spot or two...

Watching this is pretty much completely unnecessary, especially if you are satisfied with the first ending, but if you feel like you want to see more and want something that gives you a bit more food for thought this is not a total waste of time (and money)

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Yonder made me Ponder... (sorry, I could not resist)

If you are looking for an exiting sci-fi future type thing move on there is really nothing for you to see here, as this has very little excitement in it and is pretty much guaranteed not to keep you on your toes. There is not a lot of heart fluttering moments as I would say about 90% of the mimics are listless and full of death... Sure there are a few fluffy flash backs here and there and some pretty gorgeous scenery but if illness and death had a face this would be it. Slow, depressing and pretty much eventless, yet eventful all at once.

I do not know if I am making any sense, and I am not really sure what this series is actually trying to tell us. I honestly think this is a bit like a good piece of art, up to the person watching to figure out what it truly is about, and how they feel about it. As things are never simple and always come with unforeseen consequences.

Are they trying to warn people from selling their soul to google?
Are they showing the us how cults work? And warning us against mass suicide?
Is it a story about religion vs. science and mans wish to believe in a life after death?
Is this a blue vs. red pill situation (Matrix but without the action)
Is it a depiction of the truly depressed mind?
Is it truly just a solution to the overpopulated earth?
A warning against euthanasia?

Or is it just some person trying to exploit the weak to make money?

The beauty of this show is that it had me thinking all these thoughts and more at at one point or another while showering me with beautiful cinematography. As well as with some well fitted humour, or at least scenes and dialog that I found funny, but that could be my dark and twisted humour that caught it, as this is definitely not a comedy, at all.

I have one complaint and that is that I ddi not get to see enough of Han Ji Min in this as she is listed as a main but is clearly a support.

So for those of you in the mood for pondering and watching something depressing, this is definitely a good place to find it, just make sure you are up for it.

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50/50 good and mediocre yet oddly entertaining

Honestly the first few episodes had me wanting to rate this a lot lower but somehow I fell for the boys and realised it is all about the feels....

This is the story of the playboy rich boy who is obsessed with water pressure, who falls in love with the pathetic not so rich boy.... Mr. Richie rich is a lot of fun to watch, has some basic acting skills, is lovable and just full of cool charm.

Mr pathetic, is supposedly to kind and full of work ethics, however I am not sure if it is the director, writing or boys skills he just had me slightly annoyed and not the least bit convinced.

The rest of the characters do their job well, some more lovable than others but the real focus is on the boys, and while mr. pathetic is just not that fun to watch, the guy who falls for him is. To be honest I can not for the life of me figure out why he would fall for him but fine he did, giving hope to all pathetic people out there... yes people there is a hot playboy chaebol just waiting for you to transform them with love... and work ethic they will risa above to become monogamous, hard workers and so on, and so on...

The music was fine, friendships decent, scenery some sweet but mostly office boring, kisses range dead fish to "I shall devour the fish" and the bingabilaty very high. Making this a drama I find myself moderately recommending to all those office, playboy gone soft trope lovers out there.. just mind the pathetic on the way...

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Humans complicate things..

This is a sweet short film that makes use of an alien to question the gender binary, gender conventions and the hetero norm in society...

Gun does a really good job acting the role of a clueless alien and jumping between a very cold and straight face to making this soft loving face that makes you just want to hug him. As he shows how ridiculous some of our conventions are.

Off is his recognisable energetic, warm slightly childish self who acts as a pretty good contrast to the alien.

Very short it may not be a masterpiece but it is definitely worth 20 minutes of your time.

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This was a good drama, watch it!

Prepare of a slightly messy review as I have a lot to say and am not sure how to say it, but I tried to divide it in to sections to make it easier to follow... The drama itself is however not the least bit messy, it a is really well made, has a good pacing, ok cinematography, easy to watch, makes you feel all kinds of emotions and is easy to binge.


The Story:
The story is good it is fun but not silly, the characters are interesting human and they do a great job showing how conventions make people feel bad about themselves and add unnecessary pressure by simply questioning them as well as showing the dire consequences of forcing people to live up to them or trying to satisfy the ableist eye.

Kids are human too:
I am a sucker for people who treat kids like people, hate it when people lie to. kids, force them to do things out of their reach, bully them etc. So I loved how this drama dealt with this issue. I found myself agreeing with those who stood up for the kid and screaming at the screen, just listen to the kid, can't you see you are bullying your own kid... While at the same time appreciating the way they showed the immense pressure parents are under to raise their kids to be "normal"... And felt empowered as a parent who has always been open with my own kid about these things and supported her individual way of functioning as I too have tried do live by the values this drama seems to convey.

The Healing:
Most of the time the tag healing serve like a warning for me to stay away, but this drama does it really well. I can not put my finger on what it is they do here they makes it different, it could be the whole feel to it that does not ignore the problems. It is in no way perfect and well some part of the story may be over simplified at times but over all they show both the problems society creates but also some solutions, tried and error, mistakes are good kind of deal, is all about finding the right context for you, one that will make you grow, but also be were of your limits... and most importantly the value of accepting ones weakness.

" Pandas are able to survive because they accept their weakness"

Also he drama does a pretty good job showing the concept social construction , as it is society that decided to name things and group things the way we do... What makes a bird a bird, does the ostrich know it can not fly?


Eccentric or NPF representation?
The male lead is described as eccentric. I find the word eccentric as a bit off for this drama because though they do not use the word autism or NPF diagnosis it is very clear to see that both the male lead and one of the side characters have to deal with living with autism in an ablest world... However I can not find the words NPF or autism being used in the description or inside the drama (correct me if I am wrong) only that they say that they function differently than most kids. Not using the made up by humans but agreed upon term does bother me because I would like to see these words normalised and become less exotic/eccentric and more like adjective to help us understand and find representation... Am I making any sense here?

To sum it up, it is a good drama with a good story and good representation... There is also a guy who is a lot like the rabbit in Alice in Wonderland. So go watch it.






I am not a bad mother after all...

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Some of dreamlands sweetest male leads...

Juggling three boyfriends may sound like a dream but is pretty hard...

To be honest I can hear all the voices saying if this were a man we would all be saying he is such a jerk but since it is a woman people seem fine with it... Well I like seeing women being portrayed as jerks and even if the story had its ups and downs this was overall a pretty entertaining drama with a pretty interesting and I dare say unexpected twist... And Well that is all I am going to say about it...

The acting could be better, the characters and drama are surprisingly simple yet complex and all the male leads are adorable and sweet and just the cutest little kitty type men that you just want to hug and squeeze their cheeks...

There are no annoying characters, but some more easy to love than others... It is short pretty okay to binge and I guess just good enough...

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Sweet, fun and more entertaining than good, leaving me wanting more!

This was so much fun, and just perfect for all of those who love dramas about music, idols, romance, mixed identities... ok the regular fluffy drama cliches that may not be a what I would say high quality drama but is HIGHLY entertaining... then this will probably live up to your expectations,

The pacing is good, the characters are just the sweetest, funnest ever... the intrigues are just enough to keep you wanting more and the issues that the drama touches are important but to not take the focus off the main story...

I really loved the music, the dynamics between the very different characters as well as the character development. TI can not stress enough how cute the characters in this drama are! though slightly odd even the pet is fluffy and fun, as well as there for a reason! There are great displays of friendship, an a typical controlling parent, an evil CEO...

I just love the female leads playfulness, the second male leads kindness (too kind, to be kind), the male leads broken soul...

I understand that this probably is not for everybody and you will probably either get bored and find it cliche or completely fall for it like I did,

But yes this is just my type of drama, I wish I could have a couple of more episodes and am willing to admit to it´s flaws and therefor took off 0.5 points... but I love it, I love, it, I love it

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Light Historical that deals with a lot of interesting stuff

I'm not so sure about the blooming youth but this is an easy to watch well balanced historical drama.

The story is complicated, but not nearly as complicated as many other historical dramas, and while some twists are more predictable than others I did enjoy the level of suspense as well as how the story tied together.

The main villain of this story is the perfect villain, so greedy, smart and evil that there is no way i hell anyone would ever wish for anything other then a slow and painful death to this person, however that person is not the only villain in this story, and that is what I love about this that even if we get some pure greed and evil we also get the "It's complicated" side to this plot.

Park Hyung Sik is the perfect prince, vulnerable, smart (a bit like his character in Suits but with power and fame), he thinks beyond himself and even acknowledges that women are not object, odd but true (which kind of makes this not so realistic after all), His acting is spot on, his charm is all over the place and yes I may be bias but I had been looking forward to seeing him in this and was not disappointed.

Jeon So Nee (the female lead) got a really lovely character to portray (most of the time), smart, funny, forward, had great lines and though there where some inconsistencies with her character (she could be impulsive and stupid at times) I truly loved her character. However acting wise I think Pyo Ye Jin (the female leads maid) as well as the princess (Jung Da Eun) did a more convincing job.

Overall I would say the female characters in this drama may not have been very realistic but I fell for them all.

There where some annoying overacting parts in this but they did not take over or diverge from the main plot of conspirecys, greed and equality. As the crossdressing is used in an appropriate well written way. As a girl no one will tell you "try it, you can do it, go ahead... + Hiding... As no one could ever guess these very feminine looking people dressed as women are actually men... (yes I am being sarcastic)

The romance is beautifully subtle yet slow and by slow I mean painfully slow (for obvious reasons), so for the romance lover out there you are going to have to be patient, really, really patient and you may just may have to settle for the subtle hints of romance you get or I assume you will find yourselves kind of frustrated.

I really enjoyed this and would definitely recommend this to those who want to watch an historical that is kind of light without being a ridiculous mishmash pop culture historical. If you want something more heavy I would recommend you watch something else like Under The Queens Umbrella or maybe The Red Sleeve...

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So bad it is good... Cringe and Cuteness as far as the eye can see...

This is short, easy to watch, easy to smile and definitely made me laugh once or twice per episode... And taught me that even cake can be funny...

The leads are cute as buttons... and have very interesting flirting techniques... The Second lead made me wonder if he was supposed to be a parody or if he was meant to be an authentic second lead... whatever their intention I loved him and he was probably the source of most of my laughter...

Other things I found funny was the very purple flat mate, scenes at the gym... completely illogical shower scenes... And a lot more...

I also liked the wisdom within the youth, teaching me new things...

I cringed, I laughed, I binged it too fast and I want more!

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King of Cringe and Kisses

This is one of those dramas that is so hard to rate as some parts are so annoying and cringey they made me want to cover my eyes, skip, throw up, yell oh come on this is just stupid... While at the same time offering me some of dreamlands hottest kissing scenes, fun references to dramas passed and well Junho entering in slow mo wearing a suit, by suites I mean a lot of suits and a lot of scenes making me wonder if the makers of this drama where trying to check how many slow mo shots of Junho in a suit are to many... And well they tried their best but nee I am sure they could have fit in more of them and it would have only made this better.

In between the awful and the amazing there was a decent cliche story done mostly good, with mostly predictable twists a slight attempt to talk about some issues without really exploring the issues... All kind of meeh. But then agin we were offered some pretty amazing shots, nice music and mostly lovable leads with friends to die for (even if there stories and characters where annoying and over the top at times all characters had their moments of decency and greatness.

For some reason I find myself comparing this drama to Hometown Cha Cha Cha, and while it does have moments as cringy as the ones in there not a single one of the characters is as annoying as the people in Cha Cha. And while the FL in Cha Cha takes a turn to the annoying this one is mostly good from start to finish. what Cha Cha had that this one did not have was a beautiful bromance. But while Cha Cha truly took a dive from fun to oh my let this embarrassment end , this dramas journey of annoying cringe and greatness was more of a roller coaster type thing.

So if you love watching Junho in slow mo in a suit, steamy wet kissing scenes and can handle some cringe and annoying elements this is a really good watch.

P.S there was also a small referens to pretty women hidden in there....

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A Shoulder to Sleep On

This drama feels a bit like watching to a dream, it could of course be due to my personal cold, but I am pretty sure. they also used a fluffy dreamy filter while filming this,

The story has some good old fashion cliches a love at first sight/hate to love type of deal but also a bunch of new tuned down slice of life takes on trauma, self harm, athleticism and internalised homophobia done pretty ok. The acting could be better, but the boys are charming, funny and have pretty decent chemistry + a lot, and I mean a lot of lip gloss. I am however missing an episode towards the end, not only because they left me wanting more but also because most of the pacing was decent the ending + time skips was rushed.

There are some parts that lack logic and I am pretty sure one of the guys is related to Marry Poppins or at leas stole the blue prints for her bag.

If you are looking for steamy kisses or stuff like that this is a teen romance and definitely not the right place to look for it as the only steam you will find is on the filter and most of the flirting is more of the funny and sweet kind.

All in all an easy drama to binge, not only because it is short but also because it is sweet.

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She didn´t make my heart flutter but it worked anyway

This is yet another a bit too short and a bit too low budget show, showing us the struggles of trying to run a lesbian bar without actually being prepared to step out of the closet. As well as a bunch of other struggles, generation gaps and types of relationships. As the show offers us several interesting relations, aunt-niece, employee-boss, friendships, co-workers, exes etc... etc... And does make for e some decent representation of ways lesbians can act and look like.

There are several couples in this show, some are playful, others more shy, opposites attract all done pretty ok, however there were a few annoying moments with over acting and though I am more or less starved by lack of lesbian representation there was not much in here to truly captivate me.

However it is short and truly does only have very few moments of annoying elements the rest are pretty decent. Making me wonder what would happen if they had a bigger budget and got to truly explore these issues?

Also people, remember do not out anybody, never assume another persons sexuality, and do go watch this, if for nothing else to support the cause of making more lesbian centered shows.

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Pretty enjyable hot demon

This drama is an easy binge, or at least the first 9 or 11 episodes where easy to binge and pretty much went in one go but then I had to take. a break due to starting it a bit to early while airing which kind of killed the fun.

It could be that it really got a bit draggy in those last episodes or it could be the lost momentum but one thing is certain I enjoyed it more in the beginning than towards the end. As I enjoyed the dynamics between the god, the bad, the really really really bad... the past the present, the bickering, the cold... and the eye candy and the spontaneous combustions...

Though watching this had me convinced that the screenwriters of Korea must have made a bet sometime last year about creating the most twisted and deepest bond between characters as thins is another drama who is not satisfied with the shallow childhood connection and digs deeper, darker and bloodier in to the past. While 200 years is a lot less than other previous drams with up to 1500 years Id say this one manages to achieve the twisted connection rather well.

There are a few odd religious connotations here ant thee that did not really float my boat, and again some of the overall messages about mental health and desperation are kind of meeh.

The umbrellas in this drama are lovely, the music fit the scenes perfectly and the use of water, fire and watches a pleasure for my eyes. The PPL funny, colourful and impossible to miss... You must be able to find joy in PPL or you will probably hate this drama.

The predictability varies, and I do believe there where some new twists to our otherwise well known tropes. The level of annoying characters was kept to a decent level , there where a few but they did not take over to much or lower the score and well that is about it.

So basically not a masterpiece, not really a great watch but if you can handle your clices this is not a bad place to find them..


P.s. I would not mind having a deamon like Jung Koo Won at my disposal... could do without the selling my soul.. but they did do a pretty god job convincing me it may be worth it...

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Sweet and slightly addictive.

This is one of those dramas you watch firstly for the friendship and secondly for the romance. As this Japanese combination of Dawsons Creek meets Cinderella with something more in between offers us a whole lot of broken dreams, beautiful friendships as well as some pretty interesting characters and some decent lines.

"Isn't it pointless to be together if we are all the same"

One thing was very clear in this drama, the characters were definitely not the same, while some were more lovable than others. I will admit there was something in this group of people that had me hooked from the first episode all the way to the end .I also found myself falling in love not only with the character Natsumi with her extremely bright smile but also with the name Natsumi.

Besides the lovely friendships, the drama also offers some really nice gestures and depictions of silent longing. The gaze in the male lead looks like he is constantly longing and about to break out in tears, offers great contrast to the female lead who seems to be able to smile though pretty much anything... Her family is overly kind one may wonder how they could survive in this world. And there are some twists that felt a bit off Ok very off so off that I felt secound hand emberrresed and felt oh come on not that trope... . However the overall feel to this is nice and cozy...

So what can I say it was a good watch, not perfect but pleasingly awkward with a hint of nostalgia...

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