Megan
US
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This review may contain spoilers
Overall I really liked this show. The main characters were flawed with hang-ups about their backgrounds, but generally likeable.The best things about this show were the variety of relationships and the implications for duty, love, loyalty, and conflicts in fulfilling roles/obligations. The show put a lot of effort into showcasing how motive in a relationship can impact its success, contrasting various couples to support its philosophy.
This isn't a spoiler since it is spelled out in the summary and the first part of the show: My big annoyance was that the show would sometimes forget its own facts. Rin wasn't always a full daughter of the house - although she received the same education as the girls, she shared a room with the maid! Although one reason Saran was hesitant about Rin was because he knew she wasn't the real eldest child, he WAS tempted by Duang and continued to give her opportunities, even later when he should have figured out just how toxic/unstable she is.
The one thing missing from this show for me was that it never fully recognized that Saran gave Rin no good reason to trust in him. Given the situation, I'd be like Rin and have one foot out the door also. Still, the show did better than most at being steady paced and charming.
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Every time Sina was up out of that wheelchair in front of the windows and every 'private' conversation they chose to have in the gardens (where they too have eavesdropped on conversations) drove me flippin' nuts.
If the plot sounds appealing, give it a whirl.
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Cute, fun movie
It isn't groundbreaking or anything, but it is a cute comedy about two ladies doing some undercover work. No romance since it is more about the two women. It was amusing to have them just continuously add new previous jobs and skills to the list for the female lead. I kinda wish they had done it even more, actually.If you want something amusing to watch without having to think real hard, this is a good choice. The plot isn't complex, the twists are easy to follow. The girls were fun together. Lots of over-the-top characters, but nothing that was too annoying (at least for me).
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I really liked what a good guy Helan was. I do wish we had seen him doing a bit more for his people, but he was a pretty nice, cool dude. Since some of the actions of key players had to do with the politics of the Fox people, it would have been good to get a bit more time with those politics so that it all fit together a bit more. I loved a lot of the different relationships in the show. Pacing towards the end failed a little, as we see some relationship changes (Helan/Dad) that come out of nowhere.
I'm perfectly happy having watched this show and would watch another like it.
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This review may contain spoilers
Even Urassaya Sperbund couldn't save this show for me. I really enjoyed the setup, even the excessive somersaulting in action sequences had their own charm, but watching our badass warrior princess being treated like she was incompetent or shouldn't be kept informed drove me nuts. Most of the time when she 'caused a problem' by getting involved was because she didn't know what was going on. She didn't know they had a plan, because they didn't tell her they had a plan. The co-habitation/married storyline was tragically underutilized. If they were going to do so little with it, they should have had her go undercover as a new member of the team so that she could live on the base and be with D-Team all the time. As it was, she was left alone half the time and they couple didn't have to do any pretending except for entering the house and one conversation with a neighbor. Lame. The ending was just a final slap in the face. There were a few really, really nice moments between her and Davin, and the actors portraying Will and Kate did a great job. That's what kept me going to the end, albeit with a heavy done of fast forwarding. Was this review helpful to you?
She's the poor little rich girl who just wants some genuine love in life. She really does try hard to be what her mothers want her to be: a pretty little doll of a Princess that can be sold. The lead is your typical unemotional dude - except for when he's in bear costume. Her nickname for him is literally "Cold Face". He quickly comes to understand her in a way no one else does.
The show is chock full of cliches, but in the best possible way: they are full embraced and played with. I like a show that takes the standard tropes and has some fun with them. For instance it takes a while to figure out the "oh so sweet and perfect" Candy character. Is she sweet? Weak? Secretly manipulative?
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What I liked most was the ladies in this drama. The love rival never plotted against Nark or did anything mean to her, which is almost unheard of in an Asian drama. I loved that they gave her dignity and didn't reduce her character to vindictive, unrequited love. I also loved Nark. While she didn't live up to the 'genius' label they gave her, she was plucky and determined. She didn't cry over how hard she had it and she wasn't afraid of anyone. She was not a 'Candy' despite how many jobs she was working, lol. I liked her BFF in Danny and how playful they were together. I also liked the understated bromance between Lin Lan Ser and Josing. I felt really bad for San Gui, who, despite the weird facial hair and being a gangster, wasn't actually a bad dude.
What I didn't like about this drama was the pacing and the subpar acting. I love Lakorns in part because they frequently give more time to develop things, for instance I rather like the 'remembering' scenes where it kind of puts us in the character's head about what they are thinking, especially if some of it is new footage, but that was not the case here. This is needlessly slow. Too much staring. Too much time spent zooming in on the chandelier. They could have trimmed everything and given us more time with Nark showing us how clever she could be. Also, most of the actors were not strong enough to emote anything significant in all those long pauses and stares. Some came off constipated and some just crazy.
I'm still glad I watched it (although a lot of it on 1.5x speed) though, because of the refreshing qualities I mentioned in the Likes section.
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Thirdly, I know this show has been a rocky road for some. Here is my take on the problems and you can use this to judge if you want to invest time in this show or not:
Yes, it has some pacing issues and does change radically from the beginning to the end. The first half kicks things off with him being the bodyguard for a rich college girl and is really comical and over the top. The future course of the story is hinted at early on in these episodes with the banned drugs, Han Bin's power fluctuations, and a mention of Pink Hair's terminal illness. As the show progresses you see less and less of the rich girl, less and less of the lead character being a total horndog (though that never *fully* disappears), and more and more of these other characters. I think the major problem for the show as the 30 minute format which made it impossible to keep accounting for all the characters each episode or to include silly hijinks. It also needed at least one more episode to give us a bit more closure.
Why I loved it despite that:
More than anything, the show is a comedy. The early episodes were really, really amusing. Lin Yi is such a horn dog and completely unapologetic about it. The humor is zany and quirky, but we still get to see him being a badass. The special effects for their thoughts were really cute and fun and those kept going throughout the series. I liked how they handled the special effects for their power and fights. Although I missed the inclusion of his earlier mission and the girls in later episodes, I was invested enough in the other storylines that I still liked what the show became as it grew more serious. I just wish there had been time to tie the A,B, and C plots together more smoothly for a more natural conclusion. I also enjoyed the music. Just the overall feel of the show was very fun and fresh.
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This is definitely a historical for when you really just want romance in a new kind of setting. It was great for not having to think to much or even worry too much about the characters because except for the overarching danger (Premier Kim taking over everything), most problems were solved in a single episode. Some characters just sort of disappeared from time to time as the drama didn't have time to keep us informed as to where they went or what ultimately happened to them.
I really liked the show and hope that we can see more shows along this line. Sometimes I just want a show that leaves me feeling happy. Having such a quality cast really helped make this show so successful.
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I will confess to binge watching this show over the course of just a few days. Before I started watching it I thought it might skew a little young for my tastes and wasn't really expecting to be that into it. However, the characters are all in college and are pretty mature. I love shows about outsiders so I was really invested in Bong Pal's forming some connections with the living beyond just the Monk.
If you love mystery, cohabitation hijinks, and stories about outsiders, this show is for you. Solid writing, acting, chemistry, pacing - just a fun smooth ride. It is a little cartoonish in style sometimes and can be silly, but has its dark turns too. The romance is cute and the ghosts are creepy and the bad guy is scary. The writing and directing make all the elements fit together smoothly though.
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Fast paced, doesn't drag
I enjoyed this show because it kept moving forward. The show focused on the main story. Male second lead was a breath of fresh air. Flash backs were brief and to the point. If anything, I wish we would have seen a little bit more of the FL's married life. I didn't have a good sense of what her relationship with her mother-in-law was like prior to the death of her husband. I can't say I 100% buy all the emotional responses of the characters, but it wasn't over-the-top enough to bother me. Romance was low-key and sweet. Overall, a solid watch.Was this review helpful to you?
His and Hers Stupidity
Pin: Stupid because she can't overcome her conditioning to be loyal to Nai's family, who she has served from childhood. Makes really bad choices as a result. When she does try to protect Yai, it is in the worst possible ways.Yai: Stupid because he expects Pin to love him and trust him when he has done almost nothing but lie to her and threaten her. Does not support her, but constantly tests her faith in him.
Pin & Yai: They don't talk to each other. They could have told each other what they were doing and why. But they were both lying to each other all the time. It was super annoying.
I'd give all that stupidity a bit of a pass if other bits of the plot were being resolved, but at episode 12 they still haven't done much with any of the major reasons why Yai returned: saving the farm, finding Nai guilty of wrong doings, clearing Yai's name, finding out how his dad died, etc. So at this point, I just have to drop it.
There was no rape, but my husband walked in during the scene where Yai angrily chases her around the room and grabs her by the ankle to drag her across the bed. He said, "Is he going to rape her?" So, yeah, Pin had reasons to be afraid of Yai, I don't care how many commenters want to call him a loveable kitten. If, like Pin and my husband, you haven't gotten to see all his other scenes, he is legit scary.
Most interesting part about the show for me was the theme on how the serving class attitudes of loyalty are detrimental to family life. I have a lengthy comment about it in the comments section if you are interested!
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