I wish it was better

Cheat My boss is one of those dramas that I kind of hate myself that I could not get into. I mean it had everything I look in drama:

a) a mature and healthy relationship,
b) strong independent female lead
c) a caring and respectful ML
d) understanding and kind of progressive parents/elder characters (for the most part)
e) decent kisses that don’t make me feel like the FL is being assaulted
f) cute likeable side characters

but for some reason it felt flat and was SO boring! I was really trying to focus and enjoy the drama, but I always ended up being distracted by something else and ended up not paying attention. I don’t know what was to blame, the writing, the acting, the editing honestly I cannot pint point it.

It’s not a bad drama but it’s not great either. I would suggest it as a pallet cleanser of sorts if you have just finished an intense dark or sad drama and you need something that does not take a lot out of you. I gave it an extra 1 star for the above points and for not falling to the usual c-drama plots!! Although it didn’t work here I hope to see more dramas not afraid to chose these kind of storylines.

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Starts with a bang, falls flat at the end - Slightly overhyped

When it comes to the plot, Pinocchio had the most attention gripping opening I have ever seen. Usually at the first 1 or 2 episodes I tent to get a bit bored since I am still not familiar with the characters and the story, but at the first 10-15 minutes of Pinocchio I was glued to my screen already invested in the characters. Unfortunately, it didn’t really manage to keep my attention throughout and found myself loosing my interest towards the end and kind of struggling to finish it. I think this would be better as a 16-episode drama. Almost each episode started with a bang and ended with a bang but almost always felt flat in the middle.

The plot formula was also quite different from other dramas. Usually issues, secrets & mysteries go unresolved almost until the end of the drama, here they were revealed early on making you wonder how the plot was going to be moving forward. Pinocchio, among others, is a drama on how people are perceived by the media and how easily someone’s image and reputation can be built or torn down! One thing that I found interesting was how that was depicted, in a settle way without being in your face obvious, with the two mothers!
We, as viewers, had a certain idea of how each mother was based on what the writer and director allowed us to see, and we were quick to judge and like or hate the characters, but as the plot proceeded we realized that we were deceived!

One thing that bothered on the plot was that the characters that were supposed to be journalists acted more like detectives and less like journalists. I understand they are supposed to be investigative reporters, but it did not seem realistic to me. I mean at some point I think they were doing actual police work!!

One thing that took me by surprise it was how much I enjoyed the Yoon Yoo Rae character. She is the type of person that you will usually find annoying and irritating, but she came out as cute and endearing and provided a much-needed comedic relief- and I think this is mostly thanks to the actress. Also, I am low key annoyed that a romance between her and the Cap never took off! I was so happy to see Lee Pil Mo (Cap) again. I first saw him at Emergency Couple and had the biggest crush on him, so I was glad to see him here in a similar role (mentor). Also, talking about characters, the 2nd Ml, no matter how his character developed at the end, he was a creepy stalker and there is no other way to look at it or excuse it!!

All in all, Pinocchio was a good drama with a good story line and great acting so I kind of understand the hype around it, although it leaved me a little bit underwhelmed.

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One of the best dramas out there

Twinkling Watermelon was a great drama, probably one of the best out there. Every character developed to perfection. All the characters, main and supporting, have a purpose and a role to play, none of them feels out of place or as a filler.

I was so happy that the change was not Eun Gyeol saving his father because that would defy the purpose of the drama for me. Instead it showed us that even the smallest change , although it might seem insignificant might carry importance. Also, is Eun Gyeol supposed to live his new life with no recollection of his past and how his childhood was different??

The only black spot for me was that the final episode was slightly mismanaged. The first half of this episode could have been in episode 15 and then 1st half of this episode could have focus on Yi Chan trying to adjust after the accident. I really hate the way we left their younger versions, Yi Chan in a dark place and Cheong Ah unaware of it. It was great to see the older versions and see how the future changed but those were not the characters we grew close to, cheered for and cried with. It just left a bitter taste that we didn't get to say goodbye to the younger versions when they were happy, when everyone else got that. I mean we needed a scene between them to have some closure, what stopped Yi Chan, what happened to Choeng Ah and her father, even a montage could have done the job and answered those questions, but we got nothing and, at least personally, I feel cheated. Also, it would have been great to have a scene with how Eun Yu's life changed in the future.

All in all, Twinkling Watermelon is not only one of the best youth dramas out there but one of the best dramas in general and it’s definitely worth watching.

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Light ,fluffy, but not lucking in substance

When I started to watch Run On I thought that it will be just another mid of the road rom com but I was pleasantly surprised. Run On is everything a romantic drama should be!! Light ,fluffy, but not lucking in substance! I found my self laughing and swooning over the two leads like a teenage girl!

At first, I thought that we will be getting another drama with the usual cold, emotionless male lead! But boy was I wrong. He was just so amazingly weird and OMG so cute and sweet!! He was not you usual rich spoiled heir! He always went out of his way to help other and his journey to self love and the impact the female lead had on him was a pleasure to watch.

When it comes to the female lead, I think she is probably the best female lead in all K-Dramaland and definitely my all time favourite!

She was strong, independent, smart, spoke her mind but most importantly was not psychotic . Usually k-dramas writers show us leads with psychotic, abusive and violent tendencies as strong and expect us to be happy that they gave us a strong female lead! NO! This drama showed that you can be strong and standing your ground without having to stab someone or be unnecessary aggressive!

The 2 of them make one of the healthier, sweetest and realest k drama couples out there! Every scene they had together make me smile and swoon like a teenager, some thing that , being the cynic that I am never though will happen to be again!

Many said that this is a slow drama, but I personally did not think so, maybe it was because I was so invested to the characters and their journey that I found each episode has something interesting. The character development of each character was done so beautify and the way is supposed to happen. It wasn’t sudden because of a shocking event. It was gradual and logical.

I would really recommend this in a heat beat to everyone that is looking for a light drama, with mature characters, that has all the ingrediency of a romance drama without much angst. I mean there is 1 character, but his impact is so small and the characters so mature that it doesn’t really affect the plot nor your viewing experience.

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Here we go again. Another highly rated/ acclaimed drama that I really struggled to finish. Although the story was compelling, and the acting was good I really felt that it went more than it should, and it really dragged on. I mean episodes 8-16 were really not that much and could have been summed up in 2-3 episodes. Another reason I couldn’t get into it was the FL. She was so irritating. Every time she was on the screen, she never failed to make me cringe and I was just struggling to pay attention. I was really forcing myself not to skip! I mean by the time they had the big twist with the missing child’s real name/identity I honestly did not care, totally lost its momentum.

The only thing that kept me going was the ML lead. He was the strongest asset of this drama and probably the only reason I kept watching. His ability to portray every single character and make them easily distinguishable just by one look is amazing. I mean he was on screen and he made you miss him because you miss another character (I do not know if this makes sense). Ji Sung has the most expressive eyes! No need to scream or shout, every emotion it was just there in his eyes! Although I sometime thought that he was overacting, it wasn’t to the point that made me want to turn it off.

As mentioned above the FL was the weakest part of the show. Honestly, her character almost made me want to drop this!

She was too immature and childish and in no way professional and definitely not qualified to be a psychiatrist. Like worst psychiatrist ever! Totally unequip to help anyone! For the life of me I cannot understand how 2 of the Mls personalities were attracted to her (even with the past connection)! I really felt she was annoying, and I did not care for her character at all. I think this is the actress fault. I really felt she is a good actress, those rare moments when she was composed and acted like a normal person, she was quite good, but all that shouting and loud crying and trying to act all cute, really made me cringe. They should stop giving her or she should stop king these types of roles. She cannot pull them off! She was sooo overacting using every muscle in her face. This is the second drama of hers I have seen. In She was beautiful, she acted the exact same way and I also thought that her character was annoying & childish so it must be something more there than the writing.

Also, the chemistry between the 2 also left a lot to be desired. I wasn’t sold on them as a couple. Ji Sung as Yo Na had more chemistry with Park Seo Joon that the 2 Leads.

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Lived up to the hype!

Healer was lighter than expected! I don’t know why I though it was going to be a heavy dark drama, but I couldn’t be happier when I found out I was wrong! I mean it wasn't a comedy but it managed to balance all of it's genres well with out one overpowering the other.

After finishing the drama I totally understand the hype around Ji Chang Wook, totally swoon worthy! (This is the first drama of his I watch) His swifts between badass healer and awkward clumsy reporter were seamless and amazing (although the more I watched the more I was convinced that that this goofy-clumsy awkward guy is his real personality-he just happens to have a badass job).

One of the things that pleasantly surprised me, were that we got to see a three-dimensional FL that was not a damsel in distressed and fought for what she wanted and was not a cry baby! Another pleasant surprise was the fact that the two Main Leads actually communicated. Who would have thought that something like this can happen in a Kdrama! Where do the writers come up with this staff? Ground-breaking!

Also, the chemistry between them was on point! Although I felt that the feelings were a bit sudden, out of the blue and there wasn’t enough build-up to them, they totally made it work!

Although I did feel that the drama got a little bit draggy towards the middle it wasn’t to the point that made you get bored or took you out of the action. One think that also worked here and usually is a drama's downfall was the flashbacks, they really used the well and weren't overwhelming! One of the few occasions where I did not feel that 20 episodes were too much!

All in all I have to say that Healer for me really lived up to the hype, something that never really happens, since I am often disappointed by hyped/ high rating / highly acclaimed dramas!

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Unpopular Opinion: Season 2 is better than Season 1!

I belong to the minority here where I actually did not enjoy Season 1 and really avoided Season 2 based on that but as it turned out that Season 2 was better. I felt that this season was more balanced in terms of comedy and emotion and that all characters had their time to shine, were likeable and no one felt underdeveloped. I will admit it’s a slow start, but soon enough the characters warm up to you and you feel for them!

In season 1 I really found the jokes kind of dumb, cringy, stupid and all over the place! Season 2 although it had some dumb, silly, slapstick type of jokes (and most of them repeated from Season 1), they weren’t as many and therefore did not make the show overwhelming and uncomfortable to watch.

As mentioned above this season had some great balance between comedy and some emotional scenes that made the characters feel more human and not cartoony like, like in season 1! At first you felt that some characters were left behind and not given enough time but as the show progresses everyone takes centre stage thus making all the characters more developed and more well-rounded than Season 1 characters. Especially Ki Bong and Yoo RI had such a great development, that they kind of stole the show.

If I had to comment on one thing I did not like, it would be that I would have like them to show the girls and their relationship more. They almost had no scenes all 3 of them together. Ohh, and the fact that it that the romance between Woo Shik and Soo Yeon took forever and it was resolved literally at the last 5 minutes of the drama.

So, If you are avoiding watching season 2 because you did not enjoy season 1 then I really suggest giving this a try!

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If you are looking for a light fluffy unapologetically cheesy drama this is it.

During the holidays I avoided watching anything heavy and went for pure fluffy ,chessy fun and this was definitely the right choice. If you are looking for a rom-com that will have you all giddy and giggly whenever the Main couple is on the screen then this is definitely it.
The two main leads had great chemistry and they were cute and adorable together. The writers did a good job showing and making it distinctive that the ML was also falling for his secretary, who is the actual FL and not for her as Veronica Park. Dramas that have this kind of plot line usually fail at this department (Yes Oh My Ghostess I’m looking at you)
The ML was such a pleasant deviation form the cold/emotionless CEO we are used to. He was so cute and sometimes childlike and thanks to the actor he did not came across as annoying or irritating. But I also found him brilliant in his most emotional scenes, he really made you feel for him.

In the same lane is Veronika Park. She was such hard character to get right and get people to like and root for her, so kudos to the actress for making her come across in such way!

The FL was also a breath of fresh air, not only to the weak and spineless FL we usually get but also to the doormat secretary. She was not afraid to stand up to herself and ask for what she though she deserved.
I also enjoyed the fact that upon the ML choosing and forgiving the FL, she didn’t change her looks and actually the ML liked and fell for her with her normal looks. Usually dramas tend to give the FL a short of makeover first so that the ML would start to take notice.

The female friendship and the support among the secretaries was amazing and something you unfortunately very rarely see in a K-drama.

As much as I enjoyed the drama in general there were a few things I did not like. For one I did not like the 2nd ML. He was too wooden and blunt and honestly did not feel his relationship with Veronica.

When it comes to the plot, at first for me it was clear as to why the secretary did what she did. She was someone who always put others first and took care of them, her boss, her brother, her sister drowning her own wishes and desires. For once she saw the opportunity to be taken care of, she saw the person who always ignored her to finally “see” her and treat her the way she always treated him, but then it just took her too long to tell him what she did to the point that it was kind of uncomfortable to watch.

Another plotline I did not quite like was at the beginning when the FL was insisting that she got fired. She wasn’t. She had a one-year contract that was not renewed and although it sucks it is not firing and she knew it was coming. Those were the terms she signed up for.

All in all I thoroughly enjoyed this drama and I will definitely recommend it if you are looking for a light fluffy unapologetically cheesy drama.

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Emotional, Wholesome, Real!

When I started watching Kdramas almost a year ago to the date, I never thought that I would find a drama that I would rate with a perfect 10, but here we are. Hospital Playlist was almost perfect in every aspect , and keep in mind I do not like medical dramas mainly because I find them unrealistic and exaggerated, but I loved how Hospital Playlist kept everything real and it makes you really understand the struggles of medical professionals.

Acting: Amazing. Never seen actors fit their roles so perfectly!
Character/ Cast Chemistry: Out of the World
Plot: Emotional, Wholesome, Real!

I can see as to why some people why find it boring, but I found it very refreshing! Grown-up people acting mature, facing real life problems and going on with their lives. Each episode was almost 1,5 h long but it felt much less. All the character has a reason and fit each other and the story perfectly, not a single one of them feels out of place. At first it was overwhelming getting introduced to all the characters but as the episodes go by then each character gets center stage, and you get to know and connect with them and by the end you are emotionally invested in each one of their lives and stories.

If all you look in a series is Action, angst, drama and with a good guy wins over a villain, then this is definitely not for you, but if you are looking for a drama with real people, real stories that will make you feel a every emotion emotion and laugh wholeheartedly then this is definitely for you.

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