This series may go down as one of the most stunning I've seen to date. Everything about it was beautiful and heartbreaking at once. The cinematography and the music are worthy enough, and the costuming is gorgeous as well. I didn't originally even plan to watch this show. I didn't think it would be a subject that would interest me because I don't normally care for historical dramas. I was sucked into the grip of this show immediately and was not let loose until the final credits came. Knowing that this series had its basis in real Korean history was never far from my mind. The writer managed to weave an epic tale of love and sacrifice. I never noticed the slow plot movement in the first part because I was so immersed in the path to get there. Each step is important to the overall storyline. And the culmination of the groundwork that was laid made the slow build up worth the wait.

The only main actor I had watched before was Yoo Yeon Suk, but I had not been a fan. I knew of Lee Byung Hun, but had never watched him in anything. I was blown away by the acting of all 5 main characters. Some may say otherwise, but I thought they were flawless in these roles. Kim Tae Ri was especially captivating. Her beauty and her voice were mesmerizing to me. Some thought LBH was too expressionless, but I found him quite the opposite. And when he unleashed one of his smiles, I was enchanted. For the first half or so, I felt like the chemistry between the Eugene and Ae Shin was very thick. There was a bit of shift afterwards, but nevertheless they had something there. I was very moved by the acting of the other three as well, and they all became very beloved characters that I rooted for. Dong Mae and Hina were the anti-heroes. And Hee Sung was a hero in disguise. They were all complex and compelling and I loved each of them for varying reasons. The extended cast was no less impressive, and no less part of this story - I couldn't even begin to name them all and what they added to the narrative.

The story is not all tears and sadness though. In the beginning, there is definitely some humor in the mix as well to keep it from becoming too solemn. The writer really did a great job carrying us forward with each new step that our characters faced. I loved all the relationships that were formed, and the bravery of the Righteous Army, and the people of Joseon who captured my heart. So when it got to the climax, we were more than ready ---and yet, somehow, not prepared at all.

The music chosen was excellent. Haunting and lovely. Sad March and The Day were the main songs. And a sad, melodious version of Greensleeves to top it off.

I know that I gave it a 10 for re-watch value. I would absolutely watch this again, but I don't think my heart could handle it anytime soon as it's already ripped to shreds right now! Even if you think that historical shows are not for you, I think everyone that loves Korean dramas and culture should not miss this show. I would not recommend this show to anyone that is looking for fast paced or satisfying happy bows. You would be looking at the wrong thing here. But if you want a story that will move you and mesmerize you, this is where it's at.

Read More

This show is full of twists and turns. The first episode will grab you up and the second will confuse the caca out of you, but just keep watching as the writer delivers each piece of the puzzle bit by bit. Although, the story was not flawless by any means -- because there are definitely parts that didn't line up by the ending, it was still a crazy ride with interesting characters and a twisty plot that keeps you guessing and surprised until it's over. The episodes started to run pretty long at about an hour and a half, but I'm not even sure when that started. (So I would say that means I wasn't bored at all) I would say that the finale was probably the weakest episode, but that's all I can say without giving anything away. I would also say as a warning, a few episodes in this show may require a strong stomach. Also early episodes may also be better received if you have a bit of an appreciation for dark humor. So I'd only recommend it to those that don't have aversions to those things.
I gave this show an 8 because it did not fail to entertain me and keep me hanging on to watch the mysteries unravel. I just can't bring myself to lower the score any further even with some of the uneven writing.

This was my first time watching Song Seung Heon, and although I've heard some negative things about his acting, I thought he did a great job in this. Having watched Go Ara a couple of times, though, her acting I would say hasn't improved that much - or the character was just not written as well as they could have. I think the writers could have made her a stronger character. Overall the acting was done pretty well for most of the actors. 

I enjoyed the music in this and will probably search out the main song that played.

The rewatch value could go either way. I probably won't rewatch anytime soon just due to the sheer length of this show and for the fact that now I know the plot. However, for some, maybe a rewatch would make seeing the pieces fall into place more enjoyable from the vantage point of knowing the final outcomes.

Read More

I think this drama started off strong, but lost steam as it went along. The ending episode was meandering and pointless, honestly. It had a happy ending, but was lackluster and bland. I think that if they had cut this show to 16/32 episodes instead of 20/40, they could have written a tighter story. There were some things that got lost in the story, some things that were never explained, and some things that dragged on way too long. The romance sizzled in the beginning and then flickered and died, and then when it rekindled, it was barely an ember. One thing that some people liked, but kind of annoyed me was the lighting in the show. Every time the main characters were about to have a real kiss - there was always this bright light shining between them. I guess it was supposed to be artistic? Once would have been plenty for that and it might have been ok, but it happened at least 3 or 4 times.

Most of the actors did a good job. Ji Chang Wook and Nam Ji Hyun are both fantastic actors and I love to watch the play of emotions on JCW's face. NJH is so earnest and sincere in her acting. Choi Tae Joon as Eun Hyuk was such a cutie pie and his awkwardness and his boyish charm and enthusiasm were fun to watch (this was my first show with him.) I wasn't really impressed with Nara or her character. She was bland and we didn't learn much about her. I thought Kim Ye Won was a scene stealer though! KYW as Ji Hye started off as an unlikable bully and a cheater, but she quickly became one of my favorite supporting actors in this show, and I kind of wished she had been the second female lead instead. I loved her snarky comebacks to Yoo Jung - she made me laugh a lot. And Dong Ha, as the villain Hyun Soo, did an amazing job. It's the first time I've seen him in anything that I recall, but he nailed his role.

The music was decent, nothing stand out, but appropriate.

I won't re-watch this. It was ok, but not one of the best I've seen. I think the longer run time severely hurt the pacing.

Read More

Don't do it. Just don't - no matter how cute you think it is.

No. Just no.
Please do yourself a favor. Do not watch this. You will be sucked in by the cute and the fluffy and the sweet! It will go on for about 13 and a half episodes and you will love it.

Then apparently the writer started smoking crack.

I've never been so angry about the ending of a drama in my life! The 5 stars is completely for the acting and the music and the 13.5 lovely episodes. (Although the writer still may have been a bit high writing all of it to be perfectly honest because at the end you realize how much nonsense is in this show. It was just hidden by the sweetness!)

And I couldn't even rage quit this show because by the time they have enraged you with what they've done --- boom! It's over. The last 3 minutes gave me a total rage fit. I was prepared for a sad ending - I sobbed for the SAD ending and then came to terms with it even though I hated the way it appeared they were going to end it. But this....this was just....wrong. So much wrong. They did those characters dirty. They did the audience dirty. They did those actors dirty.

Read More

If you are hesitating to watch this at all, please....just throw out your reservations and watch this. Goblin has just made my favorites list. Even my husband got sucked in and loves this show. The cinematography was gorgeous, the music was amazing, the actors were perfect (Hello, Gong Yoo!), the story was heartbreakingly beautiful.

This is the first time I've watched any of the main actors except Yoo In Na. I have now officially developed a Gong Yoo crush and understand why drama fans are enamored of him. Gong Yoo as Kim Shin/ Goblin was mesmerizing. I could listen to his voice for days. Every scene he was in was a treat. Every emotion that his character had was palpable, and his smiles could light up the sky.
And Kim Go Eun as Ji Eun Tak was super cute. She had a lot of detractors and the writer got a lot of flak for making her so young. But the character and her age were perfect for this story and how it unfolded.
Lee Dong Wook as the Grim Reaper had the perfect deadpan (heh) delivery. And he may be the best male "crier" I've seen yet.

The story will make you laugh and make you cry. Not only is the love story epic, but so is the bromance between Goblin and Reaper. I've found that I'm quite fond of this fantasy genre and this has been done so well. I have hardly any criticisms of this show at all because even the flaws faded into nothing noticeable for me. It's sweet, funny, romantic, sad, tragic, beautiful...

The music was perfect and perfectly lovely. I don't always pay much attention to the music, but this show utilized it so well and chose the perfect songs. So many people loved even the intro song that they made a special recording of it to make it a full length song (Round and Round, but may also be found under Never Far Away). Beautiful by Crush was the best song in my opinion, and I believe that it was the theme song for our main couple. And Stay With Me by Chanyeol and Punch was another favorite.

Rewatch value is high - if not everything, then there are many, many favorite scenes that I'll go back to and relive the feels. :)

Read More

I had higher expectations for this drama, so I was slightly disappointed that the plot and the acting didn't quite live up to those. HOWEVER, despite this, I was still engaged with this show and enjoyed it even though it was flawed.

My first criticism is for the plot. I want to preface this by saying that I've never read the comic, so I wasn't influenced in any way by the source material. The issue is that the backstory information that would have been so helpful to understanding what was going on was dribbled out like crumbs on the trail in Hansel and Gretel. I wanted to know more, but the writers would have the characters give some cryptic piece of dialogue and then fail to explain well enough that I felt satisfied as a viewer. The answers came "too little, too late" for many people and I felt somewhat like that myself. I was mostly satisfied with the answers we finally received, but not 100%. I also tend to believe that the budget may have been cut early on. The reason I say so is because the "realm of the gods" was only shown briefly, even though it was splendid. And Ha Baek came through to the human's realm without his powers. He was able to use them twice, and they were marvelous special effects, but then they were not used again. I think they made a good choice to cut the special effects rather than lose production value, but I think they made it a little obvious anyway since the show really could have been something special with a bigger budget.

The acting was fine, but not phenomenal. I think Nam Joo Hyuk was not quite the right choice for Ha Baek. He's adorable, sure. And I've enjoyed his other works. But I don't know that he carried the weight of the role as well as a more experienced actor may have. He wasn't a horrible choice, but I just think they could have done better. On the plus side he was VERY cute. :) And Shin Se Kyung got a lot of criticism for her acting, but I don't think she is a bad actress at all. She played her role fine. The chemistry between the two was hit and miss. Sometimes I thought it was there, and other times, not so much. Im Joo Hwan really knocked it out of the park, though, and was one of the lone actors that really stood out in this show. So much so, that a lot of viewers kept watching for him alone. The other actors were fine. Not anything special, but just fine.

Now, the music on the otherhand, was beautiful. I absolutely loved the track, Glass Bridge. Mesmerizing song! I don't know the names of the others, but the music was lovely. The cinematography was beautiful as well.

I can't say I would re-watch this. Maybe after I read the comic, more of the story will fall into place and I'll understand it better, but that's about it. I do think they ended the show much better than I was expecting, even if it was a bit anticlimactic. This show wasn't horrible by any means, and I hate that so many people gave up on it so quickly. But it was a decent watch even though it didn't live up to its potential. I'm not mad I spent the time watching it.

Read More

I love Gong Hyo Jin, and the trailers for this show are what drew me to it. I like the two male leads as well, and this looked to be a fairly fun romance story.

The first half of this show, I was utterly in love with it. I re-watched episodes as I waited for new ones to air. But I made the fatal mistake of falling for the second male lead, knowing that the writers would break my heart and his. The show starts off by throwing a huge cast of characters at us, and their relations seem a little confusing at first. But, eventually, all is sorted, and we have ourselves with 3 main love triangles. Pyo Na Ri, who has been in a 3 year one-sided love with Lee Hwa Shin, and then meets and falls for his best friend and ultimate chaebol gentleman, Go Jung Won. This is our main triangle and love story. The others are played up at first but slowly get pushed to the background....just like our 2nd lead. I blame the writers for making Jung Won such a perfect catch (and Go Kyung Pyo for making Jung Won seriously swoony) that he was hard to get over. Whereas, in contrast Hwa Shin could be a perfect donkey's behind...yet somehow you couldn't hate him because he also showed that he cared about everyone in his life as well. He was definitely tortured by his own inner self.

The story had some serious moments that the writers cut with humorous moments, so the weightier matters didn't drag the show into melodrama territory. There were strong characters and great chemistry with ALL the cast members. The writers did a fantastic job with the casting, and it could not have been more perfect. Up until around episode 14, I was sure that this might be the best drama I had ever watched and I fully expected to see it on my list of favorites. But the writers started to make some missteps in the story from my point of view. And I know that the majority of viewers may disagree with me. I did not feel that way simply because my 2nd lead wasn't getting the girl. Hwa Shin was not a bad choice for Pyo Na Ri. They did have some great chemistry together and I could see where the Hwa Shin "shippers" could be all on board with him. But I wasn't as swayed as I could have been and the actions of the characters didn't seem honorable to me in that mid-point. It dampened my love for the show somewhat, and that never fully recovered. Jealousy Incarnate was still a good show and I looked forward to it every week. I think they wrapped up the story well and completely for our main couple. However, they left a lot of loose ends when they backburnered the side characters that were prominent in the first several episodes.

My favorite side characters may have been the doctor and her nurse. Nurse Oh stole every scene she was in, and the doctor was both funny and full of heart.
The music was great - seriously stand out. I'm not normally into the music so much, but there were several songs that I had to hunt down and play for my own enjoyment of them.

Please, do give this show a chance (and push through past the first couple of episodes if it's hard - it's worth it!). You'll have lots of laughter and emotions.

Read More

I'll admit, I didn't initially have plans to watch this. And then I decided, well why not check it out. I was totally expecting a cheesy sort of show, with barely decent production. Instead what I found was a warm and touching story that sucked me in immediately. The production and cinematography were well done also.
This show goes down light and easy in the first few episodes, and you'll be hooked before you know it. Then it will totally wreck your feelings!  This show went above and beyond any expectations I had for it. Although, there are a few minor plot points that I deducted a point from the story for, overall I had no major criticisms for it.

Chae Soo Bin and Yoo Seung Ho did an exceptional job as the main leads. They did well in both the comedic scenes and in the emotional scenes. I have nothing but praises for them in this drama. The supporting cast were enjoyable also.

Some will say that this is only light and fluffy, but I found deeper meaning in the story as well.

This was a surprise hit for me! I went in expecting a 7-7.5 show and instead was happily given much more! If you're on this fence about this one, hop off and just give it a chance. I don't think you'll be disappointed!

Read More

With over 90 reviews on this 3 year old drama, I'm sure that mine will be lost at the bottom, but I want to take the time anyway to do this. Pinocchio was a drama that I put off for a LONG time. I thought that the plot just sounded kind of "meh". Then I learned a little about Park Shin Hye, who apparently drama fans either adore and think rainbows shine out of her rear end or they hate her and think she is the worst actress ever and avoid her like the plague. I am one of those rare drama fans that was just neutral, didn't see what the big deal over her was, but was somewhat reluctant to watch her. I am happy to report that she did a really nice job in this show. However, if you hate her, you are probably always going to hate her. I actually really enjoyed her, and think this might be one of the best shows I've watched her in. If this had been my first PSH show, I may have become a fan. Who knows? This was my first Lee Jong Suk drama though. He did a great job in this also.

But the story in Pinocchio was very intelligent and was not boring at all. I was worried about halfway through, wondering how they would pull 20 episodes of story out of this plot, but somehow they not only managed to do so, but did so very well. There were lots of thought provoking decisions and choices made by the characters and the show is set up around a topic that is very relevant today, especially in the era of accusations of "fake news" and misleading headlines- truth in media and how news stories are presented to the public.

I enjoyed all the characters and was consistently surprised at the decisions that Choi Dal Po/ Gi Ha Myeong made. The side characters were all utilized well, and were interesting. I most loved both Yoon Yoo Rae and Seo Beom Jo. Yoo Rae was adorable and funny. I look forward to seeing more of the actress, Lee Yoo Bi. Kim Young Kwang is always a favorite and did not disappoint! His character really surprised me several times as well. The YGN Cap, Hwang Gyo Dong, played by Lee Pil Mo, was another favorite. In fact, there was not one badly done character in the show. I'd feel a little silly listing all the characters and what I loved about each one, so I will stop there. :)

I don't really re-watch many shows, but I think this show has a decent rewatch value. The story would hold up well to repeated viewing.

Read More

I swear I will never watch another drama by this writer again if I can help it. There is no reason this show should have been 20 hours long. At. all.
While it may have started off cute, sweet, and romantic, it quickly devolved into just hours of NOTHING. If you watched Doctors (same writer) and realized NOTHING really happened in that drama....this one was even worse. I love the main actress, but I hated her character in this show. Right now, having just finished it a few hours ago, I am irrationally angry with myself for not allowing myself to drop this drama earlier in the series. I am mad that I sat through 20 hours of meandering and didn't really have any satisfaction at the end.

I hated the way all the main females behaved and how they treated the men in their lives. The only decent female in the show was Soo Jung, the sommelier at Jung Seon's restaurant. Hyun Soo was a terrible character. I thought that Jung Seon had no strength. Hong Ah was a selfish brat. Kyung, while probably one of the cutest to me at first, just became irrationally stubborn in some of the later episodes. Jung Woo was just wronged by almost all of those he was closest to and treated well (save Jung Seon). The parents were not really good people. So, while the acting was decent for most of the cast....I didn't really like most of the characters.

The music was nice, so that is a plus.
I will never ever rewatch this. I could not give it zero stars.

Please do not waste your time on this mess. Not even for Kim Jae Wook's cheekbones which, quite frankly, could have been the sole reason I even finished this stupid show.

Read More

This was a thrilling ride. I really wasn't sure what to expect when I started this show, but I'm glad I did. It is an epic action/thriller. It wasn't predictable, and there is at least one plot twist that caught me totally by surprise. Well done, show! The characters all have a backstory to tell and all the main actors did a phenomenal job. This show would have gotten higher marks if not for the last couple of episodes. I wasn't happy with some of the decisions the characters made and one the writers made. Also there were quite a few questions left unanswered at the end that really needed to be addressed.

Kim Young Kwang and Kim Seul Gi were my main draws to this show, and Key was a secondary draw. I've never seen anything with Lee Shi Young, but she was awesome! She is a strong female lead and kicks serious butt in this show. Kim Young Kwang as Jang Do Han is a character that you almost hated, but still loved him in the role because he was owning this character. Kim Seul Gi had great emotional scenes, and Key was adorkable as their resident hacker. I loved how they all came together for a common goal, but developed a bond with each other over the course of the drama. Each one knocked my socks off.

You really have to pay attention and focus while you watch this - you won't want to miss any detail. The plot, as with most action movies, is convenient for our anti-heroes. But it still keeps you on the edge of your seat, biting your nails, hoping the best for them. The story had its flaws, I can't deny, but for the most part I enjoyed this show quite a bit.

The music was very edgy and well chosen.

Won't be high on the re-watch as the genre just doesn't lend itself well once you know the outcomes. However, I would recommend this one to action lovers.

Read More

So how would I describe this show? This story tried to be too much. It was a romance mixed with slapstick humor, and dark thriller. How did those elements combine? Not too well, actually....but the parts that were good were good enough to keep me watching until the end. This show started off strong and I was loving it up until about a little over halfway, when it dawned on me that the story was just kind of nonsense. But the leads are so freaking adorable (and probably every teenage girl's dream fantasy romance) that they kept sucking me back in every week. I think Park Bo Young may have reached 'girl crush' status for me. And Park Hyung Shik is almost too pretty - but his acting as Ahn Min Hyuk crushing on Do Bong Soon --- I just "can't even" with him. Too cute for words. They were so cheesy together, but this ahjumma was eating it up. Seriously....this romance is what the show has going for it. But even that is unrealistically done. This show is just fluff....lots and lots of fluff. The story line is chaotic. There is an evil villain that is just too horrifying to be in a rom-com. It was very jarring to go from sweet romance scenes to a creepy masked kidnapper who is terrorizing young women. And the slapstick antics of the gangsters and the high-school gangsters and the screechy femme planning team leader was funny the first time but became just useless filler that was pretty annoying fast forward material. And a lot of people hated that, although played for laughs, the mom seemed abusive (may be why the writers tried to explain that one away in the final episode.) There were funny parts, sure, but they overplayed their hand with them quite a bit. The only thing I would rewatch in this show is the moments with Min Hyuk and Bong Soon. Would I recommend it....sort of. I mean, you'd have to know going in that the story makes no sense, but as a backdrop for a super cute, cheesy beyond belief romance...if you can deal with that then, yeah, go for it. I was entertained for sure (otherwise the rating would be like a 4). But if you need a plot that is logical and a more 'mature' (not THAT kind of mature, but more grown up) romance, then this one won't be right for you.

Read More

I was SO wrong about this drama! Initially I was not interested in this. Although I kept hearing how good this was, it just didn't look good to me (I'll fully admit to judging a drama by its cover a lot...and being wrong a lot!). I finally decided that I was going to take the plunge and see what the big deal was all about.

If you enjoyed Fated to Love You or Master's Sun (2 of my favorite dramas), I think you will enjoy this show also. Dok Go Jin reminded me of both Lee Gun and Joo Joong Won - like he was a mashup of both these characters. He starts off as arrogant and self-centered and he can't imagine why he's having feelings for Gu Ae Jung who is not on his "level". And he can also be childish and petty. A character that I was not remotely interested in at ALL became a very beloved character to me throughout this show. And Ae Jung is a sympathetic character - the one who gives and gives.

I would have given this a perfect 10, but the story was really just a simple fluffy romance. But it was a romance story that warmed my heart anyway. It had some flaws in the story, but they did not take away from my enjoyment in any major way. Dok Go Jin's love for Gu Ae Jung was unstoppable. There were cute moments, funny moments, teary moments, frustrating moments...The Hong Sisters really know how to illicit emotion. It may not have been a groundbreaking story, but it was enjoyable and full of heart and I know that I will watch this again. I thought the chemistry between the leads was good, and I enjoyed the secondary characters for the most part. I especially loved "Ding Dong".

I may be over-rating this for some, but I truly enjoyed it despite its flaws. And ratings are entirely subjective. ;) I also loved the way the ending was done. I'm a fan of epilogue moments, and I feel like this story was wrapped up very well with a very satisfying ending.

Read More

I was looking forward to this drama quite a bit - I love a good rom-com, and I like Sung Hoon and wanted to support his drama. I initially dropped this after the first episode, and against my better judgment decided to keep watching. The first episode looked cheap and sloppy. The dialogue was cheesy, also. It was just bad.

The middle episodes were a bit better, but this was no great drama. It was still pretty cheesy, and the epilogues at the end of each episode were strange. They didn't add anything to the story at all. They were just basically little recaps. Episodes 11 and 12 could have been cut out almost completely. Episode 11 was basically all flashbacks and had zero plot movement. Episode 12 was a lot of the same. I'm not sure why they needed to stretch it out so far. Ten episodes could have wrapped this story up well. As for the romance, they didn't totally sell it to me as the characters were pretty shallowly developed. The two had a one night stand and didn't see each other again for three years, but yet he can't forget about her? She was a pretty weak lead honestly, and there wasn't anything so special about her that I bought that he was pining after her for three years. And the chemistry between the leads was only so-so.

The music was ok, also nothing special.

I wouldn't recommend this unless you were really hard up for rom-com. I fully admit that I only gave this show a second chance because I have a soft spot for Sung Hoon after his roles in Oh My Venus and Five Children. I was really hoping that he would have a great lead role in a rom-com, but this wasn't it. I feel bad for the actors of this. I think they could have done better if they had a better story and better production.

Read More

Honestly, I wasn't even going to write a review for this. It's basically a movie length CF, and I only watched it to kill some down-time at work. The idea was good in theory, but they tried to shove so many (top star) characters into such a short time that it felt WAY too rushed. And the ending episode was even more so. The running time was less than 9 minutes on the last one, yet the story ended at around the 5-6 minute mark and they wrapped up with BTS footage.

The story was kind of cringe-worthy, so the only real thing to recommend about it was all the pretty male faces.
I truly cannot even recommend this to anyone unless you are just looking to fill about an hour or so and have nothing better to do.

Read More