lovecoutureflyy
United States
The plot is very simple, as in, it's only just a bunch of misunderstandings between the leads and a male lead who refuses to confess. Two people are destined together at birth because their grandfather wanted them to be together and this makes them engaged to each other. Li Zheng lost his parents early on and he goes to live with Shao Xi and her parents. Technically, this is supposed to be a story about how opposites attract because Shao Xi and Li Zheng are so different, but I never felt that aspect of their relationship was interesting because it doesn't take long, not even a whole two full episodes before they both get along and understand each other. As I've wrote before, since this drama is only about their romance, it doesn't have much substance in plot. And since it doesn't have much substance at times, especially in the middle, we are going at a snail's pace. The relationship between the two leads refuse to progress and the situations around them that happen (plot?) are not interesting because they've all been done before in better dramas. Dramas can have plots without substance and still be good, but this is not one of them.
The cast all did an okay job with the exception of Joanne who did the best. She was the only one who felt like she gave a different element to her character besides what was written for her. Prince only seemed like a pretty face to me. I wouldn't have mind it, if his character wasn't the "sullen cold brooding" type. Though that type of character seems easy they're the most hardest to do. He couldn't add anything to the role and at times when he was supposed to seem thoughtful, he just seemed lost and boring.
The problem with these characters is that they lack depth and progression. They refuse to grow. Shao Xi is in love at first sight and remains in love with tunnel vision only looking at Li Zheng. Li Zheng refuses to acknowledge his feelings and we have to watch unnecessary problems stop them from confessing. Luckily, we have two second leads who are fun. The rest of the characters are throwaways.
The one good thing I took from this drama was the song Close to You (They Long To Be). I never heard of it before, but they played it so many times that it got stuck in my head.
As for rewatch value, I'll give it a zero. There is nothing in this drama that stuck out to me. Most of their cute moments together are done better in other dramas.
I recommend this to people who like watching romance filled with cutesy moments. Though I did not like the drama or relationship, I can see why other people would find it enjoyable. I will say get ready to press the skip button because there is a lot of nothing happening in this drama and 15 episodes will feel like 50.
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The plot follows Dong Jin, a military dog handler a few weeks away from his discharge, who doesn't seem quite fit for the military because he's far too opinionated and doesn't know how to listen to authority. He wants to quietly leave before his discharge, but unfortunately, he is called on a mission after someone goes missing. Cue the cool lurking monster and a suspenseful thriller mystery? Unfortunately, no.
Even in the first episode, I found myself underwhelmed and was waiting for something interesting to happen with this concept, but it's never more than an average horror thriller. The not-zombies of this world (I call them that because the drama is constantly reminding us that they aren't zombies, but they don't do anything unique with them to distinguish them from zombies either) are not interesting, or well utilized in this, and that's because they feel more like an afterthought to make another storyline that was set years prior before the events with Dong Jin thrilling.
I never really brought into these two storylines that the writers were trying to tie together, not individually or together. The writers don't get the chance to properly flesh them out because they are focusing on both, and these two storylines are connected by the thinnest thread. I was probably 7-8 episodes in, wondering if one of the storylines was necessary before its connection became clear, and even still, it felt forced. There's a huge part of me that thinks if the not-zombies were taken out, and they had focused on the initial events prior as the mystery, along with the corruption within the military which would work perfectly with Dong Jin's character, who didn't fit in the army because he wasn't good with following authority, then this would be twenty times better. I guess that just goes to show how lackluster I thought the not-zombies were.
But ultimately, what Search lacks mostly comes down to execution. This plot is something best made for a film, not a 10-hour plus drama. It's stretched incredibly thin at times, to the point that there are really dull boring moments throughout the show with the characters meandering about in an equally boring small town. The romance is another thing that is boring, but it's mostly because it feels unnecessary, and without it, the story wouldn't have changed. Nothing is particularly thrilling or mysterious because of how the story is told. We practically know everything from the first few episodes, so the mystery is gone there. And everything else is pretty predictable. The not-so zombies lost their thrills pretty quickly.
I thought the cast was good, and everyone did a good job. It's just that their characters are dull. Despite having 10 episodes, and ample enough time to flesh them out, considering the many moments of practically nothing happening, they don't give these characters much more than basic one-note characteristics, and it shows. It's hard to connect to them, and even their interactions with one another seem slightly stunted. Dong Jin is the only character who has more than the basic one-note characteristics. But unfortunately, I never truly connected to him, nor did I ever truly fear for his life or the other people there. Plot armor was working great for them in the beginning of the drama, and despite them being in close quarters with some of the not-zombies, it seemed that all they liked to do was throw and toss people around, making the not-zombies effectively lose their thrills and lowering the stakes.
Search's greatest offense is that it adds nothing to the horror-thriller genre. It's does everything that other horror thrillers have done before, but not better. Technically, it's not terrible, but because it's so incredibly average despite having a cool concept, it made it terrible for me.
Overall, Search is just best described as average. This should have never been more than a 2-hour long movie or a 3-episode mini-series because the story doesn't have enough meat to push past that. The not-zombies are not interesting enough, nor are they horrifying or mysterious. Watching them go through the forest searching for them, over and over again, was boring. Search has an interesting premise but is poorly executed.
I recommend this for people who aren't too familiar with the horror-thriller genre. It will feel like a new fresh concept to you, and you'll probably enjoy it. But for those who follow OCN dramas, or are fans of thrillers and horror in general, this will probably just be okay to you.
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It's really SLOW. Like extremely slow and sometimes I found myself skipping scenes to the point that it was painful. I probably only saw 60% of the drama because of me skipping. I really wished that the story would just get to the point sometimes.
This is not saying that the drama is bad. It's not but I like fast paced dramas and this definitely wasn't one. So if your like me too then this might not be the drama for you.
The cast is good. It isn't much to say about them but I will say that I became a huge fan of Kwon Sang Woo. I loved his character and I was more invested in his relationship with Soo Ji than the main couple. Soo Ji and Yoon Ho Jae (Kwon Sang Woo) had an awesome relationship and half of me wished that they were the main couple. I felt that there story was way more interesting to see and they were the best thing about this drama.
Also it's takes the main couple a long time to actually get together, so that also contributes to why I say it's slow.
As for the rewatch value it's low for me. I do not see myself watching this drama again. I would only go back to see the moments between Soo Ji and Yoon Ho Jae.
Overall, I think if you're a fan of Chae Rim, So Ji Sub, or Kwon Sang Woo then you'll enjoy the drama. I won't say that'll you love it but I definitely think you'll enjoy it.
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Most dramas give you a fantasy idea of love that we don’t often see in real life. The rich guy falling for the poor girl or the asshole becoming nice because he’s in love. We get the handholding, piggyback rides, and back hugs. And we almost always only see the leads falling in love, rarely do we see the real problems that come after the relationship has started. They don’t show the ugly parts of love like miscommunication, or no communication at all, selfishness, bad timing, the clash of different personalities, and the input of family and friends. Once the honeymoon period is over, and you’re no longer enamored with a person, that’s when you start to see your partner for who they truly are. You see all of their flaws and have to make the decision of whether or not to accept them.
This is what Something in the Rain does, but it’s safe to say that most people like realism when people are falling in love, not when they are falling out of love. We loved watching the leads Joon Hee and Jin-ah fall in love in slow motion, but when the writer and director asked us to watch their relationship fall apart in slow motion, most people did not like it.
With the story, it presents you a realistic portrayal of love, a realistic portrayal of people by allowing them to be flawed, and a realistic portrayal of a matriarch family. It sounds perfect, but to a certain extent it becomes a detriment. We’ve seen the mom who opposes the relationship many times before in other dramas, that even though it’s realistic, it comes off as a cliché in this. It also doesn’t help that Jin-ah’s mom is unbearable. I recommend that if you decide to watch this that you watch it understanding collectivist culture which means family comes before personal desires. So, though it may seem ridiculous that a 30-year-old woman is listening to her mom, many women just like her have to live through this. It’s just a difference of culture. That being said, it doesn’t make Jin-ah’s mom any less annoying.
The cast and characters are great. Son Ye Jin and Jung Hae In are incredible in their roles and display a perfect chemistry that their relationship feels real. Both of their characters are very realistic and flawed, but this once again can be a detriment, because they are so painfully flawed that you can end up hating them, especially Jin-ah who is the most flawed character in this drama. I appreciated her realism, but I did not like that she seemed to regress as a character instead of growing. I felt that she did not change at all in the second half nor learned from many of her mistakes and that was disappointing.
The pacing of this drama is very slow, but in a good way. It takes its time showing our leads fall in love and because the actors are so good and have so much chemistry the pacing doesn’t feel slow at all. Many people have complained that the pacing gets slower in the second half, but in actuality it’s the same pacing, it just feels slower because the leads are no longer falling in love but facing difficulties that can be annoying to watch.
My problem with this drama more so is with its ending because it was unearned. Despite how annoying Jin-ah and her mom were, it wouldn’t have bothered me as much if we had gotten the pay off with the ending, not with a happy ending or a sad one, but a realistic one. Instead we were given an unearned one that did not go with the realistic storytelling in the beginning.
Overall, I think the writing, directing, and acting was amazing. Though there were problems in the narrative, I thought the level of writing had stayed consistent and whether or not you like it is based on whether or not you enjoy realistic portrayals of love including the ugly parts. I just wasn’t a fan of the ending. I loved the music and the way it matches the warm mood of the drama that the director created.
I only recommend watching this if you like realistic portrayals of love, if not, you’ll only find this infuriating in the end. If you don’t like slow pacing, I definitely don’t recommend this.
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There isn't much to say about the cast. I know some people notice that Micky Yoochun's younger brother Park Yoo Hwan stars in this drama. I believe he did a good job but it wasn't much to say about his acting. It's not much to say about the cast as a whole either because I feel like I didn't get to know them very well individually. I honestly wish the boy band was a little bit smaller so I could have connected with them more.
I will say that it might be a waste of time for some at the end. At the time it was airing they weren't getting enough ratings so they had to wrap things up in 14 episodes instead of 16. Let me tell you that they didn't do a good job of wrapping everything up at all. There are a LOT of questions unanswered.
I wouldn't re-watch it again because it almost seems pointless since everything wasn't wrapped up properly.
If you want to watch something to pass by the time and get a cute little romance then I think this drama is for you. But if you're someone who hates when dramas don't tie up story lines properly then you'll hate it.
I do believe if they finished the drama with sixteen episodes then I would have given it a better review. The drama isn't that amazing in the first place but it held it's own. It's a shame because the drama was actually somewhat good.
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The one thing that makes Dream High great is the ability to keep you wanting more at the end of each episode. You really want to see these characters follow their dreams. You want to see who's going to debut and of course who's going to have the necklace next. Every episode had me wanting more.
The music is great and of course the dancing. It's fun to watch them sing especially since they all have so many great voices and talents.
The characters are all fun to watch and you have a great cast. Some of their acting skills are not the best but they still held their own. I loved Sam Dong. I was surprised by turns that some characters took (Pil Sook, Hye Mi, and Baek Hee) during the drama. I liked watching the change with these characters. Jason and Pil Sook are just adorable to watch on screen. They were both my favorite characters.
The story wasn't beyond but because of the cast and the music made the show good. They had some cheesy moments but this type inspirational drama needed just that.
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The story is fairly simple and somewhat typical. The female lead, Wei Wei works at the same company with her boyfriend, Hao Yi, who she has been in a relationship with for three years. Their relationship is going well and they love each other, but all of that changes when she meets Ke Huan, a guy who makes her reevaluate her relationship with her boyfriend. They meet, they fall for each other, but of course, they can’t be together. Cue the sparks, the hot scenes, and the love affair. Right?
I’m going to be honest. If that’s what you’re looking for, then this drama isn’t it. There are some *hot* scenes, but don’t expect much from them. At times, it seemed like the writers were afraid of making the leads go there. A part of me thinks they were afraid of Wei Wei being seen in a bad light, despite the fact that she crosses the line many times in the drama anyway. Because of their refusal to have Wei Wei do anything, the story stops around episode 5. And let me set this straight. I don’t think this drama necessarily needed an affair. I’ve seen many dramas handle affairs in great ways without the leads ever having sex with each other. But unfortunately, Before We Get Married isn’t one of them. For starters, BWGM’s plot is pretty weak to begin with because it only hinges on an affair alone. The characters barely have goals outside their relationships, so the show focuses on nothing else. This becomes obvious halfway through because when Wei Wei starts to go into denial, the story stops as well. And when I say it stops, I mean it feels like we hit a wall. Nothing changes; the characters talk and argue about the same thing, the conflict is the same and the dialogue is too. At one point, I thought to myself that they needed more episodes, but then I realized it wasn’t that they need more episodes, but the writers should have done a better job exploring the story with the time they had. But they don’t, and so the drama drags. This drama would have been better off with 9 to 10 episodes.
That leads me to the characters. Majority of them are very one-note and bland. And that’s including our leads too. Luckily, these characters are depicted with good actors like Jasper and Puff, who really deliver amazing chemistry with each other. They alone sell this drama, along with the character of Wei Wei’s best friend, Ke Fei. She was refreshing and when the drama started to drag, her scenes gave life to some of the boring episodes. As for Zi Yuan, Ke Huan’s fiancé, and Hao Yi, they were extremely one-dimensional characters and there wasn’t much to work with there. Zi Yuan was a pyscho, to put it plainly. And it actually annoyed me that the writers didn’t try to give her any depth whatsoever. It felt like I was watching a lakorn, but Zi Yuan lacks all the crazy fun qualities a Nang Rai has. Hao Yi is made out to be a much worse boyfriend than he actually is. And in the last episode, his character makes a complete 180 that just annoyed me. I thought this would have been more interesting if they would have made Hao Yi and Zi Yuan more complex, but they aren't.
This drama isn’t bad, it's just disappointing. The writing doesn’t push the characters anywhere and doesn’t do anything with the good cast it has. And I think what makes it worse is that the first few episodes were really good, but then suddenly it just becomes dull and very skippable. Literally, it became Wei Wei denying her feelings, Ke Huan chasing after Wei Wei, Hao Yi being oblivious, and Zi Yuan being a pyscho every episode. It was boring and frustrating.
If you're a fan of Puff and Jasper, I recommend watching it. The first 3 or 4 episodes are fun, and the drama isn't terrible. It just somehow manages to take a plot that is entertaining and halfway through making it not entertaining and very predictable.
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