lovegrace24
A Lighthearted and Enjoyable Show!
I have been waiting to write a review for this show, so now that I'm finally done I'm excited to do so.
Story: 7/10
Frankly speaking, this show is very on-brand with the current wave of Booktok-esque shows that have been coming out. It has lots of well-loved tropes: strangers-to-lovers, marriage of convenience, found family, and onwards. The premise of the show is interesting but nothing new--two strangers that get married for convenience. Even the subplots have a lot of familiar plots and cliches---enemies-to-lovers, rich-girl-rich-guy, and onwards. The show actually makes fun of its own cliches at different points, which adds to the lightheartedness of the show.
There are some more serious subplots, too, though which make the comedy more fun I find. There are plots about family abuse, foster family, what family really means. There is one quote I liked, which is when the FL states to the ML regarding her mother "just like you can like someone with loving them, you can love someone without liking them." I think it hits the nail on the head about one of the central themes of the show.
To be honest, overall, this show isn't anything really ground-breaking which is why I've only given it a 7 despite really enjoying the more "heavy" subplots too. The plot twists are all very easy to guess, which can get frustrating if you're used to watching heavier shows where you have to analyze or guess twists. I enjoy shows where I have to guess, too, but this was a relaxing change. Also, without giving spoilers, I must say that I found the last episode very rushed. I was hoping we could get more closure on some of the side couples' upcoming changes, the changing family dynamics, etc. I think if it had been 14 episodes instead of 12 we might have better closure. But that's okay too.
Acting/Cast: 8/10
I know I always say this, but I really enjoyed the acting of most of the characters on this show! Starting with the leads, this is the second show I've watched of Shin Min Ah's (the first being Hometown Cha Cha Cha) and I honestly have no notes. I love her comedic timing and her cute smile, along with how she deals more fierce lines and her emotional scenes. She's really a wonderful actress.
As for Kim Young Dae, this is the second show of his that I've watched to the end (the first being Penthouse seasons 1-3). To be honest, I tried to watch Shooting Stars but really coudn't due to the off-putting plot and his acting. I had my hopes up but unfortunately, I really did not like Kim Young Dae's acting in this show. His expressions are very stiff, he seems to have the same tone of speech in every scene regardless of the emotions his character is going through. I did find his crying scenes very good and his startled expressions in comedic scenes good, but in terms of classic rom-com ML energy, I didn't really get that.
In terms of chemistry between the leads, I disagree with people who said the age gap was too big. I don't think the age gap was the problem at all, I think both actors look good together. However, I think with KYD's acting being so stiff that SMA had to carry the show especially in their romantic scenes which was definitely a let down.
As for the side characters, I enjoyed everyone's acting. I really liked the acting of Lee Sang Yi in his role as the rich CEO (I've previously watched him in Hometown Cha Cha Cha, Bloodhounds, and more), I think his expressions and comedic timing are really good. I also enjoyed the portrayal of the characters of Ha-Jun, U-Jae, Hui-Seong, and onwards. I did have a bit of a hard time with Han Ji Hyun's acting (who plays Yeon Bo Ra / Nam Ja Yeon), I found she was also stiff at times and her line delivery wasn't always the best. But I also really liked her in comedic scenes and enjoyed her romantic chemistry with LSY's character.
Music: 8/10
I say this on all of my reviews, but I'm not really an OST person. The music was enjoyable, so 8/10.
Rewatch Value: 8/10
Full disclosure, I'm not really the type that re-watches shows, so it's always hard for me to give a rating in this category. But that being said, this show was fun to watch and a nice break from my day-to-day life. I also plan to watch the spin-off with the second leads. So, there's a good chance I may come back and re-watch it someday.
And that's all! As always, no hate to any of the actors or team members, these are just my opinions :)
Story: 7/10
Frankly speaking, this show is very on-brand with the current wave of Booktok-esque shows that have been coming out. It has lots of well-loved tropes: strangers-to-lovers, marriage of convenience, found family, and onwards. The premise of the show is interesting but nothing new--two strangers that get married for convenience. Even the subplots have a lot of familiar plots and cliches---enemies-to-lovers, rich-girl-rich-guy, and onwards. The show actually makes fun of its own cliches at different points, which adds to the lightheartedness of the show.
There are some more serious subplots, too, though which make the comedy more fun I find. There are plots about family abuse, foster family, what family really means. There is one quote I liked, which is when the FL states to the ML regarding her mother "just like you can like someone with loving them, you can love someone without liking them." I think it hits the nail on the head about one of the central themes of the show.
To be honest, overall, this show isn't anything really ground-breaking which is why I've only given it a 7 despite really enjoying the more "heavy" subplots too. The plot twists are all very easy to guess, which can get frustrating if you're used to watching heavier shows where you have to analyze or guess twists. I enjoy shows where I have to guess, too, but this was a relaxing change. Also, without giving spoilers, I must say that I found the last episode very rushed. I was hoping we could get more closure on some of the side couples' upcoming changes, the changing family dynamics, etc. I think if it had been 14 episodes instead of 12 we might have better closure. But that's okay too.
Acting/Cast: 8/10
I know I always say this, but I really enjoyed the acting of most of the characters on this show! Starting with the leads, this is the second show I've watched of Shin Min Ah's (the first being Hometown Cha Cha Cha) and I honestly have no notes. I love her comedic timing and her cute smile, along with how she deals more fierce lines and her emotional scenes. She's really a wonderful actress.
As for Kim Young Dae, this is the second show of his that I've watched to the end (the first being Penthouse seasons 1-3). To be honest, I tried to watch Shooting Stars but really coudn't due to the off-putting plot and his acting. I had my hopes up but unfortunately, I really did not like Kim Young Dae's acting in this show. His expressions are very stiff, he seems to have the same tone of speech in every scene regardless of the emotions his character is going through. I did find his crying scenes very good and his startled expressions in comedic scenes good, but in terms of classic rom-com ML energy, I didn't really get that.
In terms of chemistry between the leads, I disagree with people who said the age gap was too big. I don't think the age gap was the problem at all, I think both actors look good together. However, I think with KYD's acting being so stiff that SMA had to carry the show especially in their romantic scenes which was definitely a let down.
As for the side characters, I enjoyed everyone's acting. I really liked the acting of Lee Sang Yi in his role as the rich CEO (I've previously watched him in Hometown Cha Cha Cha, Bloodhounds, and more), I think his expressions and comedic timing are really good. I also enjoyed the portrayal of the characters of Ha-Jun, U-Jae, Hui-Seong, and onwards. I did have a bit of a hard time with Han Ji Hyun's acting (who plays Yeon Bo Ra / Nam Ja Yeon), I found she was also stiff at times and her line delivery wasn't always the best. But I also really liked her in comedic scenes and enjoyed her romantic chemistry with LSY's character.
Music: 8/10
I say this on all of my reviews, but I'm not really an OST person. The music was enjoyable, so 8/10.
Rewatch Value: 8/10
Full disclosure, I'm not really the type that re-watches shows, so it's always hard for me to give a rating in this category. But that being said, this show was fun to watch and a nice break from my day-to-day life. I also plan to watch the spin-off with the second leads. So, there's a good chance I may come back and re-watch it someday.
And that's all! As always, no hate to any of the actors or team members, these are just my opinions :)
Was this review helpful to you?
