Mars
USA
These actors were nearly all completely new to me but they all did an excellent job. The characters were different from one another but their relationships were believable and felt familiar and realistic. Their growth and change was subtle but excellent.
I found myself laughing during most most episodes and I was also very impressed with the powerful lines and lessons they all contained. Each episode deals with a different issue, ranging from creepy and sexist professors and sexual harassment (#MeToo) to navigating relationship problems, and they're handled well. But it also deals with the very real issue of the culture of sexism and misogyny and the pushback against change. The show discusses fear and power and fighting back against injustice.
This webseries is both very enjoyable and also extremely relevant and important. I am very glad that there is something out there like this and I hope that it is something that will inspire and empower others.
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The best thing by far about this drama is the characters. Nearly every single one will make you fall in love with them (and also probably make you cry at some point), which is no small feat because there are quite a few important characters in this considering how short the drama actually is. I was so in love with so many of the characters by the end of the drama that I felt a tiny bit robbed to not know how every single one of their stories played out.
Be READY to fall in love with Luo Fei Fei, Bei Tang Tang, Xie Yan Ran, Chu Shang Nan, and Bai Wu Chen (and probably quite a few others).
One of the things I loved most about the characters was that you get to see so many different and fun relationships develop between all the characters, it's not just the leads that you watch grow and fall in love. There are multiple love stories, wonderful friendships (the friendship between the leading lady and the second lead lady is AMAZING), and great family and imperial relationships.
The story itself was really interesting, not a concept I have ever encountered before and it develops in a really interesting way. Though time travel is a common concept in dramas, the zodiac element made this one different. There is a ton of romance and comedy, I laughed (and giggled) a lot, but there is so much else as well, the fantasy plays an important role in the drama which I haven't always seen in every drama so that was great.
The beginning of the drama was a little rough (there were some very awkward or cringe-y bits) and some of the actors took a few episodes to stop being stiff and start being likable (which, given that it's an idol drama, wasn't shocking) but the leading lady is so adorable, funny, and cute that you pull through and it's worth it for the way the drama develops as you really get into the meat of the story.
The things that stop this drama from being just fantastically fun and fluffy, aside from the rough beginning, are the ending, which left me wanting and left a pretty big question mark, and the incredibly annoying minute or two of EVERY SINGLE EPISODE where they were literally just advertising face masks and it was just shoehorned in SO badly. But skip through those and it's bearable.
Even though the ending left me more unsatisfied the more I dwell on it and the beginning was a little rough, the interesting story and the fantastic characters made me really enjoy this fun little drama. It's fluffy and fun and cute and it will make you smile (and probably cry sometimes too).
My overall rating is higher than my rating breakdown because it kept me so interested and so many of the characters stole my heart. It's not perfect, the ending especially, but overall this drama made me smile so much.
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This series continues to utilize it's format as a web drama very well, with excellent pacing and well put together episodes that manage to discuss and deal with difficult topics in a short period of time without leaving the viewer feeling wanting. It also manages to handle the complexities of the issues in a way that emphasizes how frustrating they can be while still putting forward a positive message.
This season dealt with issues in the workplace, a good continuation from the first season, and also managed to capture the difficult nuances of workplace harassment, the complicated nature of reporting problems, and the very real issue that is the lack of support and belief in the workplace. It also demonstrated the importance of women supporting women, particularly female mentors and superiors, and the role of male peers supporting women. One message I especially liked was that you do not have to forgive someone who harasses you, especially someone who doesn't actually apologize.
"Let's try our best and become happy together."
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The first episode felt very rushed but after that the whole drama felt slow. I skipped through so much because of how boring it was. While there were a number of cute scenes, it wasn't enough to maintain the drama. The last few episodes were quite interesting and cute but getting there was such a struggle.
The Story:
Honestly, the majority of the plot can be summed up as 'girl doesn't know what her boyfriend means/is thinking but never asks him (and seems to ask everyone else).' Miscommunication is a staple in drama but this was so incredibly dull and boring and played to the point of stupidity.
The fact that Shan Shan is adorable is all that kept me watching it at first. By episode 8 I was fairly certain I wanted to drop it and at that point stuck it out purely out of stubbornness. There were some storylines that were a little more interesting but even so this drama was simply not a hit for me.
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This drama is beautiful and the acting is excellent! Jun Ji Hyun does an amazing job as Shim Cheong, she's adorable, funny, and so so lovable! She's easy to adore and the absolute best thing about this drama. Lee Min Ho does a great job as Heo Joon Jae as well, even when he's being a jerk you still have to love him. The relationships between all of the characters were interesting and fun. There is a wonderful 'found family' feel to Shim Cheong's friends.
The character I wasn't expecting was Tae Oh. Shin Won Ho manages to create the most relatable character with few word and many amazing facial expressions.
I thoroughly enjoyed most of the present day story line but honestly skipped through most of the Joseon scenes, as I found them very dull. The other thing that lessened my enjoyment of this drama was the ending, as I found it left me wanting, particularly as it had to do with the character relationships that I so enjoyed throughout the majority of the drama.
Overall, I liked it a lot while I was watching it, slightly less once I'd finished it, and I don't think this is a drama I'd choose to rewatch any time soon.
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The romance takes time to develop and I could see that being frustrating for some people but the friendship between the main characters before their relationship develops was honestly one of my favorite parts. And the volleyball parts are good too. There are some silly bits but the kind of silly that was mostly cute.
Admittedly, there were some scenes that I skipped through. In the early episodes especially. But if you're looking for something simple and cute with some good characters and fun actors, I would definitely suggest giving this drama a try.
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I haven't watched either of the other INR stories, so I can't compare how this one holds up. I only chose to watch this one because it sounded cute and people had said positive things about it. However, it fell very, very short of those expectations.
The characters weren't particularly interesting, and that made it so that the overall story was pretty dull. The story of the SML and the FL was so incredibly boring and the chemistry was NOT there at all. Which of course meant that the tension the SML was supposed to cause was also not interesting. So much of the plot was meant to center around those dynamics, it made the entire drama very slow.
I stuck it out out of sheer stubbornness but this drama was quite boring. While the leads had some cute moments, they were nowhere near enough to redeem the entire drama. For some people, the pacing and story might be exactly the kind of thing they, but this is not a drama I would personally recommend.
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Watching this amazing drama I cried. A lot. And laughed a lot. This drama had me so incredibly invested in nearly every character (except her husband). Twenty Again isn't unpredictable or cliche, though the plot may seem dry on the surface, this drama is so much more than that. Twenty Again is touching and heart-wrenching, heartwarming and fun, it's thought-provoking and the kind of thing you watch and want to share.
When I finished this drama, I could not stop talking about it - to my mother, to my friends, even though none of them watch dramas. I am in my mid-twenties and this drama made me stop and think about if I am living the way I want to be living. It gave me pause and gave me hope. So much of this drama touched my heart.
Twenty Again is one of the best dramas I have ever watched. I did not come into it with any expectations, but this blew me away. I genuinely cannot recommend Twenty Again enough.
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The people who really steal the show are Qi Ruifeng, Xiang Yang Yang, and Tang Yi Bai's mom. All of them were fantastic in every scene they were in. I ended up very attached to Qi Ruifeng and Xiang Yang Yang and their story line (I adore them and could rewatch their scenes pretty much forever).
The acting and cast were PHENOMENAL and I really can't wait to see all of these actors in so many more things. It does not hurt that there are a number of very attractive people throughout. Even the characters who only show up for a few episodes, like Lin Hao Yang, were amazing.
Admittedly, I didn't care as much for every story line, while most of the story was excellent and very well done, I found myself really not caring as much about the second male lead's whole deal, and the second time I watched this drama I skipped through those parts, just focusing on the swimming focused story lines, but even so overall the story is extremely worth watching. Even as a youth/sports drama, I've never watched another drama quite like it.
Honestly, this drama is just so incredibly sweet and absolutely worth watching. I hope to encounter more like it, but until then I'll probably just keep coming back and rewatching the story lines I loved.
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This drama starts off very cute and funny, with a bunch of great characters with distinct and well written personalities. I really enjoyed how character driven the drama was and how episodes were fun and seemed to fly by. If the drama had stayed that way I would have given it a great rating.
Unfortunately, the story takes a severe turn to incredibly cliche and VERY angsty. Nearly everything that made me enjoy this drama seemed to be replaced by scenes that were draggy, depressing, and cliche. Ultimately, I actually wish there had been a place that would have made sense as a "season end" to stop watching at.
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