odetodramas
1) Crude Play. I loved the fictional band in The Liar and His Lover. I loved their friendship and the storyline about their struggle with their company. I also liked their songs and listened to them on Spotify for weeks after the show. They're still on my playlist. (Also, Kim Sung Joo plays the lead singer, which led me to discover his kpop/cpop group UNIQ.)
2) Shi Hyun (the aforementioned Kim Sung Joo) and Soo Yeon's storyline is SO CUTE and I have rewatched their clips on YouTube before.
3) I recall liking Yoo Na's storyline a lot. It was very emotional and I thought Hong Seo Young did a great job.
4) Most disappointing was the leads and their relationship. So Rim (Joy's character) was kind of silly and foolish, and Han Kyeol (Lee Hyun Woo) was a dummy. And then you had to feel bad for poor Chan Yeong because he was totally talented and deserved a chance to succeed.
So I wouldn't say this drama is a waste of time - I would totally watch the Crude Play and Shi Hyun/Soo Yeon parts again.
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I have no memory of the music so I just gave that a generic 5.0.
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I felt compelled to skip ahead because I felt ambivalent towards the main characters and wasn't sold on their relationship/chemistry. Fan Shu Chen felt a little too self-righteous, and Lin Zi Yu felt a little too pitiful/sad. I'm not saying that Lin Zi Yu was a pushover - she definitely stood up for herself and others! Of what I saw, I didn't feel there was *unnecessary or ridiculous* drama, conflicts, or misunderstandings. (But it could have happened in the 17 episodes I skipped.)
The other reasons I skipped the middle portion involve the rivalry between the two public relations firms that is one of the central storylines, as well as a villainous character whose storyline I wish had gone in a different direction. There were some plot developments that felt clunky or contrived.
That being said, I really liked the friendship between the male lead and his three best friends. They each had storylines relating to their careers and relationships, and were genuinely loyal and supportive of each other. I would consider going back and skimming through the episodes for the storylines of the two female friends.
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There's a secondary storyline with Tsuzuru and Uta, and it worked really well to add contrast & to inspire nostalgia for the leads. The supporting characters are memorable, too. Yae's colleague Taro, Harumichi's sister and best friend, Yae's mother. Even Tsunemi, who I was prepared to dislike, was ultimately quite relatable.
The ending was satisfying, although I do wish that we'd seen some of the supporting characters one last time. I'm rating this so high because it brought me joy & succeeded in the story it wanted to tell.
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Although it's one of the most intriguing aspects of the story, the drama doesn't explore the city ruled by women vs city ruled by men until the end. Instead, the story mostly centers around who will become the next City Master, and the contenders are Chen Qian Qian and Chen Chu Chu. Chu Chu is adopted and feels like despite being more skilled and working harder, their mother will always favor Qian Qian, who is always getting into trouble. Meanwhile, the oldest sister Chen Yuan Yuan is disregarded in the running entirely because she is disabled. I really dislike Yuan Yuan's storyline, and wanted to see other characters acknowledge that her disability didn't make her useless, that she still had her strengths and could be the next City Master.
Han Shuo and Qian Qian were fun to watch for most of the drama. Han Shuo trying to win Qian Qian over was cute, and the dynamic between their two right hand men was also hilarious. But in the end, Qian Qian falls for the same old tired drama cliche and hurts him to save him. Come on! As a drama writer, she should know that always backfires. The worst part is when Han Shuo attempts to sexually assault Qian Qian. This is never addressed afterwards, Han Shuo never apologizes and it's like this terrible, traumatic incident never happened??? I'm so disturbed by this.
I had planned to rate this higher because overall it's creative, funny, and original, but I just can't overlook the red flags.
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The biggest surprise for me was the humor and how much I loved the supporting characters. Ning Yuan Zhou's team of Yuan Lu, Sun Lang, Qian Zhao, and Yu Shisan are absolute treasures. (In the scene where they first assemble and walk out together surrounding Ning Yuan Zhou, I called them Journey's F4, haha.) Fang Yilun (Alen Fang) as Yu Shisan is this drama's biggest scene stealer--I've seen him in several other dramas and he's never been as memorable as he is here, even when he's played the lead. His comedic delivery is impeccable but he also nails the emotional scenes. Yang Ying has another memorable character arc, although I didn't completely vibe with He Lan Dou's portrayal. Chu Yue is another surprising gem of a character; another female character who bravely pursues what she wants and defies the expectation to simply become someone's wife.
My only gripe is that although every other character is well-developed, someone really dropped the ball on Li Tongguang. Li Tongguang is a central character in the drama, yet his character arc is constantly one step forward, three steps back. Just when you think he's finally overcome his obsession, he does WHAT??? It completely took me out of the story because it felt so out of place. His last story arc also made no sense?! Chang Hua Sen played the role well though and is certainly on my radar now.
As for the ending, I'm fine with it but perplexed by the character they decided to focus on in the final scene.
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I watched this in two days, driven by the fast pacing and intensity. Choi Tae Ho, Hyeon Joo, Yang Jung, Doo Young, and Da Min were all so lovable. The entire cast was amazing, and Park Sung Woong plays a very formidable villain which made it a high stakes story. Although I fast-forwarded through the violence sometimes I did feel like the fights were choreographed and executed really well. The reason why my rating is lower is for two reasons:
1) It's sometimes baffling when the good guys underestimate the threat they're up against. Some of them should've known better!
2) The plot of the last two episodes was underwhelming (but bless those red shorts & training scenes). Choi Si Won's character especially felt like a missed opportunity; he really fell flat.
But overall, so glad I watched this because I'm an even bigger fan of Woo Do Hwan and Lee Sang Yi now.
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Live Your Life explores themes of friendship, pursuing career goals, relationships with parents, finding love, and letting go of the past. I liked most of the main characters but I wasn't necessarily a fan of their storylines. The middle part of this drama really dragged and then towards the end, a lot happened at such a fast pace. Also, the series begins by introducing a car accident, and I had expected it to be addressed earlier in the drama—but at least it wasn’t used in a melodramatic way.
Cai Wen Jing (aka Elvira Cai) is pretty charming and only occasionally cringey as the spirited and determined Wu You, while Lin Yu Shen's He Xi Ya is more serious and unbending. Although I usually like bickering/dislike to mutual respect/friendship to love narratives, I never felt invested in these two as a couple. The balcony scene towards the beginning really made me laugh out loud but there aren’t many scenes later in the drama that stand out. I cringed when they spoke to each other affectionately. The most fun part of their storyline is when He Xiao Yu is introduced at episode 17—he’s such a bright and funny character, and I loved his interactions with both Wu You and He Xi Ya. I also liked He Xi Ya’s friend and colleague Liang Kuai but it’s too bad he’s only used for comic relief!
As for the rest of the friends, Lu Man's character was too over-the-top and Tu Bing sometimes got on my nerves. But at least she was a rich heiress who is actually interested in working hard and pursued her own goals. I *loved* her love interest Lin Qing, who is played by Zhou Ting Wei (I recognized him as Mu Ci from Ashes of Love!). These two actually have a similar bickering/dislike to mutual respect to love path, but their storyline was so cliched (and rushed) at the end.
I ended up skimming through the storylines of the other two main characters. I really liked Qian Jia Yi (played by Jane Cheng)—she’s the marketing director at the same company Wu You works at, and is smart and confident. (Love her hair, too!) Her storyline explores ideas about marriage and having children, and I really liked her perspective but I truly despised her love interest (and his cousin!!!). Jia Yi is resolute in her choices and lifestyle and has a strong personality, but I think over time she could've slowly changed a little as a trusting relationship formed. He claims to accept her as she is but has his own agenda (for example, "accidentally" bumping into his friend). Lastly, Su Fei live streams her own show and she was a very loyal friend but I just wasn’t interested in her storyline. I’m also not a fan of a certain character tricking her into moving into their house, but at least she calls them out on it!
Overall, this wasn’t the worst modern c-drama but it just wasn’t memorable.
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You Are My Glory is so sweet and drama-free. It's a breath of fresh air to see characters nearing 30 and having a mature relationship, facing relatable struggles. The story focuses solely on Yu Tu and Jing Jing with no side plots. The supporting cast is filled with really likable characters that helped make this drama more fun, like Yu Tu's friend Zhai Liang and Jing Jing's manager and assistant. Much of Yu Tu's storyline is about his dream of exploring space, which was very inspiring.
Dilraba really shines as Jing Jing and I think this is my favorite role of hers. She tends to lean into being cutesy but in this drama, strikes the right balance. Jing Jing is quick-witted and funny, but also a genuine and straightforward person. I liked that there are a lot of really fun moments that aren't overdramatized. I've never impressed by Yang Yang's acting but find him well-suited for a restrained, pensive character like Yu Tu.
Initially I thought, another gaming drama? But this drama didn't remind me of any other gaming dramas that I've watched! I don't know anything about games like the one they play in the first part of this drama (don't worry, gaming isn't the focus of the entire drama!) but I still found this storyline to be surprisingly captivating! It's so cute to see Jing Jing working hard to practice playing the game and Yu Tu training her.
It's so nice that there are no annoying drama cliches here - no love triangle, no parents disapproving, etc. Instead there are a lot of nice, smaller moments that are funny or delightful or moving. In a few scenes I found the writing/scene set-up questionable, like maybe it made sense on paper (in the novel), but seeing it unfold on screen felt unrealistic. Overall, this drama brought me a lot of joy!
P.S. Love the cameo by Janice Wu!
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I enjoy these sorts of melodramas with love triangles/squares, revenge plots, business rivalries, family secrets—a lot of dramatic twists and turns—but it's because there's at least one redeeming part of the drama, usually the romance between the leads. In this drama, there's really nothing redeeming. The relationship between the two leads is fleeting and flimsy; she's the overly kind-hearted, self-sacrificing female lead who you end up pitying, while he's the calculating male lead who over and over again makes choices that hurt her, but in his mind he justifies it has having "no choice", owing someone else, or that his choice is what's best for her, too. Even up to the point I had watched, I was already rooting against him, and it only gets WORSE. The female lead says so herself at one point: she is constantly being used in other people's schemes and plans, the only person kept in the dark about what's truly going on. I was almost rooting for the second male lead instead, but he essentially treats her the same way.
The way this drama ends doesn't feel earned, and I truly despised Tang Guo Er. I would only recommend this if you are looking for a dramatic plot without caring about any of the characters.
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To be honest, I ignored Woo Shik and Soo Jin's storyline altogether because I just didn't care about them at all. They never became likable to me. The other storyline I dislike was Yi Jin's. She aggressively stalks him and it wasn't cute or endearing!
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First of all, I pretty much skipped all of the childhood scenes and flashbacks. I understood that their purpose is emphasizing the deep brother-sister bond between Jiang Sheng (Sun Yi) and Liang Sheng (Ma Tian Yu), but I just cared about the present-day events. In the beginning of the story, Jiang Sheng is a spirited and hard-working college student (with her brother) and I love the way her relationship with Tian You (Wallace Chung) begins and develops. It was surprisingly light and funny! Unfortunately, the three of them end up separated and there are multiple characters scheming against their reconciliation. A miserable back-and-forth fills the rest of the drama, but I couldn't stop watching because I had to know what happens.
It's difficult to say which character is the worst... is it Liang Sheng's girlfriend Wei Yang (played by Zoey Meng), who is possessive and jealous of how much he cares about his SISTER? Or is it Tian You's brother Tien En (played by Alan Yu), who bullies Jiang Sheng behind Tian You's back and then pretends to be innocent in front of him? Wei Yang's behavior is especially apparent when compared to Tian You, who supports the siblings being reunited and gives them space. Meanwhile, Tian En does his best to force Jiang Sheng to leave his brother and I hate that he never truly apologizes to Jiang Sheng. Liang Sheng annoyed me as well because he doesn't listen to what Jiang Sheng tells him and tries to make decisions for her. Why did he even keep Wei Yang by his side all those years??
This drama really pulls out a lot of ~dramatic events~ and I swear every other storyline involved someone being in the hospital. Some kind of accident was always occurring: car, fire, falling, serious medical conditions... Yikes. Towards the end I was confused by why Jiang Sheng was just going along with everyone else's plans and not speaking up about what she wanted. There were some bizarre situations and then all of a sudden another accident occurred and everything was resolved.
Jiang Sheng's friends had storylines as well and I liked how close they remained over the years, but ultimately I was here for the Jiang Sheng and Tian You scenes, which I would actually re-watch.
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Ji Chang Wook shines in the action scenes as “Healer”, made me laugh out loud as the scaredy-cat Bong Soo, and also captured the vulnerability and sadness of Jung Hoo. Park Min Young played the courageous, principled young reporter perfectly, and I loved her relationship with her dad. I loved every scene between Jung Hoo and Yeong Shin. Also, the hacker lady was a real scene-stealer.
If I had to point out some weaknesses I’d say that I thought Detective Yoon would be a bigger part of the story, but he disappeared there toward the end. Also, things wrapped up so quickly in the end. But overall, I enjoyed this so much.
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I thought I'd need to skim through the high school part, as I'm just too far removed from that time in my life to want to watch a drama about it, but there was some surprising depth there as the characters worked hard in their studies, figured out what they wanted to do in the future, faced bullying, and experienced first loves. The female lead Qiao Yi's (played by Janice Wu) childhood story/family history was especially heartbreaking and moving. Zhang Yu Jian playing a high school student seemed a little far-fetched to me, but I think he pulled it off decently. I laughed so hard every time his character, Yan Mo, smiled. The various relationships in the drama are so well-developed, and not only the romantic ones but Qiao Yi and her twin brother Guan Chao, Qiao and her best friend Wu Yi, Yan Mo and his 'uncle' Da Chuan.
There's only one slight thing that annoyed me, and it's that their separation could've been avoided, especially when Qiao Yi made a certain decision at one point. Why bother making such a halfhearted attempt??? It drove me crazy. Aside from that, Le Coup de Foudre is a really pleasant drama to watch.
P.S. The cloudy/hazy effect overlaid on some of the scenes was so annoying.
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I hadn't seen a drama with Song Joong Ki before, but he played the charming and brave Yoo Shi Jin so perfectly. I am officially a huge fan of him now. The friendship between Yoo Shi Jin and Seo Dae Yeong is so precious and funny and I wish they had more scenes together. For the romance in this drama, I am not a big fan of Song Hye Kyo and I didn't care for her character Dr. Kang Mo Yeon. I only rooted for her and Yoo Shi Jin because I loved the latter so much. BUT I did adore Kim Ji Won as Yoon Myung Ju and I was constantly waiting for more scenes with her and Seo Dae Yeong.
For both of the romance storylines, the story was pretty repetitive and the drama only feels so fast-paced because of all the action. It was sometimes too fast-paced with one disaster following another way too quickly and then being resolved just as quickly. It's unfortunate that many of Yoon Myung Ju and Seo Dae Yeong's most interesting moments were in the flashbacks but I am grateful for those. There are definitely moments that seemed so unrealistic, especially in some of the medical scenes.
The supporting cast was pretty strong. I loved Private Kim Gi Bum and Dr. Kang Mo Yeon's Urk team. I'm a fan of SHINee and I was impressed by Onew's performance as well as the depth of his character's storyline. Dr. Song and Ha Ja Ae were so cute.
The ending was super bizarre though and the last story arc felt so rushed so that was disappointing, but there are still enough moments that I loved for this to leave a good impression on me.
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