The first two episodes were nice, the story started good and at the end we were given a side-plot that looked very promising -also it was interesting to see something completely different from the cute, lighthearted main plot.-
As the episodes progressed, the problems began.. on one hand we had the queerbaiting and homophobic comments, on other hand we had the domestic violence thing; which I don't think should be a theme to laugh at. (I mean, if you're going to have it in the story, make it a way to bring awareness to it, don't use it as something that's supposed to be funny??)
More episodes in, the interesting side-plot I mentioned before turned into something completely creepy; and the contrast with the main plot was huuuge (plus if you were looking for an easy to watch, lighthearted drama, trust me this isn't it.)
And of course, to make things even worse, the fillers that no one cared about turned into another side-plot, yay! but nooo this time it didn't even make sense at all ?? you can totally take it off the drama and it won't change anything (trust me in this one, starting from ep 10 I think, I started skipping it and surprise surprise nothing changed)
Everything in this drama was a mess, the storyline got completely wrecked and by the end nothing made sense. The only thing that made me keep watching was the main couple (trust me, I included it in my otp list on tumblr) but not even that was enough to save this drama.
It's a shame such a good actors and such a cool pairing with a lot of chemistry was stuck in such an awful drama, I had a lot of expectations for this one because hell yeah a super strong woman as main character is something I wanted to watch, but, as I said earlier, not even the actors or the chemistry between them could save this for me.
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The thriller aspect with kidnapper storyline just becomes tiresome halfway through, with the usual moronic police investigation/constant mistakes in capturing the uninspired villain.
I found the comedy scenes totally unfunny and embarrassing.
The romance was ruined for me by the coy and overly cutesy acting by Park Bo Young. I am not a fan of ayego.
My biggest problem with this drama was the main female lead Do Bong Soon. I disliked her thoroughly and cannot understand how others found her likable and described her as an admirable strong woman. For me she is nothing but a two-faced, passive aggressive bully. She casually assaults people and then acts all sweet and innocent as if butter wouldn't melt. I found her hypocrisy a total turn off. She is smug and rude to her superiors at work. She bullied and assaulted people everywhere she went, if it had been a man doing these things everyone would have been up in arms . By the end of the drama I started to dislike the actress as well - as it is her portrayal not just the writing that i found so unpleasant.
Other things I did not like:-
- the contrived love triangle which went nowhere and made me question why it was introduced it in the first place.
- the way DBS mother treated her husband was totally unacceptable. If I were him I would have divorced that useless harridan in an instant.
- the main male lead's besotted act went rapidly from cute to cringe.
- the cliched depiction of the gay character.
All in all an utter disappointment I had looked forward to this drama as the 3 main leads were all on my like list but after this debacle I will have to rethink my stance.
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Cette critique peut contenir des spoilers
I honestly have no idea how I was able to continue watching until the end. *contains a lot of small details that may be spoilers. Read at your own risk.*
There are so many little details to criticize and talk about in this series that would probably take me hours to write, so I'll just pick out the most important parts and summarize it. But with the mixed reviews of high and low ratings, I understand that it depends entirely up to each person's preference and personal taste. Here's my personal take.
THE ROMANCE:
I can enjoy some cliche and endure a little bit of cringe so I was able to stomach those moments and just gobble it up as it is. I found Bong Soon and Min Hyuk's relationship at the end pretty cute despite being over the top sugar cringe for many. I personally think their relationship gradually blossomed and it was a natural (and quite predictable) course of events. I think that was the sole focus of the whole story and therefore has the most proper development. BUT, before I got to enjoy that taste, I had to endure the horrifyingly out of place and annoying love triangle. I'm a HUGE sucker for well-done love triangles, don't get me wrong, but I couldn't even bat an eye on this one even if I wanted to. The love triangle scenes got my eyes rolling I just wanted to get it over with. Gook Doo's dense character felt unnatural and was a bit hard to sympathize with. It just didn't feel right. The other characters' romance were barely given any screen time, and rightfully so cause it wasn't even... anything special. In fact it was so shallow. Some guy holds someone else's girlfriend's hand and just like that she's in love. Girl you thirsty??
THE COMEDY:
The slapstick comedy is a hit or miss and is solely reliant on each person's sense of humor. I would admit that I laughed out loud on some particular scenes, mostly on the circumstances and their facial expressions (like Min Hyuk's secretary's high-key scared expressions, or the gang in the hospital's interactions). I know my boyfriend is a huge fan of exaggerated comedy like this, and when we watched a few of the hospital scenes together (Kim Won-Hae is one of our favorite actors) he was dying on his chair. After awhile of being repetitive though, it gets tiring and unnecessarily placed in awkward transitions, so I personally skipped them because it served no actual meaning or purpose to the plot anymore. Most of the side characters are there for comic relief, and tbh some of it is actually unbearable. I think they tried to make Bong Soon's parents' relationship one of those comical gags, but the portrayal was plain domestic violence and made me feel more concerned instead of relieved. Some of the characters were also static and exaggeratedly stereotypical that their sole purpose of existence was just that, to be pointless comical background characters with no personality aside from that one trait or stereotype they were given. Other than that, they are not memorable and the plot would've still moved the same without them. It's quite sad.
THE SUSPENSE:
The first time they laid out the mystery, it seemed exciting. The president needs a bodyguard, meanwhile the neighborhood is having a dreadful serial kidnapping case. Who could this person be? Is it connected?
I was hoping there would be some grand plot twist in the end. But all we get is an underwhelmingly forgettable mystery plots. The president's mystery case had very little impact and was painfully predictable (Oh, did you say he trusts one of his brothers? You don't say...). The other mystery was also not very memorable and was there for... basically nothing?? The motives behind the culprit was just... questionable. It'll leave you asking... that's it? that's all there is to it? It was beyond underwhelming. Imagine you were having a good night sleep and dreaming of something really nice and some random drunk dude decided to wake you up. That's how aggravatingly useless the point was.
THE CHARACTERS:
Honestly, this whole series revolved only around the relationship of the two main characters Bong Soon and Min Hyuk (just their relationship, barely the character development). The rest of the characters are given one trait that you could summarize in one sentence and that was that. Gook Doo is a dense and upfront policeman who only realized he likes his childhood friend too late. The mother is an abusive b*tch whose actions are never justified and her whole character is intolerable. The father loves his daughter very much and is constantly abused for.. being a good father and hardworking husband?? The brother is a nice doctor. Gook Doo's ex being lowkey thirsty. The gay employee being... gay? Yah.
THE GAMING COMPANY:
Okay so I'm fully aware this is the most useless subplot they have that people shouldn't even pay attention to and blindly follow through, but as an artist who knows a thing or two about game development, I felt really confused and triggered about this whole subplot of Bong Soon wanting to work for a game company. She wanted to develop a game with herself as the main character. First of all, as far as I know, you can't get hired for just your ideas. You need to be able to DO something. What exactly can she do? All I see was her trying to decide on weapons of her character model by clicking the screen... I have so many questions... Is that on photoshop? What exactly are you clicking? Who drew your model? Are you the artist? Then why is she drawing with a goddamn MOUSE??? What exactly is the planning and development team? Planning sounds like project management, development sounds like programming.. but those two are usually different teams as well..? I'm a little confused.
The most accurate portrayal was Min Hyuk drawing her character on a tablet. Yes, that's how you do digital art. Wait, the president can draw--?? Is that what he contributes to the com- WHAT?
Holdup it's not even the biggest bullshit I've seen: After she pitches her game, few weeks later it's ALREADY OUT? Do these people know planning takes months and coding can take years??? How is it out alre- HOW??????
Anyway, I know these are very minor details but I would have at least appreciated if the writers did a little research on the basics of making a game or at least consult someone who works at one.
OVERALL
Overall, I think the bad outweighs the good points in this drama. There were too many things that the writers wanted to do and so they packed almost all the genres in this drama and it just became a complete chaotic mess. The main plot was underwhelming, the subplots were pointless, the characters forgettable and underdeveloped, the comedy and romance were tolerable at best. The transitions were jarring and sometimes confusing. Every theme was fighting each other to overpower the other but they all ended up mediocre and exhausted.
Halfway through I asked myself why I was still watching this, and I really thought about the answer. There was nothing that kept me going. Nothing that made me want to continue. I was simply bored.
I've given my two cents and have stated my concerns/opinions so you can figure things out on your own.
The verdict of this is drama being worth a try is entirely up to your taste.
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The strengths of this drama:
1) The actors played it very well. The main "love triangle" and the antagonist were done quite well. This is mainly because of acting ability and not due to the writing of the drama.
2) Even though common troupes were used, they touched upon it in a sensitive and realistic manner. To expand upon this point, when the second lead's girlfriend began to "waver" she did not straight up just cheat on him and his friend did not automatically turn his back on him. She was up front with her opinions to her current boyfriend. He was also hesitant to pursue anything since he was friends with her ex-boyfriend. Often times you see characters that just follow the plot and don't follow logic. My second point is the common troupe of the second lead that realizes his love too late. This is one of the most over-used plots in dramas and should be done away with. However, they added a nice touch by focusing on his anguish and how he expresses his feelings to both partners of the new couple.
My main problems with this drama:
1) The lack of defined plot. There were approximately 3 main plot lines and 6-8 side plots that were just poorly written or poorly handled. Can any viewer definitively tell me every plot and its resolution? I felt the need to skip over certain plots because they dragged on and did not have any importance or significance to the story at all. Firstly, as soon as I started watching I knew that the two leads would end up together and the second lead would get snubbed. Not even trying to change the plot line. Of course it had to be selfish rich guy that changes and cares only for her and does things behind her back until she coincidentally finds out and they fall in love. Instead of the person that she had liked for 7 years and just missed saving her by a step. Always. I could have not watched this drama at all and told you the plot "twists" and "endings." Oh wow, family issues when it shows that her mom does absolutely nothing and emotionally abuses her father? Wow, how new and insightful with 0 character development or relevance. Oh wow, it turns out she gets her powers again and instead of living in fear of using it, which she never was by the way, becomes a hero and helps people. Wow, so new.
2) The amount of random comic-relief side characters is ridiculous. The only serious characters in this story are the main three characters, the serial killer, the brother and his love interest. Every single other character was there for comic relief or not relevant enough to remember their names. I don't know what the purpose of all these characters is. And I don't understand how this drama can confuse quality characters with a hundred random useless characters. Can anyone tell me the name of the mob boss? How about the secretary's name? How about the name of the school gang leader?
3) This drama was boring. There were definitely highlights and extremely important moments to remember but the fact is that due to the mixing of multiple overall plots and the usage of comic relief characters, it takes away from the character development of the main characters and the main plot. After watching the thrilling portions of the drama, didn't you want to know what happened next? Not wait until next episode for there to be development and have to wade through a sea of nonsense and random fighting or shopping scenes. How about after a romantic scene, shouldn't there be build up towards the main plot? However, every time there was a transition between genres there was meaning lost. For example, do you remember why the murder killed the first girl? Most people will forget that important plot point cause it was submerged under a ton of other nonsense. Secondly, do you remember who was the first suspect for threatening the President (Hyunsik)? All of these major plot points become nothing once you have a hundred of them that drag on and do absolutely nothing to build upon each other.
Overall, for everyone saying this is worth watching, let me ask you this: is this a drama that you would watch again? Is this the drama you will remember in 10 years? I don't think so. There are many better dramas than this. Just because you like Hyunsik or Ji Soo or Park Bo Young does not mean this is a good drama. In my personal opinion, this was a very poorly written drama that could be fleshed out and narrowed down.
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There never really seemed to be any sense of urgency to catch the bad guy.
How inept and pointless was that police force?
The real villains of this show are the writers by keeping the character of Do Bong Soon subordinate to the male lead whom she eventually marries, which shows a severe lack of imagination for a female character with super human strength.
I expected more "girl power" and female badassery from this show.
Other than being physically attractive, I saw no reason for the leads to be together.
I lost it when the bomb transformed into a fireworks display.
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SWDBS follows Do Bong Soon, who has a supernatural ability that gives her incredible strength and it runs in the females in her family. Combine this with Park Hyung Shik as the leading male with hilarious side characters and it seems like it will be a match made in heaven. But this drama from the beginning has always suffered from tonal problems because of its other plotline that has to do with kidnapping. With one half of the show so cute and funny, it does not blend with the other half of the show that happens to be very serious. The writer had a hard time blending comedy and thriller together and the drama starts to suffer in the end because of it. Even with these problems I still believe that you will have a great time watching this drama, especially the first half but you might become frustrated towards the latter half.
It also suffers from pacing problems and at times it will linger on scenes that do not move the plot forward. And also, the kidnapping plotline itself is just not strong. There is nothing really exciting about it because everything is really obvious. The best thing about the plot itself is the romance between the two leads because everything else is not as strong.
The cast is hands down the best thing about this drama. I came in knowing that Park Bo Young will be great. She is a really good actress and I've always felt that she has been able to add a lot of depth to the characters that she is given. Park Hyung Shik was a surprise for me. I've never watched him in a drama before but after this I know I'll be watching all of his past dramas and future ones too. As we know, a lot of idols are cast in leading roles because of their popularity and looks but Park Hyung Shik is not just a handsome idol (and he is handsome!) but a really good actor and he showcases that in this drama. He had a lot of strong scenes that surprised me and I’m already looking forward to seeing him in something new. His character Min Hyuk will make your heart swoon. If you watch this and don't like the plot, I will guarantee that you'll love his character. The way he looks at Do Bong Soon will make your heart melt.
Ji Soo will be a bit of surprise for many if you seen his past work before. Ji Soo is usually the guy to give you second male lead syndrome but he definitely is not able to do that here. Unlike others, I did not have that much of a problem with the character itself. The rest of the cast is good too. They are hilarious and it’s a joy to watch them.
I will give fair warning to people. If you get offended by some jokes then this will not be the drama for you. There is a lot of gay jokes and people weren't particularly happy with the domestic abuse either (and with good reason.) So, if you are bothered by gay jokes, I wouldn't suggest watching this because they never really let up on it either. It's not just one joke but multiple ones.
Overall, I must say for myself personally I really liked this drama and though I think it started to drag towards the end, I still really enjoyed it. It's a drama that you'll have a lot of fun with. I think if you pay attention to the leads and the hilarious moments then you'll really enjoy this drama. My best recommendation is to not pay much attention to the kidnapping plot line. I really feel like it holds the drama back from being really good. Despite the story not being strong, I think a lot of people will still enjoy this drama. I think this is one of those dramas, that you have to watch without paying too much attention to the plot and just enjoy it. Because once you start to pay attention to it, it will fall apart.
That being said, if you like a swoon worthy male lead and a badass female lead who kicks ass then you'll love this drama. If you like your story strong, tight, and with good pacing then this might not be the drama for you.
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A very cute, funny, romantic and really well put together drama. The story was fluffy and dark at the same time. I really liked it. It's fun to watch. There were really funny characters. Funny scenes. And a beautiful ending.
Let's not forget about the chemistry between the two leads were fire hot... *the kiss in ep 15*
I started this drama because of Park Hyung Sik. For me he stole the spot light in 'Hwarang' and when i found out that he was the lead here. I had to watch it. And I'm glad that I did. Because he was absolutely amazing. He was cute, cocky and so so sweet. But in episode 14 he just became 100 times better. He did all the right thing with his lines, his delivery and with his expressions. I loved him in here. I love him everywhere. Just look at the guy's smile!
Same goes for Park Bo Young. This is was the first time I saw her. And I loved her. She is cute and on the money with her acting. She made this character look effortless. Her acting in ep 14 was wow.
And the new guy Jang Mi Kwan! Loved that physo killer.
The music was beautiful.
It's a beautiful drama. And you will love it. It's really funny. And really sweet but not over the top. It has a weird balance to it. That will make you love it. If you are into RomCom then this is your drama. And Park Hyung Sik looks awesome in here!
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Lots of slapstick without much growth
If you like slapstick comedy and silly misunderstandings as the basis for relationships, then this will fit the bill. This type of set-up isn't my cup of tea and I find it rather annoying because it doesn't fuel much depth or growth in or between characters. I don't mind a little, especially at the beginning of a show, but then I prefer a show to move into more meaningful interactions as characters build relationships with each other and share their stories and thoughts with us.Even with the overuse of slapstick and misunderstandings, this show could have been great if each resolution to a misunderstanding included a script with depth in which the characters share their true feelings, insights, and histories with each other. Unfortunately, the interactions and dialogue stayed very shallow. We never get to understand the characters' perspectives on their family drama, their own insecurities, or their feelings for each other. This simply isn't written into the script.
Despite the high ratings, this was a disappointment for me. I kept waiting for a deep conversation where the characters actually learn about each other, have heartfelt conversations with their families, and grow more in love, but it never came.
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Quite disappointing
Story: A love triangle mixed with gangsters & a serial murderer. A superhero theme with mediocre plot and too many unnecessary side characters. Bong soon’s character wasn’t loveable but I forgive her because she’s too cute. I love PBY but I really don’t get how she chooses her scripts. Her characters are always terrible. The only good thing about this drama is PHS/Min min. All side characters are skippable. Disgusting, even.Acting: Acting wise, they all did good. The plot is just what’s wrong with this drama. Such a letdown.
Music: nothing worth remembering.
Rewatch value: what you see on Instagram reels, short clips on YouTube or tiktok, those were the only highlights of the drama. Nothing much to see, unfortunately.
Overall: A 4-5 for me. Min min saved this drama along with bong bong’s cuteness even when she was being annoying. That’s it. I hate to review this but I felt like I wasted a day of my life from watching this. Those short clips you see online would make you look forward to this but ended up being disappointed because it has nothing much to offer. If I have to summarize the message of this drama it would be about not bullying the weak and policemen are useless.
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Cette critique peut contenir des spoilers
weak weak writing
The reason I decided to write this years after it was released and years after I watched it because I keep hearing the main characters name as the poster child of strong women. And as per usual for ranting reviews, this is pretty spoiler heavy.Romance parts were your run of the mill, cliche, tried and tested kdrama formula; it was cute, it was fun and it was light.
The rest, I had a lot of problems.
A user said that this was an easy-to-watch drama. I disagree. It was very hard for me. In fact, I rated screenwriter Baek Mi Gyeong bad after finishing this. A lot of things in drama were either plain wrong and/or used for cheap laughs.
From now on; my rant starts.
Do Bong Sun's desk at the company. What the hell was that? It was a toy desk, maybe suitable for children going to primary school or younger but no older. From my point of view, giving her that desk was the same as saying "I do not respect you or your work but I am indulging you". It was like those punishment rooms I heard about korean companies that they send people to drive them to quit. How can anyone feel respected and wanted working on a desk like that when everyone else have.. appropriate working environment?
Hospitalized gang and the school gang. Why oh why did they keep showing them? It was not funny seeing a grown man salivate and people groaning or keep getting hurt. It was definitely not sad or impactful (the way it was presented).
And the school gang.. I first thought oh she is going to reform them, teaching to be valued members of society or something. But then they kept showing them acting like delinquents; shouting, fighting gangsters, skipping school... you know, the reason she beat them (and then took them under her wings) in the first place. So, the way it was presented is like She is enabling them instead of showing her affecting her surroundings positively. Intentional?
Only time those groups were "arguably" important for the story was the first encounter of the gangsters where Min Min first saw and became intrigued about Bong Bong, and the last scenes where gangsters told them how the criminal was going to escape and that he has a sniper rifle, and when Bong Bong asked school gang to post the criminals pictures online.
All the rest of the scenes with these groups are in are either filled with saliva, pain or acts of delinquency; all of them played for cheap laughs.
And the thing is; all the rest of the time you showed us these groups could have been used to show more important things (IMO). Like Bong Gi and Hui Ji. They seemed to be more mature than our mains and I can't help but think that their story and resolution would have made the drama richer.
Or the parents. They kept showing Chil Gu bruised right until the end and at the end they just told us "no, Jin Yi was not beating him" and then just let go of that story. Why not show us their relationship?
Oh and just to be clear; the character Bong Bong is not written any good either. The mechanics of her power is all over the place. Bong Bong bullied, hurt and scared people using her power from the first episode and the ONLY time she was unaware she was using her power on an undeserving person she lost her power? So it doesn't matter if undeserving people get hurt with her power unless the scene is funny? Or everyone who is mean to her deserves everything that happens to them? Her uses of her power ranges from scaring, bullying people to practically crippling them.
All I can say is;
Weak writing Ms. Baek Mi Gyeong.
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Pros :
1. Superb Direction :The director never treats this as a TV show and fills in visual after visual of great beauty and marshals his actors so well.I am now committed to watching any show this PD makes (recently watched Miracle we met!)
2. Casting and Performances : PBY was superb and I also found Park Hyung Sik underplayed his character (he was basically the damsel in distress in this one!) It takes guts to take up this kind of a character and he did it with aplomb.Jin goo also acquitted himself quite well.The support cast was awesome too.
3. Story and writing : This was the first tv show to warm me up to the idea of female superheroes and a lot of credit goes to the writer's efforts who made the character of DBS so interesting
4. OST : Some of the songs and their use was awesome in this
5. Excellent comedy : The comedy in this is hillarious and the scenes bring a smile to your face instantaneously
6. OTP : The initial pics never showed a great pair potential but both the leads worked superbly together
7. Great Ending : I have seen many great dramas run out of steam at end.The ending of this show satisfied me while still looking forward to a season 2..
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The actors were pretty good. I loved the unusual dynamic between Ahn Min Hyuk and Do Bong Soon, it's refreshing, not to mention adorable, he looks at her the way I look at coffee on a sleep-deprived morning.
What I didn't love is the drastic changes in tone this show seemed to have. You can't have a starry-eyed boy trying to hide the fact he's turned on in the most PG-13 way possible in one scene, and a really terrifying serial kidnapper in a dungeon filled with his victims hatching his plan in the next. I never knew how important it is for a story to choose a Genre and stick with it until now.
That god-awful song that came on every time they had a sentimental moment drove me nuts, it ruined any scene it played on. I can't say I remember any other song on the soundtrack.
I skipped most of it, except for the parts with Bong Soon because she's awesome, and Min Hyuk because how could I resist his charming fangirling over her, and his over the top gestures that cracked me up. The other parts seemed like a` waste of my life.
Don't watch it unless you wanna laugh a lot and don't mind skipping every other scene.
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