THE BEST KDRAMA I EVER SEEN !!!

I had this (old) drama on my list for a long time, but I was afraid it would be bad! I was so so wrong...

Of course, there are difficult, painful moments, but above all there is a strong message, laughter, courage.

The story focuses on the struggles of a single mother, who lives on a remote island, with her senile grandfather and her HIV-positive daughter. The neighbors are very human: they have their temper, their faults, their anger, and are mostly uneducated. A totally depressed doctor arrives because he has just lost his girlfriend (a female doctor who had transmitted HIV to the child during an emergency transfusion).

The actors, all of them, but particularly the 2 leads (Jang Hyuk and Gong Hyo Jin) and the actress who plays the child, use their infinite talent, their sensitivity, to convey intense emotions. Censorship was still very present in 2007 and this drama is very humble, but these two great actors make us live this situation in looks, in sensitivity, in micro-expressions,... They are absolutely brilliant!

The screenwriter (for once) is correct in terms of psychological analysis:
- Relationships on an island are well developed. Proximity, gossip, life in a closed place, the brutal changes of the weather,...
- The strength, the fears, the will to keep a low profile of this mother who (rightly) gives absolute priority to her daughter.
- the depression and then the slow healing of the doctor
- parents' anxieties about HIV

This drama is a bit vintage (hairstyle, costumes, sets, long frozen scenes when the director wants to emphasize emotions, OST) but the characters are so strong that it's impossible to leave them.

Don't miss this masterpiece! You will laugh, cry, be outraged, ... and like me, want to watch this drama again.

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Cute fantasy drama's summary

Like a drama summary!!

The main actions are there, the actors are good, the costumes, the action scenes,... But everything is TOO fast.

It gives the impression of a drama summary that should have been developed in 12 or 15 episodes.
Too bad, because even if it's cute, the viewer can't get involved...

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To watch in one evening.
Entertaining, but without much interest (except to demonstrate the talent of young actors).

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Rom-Com sympa et bien jouée (assez fraiche) malgré les "grosses ficelles" du script

I started this drama because I wanted something cute and easy to watch.

STORY:
Encounter between a cold CEO, forced to cohabit with a poor actress. She was recruited by his mother because she looks like the CEO's ex. She will turn out to be (undoubtedly) the girl who saved him ten years ago and whom he was in vain looking for.
He decides to give her a chance to make a career thanks to the resources deployed by his group.
The storyline is quite classic, and at the beginning, I had an "déjà vu" feeling. But the themes are approached from a new angle (resemblance, independence, love vs. career, etc.).
Some coincidences are a little too obvious for us to fully embrace the story, but we can nod along thanks to the talent of the actors.

TECHNICAL:
Excellent casting for this rom-com. The CL is very cute and the chemistry is palpable. The relationship is built slowly (VERY) slowly, and Western viewers want to slap the hesitant, stuck, overly cautious ML. What is pleasant is the mutual trust and the absence of doubt about their reciprocal love. We are (alas) forced to go through clichés [1/ cancer 2/ I'm leaving you to protect you] , but it doesn't last too long.
The secondary actors are also excellent. The main secondary characters are well developed and the side romances too. I really liked the character of the mother, clever, mischievous, who protects her son. However, their relationship doesn't seem to be very affectionate (which doesn't make sense).
The production is dynamic, not too many flashbacks, not too many slow motion scenes. Good !
The OSTs are not memorable, but well adapted to the different emotions.
Nothing special about the framing: we can see some pretty landscapes, but the aesthetics of this drama will not be memorable.

CONCLUSION
Nice despite the obvious tricks and "dramaland" coincidences!
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J'ai commencé ce drama parce que j'avais envie de quelque chose de mignon et qui ne "prend pas la tête".

STORY :
Rencontre entre un cold CEO, forcé de cohabiter avec une actrice "don du ciel", recrutée par la mère car elle ressemble à l'ex du CEO. Elle se révèlera être (sans doute) la fille qui l'a sauvé des années auparavant et qu'il cherchait en vain.
Il décide de lui donner la chance de faire carrière grâce aux ressources déployées par son groupe.
La storyline est assez classique, et au début, j'ai eu l'impression de "déjà vu". Mais les thèmes sont abordés sous un nouvel angle (ressemblance, indépendance, love vs carrière, etc.).
Certaines coïncidences sont un peu trop flagrantes pour que l'on puisse adhérer totalement à l'histoire, mais on peut se laisser prendre au jeu grâce au talent des acteurs.

TECHNIQUE :
Excellent casting pour cette rom-com. Le CL est très cute et l'alchimie passe bien. La relation se construit lentement (TRÈS) lentement, et les spectateurs occidentaux ont envie de donner des baffes au ML, hésitant, coincé, prudent à l'excès. Ce qui est agréable, c'est la confiance mutuelle et l'absence de doute sur leur amour réciproque. On a (hélas) droit aux clichés 1/ cancer 2/je te quitte pour te protéger, mais cela ne dure pas trop longtemps.
Les acteurs secondaires sont excellents. Les principaux personnages secondaires sont bien développés et les romances annexes aussi. J'ai beaucoup aimé le personnage de la mère, futée, maligne, qui protège son fils. Cependant, leur relation n'a pas l'air d'être très affectueuse (ce qui n'est pas logique).
La réalisation est dynamique, pas trop de flashbacks, pas trop de scènes de ralenti. Bien !
Les OST ne sont pas mémorables, mais bien adaptées aux différentes atmosphères.
Rien de particulier sur le cadrage : on a droit à quelques jolis paysages, mais l'esthétique de ce drama ne sera pas mémorable.

CONCLUSION
Sympa malgré les grosses ficelles !

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Excellent drama (romantique, comédie/drame)

Un drama qui commence en comédie romantique, mais se poursuit assez vite sur un ton plus lourd.
Excellent casting (le ML, Yoon Shi Yoon est formidable) y compris tous les personnages secondaires qui sont bien développés. La romance du CL est drôle, puis émouvante, et leur alchimie est palpable.

La storyline est assez classique d'un KDrama :
- contexte de la fabrication des sacs de luxe,
- accident => responsabilité => abus de pouvoir
- triangle amoureux
- différence de statut (social, âge, etc.)
- parents hyperpotents.

Mais l'histoire est bien menée, la psychologie des personnages est cohérente, et le talent des acteurs nous fait vivre cette tranche de vie avec émotions.
Les OST sont bonnes, sans être mémorables, mais accompagnent bien les émotions transmises.

Je ne pense pas le regarder à nouveau même si je suis fan de YSY, car je visionne rarement les séries plusieurs fois (sauf quelques séries culte) :)

En conclusion, un très bon drama que vous regarderez avec plaisir.

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Simply awesome drama!!

I wasn't inspired by the synopsis (hospital medical teams, firefighters, politicians, etc. dealing with a big earthquake in Seoul), so I put off watching this high-ranked drama for a long time.
Well, it totally deserves all the praise it's received... At least!

The story is coherent, well conducted, the psychology of the characters, their words, their behavior, are realistic. The themes addressed, subtly, are broad: life, suffering, death, mourning, courage, solidarity, sacrifice, meaning of life...
The cast is great, with wonderful actors, all of them including the many secondary characters.
Now let's talk about the CL. They have intense interactions, an extraordinary complicity (despite the all too rare intimate or cute moments). OK, the ML has a ridiculous hairstyle, but even so, he's adorable!
My only regret is that the ending was a little too abrupt. I would have liked to see the CL be finally peaceful, more intimate longer.

The music, epic, sometimes grandiose, is worthy of the circumstances.
The sets, the special effects are realistic, including the disaster scenes. The production is dynamic (nothing superfluous, no length, etc.).

Watch this drama without hesitation (don't do like me :), you will go through all the emotions, smile, fear, anguish, sadness (the death of the little brother brought me to tears and yet I don't cry often), nervousness , anger,... And like me, you will find it hard to leave these characters.

I will certainly watch it again and I strongly recommend it to all those who are not afraid to stay 2 days glued to their screen (because it will be the case from the viewing of the 1st episode).

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Classic, mix romance/action (soldier/doctor) with great actors and a good production

I admit, I watched this drama for Johnny Huang and because I like soldier/doctor dramas.

This one is very nice and catchy:
- Great CL (I'm a fan of Johnny Huang!!) but with too rare romantic scenes,
- the story is coherent, with logical clues to the scenes to come,
- the action scenes are numerous and well done,
- the sets are realistic (including the hospital)
- the production is dynamic (we don't get bored, there are no useless scenes)
- the soundtracks go well with the emotions conveyed.

All is not perfect, however:
- The "evil characters" are a little too much and super smart (they miraculously find their prey, are informed of everything will happend, etc.)
- the "best friend" is madly in love, but above all totally brainless.
- Of course, as in all military dramas (regardless of the country), there is no escaping the nationalist couplet (but that's the game :). Here, it is still excessive!

In conclusion, if you are a fan of the soldier/doctor mix, watch it, you will have a great time.

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A very nice romance carried by great actors (but last 1/3 too lenghty)

A very addictive drama from the first episodes with romance, humor, excellent casting and action. The production is lively and the interactions within the CL are incredible.
The ML (Wallace Huo) is handsome, arrogant, but brave, fair, etc.
The FL (Tiffany Tang) is resourceful, strong, funny.
Their chemistry is palpable and their scenes are very cute.
The rest of the cast is very good and the secondary characters (very numerous) are well developed.

BUT, after a while, the deceits of the "great villain" are TOO MUCH! It becomes annoying to watch the "good guys" get duped like this. The part where the ML is "at rock bottom " is excessively long and painful (and does not fit the personality of the character).
In short, the last third of the drama has a lot of lengths and the writers should have shortened this part (which spoils the overall feel of the drama). And I'm not even talking about FL's post-wedding runaway (obvious screenwriter inconsistency :)

In summary, I recommend this drama to fans of Wallace or Tiffany, to people who want a very nice romance carried by great actors (but who will have to be very patient to support a story that is too convoluted at the end).

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Beaucoup de potentiel, joli couple, mais overdose de mélo

Romance entre chef réputé et cuisinière "don du ciel". J'aime beaucoup les 2 leads mais 56 épisodes de conflits, twists, tricks, avec filles abandonnées, enfants illégitimes, vengeance pour concurrence économique et "great villains" machiavéliques (trop !!) & tenaces.

Ce drama avait beaucoup de potentiel : bon plot, super casting, alchimie au sein du CL, réalisation convenable, etc. Mais tout est gâché par l'écriture ! Le screenwriter a voulu faire dans le mélo, mais il en a fait TROP. Au bout d'un certain temps, l'attention décroche par une overdose de mélo !!

Je suis allée au bout par curiosité, mais avec beaucoup de zapping...

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Drama mystérieux, intrigant, bien mené et bien joué

J'étais intriguée par le titre, mais finalement les insectes ne jouent pas un si grand rôle. Cependant, le héros est biologiste.
Ils ne sont que le prétexte dans une série d'intrigue, curieux mix de "Cold case" et d"Esprits criminels".

Les acteurs sont excellents, la réalisation est menée avec intelligence. Les indices apparaissent au fil des épisodes et il est difficile de prévoir ce qui va se dérouler ensuite.
Les OST sont parfaitement adaptées à ce type de drama (suspense, mystère, thriller).

Ce n'est pas un drama feel-good ou distrayant. Certains passages peuvent même être dérangeants.
Néanmoins, comme cette série est vraiment bien faite, vous voudrez aller au bout de l'histoire quand vous l'aurez commencée (pour connaître les réponses à toutes les questions en suspens).

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Romance in revolutionary war times, with a bunch of handsome guys

STORY
The 1925 context and the rivalries/war between armies led by the governors and that led by the revolutionaries, is interesting.
We witness the struggles/issues of influence between the different powers (Concession, armies, governors, Japanese).

CASTING
The CL is quite cute (beautiful, noble and intelligent characters).
A lot of handsome actors (marshals and officers) although they don't really have the physicality of soldiers :). Big risk of 2LS with Evan Lin :)...

But some unbearable characters:
- the completely idiotic sister (with horrifying voice), supposedly rebellious, excessively childish and annoying, who is left free to put everyone in danger in times of war ??? Seriously ??? (as soon as this character appears, my hair stands on end because it's fake, badly played, inconsistent with the context)... And what's more, this character doesn't change an inch!
- the mother-in-law with a horrible voice!!!
- his vain, evil and jealous daughter.

TECHNICS
Realization of quality despite freeze frames a little too accentuated on the romantic moments.

Some bugs and anachronisms however(don't forget it's 1925 :)
- mix of jazz and french cancan in a show ???
- electronic medical devices
- sister's mini skirt
etc
The stage manager and director didn't pay enough attention to detail!!
Most of the time, the OSTs are adapted: epic, soft or very sad. Nothing particularly memorable though.

I would recommend this drama to those who want a mix of history (very nationalistic:), romance and action.

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A drama romantic, intelligent, modern. Highly recommended!

I started this drama with doubts because the comments were very divided. Believe me, it does not disappoint me at all. Since Ep 1, I was completely addicted to this drama
This drama really touched me.

THE STORY: It was such a simple, yet attractive romance. there are 24 eps, but that's more than enough to tell the story, so there's no unnecessary length or scenes. It was absolutely fascinating and beautiful.

THE CAST/ACTOR:
All the castings went very well. The drama is literally carried by the ML, Lin Yanjun ❤❤❤ . He is not only very handsome, but has incredible acting skills. playing a blind man perfectly for his first role, shows how great he is.
Wan Peng is also very convincing (as always).
Their acting seems really natural and they make us experience intense emotions.

STORY: It's quite coherent and realistic. It is well written and we discover little by little the past, the traumas, the personalities of the characters. The interactions of the characters fit with their personality (except for a few passages at the end, in particular the rituals, which seem a little excessive). The abrupt and very dominating (in the sense that he doesn't explain anything) aspect of the ML-CEO is consistent with his autistic spectrum.

I like the message conveyed regarding people with disabilities. They do not need pity, nor compassion, but equality!! The gaze of others is sometimes more harmful than illness or incapacity. In this drama, the truths are told, with great accuracy and sensitivity, both with regard to sensory handicap and autism.

CHEMISTRY:
Lin Yanjun and Wan Peng.. their chemistry is off the charts. I loved their acting and their natural chemistry so much.

THE MUSIC:
Above all, I expect OSTs to accompany the emotions transmitted. But, in this drama, I liked them so much. Kudos to the composer. My favorite OST is Yuan Lai Wo Hen Ai Ni (I love you very much) by Lin Yanjun He ❤❤❤ . Yes, on top of that, he sings so well !!).
I look forward to his next drama/project !!

I'm sure I'll see this drama again many times.

In conclusion, a story well told, intelligent, subtle, brought to life by absolutely brilliant actors. Don't miss this gem!!

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In conclusion, an excellent family/romantic description

THE DAMAGES OF A NARCISSISTIC PERVERT!!

Long family and romantic novel of 56 episodes in the context of traditional embroideries and large industrial groups;

The characters (all played by great actors who make us live all the emotions of this story) are well developed, with their story, their flaws, their mistakes, their goals.

What is particularly well described are the stratagems, the mechanisms, used by the narcissistic perverse "sister". She's smart, nosy, extremely manipulative and self-centered, and thinks (like all perverts) that means don't matter if one can achieve one's goals.
This series therefore tells all the consequences of the misdeeds of this girl, determined to do anything to be rich, how she exploits the flaws and weaknesses of others, how she disguises reality, how she justifies her crimes,... How she sinks into the lies to give credibility to the previous lies.

The romance is very cute and the (solid) trust within the ship is the only weapon to get out of the web of lies woven by the sister. Allen Deng and Sun Yi (the CL) demonstrate all their talent in this drama.

The production is dynamic, although it becomes lenghty in the action (episode 20 and following). The tone is quite painful in the first 20-25 episodes (where we want to hit the "great villain" and his mother. But when the "good guys" finally start to react, it gets better.
Overall, the tone (dialogues, behaviors) is right, although some scenes are a bit too melodratic.

The OSTs accompany the action/emotion quite well, but the sometimes excessive volume of the soundtrack disturbs the emotions transmitted.

In conclusion, an excellent family/romantic description.

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Beautiful drama, touching, moving, but with a rather dark tone.

The story is great structured and consistent.

We gradually discover the story of this single mother who raises her sick son with so much difficulty.
Over the course of medical consultations, she meets again her ex-boyfriend, who has become a cardiac surgeon, dumped 7 years earlier. This complex character Dr. Nie is beautifully played by Wallace Chung.

We must also emphasize the talent of all the actors in this series. All are emotionnaly convincing ! They embody superbly, without excess or useless chatter, characters whose past, traumas and goals we discover little by little.

The actor who plays the young PingPing is also extraordinary in accuracy and sensitivity. I can only assume that if he continues down this path, he will have a great career.

The execution is excellent. Some scenes, especially the painful scenes, last a long time. We could consider that these are lengthy, but this timing is undoubtedly necessary so that the spectator understands the state of mind of the characters and their evolution. The puzzle pieces are put into place with precision and the clues guide the viewer to legitimate conclusions with context.

I have a more mixed assessment on the OSTs (sometimes jazz, but a lot of classical pieces) whose atmosphere does not always match the emotions conveyed.

In conclusion, this is not a feel-good or entertaining series.
But it is a high quality drama that will remain in your memories for a long time.

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The art of telling a good story with a very low budget!

I really like the realism (tinged with the "melodramatic" side of Dramaland) of Taiwanese series.
This drama begins with a very rom-com tone, before the focus is put on the investigation and the tone then becomes more emotional.

The plot is interesting: a math genius investigates a 23 years old cold-case, involving his father. He meets and falls in love with FL, then discovers that she is the daughter of the victims of this cold-case.

The characters are well developed:
- I really like the ML's evolution, from an hyper rational cold man to a caring and attentive boyfriend.
- I admit that I'm more reserved about FL, whose acting skills didn't convinced me.
- the characters of the friends (prosecutor and policeman) are there for the humorous touch. They really cannot be taken seriously!

Romance is well developed, step by step, from interest to trust, then love, support, protection. Ship moments are frequent and really cute.
The OSTs are only 2 or 3, but I really like the song that accompanies the emotional moments.

The production is lively, dynamic, so there is no length, no moment when the drama becomes boring.

The MAJOR FLAW of this series is the very low budget:
- no action scenes
- all the drama is done in a few locations (apartment, office, restaurant, school, hospital, etc.)
- the elements of the investigation (we only see 2 or 3 police officers in action) are not very credible

However, I watched this drama until the end because the actors are good (especially the ML) and the story is well told. Everyone wants to know how the plot will end.

=> Some Taiwanese directors really master the art of telling good stories with a very small budget.

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Une très jolie série fantasy et romantique.

La storyline (destin qui réunit un prince privé de sens et une "don du ciel" qui le guérit) est assez classique. Les conspirations et intrigues pour la succession au sein de la Cour, sans doute conformes à la réalité, sont aussi habituelles.

Mais :
- Les acteurs sont excellents, surtout le CL (le ML est très jeune, mais talentueux et très prometteur).
Remarque : la perte des sens notamment le goût et l'odorat, est assez ironique dans la situation de COVID actuelle.
- Le format n'est pas trop long (24 épisodes) et la réalisation est vive et efficace. tout est dit, mais il n'y a pas de scènes ou de personnages inutiles;
- Les OST sont très classiques (et adaptées) pour une rom-com historique.
- j'aime beaucoup le petit clin d’œil du switch potentiel à la fin :)

En conclusion, une très jolie série fantasy et romantique, qui se découvre au fil des épisodes avec beaucoup de plaisir.

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