Good Mix of Genres

So, I have a tendency to "save" dramas - to hold off watching them in fear that once I watch them, my expectations will be set way too high and it will ruin all other dramas for me. And Healer was the #1 drama I was saving - this drama was so hyped up I was so convinced that once I watched it, I would never be able to move on from it (as so many posts all over this site show). And now I finally watched it. How do I feel? Really, yes, it is a really good drama and I completely understand the hype (especially considering the time) but because the expectations for this drama are set up impossibly high, they are well, a little impossible to meet.
It is a good story. One thing this drama does well is it's mixing of genres - spy, action, comedy, romance. The story, for the most part, was pretty well laid out with no glaring plot holes. I mean, there is some suspension of disbelief given it's premise but things generally flow well.
The actors all did a good job in their roles and their was good cast chemistry. There was a wide range of enjoyable characters aside from the main case - the hacker ajumma, the FL's dad, the Someday News gang, the detective and even the SS guard guy - that kept the story entertaining. The main trio, of course, did an excellent job and had a fresh set-up. The romance was really very sweet and I can totally see why this drama is the standard used when asking for good romance or couple chemistry recommendations on the forums. I have a thing for super-devoted male leads with a puppyish side to them so I loved the male lead. While the female lead wasn't as dynamic as the male lead, I though they did a pretty good job with her. While I do appreciate the shift these days to write strong female characters, a lot of dramas are so focused on giving the FL ultra kung-fu skills or whatnot, they fail to write an actual character or make that character have an influence on the plot. CYS is a well-rounded character with likes, dislikes, goals, quirky traits, strength, flaws and is it her actions that help move the plot forward.
The music helped, a LOT. The OSTs on their own were hits but they complimented and enhanced the drama really well - I probably would not like it as much if not for the music (which typically does not affect my drama watching experience that much).
Overall, this is a very good drama that I highly recommend, especially if you want a cute romance. Just take all that astronomically, unrealistically high hype with a little bit of salt.

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Went in with super low expectations and came out pleasantly surprised. I think this is one of those dramas to watch for its parts rather than its whole. I tend to have a preference for cool, calm and collected female lead types, so I liked Yang Mi's character. To those that prefer more lively female leads, she would probably come off as bland but to me she was refreshingly mature. I liked how she didn't show her love through romantic gestures, but pragmatic actions. I loved all of her outfits. I really enjoyed her sismance with Shan Shan too. It's always nice to see strong female bonds and this drama has them in aplenty with her superiors and subordinates.

The male lead was fine. He was somewhat childishly self-centered but just like how you can't get mad at a child, you can really never hate him. I didn't really see them as a couple at first, but maybe as the actor started to get more comfortable behind the camera/with the actress, they started to get super cute.

It's been a while since I've seen a older female/younger male played so straight, so I enjoyed it for what it was. Dramas almost always make the male lead more capable/competent and the female lead more naive, no matter who is older. Here, true to their age, the female lead was more mature and stable and was like a rock for the male lead, who depended on her quite a bit. Obs, this kind of romance would be tiring in real life, but it was cute on screen. If you hate older female/younger male, stay away.

The pacing is horrible. It starts fine, when crawls so slowly that despite all the cute couple moments you wonder where this is going then accelerates so a rushed ending. The plotholes can be pretty annoying too, if you let them be.

The music is pretty good--it gives everything a lighter, zippy feel. The "this is a funny scene" music was pretty good too.

It's clearly not the best drama but for someone who can't seem to finish them recently, I managed to watch this one straight through. I was debating between a 7.5 and 8 for this one (if I could, it'd be a 7.8), but since I enjoyed it for what is was, I'll stick to 8.

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A subtle and well written melo

This was my intro back to dramas after a good 8-month hiatus and the bar was set pretty high after completing this. The has the elements of a melodrama but told in an almost slice-of-life way that makes it entertaining but still easy to digest.

I think the best of this drama are the characters and, of course, the actors who brought them to life. I was looking for a female lead like Woo Jo. I love her straightforward (but not entitled) attitude. I like that she is not perfect. She is very flawed and frequently gets called out on her flaws but still very likable and relatable. I like how, though the ML’s character, she calls out the hypocrisies and fake “nice person” behavior we often see in drama and real life. LSK does an excellent job portraying her. I really liked our male lead and how gentle he was. It was nice to see how our leads matured and changed because of each other. In fact, I loved how all the characters stayed consistent while being allowed natural development as the episodes progressed. I really appreciate the story that was told. Given the character set-ups, they had a lot of opportunities to turn to annoying cliches (unnecessary love triangles or misunderstandings) but they didn't. In fact, it kind of feels like the story that could be told when you take away cliches. This lets the show explore its themes in a more mature and meaningful way, especially the concept of revenge.

The execution was decently good. There were a couple time the camera work, although on theme with the vibe, would feel a little slow, or an angled or artistic shot would be a second too long. Plus, the filter felt a little dark at times; I appreciated the daytime shots more. The music fit the mood of the drama well but not memorable outside of the drama.

Overall, this is a very well written and acted "subtle melo" with strong character development.

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Rom-Sit-Com Comfort Drama

This is spoiler-free until the end and no major spoilers. Sh**ting Stars (still can't get over how weird this name is) was my intro back into kdrama as I had been taking sort of a break and the few dramas I was watching were cdramas. I was hesitant to start this because of that awful title and expectation of it being very cliché. I am happy to say that I was very much satisfied with this drama and it exceeded by expectations.

The story starts off like a classic sitcom, or like a weekender type drama to compare to other Korean shows. Rather than a hyper focused linear storyline on 2 main leads, it has 6 main leads and meanders through the general scenarios of them all plus the side characters. I really liked this method - it felt fun and fresh and was used well to show how the characters interacted with each other. It was nice how most of the characters had individual and group relationships with each other, almost like an interconnected family. I also liked how the celebrities were treated more like colleagues and the final product was something the entire company works on together. The characters themselves were all super endearing and all felt very much their own. I really appreciated that they made the female lead someone very competent (and passionate) in her career. In fact, I liked how most of the main cast was were experienced in their careers - it just added to that collegial feeling mentioned above and was a fresh approach to the cliche rookie angle most dramas take (especially for female leads). The comedy was very a good mix of straight man, camp and slapstick that was very entertaining.

The acting for all the cast members was amazing and bring all the characters to life. The chemistry between the 2 main (main) leads was so sweet and general cast chemistry was excellent. The music was fun and zippy and really elevated the drama to give both happy and comfort vibes. The sound effects or little tunes were expertly placed and also added greatly to the vibe. It would be a decent re-watch. MOST important, I very much appreciated that the medical scenes in this drama was accurate! There is no mouth-to-mouth in CRP!

All in all, it's a fun, funny, sweet, energetic and entertaining drama about entertainment that feels like a family/weekender/sitcom drama and is a delight to watch.

Some thing points of contention (possible SPOILER): while the plot and pacing were clearly thought out and executed well, it felt like the drama had to undergo this total shift in tone to portray the heavier aspects of the plot around the middle, which made it lose some points for me. It shifts back to its original light-hearted and zany vibe towards the end but the tone shift is so obvious one of the characters even kind of lampshades it. There was one particular ship that I had a really hard time coming around too and it felt the drama itself was trying to convince the audience about this ship - I eventually came on board but it was still meh for me. It was sort of weird how many of the actors were 'discovered'/street-casted, like performing arts schools were non-existent. And the monolithing and stereotyping of Africa came off as pretty ignorant and tone-deaf.

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Really Enjoyable

I usually drop more lakorns than I finish so finishing this one means I had a good time watching it. I had to take points off because it does suffer from the usual lakorn logic and production qualities but the acting and chemistry between our two leads more than make up for it.

The story does get somewhat draggy and there are certain things that get completely forgotten (like Pong's friends) but the acting was very good. Our two leads did a pretty good job and, more importantly, they had enough chemistry to carry their scenes.

Surprisingly, I think the characters were decently consistent. I liked how Risa's maturity was portrayed. Once she was committed (whether Pong or Aik) she tried to hold strong in the face of adversity instead of immediately giving in - it kind of shows that a relationship is beyond just the feelings but also a choice to commit. It was a interesting contrast to Pong's immaturity that was not explicably spelled out. I think the drama made an interesting choice with the second female lead. Although she has the mold of the typical batshit-crazy/screeching/jealous/selfish lakorn second female lead, she was given a little depth so you could see why she was behaving the way she did (not that it gave her any excuse, but it made sense). She was also an expert manipulator and so good at playing the innocent victim card particularly when a part of what she is yelling about are facts (like when she told Aik that really, he was the worst out of everyone). The actress herself has a waif-like physique and delicate features which I think also reduces the evil persona. In fact, I think the actress's delicate physical features are why they always had Risa dress in white/light colors while she wore bold or flashy outfits, just to re-emphasize the difference. Ah Ma (Pong's grandmother) is one character that was highly underutilized, particularly because she was very open-minded and the voice of reason for everyone.

The music was super intrusive and honestly did not always correlate to the scene so points off for that.

In conclusion, this is a fun and enjoyable lakorn. While I will probably never rewatch this, I would recommend it for decent entertainment.

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