Starting off this show, I thought that the child actors were just going to have a few scenes. I was a little annoyed when I realized that it was more than that, until they stole my heart with their earnest and heartbreaking performances. It was impossible to not be rooting for them so hard after that.

Of course the premise of the show is a little ridiculous and the show really leans into the absurd nature of her past rather than what would actually be an extremely traumatic experience. I feel that this choice was made because of the already very bleak and upsetting depiction of domestic violence and the show wanting to still have some lighthearted moments.

I think what worked best in this show was Ki-ho and his dedication to Mok-ha. Every choice he made in his life revolved around her. His unwavering devotion to her was so beautiful. I really wish they had shown more of their romance. His family was so precious and I would watch an entire show based on the backstory of the mom and dad running away together.

What worked the least in my opinion was the music industry bit. The show spent so much time focusing on the shares when that storyline not only didn’t really make sense but also was uninteresting. Ran-jun could be pretty frustrating to watch and her romance plot line was tiring. The show would have been better with less focus on the music industry.

The portrayal of domestic violence was definitely meant to show how deeply unfair the legal system was towards victims. This was a very important message but it felt like even the show was giving their bio dad too much grace. It felt crazy that fighting back against someone who is attacking you and your family was shown as almost equivalent to being abusive? Just let the guy punch his dad, he deserves so much worse.

Lire davantage

Sometimes in action or mystery stories, less is more when it comes to explanations because the more they try to explain things, the stories become less fun and it’s easy to find the plot holes. Healer definitely did not take the less is more approach and I think the story suffered for it. I almost dropped this drama so many times in the first half because I was so bored by the backstory. It took probably until episode 7 until I was more invested.

The action itself is great and it’s clear that Ji Chang Wook had a great time doing all of the stunts. The romance was also very well executed and Ji Chang Wook and Park Min Young had such good chemistry. Her character getting into a love triangle with Healer and one of his other aliases was hilarious.

I ended up skipping a lot of the scenes with the main villains because it just did not feel interesting or make a lot of sense. The second male lead was also one of the weaker parts of the show as it seemed like they didn’t know what to do with him.

Everything with Healer and his team was great. The team dynamics, humor, and caring for each other. Her dad and the ex-cons he’d hired at the cafe were fun to watch and the dad was one of the sweetest drama dads ever.

I wish the show had found a way to be more mystery of the week rather than focus on this big convoluted conspiracy that’s gone back decades. Every time the show would focus on the mystery, I just wanted to go back to the main leads or see some more action sequences.

I would have dropped this drama if the romance didn’t hold my attention like it did. Ji Chang Wook really is great in both action and romance, and Healer showcased his skills in both.

Lire davantage

This was my first ever kdrama and is still the only one I’ve rewatched to this day. I know CLOY gets a lot of hype, but there is a reason for it!

First off, the love story is epic and very well done. The premise of the show creates the perfect opportunity for a star-crossed lovers story. I love the meet-cute, I love the grumpy-sunshine trope, I love the backstory of their paths having crossed before. Many, many shows have the storyline that the leads have known each other in the past, but I think few have executed it the way that CLOY does. One of the reasons I think it’s so successful is that it’s not a forced storyline of them knowing each other as kids or unknowingly being a part of the same traumatic event, instead it shows the ways their paths have continued to cross against all odds. This aspect of the show had a fated lovers/red thread of destiny aspect to it that I just loved.

Captain Ri is so reserved for most of the show and, yes, he is constantly saving her life, but he also displays his love through such beautiful, little acts of consideration. Se-ri is also such a fantastic female lead. It would have been easy in a show like this to have her solely be the damsel in distress who needs saving from the hero, but she also saved him multiple times. Se-ri was brave and determined, a perfect match for Captain Ri.

Another one of my favorite parts of the show is the found family dynamic she has with all of his friends. Found family is one of the best tropes and CLOY does it so well. Se-ri had her own relationship with each of the soldiers and they all loved her so much by the end of the show. All of these characters added so much needed humor to the story.

I know not everyone does, but I loved secondary couple as well. I wish they’d gotten more time on screen together. The two of them seemed like a perfect match because they both could be pretty morally grey but had such a soft spot for each other.

I love the majority of this drama but there are a couple things that keep it from being a 10 for me. The first is that I really wish the main couple had been more passionate. These two people are living never knowing when they’ll be pulled apart forever and understanding that when that happens, they’ll never see each other again, and you’re telling me that they barely touch each other?! Yeah, right. There are also several plot lines that the show spends way too much time on, which makes the episodes a lot longer than they needed to be. Dan’s mom and uncle had too much screen time, as did Se-ri’s brothers. Se-ri’s family dynamics were very confusing, especially with her dad.

Even with my minor complaints, I would still recommend just about everyone to watch this show. This is a fantastic starter drama as well and it introduces you to a lot of the most beloved tropes. CLOY was unforgettable to me.

Lire davantage

Great Start, Weak Finish

I loved this drama so much at the beginning. I liked the focus on friendship and the chemistry between the couples. The show portrayed sexism and had a pretty progressive attitude towards sex. One of my main issues is that the show focused on the three main friends and their romances, but I only cared about two of them. I found one of these storylines to be incredibly boring and skipped most of those scenes. The last few episodes really took the show down for me, which I would have rated much higher before I saw those. The decisions that the main lead makes in the last few episodes felt really bizarre and out of character.

Likes: Soo-ji - a part of me almost wanted her and the CEO to be the main couple because I cared about them so much. The portrayal of sexism, especially that in the corporate world. The focus on female friendship. Forced proximity and contract marriage trope for the main couple. Chemistry between all the couples was great. The way that the main couple bonded over the simple things and how those became some of their greatest joys in life.

Dislikes: Ho-rang's relationship just did not work for me and there is just no way that couple would work. I was frustrated when it would switch to this storyline because it took time away from the storylines I was interested in.
Everything with Ji-ho's family felt very unsatisfying as it didn't seem to really address the issues with her dad and brother. While I liked the main couple for the most part, there were quite a few times that I didn't understand her draw to him, as he felt pretty unappealing. The last few episodes Ji-ho made some decisions that felt almost cruel and didn't make any sense.

Lire davantage

Enemies to lovers is possibly my favorite trope of all time and I also love fake dating, so a combination of the two was right up my alley. I was not immediately sold on the show and it took me a couple of episodes to feel invested, but I ended up loving the leads and romance. I did feel like the reasons they hated each other at the beginning felt a little bit forced and didn’t resolve in a very satisfying way but I always appreciate the tension that enemies to lovers trope brings.

The show does have a pretty progressive and feminist lens, at least by kdrama standards. The male lead is fully aware of the female lead’s past and he stands by her completely. It did bother me that the show seemed to really harp on how he was drawn to her because “she’s not like other girls”, but it did bother me a little bit less because to her, he’s also not like other guys, so at least it went both ways.

I love when dramas don’t stick to the 16 episode model and allow themselves to be shorter, but the characters backstories were not as well-developed as I would have liked. It seemed pretty obvious that her issues with men stemmed from her dad’s treatment of her mom, but it was never really explored in detail. The male lead’s issues with women seemed to stem from his mother but they seemed so extreme and then just resolved immediately, with very little explanation about how his ex played into it.

I love when dramas show adult relationships in a complex and realistic way, which this show did really well. Once they get together, the main couple is very affectionate, they communicate well, they tease each other in a very sweet and good-natured way, and they very clearly support and trust one another. I would have liked to see more of them being happy in a relationship, but I do appreciate that this was a legit rom-com, with no wild unnecessary side plots. This was a super fast watch and it was overall a great time.

Lire davantage

Fangirling Over Ryan Gold

I had gotten very tired of hyped rom-coms that had leads in their late twenties or thirties acting like teens and dead fish kissing scenes. I heard this was a more mature romance and I was not disappointed.

Park Min-Young seems to have amazing chemistry with every actor she’s paired with, but her chemistry with Kim Jae-wook was really next level. The chemistry between the two of them paired with a fake dating trope? Forget it, I’m in.

The absolute main reason to watch this show is because of the male lead, Ryan Gold. Ryan was such a green flag and he was written in a way that went against so many drama stereotypes. There were many times where I expected him to get angry about a situation, and if it had been any other kdrama, it would have led to a miscommunication that lasted multiple episodes and probably also an unnecessary breakup. Instead, Ryan and Deok-mi communicated so beautifully with each other. The fights they did have were portrayed in such a healthy way and ended with them laughing and/or kissing. I think miscommunication is such an overplayed and boring trope a lot of the time and I loved seeing this show do things so differently.

I loved Kim Jae-wook’s portrayal as Ryan. He was so attractive and I loved that from the very beginning he was protective of Deok-mi, even if he had a completely wrong read of the situation. The way he was delighted by her fangirling and impressed by pretty much everything about her was so cute. The real first kiss scene was one of the best I have seen and they had many others that were just as good! I loved that the main couple was so playful and affectionate. I think the show did a great job portraying a realistic relationship for people in their thirties.
I think Shi-Ahn was actually adorable. I saw the twist coming, but I do wish that they had built it up a little better.

This show was well on its way to being in my top ten based on the main couple, but I did end up having a couple of gripes with it. I think basically everything with Eun-gi was poorly done. I hate a love triangle where one person has just no shot but tries to force it anyway. I think it was weird that he had those feelings in the first place and he definitely should’ve kept them to himself. I appreciated how unbothered Ryan was by their relationship and he fully trusted Deok-mi, but that whole plot was not needed.

The big reveal at the end of what had happened to Ryan and his connection to Deok-mi was also a major weak spot in the series. It didn’t make much sense and also added a layer of drama and mystery that this show didn’t need. The show also really took it easy on some of the darker aspects of fan culture. Deok-mi being so understanding of the people who stalked, assaulted, and doxxed her felt really unrealistic.

All that being said, I had so much fun with this drama. The leads had me giggling and kicking my feet. I want to see Kim Jae-wook in more rom coms for sure.

Lire davantage

Crazy and Fun

I am not usually a fan of the very soap opera-esque dramas that have over-the-top plots and acting, but this one worked for me. I think the secret to this story is that it was overtly overdramatic and didn't try to be anything it wasn't. The villains were so wildly evil that it was comical at times. Perfect Marriage Revenge is the perfect binge watch because it's a shorter short with a super fast-paced plot that keeps you interested. It's not the most memorable show, but it was super entertaining while I was in it.

Likes: Chemistry between the main couple was great. Keeping the explanations of the time travel vague worked and kept it from overcomplicating the story. The male lead was very protective and supportive immediately, total green flag. The female lead realizing her power and finding her self confidence. The mother-in-law and family was great and I loved her and the stepmother battling it out.

Dislikes: several characters got second chances that really did not deserve them. I wanted to see her entire family punished because they all deserved it. Ending felt a little rushed. The backstory for the romance was not explained or delved into enough and I would have liked more of it. Everything with his brother was kind of bizarre and a definite weak point. I wanted more of the friendship with her, his sister, and his cousin! Seeing Yi-joo before she starts her revenge was painful to watch.

Lire davantage

Comfort Drama

Hometown Cha-cha-cha is the drama that made me fall in love with dramas. It wasn’t the first one I watched but it’s what turned me from someone who had only seen a couple to someone who couldn’t stop watching them. I’ve seen this show twice now and it’s quickly become such a comfort show.

HCCC is the perfect rom com. The first episode drew me in immediately, from their meet cute on the beach to the reveal that behind his aloof exterior, he was obsessed with her from the beginning. Many people hate on Hye-jin, but even though she does some cringey things in the beginning, I always liked her. Hye-jin is a woman who comes off as very cold and detached, often saying the wrong thing and offending people. However, she had a great heart and she would go to bat for the people she cared about; she had a strong sense of justice and wasn’t ever willing to compromise her morals. Chief Hong is pretty notorious for being the perfect boyfriend and that is very accurate. The man’s acts of service are legendary and all the clips that would show him spending his time doing little things to make her happy (the shoes!) were some of the best parts of the show. They had amazing chemistry and I wouldn’t necessarily call it enemies to lovers, but I loved their bickering at the beginning.

There is a love triangle but Lee Sang-yi was incredibly charming and formed a great friendship with Chief Hong, so it didn’t take away from the story. The second couple also had a very cute story arc. This show is the blueprint for a small town drama. All the townspeople are kind of kooky but all get developed personalities and I came to love almost all of them. Even though not a ton happens in this show, it never felt boring and part of it is that they devoted time to all of the characters, not just the leads. Other small town dramas never seem to compare to this one because I don’t feel the attachment to the town the way I do in this one.

The first time I watched this, I sobbed my way through the last few episodes with Chief Hong’s backstory. Kim Seon-ho had an amazing performance. It was quite a tone shift for this otherwise very sweet show but they had really built up the mystery of his backstory and it made me need to see what had happened.

HCCC had the perfect ending. It’s one of the things that makes this a great comfort drama. There is almost nothing that I don’t like about this show. I don’t know if it will ever get knocked out of my top 5 dramas. More of these types of shows please!

Lire davantage

The beginning of this drama was a little rough and it was hard for me to get into. It wasn’t until around episode 11 that I felt the show hooked me, which is way too long. This show is often recommended as a comp to Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha and since that’s one of my favorite dramas, I was very excited to try this one, but it does not have much in common with HCCC except its seaside location.

The scandal that ruined Sam-dal’s career felt a little weak and didn’t seem like something that would make that big of an impact or attract that much media attention. The girl that orchestrated it all was infuriating to watch and it was so easy to root for her downfall.

Everyone in this show was an alcoholic. Characters get drunk in dramas all the time, but this was on another level. Sam-dal and her sisters did nothing but pound beer and black out. It was pretty annoying to watch. Both of her sisters were really compelling characters with great romances, but it didn’t seem like they got enough time to explore their backstories or romances in depth, so it ended up feeling like a bit of a letdown.

Yong-pil was really the highlight of the show. Ji Chang-Wook is great at romance and he played this super endearing and sweet male lead so well. I found the relationship timeline to be a little confusing, but I was rooting for them to get back together. He and Sam-dal had the cutest relationship. It felt a little hard to understand why they weren’t together. The character ages made it less believable because they were in their late thirties and it just doesn’t seem like his dad’s approval would be something that could keep them apart. The dad was truly such a terrible man, the true villain of the show, and he did not deserve a redemption arc.

There is some great family dynamics, romance, and an exploration of finding yourself after getting knocked down real hard that all worked so well in this show. I think if this show had been shorter, it would have worked better, but I still think it was worth a watch overall.

Lire davantage

Tragic Love

Come and Hug Me starts off so strong with a focus on flashbacks of the main characters to when they met in childhood. As their tragic backstory unfolds, it explains why they lost touch and why things are as they are for the characters as adults. The actors playing the younger versions of the main characters really stole the show, especially the young male lead actor. The younger actors were so compelling and had fantastic chemistry, which I felt that the older actors were not able to duplicate. This is a rare case where I wanted to see a lot more flashbacks than we got, as they mostly stop after the beginning of the show.

The story was much darker than I expected. Everyone in the show is traumatized and just expressing it in different ways. I found Hyeon-mu, the brother of the male lead, to be one of the most compelling characters as he grappled with his loyalty to his biological family and his desire to belong in his found family where he felt unwanted. The dynamic between him, the male lead, and the stepmother and sister was one of the best parts of the show and I wish there was more of it, both in present day and in the flashbacks.

A lot of the present day storylines with the media and police were a little weak. The reporters, especially the main woman, were so cartoonishly evil and stupid that it felt pretty silly and annoying at times. It was also hard to get past the idea that both a detective and prosecutor would be able to be the leads on a case involving their direct family members.

The performance of the actor playing Hui-Jae was a highlight even though it was disturbing because he captured a psychopathic serial killer so well. He had a way of acting like a normal person and then letting the mask drop that was truly chilling. Even though most of the violence and gore is not shown in detail, his performance made this show very tense and even scary at times.

I think Come and Hug Me would have been a better show if it was shorter, maybe 12-14 episodes instead of 16. It was really dragging by the end. This show really did make me feel things and there were some really good performances, especially at the beginning of the show. Even with some of the plot and character issues, it could still be worth a watch if you want a sad romance.

Lire davantage

Cute Romance, Terrible Pacing

The Love You Give Me started off great and had a lot of promise to be a fun, sweet romcom and it might have stayed that way, if this show had been 20 episodes or less. There was not enough story for them to make this show so long and it felt like the writers were making up for this by throwing in annoying conflicts to keep this couple apart and prolong the story.

The lead actors had great chemistry and I kept watching because they were very cute together. The child actor who plays their son was adorable and their little family was very sweet to watch. The dynamic between the dad and the little boy was a highlight of the show.

The enemies/exes to lovers trope was really good and the two actors had great chemistry with each other, but the pacing felt so off with the execution. The tension of them being enemies was over very quickly, he found out about their son so early on, and they moved into co-parenting and being friends within a few episodes! It left very little plot for the rest of the show.

The final third of the show was very irritating to watch. It felt like this couple would take one step forward and two steps back. The other two side couples in this show were very uninteresting and had way too much screen time, especially at the end. I didn’t buy that either of those couples would be together. There was far too much time given to the company storylines that weren’t very interesting to start off with.

The flashbacks to the couple’s past at the end of each episode were really cute but the rest of the backstory was an absolute mess. When they did the full reveal as to what had happened, that was around the time I lost almost all interest in the show. I ended up fastforwarding through the majority of the last few episodes.

If they had significantly shortened this show to focus on the romance and take out some of the contrived conflicts, I would have liked it a lot better. There are great elements - the chemistry of the main couple, the adorable kid playing their son, strong characterization of both lead characters - but it wasn’t enough to combat a lot of the really boring filler.

Lire davantage

Severe Second Male Lead Syndrome

The first episode (or two episodes as it’s listed on MDL) was amazing. It was one of the best first episodes of a drama I’ve ever seen and set my expectations sky high. Unfortunately, the first episode was the highlight of the show.

The execution of the romance was one of the biggest issues. While the connection was there at the beginning, it really seemed to fade throughout the show and they stopped seeming romantic. Both the male and female main leads were odd characters on their own, and the two of them together seemed to magnify their awkwardness. Jung Hae-in plays one of the best second male leads in history and it was impossible not to root for him. I loved his character on his own, I loved his friendship with the leads, he was great. The show did handle his character’s feelings towards Hong-ju, the female main character, very well. His character deserved more screen time and a romance plot line of his own.

The psychic dreams started off extremely interesting but the show continued to complicate the lore so that by the end it was just very confusing. It did make for exciting storylines because they were all foreseeing each other’s deaths and then coming to save them. The thing that seemed crazy was that they weren’t better at saving the day when they would have all the details about a tragic event and somehow barely get there in time. It’s just to add the drama but it was a little annoying. Hong-ju made a lot of really bizarre decisions, even while having the knowledge from her dreams.

We all know childhood connections are very overplayed and this one did not work at all. The “twist” of the flashbacks was so unbelievably obvious but the show kept drawing it out as this great supposed mystery. If they were going to have their pasts connect, they could have done it in a much more interesting way. With all the time spent on their connection, the show didn’t spend enough explaining other parts of the main character’s backstories.

While You Were Sleeping has a pretty large cast of characters and a lot of the side characters were great. Firstly, Hong-ju’s mom was very funny and she got to interact with a ton of the other characters. The way she kept score of her daughter’s love interests was one of my highlights. The other prosecutors in Jae-chan’s office started out annoying but became funny and charming over the course of the show. The office romance was another really great side plot.

The beginning of While You Were Sleeping started off so strong for me and it just felt that it had lost some of the magic along the way. I did really enjoy a lot of the show, but the boring main romance and stupid character decisions brought it down a bit for me.

Lire davantage

For Fans of the Friends to Lovers Trope

Fight for My Way is friends to lovers at its peak. The show spent time building up the friendship between Ae-ra and Dong-man so that it felt really believable that they had been best friends for decades. Their banter, jokes, familiarity, and teasing felt very genuine. Fight for My Way felt very different in its portrayal of friends to lovers because there was a lot of honesty and vulnerability when they were coming to terms with their feelings for each other. I loved that they were constantly saying little things before they got together about how the other was making their heart flutter or that they had the impulse to kiss. The two of them were navigating their feelings together and being very cautious about it because it is the most important relationship in their lives. The evolution of their friendship into something more was an absolute delight to watch and the show leaned into the awkwardness that would come with wanting to be romantic and physical with your very best friend in a very charming and endearing way.

While I did have some issues with the storyline around Ae-ra and Dong-man, especially their last minute breakup, most of my gripes were with the other storylines. They have two other best friends that are a couple and he just did not deserve her in any way. Seol-hee was wonderful, genuinely so kind, and seeing the way her boyfriend treated her was so upsetting. It felt like the show really let him off the hook when he did not deserve it. She could have done much better and I would have preferred seeing her storyline be about finding someone who really appreciates her and her getting the life she’s dreamt of. Dong-man’s ex was another character who it felt like the show took it really easy on. She was infuriating to watch and a lot of her behaviors were actually illegal.

The show would have played much better if they just wrote out the entire landlady storyline. It was not executed well and it was very rushed because they waited until the end to reveal anything. It wasn’t needed and it would have been better if they used that time to focus on other relationships in the show that did really work, like Ae-ra and Dong-man’s families.

I loved both Ae-ra and Dong-man individually as characters, in addition to their relationship. Both actors had great performances and fantastic chemistry. This is the perfect pick if you’re looking for a show with the friends to lovers trope.

Lire davantage

I’ve never seen Go Ahead but I was immediately drawn to this show after seeing the previews. Starting from the first episode I loved the characters and their little family. The main dad is so precious and he had such a great dynamic with each of the kids and the other dad as well. I think I liked the first half of this show better, which starts off when they are little kids and then focuses on them in high school. The three younger leads, San-ha, Ju-won, and Hae-jun were all such well-written characters and the actors had amazing performances. Between San-ha and Hae-Jun’s backstories I think I was crying every episode.

The first half of the show did a good job showing the connections between all of the characters and highlighting each person’s personality and backstory. When they had the two boys leave home and then the show did the time jump, it didn’t feel quite the same after. I always loved San-ha and I thought that he had good chemistry with Ju-won, but their courtship felt so extremely rushed. I didn’t have an issue with them getting together but it seemed that Ju-won had no time to process his feelings about her and then think about her own. The show was running out of episodes and needed to have them get together, so it didn’t feel organic. The show could’ve benefitted from another couple episodes. Similarly, I loved Dal and was rooting for her to get Hae-jun, but it felt like another case of not having enough time for Hae-jun to reflect on his feelings and then decide to pursue her. I did really love that couple but I would’ve liked their romance to be built up a little more.

San-ha’s mom was truly diabolical and it killed me that the show and the characters never gave her what she deserved. I know the actress did a great job because I wanted to slap her every time she appeared on the screen.

The heart of the show truly was Ju-won’s dad. His and Hae-jun’s relationship was the source of most of my tears from this show; there were so many heartwarming moments showing how much he loved his son. One of the reasons I think the show worked better for me at the beginning is that I think the strength is the portrayal of their family dynamic. Even just the scenes where they were eating dinner together were fun to watch. Even with my few issues with the last few episodes, I still really loved this show and can see a rewatch in my future!

Lire davantage

Don’t Watch for the Plot, Just Seo In Guk

The Smile Has Left Your Eyes is not a show, in my opinion, that you can watch for the plot because the writing is extremely weak. The characters made little to no sense as the writers couldn’t seem to be consistent about any of their personalities.

The absolute weakest part of this show was the brother. His character made no sense and did the craziest things you’ve ever seen, with somehow little to no reaction from the other characters. His relationship with Seo In Guk’s character changes drastically from scene to scene with no explanation. His relationship with his sister also felt very off. Her characterization was pretty weak and only Jung So-min’s fantastic acting saved it. Her character’s reactions to some of the things that her brother did felt like a reaction that no human would ever have. It felt so bizarre that it completely took me out of the story.

With all of the weak points aside, this is Seo In-guk’s drama. I didn’t know much of him before this and it made me a fan. His character is dark and manipulative, but also magnetic. His performance was so expressive; I could’ve watched him smirk all day. It was easy to understand how Jung So-min’s character was pulled into his orbit. The chemistry between the two of them was what kept me watching. I’ve never seen Jung So-min not have great chemistry with someone in a drama before, but hers with Seo In-guk might be the best. Their characters had great physical chemistry but they also depicted intimacy and connection in a beautiful way as well.

I think this show makes little to no sense in terms of the characters and the story. In order to enjoy it, I think you have to watch it for the vibes. It’s a dark, melancholy show with these deeply flawed characters that are inexplicably drawn to each other. If that’s what you’re looking for, it’s still worth watching, I’d just say to set aside your expectations for the writing.

Lire davantage